2
Draco snuck down quietly, wondering if Harry had a midnight smoke break every night. Sure enough, as he rounded the counter to the back door there was Harry. A cigarette lit between his lips as he stared past the trees.
Draco stepped out quietly, sitting down next to Harry carefully. "I didn't wake you did I?" Harry said softly. When he first thought of having Draco Malfoy in his house, he figured he'd be angry.
He thought everything would be like school. He never meant to care for the blonde git. Though that's just how Harry's life worked, unexpected and odd. "No, I was hoping to find you out here," Draco admitted shyly, he didn't like being so open.
"How come you won't talk to me during the day?" Harry asked the question that was pounding in his head all day. "What happened to your head?"
Harry scoffed at Draco's avoiding tactics, "explosion." Harry managed to catch Draco cringing out of the side of his eye. He smiled softly at this, a bit crazy but it showed Draco cared in some way.
"You're an idiot, truly." Harry laughed softly, "there's the Draco I know." Draco didn't mean to, but he laughed as well. He felt his resolve slipping, and for once he didn't hate it.
Everything was easier at midnight.
~
Since their midnight talks began, things were easier throughout the day. They still didn't speak, and no one knew why. Not even them, but Harry felt better knowing that Draco didn't hate him.
It made the nights easier too because when Harry returned to his room after talking to Draco his nightmares weren't as bad. He wasn't sure why, but things just got a little bit easier.
"Hey, everyone wants to have a game night. This is your home as much as mine, so just making sure that's alright with you." Harry had owled Draco from work, Draco smiled at the sloppy handwriting that fit the rest of the boys' personality.
He quickly grabbed some parchment and an owl treat, neatly writing a short reply and sending it off with the owl after giving it the treat. "Perfectly fine, thanks for asking first. -D.M."
Harry smiled at the reply once he got it, and let Ron know to tell everyone else they were on for tonight. Maybe Draco would join in since his friends would be there too.
~
The game night had just started, and Draco made his way to the spot between Blaise and Harry. "So.. what are we playing?" He asked glancing around the room.
The table consisted of Harry, Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Ron, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, Neville, Luna, and Ginny. Draco felt uncomfortable that everyone had their eyes on him.
"I know I'm a hermit that doesn't talk much nowadays, but you all don't have to stare. It's quite rude." He managed to bite out, and everyone looked down sheepishly.
He smirked, "I'm only joking, what are we playing anyways?" Hermione smiled towards the blonde, "truth or dare first." She said, grinning wildly. Draco rolled his eyes, he thought that game was childish.
"Harry you can start." Harry hummed quietly, scanning the room. "Nev, truth or dare." He said smiling innocently, Draco smirked knowing that face. Harry so should've been a Slytherin.
"Dare." Neville said with a blush. "Dare you to snog Luna." Neville blushed a fierce red, and sputtered a bit looking at Luna. "U-uh may I ?" He said sheepishly, making everyone in the room basically coo at how cute he was.
Luna rolled her eyes smiling softly, before pushing herself towards Neville, kissing him gently. When they pulled apart, they were both red but smiling. Draco smiled, looking at Harry with a look in his eyes Harry couldn't quite place. So he just winked at the blonde, making him smile wider.
Neville ended up daring Ginny to give Pansy a lap dance. Which may have also worked in someones favor. "Harry, truth or dare." Ginny said with that look in her eyes that Harry was afraid of. "Dare I suppose." He said carefully.
"I dare you to snog Blaise." Harry mentally cursed, he knew his exes motives. He glared at her, but shrugged. He walked over to Blaise and gently kissed him. Blaise was a decent bloke, but not Harry's type. Ginny had been wanting him to come out because she believed he needed to be himself.
~
Harry seemed to be the only one confused by the end of the night why Draco was so angry. When everyone left he tried to ask but Draco just ignored him and locked himself in his room.
Harry sighed, getting his stuff ready for work the next day. He got a shower, one that probably shouldn't have taken him as long as it did. Then he checked the time. He sighed as it was almost midnight already and he needed to get some sort of sleep for work.
He went out to smoke quickly, sitting down and throwing his head in his hands. "You alright?" He heard Draco ask softly behind him. He turned to meet his gaze in the moonlight. "No." Harry said simply. Lighting his cigarette and just staring at it.
"I've refrained from asking, because everyone has their thing, but why do you smoke?" The blonde asked cautiously. Harry was already upset, he didn't wish to upset him more.
"Their thing?" Harry questioned, and Draco shrugged. "The thing that helps them cope, the flaw they hate but need." Harry made a quiet sound of understanding and peered out into the trees.
"I suppose it keeps me grounded." Draco could only nod. He knew what that felt like except he hadn't found anything to keep him grounded. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
Then Harry asked the question that's been wrapped around his brain. "How come you only talk to me at midnight?" Draco froze, sighing heavily.
"Me and you could never be friends." Draco truly didn't mean to sound so harsh, but he knew as soon as Harry cringed at his words that he was.
"Oh. Alright." Draco sighed again, "I don't mean it like that potter. Talking at midnight over a cigarette doesn't count as a friendship. I know if we actually became friends it would all go to hell."
"Why do you think that?"
"I don't think it, I know it. We'd be a ticking time bomb." Draco didn't believe a word he was spewing, but he had to protect Harry from himself. Which seemed to work as Harry got up quietly, and went inside.
Maybe they could be friends, but sooner or later Draco would break it. Like everything else he touched, so for now, it would just have to stop at midnight talks.