A little drabble I wrote ages ago but never got round to posting. Enjoy :)
Vulnerability
It was warm that night, Draco thought as he stalked the dark grounds, dressed only in deep black robes unbuttoned to expose his pale, gleaming chest to the night air. He came out here often, late at night, through a simple desire for solitude; it made him feel vulnerable. Exposed to the elements as he was, he felt a sense of perspective that threw everything into a whole new light. He liked it. By day, he was Malfoy, cold and sneering, aloof and distant. Only by night could he lose that façade and simply be 'Draco' at last. Alone with no-one to contempt or deride him, he could relax.
Unbeknown to him, there was someone watching. But veiled under his invisibility cloak, Harry felt no contempt. He liked to watch Draco as he strolled the grounds at night. At first, he had laughed at the vulnerability he saw on the other boy's face. But after watching awhile, the laughter had died on his lips. There was something else behind the vulnerability, an openness that Harry had never seen before, a freedom he could not show lest it be used against him.
And it was beautiful.