Harry leaned against the cool window of the train, rain drops streaking his view of the trees. Ginny was leaning on his shoulder and Ron was sleeping across from him. Hermione was of course reading, shooting annoyed looks at Ron whenever his snores became too loud. Harry had been very surprised to receive the letter inviting him back to school and only agreed to come when the other three showed an interest. Even now he wondered about his decision…he knew people would stare and mutter behind his back, would ask him questions that he didn't really want to answer, or treat him like some glorious hero all over again. As the train sped closer and closer to the castle he found himself desperately wishing for just one normal year. But this wish went right out the window when he glanced up to the sound of giggling and saw a two second year girls looking at him through the compartment door. Harry got up and roughly pulled the shade down.
"Harry, calm down!" Ginny said, laying on him again when he sat down.
"I knew this was going to happen…don't they have anything better to do?" he asked, leaning back in his seat. No one answered him and they fell into silence again. The view out of the window was becoming darker and Harry suspected they were almost there. The rain seemed to be falling harder now and he was very glad they didn't have to take the boats across the lake. A loud clap of thunder made Ron jump up, looking around the cart. .
"Are we there yet?" he asked as he settled back into his seat. .
"Nearly. We should probably get ready," Hermione said. She closed her book and stood on the seat to get it back into her trunk while the rest of them moved around picking up their scattered snacks and candy wrappers. The train finally started slowing down and they could hear people walking in the corridor already, eager to get to the castle. Hermione opened the compartment door but Harry sat down again. "Harry?"
"I'm going to wait until the train clears out a bit."
"Harry, don't be ridiculous!" Ginny said and pulled on his arm. He pulled it out of her grasp and she stared back at him with an offended expression.
"I don't want to walk in and have to deal with all the stares and the whispering…I'll meet you guys up at the castle." After exchanging defeated looks, the three of them joined the crowd and Harry shut the compartment door again, falling back onto the seat. It was fine for them to be stared at and whispered about, never having had to deal with this sort of attention on them before. But having to deal with it since he was eleven…frankly it was getting old. He peeked out of the shade and saw that the corridor was nearly deserted, with just a few people lingering at the end. He put on his jacket and slid open the door, walking out of the train without looking at the stragglers. He bowed his head against the rain and trudged through the mud to the carriages. He heard someone squelching through the mud behind him but he was more interested in getting out of the rain than learning who his companion was.
Within moments the next carriage pulled up and Harry climbed in, the other person climbing in behind him. Harry finally looked up and sighed loudly. Draco Malfoy had climbed into the cart with him. For one second Harry considered getting out and waiting for the next cart but as he made to stand up, the cart jolted forward, knocking him back into his seat. Sighing again, he looked out of his small window and pretended he was alone in the cart.
"Well, this is going to be a fun ride." Draco said sarcastically. Harry ignored him. "Oh, have you finally learned to take the high road, ignoring the nasty bully until he goes away?"
"Malfoy, I simply don't have the energy for this anymore." Harry said as the cart came to a stop. Draco's eyebrows rose slightly as Harry climbed out of the cart. As Harry walked into the building he was shoved hard, his arm pulled so he twisted around and his back was slammed against the wall. Draco grabbed his arms and pinned them to the wall and stepped so close Harry couldn't move without touching him.
"You should have learned the first time, Potter; brushing me off only leads to trouble."
Harry held his gaze and stared back just as furiously. "You wouldn't be brushed off if you weren't such an arrogant git. Now let go of me," Harry said angrily. Draco squeezed his wrists but Harry held back his wince of pain; he let go of Harry and stared at him for a moment longer before walking into the Hall. Harry took a deep breath and straightened his clothes. Just then the doors opened for the first years and he hurried into the Hall.
"Hey, we just saw Malfoy come in, did you see him?" Ron asked. Harry sat down next to Ginny and across from the other two, facing the Slytherin table.
"Yeah, he rode in my cart." Harry said. Hermione shot him a scared look. "Don't worry, nothing happened," Harry assured her. Telling them about the attack – if he could even call it that – was pointless. It was just Malfoy being Malfoy and there was no use troubling them over nothing. He glanced over at Malfoy who was staring back, his face unreadable. Just then the doors opened and the first years poured in, taking Harry's eyes and mind off of Malfoy.
The next morning at breakfast Harry made sure to sit with his back to the Slytherin table. McGonagall walked along the table handing out the schedules. Harry took his own and also grabbed Ron's for him as his hands were sticky from his waffles. Hermione shook her head at him and looked down at her schedule. As Harry inspected his own, he couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face.
"Ron, we only have one class a day, two hours long! And we have Fridays and the weekends off!"
"Yes but we're going to have a ton of homework; don't forget we have our N.E. this year," Hermione said. Ron dropped his fork with a clatter and swallowed, with difficulty, the large bite in his mouth.
"Exams? After everything we went through?" Harry read farther down his schedule and saw that they did in fact have exams, scheduled for a few days before term ended.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ron! Just because there was a war doesn't mean they are going to cancel exams forever!" Hermione said laughing. Ron turned his shocked stare towards Harry.
"It can't be that bad though. I mean, we'll have plenty of time to do homework and how much time off we have!" Harry reminded Ron again. This seemed to cheer Ron up and he went back to his breakfast. He continued reading down the schedule and now his mouth dropped open in shock.
"Whaizit?" Ron asked around his mouthful of food.
"'To be fair to our regular class students, eighth years are not permitted to play on their house teams.' That's bullshit!" Harry said. He read the sentence again hoping that the second time it would say something different. He'd been looking forward to Quidditch the most; the only thing besides his friends that he could say he'd come back for.
"Well Harry, imagine you two, grown men, playing against a first year," Hermione said.
"First of all,first years generally don't make the team. Second of all, it's no different than a seventh year playing against them! It's only a year difference!" Harry exclaimed. Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to looking over her schedule.
"You think they'll let us play on our own time?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged and looked down at the final note of the schedule. As there are so few eighth years returning, we're combining houses to make up a full classroom. Ravenclaw will take classes with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor will take lessons with Slytherin. And just when Harry thought things couldn't get any worse.
"Hey, what does your schedule look like?" Ginny said sitting down next to Harry. He passed it over and she scanned it. "What is this? I have a full schedule!"
"Well, you're actually a seventh year student." Hermione explained. Ginny looked even angrier but Harry reminded her she could still play Quidditch and she cheered up a bit. "Come on, guys, we have to go to Potions."
