1,000 Days

Chapter 8

Draco

"I want no talking from any of you," Draco snapped, walking into his noisy classroom Monday morning. He walked briskly to the front of the room, waved his wand at the board and snapped at them to get to work.

He was still furious with what had happened between he and Harry the day before and he was furious with himself for crying over it for three fucking hours. How dare that bloody hero rule his emotions like that? How dare the fucking Boy Who Lived be lodged so far into his heart that he'd bypassed the ten-foot stone and steel wall that surrounded Draco for as long as he could remember.

"What's wrong with you?" demanded one of the first year students in the room.

Draco glared at her. "That would be none of your business, Miss Scabbia," he snapped. "Now get to work."

He watched her as she pulled out the ingredients she needed for the boil-curing potion. They looked so much alike that it was no wonder that most people thought that she was his child. Draco could have laughed out loud at the thought. No, she was not his child, she was his sister.

She didn't even carry their name.... Nicole Scabbia was an illegitimate child between his father and some woman no one knew about. She raised Nikki for only three years before the toddler was brought to Malfoy Manor. No one ever mentioned her; after all, she was a "disgrace" as far as the family was concerned. She had her mother's name and when Lucius died, Draco took her in and showed her what it meant to have a real family.

She had resented him at first; after all, Draco had never once given the girl a reason to like him. He had almost completely ignored her while he lived in London with Harry. He'd gone home for Christmas, only because he was forced to, and while he was there, he never even bothered to look at her.

His mother hated her.

That was why he took her away from them. He wanted Nikki to know what it was like to be loved.

She looked up at him and glared before Draco let out a small chuckle and she smiled slightly. They were both Malfoys to the core, and neither would let that part go until they found a reason to. Draco hoped that his sister would find her own Harry someday. Living behind ten-foot stone and steel walls was only worse for the person living behind them in the end.

That night, Draco got started on a new potion. He tried some of his old favorites in his potion and added a few never-before-tried ingredients.

He sighed as he stirred the contents of the cauldron three times clockwise then six times counter-clockwise.

There was a knock on the door and Draco put down his silver stirring spoon before walking across the room to answer the door.

"Ugh," Ginny said, making a face and covering her nose and mouth with her hand. "Draco, what is that God-awful smell?"

"My new potion," he said guiding her from the room and shutting the door behind them.

"What did you put in there?" she asked, lowering her hand.

"Essence of Stinksap," Draco answered. "It's great for finding unknown ailments."

"So maybe you'll cure something you don't know about," Ginny said with a slight chuckle.

Draco shrugged and wrapped his arm around the redhead. "So, Professor Weasley, what brings you my way?"

"I thought I'd come down and drag you away from your worries for the night," she answered with a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Did you?" Draco asked as they made their way to her room. "Well, I must inform you that my health has deteriorated slightly in the last little while. You see, there's this curse that I've got that is making me slightly ill."

"It's getting worse?" Ginny asked, stopping.

Draco nodded sadly. "And it will continue to do so until I either cure it, or die from it."

"Do you have any idea what will happen next?" she asked. "Are you going to start collapsing all over the place and make me worry half to death?"

Draco shrugged. Lying to Ginny about the effects of the curse was much easier than telling her the truth. He knew what would happen. He would get sicker and eventually not be able to hold anything down. He would become weak and his body would start shaking uncontrollably. He would begin to experience fainting spells, each one lasting longer than the one before it.

The last day, his lungs would collapse. He would struggle for breath and keep struggling until he eventually died from the suffocation, his soul having been dead for weeks before hand.

Ginny seemed to notice Draco's distant behavior as they continued on their way to her room. She kept giving him sideways glances as they ascended the grand staircase and finally stopped them both when she was tired of the silence.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

Draco closed his eyes and leaned against the cold marble wall.

"I don't think I'm going to survive this, Gin," he confessed.

"You will," she promised. "You'll survive to be a shriveled old man who has passed on the title of Master Malfoy to his oldest son and is watching in horror as that son turns out to be gay and is leaving his wife and four children only to be with the son of...Harry Potter, which will, sadly enough, give you a heart attack and you'll die."

Draco stared at his girlfriend in shock. "How on earth did you come up with that horrid situation?" he asked, feeling rather amazed. "If that actually does happen, I'll make sure that I haunt you and your family for the rest of eternity."

Ginny chuckled. "That's why it won't happen," she informed him. "At the rate you're going, you'll never have any kids of your own."

"I know. I've never been very partial to goats."

"What?" Ginny asked confused.

"A kid is a baby goat, Gin," Draco informed her. "What you meant to say was that at the rate I'm going I'll never have any children of my own. I know I'll never own a goat."

Ginny shook her head slightly. "You are..."

"I am a lot of things," Draco finished. "Many of them are not good or wholesome or sweet, and absolutely none of them are innocent."

"Horrible," Ginny said nodding. "That's what you are, you're horrible."

They both laughed lightly and continued on their way.

