I've Got Time and No One Near
By NessaNebula
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Harry Potter, all credit goes to J.K. Rowling.
Hi everybody! Thank you all for the reviews, favorites and follows. It makes me uber happy :)
Please leave your thoughts on this chapter as well!
The songs for this chapter are:
Hazey by Glass Animals (I chose this song specifically for the intro scene, from the beginning of the story until first break. I searched hard for the perfect song that would fit the scene, so listen to it, pretty please!)
Go Outside by Cults
Silver.
Harry Potter was up to his chin in hot, silky bath water, watching glossy bubbles drift lazily over the pool's surface. The ambient lighting in the steamy room reflected off the bubbles, casting prisms and twinkly lights at Harry. They reminded him of Christmas time; of the baubles and ornaments strewn throughout the castle, of winter sunshine sparkling upon a fresh blanket of snow.
He smiled, sinking lower in the water until the surface became level with his eyeballs. What else was silver? Another pair of eyeballs...oh yes, Draco Malfoy's eyeballs. He gave a shiver despite the warmth of his bath, remembering how the blond's eyes had been as bright as a dagger, and had seemed to cut into him quite the same. He closed his eyes, the luxurious bath lulling him into a comfortably drowsy state.
Through the sleepy fog descending over him, he vaguely wondered what Malfoy thought of his eyes. Everyone he ever met never failed to remark that his eyes were identical to his mother's, but Malfoy did not do that. What would Malfoy say of his eyes? His emerald eyes, as open as a window and always warm, were at such odds with Malfoy's silvery ones. They were sinuous, emotions he could never seem to put his finger on swimming just below the surface. Eyes that could bewitch the mind, ensnare the senses… what?
Harry's wandering thoughts came to a crashing halt as he was doused under a sudden cascade of foamy water. Clasping his hands over his eyes and coughing up bubbles, he hollered, "Goddamn it, Myrtle! I'm going to make you pay for this!"
Harry began to grope around the rim of the pool for his glasses, one hand still covering his eyes and struggling to catch his breath. He grasped the thin frames, and they slipped and slid around his wet fingers as he brought them to his face.
Blinking rapidly, a blurry Draco Malfoy came into focus, and Harry was taken aback at the signature smirk blown wide across his pale face.
"Nope, not Myrtle. This time, it was me." Malfoy looked exceptionally pleased with himself; he was practically glowing.
"Harry," Malfoy sang, slinking towards him. Harry pressed himself flat to the tub wall; what on earth had gotten into Malfoy?
Malfoy halted a foot away from Harry, the abruptness of his stop sending ripples throughout the water. Harry watched them wash up against his chest, then raised his eyes back to Malfoy. The blond's eyes were the brightest he'd seen them yet; they outshone the polished cutlery of the Great Hall, the shimmer of his Invisibility Cloak, the flutter of the Snitch's wings as they caught the sun…
"Why didn't you meet me like I asked?" Malfoy questioned, voice thick with accusation.
"I...Ron and Hermione-"
"Don't need to make all your decisions for you."
"But-"
"But nothing," Malfoy cut him off, and Harry was astonished as Malfoy put a slick, icy finger to his lips. His eyes briefly crossed as he tried to focus on it, and he looked back up when Malfoy chuckled.
"You're a big boy, Harry. You run your life, not them, not anyone. Only you." With that, Malfoy pushed the slender digit past Harry's shocked lips, straight into his mouth.
Harry's eyes widened, and his fingers scrabbled uselessly against the tiled tub wall. Malfoy leaned forward, his hair tickling Harry's cheek and lips hovering over the shell of Harry's ear. Harry could smell expensive cologne rising off the porcelain skin, made twice as potent by the bath water.
"Suck me," Malfoy murmured, his words penetrating the fog encasing Harry's brain. Harry closed his eyes, the subtle command in the blond's voice coercing him into subservience.
Harry wrapped his tongue around the slim appendage, uncertainly stroking the underside with the very tip of his tongue. He knew his actions were immature, inexpert; he had never been intimate with anyone, and he was positive Malfoy could tell. He was about to undertake Malfoy's request with more gusto when he felt the finger slowly being withdrawn from his mouth.
Harry opened his eyes to see Malfoy standing several inches away, his arms at his sides. If he had been glowing before, he was positively radiant now; his skin had an ethereal sheen to it, and his lips were parted as he stared at Harry, who looked back unflinchingly despite his recent behavior.
"Don't leave me hanging again, Harry."
His eyes were so luminous. They left no room for argument.
Harry's mouth was dry. He nodded. Malfoy moved backwards, disappearing into the thick steam, and Harry could feel the possessive touch of his silver eyes lingering as the blond vanished.
xXx
Harry could hear his dormmates moving hurriedly throughout the room, could make out the sun high in the sky through his four-poster's thin hangings. He knew he needed to rise from bed and began preparing for the day, yet he continued to lay there, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, as if he had been struck dumb.
