Guiltiness

Malfoy Manor

The mansion still looked grand from the outside, but there were noticeable changes inside. Draco ushered Harry into rather modern furnished, bright, spacious and airy rooms. Harry understood why Albus liked spending his free holiday days here so much.

"It's nice here, Draco," he complimented the room they finally settled into. Harry wasn't used to having a social conversation with someone he had nothing to say at all. Fortunately, Draco was more experienced in this area, so he replaced the awkward silence with a small treat he prepared for Harry. It was just strawberries, cream, biscuits, and wine, but Harry was impressed.

"You don't have house elves?" he asked in surprise.

"No, not for personal service. I like privacy and peace of mind at work."

"I don't remember you were ever working," Harry pointed out. It sounded more sarcastic than he intended, but Draco wasn't offended.

"It depends on what you call work, but I try to spend my time meaningfully. Then I'll explain it to you." Harry would have liked to lie to himself that he didn't care at all. They continued to focus on the strawberries for a while, which on the one hand, was convenient because he could keep quiet. Still, on the other hand, he was unnerved by the fact that he found it inappropriately attractive to watch Draco lick the whipped cream off the red berries. Without realising it, he drank almost the entire bottle of wine himself.

"Follow me," his companion beckoned, leading him down a long staircase into the dungeons, to places Harry associated with bad memories of the war and Voldemort.

"Are you scared, Potter?" Draco hissed and laughed. Harry also tried to smile, but it wasn't very convincing. He regretted going here, but curiosity wouldn't let him escape.

Draco finally opened one of the doors and turned on the lights with a single switch like a muggle.

Fluorescent solid lights illuminated the room, and Harry realised it was a laboratory. Modern equipped laboratory.

He looked around the room in disbelief for a moment before eyeing Draco suspiciously.

"I didn't know you were a Science Eater." A Science Eater was the unofficial term for wizards interested in muggle science.

"You don't know a lot about me, Harry," Draco whispered with regret in his voice. "You never cared about me."

Harry didn't like the reproachful tone and needed to defend himself.

"Do you even have permission for the lab?"

"Of course, I'm not doing anything criminal. It's fascinating. A bit like potions, but far more precise, it's like uncovering bit by bit the secrets of everything around us...." Draco looked dreamy.

"As long as Hermione is the Minister, no one will take this joy away from you," said Harry dryly. "She supports it as much as she can."

"Too bad I didn't realise how amazing Hermione was," Draco muttered. The excited expression that had been on his face a moment ago had disappeared, and Draco now looked extremely sad. Harry even thought he saw tears in his grey eyes. But he wouldn't console him and discuss the past with him. However, he should say something positive to him.

"You've always been very clever, Draco. No one was better than you in potions."

"Thanks, Harry, but you don't have to lie to me. Hermione was just better. I was terribly jealous of her. Back then, it was incredibly humiliating for me to be trumped by a girl from a muggle family."

"Mudblood, huh?" Harry laughed bitterly.

Draco nodded. His face darkened even more. "Lucius was giving me a hard time. I was never good enough in his eyes. I really wanted someone to take me seriously, especially my father... and you."

"What? Did you care about my opinion? Because I was the Boy, Who Lived?'

"Not just because of that," Draco snapped.

Harry felt the urge to hug and comfort him, but it felt inappropriate. He looked at him softly.

"Do you want to try some experiments?" Draco offered Harry to make light of the situation.

"Blow up Malfoy Manor? That's what I wanted to do twenty years ago, not really now, but thanks for the offer," he grinned. Draco closed the room, and they went back upstairs to the living area of the mansion.

Harry had to admit that he was impressed by Draco's hobby. He - is - just - really - smart, it flashed through his mind, bringing back the inadequacy complex he'd always had comparing himself to Malfoy. He preferred to go home, but Draco wouldn't let him.