Harry
practically ran to the hospital wing and flung open the door.
Madam
Pomfrey was standing at Malfoy's bedside, next to her was Dumbledore, he was
talking softly to Malfoy, they all looked up as Harry burst in.
"Mr
Potter! What do you think you are doing?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. Dumbledore
raised an eyebrow. Harry turned a striking shade of red.
"I
just just wanted to see how Mal – Draco is – I'll go I can see you are busy."
"No,
no that's fine Mr Potter, myself and Mr Malfoy have finished talking and I'll
be on my way." Dumbledore stood up and strode out of the hospital wing.
Draco
was sitting up in bed, a slight smile playing over his lips – probably
amusement at Harry's discomfort. Harry shuffled towards him, avoiding his eye.
"Nice
of you to come, Potter." Draco said in what sounded almost like his usual
drawl.
"S'okay."
Harry mumbled. "Well come a little closer Harry, I can hardly hear you from
over there." Harry was surprised by Malfoy's use of his first name; he moved
forward and perched nervously on the edge of Draco's bed. For a few moments,
there was silence, neither seemed to know what to stay. Harry now felt really
stupid for having rushed up here in such a hurry, why had he been so keen to
see how Draco was, they weren't friends, they didn't even like each other.
Eventually Draco broke the silence, when he spoke his voice was little more
than a whisper and Harry had to move closer to hear what he was saying.
"Thank
you for last night." Draco's cheeks coloured a little as he spoke but his
demeanour remained relatively calm.
"What
do you mean?" The words left Harry's mouth before he had realised that he had
decided to speak. Draco looked faintly annoyed at the question.
"Well
I've never been held before and it – well it helped." He trailed off and looked
away, obviously embarrassed. Harry felt inexplicably pleased, he suddenly felt
that he should try and put Draco at ease.
"I
just didn't think you should be alone." Draco reached over and touched Harry's
arm. "Would you hug me again, please?" Draco asked uncertainly. Harry thought
that he had never heard Draco say please before. He moved towards Draco and put
his arms around him tentatively, he could feel Draco respond – his arms around
Harry's neck pulling him closer. This felt different to all the other times he
had spent with Draco, this was truly intimate, they had never held each other
before, it was always about gratification and lust, now there was tenderness.
Harry
stroked Draco's back and they sat there just holding each other, unspeaking.
Madam
Pomfrey came around the corner and gasped at the sight of Harry Potter and
Draco Malfoy hugging, but she decided not to interrupt and quietly slipped
away.
Harry
and Draco broke apart and Harry noticed that Draco had tears in his eyes and
his own felt decidedly moist. Again there was silence for a few moments but
this time Harry didn't feel as uncomfortable as before. Again it was Draco who
broke the silence, he had shifted away from Harry and was leaning back against
the pillows, arms crossed over his chest as if protecting himself from an
invisible attacker, her looked nervously at Harry as he opened his mouth to
speak as if expecting Harry to attack. He looked at Harry for a few moments,
appraisingly as if deciding whether he was trustworthy, evidently deciding he
was, Draco opened his mouth to speak but as he leaned closer to Harry, the door
of the hospital wing opened and Professor Snape came in.
He
approached the bed slowly; shock and surprise registered all over his face as
he spotted Harry sitting on Draco's bed their heads almost touching.
Harry
moved away from Draco sharply as Snape's cool, crisp voice cut into his
thoughts.
"What
are you doing here, Potter?" He asked, making no attempt to keep the sneer out
of his voice. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but before he had the chance,
Draco was speaking for him.
"Harry
brought me here last night Professor, he was just calling in to see how I was."
Snape raised an eyebrow at Harry before looking away and speaking to Draco.
"Professor
Dumbledore informed me of your news, Draco." He said in an unusually gentle
voice.
"I
just wanted to tell you," he paused and looked around at Harry uncomfortably as
if he did not want Harry to hear him being pleasant.
"You
can go now Potter." He said, "Mr Malfoy has enough to deal with, without you
bothering him as well." He glared at Harry and Harry started to get up, to his
surprise Draco reached forward and took his arm, holding him back.
"I'd
like Harry to stay, I want to talk to him." Draco said coolly, Snape eyed Harry
in surprise but said nothing. Harry's expression was much the same as Snape's
but he remained seated as Snape moved closer to Draco.
"Very
well, Draco but if there is anything further I can do for you, please do not
hesitate to let me know. I will be happy to talk to you at any time if you wish
to."
At
this Snape got up to leave and Draco smiled at him before thanking him for
coming and assuring him that he would go and see him if he needed to talk.
Snape
left the hospital wing, leaving Harry alone with Draco once more.
"Do
you know why Snape hates you so much?" Draco asked Harry suddenly, Harry nodded
mutely surprised by Draco's question.
"Yeah,
he hated my father, so he hates me." He replied, Draco shook his head.
"That's
not quite true Harry, Snape did not hate your father, he was in love with him.
My father told me." He added, Harry looked aghast.
"It's
true, he loved your father and never got over him choosing your mother over
him, then there was that incident with the Whomping Willow, he hated being
indebted to your father, when he just wanted to stop thinking about him. They
used to meet up like we do, only Snape took their relationship much more
seriously than your father, he made the mistake of falling in love."
