𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧: 𝐀 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

Nighttime was very dark.

Pitch black, a coat of renewal.

In the dorms, many boys felt it like tender love, the careful hug of a mother.

Harry felt warm under his bedsheets, so warm that if had been wearing anything more than his t-shirt and pants, he might be sweating.

But he wasn't uncomfortable. His mind was not focused on the heat radiating from the fireplace, but rather on the internal warmth he felt from a friend.

He didn't need dreams. If they wouldn't come, then so be it. He lived in a much safer reality than any false one could manage—even a perfect paradise of peace and love and equality.

The days were still bad sometimes, the drag of bare reality weighing him down. But nights—nights were when he wished he was no one but himself.

He could lay down in his bed and reminisce in his times with his friend. Piano music echoed softly in his mind, an even softer scarf felt almost real around his neck.

There was nothing better than the dark.

𖦹𖦹𖦹

"Morning, Potty," a presence sat itself down beside Harry. "Fancy meeting you here. I didn't know you had a free period now."

Harry put down his quill to see Draco drop his bag from his shoulder to the floor, taking out a book.

"I usually just use it to sleep in," he said.

"Ah. So what spontaneously brought you to the library?" asked Draco.

"Not sure, really. Had some homework. Didn't want to do it over the holidays."

Draco's head jerked towards him. "What's this?" he said shocked, "The Chosen One, making smart decisions?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't act so surprised, Malfoy. I'll bet I'm still way ahead of even you in Defence." 

Draco scoffed and then chuckled, "In your dreams."

"The only thing you excel that in that class is the written portion," Harry pointed out. "I on the other hand have gotten nothing but Outstandings in both."

Draco shoved the his arm lightly, but didn't argue any farther.

Draco opened his book and flipped to a page somewhere in the middle—the spine making a faint crack, as if it had been resting in the same closed position for a very long time.

"What's that?" Harry asked, gesturing towards his book.

"Found it in the Muggle section," he gestured towards some shelves near the back of the library. "Thought I should know."

He turned the cover over so Harry could see. It was a hefty book on the briefs of Muggle History. Evolution, technology, war, anything that made the muggle world what it was.

"Wow," Harry raised his eyebrows. "What suddenly inspired you to know all that."

Draco glanced at Harry before looking back down, his eyelashes touching his eyebrows in a way that made the glance very prominent.