Y/N

_

IT'S NOT EVEN A WEEK into the school term, and I already know things are heading in a downward spiral.

I had left the Great Hall to get some air after hearing the news; the horrible, horrible news, and yet I decided not to go to the courtyard. Somewhere else seemed like a better option, which is why I found myself staring at a giant wall instead.

A wall that was slowly crumbling away to reveal a room.

I wasn't sure why I decided to go back to the Room or Requirement, but somehow it seemed like the only place I could find solitary comfort. Maybe it was because I was the only person to know about this room, and therefore it was the perfect place to be alone in.

Well, the only person except for Draco.

Who unfortunately was already inside the room.

He was crouched into the shadowy corner, spare pieces of parchment scattered around him, and he looked up once he saw me standing there. Setting down the quill in his hand, he turned to face me. I knew he was probably going to try to start another fight, so I exhaled in disappointment and waved my hand.

"I wasn't following you this time," I noted bluntly, preparing to walk away, "I didn't even know you were in here."

Draco blinked, his expression unreadable, "I know."

"I'll leave you alone, then."

Spinning around, I prepared to go to my second choice—the courtyard, which I originally planned on going to—but the sound of the boy's voice enthralled me to stop.

"Actually," he said, his dry tone echoing out from the stone room, "I'd prefer it if you stayed."

I stopped walking, the heel of my boots digging into the tiled floor.

I couldn't be hearing that right, could I? Draco Malfoy, the enemy of my best friend, the person who hated my guts for calling him names, and the pureblood tyrant that stalked the halls....was asking me to stay.

Did someone obliviate him by accident or did he just forget the bad blood that surrounded us?

"You want me to stay?" I said, turning around in skepticism, "with you, Draco?"

He twirled his quill along his fingers, staring at me with that same dull expression he held the entire time. At this point I could guess he was purposely trying not to show the thoughts running through his mind; although I desperately wished I could see them. It would let me know what he was planning.

If he was planning anything.

"I don't bite," he said factually, breaking his gaze to roll his eyes, "stop standing there like an idiot and come inside."

I frowned, "I'm not going to come inside if you call me an idiot."

"Then why are you still here?"

I wasn't expecting the question, but it called me out on my behavior. I could have easily just walked away, or shot back a snarky comment, but instead I just stood there like some sort of frozen statue.

I cleared my throat, looking away.

"Possibly because I need someone to talk to," I said, telling him the truth, "and seeing as you're the only one I've run into out here, staying doesn't seem like a bad idea."

I saw his stone-cold gaze break as a small smile twitched onto the corner of his lips. It was barely noticeable, but somehow it sent a wave of relief over my body.

Maybe he'd put aside our feud to listen to me.

Walking into the room, I ignored the sound of the disappearing door, and sat across from the boy. He had a piece of parchment paper in his lap, bending his neck to continue scribbling down the doodles that lined the page. I couldn't see what he was drawing, so I looked up to his face. His blond hair fell over his eyes as he drew, casting shadows over the fabric of his robes, and his eyelashes twinkled under the firelight.

After a few moments, he spoke.

"I know you hate me," he said, refusing to look up from his paper, "but I suppose you could call us roommates now."

I blinked, my back pressed up against the wall, "why?"

"Because it's rather fitting" he shrugged, "seeing as we share a room, now."

I nodded my head, suppressing the amusement I found in that remark. I don't think I've ever found anything Malfoy said to be funny, which threw me off by the slightest amount. Maybe I didn't know him as much as I thought I did, and he was capable of emitting lifelike qualities.

But that wasn't what interested me.

"Why are you in here, Draco?" I asked, resting my head onto my knees gently, "I thought you'd be in the Great Hall for the Triwizard ceremony."

Draco pursed his lips, still concentrated on his quill, "I needed a break from that god awful stench that's been following me around."

I furrowed my brow, "what stench?"

He wrinkled his nose, one of the freckles on his cheeks shifting slighting to the right. I didn't know he had a freckle.

"That disgusting hot chocolate perfume," he said, narrowing his eyes in annoyance, "I came here because I couldn't even take a step without somebody trying to seduce me with it."

I hoped he didn't know I was wearing it the other day, because I was definitely not trying to seduce him—I couldn't give a fig about how wealthy he was.

"Disgusting?" I scoffed, "I thought it was what you smelled in the Amortentia?"

He paused, glancing up at me for a moment, and then back down to his paper, "that doesn't make it any less disgusting."

"Well, lighten up, will you?"

"No."

I rolled my eyes, letting out an exhale, "you're not the only one who has to endure the smell of perfume. Neville's allergic to chestnuts, and had to go to the hospital wing to clear his nose."

"Not my problem," Draco jeered, "he should have used his stupid Remembrall to remember that, don't you think?"

That...was a horrible thing to say.

I wasn't sure why I expected Draco to have this hidden side to him, one with at least some compassion or vulnerability, but unfortunately I was mistaken. Now I was beginning to regret staying in the room with him.

