Word Count: 7,571
Disclaimer:
I'm not J.K Rowling and thus I don't own Harry Potter nor do I get paid for any of this.


- CHAPTER SEVEN -
{ Drifting Thoughts }


Harry woke up abruptly and panic scourged through him at the bundles of sunlight in the room. What was the time? Was he late for- The realization of Christmas hit him and he let himself fall back on the bed with a huff, that was until he landed on something that was most definitely not part of the bed. His breath was stuck in his throat as he turned to find the blond lay there. He had almost forgotten, but now he thought back on it he remembered clearly how they had wrapped themselves up under the blankets and in one another's hold. It reminded him of his stupid feelings as well, as to why he rolled to the side of the bed before he sat up and placed his head in his hands. What was even going on here?

He decided to grab some water when he took notice of his dry throat. It was not as if Malfoy would wake up now or that the other needed to see him when he woke up or whatever anyway.
As Harry reached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, he caught his friends not too far away from where he stood.
In a swift motion, he poured himself a glass of water, put the jug back and with the glass in hand made his way over to the other two.

"Morning," he greeted. Ron and Hermione looked at him in surprise. Obviously, they had been informed of his cold and how he had, once again, managed to get himself in the hospital wing.
"I thought you guys would be gone by now," he mumbled before he sat down. Hermione hummed as she took a sip from her drink as Ron scratched the back of his head.

"Well, yes. We will, but uh. Harry, are you sure you're not coming with us?" He could have expected his friend to ask that he had joined them on many occasions after all. But this time he just didn't feel like he should interrupt. Yes, he desperately wanted to spend this Christmas with others, he needed the company, but he just couldn't allow himself to join the Weasley family.

"I already told you, Ron, I rather stay here. I'm not going to spend Christmas alone, there are other students like Luna. Just go and have fun," he said, trying his best to remain eye contact.

Harry saw Ron had difficulty with coming to terms with, he knew what that felt like. After some time Ron gave in, not trying to persuade him and the golden trio ate their last breakfast together before they would split up for over break.


When Draco finally started to wake up, the first thing he noticed was the absence of warmth. He shifted a little and moved a hand towards the place where the warmth should be, but only found empty sheets. It took him a while to fully wake up and realize that he was actually looking for Potter and that he'd already left.

Draco didn't know what he'd expected after last night. Had he expected to wake up with the Gryffindor still next to him? Maybe that was a bit of a bad assumption, seeing as he had made the other confess just before they went to sleep. It wouldn't be weird for the other to look for some privacy after that…

He sat up and tried to rub the sleep out of his face. Then he raked a hand through his hair to get it out of the way. Maybe he should just get ready to go to class, it was Monday after all.
But wait, did he even have class? Pomfrey would've woken them up already if that were the case. Draco suddenly remembered that it was Christmas, the holidays had already started. They didn't have class, and he didn't have to hurry at all. He could just take his time, fetch some coffee from the great hall and return to the Slytherin dorms to maybe take a shower or something.

Draco took his time to fully wake up and then worked himself off of the bed to take a quick trip to the great hall. When Malfoy reached the great hall, he couldn't help but notice that Potter had gone back to his friends, instead of the Gryffindor dorms, which Malfoy had previously assumed. He supposed it was only natural for those three to spend their last time together before the Christmas holidays started.

Draco decided to leave them be and simply went for some breakfast at the Slytherin table. The hall was already pretty empty, seeing as most students had probably left either last Friday or the previous evening already. The Slytherin table was also pretty empty, but Draco didn't mind that at all. All he wanted to do was get some quick breakfast anyway.

After a quick meal, he left the great hall again and went to his dormitory to get ready for the day. He wasn't sure what to do after that, but he'd decide that then.
Maybe he should inform his friends about the party.


Hermione had been looking at something behind Harry before she spoke, and the boy immediately knew what she was asking for. "Is Malfoy staying as well?" While she could have asked him directly, she was being rather careful with her words. He was going to evade the question anyway, though he felt like he should just come out and tell them. About the party and their plans about it, that is, leaving his love confession and the fact that. Malfoy and he had slept together out of the picture. That might be a story for another time.

