Title: Learning Paradise
Author: RainShadow
Rating: PG-13, R later
Part: 5/10
Beta Reader: Unbeta'd ;
A/N: Ack, been sooo long since this was updated. Thank you to my patient readers, and don't worry, you'll never have to wait this long again. Enjoy!
Learning Paradise
Chapter Four
"I'm right here," said a voice behind him, and Harry twisted around. His lost companion was standing before him, a pile of loose leaves in his arms.
"You're looking better," Harry remarked without thinking. Draco sniffed and brushed past him. He added the foliage to a growing pile.
"Right then," said Harry, not at all surprised at the Slytherin's rudeness... but he was a little sensitive due to the fact that he might never get home again. He tossed, or more like flung, the bowl at Malfoy. Unfortunately it didn't hit him; with Seeker reflexes Draco caught the bowl and inspected it, long fingers caressing the wood grain. "For water," Harry offered, before crouching down next to the small sacks of food and rummaging through them.
"Where did you get this?" Draco demanded, but Harry ignored him. A small, displeased scowl on his features, the blonde stomped out, presumably to the stream.
Harry sighed and shivered in the growing cold. He gathered several sticks from his "bed" and squatted in the center of the room. Using two of the larger sticks, he began to rub them together fiercely, like he'd seen once on a Muggle tv show. He hadn't been at it long (but his arms were already aching), when he heard Malfoy's footsteps behind him.
Malfoy snickered. "What are you doing, Potter?" he asked, sounding amused.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Harry snapped, his temper flaring.
"Trying to build a fire and failing miserably."
"Well if you've got a-" Harry gasped as suddenly flames shot into the wood, creating a blaze in front of him. "You've got your wand!" he accused.
Malfoy smirked. "Looks like it." Harry added more wood to the fire and tried not to sulk. He sat down next to it, warming his hands. Malfoy sat across from him and Harry suddenly wondered what would happen if he told Malfoy that Voldemort was gone. He shook his head. It was best not to be confrontational.
The silence between them stretched and grew uncomfortable. "So where did you find this?" Draco finally asked.
Harry sighed. "There's a hut, in the forest. We're going back tomorrow."
"We?"
"Yes." Harry looked up from the fire at Malfoy. For a moment he couldn't see anything, but then Malfoy's face swam into view and he could just see the raise of one arched eyebrow.
"I don't think so."
"I do."
"Just because you saved my life, don't think that means I'm going to obey your every whim."
"Fine." Harry snarled, trying to keep his cool- and losing it. "Will you please come with me tomorrow?"
"No."
"Damn it- you are such a bastard, Malfoy!" he yelled, getting into it now.
"What did you expect, Potter?" Draco countered hotly.
"I did rescue you-"
"I didn't ask you to! Why did you help me anyways!"
That stumped Harry. He looked at the Slytherin quizzically. "Because you needed it." he said quietly. Malfoy snorted. "You would've done the same."
"No, I wouldn't have."
"Yes you would." Harry insisted. "You would have bitched about it and made me your slave for life or something, but you're not that indecent Malfoy, no matter what you say."
Uneasy about what was very nearly the truth, Draco muttered, "Oh, thanks. Typical Gryffindor belief in basic decency."
Maybe it was because he'd never really had a conversation that lasted more than a minute before, but Harry was now beginning to see past the Slytherin's icy exterior.
Part of him was touched by Potter's belief in him, so when Harry again asked if he'd come tomorrow, Draco agreed.
It grew dark and Draco lay down on his pile of leaves, hissing as they scratched his sensitive skin. Two feet away from him, Harry lay on his own bed, head propped up on one hand, watching Draco with unreadable green eyes.
"What?" he asked, too tired to sound sullen.
"Mm. I just... want to go home."
"I don't." Draco said softly.
