Sitting alone in Gryffindor tower, still in his Quidditch robes, Harry stared at the fire and attempted to stop his cycle of repetitive thoughts. He had gone from wondering if Draco hated him again, to feeling guilty about how their interactions were going, to angry Malfoy was still antagonizing him, to deeply curious about what the blond boy had intended with their little pre-match interaction and why he had saved Harry from the fall. Over and over, Harry's thoughts spun around without any conclusive answers. Just as he was driving himself mad, about to give up and get some dinner, Hermione and Ron came stumbling through the portrait hole, clearly having ran back to the castle.
"Harry!" the brown-haired girl exclaimed, quickly sitting on the arm of his chair and giving him a hug. "Are you alright?"
Ron sat down in another seat by the fire, and Hermione moved to her own before looking at Harry expectantly. Harry was reminded how he truly loved his friends, and they had been closer than ever since their victory in May. Now, things were just like normal; Ron and Hermione being concerned for his wellbeing after a Quidditch accident. A smile rose to Harry's face, the drama with Draco momentarily forgotten, as he felt this was the way his years at Hogwarts were meant to be.
"Yeah," he grinned at his worried friends, "Never better."
His genuine response seemed to lighten the mood, as they both smiled back at him. Hermione may have fussed more over him in the past, wanting to make sure he wasn't hiding any injuries to spare them concern, but things were different now. They trusted each other to take care of themselves more than they ever had before. They all truly understood the value and necessity of asking for help when they needed it, and if Harry wasn't asking for help he would be given his space. It was a breath of fresh air.
"Right then," Ron said enthusiastically, slapping his palms down on the arms of his chair before lifting himself out of his seat. "Dinner?"
The other two nodded enthusiastically. Ron and Harry didn't bother to change first, both incredibly hungry after the match, and they headed straight down to the Great Hall.
Harry's sentimental and appreciative mood had his meal tasting especially good. He found himself thinking back to when he first arrived; the endless meals at school were far more than he could ever have dreamed of compared to what he was allowed at the Dursley's. However, whether he knew it at the time or not, the general pressure and anxiety of being counted on to more or less save the school- or world- every year since had really taken away his ability to truly relax and enjoy simple things like meals.
Now, though, all he had was his education, Quidditch, and friends to worry about. It seemed like nothing short of a dream that- thankfully- didn't seem to end when he woke up each day. As he was stabbing into a pot pie he had pulled off the platter onto his own plate, wanting something filling and warm, he glanced at his friends and tried to get back into the conversation.
"… but I'll take that win any day," Ron was saying enthusiastically between bites. "Wouldn't you, Harry?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, a little confused at the choice of words.
Ron took a long drink of pumpkin juice before clarifying.
"Malfoy taking a big hit that you managed to get out of," Ron explained excitedly. "Got what he deserved, didn't he, after messing with you like that before the match!"
It was no secret that the trio used to hate Malfoys for all they were worth. Hermione, still bearing the scars from the torture she endured at Malfoy Manor, had since chosen to remain silent about the family. Ron, on the other hand, seemed to dislike Draco as strongly as ever.
"Er…" Harry started, unsure how to reply. His stomach sank a little at the reminder of having been saved by the Slytherin boy, who was now in the Hospital Wing. "Well, I would have preferred to win by talent."
"Of course you would've, Harry," said a bright voice from behind him. "Humble as ever, somehow!"
Harry didn't need to turn around to know the voice belonged to Ginny Weasley, who slid in to the empty seat beside him. She smiled at the three of them as she reached out to scoop some potatoes and vegetables onto her plate. Hermione and Ron watched Harry and Ginny from directly across the table, as if they were still waiting for one of them to be angry with the other after their breakup. Harry shot them both a glance that said, I told you it was mutual, and turned his attention to Ginny. Harry poured a glass of juice and handed the goblet over to her as she started to eat.
"Nice work today," he told her.
