Changes

Chapter 13

Harry had loved it when he was finally large enough to fit into the shirt he had wanted so desperately without needing to tie it behind his back. He had run around their private rooms with a huge smile on his face as Draco laughed at his childish antics.

He loved it.

He loved hearing Draco laugh at the things he did. He loved being large enough to finally not have to worry if he was going to snap in half. He loved having somewhat of an appetite back. He loved every little bit of it.

And he loved staying with Draco. They had tried letting him go back to his room but Harry had found the empty bed unnerving and came to his room in the middle of the night simply because he missed having another body with him. They hadn't tried it again since, and he was quite pleased with the arrangement.

And he loved knowing that he could go see Severus whenever he wanted. Somehow the old man had made his room impervious to intruders whenever Harry's magical signature was within Severus's private rooms.

And it was with those thoughts that the raven haired teenager started walking down the corridors to the dungeons.

He showed up in Severus's rooms not long after that and he sat waiting for him to get done doing whatever it was that he was involved with. He just wanted to see him and to talk. After all, he hadn't done that in almost a week.

A lot had changed in a week.

It wasn't long before Sev was walking through the door and Harry jumped up to meet him. After a hug and some pleasantries, they sat down to some red wine.

"So Harry, what did you come for? I thought you were doing rather well with not coming, I was beginning to think you no longer cared if I was bored out of my mind after classes." Harry laughed at the dry sarcasm.

"I was busy Sev. But I'm here now so I obviously didn't miss your dry company." He smiled.

"Well, dry as my company may be, my wine stash is not so be on with it. What's gone on this week?"

And so Harry launched into his accomplishments and disappointments. He told him everything he could think of and just said what his mind was thinking without monitoring anything. In hindsight, he probably should have at least thought about what he was saying when describing things when he realized what he'd been saying.

"Harry, I must stop you. Firstly, you've done nothing but talk about Draco for the past five minutes and secondly you can't stop complimenting him. What's going on there?" To Harry's great embarrassment, he blushed.

"I don't know! He's been so helpful and nice to me I just don't know what to think of him anymore! What am I supposed to think?" Severus took him by surprise.

"You aren't." Harry felt his jaw hit the floor. Here he was getting advice from his professor and best friend and father-like figure and he was being told not to think? This was coming from a man that, for years, had asked him to kindly use his brain or cease existing. Coming from a man that did nothing but think. Harry simply couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that Sev would ever give that kind of advice to anyone...about anything. He just couldn't fathom it. "You're supposed to feel Harry. You're supposed to...Oh for Merlin's sake."

Harry watched as Sev got up and stood behind him.

"Just do as I say." Harry didn't question him, he learned long ago that it would get you nowhere quickly. "Now close your eyes and imagine Draco. I don't care where you two are, just think about him. Visualize him to the best of your ability." Harry nodded and after a few more moments, Sev continued. "Now just talk. About what you feel. About anything. Just talk. Don't think. Feel."

Harry let go of his inhibitions and just talked.

"He's pretty. His skin is so smooth and with his eyeliner he looks absolutely angel-worthy. Maybe a fallen angel since he always wears black now. His touch is nice, it's a comfort to me. It soothes me when I'm upset and it makes my stomach uneasy when I'm fine. I want to make him happy, but I don't know how.

"I always have fun with him, even if we're just having a conversation because we exchange friendly banter and sharpen our tongues without really cutting the other to ribbons. I like talking to him.

"He's got the most gorgeous eyes ever. They're blue but more like a watery blue almost like they could pass as silver from far away. I can never get enough of that color. And they're outlined by all of those black eyelashes that curl up just slightly." Harry could feel a blush rise up to his cheeks but studiously ignored it in favor of talking about Draco.

"He's always got something interesting to say and I never know which way is up or down when I'm around him. He makes me feel like I've never felt before. He's why I've progressed so far with my eating. I wanted to get well and so I did. I made myself potions that would help my body retain what it would need. I ate more because of it, because I needed more in me to sustain my body. That's how I've gotten to be as big as I am.

"Sure we have our moments. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. Not if it meant I could keep sharing a mirror with him in the morning." Severus stopped him with a touch to his shoulder.

"Harry...do you like him?"

"Well yeah...he's a great friend..." He could tell that he didn't give the right answer. "Did I miss something?"

"Do you like him romantically though?" He thought about it and couldn't come up with an answer. "That's okay. Go back and just observe for awhile. Think about it from someone else's eyes. You might learn something." With that dismissal, Harry took off down the corridors until he reached their rooms and entered, fully prepared to observe everything about the other man as he could.