They said goodbye to Ginny and left the Hall, heading down the steps to the dungeons. Harry was surprised to see that Slughorn was still here, given how grudgingly he'd come out of his retirement. When they got to the classroom he patted Harry hard on the back, leading him into the room. "Harry, m'boy! I can't wait to see what talents you have in store for me this year!" Harry just smiled back and avoided looking at Hermione.
"Careful, don't get any talent on me," Draco said as Harry passed his desk. He laughed along with two boys Harry didn't recognize. He sat down behind Ron and Hermione and put his bag on the seat next to him.
"You know what, Harry? You could probably curse him and no one would say anything because you saved the world…you know Slughorn wouldn't!" Ron said shooting an evil glare at Malfoy.
"Ron!" Hermione said in a shocked voice. He shrugged and gave Harry a meaningful look before turning back around.
"Alright everyone, turn to page 78. We're going to be brewing Veritaserum. I've put some tips on the board but please read the directions carefully, as the results could be disastrous when brewed incorrectly. You may begin."
For one second Harry thought about the Half-Blood Prince's book before he realized it was probably burned to a crisp. He sighed and set to work, beginning towonder if even his old book could have helped him. This was definitely one of the hardest potions they'd done. By the time he was finished he felt as though his brain was throbbing. He held his vial up and hopedthe slight yellow tinge was just his eyes playing tricks. When everyone had turned in their vials, Slughorn assigned them an essay about why this potion was so strictly controlled and then dismissed them.
"You guys want to go to Hogsmede? I saw we could go whenever we wanted to this year-" Harry stopped speaking as he caught sight of the uncomfortable glances Ron and Hermione cast each other.
"I—we were going to go on a date since we really don't get time alone." Hermione said quickly. Ron closed his mouth and looked at the floor.
"Oh, right. That's fine," Harry said. They dropped their things off in the common room and Harry sank down into his favorite arm chair as they left. He was only there for five minutes when he decided he couldn't sit there anymore. Ginny was in class still and wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmede until the weekend anyway. Harry got up and left the common room, running right into Draco. "What the hell are you doing here?" Harry demanded. It seemed as if Draco had been pacing outside of the portrait hole.
"I want to talk to you."
Harry's mouth opened for a comeback before he realized what Draco had actually said. "Yeah, right!" he laughed and turned away. He'd only taken one step when Draco grabbed him and pushed him against the wall again.
"Damn it! Will you stop brushing me off?" Draco said angrily. Harry met Draco's eyes and was surprised to see that he looked hurt, but determined. He sighed and let Harry go, taking a couple of steps away from him and turning back to face him. "I'm sorry…I just, I want you to listen to what I have to say." Harry stood up away from the wall and continued to look at Draco without saying anything. "I want a truce."
Harry stared at him for a moment before speaking. "Why? Why now all of a sudden?"
"All of a sudden? Did you forget our first year on the train?" Draco snapped. He took another deep breath. "Clearly I don't handle rejection very well." He added with a better tone.
Harry actually laughed. "Clearly." He said. An awkward silence fell that neither really knew how to fill. Draco reached up and scratched his arm, his sleeve lifting slightly and revealing an angry red mark. "What happened?" Harry asked looking at the spot.
"Nothing." Draco said and pulled the sleeve down tight. Harry suddenly remembered that was where the Dark Mark would have been, but wasn't it supposed to be black? Harry didn't press the issue even though his curiosity was burning. An awkward silence fell again.
"Uh, so I guess I'll see you around?" Harry asked, not really knowing what else to say.
"Yeah, sounds good." Draco said. He looked at Harry for a moment and stuck out his hand. Harry met his gaze and heldit as he reached out and grasped it, finally shaking Draco's hand.
"Ginny, it was lovely! They just opened it this year and it's the perfect place for a date!" Hermione said.
"Oh, Harry, we should go! How about this Friday when I get out of class?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, sounds good," Harry answered. They were sitting at breakfast and Hermione was telling them about their date. After Draco had left, Harry had gone back into the common room, sitting in front of the fire and thinking about it all. When Ron and Hermione came back he was on the verge of telling them but at the last minute decided not to. He didn't know why he felt he had to keep it a secret but it seemed to work out because when he walked into the Great Hall that morning Draco didn't even look his way.
"What do we have today?" Ron asked.
"Charms…how do you forget these things?" Hermione said.
"I'm not really in school mode yet." Ron said, waving his hands around his head.
Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up. Ron shoveled in a few more bites before both boys got up and followed her out of the Hall. As they were approaching the classroom Draco bumped into Harry.
"Watch where you're going, Potter." He said, glancing down at Harry's side.
"Harry, I'm serious, just one curse and-"
"Ron! Stop trying to get Harry into trouble!" Hermione shouted. Harry had stopped listening to both of them, looking down at his side as well. Something about Draco's face made Harry feel there was motive behind that bump. Sure enough there was a corner of parchment sticking out of his pocket. Harry blinked in awe; he hadn't even felt that happen.
"Today we are going to be learning the Freezing Charm, used to turn anything you're aiming at into ice. The more intricate your object, the harder it is to change it. There is a counter curse that will change it back, but be warned that if used on a living thing, it cannot be changed back. You will, of course, not be using this on people. We are going to start with a glass of water and we shall move up from there." Flitwick waved his wand and a glass of water appeared before everyone. "You may start."
Harry changed his water easily and moved on to wine, changing it the second time he tried. He was just starting to work on food when something hit him on the head. He looked immediately at Draco who smirked and started writing. He looked up at Harry when he was finished and rolled his eyes in annoyance. He held up his paper and waved it in the air.
Understanding Harry pulled the parchment from his pocket out.
Want to go to Hogsmede later? Harry stared at the words and looked back up. Draco was working on changing a thick book to ice. He pulled out his quill and wrote back.
I haven't told anyone about yesterday…how do you want me to sneak off to Hogsmede?
I'm sure you'll come up with something…are you embarrassed to admit we're friends?
No! You've been acting like it didn't happen either so don't give me that shit! Harry wrote and looked up. Draco was smirking down at the page.
"What are you writing?" Ron asked peering over.
