32The Aftermath
Ginny, Ron and Hermione stepped back. All three wore shocked expressions, though Hermione's looked somewhat smug.
"Oh. Well...ok." Ginny tried to recover gracefully as she shot Ron nervous glances.
While Ron and Ginny still looked quite confused, Hermione was gazing at Draco appraisingly; Draco was oblivious to her gaze and leaned forward.
"So you're OK then?" he asked nervously. All eyes returned to Harry, but he spoke directly to Draco.
"I'm fine, aside from a bloody horrible headache." Harry then glanced at Hermione, ready for her usual scolding, but it never came. She was simply watching him as she had been Draco.
"So...we...we beat Slytherin pretty badly," Ginny tried to start a conversation, but no one paid any attention. Draco and Harry were watching each other. Hermione was watching them watch each other, and Ron, after watching everyone very confusedly, was watching a fly on the wall.
There was silence for quite some time. Ginny turned to picking at her fingernails. Draco surreptitiously slid his hand to cover Harry's. Ron and Ginny didn't notice, as each was still caught in his or her own activity. A smile played at Hermione's lips. She broke the silence.
"Do you trust him?"
All parties jumped, startled at the noise. Harry looked at Hermione for a moment, then at Draco. Draco squeezed Harry's hand; his gray eyes sparkled. Harry nodded, eyes still focused on Draco. He didn't know why, but he did. He trusted Draco Malfoy.
"And he's good enough for you?"
Harry assumed that question was for Draco, but when he looked at Hermione, she was still watching him. Harry smiled softly.
"Yes," he said quietly, thankful his voice didn't come out squeaky.
Hermione nodded briskly, reminiscent of Professor Mcgonagall. "Come on guys, let's go. Its about dinner, isn't it?"
Harry's smile grew at Hermione's not-so-subtle attempt to leave the two seekers alone. Ron's stomach growled loudly, and he eagerly followed Hermione out the door. Ginny followed them, but not before throwing one more questioning look at Harry, who waved.
Draco opened his mouth to say something, but as soon as she heard the door shut, Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office, potion in hand.
"Finally, I thought they'd never leave," she mumbled to herself. She turned and caught sight of Draco. "Oh, you're still here, are you?" she asked, suspicion clear in her voice. She set the potion on Harry's bedside table. "Well, he needs his rest, so you go to diner. He'll be back tomorrow." She crossed her arms, a signal of finality.
Draco nodded, squeezed Harry's hand once more, and left the room.
Madam Pomfrey shook her head.
"Poor thing must be feeling guilty. Thinks it's his fault you crashed." She turned back to her potion. "This is for your headache. You gave yourself a concussion, crashing into the stands. This'll rid you of your headache, but it might make you a little drowsy."
Harry drank the potion and immediately felt his eyelids droop. He removed his glasses and rolled onto his side, falling into a peaceful sleep.
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Meanwhile, Draco had made his way to the Great Hall. He looked at the Gryffindor table. About halfway to the Head Table were the Weasels and Granger. He tapped Granger on the shoulder. "Harry will be back tomorrow."
"Thank you."
Draco nodded and hurried to the Slytherin table, where he took his seat between Crabbe and Goyle.
"Where have you been?" Pansy asked loudly, trying to draw attention to herself.
"The library," he answered shortly.
"I looked there!" she snapped back.
Much of the Slytherin table was watching, their heads going from Pansy to Draco as if watching a tennis match. Here, Draco would normally yell something about how it was none of her bloody business and how she shouldn't talk back. She would usually take this as an insult—as intended—and start screaming. This was daily entertainment for the Slytherins.
But Draco, tired of being everyone's entertainment and tired of Pansy's crap, disappointed his housemates.
"You didn't check the restricted section, did you?" he asked Pansy calmly, as if speaking of the weather.
"Well, no."
Draco returned to his meal.
He tried to keep eating, but he could feel many pairs of eyes fixed on him. He looked up and discovered that not only was his normal Slytherin audience curiously eyeing him, but so were many Gryffindors.
Draco dropped his fork and knife, stood and walked out of the hall.
The next day was a long day for Draco. In an attempt to stay out of the public eye, he stayed in his dormitory most of the day. He worked on homework, finishing assignment that weren't even due until the following week. Instead of going to the Great Hall for meals, he chose to go to the kitchen.
That night, Draco stayed awake for a long time, waiting. Long after Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise had fallen asleep, he heard the door open but saw no one. He smiled and moved over in his bed.
Harry removed his invisibility cloak and climbed into bed next to Draco. He put his hand on Draco's chest. Draco reached for his wand. He closed the curtains and cast a silencing charm. He wrapped his are around Harry's waist, pulling him closer.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"How are you feeling?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Please, it was just a concussion."
Draco smiled. "So you're up to it?"
Harry's eyes twinkled, and a grin stretched across his face.
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A/N: well, I did it again. I said it was the end but wrote another chapter. This chapter kind of came out of nowhere for me, but I hope you like it. Another suggestive ending. Who really knows if I'll continue? As always, please review!