part three
When the Potion Master approached him at breakfast that morning, Harry Potter felt oddly torn between joy and sadness, but remained in between the two in a prolonged state of shock, resembling a surreal dream. He knew at once what the professor wanted, and Snape seemed to realize that because he didn't say it, he only nodded once and when Harry returned the meak greeting he stated a time and place – his office after their morning classes – and then he walked away again.
Draco was busy playing with his food to have notice when the Potion Master came up to them, but he looked up just as the black robes billowed by, behind the retreating man and immediatly turned to Harry, bubbling with a hundred questions. Harry sensed this, and quickly hushed him with a stern glance and suggestive pointed finger at a quite abused roll and the glass of pumpkin juice. Surprisingly enough, Draco snapped his mouth shut. Of course he started to sulk, and not eat up, as Harry's gesture and face expressions had informed/ordered him, but atleast it kept him from attacking Harry's poor mind with his rant of inquiries.
Ron was sitting opposite of Harry, and glaring at the blond at his best friend's side whole-heartedly, as was his custom since two weeks. He hadn't been able to look beyond Draco's face, like Harry had, and only seemed to hate him even more than before the accident. Dean and Seamus on the other hand had, however reluctant at first, taken the blond to their hearts quite quickly and were actually busy half the time, as of present, doting upon him. Which didn't really help any regarding Ron.
Hermoine and Neville were possibly the only ones, in Gryffindor aswell as the other houses, that had managed to keep completely neutral to this change – Hermoine finding the Real World irrelevant, having taken her Book Obsession a step further, only reading fiction. Really. Only reading fiction and not much else, of anything, at all. And Neville. Well, he was still in a state of shock.
But having Draco under his wing, Harry really hadn't time, or energy to even bother thinking about his fellow students and mates, and their thoughts of things. It wasn't as if he had any choice in the matter. Atleast he felt he didn't. To him, it was more than obvious that he was to take care of Draco. And he still hadn't quite forgivin Ron for not understanding that, but he didn't want to fight with his best friend, so he refrained from taking it up.
"Harry-Harry-Harry-HARRY-HAAAARRYYYYYY!"
Harry was brutally shaken out of his thoughts by a were whiny and persistant voice. His eyes unglazed as he came back to the present, the first thing coming into view being the scowling face of Ronald Weasley, and then the much cuter face of Draco malfoy, when said cutie forced him to turn his head and look at him.
"What is it Draco?" Harry replied calmly, inwardly struggling to stay immune against the powerful pout sent his way, "What do you want?-eat up your oatmeal-Do you want some more pumpkin juice?-Stop playing with the rolls-"
"I'm not hungry-or thirsty-I want to leave here! Can we go outside? Pleaaaseee?"
"We have Transfiguration in ten minutes" Harry replied just as calmly, thrusting the glass of juice into the blonde's face, "Drink up"
"I don't want any more! I hate pumpkin juice!" Draco cried, thrusting the glass away from himself again, making it fall over, spilling the liquid all over the table, and onto the floor on the other side – and also into a scowling Ron Weasley's lap. Draco stuffed half his fist into his mouth to muffle the giggles, but Harry glared at him all the same and Ron jumped to his feet swearing at the top of his voice.
"Mr Weasley! Ten points from Gryffindor!" Came the shrill voice of Professor McGonnagal, but Ron didn't seem to have heard her, he kept yelling at Draco who wasn't having any trouble keeping his giggles under control anymore. Infact he was struggling against tears instead.
Harry had stopped glaring at Draco, and jumped to his own feet, yelling at Ron to make him stop screaming and defending Draco, which of course only made Ron even more upset and the two were soon having full-blown fight which could not have been scarier if they were holding swords. McGonnagal's shrieks could be heard in between curses and the other Gryffindor's still present, counted in despair as their House Points were taken away.
"ENOUGH!"
The Hall fell silent. Everyone stared at the Headmaster in mute horror, he was glaring at Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, looking almost as livid as McGonnagal and that was saying a lot, since she was literally fuming, his expression quickly softened though, and Harry soon realized that his gaze had shifted to his own right and quickly snapped his head around to see Draco jumping to his feet and running out of the Great Hall. Tears were running down his pale face, and that was all Harry had time to register before he took to running after him. Dean and Seamus following close behind.
"Draco!" Harry cried desperately, feeling the panic begin to rise, when he didn't catch sight of the blonde anywhere outside. Dean and Seamus had offered to run down to the dungeons and look for him, and Harry had gratefully accepted even though he felt pretty certain for some reason that they wouldn't find him there. He just knew he would be outside. He loved it outside, Harry thought numbly, feeling something sting in the corner of his eyes.
Then, a whimper, russling of fabric and snivelling. Harry instantly stopped and spun around, his eyes darting frantically around, searching. Something glowing in the sun, a golden platinum sparkle behind a bush. Harry would recognize that colour anywhere. He heaved a great sigh, and sat down on the ground on the other side, pretending not to have seen.
"Oh, where can he be, I've looked all over, I can't find him anywhere! What am I going to do?" Harry said out loud, hoping Draco wasn't actually too old to believe the act, "If he's lost, or hurt, I'll never forgive myself! I didn't mean to scream like that, but when Ron yelled at my dragon, I just got so angry. Draco's my friend too, whatever Ron says, and Draco mustn't listen to him when he gets like that. He should just ignore him, because it's not true. Seamus and Dean both like Draco very much, and I know of atleast ten other Gryffindors who like him too. Snape really like him aswell, as much as that man can actually like something, or someone. But even if they would all hate him, like Ron says everyone does, it wouldn't matter. Because he would still have me. I would never abandon Draco, because I... Well, I... I think I love him. I do, very much. And I... Oh, Draco, please come back, I don't know what I'd do without you!"
"Do you really mean that?" a hoarse voice whispered from the other side of the bush. Harry had to remind himself to act surprised and faked a gasp, "Draco! You're here! I was so worried-" he jumped to his feet again, and walked around the bushes, crouching down infront of the other boy, "You were here all along, weren't you?" he murmured softly, stroking tears from Draco's cheek, "And I thought I'd lost you forever... Now, why'd you run off like that? Were you angry with me?"
"N-no... I just don't like to see you fight... I don't want you to fight... with Ron... e-especially not bec-c-ause o-of... m-me..."
Harry hugged Draco to himself, kissing the side of his head, "Aww, Drac, I wasn't fighting with Ron because of you. Not really. And it's not your fault if I did. Ron and I just get upset easily, and. Well, it doesn't matter now. I promise I won't fight anymore. Come back with me?" Draco nodded, wiping his eyes and nose some more, and they stood up together.
Harry put his arm around Draco's shoulders, and the blonde immediatly snuggled into his embrace, and side, sliding his own arm around Harry's waist, "Better?" Harry asked softly. Draco nodded again, and they started walking back to the castle.
"I like you Harry" Draco whispered so quietly Harry almost missed it, and perhaps that was the point. He didn't reply, but he squeezed Draco's shoulder a little tighter. Draco sighed happily.
So far, it had been an eventful morning, Harry decided and he couldn't wait to get to their first class - after all, things could only get better from where they came from. Or could they?
TBC
