To live past 19 #The2017Awards

Will you say it?

The students watch Draco as he drags Ron and Harry from the Great Hall. Whispering amongst themselves, their eyes following them until the door slams shut and even after that it takes a few moments for the chattering to return to how it was before.

Behind the closed wooden doors of the great hall Draco continues to drag them a good distance away from it. Ron and Harry futilely try to ease his grip form their clothing. Ron puffs air from his mouth, his face almost as red as his hair. Harry grits his teeth and grabs Draco's fist and tried to pry his fingers off. Draco refuses to let go, his face stern with grief and anger.

After a few more minutes of storming down the hall, Draco flings Ron and Harry at a  wall, their backs slamming harshly against the stone. Harry and Ron cry out in outrage and frustration, threats spilling from their mouths.

Draco stands facing them, his shoulders broad and his eyes so fierce that Harry and Ron stop cold by his expression. They had never seen such emotion on someone's face, even Hermione hadn't come close to what they were seeing now.

Harry and Ron don't dare to move or speak, knowing that if they did it would not end up nicely for any of them. Somehow Harry knew that this had to do with Hermione, what else would this be about?

They don't notice Luna standing at the end of the hallway watching them. She couldn't hear them but she could see it clearly.

Luna didn't miss the tears suddenly appear from Draco's eyes and how his expression broke. Despair was evident on his face and he clenches his eyes closed. A sob escaped his lips and that is what really shocked Ron and Harry. They had seen him cry before, but this was different. This was real pain. Pain they all had seen and felt before. Ron had seen it with his brother and Harry had definitely seen it on so many. Especially remembering Sirius Black.

Luna watches Draco get a grip on himself and glare with most hateful eyes she had ever seen at the two boys, but the words that followed from his shaking lips undermined his glare.

Their reaction was very delayed. Then Ron reacts first by yelling back at Draco, confusion and anger clear as day. Finally, after a while he turns to the wall behind him and punches it with all of his strength. Just after he does he cries out but he punches it again. Ron slides down the wall, his forehead pressed against the cold stone. His hand clenched and bleeding by his side. He doesn't move after that. Only stares at the ground.

Harry's reaction was different, He stumbles back and almost misses the wall as he falls. He stares into nothing, the information processing before his face converts into pain and his chest shakes with sobs.

Draco watches the two boys with hateful eyes as his own chest throbs with pain. Finally he breaks as well and falls to his knees. His cries were the loudest, but Luna could tell that that it wasn't he first time he had cried like that.

Luna stands still, watching the three boys cry on the ground, each too much involved with their own pain to pay attention to the other.

Luna knew something horrible had occurred, but she decided they needed to have this time now for themselves and so she left them. Yet still unsure if that was the right decision.

*** 10 months later ***

The air was unusually warm, the heat of the day wasn't cooling as quickly as it would have. The weather had been nice that day, the sun disappearing over the horizon made the sky light up in red and oranges. The first few stars had already made their appearance. He appreciated the warmth, coming to hate the cold over the amount of time he had spent in Australia helping Hermione's family.

Ever since that faithful day in the hospital her family needed that support for a long time. Draco didn't hesitate to offer his assistance and when he graduated he moved over there. Leaving his parents hadn't been that hard, but when his father fell ill he returned. But Draco promised to go back to the place he now calls home soon.