Chapter 4: I swear he smells just like a flower

Notes:

Hi! Over 300 hits is crazy, wasn't actually expecting anyone to read this so thank you!

CW/TWs:

- Implied ED. More in depth description at the end.

Enjoy :)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

It was colder than he thought it would be. It was only September, but he was glad for the alcohol, giving him a blanket. As the door to the common room shut behind him the sound of music stopped completely, there was a slight ringing in the man's ears. Harry wasn't sure he was the best person to get Malfoy, but they seemed chummy at the moment so it was probably better than most.

The courtyard wasn't far away, but with the chill and booze it wasn't the smoothest walk. He stuffed a hand in his pocket and held tightly onto the bottle he'd stolen from the table. If he couldn't get Malfoy to talk he was sure as hell going to get him to drink.

The moon was high in the sky and leaving streaks of light across the halls he walked down. There was something about Hogwarts at night, the candles gently flickering, the silence. It felt more magical than other things there. He hoped Malfoy hadn't gone wandering around.

Thankfully, he hadn't. Harry spotted the boy sitting on the steps leading towards the courtyard itself. He was framed almost perfectly in the entryway. And the moon hitting his hair and shirt gave him that ethereal look again. Was there a light this man looked bad in? His arms were by his side, resting against the cold stone and pushing his shoulders up slightly. He must have sensed Harry because he shuffled along slightly to leave some space for the boy, an invitation.

As Harry dropped down next to him, he was grateful for the fresh air. Turning his head, he took in the other boy's form. He had dark circles under his eyes and he looked thin. The moon casting shadows around his face. Harry pulled out the packet from his pocket and placed the cigarette in his mouth. He learnt after the third one how he was actually meant to hold it. Lips pulled slightly over his teeth, and then hold gently. The feeling of the filter getting wet wasn't great, and not something he would be repeating.

He could see Malfoy watching him out of the corner of his eye, maybe he'd make a comment. Did wizards smoke? He knew Sirius did, but it was clearly a muggle brand. He flicked the lighter and watched the spark glow against Malfoy's shirt. Harry smiled at him as he breathed out, ignoring the way the blonde swallowed and looked away. Silently, he took a few more puffs before deciding to speak.

"Not enjoying the party?" Harry asked, resting his elbows in his knees. He held the bottle in front of him and twisted off the lid. He took a swig and grimaced as the liquid rolled down his throat. Vodka probably wasn't the best choice. His eyes turned to the boy next to him who kept his eyes on the courtyard. He smiled slightly but it didn't reach his eyes.

Passing the bottle over, Harry decided to ask some questions now that they were alone. "Have you…" How was he supposed to ask this? He flicked the ash on the floor beside him as he breathed out. Malfoy turned his head to meet Harry's eye as he swallowed his own sip of the drink, "Have you slept since coming here?" He looked defeated, but there was a flare of something in his eyes, "Pssh, Potter, nice way to comment on my looks." To that the blonde let out a small laugh, having to admit that's what he would say.

Malfoy took another long drink, moving his elbows to his knees. He was copying Harry's form now but it took the weight off his arms for a moment. He swished the liquid around in the bottle in front of him, keeping his eyes on that. They remained silent for a few more moments. Harry leaned back, putting his weight onto one palm and stretching his legs out. He brought the fag up to his lips again and tried to keep the smoke from going to the Slytherin.

"Or eaten for that matter?" Harry tried again. If the boy admitted to it, then Harry could at least take that to Blaise and count it as good work done. But if Harry had noticed, then surely Blaise had as well. The dark haired boy turned his gaze to the moon, feeling the small breeze on his skin, realising he hadn't relaxed in a long time. Smoking was definitely better when it didn't feel like it was needed . He pushed out the last breath of the cigarette and snubbed it out against his boot. Ah . What was he supposed to do with the end? He tucked it under a leaf, hopefully keeping it from peoples eyes.

"No." It was almost a whisper. So quiet that if they were anywhere else he would have missed it. But no, Harry heard. He'd heard him speak. Progress.