What the hell had he just dreamed about? Not a dream, no...a nightmare, perhaps one terrible enough to rival his ones of Voldemort and the graveyard. What did it mean? As he had never had a dream (nightmare, his mind corrected) about another person like this, he wasn't quite sure. He wiped the chilled sweat from his forehead and attempted to backtrack.
A good majority of his time yesterday had been consumed by thoughts of Malfoy, albeit angry ones. As Harry had planned to meet Malfoy in the prefect's bathroom, it was only natural that his dream had been comprised of the aforementioned person and setting. Unfortunately, this explanation did not even touch upon what the words exchanged meant...or the touches.
A sharp tap on his bedside window made him start, and he pulled aside his maroon hangings to see an eagle owl clutching a roll of parchment in it's beak. The handsome bird gave a muffled hoot, shifting on the windowsill as it stared at Harry, and he suddenly remembered the bird belonged to Draco Malfoy; he had seen the very same owl delivering gifts to the blond since first year. With a sense of trepidation, Harry heaved the heavy window up and locked it into place. The bird trotted indoors and he took the tightly furled scroll from his beak, giving him a hesitant smile and stroke. He looked back at the roll in his hand; the parchment was creamy and a thin emerald ribbon was wrapped around the middle. Harry climbed back onto his bed and distractedly drew the curtains. After a beat, he pulled on the ribbon and the roll sprang open.
The words that met Harry's eyes were thick, black and looked like calligraphy; they were also blurred to the point of illegibility. Harry thrust his arm through the hangings and groped blindly about his nightstand for his glasses, shoving them onto his face a moment later. The words abruptly sharpened, and he began to read.
Potter,
I'm writing this in response to your absence last night. I had hoped you would accept the offer, but I'm not terribly surprised you didn't. I admit, inviting you to the prefect's bathroom late on a Friday night was an oversight on my part. I did not think through the strangeness of conversing with your ex-nemesis in such an intimate setting, so if our meeting was foregone for that reason, I apologize.
I know our relationship over the previous 4 years has been tumultuous, and I've treated you and your friends with cruelty. By extending my hand to you for the second time, I take full responsibility for my actions in the past. I am attempting to forge a path for a new friendship between us, unblemished by yesterdays, but I need your help to do this. I want to give you the opportunity to choose a time and place to meet me. Anywhere, anytime, all I ask of you is to come alone. If I do not receive word from you before the weekend is over, I will cease contact with you and you do not have to worry about me attempting to talk to you again.
Draco Malfoy
Harry held the letter tightly, his eyes slightly glazed. He had read it three times over, and Malfoy's parting sentence caught him off guard every time. It was abrupt and unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome. This was what he wanted, wasn't it? For Malfoy to bugger off and their relationship to return to snide comments and hexes cast around the corners of corridors? He didn't want strange dreams, or secret meetings in steamy bathrooms, or…
"YOWCH! Get out of here, you bloody lunatic!"
Harry stuffed the letter under his pillow and yanked open his hangings. Ron stood there, sucking his pointer finger and glaring at the eagle owl, who gave a hoot when Harry's face appeared.
"Whose owl is this, Harry? The thing's a menace!"
"Dunno," Harry lied easily, rifling through his trunk for the owl treats he fed Hedwig. He shook a few nuggets into his hand and offered them to the bird, who looked at him shrewdly before scooping them up and flying off.
"You just rewarded the blasted thing for damn near taking my finger off!" Ron said, outraged.
Harry rolled his eyes and returned to his trunk, pulling out black jogger pants and black canvas slip-ons. He debated for a moment between two fleece pullovers, one black and the other emerald; he stuffed the black one back in his trunk before pulling on the newly assembled outfit.
"Fancy a bit of flying after breakfast?" Ron asked, gazing morosely at his slightly mangled finger. "Ginny and Dean wanted to know. Thought it'd be a good idea, since tryouts are next weekend."
"Sure, mate," Harry said, smiling at Ron. A few hours on his broom sounded like just the thing to take his mind off the past two days.
Ron grinned and clapped him on the back, looking more cheerful. "Get a move on, then! Hermione's waiting in the common room."
A few moments later, the trio were making their way to the Great Hall. The halls were deserted, since Harry had dawdled in the dorm for so long. Harry could hear Ron and Hermione chatting animatedly beside him, but he was too distracted to make out their words. They had almost entered the Great Hall when Harry was stopped by a hand on his arm. He looked up into Hermione's brown eyes.
"Harry, you're distant this morning," Hermione said gently.
"I'm fine," Harry said automatically, giving her hand a pat and taking his arm back.
Hermione wasn't to be dissuaded that easily.
"I know it's been a strange week back, but we're always here, Harry. Tell us what's on your mind, we only want to help." Her voice was so genuine, and Harry felt a brief stab of guilt for keeping his interactions with Malfoy from her.
"It's nothing, really. I just feel a bit out of sorts 'cause of this dream I had," Harry said reluctantly. "Have either of you...I dunno...just had a really bizarre dream about someone you don't like?"
