Title: Astray
Author: Cindelius )
Rating: PG. Romance/Angst.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Notes: um, hi. lurker. ficlet (1000 words exactly, by my count). not overtly an answer to the challenge, but it wouldn't have happened if not for this list. I'm a little leery of posting it, actually, because all the stuff I've read here has been so awesome, and this is just, y'know, a thing I wrote. but here it is anyway.
I�m hanging up my ego
We shouldn�t have to fight
Or worry about the [chill] tonight
I wanted you to know
I want to be your shadow
The mystery�s gone
So bring back the sun
�Brings back old times, doesn�t it, Potter?�
�Shut it, Malfoy.�
The smaller boy smirked and answered, �You�ve managed to land us in detention once again. You seem to have a knack for the forbidden forest assignment, you do know that, right? And it only would figure that you land us a detention on the coldest weekend of the year!�
�I�ve landed us in detention. Oh, that�s a rich one.� Harry paced a little in the clearing. The trees surrounding him were bare, their naked limbs twisting with sharp turns and thorn-like extensions. One tree in particular stood out among the others, for its gnarled limbs extended further than any other tree, and a large, light-consuming hollow marred its bark. Mounds of twigs and tinted leaves pooled at the feet of the giant trees. The wind occasionally kicked up, rearranging the fragile tapestry of the Autumn ground.
Draco�s sneer broke through the serene stillness of the clearing. �And isn�t it just our luck that the great buffoon of a groundskeeper that you so adore is too blind to see the distress sparks that we�ve sent up?�
Harry, tired from the journey, refused to rise to the bait. They had been traveling through the forest for nearly five hours now (yes, and they still hadn�t killed each other ... they each had an amazing sense of self-restraint) and had somehow managed to find themselves in a spot that wasn�t indicated on Hagrid�s map to find the warthup plant, a plant that contained petals that were reminiscent of a rainbow and had healing properties. The distress signals were too dim to be seen from afar. Wherever they were, it appeared that darkness was starting to descend, as what little light had been previously offered was now dwindling in an orange-like haze. Their breaths were easily seen as white puffs which took a longer time than normal to dissipate.
Harry decided to point out the obvious. �It�s getting dark, you know, and we�re totally lost.�
It wouldn�t have been so dark had they not broken their lantern early on in the detention. As for being lost, well, they really couldn�t help that, now could they?
�Why yes, Potter, thank you for that astute observation. Which gave it away? The fact that we�ve been walking aimlessly through a forest for five hours and have passed that tree nearly three times, or the fact that we haven�t a bloody clue as to where we are?�
Harry narrowed his eyes a bit and responded, �It�s too late to start back now, and we would just end up getting even more lost. We�re getting too deep in the forest for our wands to be of much use anyway.�
Draco�s face construed with confusion, so Harry explained further (thankful that at least some of Hermione�s tirades about �Hogwarts: A History� had actually been absorbed by his mind). �As you go deeper into the heart of the forest, there is more wild, undiluted magic floating through the air and it interrupts any magical actions one tries to take. It�s part of the defense mechanism of Hogwarts. No magic will work properly, including dark magic.�
�And this knowledge is useful to us how, exactly?�
�We can�t defend ourselves. We need to either find a shelter or prepare to spend the night out in the open. Who knows what would happen to us in the open.�
Fear flittered across Draco�s features at the latter remark.
�Now that brings back old memories, Malfoy,� laughed Harry as he looked at Draco�s terrified face.
Draco was no longer in the mood to exchange insults or to reminisce, however. He looked at Harry with a look of extreme seriousness and demanded, �Shelter. We have to find shelter, now.�
Harry sighed and strode out of the clearing. He gave a silent laugh as Draco stumbled behind him to catch up. So here was something that frightened the Great Draco Malfoy. Harry led them through the thicket, trying to ignore the way that the branches were beginning to coat with silvery frost, a tell-tale sign of both night and snow.
Finally, he came to an abrupt stop in front of a dark hollow between the gigantic, bare roots that protruded from the ground. Kneeling down, he took a deep breath and stuck his hand into the hollow. Instead of meeting sharp teeth or fur (as he had half-expected to find), there was a large amount of nothingness, just open space and air. In fact, almost too much space.
