He'd seen her countless times, but always flanked by Crabb and Goyle, or caught up in the midst of the socials in Hogwart's.
But as the winter deepened, and he began returning from training with Dumbledore's army, he'd noticed on evening occasions when the soft light of the evening sun was waning... that she would be uniquely alone.
Initially, he'd wondered what she was up to. Was she waiting for someone? A meeting with Umbridge? He'd stopped that first day to watch, pressed against one of the collonade openings overseeing the courtyard.
She didn't appear to be doing anything of note. Boring, really... she'd put one foot in front of the other on the low wall, then again, walking like on a beam along the length of it. Just wasting time, it would appear...
He'd been about to turn away when he saw her take point in the ambergold of the fading light, then like living smoke she began to move and Harry felt his heart come up into his throat, his eyes transfixed.
The way she moved was practiced, purposeful, as if she'd done it her whole life. He could almost imagine music in the air while she moved, he was close enough to see the expression on her face was a complex mix of unrestrained joy and a mess of other emotions.
He felt like he'd been struck by the basilisk, stunned as she moved in the waning gold rays. The ledge had to be slippery, but her footing did not falter or fail her.
Then suddenly she looked up and Harry pressed himself against the wall. He'd forgotten for a moment she was wearing the silver badge. He made quick for the dormitory.
Tuesday and Thursday... she was out in the courtyard. Twice more he caught himself stopping to watch, wondering why she was alone, why she was out in the bite of the cold and why she was... dancing.
He'd never seen her face make some of the expressions she wore, and he found himself wondering if he was seeing through a mask of sorts. Draecia wore many of those, often a sneering and contemptable one, but there was... more there, in the twilight of the evenings.
The fourth time he went down into the courtyard, his breath misting in the air as he scrubbed his hands and rubbed his red cheeks. He heard the soft crunch of the snow and ice beneath his shoes as he approached, and she did too.
Like the cracking of a whip she stopped what she'd been doing and took point, her hands behind her back, her posture poised and suspicious. "What are you doing, Potter... shouldn't you be plotting with Granger and Weasley?"
He should, he knew, but the accusation was deflection judging by the flush on her cheeks. Instead of answering, he asked; "Why are you out here in the cold, Malfoy... dancing?"
She looked away from him, towards the setting sun, then back. That imperious expression lacquered across her mouth, "I don't see how that's remotely any of your business... or why I should answer. Being out of the dorms at this hour should land you minus five-"
Harry took a step forward and her body tightened like she was rope wound too tight, "Malfoy, please... I'm just asking. I'll go if you don't wish to answer, but don't punish the House for a question."
Her cold grey blue eyes seemed to bore into him before she turned away, gathered her skirt and took a seat, her hands folded into her lap.
He puzzled a moment, scuffing his shoes as he turned to move back to the Halls.
"Sit down, you idiot." Her voice was sharp, and he scrambled to accommodate, "You want us to be seen talking? Honestly, do I have to explain everything to you?"
He straddled the low wall, but her back was to him. He could see her worrying her thumb against her palm, but that back of hers was ram-rod straight like she'd get a lashing if she slouched.
"You want to know why I was dancing, right? Well, a-as I stated before, it's really not your business to even be asking... but if you must know, it's my personal alone time."
"I was wondering why your constants weren't skulking about," He chortled out a half-laugh and her head turned, her eyes unamused and the laugh died in his throat.
Draecia folded her hands in a more relaxed manner in her lap, like she was at church. "Yes well, this is the only time I'm allotted... and that I did myself, so I don't appreciate being espied upon."
He chuffed at the irony, "Oh-hoh, so the Inquisitor doesn't like being-"
"The irony isn't lost on me, Potter, please shut up and let me get it out before you bash in and drivel your nonsense all over my moment like your wont to?" There was an edge to her words that wasn't jibing or convivial in the way she usually lanced with him.
He shut himself up and bit his lip to make sure certain his mouth stayed that way.
"In Malfoy manor... Father never allotted me any time. It was always tasks, training, meticulous cultivation as one would a- a- particularly recalcitrant topiary." She'd said it more quietly than she had her warning, and it was almost as if she was reminding herself of something rather than telling him.
"Father isn't the sort who entertains frivolities or waste, after all. And there are expectations for a Malfoy to come up proper, not like some shabby muggle. We're expected to be better than-" This time, Draecia cut herself off, recalling how what would have followed had landed the countless other times she'd lobbed it.
Her eyes raised to the bruising sky. "At school, I've always had minders father assigns. Crabb and Goyle are simply the least offensive to my own sensibilities since I grew old enough to have a say in matters."
She'd told him to be silent, but Harry couldn't just let that sit. "Malfoy that's... awful."
She did turn towards him slightly, "It's what's expected, Potter. Of someone with standing, with lineage. What would you know of it, anyways? You grew up like one of them."
"I grew up in a closet." He saw her expression waiver for a moment, a slip of uncertainty and... guilt? "Underneath the stairs, my uncle kept coats in there too."
She stood up, anger in her expression as her hands clenched to fists at her sides, that twisted-rope tightness in her posture again. "How is that remotely like my life, Potter? I had a mansion, and servants and sweets on Sunday if I'd liked." She snapped her fingers, "If I wanted something, Father would get it for me."
He had leaned back as she'd advanced, his hands dipping into the cold snow as he looked up at her angry face. "I-I'm sorry... it's just... not every closet is a real one, sometimes its the ones that make us feel small inside."
The words sparked something in her and her eyes widened. She took a step back from him, those eyes fixed on his as if she were trying to sort him. Then they were looking somewhere else, and he could see thoughts racing behind.
She turned away from him and folded her arms across her chest, looking again at the now darkening sky. "Go on, Potter, get back to your scruffy hall and your shabby friends."
He stood up, wiping his hands on his trousers as he looked towards the stairs and then back. "Draecia..."
"And don't watch me anymore, or I'll report your behavior to Umbridge." He watched as she caught up her coat from the wall and jaunted away like a graceful storm.
#Malfoid
#HarryPotter