Something Wicked - Drarry RP iamcrystalqueer and nymeria

Nymeria · **Posted:** Mon Aug 19, 2024 4:02 pm

Laura was suddenly struck with the realisation that she and Malfoy had probably never spent any time alone without either Potter or Buchannan serving as a buffer; being here suddenly felt very much like overstepping.
“Just wondering how you’re doing,” she offered as she stepped into the office, closing the door behind her.
Walking further into the room, she came to a stop ahead of Malfoy’s desk. Stuffing her hands into the pockets of her coat, she fiddled with it's content, still trying to gauge the approach - and whether it was even the right one at all.
“I saw Connor on her way out,” she added. Her infliction was as casual as possible, despite the clear implication that Malfoy hadn’t left with her for pints, and hadn’t for a while.

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Mon Aug 19, 2024 4:15 pm

The question took Draco aback, fully aware that he hadn’t actually had a lot to do with Szczepanski ever since they closed the case on Towthorpe, but Hannah only ever seemed to have nice things to say about her, so maybe he shouldn’t be too surprised.
Still, the question made him rub his temple and put his quill down on his desk in front of him, honestly unsure how to answer that question without giving too much of himself away.
“Splendid,” he stated in such a deadpan that even he didn’t believe himself.
It seemed so bizarre that he literally had everything that he had wanted two years ago; getting to work with what he was passionate about, and actually have his findings taken seriously. However, there was no denying the hole that Harry had left in his life and when he thought about it too much it made him want to sob.
“I have some work I need to finish up. My workload has gotten fairly heavy,” he added, knowing full well that the reason that his workload was as heavy as it was, was because he explicitly sought it out.
After all, if he kept himself busy it left him with less time to notice how much he missed having Harry around.

Nymeria · **Posted:** Mon Aug 19, 2024 4:28 pm

Laura’s brow furrowed at that, a brief flicker of doubt, before her expression smoothed over, and she allowed her eyes to wander around the room.
“Is that what it is?” she asked mildly, not necessarily aiming to be accusatory, but also feeling like things were fairly transparent to those who knew the greater context; Malfoy might be able to pass that answer off as the truth to others, but Laura was among the few who had actually gotten to see Malfoy and Potter work together first hand, and seen the shift that came with Potter’s absence.
“Do you miss him?” she eventually allowed herself to ask, after a beat of silence.
Her attention was still on a poster board of inventory tags and images when she spoke, but found herself glancing back at Malfoy in search for an answer.

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Mon Aug 19, 2024 4:44 pm

The question felt like a punch to his gut; effectively draining all of the air from his lungs, scared that he had been too transparent about his honest feelings for Harry.
It took him a moment to realise that Szczepanski was one of the very few who had actually seen him and Harry work together, and that might be why she had been able to pick up on what exactly had been causing him this much grief.
For a moment, he considered deflecting, refusing that Harry’s departure had had any effect on him, but he could tell that Szczepanski knew better and it made no sense to try and deflect.
“Is it that obvious?” He asked, feeling uncharacteristically vulnerable, for a moment allowing his mask to fall; only to be able to pull his face together into a more somber expression again immediately after. He didn’t want to be pitied, but he had felt so absolutely pitiful ever since Harry left, and getting to talk about him was too much of a temptation to properly resist.
“I can’t talk about it,” he added, feeling scrutinised in a way he wasn’t really sure that he enjoyed. “But I enjoyed his presence and I feel the lack of it.”

Nymeria · **Posted:** Mon Aug 19, 2024 5:04 pm

Laura’s eyes roamed across Malfoy’s features, trying to soak up every microexpression of his reaction, desperate to gauge his level of honesty. It felt like a very delicate situation she was imposing herself into, daunting at the prospect of meddling where she was not wanted.
The question had, however, so clearly managed to find a hairline crack in Malfoy’s composure, and in that glimpse, she saw everything she needed to see, not interested in pushing for it to further crumble.
“Okay,” she accepted, softly; satisfied. “Then I have something I think you should have.”
Finally moving to further close the distance, she glanced back at the closed door, before pulling the guest chair away from Malfoy’s desk for her to easier sink into it.
Seated, she retrieved a Muggle mobile phone from her pocket. Flipping it open to reveal the number pad, she pressed a few buttons before placing it on the table, the small display facing Malfoy with Potter’s name written across the screen.
Letting go of the phone, Laura’s hands fell to her lap although she remained at the edge of her seat, eyes intently on Malfoy as she looked for any sign of recognition.

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Tue Aug 20, 2024 3:03 pm

When Szczepanski suddenly moved to sit in front of him and placed the muggle phone in front of him, Draco almost felt like he got whiplash. He wasn’t exceedingly familiar with muggle phones, but Benjamin had tried to teach him about them once, so it wasn’t entirely new to him.
And even if he hadn’t been, he would not have been able to ignore the name Harry Potter which was shining up at him like a beacon of light.
His stomach turned, honestly not sure if Harry would even want to hear from him, but the thought of even just getting to hear his voice again made something flip in Draco and he knew that he couldn’t let this opportunity go. He doubted that it was going to make their forced distance easier, but before he had managed to even argue with himself he found that he had reached out for the phone and pressed the dial button.

