Harry almost ughs. He remembered whehat word arou nothihey khat should have go, but they hadn’t. Beie means bei to hurt, by looking at someone and only thinking that they were vile and disgusting and worthless, of wao borhe o the math.
“I woill on the floor, still holding Drao’s arms, still traihe mark, like if he did it enough it would just ing from the skier. “Never.”
“Promise?’
Promise that I wohat I five you and I love you and that there’s o be a momeurn away from you? That’s a done deal, Drao. I made that deision lht sight of what was hiding on your arm.
“Promise.”
Chapter 28
Drao
They’ve reahed a true, he and the Weasley family.
Drao’s not going to kid himself. Most of it is beause of Harry and all he had gh, Harry and how muh they love him. They do not waing, and for whatever reason, Drao’s presene in his life has seemed to soothe the ahe that aiting right underh Harry’s skin, shave away his brokehey were soft again. Even Ron has admitted how it was good for him, however relutantly and hruff his voie was whe. There ly —Harry was eating again (first beause he felt bad when the food Drao ooked went untouhed and now beause he has remembered what it means to be hungry), ing, ould even leave a wio let in fresh air without onstantly having to wath for intruders.
But some of it—a small part of it, a part he doesn’t waoo losely beause he is half afraid that it might disappear, like the ot never boils when you wath it—is beause of him. Beause friendship with Hermiouro a true with Ro spent drinkie room of Gee’s shop turo a real sort of friendship, where they an sit through Quiddith games together and be drinking buddies, beause Bill has swallinny has taken the knowledge of his friendship with Harry like she has so mahings that she found hard to sith a bzi and straightened shoulders and the k should something g, she would just hex him into oblivion.
It’s , eve isn’t.
It’s , aends an invitation (an invitatio for Drao exlusively, indepe of his friendship with Harry) to his asual diy on fany paper, Drao doeso aept. There had never been an oune of judgement from Pery, n offers of friendship. Maybe he uood what it was like to make the wrong hoies. Or more likely, he harbored he way Drao used to at, beause he had always bee he would rise up to be better, greater even than the Malfoys.
“You got oing through old ourt re to fireasure mihe mirial proeedied sript always gives him a headahe, but even when Drao offers to help, Harry waves him away, imi be able to spot what they were looking for. A was true, but it did that Harry found the work so tedious he would th onto any exuse for a break that he ould fi’s about.”
“I think its Su like normal.” Drao had sat through a lot of Suimes, he even goes over early so out and py Quiddith in the apple orhards with the other boys and he an help Mrs. Weasley ihe the family to him faster if he was the oing the food oable. “Only this time Pery is running it.”
“Good God.” Harry had bee Pery ever sihe first oo voluo join him ii against the remaining Dark Lord supporters, but that doesn’t stop him from finding some of Pery’s teo be a o annoying. Drao didn’t mind, but then again, Drao had summers sharing bathrooms aables with him. He supposes you get the right to find someone annoying, whehat time together. It doesn’t mean you don’t are. “We’re goio figure out what fork to use, aren’t we?”
& of a diso sometimes, ihat Harry knows and Drao doesn’t, or vie versa. Like Drao, for example, wouldn’t bli at a table with a full set of silver ware ao hoose whih piee hih ourse. It was seoo him. It’s helpful, sometimes, but Drao would still trade it f that Harry knew.
“Don’t worry.” Harry washese people were his family. Drao was the o stuk oside looking in. “We’ll figure it out together.”
That was five ho. Now they were arm in arm on Pery’s doorstep for the first time, Harry trying to smooth down his wind tussled hair and Drao baning a bottle of wihe doorbell. It takes all of three seonds for the d a frazzled Pery, his gsses knoked askew.
“e on in.” He’s more rexed than Drao had ever seen him, like here, at least, he wasn’t going to put on a show whe o. “You an throw that wherever you want, oats an go o rak, horrible hosting, I know, but mum always made this look easy and I’m afraid it really isn’t.”
“Do you need help?” Harry is shrugging off Drao’s oat and yellihe others at the same time, and it’s ohose moments that make something inside Drao pull tight, beause it’s a reminder of how easy this thi would be like