This story-within-a-story is very tricky to pull off. Usually I find myself feeling impatient with the passivity of this narrative style, but Draco's story was exciting enough. It did undermine the shock of his final confession, but you made me believe in his change of heart. It could be absolutely rivetting if it was told in "as it happened" tense instead. If Draco shifted into an unreliable narrator, it could turn into a real supernatural thriller, but that would make it a different story. As it is, it's sweet, gentle, and pleasant to read.