𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 | 𝐝.𝐦

𝟐𝟑

Draco Malfoy | February 1996

Don't be weak.

It was short, simple. But so, so very wrong.

It was one of Lucius' shitty mantras. One of the mantras he constantly repeated to Draco.

And with it being repeated so much to him, Draco felt something, almost like a need or instinct to obey this mantra. It was like it was wired into his brain.

Don't be weak.

So Draco wasn't going to be weak.

He stood tall, chin up, eyes guarded, and shoulders broad. He wasn't weak.

He slung his book bag over his shoulder and left his dorm, glad.

He hated his dorm now. It felt empty and awful and uncomfortable. He just hated the aura his dorm gave him now.

He used to enjoy his dorm. He enjoyed it more than anything. He would spend countless days and nights, just winding down in his dorm.

But it wasn't the same anymore.

Everynight, he laid awake, staring up at the ceiling because he constantly felt like he wanted to scratch his own skin off.

He constantly felt dirty now, and because of that, he constantly soaked himself in the shower with ice cold water.

But he was going to be strong. He was okay. He was.

He had to be.

As Draco walked, he heard those same pesky rumours about the breakup between him and Astoria.

Some of the rumours consisted of Draco being unfaithful, Astoria cheating, the two of them arguing loudly that everyone heard, Draco being a dick and cutting her abruptly off, and the worst one yet was that he hit her.

But none of the rumours were true.

"Hey, mate." Theodore flashed Draco a smile as he sat in front of him.

"Hey," he greeted, and put his book bag next to him, Pansy on his free side.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly, and looked at him with a heartfelt look. "You know, after the breakup." Her dark shiny hair fell over her ear, and she tucked it back behind her ear.

"I'm fine, Pansy." Draco's voice came out more sharp and aggressive than he intended to. "Just, please, stop asking me about it. I don't give a fuck about it." He was glad he said that more softer.

He saw his three mates exchange glances from the corner of his eye as he scanned the table for an apple.

Draco never told them about what happened when he was breaking up with Astoria. He just didn't.

He almost flinched when he felt two familiar arms wrap around his neck, and he only realized it was Pansy giving him an affectionate side-hug.

He leaned into her hug, but didn't wind his arms around her.

"Well, anyway, I need to go to class," Pansy said to the other three as she stood from her seat. "I'll see you guys later."

"Oh, shit, I need to go too." Draco rose from his seat, lazily grabbing his book bag by the strap.

"Where to?" Blaise mused.

"Snape's class." Draco waved a floppy hand at them before leaving.

He had to update Snape on his so-called "progress."

Now, the evident question would be; what progress?

He had no progress.

Draco walked to Snape's classroom, just a bit before Snape's first class was supposed to start.