It was 2 weeks before Harry spent any substantial amount of time with Draco again. He had tried of course, but Draco would both arrive to and leave class early. He wasn't eating in the Great Hall either. It was an accident really, getting Draco alone. Harry had been about to go out on a walk with Felix when he got the feeling that something was wrong. Felix had picked up on it too. The energy in the whole tower was off.
Leaving Felix on his bed, Harry rushed downstairs to find Draco with blood dripping down his face pacing around in a frenzy.
"Malfoy, what happened?!"
"Nothing," he replied through clenched teeth.
"Don't lie to me. You need to calm down, I can feel your magic from upstairs."
"Don't tell me to calm down!," he snapped.
"I'm not your enemy," Harry replied calmly.
He wasn't taking the bait. Draco's next remark was cut off by the sound of conversation approaching, and he froze.
"Come up to my room, I'll take care of you."
When Draco didn't move, Harry grabbed his hand and pulled him up the staircase, just as the portrait opened.
"Be mindful of Felix," Harry warned.
"Is Felix your boyfriend? Who is Felix?," Draco snapped.
"You could say that," Harry replied with a snicker. "Hi baby boy," he cooed, and Draco's scowl was wiped from his face as a fluffy dog approached him.
"This is Felix?"
"Yep. Felix, this is my friend Draco."
Felix approached Draco carefully, nudging his knee with his nose. Draco held out a hand which Felix happily licked.
"Well, aren't you a pretty boy?," Draco said with a smile, immediately grimacing as the pain from his nose spread throughout his face.
Felix noticed immediately and provided Draco comfort.
"Come into the bathroom," Harry called.
As Draco walked in, Felix followed purposefully, his presence helping calm Draco.
"Up on the sink. I'll clean the blood then fix your nose."
Draco was silent, giving all of his attention to Felix who was thriving under the praise.
"This is going to hurt. Episkey!"
At Draco's grunt, Felix jumped up onto Draco, nuzzling his face into his chest.
"I'm okay pretty boy, thank you."
"Glad to help," Harry replied teasingly with a wink.
"Thank you to you too Potter. Really."
"What happened, Malfoy?"
"It was nothing-"
Felix nipped lightly at his hand.
"Your dog is just as persistent as you are."
"Felix is my therapy dog. He's magically bound to me and my magic, and he's very good at his job."
"I didn't even know you had a dog."
"Most people don't. I take him out of here with the cloak. He's very sensitive to other people touching him as he's still young and learning."
"He let me touch him."
"You were in distress and he sensed that. He wanted to help. Let's get you a treat huh?"
"Can I...?"
"Of course you can. Would you like Draco to give you a treat, Felix?"
At his happy bark of approval, Harry handed Draco a bone.
"He really likes you," Harry replied with a grin.
"He's a sweetheart."
"Would you like to join us on our walk?"
"I don't want to impose."
"Let's talk. I've missed your company."
Draco knew it wasn't a question and sighed reluctantly.
"Only if you let me walk him for part of it."
"Deal."
The three of them huddled under the cloak at Harry's insistence. He was not letting Draco get hurt again. When they reached the edge of the forbidden forest, Harry removed the cloak.
"It was just some younger students, nothing to worry about Potter."
"Malfoy they broke your nose."
"And you fixed it."
"What if I hadn't found you?"
"I would've fixed it myself again."
Immediately Draco caught his slip up, and opened his mouth to attempt to correct it.
"Draco," Harry said softly, grabbing Draco's hand, "let me help you. You don't have to do this alone because you feel like you deserve this, because you don't."
"That's easier said than believed."
"Walk to classes with me?"
"Potter, I don't need a bodyguard."
"I'm not trying to be your bodyguard," Harry stressed, "I'm trying to be your friend. But clearly you do need a bodyguard."
"I don't know why you feel so strongly about this."
"I almost watched you die Draco, I don't want anything else to happen to you. I still can't be around fire for too long...," he trailed off.
Felix immediately noticed the change in Harry's mood and came running over, jumping up onto him. Harry sat down at the edge of the forest, his back against a tree, and allowed Felix to hop into his lap and lick his face.
"You're getting quite the workout today aren't you, Felix? This is why you're my best boy."
Draco watched, feeling like an intruder while the soft moment occurred. He too could see the bright flames of the fiendfyre late at night. Felix turned around to look at Draco and barked, shaking his head.
"He wants you to come and sit too."
"On the grass?," Draco asked, wrinkling his nose.
Harry patted the spot next to him, and Felix moved over. He then opened his arms for Draco to lean against him. Patiently, Harry watched multiple emotions flicker across Draco's face, before he slowly sat down. Felix perked up immediately and turned to Draco.
"Felix," Harry warned.
Felix put one paw on Draco's knee and looked up at him, head tilted.
"What does he want?"
"To know if it's okay to lay on your lap."
"Come on pretty boy, you have permission."
And so the three of them sat there, enjoying each other's company. Felix would get up every now and again and chase small animals or insects, and Draco and Harry would just watch him.
"Okay Potter."
"Okay?"
"I accept whatever this is that you're offering, but only because Felix likes me so much."
"He's not the only one who likes you, you know."
"You're tolerable."
Harry laughed, taking no offense at the remark. Coming from Malfoy, that was a compliment.
"Well, you can visit Felix any time. Just come on through the bathroom."
"I suppose you'll be there as well?"
"Sometimes. I get around," Harry replied with a shrug.
"I never see you coming and going."
"You look for me do you?," Harry teased. "I use the cloak a lot, probably more than I should. I don't like people staring at me and following me around. Ideally, I would like to fade into the background but that's just not possible with who I am. I accepted that a long time ago.
For now, it's just me and Felix primarily. He's been my good luck charm. I have Ron and Hermione of course, but they're finally together so I try not to hang around them too much."
"Good luck charm... Felix felicis?"
"You caught me, that's his full name. He's made things a lot better, haven't you my baby boy?"
"So you spend your days alone with your dog?"
"Basically yeah. It's better than it sounds. I'll pop out to see my healer at least once a week, but no one knows that, except for you now. It's been harder to adjust, so I'm working through things."
"By sitting at the edge of the Forbidden Forest?"
"Do you remember when we had detention out here?," Harry asked suddenly, changing the subject.
"My father was not pleased," Draco replied with a snort. "I'm sorry for leaving though when that... thing appeared."
"It was Voldemort, on the back of Quirrell's head, feeding off of unicorn blood."
"Bloody hell Potter."
"Welcome to my life," Harry muttered, dropping his head on Draco's shoulder.
"I think you're the one who needs the bodyguard Potter."
"Probably, yes."
"I have your back," Draco decided, "because I know that you'll have mine."
"It's a promise."