Harry wasn't quite sure how to react and his body opted to blush violently and submerse himself once again in the hopes of going unnoticed. Lucky for him, Draco seemed too distracted to watch the waters around him. Had he really just seen Draco Malfoy like that? Naked and crying… Harry momentarily thought of a gryndilow catching Malfoy unawares and the notion made him chuckle underwater, filling his lungs with liquid so he came up sputtering and coughing. So much for incognito…
Draco let the water wash away his worries as he dove under its pristine surface. He came back up and leaned his back against the side, droplets of water falling gracefully from his taut skin. He sighed and slumped a bit, not paying much attention to his surroundings; lost in thought, as he had been the last two years or so. With his Father in Azkaban… could that make him free? Could he actually defy the Dark Lord?
He sighed. He knew he couldn't actually go through with it. Not for his own sake. No. Draco could care less at this point whether he lived or died. He had to keep being the perfect little Death Eater to spare the life of his Mother.
Not that his Mother had been the best. Quite the contrary. She had never really paid him much mind, save to treat him as a lovely pet with a doting sort of affection that never was quite physical. She never said she loved him, never hugged him or kissed his cheek. She never comforted him when he had nightmares as a child…
But, contrary to popular belief, Draco Malfoy had a soul. He didn't want to see his Mother suffer anymore than she had since his Father had been sent to Azkaban. Despite all her motherly flaws, she was still his mother and he felt obligated to protect her. His silent contemplation was interrupted by a gurgling sound coming from a few feet away and a splash as someone came up from the bath.
"Who's there!" He snapped, not in the mood to come up with anything witty or original at the moment.
Harry blanched. He really wasn't in the mood for a fight. "Potter." He said warily. He could see the whites of Draco's eyes from far away.
"Gryndilow got your foot, Potter?" His wit had returned to him. "What are you doing in here so late?" He spat.
"I don't have to answer to you, Malfoy!" Harry spat back. "What are you doing here?"
"Taking a bath, you duffer," Draco smirked. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
Harry contemplated what he should say or do at the instant. He was Harry James Potter- The Boy Who Lived! He was helpful and sympathetic, a hero. He hated Draco Malfoy with a passion, but wasn't it only last year he had felt pity for him? He had seen Draco crying in the bathroom, he had performed that… Harry didn't want to think about that. It was to horrible a punishment- even for Malfoy. Harry had seen Draco try to kill Dumbledore, but he couldn't do it. He remembered feeling a bit sorry for the blond-haired Death Eater. Pity, almost as he thought now about what had transgressed in the boy's life. He could see the scars still visibly from far away and felt a strange sensation well in his heart. Did he want to be nice to Malfoy! He shook his head at himself, trying to purge the thoughts froom his mind.
"Is something the matter with you, Potter?" Malfoy raised his brow high and furrowed the other.
"No, nothing." Harry turned away and took some soap from a tap. He decided that ignoring the other would be best, he even contemplated leaving the room altogether… That thought was quickly sent away- There was absolutely no way he was going to let Malfoy see him naked! He gave a shudder as he imagined himself parading in front of the Slytherin in nothing but his birthday suit…
Wait a second! Why was he parading! Surely he didn't want Malfoy to see his…? This made him cough violently in protest, almost swallowing the shampoo that was dripping down his forehead in an act of insurgence.
"By the Gods. Potter," Malfoy stopped scrubbing his own weary skin and looked up when he heard the hacking. "Has no one taught you how to bathe yourself!" He looked quite amused.
Draco wanted nothing more than to be alone at the moment, but he needed to stay and cleanse himself in order to remove sweats sticky discomfort from his skin. He sighed and tried to forget about the half-breed at the other end and continued to wash himself off. He thought back to the last time he had seen Potter at school. It was the end of last year high up in the North Tower with Professor Dumbledore…
Draco didn't want to think about that. About how he failed the Dark Lord, about how he had been punished for it later on… Dumbledore had offered him help…He offered protection and salvation… Draco had given that night a lot of thought. What if he had gotten the opportunity to answer..? Would he say yes? He knew now that he should have. He should have somehow stopped Snape from… Draco held back another tear. There was no way he was going to fall apart in front of Potter, let alone anyone else. He punched the side of the tub, the pain of the collision was no more than that he had been experiencing already. He looked over at Potter, looking quite upset himself and slightly embarrassed. Draco shook his head. Famous Harry Potter. He seemed quite human here and now…
Harry's mind wouldn't stop lingering on Malfoy. Malfoy crying, Malfoy scarred, Malfoy, naked. He shuddered again and tried to wipe the appearance of the Death-Eater's body completely bared from his mind once more. It was quite a sad thing to see… Sad in an almost beautiful way…
Harry groaned. He must have been awfully tired to be thinking such ways… He swam over to the edge where he had laid his own towel and made an effort to get out and covered as soon as he could manage. Harry did not want the embarrassment of Draco seeing him to… Wait a second! Did he just think of Malfoy as Draco! He hurried into a stall, unnoticed grabbing his clothes from the cubbyhole on the way in.
