Chapter 14
Harry allows the students a moment to take in the information as he chats with Draco, “You just left your class unsupervised?”
“Victoria has it covered,” Draco waves his concerns away, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“It happens, you can’t say you’ve never had a night terror.”
Draco shoots him a worried look, “No, but typically those don’t end with blood pouring from the walls.”
Harry chuckles, “Mine don’t always end with blood pouring from the wall either,”
“You’re right, sometimes they end with the room going fridged.” Draco deadpans.
“It’s been better lately, only twice? Massive improvement.” Harry tries for an optimistic tone, but this just seems to make Draco more worried.
“It usually happens more?” Draco frowns.
“But its improving Draco, lets focus on the bright side.” Harry smiles, tilting his head slightly, “Can’t really ask for more, can you?”
Draco gives him a strange look for a moment before he pulls him into a tight hug. Harry doesn’t hesitate for a moment before relaxing into it.
“Harry that's not okay.” He whispers into the top of Harry's head.
Harry doesn’t say anything, just leans into the hug. They stay like that for a long time, probably longer than reasonable when both of their classes are waiting. But Harry needs it. Oh Merlin, he needs it. Theres something about Draco’s sharp clean sent that put him at ease. He inhales deeply once before pulling away.
“You’re class Draco,” Harry says, with an apologetic smile.
Draco sends him one last worried look before giving him a nod and leaving the classroom. Harry takes a deep breath before turning his attention to his class, who had at some point gone completely silent.
“This doesn’t excuse you guys from class, sit down,” Harry smiles widely, at his students, who groan half heartedly.
***
Draco walks into his little Hogwarts apartment and is surprised to find that he was the first one home today. Draco looks around and notices how empty it is without the presence of Harry Potter but at the same time, just the little hints that he’s been here make it feel so… warm.
Harrys blanket is set out on the chair half-hazardly, there are two toothbrushes in the bathroom, there’s eyeliner resting on the bathroom counter, still uncapped from the morning, and even a few ink splotches they had missed from the algebra fiasco. All signs of Harry, lingering at every corner.
Draco can’t help but smile even as he spells away the remaining ink splotches and settles down on the couch and starts to wait for Harry with a good book.
~~~
When Harry does arrive home he’s cussing and juggling way to much paper.
“Merlins beard. Why didn’t you shrink it down?” Draco jolts from the couch and takes some of the paper setting it on the small desk.
“They get all wrinkly, I can’t hand my student's back wrinkly papers.”
“A smoothing charm Harry.” Draco says blankly, “Why don’t you use a smoothing charm?”
Harry stares at him for a moment before saying cheerfully, “Well now we know for next time,”
“You,” Draco corrects, “I already knew.”
Harry doesn’t say anything just settles down on the floor with a conjured lap desk and a smaller pile of papers. Harry pats around his pocket for a moment before pulling out a pen, something Draco only started to learn about recently from the muggleborn students in his class. Harry summons a glass of water to his workspace, casts a quiet music charm filled with unfamiliar music, takes a deep breath and begins to grade,
Draco watches for only a moment before starting to play with Harrys hair a little. When this doesn’t seem to bother him, Draco starts twisting small braids in as Harry hums along to the music, occasionally pausing to berate a student.
“This was supposed to be a free point, all spells can be useful in battle.” Harry sighs marking the question wrong, “I took on a dragon with a summoning charm and a broom once.”
Draco hums, “I don’t know how you’re so built up already,”
“This is all my coursework for the week,” Harry scrunches his nose at another paper, “Any of the papers that affect their grade more than participation really,”
“Why would you leave it to the last second?” Draco asks, mildly alarmed, he did all of his grading in between classes as it came in.
Harry looks up for a moment with a wide grin, “Well look at me, I’m already most of the way through,”
Draco stares for a moment, before shaking his head and going back to braiding Harrys hair. After a moment Harrys music goes from something about milkshakes and boys to a song about American Idiots.
“Is this what all my students were humming,” Draco raises an eyebrow.
“You know what you would like?” Harry waves a hand and a different song starts playing.
It’s lovely, not as violent as the other music Harry was listening to, and yes Draco will count the Milkshake song as violent.
Harry smiles at Draco again, “It’s Queen,”
“It’s better than the rest of your music,” Draco teases, “I’ll still take a good bit of classical any day.”
“And to think I thought I was converting you,” Harry puts a big smiley face on a first years paper.
Draco undoes an ugly braid and replaces it with a slightly neater one and takes in the whole of Harrys head. It’s more of a mess than when he started, covered in little braids.
Harry floats all the papers into a much neater stack than the one he came in with and floats it onto the desk, he waves his wand once more and the papers float into the air and separate themselves by classes before settling for the final time.
“I am exhausted.” Harry says stretching, “Sleep?”
Draco silently debates whether to take the braids out or not before nodding to Harry.
They settle into bed like it's the most natural thing in the world, and really, so what if it is? So what if the sound of Harry breathing beside him makes his bed somehow more comfortable? So what if he allows Harry to pull him into his embrace? So what if he falls asleep there, the most content he’s been since before the war?
So what?