A/N: This chapter goes, as usual, to all reviewers. Also to Carson my beta/editor you are my hero as you well know, I just like to remind you! Also to all you Canadian readers out there, I know Saskatchewan doesn't have a mountain range and I know I put one in the last chapter. But the Sturgeon-Weir River is close to Manitoba, so were all just going to keep quiet on the geography and pretend that there's a mountain range there. So, everybody, shhh! -puts finger to lips-
Warning: Self-mutilation in this chapter, mentions and the actual act.
Disclaimers- These characters are not mine. I just play with them while JK Rowling isn't looking.
Chapter Nine- Harry Centric Conversations
Harry woke the next morning slightly confused, there was someone in his bed with him. Who would be in his bed with him? This didn't make any sense at all. He still had his eyes closed, although he wasn't sure who he had slept with, their arms around him were very comforting, and warm. He didn't really feel like moving yet, so he continued to lay there. As he did so, he gradually began to remember what had happened last night. Telling Draco of his past, Hali, the dementors, the abuse, Draco knew more about his past then everyone. Well except Hali, who knew everything.
The blonde boy stirred and tightened his arms around the other. Harry decided that he really didn't mind waking up like this, he could tell that today wasn't going to be one of his best days. But, also he knew that it was greatly improved by waking up to the feeling of being cared for. He wanted to keep laying there and not have to move all day, but he would have to get up and canoe. Soon enough, he would have to… but not yet. He snuggled deeper into the blonde's arms, relishing in the comfort.
They stayed that way for several minutes before Harry noticed Draco really was waking. There was no real distinction, just a slight change in breathing and even more tightening arms. Harry and Draco both just kept lying there, neither wanting to show the other they were awake and both too comfortable to care what that meant.
After several more minutes Draco half sat up and looked down at Harry, "You awake, Harry?"
"Ya. You?"
Draco laughed and laid back down; his one arm was still around Harry's shoulder as he snuggled closer to the dark-haired boy. Harry sighed contentedly; it was very comfortable to lie in the tent like this. He didn't think anything of the fact that it was a boy –a boy he had once hated none the less- that was giving him this much needed comfort. Draco was his friend, that's what friends did.
Ron would never do this, no matter how good a friend he is.
That doesn't mean any thing; he had never told Ron something that caused him to break down so completely. He shifted slightly, bringing his left arm up to pillow his head on… and caught sight of his wrist. He remembered the fact that he had, at last second, grabbed his trusted razor and shoved it deep into his pack. Should he need it, it would be there. He felt like he might just need it soon, maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually.
He felt Draco shift as well and quickly pulled his sleeve down to cover the scars. This was one part of his past he had yet to tell anyone, but Hali, and he hadn't really planned to tell her. She just caught sight of his arms one night after his fifth year, he had been thinking of Sirius. He never felt the need to do it as much when Hali was around. She was like a temporary, partial cure. The urge didn't go all the way away, but it lessened.
"Thanks again Draco, you have no idea how much that helped," Harry whispered, his face was half buried in his arms and Draco's.
Draco's arms tightened again in a hug, he whispered back with his face resting in the unruly black hair of his friend, "It was no problem, Harry, I'm glad it helped," Draco gave the boy one more squeeze and let go, he wanted to see if it was time to get up yet, or if they could sleep a little longer.
Harry rolled off the boy's arm and sat up. He ran a hand through his messy hair and said, "sleep, or wake up?" Harry sounded hopeful.
"Dunno, I'm gonna go check, wait here. If we can sleep more I'll be right back," that said he unzipped the tent and slipped out.
Harry lay back down and stared at the roof of the tent. He was happy that he had had time to get to know Draco, even though it had only been two days. He thought it a little odd that that he could go so quickly from hate to… whatever this was, more then just friendship. He had told Draco things that he had never even told Ron or Hermione.
"Harry? Did you go back to sleep or what?" Draco smiled as he stuck his head through the flap of their tent, "Well it's like fifteen minutes until we actually have to be up," he stepped into the tent and sat down on his sleeping bag. He looked like he was ready to drag the other boy out there early, but Harry had other ideas.
