Day Four
Harry yawned and stretched, rubbing his tired eyes. As he began slowly to wake up, thoughts started to enter his mind in a trickle. One of the first was of Draco- Harry knew he would probably be downstairs by now; the clock showed 9:42, and the blond had proven depressingly good with mornings.
Therefore, it came as somewhat of a shock to him when he got out of bed only to be confronted with the sight of the aforementioned boy, sat against the opposite wall. His eyes rose from his knees, and they gazed blankly at Harry. This look frightened him more than any sneer or contemptuous glare Draco had ever given him, such was the hollow confusion and fear his eyes now held. This wasn't the sort of look a Malfoy was supposed to have.
"Morning," said Draco, voice as empty as his stare. He held up a newspaper and murmured, "they're after me at last."
Harry stumbled over, mind wide-awake but limbs still slowed by the afterthought of sleep. He snatched the newspaper from Draco's weak, unresisting grasp and read the headline: Death Eater Threat Issued- Ministry Baffled.
"They've sent out a message saying that the Dark Lord is winning, and that his enemies will be killed."
"Well, nothing overly original there, then," said Harry, knowing as he said it that it was probably not all that comforting.
Draco sighed, and continued. "But this is aimed specifically at traitors- at me. It's pretty obvious that that section of the statement is issued at traitors, though."
Scanning the article, Harry found the actual message issued. Glancing over it, he noticed immediately the piece Draco was referring to.
"When with us, a liar. When against us, a traitor. When alive, an embarrassment. When dead, an example. Time now only exists to wait- the Dark Lord will prevail,'" he quoted. "Well, it kind of sounds like they just haven't got to grips with complex sentences, but I don't think that's what they're driving at."
When Draco next spoke, his voice was muffled, his head on his arms.
"I guess it's pretty self-explanatory."
Harry dropped the paper and sat down next to Draco. He reached out a hand to pat him consolingly, then pulled it back, deciding against it.
"Look," he began, awkwardly. "Ron and the other Weasleys are coming tomorrow. I haven't told them you're here, but if I do, they may be able to come earlier. I know you're not exactly their biggest fan, but it might be safer and- and it's not as if you're all that crazy about me, either."
Draco snorted, and said, "Actually, I quite like you. But that's not the point. I don't think I'd be any safer with the red-haired horde here. Better not to let anyone know I'm around. They can come as they would normally- the best way to keep them acting naturally is to keep them ignorant about my presence as long as possible. I'm fine just staying here with you, anyway. You're definitely the person I'd most like to have with me in a fight against a load of Death Eaters, at least."
Harry briefly recalled the prophecy, and the fact that it seemed that only Voldemort could kill him. Still, he didn't want to take any chances- the words from that little glass ball probably wouldn't feel so important if he had an Avada Kedavra heading towards him. He also remembered that he hadn't even told Ron or Hermione about it, and yet he felt a strange need to tell Draco. He held himself back- now was not the time. This was not about him.
"I'm just lucky," he mumbled.
"Well, I hope your luck lasts, that's all I can say." Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but Harry could have sworn that Draco's eyes were glistening.
He was suddenly gripped by a fierce emotion, one he didn't recognise and couldn't name. He felt the need to act- he wasn't going to let anyone hurt Draco, not when he'd only just found him.
He grabbed Draco by the shoulders, and the boy's head jerked up, eyes wide now, shock the foremost emotion. Harry's own eyes were burning with an intensity Draco hadn't ever seen there before.
"I won't let them hurt you," Harry almost growled, and his words were so strong that Draco felt almost afraid. He was in that moment radiating such strength, such irrefutable power, as he'd only ever seen in Dumbledore before. He continued, voice not wavering for a moment.
"I swear it. I don't turn my back on people; I don't lie to my friends about this sort of thing. There is no way in hell any Death Eater scum is going to get anywhere near you. I don't know why you ran from them, but running doesn't make you a coward. It makes you one of the bravest people I know, and they won't take you away from me."
Draco's shoulders were trembling under Harry's hands, his face only inches away. They were so close, it was almost as if they were about to-
"Room service!" chirped a voice from the door. Harry hastily pulled his hands away, and called in a very different voice, "um, I'm not dressed. Could you come back in ten minutes?" There was a word of assent, and the sound of footsteps. After a couple of seconds, Harry straightened up, face burning.
"Uh, well, sorry if I sounded patronising or…" gay, his inner voice sniggered, "or anything. I know you can look after yourself and stuff, and I didn't mean to sound like I was questioning that or anything. I just wanted to let you know that you really can count on me. I mean, we've hardly been the closest of friends before, but… well, you get what I'm saying." He looked up at Draco awkwardly, and was surprised to see that he was very slightly pink in the face.
Draco hurriedly replied, "No, no! It didn't sound like that at all! Really, thanks for not hating me now. I'm glad we're past all that, even if it does seem a little strange. I'm honestly grateful and, um, I'll leave you to get changed and stuff now."
Harry laughed at little at how identically awkward they sounded, and said, "Thanks Draco. Hey, they clean down the corridor from your direction, so they'll have done your room already. How about I see you in there in a few minutes?"
Draco made a small choking noise, and Harry hastily added, "So we can talk! Yeah, talk about your situation and what's going to happen and things. Okay?"
Still apparently unable to speak, Draco nodded, and left the room.