�Potter, what are you doing? We�re wasting valuable time.�
Harry simply ignored Draco and proceeded to climb into the hollow. It was quite dark in there, but he could still see what was happening in the forest above. An amazing thing, it was. The hole was much deeper and wider than one would have imagined from the entrance of it, which had just barely managed to fit Harry�s slim figure. He could nearly stand without brushing his head against the top of the underground cubby. There was plenty of room for one person and quite possibly enough for two...
�Potter! Where the bloody fuck did you go off to? ... Are you okay? ... Answer me, it�s not funny!�
Draco�s voice had become frantic. Harry wasn�t sure if it was just because Draco didn�t want to be alone, or if he, too, had noticed the first flakes of the snow storm which was quickly approaching. One way or another, Draco had lost his cold composure. It must have taken every ounce of his courage to do so, but he stuck his head into the hollow to look for Harry.
Harry looked up and said, �Well, Malfoy, what are you waiting for? Get your arse in here.�
Draco�s aristocratic nose crinkled. �It�s cold, dark, and dirty down there.�
�Yes,� replied Harry reasonably, �and in a moment, it will be cold, dark, and snowing out there.�
It was picking between the lesser of two evils and Draco, after being chilled to the bone by a wind of ice, chose to join Harry in the underground cubby. He climbed in and nearly landed on Harry in the process. Within a minute, the sun had set completely and the entire forest was dark.
Draco refused to accept the fact that his magic couldn�t function properly in the depths of the forest and tried to give them a little light. Lumos, however did little more than make the tip of his wand glow a dull brown. It was enough to see that the room that they had entered was completely empty and had walls and a floor that were quite damp. Perhaps there was enough room for both boys to lay on the floor in a cramped fashion. The light of his wand extinguished without his permission, leaving the boys together in darkness once more.
The temperature seemed to be dropping further by the minute down there. It was abnormally cold, in fact, even though it was snowing quite heavily now outside. It was a coldness that penetrated clothes, flesh, and bones. Both boys shivered and tried to imagine themselves back at Hogwarts, in front of a warm fire in their respective common rooms. The image sustained them for a few moments, but left them feeling even colder than they had before.
It probably didn�t help matters that the very opening in the earth that had led them to safety was just that... an opening, something through which snow, wind, and everything else could enter. The wind howled outside and sent gusts of ice and snow through the opening, dusting the boys in white and cold. The coating on Draco, however, quickly melted away as if it had never been there. A thought struck Harry as he sat there, crouched and chilled.
�Hey, M-Malfoy?� He shivered.
�What is it, Potter?�
�Is your cloak waterproofed?�
�Yes, it�s resistant to most elements. Rather expensive it was, actually. Why?�
�Hand it over.�
�Excuse me?�
Harry sighed and pointed up at the entrance to their cubby. The motion was probably lost in the darkness, however. �If we want to stay dry tonight, we need to tack it up over the opening,� he explained.
�Why my cloak, what�s wrong with yours?�
�Mine isn�t waterproofed.�
Draco eyed him suspiciously and then scowled at Harry. �And I suppose that once we�re dry, which I would be anyway since it�s my cloak to begin with, then you�ll have a good night�s rest in your comfy cloak while I sit here shivering my arse off!�
Harry was about to object, although he really hadn�t thought this whole thing through yet, when Draco did something surprisingly noble. He stood up and, shrugging off his cloak, covered the entrance. He turned to Harry and asked, �How is it supposed to stay here?�
�There�re some roots sticking out on the sides, tuck the corners between them tightly.� Draco did so and what little light had been offered from the stormy night was now extinguished. The darkness was a disturbingly tangible black.
Harry�s mind had gone numb from the shock of Draco Malfoy being so... heroic and nice. The whole image, however, was shattered once a noise of moving feet was heard from Draco�s direction and Harry could hear the smirk that shone through Draco�s voice.
