Despite a full night's rest, Harry was still exhausted the next day. He ambled his way through Potions making a draught of living death worthy of Goyle, spent two hours learning the theory behind translocation spells in Charms and then an hour staring half-heartedly at a transfiguration essay in the library. He and Ron had barely spoken all day but Harry was too exhausted to notice much. He had never realised how much over using magic could affect someone. Draco had been noticeably absent from classes all day.
With a start, Harry realised that Ron was in fact trying to talk to him.
"Did Hermione talk to you about Krum?"
"Victor Krum? No, why?"
"That necklace round her neck, it was a gift from him!" Ron sounded repugnant, as though Krum had no right to do such a thing. He also sounded jealous which, thought Harry, was even worse. Ron had spent the last three months barely speaking to Hermione after all.
"Now you mention it, I do remember her fiddling with a necklace the other day. It was a pretty thing, silver with some stone in it?"
"White gold with a sapphire, actually." Harry whistled.
"Well he is an international quidditch player, it's hardly surprising he can afford such a thing."
"But why'd he give it to Hermione? I tried to ask her about it but she told me to mind my own business."
"I don't know, she only got back yesterday so we haven't spoken much. I'll ask her later. Shall we give up on this transfiguration?"
"Sounds like a good idea, we can get down to dinner early. We have quidditch practice tonight right?" In truth, Harry had forgotten all about quidditch in the last few weeks. They had an upcoming match against Slytherin though and really needed to get back into form. "I could grab my chess set for a quick game before dinner?"
"Nah, you can help me strategize for the next match, god knows we're gonna need it."
.
.
Hermione arrived just after the food. Now that Harry was looking for it he noticed the delicate necklace that was half hidden by her robes. She noticed him staring and shot a dirty glance at Ron.
"I had been meaning to talk to you Harry. I heard from Victor over the holidays."
"Oh? How is he?" Harry feigned ignorance anyway, trying to save face for Ron.
"He is fine, on his way to England actually. He'll be here for a match but wanted to meet me."
"I take it you said yes?"
"Of course."
"Well, um, good. That's good."
"I'm glad you think so Harry! I just need to go have a word with Luna about one of the Quibbler articles." She beamed and bounced off to the Ravenclaw table.
"Of course!" Ron did a crude imitation of Hermione once she was out of hearing distance. "You were supposed to back me up mate, tell her not to go on a date alone with him."
"Oh Ron, Krum isn't bad. He is an honourable man, why shouldn't Hermione take an interest in him?"
"He is from Durmstrang! That's like a whole school made up of only Slytherins."
"And that automatically makes him the bad guy, huh?" Ron couldn't fail to note the dangerous tone of his friend's voice. He could think of few times he had genuinely been scared of his friend, and none such as this. Harry's eyes were fixed and cold, waiting to see how Ron would get himself out of this situation.
"I..I didn't mean…"
"Don't say you didn't mean it Ron. You never gave Krum a chance once he liked 'Mione, it had nothing to do with his education."
"You never gave a damn about Malfoy before!" Ron erupted in a harsh whisper. "I don't get it, how can you go from hating each other to this? He is a Slytherin, a crook, just a step away from being a monster like dear old daddy! He'll go on trying to exterminate muggle-borns just because of some half-baked idea that he is the superior being!"
"You can't talk! You judge everyone before you get to know them as well. You didn't even try to understand did you, not even for one moment! You only ever see what you expect to see which is prejudiced and wrong! At least act like you will accept my relationship with Malfoy or at least bury it so deep in your ignorance it doesn't surface."
"Or what?! What if I refuse to accept that my best mate is fraternizing with the enemy, a sworn death eater no less?"
"Then suddenly you're billy no mates. He is not my enemy."
"He fights for the dark, you fight for the light. Explain how he is not our enemy."
"Because the world isn't as black and white as you think. He is not my enemy."
"Then you are not my ally. You are not my friend." Ron stood on shaky legs and legged it from the Great Hall. Many eyes followed him and many more settled on Harry. In the heat of the moment they had drawn a good deal of attention despite keeping their voices low. There was a great deal of whispering as Harry stood to leave also. He ignored it, simply making eye contact with the storm grey eyes across the room before leaving.
.
.
Draco was on the hunt. Harry had looked so sad when he had cast him that look in the Great Hall he had wanted to go to his side at once. Knowing this would look suspicious, Draco had forced himself to wait ten minutes and finish his beef. He now regretted this decision as he could not find Harry anywhere.
He had gone first to the astronomy tower as Harry had once said he found it a good place to clear his mind. When failing there he had gone to the room of requirement but he had managed to gain access to random rooms meaning it was unoccupied. He had then gone to the library in the vain hope of finding him there. That had only yielded a dreamy looking Hermione.