Nymeria · **Posted:** Tue Aug 20, 2024 3:28 pm

Laura all but jolted when Malfoy reached out to dial the number without preface or explanation, suddenly nervous herself. For a moment, the dial-up tone filled the room; even to her, it felt like an eternity.
“I haven’t tried it,” she eventually whispered, irrationally worried about accidentally deafening a possible reply. An apology was already taking shape on her expression. “I don’t know if he still has -”
She was cut off by the sudden silence, then scrambled noise.
“Hello?” Harry called, breathless and startled, his voice far off from the microphone. It was clearer when he spoke next, the sound of his movements quieter in comparison. “Laura?”

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Tue Aug 20, 2024 3:52 pm

Hearing Harry’s voice was almost enough to make Draco sob, not having realised just how much he had missed it until it was served to him so willingly. He managed to keep it inside though, not wanting to potentially worry either Harry nor Laura, who looked almost as nervous as he felt.
For a moment, Draco almost forgot that Harry wouldn’t simply be able to see him and that he would need to speak as well, but for a moment Draco just allowed himself to soak in those two words; hanging onto them as if they were a lifeline.
“Hi Harry,” he managed, impressed with how well his voice held, because he knew just how close to breaking he actually was.

Nymeria · **Posted:** Tue Aug 20, 2024 4:21 pm

It felt like the air left the room the moment Draco’s voice carried through the speaker. Harry felt it tug at his lungs, a rush of adrenaline after months of barely feeling alive.
“Draco,” he replied, breathless in an entirely different way.
For a long moment, he stared blankly at the empty room around him. He was in the spare bedroom of the cottage, intended as an office he never had gotten around to use as anything more than a storage closet. He had to rummage through moving boxes before finding the phone in the desk drawer; he didn’t know he still had it.
He felt a little dizzy. The relief he felt upon hearing Draco’s voice felt almost violent, amplifying the devastation of his absence, which otherwise had been wrangled into a manageable, dull ache. Draco’s voice was so close in his ear that it almost felt like a physical caress, threatening to make Harry sob, missing him so desperately.
“I didn’t - how are you?”

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Tue Aug 20, 2024 4:31 pm

One thing had been just hearing Harry’s voice again, but actually hearing Harry say his name was almost enough to make Draco break down sobbing. It almost felt too good to be true to get to hear his voice again, feeling warmed up in a way that he hadn’t since Harry had had to leave.
“I’m alright,” he stated, a blatant lie but he didn’t want to cause Harry too much worry. After all, even if they could talk together on the phone, they still couldn’t be together and Draco did his best to remind himself of that.
“I miss you,” he added, knowing that it was a selfish thing to say, but it was the most important thing he felt that he had to say to Harry.
“How are you?”

Nymeria · **Posted:** Tue Aug 20, 2024 4:44 pm

Hearing that Draco missed him wrecked through Harry, heartbreaking and affirming all at once. He had spent so much time thinking about Draco, and suddenly realising it might have been mutual made him want to either laugh or sob.
“I, uh -” he let out a nervous chuckle, unable to find his footing in this conversation. He had spent so much time thinking about what he’d say to Draco, if he ever got the chance again, but he found himself derailed by the giddy relief bubbling through him; reality was so much better than anything he had ever dreamt of. “I don’t know. It’s good to hear your voice.”
Aimless, his entire attention focused on the sound of Draco’s voice, Harry sat back against the desk. He didn’t even know where to look.
“I miss you, too,” he replied after a moment. Of all the things he had wanted to say to Draco, that was the second thing that came to mind, but perhaps the only reasonable thing to say.

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Tue Aug 20, 2024 5:07 pm

As their conversation went on, Draco regretted not having given himself a moment to consider what to actually say to Harry, having been to eager at the prospect of hearing his voice again that he hadn’t even taken a single second to think this through.
Harry’s admissions were devastating but also made Draco’s heart swell in his chest, feeling vindicated in knowing that it wasn’t just him who felt desperately lost in their separation.
He had almost managed to forget that he wasn’t alone, when he the sound of the door to his office closing made him look up; realising with great relief that Szczepanski had decided to give them some privacy.
“Szczepanski let me borrow her phone,” he explained, knowing that it was probably a nonstarter, but he just wanted to say anything that would prompt Harry to keep speaking, wanting to soak up as much of his voice as humanly possible. “Or, she more or less forced it upon me, so I guess I have been moping.”

Nymeria · **Posted:** Tue Aug 20, 2024 6:07 pm

“Yeah?” Harry asked, mostly prompted by the notion that Draco had been moping, immediately feeling a sense of guilt swell in his chest. The fact that Draco had, presumably, been able to keep his job had served as a great comfort to Harry these past months, and he could barely bear knowing that Draco perhaps hadn’t enjoyed it.
Harry eventually decided it was better not to press the subject. There was nothing he could do to stop Draco from being upset; despite everything, very little would change the moment they would inevitably have to hang up the phone.
“I can’t believe - I didn’t even know I still had this,” he instead went on, needing to prolong the conversation. “I still haven’t finished unpacking, I had to go digging for it.”
He restlessly picked at a splinter on the edge of the table.
“Is she there?” he asked, though it made no difference. There wasn’t anything he had said, nor would say, that he would ever refrain from saying just because a coworker from a past life might be present to hear it.