"Wha—nothing!" Harry said and hastily crumpled the paper. Ron gave him a strange look and continued working. Harry went back to work as well, afraid to pull the sheet back out now that Ron was aware of it. He glanced up at Draco who mouthed 'after lunch' and Harry nodded. Harry continued working with only half his thoughts on the spell, the other half trying to figure out what he was going to tell his friends later. Finally they were being dismissed and to their great surprise they didn't get any homework. They dropped their things off in the common room and met Ginny in the Great Hall. She complained about the amount of homework she had and Ron teased her about their lack of any.
"It's funny now but wait until it gets closer to exam time; don't forget you have to take them too!" She snapped. "I have to go find a book in the library for my essay later, I'll see you guys." She leaned in and kissed Harry on the cheek bringing him back to the present. He smiled as she left and looked at the other two.
"I have to go into Hogsmede for a new quill so I'm going to get going too." He said quickly.
"Oh! Well, hold on a minute and we'll come with you." Hermione said.
"No! Uh, that's ok. It'll just take a few minutes and it'll be a boring trip. I'll just see you guys after." He turned and left, hoping he'd looked normal enough for them not to question his odd behavior. Maybe his conscience made him feel more suspicious than he actually was. He glanced at the Slytherin table as he left the Hall but Draco wasn't there. He'd made sure to grab money before they came back down and he headed straight outside, slowly making his way to the carriages. He had been standing out there for a few minutes when the door of the one next to him flew open. He peered inside and saw Draco sitting there. "Geez, why don't you say something?" Harry asked annoyed as he climbed in. Draco just smirked and didn't answer. The carriage started bouncing along and Harry was struck once again with the realization that they had nothing to talk about. He glanced at Draco for a second and then started tapping his fingers on his leg. Talking about school would lead to their hating each other, the war was definitely off limits, and they had every class together, so there was nothing to be gained from that. He was starting to think that maybe this had been a mistake until Draco broke the silence.
"So, why didn't you tell your friends about the truce?"
Harry shrugged. "They wouldn't get it…Hermione might but I know Ron wouldn't. Why didn't you tell?" Draco met his gaze but he only shrugged. "Right…so what are we doing here? Neither of us wants to tell anybody. Doesn't it seem kind of creepy?"
"We're just hanging out and no it's not creepy…we're not keeping it a secret, we're just not advertising it."
Harry rolled his eyes. "We purposely didn't tell anyone we were hanging out; I even lied about what I was actually doing. And given the fact that everyone is in class right now and you picked the day right after everyone else went, you've gone through just as much trouble for no one to see us hanging out."
Draco sighed exaggeratedly. "Can we just grab a drink and stop talking about this?"
Harry shrugged again. "You're the one that brought it up." Draco shot him a look but didn't answer. The cart rolled to a stop and they got out; the street was emptier than Harry had ever seen it. Draco led the way to the Three Broomsticks but Harry pulled his arm. "No, let's go to the Hog's Head."
"Why?" Draco asked. Harry just looked at him. "Ugh, fine!" he agreed and fell in step with Harry. When they walked in there was no one there except for Aberforth. Draco walked up and ordered while Harry found a table. Draco came back with a tall glass full of a dark, slightly smoking liquid.
"Um…what is that?" Harry asked with an apprehensive look.
"No questions, just drink up." Draco said and took a big gulp. He winced, swore and then looked at Harry grinning. "Scared, Potter?"
Harry met his eyes with purpose as his stomach swooped violently. "You wish," he answered and took a big gulp. He squeezed his eyes shut as the foul taste snaked down his throat. He opened them wide when it finally went down and he stared at Draco. "What the hell is this?" he rasped. Draco held up his finger and Harry's brows furrowed for a moment, then shot up as the drink changed to a light gold color. Harry could tell just by looking at it that it would be delicious.
"It's called the Misleader. I thought it would be appropriate." Draco said. Harry nodded and cautiously took a sip; it was probably the best thing he'd ever tasted. Draco itched at his left arm and Harry glanced at it. He wanted to ask about it so badly but Draco must have sensed this; he pulled his right arm away quickly and casually put his left arm under the table. Harry took another big gulp of his drink to allow the moment to pass. "We should get going." Draco said draining his glass.
"Why?"
"I assume going back quickly will make whatever lie you've told more believable," Draco answered and stood up.
Harry felt an unexpected pang of disappointment and drained his glass as well, following Draco out of the pub. "I guess we should stop at the quill shop then." Harry said. He ran in quickly and bought the first one he saw, catching up with Draco at the carriages. "Well, this was fun." Harry heard the slight sarcasm in his own voice and wondered why he felt annoyed. The carriage ride back was silent and Harry wondered if the arm thing was the reason. His curiosity grew with every incident like this but he knew that forcing Draco to talk about it would get him nowhere. The carriage stopped and they both climbed out, walking up to the school. Harry heard a far-away shout and looked over at the Quidditch pitch where he could make out some people playing.
"Shame we can't play this year," Draco said, and Harry nodded. "Want to play tomorrow? We can finally figure out who's the better Seeker."
Harry looked over and grinned. "Obviously I am, but I'll indulge you for your pride's sake." They entered the Great Hall and Draco turned for the dungeons. Suddenly he stopped and turned back around as if he was about to say something but then he seemed to change his mind. He shook his head and turned back for the dungeons and after a moment Harry started climbing up the main staircase.
The next day Harry slept in until noon, waking up to find Ron teaching Hermione Wizard's chess. He sat down with them and watched as Ron brutally beat Hermione. When they started their next game Harry brought down his school bag and used the free time to work on his essay. This way he would have the whole weekend free to do absolutely nothing. He wondered again what the point in coming back was but he pushed the thought from his head. Hogwarts was still his favorite place to be and now it would be more enjoyable without the stress of constant classes. This thought brightened his mood considerably and he finished his essay quickly with ease. When Hermione finally beat Ron they got up and went to lunch. Harry caught Ron's eye and grinned knowing he'd let her win.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked as they sat down at their table.
"She has so much homework she's snacking in the library while she works. We're getting it very easy seeing as we have to take our N.E. just like everyone else," Hermione explained.
"Hey! We deserve a break after what we went through," Ron replied. Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to her lunch. He looked at Harry who nodded in agreement. "We're going to Hogsmede, want to come?"
"Again?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Yeah, what's there to do here? I thought I'd love all this free time but I'm so bored all the time."
"You could read a book-" Hermione started but stopped at the look Ron was giving her. "Just saying," she sighed under her breath.
