They travelled down the winding corridors to the Slytherin classroom. Harry sat down on the window sill currently lined with blankets and pillows. Someone recently seemed to have used the sill as a bed. Harry got comfortable, brought the blanket around his shoulders and looked down at the courtyard far below them. Malfoy locked the door and sat next to Harry mimicking the blanket cape with one from the floor draping it around his own shoulders.
"It's nice to have a quiet moment," Malfoy commented as they watched over the students milling about. Most of them dispersed as the bells rang signalling eight o'clock. It was hard to tell but Harry was almost certain they were NEWT students practising patronuses, the few that had stayed that is.
Harry nodded absently, "I never really thought about what we do after everything." It was almost a whisper his voice came out so soft.
Malfoy smirked, "Maybe you didn't but I did." Just as quickly as the smirk appeared his face dropped into a sudden scowl.
"Someone is trying to kill you, I have a feeling they may well sabotage the next task as well. The egg from the first task, it's a clue by the way. Nev has been holding onto it so when he wakes up all three of us can spend the day trying to figure it out. We need to be prepared well in advance." As he spoke Draco looked into the distance, off towards the forbidden forest. It looked like he was planning for war and that was weirdly comforting for Harry.
When Malfoy looked to see Harry staring at him he blushed. "Look Potter I know I'm being intense but it's almost guaranteed whoever is doing this has political motivations, and if things do get political they can go badly, quickly."
Harry raised an eyebrow,"My Uncle thinks it's politically motivated too. I don't get it though the war is over isn't it? I don't know why someone would want to kill me now…"
Malfoy reached forward putting a hand on Harry's shoulder, "The war may be over in physicality but it's still going on in people's heads. I've seen it on both sides, my father still has a getaway house to send me and my mother if this all starts up again. I have family members in jail for war crimes. Potter the whole reason you grew up away from magic was because of the aftermath of the war."
His grey eyes were storming, a mix of rage and fear. Harry didn't know what to say.
"Some people have been waiting for you to get to this age just to start the whole war over again. If people can make this political they will, people always do and Potter they'll look at me first."
"But you saved me, you could never hurt me." Harry said it off handedly before he suddenly realized what he had said.
"I mean, I wouldn't let that happen, I'd find a way to clear your name." Harry was a deep shade of red but talked as though he hadn't noticed.
"Just like your Uncle?"
He tried to hide his wince and he drew his legs in closer. He pulled away slightly from the other boy wanting to disappear altogether. It was true after all, Harry had let Wormtail get away. Harry was surprised when Malfoy moved forward putting both his hands on Harry's shoulders.
"That's not what I meant." He caught Harry's eye and seemed to try to speak through them. "I meant that your advocacy alone is worth nothing without very specific evidence. Evidence that always has a chance of slipping away. Not through the fault of any one person, maybe even destroyed purposefully by the hands of another...Our enemies."
Harry felt himself relax at, 'our enemies' it was nice to feel like someone was on his team. He let his shoulders drop and his arms fall to his side, Malfoy let a hand drop to Harry's knee. "We have to be more careful Harry, we have to be strategic, we need to be careful who we let in. I think that we can trust Nev."
Harry smiled, "We can always trust Nev. He's a good kid."
Malfoy smirked,"Don't distract me while I explain our plan of attack." Malfoy was winding himself up. Harry knew he was too exhausting to handle at the moment..
"But I'm tired, let us enjoy today at least. We can talk about everything tomorrow."
Harry had meant for it to be playful but it almost came out as a whine. Malfoy seemed shocked, but he smiled softly. "You know, I've never heard you say you wanted to take a break, like ever in four years of knowing you. I guess we have several months, no need to jump into everything all at once. Would you prefer some chess?"
So they played chess, and Harry managed to steal a victory out of one of their five rounds. By the time the sun broke through the clouds, Neville burst through the door immediately wrapping Harry in a bear hug after a moment grabbing Malfoy too.
They spent the rest of the morning catching up on classes, swapping gossip, and just generally hanging out. They were being teenagers and slacking off a bit. Honestly Harry was having fun for the first time in forever.
