Tea and Some Sympathy (oneshot)
Harry had woken up feeling heavy and warm. It was darker now outside from when they’d fallen asleep, and his head ached from having napped for too long. He peered down to the fan of hair on his shoulder, and traced Draco’s eyelashes gently with a finger. His peaceful expression was a far cry from how he’d look a few hours earlier, face blotted red and a now-healed bruise painted along his right eyebrow.
The arm on top of his chest stirred, and Harry shushed it back down with a few gentle pats. He eased out of Draco’s hold as gentle as he could, fluffing up the blankets around his ears despite the heating charms simmering in the room.
Sirius gave him a look when he entered the kitchen, eyeing his rumpled shirt and crooked glasses. The sounds of guitar and a lilting voice drifted softly out of a record player balanced precariously on a mountain of books on the counter. Sirius set his newspaper down and leaned back on the counter, and a steaming mug floated over to Harry to sit on the table.
“Sleep well?”
“Yeah,” Harry said, slowly adding milk and sugar to the cup of tea. “Are you—?”
“I’m not angry, if that’s what you’re asking, Harry.” And then he added “Upset, maybe. But not angry.”
Harry huffed in relief, blowing the steam off the top of his mug. “He’s gotten nicer this year, to Hermione and Ron too..” he trailed off, not quite certain how to put into words the long conversations and fleeting glances he’d had with Draco Malfoy throughout the first term of fifth year. “Something happened, that changed him, I’m not sure what though.”
"I can't say that I don't understand him, I was a right little swot before your dad beat the sense into me."
"Really?" Harry gaped, highly unfamiliar with the vision of his godfather being a swot.
"Yup, thought muggles were monstrous creatures with large teeth that would eat me if I got too close."
"That's absurd!" Harry laughed into his tea.
"And then your dad told me the truth and your mum socked me in the nose second year for asking her if muggles still ate their young." Harry laughed harder, proud of his mum and delightfully surprised at how much the situation resembled the punch Hermione gave Malfoy in third year.
"She really did that?" The soft padding of socked feet sounded behind Harry, and he turned his head to face Draco's sweater clad chest.
"Sure, sure, didn't let it go for the next five years either." Sirius wordlessly handed Draco a mug as well, who accepted it with a small nod as he sat beside Harry. "Sleep well, lad?"
"Very well, thank you." Draco muttered. Harry was proud of him, that was probably the second time in their odd friendship that he'd heard the Slytherin thank someone for something. Draco paused, brows furrowing as he stared at the record player. "Is that-- T.Rex?" He asked. Sirius barked a laugh.
"You have good taste, kid."
"How do you know muggle music?" Harry pondered. Draco shrugged wordlessly, hands still in his lap.
"I found a record under my bed in September, it was um--" He looked at Sirius cautiously, "it was this album called Eclectic Warrior."
"That's Electric Warrior, love, not eclectic." Sirius corrected. Draco elbowed Harry harshly when he snorted, an embarrassed flush dotting high on his cheeks. "A great album, though! Marvelous that you found one in good condition. I used to have a copy, of course I lost it during school and never saw it again, one of my first heartbreaks!" Harry glanced over at Draco and rolled his eyes knowingly at Sirius' dramatics. Under the table their hands linked gently.
It wouldn't take terribly long for Draco to realize what the initials R.A.B scribbled on the back of his album stood for. The album Regulus had sniped from Sirius in 1975 now shoved among the few prized possessions in Draco's hastily packed suitcase.
end
{yes the title is inspired by the classic "Tea and No Sympathy" by who_la_hoop on ao3}
283 notes
·
View notes