Undefined

Chapter 26

The Singularly Bad Day

The following day was a disaster from the moment Draco stepped out of bed. Montague'd decided to reorganize his closet and Draco tripped over a mountain of hangers on his way to the showers where the hot water inexplicably ran out as soon as he lathered his hair. He rinsed the best he could, and quickly exited, slipping on a stray bar of soap.

He cursed under his breath as he toweled off, his scalp itching from the remnants of soap, his body thoroughly chilled from the stream of cold water. By the time he dressed, his temper had reached the boiling point. It helped little when the same short brunette who'd accosted him the night before ran smack into him as he exited the common room, causing him to knock against the wall and drop his bag, its contents spilling throughout the corridor.

"Watch where you're going!" Draco snapped.

"I don't have to!" she huffed, stomping past.

He realized an entire bottle of ink had exploded within his bag, but as it was nearing the end of breakfast, he had no choice but to continue to the Great Hall. He took his usual seat, plopping his ink-sopped bag on the floor, where it immediately split. He muttered, "What next?" as he went to grab the last piece of toast, but Pansy beat him to it by mere milliseconds.

She gave him a scathing look as she bit into to, smiling triumphantly. Stay calm, he told himself, his hands shaking as he grabbed a crumpet instead, but found it tasted like cardboard. He gave up and ate nothing for breakfast, holding his torn bag in both arms as he walked to Charms. It went innocently enough, until they practiced Summoning Charms and Longbottom hit him in the head with a book. Draco clenched his fists but did not physically retaliate, instead throwing him a particularly nasty look.

By Care of Magical Creatures, however, he'd finally hit his limit. They spent the lesson studying Blast-Ended Skrewts, and Draco immediately knew upon seeing the vile creatures that this truly was not his day. He partnered with Crabbe and they had a particularly hard time keeping their Skrewt still long enough to draw a diagram. As Draco bent to examine the underside of the creature, flames spewed from its rear, catching his sleeve on fire and singeing his face. He screamed a series of curse words, creating some and stringing others together in a fashion no one had ever heard before.

"FUCK THIS!" Draco screamed, after extinguishing his sleeve.

With a great heave, he grabbed his bag, which ripped further still. He screamed and cursed, kicking the strewn contents of his bag before stomping off.

Madam Pomfrey administered a strong-smelling ointment to Draco's arm, which immediately soothed his skin. He stomped from the hospital wing back to his dormitory, where he slammed the door and threw himself into bed, willing the day to be over, wondering why in the world he'd decided to get up in the first place. He must have dozed off, because when he awoke he realized he was late for Potions. Cursing, he ran to the classroom, finding everyone clustered around their cauldrons, already brewing the assigned potion. Snape said nothing when he entered, and he took his seat beside Goyle silently, watching as he added the rest of the ingredients to the steaming cauldron before leaving it to simmer.

After class, Harry pulled him into a corner. "You OK?"

"Yeah," Draco said, his temper calming with Harry's presence.

But just as quickly, Harry slipped away and followed Ron and Hermione to Transfiguration.

***

At the end of the day, Draco sat down to dinner and piled his plate full of sausage and mash, his appetite ferocious after missing breakfast and lunch.

"You are so stupid!" Pansy spat. "How could you be late for Potions, Draco?"

"Fuck off, you stupid slut," Draco yelled, glancing to the Gryffindor table and noting Harry's absence.

He arrived on time for detention, but to his great annoyance Harry was quite late. When he finally arrived looking rather flustered and slightly out of breath, Snape deducted seventy points from Gryffindor and pushed them both roughly into the vast classroom, closing and locking the door behind them. For a split second, Draco thought they were alone, but then he heard Snape's heavy footsteps walk to the front of the classroom, where he took a seat and marked papers for the duration of their detention.

Draco tried hard not to scowl as he settled next to Harry, and felt his insides shake with rage in response to the turn of events. He hadn't been able to talk to Harry all day, and had been most looking forward to this since dinner. He'd even thought, if they were careful enough, they could sneak in some heavy-handed snogging when Snape ventured to the upper levels of the castle.

