An Accidental Alliance

chapter 5

"Potter, what are you doing on my floor?"

Harry opened his eyes groggily. He tried to turn to look at the voice but a stiff pain shot through his neck and down into his shoulder, the sort of pain he got from sleeping on an uncomfortable surface. And yes, this did seem uncomfortable. In fact, it seemed an awful lot like a floor. He was nudged in the ribs, just past gentle but not into the land of painful.

"Come on, Potter, wake up."

Harry rolled over. Carefully, so as to not disturb his neck. Or disturb the paper he was lying on because yes, now he remembered, he had tried to go back to his own room but had been held captive and so had decided to work on scales all night, and at some point he must have fallen asleep.

Malfoy was sitting on his bed, legs hanging off, clothes rumpled from sleeping in them, and he had a slight case of bed head, just on one side, causing a few errand strands of otherwise perfect hair to stick up. Harry laughed, and Malfoy frowned.

"What's so funny down there?" he asked.

"You look cute."

Silence reigned. Harry was not a morning person, that had been established a long time ago, but usually he wasn't quite that daft. Then again, he didn't usually wake up on Malfoy's floor.

"I mean, your clothes are rumpled, and your hair's sticking up," Harry amended much too late. "I've never seen you look anything other than perfect. It's good to see you're human after all."

Malfoy continued to frown at him. "So tell me why you're on my floor again? I missed that."

"I couldn't leave," Harry said. "Some sort of protection spell?"

Malfoy flinched. "Ah, yes. The Treacle Trick. Forgot about that. Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I dunno," Harry said defensively, feeling like any answer he gave would sound too mushy. "You looked...peaceful?"

"Peaceful?" Malfoy repeated. "Is that a question? Are you asking me how I look when I'm asleep? I'm afraid I can't answer that one for you."

"You're bloody infuriating," Harry said angrily. "I was being nice. You could thank me."

"For unwittingly letting you sleep on my floor?" Malfoy asked, purposefully difficult, as always. "Thank you for the great honor of having the one and only Golden Boy grace me with his sleeping presence. It means the world to me, Potty, really."

Harry glared at him. "I let you sleep," he replied. "That was nice of me. Especially since it meant I had to sleep on your very uncomfortable floor."

"If you're a masochist, that's your business, not mine," Malfoy said. "Come on, get up. We're going to be late for breakfast."

Harry sat up and flinched. It wasn't just his neck, though that was the worst by far. Every muscle in his back was clenched and felt like someone with an awful lot of fingers was poking him very hard. He rubbed his neck, and even that hurt.

Malfoy sighed. "Stiff?"

"You could say that," Harry replied. He pulled himself to his feet and picked up his bag. It would have to go over his right shoulder and only his right shoulder. He looked over to see Malfoy rummaging through his bedside table drawer. "What now?" he asked dully.

He pulled out a flask filled with a pinkish purple liquid. "Here," he said, handing it to Harry. "Just one sip, otherwise you'll be a puddle."

"What is it?" Harry asked, opening the cork and sniffing. It smelled like nothing in particular with just a touch of medicine.

"A muscle relaxant," Malfoy said. "Go on. I'm not poisoning you, I promise."

Harry took a small sip. Immediately his neck, shoulders and back relaxed. He let out a surprised and grateful sigh, corked the flask and handed it back to Malfoy. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Malfoy replied. "Really, don't. That's from my private stores, I don't need everyone in school thinking I'm a bloody apothecary."

"Yeah, sure," Harry said, rolling his shoulders. They were pleasantly loose, looser than they'd been since the damned war started. "Thanks. Loads."

"You've said that already," Malfoy said, going through the stack of books and picking out the ones he'd need for the day. "Seriously, we need to go. We've already missed most of breakfast, might as well grab a slice of toast before heading to Herbology."

"Muggle Studies," Harry replied. This time it was easy to leave the room; maybe the spell only activated when Malfoy was asleep?

"Don't care," Malfoy replied, dropping his books into his bag, which was still on the table with his Arithmancy chart, and led the way out of the common room and through the dungeons.

"You're brilliant to wake up to, you know that?" Harry asked. It was still early, and he hadn't been awake enough to generate actual annoyance or anger.

Malfoy smiled, and for a split second it seemed genuine before returning to his trademark sneer. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Harry made an expression somewhere between a frown and a laugh. "Malfoy, I do know, I just did it."

Malfoy glared at him. "I meant in bed, you dolt."

"That definitely would have been nicer," Harry replied lightly. "I don't know what I would've done without that potion. Still, I would rather sleep in a bed."

"Not in mine," Malfoy said.

Harry actually laughed. "You've gotten yourself turned around. First you start off by insinuating I've spent the night with you, then you declare it would never happen? Silly little ferret."

Malfoy glared at him. "You're an idiot. I insinuated that you wanted to be in my bed, not that I wanted you there. In fact, that was my entire point, if you had let me get to it."

"Ah," Harry replied loftily. "How very clear and concise."

Malfoy punched his arm a little harder than he needed to. "And I'm not a bloody ferret."

"Whatever you say, Malfoy."

They reached the Great Hall and, just before splitting ways, Malfoy said, "My room at ten?"

Harry stared, completely shocked. Then he remembered the poster. "Yeah, sure. I dunno if I'll have time to practice the girl before then, though, so I might just finish up the dragon, which won't take long."

"Then bring some homework," Malfoy said off-handedly. "I had to suffer watching you have fun while I toiled away, now it's your turn."

Was that a request to study together? No. Definitely not. "Suppose so," Harry replied carefully. "See you then, I guess."

"Later."