"Well, you guys have fun. I'm going to –" he stopped suddenly. If he said he was going to play Quidditch, Ron would surely want to come do that instead. "—to take a walk. I want to enjoy the grounds before it's too cold to go out, as it's our last year and all." He looked down at his plate and back up wondering if that was a good enough cover.
"Harry, the weather doesn't look so good today." Hermione warned. They all glanced up and saw the clouds were slightly grey.
"It's fine. I won't be going very far," Harry lied.
"Uh, right then. So we'll see you later?" Ron asked. Harry couldn't tell if he sounded suspicious or not. Harry only nodded. When they were finished eating they all went outside and Harry waved as they boarded the carriage, then turned and headed for the Pitch. As he got closer he waved his wand and a moment later his broom was soaring to his side. They hadn't agreed on a time but when Harry got there Draco was already waiting.
"How'd you get away?" he asked as Harry neared him in the middle of the field.
"I'm taking a walk," Harry laughed. Draco shook his head and held out the Snitch. Harry reached forward but Draco pulled his hand out of reach. He let go of the Snitch and after fluttering around their heads for a moment it flew off.
"Well, first one to catch it wins," Draco said and before Harry could mount he was in the air. Swearing under his breath he got on his Firebolt and shot into the air. It was an exhilarating feeling and he suddenly realized how much he'd missed flying. Instead of looking for the Snitch, he flew around in circles, diving and spinning through the air. "Show off all you want, Potter, catching the Snitch is what matters!" Draco yelled back to Harry. Harry stopped his spinning and grinned at Draco, then started actually looking. It was only a few minutes before he saw it glittering a few feet below him. He went into a spectacular dive and wrapped his fingers around it before Draco even knew what happened.
"Hey, Malfoy!" Harry shouted and showed off the Snitch. His mouth dropped open for a second but he recovered quickly and set his face in determination. Harry released the Snitch and after a minute they were off again. They played for a long time; before Harry knew it the sun was going down and the wind was really picking up. He looked up and saw that the clouds were a lot darker than when they first came out. He was just about to mention this to Draco when the rain started. They made eye contact and Draco nodded, but Harry saw the challenge in his eyes. This was the final game and with the bad weather, whoever caught it now would be the winner (even though Harry had already caught six to Draco's four).
Harry tapped his glasses with his wand so he would be able to see clearly and he sped around the Pitch, keeping a close eye on Draco's movements too. The rain started falling harder; after a few more circles around Harry saw Draco, who was just a few feet to his left, dive down. Harry followed suit and after a second he saw the Snitch, too. He leaned farther forward on his broom and grinned as he stretched his hand out. His broom was much faster and he swerved up as his fingers closed around the Snitch. He headed for the ground and was only three feet up when he glanced back and saw Draco racing towards him. Harry realized too late that Draco wasn't going to stop; with no time to move Draco jumped off his broom and tackled Harry. Harry twisted and Draco fell to the ground with Harry falling on top of him. They slid a few feet and when they stopped Draco twisted harder and pinned Harry to the ground.
"That was supposed to be my catch!" Draco said.
Harry felt the water and mud seeping through his clothes and he tried to squirm away but this did nothing besides get more mud on him. The Snitch was still fighting to get out of his hand but he wasn't letting go. He met Draco's eyes, which in this darkness were the same color as the storm clouds. Suddenly he stopped squirming and became very aware of the way Draco was sitting on top of him, holding his arms down and leaning forward so his own face was just inches away. Draco held Harry's gaze and they sat like that for longer than necessary. Harry swallowed and suddenly Draco was rolling off of Harry, standing up and grabbing his broom. Harry only lay there for a moment longer before getting up himself. He was soaked and muddy, the rain falling down hard on his head and the wind blowing his hair around; yet somehow he was feeling very hot. He avoided Draco's gaze as they flew back to the shed and put the Snitch away and then flew up to the door.
"Filch is going to kill us," Harry said.
"We'd better hurry, then," Draco replied. He turned towards the dungeons and Harry waited to see if he'd turn around like before, but he didn't. Harry started climbing the stairs wondering about what had happened. His stomach had done that strange swooping again when Draco had him pinned down. His cheeks burned and he shook his head to clear it. A small voice was shouting an explanation at him but he refused to hear it. He ducked into a secret passageway and a few minutes later he was walking into the common room.
"Where the hell have you been?" Ron shouted and shoved Harry. Harry was too surprised to react and he just looked at Ron. "Not only have you been gone since lunch, God knows where," he said and looked Harry up and down. "But you stood up my sister!" Harry looked past Ron and saw Hermione and Ginny sitting by the fire. He could tell Ginny had been crying and Hermione was looking at him with a strange expression.
Suddenly he remembered that he had made plans to go to Hogsmede with Ginny. "Oh, God! Ginny, I am so sorry! I forgot! I was – " Harry stopped suddenly again. All three of them stared, waiting for an explanation.
"Harry, what happened to you?" Hermione asked, looking at his muddy clothes.
"I was playing Quidditch," Harry said. There was no way around this one.
"With who? Were you with some other girl?" Ginny demanded.
"What? No! I was—don't freak out, ok?" he asked. He could tell by their expressions that there was no promise of this. "I was playing with Malfoy." The silence that followed this statement was unnerving. The mud on Harry's clothes was starting to dry and they were getting very stiff. Ginny finally broke the silence.
"You ditched me to hang out with Malfoy?"
"Wait a minute, he must have just seen Malfoy there and was roped into a challenge! Did you kick his ass?" Ron asked excitedly. They were both staring at him waiting for answers. He found Hermione's eyes and spoke to her.
"No…it was planned. He…we talked and agreed on a truce so we've been trying to be friends." More silence met this statement. Ron sank down into the armchair and stared at Harry as if seeing him for the first time.
"You weren't buying a quill yesterday, were you?" Hemrione asked and Harry shook his head. Ginny let out a frustrated growl and stormed past him up to the dorm. Ron stood up as well and simply shook his head, walking up to their dorm. Harry looked back at Hermione who looked sad.
"Hermione, I'm sorry! I didn't mean for all of this to happen! He apologized and I accepted, what was I supposed to do?"
