Chapter Text
On an ordinary autumn evening, leaving behind a sweet breeze and the redness of the sunset, he entered the house. Trying to make sense of the welcoming silence, he took off his robe, hung it up, and quietly walked inside. When he reached the entrance to the living room, he stopped and smiled at the sight before him. It wasn’t something he encountered often, as Draco didn’t usually enjoy napping during the day unless he was extremely tired. He was one to stay up late and wake up early. Draco could talk for hours about managing time well, and offering advice. Harry, on the other hand, would laugh at his words, making it clear he didn’t take him seriously. For Draco, managing time well meant reading a lot of books. If you’re home, read a book. Got some free time? Read a book. Is Teddy asleep? Read a book. Bored? Do something like... reading a book? He had an excellent library full of old books, mainly on potions, which didn’t particularly interest Harry.
Harry had left the house just for an hour to drop Teddy off at Andromeda’s for a few days. He didn’t expect to find Draco asleep when he returned. Perhaps, he thought, Draco would be... reading a book? There was a slight chance he’d be experimenting with potions. But clearly, the effort to play with Teddy before sending him off had exhausted him. The previous night, too, had been tough as Teddy had refused to sleep, making it difficult to get him to bed. With sleep deprivation and exhaustion combined... voila! Draco Malfoy had fallen asleep on the couch.
Standing there, watching Draco was enjoyable enough, but Harry noticed the expression on Draco’s face. As he quietly approached the couch, it didn’t take long to realize Draco was dreaming. They could now be considered experts on dreams, at least from their perspective...
Despite their dream connection remaining intact, they had agreed to limit their dream visits as much as possible. No losing sleep. No entering dreams at every opportunity. They were well aware of how special their bond was, but they were cautious not to cause anything wrong. Though they could no longer sense each other’s moods or thoughts like before, they were still scared. They wouldn’t do anything to cast doubt on the reality of what they were experiencing. Their thorough research had already shown it wasn’t possible... no risks.
Sometimes, while both were asleep, they’d unknowingly meet in a shared dream. Harry’s nightmares were now much rarer, and during those times, Draco never held back. Occasionally, Harry would visit Draco’s dreams out of curiosity. Since Draco was a light sleeper and more perceptive about dreams, he could sense Harry’s presence. Rarely... when in a deep sleep, he wouldn’t realize they were dreaming, or that Harry was intervening.
Curious about what was going on in Draco’s subconscious as he slept at this hour, Harry approached the couch with great curiosity. After sitting on his knees, he leaned against the couch, took Draco’s hand, and closed his eyes. After a brief moment of focus, he felt himself being pulled into Draco’s dream.
Harry entered the dream as an observer. They were in the grand hall of Malfoy Manor.
“I’ve told you before,” Lucius Malfoy was saying. “You cannot befriend a house-elf, Draco!”
When Harry turned his gaze to where Lucius was looking, he experienced a momentary shock. Draco... was about seven or eight years old... in a white shirt, black shorts, and dark green suspenders... a tiny... adorable kid. He looked sullen, but not sad, rather angry.
“But father-”
“No buts,” Lucius cut him off. “House-elves are there to serve you; you need to learn how to treat them.” Lucius turned to Dobby, who stood in a corner with an embarrassed expression. “Dobby!”
“Yes, master?”
“I forbid you from talking to Draco, and don’t show yourself around here!”
“Yes, as master says. Dobby is very sorry; it won’t happen again-”
“Enough, disappear!” Lucius said, giving Dobby a firm shove with his cane. Once Dobby vanished, Lucius turned to his son. “You too, to your room,” he said more calmly. “I want you to finish the book you didn’t finish yesterday.”
“Fine!” Draco yelled defiantly before stomping out of the hall. As he walked into the large corridor, he started muttering. “Read a book, Draco! Don’t talk to him, Draco! Draco is bored though!”
“Draco?”
He stopped and turned to his mother’s voice as he reached the stairs. “Yes, mother?”
“What’s wrong, my little one?” Narcissa asked, kneeling down in front of Draco to be at eye level. “What’s with that face?”
“Nothing! Ask father!” he replied with a huff and started climbing the stairs. “You can tell him Draco’s going to read a book now!”
