I Think I Like Him

24. Easy Silences, Difficult Thoughts.

A/N- The last chapter has been edited. Go RR.
Or don't. We don't care.
[ a s ]

Word Count: 1761

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Snow covered every surface of the grounds, the day term ended. A great oasis of powdered white backdropping the hundreds of students departing to Hogsmeade station.

"Harry, you know I love you, but the trains leaving soon-"

Harry, one arm around Ron and the other Hermione, reluctantly let go at her words. "Sorry, I just.. will you write?" He looked between his friends pleadingly.

"Of course we will, Harry" Hermione said softly, rubbing his shoulder in a way that reminded him of McGonagall doing after something traumatic in 1st and 2nd year. Which was, of course, a regular event with the absolute incendio that was his life.

"You should come with me mate, I'm sure mum wouldn't mind-" Ron said, before Harry cut him off;

"It's okay, Ron, really. It would be too late notice-"

"But mum loves you! I'm sure she wouldn't-"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Ron! You know Harry loves Hogwarts. He'll miss us but he'll be just fine here with Hagrid to keep him company"

Ron sighed, nodding. "I know, it just doesn't feel right to leave Harry here, that's all"

"It's only two weeks," Harry said. To the hum of goodbyes, Ron slapped his back and Hermione hugged him tightly. The raven stood watching them walk out into the white grounds until they were barely dots, and his fingers were pink and pinching with cold.

He broke his gaze to find the courtyard empty, and so made the quick decision to seek out Draco. Who, after a glance at the Marauders Map, turned out to be in the Great Hall.

The look that the blonde gave him unpon entering, however, seemed to greatly discourage approaching. He faltered in his stride as he caught sight of the few other students dotting the tables, and Professor Flitwick talking to McGonagall on the teachers table. He huffed, before cutting his walk short in sitting on the Gryffindor table facing Draco, who rolled his eyes at his lack of subtlety.

Harry found it unbearably annoying, having to fuss around with hiding their friendship. Now with his concern for Black, he just wanted to be able to have a nice Christmas with Draco.

He buttered some toast as the thought that it could be his last Christmas, crossed his mind. If the Askaban-escapee found him -if it didn't go the way Harry desperately wanted it to. With Black dead. He decided, upon shoving the toast in his mouth, that he wouldn't really care if he did.

Of course the raven didn't want to die, but if he were to die, he figured that attempting to avenge his parents death, and his own parentless childhood, wasn't such an awful reason to risk it.

When breakfast ended, Draco sought him out- pulling him into an empty corridor as soon as he saw him. "That's going to get irritating" he said, frowning. "I had hoped less people would stay, but.. I suppose not"

Harry nodded, "Not many do, but.. enough. Enough stay."

It hadn't really hindered anything in the past, what with him simply staying with Ron and Hermione, yet he suddenly wished that the school were completely empty, baring him and Draco. He couldn't bring himself to care about the secret of their truce. It felt stupid, now. As though he had matured some since that day in Hogsmeade. He probably had.

Draco would never take to it though, and so he pushed through with gritted teeth when these hidden meetings continued. Well, perhaps he would've done if talking to Draco didn't distract him from everything else, in the best of ways.