"Yeah," he simply replied, taking a sip from his water. "In fact, we're planning to have a Christmas celebration with all four houses. You know, to have the Christmas spirit" Hermione rose her eyebrows at that while Ron whistled. "Bringing the houses together, huh? That's uhm…" he glanced behind the other before eyeing him again. "You know there will be other Slytherin students staying back here as well, right?"

Harry couldn't help but snort. Yes, he was well aware the Slytherin house wasn't going to evacuate the school to return home. Some didn't want to return home, because they knew someone would be missing at the dinner table, and others knew they wouldn't want to come back if they finally came home. The war left a mental scar on a lot of students, which Hogwarts only made burn.

The Golden trio sat there for a few minutes in silence, eating their breakfast, until the time came that the couple had to pack their stuff. As Ron packed the last of his things, back at the dorms, Harry sat on the end of the bed, silently observing the other. Ron finished up quickly, and they made their way to the common room to wait for Hermione to come to join them.

"Ron," Harry brought out in a whisper, though loud enough to make his friend turn his head towards him. "Wish them a happy Christmas for me." Ron smiled at him, offering him a hug.
"Of course."

Hermione entered the common room just as the two let go of one another and they made their way outside where the two of them left Harry with wishes for the holidays and two tight hugs, which he gladly returned. Only when his friends were too far away to spot, he turned back to head inside. He should probably get back to the hospital wing first to get his stuff, but he felt like changing clothes first. He had slept in the clothes from the day before and he didn't like the feeling of it, though the smell Malfoy had left on them was rather comforting.

Against his will, he made sure to note that he had to wash the bundle of clothes before he grabbed something else to wear. He picked out a simple sweater from his closet and pulled the one he was wearing over his head. With a huff, he dropped it on the ground, next to his bed. He ruffled his hair with his hand, noticing the dust coming from it.

'Maybe take a shower first, huh.'


Draco had been putting it off for ages but understood that he couldn't do that any longer. He had to tell his friends and right now was the perfect time, as they were all sitting at the same spot. He walked up to them and joined them after a short greeting.

"So, we're still not allowed to ask where you go, but are expected to just welcome you back like this?" Zabini scoffed, clearly not okay with the fact that Malfoy was being so secretive. This was no surprise to Draco, Zabini had always been quickly irritated by being left out of something.
"Well, actually," Draco started, "I suppose I can tell you. I've made up with Potter."

Blaise frowned at him, clearly not having expected that to be the reason for his absence lately. "Why?" He asked, seeming almost a little merely returned his offense with a cold glare. "Because I've decided to come to terms with my childish past, and apologize for it."

The other Slytherin let out a disapproving laugh. "Why would you do that? I know you, Malfoy. You wouldn't do that unless there's something in it for you."
Blaise would have been right, Draco realized. But he'd changed, and so had his standards. "That's true," he admitted, "but I've changed. I've grown up."
"Yeah, right," Blaise scoffed, mumbling something under his breath that sounded faintly like 'traitor' and 'weak'.

Hearing those words made Draco's blood boil, but when he spoke, his words were ice cold. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, I'm afraid you'll never be mature enough to see what you've done wrong-"
"I'm not mature enough? And you are then?" Blaise scowled. "We have endured your complaints about Potter for eight years now, you've been the most childish of us all, and now suddenly we're the immature ones?" His voice was filled with rage that had probably been bottled up for quite a while. It surprised Malfoy, but not enough for him to show it.

"All I'm saying," Draco continued, "is that I've come to terms with the war and with myself. I've been a bully, a prick, and at least I can admit that now. If you're not able to do that, if you're unable to move on from the past, I can assure you, you won't have a very pretty future lying ahead of you. The dark lord's gone, we've lost. It's time to admit that we were wrong."

A silence fell as soon as Draco was done talking. Blaise kept scowling at him, but his other friends, who'd been sitting there during the whole argument, simply looked away with a guilty expression. Draco knew everyone here was dealing with the same regrets, each person just acted them out differently. Draco just so happened to be the first person to bring that to the light, to undertake some action.
Draco eventually decided to use this silence to say the thing he'd actually intended to tell them when he came here. "Me and Potter have decided to host an inter-house party, to celebrate Christmas but also to get rid of some of the tensenesses that have been between the houses ever since the war. I'm not forcing any of you to help or come, but I would like to remind you that this is the chance to show that we're not the bullies anymore."

