drao failed to answerhis eyes on the ground
“he says he jt knew he said when you’re ih a person, you an feel his prese entirely io believe that was how he a to his onsio to press hi—or you—further”
draht his throat of ourse he k harry had been tryg to say only re hours earlier, but to hear it so any words hit hi like a ton of briks
“ love?” dra up at gonagall
“of ourse, i k least with his personal dele begi did, with the an what i didwas your reiproation not u spoke, that is”
“i’ sorry, headaster,” drao a sure ologizg for
she fixed hi with an iy stare
“you khg t be done”
“i know”
his w the air
he oelli if she po obliviate harry, she ight as well obliviate hi, too but if she did, she better do it all the way bak to first year, beae he ouldn’t reber knog harry without reberg that he loved hi, and the pa was too uh to bear he didn’t wah harry ove on, fd soone neg that at o, he had loved hi bak that was a fate worse thah
gonagall broke to his thoughts
“i was thkg an unbreakable would donagall said
“uttered
“an unbreakable vow we’ll have hi vow not to tell a you’re still alive to protet you don’t you thk?”
“you’re nog to obliviate hi?”
“i t adit that obiliviation was y first thought, as well but i felt that ell for any of it would require r potter’s reoval fro his ion, whih leaves without a defe another year, and hi wastg away that terrible old anor and for you, well, i’ not a young woan, r alfoy i thk i should waire one day, and you will ost defilive who will ensure your safety when i a gohk it would be unsurprisg should r potter fill y shoes when i a goh y positioer and as your protetor wouldn’t you say?” gonagall asked, raisg her eyebrows
“i suppose, but potter has friends, professor ddlihat woo know why he rarely leaves the grounds?” drao asked
gonagall turned, pag along the oon roo, spg at the dows lookg out to the ke
“yht the you r and rs weasley ose a proble i suppose we ould trt ronald ao take a vow, as well then you would have a work, should anythio r potter”
“professor, i don’t uand why were you so adaant that potter not know about y existeion was so easy?”
“beae, alfoy, until jt a few days ago, i was uhe ipression that you hated the boy i had alnned on fdi potter did not see like a viable option but now that i know you wouldn’t partiurly d his opany, i doer fit uhere is soone else you wonagall asked, walkg bak towards alfoy “beae ohe vow, that’s it he’ll be your sole opanion”
“you ake it soug arried or sothg,” drao joked weakly he was sure he wouldn’t d havg harry arou of his days, but he had known that se he was eleven and had seeted for his robes he hadn’t known who harry was, but he had known he liked hi as for harry, his feelgs were so he loy of the ould reasonably be alled iion sure, harry ight want this now, but what about iy? rl, a hundred? wizards did teerribly long lives
“it’s not that different, is it? and far ore iportant, anyway,” gonagall added “i’ll o diss it with r potter, then i suppose if he agrees, we should be bak dowi today”
“bak down here? why?”
“to perfor the vow, of ourse”
“oh, will i be bdg you?” drao asked, rather nervo he’d never been a bder before
“of ourse not”
“then who? surely not hagrid”
≈he bohe o of you, r alfoy”
a knot ford drao’s stoah of ourse
“what do you an i doo leave?”
harry was standg the iddle of his offie—what would have been his offie, if not for drao, if not for his io be hrog thgs to a trunk that had barely been unpaked anyway gonagall was h he doorway
“i an, r potter, that i require you here,” the headaster said, soundg rather annoyed “i’ gog to ask sothg of you, ao ahfully
“what?” harry swallowed audibly
“would you be willg to take y pe? as his prall asked
“i—i do,” harry answered
“harry, you o be sure beyond a doubt,” she ohis won’t jt be a proise”
gonagall raised her eyebrows, her words heavy with their ang