No Idiot

Can I Laugh?

Harry was fully expecting to be sent back to Hogwarts after meeting Lucius and Narcissa for the first time, but instead, he was put up in Draco’s room for the night.

Harry and Draco sat on Draco’s bed together, It was a cool night and the windows were left open for some fresh air. Neither of them said anything, but instead just looked at each other as they listened to the soft sounds coming from just outside of the bedroom door. Shadows can be seen blocking parts of the tiny gap separating the hardwood floors and the bottom of the door.

Lucius was pacing in front of their door, they could hear the clicks of his gold heels on the hardwood. He wasn’t the best at showing that he cared for his son, but he did, the pacing was enough to show that. Wordlessly, the two boys meet each other’s eyes, and he mouths, ‘He cares.’

Harry watches as Draco’s chest rises and falls softly as he sighs and looks nervously at the door and nods slightly in acknowledgment. The clicks of Lucius’s golden heels don’t stop, but they get quieter as he likely suspected that the boys were asleep. After a while, it sounded as though Narcissa came, and gently spoke to Lucius, who went back downstairs.

It became obvious that they were taking shifts, but Lucius needed to start sending owls and needed to start getting a case prepared. Dumbledoor certainly wasn’t going to go down easily, if they won the case it would shake the wizarding world, so their case needed as much work as they could put into it. Harry had done his best to talk with Draco about putting on a performance for the trial, as he figured such a high-profile scandal would fall into Dumbledoors favor if they didn’t ‘act upset enough’.

The cold air blew through the window once more, causing the boys to shiver and retreat further under the blankets. Despite the dark interior deco of Draco’s room, the atmosphere was almost peaceful in the aftermath of their arrival at Malfoy Manor. Harry felt comfortable here, it was not the tense and dreadful experience that he had imagined having in the Malfoy’s home, he was expecting to be kicked out relatively quickly, and not offered a room with their heir.

There were no bad feelings between him and Draco anymore, Harry even had an understanding with Lucius. The Malfoy family is different from your usual family in how they operate and behave, but Harry knows that it’s all surface-level. As prim and proper as they try to be, it’s obvious that both parents would rather be closer to their child, and simply feel trapped because of the people they associate with and the ideology they have built their lives around. It’s not a top priority, but Harry would like to encourage Lucius and Draco to be closer.

“Are you cold?” Harry whispered, vaguely looking over at Draco who had been watching the shadow of his mother’s footsteps from under the door. Almost instinctively, Draco pulled his silk blankets just a little closer to his chest, “Just a bit.” He mumbled to himself, his eyes lowering to look at the blankets that covered him.

"‘Hey, maybe we should move over to the couches by the fireplace,” Harry suggested softly, shivering a bit. “We deserve a break after that ordeal at school, don’t you think?” Draco glanced at the warm, inviting couches. “Yeah, ok, I’m freezing,” he mumbled, rubbing his arms. It was a tiny victory, but a victory nonetheless. For the first time, Draco had agreed with Harry without even arguing about it.

They both stand from the bed, despite the size of the blankets Draco still tries to bring a whole blanket with him to the couch. Harry found the action to be a bit endearing, he wasn’t used to seeing such a wholesome, hum side of Draco, but he preferred this side of him. Harry smiled as he watched Draco struggle to keep the whole blanket with him. He couldn't help but feel a warmth in his chest, knowing that Draco was finally starting to be comfortable around him.

The weight on the large velvet couch shifted as Harry sat down next to Draco, who was still snuggled up in his blanket. A breeze came through the window, causing Harry’s green eyes to shift to it. He thought about closing it, but he was waiting for an owl from Hermione and didn’t want to miss it if she sent one back.