He decided to end his little improvised speech there, where it would have the most impact. Blaise didn't seem as angry as before anymore, but absolutely not convinced yet either. Crabbe and Goyle did seem at least a bit convinced, this didn't surprise Draco, they'd always followed his lead and would probably accept most things he said anyway. And Pansy, well, she already knew about most of this. She seemed to be in thoughts, but not in a negative way. She'd clearly accepted Draco's words, even though she didn't show it that much.
Now that he'd finally told them what was going on, he felt more confident than before. Blaise had helped him see that even though not everyone would be able to forgive each other, Draco shouldn't let himself be held back by it. He had decided to start doing the right thing and would stick with it.


Earlier Ron had given him a package, which he had put away and not opened due to their little argument. Harry stared at it for a while before he dumped the damp towel on the ground. His hair was still somewhat wet from his shower, but he didn't mind that right now. As he opened the box he found a sweater inside and he could feel himself sink further on his bed.

Mrs. Weasley had made him another Christmas sweater, she had probably sent it to Ron. But why? Had she already assumed he wouldn't join them this Christmas? Harry would feel bad for not wearing it. He got out of the sweater he was wearing and slipped the red garment over his head as he let out a deep breath.

Slipping in his shoes he went back, through the common room where a few students were seated, back towards the great hall. He wasn't sure if Luna would be there, but he decided that he could best look there first.
Once he entered the great hall, he noticed that she was not there. Neither at the Ravenclaw table nor the Gryffindor, he even checked Hufflepuff and Slytherin. With a snort, Harry looked around. Neville wasn't here as well. Where would that girl even go to around this time? He doubted if she was in the library but decided to just take a look - where, as suspected, the blonde wasn't hanging out as well.

As he finally spotted the other, somewhere in the halls after passing through many of them, he let out a long breath.
"There you are," he spoke. Luna turned around as she noticed him. "Oh, hi Harry." Like he had predicted she was working on some flyers. Harry rose his eyebrow at her as he came closer, trying to catch a glimpse of the paper as he did.
"I see you've already made progress on sharing the idea?" She nodded, walking further with the papers pressed against her so he couldn't read.
Harry followed her through the hall, leading them towards a less secluded area.
"I didn't really know what your plans were, so for now I just put down that it was a Christmas celebration," she said, handing him one of the papers.
Well, it was quite simple indeed, like she said. More of a draft than anything else.

"Maybe we should just find some of your housemates and ask them personally instead," he grinned. In return, Luna smiled and agreed as they, once again, returned to the great hall.
"I see you found Loony," one of them said as they came to a group of four. Harry nodded and decided to immediately mention the party, which he got surprised reactions too. He noticed that a duo from Hufflepuff were listening to their conversation as well.

"We want to use the room of requirement and all houses are invited. We could really use the help to decorate and set the whole thing up, you know?" While the Ravenclaws reacted positively to his message, he saw the Hufflepuffs split up, one towards him and the other out of the great hall. Turned out that they were up to it and the other was fetching some friends. Harry was glad that the Ravenclaw he had talked to before carried some parchment around and flipped out the so-called 'enhanced quill' - he just wanted to call it a pen, but decided against it. If this went on like this, then he wondered if there would even be people against the whole idea.


After the argument, Blaise left. He clearly didn't want to have anything to do with the upcoming party, and Malfoy didn't stop him. Instead, he and Pansy informed the other students about it. He was very glad to see that nearly all of them were excited about it and willing to help. Draco decided to ask a few of them to help with the decorations, which they agreed to and assumed that the others would help in their own way by bringing stuff to the party when it started. All in all, he felt pretty good when he left the common room with Pansy to show Potter the list he'd made of people who would help them, and what they would do exactly.
He had wanted to ask some Ravenclaws to help them keep track of things, now that he was requiting people anyway, but Pansy had stopped him, reminding him of the fact that most other houses probably wouldn't listen to him. Being reminded of this darkened his mood a bit, but made him decide to go to find Potter first. Draco had a great talent for convincing people, but even that couldn't overpower deep prejudice and resentment. Potter would be able to do a better job on it than he would.

