Draco's POV

"Draco, are we gonna talk about what happened yesterday?" Blaise asked me while I layed on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I ignored him at first, thinking too much on my own to really express my thoughts. From the corner of my eye, I saw Blaise growing more irritated next to me because I was not answering him. "Hello?!" He said dramatically, putting his hands on his hips.

"Blaise, if there was something to talk about, then we would." I told him.

"Nothing to talk about? Have you gone insane? Potter not only saved our arses, but I am pretty sure that glass breaking was his fault, not to mention the way he ran off like he was going to get sick. We have so much to talk about!"

"Yeah we know what happened, but we don't know why. It will do us no good to sit here and talk about the what ifs, we need answers, we need proof."

"And how do you plan on doing that, smart guy?"

I smirked at him as I sat up. "Easy. I'll make him talk."

"Haha, hilarious. Good luck with that one, like he's going to tel you anything."

"I am much more convincing than you give me credit for, Blaise."

"Alright fine, prove me wrong."

"Challenge accepted."

Of course, no challenge ever comes without a struggle, the only difference is that I am stubborn. I won't give up, especially since it's Potter. The person who constantly surrounds my mind, even when I first entered Hogwarts.

It's always been about Potter. Him and his cunning, yet pure personality.

"Potter!" I cornered him in a hallway the very next day. It was the end of classes and so no one is around. The perfect opportunity to talk to him alone without dragging him into Myrtle's bathroom or some other weird place.

Potter let out a quick breath of air, turning to face me. "What Malfoy?"

"What happened the other day? In the hallway." I asked, approaching him to where we were only maybe a few feet apart.

He scrunched up his eyebrows. "What are talking about?"

"When you saved Blaise and I in the hallway. Why? Why did you help us and why did you run off afterwards?" I asked, a little irritated that he was going to play dumb.

"Because it wasn't fair of them to do that to you. I'm sorry I didn't step in sooner, I thought you'd be mad if I did."

"Why did you then? If you were worried?" I asked, genuinely curious.

He bit his lip and looked down. He didn't say anything at first, but eventually he glanced back up at me and said, "I just-I got angry and I guess I just stepped in before realizing what I was doing. Are you mad?" He asked, the expression on his face almost had me convinced he was actually worried.

I shook my head. "No, but you didn't answer my other question. Why did you run off like that?"

He paled slightly and his body stiffened. "I-Well-" He stumbled, looking away from me again. "I forgot I had to be somewhere else urgently and when I realized, I bolted."

I squinted my eyes in suspicion, knowing he wasn't being truthful. "What about the window?"

"The window?" 

He was playing dumb again. 

"Yes, Potter, the window you broke."

"Right, I guess I was so angry that I did it subconsciously?" It sounded more like a question, rather than an answer.

"That's believable." I rolled my eyes. "Potter, what's really going on? You've been disappearing a lot lately and you honestly don't look like you've been taking care of yourself."

"Why do you care? It's got nothing to do with you." He snipped at me.

He's not wrong, it really doesn't have anything to do with me. It's none of my business, but this is Potter we're talking about.

Everything he does, I make it my business, it's how I've always operated since the day we arrived at Hogwarts. 

The boy shrouded in mystery, one I've always wanted to unlock, but the more I learned, the more perplexing he became.

"I make everything my business, Potter. Now, I want the truth."

"Give me one good reason why I should tell you?" He replied rather bitterly.

I thought on it for a moment, clasping my hands together. "You ask that a lot." I pointed out, but sighed about answering his question. With honesty for once. "Because, how else will I pay you back?" I mumbled, a little ashamed at admitting it.

Potter's eyes softened and he frowned only slightly. He sighed before taking a step closer to me. "Listen Malfoy, you don't owe me anything. I just did what was right. You didn't deserve imprisonment. It wasn't your fault." His voice cracked slightly at the last part.

"You still did more than what most would've done." I remarked. "Besides, I know something is wrong and I know you won't tell your friends, so why not tell me? I can help."

He scratched the back of his head with his hand. "Really, you're not in my debt, you can forget about it and also, I'm fine, just adjusting since the war, that's all. It'll blow over in no time, so no need to worry."

"Who said I was worried? I am certainly not." I remarked, looking off to the side, my chin pointed in denial.

