Disclaimer I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or the movie
This story is not mine all credits go to BeyondTheSun on AO3
Ever since that night, Malfoy was less snippy towards Harry. Granted, he was still an arse, but he didn't bother Harry as much anymore.At the moment, the two were sitting in potions class, Malfoy working on the potion in front of them. Harry was helping where he could, but Draco often took over to ensure everything went smoothly.
This left Harry plenty of time to stare at the potions prodigy, even when he didn't realize it. He had memorized Malfoy's quirks and habits, the way he always crossed his legs when he first sat down, or the way he always had to fix his cloak in a certain manner.
The most obvious to Harry was how Malfoy always kept his Dark Mark hidden. Harry almost never got a chance to look at it and when he did catch a glimpse, it was only a split second before Draco hid it away again.
As Harry continued to zone out, his eyes drifted towards his other arm, where Draco's own soulmate clock resided. He watched the seconds tick rhythmically, and it was almost hypnotic. He wondered who Draco's soulmate was.
The number on his arm still seemed like a long ways away, so maybe Draco would meet his twin flame later in life. His train of thought was broken as Draco's numbers suddenly shuddered, and disappeared. Seconds later, they reappeared, but this time the number was much smaller than compared to before.
The look on his face must have been suspicious because Draco looked over and snipped out,"What?"Harry's eyes snapped up to meet the other."What— your clock, it…" he trailed off, resisting the urge to reach out and look at his clock.
"What about it?" Draco wasn't angry, but his tone was short. "I'm not in the mood for any games." "I'm not joking around! It's just— does it always do that? Where it changes?" Harry was perplexed.
Draco's eyes widened and he quickly hid his clock. The relaxed demeanor that he'd had for the past few days disappeared, suddenly cold once again. He turned away from Harry, a deep scowl on his face. Great, what did he say now, Harry wondered?
"I'll finish the potion on my own, your help is not needed anymore." "Malfoy stop, just—why do we always do this?" he asked, exasperation in his voice.
Draco seemed to soften, for just a moment. But he was guarded again quickly, shaking his head. "Let me work in peace, Potter." But Draco's harsh reaction only made Harry more curious and even when potion class ended and the two had gone their separate ways, Harry couldn't stop thinking about it.
The only one to pull him from his thoughts was Hermione.She was sitting in the common room and beckoned him over onto one of the couches.
"Harry, I tried to look up the history of soulmate clocks, but your request was so vague that I just compiled everything I could find," she said, placing six books onto his lap.
He groaned as he realized he should have just told Hermione the specifics. She was rambling already, and Harry gently closed one of the books to stop her."'Mione, thank you, really, but I realize I should have just told you the truth."
He took in a deep breath and lifted the sleeve of his robes. "A few weeks ago, my clock disappeared" he started.
"And today, I noticed that Malfoy's own clock was…was changing."Hermione sat there, trying to take all of this information in. She let out a small laugh, smiling at Harry."Only you, Harry Potter, could get yourself into such a tizzy."
She was good natured about Harry's ability to attract problems. "I'll try to go over everything again, but don't have too much hope. In everything I read, I don't think it talked about missing clocks or changing clocks.
The only thing I remembered reading was that if one doesn't have a clock, they will never have a soulmate. I'm sorry, Harry," she said, trying her to offer him a small smile.Harry only shook his head.
"It's alright, I figured that was probably what it was. I'm just more curious about Malfoy's clock now."Hermione nodded her head.
"I'll see what I can find," she said and kissed his cheek before gathering her things and going up to her room.Malfoy didn't get back until late that night. The only reason Harry knew at all was because he was having trouble sleeping, still thinking about Hermione and Malfoy.
He had heard the door open and shut quietly as Malfoy crawled into bed.Harry wondered if he should try and talk to him. What was the worst that could happen? He and Malfoy never had a good relationship to start and they barely tolerated each other now.
As he started to gather the courage to ask him some questions, he heard noises from Malfoy's bed. At first, Harry thought he was having another nightmare, but before he got the chance to check on the other, Malfoy let out a breathy sigh, very clearly not in any distress.Shite, he was wanking.
Still pretending he was asleep, Harry turned over and covered his ear with a pillow so as to try and give Malfoy some privacy. But that didn't stop his mind from wandering. How often did Malfoy wank, anyway?
Harry had never heard him until now, so he must have done it when he was asleep, or maybe when he wasn't there. And what did he wank to? He didn't see any material in their dorm, so… before Harry could think about it anymore, he fell asleep.~Harry decided against asking Malfoy about his wrist. He knew it was only going to end with the other calling him a prick and walking off angrily. Instead, he offered him tea. Yes, really.