Hermione opened her mouth, but Ron snorted loudly and they turned to him.
"What'd you do mate, have a wet dream about Malfoy?" Ron began to laugh uproariously, doubling over and drawing bemused looks from two passing Hufflepuffs.
"RON!" Hermione shrieked, looking scandalized. The WHACK as she thumped him with her
Ancient Runes text resounded through the entry hall, and in the ruckus Harry's fleeting look of guilty shock went unnoticed.
"Good one, Ron," Harry croaked out, grabbing Hermione's arm as she raised her book again. "I'll get you back for that on the pitch!" Harry all but dragged the pair into the Great Hall, keeping his flaming face turned away from them.
xXx
"Mate, you know I was kidding, right?" Ron grabbed Harry's arm as he was making his way out of the locker room. Ron's expression was contrite. "'Mione's right, we're both here for you…you were trying to tell us something, and I had to go and be a total arse-"
"Ron, it's fine," Harry assured him.
When Harry had released Hermione, the book had descended upon a chuckling Ron once more, and after raising a Snitch-sized lump on the back of Ron's head, the subject of Harry's dream had been retired. Hermione had fumed at Ron's lack of tact throughout the whole meal, but once Harry's embarrassment had subsided, he hadn't really cared about the joke.
"Well," Ron said gruffly, giving Harry's arm a quick squeeze, "I do mean it. I am here for you, and if you want to talk, I promise I'll do better to not be a git."
Harry smiled at him, and they grabbed their brooms, joining Dean and Ginny outside the locker room.
xXx
"1,000 points to Gryffindor! Another most spectacular catch by who else but Harry Potter!"
Laughing, Harry joined the other three on the ground, his sweaty hand gripping the Snitch firmly. The three of them had been playing until late afternoon, swapping brooms and positions; Harry had caught the Snitch over half a dozen times to Ginny's single capture. Ron and Dean hadn't managed to catch it once, but Dean was an excellent Chaser.
After rehashing some of the afternoon's highlights, Ron and Dean began to make their way back to the castle, but Ginny hung back as Harry stowed the Snitch and Quaffle away.
"Harry, we haven't really talked since term began," Ginny said, watching him secure the box and spelling it to float in front of them. "Are you doing alright?"
"Yeah, I s'pose," Harry said, "how about you? You and Dean good?"
"Wonderful," Ginny said, giving him a radiant smile. "Really wonderful. And you? You must be holding a torch for one of your admirers?"
They laughed, and unbidden, Harry's dream rose in his mind. He gritted his teeth as, against his will, Malfoy's words echoed in his head.
'Don't leave me hanging again, Harry…'
"Harry!"
Harry gave a start as Ginny's voice broke through the spell he was under. He realized the trunk of Quidditch balls had fallen to the ground when he had been distracted. He gave Ginny a sheepish smile.
"Here, I've got it," Ginny said, flicking her wand at the fallen trunk. "You went all weird for a second there. What's on your mind?"
"Ginny," Harry said, "can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Do you think it's okay to be friends with someone other people don't approve of?"
Ginny gave him a sidelong glance. "Like a Slytherin?"
"Well...yeah," Harry admitted.
"If you want to know what I think," Ginny said carefully, her eyes back on the trunk, "I think the reason Slytherins are so nasty to the other houses is because it's expected of them. The prejudices against Slytherin House are ancient and passed down through generations. Obviously, there are total arseholes in Slytherin, but there are arseholes in every house. I think if you trust them, then to hell with what people think." She smiled at him.
Harry wanted to ask her more, but knew more specific questions would likely clue Ginny in to just which Slytherin Harry spoke of. He settled for smiling back at her and giving her a one-armed hug.
"Oi! Hurry up, we're starving!"
They looked up to see two distant figures waving their arms at them, and Ginny rolled her eyes, setting the trunk back on the ground and retrieving the Quaffle. A murmured spell later, and the ball was moving at top speed toward Ron's head. They laughed together as the Quaffle bounced against Ron's quickly retreating figure, and Harry felt a bit lighter than he had earlier.
xXx
Dusk was settling in as Draco Malfoy stretched out on his bed, dressed in full Hogwarts uniform bar his robes, despite it being Saturday night. He languidly fingered the silver serpent brooch fastened to his emerald tie, mind blank but alert.
"Draco," the deep voice of Blaise Zabini called, coming into view as Draco pulled back his bed hangings. "You had an owl earlier."
He handed him a roll of parchment and turned to leave. Draco waited until the last echoes of Blaise's footsteps died away, then tapped the scroll with his wand.
It sprang open. Draco thought the parchment was blank until he spotted a couple lines of cramped, untidy scrawl near the bottom:
7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Meet me in the left corridor on the 7th floor.
After a brief pause, Draco tapped the parchment with his wand, watching as it burst into flame, his face impassive but eyes gleaming brightest silver.