Constellations
'Malfoy wants to see me again!'
Harry couldn't help but grin before remembering he owes him a favor, and an empty Quidditch field would be a good place for a lot of bad things to happen.
He did say they would both come alone though...but does a Slytherin honor his word? There is only one way to find out.
Hence why he tells his friends that he is incredibly tired today and would be heading to bed. It's not unusual for him; he does have a lot of trouble sleeping through the night, so nobody was questioning him.
Instead of heading to bed, he just closes the curtains and sneaks back out with his invisibility cloak, being extra careful as he passes through the common room. Luckily he doesn't have to wait long before the portrait is opened by some seven years.
Quickly slipping through, Harry makes his way to the stands, making himself as comfortable as he could be while hiding beneath his cloak. It would be easiest to just wait in one place until Malfoy showed his face.
Since it wasn't curfew yet, he had to wait quite some time, but even after curfew started, Malfoy didn't show up. The Tempus charm told him that quite some time has passed already; maybe it was a prank after all.
The disappointment settled inside him; it made his stomach churn uneasily. Why did he feel so disappointed about it?
Just as he got up with his stuff and turns to leave, he runs face first into Malfoy, causing him to stumble and grasp blindly in the air until his fingers catch onto the cloak and he drags them both down into a heap of limbs.
"What- the Potter??"
Unsurprisingly, Malfoy had landed on the bottom since he had been coming up the stairs while Harry was rushing down.
"I-ugh, I should have known you would use this cloak..."
Deep down, Malfoy had still thought that Potter was lying about its existence, so he didn't even think twice about whether or not he would be using it to sneak out tonight. After completing his first set of rounds, he had made his way to the field...unable to see Potter anywhere, he had left rather upset.
Something made him turn back though, he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe Lady Magic had wanted them to meet...
"erh well yeah, I didn't wanna be caught by...prefects."
Harry explains lamely as he stares at Malfoy with a flushed face, he didn't look any different now than during the day. So why did it feel like it was different?
"Potter move. Your weight is pressing me into the stands, and I would like to keep my back for a little longer...so off with you."
The older shoves him lightly, causing them to separate, though they're still sitting on the ground. Harry, because he is too stunned to say or move... Malfoy because he is partially covered with Harry's cloak and staring absolutely mesmerized.
"You really weren't lying...by Salazar"
He whispers in absolute awe, immediately starting to ramble about the myth of the three brothers as he pokes it before quickly gathering the fabric in his hands. If Harry had to describe it, he would say D- Malfoy had a joy on his face he had rarely been privy to.
"Before you go all Geeky on me... I only have the cloak. We looked through my dad's stuff, but the wand and stone aren't in my possession."
Purposely choosing to omit the fact that it at one point had been, but it was destroyed, so why make Malfoy angry about that? He obviously cares a great deal about the myth and its objects.
"This..Potter, this is so—you do not even understand what this means, do you? I bet my cousin didn't teach you anything at all. Ugh, he doesn't deserve to be Lord Black... fuck."
Harry's outrage at Sirius being insulted evaporated as soon as he heard Malfoy curse. This was dangerous territory, very dangerous. His heart is beating fast, and all he can do is stare at a blonde Slytherin, the son of a deatheater, examining a cloak that he shouldn't know about...that technically shouldn't even exist.
"It's been handed down for generations. Remus is helping me translate the grimoire of the Potters, but we suspect that the three brothers must have been real-"
"and you are a descendant, aren't you? That would also explain why you speak parsletongue... everything makes so much sense."
"Wait..why would that make sense??"
"Well, the Potters originally came from South Asia, right? If my wizagomont lessons aren't wrong, the last Potters lived in India before coming over to Britain. You might even have some distant relatives... I'm not sure..."
Harry just stares absolutely speechless.
"Since your guardians didn't tell you anything about your father speaking it, it must have skipped a few generations. Your grandparents would have probably known..."
He pauses just to scrunch his face a little, evidently trying to remember something.
"I got sidetracked... parseltongue is a language that can't be learned by everyone. You have to have a gift for it; which people usually are born with. It's a genetic language anchored in blood- yes yes dark magic booho"
Malfoy rolls his eyes with an annoyed expression.
"I know how you...light-wizards like to taint us by saying we are evil reincarnated, but dark magic isn't bad magic...like I told you before magic is a gift by Lady Magic and therefore-"
"neither good nor bad. I know; I talked to Remu-Professor Lupin about it. He may be a Half-Blood, but he did grow up in magical society... he explained some stuff he ...thought I already knew."
If Malfoy was surprised by Potter's confession to receiving additional lessons about magical history and society, he didn't show it.
"Anyhow, the story is based on your ancestors living in harmony with their familiars, which probably were snakes or basilisks, maybe even dragons. They probably gifted their Wixen a way to communicate... I'm not as knowledgeable about these stories because I lost interest in the language itself once I found out I do not share a genetic component to master it."
"That—wow, Malfoy, that's a lot... I didn't know any of that! You truly are amazing; I don't know how you keep all that knowledge in your head...you just memorize it or—how does it work?"
"Eloquent as always, Potter," he drawls exasperated while trying to fold the cloak neatly and failing "I happen to take an interest in history and branches of magic. I only remember what I need to remember, such as information about the future politicians, such as yourself, or what interests me, such as history and potions."
"oh...well ...I guess that makes sense...thank you for telling me about my family. Sirius tries to tell me, but he still feels guilty and usually gets too choked up to talk about them. Many who knew my parents or grandparents are dead..."
"I am sorry about your parents. I know you have probably heard this a thousand times already..."
"Yeah, I have heard everything from 'I wouldn't know what to do if I were you' to 'everything happens for a reason' so a simple acknowledgement is quite refreshing. Thank you"
"Surely you are jesting. People have not been that crass to insult the future Lord Potter to his face like that??"
