Chapter 24
Harry can’t help but love this. Ron, Hermione, and Draco all in the same place? What more could he ask for? Hermione is lecturing Harry for his ‘Remarkable Idiocy’ whilst Draco nods in solidarity but Harry’s not really listening.
He might be a little distracted by Draco’s hands one of which has found its way to his hair, the other one trying to coax bites of a baked potato into his mouth, it’s working remarkably well.
“Harry, are you even listening?” Hermione asks exasperatedly, already knowing the answer.
Maybe he would have tried to humor her more if he felt a little less airy, but he didn’t feel less airy, he felt wonderful so he answered honestly, “No,”
Draco yanked his hair a little and Harry did not pout, but maybe he frowned and maybe it came off a little less firm than he’d like, but he didn’t pout.
Hermione scoffed, “Draco how have you been managing him,”
Draco looks down on him and for a second Harry thinks that it might be a little fond, “He sleeps a lot, very helpful,”
“My company is wonderful,” Harry says with mock offense.
“When you’re not being a moronic martyr.” Draco says, offering him broccoli, which Harry refuses on principle, “Eat the broccoli for Merlin's sake, you can’t just eat potatoes.”
“I can and will.” Harry takes a pointed sip of his drink, turning his head away, which is easier said than done seeing as Draco’s hands are rooted deep in his hair.
“I’ll trade you,” Harry turns around and Draco smiles encouragingly at his interest, “What do you want for it,”
Harry pretends to think about it for a moment, but he already knows what he wants, “Let me paint your nails,”
“Huh?” Draco looks taken aback, “Why?”
“It’ll be pretty,” Harry nods confidently, it will be pretty, black maybe, or green.
Draco goes a lovely shade of red and Harry had just decided to reach up and touch it to see if it was as wonderful as it looked when Draco shoved a piece of broccoli in his mouth, “Deal.”
Harry choked on the vegetable for a moment before grinning.
***
Hermione couldn’t describe the sort of dynamic the two men in front of her were exuding. It’s like they’re married, like they’ve been married.
Harry chews his broccoli without any more objections and Hermione decides to bring up something that she had been wondering about, “We’re staying in your old room Harry, where are you staying now?”
“With Draco?” He asks it, like it was obvious.
Hermione tilts her head, she needs to test something, “Oh you didn’t need to uproot yourself just for us, we could’ve stayed in another room, I’m sure Hogwarts would make the arrangements?”
Harry looked positively baffled and Malfoy narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her.
Harry shook his head, “I didn’t move, I haven’t been there in a while,”
A flood of realization comes over Malfoy’s face and he starts shaking his head minutely at her. Interesting. Are they dating? Or… Are they not? That’s so much worse. They’re just pinning hopelessly for each other like teenagers? Oh Merlin that’s totally what’s happening.
“Oh, Granger would you look at that lunch is over,” Malfoy says sharply, “I have a class to teach, and Harry has his… thing, to sit on.”
Hermione blinks, innocently she hopes, but the only person that ever works on his Harry, “Do you mind if I sit in your class, just to keep an eye on Harry.”
He grimaces and thinks for a moment before sighing, “Only if you two are quiet, and if he gets tired leave him alone he needs to sleep the fever off.”
“The fevers gone,” Harry, who is flushed pink with widely blown eyes, says confidently.
Malfoy untangles his hands from Harry's hair, she had nearly forgotten they were there, it looked weirdly normal, “You’re talking complete bollocks and you know it.”
Malfoy smiles fondly down at Harry helping him up, Harry stumbles a bit before his hand lands on Malfoys shoulder where it stays, Malfoy looks almost pleased with it being there.
Harry starts squinting at Malfoys face, “I miss your face,”
Malfoy coughs and turns an aggressive shade of red making Harry flatten his entire hand on it, fingers splayed out dramatically.
“I think that’s enough of that,” Malfoy peels Harrys hand off his face and holds it in his own.
Harry doesn’t seem particularly perturbed by this and allows Malfoy to cautiously guide him out of the Great Hall. Even when he walks face first into the door frame he doesn’t seem to mind.
~~~
Harry mostly sleeps through Malfoys potions class, Malfoy on the other hand is distracted, he glances over at Harry ever so often, smiling slightly before returning his attention to his class.
Malfoy introduces Hermione to each of his classes with a no-nonsense air to him, ‘Treat her with the respect you would treat me with,’ and warns them to let Harry sleep, ‘If you wake him up I’m taking 20 house points and we’re working on a tranquility tonic, I hope you like Bubotuber Pus.’ The students shivered in unison at that.
At the end of the day Hermione started brainstorming, how could she convince them to let her into their room? She needed to know. Harry would never leave his students without a way to contact him. Maybe she could ask about that?
Malfoy starts to lightly shake Harry awake. When Harry opens his eyes the prior foggieness had gone leaving his eyes the clear green she was used to. Harry opened his eyes and screwed up his face.
“Sweet Merlin I wish I could see,” Harry muttered, Malfoy upon being sure that he wasn’t feverish anymore yanked him up.
“If you were less of a moron, you’d be able to.” Malfoy snaps.
Harry grunts affirmatively, tripping over the bean bag, he sighs and vanishes it making Malfoy slap him in the back of the head, “Fuck- Draco it’s fine, it’s made from magic, banishing it oughta just send the magic back where it came from, which is me.”
“Harry don’t summon things while you’re ill.” Hermione frowns, making Harry roll his eyes.
“My magic is sorting itself out,” Harry places a hand on his chest and inhales deeply, “You don’t really notice how present magic is until you’re missing it.”
“Oh, I know it’s not super on topic but, if you’re down in the dungeons how do your students reach you in case of an emergency? I could set up a floo that connects to yours?” Hermione asks.
“They have a button,” Malfoy answers shortly.
Hermione would have to take a look at that later, “Let me walk you to your rooms,”
They don’t object and spend most of the walk ignoring her. When they get to the door Hermione panics a little, “Oh, Harry I have something for you, I left it at The Burrow though can I use your floo?”
Harry says, ‘Yeah of course,’ at the same time Malfoy asks ‘Why can’t you summon it?’
“It’s a surprise.” Malfoy reluctantly let’s her in leading her to the floo.
Their apartment is insane. Harry’s stuff is everywhere, his laptop thrown carelessly on the couch, the blanket Molly had cried when she had showed him thrown next to it, theres ink splotches on the wall that Hermione can’t fathom being from Malfoy. But there’s also signs of Malfoy, its a strict sort of clean that Harry could never achieve on his own, there’s an open Jane Austen book face down on the arm rest of the couch, there’s an abandoned ‘Slytherin Over To The Coffee Pot’ Mug with a tea bag in it. It’s weirdly harmonious.
“Well I’ll pop through and be right back,”
Hermione goes through the floo to The Burrow and makes a bee-line for Molly’s yarn collection, she’ll have to apoligize later but she needs an excuse and yarn doesn’t travel well magically. It messes with the quality, she had tried to buy some for Harry one Christmas and after she had summoned it it had frayed horribly.
She goes for a couple speils of a wonderfully soft dark grey. Before rushing to the floo and flooing back to Hogwarts.
“Tada,” Hermione hands Harry the wool.
“I’ve been itching to knit,” Harry grins.
“Enjoy your night gentlemen,” She salutes them and rushes out the door.
Well that was insightful.