Things always change
Harry was having another uselessly restless night, other than the nightmares and haunting memories, his magic was not doing him any favours either.
Ever since the war Harry’s magic had been acting up in ways no one could explain him because apparently It was not in any books, there were no records of something like that happening to anyone else that was happening to him because— Off damn course! Harry wasn’t even surprised.
The familiar flow of magic that he could sense in his nerves was growing more and more. It was like it was it was rising more on the surface of his skin rather than flowing inside of his nerves. Then the anxiety, He was never not anxious to begin with but now that his constant on the edge restlessness wasn’t needed, he felt really unfamiliar with peace and serenity. With his increasing anxiety, he found that this magic inside of him was some kind of constant golden flow of energy which he could see in certain times such as when he gets startled it just bursts out in flickers of golden sparkles which is odd. It is weird even for the wizarding world and it was… Freaky.
A Freak— he was.
Harry quickly brushed that thought away from his head. Not he wasn’t going there. He tried to look around trying to remind himself of his surroundings.
The night was clear, with stars scattered across the sky like shards of glass on black velvet. The faint whisper of the wind stirred Harry’s hair as he at the top of the Astronomy Tower, on the balcony, sat on the floor leaning against the railing. The war was over, but a restlessness still clung to him, wrapping around his chest like a lingering ache.
In his hand, the Marauder's Map lay unfolded, its surface illuminated by the dim wandlight in his other hand. The familiar lines and curves of Hogwarts’ halls sketched across the parchment, flickering with tiny dots representing the few students wandering the castle at this hour. Despite himself, Harry couldn’t resist checking the map most nights before bed. Old habits, he supposed.
But tonight was different. He had come up here not out of paranoia or duty, but for solitude.
With a sigh, Harry stood up feeling the breeze of the night and traced a finger over the moving ink dots, watching as some of the professors still paced the halls below. His gaze lingered on one name—Minerva McGonagall—as she walked down a corridor in the direction of her office. Everything was so normal now, and yet nothing felt normal at all.
The Marauder's Map—the last real link he had to his father—was often a source of comfort. Tonight, though, it only reminded him of the ghosts that haunted these halls, the memories embedded in every stone.
"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs...," Harry whispered softly into the night air, his thumb brushing over the names etched into the corner of the map. They had once roamed these same corridors, carefree and reckless. What would they have made of this new world? Of the hollow quiet that seemed to follow him everywhere? A sudden chill swept over him, and Harry shivered, drawing his cloak tighter around his shoulders. He rested his back against the cold stone wall of the tower and slid down until he was seated on the floor, the map spread out before him. Hogwarts sprawled beneath his fingertips, alive in its own way, yet still so empty without the faces he once knew.
His eyes travelled over the dots again, his chest tightening as they fell on a pair of familiar names—Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger— in Gryffindor Tower. They were probably asleep by now, or perhaps talking in whispers like they always did, unaware of his midnight retreat. They were in peace now, Harry would never take it away from them disturbing them with his problems now, even if they already knew all about it. They deserved to be the teenagers they were supposed to be without Harry and his saviour complex being a constant hurdle in their lives.
Harry had realised that they were both being way too concerned for his well-being this year, he didn’t understand why, they had been through so much worse than a year back at Hogwarts and they were sailing through it together now Harry feels like a child with over bearing parents— not that he would know what that feels like. But Harry could understand that much that he should let them care in whatever way they felt was right. Harry didn’t like being coddled, or dependant on someone, or asking for help but he would if it meant keeping Ron and Hermione assured that he was fine.
He was not.
Harry Potter, alone in the middle of the night at the top of the world.
The breeze kicked up again, ruffling the edges of the map as if nudging him to look closer. His gaze drifted down to the dungeons, where he could see the faintest movement near the Slytherin common room. Harry squinted, watching the small dot labelled Draco Malfoy wandering the castle as well.
