"How was it?" Draco asked as soon as Harry walked into the room of requirement. Harry had chosen to go to the quiet, safe space that he and Draco had made instead of his common room. Harry loved his friends, of course, but they were always so loud, pulling his attention in a hundred different directions. Draco was happy to sit in silence. Harry just hummed in response and flopped down on the sofa. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come here after what his mind healer had said. He needed to stop thinking of ways Draco was better than or could replace other people.
"Tea?" Draco offered. Harry nodded.
"Please." Harry watched Draco stand uncomfortably near the Muggle kettle that was charmed to work with magic instead of electricity. "Put in some water from the tap and flick the switch," Harry told him. Draco gave him a grateful smile. "You only need one teabag per mug."
"My family only had loose leaf in a teapot," Draco told him to explain his cluelessness. "This tea tastes okay though," he mused. Eventually a mug was set down beside Harry.

"Do you want to talk about your appointment?" Draco offered, slightly stiffly as if he was debating whether it was the right thing to do. Harry shook his head.
"Not yet. Though, sometime, since I need to talk to you about something." Draco nodded and settled against the cushions. Harry blew on his tea, trying to relax. He wished he could have normal relationships. His mind healer had told him it was because he didn't get the care and attention he needed from his aunt and uncle so he attached himself to anyone who was friendly to him. It explained a lot. His mind healer had reassured Harry that this didn't mean that his friendships weren't real. He just had to make sure he valued his friendships equally. Harry waved his wand to fish out the tea bag from his mug and took a sip.
"I got an owl from my mother today. She's showing signs of improvement."
"I'm glad."
"Me too. I'd have felt terrible if I'd left and she'd got worse." Harry squeezed Draco's shoulder.
"It's okay that you left. I'm glad that you did and you're here and safe now." Draco hummed, placating Harry but not agreeing. Harry knew how guilty he felt. He'd been the same when he'd hidden from Grimmauld place and the Weasleys. He'd had to do what was best for him, though. Guilt was better than the pain.
"Have you thought any more about going to a mind healer?" Harry asked. Draco shook his head.
"I don't think I'll be able to talk about how I feel with a stranger."
"I didn't think I could either." Draco shook his head.
"You're different."
"How?" Draco huffed and stood up.
"I don't know, just… different," Draco replied, throwing his hands in the air in annoyance. Harry huffed, Draco's bad mood grating on him.
"I'm just trying to help!" Draco turned and gave him a glare that was once very familiar. Harry's stomach twisted uncomfortably.
"I didn't ask you for help!" Draco spat. "I didn't ask for you to barge in on me and start messing with my business!" Harry put his tea down and stood up shakily. He forced the tears that prickled behind his eyes back. Hurriedly, Harry picked up his stuff and left the room. He could have stayed and dealt with Draco any other day, but today he was emotionally tired and the Slytherin's words stung. He felt like Draco was rejecting him.

xx

Draco stormed down to his dorms and fell onto his bed. He was angrier with himself than Harry. the thought of therapy just really, really didn't agree with him. he could barely admit his emotions to himself let alone anyone else. He felt horrible for snapping at Harry and miserable for pushing away one of the people that gave him the most support. He hadn't meant to say he didn't want Harry's help. The support and comfort he'd got over the last 24 hours had helped a lot. Draco huffed and buried his head in his pillow. He'd lost his home, he could have lost his mother and now he might have lost Harry. Draco gave up trying to stay calm and cried until he, drained and exhausted, fell asleep.
Around an hour later, Draco awoke to the sounds of his housemates coming back after lessons.
"Draco! You're back!" Draco pulled himself up into a sitting position and smiled weakly at Blaise. "How are you?" Draco rubbed the dried salt from his eyes.
"Better." Draco had explained to Blaise in a note how he'd felt at the manor and how he'd needed some alone time to calm down. he'd omitted that he'd spent so much time with Harry. Blaise smiled at him.
"I'm glad." Draco nodded.

"Mother is getting better every day." Blaise smiled, obviously happy for him. Draco was grateful to have him has a friend.

"That's good. Hopefully you can stay here now." Draco nodded and smiled weakly.

"Speaking of which, you probably have some work for me." Blaise frowned.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I want to forget about it and get back to normal." Draco knew that throwing himself into school work would definitely help take his mind off everything that was happening around him.

"Well, here you go then!" Blaise pulled out a large stack of parchment from his bag and dropped it onto Draco's bed. "go and wash your face and I'll give you a hand." Blaise smiled gently and unexpectedly pulled Draco into a quick hug before pushing him towards the bathroom.

