I Think I Like Him

13. A Night's Cold Embrace

Word count: 1215

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The answer to that was apparently; Wizards Chess.

They were equally matched opponents, much to the surprise of them both, as Harry had Ron to improve off of, and Malfoy simply refused to be bad at anything, so it seemed. The small table in between them was magically rid of all its legs, and had been set to float over the hospital bed, where sat the once-rivals, cross-legged.

"No- Potter that's not fair!"

"Yes it is!"

"You just killed half my Pawns!"

Harry shrugged, "That's the game" he nodded to Malfoy, who moved forward a Knight, and Harry his Queen, only for the blonde to destroy it with his own. Harry sat gobsmacked for a second, before killing Malfoy's Queen with his Bishop.

Malfoy moved his Knight away, and the raven moved his Rook forward, which was favourably overpowered by the Slytherins. This sent broken fragments of the chess piece flying across the board in every direction, causing the rest of the intact pieces to jump over them as they flew below their feet, or the.. wooden stumps at the bottom? Harry wasn't quite sure what to call them, if he was honest.

Harry then groaned and 'sneezed', which led to the chess bored flying off the table with a clatter that echoed off the walls for a few seconds after the fact.

"Oi! What was that for?"

"Whoops"

Malfoy rolled his eyes and began picking up the pieces and placing them back in their box. "What a sore loser.."

"Shut it"

"No, I'm serious. Maybe it's a Gryffindor trait? You know, next to being brave and rash and all that.." Malfoy held his hands up, as if picturing a plaque reading the words. "..there's just- 'sore losers' "

"Oh ha-ha"

Malfoy grinned and placed the now closed box onto the table and picking up his wand, he reattached the legs and placed it back on the floor. "Can't we play one more game?" Harry pleaded, pouting comedically.

"What? So you can flip the board again? No thanks.. besides-" Malfoy sighed dramatically, pulling up his sleeve in a classy fashion, and eyeing his watch with a light concentration visible on his face. "I believe.. that it is time for your next dose of potions" Draco turned and picked up a brown messenger bag from atop a small wooden table cornered by the privacy curtains.

"Lucky me.." Harry couldn't help but mumbled in a flat tone. Malfoy rummaged around in the bag, making the glass bottles clink together, sounding like someone had just given a rather heartwarming toast at a small and intimate gathering. He finally pulled out the vial that had the lightest contents, as McGonagall had informed them that they had been brewed at different times, therefore only the ones that had had time to lighten would produce the strongest relief.

Passing it to the Gryffindor, he closed the bag and threw it over his shoulder, standing slightly awkwardly as he watched Harry down the potion with a grimace. Harry thought that they ought to make a potion that makes other potions taste a bit better. Million Galleon idea, that.

"Alright.. see you tomorrow, Potter" Malfoy turned to leave.

"Wait-"

Malfoy stopped, turning his head back to him, and Harry ignored the Déjà vu that creeped in at that moment. "What if it happens again?"

For the last two nights that the raven had been in Malfoy's care, the weak potions he had been left with (one of the many reasons for Madam Pomfreys departure) hadn't lasted the whole night, meaning that he had had to remain in excruciating pain until Malfoy returned the following morning after breakfast.

The Slytherin bit his lower lip in thought, looking around the room. "Well I guess I could stay here through the night?"

"Wouldn't they notice you were gone?"

Malfoy shrugged, "Well I'm allowed on McGonagalls part and as for my housemates.. well, I'll think of a cover later."

He dropped his bag and headed to the adjacent bed, pushing the curtains open and closed as he stilled it around a meter away from Harry's own. Placing a few precautionary privacy and silencing charms around them, he laid down. It felt strange to have company in a place usually filled with such solitude.

After a few seconds of silence, Harry turned to face the blonde, who he found was already staring back at him. "Is it always this quiet at night?" Malfoy whispered, eyes shifting around the dark corners of their little curtained room.

Harry switched his gaze to the ceiling and nodded slowly, his voice coming out deadened; "the hours drag on for days.. and the days? Months.." Was it a bit dramatic? Maybe, but Harry didn't think it was truly that far from reality. He had spent far too much time there, in his short few years at Hogwarts.

"So I'm guessing you don't like it much in here?"

"Well.. it was alright the first few times -and I don't mind it in the day time, but when you've have been in here as much as I have? The silences are like- so loud you want to rip out your eardrums, you know?" he smiled softly and turned back to Malfoy, who was staring off into space.

"I had no idea it was that bad.."

"Eh.." he shrugged, "It keeps me from making even more stupid decisions than I already do, for fear of ending up in one of these beds."

Malfoy let out a small chuckle from under his breath, squirming slightly, trying to get comfortable in the itchy sheets.

"That won't do anything. It'll only irritate your skin more"

He let out a long sigh, closing his eyes, "How do you not go crazy in here? Especially on your own"

"I just.. I think about stuff, y'know? It keeps my mind off the pain, too"

"What do you think about?"

"All sorts, I guess"

Malfoy sighed, before a question seemed to spring to mind. "What were you thinking about? Before I got here, I mean"

The Gryffindor went quiet, and after a few seconds Malfoy chuckled, "Not about me, were you?" When Harry's silence continued, Malfoy sat bolt upright and stared at him, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Wait- really? What about me? All good things I hope-"

The raven rolled his eyes, "You could say that..."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I was thinking about that day in the great hall.." Malfoy looked at him questioningly, and Harry grinned, "..remember? When I punched you?"

The Slytherins face dropped and he slumped down on the bed again. "I still haven't forgiven you for that, Potter" However it didn't come out nearly as venomous as it would have done a few months previous, and Harry didn't really know what to make of that fact. "I mean it!" He said, throwing a pillow at the Gryffindor, and just before it fell off the other side of his bed, Harry grabbed it and threw it back, which led to an all-out pillow fight.

Despite them finally agreeing on a draw, however, they were each secretly confident that they had won. With one last extra dose of pain relief, both the Gryffindor and the Slytherin fell asleep.