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Wed Aug 21, 2024 1:37 pm

Draco just wanted to close his eyes and let Harry’s voice wash over him, letting himself be reminded of times they had been lying in bed together, Harry talking about something unimportant, while Draco laid on top of him. It brought tears to his eyes and he did his best to choke down a sob, not having allowed himself to realise just how raw the wound that Harry had left still was.
“She just left,” he said, his voice soft to stop it from breaking, not wanting to burden Harry with just how viciously he missed him and craved having him around.
He tried to picture Harry’s new life, not really knowing much about where he had gone nor what he was doing, but he hoped that he was happy and taking care of himself.
“Is it nice? Where you are?”

Nymeria · **Posted:** Thu Aug 22, 2024 11:32 am

Harry pushed himself off the table, slowly circling it to peer out of the window as he considered the question. It was nicer than being at Grimmauld alone, but worse, eternally worse, than being a Grimmauld with Draco.
“Yeah,” he said, and despite the time it took for him to find that answer, it was spoken with a breathy cheerfulness, verging on the edge of being forced. “I bought a cottage.”
From the second story, Harry had a good view of the garden. He and Neville had spent many hours out there in early spring, and for how nice it had been in the moment, the memory dulled when trying to recount it to Draco. “There’s a village down the road.”

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Thu Aug 22, 2024 2:24 pm

As Harry was speaking, Draco looked at the piles of paperwork in front of him, allowing Harry’s voice to wash over him and clinging to that little bit of comfort. It felt surreal to be sitting in his office, doing the job that he had been praying for for years, and knowing that he would give it all up, if it meant that he would get to be close to Harry again.
“Tell me about it,” he said, mostly just wanting to prompt Harry to keep talking, feeling more relaxed and at ease than he had since Harry left.
“Describe it for me,” he further prompted, a soft, sad smile on his face.

Nymeria · **Posted:** Thu Aug 22, 2024 2:48 pm

Draco’s question made a melancholic, little smile pull at Harry’s lips; he so wished Draco could just see it for himself.
“It’s,” he started pensively, mindlessly unlatching the window with his free hand, needing the fresh air. He leaned forward through it, elbows resting on the sill. “It’s a stone cottage. Two stories. The garden backs up to the forest. It’s nice,” he reaffirmed, a little more steadfastly than before.
The house really was fine on all accounts, and though it was probably turn of the century, it just all still felt so new.
“Where are you?” he asked, turning his attention back inside, increasingly disinterested in his own life, so itching to hear from Draco. “Did they give you your own office?”

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Sat Aug 24, 2024 4:15 am

A deep melancholy overtook Draco upon hearing about Harry’s new life, happy that he had managed to find a pleasant little corner where he could make a new life for himself; but so endlessly sad that he would never get to be a part of it.
“That sounds lovely,” he said, genuinely meaning it. After all, he still wanted what was best for Harry, even if what as best for him was to be parted from Draco.
“They did, yeah,” he said, trying to think about what had happened since Harry left, seeing as most of it had passed in a blur, and he hardly had had it in him to consider any of it; finding it less special now that Harry wasn’t there for him to share it with.
“I do a lot of work right at the intersections between curse breaking and the mortuary, so both Buchannan and Tsai insisted that I needed my own office,” he explained, almost feeling shy about it. It seemed unfair that he was getting to flourish in the career that he only had because Harry had believed in him.

Nymeria · **Posted:** Sat Aug 24, 2024 5:17 am

Draco’s reply brought the easiest smile onto Harry’s lips, bright and pleased, and for a moment it felt like things were back to normal. For how much it made the loss bare its ugly teeth, Harry was simultaneously so incredibly proud of Draco that being apart almost felt justified; Paul had been right in saying Draco’s career wouldn’t advance for as long as they were involved.
“Yeah?” Harry encouraged, like he always had, his smile bleeding into his voice. “Does that mean you’re a proper, salaried employee at the Ministry of Magic?”

iamcrystalqueer · **Posted:** Sat Aug 24, 2024 4:10 pm

Despite not being able to see him, Draco could tell that Harry was smiling. It was completely inevitable that it brought a smile to his lips as well, able to picture, with crystal clarity, how Harry’s features would crinkle and just how boyish it made him look.
“It does, yeah,” he said, finding some excitement in sharing his news for the first time ever since it had been finalised.
It came with a very specific and hollow ache to realise that he literally had no one he wanted to share good news in his life other than Harry. Their lives had become so intertwined in the time they had spent together and their distance had been so violent that Draco wasn’t sure that that would ever be able to heal.
“I am making myself an entire career here.”

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