Harry stared at the name for a long moment. Draco had been different since the war—quieter, more withdrawn until their potions lesson at least. They had been in this constant battle to outwit each other since returning to Hogwarts for their final year, Harry knew people were horrified almost at what they said to each other, what nerve they had. But it was the only thing that made sense since the war for Harry, the buried feelings from 4th year had started resurfacing and Harry wasn’t keen on naming them for what the feelings actually were— That was the only drawback his unspoken agreement to bicker with Draco Malfoy had. Why he was doing it was still unknown to him maybe for the normalcy Harry knew Draco never really had. He wasn’t an idiot; he could see the images in Malfoy’s eyes. Sometimes of Harry- himself, sometimes of Sirius. He was well aware of what happened to Sirius in his early life after all. Harry often wondered what went through his head, whether Draco still carried the weight of his choices like Harry carried the war.
He traced Draco’s path on the map with a finger, curious now. What are you doing up at this hour?
Suddenly, Draco’s dot stopped moving, right at the base of the stairs leading to the Astronomy Tower. Harry’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly folded the map, stashing it into his cloak as he stood, waiting in the shadows.
Footsteps echoed up the stairs, soft but steady, and soon enough, Draco Malfoy appeared in the moonlight. He immediately saw Harry as he walked toward the edge of the balcony. Harry didn’t bother standing up, he just crossed his legs and made sure he hid the map right under his robes.
Harry looked up, clearing his throat. "Malfoy." He didn’t like how taller that already taller than himself prat appeared from his angle.
Draco stopped in his tracks, his head snapping toward Harry, a look of surprise crossing his face. For a brief second, they just stared at each other, the silence stretching. "Potter?" Draco’s voice was soft, not hostile, but tired.
“Took you a bit too long to register I guess.” Harry shrugged, offering a faint reply. "Couldn’t sleep."
Draco huffed a small laugh, bringing his signature smirk back on place. "Neither could I." Harry had a sudden urge to punch him.
Draco walked exactly where Harry was sitting beside him resting his back against the wall. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, now wasn’t that an uncomfortable thought in itself? Harry potter and Draco Malfoy – just sitting …comfortably. the stars above them glittering coldly. The tower had seen so many things, so many secrets shared over the years. Now, it bore witness to the unlikeliest of pairings—Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, both wandering aimlessly through a war-scarred world.
"You come here often?" Draco asked suddenly, as if desperate to fill the void between them. That made Harry snort. Draco looked at him like he was an idiot like he was asking ‘What’s making you laugh here?’
“You know, in muggle clubs, there’s this popular culture where if you want to flirt with someone you start with ‘You come here often?’” Harry told him and Malfoy winced at it, which made Harry laugh a little more. “What?”
“That’s awful.” The blonde stated. “I would rather be dead than greet someone I fancy like that.”
Harry shook his head in amusement. “It’s not necessary for you to fancy them, it could be to share a drink or if you just want to… have them for a night.” Harry shrugged. “At least that’s what Frank told me.”
“Who’s Frank?”
“Uh just some muggle acquaintance I met during this summer, called me an idiot for not understanding apparently ‘basic’ flirting but he doesn’t know I’m not a muggle obviously, also he was American so I can't really—”
“I have heavy suspicions you’d even get when someone flirts with you in wizard fashion Potter, you’re the most daft person I've ever met.” Draco says with a smirk.
Harry supresses his urge to huff and appear offended. “If you're trying to get under my skin, it’s not working.”
“I am trying to get into—" Draco cuts himself off once he looks at Harry and sighs. “Never mind. Why couldn’t you sleep, fancy some stargazing?” Malfoy says trying to change the topic. It worked.
Harry glanced up at the sky. "Sometimes. It’s quiet up here." He hesitated, then added, "Helps clear my head." And for more than just a brief moment Seated side by side on the edge of the Astronomy Tower. The moonlight spilled over Harry’s face, illuminating his striking green eyes that glowed like gemstones, captivating Draco with their brilliance. His tousled, post-shag hair cascaded gracefully across his forehead, and the cool breeze whispered through the night, tousling his robes, the gentle light cast soft shadows across his lips, making them seem almost inviting. Draco felt his heart race, He took a sharp breath trying to stop his thoughts.