I saw a small smile crack on Potters face. "Alright. You're not. Thanks anyway though. We cool?"

"Did you seriously just ask me if we're cool?"

"Yes?" His head tilted to the side. 

"Potter, you need to expand your vocabulary." I said in disappointment.

"Nah, I think I'm doing fine. Thank you very much." He said, a wider smile now grazing his features. Something I am not quite used to seeing on his now rather pale face.

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that. Anyways, yeah, we're 'cool.'" I said, using my hands to represent floating quotations. "But this is not over. I know there's more going on and I'm going to find out."

He rolled his eyes and turned around, heading to down the hallway. "You won't get far." He called over his shoulder and disappeared around a corner.

I just smirked at his retreating form. Giving up is not in my nature.

Just like that I had spent the next several days following Potter around, sometimes just talking casually to him and other times, I was questioning him.

He wouldn't budge. He would answer any friendly and rather vague question with ease, the two of us falling into natural conversations rather easily. Which honestly surprised me at first, the two of us got along a lot more than I thought we would. Maybe the war really changed us in more ways than one.

It wasn't long before a routine was started where we would meet up in an empty hallway and proceed to go somewhere quiet. Sometimes it was outside, next to the lake, others it was in the library or even an empty classroom.

Potter seemed rather tamed. Weird for someone I know to usually be full of energy or anxiety. Sometimes a combination of both. One thing I have noticed after observing him since school started is that he really is trying to remain calm in every form, even in moment that don't seem to provoke any emotions, he still seems cautious about how expressive he is. He will even go out of his way to avoid any situation that he worries might stress him, which is why he avoid the Great Hall off and on and sometimes even misses classes, or just disappears and no ones seen him for the rest of the day.

Is it because of the war? The reason for such a major personality change. Someone who is known to never back down from something and face it head on, no matter the consequences. Now, he chooses to avoid conflict, avoid anything that makes him feel.

Don't think I haven't noticed how hard it is for him to even look at his friends, let alone talk to them properly without getting nervous or feeling he needs to leave the room right after.

He is not himself and I think it has to do with more than just a war happened, I think something over the summer, after the war triggered this. Maybe because he spent all summer alone and was left to his thoughts for too long. What were those thoughts? What drove him to be what he is now?

Guilt? Anger? Exhaustion? What was it?

My intentions were pretty clear, even to Potter, and even to my friends who had started to notice my obsession for the chosen one to grow stronger. The thought of not knowing is killing me. I hate not being aware.

Of course, he knew what I was up to. He knew I was trying to figure him out, but he let me do it anyways, always making sure to be careful about how much he gives away.

It pisses me off, the way he would avoid anything relating to his sometimes sickly appearance, or his strange disappearances. Even his friends are becoming incredibly worried, locking himself in strange places at times and putting up locking and silencing charms.

I found it impressing, but also concerning how well his charms seem to hold up. Granger has tried several times to tear them down and has failed. When his friends leave, even I would give it a whirl and I haven't gotten anywhere.

Potter is becoming an even bigger mystery than he was to me way before the war even started.

The waiting around was killing me, I just wanted to know the truth, but I get it. I am not the type of person that deserves the truth, or should even be trusted with it, after everything that has happened. 

"How's it going with Potter?" Blaise walked beside me down the hallway. I stayed silent, still a little lost in my thought. "What? Cat got your tongue?" He joked.

"Be quiet, Blaise. I am working on it." 

"Working on it? How far have you gotten?" He asked doubtful.

"Farther than you thought I would get." I responded.

"Really? Learn anything new about the savior?"

"A few things."

"Like?"

I sighed, knowing he won't give up. "That he hasn't been living up to what the Daily Prophet has been stating."

"Do you mean the whole thing about how he was staying with the Weasley family and is dating the Ginny Weasley girl?"

"Yeah. Interestingly, the Ministry wanted the Daily Prophet to state that, so that people would think moving on is a lot easier, knowing the savior was doing it."

"But he wasn't. What was he actually doing?" He asked curiously. 

"Nothing. He broke up with the Weaslette and spent the whole summer alone."

"Wow." He crossed his arms. "To be honest, I'm not that surprised."

"Neither am I. I mean, you can't just expect him to come out of the war all fine, not after him being in the heart of it all and witnessing a lot of suffering and death."

"True, so, what are your next steps?"

"You'll see."