flower crowns | drarry

thirty seven

thirty seven
————

draco managed to make it back to the castle in record time at only the cost of his own physical well being. his tongue stung as if coated in blood and his throat tasted of mercury, but though he was hardly able to grasp the oxygen he inhaled, he had no time to rest. he plowed onwards, steadily ignoring the outcries of shock and panic onlookers loosed upon seeing them, and travelled the familiar pathway down the convoluted corridors to a familiar blank wall. he waited impatiently for the room of requirement's doors to appear, and with harry being in so dire a state and draco being in so dire a state of mind, it was only so long before stone became an entryway and draco was stampeding inside to find a dim room lit only by the umber glow of a hearth's light. the air was swathed in pleasant heat, the furniture draped in thick blankets and a cherry wood table set with mugs of hot chocolate. draco carried harry over to the lilac sofa by the fireside and set him down against the cushions.

he whisked out his wand, and though no longer steady in his shivering hands, he managed to perform a quick warming charm. something to take the edge off him, bring him a little closer to health. harry remained still and silent while draco wrapped him up in a blanket burrito, leaving his arms and head free. harry offered slow, bleary blinks, and draco scowled, grasped the mug of hot chocolate from the table and shoved it into harry's trembling fingers. he had to guide the mug to harry's lips, as his wrists were still weak from the cold, and harry himself was so terribly stubborn, draco couldn't even trust him to sustain himself with a beverage.

once harry had gotten his fill and the warming charm had returned the pink color to his cheeks, draco turned to him.

"harry," he began lowly, clenching his fingers to his palm. "harry, what on earth were you thinking?"

harry shrugged sluggishly. turned his tired gaze to the fire until the fiery light caught his eyes. "i uh...i wasn't. thinking i mean."

his voice had a bit of a rasp to it from the cold and from further irritation of his sore throat. draco sighed and pressed the pad of his forefinger to the center of his skull. he could feel a headache blooming behind his retinas, and not for the first time, he fancied the idea that harry did this on purpose, took years of his life and rejoiced in the stress he caused him.

"you're hardly well," he scolded quietly. "and it's freezing. it's winter in england, what on earth made you think you'd be okay, just lying down in the snow? you could have gotten hypothermia. you could have died! do you know how scary that was, to find you like that?"

harry smiled sadly. there was something distinctly off about his expression. a sort of devastation come to light behind his weary eyes, something far too old and sorrowful for a boy so young.

"i'm sorry draco. really, i am," he said, so soft draco had to press forward to hear him. he drew into himself, as if trying to take up as little space as possible. "i just...i don't know. i was so tired and i...i've felt so..." he shrugged and pulled a pained expression that bit at draco's heart. "i've felt so off and i, it was so cold. i just wanted to feel something."

draco stared at his lap. "you said you were well enough to go to classes."

harry sighed.

"i thought i was."

"you're an idiot." draco accused weakly. harry didn't answer. that pained smile lingered, unnatural and trembling on his lips.