complimentary colours • drarry •

5: the library

Friday 16th October 1998

"I still don't get it," Ron said, his voice muffled by his hands covering his face. It was the eighth year's free period and they were supposed to be using the time to study, and for once, they were doing as they were told. Harry, Ron and Hermione had spread their books and pieces of parchment over one of the tables in the library, so no one would sit with them.

Pepper was sat on Harry's stack of books, playing with a ribbon that stuck out from the pages. When he'd gone to fetch his stuff from his room, she'd looked up at him with hope in her eyes that he might me there to play. So he'd scooped her up too and brought her along. She spent most of her time in his room while he was in classes. He worried she might be lonely or bored but she was quite a lazy cat. Always looking for a fuss or the perfect spot to sunbathe. So he didn't feel too bad about leaving her on her own. Besides, she could get out if she wanted to.

"I have explained it to you four times now," Hermione said quietly. Harry thought it seemed more like ten. She was trying to be patient with him but there was underlying frustration in her tone. Their study session had been going fine, Harry had written almost half of his essay when Ron first asked for Hermione's help. Now, after hearing her repeat the same thing with increasing annoyance, and volume - she had been asked to lower her voice more than once - he had made no progress and was starting to get a headache.

"Can't you just do it for me?" Ron suggested, giving her a hopeful look through a gap in his fingers.

"No!" Hermione always got angry when they suggested she should do their work for them.

"Can you two please shut up," Harry snapped. He loved his friends. But if he spent another minute listening to them argue he thought he might murder them.

He couldn't stand it when they argued. They had a tendency to forget he was there until one of them would drag him into the argument, demanding he take a side. It was maddening.

Hermione shot him a guilty look and apologised while Ron just grumbled into his hands. She rolled her eyes at him but gave in and pushed her own answers towards him. "Only to help you, don't you dare copy."

This seemed to be a satisfactory middle ground and they were all able to focus back on their work. There was silence for all of five minutes until Ron once again said something that Hermione took offence to. But as they started arguing again in hushed voices, Harry's attention was drawn to the doors of the library where Malfoy had just walked into the room.

Harry watched as he walked, head down, straight passed the few tables that were still free and disappeared behind the first row of bookshelves. At the front of the library there was a cluster of tables and chairs for students to study but there were also places to sit in between each aisle of shelves, so Harry assumed that was where he was going.

He was by himself. Malfoy seemed to spend most of his time on his own.

Harry had been worrying about Malfoy's wellbeing a concerning amount over the last few weeks, wondering what he was doing, what he was thinking. (If he told Ron how much time he spent thinking about Malfoy, he would probably take him to St Mungo's). They'd been spending more time together, in their room and in classes. It was almost as if they were friends. Almost. Malfoy still wouldn't say anything more than a few words to him.

Harry had now permanently moved to the seat beside him in potions and, where he had been confusion and surprise the first time, Malfoy would now just sigh as if it he had come to expect Harry's presence. They worked together in silence, Harry occasionally attempting to start a conversation, to which Malfoy would respond with purposely short answers.

Despite this being frustrating, Harry found that he didn't mind the silence too much. It was nice to sit with someone who didn't expect anything from him. It was the reason he had started spending more time with him in their room, quietly studying or reading. Or in Harry's case, pretending to do those things then getting distracted five minutes later.