Harry opened his eyes to find people standing around him they all faced away from him and seemed not to notice him at all. He was still in the arena, he could smell it, the sulphur. The golden egg sat a shining blob a few feet from him. One of the lenses in his glasses had completely shattered on impact, the other had a severe crack. The people, dragon keepers, were corralling the dragon back into the holding area it had been in before. As he watched, Harry's flight instinct suddenly kicked in, he tried his best to stand but fell, and in the panic found it easier to crawl towards the egg.
He scrambled across the jagged stone ground, as he made his way he could hear shouting from the stands. He could feel the roar of the dragon shake the stadium, Harry pulled his limbs in and paused for a moment keeping his eyes on the exit. He held the egg to his chest, and waited for heat.
Once the roaring stopped Harry continued his slow and treacherous crawl. He didn't hear anything, he just felt a sudden force against his skull before everything went dark.
The next time Harry gained consciousness he could feel warm cotton sheets around him and hear the cold hushed tones of an angry Malfoy.
"Someone is obviously trying to kill Potter. They literally let the dragon loose, the fact that he is alive is a miracle. The fact that you were too stupid to see it up until now is your own fault. Do you know how much you two hurt him? Do you know how much you isolated him from everyone?" Malfoy hissed, Harry felt a vague pressure on his arm.
"Look Malfoy you can't really blame us- No he can, you guys have been assholes."
Neville interrupted Ron, sounding more confident than Harry had ever heard him. "Honestly you guys shouldn't do this here, not right now... I don't even know why you came. You really wanna make your peace? Come in when he's awake."
Harry couldn't take a stab at what was said before this but obviously it hadn't impressed Neville.
There was some shuffling and Harry took the opportunity to try to open his eyes. He was laying on his side, he could see the end of a green tie. Within seconds that tie had turned into a set of very blurry grey eyes.
"I told you so," Came a soft voice, a hand coming up to his cheek and brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Welcome back to the realm of the living."
Harry couldn't hold back his smile. "I honestly can't believe I'm back." Harry's voice was raspier than he expected and Malfoy seemed to grimace when Harry spoke. "Did the dragon actually come loose from its chains?" It felt like rubbing sandpaper against the inside of his throat.
"Only one of its arms, it was one of the dragon keepers who knocked you out the second time. Do you remember that?" Malfoy sat patiently next to Harry while he sat up and looked around to see the blotchy beige infirmary. It seemed like he was the only person there. The sky was giving everything an eerie blue tint; it was the colour of a rainy day.
"I remember crawling around," Harry hummed, "What time is it?"
Malfoy checked his watch, "Almost seven, it's Friday so you know. You've been out for a couple days but Pomfrey said it wasn't surprising. Your body went through a lot of shock…"
Malfoy seemed on edge and moved to sit on Harry's bed, "Honestly Harry it was unnerving seeing you thrown from your broom like that."
Harry looked Malfoy over for a moment letting it all sink in. He was practically on top of Harry, and close enough Harry could make out his expression. It was a weird mix of anxiousness and excitement, somewhere between public speaking and a surprise birthday. He was wearing the semblance of a uniform enough Pomfrey wouldn't give him what for. However they were in such disarray calling Malfoy in uniform might be like calling anyone wearing a tie being in school uniform.
A second wave of reality hit, and Harry realized he was alive and somehow he and Malfoy had a moment alone to enjoy it.
Harry chuckled softly his body ached a third wave of reality trying to hit but he barely noticed. Actually he was starting to get giddy, he felt pulled to go outside, he had to run just for a little bit. Even if his body hated him for it. He knew he had enough time to be back before Pomfrey did her morning check at eight.
Harry wasn't sure if Malfoy would follow but he knew he had to run if he wanted to get back in time. "I gotta do a thing real quick, ugh don't be a narc okay?"
Before Malfoy could get his response out Harry scrambled out of bed and slipped slightly as he raced across the infirmary. He caught himself and was on his feet and down the hall in no time.
"Harry! Where are you going?" Malfoy yelled after him as he raced to keep up. They were at the staircase to the courtyard and Harry took the steps three at a time. He could feel vertigo gripping at the edges of his vision and knew he had to hurry.
"Outside, Malfoy don't you understand?" Harry was running faster than his brain could keep up and found himself in the middle of the courtyard. He stopped and took a huge breath of fresh air filling his lungs until it hurt.
He took a moment looking up at the sky and feeling the wind in his hair. Maybe he could grab his broom before Pomfrey woke up- He felt warm hands on his arms, and he looked down from the painterly clouds to the stormy grey of Malfoy's steely eyes.
