Draco hiccupped and after a while, the sobs became less frantic. Harry felt a knot unwind slightly in him as he appeared to start breathing a little more regularly again, though he still showed no signs of moving away. Harry responded by continuing his ministrations, rubbing his back and stroking his hair. He even went so far as to rest his cheek against Draco's head again, inhaling his shampoo as he murmured words of support.

If he had ever been asking for a punch, he figured this was the moment. But the spell between them held, and as some of the tension gradually ebbed out of Draco's body, the more he seemed to melt into Harry's embrace. It was a comforting feeling, even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances.

Out of nowhere, Dinella materialized, holding out a handkerchief, which Harry took as he mouthed a silent "thank you" to her before she vanished once more. Gently, he laid his hand on top of the one Draco was currently gripping a fistful of his t-shirt with, and rubbed his thumb carefully against the knuckle. "Here," he said softly.

Draco's breath shuddered, and he seemed to consider the hanky before he took it. But eventually he did, blowing his nose loudly and mopping up his red-rimmed eyes. "Why are you here?" he croaked tiredly, face still nuzzled protectively into Harry's chest.

Harry stroked his hair, becoming bolder in the lack of Draco's rejection. "I was worried about you," he murmured. He was well aware that at any second Draco could regain his senses and jerk away, berating Harry for getting so close to him and recoiling from his moment of vulnerability, but until then it felt right to keep holding him.

"Why?" Draco asked again. "Why you?"

Harry shrugged a little awkwardly, wondering if that punch was coming. Why was he there, comforting another guy like this? It was pretty intimate he had to admit, but as odd as it should have been, he found he was in no hurry to pull away, and Draco was still latched resolutely on to him. "You seemed upset, after what those girls said."

He felt Draco cringe against him. "Of course you were there to hear that," he said miserably. "Well what do you care, they didn't say anything that wasn't true?"

"Draco," Harry admonished. "They were completely out of line."

Draco finally raised his head, only to shake it in disgust. "I am a fat loser," he said defiantly. His cheeks were blotted with pink spots and his whole body was trembling ever so slightly. "I'm a traitor and a murderer and I should just do everyone a favour and end it." He was crying again, shrinking against Harry's side, his jaw clenched with stress as he shook. "It's not like anyone would miss me!"

Harry pulled him into another hug, this time with Draco's forehead pressed against the crook of his neck. He managed to get both arms around his back, and he squeezed him tightly. "I'd miss you," he said equally definitely. He was a little stunned at how true that was, and how his body physically flinched at the mere idea of Draco hurting himself, or going so far as to take his own life. The world, he decided, would be a lot poorer if it lost Draco Malfoy.

He scoffed in his arms. "Don't be stupid Potter," he mumbled, but it wasn't said viciously. "I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity Draco," Harry sighed, and risked stoking his baby-fine hair again. It was so soft, and Harry was finding it quite hypnotic carding his fingers through the strands. "I've gotten pretty used to having you around, I actually think I quite like it now." He bit his lip, letting the words hang. "It's that weird?"

Draco just breathed shakily in and out for a few minutes. "Why would you like having me around?" he asked eventually, his words so quiet Harry almost missed them. "I'm nothing."

"You're clever," Harry replied instantly, not liking the way his throat contracted at Draco's statement that he wasn't worth anything. "And now you're not being an arse to people or showing off all the time-" that at least got a self-deprecating chuckle "-you're actually quite thoughtful from what I've seen."

"You've only seen me in lessons," Draco protested. He sounded bone-weary.

Harry nodded his head against where it was resting on top of Draco's. "You're bright, you ask good questions and give good answers, Hermione said so but even I was able to see that. And," he said, risking another gentle run of his fingertips down the back of Draco's neck. "You're not mean with what you know. You share, I saw you lend Hannah Abbot your Charms notes the other day. I think, without worrying about people being around to judge you now, you're actually quite generous."

Draco let out a huff of air that sounded like he disagreed, but he didn't actually say anything in reply. So Harry just carried on sitting there with him.