There was a knock on the door causing Professor McGonagall to pause mid sentence and look up from what she was reading to see who had intruded her class.
Two aurors were at the door looking like they would rather be elsewhere than to come do the job they had been tasked.
"Excuse us Professor, but we need to ask Mr. Malfoy to step out for a moment please" the first auror announced, easily locating and staring straight at Draco.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment, and in that silence Draco looked into the faces of the aurors, the look of pity in their eyes, the weight of the message they brought forming in the crease of their brows.
Draco's face began to pale as the realization of the moment hit him. He stood up to meet the aurors, keeping his head held high and nose pointed up, although the cracks in his mask began to spread when he realized that he couldn't even move from his desk and the world came crashing down as his knees buckled from under him. He hit the floor with a gasp and continued to breathe heavily for a while, quick inhales and exhales as he tried to keep his heart beating, mind focused, tears unshed.
Professor McGonagall rushed to his side to try and calm the boy but nothing could stop everyone from forming the same conclusion: Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are dead.
Draco Malfoy is an orphan.
_._
He ran out of the classroom, half leaning on Professor McGonagall who then went to talk to the aurors.
He heard a few words through his labored breathing,
"…died in their cell…"
"…just discovered yesterday…"
"…how…"
"…attack?…"
"…not sure…"
"…currently investigating…"
"Breathe Draco, just breathe" a voice came from behind him. So soft but bleeding with worry and concern in his tone.
A hand laid on his back, gently as if unsure if it was even allowed to touch him at this time. Draco immediately turned around to face the owner of that voice.
"Harry…", tears just about to spill, "I can't…it hurts Harry!"
"Shh…come here" Harry who had been an orphan all his life had no words for his boyfriend, his dragon who was never this vulnerable outside of closed doors and the shelter of darkness.
"Why? Everything I did, everyone I hurt, it was to protect them. I did it for them. They would have been tortured unless I obeyed! I did it all to keep them safe! There was meaning to my actions so why? Why did I keep them alive just so that they would rot and die!?"
Draco was frantic, talking about how he justified his time under The Dark Lord. The dam to his tears had broken by then and were falling down his face, Harry could feel them collecting on his shoulder as he held the love of his life as securely as possible, trying to show more with actions than words how he was there for him.
They stayed like that in the middle of the hallway for a while before Harry managed to coax Draco to look at him.
With a look and a nod from Professor McGonagall, they both retreated to the dungeons to the privacy of Draco's bed to hold and be held.
Tomorrow they would deal with the letters of condolences, tomorrow they would have to bear telling their friends and other nosy classmates of the news, tomorrow they would be greeted by their teachers with sorry filled eyes, but all this could wait.
Tonight Draco needed Harry, and Harry just wanted the man he loved to be okay.