Xx

Harry flopped down on the sofa in the common room next to Hermione and Ron.

"What's up?"

"I was making good progress with Draco until my mind healer told me to stay away from him and then he stormed off," Harry told them blandly. A million thoughts were buzzing through his head but he was trying to ignore them. He was mostly terrified he's lost Draco. Again.

"Why did your mind healer tell you to stay away?"

"Apparently, I'm getting too attached to him." Harry watched Ron and Hermione give each other a look. He pouted.

"I didn't realise until they said something!"

"But you know now," Hermione said gently, pupping a hand on his shoulder.

"Anyway, we're fighting so it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Of course, it does, Harry. Regardless, he's still your friend and your care for him is still genuine."

"Merlin knows why," Ron added helpfully.

"You need to make up with him."

"But he yelled at me for helping him. Maybe I'm coming on too strong. Maybe he doesn't even like me in the first place. Maybe I am interfering and he doesn't want me around." Harry put his head in his hands. His mind was racing. "Maybe it's better if I just leave him alone."

"Harry, Draco doesn't like anyone and he genuinely likes you."

"I hate to say it but yeah, it's pretty obvious," Ron added, smiling sheepishly.

"He's going through a rough time. It's not your fault he's snapping at you."

"Yeah, mate, no-one could be angry at the saviour of the wizarding world." Harry snorted and shoved Ron.

"What happened with him anyway? Is his mother okay?"

"He freaked out when he went to the Manor. His mum has pneumonia but she's recovering."

"I'm glad she's okay."

"Where did you sleep last night?" Ron asked.

"Room of requirement. Draco wanted me to stay with him. He was really upset."

"Why did he get upset with you if you did so much for him?"

"I tried to convince him to see a mind healer."

"Leave it a couple of days and talk to him. Oh, and I have your work for the lessons you missed."

"Hermione! Can't you see the poor man is upset?"

"No, it's okay, I need the distraction," Harry told her, pulling the stack of parchment toward himself. Working through the missed lessons with the help of Hermione and Ron's notes did help to take his mind off his problems and feel more normal. The other Gryffindors helped too at supper.

"So, I heard you stayed the night with Draco, Harry," dean teased.

"Any bets on what they got up to?"

"Nothing happened!" Harry protested, but blushed to the roots of his hair because cuddling a half-naked Draco was definitely something. Harry's stomach squirmed at the reminder. Seven pairs of eyebrows were raised at him.

"Where did you sleep?" Dean asked with a grin.

"In a bed I transfigured from a sofa."

"With Draco?" Seamus asked. Harry sighed.

"With Draco." Whistles, cheers and puking noises filled their area of the table. Harry put his head in his hands.

"How could you do that!" Ron asked disgustedly.

"Have you seen Malfoy?" Lavender asked. "he's gorgeous." Ron groaned.

"It's true, even if I hate him from stealing Harry from me," Ginny added, jokingly. Harry's relationship with her had been fixed and was back to how it was before the war. Harry hadn't realised how much he'd missed having her as a friend until they'd broken up. She'd been frosty with him for a few weeks after their messy breakup but they'd had a talk and now they were closer than ever. There was a lot of problems with their relationship, some to do with having known her since he was eleven, some to do with their personalities clashing and some to do with their wants for the future being different. Harry wanted to have children but Ginny would rather tour with a quidditch team. They were both happier as friends.

"Are you sure nothing happened, Harry?" Dean asked.

"Yes!" Harry partly lied.

"What would you have done if he tried to do something?" Neville asked. Harry nearly choked on the pasta he'd just stuffed in his mouth.

"I'm not into Draco!" Harry tried to retort with his mouth full. He glared at everyone's sideways glances at each other.

"Mhmm, okay, Harry," Seamus said sarcastically.

"Even your mind healer said so," Dean teased. Harry glared at Ron, blushing even harder.

"How could you!" Ron looked down at his food sheepishly. "Exactly how much do you talk about this?" The Gryffindors exchanged glances.

"Sorry, Harry."

"Yeah, sorry."

"We're just teasing." Harry huffed.

"You're as bad as the bloody gossip section of the Daily Prophet was sometimes," he told them, trying to glare but fading into a smile.

"Nothing is as bad as that."

"Eyes glistening with the ghosts of his past," Hermione remembered with a smile.

The Gryffindors all snorted with laughter and conversation drifted to sharing funny memories of that time.