Moments

41. Teddy's Sharing Moment

(1000 words)

Harry was dying.

It was as simple as that.

Surely that was the only answer.

He buried deeper under his duvet on the sofa, groaning at the movement, as he tried to get warm.

'Merlin, you're an absolute fucking nightmare...' Malfoy said as he put a cup of lemon and ginger tea down next to him. 'I've put a slug of Firewhiskey in it. And there's a bowl of Eucalyptus and Menthol to help your sinuses.'

'Don'th thspeak thso loud,' Harry grumbled through his blocked nose.

'There's a fresh box of tissues there too.'

'I wanth thsome more pothion,' Harry whinged.

'Blaise said you weren't to have any more until later, too much Bubotuber Pus won't help the congestion. You'd know that if you'd paid attention in Severus's classes.'

'Make ith go away...'

'Are you always this pathetic?'

'Ith becoth I don'th ever geth ill,' Harry tried to say emphatically but failed drastically. 'Can'th I haveth thsome Pepperup, there'ths no Bubotuber Puths in that.'

'No. Now budge up and let me sit down,' Malfoy was indicating to where Harry's pillow was.

'You'll catcth ith thoo.'

'Shhh!' Malfoy began to card Harry's hair. It was very soothing.

'Mmmm. Your goodth.'

'I know, Potter. I know.'

Harry's eyes were heavy as it was, but he slowly felt himself drift off to sleep, despite knowing that he should be drinking the tea Malfoy had made him.

When he woke up, he felt marginally better. Malfoy was still idly playing with his hair as he flicked through a magazine.

'Thsorry,' he said pathetically.

'What for, Potter?'

'Thfor being ill.'

'Potter, you're allowed to be ill.'

'I blame Theddy.'

'Why on earth would you blame Teddy?'

'Becauthse it'ths hiths cold. We're never havthing thim to thstay again.'

'Of course we are. It's not your fault you're not used to being around kids and have no immune system.'

'Buth you noth around kidths thoo.'

'My superior blood. Now sit up and drink your tea, I put it under a stasis charm for you.'

Normally Harry would have reprimanded Malfoy for such jokes about his blood superiority but he just muttered, 'thankths...' and heaved himself up.

'Don't blame Teddy. He can't help adoring you and wanting to give his Uncle Harry so many cuddles and sharing his germs with you. Don't worry he'll grow some braincells soon and come to his senses, especially when he realises you're not all your cracked up to be.'

Harry pouted.

'Anyway, the real reason why you've been hit so badly is because you've been overdoing it. Even Robards has seen it, he's signed you off until Monday and told you to book a holiday. When you're feeling a bit better, we're going to plan something.

'Ohth,' mumbled Harry.

'Hermione picked up a load of holiday magazines.'

'Aren'th you offth tho Franthce thsoon?'

'Couple of weeks, but I'm overdue a load of holiday or we could always do another citybreak.'

'Ohth...' Harry drew his legs up under his duvet and clutched the warm mug of tea, inhaling the lemon and Firewhiskey as he sat on the sofa next to Malfoy. He watched him reading. He thought how angular Malfoy's features were, he'd never realised how sharp Malfoy's jawline was, how defined his cheekbones were. Pretty, he thought through his vaguely snotty brain, in a manly way, of course. He wondered why Malfoy never had boyfriends; he ought to, he was very good-looking really. And he thought about their recent conversation when Malfoy was trying to say something about someone else. He wrinkled his nose in confusion, he couldn't quite remember what it was that Malfoy had been saying.

'I think it'ths my thurn tho cook thonighth.'

Malfoy looked at him with an eyebrow raised in distaste. 'If you think you're going anywhere near food I'm supposed to eat, you've got another thing coming. Ron's ordering a curry and getting you a Madras, Blaise said the spices will help with your next Healing Potion.'

'Ohth...' Harry was surprisingly captivated by Malfoy's grey eyes as he talked. He noticed how Malfoy's eyes weren't just greys and silver but had flecks of pale blue in them.

'What?' Malfoy said, and Harry realised he'd been staring.

'Your eyeths,' Harry said.

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing. They've goth blue inth them.'

'Yes, and yours have dark forest green in them which almost goes black at times. Like the Forbidden Forest.' But Malfoy wasn't looking at him when he said it, he was flicking through the magazine again.

'How do you know, Malfoy?'

'Because I'm observant...' he said nonchalantly.

'Ohth. Well, I think yourths are remarkable.'

When Malfoy turned to look at him, Harry's heart thudded slightly faster than usual. And Harry wasn't sure if it was the intensity of his unusual grey eyes or their proximity or his head cold.

'Can Ith put my head back?' he asked, suddenly weary.

'Yes,' Malfoy said, turning back to his magazine. 'But take the Healing Potion first.'

'It makeths me drowthsy.'

'Maman says sleep is the best medicine.'

Harry lay back down and Malfoy spread the duvet back over him before resting his cool fingers on Harry's forehead. 'Your temperature's gone down now.'

'Good. Where are you thaking me?'

'What?'

'Holidayth?'

'Oh. Well, it depends on whether you want hot or not?'

'I wanth far away, where no one will find me...' Harry said dreamily.

'How about this?' Malfoy flipped open a magazine which showed picture after picture of empty sandy beaches and palm trees and sparkling turquoise seas in under clear blue skies.

'Lookths like heaven. Will you thake me there now?' he said sleepily.

'I'll take you to heaven, Potter,' Malfoy said softly.

'Pleathse...' he was nearly asleep again. 'Though it lookths a bith like a honeymoon desthinathion...'

'We can do that too,' Malfoy whispered quietly but Harry was already asleep again, dreaming of blue skies and bluer seas and flecks of blue in silvery-grey eyes.

He didn't hear Malfoy stifle a sneeze and swear lightly as he reached for a tissue.

*****