�Alright, if anything happens to my cloak, anything at all, then you owe me a new one. It was extremely pricey, so let�s hope, for your sake, that nothing happens to it,� Draco paused for a moment and then continued, �Oh, and I�d like your cloak, now.�
�What?!�
�Well, you can�t expect me, the one who is saving us from the elements, to go and freeze. I�m not the Boy Who Sacrificed Himself for the Good of All Others, after all. I do believe that�s your department.�
Harry wrapped his cloak around himself protectively and said, �I�m not just handing it over to you. If you�re suffering that badly, then you�ll share it.�
He was expecting a repulsed reaction to that which would have effectively ended the conversation, so when Harry heard scuffling and a warm presence closing in, he nearly jumped. Draco hissed, �Potter, before you start saying something, I want you to know that the life of a Malfoy is both valuable and prized. I am not about to let my pride get in the way of my self-preservation. Just think of how miserable people would be if I froze to death. Yes, my life is worth having to spend one night crouched beneath your shoddy cloak with you.�
�How does he do that?� Harry wondered. �Even when he�s trying to say that he�s not being prideful (in a long-winded speech), he commands both pride and insolence. It�s truly sickening.�
Harry opened his cloak anyway, nearly knocking Draco over in the process. He hadn�t realized that the other boy was so close. Draco crawled beneath the cloak, trying to avoid any unnecessary contact with Harry. This proved to be a difficult feat to perform in the dark, especially when Draco could nearly feel the slight and alluring heat emanating from Harry�s bundled form. Yes, it was now a proven fact that the cold made people lose their sanity, Draco (whilst unconsciously scooting closer to Harry for more warmth) could attest to this.
Surprisingly, sleep claimed the boys quickly. Its claim upon them, however, was extremely temporary. Harry awoke to the howling of the wind outside, which tugged at the makeshift cover of their burrow and tore through the leaves. He attempted to close his eyes, noting that there was little difference between the darkness of his surroundings and the darkness of his closed lids. Harry�s body was weary and tired, but refused to allow him to fall back asleep. A whimpering noise to his left made Harry jump to attention. Feeling about the damp ground, he discovered that the whimper had come from Draco (or so he assumed that the object clothed in cotton was Draco), and the boy was shaking with cold.
Harry himself was fighting back an ache in his limbs from the chill of the air, and could spare no more of the cloak (it covered only half of his body as it was). Looking back upon his next actions, he would be able to give no explanation for them. Harry wrapped his arms around the sleeping form of Draco Malfoy and pulled himself closer to the other boy, so that the cloak could be wrapped entirely around them and a new warmth spread throughout their limbs. Draco�s shivering ceased. For a reason unknown, Harry�s heartbeat paced in his throat, as if he had swallowed the marathon-speed pulsator. He fought the urge to sneeze, as the blond boy�s silken hair caressed Harry�s face with each breath. Through the thin material of his shirt, Harry could feel the reassuring rise and fall of Draco�s fragile frame, which oddly enough allowed him to finally put his mind to rest. The hours of wandering through the forest were finally taking their toll on Harry�s body, and he happily accepted sleep�s warm embrace.
Three more hours passed as the boys slept, huddled together for warmth and peace-of-mind. Eventually, the wind ceased its caterwaul and the only sound that could be heard was of the crisp, creaking snow and the gentle tread of small paws upon frosty leaves. Miles away, at Hogwarts, professors were noting the absurd appearance of snow in late October with both curiosity and fear. It wasn�t often that Jack Frost visited the land before the crown of winter. Some blamed it on the bizarre swellings of coastal waters. Others, whispered suspicions of Dark Magic. The oldest of them all, however, gazed out from behind half-moon spectacles at the mysterious drifts of snow with a knowledgeable, weary expression. His sad smile and upturned eyebrows were reminiscent of irony itself. He had only witnessed a variance in weather like this twice before in his life time, though he knew that it could be traced back to the time of the founders, and never before had it been with such dramatic results.
Draco, meanwhile, was slowly coming back to consciousness, his eyes fluttering gently to adjust to the severe lack of light. He felt a lovely, even palpable, warmth surrounding his body and shifted to relieve the sleeping tension in the shoulder he had placed his weight on in sleep. As he moved, he realized that the nearly-palpable warmth actually was tangible and very human. A cold shiver seized his body and mind as he tried to process the fact that he couldn�t get up from his laying position because someone was holding him to the ground. Eventually, his disorientation wore off and he remembered that before he had gone to sleep, Harry Potter had been beside him. So, they must have moved in their sleep... perhaps Harry had a teddy bear that he usually held tight at night and that was the reason that he currently had his arms wrapped around Draco like a small boy protecting his favorite possession. Yes, that must be it.
