Harry laid on his warm bed, smiling to himself. The first week of holidays had been wonderful, believe it or not. The children behaved, Cho really took control and left Harry to himself, and not a single sign of Malfoy unless he was coming or going. Harry had already finished his homework, thanks to Cho and Destiny, had become a master at Wizards Chess after playing against Edgar and Victoria for hours on end.
Yet, something still felt... well, missing.
Harry didn't know what it was, but something was out of place. When conversing within his own mind, the thoughts always ended with Malfoy. Harry knew he shouldn't care, but the new footsteps every day in the snow, the need to stare when he walked by. Malfoy's daily escapes were awkward as well. He now left about twice a day, returning just to dry his clothing. All of it was so odd, and Harry wanted to get to the bottom of it.
"What are you smiling about?" Harry jumped, looking intently at the door. Malfoy stood there, drenched from head to toe. He wore a scowl, as if seeing Harry triggered a new form of hatred or annoyance.
"Just thinking." Draco snorted, throwing his cloak on Neville's bed. He undressed, tossing the wet clothing into a pile.
"Where have you been going every day?" Harry asked, his eyes trailing over his pale skinned body. Malfoy gave him a defensive look.
"Why do you need to know? It's my business." he spat, flicking his wand to dry the clothing. Harry watched intently as he redressed.
"I just want to know where you run off to. No need to jump down my throat." Harry said, trying to calm the man's agitated nerves. Draco grabbed his robes again, his face red with anger.
"Fuck off, Potter." The blonde bolted, escaping Harry's question. Harry jumped from his bed, reaching under for his ready Invisibility cloak. Harry had planned for this. He draped himself in the fabric, running to catch up with the blonde. He followed in silence as they exited the dorm, walking swiftly down the hall. Malfoy took a right, heading for the Entrance hall, just as Edgar explained at the beginning of the week. They walked out of the castle, the cold biting at Harry's ears immediately. Having a sweater at that moment never sounded so good.
They continued to walk, Malfoy pausing every few minutes to check for followers. Harry held his breath, trying to keep his heart under control. Draco was looking straight at him. His tongue swiftly darted out of his mouth, wetting his lips. The blonde sighed, continuing his journey toward the Forbidden forest. They continued for a minute, the trees casting darker shadows. Malfoy trucked on, stopping in a dark clearing. Harry watched as he brought his fingers to his mouth. He whistled, waiting in the dark, as if to hope something was about to jump out of the bushes.
Harry fell backwards, the tops of the trees illuminating in a rainbow of sparkling colors. Balls of bright light fell from the sky, gracefully meeting Malfoy at the bottom of the trees. Harry watched as his cold gaze turned to a lively smile. Not a sneer, an authentic smile. The colors filled the clearing, Harry realizing what they were.
Pine Tree Fairies. Hundreds of them.
"Hello there!" Draco called cheerfully, his welcome followed by hundreds of small bells. "I'm back!" More bells. Harry stared at the scene, his eyes wide.
"Alright, where were we?" Malfoy asked, one green fairy approaching his, the tiniest sound coming from it. Malfoy gave it a smile. "That's right. Thank you, Tinker Bell."
'Tinker Bell? Like Peter Pan's Tinker Bell? And is Malfoy understanding the bell sounds?' Harry thought, making himself comfortable on the snowy forest floor, just as Malfoy was doing. The fairies did a small dance around the blonde, settling on the ground in front of him, as if he was going to tell a story. The Tinker Bell fairy landed on his arm, Draco continuing to grin.
"I was talking about Potter again, wasn't I?" Harry's breath caught in his throat, the bells in a more hyper chime. "Okay, there was a rumor he found the Deathly Hallows in order to defeat the Dark Lord. I don't know how, but he did. I know where all three of them are, too, but I never told him." Harry listened intently, holding onto Malfoy's every word. "I found the Resurrection stone in a pile of leaves I was sitting in last month, and after finding it, I knew the Hallows were real. The Elder Wand is was Dumbledore's grave. I watched Potter put it back there. I didn't take that, I won't stoop that low. He also has an Invisibility Cloak. I don't want that though, I have one of my own. But Potter found all three of them before me. Granted, I had no idea what they were, but still. I just wish Potter would notice already. I've had the stone out in the open in front him many times, and he still doesn't pay attention, bloody git." Harry choked, his gagging sound echoing loudly. Malfoy's head jerked up, slowly scanning the surrounding clearing. His eyes thinned as he turned back to the intently listening crowd.
