drao failed to answer one more, fixing his eyes on the ground
“he says he just knew he said when you’re in love with a person, you an feel his presene while i am not entirely inlined to believe that was how he ame to his onlun, i’ve deided not to press him—or you—further”
drao’s breath aught in his throat of ourse he knew what harry had been trying to say only mere hours earlier, but to hear it in so many words hit him like a ton of briks
“in love?” drao whispered, gning up at mgonagall
“of ourse, i knew suspeted, at least with his personal deline beginning when it did, with the an of your passing what i did not suspet was your reiproan not until we st spoke, that is”
“i’m sorry, headmaster,” drao managed, not sure what he was apologizing for
she fixed him with an iy stare
“you know something must be done”
“i know”
his words hung in the air
he onsidered telling her that if she pnned to obliviate harry, she might as well obliviate him, too but if she did, she better do it all the way bak to first year, beause he ouldn’t remember knowing harry without remembering that he loved him, and the pain was too muh to bear he didn’t want to have to wath harry move on, find someone new, while knowing that at one point, he had loved him bak that was a fate worse than death
mgonagall broke into his thoughts
“i was thinking an unbreakable would do the trik,” mgonagall said
“what?” drao sputtered
“an unbreakable vow we’ll have him vow not to tell anyone that you’re still alive to protet you don’t you think?”
“you’re not? you’re not going to obliviate him?”
“i must admit that obilivian was my first thought, as well but i felt that wouldn’t work well for any of us it would require mr potter’s removal from his new posin, whih leaves me without a defense teaher for yet another year, and him wasting away in that terrible old manor and for you, well, i’m not a young woman, mr malfoy i think i should want to retire one day, and you will most definitely outlive me who will ensure your safety when i am gone? i think it would be unsurprising should mr potter fill my shoes when i am gone, both in my posin as headmaster and as your protetor wouldn’t you say?” mgonagall asked, raising her eyebrows
“i suppose, but potter has friends, professor meddling ones, at that won’t they want to know why he rarely leaves the grounds?” drao asked
mgonagall turned, paing along the ommon room, stopping at the windows looking out into the ke
“you’re right the you mr and mrs weasley would ertainly pose a problem i suppose we ould trust ronald and herne to take a vow, as well then you would have a work, should anything hen to mr potter”
“professor, i don’t uand why were you so adamant that potter not know about my existene if the solun was so easy?”
“beause, malfoy, until just a few days ago, i was under the impresn that you hated the boy i had always pnned on finding a suessor, but potter did not seem like a viable opn but now that i know you wouldn’t partiurly mind his ompany, i don’t see a better fit unless there is someone else you would prefer?” mgonagall asked, walking bak towards malfoy “beause one he takes the vow, that’s it he’ll be your sole ompan”
“you make it sound like we’re getting married or something,” drao joked weakly he was sure he wouldn’t mind having harry around for the rest of his days, but he had known that sine he was eleven and had seen harry getting fitted for his robes he hadn’t known who harry was, but he had known he liked him as for harry, his feelings were so new, and the loy of them ould reasonably be alled into quesn sure, harry might want this now, but what about in ten years? fifty? merlin, a hundred? wizards did tend to live terribly long lives
“it’s not that different, is it? and far more important, anyway,” mgonagall added “i’ll need to disuss it with mr potter, then i suppose if he agrees, we should be bak down here sometime today”
“bak down here? why?”
“to perform the vow, of ourse”
“oh, will i be binding you?” drao asked, rather nervous he’d never been a binder before
“of ourse not”
“then who? surely not hagrid”
“me the bond will between the two of you, mr malfoy”
a knot formed in drao’s stomah of ourse
“what do you mean i don’t have to leave?”
harry was standing in the middle of his offie—what would have been his offie, if not for drao, if not for his inredible need to be near him—throwing things into a trunk that had barely been unpaked anyway mgonagall was h near the doorway
“i mean, mr potter, that i require you here,” the headmaster said, sounding rather annoyed “i’m going to ask something of you, and i need you to answer truthfully
“what?” harry swallowed audibly
“would you be willing to take my pe? as his protetor?” mgonagall asked
“i—i don’t see why not,” harry answered
“harry, you need to be sure beyond a doubt,” she ontinued “this won’t just be a promise”
mgonagall raised her eyebrows, her words heavy with their meaning
《宅书屋》om
