Bond (Drarry)

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

November 29 - January 21

Day 62, Sunday

Harry blinked his eyes open sleepily. Something was wrong. Something...

"Malfoy?" he whispered.

Malfoy was on his side, his eyes closed, his breath ragged, a frown on his face and dread and resentment flooding through to Harry.

"Malfoy?" Harry touched his arm and Malfoy startled and drew away, biting his lip, still asleep.

"No..." he murmured. "Don't..."

"Malfoy," Harry said, shaking him gently. "Draco. Wake up."

Malfoy woke with a start, eyes wide and haunted. "What-"

"I think you were having a nightmare. Sh, it's all right." Harry tentatively reached out, not sure whether his touch would be welcome or not.

"I was what?"

"Having a nightmare. You're awake now, you're all right," Harry said quietly, rubbing Malfoy's arm, noting that he was shivering.

Malfoy nodded uncertainly, still disoriented, and Harry slowly pulled him into his arms, profoundly disturbed as Malfoy welcomed his comfort and grasped him tightly, with apparently no thought for how vulnerable this made him seem.

"D'you remember what it was about?" Harry asked cautiously.

"N-no... yeah. Parts of it. About my father, I think."

Harry suppressed a shudder. "What about him?"

"Nothing that bad, just what he was talking about yesterday, the-" Malfoy suddenly closed his mouth and a rush of alarm and reticence flooded from him to Harry.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Harry said quickly. "Only it's sometimes good to talk out a nightmare. But, er, sometimes it makes it worse."

Malfoy nodded, his breath still unsteady, but gradually evening out.

"It'll make it worse?"

"Yeah." Malfoy cleared his throat and nodded, and his tight grip lessened as his unease seemed to subside, and now Harry felt a small surge of embarrassment from him.

He sighed. "Come on, Draco, you were having a nightmare. I usually wake up screaming from mine." Malfoy snickered and Harry felt him relax a bit. "Can you tell me why he was here?"

Malfoy cleared his throat again. "He... a lot of reasons. Information about the family, what's going on. A lot of it's obviously private, or I would've told you."

"I gathered that."

"Oh and he wanted me to know he's still trying to find who cast the bond."

"Is he? What can he do that the Aurors can't?" There was a very short pause, as Harry replayed his own words and gave a short laugh. "Never mind, I didn't ask that question."

"And I didn't hear it," Malfoy said, smirking.

"Anything else?"

"I'm supposed to talk to a reporter. Monday after class."

"About what?"

"Us, the bond, big happy family, etcetera etcetera."

"Lucky you," Harry said dryly.

"Quite."

"Isn't he worried that the reporter might twist your words?"

"She's on our payroll, apparently."