Dateless ✓

Chapter 4: The Owlery

It was an afternoon that had come to pass far too quickly for his taste, hurrying by as rapidly as a brand new Nimbus 2000. Grudgingly he realised that his stay couldn't continue any longer, so with stiff limbs he stretched and stood up, encompassed by darkness. Unnervingly dark as the sun had disappeared, its position as the brightest star on the sky replaced. Abandoning the castle for a few hours as it allowed the moon to come out, the shimmering light in endless darkness stating how the night had arrived. A night where he was supposed to sneak around in abandoned hallways with the one he relied the most on, but now had to remove himself from, before his feelings ran wild.

Friendships were fragile when they came face to face with stormy feelings that weren't reciprocated.

Reluctantly, his cold fingers patted Hedwig's soft snow-coloured feathers a last time, sighing as the hour had come to an end. A soft rustling of his black robes, as he moved in the cold tower, mixed with the howling wind outside. He was about to grab the door when it was slammed open, revealing a boy with rosy cheeks, silver eyes and dishevelled hair. The ordinarily silky blonde strands, fluffy but combed nicely, had turned into a bird nest that could compete with Harry's. The stormy weather had done a number on him.

"Potter," He drawled.

"Malfoy," A muttered response.

The silver eyes observed him warily, with a hint of contempt. No one moved, both frozen on the spot, glaring at each other like they instinctively did whenever their eyes locked. Exchanged malice. Chilly hostility that not even a warm fireplace could melt. When seconds had passed in silence, Malfoy cleared his throat.

"Do you plan on standing there all night? You're blocking the way."

He didn't hesitate to reply, voice pitched low and unfriendly, "I'll move when you've stepped aside. You're blocking the door." His hand was itching to reach for his wand.

"I'll hand you the pleasure of moving out of my way first."

"How very kind of you," The sarcasm wasn't lost on either. "It would be impolite of me to not offer the same, so go ahead."

Malfoy huffed in annoyance. Unsurprisingly he showed no intent of being the first to move.

The staring contest was intense, neither willing to be defeated. Malfoy raised his eyebrows mockingly, egging him on to loose his cool, to react like always. However, he knew this game expertly after years of altercations, so he simply smirked back. Remaining in control of his burning emotions instead of snapping, was completely worth it when was met with a facial expression that began twitching into a gloomy grimace of sizzling irritation.

But as multiple minutes went by, the situation had come to pass the threshold into what was absolutely ridiculous, and both begrudgingly knew it.

Malfoy snorted loudly, interrupting the disgruntled silence, before suddenly shoving Harry out of the way, treating him like he weighed nothing. Harry hadn't seen it coming and as he was pushed harshly, he lost his balance, tripping backwards and landing clumsily on his ass. He had to bite back a scream of agony as his eyes watered. His tailbone ached, throbbing as if it had been splintered into pieces. A gasp of pain left his mouth involuntarily.

Malfoy's mouth fell open in surprise, apparently not having planned for Harry to land on the floor. Then he let out a breathless chuckle that was on the verge of turning into unstoppable laughter, before he swallowed repeatedly, calming himself as an expressionless mask covered his reaction.

Harry glared fiercely at the blonde being humoured, but his attention was stolen by the pain. He groaned, eyes glassy with unshed tears.

Silver eyes widened a fraction and scanned the tormented features, and the usually baleful face almost appeared guilty. "Are you okay?" A very different tone of voice than usual, tentative and borderline on affectionate.