The boy was already drenched and was taking off his cloak and draping it around Harry. His eyes were cold but his mouth was trying to hide his smile. His lips were moving too, reprimanding Harry for something or the other. Harry couldn't hear him, he could only hear the rain.
He couldn't help himself, he lunged at Malfoy and he hugged tight. Pushing his face into the other boy's chest and listening to the rain and Malfoy's heart beat. He paused a moment wanting this to last forever, feeling the heat from Malfoy surround him completely.
"We did it!" Harry spoke softly, he was sure Malfoy couldn't hear him.
Then he started laughing again softly at first but then he couldn't hold it back, he laughed long and hard. Pulling back from Malfoy and looking him in the eye "We fucking did it!".
Malfoy's voice slowly came back as he pressed his forehead to Harry's. "Are you listening to me? You're going to get sick, come on we need to go back inside."
Harry froze for a moment, that third wave of reality finally pushing through. He could feel the ground slipping underneath him as the vertigo came crashing over him. He leaned into Malfoy, finding it hard to stand. Harry's whole body ached, his left shoulder protesting against the pressure. After a moment the nausea passed and Harry was able to walk back to the wing.
They walked back in silence but Harry caught Malfoy beaming at him more than once. The hospital wing was still empty and silent, Malfoy went over to Harry's cot and reached into the bedside table laying out a pair of hospital pyjamas and pulling the divider open.
"At least from that little episode we know your stupidity has returned as well as some of your health. Now, get changed before you catch a cold." Malfoy's tone was soft, and he waited patiently as Harry struggled gravity coming back to him, his limbs responding slower than he expected.
"Ta Da," Harry sarcastically announced as he revealed himself.
Malfoy sighed, shaking his head, "There he is the boy who lived, you wanna sit down?"
Harry raised his eyebrow, "Not really, do I have a choice?"
Malfoy's eyes narrowed, "No, sit Potter."
Harry resigned himself to the bed sitting on his pillow and wiping his dirty feet on the sheets under the comforter. Malfoy frowned sitting on the edge of the bed. "No wonder Pomfrey was complaining about you. You are a handful."
Harry crossed his arms, "Were you guys talking about me while I was out? I can't defend myself, that's not fair." Malfoy threw back his head and laughed, "Maybe if you're lucky I'll tell you one day about all the gossip we swapped about the precious golden boy."
Harry frowned, and after a moment said, "Who all was here?"
Malfoy shrugged looking down at his hands inspecting them, apparently finding nothing wrong he moved onto inspecting his still wet shirt. "Longbottom, and I spent most of the time with you. The youngest Weasley -Ginevra I believe her name is- visited briefly with the twin Weasleys… McGonagall of course came. Unfortunately Potter you aren't too popular these days."
Harry stuck out his tongue, "More popular than you."
Malfoy sneered, "Oh shut up." As he looked away the sneer dissipated into a smirk. "I sent a letter to Sirius, I hope that's okay, I told him what happened. That you were injured but okay."
Harry paled slightly, "Th-Thank you." He felt a pang in his heart, thinking about what Sirius might have done if Malfoy hadn't sent word. "I can't tell you how much that means to me."
Malfoy's face had gone red, "Maybe you can send another letter today, if we're lucky you'll be out by the afternoon. Longbottom and I have been taking turns going to classes so all three of us can go over the notes. I suppose Pansy might join us as well…"
Malfoy fell silent as Pomfrey suddenly entered the wing, Malfoy stood up allowing Pomfrey space and placed his hands behind his back.
"Good Morning Madame," He greeted with a formality Harry could only dream of having.
Madame Pomfrey smiled; she looked tired this morning, but her hair was pulled back and her apron was neatly pressed over her robes. "It's lovely to see you awake, Mr. Potter how do you feel this morning?"
Harry smiled, "I feel better than ever." It was true, but he also ached terribly not that he was going to say anything.
Pomfrey gave him a look over, she seemed concerned but couldn't find anything to be worried about. She sighed and ruffled his hair, "I'm sorry to be so cautious Mr. Potter but you took quite the fall. It's rather remarkable you've recovered so quickly. If you feel strange or sick in any way please come right back, but for now you are free to go."
Harry jumped up, "Thank you Ma'am! I promise I will."
Malfoy smiled and followed suite giving Pomfrey a wave, "Au revoir Madame merci pour t'aider."
Pomfrey smiled, "Au revoir Bon Chance!"