Once their stomachs started complaining of neglect, Malfoy went down to get them all lunch leaving Neville and Harry alone for a moment.
"He's changing, sometimes you can see him slip into his old ways but man is he trying for you." Neville was resting on his arms and looked relaxed for the first time in maybe all of his Hogwarts career.
"I don't know if it's all for me…"
Neville gave Harry a look, it made Harry feel like he was missing something. "Malfoy has always had a soft spot for you but you've never really been around to see it. I don't know what got you two to sit down and have a civil conversation but you seem to have gotten him thinking, at least about more than just himself, I don't think anyone has gotten him to do that in his whole life."
Harry was blushing but continued on anyway. "I mean he learned I was raised by muggles and I don't know he acted like it turned his whole world upside down or something."
Neville raised an eyebrow, "You were raised by muggles?"
"I never told you?" Harry thought for a moment, he had always ignored the questions about his family, dodging them or outright saying he didn't want to talk about it. "I guess I didn't, yeah I was raised by my Aunt and Uncle they're muggles."
Neville seemed to think for a moment, "No wonder you're such an advocate for muggleborns."
"Malfoy was saying something along those lines, is this a big thing? Politically I mean." Harry was confused; he wanted to know more, the politics of the war, what his parents had really been fighting for, why Voldemort was seemingly immortal… He had a lot of questions and no answers…
Neville shrugged, "I'm not sure myself, Granny doesn't talk about politics if she can help it."
Harry noticed something, that Neville was lying. Harry didn't push him, they didn't have time to talk about it before Malfoy returned. He did keep a mental note on the matter, they would have to talk later.
Draco returned moments later with several sandwiches wrapped in napkins.
After the boys had eaten it was finally time for them to open the egg. All three boys sat with baited breath as Harry gently turned the clasp. The egg snapped fully open and the most horrific screaming filled the room. All three boys scrambled to close it, Harry nearly threw it across the room.
Neville's eyes had gone wide, "They made you fight a dragon and now what, are they going to torture you? They can't just torture him right?" He was looking at Draco who also seemed to have been shaken down deep.
"I won't let them," Draco spoke through gritted teeth. He took a breath before continuing. "No, no they wouldn't just torture him. I can't get into it right now but that would just be a lawsuit waiting to happen. There must be more to it. Going with the magical creature theme, maybe it's a Banshee?"
Harry realized Malfoy was talking to him now. "That was fucking terrifying," Harry's voice was just above a whisper, he didn't take his eyes off the egg swallowing hard and trying to collect himself. "I mean if it's a banshee that's not much of a clue that's just telling us flat out."
Malfoy sighed, "I hate that you're right. Well I'm still pretty sure it's a magical creature… Nev, can you search up any screaming plants? I know that didn't sound like the mandrakes but maybe it's some other species we don't know about. This is supposed to be for seventh years we're at a slight disadvantage."
Neville nodded absently, Harry was almost certain Nev hadn't heard a word Draco said. Harry shifted and grabbed Neville's arm gently. "You okay?"
Neville took several breaths before nodding turning away from the egg. "Yeah I'm fine, can we not open that egg again. Just not today at least?"
Harry nodded, "I'd prefer if we didn't. We're supposed to be celebrating anyway- we beat the dragon." Neville's smile reappeared and Harry felt his own heart lighten.
"You beat the dragon. Me and Malfoy just read some books and stayed up late a few nights."
Draco made a noise and Harry turned to look at him, "Nev, Potter I as an objective third party can say we 100% beat a dragon. Potter, twice in a row I might add, is in the right. We'll worry about the egg later. Let's go on a walk, I think classes have started again by now. I'd like to lounge by the lake undisturbed."
Malfoy had grabbed his cloak and seemed to be preparing to leave before either boy could argue. Harry shrugged at Neville giving him a small sympathetic smile before getting up to follow. Neville seeming far more reassured followed suit.
A boy who could see some hope in the world, a boy who was learning to unlearn, and a boy who had waited four years to finally find friends that made him feel this safe.
