Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition - Round 3
Team: Falmouth Falcons
Position: Keeper
Prompt: Write about someone trying to put the past behind them.
Word Count: 1,932
Betas: Anne, Lexi
A/N: Not canon in that I'm thinking, what if Draco and Harry had a standing arrangement to check in with each other, to keep the channels open, so to speak, for various reasons. Other prompts used at the bottom.
A Problem Shared
With his robes clutched in one hand, creasing the material with his tight hold, and his wand in the other hand, Draco strode down the path towards the edge of the Malfoy wards. He would've used the Floo network, but he needed the long walk to calm himself. Angry thoughts raced through his head, buzzing around like annoyed bees, and if he'd tried to leave his home in that state, he'd either cause an accident or end up somewhere he didn't want to be.
Reaching the ornate black gates, with them opening at his arrival, Draco looked back at his ancestral home. It was an imposing building when you were up-close, but when you looked at it from the gates … it almost looked welcoming. The windows didn't look like they were watching you, and the door didn't look like it would eat you alive if you touched it.
Draco gave a derisive snort, clanging the gate shut, and continued walking. He was long out of the wards to Apparate somewhere, but he was certain there would be a Splinching if he attempted it. He followed the stone path deep into the countryside Malfoy Manor lived in, the one that led towards a nearby Muggle village, and kept going as the sky displayed all the shades of orange and red from the setting sun.
It took Draco half an hour of walking, the robes still in his hand, his wand now tucked up his shirt sleeve, before he finally felt his anger had dissipated enough to risk Apparition. He'd made it past the village, with the sky now a light purple, and kept going until he was far enough to not be seen. He wasn't really a walker – of any kind – and he felt it in the blisters on his feet and the ache in his muscles with sweat dripping down his back. He let his bad mood relish in the mild discomfort, taking a moment to focus before Disapparating to Diagon Alley.
He took a step towards Knockturn Alley, more out of habit than somewhere to go. He stopped, when he realised what he'd done, stared at the shops closing up for the day, and then spun on his heel towards the Leaky Cauldron. It was busier than he had anticipated, with a lot of people he recognised, and he could feel his mood darken at the hard stares some of them were giving him as he made his way to the bar.
"The usual?" Tom gruffly asked him.
"I'll have the bottle tonight. In fact …" He pulled a small pouch of coins from his trouser pocket and dropped it on the bar. "Let me know when the Galleons run out."
Tom gave him a sharp nod, pointing to a free table in the corner. Draco went to it, dumping his wrinkled robes on one of the two chairs and sat in the other with his back to the wall. Eyes followed him – watched him – and he kept his own firmly on the table, rolling his wand backwards and forwards on it.
"What's got your wand in a knot?" Harry shoved Draco's robes onto his lap as he sat in the chair they were on. "Ginny nearly had the baby there and then with the way your owl swooped in. It was like it was delivering your bad mood instead of your note."
Draco didn't even look at him, shoving his robes on the back of his chair. The bottle of firewhisky and two glass tumblers arrived at the table. He silently watched the bottle lift and pour firewhisky into the tumblers.
"That bad, eh?" Harry pointed to the bottle as it settled on the table.
"I had a conversation with my father this afternoon," Draco stated. He emptied his tumbler in one go. The bottle automatically lifted and filled it once more. "After everything – everything – he still insists on being … being …" Draco waved his tumbler around, splashing some of the drink over his hand, floundering for the words.
"An idiot? Snob? Elitist?" Harry clicked his fingers before pointing at Draco. "A blood purist!"
Draco, still holding the tumbler, pointed a finger at him. "All of the above!"
Harry shook his head with a wry grin. "Only just realising this now?" He took a sip of his drink as Draco gave him a withering look.
"I really don't like you very much," Draco grumbled.
Harry shrugged with a grin. "What's he done now?"
Draco put his drink down with a thud. "I told him I'm going to propose to Astoria."
"Ah," Harry said in a knowing voice.
They sat in silence as Draco finished his second drink, glaring at the patrons watching them. "Look at them, Potter. I'm sitting here, having a drink with the Golden Boy and they still don't trust that I can be a better person." His words were loud enough for one or two to look away quickly, shamefaced.
"It's not been long enough for them to realise," Harry said quietly. "You haven't done enough."
Draco returned his gaze to him sharply. "What about all the money I give to St Mungo's? Or the Quidditch brooms I supplied Hogwarts with this year?"
Harry gave him a bemused expression. "A little too like your father, in that sense. Throw money at it, that'll make everything better, right?"
Draco felt himself scowl. "What else would you suggest I do?"
"When was the last time you went to visit Teddy and Andromeda? Has your mother even been to see them since the war? Hermione's still waiting on her apology, by the way. Should I continue?" Harry raised his eyebrows, holding his gaze firmly; challenging him.
"What does Granger want an apology for? I've not done anything to her," Draco muttered darkly, dropping his eyes to his drink.
"How about the many times you called her a Mud—"
"All right! You've made your point." Draco took a small sip of his firewhisky. The first two were starting to hit his system, signalling him to slow down before he embarrassed himself. "I never realised she wanted …"
"No," Harry said wryly, "you never do, Malfoy."
