Demons » Drarry

14 | Research

Chapter 14: Research

"Harry! Are you alright?" Hermione exclaimed, following Harry into the stairwell of the Quidditch stand.

"Yeah," Harry wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "I knew I shouldn't have had that porridge for breakfast." He took a few shaky breaths, trying his best to look nauseous instead of furious.

"Perhaps you should go see Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said, with concern.

"I think I might," Harry replied with a queasy grimace, before starting down the stairwell. As he moved out of sight from his Gryffindor friend, he took a moment to peer out at the Slytherin seeker through a gap in the curtains. The blonde lay curled on the pitch below, hands clasped to his face.

Upon seeing Draco's pained form, Harry felt another wave of overpowering emotion, his dragon features once again threatening to break loose. Why do I suddenly care what happens to Draco Malfoy?? Sure, he's been less of a prat than usual and I kind of trust him, but this isn't normal... Harry shook his head and took a few deep breaths, then promptly headed toward the Hospital Wing.

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"Pansy, I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey is making me stay for an hour just to make sure, but I promise, I'm okay," Draco insisted.

"Are you sure? You still look like you're in pain."

"I'm sure. Now go back to Zabini, I'm sure he's missing you," the blonde said, dismissing her.

"Alright, alright," Pansy replied, begrudgingly leaving Draco's bedside. She strutted out of the Hospital Wing, giving Harry an annoyed glance as she walked past. The former Gryffindor tentatively approached the bed where Draco sat, holding a bag of ice to the right side of his face.

"You're alright then, Malfoy?"

"Other than this killer headache, yeah," Draco responded. "And take those horrible clothes off right now, Potter. I can barely stand to see you in them."

Is he asking me to get naked? What's wrong with my clothes? Harry's face must have shown his bewilderment, because Draco rolled his eyes and pulled out his wand. With a simple wave, Harry's jumper changed from the garish red and gold of Gryffindor back to the green and silver of his current house.

"Oh, right," Harry mumbled, his cheeks flushing.

The blonde motioned with his head for Harry to move closer. As he took a step forward, Draco touched his free hand to Harry's.

Worried about me, were you?

Maybe, the raven-haired boy felt his cheeks grow even warmer.

What's got you blushing so hard, Potter?

I don't know, I just thought- Harry pulled his hand away, cutting off the rest of the thought.
Malfoy shot him a confused look, but decided not to push it.

"I'm glad you're okay," Harry said simply before turning to walk away.

"Thank you," Draco replied. "It means a lot that you care."

Harry met the blonde's sincere eyes and gave him a hesitant half-smile before exiting.

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Once Madam Pomfrey deemed Draco fit for discharge, he headed to the library. He skimmed the shelves on animal and creature magic before locating the tome be was looking for. He checked the book out and tucked it into his bag.

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Harry packed away his quill, ink, and mostly-blank parchment after an unsuccessful attempt to complete an essay for transfiguration. The assignment wasn't difficult, he just couldn't seem to keep his mind from wandering back to his blonde roommate.

The raven-haired boy made his way towards the dungeons, with hope that a shower would help clear his head. He felt the temperature around him drop as descended deeper into the dungeons, absently wondering why there was no spell to supply the lowest floors of the castle with heating. As Harry reached the entrance of the Slytherin dormitories, he shook his head and prepared himself for a potential interaction with the boy who kept distracting him.

Harry's notorious bad luck made itself apparent once again, as he was greeted by the sight of Draco lounging on his bed, skimming the pages of a large, tattered book. Hoping to avoid conversation, Harry quietly set his school bag down and grabbed his toiletries.

"Going for a shower?"

"Erm, yeah," Harry answered. "Need to clear my head so I can finish that transfig essay."

"Distracted?" Draco questioned.

"Something like that." Harry responded shortly, moving towards the door.

"Is it because of me?"

Harry turned.

"Wh- what makes you say that?" Harry stammered, heat creeping back into his cheeks.

"I think I know what's going on. You know, with us," Draco stopped as Crabbe and Goyle walked into the dormitory.

"Shove off, Potter," Goyle sneered, shoving the boy backwards. Harry stumbled back a step, rolling his eyes, and then made his way towards the showers.

What did Malfoy mean? What did he think was going on? How did he know I was thinking about him? Harry's thoughts raced as he turned on the water. He tried his best to calm his mind while he washed himself off, but was still left with his head spinning and a tightness in his chest.

After drying himself off and changing into his casual clothes, making a point to remember putting on his glasses, Harry returned to his dormitory. He was slightly relieved to see that the blonde had left, along with Crabbe and Goyle. Tucked under Harry's pillow was the same tome he had seen Draco reading earlier, with a folded piece of parchment marking the page.

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Author's Note:

Apologies for going MIA, once again. I was planning to just abandon these stories and never come back to them, but a close friend of mine inspired me to re-engage with my teenage interests, so here I am:)

I will admit, I have changed a lot over the (several) years that I had put this story aside, so my ideas, perspectives, and priorities are vastly different now than they were at the time of this story's conception. With that said, I absolutely cannot remember where I had initially planned on taking this story (I'm notoriously bad at drafting). I do hope to finish it, though, and I hope that the ending I have created is still enjoyable for any of you who choose to read it, even if it isn't what teenage me would have written.

Anywho, I would love to hear some feedback from y'all and thank you again for sticking with me through my incredibly inconsistent uploads.

Stay devious😈