December
Early December
Draco sat in his sagging armchair and watched Neville and Pansy flirt with each other in mild horror. Since August Pansy had been dropping around once a week or so to get drunk and rant at him about how bored and lonely she was in Paris. Neville still stopped by on the regular to blather away at him, unoffended that Draco refused to visit him in his small room off one of the main corridors. It had only been a matter of time before the two would meet. But this - this was horrific.
Apparently, Neville's stealthy pining over Hannah Abbott was forgotten - and he was on board the Pansy train. Pansy was encouraging things by giggling all over Neville and shamelessly thrusting her impressive cleavage at him. Neville was looking at her with the slightly dazed expression of a man that couldn't quite believe his luck. Draco hoped to Salazar that he wouldn't be blamed for this once the two of them sobered up.
A quiet knock at his window caused him to jump out of his chair in relief.
"Oh thank Merlin!"
He opened the window and pulled Harry into the room.
"Save me Potter - I think they're about to start snogging"
Harry blinked, then his mouth fell open when he spotted the couple propped up on the bed.
"Drink?" Draco thrust the bottle at Harry - who took it and hunted around for a teacup.
"I thought you and Pansy were dating. Don't you mind?" Harry muttered, cheeks pink
"Merlin no. I'm not dating Pansy. Neville would be more likely than Pansy - but nooooo." Draco let the last word hang, then snatched the bottle back from Harry and drank, trying not to translate the complicated facial expression that Harry was pulling.
"What did you want?"
"Just curious" Harry strugged "I was sitting on the roof and heard voices"
Draco snorted
"How's the patrolling going Potter? It's been pretty quiet my end. Not sure if that's because Hermione has been doing evil experiments on the rot, or because of the patrolling, or whatever. If it's the patrolling then thankyou - I've been able to make some progress on repairs again finally"
Harry nodded
"We've been keeping an eye, but nothing much so far. Perhaps you can thank Hermione." Harry took a swig of his whiskey and then grimaced "I meant to ask - how is it that you ended up caretaker? Why? It's been driving me mad trying to figure out why you would agree to do it. It doesn't make sense."
"Here" Draco grabbed Harry's wrist and pressed his hand against the wall, then tapped into his connection and fed the school some magic. He could feel the increased thrum travel through Harry's hand and into his own.
"Hogwarts is alive, and it's aware. It sheltered me during one of the hardest times of my life, and kept me company. And now it's my home. Yes - it's not what I pictured my future to be as a child. But it's good work, meaningful work. The school has suffered over the last few decades; fewer students every year, and as far as I can see Filch prided himself on doing the absolute minimum in upkeep. It's going to take a long time to fix, but it can be done. I can do it"
Draco ran out of words, and then glared at the bottle in annoyance. Harry was smiling at him softly.
"I'm envious. I don't know what I'm going to do." He gazed out the window at the dark sky "I've got a place in the Aurors but I'm not sure if I'll take it. I'm so tired of constantly fighting, but I don't know what else I can even do. Ron is excited though, it will be good to work together. Plus Ginny really wants us to get a place together in London"
Reality crashed in and Draco straightened up and away from Harry.
"You have the Black place right? And your family vaults? This self-sacrificing tendency of yours is unutterably tedious. Don't rush into a job in the Aurors, especially if you don't particularly want to do it. Furthermore don't let Ron, or Ginny, or anyone else push you into doing something you don't want to do just to please them. "
Harry opened his mouth to reply when a shout interrupted them
"Harry!" Neville clambered off the bed and barrelled over to grab them both in a sweaty hug
"Didn't know you were friends with Draco now. He's so funny. Do you remember Pansy?" Neville pointed over his shoulder at Pansy, who was looking at Harry with a terrified look on her face for some reason. Sometimes Draco really felt his lack of knowledge of events in this world quite keenly.
"Pansy" Harry nodded, his face forbidding. Pansy gathered up her things and raced out the door with a hasty goodbye, much to Neville's disappointment.
"Potter was just telling me that he's still deciding what to do next year" Draco waggled his eyebrows at Harry
"You should stay with us!" Neville suggested gleefully "Draco 'n me will be here next year. You can 'prentice too"
"Neville" Draco said disgustedly "you're drunk. Potter - do me a solid and help your housemate back to his room. I'll be in your debt."
Harry smiled, distractedly, then pulled Neville out of the room by his arm, leaving Draco in peace. Athebyne slunk in through the still open window, then hopped onto Draco's lap and stretched up to rub her head consolingly on his aching chest.
Late December
Draco levitated the last of the pine boughs up into place above the fireplace in the great hall. There was only a week before Christmas and tomorrow would be the yule feast for all the students. Draco had gone a bit overboard in decorating the school. More students than ever would be staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas holidays, so he'd made it his mission to replicate the level of festive embellishment he remembered fondly from his childhood in Malfoy manor.
