Please Be There If I Remember

Chapter Fourteen: Understanding

"You're having a laugh at me," Potter said blandly for about the fourteenth time in the conversation.

"You've said that already," Draco sighed. "And what did I tell you at the hospital—"

"That you wouldn't talk to me because you knew I wouldn't believe you, ya, I remember. But...this is just too far-fetched for me to actually think that you got all of your memories wiped. Or should I say Malfoy-ish," he sneered.

Draco didn't like the fact that it was directed at him, and instantly his defences seemed to come up and he took a step back.

"Fine. If you are going to be a jerk about it, and prove my point, go ahead. But then I am going to find out exactly what I used to do to you, and come back so much worse than what you remember."

Potter blinked quickly and stepped forward to close the large gap that Draco had created between them when he had moved backwards. "Whoa, chill out. I was just saying that...because. I actually don't know why I said that. Habit I guess," he chuckled softly, rubbing his hand on the back of his head.

His black hair ruffled with it, and Draco found his focus steering off course as the light in the corner of the hall they were in caused it to shine, making the raven locks glow like black satin silk. He suddenly had the strong urge to reach up his hand and touch it and had to shake his head at the absurd thought, getting a reign in on his emotions.

"So, you actually believe me now?" Draco queried, a little bit nervously after the hair thoughts had stopped.

"Ya, I...I think I do. To be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure why—for all I know this really is all a trick. But...I remember when you first came out of the hospital wing, and you did truly fall 20 feet down those stairs—I doubt you could fake that," he grinned with a snort of amusement.

"Wish I didn't though," Draco muttered back darkly. Potter winced in sympathy, remembering when he had fainted two days ago, toppling over like a porcelain doll.

"On the bright side, you're a better person from it."

Draco tilted his head up from where he was gazing at the ground and turned his face to Green Eyes.

"Was I really that bad?" He questioned, his voice low and almost sad sounding.

Potter looked like he was thinking about something with a lot of fervour, before shrugging it off and turning to face him. "Yes," he said truthfully.

Draco's shoulders hunched a bit at the unforgiven anger that Potter couldn't seem to quite shake from his eyes, but understood the sentiment as it was.

"Thank you for being willing to talk to me," the blond started. "If I was in your position, I don't think I would have given me the time of day. I doubt I would even believe me."

Potter flushed deeply like there was a different reason behind talking to Draco, but Draco ignored it because Green Eyes had been flushing for basically the whole conversation, and this wasn't a new development.

"Is the hallway too warm?" He blurted out against his better judgement, and watched as Harry's cheeks bloomed into more colour.

It looks like he's about to burst a blood vessel, Draco thought awkwardly to himself.

Potter took the excuse quickly, latching on to it like a leech. He even started to pull on his collar like it was hard to breathe in the heat.

"Very warm," he whispered, staring into Draco's eyes as he said it, and now he was the one fighting a blush. It was an unfortunate stroke of luck that he was so pale that even the slightest bit of colouring would blaze out on his face like a rat in a room of wolves.