Draco nodded slowly, his eyes distant as he leaned against the stone wall. "Yeah. I get that."
More silence stretched between them. Maybe they both needed the quiet. Maybe they were both running from the same ghosts, just in different ways. After a few moments, Harry reached into his cloak and pulled out the Marauder's Map again, unfolding it and spreading it out between them. Draco glanced down at it, his brow furrowing.
"What’s that?"
Harry exhaled slowly, looking at the map with a mix of pride and sorrow. "It’s a map. Shows everyone in the castle."
“It can't, no map can, Hogwarts castle doesn’t stay the same.” Malfoy said as a matter of fact and Potter raised an amused eyebrow— Yes, the git was smirking. Draco raised an eyebrow. "Everyone?"
"Yeah. There used to be students in Hogwarts who called themselves the Marauders." Harry’s voice was softer now, almost reverent. “Look…” Harry scooted closer and Draco’s attention was more on the way their shoulders were now pressed together.
Draco looked at the map, then back at Harry. He didn’t say anything, but the light headed ness of the moment wasn’t lost on him. He shifted a bit more closer, their height difference evident even as they sat Draco could smell the subtle scent of earthy wood which was oddly like both— wet soil and forest and wood smoke.
“Can you see her moving?” Harry broke him out of his slipping haywire thoughts. The problem was Draco didn’t know what ‘Her’ he was supposed to see. “This was basically her last stroll before bed I bet.” He said and that’s when Draco noticed what he was supposed to.
“Fascinating.” He said in awe and wonder because Merlin what in the good earth is this? He could see their Headmaster Minerva McGonnell heading to her chambers. And now he could finally look at the dots which weren’t moving. “They are all sleeping…” Draco whispered.
“Yeah, they are.” Harry said. Draco’s eyes drifted to the two dots, two unlikely names too close together— Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. The names on the map together did a little something to Draco’s heart. He thought it was wise not to mention that. Draco’s brain wandered aimlessly until it got stuck on one thing.
“Harry Potter…” Draco started oddly with his full name that made Harry turn his head to look at him. “Did you use this map to stalk me down the whole 6th year?”
Oh well, that is some new kind of fucked up Harry has recently found himself in. “Uh…” Harry trailed off sheepishly looking away. “What…what makes you think that?”
“Spare your less than competent lying to someone else Potter I'm not Weasley.”
Yeah, he wasn’t getting out of it. Harry strangely felt like asking ‘would you be mad if I say yes?’ but c'mon that’s not what he was going to say to Bloody Malfoy of all people. “I…uh might have, a few times.”
“You mean the whole year.”
“I- yeah the whole year.” Harry admitted unbeknownst to the faint hue on his cheeks in the midnight.
That wasn’t going from Draco’s memory anytime soon.
He tried not to smile as he continued. “Must have been handy during the war, how did you find it Potter, since when do you have this?” Draco said and liked the subtle changes in the brunet’s facial expression from ‘deer in headlights’ to something almost eager, perhaps?
“I found it in my third year.” Harry started with a faint but eager smile. Ah so he was excited to talk about the map. Cute. Ahem no Draco— not cute. " I wasn’t allowed by my guardians to go to Hogsmeade.” That was strange, Draco decided not to mention it yet. “So, Fred and George knew ‘why’ I wasn’t given the permission so they were like ‘We’ve got your back Harry’ and gave me the map. Speaking of, I think I should’ve told them it’s an heirloom they don’t know it yet as far as—”
“Wait— hold on it’s an heirloom?" Draco asked, looking equal parts confused, curious and creeped.
“Oh yeah I missed that part…” Harry muttered to himself and Draco Malfoy positively looked like he wanted to smack him. “Look at this,” Harry scooted closer somehow. “It says Messrs Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs.”
“That’s French.”
“What’s French?”
Draco rolled his eyes and that somehow translated into calling Harry dumb. “What do you not know meaning of?”
Harry pointed in response “This word ‘Messrs’.”