"Draco!" it was Hermione. With a sigh Draco turned and crossed to her. She had dumped her stack of schoolbooks on the nearest bench, and was looking at him with a fixed expression on her face.
"Any progress?" he asked. Other than the odd note demanding more blood, Hermione hadn't spoken to him in a month
"Mixed. Everyone else we've tried has had no effect on the infection. I've discovered a way to stop the spread by painting wards using your blood - yes I know it's a type of magic that is frowned on but frankly I'm at a loss at how else to deal with it. The wards have to be refreshed every week or two though - I've written down the instructions here." She handed over the paper "I'll keep working on a way to neutralise the infection, but at least now we've bought ourselves some time. And the incursions should stop with the new warding"
Draco nodded. She really was a wonder.
"Thankyou for your help"
After Hermione had left, Draco wondered the corridors of Hogwarts to inspect Hermione's work. Yes, the slow creep of the infection seemed to have halted, but still great swathes of the castle were numb to him. How on earth would he fix it?
He'd just got to the third corridor when he spotted a familiar figure sat leaning against the patch of wall where the room of requirement entrance used to appear. He had his messy black head propped in his hands, and a bottle of Ogden's was standing half empty beside him.
“Potter?”
“I’ve been trying to get in” Harry said, his voice slurring
“It’s not going to open until the school heals. We’ve got enough on our hands with the damage to the castle after the battle, and trying to fight the infection. It’s not going to be ready to re-open for a few years at least.”
Harry snorted.
“I was hoping I could hide out there over Christmas. Get some peace and quiet”
“Aren’t you going to the Weasley’s this year? I’ve heard you have a standing invitation”
Harry shrugged.
“Bit awkward. I argued with Ginny - she kept pushing and pushing about London and confirming my place in the Aurors. She’s been offered a place with the Holyhead Harpies starting in July and has trying to get me to start hunting for an apartment in London over the holidays. I guess I’ve been dodging the conversation too much because she gave me an ultimatum. Turns out I don’t respond well to ultimatums.” Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
“I almost went along with it, but I kept thinking about what you said. I dunno. I think I’ve been trying so hard to make it work, to go along with things, but I’m tired of spending my whole life getting pointed in directions to suit other people’s agendas. Not that Ginny is manipulative, but she hasn’t sat me down and asked me once what I really want to do, and she must be able to tell I’m reluctant. She can’t miss it, I just think it doesn’t suit her plan. Anyway. I lost my rag and went off on one. We’re taking a break for a bit”
Draco sat next to Harry and passed him the Ogden’s
“It doesn’t have to be the end. Maybe some time apart will help. You’ve just got out of a war, and from what I hear it’s been going on a lot longer for you than almost anyone else. Just try not having a plan for a bit. It can be refreshing - and sometimes unexpected opportunities come up”
“Like being Caretaker of Hogwarts?”
“Like that. But I rather like it.”
“Did you figure out how to stop that weird black stuff yet?”
Draco’s mood instantly soured
“No. So far the best we can do is contain it, but it keeps popping up in new and unexpected places. If this place was an apple I’d give up on hunting for edible bits, and just call it lost and bin it. It’s riddled. Sometimes I get this feeling from the corruption, like it’s sentient and malicious. Students keep getting lost and ending up in the infected areas despite the warnings, the only way I can figure out that it’s happening is if the corruption is somehow wresting control of Hogwarts. The stairs and doors you see… people can be funnels in specific ways rather easily. Hogwarts does it all the time - albeit usually for benign reasons”
Harry shuddered.
“It sounds like a computer virus, or a cancer”
Draco felt his eyebrow lift.
“Computer? I’ve no idea what you’re talking about there Potter. But Cancer? Yes that would be an apt description. I’ve not given up hope yet though - Granger is on the case. If anyone can fix it she can”
Harry smiled
“That’s the first time I’ve heard you say anything even slightly complimentary about Hermione”
“Well, envy is one of my many failings Potter. In this case though I’m rather happy not to to be the smartest person in the school because it means I get to delegate - something I AM a bit fan of.”
Harry laughed.
“Look Potter - if you want somewhere to hide then just head down to the Chamber of Secrets. I think you’ll find it’s a little cozier than the last time you visited. I’ve been working on making a new Room of Requirement there. Hard to explain but the room behind you was not magic itself, just the target of a specific type of magic the castle has deep within it. It was so much easier to point the magic somewhere new than fix that charred mess, and the chamber was well overdue a new purpose. Unfortunately I’ve not sorted out the entrance yet, but I hear that shouldn’t be a problem for you. If anything it will guarantee to you have the place to yourself”
Harry smiled and nodded.
“The basilisk?”
Draco shuddered.
“Removed. The school’s thanks you for your contribution of venom and scales to its potion stores”
Harry nodded and pulled himself to his feet, then picked up his bottle.
“Thanks Malfoy” he said “‘m tired”
Draco was gratified to note that Harry took himself off in the direction the girls bathrooms, not his room.