Chivalry
Summary: Chivalry and bravery are two very different things.
Disclaimer: Disclaimed.
Author's Note: Switches between two different story-things (Harry and Draco's), like in "Lies".
Yay for long sentences!
Present-tense. I just started writing it that way for some reason.
Chivalry
He walks through the common room and out into the hallway, avoiding the passing Gryffindors as usual. They start whispering and he rolls his eyes and keeps going until he trips over someone's foot and they all laugh at him like he had expected. His way of sticking up for himself might not seem very brave or very chivalrous, but it's all he can think to do and he opens his bottle of ink and throws it at them. They back off, trying to wipe the black off of their faces but only succeeding in rubbing it in more, and he strides off like nothing just happened, even though it did. Everyone talks about how fearful the Slytherins are and how dirty they fight, but he thinks you have to be pretty brave to be harassed every day and not let it affect you.
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He's been fighting evil for so long that it doesn't faze him much anymore. He used to be terrified, but now he seems to have accepted it as a responsibility of sorts and just goes about his business like he's picking flowers and not killing Death Eaters. He may look like he's tired all the time and have permanent black circles under his eyes and snap at anyone who talks to him, but they all dismiss it as something that they must endure and shrug. Chivalry can be tiring.
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Everyone in the whole school seems to know who he is, and, except for Slytherins, know to avoid him. They don't want ink in their faces, after all, and talk behind his back about how terrible he is, though they're too afraid to say it to his face. He doesn't listen and doesn't let himself look when he feels the stares and of course they all say that he's too afraid to do anything about it but he knows better.
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Gryffindors are supposed to be the brave ones, but sometimes he doesn't feel very brave. He knows he's at the right place at the right time and that he has friends who help him and that's why he's been so lucky so far. He may be chivalrous, but he really doesn't fancy himself to be all that brave.
Sometimes he wonders if he should have been in Slytherin.
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He walks through the halls armed with his bag, stuffed full of books so it would hurt more if he hit someone, and avoids making eye contact. He's not his usual overconfident self today and he isn't sure why, but he doesn't let that stop him from hitting an older Gryffindor with his bag and smirking when he falls over in pain. Some say that they all fight dirty; some say that they all run away from their problems. They say that they do what they can to survive. Slytherins have to be brave. After all, the rest of school is out to get them.
-End