Emerald and Scarlet ~ Drarry

The Serpent's Pride

Harry watched as Malfoy show up to breakfast late on Monday morning. He wanted to talk to him but he knew with Ron by his side so soon after their fight that he could only watch the boy from the other side of the Great Hall.

Harry needed to catch Draco while the two of them were alone, perhaps on the way to potions later, surely it would be easy enough to shake off Ron and Hermione for a few minutes.

Harry sipped his goblet of Pumpkin juice while Ginny recounted a joke a Hufflepuff friend of hers told while they were in Hogsmeade the other day.

The grey clouds in the ceiling above had dissipated and, for now, the clear sky above filled the students with a slightly more optimistic outlook for the week ahead.

The day past sleepily, nobody was really present in their classes, everybody daydreaming about going home that weekend.

Potions was the last class of the day, Harry feigned an emergency bathroom visit, telling Ron and Hermione he'd meet them in the Dungeons. It took a lot less convincing than anticipated to get Ron to leave him alone in the common room after their free period. The entire hour he had kept his eye on Malfoy who was across the room, bent over a table studying intently.

As the eighth years moved off to their final class, Harry remained in the corridor just outside the ornate door.

He stood perfectly still as the doors opened again, it was, of course, Malfoy who stepped out, his blonde hair combed neatly to the side and his pristine robes hanging on his frame as if they were newly ironed.

"'Malfoy!" Harry called.

Draco jumped at the mention of his name, he turned to see Harry standing in the hall, smiling at him tentatively. Malfoy began walking briskly away from him.

"Hey, what's up. Don't ignore me," Harry frowned, holding the strap of his bag as he caught up to the Slytherin. "What's going on?"

"Piss off, Potter," Malfoy growled, quickening his pace.

"Hey, no. We are not doing this right now. Was it them? Did they put you in the Hospital Wing again?"

"I said, leave me alone," he reiterated. "I can't speak to you here."

"Okay then, what about here?" Harry grabbed Malfoy by the back of the collar and pulled him into an empty classroom, slamming the door behind him.

"Hey!"

"Yeah, shut up. What is going on?" Harry questioned him.

"I," Malfoy bit his lip, refusing to meet Harry's eye. "It's them. They threatened me that if they see me talking to you, they'll come for me again."

"Malfoy, they're fourth years, can't you fight back?" Harry took a step closer.

"You don't get it, do you?" Malfoy yelled, Harry backed off again. "Potter, you and I both know I could rearrange their vital organs with a flick of my wrist, but you know what happens if I even get one negative incident here? I get to go share a cell with my dear old father. I can't fight back Potter, and it hurts me more than these goddamn scars. No one may believe but I still have a shred of pride left and every time I am beaten to the ground by some fourteen-year-olds I am stripped of even that."

Harry saw something he never thought he'd see in Draco Malfoy's eyes. Tears, threatening to spill over but the blonde haired boy refused to let the weakness show.

Harry took a deep breath in before stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. Malfoy flinched but didn't pull his arm away.

"Sit with us at dinner, I won't let them near you," Harry promised.

"No, Ginger and Bushy-tail would have my head if they don't," Draco shrugged.

Harry elected to ignore his comment about his friends but he decided to take a different tactic. "Meet me at midnight then, in front of the fireplace."

"If I don't?" Draco challenged.

"I'll have to climb into your bed and get you," said Harry. Draco visibly paled and swallowed hard, Harry smirked at the thought of Malfoy being uneasy because of him. "Because we're talking this out."

Draco finally pulled himself out of Harry's grasp. "We've got to go, Slughorn won't tolerate our lateness much longer.

+ + +

When Harry had followed Ron up to the dorms after dinner that night, he had not seen Malfoy join them. He assumed it would be a lot less conspicuous for him to stay down by the fire while Harry would lie in his bed for a few hours before sneaking off to meet him there.

Harry pressed his glasses onto his face and pulled a fluffy robe around him as he tip-toed past the beds of sleeping boys toward the door.

He made his way down the wooden stairs, making sure they creaked as little as possible under his weight.

Sure enough, Malfoy was curled up on a green armchair by the fire so perfectly still that he could be mistaken for being asleep.

Creeping over to him, Harry felt very surreal. Time began to move very slowly, the length between himself and Malfoy seemed to never get any shorter. He caught himself wondering just for a moment whether it would be creepy if Harry neglected to announce his presence and remained silently watching Draco from a distance. He ultimately decided it would be so he eased himself into the burgundy armchair next to Malfoy as to not startle him.

"Thought you'd never show up," Malfoy mumbled. Harry chuckled under his breath and brought his legs up beside him on the chair. "I got you this by the way."

Draco passed him a chocolate frog packet without looking at him, pulling his own out of his robes as well.

"You didn't have to," Harry smiled.

"I only gave it to you because I had an extra one and having two this late at night would just make me sick-"

"You don't need an excuse to be nice to me," Harry rolled his eyes, taking the cardboard box from his hand.

"I know," Malfoy grumbled.

Silence fell between the two again as Harry opened the box carefully, making sure the confectionary frog inside did not escape. The silence wasn't uncomfortable however, neither of them had anything to say as they sat in each other's presence.

"I thought I had a good reason for hating you all these years, but I really didn't," said Malfoy suddenly. Harry wasn't quite sure how he should respond to this. It was such an absurd statement that seemingly came out of nowhere. So Harry said nothing.

"I hated you because you didn't want to be my friend, I hated you because you were on the Quidditch team, I hated you because everyone was so fascinated by you, I hated you because Dumbledore liked you, I hated you because you had a better broom than me, I hated you because you would never understand what it was like to be unappreciated by your own father. They were so real at the time, but no that I think on them, they're so childish."

Harry was stunned. He looked at Malfoy with concerned eyes, he reached out to touch him. Draco shivered under the slight brush of Harry's fingers against his bicep.

"Does this mean you don't hate me anymore?" Asked Harry.

Malfoy threw an embroidered cushion at Harry's head.