Chapter 10
The door knocking at what felt like- and probably was- four the next morning pulled Draco out of his sleep and he stumbled the two steps from the sofa to the door. Through bleary, sleepy eyes he saw Harry standing on the stoop. He was in a ratty t-shirt and shorts, despite the early morning chill, and looked distinctly uncomfortable.
“Morning” he croaked, rubbing sleep out of his eye.
“I want t’be your friend, '' Harry said abruptly, surprising Draco no end.
“And I’m sorry. I’m an arse who’s really bad at emotions. I was mad at you for coming here, then mad at you for stealing my best friend, and I’m sorry.”
“We can be friends if you let me have a lie in” Draco responded, already yawning. Harry nodded, eyes wide and owlish behind his glasses and Draco smiled before gently closing the door. The last thing he thought as he fell onto the sofa and back into dream land was that Remus must be really good at talking to people.
He was woken up again at a much more respectable time by Hermione trudging in and curling up next to him, even though he could barely fit. It was a tight but not uncomfortable squeeze.
“Harry came in this morning and said he wanted to be my friend,” Draco said sleepily, yawning as he spoke. “I told him only if he let me have a lie-in”
Hermione scoffed and then smiled. “I knew he’d come round. He always does, that's why we love him so much. Just takes him a bit of time.” Hermione murmured equally sleepily, before closing her eyes again. Draco was shocked she trusted him enough to fall asleep on the sofa with him, and felt just a tiny bit uncomfortable. He could only really sleep comfortably with Pansy. He wiggled out from behind her before falling in an ungainly heap of limbs on the armchair and closing his eyes again.
When Sirius got them for breakfast, Draco’s limbs protested as he tried to unfurl from the sofa, and Sirius laughed, likely because his ever-growing hair looked a state. He had taken to tying it up with the hair bands that Pansy left, and he quite liked it, which he hadn’t expected. He tugged one of the hairbands off his wrist and pulled his hair into a bun on top of his head that would likely leave it impossible to untangle in the shower later but that was a problem for future Draco.
He then gently nudged Hermione awake and the three of them went back to the house, Sirius walking somewhat slowly as he hadn't brought his cane with him. Breakfast was simple but all laid out; toast and butter and jam and scrambled eggs, and Draco tucked in immediately.
Sirius started talking to Hermione about something village related that Draco didn’t know enough about to offer input, so he focussed on eating instead. After breakfast, Hermione went back to the cottage and got changed before starting on her journey home. It was roughly a 30 minute walk but she claimed she loved it; that the scenery was too beautiful and the weather too nice in summer for her to take the offered lift home. Once gone, Draco did the washing up whilst Sirius sat at the table, watching.
“I think my Remus knocked a fair bit of sense into Harry last night. I am sorry.” Sirius started.
“Please, I don't need anyone to apologise on his behalf again” Draco laughed. “It's not a crime to dislike someone, and it really wasn't bothering me. I can understand that it's important to you, but you really don’t have to apologise.”
“Okay then” Sirius said, nodding in understanding. “In that case, I hope he's less of a dick in the future.”
“That’s better,” Draco said, nodding. “I thought I’d go on a walk today? It's the best weather we’ve had so far” he said, and Sirius agreed enthusiastically, saying he was going to do the accounts outside on the lawn so he could soak in the sun.
Draco helped Sirius set all of his things out on a rickety little garden set that Draco had had to retrieve from a shed, before going back to shower and change, and setting off. He wandered around the farm, marvelling at the fact that when he first arrived the same walk had his thighs burning and his breath ragged in his chest, and now the only sweat on him was from the sun that grew hotter as the hours passed. It was a good feeling, that feeling of physical strength he now had, and he revelled in it as he completed his second lap of the farm, running a hand along the backs of sheep as he passed through their field, greeting the cows as he walked past.
He waved to Harry and Remus where they were out by the stables, and both men waved back, before Remus beckoned him over. Having nothing better to do, Draco changed his course and headed towards the stables. He liked the horses well enough, but hadn’t yet gotten to ride one, and wasn't sure if he wanted to. They were big, strong creatures, and the risk of injury was worryingly high for Draco. He liked to spend time with them though, feeding them apples and carrots and stroking over the soft skin of their noses.
