It was a week before they spoke again or even locked eyes. Draco had stopped showing up to the Great Hall to eat meals and was grabbing what he could from the Kitchen before disappearing to the Room of Requirement. This was his new hideout.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8VxYCOxWI
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He was delighted that, although the room took the shape of Slytherin colors, it didn't look anything like his room back at Malfoy Manor, which meant it was harder to get nightmares inside. Though, if he thought too hard he'd remember the flames that burned Crabbe to death and the screams that surrounded it.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsEvH48ONs
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Then he'd remember the feeling of Potter and how he also owed his life to him as well. If he closed his eyes he could still feel the heat of the flames as they licked him and feel the unsatisfied feeling deep in his stomach. He could feel the curve of Potter's spine as he hunched over him wrapping his arms around his chest for safety.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlwaFtPT0Q
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He hadn't thought much of it in the moment, but Potter had lost a lot of weight in the past year, though they both had, but still somehow managed to have a rock hard chest. He appeared so scrawny, but he was sure under his shirt was some outline of abs.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOcBSVkBd5
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He quickly shook his head at the thought; it disgusted him to think what Potter looked like underneath clothes even if it was just his chest. Draco took a harsh bite off the bread. He wasn't exactly sure what was left for him here at Hogwarts. He only came back because of his mother and because he didn't know what else to do.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTk0neLkTU
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Perhaps if he had known what it'd be like he wouldn't have returned. He knew though, that no matter what, he wouldn't have been able to take the Malfoy Manor, it was suffocating now. Everything was tainted there.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCi5E77LqNe
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He didn't understand how his mother could stand it. Didn't she still hear her sister screaming curses? Or the cries of those being tortured? Wasn't there still the fear that every corner she turned the Dark Lord would randomly appear? The thought made his insides turn and he sat down the bread to remain almost untouched. His appetite came and went in waves nowadays.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQa4SkNZWas
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He thought back to his last conversation with Potter. There were a lot of questions on his mind about that night. He enjoyed thinking about this; it was easier pondering Harry Potter than to think about his past.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwKvMjXVFE
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For one, he was curious as to why Potter was wandering the castle so early. And for another why he felt the need to approach him at all. Then, why in Merlin's name did he have to get so pissed off at him for saying he liked dick? Stupid Gryffindor pride, Draco assumed. After all, he said one of his best mates was gay. But, who was his best mate?837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQKofYBY20
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There was Ron, of course, but he was dating the Muggle-born Hermione Granger. That was common knowledge after they were caught snogging in one of the corridors near Ravenclaw. Then there was Neville, but last he heard he was chasing after Looney Lovegood.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAf0CmZej8
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After that Draco wasn't quite sure who Potter called his "best mate". Draco's mind began roaming away from Potter and to his own troubles again. It occurred to Draco that he didn't have a "best mate" and that he never really ever did.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7hMs9DaGF
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He had Crabbe and Goyle, but that was different. They were friends before they could even talk. Their parents had made sure of that. It was an arranged friendship and one that didn't really count. Even now with only Goyle left he only saw him as a bodyguard. And besides, if Goyle really was Draco's friend, Draco decided, he would have questioned him at least once about his strange attitude lately.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhd41r4pGk
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Draco had been off. He hardly spoke, not even harsh comments. He kept his head low and just tried to push through the year. He was hardly eating and he never slept anymore. It was only a matter of time before he pushed himself off the deep end.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYg2FEodFGe
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And Draco Malfoy was beginning to realize, that if he ever got to that point no one would care let alone notice.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiExiqQtC2
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Meanwhile, Harry Potter was piling food onto his plate when he decided to finally look up and glance over at the Slytherin table like he did every meal time. Once again he was met by a different Slytherin, a 5th year who had black hair that didn't stand out like the pale blonde he was looking for.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBzq0eJkef
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"For the last time Ronald, close your mouth when you eat! You look like a buffoon!" "Mkay," Ron's words were muffled by the food in his mouth. Harry tore his eyes away from the table to face his two friends. He gave a weak smile, but there was an uneasy feeling in his stomach and instead of eating from the large pile of food he placed on his plate, he just poked it.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPgF94LgMm
