25 Days of Draco and Harry - Prompt 1
Title: Quiet like the Snow
Author: onaxe
Word Count: 572
Rating: G
Prompt: Prompt #1
Warning: Angst
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Notes: Currently unbeta'd. I'm going to try and make this an actual series with the rest of the prompts, but we'll see how they go. :3
Draco closed his eyes, his face turned up to the sky, revelling in the silence of this secluded area of Hogsmeade. No-one yelling or throwing hexes in his direction. No-one to curse him and his family, spitting out the name 'Malfoy' like it was a reviled taste on their tongue. No-one to voice the doubts of his own self-worth that had been niggling in the back of his mind ever since he'd escaped punishment at the Death Eater trials.
It was simply him, the gently falling snow drift and the soft moonlight. He sighed as he heard a crunching of snow to his left, having known the peace wouldn't last.
"Come on out, Potter. I know you're there," Draco said, tilting his head to look at the air beneath the nearest lit lamp-post.
There was a beat of hesitation before the air rippled and Potter appeared, sliding off that cursed invisibility cloak of his and tucking it into the crook of his elbow.
"How did you know?" Potter asked, looking faintly amused of all things.
"You're the worst stalker I've ever had," Draco replied, smirking. "You really need to work on your stealth."
Potter nodded in acquiescence. A comfortable, yet cold silence fell between them and Draco found himself hoping it would last. But then, Potter always had a way of ruining things for him.
"They're wrong you know," Potter told him, his voice soft. "About you. They're wrong."
Draco swallowed hard and looked away. "But they're really not," he disagreed.
"Malfoy..." Potter started, sounding frustrated.
"No, Potter, they're right!" Draco snapped, his body warming from his slow burning anger. He had to be angry. If he wasn't angry, he'd break down and cry and that wasn't an option. Not here, not in front of Potter. "I tortured people for the Dark Lord. I let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. The people who died in that battle; their blood is on my hands!"
"It was the Death Eaters that killed them, Malfoy. Not you," Potter said, his voice infuriatingly calm. "It wasn't your fault."
"I'm a Death Eater!" Draco yelled, tugging up the sleeve of his jacket and shirt to reveal the ugly black of the Dark Mark marring his pale skin. "Isn't this proof enough for you?!"
Potter shook his head and Draco growled, wanting to make him angry, scare him off, anything. He didn't want to hear what Potter had to say, he didn't want the reasonable words to filter through to his core and make him feel hope. But Potter was just as stubborn as he was.
"What you did, you did for the sake of your family," Potter told him, slowly and carefully walking towards Draco with his hands raised placatingly in the air before him, as though Draco were a skittish animal about to bolt. "You made some bad choices, yes. But you did it out of love for your parents. You don't deserve to be punished for that."
Draco shook his head and closed his eyes, hating that tears were flowing freely down his cheeks now, hating more so that Potter could see them. Warmth enveloped him and Draco's eyes shot open, shocked to find himself in Potter's embrace.
"They're wrong," Potter whispered stubbornly into his hair. "You deserve to be free."
Draco found himself wondering as his eyes drifted shut, what it would take for things to remain quiet like this; safe within Potter's arms.
Author: onaxe
Word Count: 572
Rating: G
Prompt: Prompt #1
Warning: Angst
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Notes: Currently unbeta'd. I'm going to try and make this an actual series with the rest of the prompts, but we'll see how they go. :3
Draco closed his eyes, his face turned up to the sky, revelling in the silence of this secluded area of Hogsmeade. No-one yelling or throwing hexes in his direction. No-one to curse him and his family, spitting out the name 'Malfoy' like it was a reviled taste on their tongue. No-one to voice the doubts of his own self-worth that had been niggling in the back of his mind ever since he'd escaped punishment at the Death Eater trials.
It was simply him, the gently falling snow drift and the soft moonlight. He sighed as he heard a crunching of snow to his left, having known the peace wouldn't last.
"Come on out, Potter. I know you're there," Draco said, tilting his head to look at the air beneath the nearest lit lamp-post.
There was a beat of hesitation before the air rippled and Potter appeared, sliding off that cursed invisibility cloak of his and tucking it into the crook of his elbow.
"How did you know?" Potter asked, looking faintly amused of all things.
"You're the worst stalker I've ever had," Draco replied, smirking. "You really need to work on your stealth."
Potter nodded in acquiescence. A comfortable, yet cold silence fell between them and Draco found himself hoping it would last. But then, Potter always had a way of ruining things for him.
"They're wrong you know," Potter told him, his voice soft. "About you. They're wrong."
Draco swallowed hard and looked away. "But they're really not," he disagreed.
"Malfoy..." Potter started, sounding frustrated.
"No, Potter, they're right!" Draco snapped, his body warming from his slow burning anger. He had to be angry. If he wasn't angry, he'd break down and cry and that wasn't an option. Not here, not in front of Potter. "I tortured people for the Dark Lord. I let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. The people who died in that battle; their blood is on my hands!"
"It was the Death Eaters that killed them, Malfoy. Not you," Potter said, his voice infuriatingly calm. "It wasn't your fault."
"I'm a Death Eater!" Draco yelled, tugging up the sleeve of his jacket and shirt to reveal the ugly black of the Dark Mark marring his pale skin. "Isn't this proof enough for you?!"
Potter shook his head and Draco growled, wanting to make him angry, scare him off, anything. He didn't want to hear what Potter had to say, he didn't want the reasonable words to filter through to his core and make him feel hope. But Potter was just as stubborn as he was.
"What you did, you did for the sake of your family," Potter told him, slowly and carefully walking towards Draco with his hands raised placatingly in the air before him, as though Draco were a skittish animal about to bolt. "You made some bad choices, yes. But you did it out of love for your parents. You don't deserve to be punished for that."
Draco shook his head and closed his eyes, hating that tears were flowing freely down his cheeks now, hating more so that Potter could see them. Warmth enveloped him and Draco's eyes shot open, shocked to find himself in Potter's embrace.
"They're wrong," Potter whispered stubbornly into his hair. "You deserve to be free."
Draco found himself wondering as his eyes drifted shut, what it would take for things to remain quiet like this; safe within Potter's arms.