𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

Chapter 6

Only Another Beginning

Chapter 6

His eyelids felt too heavy to open them, but he still did.

Draco swallowed, and it hurt because his throat felt like sandpaper. He slowly reached up to touch his fingertips to his skin, and it finally felt normal again, not too hot, not as if thousands of little insects were crawling under his skin.

The blond shivered and quickly banned the thought.

Only one second later he felt something on his upper body moving, almost making him jump out of his skin, and only then he realised that it was an arm, drawn around him.

The body behind him shifted and a faint sound, half a sigh, half a yawn, reached Draco's ears. Then, suddenly, almost a bit startled, Harry straightened himself, sitting up and also withdrawing his hand. "Sorry, I fell asleep. Are you alright?" he asked, his voice tired.

Draco blinked slowly, trying to remember how Potter had gotten into bed next to him, but somehow that memory evaded him. Instead he now felt the pyjama he was wearing clinging to him, and he grimaced. “No…”

Slowly, since he still felt like having been hit by a truck, he tried to climb out from under the blankets and to stand up.

Immediately a both worried and alarmed expression appeared on Harry's features, his green eyes squinting at the blond and quickly reaching for his glasses on the bedside table.

"Draco," he sighed, resigned. "Please let us not go over this again. I will not let you leave to buy –"

“Harry,” the blond interrupted softly, and wondered briefly why he automatically addressed the other by his first name. “I’m in desperate need of a shower, and I don’t think I can stand being this sticky and sweaty even one minute longer.”

"Oh." Realisation dawned on the dark-haired man, visible on his now relaxed expression. Then he smiled. "Okay. Don't let me keep you then. Will you be alright?"

“Yeah,” Draco answered softly, already having turned around to walk to the bathroom on still quite wobbly legs. “I think…”

Harry nodded, still eying Draco a bit sceptically though. "Hm, maybe you better not lock the door. I won't peek, no worries, but – well, in case you need anything." He shrugged.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if you stood right next to me in that damned shower, as long as I get one at all.”

Harry looked at him with raised eyebrows, obviously wondering whether Draco had just asked him to be there or if it had been purely theoretical. But then, the other cleared his throat, probably deciding it was the latter. "I'll make some breakfast while you shower." And with that he left the bedroom, followed by Draco who headed to the bathroom.

Without bothering to first lay out some towels, the blond stumbled towards the shower, getting rid of the pyjama on the way. The two pieces of clothes remained where they fell on the floor, and he didn’t pay them any second thought.

The first drops of water that hit his skin were a blessing. Warm and sharp they washed away sweat, dried salt of tears and the disgusting taste in his mouth, and for long minutes he just stood there, hands braced against the shower wall, eyes closed, underneath the refreshing stream of water.