Harry's
face was pale and he was shaking his head as if to try and remove the thought
of his father and Snape together.
"I
thought you should know. He knows about the two of us as well and he thinks
history is repeating itself, he thinks that you will break my heart." Draco
rolled his eyes.
"Why
does he think that?" Harry looked at Draco questioningly and Draco averted his
eyes before continuing.
"He
thinks that I will fall in love with you." Draco smiled at Harry, it was
probably the first truly genuine smile, Harry had ever seen Draco give anyone
and it made him look even more attractive than normal. Harry felt his cock
twitch.
"What
do you think?" Harry asked, grinning.
"I
think that I have more sense, I mean I know our arrangement is only temporary
and you will eventually find some 'nice' girl to settle down with and have your
babies." Draco returned Harry's grin. "But, I realised last night that it would
be nice to have a real friend, rather than those goons my father insists I
consort with." Draco scowled when he mentioned his father and Harry reached
over and touched Draco's shoulder.
"Do
you think we can be friends Harry?" Draco asked, Harry looked at him in
surprise; this was not something he had expected Draco to say. He remained
silent for a while, considering Draco's words. At last he spoke.
"I
don't know Draco but I suppose we could try. You'll have to stop being mean to
Ron and Hermione as well, I can't be your friend if you're nasty to them."
Draco grimaced but nodded in agreement.
"I've
always been a bit jealous of you, Ron and Hermione, I mean you are really good
friends aren't you? You look out for each other and I want a friend like that.
I know that you can't expect to become great friends just like that, especially
after the way I've treated you and your friends but I am prepared to try, it's
just that my father might well kill me if he finds out that you and I are
friends."
Harry
didn't say anything for a few minutes; it was a lot to take in. Not only did
Draco want to become friends with him but he was also prepared to risk the
wrath of his father in order to do so. When he finally did speak, it was not
the most eloquent speech he had ever made.
"I
um well thanks, I don't know what to say really, I mean it's a lot to take in.
I had no idea about Snape and my dad; it does explain a lot I suppose. I keep
being told how much I look like my dad, so I suppose it's like a constant
reminder for Snape. As for you and me, I um am happy to become friends with
you, if that's what you want, I mean I care about you and everything, I
realised that last night." Harry blushed furiously and looked away from Draco
who was grinning broadly.
"You
care about me Harry?" He said, smiling again and reaching over he turned
Harry's face towards his. Harry was still scarlet and he tried desperately to
turn away but Draco wouldn't let him.
"I
care about you too, Harry. I always thought that I didn't, I thought I was like
my father, that I didn't care about anyone but I now know that isn't true, last
night taught me that. When I got that letter from my father, telling me about
my mother's death, I realised that I do care, I'd give anything for her to be
alive and for my father and Voldemort to be dead!" He spat out the last few
words, his voice full of hatred.
"Then
we definitely agree on something." Harry said, the colour fading slightly from
his cheeks. Draco suddenly clapped his hand to his mouth and looked at Harry.
"What
are you going to tell Weasley and Granger?" He asked Harry.
"Call
them Ron and Hermione, Draco that's what I call them. As for what I am going to
tell them, the truth I suppose, that we are going to try and be friends."
"What
about the sex?" Draco grinned and coloured at the same time.
"What
about it?" Harry grinned.
"You
aren't going to tell them about that are you?"
"Well
yes, I thought Ron might like a heart attack for his Christmas present, what do
you think?" Draco coloured again.
"Well,
are we still going to meet up, like before, you know?" Draco was now redder in
the face than Harry had ever seen him. "I mean do you still want to – well you
know?" It was now Harry's turn to grin.
"Do
you?" Draco looked a bit uneasy.
"Yeah, I suppose." He said quietly.
"Okay
then, I suppose we can." Harry said pretending to sound careless. Draco looked
confused and Harry leaned over and kissed him on the mouth (this too felt
different, less hungry, it was sweeter) "Okay." Draco smiled and returned
Harry's kiss enthusiastically. They broke apart both grinning broadly.
"Not
many friends kiss like that do they?" Draco said smirking.
"We
aren't really ordinary friends are we?" Harry replied, squeezing Draco's crotch
as if to emphasise his point, Draco groaned in response and Harry could feel
Draco's cock hardening under his fingers, he decided he had better stop before
they got carried away. He could just imagine Madam Pomfrey's reaction if she
caught him and Draco fucking in the hospital wing.
"Mr
Potter, Mr Malfoy, what do you think you're doing?" GASP, THUD..
"I'd
better go, I'll see you before your dad comes for you." Harry said getting up
as he spoke. Draco pulled him down for a kiss before nodding.
"I'll
send you an owl." Harry said before leaving the hospital wing and heading back
to Gryffindor tower.
As Harry walked slowly back to Gryffindor tower, he felt more confused than before, he and Draco were going to try and become friends but they were still going to fuck, he wasn't sure how that was going to work but he knew that this was going to change life at Hogwarts for more people than just him and Draco Malfoy!