"Well good, I was comfy, lay down we have fifteen minutes to kill."
Draco laughed and laid back down, he wrapped his arms around Harry again. The sound of Remus' voice caught their attention twenty minutes after, though it felt like hours. Even with the extra minutes of staying in the tent, they were the first students to go help with breakfast.
ooOoo
The next three days of the trip passed rather uneventfully, they had their first portage and it went very well. The only person to complain had been Ron and it had been halfhearted. The days had been pretty similar to the first one, they canoed, they stopped to eat lunch, they canoed, and they stopped to make camp. The only difference was Harry. His moods were greatly improved, but he was slowly and surely slipping into melancholy. He was cheerful and exuberant most of the time although he would occasionally slip away from every thing, stare into the fire or out across the water, just lost in his thoughts.
Draco noticed all of this, but didn't mention anything as he knew that Harry was still happy for the most part. The two boys had had another fire watch to sit through during which they had learned a lot about one another.
Upon waking up that morning, Draco had known today would be different, today was not a good day. Tonight was going to be their third night to do fire watch and Draco was looking forward to the discussion that was going to pass. Or at least he had been looking forward to it; he knew that Harry got thoughtful and withdrawn on his bad days. He had himself witnessed several of those days from afar.
Harry was still sleeping pressed against the blonde's chest, and he wore a frown on his beautiful face. It did not seem to lesson the beauty, but rather accentuate it, make it raw and heart wrenching, the face of a fallen angel twisted with years of torment. Draco gazed at him in awe at his beauty and sadness at his horrible plight. He gently smoothed the raven locks from the boys sleeping face.
Harry unconsciously moved his face closer to Draco's hand and the blonde sighed. He was determined not to wake the dark-haired boy; he hadn't gone to sleep quickly enough for Draco's taste and had woken countless times in the night. Draco had lain awake for several hours after Harry had thought him asleep, listening to the other boy's whimpers and feeling the boy toss and turn at his side. He had pretended to roll over in his sleep and had flung an arm over the boy; he'd pulled him close and fed him silent support in his loneliness.
Harry was beginning to stir and Draco laid back to pretend to sleep. He knew Harry wouldn't buy it for long so he decided he would have to fake wake up now as well. He stirred and stretched his one arm coming up from across the boy's chest, but the other remaining firmly wrapped around the still half asleep boy's shoulders.
Harry squirmed slightly and rolled over to face Draco, "Morning Draco, do we have to get up yet?" his voice sounded subdued, hell his whole attitude was subdued and Draco didn't like it.
"Not yet, Harry, we have about another hour," Draco replied softly after a glance at Harry's watch. He did a double take and looked back at the boy's arm, "Harry, what's that on your wrist?"
"It's called a watch 'Co, I would have thought you knew that," Harry's voice was lightly mocking, but he sounded a little worried as he tried to casually put his arm behind his head.
Draco reached out and grabbed the appendage in question as Harry tried to hide it. He pulled back Harry's sleeve and gasped in shock.
Scars.
They ran all up and down the teens arm. Harry jerked his arm back and looked determinedly anywhere, but at the blonde boy.
Draco was knocked speechless. Never would he have expected this to have occurred. Harry took his silence as disgust and spoke up.
"I understand that you don't want to talk to me ever again. You only have to make it through this trip with me. Then you can go back to happily hating the very thought of me for the rest of your life," Harry sounded so close to tears that Draco snapped out of his shocked state.
"What are you talking about, Harry?"
"You don't have to call me that anymore, I know you must hate the very thought of sleeping in the same tent as me. If there was a way for us to change tents I would, but I don't think we can so-"
Draco cut him off, desperate to make his friend feel better, "Harry, I don't hate you, I'm not disgusted by the thought of you, I love you, Harry. You're so brave and strong and you've been through so much, I don't think anyone else would have been able to cope with it like you have. Don't think I would abandon you so easily! Never think that, Harry!" Draco was rambling so quickly that neither boy really caught that he slipped that particular four letter word into his spiel.