When Draco woke up the next morning it was with Ginny's warm body beside him. He sat up, not even looking at her, and walked his nude form to the bathroom where he took a shower.

He'd never understood what it was about Ginny that he found attractive, maybe it was that she knew the truth and she still accepted him.

He didn't know why he continued to try and make things work between the two of them; they'd been in an on-and-off relationship ever since he started teaching at Hogwarts. Sometimes they would end things over a fight, or, as in the last time she broke up with him, over something she knew was there but he refused to let out.

He wondered how long they would last this time. Their record was three months. After a while, they just got sick of each other.

This time it was exceptionally difficult for Draco. He felt as though he were betraying Harry every time he looked at Ginny with lust or touched her or, especially, when he kissed her. Having sex with her only made him feel lower.

He walked back into the main room and put on his clothes before he woke Ginny.

She stirred for a moment before she opened her eyes.

"Morning," she said with a smile.

"Sorry, but I've got to run," he informed her as he tied his shoes. "I've left that potion and--"

"I know," she interrupted. "Get out of here," she ordered with a smile.

Draco smirked before he kissed her cheek lightly. "Sorry to run," he said again.

She shrugged. "You're not going too far."

Harry was waiting for him just outside his door.

"What?" he demanded, the feelings of anger, lust and love taking him over yet again.

"I'm sorry," Harry said softly.

Draco looked at him confused. "For what?" he asked.

"For being an asshole," Harry answered. "I know I've been a jerk, Draco, but...you have to believe me when I say I didn't mean what I said the other day. When I came down here--I've been thinking about what you said. Being friends...it makes sense. Especially since there's no going back for us."

"I meant what I said the other day, Harry," Draco replied. "You're the one who told me that it was all or nothing. I still don't understand how you could say that, seeing as you and Granger are obviously together now. You'd never leave her side; she's the mother of your only child. Hell, I'll bet you'll be telling me that you're getting married here soon enough."

"Well, now that you mention it," Harry began.

"You're not marrying her, are you?" Draco asked, horrified.

Harry smiled slightly and chuckled as he shook his head. "No," he answered. "And I'm quitting as soon as the year is over and done with," he confessed.

"Why?" Draco asked, opening his door at last. The smell had diminished and the two men walked in.

"You mostly," Harry answered. "Hogwarts has too many memories of us for me."

"We weren't even together here," Draco reminded him. "There was that dare in sixth year," he remembered, "but other than that, there was nothing."

"Not while we were in school, but we were here from time to time those five years," Harry reminded him.

Draco nodded and sat down on his bed while Harry lay down on the floor. In the dim light Draco couldn't help but think of how tempting it was to join Harry on the floor and give into the old temptations. The overwhelming desire to kiss Harry again came over him and he was finding it hard to concentrate on the conversation.

"So?" Harry was asking. "How bout it?" he asked. "Willing to be my best friend?"

"What?" Draco asked, coming out of the thick fog that had surrounded him while he watched Harry.

The Defense professor sat up and looked at Draco curiously. "Are you willing to be my friend," Harry asked again.

Draco nodded without thinking. "It was my idea, remember?"

Harry chuckled and Draco found himself becoming lost in the memories again.

"Promise me one thing, Harry," Draco said softly, not willing to raise his eyes and look at the other man directly.

"What?" Harry asked.

"If things with you and Granger don't work out, and if things with Ginny and I don't work out, then we can try again after I find my cure," he asked, meeting Harry's eyes.

Harry was silent for a while and Draco was beginning to think that he was going to say no.

"Draco," Harry began. The blonde hung his head, already hearing Harry's voice in his head saying that there was no going back, no matter what. "I will gladly go back to what we once were if the circumstances for it are right. When you're cured, I'll be waiting. On one condition," he said, causing Draco to look up again.

"Anything," Draco answered at once.

"You promise to marry me again."

Draco nodded and the two fought against reaching for each other once more.

The next day, Draco found his classes much more behaved than the previous days'. This was his day for his NEWT classes and these students were among the last to know this course under Snape. For that, Draco had feelings of both gratitude and fear. He constantly wondered if he lived up to his predecessor's reputation.

Today they would be learning about the Draught of Living Death.

"I don't want any of you to even think about trying this potion on yourselves or anyone else for that matter. It is far too powerful to be taken lightly and if any one of you tries to take even a drop of the potion out of this classroom, you will be expelled. Understood?"

The class nodded silently and set to work.

They day wore on slowly for Draco and he couldn't keep himself from thinking about the promise he made Harry make. What had possessed him to do such a thing? It was over between the two of them, and now they were friends who had a future relationship to look forward to as long as Draco lived long enough to find the damned cure.

It was a tiny spark of hope in an otherwise bleak world.

He couldn't believe that Harry would be leaving at the end of the year. He dreaded that day just as much as he dreaded the day his curse would finally take him. He had lost the hope of the cure, but had hope of finding it so that he and Harry could be together again. He laughed at himself for being in such a state. He felt like one big, huge, walking, talking oxymoron.

