Chapter Seven - Lemonade
As night fell, Harry was wide awake. He felt anger, resentment and overall felt like life was out to get him. Since the incident, he hadn't had a day as bad as this. He just sat in his bed, curtains drawn and silencing charm up, thinking about how his day had gotten worse and worse. He just needed the lake, the tree and, strangely enough, Malfoy. The one person who didn't ask, didn't judge him openly and didn't praise him for all his faults, and perhaps even understood him? He knew he needed to get out of bed, needed to move and go outside. Tonight just wasn't a night for sleep, tonight was a night for pain and sorrow. As he cast a tempus, he realised it was only one o'clock, way too early for Malfoy to be at the lake, but Harry didn't care. He would go and wait, he would sit there, hoping that Malfoy would arrive to bring some peace to his everlasting thoughts. And so he went, through the halls, through the doors, invisibility cloak around and map in his hands, he walked to his spot. As he sat down, he realised he hadn't brought any tea for him and Malfoy, and while he didn't think his day could get any worse, it just did. A tear rolled over his cheek, everything just seemed to fall down around him, his walls were crumbling, and his tears turned into sobs as his shoulders shook in silent agony. He sat there for hours, after his tears had become dry, painful streaks upon his face, his hands felt cold and wet, and his body was empty.
He felt that his world was over, finished, he felt used, abused and a tool. He didn't understand the world, and it felt like the world didn't understand him. As his thoughts became more and more depressive, Harry didn't seem to notice the boy sitting down next to him, closer than ever before, with two cups of hot chocolate milk and one single treacle tart. After many minutes, Malfoy made a small coughing sound, and Harry's head shot up, finally acknowledging his presence. He looked at Malfoy, at the place he had taken up next to him, at the chocolate milk, and at the single treacle tart. "There is only one. Why is there only one?" Harry asked out loud. He hadn't meant to, but his thoughts had become so confusing, he had lost track of what was in his head and what wasn't. Malfoy didn't answer.
Harry sloppily grabbed the chocolate milk and took a sip, he relaxed immediately. After some time, realising that Malfoy had not brought the treacle tart for himself, Harry also grabbed the treacle tart, and slowly but surely began to eat. Strange, he mused, how did Malfoy know that I wanted something to eat? Harry decided not to worry about it, and just enjoyed his first meal of the day. Every bite he took, he felt just a little better, every sip he took, made his dark thoughts appear less dark, yet it didn't seem to help as much as the nights before. He continued sitting there, unrestful, uneasy and twitchy. Every breeze that came his way chilled him to the bones, and every noise made by the trees in the Forbidden Forest hit all of his nerves. He felt scared, incredibly scared of what was to come, of what had happened, of what was expected of him and his wonderful 'boy who lived.' It felt unfair. So incredibly unfair.
He looked to his left and saw a slumped Draco sitting against the tree, as if he couldn't sit straight without it. It was this that opened Harry's eyes. Malfoy had indeed looking terrible the last couple of days. He might even look as sleep deprived as Harry was. Harry was spending his nights at the lake because no way in hell could he face reality. However, Malfoy was too sitting here, awake.
Harry didn't want to be here alone anymore. The nights they were together, and it felt less lonesome, it's as if Malfoy knew him better than anyone now.
He softly whispered, barely able to breath out the words, "Thank you for being here."
Malfoys completely shocked faced looked up. A hint of a smile before his face moved back to tiresome and they drifted back to the peaceful silence of the night.
As dear Hedwig flew farther away into the horizon Harry felt slightly lighter. That morning he finally felt he could write his letter to Sirius. Hedwig had been so happy to see him, he promised himself to visit her more. She would get much attention during the summer.
He could do this, just a few weeks at the Dursleys and then he would see Sirius again.
He survived last month, he could do next month as well.
During lunch he just poked at some of his sausages, daydreaming away and not paying any attention to the outside world. He still set next to Ron and Hermione, force of habit he supposes, they didn't talk to him, but he didn't talk either so it was okay, and they are still his friends, they just needed some time to process, he needed it as well, so it was okay, it is okay.
Fred and George did lighten up the day a bit when they suddenly sandwiched him, making him jump five feet in the air. Not saying anything they just smiled way to broadly to be not suspicious and then winked at him, they actually winked, both of them!
Later in the afternoon he found some prototypes with a name 'Wicked Weasley Twins' Wizard Wheezes' engraved in his pocket. It was the second time Harry smiled that day. They would have to shorten the name to make it catchy though, he grinned to himself.