Harry started to cry; Draco pulled him closer to his chest and whispered sweet, soothing nothings in his ear. Harry curled into a tight little ball against Draco's chest and wept until he had no tears left. He finally sat up and turned his face towards the blonde boy. His eyes were red and he had tear tracks running down his face, but he was still beautiful, it made him look all the more the part of the fallen angel, "You don't hate me?"
Sometimes Harry looked and sounded just like a child, especially with his small build and his huge green eyes, "Of course I don't hate you, Harry! Now lie back down, I believe we have an hour to kill?"
"Yes Draco, I do believe we do," Harry lay back down and buried his face in the taller boy's chest. Draco looked down at the boy in his arms and tried to remember how he had ever thought his father right about him. He tightened his arms around the boy and Harry responded by curling closer.
Draco hadn't forgotten today wasn't going to be a very great day for Harry, but he also knew that had he not been there to talk Harry back into sanity, Harry would have ended up with another scar on his arm. Little did Draco know, Harry might just end up with one any way.
ooOoo
"Kids! Time to get up!" Remus' laughing voice sounded from beside the fire.
Harry and Draco unwound themselves from one and other and made their way from their tent. Harry was standing a few steps behind the blonde with head bowed. Remus glanced at him then shot Draco a confused glance. Draco shook his head sadly, glad that Harry was looking down and couldn't see their silent interaction. Remus sighed tiredly and went to flip the pancakes that they were making for breakfast.
Draco saw that fire wood was running a little low and went to collect some more, Harry trailing behind him. They both gathered an armful of twigs and sticks and made their way back to the fireside. Draco was watching Harry, though Harry didn't seem to notice. He was starring off into space, lost in his own thoughts. Draco frowned in worry wondering what the other boy was thinking about.
Harry was thinking about how much better his moods had been since they left the school, he was trying to think of why that was. He attributed a large portion of it to being away from the school and the suffocating amount of people therein. That wasn't all of it and he knew it, an even larger part of his gratitude was for the boy next to him. Harry shot a glance in Draco's direction, but quickly looked back down when he saw the other teen was watching him as well. Draco's forehead creased in a frown, Harry was avoiding looking at him, and he wanted to know why.
Harry was trying to talk himself away from the trusted razor in his pack; he felt the desperate need he always did before he cut. Today though, he didn't want to do something that would make Draco look so shocked and disgusted again, he wanted to keep himself sane for the boy. He didn't want Draco to be disgusted by him, even though he deserved it. He wanted to make the blonde boy proud.
Even though he couldn't get his mind away from the glinting of steel biting into his flesh. The sight of his blood rushing through his smoothly cut skin calming him, and the pain a temporary respite from his tortured soul. Thinking of it was making the itch for steel under his skin grow worse. He pushed it away, forcing himself to think of his blonde friend, this calmed him. He could wait for now, but not for long. He so wanted to make Draco proud!
Harry let out a shuddering breath and turned to the blonde who was still looking at him in concern. He forced a smile onto his face; it wasn't nearly as hard when he looked at his friend.
Draco smiled back, but he could see the anguish under the smiles. Harry was trying so hard to be a good friend, even by lying about being happy. Draco vowed he would talk to the boy tonight on their fire watch.
ooOoo
"Harry, Draco, when we get to the camp it's your guys' turn to get the wood to start the fire while everyone sets up their tents. When you're done, you'll go get more wood to keep it going and then you two can go set up your tent. Ron, Blaise, your turn to make supper," Sirius' voice pulled Harry out of his thoughts and back to reality. His canoe was just pulling up to the little beach next to the others. He and Draco got their things out and set off to start the fire.
The fire was lit, the tents were up and everyone was sitting around the fire eating their dinner. The schedule for the fire watches was the same as the first night. Remus pulled out the map and showed them where they were again and he and Sirius went off to bed amongst a mountain of filthy jokes. They sneered back and kept on their way.