"We could go and get some food now if you wanted?" Harry whispered back, trying not to spook the boy. He was trying not to smile, not wanting to admit this was bringing him happiness to just hear Malfoy speak. The blonde shook his head in response, however. Another chug of the vodka and he passed the bottle back to Harry.

"We could go back to the party?" The offer, he knew, was going to be rejected. But he just wanted to hear him speak again. He got a head shake in return, and Harry felt a little deflated. He brought the bottle to his lips and let the warm liquid pour. As he pulled the bottle away, he felt a touch on his shoulder.

Malfoy was leaning on him.

Malfoy had his head on Harry's shoulder.

Malfoy's hair was touching his neck.

Malfoy's breath was trailing down his arm.

Malfoy trusted him enough to speak.

Harry rested his head on top of the blonde hair, trying not to move too much. The other boy relaxed slightly, shifting a bit more of his weight onto Harry. The Gryffindor muttered slightly and placed a warm charm over the pair of them. The Slytherin seemed to appreciate that.

"Thank you," The blonde whispered. Harry could have jumped up and down. He spoke, again, 3 words in total now. Maybe getting him drunk was the key.

"Just a warming charm."

"For everything," It was so quiet, Harry stopped breathing. He didn't want to miss what was said, "Harry." Harry? First name basis now? That was a big leap from not talking to first names. It was comfortable. It shouldn't have been. But it was.

"Anything for you," Whispering back, "Draco."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Leaning against one another, occasionally passing the bottle between them. Harry watched the colours in the sky, such deep blues swirling against a small cloud coverage. The moon disappeared every now and then, reflecting off the other boy's shirt.

It's how it should have been. From the beginning. Them being friends, first name basis. Contact not being a weird feeling. The blonde wearing an aftershave that Harry would be okay drowning in. He didn't care about the party anymore. Wasn't worth getting back to. Not now.

He had spoken. Sure, to admit to the fact he hasn't taken care of himself in a few days. Harry could work on the food tomorrow, he thought. Tonight, he just needed to get him to sleep. Easier said than done.

It must have been a good forty minutes before either of them spoke again. The bottle was empty now and that giggling feeling was falling on them.

"We should get you back to the dorm before Blaise comes looking for us." The other boy shifted and stretched his back, nodding along to Harry's words.

"Yeah," Did his voice always sound this good? "Bloody Blaise." He was laughing at his own words, causing Harry to laugh too. He stood up and figured that the drink was definitely a bad idea. He held out his hand towards Draco as an offer. A perfect mirror image of first year. The blonde took his hand and stood stumbling slightly, making Harry catch him. They laughed all the way back to the dorm, about nothing. Very little was actually said between them.

Harry, being slightly more sober than the other, was trying to keep Malfoy up right. After about three minutes of walking, he resorted to keeping his arm around the other's waist. It took them nearly half an hour to get back to the dorms. They stopped outside the door and sorted themselves out slightly. Harry dropped his arm, instead giggling as Draco stumbled through the door. No one noticed their arrival, and clearly that no one had left in the first place. Some slower songs were playing and most people were making out or passing out.

To Harry's complete surprise, Draco grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs. Everyone in their dorm was still in the common room. Leaving just the two of them. The laughter had halted for the most part. The Slytherin flicked his hand and his bedside light came on, giving the room a soft glow, and another wave lit the small fireplace at the end of the room. Harry had to admit; that was… impressive. Impressive, not hot. Malfoy strolled over to the fireplace and sat in one of the small chairs by it, motioning to the other for Harry to follow. He grabbed his beer from earlier off his bedside cabinet before moving to join him.

"When did you learn wandless magic?" Harry asked, flopping into his seat and trying to ignore the way Malfoy had sprawled across the small armchair. He had one leg over the armrest, the other on the floor. One of his shirt buttons had come undone at some point, making him look like Blaise now. He had definitely dropped his guard as a stuck-up pure blood. Focus on something else.

