And also, he was a Malfoy. And Malfoy’s don’t run away, no matter how muh they may want to.
“Of .” He makes himself smile, but Harry just rolls his eyes and duks down for one more kiss. “It’ll be fun.”
You really were the perfet son, whehese. Drao thought sourly, eveher i Harry had put around his shuide him through the rowd. They had said hi to everyone ahe waitstaff that tihe ohe Boy Who Lived, and now Harry was draggih iowards Rohe perfet heir, the perfet Malfoy, the reator ay. You ould have beehi.
&rips, just a little stumble e of someone’s dress robes, but Harry’s arm was around him a fall, just felt the tightening ers around his waist, a silehey were in this together.
“Drao!” Hermione ed him in a hug so tight that it k of his lungs, and Drao fouh a mouthful of bushy hair. He ould see Ron from over her shing at Harry exasperatedly te piled high with ookies. “I didn’t think y!”
“Of ourse I ame!” Drao pried herself off with some diffiulty ao Harry, who was a bit more pratied at suffering thrs. “You think I would miss this?”
&hem, Rs. “She’s beehis all day.” He has his voie lowered to mutter in Drao’s ear, apparehat they’ve ome to a momeil Hermios a grip. “I just hope she doesn’t freak whehere.”
“You kidding? She’ll be fine.” He she ookies off the pte just to test the bouhe a good sign whee within his reah. “e that she doesn’t sneak ihing about spew.”
Rohen pped a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t give her any ideas.”
& was great, Drao adds, slightly almer, like this little piee of oion was all it took to snap his skin bak i him stop feel as if he was too big for his body. His father would not have beealk to people like that, as if they were friends. His father would never have knowhey were beause he was blinded by his own bigotry. He was great and he did horrible things and he made people bow down to him beause the oion was to die and he was to be loved, not really. Sometimes bei the best thing, if the only memories you leave behind are sars.
&iween Gee and Harry, two tables away from Hermios alled up to the podium by Kiee to reah out a hand to her. She pauses just loo hold on, long enough for three squeezes, their little sighihat they will figure everything out.
(It had started bak with the potions, when Hermione would get to frustrated with not knowing the a she seemed ready to throw it all out the window a all her potions burn to nothing but a austi heap. Drao hadn’t known what to say, but he had ko do this. It’s be, ever sine.)
“Y to be great.” Drao whispers, iakes for those three pulses to travel from him to her, ohree, as go, limbio stahe mih a sense ht would be hard to miss, even though he had missed it for seve’s easy to see hen you’re blie.
å at her like everyohey’re all wathih rapt attention, but Drao is looking around at everyohe other tables, so he an tell her who ughed whe joke in the opening (he helped her ome up with it. It took them three hours. her of them were that funny.) and if anyone ried whealked about those she had lost. She had been at his house (Harry’s house? He an probably say it’s his house) until after midnight st night, pratiing the way she enuniated every word ai effet held in eah phrase, making sure she ko pause for eye ontat. They had even made up a bunh of signals five her, should he be eople looking onfused, for her to koo loud or too quiet, too fast or too slow.
&eni hy he sees it before anyone else does.
How the eering ompao melt away into the shadows wheed, but there was still oheir uowards the front of the roand was gling from his fihough they had beeheir wands at the door for what they imed to be seurity measures. How even as Hermioill speaking and the rowd was still wathing, the handelier above her started to sway, just a bit, enough to send sattering off the rystals ahe faes of those wathing.
&he beams of light athes Hermiohe eyes, bright enough that she loses her fous and half raises her hand to blok it. It’s the o aies it at all, and there is an awful sehe way Drao an hear R for Hermiohe way and how the handelier was falling, falling, falling down to her, and she would of the way i was just like that night at the manor only there was no Dobby to save her now.
There was o save her, atually. Ron was too far away, aheir wands, and eve lose enough tht off guard, he others had eveo move ye