"Why not?" Draco didn't answer. Harry bit his lip but said no more. He found that the more he talked with Malfoy, the more he wanted to know him. Draco Malfoy was a mystery now, he had depth, and Harry found himself wishing that the blonde would talk so that he could listen and simply soak up the essence of the boy he had once despised, but was now unmistakably drawn to. That's just brilliant, Harry, you want to get inside a Death Eater. Harry winced at the innuendo he'd unwittingly thought. Not going to go there, so not going to go there. The fact remained that Malfoy, like his father, was a Death Eater, and Harry couldn't possibly get close to him. Even though Voldemort's gone? Harry rolled over. Shut up. he told himself. Sleep. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he almost didn't hear it-
"Good night, Potter. Have lovely nightmares." Draco drawled.
"Good night, Malfoy, hope the bedbugs do bite."
"What?" Malfoy asked, confused. Bedbugs? Ew! Harry just laughed. He closed his eyes and tried to get warmed up by the fire, but the cold still permeated the cave. He tried not to think of the night before, of the unexpected warmth contained in Malfoy's skin-
Leaves rustled and were suddenly shoved next to him, and Malfoy was again a heat at his side, and Harry automatically wrapped his arms around his waist, feeling Malfoy's hands warm on his back. His head was nestled under Harry's chin, his fine hair brushing against Harry's face.
"Ah.." Draco groaned softly in pain when Harry shifted and accidentally rubbed his skin.
"Sorry," Harry whispered.
There was a pause. "I know." said Draco.
Warm and therefore content, Harry pushed all of the questions out his mind and closed his eyes. "For being the Ice Prince you sure get cold easily." he remarked in tired amusement.
"Mmhmm." Malfoy responded drowsily, and Harry yawned, and fell asleep.
"Good grief," Hermione said, cradling her head in her hands. "Malfoy's there, too? What kind of joke is this?"
The other people around the table looked at each other. "There must be a reason. Was Draco exiled at exactly the same time? If so…"
"If so… if we bring Malfoy back, can we bring Harry back, too?" asked Ron.
"It's possible!" Hermione said excitedly. "I'll go do some research right now!"
"No way, Hermione," Sirius said. "You need to get some rest. You and Ron have done a lot of work just to contact Harry. Let us do something now."
Reluctantly, Hermione nodded, and she and Ron left the conference room and headed back towards their chamber.
"Do you think that was a convenient way of telling us to butt out for a bit?" he asked her.
Hermione sighed. "No, I don't think so. After all we've been through, I doubt they'd try to exclude us from anything on the basis of our age."
Ron nodded. "Good." They reached the entrance to their room. Ron said the password and they entered. Both let out deep breaths they didn't realize they'd been holding in.
"Ron…are you okay?" Hermione asked, tentatively touching his back. Ron leaned back into her touch, so she began to knead his shoulders.
"I…god. No, not really." he laughed slightly. He pulled Hermione around onto his lap, hugging her tightly. Hermione couldn't help it; silent tears streamed from her eyes. They sat there a while, Hermione fiddling with her engagement ring. Finally Ron got up and carried them to bed, where they curled round each other until they fell asleep.
"Which way is it?"
"Er…this direction, I think."
"You mean you don't remember? Smart, Potter, smart."
"Shut up."
"…"
"Thank God."
"Oh, fuck off."
"No thanks, go ahead."
"Honestly, Malfoy."
"More like dishonestly."
"No kidding."
Harry peered around, then recognized the pond from yesterday. "I recognize this," he said. "We're going the right way." For a brief moment Harry felt a stab of guilt. Should he tell Malfoy about the message he'd received from Ron? "Hey, Malfoy…"
Draco turned around and smiled at Harry. "What?"
Harry's eyes got very large. "You…you…"
Draco clamped a hand over his mouth.
"You smiled! You didn't smirk, or pout, you…"
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," Draco said crossly.
Harry stared at him a moment longer, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Oh, shut up, Potter!"
Harry smirked and walked ahead, until Malfoy stepped on the back of his shoes.
"Very mature, Malfoy."
"Thanks, I try."
They walked the rest of the way in silence. Harry spotted the hut and pointed. Malfoy followed him through a stand of trees until they were both standing in front of it. Harry remembered his first impression of the hut yesterday and wondered what Malfoy was thinking.
Just then, Malfoy rubbed his hands together. "Ah ha! Time to do what Malfoys do best—pillage!" With that, he began to go through the contents of the hut with seemingly no apprehension whatsoever. Harry sighed, and joined him.
