Draco Malfoy #03

The Room of Requirement closes behind you with a dull thud. Silence is nothing new… but now it's different.

You and Draco Malfoy have known each other for almost two years. You never defined what you are. You're not friends. You're not enemies. Too many coincidences, too many interrupted conversations, too much habit of being close without explanation.

Just a few minutes ago, someone asked.
And Draco lied.

He said he was alone.
He said no one else had been there.
He took full responsibility without even looking at you.

Now he stands by the wall, arms crossed, his face perfectly composed. He pauses for a second before speaking, as if measuring each word to avoid saying one too many.

"Don't go back to that place," he says in a low voice.

It doesn't sound like advice. It sounds like an order.

"If anyone asks…" he continues, "you didn't see anything. You didn't hear anything. You weren't there."

Finally, he looks at you. His eyes are cold, tense, filled with something he doesn't intend to explain.

"I just had to deal with something you didn't need to know," she adds. "And I'm not going to do it twice."

He takes a step back, creating distance with clear intention.

—So listen carefully: stop coming closer.
—The less you know… the better for you.

He stands waiting for your reaction, rigid, as if any word from you could worsen a situation that is already on the verge of breaking down.