Countless times, Draco had all intentions to fling Harry�s arms off of him or to squeeze out of the embrace, but whenever it came down to actually doing so, his body stayed. He wasn�t sure whether it was just his own instinct for self-preservation or not, as he had never felt so safe and warm as he did now, in Harry�s embrace. In fact, after trying in vain to fall back to sleep, Draco swiveled around in the loop of Harry�s arms so that he came face to face with the other boy. Or rather, face to neck, as Harry was positioned slightly higher than Draco. His movement caused Harry to stir briefly in his sleep, and Draco started to dread the unavoidable moment in which Harry�s eyes would flicker open and then jump miles away, as Harry and his warmth would leave Draco in a flurry of disgust.
Harry, however, did not awaken. Instead, his eyes remained peacefully closed and he held Draco tighter, bringing the other boy even closer to his own body. Instinctually, Draco curled his legs up to Harry in a semi-fetal position and moved his face so that it tucked perfectly into Harry�s exposed neck, like a young child cuddling to its mother. The skin there was soft and warm, decidedly the best pillow that Draco had ever had. Harry�s warm breath ghosted rhythmically over the back of Draco�s neck. The air around them and outside grew colder with each contented breath that the boys drew, but they stayed unfazed by the chilling drafts.
As night slowly crept into day, the two students remained bundled together, taking pleasure in the warmth and safety of one another in their sleep. Back at Hogwarts, the snow draped over the castle and surrounding vegetation like a thick blanket of powdered sugar. Every window held heaps of snow in concave sweeps and bows. Search parties had been formed three times in order to find Harry and Draco, but each time the party was turned away at the entrance of Hogwarts by Dumbledore. Students and professors reluctantly returned to their cozy beds on the assurances of Dumbledore that the two boys were perfectly safe.
It was once believed that the emotions of gods and goddesses were responsible for the weather. The goddess Persephone, for example, was responsible for the shift between winter and spring. Happiness could create the beautiful, lively blooms of spring and a great sorrow could create the death of vegetation in winter. These ancient people, of course, did not have the great capacity for science and logic that today�s people do, but their legends held some truth to them. Today, it is shifts in barometric pressure and the turning of the Earth that create seasons, but what people do not realize is that there are other influences on the weather. Powerful magical beings have a strong influence on their environment. Such was the case as a blanket of snow and ice-laden winds encircled the Earth above the two boys. The eye of the storm gazed upon them all night in their blissful sleep, up until they awoke.
Although both boys came to consciousness shortly after dawn, when the sun had fallen through the bare limbs of the forest trees and onto the snow with subtle gasps of mist, neither boy looked at the other. Their eyes remained closed in hopes that the other one would believe the first to be asleep. Eventually, however, a force compelled them to open their eyes. Draco�s reaction to the sudden movement came from years of composing biting remarks ad hoc.
Draco started to sneer, �Potter, you-� but he stopped midsentence. Harry�s arms had tensed and his breathing was hitched.
For an ineffable reason, Draco couldn�t continue his line of speech. At least, not with the way that Harry�s eyes had closed again and his body drew back in response to an invisible blow. Draco started to speak again, his voice lacking the venom used before.
�Potter, it�s morning. We should be getting back soon.� They were the nicest words that had ever escaped Draco�s mouth, and yet they seemed to be wasted on Harry. He made no move to release Draco or to get up from his comfortable resting position.
Slowly, Draco tilted his head upward, so that he could see Harry�s face clearly. His tone was that used in approaching a small, skittish animal. �Potter? Did you hear me?�
Harry gave a small nod before mumbling, �But... It�s cold out there.�
A sharp bark of laughter resounded throughout the room. �One for understatements this morning, are we?�
Harry remained mute and looked over Draco�s head to the rays of light that started to permeate through the makeshift door of the burrow. Stray leaves around the entrance were clearly frozen and crystals of ice coated the jagged surfaces of rocks in the wall. They glittered in the pale light that surrounded the edges of the eclipsed hole. The temperature continued to drop steadily, but Harry�s body refused to shiver.
