Cheers, Potter.

Oh, no.

Harry's POV

A week later, Madam Pomfrey decided to allow Connie to leave the Hospital Wing, and for reasons she decided to keep to herself, she asked both Malfoy and I to help her carry her things back to the Slytherin common room. I assumed this was because she'd gotten a lot of flowers and sweets and thing while she was there, but upon arrival, it became clear that all she had was a pillow with McGonagall's face printed on it (all Connie would lend to an explanation was that she'd lost a bet of some description), and a basket of traps and goodies from Zonko's.

When I got to her bedside my eyebrows furrowed and I looked around to see if I there was more that I simply hadn't seen yet.

"She brought you here under false pretences, Potter," Malfoy stated, arms crossed in the chair beside the bed, and then turned to the smaller Slytherin, an accusatory look in his pale eyes, "why was that, Connie?" his voice took on a steely tone.

The youngster looked a lot better than she did the day she got her injuries. Thanks to Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout, she now had full range of motion, only wincing when she stretched a little too far out of her reach. The scars that crept out the hems of her uniform had lost their pink hue but were still a harsh white against her already pale skin serving as a reminder of her painful ordeal, though she seemed to have taken to them like a duck to water.

In a tragic sort of way, they suited her. Gave her an even scruffier, more rumpled look than she normally had but simultaneously showed just how tough she really was.

She grinned mischievously at the blond, replying, "you definitely don't want me to answer that," causing Malfoy to immediately turn an alarming shade of scarlet.

I could barely contain my curiosity but as I took a breath to ask what she meant, Malfoy changed the subject, hoisting Connie's belongings into his arms and nudging her shins with his feet, "come on then, lunch is in an hour, no time to be dilly-dallying."

"Dilly-dallying?" Connie looked at me quizzically, I shrugged at her.

"I don't know," I admitted, "he's never said that before,"

"He seems to think we're in a period drama from the 90s." Connie said, as though he wasn't there to hear her. I couldn't help but laugh.

Malfoy shuffled off through the door, muttering something about muggles and those raised by them. Connie and I shared a smile, and caught up with him.

~Ж~

"So," the youngest of us began after a agonisingly long period of loaded silence, "What's been happening since I've been out of commission, eh?"

Thankful for the conversation starter, I took the opportunity to clear the dead air, "Professor Flitwick got stuck on a chandelier in one of the first year charms classes,"

"What? And no one thought to tell me?! How did that even happen?" Constance wailed,

"Wingardium Leviosa gone awry." Malfoy said matter-of-factly, not seeming to even be thinking about elaborating on it.

"I bet it was Cyrus," Connie posited thoughtfully, "he's clueless, it seems like something he'd do,"

"That's a bit mean," I started.

"No no!" Connie assured me, "It's true, he can be a real prat sometimes, but I like him anyway,"

"Now, is that anyway to talk about your friend?" Malfoy interjected.

"You can talk," Connie scoffed, "Harry told me a couple of days ago that you threw a stink bomb onto a crowded train platform!"

"Way to snitch, kid, I told you that was a secret!" I received a glare from Malfoy for my pains.

"Oh please, Draco's as sweet as a Bowtruckle, you don't need to be scared of him."

With that, the taller Slytherin handed me the hamper he'd been carrying, he picked Connie up by her legs, and shoved her over his shoulder. She playfully kicked and flailed, pummelling his back with her balled up fists, laughing until her face turned purple and he decided enough was enough, sitting her atop a stone pillar, six feet off the ground.

It took all I had not to comment on the lack of effort it took him to lift the small human so high. Merlin, he was strong - I'd not noticed it before but I was definitely paying attention to it now. I couldn't help but wonder if his robes were hiding intriguingly defined biceps and a toned chest, if he deliberately played down his strength to hide that he was in fact deliciously ripped under the layers of cotton and polyester. Wait... deliciously? I had confused myself by inadvertently thinking of that particular word in association with Draco Malfoy, and then I thought, who am I kidding? Malfoy would never wear polyester. I was staring again.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry! Get me down!" Connie's shrill giggling snapped me out of my reverie.

Malfoy teased her, laughing heartily, pretending to help her down but then placing her back at the top. Only when she promised him she'd clean his potions equipment did he see fit to really help her down, scruffing up her hair as he did. It was a very familial exchange and I couldn't help but be warmed by it. By the smiles on their faces, the lingering laugh in their eyes. When Malfoy turned to see me smiling at the exchange, though, I wished I hadn't seen it because he refused to meet my eyes and immediately put up his usual apathetic and hard expression. Constance scoffed at his sudden shift in demeanour.

Though he tried to hide it, I still had the memory of it. Watching him acting brotherly had felt...odd. I'd always assumed he'd be an awful sibling given his upbringing and personality and general self but seeing the way he and his friend got along it wasn't difficult to imagine him being a great older brother. Or dad, my mind reasoned and I immediately changed my thought pattern to avoid the subject.

~Ж~

Eventually we got to the Great Hall after Connie ististed we just "chuck her stuff in the general direction of the girls dorm" because she was too hungry to be tidy – a fact that horrified the Malfoy. Upon arrival we went our separate ways, them to the Slytherin table and I to the Gryffindor one, with a simple smile and a nod goodbye.

"Why do you look like you just got laid?" Seamus asked dubiously as I approached them all at the table.

"Seamus you creeper! Constance is eleven!" Hermione protested, frowning at him.

Seamus feigned an apologetic look, pouting comically and continued, "I was referring to the lanky blonde git next to her, anyway."

"Seamus," Ron and I groaned in unison, and I had to fight off a laugh that the others didn't bother to hide.

At some point Luna had wandered over and sat beside Ginny, softly humming to herself and upon realising were all in stitches, asked what was new.

"Harry's in love with Malfoy." Ginny informed her, levelling a suggestive look my way.

"I said 'What's new', Gin," the Ravenclaw said absent-mindedly.

"Thanks, Luna," I said with a tight lipped smile as the others' guffaws renewed.

"What's wrong, Harry? Are you worried it's unrequited? You shouldn't be, I was talking to Blaise in the library a while ago and it seems that Draco is quite smitten with you too."

"Wha-? No, that's not it. I'm not in love with Malfoy, are you crazy?"

"Depends on who you ask," Luna slowly nodded and skipped off in her casual Luna way.

~Ж~

As classes resumed that day, I couldn't get what she had said out of my head. Did Malfoy really have feeling for me? Did I have feelings for Malfoy? Well, I definitely had feelings for him; I felt annoyance for him and the things he was making me think about, the things I had to re-think about him. I felt something for him, but I couldn't bring myself to say it was even a remotely negative emotion. I felt confused by him – because I'd seen so many sides to him in the last few months that I'd never seen before, he was becoming a new person, or he was just beginning to show the person he'd always been. I felt warmth for him – I wanted to be around him more, I wanted to see more of his childish nature sine through, I wanted to see more of him. I felt intrigued by his constant ability to surprise me.

I felt feelings for him.

Oh, no.