Harry was sitting in one of the more comfortable arm chairs when Hermione and Ron came down from the dormitory. He really didn't want to talk to them at the moment though. He got up and left the common room. He started to walk. He glanced at his watch and noticed that the library was closed. He stopped thinking and wondered where to go. The room of requirement. He walked up to the seventh floor corridor and walked past the room thinking, I need a place to think. After walking past it again, the door appeared and he entered without hesitation.
The room was large. There was a fire place surrounded by black, velvet arm chairs. The floor was stone but covered in a honey colored rug. With the rug and blazing fire, the room was warm and inviting. He headed straight for the arm chairs. I should call Lance from here. He thought as he sat in the black chair but didn't move. He closed his eyes and sank low in the chair.
The sound of the door opening startled him from his rest. He shot up and looked around to see Draco Malfoy closing the door. The Slytherin turned but didn't see Harry. There was a tripod and a canvas in his right arm and paints of all different colors in his left. Two or three different sized paint brushes were in his mouth. He was mumbling to himself about something that Harry couldn't comprehend. He was also drooling from having the large brushes in his mouth. Before he could think about it, Harry said, "What are you doing here, Malfoy?" His tone didn't hold its usual malice when talking to the Slytherin… he was just too tired.
Draco was startled at the sudden sound and dropped everything he was holding. Luckily, the paint caps were on tight enough that they didn't spill all over. "Potter, what are you doing here? It's like one o'clock in the morning." Draco bent over to pick up everything. Harry got up, and for some reason (he blamed it on tiredness), helped the Slytherin pick up all his stuff. "Umm, thanks?"
Harry sighed and got up, handing Malfoy the paint tubes. "Don't start, Malfoy. I came in here to contact someone but I guess I fell asleep. I was exhausted. You still didn't tell me what you are doing here, with paints, and, as you so cleverly pointed out, at one o'clock in the morning." Harry thought I must be pretty damn tired if I am talking to Malfoy for more than five minutes with out cursing him.
"I paint when I can't sleep but I couldn't paint in the common room, there is nothing down there to inspire me to paint. So I came up here asking for something to inspire me. Guess you showed up." Draco shifted uncomfortably.
Harry was doing a great deal of shifting on his own. He didn't really want to be painted. Was Malfoy even asking to paint me? "Malfoy, what are you saying, that you want to… paint me?" Harry was ready to go back to bed.
"I was thinking about it. You are probably one of the most beautiful people at Hogwarts and you show all your emotions in your eyes." He said this while sizing up Harry as if critiquing his looks with the careful eye of an artist. He reverted the amused tone and said, "If you wanted, we could meet here tomorrow and I could do a portrait. It would help me to get sleep again and you could just sit there and think or do homework or what ever. If you needed help with, say potions, I could also do that." He only offered the last in hopes Harry would consent. Draco would have been blushing if he hadn't been a Malfoy. He hated asking Harry to do this but he really was the only person that he found inspiration in.
Harry wanted to say no more than anything. He had so many other things to be worried about at the moment, especially with his band coming on Friday. Then after he got through that, there was going to be quidditch and writing and the band. Well, writing. He did need a place and time to write. While he was at home, he could write any time he wanted. Now, if people got a look at what he was writing, they could easily figure out who he was by the lyrics. He sighed. If Malfoy was busy painting him, he probably wouldn't notice what he was writing. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and finally came up with something. "I have no idea why I am telling you this but, I write. I write a lot actually but most of my friends don't know. Also, I'm not into sharing what I write at the moment. I will probably be in here writing a few times a week, maybe every night during the week. If you happened to be in the same room, I couldn't exactly stop you from painting it, now could I?" Harry rubbed his eyes and finally said, "As much fun as this has been, I need to go back to get some sleep. Maybe I will see you tomorrow." With that he left.
Draco stood there dumbfounded. Harry must be really, really tired. He mused to himself. He set up his paints and began to conjure different objects to paint.
The common room was empty when he got back…or so he thought. In the corner sat Hermione and Ron, almost asleep. Hermoine saw Harry first and was startled into speech. "Harry! Where have you been? We've been worried sick." She ran over and gave him a tight squeeze.
"I'm not sure I'm going to tell you. It's not like you would believe me anyway." Harry shrugged out of the embrace and went over to the fire. "If you will excuse me, I need to contact someone and I would like some privacy. I was really hoping you would believe me. I want you to meet Lance and Keegan and Dez and Sage and I was going to need help on Friday." He turned back towards the fire. "Do you know how hard it was for me to tell you? I have been trying to blend in for so long but being who I am has prevented that. If it got out that I was Lyric…" A tear rolled down Harry's face. He was so tired and he felt completely betrayed by his two best friends.
