分卷阅读42（2 / 2）

“Try looking under the common name and not the scientific name, Harry.” Draco told him as he entered through the portrait. “It’s most likely listed under Eglantine.”

“Thanks.” Harry started going back to the E’s.

“Sure.” And Draco disappeared into the bedroom.

Ron shared a knowing look with Hermione as the blond left the room.

“You two seem to be…close, Harry.” Ron stumbled slightly over the words.

Harry thought for a moment. “I guess you could say that. We’re not really close friends…we’re just not enemies any more.”

“I think that’s a good thing, Harry” Hermione told him.

Ron looked almost betrayed. “What? Why?”

“Well, before this whole thing happened, if we were in the same room as he, Malfoy wouldn’t ever have missed the chance to start something. But just now he completely ignored us. I don’t know about you, Ron, but I’d rather be ignored than be yelling insults at each other.”

The look on Ron’s face clearly indicated that he’d rather be yelling insults, but he kept quiet. Hermione did have a logical point, even if his family’s feud with the Malfoys might state otherwise. Ignoring each other was a lot less…troublesome…than constantly fighting.

Talking about his friendship with Draco made Harry remember the conversation Draco had started the night before they came back. “Hey, Ron…” Harry started. “What do the other Gryffindors think about me not staying in the tower anymore?”

“Well, it’s not a big thing anymore” Ron said. “The first couple of weeks Neville and I had to cover for you a bit.”

“You told Neville?”

“Not the whole truth. I told him that it was a safety thing. He assumed it was about You- Know-oops-Voldemort. And then he and I told the other boys in the dorm that it was a spacing thing…you know, try not to cramp everyone in. I figured that they might believe it more if it came from people other than just me.”

“No one else really noticed you were gone from the Tower,” Hermione explained, “Because you still eat with us and attend the same classes and still sit in the Common Room. It’s not like you’re not in Gryffindor anymore—they would have noticed that—you just have different sleeping arrangements.”

Draco seemed lost in thought during dinner that night, pondering a thought that had come into his head earlier that day. It was rather strange, but after a week of having Harry around almost constantly, from sun up to sun down, he almost…well…missed having Harry around. And there was a Hogsmead day this weekend. Adding these two facts together, his mind had come up with the strangest idea during History of Magic. Now, Draco was used to the strange places that one’s mind wandered during History of Magic, but this was a different thing all together. Why not ask Harry to go to Hogsmead with him? Or at least, to meet him at Hogsmead for a little while. Maybe get a drink or something. There were private rooms at the Three Broomsticks, so no one need know that they were meeting each other. And it wasn’t like he was asking Harry on a date or anything…Or was he?

That was the problem. Because if he wasn’t then there was no issue, it was just two people getting together for a few Butterbeers and company. But if he was, then that would mean something entirely different…something that Draco wasn’t quite ready for. He would admit that Harry wasn’t the bane of his existence anymore. He would admit that he could enjoy Harry’s company. Heck, he could even admit that he liked Harry…but he was not ready to actually do anything about it.

And so that was the dilemma, wasn’t it? Either say nothing and go about whatever else he would be doing this Saturday. Or, say something and deal with what it might bring. Well…he still had a few days to think about it.