"Piss off, Malfoy," I said, crossing my arms against my chest, "you can be such a jerk, sometimes."

Draco didn't like that.

"I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" He frowned, dropping his quill into his lap in annoyance, "can the Gryffindor not take a joke?"

"It's not a joke if you're insulting someone with it."

"What do you want me to say then? Sorry Longbottom landed himself in the hospital wing? Why is any of that my concern?"

"Just stop, Draco."

"Maybe Madame Pomfrey will get a chance to give him a brain while he's there, hm?"

That's where I drew the line.

That invisible line that no one should ever cross, even if they were so rotten inside that they felt the need to insult everyone they met. And yet, Draco crossed it.

"You know what?" I frowned, standing onto my feet in anger, " maybe it's better I leave. Sitting here feels like I'm wasting my time."

He didn't like that either.

"Did you just call me a waste of time?" He gasped.

"Yes, I did."

"Fine," he hissed, standing up to match me, "get out of here then. Go back to sucking up to teachers and snogging Potter, as if those weren't wastes of time in themselves."

"Shut up, Malfoy."

There was clearly something wrong with him; a pit of darkness inside of him that was eating away at his words. Unlike how he'd usually pick on me, this time he couldn't even look me in the eye. He just stared at the wall, the tip of his nose pink.

His insults seemed more of a defensive habit than words of truth.

He continued:

"Why don't you call up Potter if I'm bothering you so much," he jeered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his robes, "Potter won't waste your time!"

Now I was sure that something was bothering him. Something he clearly hadn't been able to get out before.

"Draco," I cut in, holding up my hands, "are you okay?"

He ignored me, his volume rising as he started to pace, "call Potter and tell him to save you!"

"Draco, what the hell is going on with you?"

"Do it!"

"For God's sake, just—"

"Stop pretending like you care about me!" He yelled, spinning around to finally look me in the eye. He looked hurt by his own words, his eyes glazed over with an indescribable emotion, but as soon as it happened, it went away. He glanced at the floor, his voice shaking, "just leave me alone and go back to Harry, okay?"

I think that was the first time I have ever heard him call Harry by his first name.

Despite that, it seemed Draco was breaking at the seams. Crumbling into a pile of whatever was eating his soul away. I didn't mean to seem like I was pretending, because I honestly did care that he seemed hurt, but I knew he wouldn't believe me.

I had to fight his fire with my own.

"What do you want me to do then?" I said, pulling out my wand, "summon Harry into a hidden room to find me?"

Draco was silent this time.

"What do you want me to do, Draco? Accio him over here?" I frowned, waving my wand wildly, "accio Harry, accio Harry, oh would you look at that! He's not coming."

Malfoy clenched his jaw, his gaze falling back towards the floor, "you're being ridiculous"

"And you're being unfair bringing up Harry into this conversation like that, " I said, shoving my wand back into my pocket, "you didn't hear what happened, did you?"

He paused, locking eyes with me, "what?"

"Harry's competing in the Triwizard tournament," I explained, "I don't know why, I don't know how, but he has to."

I swear I almost saw something flicker in the boy's eyes, but it went away as quickly as it had come.

"Do you want me to feel sorry for him?" he said harshly, "because I won't."

"I didn't expect you to," I frowned, "but I'm disgusted that you don't have simple human decency to feel sorry for someone who could lose their life."

Then it hit me. Saying it out loud.

Saying that Harry could die out loud.

Now all I could think about was seeing him hurt. I hated it when he was hurt, because it felt like part of me was being ripped apart, and yet I had no choice but to watch from the sidelines.

"Dammit," I said, falling back against the wall, "God dammit."

Draco was silent, watching as I slowly sank onto my knees and placed my head in my hands. I was worried for Harry. It was like a horrified feeling of knowing you could lose the one thing you clung onto for so long.

There was a pause, before I felt the bottom of Draco's robes brush against my ankle. He had moved closer, his hand held down towards me.

"I won't be sorry for Harry," he said, gesturing for me to take it, "but I don't like seeing you like this."

I hesitated before taking his hand, but I let him help me up. His agitated tone had disappeared and the room was suddenly surrounded by a moment of truce.

"Since when have you ever seen me like this?" I sighed, stepping away from him, "we've only just properly met."

Draco didn't respond, bending down to snatch the piece of paper he was doodling on up from the ground. Extending his hand, he handed me the parchment and turned towards the door.

As the entrance crumbled open, he turned to look at me one last time.

"I've seen you," he said, before disappearing down the hall.

Then I remembered that day in the forest. The first time he ever so much as glanced my way, and the first time I noticed him fully.

Looking down into my palm, I bit my lip, flipping over the paper to see what was on it. From afar, it would have looked like silly little lines drawn to pass the time. Looking at it now, that was far from the truth.

He had drawn me.

_

'when in rome' vibes, honestly ;)