Honestly, he didn’t even know why they had horses, given that they contributed nothing to the farm economically, and thus surely were just a drain on resources. When Harry went round to the back of the stables, Draco said as much to Remus.
“They’re Sirius’ horses. It was t’one part o’ his posh upbringing that he enjoyed, the horse riding, so when we moved here we got horses and he used to ride them for hours every day. He can’t now, his hips and knees are just too bad, but he wanted to keep ‘em, and keep ‘em we did. Harry rides them now when he can. And sometimes Charlie’ll take ‘em on long treks across the countryside.” Remus explained, handing Draco a bag of carrots so he could feed them. There were only three horses, so the stables were quite small, but Draco figured three horses were more than enough for the one person they were intended for.
“Hello darling” Draco murmured as he stroked down the flank of the closest, a horse comedically named petal. They all had flower names, likely in the same way that the Black’s all had star names, including Draco himself. Petal huffed into his hand as her teeth closed around the offered vegetable. After eating, she hung her head on his shoulder in a surprising display of affection.
“She likes you” came Harry’s voice from behind him. Draco recognised this as Harry making an effort and swallowed down a mean retort and merely nodded, stroking his hands down her neck. “I like her too” he said simply, threading his fingers through her mane. He sensed Harry wanted to say something else, but then Remus came back and asked Harry to take Hydrangea out for a ride. Draco snorted at the name, and watched as Harry went around preparing the saddle and stirrups and other things Draco didn’t know the names of.
“Actually, Draco, would you wanna try riding ‘er?” Harry asked, holding the reins towards Draco.
“Uh….” Draco hesitated. “I’ve never ridden a horse before. Could Remus help?”
Harry looked a tiny bit put out that Draco had asked for Remus but nodded.
“We’ll both be there. I'll bring her outside and help you mount.” Harry said, clicking his tongue at the horse to get her moving and leading her into the field outside. Remus squeezed Draco’s shoulder in reassurance and handed him one of the three helmets that hung on one of the walls, before steering Draco outside.
Harry helped Draco adjust the helmet, and Draco went red at the intimacy of Harry’s hands gently adjusting the straps under Draco’s chin, especially as he had to look up to due so, so Draco was gazing down on him. Then, Harry held the horse still whilst Remus helped Draco put one foot in one stirrup and heave himself over the horse. It was the opposite of elegance, but Draco eventually made it into a sitting position on the horse's back.
It was exhilarating. Draco was a tall man, but this was a massive horse, and he could see for miles on her back. The contours of her back fit well beneath his legs as well, and she held perfectly still as he got his bearings.
Then, she began to move. After the first step Draco nearly shrieked and clutched the reins tightly in his hands. Remus snorted and told him the movement took some getting used to. Harry was walking with the horse, leading her with a rope tied to the reins as Draco got used to the feeling. After about half an hour of a slow walk, Draco said he felt ready to go a bit faster.
Remus explained how to sit up and down in rhythm with the horse trotting, and Harry gently tapped Hydrangea’s flank to get her to speed up. Draco immediately regretted asking for a faster speed.
“Shit, my balls” he groaned, feeling his bollocks getting slightly crushed every time his pelvis came back down on the horse's back. Remus and Harry guffawed at that, and Harry slowed the horse down a tiny bit, before Remus helped Draco clamber off. His hands immediately flew to his inner thighs, which felt weird and slightly sore after being stretched over the back of a horse.
“Did you hate tha’?” Remus asked, taking Draco’s helmet from him.
“Actually, no, I really liked it, if it was a bit scary.” Draco said, smiling as they waited for Harry to get Hydrangea back in the stable before they set off for lunch.
To help his muscles, Sirius persuaded Draco to have a bath, and so Draco spent his afternoon soaking in the clawfoot tub in the big farmhouse, before spending the evening in his cottage.
The next morning, Harry was waiting outside with a package in his hands. He thrust it at Draco, who unwrapped it to find… leggings? Seeing his confusion, Harry said “they’re jodhpurs. Sirius dug them out for you. I thought after yesterday, I could give you riding lessons? After lunch? You’ll want to wear these though. They’ll protect your bollocks.”
