"Blimey, it's freezing out here! It's bloody September, why is it so cold?" They were a good hour or two into their trip and Draco Malfoy had yet to stop complaining. Harry only huffed his breath, irritated with the blond.

"Hm, I don't know. Maybe it's because this is bloody England and you're wearing just a button up. Don't you have robes or something you could put on?" Harry sassed, for he could no longer take Malfoy's pessimistic attitude when he was also carrying one.

"No need to get smart with me, Potter. I'm trying to hold up a conversation and all you're doing is moping. What even is your problem?" Malfoy asked.

"It's nothing." Harry lied, for what point was there in telling a Malfoy about the vivid dreams he lived when he slepy, or the cold, empty feeling inside of him.

"I'm going to sit. We've been walking a good two hours and I am exhausted." Malfoy stated, changing the subject and leaning against an evergreen, seating himself on top of one of his many trunks. Harry walked toward him hesitantly, and also sat on the trunk. His own trunk was worn, and if he tried sitting on it, it'd surely collapse inwards.

"The least you could do is offer me your jumper." Malfoy stated, brushing his arms against the chilly weather.

With another sigh, Harry muttered a quick "here" and slid the jumper from his body, to which Malfoy noticed something of an odd couple of scars on Harry's arms. He didn't feel like it was the right time now, but he'd definitely bring it up later to him.

"Thank you, Potter." He opted for instead, sliding into the jumper that was actually quite hideous, as a Weasley sweater would be, and still contained Harry's warmth and his surprisingly calming scent. It was no surprise that the smell of dust lingered on Harry Potter. He'd spent eleven years of his life in a musky cupboard, after all. But aside from the dust, Malfoy couldn't help but pick up the scent of lemon, and he couldn't help but wonder if that was the stuff Harry's aunt had been cleaning with over those years.

»»»

It was now six hours into the trip, and the boys had figured the Hogwarts Express would be pulling into Hogsmeade Station in another hour or so. Night had fallen, and the only light shining down on them came from the harvest moon, aside from their wands that shined brightly after they'd muttered their incantations of Lumos Maxima.

They decided that in another hour, they should probably stop walking for the night. They were at least another five hours journey away from Hogwarts, and seeing as they both knew the dark too well, it would not be safe to wander all night; for both Muggle and Wizard dangers would face them.

"The night's even colder than the day. Are you sure you don't want your jumper back, Potter?" Malfoy asked, for he had started to feel bad for the Gryffindor having given him his jumper, and had yet to grab another one for himself.

"I'm fine, Malfoy. Just wear it and shut up." Harry stated. He was fine, honestly. The outside temperature did nothing to him like his interior temperature did. It barely bothered him, for he was always cold these days.

"What is wrong with you, Potter? Like, you're always cold with me but right now, I just feel like it's a bit more than just my presence putting you on edge." Malfoy asked. Ever since he'd seen those strange markings on Harry's arms those many hours ago, he'd been a bit more concerned with the boy's safety than he'd like to admit.

"It's nothing, Malfoy. Absolutely none of your business what's going on inside my head!" Harry sighed frustratedly. He wanted this night to be over. He wanted to be in his four poster bed in his dormitory, trying to catch up on sleep. It'd be bad enough that they'd be missing classes tomorrow by having to stop soon as it was.

"So you admit it! There is something wrong!" Malfoy claimed, stepping just the littlest bit closer to Harry. By the light of his wand, he'd noticed the boy had begun to shiver. "Please, take your jumper." He slipped the soft material over his head and handed it back to the black haired wizard.

"I really don't need it, Malfoy." Harry sighed, though he accepted it after seeing how persistent the grey-eyed wizard seemed.

"Thank you." The blond lad smiled, and Harry nearly did a double-take for this was the first time he'd ever seen Malfoy with a real, genuine smile on his face. "I think we'd better stop for the night. It's only growing darker and I guarantee the train's stopped by now. Let's find an inn and rest."

Though Harry didn't want to, he agreed and they set off through the thin layer of trees towards the lights of a small Muggle town. A half hour later, they'd made it through the brush and came across a cozy little inn with the sign's name indecipherable due to how much it had faded.

"Hello!" A friendly looking bookkeeper smiled at the pair as they walked through the door. "What can I do for you this evening?" That's when Harry noticed the grandfather clock on the wall. It was six in the evening.

"We're looking for a room." Malfoy stated, and the clerk only smiled.