Gut instinct was telling him Harry would not have returned to Gryffindor common room which was just as well as he had no access or invisibility cloak. That had left him lost. The castle was vast, there was plenty of places for someone who did not want to be found. The little voice saying Harry probably didn't want to be found didn't stop him trying.
He had just reached the third floor corridor near to the transfiguration classrooms when he ran into trouble. Filch.
"What are you doing skulking, huh? Answer me boy!" Filch was only half visible in the torch lit corridor but that did not soften his features. The wrinkles and whips of hair made him look like some ancient demon, which in a way he was.
"Stretching my legs, what is it to you squib?" The man before him squirmed.
"Watch your tongue boy or I'll-"
"You'll what? Hang me by my ankles in the dungeons? Don't forget who I am Filch. You do not threaten a Malfoy." Draco was leering over the man who now looked scared. Without another word he fled the corridor, muttering darkly.
Draco sighed. It used to give him a kick, intimidating Filch. He seemed to have lost his enthusiasm for it in recent months. It was late. He had searched the castle for a good three hours, it was time to concede that Potter had no desire for his company. He was in a foul mood all the way back to the common room, arguing with himself all the way.
That look he gave me, it looked like he wanted me to go to him. Maybe I missed my chance to be with him, waiting those extra minutes. Maybe he didn't want my company at all and just caught my eye by chance. What had he and Weasel been arguing about? It couldn't have been me, could it? Of course not. I am nothing to him, just a project. Stop over analysing and dreaming!
His thoughts managed to carry him all the way up to his bed where upon he found an old piece of parchment. Ecstasy seized him. Potter had been here again! He fumbled his wand out of his pocket in excitement. Remembering the words he whispered them softly, tapping the map. Ink spiralled out as Draco watched impatiently.
There! What is he doing there?
Harry's little name was sat quite still at the top of a tower Draco had never visited. The map declared it the Dark Tower. It was the second smallest at the northern side, built into the mountain side. He didn't know of anyone that had bothered to explore that far, apart from Potter.
Draco picked his winter cloak off the floor and left at once. It took him a good fifteen minutes to get across the castle and climb all the steps which separated the dungeons and the tower. By the time the cold air hit is face he felt short of breath.
"Harry!" The silhouette turned. He saw a glint of white as Harry greeted him with a soft smile.
"Draco." He nodded his head. Harry didn't have a winter cloak around his shoulders, Draco moved at once to drape his own around him. "Don't get cold."
"That applies to you too." Harry shrugged.
"I was using a warming charm." He lifted the edge of the cloak, motioning for Draco to join him. Tentatively, Draco climbed up to join him. Sat between the castellations meant little room. Draco's hips where pressed flushed to Harry's slim ones. The warmth raised both heartbeats a notch. After a few minutes silence, in which Draco caught his breath, he spoke.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeh. It wasn't anything major, I mean it was just a fight."
"It was major enough for you to sit up here for four hours. You can talk to me, if you want to…" Draco trailed off, feeling unsure of himself. He didn't really know how to interact with Potter when they weren't arguing.
"I know." That little smile was back. "I was waiting for you to join me, what took you so long?"
"I spent hours combing the castle for you before I found the map." This seemed to surprise Harry who hadn't anticipated Draco to be that concerned. "I never knew this place existed."
"No? I guess it serves no real function these days, it used to be used to confine people. Sirius Black was kept here, and the Fat Friar died up here apparently."
"Cheery thought… Sirius Black, he was you're godfather wasn't he?"
"Yes. He was a good man, better than anyone knew. I still miss him. That's often why I come up here." Draco didn't know what to say to that. He had known of course that Pettigrew was the real betrayer, but he had never realised Harry had grown close to his godfather. He turned his face, hoping to offer some words of comfort, and saw silent tears rolling down Harry's face.
"It scares me, that so many people around me die or leave. It makes me terrified everyday. I don't want more blood on my hands." It felt like Draco's heart was falling through his stomach. Harry's voice had such a tremor to it.
"It is not you who killed them Harry, don't be silly."
"No, it's Voldemort. It's my fault though, it is me he is after."
"And you think these people wouldn't have stood up to him anyway? Harry you can't push people away. Much as I dislike Weasel and Granger, they are your friends. You need them and they need you, that's how friendship works. You look out for each other."
"Who came looking for me huh? Hermione will have her head in a book, Ron will be sulking or kissing Lavender, probably both. I doubt they have even noticed my absence yet." Draco thought of Hermione and her dreamy face back in the library. He did have a point.