"Anyway, I know where all the Deathly Hallows are. I'm not going to use them, though. I'm not that evil. I'm going to lay low. I'll have him solve this by himself. Maybe, just maybe, Potter would pay a little attention to me. That's all I really want, for him to notice me." Malfoy looked down at his hands. "I have a feeling he's hiding something, too. He gets shifty when I'm around. He saved me from Azkaban, can't he just tell me what's on him mind already? I'm not that much of an arse, am I?" Harry stood to his feet, butterflies orbiting in his stomach. Harry stepped into the clearing, removing the cloak from his shoulders. He came closer to Malfoy's back, every fiber in his body telling him to stop, turn, and run. He ignored them, reaching out to touch the blonde's shoulder. Tinker Bell, who was very beautiful up close, gasped. She pointed at Harry, flying down into Malfoy's line of sight.
"What is it, Tink?" Malfoy turned around, his eyes widening. "P-Potter?" He rushed to his feet, the fairies on the ground flying into the air, surrounding the area yet again. "How much of that did you hear?"
"All of it." Harry responded angrily, balancing his weight onto his feet. Draco blushed, backing away slowly.
"Which part are you mad at?" he murmured, his defenses lacking.
"None of it." Harry said, trying to relax his quaking nerves. "You just surprised me is all."
"I surprised you? You the one stalking me. I call that more of a surprise." Malfoy snarled, his mask creeping back into place.
"Cut the crap, Malfoy. I know your not the cold arse everyone makes you out to be." Harry said, rolling his eyes. He crossed his arms, watching the breath clouds fly out of Draco's mouth.
"Who said that I'm an arse?" Malfoy yelled.
"You did. Not thirty seconds ago, you said you were an arse. Granted, that is true when your around people you have no reason to despise, but your really just a big softy. Aren't you?" Harry questioned, stepping closer to the disorderly blonde. Draco swallowed.
"So what if I am? Are you going to rush and tell your little friends? Or maybe use this as blackmail?"
"Why would I do that?"
"Because you hate me!"
"I do not." Harry huffed. Draco scowled, brushing off the snow from his cloak. Large flakes began to fall, the air crisping and blowing cold air into their eyes.
"Oh, really. Our past seems to contradict you. How about you prove it?"
"I saved you from the burning Room of Requirement, I saved you from your sentence to Azkaban, and I made your assigned probation officer leave you completely alone while your on school grounds. I honestly don't see how I can hate you when I kept you living and free in such dire situations." Harry explained, raising a finger at each example. Draco's eyes thinned. "I'd like the stone now, if you please. It needs to stay hidden."
"You didn't do a bloody good job of hiding it before." Draco said, his teeth beginning to chatter.
"I know that now. I'm planning to throw it into the lake." Harry explained. "It will look like any other rock at the bottom. Malfoy, please hand it over."
"Why? I could use it for whatever I want now. Try and stop me." Draco stammered, pulling the Resurrection stone from his pocket.
"Have you not read the story, Malfoy? The second brother committed suicide over that stone! I don't want to see you end up like that." Harry said, his tone comforting and strong. Draco's stomach fluttered slightly, his emotions trying to suppress the rising feeling.
"I never thought you cared, Potter. You of all people would love to see me dead." Draco growled, slowly twirling the black stone between his fingers. The fairies gasped, some going into tears at the thought of their friend gone. Harry looked around, glancing at the clustering lights. Malfoy continued.
"Suicide, murder, accident. It won't matter, I'd be gone, and you'd be happy." Draco instantly regretted his words, wishing for some way to reach out and rip them from his conversation and pound them into inaudible dust.
"They obviously think you need to stay alive." Harry said, reaching forward. He grabbed Draco's hand, the skin ice cold. Draco flinched, attempting to pull away, his efforts used in vain. He looked up, blushing at how close Harry was now. Their faces were mere inches apart.
"Let's get inside, before you catch a bad cold. I have a feeling 'Tink' will explode if you stay out here any longer without proper warmth." The green fairy nodded, pointing toward the castle.
"No! I'm not done yet." Malfoy protested, trying to push himself away. "I like it here!"
"Malfoy, your lips are still blue from your last trip out here. Let's just go inside and talk this over."
"I told you, I'm not leaving! This is my hiding place, my safe haven! You leave!" Draco yelled, still struggling to be released. Harry sighed pulling his wand from his pocket.
"Petrificus Totalus." Harry said firmly, Malfoy's body stiffening tightly. Harry grabbed the blonde's waist, throwing him over his shoulder. "Sorry, but your not going to die. I'm sure your mother won't be too fond of me if I let you kill yourself."