𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝟐.𝟏𝟓 - 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫

 Your head thumped rhythmically against the glass of the compartment window. The cool surface felt nice against your forehead and did wonders for your mild headache. The world outside of the window was black and you could just barely make out the broad towers of the castle in the distance.

You hadn't slept well after seeing Harry and Cho together in the Room of Requirement. Most of the night was spent tossing and turning underneath the covers. When you did eventually fall asleep, your dreams were plagued by visions of you stepping into the room and discovering the two together. It played through your head over and over until suddenly, you were awoken by Pansy's pet cat, Duchess, pawing at your chest.

 Draco was seated across from you in the train compartment. His hands were folded sternly in his lap as he toyed with the frayed green string poking out from underneath his sleeve. You never understood why he kept the bracelet you gave him. It certainly did nothing to match his wardrobe. 

 Unlike you, Draco actually bothered to get dressed that morning. He had traded out his school uniform for a fitted black suit and shiny leather dress shoes. In comparison, you didn't look half as good dressed in an oversized sweater and your favorite pair of muddied boots. You weren't in the mood for being presented as a Christmas gift for your family once you arrived at Malfoy Manor.

If Draco had any issues with your choice of outfit, he didn't say anything. However, the silence between you was thick and heavy and you worried that if one of you didn't say something soon, the cabin would explode under the pressure.

With your eyes unmoving from the darkened landscape outside, you reached up and scratched at your scarred hand. You had only been gone from Hogwarts for just over fifteen minutes and you were already missing the smell of the library and the feeling of the stone walls in the corridor against your fingers.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked finally. You blinked over and watched him shift uncomfortably in his seat. His tone was genuine and you could tell that he was actually concerned for you. You noticed that he always acted nicer in general outside of school. There was just something about being at Hogwarts that turned him into the biggest douchebag on the planet, you supposed.

 Realizing that you were starting to stare silently at him without answering his question, you shrugged. "Nothing," you sighed. "Just homesick I guess."

"Homesick?" He repeated, bringing up both of his hands to straighten his onyx colored tie. "We'll be there in under an hour. Nothing to get all mopey about."

 Returning your gaze to the window, you saw the sun just barely begin to peek out from behind the Gryffindor tower. Harry and the others were probably just starting to wake up. Maybe breakfast was being served already. 

 You didn't have the heart to correct Draco about which home you had been referring to.

When the Hogwarts Express pulled into Kings Cross Station, your family's chauffeur was there waiting in the parking lot. With the tip of his hat, he began hauling your luggage into the trunk of the vehicle. "It's great to see you again, miss," he addressed you, hurrying around to open the back seat door. You mustered a fake smile and nodded up at him. "Likewise, and thank you."

Draco sat down beside you and the silence took over once more. After driving a little way down the road, the car rose off of the freeway and took off into the clouds in what you assumed was the direction of Malfoy Manor.

The turbulence hit roughly five minutes into the drive and you instinctively reached out for Draco's hand. His fingers were always cold, no matter the temperature of the room. When first getting to know him, you had insisted on holding his fingers in yours in an attempt to warm them up. Sometimes it worked but the heat from your hands only lasted so long.