Draco and Pansy ended up finding the busy group in the great hall, already planning stuff out. Draco noticed that it wasn't just Potter and Lovegood, but also a few others from various houses. What would they say if they discovered that Malfoy was hosting this party too? Would they still be willing to help, or even come?
If it hadn't been for his peak of confidence, he would've stood in the entrance forever. He walked up to the group of students with a faint smile, hoping they would let him explain himself before they judged him.
"Hi, Harry," he said. He'd decided to use the other's first name to show the others that everything was alright. Without any further explanation, he got down to his business, which would instantly tell the others that he was indeed part of this. "I've got a list of Slytherins that are willing to help with the decorations. The others have promised to help by bringing drinks and such."

The conversation had silenced at his arrival, but no one had spoken up yet. Draco looked at Harry, hoping he'd be able to ease the situation a bit.
Harry was surprised by the sudden entrance of the two Slytherins, Parkinson more to the back as Malfoy was. Not to mention the other had stated his first name in the greeting, yet he made note that the blonde had probably done that because of the presence of the other students. As he realized the other kept eye-contact with him, a smile graced his features as well.
"Draco, there you are! That's great to hear, we have been setting up a list here as well. We should add them to it later."
Luna, who stood next to him, rose her eyebrows. Not only because of the first name basis, but for the silence that lingered with the other students too. Harry sensed her speak up already but didn't hold her back. Maybe it would do well if she would speak.

"Ah yes, you two were hosting it together, right?. It's good to hear you two are not bickering anymore." Well, that wasn't exactly what he had expected for her to say, but at least that was out in the open now.
"Of course, if we invite all houses, I mean all," Harry grinned. "Anyway, Slytherins can be brave as well, so it's not like we all belong all too specific in the labels of the houses, now do we?" he casually stated in a matter-of-fact tone, directing a smile and a wink his friend's way after he had spoken.

Draco was happy with the other's explanation but decided to add some more to it. "I thought the party could be a way to strengthen the bonds between the houses, to get rid of the old feuds and have some fun before we all leave Hogwarts." He paused for a moment, looking at the group of people that was now silently listening to him. They wouldn't like what he had to say next. No one liked to talk about that, he'd noticed.
"I'm not going to deny what happened during the war. A lot of Slytherins have acted terrible, including me, which is why you're right to feel resentment towards me or my house. I'm aware that a party won't heal all of your wounds, some are too deep to ever fully heal, but I hope this party could provide the people who've done wrong to apologize and the people who've been hurt to forgive."
He stopped. Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Maybe it had sounded way too heavy and dramatic. Maybe he was too obsessed with trying to apologize and maybe he should leave the war for what it was. It was all he could ever talk about lately and that had probably gotten annoying by now.

"Anyway," he resumed, less confident than before. "That's all I wanted to tell you. If this made you more reluctant to go to the party, I'll take my hands off of it, I don't want it to go to waste because of me."
It alarmed him. This had been Malfoy's idea, he felt like it wouldn't be right if he took his distance from the planning. But he couldn't speak up for him, the other students had to decide for themselves whether they were still willing to help, to come to the party, or were fueled with too much of resentment towards the other to even accept him helping out, to accept his apology.

"Well," Luna said. "If Harry trusts you, then I don't think it's that bad."
For a moment Harry had to resist to pick the girl up and swing her around in the air. He was thankful for her words because he could already see others mumble in agreement to that, even though they seemed unsure, while others just shrugged it off and were okay with it in general. He didn't know why he had that effect on people.

Draco allowed himself to smile faintly at this. He would've been devastated if the party were to be canceled just because of him. He didn't want that for Potter, nor for the other people that were already so excited about it.
He looked back at Pansy, who seemed to be a bit amused by all of this. Of course, she was, she'd always laughed at Draco's ability to make things more dramatic than they really were or turned out to be. To Draco, the fact that she was amused, was a good sign. It was a sign that the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were willing to coöperate with Slytherins, but that the Slytherins were willing to do this too.

