Everlasting Bond

Chapter 17

Apparently being hunched over a parchment for hours wasn't good for your back.

Hermione leaned over backward hearing her back pop in at least ten different places. "Any other strokes of genius, Pansy, or will four pages have to do the trick?"

Pansy mumbled a response.

"What?"

"I said is neawy midni' go to sweep," Pansy said slightly louder, her face smushed (my computer tried to autocorrect smushed into smashed wtf) into a pillow. 

Hermione sighed and put her quill back into the ink pot. She had to admit, her eyelids were getting heavier. "Fine. I'll pack up and-"

"Stay."

Hermione froze, hands on the parchment she was rolling up. "What?"

Pansy looked at her blearily, a foggy unfocused look in her eyes. It was obvious she was at least 90% in dreamland. "Isaid staaay." Her words were blurred together and slurred with sleep, and she put her head back on the pillow and her eyes fluttered shut. 

Hermione cautiously put her back down. "Do I just sleep in your bed?"

Pansy gave a non-committal shoulder gesture. A few seconds later Pansy's breathing evened out. Hermione hesitated. After a few more moments she collected her stuff and headed downstairs. Pansy was mostly asleep - she probably didn't mean anything.

***

Harry did sleep in Draco's bed. It took Draco a much longer time to fall asleep, but eventually, he did, and Harry watched him, brushing some of his hair off his forehead and out of his face.

Harry was never one for writing things down - he needed to go to find Hermione. 

He found her coming out of the Slytherin girls' dorms, and he gestured for her to sit with him beside the fire. "So, I kind of want to write a letter to the Black clan. See what I can do. But I know nothing will get done from me. We need a backup plan," Harry whispered.

Hermione frowned, and responded, whispering too, "what do you mean backup plan?"

"If Draco does get disowned," Harry explained. "Where would he go? We need a place. Obviously, my place is a no-go, seeing as my Aunt and Uncle are definitely not going to be willing to take in another one of 'my lot.'" Harry made a face.

"And my parents probably wouldn't be the best, seeing as they're Muggles and all, and Draco isn't the most inconspicuous. So that leaves-"

Harry and Hermione met gazes, the same idea occurring to both of them at the same time.

"Let's leave this for tomorrow," Hermione whispered.

***

"No, no, no, a thousand times no, there are so many things wrong with this," Ron blurted. "My parents hate the Malfoys, I hate the Malfoys, we all hate the Malfoys-"

"Not so fond of you either, ginger," Draco snapped. His eyes were rimmed pink and had bags under them. His hair was disheveled. Overall, not looking top notch.

Ron eyed him for a second. "You look like sh*t."

"Ron!" Hermione snapped. "Rude! Anyway, where's Ginny?"

"Probably with Luna in the Ravenclaw dorms," Ron grumbled. "She's going to take your side, you're friends and all. Listen, I'm vetoing this. There's no way he'll live in our place. We don't have enough money, first of all-"

"If I may, I have my own course of action?" Draco interrupted. It would be smooth except for the fact his voice was still scratchy, and he cleared his throat. "I'm withdrawing all my money from my bank account before they have the chance to shut it down. There's no way I'd be able to live on my own, with the Trace still on me, so I was assuming I would move in with one of you."

They all stared at him.

Draco sighed. "Look, it's probable that I'm going to be kicked out. No one wants a f-"

"Don't."

"A homosexual in the 'genes.'" He put finger quotes around this, which was so out of character that Harry snorted.

"Exams are coming up," Hermione reminded them. "I've been studying for months, of course, but we need to remember that exams practically mark the end of the year. We need to have a set course of action before then."

Ron sighed. "Listen, Percy's moving out. We'll have a spare bedroom. My parents aren't homophobic - Charlie's been to every pride parade there is and we're used to the rainbow - literally - around the house. So Draco would be welcome, especially considered the fact that he won't be a Malfoy if he moves in with us."

Harry wrapped an arm around Draco, seeing him flinch. "Mail your mum, Ron, she'll need to be the first informed."

***

The days after this, after Ron got the confirmation from his mum, Draco threw himself into his work. He studied hard every year, of course, but this year there was nothing but work. He had Allysia and Harry both worriedly reminding him to eat and do basic care for himself, but he needed to distract himself.

The end of the year drew closer and Draco was receiving a letter practically every day with updates from his parents and other people on what was happening.

It was two weeks before the exams that Draco approached Harry grimly and muttered, "I'm going to be disowned."

The issue wasn't touched on from then. The days were counted down by everyone - and everyone but Draco and the golden trio was looking forward to leaving.

Draco passed the exams with flying colors.

It was with a heavy heart on the last day of school that he packed his bags with everything he had, and headed out for the carriages.

He would be back, but it wouldn't be the same.

NOTES:

Sooo... hi. I'm back from the dead.

Okay, so this chapter is 100 words shorter than originally intended to be. Sorry for the short chapter, sorry for the wait. But...

I'm not that into Harry Potter anymore? Like, I'll still update, but chapters might be really far in between. Sorry. Harry Potter is still an amazing book series, I know how this book is going to end, I include so many of my personal headcanons, but I'm not that invested anymore.

On another note, I'm very into Hamilton, Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen, Voltron, and more recently, Camp Camp and I'm watching RWBY right now. So I might post stuff.

I'll probably update more on my Archive of Our Own, where I'm 20ProudSlytherin05.

And also, I'm writing an original fic on Google Docs and stuff, and I have five of my own characters, but if you could, please comment your OCs here. Info I need to have: name, age, 3 personality traits, and appearance. They have to be human.

Comments still give me life, and I'll reply to at least half of them.

Oke this was long bye!