In his reflections of their surroundings, it didn�t occur to Harry that, while Draco had clearly insisted that they needed to get back to the castle, Draco himself had made no move to exit either. They could feel each other�s hearts beating slowly and their bodies growing restless for movement. Something foreign and grand was about to occur, they could feel the premonition ringing through the air. What this something was, however, remained hidden deep within their inner-consciousness and refused to be acknowledged. It was as if they were slowly piecing a puzzle together in the dark, finding the correct interlocking crevices, but could never see the image imprinted upon the pieces.
Without processing his actions, Draco shifted his slight body upward, into alignment with Harry�s. Lips parted in anticipation of that foggy, undefined event, and their puzzle was suddenly both complete and visible.
As their lips moved together, a new wave of warmth swept over one another. Their thoughts were too bogged down by the cold weather to realize that they had verbally fought with those very same mouths numerous times in Quidditch and the hallways, leaving a trail of haphazard spells in their wake. Instead, the nemeses worked as one and allowed their mouths to give breath to a new magic. With their lips interlocked, they shifted their laying positions so that Harry was on his back, with Draco leaning over him to maintain the kiss.
The only word that drifted through Harry�s mind was a vague �mmm.� When they broke away breathless, the boys stared at one another in disbelief. Again, coldness swept their bodies. Their accelerated gasps for breath expelled as puffs of white air, causing a cloud between them where the two breaths became one. Harry started to say something, perhaps an apology for his actions (though he felt no remorse), but was silenced by Draco�s lips, which started to roam his neckline.
Whenever they touched, a jolt of warmth engulfed Harry and Draco and bolts of energy seemed to dance within their bodies. If either had taken the chance to glance around the burrow, they would have noticed that the frozen leaves and rocks were defrosting quickly. They did not notice this, however, because they were too busy exploring the new sensations that coursed through their veins. A familiar emotion passed through Harry as he reciprocated the tender adoration to Draco�s body. It took him numerous minutes to recognize it... passion, but for once, driven by something other than hatred.
Harry�s body experienced the sensation of being doused with alternating cold and hot water as Draco kissed, licked, and nipped his way down to the tanned collarbone. It was a truly shocking, but altogether pleasant, feeling. Slowly, Draco�s hands slipped beneath the scratchy fabric of Harry�s jumper to caress the newly warmed skin there. Vigorous training sessions for Quidditch had been kind to both boys and made for an abundance of lightly toned muscle and flat planes. Sighing, Harry�s hands slid around the pale boy�s neck and remained there contently. Draco suddenly stopped his tactile assessment of Harry�s body and stared down at the raven-haired god beneath him through a curtain of blond hair that had miraculously survived the weather and harsh night in perfect condition.
Forming words seemed like an admirable idea in theory, but neither Draco nor Harry found himself able to form a coherent phrase. If not for the warmth that radiated between them and the brilliant sensations they had exchanged, perhaps the boys would have sprung away from each other in affronted confusion. As it was, however, they reveled in each other�s warm embrace and could scarcely recall a time when anything had felt more complete and empty at the same time. It was the new sense of fulfillment that made them realize exactly how lonely and hollow they had been before. Sadness, fear, happiness, and excitement warred on the battlefield of their minds. Emotions flickered and filtered through their jewel-like gazes and hearts too quickly to be comprehended.
Harry ran his hands down Draco�s back in constricting circles, until he reached the hem of the fabric and moved his own fingers to touch Draco�s revealed skin. Where it had been cold the night before, now Draco�s skin was soft and almost burning with an intense heat. Smooth lids and delicate lashes briefly hid the silver eyes of which Harry was growing increasingly fond. How had he never noticed the brightness that those eyes could bring to a room?
Their lips met again, this time in a slow, leisurely kiss that allowed the silken textures of the flesh to be savored. A hesitant tongue began to probe new depths of the kiss and was rewarded with a soft gasp. Gentle caresses moved to commit newfound curves and sensitive spots to memory.
Outside of their comfortable shelter, a light sprinkle had begun. The slight layer of snow quickly melted away, leaving behind the crumpled leaves of fall. Raindrops bounced off of the leaves and puddled into miniature creeks. A symphony of autumn crinkled through the forest. Unknown to the boys, a cloaked figure strolled through the woods, stopping only occasionally to survey the rain and gentle wind. The golden hues of fallen leaves gleamed around patches of melting snow, making the usual foreboding gloominess of the forest sink into deeper recesses.