The students started to wander off with quick goodbyes from behind hands used to cover yawns; it had been a long paddle today. Soon there were only three groups left out by the fire; Harry and Draco, Ron and Blaise, and Hermione and Pansy. The former two groups were laughing and joking around, but Harry was just staring off into the fire and Draco was watching him. The other four gradually fell into an awkward silence as they saw how the other two were occupied. They exchanged worried looks, Pansy and Hermione stood on a silent consensus, they said their quiet goodnights and left. Ron and Blaise exchanged another look; Ron raised his eyebrows and nodded his head towards Harry and Draco. Blaise shook his head with a tired sigh, he reached out and tapped Draco's knee. The blonde glanced over at him with a questioning look. Blaise inclined his head towards Harry and raised his eyebrows.
Draco stood and held his hand out to the dark-haired to help him up. Harry grabbed his hand without a second thought and hauled himself to his feet; it was obvious he hadn't noticed anything of the silent discussion. The blonde and the brunet said their goodnights and headed to their tent.
Ron watched their retreating backs and sighed again. He turned back to Blaise; the dark skinned boy was starring into the fire, looking defeated.
"What happened to him?" Blaise said it quietly.
"Harry? I wish I knew."
They were silent another couple minutes, "He seems a lot better here then he was at the castle, but it's getting worse… I don't know how to say it, but you can tell right? You are his best mate after all."
"He was getting better… I mean this is still a lot better then he was at school… Draco's helping him a lot I think… it's really nice of him to help Harry like this…" Ron trailed off.
"Draco has always had a soft spot for Harry, I mean, remember how he asked Harry to be his friend? Well, Malfoy's don't do that, people ask to be friends with Malfoy's, not the other way around; but Draco just went up and asked him, then Harry turned him down, and he hated him. No one turns down a Malfoy… ever… it's just not done!"
"Malfoy with a soft spot never would have thought it possible," Ron stared off in wonder, still processing this amazing information, "and for Harry Potter none the less!"
"Ya we were a tad shocked when we got to be old enough to realize he didn't really hate the boy. By then we were starting to resist the Dark Lord, so we were all practically on Harry's side. If we had realized what his obsession really meant before that, Draco could have been in real trouble with his father. I shudder at the mere thought," he pulled an exaggerated shudder.
Ron laughed then grew serious again, "I think that Draco might be Harry's best help at the moment, I'm glad he's there for him. I just hope he can help him."
"Me too Ron… me too."
ooOoo
Meanwhile Hermione and Pansy were having a very similar conversation in their tent. Hermione was lying on her sleeping bag staring at the top of the tent and Pansy was sitting on hers cross legged facing Hermione.
"Do you know what's wrong with, Harry?"
"He's depressed… has been since Voldemort… he just… hasn't been the same. You know?" Hermione turned pleading eyes towards the Slytherin girl. "I know, Hermione, the Slytherins have been watching Harry… we know he's been different as of late, I mean he hasn't threatened Draco once all year! That's a shock, even after we all changed sides," Pansy's weak attempt at humour got a small smile from Hermione.
"Ya, all the Gryffindors were pretty surprised when Harry didn't do a thing to aggravate Draco, we thought he had just gotten more mature, and I'm sure that's a part of it… but, he just didn't seem to have the energy for it anymore. Some days he was so happy we were all relieved, but then some days he was so… unlike the Harry any of us knew. He was so distant on those days, he was so depressed," Hermione trailed off tears filling her eyes.
Pansy scooted closer and pulled the other girl into a hug, "Shhh, it's all right, Hermione; it's not your fault. You did all you could to help him, and you did help! You can see it a lot better as an outsider, you and Ron and the rest of your silly lions helped him so much. Even on his bad days he always got brighter, happier, when you guys were there."
"Really?"
"Really, I wouldn't lie about that now, would I? I thought you knew me better then that, Granger!" Pansy was trying to sound stern, but her grin gave her away.
Hermione laughed and Pansy's grin widened, "Ya, I guess I did, thank you, Pansy, that helped a lot."
"No problem, 'Mione, no problem at all."
"Do you think he'll get better?" Hermione's voice was faint with exhaustion.
"I'm sure of it! With friends like the lions and now the snakes to help him! How could he not?"
