&,” Harry smiled bak.
“I’ll be seeing you, Potter, I’m sure,” Malfoy said, standing up from the table. He rest a hand on Harry’s shoulder for just a moment. Harry reahed up and overed Malfoy’s hand with his owhat felt oddly ihat he had beeop. Malfoy’s eyes had wide he didn’t pull away.
“Yeah. I’ll see you,” Harry said, remainiable. Harry released his hand.
Malfoy had nodded ahat was the st time Harry had ever seen him.
Harry sped his hand over his m to pe the pain i. Malfoy had never beehey would likely have never had been friends. So why did the fat that there was no haion making him feel sik?
Three years before
“How have you beeing on?” MGonagall asked, having brought Drao to her offie for their daily meeting.
“Fine, I suppose,” Drao said. It was muh easier to speak, now that he did damned mandrake leaf in his mouth, not that he spoke muh anyway. It had been his third try, as the st two times, the full moon had ome on a loudy night.
“Where are you now, in the proess?”
“Waiting for aorm,” Drao said, his eye gning towards the oke, hoping perhaps he ould speak oene.
“And your wand, it’s w well?” MGonagall asked, her gaze falling to the wand on her desk.
He nodded. She had had it reregistered under a false of a tourist, so Drao ould arry i with suspiio have pinned Minerva MGonagall to be a woman with oions like she had, but he supposed oioh beier of Hogwarts.
“Good. hope whatever form you take isn’t too outndish. I know it’s not under your ontrol, but I really hope you’re something I an expin away, although with Hagrid on grounds, there’s very little I ah ahat, and you wos’ first uered Animagus,” she added, though she seemed a little nervous.
He suppressed the urge to say he would be happy as anythihan himself.
Drao smiled at her, shifting in his hair, ing remarkably good at holding his toh really hanged a person, he supposed.
Chapter 2
& Day
The house elves mbered arouhen in a sort of ahat Drao had growo. He was sat at a dihe head elf, Tibsy, disussing the day ahead of them.
“Tibsy, remember we hday ake at the Hufflepuff table tonight.”
“I remember, Mister Malfoy,” the elf reassured him.
“Choote? Or was it arrot ake?” Drao asked, skimming his notes.
“ister Malfoy.”
“Right. Thank you, Tibsy.”
Drao smiled and looked bak dow of foods he had aoday’s meals. He found himself askiions just to have ao speak. He had beehai when MGonagall had suggested he be in harge of ahe Great Hall. He had hought about it beforehand, but someoo deide what they would be eating every day. And it was something to do. He had dohing but sit around in his quarters, sine he had finally fiedious proess of beoming an Animagus.
He had agreed, simply beause it meant he would be able to talk to someone, anyone, in his day to day life. He would see the headmaster for drinks oasionally, but he ould tell the meetings were always more of a welfare hek than anything else. She was a nie enough woma his friend.
Spending all his time around house elves made him feel as though maybe he was going a bit fuhere was o hek for him. He was terribly o he would develop oraerhe wiser beause they were the only living thio.
He sighed, hekiems he had goibsy. He was dohe job didn’t take long. He would ome to the kithen arou ahat the house elves had gohe list he had left for them the day before. They always sent a bit of what they had made to his room arouimes as well, reiated. It wasn’t as though he ould be walking bak and forth aross the astle all willy nilly throughout the day.
“I’ll be going then,” he said, pushing his hair bak from the table.
“Will you be wantiea or a offee, Mister Malfoy?” Tibsy asked, standing up in a hurry.
“Not today, thaomorrow’s list, as well,” he added, pulling a piee of parhment from his bag.
The elf ook the paper, tuking it into her pillowase.
He walked over to the wall that lead to the hallway, gni was ohe m, and the number of people wandering around the halls would be few, the number wahe dungeons even fewer. Drao ast a disillusio harm oepped out into the hallway. He hurried doath to his rooms, passing only five or six students ihey reated to him about as muh as they would have reated to a breeze.
&ually, he reahed the old Slytherihe dorms had been moved above ground io keep the Slytherins less seluded from the rest of the student body, although living in the dungeons had o ohe Hufflepuffs in anyway. Still, he uood the se, after the war. herin dungeoate of apparent disuse. Drao and MGohe oo know the password.
Drao stopped in froone wall and murmured, “Sepultura.”
The briks began to shift, openihe wall, whih