Harry walked over to a chair and collapsed into it when he had gone. What on earth had all that been? Draco wasn't Ginny, for goodness' sake, why had he almost…almost…
He put his head in his hands and tried to rationalise what he'd almost done. This was made especially difficult by the small and persistent voice inside his head, which kept muttering, but it makes sense, doesn't it? He's the only person who you can't possibly hurt, and let's face it; you've been obsessed with him for years. Seen from a different angle, someone could almost have said that you liked him, right? Then there're the butterflies you get practically every time he touches you.
"Arg," he said, in a defeated way.
Okay, so even if he accepted this devastating thing which had crept up on him actually, thank you very much, and was totally unwanted, there was no way it could ever work. For one thing, Draco would obviously never feel the same way about him.
Once again, that irritating voice appeared and made him examine the facts. He never breaks your gaze; he didn't turn away just then; he was most definitely blushing; he's already said that he likes someone "unexpected and unwanted" and who his father would highly disapprove of. Obvious, really.
"Erg," Harry tried, in the hope that prefixing 'rg' with random vowels may make this painful epiphany a little easier to bear. As it was, he was incredibly annoyed with himself for not being able to stop internally cursing that cleaning witch
for her timing.
Forcing himself to get up and do something, Harry rose and dressed, still most definitely in a confused daze. What on earth was he going to do when he went into Draco's room? His room, for goodness' sake! Harry was sure it was his subconscious that had made that suggestion, as he really didn't trust his conscious self to go in there and just talk.
What was he getting himself into? Hermione, Ron and family would be here tomorrow! This time, it was most of him that said, well then, you've got no time to lose. They'll be interrupting you two constantly when they're here.
Harry marvelled briefly at the fact that it could apparently take only 7 minutes to realise you have a big gay crush on someone you've only really liked for a couple of days, and that he probably feels the same way about you.
With one final "urg", he walked into the corridor, and over to Draco's room.
It was strange that knocking on that wood was almost harder than fighting a duel with the darkest and most evil wizard on the planet, but Harry did it anyway. A quiet, "come in" was the reward for his efforts. It took just as much strength of will to turn the handle and swing open the door, and Harry wondered a tad inanely whether that deserved a reward too.
Draco was sat on his bed, leaning against the wall as he had earlier, the newspaper at his side. He looked up at Harry and said, "So. Talking is good."
Harry swung the door closed and walked over towards Draco with as purposeful an air as he could manage. He tried not to let his gaze move as he leaned forwards, or his voice waver as he said, "The only thing I need to say is that I think I've been incredibly stupid. And I hate that cleaning witch."
A small, startled smile appeared on Draco's pale lips as Harry leaned forward and pressed them with his own. They parted willingly, and in those few brief moments, Harry felt peace, and he felt acceptance. It was strange that this was the one thing he had wanted for all this time, and he hadn't even realised it.
He pulled back, a small smile now on his own face too.
"Sorry if I seem a little insensitive about your fate," he said, gesturing at the newspaper as he sat down. "I guess I'm being pretty selfish, but I'm damned if I care."
Draco laughed, and it was a laugh of unadulterated joy and affection, the sort of sound Harry had never really considered could come from a Malfoy mouth. Then again, there were definitely other things he hadn't really thought about in association with a Malfoy mouth, and kissing was one of them. Didn't stop it being good.
"I tell you what, I forgive you." Malfoy murmured to Harry. He gave a smile of pure happiness, and said, "I guess you weren't quite as unattainable as I'd thought. Can't say I'm all that devastated."
There was a moment of shyness between them, and then Harry said, "Would you mind if I kissed you again?"
Another light laugh came from Draco, and a happy nod.
They leaned forwards, noses touching, before tilting their heads up so their mouths met. Draco let out a soft sigh, and Harry shivered inwardly at the sound. He could feel Draco's warmth through his lips and tongue, and a closeness he'd never felt before- not with Cho, not even with Ginny.
Harry found he could feel Draco's hands tangled in his hair, his own hands resting at the nape of that smooth, slim neck. His eyes closed, he was relying almost entirely on his sense of touch to guide him. He couldn't say he minded particularly.
They broke apart, and rested their foreheads together. Draco's eyes were still closed, his now rose-coloured lips parted. He looked beautiful and fragile in a way that Harry could never have expected, and in a way that made him want to hold him tightly, to protect him from everything that was conspiring to tear him away from Harry, from life.
"I guess," he whispered, "Now you can be sure I'm not going to let them hurt you. Not in a million years."
Draco smiled weakly, and his eyes looked sad once more- something Harry didn't want to see ever again, actually.
"I'm sure," came the reply, "But I'm just as sure I don't want to be the reason for you getting hurt." Harry found himself a little distracted by the delicate hand now tracing some pattern on his right palm. Draco continued, "So you have to promise me you won't get too overprotective. I don't want to feel useless, even if I am." He paused, then said, "I don't suppose I'm making that much sense."
"Honestly, you are. I'm the same- I don't like to feel dependant. But please, I'm actually begging you not to put yourself in any danger. Well, any more than you're already in, at any rate. The Weasleys and Hermione will be here tomorrow, and we'll hopefully be able to get you someplace a little safer than this pub."
For some reason, this made Draco laugh. Harry looked at him, shocked, and waited for him to explain.
"The… the Weasleys!" he gasped. "I wonder what they'll say when they see me here? I wonder what they'll say when they find out that me and you are, y'know."
At this, Harry laughed too. "I'm not sure," he admitted, "But I'm definitely not keeping you a secret! They can say what they want." He pulled Draco in closer, the two of them still laughing. "I'm not letting you go."