"Of course, how could I think anything else?" Hermione drifted off with a smile on her lips.
ooOoo
"You still awake, Siri?"
"Ya, Rems, what do you need?" Sirius sounded groggy.
"Have you been watching Harry lately? He was so… distant today. He only spoke when asked a direct question and even then his answers were rarely more then a few words long. I'm worried about him."
"Yes, I did notice that, he did seem more distant today… but, it's not that bad, he was talking to Draco this morning in their tent, wasn't he? And of course your worried, it's our job as his godfathers to worry about him, no matter whether there is something to worry about or not," The animagus rolled over and enveloped his lover in a hug.
"I know Sirius, doesn't make it fun to worry," This got him a laugh and his own lips twitched in response,
"…but, ya, now that you mention it, he and Draco were talking in their tent this morning. That makes me feel a lot better; at least he's talking to someone!"
"I know it's hard on you, babe, but, Harry's okay right now, he has Draco, Ron and Hermione, and all the other students to help him; and if something really starts to go wrong, they'll come to us," he leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on the werewolves' lips.
Remus returned the kiss fiercely before pulling away and curling into the ex-convicts embrace, he drifted off.
ooOoo
"Harry? Time to get up for fire watch," Draco said quietly into the other teen's ear. Draco knew that Harry was awake; he had been for several minutes now. He had therefore heard Ron and Blaise come to wake them up, but he had waited for Draco to wake him.
Harry turned over to face the blonde; their noses were millimeters apart as he spoke, "Okay, Draco, I'll be right over, got to go to the bathroom real fast."
"Okay, see you out there then."
Harry slid out of the blonde's arms, his sleeping bag and the tent before Draco really registered him having moved. He sighed and went to watch the fire until Harry got back; it was taking him a while. Draco got lost staring into the flames and lost track of time.
Draco pulled himself back to reality and looked around; Harry was nowhere to be seen. He stood and looked around again slowly, "Harry? Are you there, Harry?" No reply. He was getting worried now. He walked away from the fire and back towards their tent. He scanned the trees for a sign of where Harry had gone. There was only one recognizable trail that was near to their tent, he ran down it after only a moment's hesitation. He had to find Harry. Something bad was happening, he could tell.
ooOoo
Harry sat back on his heels and watched the blood run down his arm, past his wrist and onto his hand. It formed a small pool in the center of his palm; the moonlight reflected off the crimson blood and made it appear silver for a moment. He stared in to it a moment and saw his face reflected back at him, warped and demented in the surface.
He cried out and flung the blood from his palm and onto the greedy ground. It took anything to quench its terrible thirst and appease the plants that plundered its surface. Not caring that it was using the blood of a living being to sustain itself. Harry watched, entranced, as the earth soaked up his blood and rung it dry of sustenance.
Harry was so entranced he didn't hear the footsteps behind him as the person was drawn to the sound of his cries. He jumped as Draco placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Harry what are yo-?" Draco started to question and caught sight of Harry's arm, which he hadn't bothered to hide. "Oh… come here, Harry."
He held out his hand, Harry shied away initially, but eventually reached out is own hand and allowed Draco to hoist him to his feet. He stumbled, so the blonde wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him. Draco grabbed his arm, held it away from his body and up. He pulled out a handkerchief and tied it tightly around Harry's bleeding forearm.
Draco guided him back to the fire and took a closer look at his arm. The cut wasn't very deep, but it was bleeding a lot, Draco would have to keep a lot of pressure on it. He reached over the back of the log they were leaning against and grabbed a water bottle; he opened it and pulled the handkerchief off Harry's wrist. He poured the water over Harry's arm and used the handkerchief to scrub off all the partially dried blood. Harry winced slightly at when Draco started to clean it off, he tried to pull his arm away, but Draco kept a firm hold on it. He pulled a spare handkerchief he kept out, and tied it more securely around Harry's arm.
While he did all this Harry had tears coursing silently down his cheeks, Draco reached out when he was done and wiped them gently away. Harry looked at him and his eyes were clouded with misery and pain.
