Endorphin

Part 1

The Great Hall was almost silent. It was an early morning on a Saturday so it was expected to be empty. Only a few students here and there sat and enjoyed their meals. And there was Draco Malfoy, but he wasn't one of them. He was picking at his food and staring at it miserably. His hair, touched by some sunlight, looked as if it was made out of nectar. And somehow even though he was seemingly sad, he still managed to appear like an angel between some peasants.

He looked up and met the eyes of a girl from the Gryffindor table that smiled at him, so he tried to smile back before looking away. He dated that girl before. Now every time he looked at her he felt revolted and just wanted to get away. He slowly stood up from his seat and walked out. His leg was hurting but he didn't want to show it. He didn't want anyone to know that he had weaknesses.

He let out a sigh and then went on his way to Hogsmeade, where he was planning to visit The three broomsticks. He knew he had a 'meeting' with his father that he wasn't supposed to miss but at this point, he felt ready for another beating instead of attending.

It didn't take him long to get to the village and happily there weren't a lot of people wandering around. Without missing a beat, he found his way inside the pub and looked around. A lot of empty tables. He ordered a bottle of firewhiskey and went to a corner, where he sat down and enjoyed his drink.

"Isn't it a little bit early for this?" He heard a familiar voice ask and looked up. Just when he thought he could have some peace, the marvellous Harry Potter had to appear and make it worse for him.

"Oh, piss off" He replied and looked away but still could feel the presence of the other male standing there "What do you want?" He asked and forced himself to look back over.

"I was wondering if I could sit with you. It's pretty empty today" The dark-haired dared to say and offered a smile. Why would he want that? They weren't friends. They weren't even rivals. Their paths just somehow crossed "That is, If I won't bother you" He added, worried that he may have sounded pushy.

"Go on, I won't bite you" Draco said blankly and took a sip straight from the bottle he was holding. He didn't know what's worse: to be seen with Potter or to be seen as a teenage alcoholic with daddy issues.

Harry held his mug of butterbeer and sat down, eyeing the boy at the other side of the table. He noticed that his hair was messy and that the bags under his eyes weren't the normal ones students get after a sleepless night of studying. He was getting concerned but he didn't know how to ask. He knew very well that the relationship between him and the blond was negative. He got relieved when the other spoke first:

"So what's your deal, golden boy?" He was asked and watched as Draco put his bottle down and paid some attention to him " What brings such a celebrity in this forgotten by the gods' pub? And where is your pack of losers? Lost them on the way?" were the words that followed. That made him cringe. For once he was trying to be civil and yet that seemed impossible.

"No, not really. I came alone" Harry said silently and shrugged some "I needed some time away from all the fuss around the castle. Then I saw you" He explained without knowing why. Draco rolled his eyes some "Wow, you saw me. And what? Decided it's great to bother me?"

"Do I bother you?" The dark-haired boy asked and glared lightly as he was way too tired to deal with such treatment. He didn't care if he sat face across his greatest rival. He wanted his drop of respect anyway.

"No, I suppose you don't" The blond replied and leaned his head on his palm. He couldn't think of a reason to be mean right now. He secretly enjoyed the company without even realising it himself "I apologise" He mumbled and looked into the other boy's eyes. A flash of regret moved through his body so he looked away again. He couldn't find himself looking at anything specific anymore.

Harry watched him curiously and thanks to his concentration, he managed to hear the apology. Damn, it was a good day. But the fact that Draco still looked miserable made him question a lot of things "And you, what are you doing here?" He questioned and hoped that he didn't break the invisible bubble that held the years of bad words they said to each other.

"Family problems," Draco said coldly. Under the influence of the alcohol he cherished, he was ready to open up to anyone "I think you're lucky sometimes, Potter. Not having parents and all."

Harry wanted to protest that not having parents doesn't make him lucky at all but he stayed silent on that matter "Did something happen?"

"That's a stupid question, don't you think?" The blond said and messed with his hair out of frustration "I don't want to dig into it. Whatever happened can't be fixed" He said and forced himself into a smile. He didn't realise that his eyes were full of tears until he was about to speak again and tasted a salty liquid on his lips. He feared that people will see him as weak just a few minutes ago but now he felt free to cry. He was exposing himself in front of his enemy and he expected a stab in the back but he didn't care. Nor did he try to speak. He just sat there and cried.

That was until he felt two arms wrap around him. He hadn't noticed when Harry moved up or got so close. He didn't understand why he would be nice to him or why he decided it's okay to touch him. His mind quickly changed his way of thinking and he hugged back. A bit too tightly.

Harry blinked some when the breath was suddenly squeezed out of him and had to step back lightly to be freed. He still had his arms around the other male and he didn't plan on letting go but his brain reminded him why the act could be seen as wrong. He pushed that little warning to the back of his head. He knew what it's like to have troubles at home so he wanted to relieve the other.

"It's going to be okay. You can talk to me" He whispered and stepped back, grabbing the blond's hand "C'mon. A walk would be good for you"

Draco wiped his face and glanced at Harry sceptically "Where are we going?"

"On a walk" The dark-haired said in a smile and took the bottle of firewhiskey in his free hand, pulling the male with the other one. And he couldn't say no because, in his moment of drunk judgement, it seemed reassuring.

A.: Hi y'all! This was posted before and I want to revive it, but there is still a lot I need to fix in the next parts. I'd appreciate it if you drop some feedback!