It was after a long day of classes and Harry had tried to make tea to the best of his ability when Malfoy walked into their dorm room. The other noticed immediately, pausing in the doorway and raising an eyebrow.
"What's this, Potter?" He asked him, slowly taking a step forward and crinkling his nose."It's tea, Malfoy, I thought you'd know that.""Of course I know what it is, what I'm asking is why didyouof all people make tea?""Well," Harry started, clearing his throat.
"I thought… I could offer you tea."Malfoy stared at him blankly."While I know we've had our differences in the past, Potter, I really thought you were above practical jokes," Malfoy said as he set his books down and took off his robe.
"It's not a joke, Malfoy, I really did make you tea. I'm trying to…" What was he trying to do? Was tea really going to fix years of animosity?"Trying to...?""I don't know, Malfoy! Galloping gargoyles, would you just sit down?"Malfoy huffed and rolled his eyes.
"Alright, Potter. If I'm going to sit down and have tea with you, I'm going to do it right."Malfoy quickly lifted his wand and conjured a new tea set into the room, setting it down on the table in front of them.
He swiftly got rid of the other one, making Harry squawk in protest."I actually tried hard on that!" Harry complained."I'm sure you did," Malfoy said with a small smirk. He poured two cups, passing one to Harry as he took his own.
As he took a sip, Malfoy's features relaxed, a wisp of a smile on his lips."So," Malfoy started, staring at Harry."So," he echoed. In all honesty, he didn't think he was going to get this far. Harry sipped his own tea, making a face. "How do you like this stuff, really Malfoy?" he asked him, shaking his head.
"Some of us find tea rather pleasing, thank you," Malfoy said with a scoff."I much prefer coffee to this.""Yes, well, it does seem to be a bit late for coffee."Harry opened his mouth to snipe back at him, before getting a devilish smile on his lips. "It's never too late for alcohol," Harry said, reaching in his trunk and pulling out a bottle of gin.
Malfoy sputtered as he looked at the bottle. "First you ask me to have tea with you and now you expect me to drink with you? Potter—""Just have a sip," Harry interrupted, spelling away his tea and pouring some gin instead, chuckling."Gryffindors," Malfoy muttered as he rolled his eyes and conjured a shot glass. "I'm not pouring gin in a teacup, Potter," he said and held out the small glass for Harry to pour some in.
Who knew Malfoy was such a lightweight? It had only been an hour and Malfoy's cheeks were flushed pink, his body slightly swaying in his seat. Harry, on the other hand, felt mostly fine, apart from the buzz in his limbs."You're a prick, Potter," Draco said through hazed lids, setting down his shot glass.Harry chuckled. "Maybe.""And an idiot.""Probably.""Everyone loves you!""Quite frankly, I don't know why. As you said, I'm a prick."
Malfoy was silent for a moment before reaching for the bottle of gin next to Harry."I don't think that's a good idea, Malfoy," Harry said as he held his wrist."Bloody hell, Potter, you already got me drunk, I want another shot," he slurred, his cheeks flaring pink in embarrassment and anger.
Harry laughed then, watching as Malfoy's face and neck flushed. It was almost cute."And I don't regret it," he said, pulling the bottle out of Malfoy's hands and putting it back in his trunk.When he turned back around, Malfoy was still sitting close to him still, a small pout on his lips. "You really are horrible.""Malfoy, you're pouting," he said with a grin.
"Yes well, I deserve to pout as I please!"Harry laughed with his whole chest, his features lighting up. The whole situation was just so absurd that it was funny.When he stopped laughing to look over at Malfoy, the other was staring at him intently."What?""It's not fair…" Malfoy whined, closing his eyes as he leaned against the table.
"You and your messy hair, and your broken glasses, and your crooked smile."Malfoy hiccuped."You shouldn't be as handsome as you are."Harry stopped. Did he hear those words right? Bloody hell.
"You…sometimes I think you're pretty."Malfoy only pouted. "Well of courseI'mpretty, I don't spend my money on nothing! You're always the lucky one."Harry laughed again.
Merlin, he should have done this sooner.It wasn't until Harry pulled away that it registered with him— he had kissed Malfoy. He realized Malfoy's lips were soft, he realized Malfoy had kissed back, and he also realized that Malfoy was definitely upset.
The other pulled away quickly, standing up, and almost falling, and covering his mouth this hand. Wide eyes met Harry's."Malfoy—" he started to say, standing up and touching his arm gently.