Hermione came over and knelt next to him on the floor. "Harry, we were talking while you were gone. We do believe you. We want to be there for you. You have to understand though, we had no idea you could write or sing. You never let on any of that and then you came out with this… It was kind of hard to swallow, ya know?" Hermione gave him another tight hug and he let her this time.
Ron came over and gave his shoulders a tight squeeze and said, "We're here for ya. Don't worry we will cover for you on Friday so no one suspects anything." He gave Harry an encouraging smile and said, "Why don't you make that call and we will talk to you in the morning." He looked at Harry hopefully, "Unless you still want us to meet your band mates." Harry laughed harder than he could remember laughing in a long time.
"Ron, it's ok. You guys are here for me and that is all that matters. I think I will just owl them. I really don't want to disturb them and you guys will meet them on Friday, I promise." Harry got up, yawned, and lazily stretched up, exposing his lower stomach. "Well guys, I am going to go to bed. I'm exhausted and I have a strange suspicion that we are going to have double potions tomorrow with Slytherin." The two Gryffindors looked at their friend with suspicion. "We always do. It's inevitable. And besides, if I prepare for the worst and we don't have double potions tomorrow, it will be a good day." He smiled slightly and went up the stairs to succumb to his protesting eyelids.
Harry woke up slowly. He didn't really want to get out of bed and he knew it was only about 5:30. He never slept past six anymore. He had trained himself not to need that much sleep. He smiled to himself remembering what had happened the night before. His friends believed him and everything was good. Well, Friday was going to be hell but, other than that… Harry sighed and tossed the covers away. The snitches on his boxers were flying around and Harry shook his head while smiling. The comical underwear was from Ron and Hermione as a joke.
Harry grabbed his towel and headed to the shower. A plus to getting up this early was he always got long, private showers. Harry grabbed the rest of his stuff and went to the last shower stall. The first icy spray cooled his over heated body and he flinched. The warm warmed and he sighed, relaxing in the hot spray as it ran over his taught stomach.
After thoroughly cleaning himself, he wrapped the towel around his waist and got on his clothes for the day. It was only 6 and he wasn't even sure if the Great Hall would be open. He decided to take his prized notebook and head to the Room of Requirement.
He didn't meat anyone on his way, for which he was thankful. The door appeared after he walked past and he opened it. There was a small to seater table by the warm fire laid with enough food to fill five people. What ever you could say about Hogwarts, it sure wasn't stingy with the food.
He sat down and grabbed some French toast from a heaping stack in the middle of the table. He drizzled some real maple syrup on and cut the first three pieces. He savored the first on his tongue and, seeing as there wasn't anyone to make fun of him, he moaned in ecstasy. "Damn, Potter, why do you have to be so loud in the morning?" A very disgruntled Malfoy had been lying on the floor and was now rising to glare at Harry.
If he hadn't already swallowed his French toast, he was sure it would have flown from his mouth as he burst out laughing. Malfoy glared even harder until Harry had enough control to speak. "What-what happened to you face?" Harry burst out laughing again as Malfoy's hand flew to the aforementioned body part. There was an unusually rough texture to his usually smooth face. He went over to a conveniently placed mirror on the other side of the room and scowled at himself.
The whole side of his face looked like he had painted a sun set on it. He must have fallen asleep on his art work before he could get out the drying spell. He muttered a quick cleaning spell and his impeccable complexion was back. He muttered something that sounded like annoying prat before he sat down. "Seeing as you have barged in upon a space where you weren't wanted at the moment I feel no qualms about disrupting your breakfast with this." Malfoy took a large spoonful of powered sugar and dumped it on Harry's head.
The look on Harry's face was priceless as he stood looking at a very satisfied Draco Malfoy. "I can't believe you did that you annoying ferret!"
Malfoy almost laughed as Harry reverted to the old insult and said, "Believe it cause here comes round two!" He proceeded to take the rest of the maple syrup and drizzle it slowly into Harry's previously clean hair.
What skin was showing that wasn't already white with powder was now red as a beat in anger. He then got an evil glint in his eye and said, "You are definitely going to regret that." Harry picked up his plate of French toast, held open Draco's partially unbuttoned shirt, and dumped the concoction all over his pale skin. Harry gave a satisfied smirk as patted Draco's front to make sure he felt all the syrupy goodness.
If it looked like Harry had been mad before it was nothing compared to the look on Draco's face. "Potter, this shirt is made of Egyptian silk and cost about three hundred dollars. You probably just ruined it." He peeled off the shirt but the French toast concoction stayed where Harry had patted it down. It slowly began to slide down Draco's firm stomach and Draco glared death in Harry's direction.
Harry could barely hold in his laughter at the sight of Draco Malfoy standing in front of him with no shirt on and French toast sliding down his front. "Awe, poor little Draco, here, let me help you." Harry pulled at the silver belt buckle that was more for decoration that holding up pants and slid the French toast down Draco's pants. "Now that's better. All gone!" Harry couldn't really believe he had done that, let alone to Draco Malfoy, but he didn't really regret it either.
