Everything I'm supposed to hate • Harry J. Potter •

23

"Harry...?"

"Wai- y/n?" Harry sounded surprised. You guessed it would have been hard to make out who you were in the dark shadows of the corridor. Especially with your face hidden in your arms.

"I s'pose you'll want to snitch on me, now that you know who I am," you sniffled, wiping your eyes quickly. "Go ahead, my night can't get much worse."

"I'm not going to rat you out."

You blinked in surprise and looked up at his face for the first time. The captivating green eyes that hadn't left your mind in months shone brightly from behind Harry's glasses. They were like the sun, breaking through the shadowy darkness and piercing into you.

"You... you're not?"

"You may find it hard to believe, but I'm not a complete tosser all the time," Harry replied with an air of what you thought might be humor.

You weren't sure if he really was trying to make a joke or if you were just desperate for something good tonight.

You were suddenly very aware of how pitiful you must look, curled up on the floor in a nightgown that barely covered your knees. You pulled the dress by the hem as far as it would go and folded your knees to the side. Your gaze traveled down Harry's figure until you were staring at his jean clad knees.

"I'm sure you're finding it hard to believe I can actually cry," you said lamely with a failed attempt at a laugh.

"A bit, if I'm being honest," Harry replied. You watched him shuffle his feet awkwardly.

A few moments of tense silence passed as you tried to think of something to say.

"What are you doing out so late?"

It was a lame attempt, but it was better than nothing.

"Oh, erm,.. well I- I just couldn't sleep."

You had the distinct impression Harry was lying.

"Take a lot of unauthorized strolls after curfew, do you?"

To your surprise Harry chuckled a bit. You'd never heard him really laugh close up. He had a nice laugh. Not too loud, or annoying, or forced.

Instinctively, you began to chide yourself for thinking that. But, you realized, there wasn't much reason to now. You'd admitted your feelings for Harry to Theo. You'd ended it with him. There was nothing holding you back now except fear, pride, and prejudice.

"You'd be surprised."

You were brought back to reality by the soothing sound of Harry's voice.

"Well, I don't usually. This isn't really my ideal spot to have a meltdown. Especially in this," you sighed, pulling the thin fabric of your nightgown dramatically so it slipped out of your fingers.

You crossed your arms over your chest, feeling the goosebumps prickling along your skin. An especially harsh draft blew through the corridor and made you shiver. Someone must have left a window open down the next hallway.

"You're shivering," Harry observed

"Nightgowns aren't very good insulation," you replied, curling further into yourself.

You heard Harry shuffling around a bit and looked up to see him unbuttoning his flannel shirt. You watched as he pulled it off of his shoulders and lowered his hand a bit so the fabric was at your level.

"Erm, here. It's kind of thin, but it's better than nothing," Harry told you

You reached up to take it from him and felt your fingers brush over his softly. He let go of the flannel quickly, retracting his hand into his jean pocket. You felt your face heat up despite the chill settled in the rest of your body.

"Thanks," you mumbled as you pulled your arms through the sleeves. It was still warm from Harry's body heat. Your heart began to beat faster.