A/N: Hello dear lovelies! This is the second chapter for my previously posted Drarry fic that I had not developed a name for. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and I should have the next chapter up next week if you enjoy this one. The rating for both parts is teen(for language) i think but eventually there will be some sort of slashyness to it. If anyone has any idea for a scene they would like me to do let me know, I've written the next two chapter so if i can't fit them in i'll let you know.
Harry walked back to his table in the great hall. Dinner was almost over and suddenly as the adrenaline left his veins he felt voracious with hunger. Grabbing several things at once and placing them on his plate he began to shovel food into his mouth. A disgusted look appeared on Hermoine's face, "Can you atleast try to eat like you have some sort of decency?"
"Relax love, he's just eating like a healthy bloke, right mate?" Ron said, kissing his girlfriend on the cheek which caused her to blush a bit.
"So Harry, where did you run off to, really?" Hermoine asked in all her infinite wisdom.
Swallowing a large mouthful of food, Harry replied, "I went to follow Malfoy, something about him being here doesn't sit well with me."
"That bugger was the one who let all those Death Eaters in and McGonagall has the audacity to let him waltz up in here like nothing happened" Ron added.
"I know Harry, and I dont trust him either, but you heard Professor McGonagall, he's practically untouchable" Hermoine said, frustrated at the situation.
Swallowing his last bit of food, Harry thought for a moment. "He may be untouchable" he started, "but she didnt say anything about following him."
"Yea Hermoine, we'll just make sure the bloke isn't up to anything evil, we dont have to touch him or anything, just see what he's up to" Ron added, kissing his girlfriend on the cheek. Hermoine agreed reluctantly as the food began to disappear. Heading back to their dormitories, Harry went to his room to check his schedule. Opening his trunk he saw a blank folded piece of paper placed neatly on top of everything else.
Examining the paper Harry muttered to himself "i solemnly swear I am up to no good" bringing the Marauder's Map back to life. When he had packed it, it was more of an after thought and honestly Harry thought he'd never use it again. However, now he was glad that he'd brought it with him. Now he could watch Draco from anywhere in the school. Scanning the map for the name "Draco Malfoy", he found it residing and unmoving in the slytherin dormitories. Harry watched for a while, then murmured "Mischief Managed" losing interest at the unmoving name. Closing his eyes he let sleep wrap him in its clutches as their final year began.
Harry and his friends tracked Draco as best they could and, oddly enough, any class that Draco had, one or more of them were in which made the task considerably less difficult. After about a week Harry, Ron and Hermoine were able to find that Draco was only taking Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and Transfiguration classes. Classes all them of them were taking. With the use of the marauder's map they were able to track his movements between classes. At meal times they noticed that he was there for only short amounts of time, eating just enough scraps to subsist off of and then leaving.
"Well, Harry, it looks like he only goes to class, the dining hall, and his room, thats it." Hermoine said, a bit surprised and worried at the same time.
"In class, he barely talks, he doesn't seem quite like his normal self. Its eerie mate." Ron added in a quasi anxious tone.
"Oh well don't me he's depressed or something." Harry said, bitterness present in his voice.
"You mean like how you were?" Hermoine asked "well he's certainly got the symptoms" She started off in her 'know-it-all-tone', which in fact was just Hermoines way of talking, "he's more reserved, he doesn't eat very much when we're in the dining halls, and from what I can gather, he's probably sleeping a lot more too if he's in his room for so long." She added in all her knowledge.
"Well what's he got to be depressed about? Its his fault that Hogwarts was almost completely annihilated." Harry said furiously.
"That's exactly why Harry, he probably feels guilty about all that he's done and wants to make amends. Plus who knows what Voldemort and Bellatrix did to his head while he was under their influence" Hermoine said.
"Bloke's probably messed up all in the head, the poor bastard." Ron chimed in.
"Not to mention every Death Eater except the Malfoy's have been jailed" Hermoine added, "Many of whom were probably close friends of his at one point in time."
Harry thought for a while, maybe Draco was depressed or maybe he wasn't. One thing was certain though, with no Dark Lord and the majority of the Death Eaters in Azkaban a new revolt was extremely likely. It bothered Harry that Draco was here, it bothered him that the professors seemed like they were pretending like none of it ever happened. But what bothered him most of all was the fact that he felt empathy for the ferret boy. He'd been down that road many times throughout his journey at hogwarts. Having felt this pain of guilt, loss, and pure loneliness. Harry could only find a strong will from deep inside urging him to help the poor fellow. Having gone through it he knew how strong the need was to have someone that could relate to the confusing, hurtful emotions that depression could he now knew he would help the Slytherin boy he didn't want to place all his trust in the lad even though he knew the boy still had good in him.
Sighing about the thoughts he was mulling over Harry finally ended the meeting saying they'll keep an eye out just in case but that at this point he probably didn't need to be watched that closely. Hermoine and Ron nodded and left. 'Probably off snogging each other' Harry thought to himself. It was getting late and Harry thought it'd be a good idea to catch up on the sleep he'd been missing because of his spying and within 5 minutes he was sleeping soundly.
Draco on the other hand was not. He lay awake, his mind still replaying the hatred he'd seen in Harry's eyes one week ago. He could deal with everyone else but Harry was different, he actually mattered to Draco, after all, everyone else had pretty much abandoned him. His father had left shortly after Draco made up his mind to go back to Hogwarts, cursing him for going to that school filled with mud-bloods and muggle sympathizers. His mother was just at her wit's end, trying to keep from falling apart since his father's departure but failing miserably and eventually blaming Draco for Lucius's departure. Harry was the only one in his life that had ever tried to save him, even with the hatred they held against one another, Harry was willing to pull him from the fiendfyre that had killed his beloved friend. Ever since that moment, Draco couldn't feel any anger at his rival and he just wished he could thank him properly. However, once he got past his anger at Harry, he realized another emotion bubbling up inside him.
Draco had developed a crush on Harry, one that was very persistent. He'd tried to rationalize it away as a normal reaction to someone who saved his life but Draco knew the truth as he'd never felt this way about anyone else, not Pansy, not anyone. It only helped to worsen his depression because he knew his family wouldn't approve. He was supposed to be the one to carry the Malfoy legacy. He'd hoped that maybe now that he wasn't tied to his family, he might be able to talk to Harry and find the roots of these feelings, but that stare, it was so full of hatred. Draco knew that nothing he could do would change that and it made him cry again, deep, heaving sobs.
Draco wished that he just had someone to talk to, to vent about all that was going through his life, but ever since his arrival, his so called "friends" have never once looked him in the eyes. He knew that all his old "friends" were gone and that he was all alone in a place that hated him. Draco was glad for the charms he'd placed around his room for he was far too upset to even cast a simple lumos let alone anything that was even remotely complex.
That night, like every night before, Draco cried himself to sleep, tasting his own tears long into the night wishing he had someone who cared enough to hold him and wipe away his tears.