Draco laughed at the cheeky grin on Harry’s face when talking about his balls, and had to appreciate that Harry really did seem to be making an effort. He put the jodhpurs on his armchair before following Harry out into the cool early morning in order to milk the cows. He now understood what Ron meant when he had once referred to Harry as an ‘all or nothing’ kind of person.
As the day continued, Draco got more and more nervous for his first real horse riding lesson. He wanted to ask for Remus to be present again, but also didn’t want to ruin Harry’s tentative attempt at friendship. He resolved himself to be with just Harry, knowing that even if Harry didn't like him necessarily, he wouldn’t want to risk the consequences for not keeping Draco safe.
After a light lunch he went back to the cottage and spent an embarrassing ten minutes wriggling into the jodhpurs that were tight. Really, really tight. They definitely held his balls in place though, he thought with a chuckle. They were also quite flattering on the arse and thighs, he decided as he stared at himself in the little bathroom mirror. During his preening, Harry knocked on his door, and he didn't fail to notice how Harry's eyes flew to his thighs before landing on his face. This was soon forgotten though, his nerves returning full throttle as he followed Harry to the stables, walking half a step behind as he tried to calm his breathing.
“So, York university, eh?” Harry asked as he saddled up the horse- Petal this time.
“Uh, yeah. I wanted to stay near by, and also kind of stay here forever” Draco said, laughing awkwardly, worried Harry would hate him for extending his stay indefinitely.
“Yeah. I don’t want to leave either” Harry said, handing Draco a helmet before turning back to the horse, adjusting the blankety-thing beneath the saddle and securing the saddle properly on top, before leading Petal outside into the sunshine. The afternoon was hot and Draco was starting to sweat in the jodhpurs, and couldn’t wait for the end just so he could peel them off and have a nice cool shower.
Harry beckoned to him and Draco walked over. Harry held out a broad, calloused hand to him, and as Draco lay his hand in Harry’s he marvelled at the differences. His hand was still soft, not having done farm work long enough to form calluses, his fingers were daintier too, and a bit longer, his porcelain skin stark against Harry’s rich coffee-brown. He took that moment to truly appreciate the beauty of Harry’s skin tone, the way it caught the light and glowed a deep burnished gold, how the sun’s rays gilded his black curls. It hit him all at once, just how lovely Harry looked. He was handsome- his strong jaw and stubble and muscular frame and large hands made him handsome, but his hair and his eyes and his skin made him classically beautiful to Draco. The sort of beauty you could look at forever and it would never dim.
What a shame Draco realised this when Harry was only just starting tolerate his presence; when he had to be told to be nice to Draco. It ached a bit inside. Taking a deep breath, Draco used the leverage of his hand in Harry's and his foot in the stirrup to heave himself up and onto the horse. He managed it with a fraction more grace than the day before, and grinned a little to himself.
He was then handed the reins, and Harry gently tapped Petal’s flank, setting her off at a somewhat brisk walk. Draco initially panicked that Harry wasn’t leading the horse, but when he saw Harry following close behind he calmed a bit, and let the enjoyment of horse riding take over. It was a freeing feeling, the wind on his face and the strength of the animal beneath him.
The hour passed in no time, and Draco was sad to finish until he slid off the horse and felt the slight pain in his inner thighs again, at which point he was ready to run down the hill and across the farm to get to a hot bath, the dreamed-of cool shower of earlier forgotten.
He walked slowly down with Harry though, who was asking him questions about the degree he wanted to do, and about university life in general. He was definitely trying, Draco had to give him that, but it was only two days after his verbal kick up the arse from Remus- who knew how long it would last?
Draco tried and failed not to think about it whilst he soaked in the bath. He also tried not to think about how warm and dry Harry’s hand was in his, how strong Harry felt. He failed miserably at trying not to think about Harry’s hair catching the rays of the sun just right, how his hair looked like it belonged in a renaissance painting.
God, Draco wished Harry would keep trying to be his friend.