He heard the light scratch of quill on parchment next to him, and sighed heavily, waiting with his nerves on tenterhooks for time to pass.

Once they were dismissed and a safe distance from the dungeons, Draco pulled Harry into a corner and kissed him ferociously, ready to take him that instant. His annoyance only mounted when Harry pushed him away and stepped back into the corridor.

"I can't now," he hissed. "I have to meet Ron and Hermione."

"Why?" Draco snapped.

"Order stuff; look, we'll meet up later, OK?"

"FINE!" Draco screamed and stomped back to the dungeons, having half a mind to stand Harry up later that night.

He had no patience to return to the common room and put up with mutinous stares and silent accusations so he turned around and headed to the fifth floor, intending to cool off in the Room of Requirement with a nice big bottle of Firewhisky.

The sight that met his eyes on the fourth floor landing caused him to stop in his tracks. There, in a corner, stood Nott cornering Harry, the latter looking very cross. Draco didn't so much as breathe as he walked towards them, welcoming the chance to vent his insurmountable and unbearable aggravation from the day.

"Hey, Malfoy," Nott said, turning to him, but Draco's fist collided with his face instantaneously and he fell to the floor.

Draco pinned him down and punched him in the jaw again and again and again. With every punch, Draco felt some of his frustration drain away.

"You filthy bastard!" Draco screamed. "What are you doing with him? Haven't I told you already? STAY THE FUCK AWAY!"

Harry pulled Draco off Nott, but not before Draco kicked Nott hard in the stomach, trying to free himself so he could inflict more damage; he wanted nothing more than to pull the very skin from Nott's bones and leave him an unrecognizable mess in the middle of the corridor.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Harry hissed, dragging Draco to the fifth floor. "Are you insane?"

"What was he doing? Did he do anything to you?" Draco said, his temper still out of control. "If he touched you--"

"Calm down!" Harry interjected, pushing him against the wall. "He didn't do anything! He was being a git--saying he knew exactly why you stormed into the common room the other night!"

"He's a filthy bastard!" Draco said. "He wants to fuck you!"

"Shut up!" Harry hissed, and pulled him into the Room of Requirement.

"Nice going, why don't you just put an announcement on the front page of the Daily Prophet next time?"

"What are you talking about?" Draco snapped, still wanting nothing more than to beat the shit out of Nott.

"You were screaming in the corridors, you stupid git!" Harry yelled.

"I've had a bad day," Draco said, folding his arms as Harry paced the room.

"We all have bad days."

"I've had a really, really bad day," Draco said, his voice leveling.

"Get over it," Harry snapped, and Draco pushed him onto the ground, his anger and frustration melting into an unbearable and uncontrollable arousal.

"I can think of something that will help," Draco said, and he flipped Harry onto his stomach, reaching for the zipper of his trousers.

"I've told you I can't!" Harry snapped, pushing Draco's hands away.

"FINE!" Draco screamed and stood, shaking.

"Don't be cross," Harry said, standing. "I promise when I get back--"

"Yeah, yeah," Draco said, pouring himself a glass of Firewhisky and downing it. "Go on, I'll wait here."

"I won't be long, OK?"

Draco nodded as he downed another glass, already feeling somewhat better.

He enjoyed several more glasses of Firewhisky as he waited for Harry to return, and must have dozed off to the soft crackling of the fire, as he fell off the couch when he heard voices. He sat up, rubbing his eyes blearily as Harry entered followed by Ron and Hermione. Draco smiled stupidly in his half-consciousnesses in greeting, and gave them a weak wave.

"Look, we were talking," Ron began at once, "and we think you should consider...consider coming to your senses and joining us."

"What Ron means," Hermione said, trying to sound diplomatic and shooting Ron a disgusted look, "is that if you're unhappy with your current situation, you do have other options."

"I know that," Draco said, sitting up and leaning against the sofa.

"Do you?" Harry said, standing by the fire.

"Of course I do!"

"And?" Harry pressed.

"And I've told you I can't go changing sides. They'll kill me!"

