As was the usual custom, Harry took up position on the ledge like rock and removed his worn out trainers and knobbly socks. Swinging his legs down he embraced the cool of the water. He reached into the pocket of his oversized jeans, fingers clasping around crushed cardboard. Withdrawing his hand he brought the packet out and took the last cigarette between his lips as his other hand groped inside his other pocket until they connected with cool metal. He flicked the top of the lighter open, leaning his face to the flame to light the cigarette. Harry picked up the now empty packet and set it alight, placing it onto the dry rock to watch it burn.
"Really Potter, how crude." Harry's cracked lips curled into a smile that he quickly wiped from his face as he removed the cigarette.
"You're early."
"Am I ? I wasn't aware that there was a set time arranged." The blonde stood regarding the flaming cardboard before nudging it into the lake with his foot. He took his place beside Harry carefully avoiding getting his feet wet. Harry had worn a t-shirt tonight. Not because it was particularly warm, he was in fact quite cold from the waters breeze, but on the off chance that Draco's attention would be once again directed to the cuts perhaps resulting in the most fleeting of touches or another vague comment. He stared out over the water, watching it rippling around the shore of a small islet in the centre. Harry then became dimly aware of a coolness caressing the scarred skin of his forearm, and there came that tingle. He kept facing forward but allowed his eyes to sneak a glance to the left, coming to rest on Draco's pale hands and seeing those silver eyes cast downwards as if reviewing the damage.
"The ones on your wrist," Draco began to say as Harry took a long draw of tobacco "they're older than the others." Exhaling, Harry nodded.
"Just because I'm cutting myself doesn't mean I want to kill myself." He could feel Draco's eyes on him and he turned "besides," he added, a glint forming in his eyes as they locked with Draco's "I've grown accustomed to being around." Harry smirked ever so slightly at the blonde who glared challengingly back
"If I didn't know any better Harry I'd say I was being mocked for displaying the smallest hint of attachment to you last night." Harry casually flicked some ash into the water
"It's just as well you know better then." His smirk softened into a much more Harry-like smile and Draco's glare vanished. He could feel something stirring the bottom of his stomach as, of their own accord, his fingers began tracing the lines on Harry's arm. Draco noticed Harry leaning minutely towards him however the Gryffindor pulled himself from whatever that particular thought process had been and turned back to gazing over the lake as he put the cigarette back between his lips.
Draco stared thoughtfully back down at Harry's arm, fingers tracing the pale red scars that were slowly turning silver over time just above the veins on his wrist.
"So why not use a charm to get rid of the scars, or even use a glamour so know one sees," he paused, mouth twisting into a devious smirk "I thought you would have had enough of scars by now." Harry turned to look at the smirking blonde, tossing the nights first and only cigarette into the water.
"At least I have the choice about these scars." Draco's eyes instinctively flicked to Harry's forehead where the bottom point of the lightning bolt was visible between a few strands of unruly hair.
Harry began to play around with the lighter that he was still gripping. The light illuminated Harry's neck and Draco was forced to do a double take. Against his better instincts he took his hand from the Gryffindor's arm and ran one pale finger across a silver line that banded around his neck. He felt Harry shiver beneath the touch, assessing the temperature it struck Draco that it hadn't been through the cold. He withdrew his eyes from where they were staring and looked up to see Harry gazing down at him.
"Where did that come from ?" Draco asked as he moved his face in for a closer look, finger still idly running the length of the scar.
"Botched sacrifice attempt ...death eater wasn't even bright enough to hit the vein."
"Which I'm guessing led to yet another brilliant Gryffindor narrow brush with death." Draco mused sarcastically. Harry half laughed above him at the comment that, what seemed like a thousand years ago, would have left him fuming
"Of course it did, would you expect any less from the boy-who-lived ?" He asked sardonically, Draco seemed far to engrossed in his close up inspection "it was the summer after fifth year." Harry added.
"You've had it that long ?" Draco asked him incredulously "How come I've never noticed it before ?"
Harry shrugged in response before breaking into a smirk of his own as he felt the blondes breath against his skin "Perhaps it's because you have never had your face buried in my neck before Malfoy." Draco's head shot away, eyes locking with Harry's, finger still running over Harry's neck.
"Why Potter, was that a touch of disappointment I could hear in your voice ?"
"What on earth would make you think that ?" Harry, asked genuinely curious
"Don't get all defensive on me ! I was no way implying that you swung that way."
"No no of course you weren't." Harry replied, clearly not believing a word of what Draco said. There was a long pause in which Harry looked back out over the black water as Draco raised an eyebrow at him
"Well do you ?" The Slytherin asked inquisitively
"Do I what ?" Harry asked with feigned naivety, unable to stop the smirk that crept over his face
"Don't play innocent with me Mr Potter," Draco said with an eerie resemblance to Professor Snape "do you fancy boys or not ?"
Harry became painfully aware of Draco's finger that was still caressing the scar on his neck as he ignored that tingle that was running up his spine, with a sigh he answered
"Yes ...I do." A look of amusement overcame Draco's face as he pondered over this information
"So ...the boy-who-lived fancies other boys." Harry rolled his eyes at the joy Draco was taking at this revelation
"Yes because I'm sure you're so very straight." Harry drawled sarcastically
"Please ! I spent the last 7 years, give or take the time I was exiled, socialising in a common room where the most eligible females were Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode of course I'm a bloody queer !" Harry snorted, head dropping forward with suppressed laughter causing Draco's hand to slip round to the nape of his neck.
"Merlin there's a sound the world hasn't been graced with for awhile," Harry looked up at him as he wiped a tear from his eye, brows furrowing in question to his statement "the sound of you laughing you idiot." Harry smiled at him, both knowing that he had in fact had very little to laugh at, before the Gryffindor was hit with another wave of giggles. This time it was Draco's turn to roll his eyes "In which case," he said as he took his hand from where it had tangled in Harry's hair
"I feel my work here is done for the evening." Harry looked up at him, laughter barely suppressed as Draco walked away. Harry knew it hadn't been that funny but that seemed completely irrelevant now as he stared over the rocks at the departing blonde.
