BANG! Harry's eyes flew open.
What the hell was that? He thought as he grabbed his wand from under his pillow. Moving silently, he listened to the angry footsteps pounding on the other side of the room. A low growl sounded, making Harry jump. Slowly he reached out to open the curtain surrounding his bed. Wand at the ready, he peeked through to see Draco Malfoy pacing almost the entire length of their room.
Malfoy looked as if he was trying to cave in on himself. His shoulders were hunched forward and his arms wrapped around his abdomen. His usually pale face was beet red, giving Ron's mug a run for its money. But perhaps the thing that really caught Harry's attention was Draco's eyes. They were shining and twinkling in the dim candle light.
Oh, Merlin, is Malfoy crying? Malfoy stopped moving, his front facing Harry. He took a deep breath and raised his eyes toward the ceiling. There was moisture there; the Ice Prince himself is crying. Harry gasped softly.
Malfoy's eyes connected with Harry's, and turned murderous. He visibly straightened, but was far too rigid to pass for his normal regal stance. The Malfoy Mask descended, but wasn't as intimidating with the red face and wet eyes. His hands shook in tight fists at his side.
"What the fuck are you looking at, Potter?" Malfoy whispered. Harry opened the curtain all the way, and swung his legs around to touch his feet on the cold floor.
"Are you okay?" he said in a small voice.
"It's none of your fucking business." Harry sighed.
"Yeah, well, it is my fucking business if you're going to barge in the room like that." Harry raked a hand through his hair. He stared at Malfoy for a moment. After seeing he wasn't going to talk, Harry moved back under his covers with an exasperated sigh. He laid with his back to Malfoy.
"I wasn't crying, just to be clear."
"Sure, you weren't, Malfoy. Now, try to shut up so I can go to sleep." Harry muttered, exhaustion clearly in his voice.
"It's Pansy." Malfoy said quietly after a moment. Harry hesitated before he answered.
"Yeah? What about her?"
"She's pregnant." Harry's eyebrows rose.
Certainly didn't expect that one.
"Er, congratulations, I suppose."
Malfoy's laugh was hard. The lack of humor made Harry turn and watch him. Malfoy stared at Harry with his molten silver eyes, as if he was seeing right through him. Harry gulped at the intensity of the gaze.
"Potter, do you remember that accident I had during the first game of Quidditch second year?" Malfoy asked suddenly. Harry's eyebrows furrowed half in confusion at Malfoy's question and half in concentration. He couldn't remember anything other than he won that game.
"I-I think so." Harry lied. Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"Honestly, Potter, leave it to you to not remember anything other than your own triumphs." Malfoy huffed, and sat on his bed facing Harry. "I was knocked off my broom? Landed on the pitch in a spread eagle?" Malfoy hinted. Harry nodded for him to go on.
"Well, landing like that did a number on my…bits." Malfoy said in a quiet voice. "I can't…" He broke off, shaking his head.
"Oh. Oh." Comprehension dawned on Harry. Malfoy nodded, staring at the floor.
"I can't have children. I'm—"
"Shooting blanks?" Harry interjected before he could stop himself. He expected Malfoy to sneer at him, to jump up and start pounding on him. Instead, Malfoy laughed, though without humor again.
"Yes, to put it so eloquently, Potter. I am shooting blanks." A small smirk played at the corners of Malfoy's lips, making Harry give a shy smile when Malfoy looked up. The smirk was gone all too soon as the Malfoy mask slipped back into place.
"So, you see, Potter." Malfoy cleared his throat. "The baby is not mine." Harry nodded and scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by his previous congratulations.
"But, you want to know what the kicker is really? What really gets me and makes me so furious, I could just spit?" Wide emerald eyes met dark silver. "She never loved me, and I told myself that multiple times in the beginning. She never had any shred of affection for me. She used me for power, and that's it. And, I knew that, but I believed her."
"How do you know?" For some reason he couldn't think of, Harry refused to believe that Pansy Parkinson, the girl who had been fawning over Malfoy for years, never even cared for him. Malfoy's jaw tensed.
"She just told me herself."
"She could have been lying."
"She wasn't, Potter, I assure you." Malfoy rolled his eyes. "She was never one for the truth, but when she's telling it, you know."
They sat in silence, Malfoy trying to control his emotions and slowly failing to the red flush creeping up his neck, Harry trying to understand how that could have happened. He didn't comprehend why people did that. He didn't realize he said it out loud.
"People do that all the time. They lie about their feelings, and then when it's too late, and you love them, they tell the truth." Malfoy said with a sigh.
"Not me." Malfoy looked at him sharply, making him want to recoil, but he stood his ground. "If the feelings aren't there, neither am I."
"I don't believe you." Malfoy said with a scowl.
"You don't have to, but just think. How many girls have I had up to the dorm? How many have I dated, or you've seen me holding hands with?"
"Girl Weasley and Cho Chang, and you ended it shortly after that." Malfoy said quietly. Harry had meant for it to be a rhetorical question, but at least Malfoy understood what he meant.
"I didn't have the same feelings they had for me. Ginny was like a sister, and Cho…she just wasn't right."
"What do you mean?" Malfoy asked, curiosity slipping through his mask.
"She, you know…I mean, it's not everyday that you start dating the guy who watched your boyfriend die. All we ever talked about was Cedric, and when she would kiss me, she would start crying. It was terrifying at first, but then it just became annoying. And wet."
Malfoy chuckled, but they soon became full on laughs. Harry joined in, and ended up clutching at his sides.
"Merlin, I haven't laughed like that in ages," Malfoy sighed, a few giggles still escaping. He had flopped onto his back during the fit.
"Oh, gods, me either. I'm actually in pain," Harry wheezed. Malfoy rolled his head around to look at Harry, and snorted. Harry could see a few strands of blond hair sticking to his forehead, and his cheeks were pink instead of the dark red they were when he first busted into the room. Harry decided he looked very good like that.
"You're staring, Potter."
"You know, we've known each other for eight years. Don't you think it's time we use given names instead of surnames?" Harry was sure his face mirrored Malfoy's surprise. He honestly didn't know where that came from.
"I suppose so," Malfoy said, but he didn't sound sure.
"I mean, we're roommates now as well. It'll help get over any animosity."
"Okay…Harry," Malfoy said hesitantly. Harry really wished Malfoy didn't see the shiver he had from the boy saying his name. It was weird enough just for Harry.
"Alright, Draco," Harry stuck out his hand, a flipped version of the scene on the train in first year. Draco stared at it for a long moment, and just as Harry was about to retract the hand, he sat up.
"Alright," Draco said as he took Harry's hand and pumped it twice.
Author Note: I hope y'all enjoyed! Favorite and review, please!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making profit off of my stories.