•I think I like him•

13. A Nights Cold Embrace

Word count: 1094

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The answer to that was apparently; Wizards Chess.

They were equally matched opponents, much to the surprise of them both, as Harry had Ron to improve off of, and Malfoy simply refused to be bad at anything, so it seemed. The small table in between them was magically rid of all its legs, and was floating over the hospital bed, which sat the once-rivals, cross-legged.

"No- Potter that's not fair!"

"Yes it is!"

"You just killed half my pawns!"

Potter shrugged, "That's the game" he nodded to Draco, who moved forward a knight, and Potter his queen, only for Draco to destroy it with his own. Potter sat gobsmacked for a second, before killing Draco's queen with his bishop.

Draco moved his knight away, and the raven moved his Rook forward, which was favourably overpowered by Draco's. This sent broken fragments of the chess piece flying across the board in every direction, causing the rest of the intact pieces to jump over them as they flew below their feet, or the.. wooden stumps at the bottom? Draco wasn't quite sure what to call them, if he was honest.

Potter groaned and 'sneezed', which led to the chess bored flying off the table with a clatter that echoed off the walls for a few seconds after the fact.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Whoops"

Draco rolled his eyes and began picking up the pieces and placing them back in their box. "What a sore loser.."

"Shut it"

"No, I'm serious. Maybe it's a Gryffindor trait? You know, next to being brave and rash and all that.." Draco held his hands up, as if picturing a plaque reading the words. "..there's just- 'sore losers' "

"Oh ha-ha"

Draco grinned and placed the now closed box onto the table and picking up his wand, he reattached the legs and placed it back on the floor. "Can't we play one more game?" Pleaded Potter, pouting comedically.

"What? So you can flip the board again? No thanks.. besides-" Draco sighed dramatically, pulling up his sleeve in a classy fashion, and eyeing his watch with a light concentration visible on his face. "I believe.. that it is time for your next dose of potions" Draco turned and picked up a brown messenger bag from atop a small wooden table cornered by the privacy curtains.

"Lucky me.." Potter mumbled in a flat tone. Draco rummaged around in the bag, making the glass bottles clink together, sounding like something had just given a rather heartwarming toast at a small and intimate gathering. He finally pulled out the vial that had the lightest contents, as Draco had been informed that they had been brewed at different times, therefore only the ones that had had time to lighten would produce the strongest relief.

Passing it to the Gryffindor, he closed the bag and threw it over his shoulder, and stood slightly awkwardly as he watched Potter down the potion.

"Alright.. see you tomorrow, Potter"

"Wait-"

Draco stopped and turned his head back to Potter, ignoring the Déjà vu that creeped in at that moment.

"What if it happens again?"

For the last two nights that the raven had been in Draco's care, the weak potions he had been left with (one of the many reasons for Madam Pomfreys departure) hadn't lasted the whole night, meaning that Potter had to remain in excruciating pain until Draco returned after breakfast.

Draco bit his lower lip in thought, looking around the room.

"Well I guess I could stay here through the night?"

"Wouldn't they notice you were gone?"

Draco shrugged, "Wrll I'm allowed on McGonagalls part and as for my housemates.. well, I'll think of a cover later."

He dropped his bag and headed to the adjacent bed, pushing the curtains open and closed as he stilled it around a meter away from Potter's. Placing a few precautionary privacy and silencing charms around them, he laid down. After a few seconds of silence, he turned to face Potter, who he found was already staring at him.

"Is it always this quite at night?"

Potter switched his gaze to the ceiling and nodded slowly, voice deadened; "the hours drag on for days.. and the days? Months.."

"So I'm guessing you don't like it much in here?"

"Well.. it was alright the first few times.. and I don't mind it in the day time.. but when you've have been in here as much as I have? The silences get quieter" he smiled softly and turned back to Draco

"I had no idea it was that bad.."

"Eh.." he shrugged, "it keeps me from making even more stupid decisions than I already do, for fear of ending up in one of these beds." Draco let out a small chuckle from under his breath, squirming slightly, trying to get comfortable in the itchy sheets.

"That won't do anything.. it'll only irritate your skin more"

He let out a long sigh, closing his eyes, "how do you not go crazy in here?"

"I just.. I think about stuff, y'know? It keeps my mind off the pain, too"

"What do you think about?"

"All sorts, I guess"

Draco was silent, until a perfectly innocent question sprang to mind. "What were you thinking about? Before I got here, I mean" Potter went quiet, and after a few seconds Draco chuckled, "Not about me, were you?" When Potter's silence continued, Draco sat bolt upright and stared at Potter, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Wait- really? What about me? All good things I hope-"

Potter rolled his eyes, "you could say that-"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I was thinking about that day in the great hall.." Draco looked at him questioningly, and Potter grinned, "..remember? When I punched you?"

Draco's face dropped and he slumped down on the bed again. "I still haven't forgiven you for that, Potter" However it didn't come out nearly as venomous as he would have liked, and Harry just threw him his signature lopsided grin, that Draco privately found somewhat endearing. Not that he would ever admit that, of course. "I mean it!" He said, throwing a pillow at him, and just before it fell off the other side of Potter's bed, he grabbed it and threw it back, which led to an all-out pillow fight.

Despite them finally agreeing on a draw, however, they were each secretly confident that they had won. With one last extra dose of pain relief, both the Gryffindor and the Slytherin fell asleep.