Bond (Drarry)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

October 22

Day 24, Thursday, continued

"We should probably get up," Malfoy said in a drowsy voice a long time later.

Harry mulled that over.

"Yeah, probably."

They listened to the rain for a little while, then Harry said, "I didn't know it was raining."

"Yeah, started a little while ago."

"Oh."

There was a long silence.

"Is it normal to be this tired afterwards?" Harry finally asked.

"Yeah, sometimes..." Malfoy yawned.

"Feel like I could sleep for a week."

"That's probably the spell," Malfoy said a long time later.

"Mm." Harry pondered that. "What for, though? That doesn't make sense..." he yawned. "The other stuff, pain from other people touching you, or needing to touch, that all makes sense to set up intimacy, but being this tired after you come... how would that help?"

"Who knows?" Malfoy asked, his voice sleepy and unconcerned. "Besides, we were cursed by an idiot, remember?"

"Right."

Harry lay there, listening to the rain and Malfoy's breathing, noting distantly that he'd never felt such an utter lack of hostility off of Malfoy during the whole time they'd been bonded.

"Right. Well. I'm not lying around all day," Harry finally said, realizing that unless he got them moving, they'd probably be there until the next morning.

"What are you going to do instead?" Malfoy asked disinterestedly.

"I'm going flying."

And Harry had the distinct pleasure of seeing Malfoy's eyes snap open in surprise, and then Malfoy's face lit up with a genuine smile.

ooooooo

"I missed this," Malfoy said as they sped towards the lake, his words almost lost in the wind.

"Me too," Harry said, a stupid useless sentimental lump in his throat. Until they'd lifted off, he hadn't really let himself think about just how much.

"Over there-" Malfoy pointed, "There's a good lookout point on that hill - here, follow me," he swerved off, and Harry followed, the sheer joy of being in the air again, of being free, filling him with energy.

They reached the lookout point far faster than either of them expected, and hovered over it for a moment.

"Land, or keep flying?" Harry asked.

Malfoy grinned. "Keep flying!" and Harry was hard-pressed to keep up as he took off.

He was good, Harry thoughts as they raced each other. He flew effortlessly, as though he were part of the wind itself - and through their bond, Harry realized that was how Malfoy felt. As though once he was on a broom, he was free of everything but the rush of the air around him.

Freedom, that's what flying was. They'd have to come out more often.

"Potter!" Malfoy yelled above the rush of the air.

"What?"

"I'm going to do some drills, don't fall behind," Malfoy said, starting a dive as he spoke. Harry grinned and followed, and they automatically settled into the Standard Quidditch Warm-Up Set: dives, rolls, tumbles, swerves, feints, all made more challenging by the fact that they had to stay close together. It was wonderful, working out again, and with a partner with whom he didn't have to hold back. Malfoy was meeting him at every acrobatic move, and they were slowly getting more and more competitive, but still relatively good-natured - more of a 'Look what I can do' than a spiteful 'Look how much better I am than you.'