"All I know is that if you really want to do this we'll do everything we can to help," Hermione said, sounding as though that was the answer for everything.

"I dunno, Hermione," said Draco uncertainly, appreciating her sentiments.

"What's not to know?" Harry said, sounding offended.

"Harry, he doesn't have to--" Hermione began.

"No," Harry snapped, and turned to Draco. "Tell me, what's not to know?"

"Loads of things," Draco said.

"Like?"

"Like not only putting you, Ron and Hermione in mortal danger, but everyone else I know as well, not to mention sacrificing my own neck."

"Some things are worth the risk," Harry said.

"I'll consider it," Draco said.

"Oh, brilliant! Spend all the time you need considering," Harry said.

"Harry," Hermione said, sounding like a mother about to scold an unruly five-year-old.

"No, Hermione! He's just being stupid!" Harry retorted.

"You are so stubborn!" Hermione snapped. "We agreed to mention it to him, mention it only, not force him into anything."

Harry looked at her resentfully. "He'd be helpful."

"Of course he would be! I'm not arguing that; but he needs time to think about it. It is an awfully big decision," Hermione said reasonably.

Harry did not respond and showed no indication of doing so any time soon. Hermione took his icy demeanor as her cue to leave.

"Just think on it," she said to Draco before leaving, Ron following close behind.

"There was no need yell at her," Draco said pointedly. "She had very valid points."

"I suppose I just expected a bit more from you is all."

"Meaning?"

"You're no more a Death Eater than I am," Harry said. "Maybe you used to be, but you've changed; I've seen it. Underneath all that brash arrogance is a good person. Don't let them ruin your life."

Draco found it hard to swallow, never once imagining that in all his life he would ever be called a good person, especially by Harry. Draco'd always regarded Harry as the epitome of an opposite, in essence, the ultimate antithesis. In lieu of a verbal response, he merely nodded his head.

"If it's a matter safety, Dumbledore will protect you," Harry said.

"It's not as simple as all that," Draco said, a sizeable knot still in his throat. "Nothing's a guarantee. The more you think it is, the more you'll find out it isn't."

"It's better than nothing," Harry continued.

"I know! I just don't want to commit to anything until I've thought it over a bit more! Give it a rest!" Draco said, harsher than he'd intended.

"Fine, go on and think on it for as long as you want. But when you land yourself dead or completely mental, don't dare say I didn't warn you," Harry said, his expression dark and his tone icy.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Draco said, his face softening.

"Yes," Harry said, folding his arms, "although I know you don't want to hear it, seeing as you're so self-sufficient."

"Look, I promise to really think on it."

"I'd rather you just agree to it, but I suppose Hermione's right," Harry said, sounding very cross.

Draco smiled and pulled Harry to him, placing his arm protectively around Harry's shoulder.

"Have you lost weight?" Draco asked, squeezing him.

"What? No."

"Are you eating?"

"Of course I'm eating," Harry said, guilt thick in his voice.

"You aren't!"

"I am!" Harry insisted.

"Bollocks! You're thinner!" Draco exclaimed, wondering why he hadn't noticed before.

"I don't have much of an appetite when I don't sleep," Harry admitted quietly.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I sleep, just not very well."

"Spill it. Now," Draco said in a demanding tone.

"I have nightmares," Harry said. "The same one every night: I'm walking through a dark corridor alone, looking for something."

"What?"

"I dunno! But I always get blinding headaches when I wake up so I figured, why sleep?"

"You idiot! Of course you have to sleep!" Then something occurred to him that hadn't registered before. "Have you been practicing Occlumency?"

"Yes," Harry said, and after seeing Draco's threatening look, "no, sometimes. When I remember."

"For fuck's sake!" Draco spat. "Obviously there's a reason Snape's giving you lessons."

"Was," Harry corrected. "He gave up ages ago."

"Fine; I'll teach you then. We'll start tomorrow night."

"Not tonight?" Harry asked, clearly relieved.

"No," Draco said, smirking and pushing Harry onto the sofa. "I have other matters to take care of tonight," he said, unbuckling Harry's trousers and grinning mischievously.