"Harry, it's fine. Go wash up before you catch a cold. You can use the Prefects' bathroom if you'd like; the password is Lemon Fresh." And with that she turned and walked away, leaving him alone in the common room. He walked up to their dorm and tossed his broom under the bed, grabbing pajamas and a towel from his trunk. Ron had his curtains closed and Harry didn't attempt to talk to him. He left the common room and took his time getting to the bathroom. Everything had gotten so messed up but he couldn't just stop talking to Draco now. They were actually getting along; even more, Harry was surprised to find that he really liked spending time with Draco. His stomach swooped again and he quickened his pace as if he could run away from the feeling. He was happy to see the bathroom was deserted and he dropped his things by the tub and turned on all of the faucets.
The hot water filled the tub, the foam almost spilling out of the sides. He stepped in slowly and laid his head back with his eyes closed. The water felt great after the rain outside and the sweet aromas were making his mind go blank. As he sat there enjoying the silence his mind started flashing pictures of Draco; at the pub, walking through the halls, sitting on top of Harry again. He opened his eyes wide and took a few deep breaths. He closed them again and suddenly he was wondering if Draco had showered yet, and what would happen if he were to come into this bathroom now. Harry's eyes shot open again and he squeezed his temples. Why was he thinking about stuff like that? He finished up quickly and decided to go to bed. The faster he got to sleep the less he would have to be thinking about this. He started draining the tub and he climbed out, shivering against the cold as he dried off. He had just slipped on his boxers when he heard the door open. He looked over and almost fell back into the water; Draco had just walked in and he was definitely freshly showered; he was wearing a black T-shirt and green pajama pants, his blonde hair darkened and messy as it was still drying.
"I was looking for you in the boys' bathrooms, I forgot your friends are Prefects, too," Draco said in a soft voice.
"They found out; I was supposed to go out with Ginny today but instead…." He looked up and caught Draco's eyes. "They were pissed," Harry answered before Draco could ask. Draco didn't say anything to this but he continued to look at him strangely. "What's wrong with you?"
"I like you."
"Yeah, that's why we're friends now. What has gotten into you?" Harry asked confused. Draco met Harry's eyes and gave him a knowing look. It only took a moment longer for Harry to realize what Draco meant. Draco must have seen this happen because he continued with an explanation.
"It started that day you cursed the hell out of me in sixth year. And I mean literally cursed it out because I felt saved. I remember lying on the floor and wanting to thank you for ending it. I wouldn't have to go back to—that monster—my family too stupid to see the truth. I wouldn't have to commit murder, to lie, to be afraid anymore. You had saved me…and then Snape came in and fucked it all up, saving my life and for what?" he shouted the last part and Harry jumped. His voice was full of bitterness and Harry could only stare at him. "I couldn't stop thinking about you from that day on…if I provoked you enough, would you try and kill me again? But your face kept swimming in my head, the face you made when you realized what you had done and I knew that you wouldn't. You're not a killer.
"So I played along again, I had no choice…but I couldn't stop thinking about you and they knew! Those bastards knew and they read my mind and they saw you there all the time! I tried to play it off, pretended I was thinking about getting revenge but it wasn't enough. My father—my own fucking father!—demanded that I prove my loyalty by getting Marked. I didn't want to, Harry, I didn't because one day it was all going to be over and I knew we were on the losing side and I didn't want to be Marked! But I had no choice! So I let them and it hurt, Harry, it was the worst pain I've ever felt. I was done after that; I was completely numb. I couldn't kill Dumbledore, I kept thinking of you and how you couldn't kill me and how you hated me; I didn't hate Dumbledore, how would I possibly kill him?
"And then I let Snape take me and I lived with those filthy animals, twenty-four/seven, having to hide my thoughts as they were constantly, always returning to you. I hoped that you'd come save me like before and you didn't! You never came…and then one day you were there in front of me, captured and they wanted me to—but I couldn't! So I lied but it didn't matter…and you left me there and they tortured me for hours but I deserved it. I was a coward and I deserved what they did to me-"
"No!" Harry shouted suddenly. He was in a state of shock as all of this information flooded his mind. He was overwhelmed with thoughts racing through his head and he didn't know which one to say first. He opened his mouth several times but nothing came out. Draco took a few steps closer to Harry.
"That damned Mark used to stare up at me and make me feel so guilty…." Draco looked down at his left arm and Harry followed his gaze.
"Used to?" Harry asked. He'd never heard of a spell that could remove the Mark. Draco slowly lifted his sleeve and Harry gasped; there was an angry red scar where the Mark used to be, uneven and deep. Harry reached out and pulled his arm closer. The scar was horrible. "What happened to you?" Harry gently ran his fingers over it and Draco closed his eyes. "Did I hurt you?" Harry asked and stopped.
"No….I cut it out. I couldn't stand it looking at me anymore," Draco said quietly. Harry pulled his eyes away from the scar and locked them on Draco's. He'd never thought about Draco as a victim before, trapped by his family's hunger for power. Would anything have been different had Harry known this before? "Don't stop," Draco whispered, so quietly Harry barley heard it. Before he could really think about what he was doing, he brought Draco's hand up and brushed his lips against the scar, kissing it very lightly. Draco blinked several times and then pulled his arm away from Harry, shoving him back against the wall. His face was so close to Harry's that Harry could feel his breath against his face. Goose bumps erupted all over Harry's body and he shuddered; he suddenly remembered that he was wearing only his boxers and couldn't decide if he wished he'd dressed faster or not.
Draco moved to Harry's neck and moved his head down, not doing anything but breathing against Harry's neck, his nose lightly grazing the skin. Harry suddenly became aware of Draco's hands holding his waist and wondered when they had gotten there without him noticing. Draco paused at the nape of Harry's neck and then started moving back up again. Harry closed his eyes and before he could stop it a small moan escaped. His eyes snapped open in time to see Draco move right in front of him, so close that Harry was almost cross-eyed trying to watch him. What the hell is he waiting for? Harry thought to himself. But meeting Draco's eyes he found his answer. Draco was waiting for Harry to make the next move. Harry had thought this might be happening, trying to ignore that small voice that was telling him so. But now, with Draco standing so close to him he couldn't really remember why and he leaned forward, closing the space between them.
Draco responded with an animalistic hunger, pulling Harry's waist forward so their bodies were flush and then pushing back so his body was pressing Harry's against the wall. His hands slid up Harry's back, his one hand fisting a handful of Harry's hair. "Mmph!" Harry cried as Draco pulled his head back from his hair, the sound muffled in Draco's mouth. Draco pulled away and buried his head in Harry's neck again, kissing and lightly biting the skin. "We can't do this…." Harry said half-heartedly.