With a cough, Harry held his hand out towards the other. "You hand me the list, then we'll just add them to this one on the spot." Harry wasn't sure if he didn't know how to behave because of the group and the conversation or just because of the presence of the blonde in front of him. Surely, it could be because of both of those two reasons. He had tried to keep the other off his mind after he left the hospital wing, yet that was hard to do with the real thing standing right in front of him.

"Right, of course." Malfoy handed the other the list. "So, how are things going? Is there anything I've missed so far, considering the party?"
Harry took the paper and hummed in thought. "Not much, we just gathered a few students willing to help or come. None of them have given me any idea yet," he laughed at that last part as a few made offenced noises.
Malfoy nodded. "Well, there are a few things that have to be done. Like, when are we going to hold it, how late, who'll bring the food, the music, and maybe we could bring some other entertainments. I've heard Hufflepuff has a band, maybe they're willing to perform?" Maybe he was making the party too much of a big deal, but that's why he was a Slytherin. Go big or go home.
"And I suppose everyone can inform each other?" Draco looked around the group of students surrounding them. "If a Hufflepuff would be so kind to inform their house, and if a Ravenclaw would do the same, we could just make a list of who's willing to do what. Then all we need is a date and time." He wanted this settled now, not later. Otherwise, they would keep running around in circles and getting nowhere.

As Malfoy had spoken a few took that as a sign to leave while others just took a few steps away to settle down on the tables again. The girl behind the blond had kept a look of amusement through the whole ordeal and it made him wonder if something was funny about it, yet he decided not to ask. Instead, he grabbed for a glass to fill with water while he studied the list of students.
"Perhaps we could ask some of the herbology students who like to bake to make some Mandrake cupcakes?" Harry started out in the open. "Or just a cake with the house colors. As for drinks, we could use food coloring for drinks, just to keep it somewhat closer to home for muggle-borns as the basic spells."
He stopped writing as he realized how he had called up only food and drinks related stuff and scratched his chin. Maybe they could get their own floating candles in the room of requirement as decoration as well. They would need to see what the room had in store for them. "Not sure about the decorations as I have no idea what the room of requirement is gonna give us. Should have to check if there's a tree included," he mumbled as he wrote down the last few things down on the parchment.

Malfoy nodded. "You should talk with the Slytherins about the decorations, trust me they'll know what to do. Team them up with Ravenclaws and you've got quite a powerful combo. As for the food, can't we take another trip to the kitchens and see what they can do? Or maybe send some Hufflepuffs, their common room is right next to it so I'd suppose they have some connections…"
After a while, Draco realized he'd been spouting ideas and words at the others. Maybe he should contain himself a bit before he started to order people around. He was just so used to planning things out, telling others what to do, and coming with ideas, that planning a party like this came naturally to him. He knew what to do if he wanted something and this was no exception.
Pansy stepped closer to look at the list, and leaned against Draco's arm, clinging onto it slightly and ignoring his personal space as per usual. She could be strangely touchy with people, but never in an inappropriate way. Malfoy had accepted it ages ago.
"You're really taking this serious then, I'll see what I can do," she said, glancing at Draco with a little grin.
Draco didn't understand why she thought this was so funny but decided to ask her about it later. "Thank you," he merely said, giving her a small nod.

Writing along the boy with his messy hair took a long sip from the glass in front of him. Was there anything he missed? Harry was about to ask when he noticed Parkinson and Malfoy talking with each other, amusement still written on the girl's face. A frown edged on his face as he turned back to the list. Honestly, what was up with the girl?
Pressing his hands, that were cold for some apparent reason, against his cheeks he hoped it would help him think of something, and as soon as he caught sight of the Hufflepuffs Malfoy's words replayed in his mind. In that instant, he stood up, told Malfoy to keep an eye on the list, and made his way towards the students he had spotted.

He greeted them with a smile, which they both returned, as he asked them about the food-related task. "Sure, that's no problem at all. We got that covered," the reply came with a grin and he felt relieved. What, had he expected the Hufflepuffs to let him down or something? Harry returned to the table and put it down on the parchment.