When her mouth was no longer full, the red-haired girl smiled and thanked him. Harry looked back across the table at Ron and Hermione, whose eyes were no longer suspiciously narrow. After a casual conversation between the four of them, Ron and Hermione decided they wanted to go on a walk around the grounds together before it was after hours. They left with a cheery "see you in the common room!" and left the Great Hall hand in hand.
Harry and Ginny sat finishing their meal in a surprisingly comfortable silence. As Harry was almost finished eating, Ginny looked over at him and smiled knowingly.
"So," she practically announced, "nice of him to save you, wasn't it?"
Harry choked a little on his pumpkin juice.
"What do you mean?"
Ginny smiled wider, "I mean, you'd probably be in the Hospital Wing right now if Malfoy hadn't taken the fall on himself."
Harry looked at her in silence for a moment, back to feeling guilty again.
"How did you know?" he asked. Ginny laughed lightly.
"Harry," she said as though he missed something obvious, "we may not be together anymore, but I did spend the last seven years of my life paying more attention to you than anyone else. Hard to kick the habit right away."
Harry blushed, and nodded slightly.
"Yeah, we fell from pretty high. I have no idea what's up with him, though- one minute he's trying to scare me and the next he's trying to save me."
"You did save his family," Ginny replied casually, "and he's got as much a habit of fighting with you as I do looking out for you. It's easy to believe he doesn't know how to treat you."
Harry realized how right she was, and suddenly all the overthinking he had done about their interactions seemed ridiculous. Of course, none of it meant anything in particular, and Draco just didn't know how to act around his enemy-turned-hero.
"When you say it like that, it's obvious," Harry laughed, smiling at her. Ginny shrugged, and pushed her plate away as she finished eating.
"There is one thing you do know for certain, though," she said as she stood up to leave.
"What's that?" he asked, turning around to face her.
Ginny smiled, the freckles on her nose and cheeks shifting, "he must be quite hungry by now."
With that, she turned and walked away. Harry knew that would be true, and decided it would be the decent thing to do to pay Malfoy a visit. After all, he would be in the Hospital Wing himself if it weren't for the other boy's consideration.
From experience, Harry knew that house-elves brought food to the overnight hospital patients. However, it was only allowed to be something exceptionally dull, like plain mashed potatoes and a few strips of whatever meat they could find. Madam Pomfrey insisted patients were only brought food that was easy to stomach, regardless of their condition. Fortunately, visitors could bring treats in for patients who were not on any medication if she approved it.
Rising from the table, Harry hurried over to the long table at which the professors sat. When he approached McGonagall, now in the center seat, she looked up at him kindly.
"Hello, Mr. Potter," she greeted him. "I take it you are quite alright after your fall?"
Harry nodded, and said "Yes, Professor. In fact, I was wondering if I may borrow a plate to take to the Hospital Wing?"
Generally, removing the dishes from the Great Hall was against the rules, as it was chaos for the house-elves to keep track of the dishes if they were brought to arbitrary locations around the castle. Personally, the Gryffindor didn't have anything against breaking rules, but felt it a little too childish now to be caught doing something like attempting to sneak a plate out.
Nodding kindly, the headmaster replied, "Certainly. And do give my best wishes to Mr. Malfoy."
Harry nodded his thanks back, and quickly returned to his place at the table. As he turned and walked past the other professors, he thought for a moment that Lucius Malfoy gave him a rather curious glance. Ignoring it as best he could, Harry subtly turned his face out of view as he walked away.
Back at the table, he grabbed a plate and fork nearby, he took a pastry he couldn't quite identify from the table along with a slice of pumpkin pie. At least, he thought, if he doesn't like one he can have the other. Wondering if the Slytherin even liked desserts at all, Harry scooped some berries onto the plate as well, just to be safe.
As he left the hall with the plate in hand, hurrying up to the Hospital Wing, the dark-haired boy had to laugh at his situation. Never in a million years would you have been able to convince him, even six months prior, that he would be bringing sweets up to Draco Malfoy in the hospital. Grinning widely at the ridiculous turn of events, he rounded the corner and almost ran straight into a couple walking together. The couple happened to be Hermione and Ron.