"We already are," Draco said against his neck. Harry leaned his head back even farther and let Draco continue down to his shoulder and back up. Harry was starting to get hard and his hips moved forward before he knew he was doing it. Draco grinned and pulled Harry's head down and kissed him again, his hand now wandering down and rubbing the bulge in Harry's boxers.
"Fuck…." Harry moaned loudly. If he didn't get a hold of himself he was going to lose control. Draco shot him an annoyed look and kissed him again, holding the back of his head so he couldn't pull away again. Draco's tongue surged into Harry's mouth and he moaned again, his cock getting even harder. The kiss was intense and bordering on sloppy as if they simply couldn't get enough. Since Harry couldn't talk he thrust his hips forward instead; Draco got the hint. Harry's cock rubbed right up against Draco's and Draco grunted into Harry's mouth, grinding his hips against Harry, thrusting into him repeatedly as they kissed. That was all Harry could take; he came into his boxers, his moans and grunts absorbed by Draco who a moment later was pushing his groin into Harry and groaning loudly. When Draco finally pulled away they were both breathing heavily. Harry brought his hands up and ran them through his hair; Draco's head was on Harry's shoulder, his hands once again resting on Harry's waist.
Harry tilted his head down and the movement made Draco look up. Their eyes met and Harry's cheeked burned; he couldn't believe what had just happened. "Next time we should find a bed or something." Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head, his brain not capable of processing that line right now. Harry disentangled himself and got dressed. He bent to pick up his towel and when he stood back up Draco pulled him close and kissed him. "I'm serious…I want to do this again, to do more."
"I…we should go," Harry said. It was a poor answer to what Draco had just said but he couldn't think clearly right now. Draco stepped back and after a moment they left the bathroom. Sneaking around to hang out with Draco had been hard enough, and just when everyone found out about that he had yet another secret to keep from his friends. But this was crazy, something they could never know had happened. But could he face Draco in public and act normally, not giving away that something weird had happened? And even more, could he hide the fact that he kind of wanted it to happen again?
"Ginny, will you please look at me?" Harry asked quietly. There weren't too many people around but there were enough and he didn't want to be overheard. Ron was suddenly very interested in the food on his plate and Hermione had raised her book a tad higher to hide herself from the conversation. Ginny slowly turned her head and met Harry's gaze. "I want to make it up to you."
"How?" she asked curtly. They were sitting at lunch right now; Harry had woken up late again having spent the whole night thinking about what had happened in the bathroom. When the light was starting to creep into the sky he decided the best thing to do was pretend that it didn't happen at all. He was sure Draco wasn't going to spread it around and with that comfort he sat here trying to fix his relationship with Ginny.
"We can have dinner tonight-"
"We can't use the carriages, Hagrid has isolated the thestrals so they don't breed."
"We can use an empty classroom; it's not the most romantic thing but we could be alone for a little while."
Ginny narrowed her eyes as she thought about it but a small smile was creeping onto her face already. "We haven't been alone in a long time…that would be nice." She answered finally.
"Great! Meet me in the classroom just passed the stairs tonight!" he said. Ginny nodded her agreement as Hermione lowered her book and Ron looked up from his plate. His jaw dropped in surprise and Harry turned to see what had caused this, only to have his heart freeze with fear. Draco was walking right over to the Gryffindor table, the entire Hall following his every move. Ignoring all of that he sank down next to Ron and put a couple sandwiches in his plate. Ron looked at Harry with even greater shock and Harry cleared his throat. "Um…what are you doing?" he asked.
Draco looked up with a shrug as if confused that they were confused. "We're friends now, I would think we're allowed to have lunch together." He answered simply. He poured himself some pumpkin juice and took a drink. Harry could feel the stares and whispers like a physical weight. Suddenly Ron made an excuse to leave, and after shooting Harry a sympathetic look Hermione followed him. "It was a blast!" Draco called after them sarcastically. Ginny shot him an annoyed look.
"They might be more difficult at coming around." Harry said. Ginny turned her annoyed look at him now and he took a drink of his juice just to have something to do.
"I'm going to work on some homework, I'll see you later." She said and she kissed Harry quickly on the lips before leaving. He took another drink as Draco spoke.
"I wonder if she's kiss you again knowing where your lips were last night." Harry choked on his juice and looked wide-eyed at Draco. "Calm down, I'm not going to say anything….What are you guys doing later?"
It took a moment for Harry to answer as he settled down from his coughing fit. "We're going to have dinner alone, to make up for yesterday."
Draco met Harry's gaze and his eyebrows twitched slightly. "Wouldn't that have been a good time to tell her that it's over?"
"What? I'm not breaking up with her!" Now Draco's brows did move, coming together in confusion. "I can't…I mean, I like her and I can't just leave her because-" He stopped here because he didn't know how to finish that sentence; or more accurately he didn't want to.
Draco nodded his head once, slowly and with a look of understanding spreading across his face. But Harry saw the sarcasm in that move and he knew that Draco was angry. He stood up slowly and leaned on the table, speaking quietly so Harry had to lean forward a bit to hear him. "It's a lie and you know that. We both know what happened yesterday and I'd put my life on it that she's never made you feel like that…just from kissing? I don't think so. I've waited a long time, Potter, and a little more won't kill me. When you realize that, you know where to find me." He stood up straight and left the Hall without so much as a glance back. Harry sat rooted to the spot, his appetite gone and his thoughts once again in a spiral of confusion.
A very small voice was shouting at him that Draco was right; the nights he'd spent with Ginny had never been that intense. With Draco he'd been consumed by hungry passion, something Ginny never brought out in him. But a bigger voice was telling him to stop thinking about that, because Ginny had been with him through so much and she loved him and they were happy. But, argued that small voice, can you be happy with that knowing you can have better? Harry sighed and left the Hall, going outside and heading straight for his favorite tree by the Lake. He ignored that little voice and firmly told himself again that he was happy with Ginny, ignoring the growing feeling that things would never be the same again.
Later that night Harry was in the empty classroom, the small table set with two plates of food and a candle lit between them. Harry had arrived early and Kreacher had helped him get the food here from the kitchen. He sat down in one of the seats and waited for Ginny. His thoughts, as they always did these days, went straight to Draco but he shook his head to clear it. This was not the time for that, especially with their last conversation fresh in his head. Suddenly the door pushed open and he stood up quickly, thankful for the distraction. Ginny walked in grinning and Harry pulled her seat out.