Ah yes. Decorations. This time he didn't speak but just went off towards the Slytherin table to ask around. Wasn't he eager now? If he were honest though, he just didn't like the closure that had displayed between the two Slytherins just now and wanted to be away from it. He didn't like how he felt angry, he had no right to be anyway. Trying to fling his thought out the window was what he was simply doing now as he tried to check off the list for the party. Though if he were to keep himself busy with that event, the list had to grow even longer, didn't it?

The few students that were present around the table seemed surprised at first as he came up to them but soon enough joined him to discuss some things. Just to stretch time, he took out some parchment to make them draw some examples. He was going to be sorry for this behavior at the end of this day, he noted as he felt his mind grow heavy already with all the thoughts piling up one another.

Draco simply watched the other walk around and busy himself. Was he trying to do everything on his own, all at once? Surely, he should know he could always ask someone to help him… He sighed and looked away again. If this was Potter's way of dealing with things, he wasn't going to stop him. The Gryffindor had always been chaotic anyway. A very endearing kind of chaotic.

Malfoy shook his head to get rid of that thought and looked at the black haired girl next to him. "So, why have you been smiling like someone's about to make a really nasty, but entertaining fall?"

Pansy grinned sweetly at him. That couldn't be good. "Because you're finally excited about something again. I like it when you get all bossy and determined, that means you're happy." She lowered her voice a bit. "You've been all depressed lately, grumpy and agitated. This is the first time this year you're actually excited about something. Let me have my proud friend moment, would you?"

Malfoy looked down and let out a short, sniffy laugh. He'd almost forgotten that Pansy did care about him. She just rarely showed it. It was nice to have her tell him this, because he hadn't realized it himself. "Okay, okay fine," he said. "Glad you're happy because I'm happy then."

Pansy let out a soft chuckle, patted his cheek with her hand and nodded.

On his way back Harry noticed the two Slytherins being even cozier and he then and there decided he was just going to leave right this moment. He went over to Luna, opposite of the table where the blonde was talking with his Slytherin ex-girlfriend. "Luna, you know where Neville is hanging out?"

The girl frowned as if she noticed his behavior. "Well, I would suggest the library possibly to research some plants?"

Of course, the library again. He nodded and turned around on his heels. As he came back to the table he assembled the papers."Can you keep it with you?" He asked the blond, not handing it to him or waiting for a reaction as he placed the bundle of loose parchments on the table next to the other before he walked away again. This time he wasn't searching someone to help or come to the party, but just someone who could get his mind of… other things.

"Yes, of course…" Malfoy answered slowly, and a bit confused by the other's quick speaking. He seemed a bit agitated, had something happened at the Slytherin table? However, Draco didn't have the time to ask, because Potter was already walking off. Something had absolutely put him off, but what? He looked down at the papers and examined them to see if they were any good. This didn't take him long. He neatly stacked them back together again and rolled them up to take them with him.

"What's gotten him bothered?" Pansy asked, faintly staring at the entrance of the great hall, through which Potter had just left. She didn't seem confused, but rather curious.

"I don't know," Malfoy answered. "I guess I'll ask him later."

"I suppose so…" She mumbled, clearly deep in thought about something. She eventually turned back to Draco and folded her arms. "We're done here then?"
Draco nodded. He didn't know what else to do, so maybe they could just return to the common room, get some tea and a book… They left the great hall and started walking back to their dormitories. It was then that Pansy suddenly perked up, wearing a smirk that simply meant trouble. "Speaking of acts for the party," she began.

Malfoy quickly interrupted her before she could continue talking. "Don't you dare, Parkinson."
"Come on it could be wonderful," she insisted.
"I said no."
"Why are you saying no so quickly? You play wonderfully, it's a shame no one is ever allowed to listen to it."
Draco grumpily avoided her expectant gaze. "You're allowed."
"Which is why I know that you'll be amazing-"
"Only you are allowed, Pansy. I'd rather keep it to myself."

