drao failed to answer his eyes on the ground.
“he says he just knew. he said when you’re ih a person, you an feel his prese entirely io believe that was how he ame to his onlusio to press him—or you—further.”
draht in his throat. of ourse he k harry had been trying to say only mere hours earlier, but to hear it in so many words hit him like a ton of briks.
“in love?” dra up at mgonagall.
“of ourse, i k least. with his personal deline begi did, with the an . what i did was your reiproation. not u spoke, that is.”
“i’m sorry, headmaster,” drao ma sure ologizing for.
she fixed him with an iy stare.
“you khing must be done.”
“i know.”
his w in the air.
he oelli if she po obliviate harry, she might as well obliviate him, too. but if she did, she better do it all the way bak to first year, beause he ouldn’t remember knowing harry without remembering that he loved him, and the pain was too muh to bear. he didn’t wah harry move on, find someone neing that at o, he had loved him bak. that was a fate worse thah.
mgonagall broke into his thoughts.
“i was thinking an unbreakable would donagall said.
“uttered.
“an unbreakable vow. we’ll have him vow not to tell a you’re still alive. to protet you. don’t you think?”
“you’re noing to obliviate him?”
“i must admit that obiliviation was my first thought, as well. but i felt that ell for any of us. it would require mr. potter’s removal from his ion, whih leaves me without a defe another year, and him wasting away in that terrible old manor. and for you, well, i’m not a young woman, mr. malfoy. i think i should waire one day, and you will most defilive me. who will ensure your safety when i am gohink it would be unsurprising should mr. potter fill my shoes when i am goh in my positioer and as your protetor. wouldn’t you say?” mgonagall asked, raising her eyebrows.
“i suppose, but potter has friends, professor. meddlihat. woo know why he rarely leaves the grounds?” drao asked.
mgonagall turned, paing along the ommon room, stopping at the windows looking out into the ke.
“yht. the you mr. and mrs. weasley ose a problem. i suppose we ould trust ronald ao take a vow, as well. then you would have a work, should anythio mr. potter.”
“professor, i don’t uand. why were you so adamant that potter not know about my existeion was so easy?”
“beause, malfoy, until just a few days ago, i was uhe impression that you hated the boy. i had alnned on findi potter did not seem like a viable option. but now that i know you wouldn’t partiurly mind his ompany, i doer fit. uhere is someone else you wonagall asked, walking bak towards malfoy. “beause ohe vow, that’s it. he’ll be your sole ompanion.”
“you make it souing married or something,” drao joked weakly. he was sure he wouldn’t mind having harry arou of his days, but he had known that sine he was eleven and had seeted for his robes. he hadn’t known who harry was, but he had known he liked him. as for harry, his feelings were so he loy of them ould reasonably be alled iion. sure, harry might want this now, but what about iy? merlin, a hundred? wizards did teerribly long lives.
“it’s not that different, is it? and far more important, anyway,” mgonagall added. “i’ll o disuss it with mr. potter, then i suppose if he agrees, we should be bak dowime today.”
“bak down here? why?”
“to perform the vow, of ourse.”
“oh, will i be binding you?” drao asked, rather nervous. he’d never been a binder before.
“of ourse not.”
“then who? surely not hagrid.”
&he bohe two of you, mr. malfoy.”
a knot formed in drao’s stomah. of ourse.
“what do you mean i doo leave?”
harry was standing in the middle of his offie—what would have been his offie, if not for drao, if not for his io be hrowing things into a trunk that had barely been unpaked anyway. mgonagall was h he doorway.
“i mean, mr. potter, that i require you here,” the headmaster said, sounding rather annoyed. “i’m going to ask something of you, ao ahfully.
“what?” harry swallowed audibly.
“would you be willing to take my pe? as his prall asked.
“i—i do,” harry answered.
“harry, you o be sure beyond a doubt,” she ohis won’t just be a promise.”
mgonagall raised her eyebrows, her words heavy with their meaning.