The Hearts Eclipse

Chapter 14: Breaking Point

The day dawned clear and warm, but the sole occupant of the tent by the river was still snoring softly. A buzzing in his ear caused him to stir, but he merely snuggled deeper into the soft folds of the cloak and began snoring again. Something tickled his cheek, and he swatted at it reflexively, but didn't open his eyes. When the gnat landed on Harry's nose and bit him, he slapped it. The self-inflicted slap in the face immediately brought him fully awake, and he sat up, blinking against the brightness of morning. "Damn insect," he grunted, rubbing his nose, which was now both itchy and sore. He sighed and looked down at his companion. "G'morning Dra –" He stopped short. The tent was empty. "Draco," he breathed. Grabbing his glasses and jamming them on his face, he scrambled to his feet, almost knocking the tent over in the process. He was just about to call out when he saw Draco, and the sight caused him to skid to a stop.

Draco was standing in the shallows of the river, facing the far bank. His trousers were rolled up to his knees, and the water came halfway up his calves. Ripples from the river bounced off his legs to collide with other ripples, sending sparkles of light dancing. He was wearing just his T-shirt – Harry noticed his blue jumper lying on the bank. Draco took a small, tentative step forward, sending larger ripples off into the quiet river. As he moved, Harry could see his shoulder blades shifting under the fabric of his T-shirt. He brought up his other foot alongside the first, and stood still again. Even though Harry couldn't see his face, he could imagine it. Draco would half-close his eyes each time he stepped. Then, once he was standing still again, his eyes would open wide, taking in everything.

With the sun at their backs, the whole forest around them was alive with green. The air wasn't humid, but not too dry either; almost soft. The wind was calm, like the dawn was holding her breath as she greeted the day. The only sound was the faint familiar backdrop of running water, and the occasional drone of gnats. Harry scratched his nose. He looked at Draco for another few seconds before making up his mind. He kicked off his shoes – despite hearing Draco in the back of his mind telling him to untie the laces first – pulled off his socks, and rolled up his trousers. The dew on the grass clung to his toes, and his feet were wet before he stepped quietly into the river. He stopped next to Draco. Draco acted as if he'd known Harry had been there the whole time, glanced at him briefly, and greeted him with a soft smile and a nod of the head. Harry thought he detected an unspoken "what took you so long?" in there somewhere, but it was rhetorical anyway. Draco then looked back out at the forest.

Harry followed Draco's gaze, wondering if he was looking at something in particular. He quickly realized there was nothing specific – just everything. The thought made him smile, and he glanced back at Draco to find the same thoughtful smile on Draco's face. "What do you think?" Harry asked in a whisper, as though anything louder than that shouldn't be allowed. Draco didn't look back as he answered. "I think it's beautiful." Harry hadn't been sure how Draco would act, after the experience at the river. It might have been a bit awkward for him. Maybe Draco would want to talk about it, or maybe he'd close up from discomfort over how much of himself he'd exposed. He might even be angry. The actual result was altogether different.

Draco didn't mention it again. It was as though the time spent at the river had been a time and place apart, and Draco carried on as if it hadn't happened. Almost. Draco didn't act much differently than he had before. He still tossed random insults back and forth with Harry with casual amusement, and still prattled on with long-winded tales of random magical facts. He took great amusement when Harry tripped over a branch and landed face-first in an unfortunately muddy patch of ground, and snickered gleefully as he healed Harry's bruises. Harry had returned the requisite scowl. Still, something had changed. They were closer, somehow. Unspoken though the fact might be, it was obvious, and Harry took a strange comfort in it. Somehow, he knew Draco did, too. In many ways, they were still in their "place apart" from the rest of the world.