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"And you," Herimone turned to look at Harry with a pointed glance, "stop playing with your food and eat. Merlin. I don't know how on earth I put up with you two." She grumbled before stabbing a piece of chicken with her fork and shoveling it in her mouth.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrc9SPpdGOy
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Harry only swallowed sitting down his silverware thinking it was best to just not do anything. "You're in a mood," Ron spoke wiping the grease off his mouth with the back of his hand. Hermione rolled her eyes, that was clearly not the right thing to say to her in this moment.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6jYs96mws
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"Of course I am, Ron! I have told you a million times why! Will you just leave it alone?" "Bloody hell. Okay.." There was a silence in the air before Ron decided he could not leave it alone. "I just don't understand. Why is this such a big deal?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhmdbUtO30
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Harry sensed a big fight coming and he didn't especially want to be in the middle of it again. He figured it'd pass over like it always did, so he stood up slowly leaving his dinner untouched, and strode out of the Great Hall. His friends were too heated to notice he had left.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnac3Fdx33
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It turned out even with the war over, things were still determined to not be okay. Hermione and Ron had been arguing for the past few weeks and though it was obvious they were hiding something from him, Harry decided to ignore it. He didn't want to meddle in things he didn't need to meddle in. Besides Hermione had nearly cursed him last he asked why she was in a mood, so he decided to let it go.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1sNfqf6fs
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For a moment, Harry thought about returning to Gryffindor Tower to retrieve his invisibility cloak so he could avoid the looks everyone were still determined to give him. But, he thought better of it and decided to go to a place he seldom visited anymore.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRg3FWtBuII
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As he approached the hallway of the Room of Requirement he watched a certain blonde he'd been missing in the Great Hall waltz out. There was a second that passed where Harry hesitated. Malfoy was clearly in a hurry, going the opposite direction to get to the dungeons surely, but Harry missed their playful teasing. That was something that was normal in his life, but yet not even that was happening anymore.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoBKTr5G5I
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His voice seemed to make up its own mind, because just a second before Malfoy turned the corner and was gone from his sight he shouted, "Malfoy!"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMBYW7GESf
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He only said it once but the call was enough to make Draco stall. He slowly turned around, his shirt was askew and his hair a mess. It was a curious sight to Harry; he wasn't used to seeing him so unorderly. Granted this reminded him of the night only a week ago. His bags under his eyes didn't seem as bad then though as they did now.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KmiAnXweF
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"What do you want now, Potter? Come to call me a homophobe again?" Malfoy gritted his teeth, but showed no other signs of aggression. In fact he seemed too tired to want to fight. Harry was annoyed at the situation. Why couldn't anything be normal in his life anymore?837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMTiPW2msM
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"No, Malfoy. I was actually coming to the Room of Requirement. But, I see I'm not the only one coming. Get a lot of wanking done in there?" He quirked an eyebrow up at him. The words falling out of his mouth were getting twisted in his mind. He wasn't sure what he was saying, he just wanted them to get back to fighting and he wasn't sure what got them fighting in the first place so he decided to go for what made him uncomfortable.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAvMQhe8Mj
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Malfoy shifted his weight on his feet debating his response. Harry decided it was best to stop him before he could think of something too clever. "Wait I forgot you don't have a dick to wank."837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzyVSwxawj
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Something broke in him and Harry watched his lip twitch a bit before he continued his façade. "Must we really go back over this insult, Potter? We're running in circles, aren't we better than this?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EAUzn0xGd
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At some point Harry's body must have decided to start walking because at the end of Draco's question he was only a foot away from him. "I agree.." Harry bit his lip, finally deciding if nothing was normal he must as well screw everything completely up.837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡif9jyskjgV
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"Can we try something different, Malfoy? Like.. Instead of insulting each other or trying to curse each other we just.." He trailed off unsure. Malfoy seemed too tired to argue. "Like. I just thought. Maybe.. maybe we could be friends?"837Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCzGhXBSAk
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That seemed to finally waken something inside Malfoy. "I couldn't care less about being friends with a mudblood lover like you, Potter." The teasing was back and somehow things had fallen back into normal. But, for some reason Harry was now disappointed they had.
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