Chapter Seven: Passing Parchment
The next morning he woke up painfully aware of how empty his bed was. After just one night sleeping next to Malfoy, he already missed falling asleep to the rhythm of Malfoy's breathing, the smell of his cologne, the warmth from his skin. When he went to get dressed, he found Malfoy's hoodie on top of his trunk. He picked it up and held it close to his chest, the lingering scent that was Draco Malfoy making his mind spin. But before anyone noticed him, he neatly folded it and put it in his trunk, out of sight. Harry finished getting ready and then headed down to the common room where he found Hermione waiting for him.
She looked up from her book when she heard him coming down the stairs, and gave him a knowing smile. He tried to frown in response, but couldn't help a small smile sneaking across his face. Just a second later he heard Ron coming down the stairs to join them, and he was grateful for Hermione launching into a rant about one of her latest homework assignments. She kept the conversation rolling as they went down for breakfast and throughout the meal. Harry couldn't help but notice that while Crabbe and Goyle sat together, Malfoy was oddly absent from the Slytherin table.
He had little appetite for anything, so after nibbling on a piece of toast, he followed Ron and Hermione to Transfiguration. There, he fought to banish Malfoy from his mind, focusing on the lecture McGonagall was giving at the front of the room. Luckily, he had a break after the class and went back up to Gryffindor Tower alone, as Ron and Hermione had another class.
When he stepped through the portrait hole, he found the common room empty and quiet. It appeared that everyone else was busy with classes or activities. Grateful for the solitude, he went up to the dorm rooms and kicked off his shoes before falling onto his bed. Now that he was alone, he let the thoughts he'd fought so hard to contain float through his mind. The prominent bulge in Draco's jeans. His hair, tousled after sleep. He closed his eyes and let those thoughts dance around, a warmth spreading through his body at just the idea of Malfoy.
The next thing he knew, he was woken once again by Hermione's voice calling his name. He stumbled out of bed, his foot catching on a loose sheet and sending him tumbling to the floor. Grimacing, he got up and slung his bag over his shoulder, meeting Hermione at the bottom of the stairs.
"Sleeping again? At this point you seem nocturnal. Well, at least your bed-head will remind Malfoy of your shenanigans," she smirked. Harry's face flushed, frantically running his fingers through his hair- an act that only worsened the chaos happening atop his head. With every step he took toward the potions classroom, his heart only seemed to beat faster. When he expectantly stepped in the doorway, he found his table empty, with no sign of Draco. Even once Slughorn began addressing the class on their previous potions, Harry remained alone at the table.
Harry spent the rest of the day in a daze, confused and concerned. Why hadn't Malfoy been in class? Did he regret what had happened between them and was now avoiding Harry? At dinner, Harry scanned the Slytherin table expectantly, but it was still devoid of Draco. He headed to bed early that night, in no mood to chat. When he reached his room, he found an owl sitting on his windowsill, gently tapping the window with its beak. He removed the scrap of parchment from its leg and it hooted softly before flying away. He unfurled the note and found it was from Draco.
"I need you. Please. If you can, 10PM, think 'I need to meet with Draco Malfoy.' Please." -DM
Harry's heart leapt at the words. Not only did Draco want to see him, but he wanted to see him alone again. He checked his watch- 9:30. He decided to pull on a fresh pair of jeans and a burgundy hoodie, then made a futile effort to battle his unruly hair. At 9:55, he grabbed Draco's hoodie from his trunk and snuck down the stairs, miraculously making it out of the common room without anyone seeming to notice. The closer he got to the familiar hallway where the Room of Requirement lay in wait, the harder his heart seemed to beat, pounding in his ears.
Finally he reached the seventh floor and strolled through the corridor three times until the door magically popped into existence. Harry took a deep breath and stepped inside. There, he found Draco sitting on a couch, his eyes bloodshot and puffy. He turned to face Harry and let out a whispered "Oh god, thank you for coming."