twenty six
————

"harry? harry, what are you doing?"

hermione's affronted gasp of an exclamation stopped harry in his tracks. a wince pulled at his weary features, and he turned slowly, reluctantly, to face hermione's thinned lips and narrowed eyes.

"...leaving?" he asked, and the furrow between her brows deepened to a concerned trench. she huffed at him, and out of the corner of his fleeting eyes, he saw ron pull an odd face at her blatant displeasure.

"not like that you aren't," she protested, waving a lithe hand in his general direction. she gestured to his attire—or rather his lack of it. an oversized, ratty black sweater passed down to him from dudley, a pair of worn out jeans, and beat up combat boots he'd inherited from sirius. "harry potter, you cannot expect to be warm in that. it's winter, in case you didn't get the memo."

harry shrugged. "i'll be fine. i'm used to being cold."

"that's not reassuring."

"besides, big coats make me look odd." he tried desperately, pleading for just a sliver of mercy, just a faint sign of vulnerability in hermione's iron will. she did not relent.

"odd how?" she breathed in exasperation. ron drew a hand across his neck, silently urging him to keep his mouth shut. but harry had never been good about following orders or taking suggestion.

he pressed on. "they make me look puffy and drowned."

"you look drowned because you hardly eat harry!"

"even still, i look stupid!"

"no, you look like a boy wearing a bloody coat." hermione insisted. in a few long strides she was crossing the room and curling her clenched fingers around the cuffs of his sweater. she wriggled a fingertip through a rapidly growing hole in the sleeve, raising an imploring brow at him. he glanced away.

"mione, don't make me do this." he pleaded, stretching his eyes to their ultimate capacity. she scoffed at him, and ron murmured a quiet, worried, "mate..."

"don't make you do what harry?" she hissed through gritted teeth. her grip on him tightened to an almost painful degree, and suddenly, she was dragging him across the room, back in the direction of the boys dormitory. "don't make you take care of yourself? stop making sure you don't bloody freeze to death? no. no i don't think so. you are not going outside in the dead cold of england in a rag cloth of a sweater, jeans that are basically just thread, and boots. no. no, no, no, i will not stop, i am making you do this, because i care about you harry potter, and i'd sooner throw myself from the astronomy tower than willingly let you walk out this door with nothing!"

harry gaped at her silently, watching in a shock induced daze as she fluttered about, magically summoning a number of winter outerwear—a thick, navy wool coat, fluffy ear muffs, a grey scarf, and a pair of black mittens—and aggressively draping harry in each item until he was bundled up and almost uncomfortably toasty. ron choked on shorts and giggles as hermione nodded to herself and harry stared with his cheek hot and his lips parted. hermione's terrifying motherly instincts would never cease to both frighten him and touch his heart. he sometimes forgot how observant she was, how caring, how he could get nothing past her. he shouldn't have even tried.

"that's better," hermione announced pleasantly. "isn't that better harry? ron, isn't that better?"

"yes dear," ron coughed out. "yes, it's loads better."

hermione beamed a wide cherry grin. "yes. well, we'd best be going. we're a few minutes late, and draco's probably waiting for us already."

wasting no more time, she wove one arm around the crook of harry's padded elbow and linked her fingers with ron's before pulling them both forwards and out of the gryffindor dorms.

just like hermione said, draco was waiting for them near the back doors of hogwarts, out in the cold winter air.

and he looked gorgeous.

his slender figure was accentuated by a warm white turtleneck, an icy blue trench coat (that looked expensive), and black skinny jeans. his platinum curls were pressed onto his forehead by a dark blue beanie that matched his boots.

harry could barely take his eyes off him long enough to notice the two other immaculately dressed– although not as pretty as draco– slytherins standing with him.

pansy and blaise had matching smirks on their faces, and draco's lips were puckered into a slight pout.

then his eyes met harry's, and they smiled at each other. as the golden trio walked toward them, draco turned to his friends and shooed them away, ignoring their protests.

"hey," harry smiled.

draco shuffled shyly in place. there was an uncharacteristic timidity in his eyes as he peeked at the trio from under his pale lashes, a cute little dust of nervousness sharp on his features as he looked them over. he shook his pale hand in an awkward wave, and harry was so terribly endeared.

"hi," he greeted, voice a little shaky.

hermione stepped up to harry's side, tugging ron along with her. "good morning mal- draco."

she looked him over with only a hint of noticeable discomfort—which harry credited her for. draco nodded at her, and his soft pink lips attempted something of a strained smile.

a few moments of tangible silence passed. harry bit his lip as ron squirmed in place, his gaze so obviously darting anywhere and everywhere, clearly avoiding the boy standing before him.

she jabbed ron in the side, prompting him to let out a choked, "ow! er-hello."

"i-" draco breathed, and then bowed at a ninety degree angle. "i'm so sorry for how i treated you. i was horrible, and immature, and stupid. i will accept any treatment you choose to give me, i probably deserve it."

once harry got over his initial surprise, he looked over at his friends to gauge their reactions, desperately hoping it was positive.

hermione blinked at him owlishly, brown eyes wide and watery with shock. her lips gauged against each other, brows furrowing. truly, the sight of draco malfoy bowing and apologizing had rendered her utterly speechless.

finally, after what must have been at least a minute, she murmured a soft, "i forgive you. s' in the past now, so we...best move forward and judge you by your present actions rather than your past actions."

draco's responding smile was of the purest relief and gratitude.

he whispered a quiet, "thank you" before turning to ron...who was staring at him as though he'd cut off his own head.

"ron?" harry prompted, lifting a questioning brow. "got anything to say?"

when ron still failed to respond with anything other than a blank stare, hermione elbowed him harshly in the ribs for the umpteenth time. he spluttered.

"what? um, yes, sorry...um..." ron shook his head furiously. "yes, i mean, i suppose i forgive you too malfoy. you're still a spoiled prat though, don't get me wrong!"

harry never thought he'd see the day when draco looked positively elated upon hearing ron insult him.

"and you're still an ungraceful slob," he agreed pleasantly, a blissful gleam to his shimmering irises. "glad we're in agreement weaselby!"

ron's cheeks glowed faint red indignation. hermione rushed to intervene before the touching conversation should escalate into a screaming match.

"well, we should be off now! i don't know about you, but i'm craving honeydukes sweets!"

and so, they departed down the path towards hogsmeade in semi-awkward silence.

"so," hermione started. "how are your classes?"

harry and ron suppressed groans.

"they're good." draco answered blandly, looking uncomfortable.

"have you finished the homework for–"

"that coat looks expensive draco." harry interrupted, much to her chagrin.

but it put an end to the mind-numbingly boring conversation, and the blond smiled shyly.

"it was made by one of my favorite designers. i'm surprised you noticed, considering you're an utter slob." he grinned, nudging harry in the side.

ron opened his mouth to defend harry, and was surprised when he laughed, and nudged him back teasingly.

"looks like i've learnt a thing or two hanging out with you, huh?"

"of course," draco smiled proudly. "i'm a great teacher!"

"really?" harry quirked an eyebrow. "i guess that means i can pick out an outfit for myself then."

the blond shook his head furiously. "absolutely not. you might be good at recognizing quality clothing, but your sense of style is still horrid."

they continued to tease each other, subconsciously moving closer together, and hermione and ron exchanged confused looks.

finally, when harry and draco we're almost shoulder you shoulder, a paling ron reached out to grip harry's arm.

harry looked at him, and then blushed a dark pink when he realized he'd been gravitating towards draco.

"oh look, we're here!" he announced, desperate to get their eyes off his flushed cheeks.

when he looked at draco, he swore he saw a hint of a smirk.