Laughing lightly, he shrugs, "People still see me as a kid. After all I am a kid, as my dads like to remind me quite often, so yeah, they did. You really are a politics nerd, huh? Somehow we keep falling back onto that topic."
Instead of joining Harry's laughter, Malfoy's face darkens as he clenches his jaw.
"speaking of, why do I have to hear from terrified first-years that you cornered them in an empty hallway?? I thought you said you were different—you better answer me right now or I will make sure you won't be able to walk to corner any snakes of mine."
Malfoy had pulled his wand and pointed it directly against his chest before Harry could pull his own wand. Staring dumbly at the blonde, all he could hear was his heart beating loudly in his chest and it was racing. His eyes fixed on stormy grey ones.
The storm in them was raging, like it was angry and trying to take its anger out on something.
"I—don't wait that? Oh, come off it! I was just stopping them so I could ask about what you told me—you know, in the spirit of actually talking to the supposed victims? I did notice you travel in packs and stuff, but that could just be a coincidence!"
"You cannot be serious, Potter-"
"Come on, they were the only people who wouldn't hex me on sight! What was I supposed to do? The older ones don't talk to me; I will not be talking to the dungeon bat, and well, you could be lying!!"
He tries his hardest to defend himself; he didn't even threaten them. Never in a million years would he threaten someone unjustified, especially first years.
"So what you are telling me is that you didn't think it would be a problem to cornere a bunch of first years, a few of which were muggle-raised so they don't know much about magic, as someone who is not only taller, physically stronger, magically stronger, and more popular than them??"
"oh- oh no-"
"Oh no- no shit!" Malfoy gets right up into Potter's face, staring him down with an angry expression. "You cornered them in an empty corridor to talk... or to interrogate them?? By Salazar, you are truly daft."
"I'm so- sorry! I will apologize to them! I didn't—you're right, I didn't think—fuck I just..in Gryffindor; that's normal...I've talked to a bunch of other first-year students from other houses..it didn't even cross my mind.. shit Malfoy, I- fuck"
"Its fine. I handled it. Do not do it again; do you hear me, Potter? I will make your life unbearable if you ever torment my snakes again. Is that clear?"
"yeah...I mean yes, crystal!"
All Harry could do was croak out as Malfoy shoves the cloak at his head with a frustrated scoff, having given up on trying to get it to behave. So this was why he wanted to meet...
Strangely, Harry felt equally disappointed as he felt ashamed about his misstep.
He doesn't even know what he expected to happen; they weren't friends or anything like that. What would rivals do on an empty field anyway? Why hadn't he thought this through more?
Maybe there was something in the envelope after all-
"Stop overworking the little brain cells you have and just spit it out. You will give yourself a stroke if you think any harder about whatever is on your mind."
"I was really stupid about coming here wasn't I? I mean, it's not like we are friends and your father served a man who wanted to kill me."
"allegedly served a man."
"yeah, whatever, and I don't—I mean, I even came alone like you said, I just trusted you to keep your word like that? What was I thinking?"
"That's the problem with Gryffindors; every single one of you has such a bleeding heart...you never consider someone betraying you or doing something bad to you just because they are nice to your face. You are similar to toddlers discovering the world before they realise it is not a good place."
"Hmm, as insulting as it is, it's quite accurate. You thought about that metaphor quite a lot, haven't you?"
A small blush on the tip of Malfoy's ears is Harry's reward for his boldness.
"Why would I think about Gryffindorks in my free time? Back to the topic of you being stupid, yes, it was, but you did scope out the area. You would have seen if I brought company from beneath that clever cloak." He reluctantly gives in, however he could not stop looking at the cloak in Harry's hands.
"Since we have settled the matter of the bullying and have come to a mutual agreement that you will not do it again, it seems we are done here."
"You still talk with all that noble stuffy accent, but I guess it works for you."
Harry picks at the grass, staring resolutely at the ground because, as blockheaded as he was, he realised that he doesn't want to go just yet. "Sirius told me that it's a tradition for the blacks to be named after stars."
"It is, though it can be constellations as well. I am certain you are aware of that. Mother told me astronomy used to be very important to them. She taught me about the night sky."
Smiling fondly, he lays down in the grass. Unfortunately, the sky is quite cloudy today, but Malfoy doesn't seem to care.
"Yeah," Harry joins him, suddenly feeling very nervous. "Sirius and Remus taught me as well; I only remember where Regulus and Sirius are. Maybe it is because he focused on these the most." He chuckles lightly while Malfoy looks thoughtful up at the nightsky.
"Stretch out your hand."
"What?"
"Oh, do not be difficult; even you should manage to follow simple instructions. Stretch out your arm in front of you, fingers to the sky." His eyes observe as Potter carefully tries to follow his instructions: "Now move them slightly to the right, just on top of the hoops on the other side of the pitch."
"like this?"
"not quite, you just ... higher ... no! go back" The Slytherin scoffs as he scoots closer, grabbing Potter's hand without any hesitation and carefully tugging it into the right position.
Harry goes absolutely still, holding his breath as he stares at the sky. Fighting the urge to move his head and look at the boy holding his hand. "well eh- those are very pretty clouds?"
"Potter, are you daft?? I evidently meant behind the clouds, remember it, and next time you go out with your mythical cloak, try and look up!"
The younger boy lets go of his hand and gets up, brushing his pants off with a scowl etched into his usually so perfectly schooled expression. Quickly gathering the few things he had with him as he starts
"Malfoy, don't be a prick; lay back down or something! I just asked you a question!"
"Figure it out, Potter!" The blonde yells back as he quickly leaves the stunned Gryffindor behind with the sound of his robes billowing behind him.
"Why does he have to be such a dramatic git all the time?"