Leaving his mother behind, he stormed up the stairs, entering his room and slamming the door shut. Harry wasn’t sure how to react to the scene he witnessed, but he was certainly charmed by young Draco. He had never seen him like this before. So, he didn’t want to miss any details.
Draco, mimicking Lucius with a deep voice, said, “You’re a Malfoy. You can do anything you want!” He walked to his desk, full of books, and sat down on the chair. “Sure! Of course!”
He opened a large book and read silently for a while. After reading about a page, he sighed irritably and closed the book. Crossing his arms, he pouted. After his little show of defiance, he pulled out a notebook hidden under the large books. Dipping his quill in ink, he began writing on an open page, muttering as he did.
“Fix your handwriting, Draco. A Malfoy must write neatly, Draco...”
Harry couldn’t resist any longer and decided to actively join the dream rather than just observing. The moment he made this decision, he was in Draco’s room. He quietly approached the little Draco in the chair and looked at the notebook over his shoulder. When Draco moved his hand away, a symbol on the page caught Harry’s eye. A lightning bolt... just like the one on his forehead...
Hoping Draco wouldn’t realize the dream, Harry placed his hand on Draco’s shoulder.
“Hey!” Draco turned around in fright. “Who are you?!”
“Don’t be scared,” Harry said. Since he controlled the dream, he was able to make Draco feel calm, just as Draco had done for young Harry. “I’m just someone who wants to chat.”
Draco, with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes, scrutinized Harry. “Fine,” he said, turning back to his notebook.
“You seem angry.”
“Oh really, you think?” Draco replied sarcastically.
Harry smiled at the response. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, sitting on the bed next to the desk.
“What would I talk to you about?” Draco retorted. “Advanced potions? Or the latest news in the Daily Prophet? Oh, maybe we can discuss dining etiquette?”
Harry had to try hard not to laugh.
“No thanks, I’ll pass.”
“Maybe,” Harry said, pointing to the symbol in Draco’s notebook. “We could talk about this symbol. Does it mean something?”
Draco looked at the notebook and then at Harry in surprise. “Of course, it does!” he said with a judgmental tone. “A lightning bolt!”
“And?”
“The one on Harry Potter’s forehead!”
Harry tried to keep a straight face. “Harry Potter?” he asked, grateful that his hair was covering his forehead. “Who’s that?”
Draco’s eyes widened in shock. “You must be joking! Don’t you know?”
Harry shook his head, and Draco’s interest shifted entirely to him. Turning in his chair, Draco focused on Harry.
“He’s the one who defeated the world’s most powerful wizard! And he did it when he was just a baby! They say he got a scar on his forehead afterward,” he said, lifting his notebook. “Like this.”
“Ah,” Harry said, pretending to understand. “Got it. That kid...”
“See, you knew him,” Draco said, putting the notebook back on the desk.
“Do you like him?”
“Well,” Draco said, shrugging. “Who wouldn’t? He’s a hero! I wish I could meet him; he’d teach me things. Maybe I’d know how to please my father.”
Harry felt a deep sigh escape as he sensed the disappointment in Draco’s voice. “Want to know a secret?”
“Does anyone else know?”
“What?”
“Does anyone else know? If they do, I don’t want to hear it. It’s not a secret then.”
Harry smiled calmly. “Just for you,” he said, lowering his voice. “He’s not that cool of a kid.”
“How do you know?” Draco asked, sounding offended.
“Let’s say I met him.”
Draco’s shocked expression now showed excitement too. “Really? When? How? Where?”
“We just ran into each other,” Harry explained. “He’s not much; you’re way cooler.”
Draco pouted. “I wish I could meet him. I keep telling my father, but he doesn’t even respond. My mother says maybe I’ll meet him at school. At Hogwarts. Do you know it?”
Harry nodded in confirmation. “Maybe you will,” he said. “Maybe you’ll be closer than you think.”
“Really?” Draco asked excitedly. But his excitement didn’t last long. “What if he doesn’t like me?”
“Well... if you don’t act like a jerk-”
“You’re the jerk!”
Harry couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, don’t get mad. I’m joking.”
“You’re not funny.”
“I know,” he said with a small smile, watching Draco. “What do you want to do?”
“What?”
