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Not Myself by Saerry Snape

Chapter 158 – Conversations of Random Elegance

"Question."

"Fire away," said Harry, not looking up at the speaker.  He was lying underneath the oak tree he and his friends had all sat under at the end of the previous year, arms behind his head and his long legs slung up on one of the upraised roots.  His green eyes were focused on the clear blue sky and green leaves above him.

"Okay," said Draco, sitting down on the root that arched up behind the dark head on the ground.  "I did some calculating after I heard the full story about this Elven plane thing."

"Who'd you hear that from?"

"O'Feir."

Harry's eyes darted towards him.

"And here I thought you two didn't like each other.  Have we become friends since I left?"

"Friends," said Draco sternly, "not anything else.  Even I can see that she loves you."

There was a silence from the prostrate form on the ground then, "I know."

"Speaking of that, what the fuck were you thinking?  Do you know how many men would kill to have a woman like that?"

"With me, Draco, she's liable to be the one to get killed."

"Ah.  So that's your worry…"

"Yeah," said Harry softly.  "Now what was it you wanted to ask?"

Draco shook his head sadly as Harry deliberately changed the subject.  But he complied with the change anyway.

"Okay.  I heard that you spent all summer – that's two months – on the Elven plane.  And that time there moves much slower than ours.  An day there is only an hour here."

"Correct."

"So…according to my calculations, if you spent two months there – that's 60 days – and you multiply that by 24 hours in a day and then 360 days a year…"

"Get to the point, Draco."

Draco glared and snapped, "I'm getting there, I'm getting there!"

Harry just looked at him and the blonde sighed.

"If my calculations are correct, you are now four years older than the rest of us.  Which makes you twenty-one years old," finished Draco.

"Well, Mione's a year older than the rest of us from her Time Turner in third year.  No, wait, I think she may have used it during fourth too…"

"Two years is nothing next to four years, Harry!"

Harry shrugged and looked at the sky far above them.

"Why does it matter?"

"Hmm, well, I don't know…  Maybe it's the fact that you are now a full-fledged wizard according to Ministry laws and there is no longer a watch on you in the Muggle world."

"I forgot about that…" murmured Harry.

"Damnit!" shouted Draco.  "Will you listen to me for five seconds?"

"I think you need longer than that, Draco."

Draco glared at the other wizard.

"Quite being an ass and listen to me for once."

"I am listening."

Draco snorted then sighed.

"Look," he said.  "I just figured this out and I'll tell you one thing, its rather disturbing to know that there is a twenty-one-year-old wizard – elf – whatever the hell you are – running around Hogwarts with odd notions about love in his head!"

"I have no odd notions about love, thank you very much."

"Sure fooled me.  O'Feir loves you.  And what do you do?  You push her away.  Push her away because you think – think – she may get hurt."

"She will get hurt…" began Harry softly.

"We all get hurt sometimes!" shouted Draco.  "You and I know that better than most, don't we?"

There was silence from the figure at his feet.

"Potter…" began Draco, feeling as though he'd struck some cord he shouldn't have.

"Its Snape," whispered Harry, eyes closed.

Draco blinked and stared.

"What?"

"Snape, Draco," repeated Harry, opening his eyes.  "My name is Snape, not Potter.  Get it right, won't you?"

"Sure.  Shall I call you that when we're alone or in public?"

"Oh, Draco, I didn't know our relationship had gone far enough for us to be alone."

Draco glared at the dark head at his feet and debated kicking it.  Then he just laughed and said, "You have a sick, sick mind."

Harry grinned and sat up, throwing the long braid he still wore his hair in over his shoulder.  He then turned towards the blonde and said, "I know.  And don't worry about me.  I've got everything figured out."

"Except for the matter of O'Feir."

"Can't we stop talking about that?"

"You do know you're an idiot, don't you?"

"Yes, Draco," sighed Harry as he rose to his feet, brushing grass from his pants.  "I know that I'm an idiot."

"Good.  Now…"

"But that won't change my mind about my decision."

Draco scowled and said, "Bastard."

"Yep."

"Merlin, you're an ass."

"Thank you."

"Can't I insult you without you agreeing with me?" cried Draco, shaking his fists at the dark-haired boy – no, man.

Harry just grinned annoyingly and replied, "Now why would I let you do that?"

"I hate you."

"I know."

They fell into a companionable silence as they walked away from the oak tree towards the castle.

Abruptly, Draco stopped on the steps and looked up at a window above them.  Harry paused a few steps further up and turned to look quizzically back at him.

"Draco?"

The blonde lowered his head and looked at Harry, who had one elegant eyebrow arched in a questioning manner.

"Just…remembering," said Draco softly.  "I trust you remember that window?"

Harry frowned and stepped back so he was on the same step as the shorter blonde.  He looked up at the window and a sudden image of a much younger Draco peering down at him flashed through his mind.

"Oh.  That window."

"After the Quidditch match.  What was it?"

"Gryff's versus us.  I remember standing just here and wondering where you were."

"And then…"

"Then you threw Hedwig out the window," finished Harry.

Draco looked at the tall wizard standing beside him, feeling fully shameful for what he'd done.  He hadn't then, those five years ago when he killed the snowy owl and threw her from the window.  But he did now.

"Harry…"

"I got revenge for that murder," said Harry softly, his eyes on the window.  "And I forgave you."

"I'm still sorry."

"And I'm sorry for the pounding I gave you.  Wait…no, I'm not."

"Oh," said Draco sarcastically, "make me feel loved."

Harry chuckled and slung an arm about the shorter wizard's shoulder, ushering him up the stairs into the castle.

"I'm not," he said truthfully.  "You were a right bastard then, you know."

"I remember.  And I hated you."

"Well, I hated you too."

"Yeah, I remember the feel of your fists against my face.  It wasn't a nice feeling, y'know."

"Hey, I'm a street rat.  What did you expect me to do?"

"Hex me?" offered Draco, causing Harry to laugh.

"No way.  I may be the infamous Lord Hex but I still prefer hand to hand fighting to duels.  Just comes from…"

"Being a street rat," interrupted Draco.  "Yeah, I know, I know."

Harry just grinned and ruffled the blonde's hair.

"Oi!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Bastard."

"Stop shouting my parentage from the rooftops, will you?"

"Oh.  Sorry."

"Mmm-hmm."

"Really, I am!"

"Riiiight."

"Shut up, Potter."

"As you will, Malfoy."

Author's Notes

Thank you Watcher Tale Neith for pointing out the age difference!  I knew there would be one but I suck at math and couldn't figure out how to figure it out.

I hope this chapter explained the matter fully.