Pansy's playful expression turned a bit grimmer, and Draco instantly regretted being so harsh about it. "Look," he said, "No one here even knows I own a violin, it's kind of a personal thing. The fact that you even know I play is because you caught me doing it once. I've never shown it to anyone, ever."

Draco had gotten violin lessons since he was about 8. He'd always loved it when his parents hired musicians for their parties or dinners, so after a lot of pleading his mother had allowed him to pick an instrument to learn to play. She'd always thought it was very charming and had often watched him play. She, his father and Pansy were the only people who knew about it. It was one of the things Draco held close to himself, a good childhood memory that he shared with his mother. It was a fragile thing to him, and he was terrified that it would shatter if he wasn't careful enough.

"I know, sorry," the black haired girl sighed. "Then at least play for me again sometime, it's been a while."
Draco nodded faintly. It had indeed been a while since he'd played, maybe he should try to pick it up again sometime.

They continued their way to the common room, still chatting softly. Draco wondered what Potter was doing, and why he'd walked off like that. He somehow felt like it was his fault, but he couldn't remember doing anything wrong. He'd just have to ask him later, it was no use worrying about it now.


Upon arriving at the library Harry found himself walking towards the shelf with potion books instead of searching for the other Gryffindor, he stared at the books with a frown. Why was he standing here? Harry was about to leave and continue through the library to find the other when it suddenly all fell in place. The assignment.

Luckily he had finished most of it. He could just write the last bit now and add it to the whole that was still in the hospital wing, with his other belongings. Harry grabbed the book and went back to the tables. Somehow it felt weird to sit at that same table without Malfoy, so he went to sit somewhere else. As he continued his writings, he managed to get stuck at some parts and with a groan circled them, knowing he would have to ask someone to help him.

It was when he was about to give up on his work and search for Neville, ten minutes in his work, that the said boy came walking up to him with a thick book. He looked nicely surprised when he saw him. "Harry, it's good to see you. How are you?" As the boy closed in Harry turned around in pleasant surprise.
"Neville. I was about to finish this and search for you." The boy frowned at his empty spaces on the paper, yet decided not to ask for it as Harry continued to ask about his book, which he found to be rather more interesting as the homework.

While he had practically told the other to tell him about the book, he honestly couldn't even follow what the other was saying. His thoughts were focused on whole other things, as he still had a specific Slytherin in the back of his mind. Malfoy had said he needed time to think about it, but Harry didn't want him to. He didn't need the other to straight-up tell him that, no, I'm sorry, but i do not feel the same. If anything, he was just glad they were friends.

When the other finished talking, he simply smiled and told the other he was leaving. It was useless to stay if he couldn't keep his mind in check. He let out a deep breath and walked through the halls, not sure where to go to. Like this, he wandered around until he found himself back at the hospital wing. Harry let out a breathy laugh and shook his head while he made his way inside without questions and sat back on the bed he had left that morning. His stuff was still there and Pomfrey had filled his glass and left a note with it, stating he should drink it if he were to see it.

Although he had things to do, like making sure he got that assignment all finished up and continue the organisation of the party with the other students, he couldn't help but to wet his lips as he looked at the somewhat messy sheets. Did it have their scent? He didn't know why he felt like it was such a bad thing to crawl under the sheets, but after he kicked his shoes off he dared himself to wrap in the cozy blankets which definitely held both their scents. He breathed in and groaned as he realized what he was doing before he dropped his head to nestle in a comfortable position in the pillow. It wasn't as if he was tired, he just didn't want to be bothered by all his thoughts and feelings right now. He wanted to rest, to just lay cozy like this.

With a huff he decided to grab his almost-done bundle of papers to combine it with the papers he had written in the library like half an hour ago.

That stupid Parkinson clinging on Malfoy wouldn't get off his mind and he liked to say he actually despised this feeling. If only the blond would forget all about his stupid confession, he would do so as well and surely things would turn out fine. He had gotten over Cho Chang, he had gotten over Ginny, so he could get over Slytherin boy Malfoy as well.


Draco spent the rest of his day sipping tea and reading a book. The common room wasn't busy, which allowed him to do it there, in one of the cozy chairs next to the fire. Many students thought the Slytherin common room was probably cold and nasty because it was located underneath the lake, but that wasn't the case at all. Slytherin was the home to a lot of rich and pureblood wizards, of course, the dorms should fit that status.

