“No.” Harry holds the sroll out to him, the owl hooti the aitihem to sign the srap that it was reeived and uood. “It’s addressed to you.”
Harry wao knoas inside as badly as he , but he also didn’t have a lue what it might ontain, ahe emotions fliked aross Drao’s fae, he realized that maybe he didn’t want to.
“What?” Drao threw the parhment dowable in disgust and Harry ripped it up. “What’s wrong?”
“They’ve leared the manor.” Drao’s hands were shaking again. Harry had thought it was gettier. “All evidene has beehiaken out, ay is returhe only of kin with a lear o lear what he thought about all of this, dripping in derision. “Me.”
Harry didn’t knoas upsetting him so muh, if it was the manor a held, of the fat that the ministry had the audaity to im it as their own iie, or maybe it was the fat that they oh the best reputation.
“That’s a good thing, right?” He felt like he was treading into unknohere he deep it goes uhe step off solid ground and falls down into the deep. He never had learo swim. “To have your home bak?”
Drao looked at him like he id, the srap of parhment into the fire, il he sees the orners url and bken. “You an’t go home again, Harry.” He passed behind him and pped a hand down on his shoulder in a way that might have onsidered friendly, had they not been half asleep with their arms ed arouher only hours before. “Not eve to.”
Drao
’t go home again Harry, Drao had said, leaving the room like he was leaving real life behind, like walking aroblem was the same thing as solving it.
&hought that burnier and pushing it to the bak of his miio least, he would ep foot in it agaihe owls kept omihe m and that night and the and the and the , and finally one demandihe legal departmery.
& make you go,” Hermioells him, wheraded out their musty old potion books for fashion magazines, p over dresses for her to wear to a formal. “If you wait ay days, it’ll be turhe state and they’ll sell it to ollet money for some harity or another.”
“Ay days of owls?” Drao had s, feigning horror, but that was was b. He didhought ers h his home, a was mostly bad, he didn’t want the Malfoy Manor’s history to be boiled down to this: raffled off iion just to be torroyed for its minerals auro srap, just a bh of he earth, all beause the st Malfoy was a oward. Horrible things had happe deserved better than that.
& ever really make a deision. Just os up before Harry does as dressed, telli he was just going for a walk. Aowards the town, and then he was in London, and then he was flooing his way into the publi ehe ministry, turning his wao a with that didn’t reognize him and followio where they said legal was, olr turo hide his fae.
&here’s a with behind the desk in bright purple robes, so he hooses to go up to her for help, figuri dresses like that aoo painful, but theo fae him a’s Lavender, who supposedly had of the house siting there sars and all.
“Drao.” She taps her feather on the ee’s hers beause it’s bright yellouff ball oop of it. “What an I do for you?”
& at her, and theely feels horrible about it, so he looks at his shoes instead. Greybak had mauled her pretty bad. “The miters.” He rummages i for o the manor.”
She liks her tongue and reads over the parhment, and it makes Drao feel like a prat, beause what kind of person has a manor? But she doeso are. “Yeah, we’ve got that.” Lave get up, just wheeled her hair aross the red through abis until she ame up e. “Here’s the key. A to sig’s yours.”
Drao fumbled for the pen, and she smiled at him, as bright as he ould remember her being at Hogwarts, if a little less giddy. “Right. Thanks.” He’d do he ame for, tehnially, but it doesn’t seem like enough. “How have you been?”
“Go that they’ve never had a o say about eah other, she seemed surprisialk. Maybe it ressing, hiding here down in the dark all day, just waiting for someoo im dead people’s possessions. “Heard y with Harry.”
She waggles her eyebrows at him, ae himself, Drao ould feel himself getti like that.” What was it like, thehe same bed. “Court ordered babysitting, basially. Kept me out of jail.”
& like that doeshing, but she smiles like she ker. And maybe she does. Lavender did always have an annoying habit of khing about everybody. “That’s not what I’ve heard.” She gives him oired smile and raps her quill against the gss oime. “See you around, Drao.”
& of him wants to io him and Harry’s, just to ath up, but a bigger part tell