The cloaked figure sighed as he approached the hollow that contained the two boys. It was actually quite easy to find them, as there wasn�t a trace of snow or even rain surrounding the burrow or the tree above it. In a world of sound and wetness, here was the loop hole, the one place from which coldness and the elements retreated. The cloaked figure dropped his hood and sighed, staring at the cloth-covered hole in resignation. He looked up at the sky, as if to raise question to some deity. The rain collected on his spectacles, skewing his vision into that of a kaleidoscope. The old man stayed in this position for ten minutes, staring resolutely into the broken sky. Miniscule droplets of rain fell into his white beard, making it separate and take on a transparent luminance. Finally, he bent down to the hollow and called through the haphazardly placed door. He feigned ignorance for the sake of their dignity.
�Mr. Potter. Mr. Malfoy. I�m terribly sorry to wake you at this time in the morning, but it is time to return to the castle.�
Inside of the hollow the boys sprung apart, each hitting an opposing wall. Harry could feel the roots digging into his bare back, but paid no attention, as he now had larger worries. Draco�s eyes widened and he hissed, �Potter, is that Dumbledore out there?�
Harry nodded dumbly.
A string of profanities escaped Draco�s lips, which were still filled with color and warmth from their previous activities. They scooped up their clothing, forgetting and not really caring what article belonged to whom.
Sometime during the rush, Harry was able to yell up, �Ah... thanks, sir, we�ll be... we�ll be out there in a minute...�
Harry scampered around on the ground for his glasses, which had been cast aside at some point, but only felt damp leaves and earth slip through his fingers. Draco whispered, �What the hell are you doing? Get up! He�s going to climb down here if we don�t get up there soon.�
�Well, it would be a hell of a lot easier to get up if I could bloody see my way to the door! Where are my glasses?�
In embarrassed silence, Draco reached down to his side of the hollow and easily picked out the glass and wire contraptions that he had thrown aside earlier. He vaguely recalled being angry at them for their offence to Harry�s dazzling emerald eyes. Carefully, so as not to startle him, Draco placed the spectacles in Harry�s hand, closing the boy�s fingers around them. Harry quickly put the specs on his face and looked over at Draco. Something inside himself seemed to be breaking as he stared at the other boy.
�I...�
Draco shook his head, signaling for Harry to cease talking, and moved to release his cloak from the opening of the burrow. Wrapping the cloak around himself, Draco began to climb up through the hole and into the light of day. Although Harry was now fully clothed, he felt colder than before and it pained him to think of how quickly things had seemed to return to normal. He slowly hoisted himself through the opening, dreading the real world that lay on the other side.
�Once again, thank you for being so cooperative, boys. Now if you�ll just follow me, we�ll be back at the castle in no time,� added Dumbledore from above.
The old man extended a hand to help Harry pull himself the rest of the way out of the burrow and onto the forest floor. Harry landed in a heap, weak from the cold and the lack of food. The scent of fresh nature, of rejuvenation, reached his nostrils. The earth and soggy leaves seemed more inviting than the castle at this point, and he would rather not get up if he could help it.
�Potter,� Draco snapped, �You heard him, we have to get going. Stop smelling the leaves, it�s a tell-tale sign of oncoming insanity.�
Harry looked up at Draco�s smirking face, the face of an angel in this wooded passage. It contained a challenge in it, one which Harry accepted and quickly got to his feet.
Dumbledore�s eyes twinkled and he walked on ahead, leading the trailing boys back toward the safety of Hogwarts. The trip was disturbingly quiet, leaving Harry time to ponder his actions and the current situation. He should have known that what occurred in the hollow was just a fluke, something fueled by illogical thinking. The only thing that seemed to change now, was that Harry found it hard to look Draco in the eye. That, and he had started to think of Draco by his first name, rather than by Malfoy, which carried numerous negative connotations. His mind whirled with all that had happened, until Harry suddenly remembered...