As he looked through one of the windows into the lake, he started thinking about his future. His parents had left him at Hogwarts for now, but he couldn't stay there forever. This was his last year, after that he was supposed to find a job and earn his own living. Many Malfoys had lived or were living on the family's money: few of them actually worked. Draco wondered what would happen to the manor, their fortune, and to his parents. There was a chance they wouldn't return to England, so what would happen to their belongings? Would Draco inherit it, would he even want that?

He shifted his gaze away from the window and leaned his head back against his chair, staring up at the ceiling. He was so used to living in great wealth, that he wasn't sure how to act without it. He was used to the finest clothes, expensive stuff, servants and big manors. Would he be able to turn his back to all of those things, if that was what it took to be self-dependent? He really liked the idea of finding himself a nice job and staying in London, but would he manage to do that?

Somehow, these pressing thoughts weren't the only thing on Draco's mind. Potter kept interrupting them, with his emerald eyes and fluffy hair. With that slightly trained body and Merlin, the dimples he got when he smiled…

Draco let out a frustrated sound and slapped his book shut. Why was he becoming so obsessed with the other? He thought it'd stop after he knew for sure what Potter felt for him, but that had only worsened it. The Gryffindor kept popping up in his mind at the worst times, accompanied by the most embarrassing thoughts. Draco was becoming a mess, even when he wasn't directly in front of the other. He really needed to sort things out, he needed to decide if he wanted to put his feelings away before they worsened. His mind and heart were fighting each other, leaving him confused and desperate for some rest. How was he ever going to figure this out…

There had to be something to get his mind off of things, there had to be something he could do. Malfoy was pacing the common room, thinking of a way to distract himself. Reading wasn't good enough, and going outside with his broom would be no good in this cold either. He didn't want to spend time with his friends as well, he honestly preferred to not talk to anyone for a while. Then what was there left to do?

He suddenly remembered Pansy's earlier request. She'd asked him to play for her, but he was probably very rusty. He had to practice in order to show her something he deemed good. He'd wanted to pick it up again for a while now anyway, this was the perfect opportunity to actually do it. There was only one problem: where would he be able to play in privacy? In the past he'd used the room of requirement, maybe that could work again…

Draco got the stuff he needed, made sure it was in a small bag that no one would suspect, and hurried off towards the room of requirement. Now, this room had always been some sort of safe haven to him. He'd been using it to practice since his fourth year, and the room had always taken the same shape of a certain room in the Malfoy manor that he felt very familiar with. It was like a little trip back in time, back to his childhood. The only thing it lacked was his mother to watch him.

This time it was no different. As Draco stepped through the door, quickly to avoid being seen by anyone, he found himself in a surprisingly light but warm looking room. The walls were white with blue decorations, and filled with paintings of flowers and landscapes. The furniture, consisting of a sofa, some chairs, a small coffee table, and some plants, was authentic rococo, wearing pastel colors with golden decorations. The room had a calm air to it, smelling faintly of flowers and summer. It lacked the windows that had always put the room in such beautiful lighting, but even without the windows that lighting still seemed to be present.

No one would expect such a room to be a part of the Malfoy Manor, which was dark, mostly wooden and decorated with silver and green tones. It was a practically forgotten room, which resided right next to the gardens.

Draco assumed it had been his mother's wish to create the room but had never heard the full truth about why it was there. He simply loved it and was glad it existed. He was even more glad that Hogwarts had granted him the chance to revisit it when he wasn't at home.

The Slytherin walked to the sofa and put his stuff down. A few music sheets were already placed on the small table, probably containing his favorite pieces.
He couldn't wait to begin.


A/N:

A shorter chapter as the ones before, but I guess that gives some room to breathe. I also feel like it has a lot more horizontal lines to divide scenes unlike the chapters before, apologies for the sudden change.

Due to my other stories I gotta upload, it will certainly take a while longer for the next update. However, for a (free of charge) preview on chapter 8, you can take a look at my [ Patr. Eon ] page! (deletes the word due copyrights)