𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 ━━ harry potter

chapter thirty-one

"Where are you going?" asked Ron, sitting on his bed as he and Harry watched Ben rummage through his trunk to get a hoodie in their almost empty dormitory.

"I already told you," he answered, not paying much attention. "I'm gonna go see Malfoy."

Harry almost jumped out of his bed. "Are you really? I thought you were kidding!"

"I wasn't," he said, closing the trunk. Suddenly, Boots emerged from nowhere, being chased at full speed by Snowflake. Ben stood up, placing his hands on his hips. "Snowie, what did I tell you this morning? You must stop scaring her off, you know she's really sensitive!"

Snowflake naturally ignored him.

"Ugh, kids these days..."

Ron cackled. "Ben, they're cats."

Ben ignored him too and went to sit on his bed for a second. He really didn't understand why, but there was a worrisome feeling in his stomach. Or maybe it was fear, he wasn't sure. But he was honestly grateful to Malfoy for all of this, because it was what kept him from thinking too much about what had happened in Defense Against the Dark Arts that morning.

"Are you sure you're going to go?" interrogated Ron.

"Do you want us to go with you?"

"I'm going to talk with Malfoy, not to war," the boy chuckled. "I'm not scared of him."

"What if his gang's there, too?" Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Then I'll use this," he took his wand from the bed, and headed to the door.

"Hold up," called Harry. Ben turned to face him, and was surprised to see his friend holding out his invisibility cloak. "Take this. If Filch catches you, you'll be in trouble."

"Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't he?" asked Ron, as Harry nodded.

"Well, it was your father's..." he remarked.

Harry smiled. "I know you're gonna be careful with it. And I don't want you to get detention for being outside past curfew."

"Thank you, Harry."

———————————————

The journey to the Astronomy Tower would've definitely been much worse if it wasn't for Harry's cloak. Ben didn't come across Filch as he made his way there, but he still felt much calmer and safer with it. After climbing up the seemingly endless staircase, he stopped at the last part of it, and caught a glimpse of Malfoy, pacing from left to right nervously.

When he arrived at the last step, Malfoy somehow felt his arrival, and turned to the staircase, face white. "Who's there?"

Ben snorted, pulling the cloak off before taking a couple of steps towards Malfoy, not wanting him to see it.

The Slytherin was visibly relieved to see Ben. "Thank Salazar it's you... You're late, by the way."

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Malfoy stared at Ben like he had completely lost his mind. "What are you on, Walker?"

"It's a Galdalf quote."