Word Count: 961

~ Chapter 3 ~

Before making a Floo call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?

Harry frowned. What kind of a question was that? And why would anyone bother to rehearse what they were going to say anyway?

"I do sometimes," Malfoy said, looking thoughtful.

Harry's frown deepened. "Why?"

"When I'm about to talk to my mother," Malfoy elaborated with a shrug. "She worries about me, you know? I have to make sure that I have answers to any questions that I think she might ask me, so she doesn't worry even more."

"You can't just be honest with her?"

Malfoy snorted. "Honesty isn't a Malfoy trait, Potter. We say what people want to hear, not the actual truth—especially when we're talking to each other."

"Huh. Sounds… lonely."

Malfoy blinked. "How so?"

"Well, if you're having to watch every word you say, how are you going to be able to talk about the things that actually matter?"

"It's more that I don't want my mother to think that there's any reason for her to not live her own life, especially lately. She's been so worried, and I don't want her to be. After everything she's been through, she deserves a little peace, I think."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Fair enough, I guess."

"I take it you don't rehearse your Floo calls?"

Shaking his head, Harry said, "No. I never really thought about it, to be honest, but… I don't really use the Floo anyway? Anyone that I would want to speak too, I'm usually with."

"What about at the moment?" Malfoy asked, glancing at the unlit fireplace.

"We're not allowed," Harry replied with a shrug. "Kingsley said only to use it in an absolute emergency—though why he thinks we're going to take the time to Floo someone in an emergency I'm not really sure. Besides, the only people I'd talk to would be Ron and Hermione, and I've never really tried to censor myself with them."

Malfoy blinked. "Never?"

Harry shook his head. "There's not much point. They know me so well that they know exactly when I'm lying to them—or if there's more to a story that I haven't told them."

"That must be… irritating," Malfoy said after a moment.

Making a questioning noise, Harry tilted his head curiously.

Twisting his lips slightly, Malfoy elaborated. "Having people that know you so well that you can't hide anything. It sounds… intrusive. I can't imagine having nothing held back with someone."

"Oh. I mean, I have some private things? They're good about not pushing—as long as it's not overly dangerous to leave me to my own devices, of course."

Malfoy snorted. "I can't imagine there's ever a time when you're not dangerous, Potter. Trouble seems to have some kind of fascination with you."

Laughing, Harry nodded. "You're not wrong."

They fell into a relatively comfortable silence for a while, and Harry closed his eyes, enjoying the peace of the moment. He knew he wouldn't sleep, but it was nice to rest regardless.

When the sun began to rise, and the first rays hit Harry's skin, he sighed and blinked his eyes back open, stretching luxuriously.

"Do you want breakfast?" he asked, looking over at Malfoy, who was staring into the fireplace, clearly lost in thought.

"Hmm? Oh. Yes, breakfast sounds good. Uh. Thanks, Potter."

Harry smiled. "Sure."

…

After breakfast, Harry cleaned up and then returned upstairs for a shower. When he got out and changed into shorts and a t-shirt, he'd laid on his bed with a thought to read for a while, only to fall asleep.

He only woke when Malfoy popped his head around the bedroom door to ask if he wanted a sandwich for lunch, but he felt much better for the nap.

He'd probably be hating himself later that night when sleep eluded him, but for now at least, he found that he felt pretty good.

"Do you know how far back the wards go around the property?" he asked, when they sat down to a simple lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches.

Malfoy shook his head. "No, why?"

"Just wondered if there was any outside space," Harry replied. "I'm not great at sitting still, you know? Being able to go outside, even if only a little bit, would be good."

"We can check after lunch. Can you sense the magic?"

Harry nodded, ducking his head when Malfoy rolled his eyes. It wasn't the most heard of skill, but Harry supposed that with the amount of magic he possessed, it couldn't really be a surprise that he could sense magic—especially strong magic like in wards and runes.

…

Harry was pleased to find that there was a sizable garden enclosed within the wards, and by the time they'd made their way outside, the sun had rounded the house enough that it was shining directly down on them.

With a lazy wave of his wand, Harry conjured a beach towel on the grass and stripped his shirt off, laying down in the sun with a smile on his face.

Malfoy stood awkwardly to the side for a moment, before a second towel appeared, this one green to counter the red of Harry's, though Malfoy also conjured a shiny silver sun umbrella to cover the majority of his towel.

When Harry raised an eyebrow, Malfoy huffed at him.

"My skin is delicate, Potter."

Harry snorted. "Of course it is. Settle down, Princess, I didn't say anything, did I?"

An outraged sound forced its way past Malfoy's lips as he sat down. "Princess?"

"Are you telling me I'm wrong?" Harry asked, grinning.

Rolling his eyes, Malfoy just slipped the paper with their questions from his pocket, and looked at Harry. "Ready for another one?"

Harry nodded. "Go ahead."