And All Over Again, Part 6B :)

[fathomlessspite]

Title: And All Over Again
Author: fathomlessspite
Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and the rest of them
Warnings: slash, DH SPOILERS, epilogue compliant :(
Rating: PG thus far
Summary: (highlight to read) It's Lily Potter's first year at Hogwarts, it'll be the first year in thirteen since Ginny and Harry had the house to himself. But as Ginny has decided to take a course at a wizarding college in Egypt Harry accepts a teaching position at Hogwarts. With old friends and enemies surrounding him, questions about his slowly disintegrating marriage are hard to ignore.
A/N:  PArt 6 b is finally hear. Enjoy :)
CATCH UP: --PROLOGUE-- , --PARTS 1&2--, --PART 3--, --PART 4--, --PART 5--, --PART 6A--
 

When Harry woke up he was face down on an unfamiliar sofa, slowly he rolled over and looked at an unfamiliar ceiling.

As he sat up to take a look around, his head swam and he laid his head on the back of the couch and groaned.

"Awake are we?" a voice drawled.

"Hmn," he grunted into the cushion. There was no response, but the soft sound of feet on the carpet approaching him.

"Here," Malfoy said, nudging his arm with something cold. Malfoy sighed in frustration, "If you’re not going to feed and water yourself, at least let the rest of us do it."

When Harry still refused to move, he grabbed a fistful off his hair and pulled his head up, presenting Harry with the glass of water under his nose.

"Drink," he commanded.

"Fine," Harry grumbled, accepting the glass shakily and taking a few tentative sips.

Malfoy looked smug as he sat down in the chair adjacent to the sofa.

"Why am I here?" Harry asked after a few minutes.

"Well you neglected to feed yourself for over a day and swooned in front of me," Malfoy told him.

"No why am I here?" He asked, glancing around Malfoy’s rooms for emphasis.

"Well Longbottom suggested the infirmary wasn’t the best place for you," Harry nodded and leaned back on the sofa. Ever since he’d seen it full and overflowing into the corridors with the injured after the final battle, the thought of the Hogwarts hospital wing was not a pleasant one.

"Pomfrey insisted you couldn’t be left alone and I was the only one with a free schedule to baby-sit," Malfoy finished.

"Thanks, I guess," Harry responded, downing the rest of his water. "But I’m fine now, right? I can go?"

"I’m under orders to make sure you eat breakfast," Draco said, standing up and walking towards an open door. "Come on, it’ll be getting cold," he said, before striding through the door.

Breakfast consisted of Harry picking at his bacon and eggs, whilst Draco glared at him from across the counter.

"Potter-" he began eventually, irritation evident in his tone.

"I’m just not hungry, okay?" Harry snapped, but took a bite of the bacon anyway, which despite being cold was surprisingly good.

"You need to get over it," Draco said matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, "Get over what exactly?"

"The fact that your wife married your name? And now that she’s got you to father a few of her Weasley spawn, has decided she’s not particularly interested in the rest of the package?" Draco suggested blandly.

"I think you’re projecting your personal life onto your perception of mine," Harry said pointedly.

"Perhaps," Draco conceded. "But at least I’ve accepted my sham of a marriage," he added.

Harry let his fork clatter to the counter loudly and stood up swiftly.

"Thanks for breakfast Malfoy," he said through gritted teeth and turned to leave. He’d only managed to take a couple of steps before Malfoy caught him by the arm and tugged him back round to face him.

"Look, I’m sorry," he said and the corner of Harry’s mouth twitched at the disdain he displayed at having to apologise for something. "I’m just trying to help," he added, again reluctantly.

"Strangely enough, I got that," Harry told him. And it was true, Harry knew he’d been trying to help. It was unfortunate though, that Malfoy had all the tact of a four year old child.

"Good," Malfoy said, his lips quirking into a half smile which Harry’s eyes were inexplicably drawn to for the few moments it took him to realise that they were standing ridiculously close together.

Clearing his throat, Harry took a step back that dislodged Malfoy’s hand on his arm.

"I’ve got marking I should probably get to," Harry said eventually.

"As do I," Malfoy nodded, neutral expression in place, all trace of the smile gone.

"I’ll just…" Harry trailed off, motioning over his shoulder before turning round and walking towards the kitchen door again.

When he reached the doorway he paused and glanced round. "Thanks," he said with a smile before leaving the room to walk through the lounge and out of Malfoy’s quarters.

* * *

 

The next month passed in somewhat of a blur for Harry. Fully into the swing of a new term now, he was snowed under with homework, detention and lessons plans.

He’d hardly had a spare second to think about Ginny, and those he did manage to find he filled as best he could. To begin with he’d done so by seeking out his children, but that only served to remind him of their mother so he’d eased back on his over-enthusiastic parenting, probably much to the relief of James, Lily and Al.

Instead he had volunteered to fill in for Oliver when he was unable to make a practise which he had to supervise. His love of Quidditch rekindled, he Oliver and Draco had begun discussing putting together a staff team. Neville had taken to changing the topic or leaving the room when that particular subject was raised. Accordingly, Draco had taken to bringing it up every time he entered a room.

Malfoy himself was a puzzle Harry had yet to figure out. Whilst all they did was bicker, the tone of it had changed. When before, Harry could quite easily have forgone even speaking to Draco from one day to the next, he now looked forward to when they’d argue about who’d play the seeker position on the staff team or dispute the merits of their respective subjects.

Time spent in the staff room was often spent this way, or in comfortable silence whilst they worked. Despite the improvement of their relationship there was something in Harry that shied away from spending time with Malfoy, despite the fact that he usually wanted to. Perhaps that in itself was the reason.

That and his crumbling marriage aside, Harry was feeling as at home at Hogwarts as he had as a student there. And with Halloween round the corner, and the sense of foreboding slowly growing in his gut, he was all the gladder to be surrounded by a place and people that felt like home.

PART 7 HERE