Harry’s ears buzz.
There are voices nearby, and he recognises… Bunny . Draco.
“And I went to you after Harry beat me up, last year, and you gave me a calming draught. I had a nosebleed.”
“I’m very sorry, Malfoy. Truly. I let the school drama get to me, everything inside the teacher’s lounge. It felt like a blow to Snape, dismissing you. I’m sorry. That’s unacceptable on my part.”
He sits up too fast, and his head spins.
“Lay down, Potter.” Pomfrey barks. Harry looks slowly over at her, sitting in the armchair. He leans back into the cushions that he’d been propped against. Draco sets aside a cup of tea, moving from under Remus’ arm.
“What happened?” Harry asks. Draco’s at his side now, his bloodshot eyes full of relief.
“Moody’s getting rid of the body. No one else is injured.” Remus says softly. Draco takes Harry’s hand and presses it to his lips.
“Why did you fight him? He was here for me, why did you fight him?” Draco whispers against Harry’s skin. Harry frowns.
“That’s exactly why.”
Draco closes his eyes, sinking to his knees on the floor, resting his head on Harry’s chest. Harry holds the back of Draco’s head, stroking his hair.
“Why did you come back?” Harry asks. “You should have kept going.”
“I never left.” Draco murmurs, muffled into Harry’s shirt. “I was casting silencing and anti-muggle charms so your relatives wouldn’t get in trouble with the muggle aurors.”
Harry tilts his head back, huffing out a weak laugh.
“I wouldn’t care if they did.”
“Me neither.” Draco says. “Except that we wouldn’t be able to stay here if they were arrested, and this is the safest place for you right now.”
Remus sits forward, his elbows on his knees.
“It won’t happen again. You won’t be in danger again.” He says softly. “I’ll be staying with you until you move to the Burrow. I should’ve stayed all along.”
“Where?” Harry asks blankly. “Here? On the sofa?”
“You can have my room.” Dudley says. Harry looks over. He hadn’t noticed Dudley sitting against the wall, unobtrusive for the first time in his life. “I’ll stay with one of my friends, he’s just up the street.”
“Thank you, er…”
“Dudley.” Dudley says. “Harry’s cousin.”
“I gathered that.” Remus says. “Thank you, Dudley.”
Harry frowns at Dudley until he looks over at Harry with a worried look.
“What?”
“When did you get nice?” Harry asks bluntly. “You hated me. Pretty much our whole lives.”
“I didn’t hate you, Harry.” Dudley says, looking down at his hands. “I didn’t care enough about you to hate you.”
Harry’s not sure that’s better.
“What changed?”
With a shrug, Dudley looks up at Harry again.
“I grew up, I suppose. Saw what other places are like.”
“You go to private school.”
“Yeah.” Dudley says, his brows dipping. “And suddenly, it’s my friends getting picked on. No one gets in trouble for it, because the parents fund the school, and they refuse to believe their son is causing problems.”