Draco couldn't take the pain he saw there; he pulled the smaller boy onto his lap and stroked his back as the boy cried into his shoulder. Draco whispered soothing words into Harry's ear until he calmed. Harry pulled back slightly and went to move off the other's lap, Draco was having none of this though, and he held Harry in place and started to talk to him.
"Harry, do you remember when I told you what my father used to do to me?" The brunet nodded, eyes wide and red with tears, "My father used to beat me, and verbally abuse me as well. He would yell at me the second he got home for something trivial, like I left a book out on the kitchen table, and then he would smack me. My mother would try to stop him when he first started doing it, but he would just hit her too, so I made her stop."
He paused and gazed into the fire a moment, "At first it was just a few smacks, then later he wou- he would grab my hair and pull me out of the room and down to the dungeons. He didn't want to get any of my blood on the expensive things upstairs, but down in the dungeons it was fine. He would beat until I was unconscious or I faked it, then he would stumble off and get himself a drink. My mother kept trying to stop him, she would yell at him and he would turn to her, he'd forget me like that and start beating her.
"Every night he would start beating me and she would intervene, then one day I saw a letter she had received from a healer, my mother was pregnant. That was when I finally convinced her to just let him hit me; she had to protect her baby and herself. My father found out, he knew it wasn't his and so he killed her. He killed his wife and my unborn half sibling. My father," he spat out the word like it stung, "set up an ingenious cover story for himself. He used a lot of people and pulled in many favors, but he got it done. I never had a funeral for her, as no one ever found her body, but we had a memorial. In this old Victorian Church, where she always wanted to be buried, the room was full of narcissus; the flower after which she was named… it was beautiful."
He paused again and was surprised when he felt Harry's small, cold hands brushing away his tears, he hadn't even known he was crying, "What I'm trying to say, Harry, is that I know what it's like to be at your absolute lowest, I know what it's like to snap and want to end it all, but you can fight it, Harry! If I can, I know you can as well! Please, Harry, I don't want to loose you because of things in the past that you can't change, I'm not telling you to forget, Harry, never forget. Just don't dwell on things you can't change," he finished with his voice barely more than a whisper.
Tears were silently coursing down Harry's cheeks and he was shivering like mad. Draco put his arms and pulled him close. Harry turned into the blonde's chest and let the sobs rack his small frame. Draco rubbed small circles on the brunet's back as he let his own tears flow.
The two stayed entwined with each other for several minutes before their sobs subsided. Draco pulled back, furiously wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. He looked down at the top of Harry's head. The dark haired teen was still curled into Draco's embrace, but pulled back when he felt the others eyes on him. Harry reached up and grabbed the older boy's wrist to stop him from rubbing at his eyes. Draco gently pulled his hand free to wipe away the others tears, Harry shivered at his touch and he jerked his hands away, afraid they were cold.
Harry turned and stared into the flames, "Thank you, Draco, th-that helped a lot," he chuckled darkly. "I seem to say that a lot around you… but it does, it really, really does help." Harry turned his eyes to the blondes face, but wouldn't look him in the eye.
Draco grabbed Harry's chin and forced the boy's eyes up to his own, "Harry, you know I don't mind at all helping you. I want to be here for you, no matter what that entails, even if I have to sit here with you every night for the rest of my of and let you cry into my shoulder. I'll do it if I have to!"
Harry looked into the blonde boy's eyes, searching for a sign of uncertainty, a sign that Draco really was uncomfortable and just wanted an out.
He didn't find one.
"Thank you," was all Harry said, but it was all he needed to say because Draco looked into his eyes and say just how deeply grateful the other boy was.
He pulled the boy closer and whispered into his hair, "no problem, none at all, Harry."
ooOoo
A breeze gently ruffles the tent, throwing shadows over the still forms of Harry and Draco. Harry absentmindedly stares at the ceiling of the tent, the shades and colours dancing across the vinyl. When peered upon, Harry seems to be all there, but really he is far away. Far enough away that no one can hurt him inside.
The only person to notice the unstill silence is Draco. Silver-blue, seemingly cold, eyes stare at the unknowing brunet. Last nights conversation constantly replaying in his head. The blood churning image of Harry's cut wrist never leaving his thoughts. It was a living nightmare.
