Just Harry

Part 2

The party was in full swing, despite the late hour and classes looming far too soon, and the boisterous crowd bopped enthusiastically to the thrumming bass beat.

Harry wove through them, nodding vaguely at... Sarah? Susan? Shelley? She peered up at him earnestly and he nodded, no longer sure what he was agreeing to. Whatever it was, it seemed to satisfy her, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She flipped her long black hair over her shoulder and the silken fall of it reminded him painfully of Cho, which reminded him of Cedric, which hurt. He stumbled away from her, muttering an apology, and searched the courtyard frantically for Malfoy. He needed to ground himself, needed to stem the rising tide of panic and sorrow. He couldn't break down here.

He saw a flash of pale hair across the courtyard and sighed in relief. Not that he was relieved to see Malfoy, exactly, but he was a familiar face in the crowd, and Harry clung to the sight of him like a pale, pointy lifeline.

He shook his head, frowning at the direction his thoughts had turned and the way everything was spinning. He gazed down at the red plastic cup in his hand; it was empty. How many had he had? Was this the same cup he'd started the evening with? They all looked the same, and discarded cups littered the various tables and ledges surrounding the courtyard.

"There you are," Harry said, weaving his way through the crowd to Malfoy's side, ignoring his relief at being near him again.

"I thought you hated mingling?" Malfoy asked with more than a touch of annoyance from where he'd propped himself against the wall sometime before. He looked like he'd tried to mask his exhaustion with an elegant slouch and a pasted-on sneer.

Harry grinned helplessly back at him. He suspected his muscles had frozen in that position about an hour before. "I guess I've never properly mingled before. It's a lot more fun when everyone isn't fawning all over you."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Can we please go, now?"

"Yeah, I think most people are past the point of talking anyway — hey, Malfoy?"

"What?"

"How come you're still here if you're not enjoying it?"

"Merlin only knows. I thought I'd better keep an eye on you so you didn't get lost."

"I can find my way back to our room."

"Can you? Which way is it, then?"

"Well, obviously it's... Er."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Yes. Er. Come along, Potter. It's time for bed. You're just lucky Granger isn't here to see you. We do have classes in the morning, you know?"

"Oh. Right. What classes do you have, Malfoy?"

"With my luck, the same ones you do. Now come on."

—

"Hey, Malfoy?" Harry asked drowsily, as he floated on the cusp of sleep, tucked snugly into his unfamiliar but surprisingly comfortable bed.

"Hmmm?" came the drowsy reply from across the room.

"I'm glad you're here. Y'know. At the school. And my roommate."

Malfoy snorted. "Go to sleep, Potter."

As Harry felt himself drifting off, he thought he heard a whispered: "I'm glad you're here too."

—

Harry cracked his eyes opened and groaned, promptly closing them again against the harsh morning light that streamed through their window. Malfoy sat at his desk, entirely unsympathetic.

"I'm going to die," Harry announced.

Malfoy snorted. "You are not. Here. Drink this."

Strong arms were suddenly thrust under Harry's shoulders, pulling him upright, and he groaned again as the room tilted around him.

"How much did you have last night," Malfoy grunted as he lifted him. "Merlin. You still reek of that godawful punch."

"Malfoy..."

"Here." Malfoy thrust something into his hand, a small vial that felt cool and familiar in his overheated palm. He quickly downed it, not really looking at it, and promptly groaned in relief.

"You know, I could have poisoned you," Malfoy said, amusement coloring his tone. "Not too long ago you would have been certain of it."

Harry shrugged, cracking his neck and rotating his shoulders to get the kinks out as the hangover potion took hold, clearing his head. "Yeah, but you wouldn't. Anyway. Don't you think you'd get in trouble for offing your roommate?" He opened his eyes properly and grinned at Malfoy, pleased to see his small smile.

"Now," he continued, "the real question is how much of that hangover potion you managed to smuggle in here?"

Malfoy snorted. "Not much, unfortunately, so if you plan to make that a regular occurrence, you're on your own."

Harry shook his head adamantly. "No, I think I'll leave the partying to others from now on."

Malfoy smiled. "Good. Otherwise, we'll have to start a potions smuggling ring or sneak brewing supplies into the room — neither of which I look forward to."

He got to his feet, holding out a hand to Harry and hauling him up. "Come on. We don't have much time before class, and you need a shower before we brave breakfast."

Harry, bemused and pleased that Malfoy had waited for him, let himself be shooed off to the shower.

—

"You know, you're taking all this rather well," Harry said thoughtfully that afternoon, as they made their way down the line at the cafeteria, grabbing slices of pizza and containers of fruit and salad.

"All of what?" Malfoy asked absently, focusing most of his attention on the selection of drinks. "Merlin, why do these have so much sugar?" he asked, turning to Harry with a confused frown and shoving a can of coke into his face.

"Er, because it tastes good?" Harry asked, reaching for the can.

Malfoy grimaced and whipped it out of his hands, replacing it with a bottle of orange juice.

"There's not even any nutrition in that stuff," he grumbled. "Don't even think about it; it looks positively vile."

Harry sighed. "He's diabetic," he said quickly, as the student in line behind them stared. They nodded, mollified, and moved on."

"Hang on, I'm what?" Malfoy asked, indignant.

Harry sighed. "Just grab your juice; I'll explain when we find a seat."

They settled at one of the small tables in the corner, beneath a window that looked over a shaded courtyard.

"Now, explain," Malfoy said.

Harry sighed again. "Muggles aren't worried about sugar and nutrition in college," he said, taking a bite of his pizza. "Diabetes is an illness that makes them have to constantly monitor their sugar intake. It was the best I could do in the moment."

"Hmm. And what about what I was taking well?"

"Debatable, at the moment, but I was talking about the muggle world in general. You don't seem as uncomfortable as I expected."

Malfoy shrugged, but he looked pleased. "I did my research. It hasn't been entirely pleasant for me in the Wizarding world, since, you know, so I've spent a lot of time in the muggle one."

Harry nodded. "I've done the same, actually. For... similar reasons."

They shared an intense look and then spent the rest of the meal in silence, each lost in thought.