Underneath the Mistletoe

ChapterTwentyThree

Draco's POV
ThirdYear-DayFive

The next time he awoke it was to an eyeful of sunlight that was bleeding through the window.
"Unnnngh!" Draco groaned and rolled onto his stomach covering his face with his pillow. A throaty chuckle sounded through the fluffy barrier, soon turning into a grating cough.
Draco peeked out from underneath the pillow and glared at a very tired, hair rumpled, Harry Potter. The other boy grinned and Draco just glared harder.
Potter wasn't wearing his glasses and Draco decided that although Potter looked good without his glasses they were part of what made him his quirky self.
The thought took Draco back. Where had that come from? He dropped the pillow back over his face.
Bloody hell. What was going on. This was such a nightmare. First the dementors, holding Potters hand, being offered therapy, and now this?! It couldn't possibly be real.

Yet when Draco rolled onto his side Potter was still giving him that goofy grin.
"What?" He snapped.
Harry smirked and motioned toward his own head of hair that stuck up in all directions.
"Your hair looks like mine. I knew it couldn't possibly be so effortless."
Mildly horrified, Draco reached to pull the curtains closed but Madam Pomfrey chose that moment to appear.

"Mr. Malfoy I didn't think it possible but you look even more ill. Did you not sleep well?" She asked, a look of concern stretched across her face.

"That would be putting it lightly" Draco replied through gritted teeth.

"Nightmares?" The nurse gave him a pitying look. Draco's eyes danced to look at Potter, who seemed to be doing his best to look as if he weren't eavesdropping. "Yeah."

"The sleeping potion usually does the opposite and prevents bad dreams, however you appear to be one of the rare exceptions. I'm sorry to hear." Draco just stared down at his lap."Well you should be fine to leave within the hour. You too Mr. Potter. Please stay in bed until I come back. I'd like to monitor your vitals."He nodded.

Just as she was leaving Draco called out.
"What about Pansy?"

She turned back to him. "What about her?" The nurse was clearly schooling her features to not give away her emotions.

"When will she be out?"

"Mrs. Parkinson, the silly girl, wasn't wearing near enough clothing out in that weather." Madam Pomfrey motioned towards the window. A glance out onto the grounds showed that snow was falling again, though definitely not as hard. "Ridiculous children," the nurse muttered as she departed, "beauty is pain. What utter rubbish."

For awhile both boys said nothing, Draco stared out the window and Potter played with a loose string in the sheets. He would have been fine had it stayed that way but not Potter. Nope, he just had to go and pry.

"So how are you feeling?" Draco saw the other boy putting on his glasses out of the corner of his eye.

"Fine" he replied shortly.

"Did Madam Pomfry give you chocolate?"

"She did" Draco kept his answers curt.

"Really does the trick doesn't it?" He could see a smile on the other boys lips.

"Sure."

"Why do you have to be such a prick?"

"Excuse me?" Draco turned on him. The other boy was smiling harder and he realized he'd only played into Potters game, getting a reaction. He huffed a sigh and turned away. "You're the prick" he shot back.

"Oh really? Why don't you tell me more?" Potter teased.

"I don't think your ready for that conversation" Draco scoffed.