Amidst the stressful situations he has had to deal with recently, Harry Potter finds solace in a boy he meets one day in the Shrieking Shack. They spend their nights together studying in the library, though most of the studying is Harry making the b...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Jasper woke up rather early Thursday morning; earlier than he usually does. He had astronomy last night, though he missed it due to being in the hospital wing, so he didn't have to be in class until 10. He felt well-rested, so he got dressed, pulled his shoes on, and made his way down to the library. He grabbed some snacks from Madam Pomfrey's office before leaving; going down to the Great Hall for breakfast gave Jasper too much anxiety. He felt physically sick just thinking about it.
The library had barely opened just 5 minutes before Jasper arrived, making his way to his usual spot, and placing his bag on the table. He still had a good chunk of time before he had to be off to class. Though, he wished he didn't have to go to any of his classes today. Both Defense Against the Dark Arts and his Double Potions class were with Slytherin today, as they were every Thursday. However, the more he thought about it, he'd rather suffer through the possible bullying from the Slytherins than have to concentrate on avoiding Harry instead of actually doing his schoolwork.
As if Jasper's thoughts had summoned him, Harry had appeared at the end of the aisle. He hadn't yet noticed Jasper, and seemed to be trying to find something. He looked frustrated, and Jasper was hesitant to try and help him. Harry turned and caught a glimpse of Jasper, who'd been staring at him the entire time, despite trying to remain unnoticeable.
"Hey, Jasper!" Harry chimed, waving at the boy seated down the aisle.
"Hey," He replied, softly.
Harry knew better than to shout at Jasper in the library, so he jogged over to where Jasper was seated at the desk. He immediately chuckled when he saw exactly what he was looking for, looking a little more worn-out since the last time he saw it.
"Hogwarts: A History, right?" Harry asked, pointing at the large book on the desk, leaning against the shelves behind him.
"Have you read it before?" Jasper cocked his head to one side curiously, considering the only other person he's ever seen read it was himself.
"Not personally. My friend Hermione has though, more than a few times if we're being honest. She calls it 'light reading'." He added air quotes, as to quote Hermione. "She has her own copy, but she left it at home over the summer holidays, so she asked me to come get the library's copy of it."
"Oh, I see." Jasper let out a breathy laugh, picking the ridiculously heavy book off the desk, and attempting to hand it to Harry. The latter simply chuckled, and set it back down on the desk.
"If you're using it, then I can just tell her I'll get it for her tomorrow."
"Well, I'm not actively using it." Though apprehensive to admit it, he was telling the truth, "I mostly read it whenever I'm bored, or need to escape for a while."
Harry opened up the book, and glanced at the checkout card inside, Jasper has been the only person to use it since Harry's first year when Hermione read it. Neither boy was sure of what to say, though the unspoken feeling in Harry's heart was empathy; Jasper's was shame. Jasper had never felt such discomfort in the presence of another, but Harry always seemed to find a way to make that feeling disappear, even if he didn't intend to.
"I get that," Harry ran a hand through his hair, smiling because he knew what he was about to say was nothing more than the absolute truth, "Just being at Hogwarts is an escape for me."
Harry began to remember everything that had happened over the summer holidays, with the way the Triwizard Tournament ended, then Dementors in Little Whinging and the trial ordeal. As soon as he set foot on the grounds, he felt all the weight of his burdens disappear into the air. He'd left for the Shrieking Shack on Tuesday morning simply wanting a few moments to himself; though that had been cut short. At that moment, Harry remembered that he had written down the assignments, and gotten lecture notes from all of Jasper's teachers.
"Would you wanna come with me to get the lecture notes I picked up for you?" Harry stood up straight, turning toward the other end of the aisle.
"Uh, yeah. Sure, just let me pack up my bag." Jasper was hesitant as he reached for his potions textbook, and Harry noticed the trembling of his hands
"I can go get them myself, if you want." Harry offered, hoping to soothe the anxious feelings Jasper was having.
Jasper's mood shifted in the slightest way, but Harry caught it almost immediately.
"I need to stretch my legs anyway, it's fine." Jasper then hastily gathered his things and shoved them into his bag.
Harry grinned and led the way to the Gryffindor portrait hole. Jasper wondered if he could even enter the Gryffindor common room. Harry gave the password to the portrait, which he referred to as the "Fat Lady portrait", and they entered the Gryffindor common room. It was much like he'd imagined, similar to the Ravenclaw common room, but with a more welcoming atmosphere. Jasper felt at home and safe in the Gryffindor common room.
However, he wasn't sure if that was because of the warm color palette, or if it was the warmth of the fire combined with the smell of books and older furniture. Harry was smiling so brightly, you'd think he could put sunshine to shame.
"I don't think you'd be able to come into the bedrooms, so I'll go get the notes for you." Harry said, glancing back towards Jasper. The latter found an older and comfortable looking chair, though if Jasper was being honest, all the chairs and couches looked so cozy. As soon as he sat down in the chair, he began to feel drowsy.
His eyes were drooping and heavy, feeling the warmth from the fire and the safe atmosphere that felt so similar to home. He hadn't felt like this in so long, not since what happened to his mother. As he drifted in and out of a calming sleep, he began to think about his mothers soft voice. A pitch just high enough she could sing him beautiful lullabies as he slept.
Harry came back to Jasper's eyes hooded and tired; he smiled, thinking that he probably hadn't been able to sleep in a while. He couldn't deny he got tired sitting in a comfy armchair, the fire warming up his whole body, thinking of a home he never had, but the home he always wanted. He whispered Jasper's name, attempting to wake him up, and gently shaking him. Jasper's eyes shot open, surprised to see Harry's shining face in front of him.
"Good morning, sleepyhead. I guess I took longer than I thought to get the notes. They were buried at the bottom of my trunk." He giggled, and Jasper sat up, almost too quick.
He rubbed his eyes and stretched, feeling the loss of that safe atmosphere once more. He just barely lost it, but already misses it. It had been so long since he had felt that safe feeling, like falling asleep in someone's arms. Falling asleep in his mother's arms.
"You're fine," Jasper's voice was rasped, though he only fell asleep for a few minutes. He giggled at himself and blushed, "I can't believe I fell asleep so fast."
"Don't worry it happens to me too. I can never do homework in these chairs; I'll fall asleep too quickly."
There was a beat of silence, not awkward as Jasper usually felt it, but simply silence. He was beginning to become more comfortable around Harry. For once, that thought didn't make him nervous or uncomfortable.
