“But we’re not muggles, lehey had this oion before. Ahey had, just different versions of it, about animal welfare aions as. “We dohat.”
“Well, we should. I bet I ould do it. It’d just take a little applied sieions.” And then suddenly Hermi to him and reahing aross the table to grab at his arm, like he hadn’t alled her mudblood and spat ihed as his aunt tortured her for information she wive. “You’ll help me, won’t you?”
Later, Drao would look bak on this momeeful for it. At the moment, he was only mortified that she would even think to ask, horrified at all the faes that had suddeo look at him. He didn’t know what to say.
But the of Harry and his sleeping draughts. Of Gee ay spaes on the shelves. Of Seamus’ ripped up arm, of Luna’s nightmares, his ow leaning of a house that was not his to are for. He thought about all of that was sort of his fault, ihe world, aime he try to make up for it.
And he found himself saying yes.
Harry
&he night bus home, beause they are afraid to apparrate, and fiumbling through the front door at three in the m. He’s tripping over his ow, and he hears Drao kupid umbrel sta brio evehen a pair of hands ; his, helping him peel of his jaket.
& me.” Harry ouldn’t really see him, but the whisper ame from lose by. He thought ab out, but then the hands were gone and so was his jaket, a Drao had stepped away, leaving as fast as he ame.
“I ould have do.”
“No, you ouldn’t have.” Drao was s him, but it was different from the eted it to sound. It wasn’t taunti fond, like Drao ould to be friends with someohis. “You’re atually pretty drunk.”
And maybe he was. Harry’s been told that he never knows he’s drunk until he’s really drunk.
(Hermio s, says it’s a bad thing. Ron alls it a good time.)
“Good.” Is he slurri. Maybe Drao’s the o tell when people are drunk. “I wao be.”
Sileoo lohough they were just happy, Harry went and brought the bad thing bak to the front of their mi want to do that, beause that meant thinking about Dean and Seamus, of Dean holding Seamus’ limp hand, the way he let his thumb trae over the frekles on Seamus’ k looki have to look to khey were.
It makes a lump form in his throat but he sn, blinks just iears. He does ry over this, when Seamus is not dead, when Seamus is goily fine as sooions kik in.
& be fine, he was never fine, will never be fihem ever were or will be fi knoosed to feel like.)
“I’m sorry about your friend.” Drao’s voie uts through the sile is obvious that he is fumbling, tryiter. “It’s shitty.”
Harry sort of liked that, even though he k Drao r his braih somethier. No bme, no demands, no nothing. For one, here was someone who was n to Harry to fix it, and just wanting to see if he was okay.
“Yeah,” Harry lears his throat to make his voie s Drao on the sh to make this feel like it was a oioes, boys who are just friends and don’t wahi hashat iy.”
Chapter 9
Harry
They’re good together, Hermione and Drao.
It took a while, but he’d finally gotteo omirainiwo of them rowded arouable, a auldron steamier behind them aaked up to the walls. Eve here whes home, she ht after she had a haalk t through the door with a bundle of papers luthed in her arm and Harry to the sound of their murmured voies, knowing that he would fih urled up on opposite sides of the ouh when he ame home.
It’s good work, they’re doing. had started out just bei the to talkio make a whe, start the wizardial health prround up. Hermis the muggle therapy praties and Dras the wizarding solutions, ahem sort of meet ir health are. It’s gotten a bit of attention, both from the Daily Prophet and aademi irles.
Drao’s let Hermio of the publi speaking.
“How’s it going?” Harry almost feels like he’s iihing by walking into his own kithen. Hermiohinks so, but Drao doesn’t. Drao atually gets up to greet him, and Harry arak his movements aross the room, the way his hair urls at the edges from the heat of the fire and his shirt is stiking to his shoulder bdes, the fabri so light it is almost see through.
“We’re almost done.” Drao leans aross him tss of pumpkihe ounter. Harry’s starting to pay more attentios like this, aes himself for it, beause that is not what Drao is here for. “Should have the alming drought ready for full sale usage by week. All we need now is ao help tailor it to different levels of a a sort of thing.”
“ shou