Conflicted Loyalites

Chapter 17

Harry's POV

Following Draco through a hallway in the middle of the night, with only the dim light of his wand to stop me breaking my nose on the stone floor was about as good an idea as it sounded.

"Could you walk any louder Potter? I don't think the mermaids can quite hear you," came the biting whisper from a step or two in-front of me.

"It's not so easy trying not to step on you." I replied, using what little light there was to avoid Malfoy's heels. He walked quickly and with purpose, making it difficult for me to keep up without bumping him.

It didn't help that there was a fog over my brain. That seemed to happen sometimes after nightmares. It was like a patchy blanket. Sometimes I could think clearly, sometimes my thoughts were slow and hard to piece together. I was glad not to be the one leading us to wherever Malfoy had decided was worth going to.

Draco whisked around another corner, his wand flickering and a hissed 'shhh' all I was aware of as he led the way through hallway after hallway.

He stopped at the edge of the courtyard, looking all directions like a meerkat guarding its group, and then headed across diagonally, and round another confusing set of corners. An owl hooted from somewhere nearby.

I was still reeling from the dream I'd had. It wasn't the worst I'd been through, but it had still been painful. Waking up to Malfoy leaning over me had pulled me out of my stupor almost immediately, but even he couldn't prevent the torment of images that replayed on a loop in my head right now.

There were so many memories laced into the walls of Hogwarts - just as many good as bad. I ran my hand along the wall as we continued, feeling each brick like it was a patch of my own skin.

Just as we made to turn another corner, I became aware of the muttering of voices nearby, and suddenly Draco jumped back, pressing himself and me against the wall; his back against my chest.

Reflexively, I moved my arms to either side of his waist, to stop him falling backwards into me, holding him steady. I felt the breath catch in his throat, from how close we'd come to running into the two prefects who were now walking past us.

They had been coming up the corridor to our right, speaking quietly so we'd been unaware of their presence till they were right next to us.

I could smell the apple-scented shampoo Draco wore, mixed with the strong smell of expensive wine, feel the curve of his hips under my hands. It would've been so easy to reach forwards and run my hand along his jaw, down his neck. What the fuck? I shook the thought from my mind. It didn't mean anything. I was tired. That's what it was.

"Good to go?" I asked after the prefects disappeared out of sight, whispering the words next to his ear. I had to tilt my head up slightly to reach.

"Yeah...yes. They're away." He sounded like he was out of breath. Had he really been that scared by the prefects? I hadn't expected Draco to be so...jumpy. "Come on." He pulled my hand from his waist and continued through the castle. Electricity shot up my arm at his touch, shivering through my body as once again we careened away.

What seemed like an age later, we came out onto a balcony at the opposite end of the castle, and Draco dimmed his wand. He moved away to sit on a worse-for-wear couch next to the railing, and leaned his head back to look at the stars way above.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking out over the glittering lake and the patchwork of stars.

"An unused astronomy tower, I think. It's a place I discovered quite by accident, some time in the last two years. I've yet to see another person up here. I call it Malfoy Tower." He replied, that smug grin back on his face.