“Right, that’s French—”
“You know French?”
Draco clicked his tongue. “Yes, Potter I know French—”
“Sirius did too I bet your mom taught you!”
“Yes, Potter the Black Family—”
“I always forget you're Black too.”
“Salazar’s beard, Potter!” Draco raised his volume a little. Harry paused and looked at him like he was genuinely offended at his tone. Draco sighed. “Harry Potter, if you're done having this one-sided conversation would you like to get back to the part where you were telling me how exactly this marvel of a map is your family heirloom.” And just how Draco expected (woah look at that development folks) Harry was happily distracted and looked eager to talk about the topic.
“These people,” Harry pointed at the names on the map. “Were my father and Godfathers…and the man who ruined their lives but he was once a friend.” Harry’s expression was one of faint nostalgia and sadness.
“Hold on… You’re telling me, your Father James Potter was one of these people?”
“Prongs to be exact.”
“Bloody hell.” Draco whispered to himself “That’s some powerful magic it could be used for so much, what did your father do with this?"
"Oh they made it because they used to wander a lot in night that often led them into having trouble with Professor Mcgonagall so they made the map to make sure they avoid getting caught."
What did Draco even expect? Such powerful magic, such useful tool but used and made for what? "That's the most gryffindor shenanigan i've ever heard." Draco deadpans which makes the other boy laugh at him. Draco tried to control his own smile at that. "Right so your father and...who?”
“Padfoot and Moony— Sirius and Professor Lupin, my godfathers."
Now Draco wasn’t sure what to say when you accidently mention your ‘enemy’s’ godfather who happens to be your uncle you were raised to hate. “Oh yeah right i… sorry I didn’t intend to—”
“Its fine.” Harry gave a faint smile. “He didn’t speak much in French but that was his instinctual language like I slip into parceltongue sometimes.” Harry and Draco sat quietly for a while before Harry spoke again. “He didn’t like to speak in French because it reminded him too much of his siblings.”
Mother. Draco thought.
"Strange, isn’t it?" Harry said after a pause. "That they all walked these halls once, like we do now. And now they’re all gone. Except your mom obviously I'm glad she’s safe now."
That surprised Draco a little but he didn’t comment because of the odd sense of comfort that settled in him. “Mother mentioned,” Draco didn’t know why he was saying it, he just was. “Specified me to not shut myself off this year and try to talk…to you I mean.”
Harry scoffed remembering their previous encounters this year. “Well, that has worked exceptionally well.” He said sarcastically.
“You're sitting here Potter, aren’t you?” Draco smirked.
Harry rolled his eyes trying to hide the small smile. “You can't not be insufferable for 5 minutes, can you?”
“It’s been more than an hour since we sat here.”
“No way actually?”
“Really Potter, doesn’t Granger nag at you?”
“Oh, she does.” Harry picked the map up and stood up, “And she will, somehow she always knows when I sneaked out.”
Despite himself, Draco found himself smiling and shaking his head. Never change Potter. “Run along then wouldn’t want the saviour be scolded in the morning.”
“I will, Merlin why can't I just—”
“Potter!” Draco called out. And immediately regretted it.
“Yeah?” Draco didn’t have anything to say he didn’t know why he called him he just did, when did he stop thinking before taking actions. Harry smiled, understanding more than he cared to admit. “Malfoy,”
Draco looked back up and only then realised he had been looking down.
“Will you be here tomorrow?” He asked and for some reason for some wild reason, Draco felt heat inside of him despite the chilly winter night.
Draco nodded and Harry grinned before sprinting away and left Draco and his thoughts alone, perhaps not so much hollow this time. Although Draco knew that they both knew nothing was same, that they weren’t kids anymore. They have changed and they were all very pathetically holding onto the last remnants of childhood, that weren’t really willing to live anymore. But Draco was— For his mother and Harry was too, probably for his friends who were trying their level best but still and in that quiet space, high above Hogwarts, it didn’t matter that they had once been enemies. All that mattered was that they had both survived. They had all survived.