Draco took in a deep breath and walked over to the table. He wasn't sure, but what looked like a rather large plate of grits was sitting conveniently close to his side of the table. "Potter, Potter, Potter, I am truly sorry but you have forced my hand. There is simply nothing left to do." Draco started walked towards Harry with an evil glint in his eye and a bowl of grits in his right hand.
"Wait, Draco, please, I'm sorry." Harry started backing up with his hands out in front. "What I did was only fair; after all, you started it." Harry stopped backing up with the naïve idea that this would keep him safe."
Draco gave a mock sigh. "Alas, you are right. I did start it. I see it only fitting that I end it too." Draco took the bowl in both hands and threw the contents in Harry's direction. The look of horror on Harry's face right before the grits made contact with his whole front side was priceless. There was a loud splat sound and Draco couldn't help but let out a long awaited bout of laughter.
"That's it Malfoy!" Harry went in search of the table to find that it was gone and in its place were a large armchair and his notebook. He scowled at the chair and said, "I still needed that!" He shook his fist at the room in frustration and ran his hands through his hair. This was a mistake. He stopped mid gesture and his fingers were covered in a misture of powered sugar, syrup, and grits. "I swear Malfoy, if I had my wand handy…" But unfortunately he didn't. It was still in his room because he hadn't thought to bring it to write.
Draco looked at himself in the mirror. "When I woke up I was craving a shower. Now I think I need ten showers to get this sticky mess out of my shorts." Harry couldn't help himself. The look on Draco's face and the perverseness of his mind made him crack up with laughter. Draco realized his faux passé and blushed thoroughly.
"Didn't you enjoy yourself, Malfoy?" He hadn't really meant the comment to be flirtatious but the enuendo of Draco's previous comment and the context of what was going on let his mouth run away with him. Thankfully though, Draco wasn't looking up as he said it and didn't see the blush as Harry's realization hit him.
"Maybe you're used to being dirty, Potter, but I on the other hand don't normally walk around with French toast in my pants." He glanced at his watch and groaned. "I can't exactly go back to the dormitory to shower seeing as it's not seven… you hear that room? We need a place to shower. Show-wer. Got it?" As if sparked by his childlike speech, a door appeared at the other end of the room. "Are you coming, Potter, or are you going to explain to your room mates that you just had a food fight with a Slytherin?" Draco smirked and Harry had a feeling that his previous comment hadn't gone unnoticed by the Slytherin after all.
"Uhh… sure. I could go for a shower." Harry could feel the slimy substances congealing on his skin and said, "Yes, definitely a shower is in order." He picked up the wand that Draco had previously dropped and cleaned himself off best he could. He threw the wand back to its owner who did the same.
The bathroom in question was huge. Done in all white marble, there were traces of dark silver and gold veins running here and there. The pool sized bath was off to the left while the shower was towards the back. A new set of uniforms were draped over each sink and gold and silver towel were by the bath and next to the shower. The lack of awkwardness from before hit the two as an extreme awkwardness set in on them like a spring fog. "I guess I will take the shower if you want the bath?" Harry spoke softly and didn't exactly look at Draco when he did.
"Sure." Draco started taking off his pants and scowled at Harry when he realized these too were probably damaged beyond repair. "I still want a shower though so I get one when you are done." Before he could take off his sticky green boxers, Harry turned towards the shower and away from Malfoy. He proceeded to shed his ruined clothes also and was only in red boxer briefs when he turned to see the last inch of Malfoy's shoulders slip beneath the surface of the water. Harry shivered as it was cold in the bathroom and took off the damp boxer briefs and got in the shower.
The syrup and grit mixture proved very hard to get out of his already tangled hair and after fifteen minutes, Draco said, "Damn it, Potter, hurry up! Breakfast is in like twenty minutes and although I have had quite enough French toast to last me a life time, I would like to eat something this morning." Harry snickered softly.
"Well, if you hadn't thrown that crap in my hair I would have been done by now so keep your pants on." Malfoy snickered at the reference seeing as he was totally unclad but let Harry off the hook. "I'm done." He pulled a towel from the towel rack and stepped out with the dark silver around his waist.
Harry tried to act with careful indifference at seeing Draco Malfoy in nothing but a golden towel around his nether regions but it wasn't possible. He was very glad for the obvious heat in the room and stepped around Draco to the bath. In trying to get past each other, they met and started for the same side to get around and then each motioned for the other to go and they went again at the same time. Harry kept going this time though and, in his haste, his shoulder brushed along Draco's. They both shivered unbeknownst to the other and went to the other form of cleansing they both so greatly desired.
A/N: I am so sorry these chapters aren't coming out faster. I have gotten soooo busy not to mention this terrible dose of writer's block I have been experiencing. Anyways… I think this chapter seems a little forced at times. I don't know if I like it… sr