Creature Comforts (h.p.)

21

It's been a while, hasn't it?

A long stretch of silence was finally broken by Draco, who was practically foaming at the mouth.

"Will you PLEASE let me down?" He yelled out, startling the two girls. Harry on the other hand could have melted at the sound of his voice.

"Ah, right. Sorry Drakey," Pansy said in a sing-song voice, and Hermione lowered her wand, causing Draco to clatter haphazardly to the floor. He let out a yelp and moved to push himself up only to find that his arms were still bound.

"Oi, I meant let me go!" he complained. Hermione scoffed.

"If we did that, you'd be out in seconds. You're here to work things out with Harry.

"And then make out with Harry-" Pansy was silenced with a whack on the arm from Hermione, who was desperately trying to suppress her own grin. They looked set to continue bickering like an old married couple but they all fell quiet at the sound of a feeble cough.

"Malfoy-"Harry spluttered out, face pallid with the effort it took to push himself up. Hermione smiled sadly and tugged on Pansy's elbow, who huffed but complied and the two left the room. Harry could only see Malfoy's hair, because the boy was spread eagle across the carpet, and in his weakened state thought he might be hallucinating.

"Is that you Malfoy?" He rasped again, and Draco stopped struggling.

"Yeah, it's me, Potter," he said quietly, his voice lacking its usual bite. It was music to Harry's ears and he hummed contentedly.

"Why are you on the floor?"

"Because Pansy is a sadist. God only knows why I stay friends with her." There was an edge of humor to his voice that brought Harry to chuckle.

"Was that an attempt at a joke, Malfoy? Never thought I'd see the day." Draco scoffed.

"Shut it, Potter." And they lapsed into silence again. Draco looked idly at the junk under Harry's bed, cringing at the sea of sweet wrappers and crumbs. "Do you ever clean under here? It's like the bottom of a bin," he commented.

"Of course you'd be a clean freak," Harry huffed.

"Oh please. What are we, animals?"

"Well, I mean techn-"

"I thought I told you to shut it."

"If you don't want me to talk, don't ask questions!"

There was another stretch of silence, more uncomfortable than the last, until Harry couldn't bear it.

"Look, we're avoiding the subject. Draco," the blond boy tensed at the sound of his first name, "you promised you'd keep in touch. What happened?"

Draco frowned, trying once more to straighten up and failing. "Look, I've just been really busy, I had a ton of work to do, and I had to help goyle with his transfiguration homework, and I had letters to send, and-"

"Malfoy, please-"

"AND I'M SCARED, OKAY?! I'M TERRIFIED OF THIS SITUATION AND I'M TERRIFIED OF THE DARK LORD AND I'M TERRIFIED OF HOW YOU MAKE ME FEEL. EVERYTHING IS SO TENSE AND I DON'T KNOW WHOSE SIDE TO BE ON AND ITS ALL JUST SO MUCH." Draco was breathing heavily, embarrassed at his outburst. He sighed. "I don't want to disappoint my family, or to put them in danger, but I don't want to put you in danger either. I don't know what to do." His throat ached and a tear welled in his eye. "Oh god, I don't know what to do."

The dam holding back his despair crumbled and sorrow washed over him in waves, leaking from his tear ducts in rivers. He felt so strained and tired and sad all the time and it had taken a toll on him. His feelings had eroded his strength away and his armour had dissolved in the ocean of emotion he kept harboured inside. He let himself go; he let sobs shake through him as he lay on the floor, hands bound behind him and knees curled to his chest. Never before had he felt so defeated and isolated. He'd pushed his one chance at love away and doomed the man he was destined for.