𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐨

𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐕

"Will you come outside with me?" I asked.

"Why?"

"Because. It's snowing again. The fluffy kind."

"What difference does it make if it's fluffy?" he asked me, "It's still cold."

Draco crossed his arms over his chest in a persisting manner, making me notice that he was wearing the sweater that Mrs Weasley had made. I held my pleading gazed and tapped my shoe lightly on the wooden floor.

"Please?"

He rolled his eyes and stood up. I grinned and led him out of the dorm to the courtyard.

"Merlin, fuck!" he swore as soon as we stepped into the fresh air. "It's too fucking cold for your childish antics."

"Oh, come on," I laughed, pulling on his arm to walk out farther with me. "Lighten up. It's fun."

I took him out far into the grounds of Hogwarts, past the fountain and the place we sat on Halloween. I held on tight to his arm with both of my hands, he didn't seem to mind. He didn't pull away, at least.

"How far are we going?" he asked after a little while.

"Not far," I replied, "Just until we want to stop."

"I wanted to stop as soon as we left the Entrance Hall," he grumbled.

"Then you should've dressed warmer! It's February!"

"Shut up, Harry."

We walked a little while longer. It was quiet where we went. Kids yelling and playing in the snow could be heard far off in the distance. My hair matched Draco's with the snowflakes that landed on us.

Both of us shivered, though I would never admit to it. Draco was especially shaky, and walked slower than I did, but I kept his pace for him.

We stopped walking somewhere beyond the borders of the courtyard and closer the the forest.

We just stood, and he seemed to be okay with it. My arms remained on his, though I mostly forgot about it on our journey there. 

The two of us looked out at the mountains beyond our walking distance. They were so big up close, but far away, they could just be a hill.

"You know what I think?" I said suddenly.

Draco looked at me. "What?" he asked.

"I think we could both be happy one day."

He kept his gaze fixed on me. I could see his eyes soften in the corner of my vision. He tightened his arm around my grasp a little more.

"Perhaps," he said wistfully.

"Would you like that?" I turned my head to face his.

"Of course."

"Me too."

Draco's cheeks were blushed red with a slight wind burn, frost bitten fingers and icy hair. My glasses were beginning to fog up from the moisture of my hot breath, his figure becoming a blurry implied shape.

"Do you see a future with happiness?" I asked him carefully.

He sighed, even tensed a little. I didn't know why, but I thought that I should by now.

"I don't really want to think about my future," he said, looking down at the powdery snowflakes landing on his shoes.

"Why is that?" I looked at his shoes also.

"Because it's so easy to convince myself that I don't have one."

I couldn't look away from his shoes. I didn't want to. I didn't want to see his pressed mouth or his glistening eyes. I didn't want to see his hands shake as he pulled them into the sleeves of his overcoat. I especially didn't want to see head hang lower and lower as he took every word of his to heart.