"Don't!" Malfoy pulled his arm away, stumbling back. "Don't play with my feelings, Potter!" There was so much anger and pain in Draco's voice, the effects of the alcohol worn off.
Before Harry had a chance to say anything, Malfoy was gone. He had grabbed his robes, wand, and a blanket and left, slamming the door shut.Harry was at a loss.
He was sure Malfoy had kissed him back as well. And what did he mean, don't play with his feelings? He looked back at the table, the teacups and shot glasses still out. Something in his heart panged as he tried to sort out his feelings while cleaning things up.When Harry woke up the next morning, Malfoy wasn't there. He tried to suppress it, but Harry was worried. When he went to go take a shower, he realized that Malfoy had been there.
There were still droplets of water scattered across the floor. He relaxed slightly knowing the other was fine.But that was the only evidence Harry saw of Malfoy all day. They didn't have potions, so Harry didn't see him then. Even in the Great Hall, there was no trace of his platinum blonde hair. He knew Malfoy wanted to avoid him, but he didn't know why.
Harry finally saw Malfoy that night. The other was in the dorm room as Harry came back from talking to Hermione and Ron on the castle grounds. "Malfoy—" he began to say.Malfoy stood up and glared at him. "I was hoping I had gotten here early enough to avoid you, Potter." He turned back to grab a couple of things he needed for the night.
"Malfoy, can you just explain to me what's going on?""I'm not interested, Potter, I'm not in the mood to have my feelings toyed with." "Honestly, I don't know what you're going on about but could you please stop being dramatic?" "You not knowing what I'm going on about is exactly why I've decided to sleep in the common room,"
Malfoy snapped and practically ran out, slamming the door shut upon his exit.Harry was left speechless. Why was Malfoy so infuriated about the kiss? It had surprised Harry too, but Malfoy's reaction was clearly disproportionate.
The next morning, Harry didn't see Malfoy in the dorm room, just like the night before. He got up, sighing and slipping on his glasses to start his day. Harry showered, brushed his teeth and combed his hair, and attempted to not look disheveled.
He was looking in the mirror, ruffling his hair to appear manageable when he stopped, furrowing his brows. He suddenly realized that Malfoy hadn't been there that morning. The shower was dry, his toothbrush exactly where it had been.
Maybe Malfoy hadn't showered, but that was extremely unlike him. Even Harry knew he'd throw a fit if he didn't take care of himself.But there was nothing he could do.
Pansy and Blaise were the only ones who would know where Malfoy is, but he didn't know if they would be friendly towards him. Probably not.
It wasn't until potions when Harry's alarms were really raised. Malfoy didn't show up. After class, the first place Harry looked was the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey informed Harry that Malfoy hadn't come in today.
And when Harry checked back in their dorm at lunch, no one was there either. As he walked back to the Great Hall, dumbfounded, Pansy cornered him.
"Where's Draco?" she demanded, holding her wand to Harry's throat. Harry realized Blaise was also there, right behind her."Why would I know?" he retorted and shoved her wand away, his face full of confusion.
"Last I saw Malfoy, he was going to sleep in the common room."
"That's the last anyone's seen him, Potter." Pansy's words were daggers of ice. "Convince me why I shouldn't hex you."Pansy held up her wand again, this time pointing it at Harry's scar.
"Pansy, if you hex him, he won't tell us anything," Blaise said and gently pushed her wand down to her side, attempting to calm her. "I want to find Draco as much as you, but your hex first, ask questions later method isn't going to work here."
"Fine," she grumbled, putting her wand away.So Malfoy really was missing then? Harry wasn't just being paranoid. Blaise turned to Harry then, much more collected than Pansy.
"Harry, I know you and Draco don't like each other, but I don't think you'd hurt him in any meaningful way. Do you know where he is?"Harry shook his head, rubbing temples.
"I really don't know anything," he said as he tried to wrack his brain for answers. "I—" he tried to think, replaying the day's events in his head. "The only meaningful thing I can think of is that there were some sixth years," he said, remembering breakfast.
"They were talking about their trip to the Forbidden Forest last night. That's all I have." Harry said, his voice tight. If that was where Draco was, then they had to find him fast.Pansy spun on her heel and headed down the hall, presumably towards the Forbidden Forest. "Pansy!" Blaise called after her as he followed.He let the two go.
Even if he wanted to help Malfoy they probably wouldn't want him around, Pansy more so than Blaise. Harry paused at one of the tables, but he didn't plan on staying for long. He grabbed something to quickly eat as he headed back out.
