16 days under the influence (Draco x Harry)

Chapter 42:

*Third person p.o.v*

Harry decided not to show up at the library.

Every time he thought about it he felt all nervous, too nervous, to go.

What if Parkinson and Zabini hadn't told Malfoy that Harry was going to show up? And then he'd get upset? Harry couldn't handle Malfoy being mad at him — and perhaps even get up and start yelling at him in the middle of the library — upon everything else at the moment.

And what if Malfoy simply just didn't want Harry there? If he'd decided that he just didn't want to see or talk to Harry anymore, like it seemed he wanted him to think?

After Harry had thought about it for the whole evening, there was many reasons not to go, and only one reason to go.

So instead, he had simply just hung out in the Gryffindor common room, with Seamus, Dean, Neville and Ron.

But when Harry woke up the next morning, all sweaty and panicked from a stupid nightmare, he quickly found himself regretting not having gone to see Malfoy.

"Are you alright?"

Harry nodded frantically, "Yeah, yeah." Harry said lowly, mostly to himself. He cast a look at Ron's bed.

"Are you sure?" Ron frowned at him.

"Yes. Go back to sleep." Said Harry shortly. He didn't feel like talking to Ron about it, and Ron was seemingly still alive despite what Harry's brain was trying to convince him, so Harry didn't have anything to be worried about.

And Harry didn't want to wake up Ron entirely, who usually slept till very late on the weekends. Especially Saturday.

Ron looked hesitant, and troubled to do leave it as Harry asked, and Harry did know that Ron truly just didn't want him to feel panicked or whatever, but Harry just didn't want to talk about it.

It seemed everything was wrong recently, and Harry was tired of talking about it, thinking about it, and burdening Hermione and Ron with it. He knew he did. He could tell by the way Hermione and Ron were acting as though everything sort of sucked as well, when Harry was around.

When Ron turned his back to him, Harry figured that that meant that he would continue sleeping, and he got up from his bed.

After taking a shower, and getting dressed, Harry ended up settling in the Gryffindor common room.

He'd first considered taking a walk out in the cold morning air, or do something like drawing, not that he was any good at it but there was nothing to do, but quickly came to the conclusion that neither would do him any good. His mind was killing him.

The common room was deserted, which wasn't weird seeing as it was only about 6:45 am, and Harry only really knew two people who got up early, even on the weekends.

Harry grabbed a random book that was the only thing lying on one of the wooden tables in front of the red couches, and found that it was most definitely a first or second year's, seeing as it was 'The standard book of spells'.

Nonetheless, Harry had nothing better to do, nor did it seem like there was anything to do other than read some stupid book, and he just couldn't sit and think for much longer without going mad. And to be frank, he'd never been one to do his homework, so he hadn't ever really read the book either.

He'd nearly just started reading, leaning against the back of the couch, yawning, when someone came down the stairs.

He turned his head, and almost glared. "What?"