Title: Moments

Pairing: Draco x Harry

Rating: K

Summary: Harry went up to the astronomy tower for some peace and found Draco there too

Moments

Nothing was going right. Everything seemed to be getting from bad to worse, even the trivial aspect of his life. Even with Hermione who was sobbing on his shoulder, her warm torrent of tears soaking his robes as he held her tight against him like he could hold her in from collapsing due to Ron's stupidity. Harry scowled solely intended for their other friend. How could he not see how much Hermione fancied him?

"Is this how's its like for you?" he heard her heartbreak through the whispers between her sobs. Harry sighed patting the back of her bushy head. He knew what Hermione meant. She was asking about his feelings for Ginny.

"Yeah," Harry answered dismally and Hermione's arms tightened around him as though to hold him from falling apart too, the both of them hugging for a while longer wallowing in the despair they were in.

Hermione was the one to pull away, rubbing her swollen eyes and they both chuckled rather awkwardly. She swiped her red and dribbling nose seemingly put together and managed a watery smile.

"I'm off to bed. If I catch them snogging one more time, I might just do more than hex him," she said and Harry nodded stepping back from the embrace. He wasn't ready to go just yet and told her so.

Watching her back ascending up the stairs to their dorm was somewhat excruciating, his body already missing the warm touch and weighty pressure. He was lonely and confused not to mention scared to death and a whole lot other emotions jumbled together far more than his heart or brains could hold, a tremendous burden for someone as young as him. But mostly, he was lonely. He missed Sirius too much.

Harry arrived at the foot of the astronomy tower. The night was cold, the chilling breeze devouring his uncovered flesh of his face as he looked up. In the dimness aided by the moon hanging morosely against the inky expanse, he thought he saw someone there but it was too high up to tell who it was.

It was a bother he thought but still his feet carried him up the stairs, his footsteps echoing around him but strangely, he found the sound to be mutedly soft. Harry emerged to the landing, his eyes falling immediately to the figure standing with his back across him. A dejected figure who whipped around alert when he heard Harry, his wand pointed at him and cold silver eyes met his startling green ones.

Harry scowled, resentment already washing through him at the sight of the Slytherin and was about to pull his own wand out when Malfoy's lowered.

"Oh, it's just you," the silky voice said and turned around. Harry blinked confused as he watched his foe folded to the freezing ground with grace shoving his feet through the gaps of the barred safeguard letting them hang from the long drop. The lack of animosity rooted him through the floor and Harry didn't know if he should just go away and leave the strangeness that was engulfing them right then. But Malfoy spoke at that moment of his indecisiveness. "Don't just stand there you fool. Come and sit. I'm sure you came up here for a reason."

That bite of impatience had Harry scowling again but at least this was something he was familiar with and was there right beside the blond boy. Whatever possessed him to sit with him was something he couldn't fathom. It bothered him as he watched the boy staring forlornly. Well, Harry did landed his father in Azkaban. He bloody well deserves it and if I ever get my hand on that Bellatrix bitch I'm going to rip her apart!

Those savage thoughts brought back a wave of fury and he hissed to the boy. "What are you doing here?"

"You've been watching me all this time. Do you really not know what I'm doing?" Malfoy answered wearily. It disoriented him, so used to Malfoys biting comebacks that he just goggled. He didn't know how to react but it was true that he had been watching him so much that his two friends thought him obsessed.

"I know that you're up to no good," Harry said accusingly trying to shake off the bizarreness he was feeling. The Slytherin barked out a laugh pulling his legs back in which entirely threw Harry off and did the most puzzling thing. Malfoy's head landed on his thigh peering directly up to him.

"So am I up to no good right now?" he asked, head wiggling to find a comfortable position on his lap.

"Well, not right now," answered Harry distractedly, his hands finding their way to his hair, caught by surprise at the softness. His fingers clenched tufts of it and tugged harshly. "Stop that."

A smirk which lack the usual nastiness spread across Malfoy's face and Harry wondered if he could see his burning cheeks. He didn't appear to notice but the teasing chuckle had him thinking otherwise.

"Then drop it Harry. Don't poke your pretty nose into where it's not wanted," he responded lazily. Harry bristled and fell silent within a breath, the angry retort sounding weird hanging unfinished and trailing with the wind.

"Did you just called me Harry?" said Harry incredulous. The blond merely raised an amused eyebrow and he realized something else Malfoy had said. "I'm not pretty!"

The other boy chuckled. A velvety sound which reverberated around spreading little tingles all over. This intimacy – Just what was he doing letting his nemesis lie on his lap?

"Get off me Malfoy," said Harry realizing that his hands were still woven through that silky hair and pushed at the strangely comfortable weight, dislodging Malfoy's head only half an inch before the other boy tugged his hands and captured them in a strong grip.

"First you deny me friendship and now you're denying me this?" Harry didn't know why he blushed.

"Well, if you hadn't been such a prat, we'd be friends now wouldn't we?" An indiscernible expression crossed Malfoy's face as he hummed.

"Do you really believe that?" he asked. Those silver eyes so intense bored into his and at that moment of lost breaths, Harry did believe.

"What's wrong with you Malfoy?" he asked evading the question. His voice too quiet, too soft and felt too strange to even make sense of what's happening between them.

"What's wrong?" Malfoy threw back the question while he played with his fingers, little static currents dancing up his arms. "Everything about me is wrong."

"Then right it," He whispered almost begging that he instantly felt ashamed. A rueful laughter so hollow and empty broke the nights air or maybe it broke him because Harry felt pain slicing through his entire being and when the laughter died, the hurt disappeared.

"I'm not as brave as you are Harry," the answer was so soft that he almost didn't catch it as he watched Malfoy closed his eyes, so tired and defeated as though he might just drift away and vanish from existence. Panic reared its head.

"Come away with me," he said. Malfoy popped his eyes back open looking blankly at him and the words came tumbling forth. "It doesn't matter how you are now or whatever it is you've tangled yourself into. It doesn't matter that you're a death eater just come away with me, I'm sure Dumbledore will give you protection and, and – " the words too died on his lips as Malfoy's eyes grew emptier and emptier.

"Don't try to save me too Harry."

"I'm not!"

"You had you're birthday in July didn't you?" the sudden change of question jarred Harry a little but answered anyway like the conversation had never steered from the actual subject. "How did you know?"

"I know a lot of things," he said and smirked devilishly. "Being superior and all."

Harry rolled his eyes despite being bewildered by the sudden playfulness. "When is yours?"

"I'm insulted," Malfoy said feigning hurt. "I thought you would know everything about me by now."

"I'm not a stalker," Harry retorted and there was that laughter again making him go a little strange yet again missing the slightly cold touch of smooth hand gliding to the back of his neck, puzzling why he could suddenly see just how long those pale lashes were before they were cut off as his eyes fluttered close. Sensation took over, mind growing fuzzy but body aware of two lips melded in awkward position, warm and slow contrasting to their racing heartbeats. Malfoy chuckled against his lips.

"What was that for?" asked Harry slightly breathless against those thin smiling mouth.

"A birthday gift," he answered. Harry pulled away now that Malfoy's hand freed him. The boy sat up stretching his upper body, eyeing how Harry was staring confused and drew close again planting another soft kiss.

"Don't fall for me now. I still hate you," and Harry watched him leave, the echoes of his footsteps softening as he got further away. Silence eventually accompanied him.

"Draco Malfoy." the name of his foe left his lips where traces of the kiss still lingered and the words left hanging unsaid or maybe the moon might have heard it carried in the wind spiraling with the change.

End