till death do us part -regulus black (the blacks, vol. 1)

chapter 27 - draco's p.o.v

Draco was sitting at the table in the kitchen. It was the middle of the night and the boy could not sleep no matter how much he tried. When Kreacher found his young master sitting alone in the kitchen, he offered him a cup of hot cocoa and then left to attend to the house's other needs.

Unknown to Draco, there was another person still awake, roaming through the halls of 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry couldn't sleep due to all of his nightmares. Voldemort's power over his mind was increasing more and more every day. He could feel almost everything that the supposed Dark Lord was feeling. It was as if there was a bridge above the steep valley between their minds. Harry Potter was surprised to find Draco still awake. Putting his hater aside for the youngest Black, he entered the kitchen and sat next to him at the table.

'Cannot sleep either?' asked Harry the youngest Black.

'Nope,' Draco answered, popping the 'p'. 'What about you? What is the great Harry Potter wide awake at this awfully late hour? Don't you, heroes, need your beauty sleep in order to recharge your mysterious powers?' asked the blonde boy.

'I guess I deserved that,' Harry admitted. 'Can't sleep. I've been having these dreams of You-Know-Who as of lately that don't let me sleep,' he explained.

'That sucks,' Draco admitted. 'Want something to drink?' Draco asked politely.

'What are you having?' Harry asked, nodding towards Draco's cup.

'Hot cocoa,' Draco answered. 'According to Kreacher, this very cup of hot cocoa could cure any of my father's sleepless nights,' he chuckled.

'You miss him, am I right? And you don't understand how you can miss someone who you don't even know or remember,' Harry said.

'It's bloody hard to understand this feeling,' Draco admitted. 'Mum and uncle Padfoot tell me stories of how great my father was, but I can't help but detest the fact that all this greatness took him away from us,' sighed the older boy.

'I know how you feel,' Harry told Draco.

'Kreacher,' called Draco for the house-elf, who apparated into the kitchen in a second. 'Could you bring Mr Potter a cup of hot cocoa?' Draco asked the elf politely.

'Sure, young master,' Kreacher answered, bowing his head down. 'How would Mr Potter like his hot cocoa?' he addressed Harry.

'Umm, just add a few tiny marshmallows if you have some. If you don't, just plain,' Harry answered.

In a few moments, Kreacher was back with Harry's hot cocoa which had tiny marshmallows in the cup. The youngest Potter thanked the house-elf and then silence fell over the kitchen.

'Why do we hate each other?' Harry asked Draco.

'I've never hated you, to be honest. More like envied you for the friendships you built so quickly and I had those who Lucius inflicted on me,' Draco said.

'And now it seems like I'm the jealous one,' Harry sighed.

'Why are you bloody jealous of me?' Draco asked, surprised.

'Ever since you've come into this Order, everyone's attention has been on you. You're Sirius's favourite. You're Hermione's newest best friend. You're Ginny's newest Quidditch mate. I guess I just got jealous because I felt left out.'

'You could have talked to me, you know? I've always wanted to be your friend, to be frank. But when you rejected my friendship back in first year, I gave up on trying to make friends with you,' said Draco.

'Does that friendship offer still stand?' Harry asked reluctantly.

'How about you join the twins and me to this pub tomorrow for a friendly time?' Draco asked.

'I'd really like that.'