just for you (years 3-5)

chapter 56 (draco's pov)

we walk back down to the common room after working on astrology, our hands brushing against each other now and then as we stroll down the empty corridors. i say the password when we reach the slytherin hall, and the stones part to lets us in. i walk through the hole first, taking in the sight of the common room. completely empty.

"everyone's gone to bed early" i say with a small smile on my face. i like when i get to be alone with y/n, without the others judging

"and daphne says i'm the boring one" she rolls her eyes, pushing past me to get to the couch. she sits down, looking through her bag.

"you are quite dull" i smirk, waiting for her to look up at me. sure enough, her gaze moves away from her bag to meet my eyes as she tilts her head and gives me a disapproving glare. but i can only smile back.

i sit down next to her, stretching my arms across the back of the couch like i usually do... except this time i let my arm behind her hang a little lower, so my hand is resting on her shoulder. i can see her smile out of the corner of my eye.

after a while of sitting silently, looking at the fire, she finally asks what i was waiting for her to say. i knew she would bring it up again, but i had hoped it would be a little longer before she did.

"you don't think he's really coming back, is he?" she says quietly, turning her head and looking at me, a small glint of hope in her eyes. i don't have it in my heart to break that hope, so i keep eye contact with the fire, knowing if i look at her i'll crack.

"i don't know" i respond, hoping that will put an end to the discussion.

i can tell she's still nervous, even though she says nothing else. i look down at her hands, which she's holding tightly in her lap, moving her thumbs back and forth. she stares blankly at the fire, her eyebrows lowered slightly in thought.

slowly, i move my arm back from around her, bringing it down to rest on top of her hands. she looks over at me, probably surprised by the contact.

"y/n if something were to happen.." i start, trailing off almost immediately. i look back around the common room, checking that it's still empty, before meeting her eyes again. i take a deep breath, knowing i have to give her some sort of warning, no matter how cryptic it is, "i'm not going to be able to tell you about it. it's too dangerous" she starts to look away from me, so i lean forward to keep looking in her eyes, she needs to know how important this is, "do you understand?"

i feel her hands move underneath mine, one of them slipping away and the other turning to interlock with mine. i almost smile.

"you know i wouldn't stop badgering you until i got an answer" she jokes a little. i know it's the truth... i can only lie to her for so long before she would get it out of me. but i need her to keep her distance, from anything involving.. you-know-who

"y/n, please" i say, desperately, "tell me you'll stay out of it. if anything happens-" i would blame myself. is what i don't get to say, as she cuts me off.

"i can't do that, draco" she says defiantly.

"promise me" i say more seriously. she's stubborn, that's for sure, but i need some assurance, i need to know that if everything goes down the way my father says it will, that she's safe, "there is nothing to worry about" each word pains me, knowing it's not the truth, "please do not go looking for trouble"