�Professor, we never found the warthup.�
Draco�s posture tensed. Dumbledore stopped his casual strides and turned to Harry with his eyes twinkling. �Really?� He reached into his cloak and produced some flowering vines. The petals glowed in radiant blues, yellows, oranges, purples, and reds. He handed the plants to Harry and explained, �These few survived the storm, I�m sure that Hagrid will be lenient once I explain to him that the two of you were lost.�
Harry sighed with relief and Draco�s shoulders relaxed.
Dumbledore added, �By the way, I am quite proud of the two of you, for being able to find shelter and work together so well. To be honest, the staff quite expected to find only pieces of you and were prepared to take bets on which student tore the other apart first.�
Tearing apart... that�s what Harry�s insides felt like at the moment. He looked over at Draco to discover that a faint blush had graced the boy�s cheeks. They continued to walk through the morning mist of the forest, but Harry failed to notice that Draco periodically snuck covert glances sideways at him.
By the time that they reached the edge of the forest, the rain had stopped completely and brief spots of sun cast upon light upon distant hills. Dumbledore rambled on about the beauty of the grounds at this time of year, of how lush the grassy meadows were (though they were hidden at the moment), and something about hibernation. Harry ignored the meaningless comments and dwelled on earlier events. His eyesight seemed unfocused still, and his thoughts raced in cloudy circles. A hazy fog hovered over his the green grass, covering the grounds in mystery and stillness. Harry couldn�t quite place the feeling that ebbed at the corners of his mind, but it was like the fog, cloaking yet consuming.
Both boys nearly bumped into their headmaster as he stopped at the entrance of the castle. They had been so involved in their own thoughts that they hadn�t noticed the stone walls of the castle grow closer. When the doors were opened and they were once again safe within the castle walls, Dumbledore said, �If the two of you would please excuse me, I really must discuss the finer points of cream pie with a few elves in preparation for the holidays. I�m afraid that you�ve already missed breakfast, but lunch will be served shortly.�
He paused before asking gently, �I trust that you will have no further problems in classes together?�
Hesitantly, the boys shook their heads. Dumbledore smiled and hurried down a corridor with a twirl of purple robes, leaving the Harry and Draco to stare at the ground in silence. Finally, Harry lifted his head and said, �I guess this is it... I�ll see you in classes, then.�
He turned to leave, but found that his wrist had been caught by cool fingers in a firm grip. In addition to this, he really couldn�t get his feet to cooperate all that well.
�Only in classes?� Draco asked, an eyebrow raised.
Harry blinked, perplexed. Hadn�t they just spent the past two hours calling each other by their surnames and attempting to ignore each other? �Well, I thought that-�
Draco tugged on Harry�s captured wrist, pulling the boy toward him. �That�s the problem with you Gryffindors.�
�Oh?�
�You think too much.�
With that, he leaned in and kissed Harry fully on the lips. Harry closed his eyes, but before he could relax into the kiss, Draco pulled away and strode down the main hallway. Harry�s eyes snapped open as Draco called over his shoulder, �Be careful, Slytherins are known for leading people astray.�
Speechlessness threatened to control Harry, but he defied it and managed to call back, �So you admit that it�s your fault we were lost?�
Draco spun on his heel, a smirk lighting his features to match Harry�s challenging smile. �A Malfoy never gets lost. He always knows where he�s going and what he�s getting himself into. I was merely making sure that you knew as well.�
�I do.�
Draco smiled, the first graceful, non-malevolent smile Harry had ever seen on the aristocratic features. The pale boy then turned, blond hair whisping about his face, and continued his way down the hall. It would be lunchtime in the Great Hall before Draco would think to look down at his clothes, and notice that he was wearing the Gryffindor badge on his chest.
Harry�s eyes followed Draco�s movements until the blond head ducked out of sight. He then stood beside a nearby window and gazed out at the grounds. A rainbow stretched lazily across the sky, appearing to descend from the parting gray blanket of clouds, straight into the distant forest, where everything had begun. The green grass below on the sloping mounds was visible at last... the fog had finally lifted.
The mystery�s gone
So bring back the sun
We�ll bury this hate
And build it with love
The grass wasn�t greener
I found
I wanted you to know
I dug you up a rainbow
lyrics edited from �Bring Back the Sun� by Our Lady Peace.
REVIEW!
Back to Fanfiction :: Back to Seasonal Challenge :: Back to Armchair Main.