He was the hopeless full of hope.

He stared out through the window in his office and noticed that it was raining. It had been for days, he realized.

It had been raining the night Harry and Draco had shared their first kiss.

Draco chuckled, remembering the dare.

Flash Back

The entire sixth year class had gathered near the border of the forest. It was dark and the rain had soaked through everything. Inside of the forest looked much dryer and everyone was debating on going in there or staying where they would be drenched and forced to visit Madam Pomfrey for a pepper up potion.

Finally, they all agreed to venture into the forbidden forest.

"So, what's first?" Draco asked. "Spin the Bottle, Truth or Dare--I've got both alcohol and Veritaserum."

"Truth or Dare," Pansy called. Everyone agreed, and Draco pulled out the goods.

"I'm going first," Goyle announced. Draco looked at him slightly shocked. The oaf had a mind of his own?

"Fine," everyone agreed.

"Longbottom," Goyle called. The frightened and soaked boy jumped, not expecting to be called on first. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Neville answered.

"You a virgin?" he asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. Of course, the only thing on either Crabbe or Goyle's mind was sex.

"No," Neville answered.

"LIAR!" Pansy shrieked. "You haven't taken any of the Veritaserum!"

"Yes I have!" Neville yelled.

"Who'd you sleep with then?" Pansy demanded.

"Luna," he answered.

The sixth years laughed.

"And isn't it lucky for you that she isn't here?" Pansy asked. "She can't tell us that it actually happened, though knowing Loony Lovegood she wouldn't tell us a damned thing. Perfect cover, don't you think?" she asked the Slytherins.

"It's true!" someone who wasn't Neville called.

"Who's that?" Pansy asked, squinting in the darkness.

"Padma," the great defender of Neville answered. "Luna's mentioned it to me twice now."

Neville looked both horrified and relieved.

"I still don't believe it."

"Doesn't matter, it's my turn now," Neville said.

"Who you gonna call on?" Pansy demanded.

"You," Neville answered.

"Truth then," Pansy answered.

"Are you a virgin?"

Pansy struggled for a moment before she blurted out that she was indeed a virgin. Draco laughed hysterically and a few joined him.

"Shut up!" Pansy shrieked.

"Sorry, Pans," Draco said, struggling to breathe. "But you, being a virgin...it's hilarious!"

"What about you then?" Pansy demanded. "Are you?"

"No," Draco laughed.

Pansy looked both hurt and shocked.

"Who is she then?"

"No one you know," Draco answered, thinking back to the whore his father had brought home for Draco to use. "Potter," he said changing the subject and continuing on with the game.

"If you ask me if I'm a virgin, I'm never going to agree to another one of these things again."

"Why the fuck would I want to know if you've had sex or not?" Draco demanded. "The very thought gives me nightmares. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Harry answered.

"Pansy," Draco muttered.

"What?" Pansy asked.

"Not you!" Draco yelled. "Are you a fairy?" he asked.

Harry laughed. "No," he answered.

"You know that I'm asking if you're gay, right?"

"I know," Harry answered. "The answer is still no."

The game continued on and eventually the time came for Draco to choose again.

"Dare," he answered this time, being the first to do so since the game began.

"I want you to kiss Harry Potter," Blaise Zabini said with an evil grin on his face.

"I fucking hate you," Draco muttered, getting to his feet. He staggered over to Harry and pulled him to his feet.

Then, without thinking (because if he thought about it, he'd probably spew his guts out everywhere) he kissed Harry Potter.

Who turned out to be a damn good kisser.

Forgetting about everyone else and the game, the both of them kept the kiss going until finally, Pansy and Hermione forced them apart.

End Flash Back

He laughed now, but he was horrified then.

It was only after they'd begun working together in the department that Draco realized that there was more to Harry Potter than an image set in stone and that there really was a real person underneath that tortured exterior.

The Three Broomsticks, an Auror party, and alcohol led to five years of love, two weeks of being engaged, and a year and a half of pretending that the other didn't exist only to find themselves together again, yet forcibly apart.

He hated every minute of it and he was sure that Harry did as well. Who needed to be reminded of something they couldn't have every single day of the year? Who were they to force themselves into the quiet suffering and lead the women in their lives along for what was surely a painful ride.

After all, Ginny and Hermione could only be hurt in the end.

That was assuming that Draco survived.

He didn't even want to start thinking of what would happen if things between Harry and Hermione worked out in the end. If it did...if they...Draco felt he would just have to fling himself off of the astronomy tower or something just to rid himself of the pain that would cause him.

Would it actually happen? Would Harry and Hermione make it? Draco, for some unknown reason, doubted that. Harry had, in a sense, asked him to marry him again. Draco, in that same sense, had agreed. In a way they were together, and yet...the paraded themselves as men entirely one with the woman one their arms.

They were both liars.