"Wow, this looks great!" she said. Harry sat down across from her and opened the bottle of butterbeer, pouring them each a glass.
"I'm glad you like it." He said finally, taking a drink from his glass. "I'm sure it's nothing like that place in Hogsmede." Ginny only smiled and started on her meal. Harry did the same and for a while they ate in silence.
"Harry, I'm glad we did this." Ginny said suddenly. "I feel like we've been drifting apart for a while now and this is nice." She laughed and shook her head. "I can't believe I thought you were with another girl!" Harry laughed too but suddenly felt uncomfortable. Talking about Draco was the last thing he wanted to do with Ginny. She got up and held her hand out to Harry, which he took and stood up as well. She fixed him with a knowing look and before he could say anything her lips were on his.
He froze with his eyes open, his mouth not moving at all. He simply couldn't kiss her back, suddenly realizing that he had never wanted anything less. She pulled away and looked at him again, this time grabbing the back of his head and kissing him harder. A voice in his head shook him back into his senses and he realized he had to at least fake it. He kissed her back but it was awkward, their lips not really working together. Suddenly her hands were moving up his stomach and she was trying to take his shirt off.
"Stop." He managed and pulled away from her, taking a step back.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I don't-" –want to, he finished in his head but stopped himself from saying it out loud.
"No one will walk in, I can make sure of that." She said and pulled out her wand. She waved it at the door and set it down on the table, pulling Harry close again. She kissed his lips, moving down his neck while she pressed her body against his. His head was echoing with Draco's voice, shouting that it wasn't the same and that it never would be. His body tensed and Ginny felt this, stopping again and looking at him annoyed. "What is your problem? Don't you want me?"
"Why don't we just finish our dinner like we came here for? I mean-"
"No! Why don't you want this?" she demanded. Harry stared at her but had no answer to give her. What was he supposed to say? The truth crossed his mind for one second before the idea was immediately dismissed. She moved forward again and kissed him but he pulled away, stepping around her and towards the door.
"I'm sorry, but I can't…I have to go." He said and he left the room. Ginny called after him but he ignored her, racing across the Entrance Hall and out onto the grounds. He was growing tired of walking this path to his tree, almost as much as he was getting tired of admitting that Draco was right…again. He slammed into someone in his trek and looked to see none other than Draco.
"What's your hurry, Potter?" he asked. Harry ignored him and continued walking. "Hey, Harry! Hold on." He called out, jogging to catch up and grabbing Harry's arm.
"Let go." Harry said and pulled his arm away. He made to keep walking but Draco grabbed harder and didn't let him.
"Were you with Wealsey? Uh, Ginny?" he clarified. Harry yanked his arm away again but this time he didn't try and leave. "What happened?"
"Nothing." Harry said stubbornly. Draco let out an annoyed breath and Harry met his gaze. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Well, that's too bad because I'm the only one you can talk to."
"I have friends, thanks." Harry snapped.
"Yeah? Who are you going to run to first? Her best friend Granger? Or maybe her brother? And then what are you going to tell them? That you can't stand touching her because you'd rather be touching me?"
"Shut up!" Harry shouted and turned to leave again. Draco stepped in his way and pushed him back.
"Don't you understand that I've been through this before? Stop being so damn proud and let me help you!" Draco half shouted. Harry stared at him for a long time before answering.
"She knows…not exactly what is happening but she knows something weird is going on. She's noticed that I've been ignoring her, not really wanting to be with her." Harry paused and looked down at the ground. "I can't stop thinking about you…or what happened in the bathroom."
"You have to tell them." Draco said and Harry looked up with his eyes wide. "You don't have to go into detail, you don't even have to mention that night. But if you don't tell them about how you feel soon you're going to lose your mind."
Harry sighed and looked away again. "Why did you have to come into the bathroom?" he asked, not expecting an answer. Draco moved forward and Harry looked up in time for their lips to meet.
"You made the first move, Harry, when you kissed my arm." Harry shook his head. "Don't be a coward now." And with that Draco walked passed Harry, leaving him out by the Lake with his brain drowning in his own thoughts.
Coward. The word was ringing in Harry's head like a bad song and he squeezed his temples. He was pacing in front of the Fat Lady dreading going into the common room. He thought about how much easier his life would be if he just hopped on his Firebolt and left Hogwarts...but then 'coward' echoed in his head again and he sighed, stepping through the portrait hole. He knew they were all going to be waiting for him and sure enough when he walked in all three of them rounded on him. Harry almost laughed as the first thought in his head was how thankful he was that he wasn't covered in mud.
"Harry, what the hell happened?" Ginny demanded.
"Listen, I-"
"Where have you been all day?" Ron asked.
"Can you guys-"
"Harry, we're very worried about you!" Hermione interrupted. Harry was getting very frustrated and it was this that pushed him into the crazy thing he did next.
"I'm in love with Draco!" he shouted. Everyone froze, a pin-drop silence settling heavily over them. Harry looked at all three of them and took this opportunity to explain further. "We've been spending a lot of time together and it just kind of happened." He said.
Ginny stepped forward and slapped him, storming up into her dormitory. Harry expected Hermione to go after her but she just sank down into the armchair staring at Harry. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Ron. "Harry, how long have you felt this way?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know…I didn't really think about it until Draco said something. I mean, I've been drifting away from Ginny for a while now though," he said and chanced a glance at Ron. He was looking horrified and Harry looked away again.
"And this is why?" Hermione asked. Harry hesitated for a moment but finally nodded. That was all Ron could take; he walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitory without looking back again. Harry was watching the stairs for a long time before Hermione spoke again and got his attention. "You should go." Harry threw her a hurt look and she shook her head. "Not because I don't want to be around you Harry, but I have to talk to Ron."
An overwhelming feeling was building in Harry's chest and he was starting to feel if he stayed still it would crush him. Nodding once at Hermione he quickly walked out of the common room, and once in the hall he took off running. He had no destination in mind but he had to keep moving. He pictured them sitting on Ron's bed talking about him and he ran faster, letting out a growl of frustration. He slowed as he reached the bottom of the grand staircase and stood in the entrance hall, breathing heavy and wondering where to go next. He sank down on the bottom step and dropped his head in his hands.
"I take it the talk didn't go so well?"
