Cicatrices- Marks That Remain

O-Shaped Cereal

Happy Sunday folks (IT IS STILL TECHNICALLY SUNDAY. SO, I DID IT!)I know it's been a while. and, once again, I cannot promise regular posting for now. HOWEVER. I've got a LOT planned.

I love Teddy very much, and he is getting a tad more important. I know this chapter isn't much on the drama scale, but what's coming...

A Lot of questions are going to get answered in the next few chapters, if my calculations are correct.

Anyway, as usual, please let me know what y'all think. And, as always...

Enjoy!

Last night was... interesting, Harry thought. Being able to comfort Draco in one of his fits was a rare gift that held something of significance to Harry. And to learn more about him, and what goes on in his head...

Harry glided his razor around his chin and down his neck.

Hearing that Draco worries about Harry's safety made Harry feel- well... He doesn't want Draco to feel the need to worry, truly. Especially not on top of everything else, but the sentiment also stirred up a warmth in him. Harry liked it, liked being cared about.

He ran the razor through the water of the tap.

Harry knows he has people in his life that care for him: Ron, Hermione, all of the Weasley's, all of his friends, really. It's just not quite the same. But the last thing he wants is for it to be a source of distress for Draco.

Speaking of, Harry pretended not to notice the sliver of white-blond hair that he could see off the edge of the mirror's reflection. Why Draco was standing in a corner, watching Harry shave, he did not know. He figured that, from Draco's angle, he likely didn't realize that Harry could see him.

Harry made another pass at his chin, down his neck, observing the trail of clear skin that it left behind.

He wants very badly to snog the daylights out of Draco. Unfortunately, Draco said that they cannot be together. And, well, Harry can't go against him. It's incorrect. And maybe this is better for him, anyway. There's just too much going on for Harry to add the pressure of attraction and the desire to do things such as snog. Draco is right in stopping things, actually, as much as it hurts Harry to acknowledge.

Draco walked away after another few swipes of the chin. Harry continued to shave, very decidedly ignoring the mild feeling of disappointment that he got knowing that Draco left the area.

They can't be together, anyway. There are far too many reasons why it's a bad idea. Draco was stronger than Harry in that regard, he supposed.

Earlier, during breakfast, Harry had to hold back the urge to ask Draco about whether his magic was better today. Harry had tried to assure him last night that maybe he was simply tired, but he knew that Draco saw right through it. Tiredness might affect a young child, but a fully practiced and learned wizard? Harry wondered what was wrong. Absently, he thought of the year that Tonks was sans metamorphmagus abilities. He wondered if something like that may be happening to Draco. He did not want to bring it up, though, especially because he noticed Draco was doing markedly less with his wand, today. Draco was actually being quite odd today, now that Harry thought of it. At one point, Harry watched him sit on his hands with a supremely frustrated expression about him. Harry doesn't know why, and he did not ask, because it might lead him to doing something stupid, like hold him, again.

Harry wondered if Draco was thinking about him as much as Harry was.

Harry startled at the sound of apparition, nicking his chin at the last swipe. John had arrived to take over for him tonight. He rinsed his face.