Two Houses (HarryxDraco)

Chapter 39

"You should try and eat something."

"Hmm?" Draco replied distractedly.

"Eat," Harry pressed, pushing a steaming bowl of porridge towards him. "Sitting there with an empty stomach isn't going to make the owl post arrive any quicker."

Draco sighed and grudgingly pulled the bowl towards him. He began spooning the hot breakfast into his mouth, but he wasn't particularly enjoying it. It was the first morning of the new term but his mind was fixed on more pressing matters. Just as he was about to shovel the third spoonful into his mouth, he paused when he heard the flutter of wings and dropped the spoon into the bowl. A moment later, hundreds of owls soared through the open windows clutching letters, newspapers and parcels for the students. As the owls made their deliveries, Draco kept a watchful eye out for his parents' Blakiston fish owl. It would be easy enough to spot considering its impressive size, being twice the height of a common barn owl, but the longer he waited to see the black and brown spotted bird of prey, the more despondent he became.

"Draco," said Harry gently. "I don't think she's coming."

"Just give it a couple more minutes," Draco pleaded. "Athena is quite a large bird, so she's slower than the others. She'll be here."

Harry didn't look convinced by this but he sat and waited patiently with Draco while the others headed to the first lesson of the day. A further ten minutes dragged by, and most of the owls and the students had already left the Great Hall. It was only when Professor McGonagall approached and told them to get a move on that the pair reluctantly left the Gryffindor table and headed towards Defence Against the Dark Arts. As they walked side by side, Harry cast Draco a sideways glance.

"Draco..."

"Don't," he warned.

Harry quickly closed his mouth and they walked the rest of the way in stony silence. In all the time he had been a student at Hogwarts, Draco's mother had never failed to send him a parcel on the first day of term; usually it was a box of sweets from Honeydukes, or some of his belongings that he'd forgotten to pack. Whatever it was, she always included a letter telling him to have a wonderful term and how much she was missing him already. It was a small, unimportant thing, but something that Draco had come to expect as a standard. Even during his sixth year, by far his worst at Hogwarts, his mother had taken the time to write to him, even when it was dangerous for her to do so. But today, there had been nothing. No parcel. No note. Not even owl droppings. A small part of him was still trying to rationalise the bird's absence—that perhaps Athena had gotten lost or blown off course on route to Hogwarts—but deep down, he knew better. For the first time ever, his mother hadn't bothered to write to him upon returning to Hogwarts, and it hurt more than he cared to admit.

When they reached Hestia's classroom, the corridor was deserted and the door was already closed.

Brilliant, he thought to himself. Not only were his parents acting as though he didn't exist, but he was also going to get detention on the first day of a new term. He reached out to open the door, but Harry grabbed his other hand and pulled him into a deep, lingering kiss. Draco's eyes momentarily widened with surprise but soon the tension that had previously gripped him began to melt away and he kissed Harry back with equal enthusiasm. When they finally broke apart, Harry kept his hands firmly on Draco's hips.

"What was that for?" asked Draco.

Harry shrugged. "I can't fix this thing with your parents, but I can distract you from it for a moment. Plus, we've probably already earned detention for being late to class, so what harm is there adding a couple more minutes?"

Draco smiled at Harry and tucked one of his stray curls behind his left ear, only for it to immediately spring back into place. "I like your thinking. Well, since we're already incredibly late, the dorms will be deserted, why don't we just bunk off and—"