You're Safe With Me ( Draco Malfoy )

Chapter Seventeen

"You...you what?" Alice stuttered, feeling as if the bookshelves they stood between were closing in on her. Harry knew. How did Harry know? How could she have been so reckless? Where was her slip up?

"You heard me the first time. I know about you and Malfoy." Harry basically spat out Draco's name, which didn't do much to help the distinct sick feeling rising in Alice's stomach. 

She was going to tell her friends soon, she just needed to figure out the best way to do it where no one ended up hurt. Clearly, she didn't succeed in this.

"How did you-"

"Does it really matter how I found out? I shouldn't have had to! You're meant to be my best friend, why couldn't you have told me yourself?" He snapped, making guilt mix in with the sick in Alice's stomach. Harry was hurt, and it was her fault.

"I wanted to, Harry, I really wanted to. If it was anyone else than I would've told you straight away, but it's him. I know full well how you two feel about each other, so I was trying to figure out a good way of telling you." She tried to explain, hoping that Harry didn't hate her. He let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well maybe if you knew that I wouldn't like it you shouldn't have gotten with a death eater!" Harry exclaimed, Alice shushing him angrily. He lowered his voice, but kept the cold expression on his face. "He's dangerous, and you know nothing about him."

"You're wrong." She stated simply, Harry raising his eyebrows and scoffing in disbelief. "I'm being serious, Harry. He doesn't want to be a death eater, none of his family do."

"Yeah, right." Harry muttered sarcastically, Alice glared as she spoke. She completely understood Harry's anger, she would be angry too, but she knew Draco and he didn't.

"You know what? No. Have you ever spoken to him? As in a real conversation where you're not just insulting each other like children?" Harry stayed silent, knowing she was right. "I am telling you that he doesn't want to be a death eater, he was forced to. No if's, and's or but's. Sorry if that doesn't line up with your narrative of him being evil." She sniped.

The inside of Harry's mind was racing. Of course he hated the whole thing, out of everyone his best friend could choose it just had to be Malfoy of all people. Although, looking at the determined look on Alice's face, and her unwavering confidence in Malfoy, he couldn't really accuse her of lying.

They stayed silent for a few moments, Alice's exposed secret hanging in the air between them and making everything seem slightly more suffocating than it usually was. Harry ran a hand over his face and let out a deep sigh before speaking.

"I don't like it. I don't trust him." He stated, very matter-of-factly. Of course he would never stop Alice from doing anything, but he sure as hell would tell her his opinion.

"But do you trust me?" 

"Yes," His response came almost instantly, bring a smile to Alice's face despite everything. 

"Well in that case, you'll trust me to do what I want, I promise you that I'm safe with him." She stated, Harry placed a hand on her arm.

"Well, as the closest thing you've got to a brother, I think Malfoy and I need to have a little talk."

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"This is an absolutely terrible idea. It looks like we're going to mug him." Alice stated as her and the golden trio ascended the steps to the owlery.

 When they got back to the common room, Harry had insisted that Alice tell Ron and Hermione about her secret relationship. Hermione was surprisingly unfazed, stating that she had guessed a while ago, but Ron was less than pleased. They had both insisted that they came with Harry and Alice to talk to Draco, which Alice thought was a stupid idea.