but it’s not any of his business.
it doeshing to do with him.
nothing at all.
he goes about his every day, studyis, avoiding photographs, and ughing with frieely pretending that it doesn’t hurt.
“harry,” ginny pleads, a day after all the halloweeies. it is te iernoon, and the sky is a grey. in an hour, it will be diime. they’re sittiher ihe stohe lok tower ourtyard, where ginny had ornered him in a st dith effort. “the raveing us. we need you.”
harry grins at her sheepishly. they’ve had this oion before, imes in the burrow, ahinks ginny’s still trying just for the sake of it. “i’m sinny. i just do. i just want to finish the shool year in peae.”
ginedly, rossing her arms like a petunt hild. “don’t you miss flying?”
“i do,” harry says, ughiion. “just ion, i guess? besides, y well. i wath all your mathes and you have a.”
gihe praise. then, she him. “is it…beause of…you know…”
harry’s eyes widens, waving his hands, the deely on his lips. “oh, no! no, no, no. it’s fine, gin, i’m not avoiding you, if that’s what you’re thinking. that’s not it at all.”
ginny smiles, sh. “okay. good.” then, she looks arouyard, sees no oheo whisper. “well, is it beause of…?”
“of…?”
“well, uhm.” she smiles, almost apologetially. “malfoy?”
harry’s gobsmaked expression just makes her ugh. “i’m sorry. roelli. i mea mea worried.”
harry feels his fae burning. it’s oo know that his friends know, aher to talk about it with them. he’s gotte being this opehe big elephahat nobody is allowed to talk about. “i know he is. and. no. it’s not about him. i think. i’m just really tired, i guess? i just wao stop…i don’t king me like i’m, err, harry potter.”
ginny ughs, as she did before, bef happened, as if she holy finds him endearing. her fae is as bright as ever, her bright red hair flyihrows her head bak and ughs openly. harry thinks he ould fall ih her agairied. he thinks they ould make it work.
“okay, i’ll y off.” she griwinkling. “but ould you maybe sit iies? beat some skills into ood, but he just doeshe same sehe snith like you did.”
harry grins bak at her. “why dohe seeker? ravenw won’t stand a hane.”
and then, as always, he is the first to spot that blond hair.
giaring over her shoulder, turns around, and blinks. “oh. malfoy.”
at the eyard, drao is deseeps from the lok tower. his pallor is paler than usual, like he’s still sik, but his feet doesn’t slow dow them iing, passi losierribly sorry for the disturbane. .”
harry is up o i. “malfoy.”
& know why it feels like he has just been aught doihi supposed to do. he just feels that drao’s gotten it all wrong somehow. why that matters, he doesher, beause drao and astoria are probably going out, so he doesn’t khe o expin himself.
drao doesn’t stop, of ourse. he ehat leads to the sto one looking bak.
ginny takes hold of his sleeve. harry looks at her, surprised, and she owards drao’s diretion.
to his surprise, she doesn’t look a drao’s rudeness like he had expeted her to be. in fat, she looks worried, and he is relieved and grateful all at the same time.
&hinks he ould fall ih her again.
but he knows that’s not what she deserves.
and not what he wants.
“malfoy! wait!”
&he bridge, and the old november wind sps at their robes aheir heeks. drao doesn’t stop, but harry hadn’t really expeted him to, and so he leaps frabs drao’s wrist.
drao turns t, but he still looks pale and tired a a git drao’s being, harry a be worried.
“what do you otter?”
“wait, malfoy, i just want to talk.”
“well, i don’t, now go away. go bak tirlfriend. i’m sure she’s waiting for you.”
harry blinks in onfusion. “gi my girlfriend.”
“well, i don’t really are who you hoose to fuk. you do you.”