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07 | Prideful Mistakes

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-- 5 MONTHS LATER

Pride could be a crippling load. It held people back from saying what they truly wanted to say, and worse, it made people lash out. But something equally if not more debilitating? Fear. 

"Mate, you should get out of here if you're getting to the ball on time tonight," Harry poked his head in through the open door. 

Malfoy was at his desk surrounded by a disarray of reports from the past few months. His hair was disheveled, his sleeves carelessly rolled up (which he never did even by accident because of his dark mark). The entire MLE office was vacated by now leaving him alone with his work. 

"Who said I was going?" Malfoy didn't even bother to look up from his papers. 

"It's the annual Remembrance Ball! You have to go!" 

"I've got work to finish," he mumbled in excuse. 

"Those reports aren't going anywhere," Harry sighed. "Take the night off, socialize. That's an order." 

Draco finally looked up at his long-time partner, rolling his eyes. Burying himself in work was an excuse, and Harry never let him forget it. It had been nearly five months since his first full moon, nearly five months since he walked out on Hermione Granger's flat when she'd so innocently told him he didn't have to deal with this alone. Him. The big, bad Death Eater. Ginny and Harry wouldn't let him hear the end of it for weeks, insisting that he shouldn't let his pride get in the way of getting to know Hermione since she was such a great witch. Little did they know he didn't need any convincing on his end; he'd already worked out for himself years ago that he didn't deserve to even sleep on the ground on which she walked. They thought it was his pride keeping him from accepting her help and giving in to what his wolf demanded. But no, it was fear. He was a prideful man, yes, but even more powerful than that was his fear that there was no way she could ever look past his history, their history. He'd been horrid to her. And even worse? He'd watched her get tortured in his home. So yes, he walked away from her. He spared her from having to deal with his presence day in and day out simply because Hermione was too good to refuse anyone who needed her. But it was one of the few things he could say he did in his life that was absolutely selfless.      

"Oh and you think they want a Death Eater there as they try to remember all their fallen loved ones?" Draco wrapped himself in his sarcasm like a protective shield. 

"Oh please, Malfoy," Harry waved his hand dismissively. "You were a child, everyone knows that." 

"Like you were a child when you defeated the Dark Lord?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "We weren't children, and we all made choices." 

Harry studied him curiously, concern filling his features. Growing uncomfortable under his scrutiny, Draco reshuffled his papers arbitrarily.  

"Now if you're done pestering me, I need to get back to this." 

Harry merely took a seat across from Draco. "I thought we were long past this, Draco? You know we don't associate you with them." 

"You and your family may feel that way, but not everyone does." 

"Well screw them! Most of those people who act all righteously superior weren't even involved in the war! Besides, they won't be there tonight." 

"How do you know they're not right?" Draco asked aloud.