"You think it's easy being me? You don't know what it means to be a Malfoy," Draco said after a moment of listening to the loud chatter in the pub. "You think being rich makes you free, but it doesn't."
"Hang on." Harry started patting at his pockets on his shirt and trousers. "Let me find my tiny violin."
"What are you talking about?"
Harry snorted, sinking back in his seat. "Nothing. It's a Muggle thing. If you took the time to apologise to Hermione you might—"
"Do shut up about Granger," he said. Despite his irritation, Draco felt his mouth twitch, trying not to let Harry's infectious smirk cheer him up.
Harry raised his glass at him before taking a long sip of it. "Use your brain, Malfoy," he started, putting his tumbler back on the table. "We've both got issues with our pasts that we have to reckon with, the trouble is, they're in the past. You can't fix it. You can only fix what's in front of you."
"You sound like Dumbledore," Draco sniggered.
"It's not the worst thing you've said about me," Harry said with a smirk.
Draco shifted in his seat, holding his drink with both hands, making a few attempts to say his next words while Harry watched him in bemusement. Finally, he settled on, "If you could change even a small part of it, would you?" He spotted the pain that flashed through his green eyes at the question, practically answering it for him.
"What would you change?" Draco pushed before Harry had answered the previous question.
Harry took a long time to answer and Draco waited patiently. The chatter of the pub got louder with each passing drink the people had, and it got warmer with every extra body in the room. Harry stared at his drink and Draco stared at Harry.
"Nothing," he finally said. "To change one thing would change the course of getting rid of Voldemort – really?" Harry laughed derisively. "Even now?"
"Don't know what you're talking about," Draco said firmly, straightening his back like he hadn't just flinched violently at the name he never wanted to hear again. "And I don't believe you. There must be something."
"Of course there is, but you can't change it, so why bother going over it."
"Because I need my parents to accept that I love Astoria, that I want to marry her, but they won't let go of the past. How am I meant to let go of it if they won't let me?" Draco took a deep breath, glancing around the room to check who was watching now. Surprisingly, no one. "Maybe if I'd been different, instead of blindly following their words, it would've made them be different – or at least my mother might have been."
Harry shook his head, sympathy in his eyes. "You know it doesn't work like that."
"I know." He sighed heavily as he lifted his glass to his lips. Then he put it down again without taking a sip. "How did you do it?"
Harry took a deep breath as if weighing up his next words. "My parents died protecting me. It's the ultimate gift anyone can give, but it's also a burden – to know you're alive because someone else isn't. It forces you to have a strong moral compass."
Draco shook his head. "No. Deep down, you know you're good to the core, and you would've been even if they'd lived. You've always done the right thing."
"I don't know what you want me to say," Harry said quietly. "You know the difference now, though, don't you?"
"Do I?"
"You wouldn't be so angry over your parents' reaction to Astoria if you didn't," Harry said pointedly.
Draco shrugged, sinking back into his seat.
"Family isn't always blood. The sooner you realise that, the happier you might actually be."
Draco sat up quickly, staring at Harry like he'd solved all the problems of the world. "You're right," he said. He felt like a pressure had been lifted from his shoulders, his lingering bad mood dissolved instantly. "I'm not my parents."
"Exactly," Harry cheered, holding his tumbler out to Draco.
Draco clinked his own against it. "I'm going to marry Astoria. I don't care what they say!"
"Now hold on to those thoughts once your liquid courage has disappeared," Harry laughed.
"She's my future, Potter. Not them. She is!" Draco nodded emphatically before taking a large gulp of his drink. "You're absolutely right. Family isn't always blood." He stood up quickly, grabbing at his wand.
"Where are you going?" Harry stood up with him.
Some of the nearby patrons watched them wearily, assuming a fight was starting.
"I'm going to ask Astoria to marry me," Draco said simply.
Harry pulled at his arm, laughing. "Easy there, Malfoy. You only get one chance to propose well, maybe don't do it when you've had a drink. She might not appreciate it."
As if proving Harry's point, Draco felt his body sway slightly, his limbs feeling a little heavy. Sitting back down, Harry immediately joining him, he pushed the half-empty drink away from him. "Thank you," he said, giving him a small smile.
"I'll need the favour returning when Ginny has the baby and I freak out about being a father."
Draco flinched. "That poor child."
"You're not drunk enough for me to not punch you," Harry warned with a smirk.
Prompts used for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (challenges & assignments)
Spring Seasonal
- Children's Book Day - 6. (dialogue) 'Use your brain, [Name].'
- Spring Flowers - 1. 'I really don't like you very much.'
- Hufflepuff Challenge - 17. Write about a person feeling a moment of clarity/epiphany
April Writing Club
- Record Collection - 12. Write about parents not approving of a partner
- Lizzy's Loft - 16. (word) trouble
- Elizabeth's Empire - 3. (word) Courage
Spring Funfair
- Egg & Spoon race - Draco (main) with Harry (side)
Yearly
- 365 - 267. (restriction No female characters
- Fantastic Beasts - 167. Shōjō - (action) Getting drunk
Spring Quarterly
16. Yosemite - (setting) Pub
Fortnightlies
- Hogwarts Library - Lord of the Flies - (restriction) Only male characters