Nightmare | Drarry | English

Chapter 8

Harry opened his eyes to the intense smell of the sea and the sound of the waves. He felt very different from the previous mornings. Trying to figure out why, he started to think about what he had dreamed about the night before. He had nightmares about Draco before. Worse ones, in fact. But he was surprised because he hadn't had one in a long time. He thought it had something to do with the kiss that hadn't happened. It must have been the effect of being exposed to a lot of Draco the night before.

Then he thought of the beach where he had found himself. He remembered the sunset, the waves lapping against the shore, and even the warmth of the water reaching his feet. He remembered someone coming up behind him, holding his hands and talking to him. Then he remembered them sitting together, looking at the view for a long time. The strange thing was that he could feel the peace he felt in his dream even though he was awake. Harry was used to feeling the pain of his nightmares when he woke up. After all, everything that caused his nightmares came from his experiences. However, he did not expect to feel a peace that he was unfamiliar with even in his dreams.

Before he thought he was going mad, he put on his glasses and got out of bed. "Good morning," he said, trying not to look directly at Draco when he realised he was awake and already dressed.

"Good morning, Potter."

Harry dressed without another word and went to the bathroom. When he came back, he was fully awake and his senses were clear. Perhaps that was why he had just realised what he hadn't realised a few minutes ago.

"Malfoy?" he said, looking at Draco, who was at his desk gathering his books.

Draco looked up and turned to him. "Yes?" he asked curiously.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," he was confused. "Why?"

"You look tired," he explained. "Didn't you sleep?"

Draco looked away and turned back to the books in front of him. "I slept," he said calmly. "It must have seemed that way to you."

"Maybe," he said, shrugging and heading for his own desk. But he didn't feel comfortable. "Are you sick or something? Why don't you drop by the hospital wing?"

"I said I'm fine, Potter."

"Fine," Harry said. "It's my fault thinking about you."

"Then don't."

Harry put the book into his bag. "Fine."

Then they both fell silent. Harry was right; Draco really was sleepless and tired. You could see it in his face. It wasn't enough that he hadn't slept properly in the last few days, he hadn't slept at all the night before. He didn't know how much longer he could go on like this, but he was determined to go as far as he could.

"I'm sorry."

Harry dropped the book he was holding at the word, but ignoring it, he turned his head and focused on Draco's face. "What?" he asked in surprise.

"I said I was sorry, Potter, you'll have to make me repeat it, won't you?"

"No, that's not it."

"Whatever, just chalk it up to morning jitters. I didn't mean to be rude."

"No problem," Harry said. After staring at him for a while, Harry swallowed and turned away. Then, not knowing what to do, he started rummaging through the books on his desk.

Draco rolled his eyes as he continued to watch him, approached him, bent down, and picked up the book from the floor. "Here," he said, handing it to the owner of the confused look.