"I -" The boy started, then the smile started to fall off his face, "Didn't want to be defenceless without a wand." It was still quiet, not quite comfortable enough. It took Harry a moment to realise he'd learnt during the war.

"You'll have to teach me." Harry offered, wanting to draw the conversation from the dark topic. He got an eye roll and a smirk in return. "You? I'd have better luck teaching a fish." He had gotten a proper laugh for that comment.

"Only if you tell me how you found me." Was the actual answer. Harry leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his beer. He could lie, there's no way Malfoy would know. Just wandering around would have been an easy answer.

"I've got a map of Hogwarts," He began, "It shows the whole school and all the people in it. My... my father and his mates made it." He was expecting Draco to say it was a lie, or dumb idea, or anything that Draco from two years ago would have said.

"Can I see it?" He was still being quiet, but it was above a whisper now. And he straightened up in his chair slightly as Harry stood. After swiftly grabbing the map, he passed it over to the blonde.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," He muttered, pointing his wand at the pages. The map unfolded before them and Harry wandered back over to his own seat as Draco stared at the paper. He didn't speak for a while, it was only a few minutes but felt like an hour. Harry watched as the flames from the fire played against Draco's skin. The orange and reds made it look like his shirt was liquid. He looked good. Not good, nice. Yeah, nice. Nice wasn't enough for it. The way his pale skin absorbed the light, the way silver was definitely his colour, he looked just-

"Wow." Was all the Slytherin could say. My thoughts exactly.

"Mischief managed will close it when you're finished." Harry noted, pointing his bottle to him. Malfoy did as instructed and watched with awe as everything hid itself away. He folded the paper and passed it back. They stayed there for a little while longer, looking between each other and then the fire. It was comfortable. And so, so strange. A year ago, this wouldn't have been what Harry thought would be happening. He wasn't worried about Draco telling anyone of him smoking, he wasn't actually talking much to Harry. The map was the second secret he had shared with him. It was nice. They could speak to each other, probably be more open with each other than they had with others. Harry didn't feel like he needed a guard around him. He hoped Draco felt the same.

But having the blonde look at him through half closed eyes, body spread out, fire burning, was making his skin heat up. It felt wrong to look away. To turn from what was making his stomach flip. To stop watching the man he'd spent the whole day thinking about. Harry wasn't a religious man, but he could understand turning to faith when someone witnessed something like this.

He was just worried about him. And he'd had a lot to drink. He didn't need to read into anything. It was just late.

"You need some sleep, Draco." Harry stated, looking over at their beds. Why did they have to be next to each other? "And you won't argue or I'll tell Blaise you're speaking to me and not him." The blonde seemed to heed that warning and stood up. On slightly wobbly legs, he strolled towards his bed and grabbed his clothes to sleep in. Harry laughed at him as he used the bed posts for support towards the toilet, and took his chance to get changed in private.

Once he was dressed, he sat on the side of his bed between their beds and pretended like he wasn't waiting for the blonde to return. After a few moments he sauntered back over to Harry, plopping down on his own bed in front of him.

"Do you not want me to tell Blaise you're talking?" Harry asked after a while, trying to break this silence between them. He liked the sound of Draco's voice. He got a head shake in return, and Harry nodded. "Don't tell anyone I smoked then." Draco only nodded.

They both laid down in their beds, Draco knocking off the light. They both knew they'd probably be woken up by the others at some point anyway.

"Night, Malfoy." He whispered into the darkness as he slid his glasses onto the table. He waited a beat before closing his eyes, so nearly asleep when he heard a small whisper back;

"Goodnight, Potter."

Notes:

Thanks for reading!

CW/TWs:

- Implied ED. Draco gets into moods where he doesn't eat anything, he is also later described as pretty thin and it becomes a conscious effort to eat. This is reoccurring and mentioned in most chapters. I will still give a warning but if repetetive mention of this will affect you then don't continue. Of course, this is from Harry's POV so it won't be delved into too much but I don't want to upset anyone, so if this will affect you at all, stop reading. Take care of yourself.

Next chapter: 26/04/23