"Where are you going, Harry?" Hermione asked as she jumped in front of him, blocking his path.
"You've been distant for days and now you're not even staying to eat!""Not now, Hermione," Harry said, attempting to go around her."Please, Harry!"Hermione grabbed his wrists, stopping him again. 'At least tell me what's going on…?"Harry swallowed. He owed it to Hermione to tell her the truth.
"I think Malfoy is in the Forbidden Forest, no one has seen him all day, and I'm going to go look for him with Pansy and Blaise. I think."Hermione sighed, letting go of his wrists. "I've learned by now that there's no stopping you, Harry," she said, adding "please be careful."Harry nodded and ran off to his dorm.
He procured a small bag and hurriedly shoved in his wand and the food he had grabbed for Malfoy.Harry paused for a moment, scanning the room. He tried not to think too hard about what would happen if they couldn't find Malfoy, or if they did find Malfoy and he wasn't alive.
Well, even if they did find him, he knew that Malfoy would find something to complain about. Harry grabbed a fresh robe from the other's things and left the dorm wing, heading to the edge of the forest.~*~Surprisingly, Harry found Pansy and Blaise easily. He wasn't even a few steps into the trees when he heard the two of them arguing, loudly. Well, Pansy was loud.
Blaise was trying to shush her."Listen, if you don't want to be here then leave.""You know it's not that, I just want to make sure we're not going todie.""We're not going to die.""You don't know that!""Well, I do know that this isn't exactly the smartest thing we've ever done.""Hello," Harry interjected.They both jumped when Harry stepped out past the trees."What are you doing here, Potter?" Pansy asked, her tone already sharp.
"Well… Malfoy is my dorm mate," he said simply and started walking deeper into the trees.Pansy looked at Blaise incredulously, scoffing and rolling her eyes as she followed Harry, Blaise right behind.Harry knew the forest well, unfortunately.
He was hoping none of the animals or creatures were out, but he wasn't about to count his dragons before they hatched. Now that Harry thought about it, he actually had no idea where to start. Where would three sixth years have taken Draco bloody Malfoy? Most likely in a straight line, as that would be the easiest to retrace.
"Harry Potter! For Merlin's sake— are you ever going to tell us where we're going?" Pansy hissed to interrupt Harry's thoughts. "You've been acting so thick recently.""Sorry, I don't actually know. I was thinking we could find the easiest path to follow and just… look around," Harry said, shrugging.
Blaise stared at him for a long moment before laughing slightly, appalled."I feel like we're a replacement for Weasley and that Granger girl at the moment," he said with a shake of his head."You have absolutely no clue what you're doing, do you?" Pansy demanded.
"Actually, it's usually like this," Harry responded. Now that he thought about it, everything he did was a mess."Merlin's bloody bollocks—"Harry decided to follow the path they were already on. At first, he was hopeful. The night was still young and he had Blaise and Pansy to help him look for Malfoy, but as the hours dragged on and Harry felt himself get tired, he lost what little hope he had.
He turned around, rubbing his eyes. "Guys I don't think—"He was startled by a booming voice behind him."Harry Potter, wandering around in the forest again?"Harry turned and met the eyes of Magorian, leader of the centaurs."Good evening, Magorian," Harry said and nodded his head slightly, unsure of how to properly address centaurs. "Umm, am I— are we intruding?"
"No. But you will awaken other dangers if you do not heed the warnings of the forest.""I'm aware, but I'm afraid I don't have much of an option here," Harry sighed.Suddenly, he was hopeful again.
"Magorian, centaur, sir, do you know where Draco Malfoy is? He's a tall blonde student at Hogwarts"Magorian didn't say anything for a moment before calling out to another. Two more centaurs suddenly seemed to appear next to Magorian; they had been camouflaged perfectly within the trees.
"The boy you seek resided near our camp. Bane and Ronan have restrained him, bringing an end to his incessant droning" Magorian responded.One of the centaurs, Ronan, dropped Malfoy on the ground next to him, who was unconscious.
They had been carrying the boy back to the camp when Harry ran into them.Harry stood speechless for a moment before thanking the other, bowing his head. "Sorry, and thank you," he said as he watched the three centaurs disappear into the night.Harry leaned down to check on Malfoy, who was still breathing. He looked horrible; his hair was a mess, he was missing his cloak, he was covered in dirt and muck, and he was bleeding.