Draco shuddered slightly as he replayed the imaged of Harry's blood running down his arm in his head for the hundredth time. Draco desperately wanted to keep staring at the beautiful angel; he needed to think of all that had happened last night, but Harry had noticed Draco's shudder and was slowly coming too. Draco closed his eyes and suppressed a sigh; Harry was the first person he had ever told about his mother, he didn't know what to think about that.
"I love your eyes," Draco looked up shocked into Harry's emerald eyes, rarely did Harry initiate conversation, let alone with a term of endearment.
"What?"
"Your eyes, they're so… riveting. They change all the time, from blue to grey to silver. I love them," Harry reached out a brushed Draco's fringe out of his eyes.
"Really? Then, what colour are they now?" he started in with a bit of Slytherin arrogance now and put his nose in the air, just to make Harry laugh.
Harry laughed quietly and shoved his shoulder, "They're silvery-blue right now, they always are when your thinking."
Draco sucked in a breath, he loved that Harry already knew what colour his eyes were according to his thoughts. He had to suppress the wild grin that threatened to spread across his face when he made Harry laugh, today wouldn't be bad, not like yesterday at least.
Harry smiled when he saw the blondes struggle, he knew he caused it. Staring at the blonde he remembered the night before and his grin quickly fell away, he had failed his friend, he had so wanted to make him proud, but he had broken down.
Draco saw the smile fade and suspected he knew what the cause was; he pulled the small brunet closer and tucked the unruly head of hair under his chin. Harry curled tighter to the Draco's chest and let out a sob. Draco hugged the boy and waited patiently for him to calm. The brunet pulled back and wiped his eyes, his other hand still curled in his friend's shirt.
Draco pulled him back close and kissed the top of his head. Harry was shocked at the show of affection; he didn't want to embarrass the blonde, so he kept the shock to himself. He leaned in further to his friend's chest and basked in the borrowed warmth. Draco's arms tightened as he thought of what that act meant. He stayed like that for several minutes, before half sitting up and staring down at the blonde. Draco stuck out his bottom lip in an adorable pout, "Harry!" he whined, dragging out the y petulantly, "I'm cold now!"
Harry laughed, "Tough luck, I gotta pee," he stood and made his way out of the tent. He looked back and saw Draco frowning slightly and sighed. "Seriously Draco, I'll be right back, come look in a couple minutes, if I'm not."
Draco looked intently into his eyes for a moment and nodded once; Harry flashed a smile and slipped out of the tent. He lay down and waited for his friend to come back, he was worried, but Harry returned within five minutes.
"Told you," Harry said as he lay back down next to his friend.
"Ya I know, and I believed you, well at least I mostly believed you. I'm just worried about you is all," the blonde sighed as he wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled him close.
"I know Dray, I'd be worried too if it were you, thanks for worrying about me."
"No problem, Harry. Now, more sleep. You looked beat yesterday and we still have a good hour and a half."
"Yes, mother," Harry sighed in mock exasperation as Draco scowled, "'Night Draco, or whatever this is." Harry fell asleep to the sound of his friend gently laughing.
End Chapter Nine
A/N: Hey, everyone! Thanks for reading and just so you all know Harry is going to have one of his exhausted days, just not for awhile. Don't know how long, but it won't be for a couple chaps. It's going to be during his and Draco's solo time, so it's just going to be Draco there to help him! ;) Ooo, kinky! lol Also, when Draco says he loves Harry he means it in a friendship kind of way right now. They will be together by the end of this, just not so soon; they're going to be friends first. lolyou all inspire us! So do reviews! ;)
E/N: Sup:P This chapter was so long, I felt intimidated to correct it, haha. Hopefully all the blood and sweat (don't ask, lol) we put into this really shows, we want everyone to appreciate it:D Sorry for the long wait, by the way. One other thing before we close this chapter, is someone mentioned where I'm from, based off the biscuits comments, haha. Canada, by the way. We have biscuits too! We like it like that ;P and we'll still share…if you review shifty eyes
