Aionios

Chapter 23

It was the second time Draco Malfoy spent the night in the Hospital Wing this year and- ironically- both occasions were because he happened to piss off a member of the Elite Eight. He should probably stop his habit of vexing Elite Aurors, lest he wanted his next visit to the Hospital Wing to be his last.

He was alone in the Hospital Wing, and the only light that gave him company came from the small lamp beside his bed. Pansy, Blaise, and Theo had visited him once class ended, but he told them to leave for dinner a few moments ago.

So now, he was completely alone with the silence and the miniscule light on his bedside.

Well...... Almost.

He heard the door of the Hospital Wing clicking open and then the soft thuds of footsteps as someone supposedly approached him. He knew it was her, because even in the darkness, her vibrant red hair still stood out among anything else.

He waited for her to step into the light provided by the lamp, and when she did, he saw that her arms were balancing various plates and bowls filled with food.

She smiled sheepishly with a blush decorating her pale cheeks. "I didn't know what kind of food you liked", she said and avoided his gaze out of shyness, "So I just grabbed as many food as I could...... I figured you'd want to eat dinner".

Draco's heart warmed, and he could not help but chuckle at her actions. Her sentiment and thoughtfulness were undeniably adorable in his eyes, and it only deepened his affection.

"Are... Are these alright?", she asked him worriedly when he merely laughed at her statement, "I can run down to the Great Hall and grab more if there's nothing here that you like".

"I can guarantee you that there is something here that I like", Draco said with a flirty undertone.

Or possibly someone, he added in his mind, but shook the ridiculous thought from his head.

"Here", he shifted to sit and changed the subject before Isabelle could register what he had just said, "Let me help you with that", he carefully set the plates and bowls down on his bed until it felt like he was back in the Great Hall surrounded by food instead of the lonely and dark Hospital Wing. There were so many choices of food that he didn't know what to dig into first. It actually made him wonder how Isabelle managed to carry all of these on her own... Then again, she was an Elite Auror, so he really shouldn't be surprised.

"I brought you this", she reached for a bowl filled with a familiar light-colored liquid that reminded him of home when home was still warm and happy, "Tomato soup... It's your favorite, right?".

He froze. How did she know that? He never really told anyone that he liked tomato soup that much.

"What?", he blurted out of surprise.

"Tomato soup", she repeated, and she suddenly became embarrassed of sounding a little creepy by knowing that small detail, "I... I thought it was your favorite... Because everytime I pass by your table, I always see an empty bowl of tomato soup beside you... So... I thought", she stumbled for words, and Draco found it adorable once more.

"Yes", he smiled to stop her nervous rambling, "I remember how the house elves used to give me tomato soup when I was sick, and I've craved for it ever since".

Isabelle's face lit up at his story, and he thought of how he would be willing to spend his entire life telling her stories just like that if it meant getting to see that happy face every single day.

"My favorite food-"

"Is treacle tarts", Draco laughed at her shocked face, "You eat it every single day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I've actually seen some Gryffindors begging for treacle tarts from other House tables because you've eaten all of them in one sitting".