Dream Tracing

                                    

                                          
Draco was reluctant to leave the infirmary to say the least. Having listened to what Potter had to say about Hermione's deteriorating health over the course of the summer, he was determined to stay close by until she came back around. Of course that was before the Slytherin realized that he had been followed and was now being watched.
Watching Hermione sleep brought him a kind of inner peace that Draco hadn't known he was missing. He was not willing to risk her safety any further. He swiftly got up from his seat and made his way out the door. He wanted to tell either Pomfrey or Weaselette to let him know once she was awake, but his bigger concern was figuring out who had the audacity to be stalking him.
Whatever was there, hiding in shadows, Draco needed to lure them away from Hermione. He kept his steps steady and determined. Soon his ears were filled with another heartbeat and a pair of feet clobbering towards him. 
A strong hand clamped down on his shoulders, causing him to snap around. Without his wand, Draco was left defenseless. But the creature that was residing inside of him would beg to differ. With a simple slash of his claws, he'd render his stalker utterly headless.
But when Malfoy did turn around he hadn't come face to face with a stalker. Instead it was the one person whom he considered to be like a brother. 
"Blaise," he said. His mouth twitched into a nostalgic smile. 
The dark toned Slytherin stared back at his best friend as though he was looking at just another ghost that haunted the hallways. A broken smile pulled at his mouth and before either one of them knew it, Zabini had yanked Draco into a bone crushing hug.
"It really is you," Blaise gasped.
"How have you been, mate?" he asked him wholeheartedly. 
Blaise stepped back and glared. If looks could have killed, his eyes would have thrown daggers. "Me?" he snapped. "No. No. The real question is- where the fuck have you been!" 
Draco should have known this kind of conversation was bound to occur. Had he known that his friends were really going to come back to school, he would have prepared some kind of monologue. However, he was left standing completely silent, not knowing what to say.
"Well, I've been here," he answered sheepishly.
"So it's true, what you said back in class earlier?" Blaise stared at him in pure wonderment. "You're really...dead?"
A humorless laugh threatened to escape from his chest. "It's...complicated to say the least," Draco said. He glanced around the corridor and gestured for his friend to follow him. "Come on, I'd rather we have this discussion somewhere it's more private."
He led the two of them towards the entrance to the dungeons and guided Blaise through the maze tunnels. Once they arrived at his secret chambers, he briskly pushed them inside and headed into the small living room. 
Without a second thought, Zabini lit the fireplace and sat on the edge of one of the couch cushions. He waited patiently for his best friend to situate himself in his chair before leaning his elbows forward onto his knees.  
Draco took a deep breath before speaking. "To be honest, I only remember fragments of what happened back then."
Blaise chuckled, "Hell, I'll take whatever you're willing to give me at this point."
Malfoy was thankful for his friend's patience. No doubt his sudden disappearance had left everything who actually cared for him feeling confused and hurt. Quite frankly, he was just shocked that Blaise hadn't turned his back on him when he revealed his identity during class. Then again, Zabini was one of the very few people who actually knew who the real Draco Malfoy was.