Chapter 68: 2

The Tale of Draco, the Girl, and the Black Dog

The boy, who had opened the worn parchment without a second thought, suddenly froze. It was a message from her—or perhaps, in this case, him—the one who had turned their back, stubbornly insisting they would handle things alone.

There, written in plain sight, was a plea for help.

"Draco-niisama?"

The voice that halted the boy's sudden urge to bolt was as clear as a bell. Sitting modestly on a long sofa near the fireplace was a girl who was, for the boy—Draco Malfoy—the most beloved person in his world.

They were not in the Great Hall, but here in the Common Room, having just finished a meal brought by a house-elf. With her sister Daphne currently away on errands, Draco wouldn't even dream of the folly of leaving the ailing girl alone. Or so it should have been. And yet...

He glanced at the parchment again, shielding it from her view. The handwriting was a frantic scrawl. The words screamed of a situation that demanded immediate action.

At least—yes, at least—until Daphne returns...

"Did something happen to Maria?"

Draco snapped his head back toward the girl.

"For Draco-niisama to lose his composure so visibly... I can think of nothing else but Malfoy family matters or something regarding Maria Potter. Or perhaps her twin, Harry Potter? You do so dearly favor the two from the Potter house, Draco-niisama. ...You really are a handful."

She gave him a graceful, knowing smile. Draco felt the tension sap out of him as he settled back into his seat. The spot beside her was always kept open just for him.

"What did Maria say?"

"...It seems there’s something she needs help with. Once Daphne gets back—"

"Draco-niisama."

The girl’s hands reached out, covering Draco’s hand which was currently balled into a fist atop his knee.

"—If Astoria were to ask you to stay by my side just like this... would you listen to my request, Draco-niisama?"

"Astoria..."

"Would you choose Astoria over Maria?"

It wasn't a plea. It was more like she was posing a riddle—a flash of the mischievous side she showed only to those closest to her, a trait that had grown more stubborn in this world. Because she cared for Draco, Astoria would never actually voice such a selfish desire in earnest.

"—I'm going."

Draco squeezed her slender hand in return and stood up.

"Oh, how disappointing. You’re leaving me all alone?"

"Yeah. If I actually nodded and stayed... you'd be furious with me."

"......"

Astoria blinked her brown eyes with childlike innocence. Then, a moment later, she broke into a crumpled, even more youthful smile.

"Honestly... you two are so unfair. Both of you are just terrible. ...Please look after my friend, Draco-niisama."

As Draco gripped his wand and headed for the stairs leading out of the Common Room, Astoria watched his retreating back. She swallowed her envy, though her eyes couldn't quite hide her loneliness. She, too, naturally had the desire to keep the person she loved all to herself. She was eleven. It was an age where screaming and throwing a tantrum would be forgiven. But Astoria Greengrass would not allow herself that. She was noble to a heartbreaking degree.

"You're far too soft on Maria yourself."

Draco didn't look back.

"She's just so unfair. I fell right into her trap. ...She told me that friends are supposed to help each other. Therefore, as her friend, I am simply doing what is expected."

"And you favor her especially, don't you?"

"...Because she is my best friend."

Astoria’s voice sounded shy. I definitely can't look back now, Draco thought with a wry smile.

"I understand. I'll tell your friend how much you've been worrying about her. I’ll go let myself be used by that Gryffindor tomboy princess. Listen, Astoria. Go to bed. Don't wait up for me."

"............"

Only at times like this did Astoria withhold her "good girl" response. Draco shrugged his shoulders pointedly. Honestly, what a stubborn girl.

As soon as he climbed the stairs from the dungeons, Draco scanned the path ahead, though there were no streetlamps to guide him. He was looking with "eyes like dinner plates," as the saying went.

No location had been specified. No time, either. It was already pitch black outside. The only things he could rely on were the torches flanking the entrance, which would burn bright until curfew.

He steadied his breathing and adjusted his grip on his wand, ready to fire a hex at a moment's notice.

...Surely, Maria wouldn't be angry even if he let the rat escape. The Harry Potter of the past might have thrown a tantrum, but they had both grown up. Though, the "grown-up" version of him had acquired a coldness suited for Slytherin—not that he’d admit it, claiming he’d had it all along—and had turned into a far more troublesome monster to deal with.

However, if they failed to free Sirius, he would be utterly devastated. The salvation of Sirius Black was one of the fervent desires he had staked his life on.

Sirius Black was... just that "special" to Harry Potter.

Severus Snape, Cedric Diggory, and Sirius Black—

To Draco Malfoy, who held an extraordinary obsession with Harry Potter, these three names were as unforgettable to him as they were to Harry. Many of his own kin had died in that war—but Draco reckoned it was these three in particular who had bound Harry. It was a distortion that only Draco Malfoy could have discovered, having watched Harry Potter from so many different angles.

You cannot defeat the dead. Therefore—they must be kept alive. This time, for sure.

If Harry's heart were carried off to a place as distant as death, it would be impossible to catch up to him or cunningly snatch him away.

—Just as Astoria had taken up permanent residence in Draco's own heart. Just as he still couldn't let go of her shadow even now.

He took another deep breath and waited for the moment.

Failure was not an option. Not for Maria. Not for Harry Potter. —But for himself.

And then.

"Stupefy!"

A flash of red light sliced brilliantly through the darkness.