Harry looked up and saw Draco approaching him, sinking down next to him on the step. "What are you doing here?" Harry asked, wondering how much of a coincidence it was that Draco seemed to wander the halls just as much as he did.
Draco shrugged. "I was bored." Harry rolled his eyes and didn't say anything. "So? What happened?"
"What do you think happened?" Harry snapped, but he immediately sighed apologetically. They fell into an uncomfortable silence; Harry was fidgeting with his fingers and Draco was just staring at the doors.
"How long do we have to feel upset before it's ok to fuck?"
"What?" Harry looked over, his eyes so wide they hurt.
"I mean, that's why you just compromised your friendships, so we could be together."
"Yeah, but-"
"We can go to my room, or an empty classroom, or-"
"Stop that!" Harry said and he stood up. His face was burning and he was avoiding looking at Draco.
"Ok…so you don't want to talk about it. What if we don't talk then? You just stop me when you want to stop." Draco said and before Harry could process what he said Draco was on him, his lips pressed to Harry's and his hands around his waist. Harry's sound of protest was lost and only lasted for a moment. He closed his eyes and kissed Draco back; he really did like kissing Draco. As the kiss got more heated Draco pulled away. "Come with me." He said and grabbed Harry's hand, pulling him along to the dungeons.
"Won't people see us?" Harry asked.
"Don't worry about it." Draco said. As soon as they walked into the common room Draco waved his wand and the group of people sitting on the couch slumped over.
"Isn't that a little extreme?" Harry said looking back at them. Draco didn't answer and just continued pulling Harry up the stairs. Once in the empty dormitory he shut the door, waved his wand at it, and turned to Harry. Harry had been looking around the room and now he met Draco's eyes. Draco advanced on Harry but Harry met him half way, his fingers tangling into Draco's hair as they kissed. Draco continued to push Harry backwards until his legs hit the bed and he fell down onto it. Draco let him and he looked down at Harry, sitting on the bed and looking back up at him. Grinning he bent down and kissed Harry again, climbing on top of him. Harry's hands roamed up into Draco's shirt, sliding up to his chest. Draco sat up and pulled his shirt off, tossing it aside and kissing Harry again.
Harry's hands moved up and down Draco's back, the muscles swimming beneath them as Draco moved around. He pulled away and yanked Harry's shirt up, kissing and licking his chest and stomach. Harry pushed himself up and Draco followed; Harry pulled his shirt off completely and traced his fingers down Draco's sides. Fixing Draco with a lustful stare he started unbuckling Draco's belt. Grinning again Draco stood up and finished the job while Harry worked on his own. In seconds they were both rid of their clothes and before either of them could appreciate the moment Harry reached out and pulled Draco back, kissing him and pulling him on top of himself.
Their naked cocks were gliding together as both of them were pressing their bodies into each other, moving in a matching rhythm. "Harry…I've wanted to do this for a long time." Draco gasped, his breath hot against Harry's cheek. Harry responded by kissing Draco harder. He opened his legs a little wider and let Draco settle comfortably between them. Draco sat up and admired Harry for a moment; then he grabbed his wand and muttered a spell, making his fingers and Harry slick. Harry met his eyes and nodded slightly, trying to relax his body. Draco entered Harry with one finger, looking up as Harry gasped but moving it anyways. When Harry's breathing became more regular he added a second finger.
"Fuck!" Harry moaned and his back arched, forcing Draco's fingers deeper. Draco separated them a couple times and then added the third while Harry gripped the bed in tight fists. Draco moved his hand back and forth, twisting it and opening Harry's hole. "Draco!" Harry gasped and threw his head back. Draco took his fingers out and grabbed his wand again, muttering the same spell for his cock.
"Are you ready?" Draco asked, resting the head against Harry's pulsing hole. Harry nodded and pushed up slightly, taking the head of Draco's cock in with a sharp gasp. Draco slowly pushed in all the way and Harry groaned as he was filled. After a few moments Harry opened his eyes and looked right at Draco. "Harry-"
"Move!" Harry groaned and Draco did. He pulled out almost all the way and then moved back in, setting a slow rhythm. Harry reached up and grabbed Draco's shoulders, pulling him down. Draco adjusted his body and laid over Harry, his hips keeping his rhythm but the new angle making him go deeper. Harry moaned loudly as Draco's cock brushed against his prostate. Harry reached between their bodies and wrapped his hand around his cock which was now becoming painfully swollen. His other hand was in Draco's hair, who now had his head buried in Harry's neck as he grunted with every thrust. "God, Draco…I'm going to come." Harry's words were now desperate and rough.
"I know…Harry, fuck this feels good." Draco said, his words muffled against Harry's skin. Draco started moving faster, driving into Harry harder. He lifted his head and looked at Harry, holding his gaze for a second before coming down and kissing him. Harry suddenly threw his head back and with a strangled groan he came, ribbons of come shooting on Draco's stomach and dripping onto his own. His body jerked and writhed as his orgasm rolled through him and when it was over he all but collapsed, Draco's thrusts the only thing making his body twitch upwards. His hand fell out of Draco's hair which he'd been gripping in a tight fist and suddenly Draco's nails were digging into Harry's back, his head thrown back. With his final thrust he came hard, his body shaking with his orgasm. Then he fell over Harry, unable to support himself any longer.
Both of them were gasping and sweaty, and finally Draco rolled off of Harry, laying down beside him. They stared at the ceiling in silence until Draco broke the silence.
"That was better than the bathroom." He said grinning. Harry turned his head and looked at him. "Are you ok?" Harry nodded and looked back up and the ceiling. It was a long time before Draco spoke again. "What are you going to do about your friends?"
"I don't want to talk about that right now." Harry said. "They'll find me when they are ready." After a moment Harry felt the bed move and he looked over as Draco lifted himself onto his elbow, leaning over and kissing Harry. "I guess it was worth all the trouble."
"You guess?" Draco asked and before Harry could answer he kissed Harry harder. Draco pulled away and lay down on Harry's shoulder. He was starting to get sleepy and he settled into the mattress getting more comfortable. "I take it you're not going back tonight?"
"I'll give them some time." Harry said yawning. He knew that tomorrow he'd have to go and deal with his friends but right now it was easy pretending all of that didn't exist. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander away from all of that, settling onto what happened tonight. And with those thoughts he leaned his head down onto Draco's and he let sleep take him.