"They have their own problems too. It isn't surprising Ron isn't ready to talk to you yet, it was quite a fight you had earlier, but he'll come round. You're Harry Potter, it's impossible not to like you." Harry smiled a little at that.
"Ron told me we couldn't be friends, not if I was friends with you. It doesn't seem likely he'll get over it."
"You were arguing about me?" Harry shrugged.
"He was insulting you. He said that you were dark and I was light. The sad thing about that is the darkness and light can never stand side by side, they destroy each other."
Draco was a little surprised by how this side of Harry wasn't annoying. He normally had no time for philosophy, and definitely not for people who whinged about life, however he found himself interested. He wanted to have this debate with Harry, so why shouldn't he? This felt like the most natural thing in the world. He was sat hip to hip with a man who wasn't judging him, who wasn't there because he was a Malfoy but because he wanted to be.
The night was clear and the lake twinkled below them. The cold air didn't reach them under the shared cloak, it was so peaceful. Draco thought carefully before answering.
"I stumbled upon a muggle story a few years ago. I found it because of some symbol, a black and white circle. It is called Yin-Yang." Draco took out his wand and drew the symbol as steam in the air. Harry watched as it faded whilst Draco continued. "The two sides cannot exist separately, they complete each other. A balance is formed. The two sides are not pure either, there is good in everything and bad in everything. I used to think it was stupid, that there was only power. The two things couldn't be equal, but they are. I'm blabbering-"
"You're not. It is something I've heard of before though I never really considered it. I think it is right, there is always good and bad, light and dark. I don't know that the line between the two is as distinct as that however. You are good at telling stories." Draco blushed slightly. He was glad to see Harry had perked up a little, even if he was still deep in thoughts. They sat in silence a little longer, merely enjoying the other's warmth.
"What are we doing Draco?" Harry's words took him by surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean this tentative link we have formed. What are we to each other? You are the Dark Lord's servant, I am his mortal enemy. Where do we stand around each other, to act such easy allies?"
"I… I would like to think you are my friend. You have been there for me when no one else was. I know this should never have happened, I don't know how or why it did. I have no desire to let it slip though my fingers."
"What if he commands you to kill me?"
"He wouldn't." It was not the answer Harry would have liked, but it was honest. They both stared out over the lake again. For many minutes they remained lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until the blonde stifled a yawn that Harry realised it must have gone midnight.
"I don't really want to go back to my dorm with Ron, can I crash in your dorm again?"
"Sure." The word was out of Draco's mouth before he realised it. There was an awkward bit of shuffling as they tried to ease themselves back off the wall and onto the tower roof. Harry picked up the invisibility cloak and gestured that he was going to wrap it around Draco's shoulders. Then, still huddled close, they made their way to bed.
.
.
The Slytherin Common room was empty, which at least made it easy to walk though. It was later than either boy had realised, nearing two in the morning. They would both be exhausted the next day too.
Once in the dorm, Draco stepped out of the cloak quickly. For it to cover both of them he had been shuffling in front of Harry. His warmth rubbing against Draco's back and the smell of Harry's breath over his shoulder had started to drive Draco a little crazy.
"Do you have some PJs I could borrow?"
"Oh um, there should be some in the trunk. One moment." In all honest, Malfoy had given up on PJs once he had the dorm room to himself. He rootled though, trying to find two clean pairs and failing. He passed the set he did find to Harry and settle for a top and shorts.
"Don't you have any for yourself?"
"Can't find them, don't worry about it. I'll draw the curtains to protect your precious innocence Potter."
My god do I like it when he does that. How the hell can a condescending tone class as attractive? Ugh I don't know how he does it. Should I offer to skip the PJs? That might mean missing up on a chance to see him though… Harry stop being a perv.
Whilst Harry berated himself for the unbidden mental images, Draco had pulled off his robes and was now unbuttoning his shirt. Despite having his back to Harry it was enough to blow the mental images to smithereens.
Ivory skin glowed in the moonlight, shadows dancing along his spine. There was a magic to it that transfixed Harry. He was staring with such an intensity Draco could feel it on his back. He refused to turn as he dropped his pants and moved into his own bed. It wasn't until he pulled the curtains shut behind him that the spell was broken and Harry was able to look away. His cheeks burnt like fires.
Harry settled into the bed he had occupied last time and sighed. He was oddly content, before a sudden thought hit him.
"I completely forgot about quidditch practice."
"Don't worry, we'll win regardless." Came the sleepy reply. Harry laughed softly.
Both boys fell asleep that night with small smiles on their faces, dreaming of the open sky.
A/N: This is quite a dialogue based chapter, but hey, that's good. I wish I was good at drawing because the image of Draco and Harry squeezed up on the roof, under the night sky, is so cute ^.^ Please review!