“I guess you don’t want to read a book. What do you want to do right now?”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
Draco looked around thoughtfully. Then he pointed to the latest model broom in the corner of the room. “I want to fly, but I can’t. I have a top-of-the-line broomstick, but I can’t fly whenever I want. They say I might fall. I can only fly when they’re watching.”
“Okay,” Harry said, getting up from the bed and walking over to the broomstick. “Let’s go then,” he said, picking it up.
“What are you doing?” Draco asked in shock. “My father will be mad!”
“It’ll be fine.”
“But- but what if I fall?”
Harry smiled. “You’ll be flying with me; nothing will happen.”
“Are you a good flyer?”
“Let’s say I’m decent,” he said, approaching the window. “Come on.”
Draco hesitated but got off the chair and looked at the door. “I can’t; I have to read. Otherwise, I’ll be grounded.”
“No one will see,” Harry said convincingly. “You can trust me.”
After a brief hesitation, Draco said, “Okay,” and walked over to Harry with small steps. Harry opened the large window, sat on the broom, and placed Draco in front of him. “Hold on tight, okay?”
“If you drop me... I’ll drop you too!”
Harry laughed. “Deal,” he said, and they flew out the window into the sky. They flew far from the manor, soaring for a long time. Draco’s joyful voice delighted Harry more with every second.
When they returned to the room, it was dark. Harry put the broomstick back and turned to Draco, whose face was lit up with a smile. He knelt in front of Draco and placed his hands on his shoulders.
“Now, I’ll go, and you’ll go back to reading your book, okay?”
Draco nodded immediately. “I will!”
“Good boy.”
“How do you fly so well?”
“Am I good?”
“It was perfect! You were great!”
Harry grinned. “Don’t forget you said that, okay?” He then pulled little Draco into a hug and kissed his blonde hair. “One last thing...”
“Huh?”
Harry grinned. “One day,” he said, smiling. “Harry Potter will like you a lot.” Then a white mist clouded the scene.
When Harry left the dream and opened his eyes, Draco was still asleep. He had a silly smile on his face, and seeing it made Harry smile too. He didn’t get up but lay his head on Draco’s stomach and closed his eyes again.
He was about to fall asleep when Draco’s hand found Harry’s hair and started stroking it. When Harry opened his eyes, he was met with the beloved gaze of Draco.
“Good morning,” Harry murmured.
“Good morning,” Draco murmured back, still stroking his hair. He smiled lightly. “When did you get back?”
“It’s been a while,” Harry said, then asked curiously. “What were you dreaming about?”
Draco smirked. “I think you know,” he said.
Harry immediately lifted his head. “No way, you didn’t notice, did you?”
“Don’t worry.” Draco laughed. “I didn’t realize it while dreaming, but waking up to see you like this made it clear.”
“Ah, good.” Harry relaxed and smiled, resting his head back on Draco’s stomach. They fell silent for a while, but Harry couldn’t help it. “So Draco didn’t want to read...”
“Yes, I was wondering when you’d start.”
“So Draco tried to make friends with house elves...”
“Hmm...”
“So Draco, the biggest fan of Harry Potter-”
“Shut up, Potter.”
Harry started laughing joyfully. “You were so cute, and I loved that version of you.”
“I was, indeed,” Draco said proudly.
They fell silent again, Draco’s hand still in Harry’s hair, their gazes locked. This time, Draco broke the silence.
“Thank you, Harry.”
“For what?”
“For giving my childhood a memory I’ll never forget,” he said.
Harry smiled. “Now you know how I feel,” he said. “By the way... if it’s important to you... I can take you somewhere.”
“Where?”
“To Dobby,” Harry said. “To Dobby’s grave.”
Draco was momentarily speechless.
“I mean, only if you want to. It was just a thought, if not-”
“I’d love to,” Draco said with a bittersweet smile.
Harry nodded lightly. “I’ll take you at a suitable time,” he said, then grinned. “So I fly perfectly, Malfoy?”
“So Harry Potter will like me a lot?”
“Wrong,” Harry said, lifting his head and slowly approaching Draco’s face, leaving a warm kiss on his lips. “Harry Potter loves you a lot, Malfoy.”
Draco smiled, pleased with the answer. “Well, I have similar feelings for you, Potter...”
Harry chuckled softly.
Draco pulled Harry by the neck and kissed his smile.