The next day, they had worked on it a little more, this time sharing words. They had also agreed to eat lunch together, just to make use of the time and to work on the case a little more.
And so, it is why the two were sited face to face in an indian snack/restaurant in muggle London. Draco stared at the crowd in silence while Harry observed him.
The prat had changed. His snarky, disdainful attitude had almost completely disappeared, making him somewhat of a decent human being. Harry was surprised; he didn't actually hate being around the ferret that much anymore. It was even fun, sometimes, when they both trashed whoevee had written the papers required for the case. Most of the time was spent in silence, or sharing thoughts and ideas on the works they were doing. Harry didn't mind.
His eyes fell to Draco's fingers. They were distractedly touching his forearm, caressing the skin over the jacket he was wearing. Harry guessed what was hidden, scarring Draco's skin forever.
With a sigh, he decided to spark up a conversation. "How's your mother?" he asked. She had saved him from certain death and for that, he couldn't hate her. She had been released and was now there and abouts with her life, happily, Harry hoped.
Draco's eyes jerked back at Harry and a spark of surprise hinted them. "She's...she's fine. Why do you care?"
"She saved me, remember? Plus, sitting in silence is boring. What have you been up to until we met again?" he continued, unaware of Draco's uneasyness. He watched Draco's shoulders lift and fall back down in a shrug.
"Not much. Went to live in Paris for a while, studied a little. Then back to London, then to Romania and else. Studied dragons mostly, with Charlie Weasley. The only red head I'll ever tolerate." he finished with a small smile. Harry seemed a little surprised to see his old nemesis smile so gently. His own lips curled upwards and he nodded, encouraging Draco to continue. The young man took the invitation with joy. "I learned a lot through him. I found a growing passion for dragons. They're so great, don't you think?" he asked, his eyes tinkering with interest.
Images of the Triwizard Tournament flashed before Harry's eyes. "I mean...I was nearly killed by one at 16..." he started, shrugging. "But yeah, they're pretty cool."
Draco's reaction was surprising. A wide smile appeared on his face for a blink moment, before his cheeks took a gentle crimson colour and he dropped his eyes back to his menu.
Harry sat, in his apartment, against the sofa. His eyes wandered over the burning logs of wood in the chimney.
He was hungry but his body refused to cooperate. A glass of wine in his hand, he balanced it between fingers, unaware of the world around him. Him and Malfoy had been working together for weeks now. They had sparked somewhat of a friendship, just enough to spend decent time together.
The Golden boy enjoyed watching Draco light up at the sight of dragons, or animals, in general. He seemed to carefree and soft that Harry found himself wanting to wrap his arms around the blonde. Even more so when they walked past pet stores. Draco would stick his face up to the puppies, nose against the glass and his voice would go up a couple of picthes. And then, when he realised where he was -and who he was with- he blushed and stood straight and proud. It made Harry shake with laughter, everytime.
Tilting his head towards the ceiling, he sighed. Feeling his body slowly fall into slumber, he welcomed it gratefully and closed his eyes, just slightly. The world became a blur and he relaxed.
A rumble made him flinch, then a burst of smoke and the loud thud of a body falling. He stood, wand in hand and looked through the ashes.
A figure was on the ground, coughing. Harry pointed his wand at it, ready to attack when a voice, gentle but raspy, flew to his ears. "Potter?", it asked. Harry flinched once more and rushed towards the nearly motionless body. It was Malfoy.
"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" Harry brought his hand up to Draco. He shivered at the touch of the other man's warm skin.
"My apartment...trashed...had to get out...before hurt.." managed to whisper Draco before he fell inconscious. With a worried glance, Harry shook his partner's shoulders in an attempt to wake him up, but it didn't work. So, he brought his arm under Draco's back, the other at the curve if his knees and he effortlessly lifted the limp body to his room.
Harry took off Malfoy's shoes after proping him over the blankets of his bed. The moon was shining brightly, its rays gently reflecting on Draco's dewy skin. It seemed to glow. Harry wondered if he wasn't part veela, for he was gorgeous. Biting his lip, he allowed his fingers to brush a silver lock out of Malfoy's face. Surprised of his movement, he retrieved his hand and laid down next to the other man, at a healthy distance. He'd get more information later on.