But he was alive.Harry wrapped Malfoy in the cloak he had brought, thankful he had thought of it back in the dorm and picked the other up. Harry stared at Malfoy's face for a moment as he held him. His face was peaceful as he slept, the lines of stress in his face gone. Merlin he was was gorgeo-"What. In the bloody hell.
Was that?" Blaise whispered.Harry turned around finally and looked at Blaise and Pansy, who were white as sheets.
Pansy was shaking her head in disbelief. "Is this what you do every time you leave the castle? Frolic with centaurs? Christ, Potter, you're just friends with everyone!"Harry hadn't really thought it was that weird.
Really, there were much weirder things he's experienced."Seriously, Potter," Blaise said, "is there anything youhaven'tdone?"Harry only shrugged and offered a sheepish smile as he headed back towards Hogwarts. The only thing he cared about was that Malfoy was alive and breathing.The next few hours were a blur.
Once Harry got Malfoy back to the school, he took him immediately to Madam Pomfrey. First, he was scolded for being out so late, then he was scolded for potentially getting hurt himself, then was scoldedagainfor not coming to a professor and going off into the forest alone.
Really, Harry thought, were they not used to this by now? And he wasn't alone, he was with Pansy and Blaise.After that, he asked Madam Pomfrey if he could stay by Malfoy's side, which surprised everyone, including Harry himself. She agreed, but only after Harry was to have a physical exam himself.
Finally, around four in the morning, things had calmed down. Pansy and Blaise were back in their rooms and Malfoy was sleeping in the infirmary with Harry sitting next to him.He didn't touch Malfoy, he knew the boy would hex him into next Tuesday, but he didn't stop himself from staring. After Madam Pomfrey cleaned him up, Malfoy positively glowed.
Maybe that was from the nightlight next to him, but still. His hair was cleaned and brushed from his face so that his jawline and cheekbones were accented. Harry also noticed the smaller freckles dashed across Malfoy's nose; something he would have never been able to see otherwise. Part of him wished the other would wake up and kiss him again, but he didn't know why he wanted that so bad.
His eyes were drawn to Malfoy's clock. Without his robe on, he could see both the dark mark and the numbers, each on a separate wrist. His numbers ticked down rhythmically. It was fascinating to watch Harry, who never had any of his numbers to observe. Suddenly, the numbers shimmered and disappeared.
When they reappeared again, there were only ten seconds left. Harry's eyes widened as he tried to comprehend what was about to happen. Should he leave? Should he wake Malfoy up? But it was too late, the seconds were gone and now it was
3…
2…
"...you have a staring problem, Potter." Malfoy's hoarse voice filled Harry's ear.Harry's eyes snapped up, his heart racing at a million miles an hour. He opened his mouth, but couldn't talk. He tried desperately to say something to him, anything at all, but his mouth refused to cooperate. So he stared in awe. And fear. And joy."Potter?"There was no malice in Malfoy's voice, not today. He started to sit up, nose crinkling as he realized where he was.
Harry cleared his throat as a hand rested on Malfoy's shoulders. "You should probably lie down…" Harry whispered, finally managing to speak.Malfoy stared at the hand on his shoulder for a long time before finally lying back down. He sighed, closing his eyes again.
"I have too many questions and not enough energy, but one thing I'm always certain of is that you're never where you're supposed to be, Potter," Malfoy said softly, meeting Harry's eyes for a moment. "I'm assuming you found me?"Harry literally could not think; too many things were happening at once. Malfoy was awake, his numbers were at zero, meaning only one thing, and Draco Malfoywasn'tsnipping at him."I had help," Harry said thickly."Granger and Weasley?""Actually, Pansy and Blaise."Malfoy seemed genuinely surprised then. It wasn't like Pansy to accept help so easily.
"I've officially been saved by the Boy Who Lived again, I guess nothing should surprise me anymore."It was silent then. Malfoy looked away from Harry and stared off, trying to gather his own thoughts. Harry still stared, his mind wandering back to Malfoy's clock.
Should he tell him? No, he'd hate him.Harry's reached down and rubbed a thumb over where his own numbers used to be, his heart clenching. It couldn't be true because Harry had no soulmate, he never had. Only…Harry looked down and his jaw dropped. Clear as day, there lay his clock on his wrist.
His numbers were still zero of course, but they had appeared on his arms like they had never left. That, combined with the fact that Malfoy's clock was at zero as well-Harry stood up quickly, he needed to find Hermione.
"Potter—"Harry ignored him and headed for the door."Potter, what's stuck up your arse now?"Harry looked back for a moment, locking eyes with Malfoy before shutting the door.