"Well, you've come to the right place, my boy. Will you be needing one or two beds?" The man, Charles as his nameplate read, asked.

"Two." Harry and Malfoy spoke in unison, staring at the other in disgust.

"Oh, well... Alright. Erm, your room is on the second floor to the right, two dash fifteen. Sixty pounds, if you'd please." Charles said, and though the price of their room seemed a bit ridiculous, Malfoy was the one to fork over the money first.

After he took the money, he muttered a quick "have a nice stay" before disappearing behind a door at the back of the desk. Malfoy grabbed the key from the counter and the pair made their way up to the second floor on a creaky elevator and down a slanting hallway before they stumbled across the room.

Upon opening the door, they realized that the room was actually quite nice spite the appearance of the inn. There were two double beds in the room, accompanied by a wooden dresser, bedside table between the beds, and an old tellie. The curtains appeared to be an off-white color with a yellowish tint to them. After setting their trunks against the wall, they both seemed in a hurry to get into their beds, spite it being so early.

Harry sat on the edge of his bed, carefully shifting through his trunk to find a pair of pajamas. Once he'd succeeded, he stood up, took the pair, and hurried into the bathroom. He returned in a pair of loose fitting, plaid bottoms and was still struggling with the buttons on his top. Malfoy stared at him bemusedly before noticing the scars once more. As soon as Potter had taken a seat on his bed once more, shifting himself into the covers, Malfoy was quick to sit beside him.

"Potter," he started cautiously, eyeing at the scars before taking his arm gently. "What are these?" The markings didn't look like they'd been put there by any blade, but rather a spell.

"It's nothing." Harry stated, turning away from Malfoy.

"It's not nothing." Malfoy stated, still having had hold of Harry's arm. "You're hurting yourself. Why?"

"Draco, please." Harry muttered, and Malfoy dropped his arm at once. Potter had just said his bloody first name! He didn't want to drop the conversation though.

"You performed the Cruciatus curse on yourself, didn't you?Why?" When Harry realized Malfoy wasn't going to drop it, he let out a sigh and felt a single tear slip from his green eyes.

"I wanted to feel something." He stated weakly, but didn't elaborate anymore on it. He just lied there and cried, and Malfoy awkwardly rubbed his shoulder. He'd never been given sympathy, so he wasn't the best at giving it either.

They fell asleep like that. Well, Harry fell asleep first: finally allowing himself to shut his eyes even if he would inevitably see Dumbledore, Dobby, or anybody else die again. Draco, however, remained awake just a bit longer: never leaving Potter's bed in hopes of making sure the Gryffindor got a good night's sleep. It looked like the poor kid could use it.

»»»

"You walked to Hogwarts with Malfoy?" It was Hermione Granger who had asked this. By the time Draco and Harry had arrived at the school, lunch was just getting started and the two were very hungry. After a bit of trouble with Filch, they'd successfully made their ways to their house tables where their friends greeted them excitedly.

Hermione had been the most excited to see Harry. His letter to her previously in the summer hadn't been very descriptive, and when he hadn't been on the train yesterday, she had begun to panic a bit - though Professor McGonagall, the Head of Gryffindor and new Headmistress of Hogwarts had assured her that he was alive. Professor Trelawney, who taught Divination only confirmed McGonagall's predicament.

"As I told you already, I didn't have a choice. He made me walk with him. I missed the train, and so did he." Harry stated simply, forking another bite of potatoes into his mouth.

"And you said you bloody shared a hotel room with him?" Ron asked, eyes wide as he sipped from his cup.

"He paid, actually. It was strange." Harry stated, eyes glancing over towards the Slytherin table to find that Malfoy and his friends were also staring at him. He'd left out the part of them sleeping in the same bed together to Ron and Hermione, finding that they definitely wouldn't react to that well. Though, in the deepest, darkest parts of Harry's mind, he had to admit that it had been nice to spend his night in the arms of someone who seemed to care - if only slightly - about him.

"Sounds to me like he's plotting something." Ron mumbled, biting into a chicken leg.

"Regardless," Hermione stated, glaring at her mannerless boyfriend. "Malfoy got Harry here in one piece. So, we owe him that much credit."

"I don't owe Malfoy anything." Ron rolled his eyes, standing up. "I'd better go. I've got Divination next. Harry, you've got it too, but I recommend you get some rest first."

Harry stood after that.

"I've slept enough." He claimed, though his body said otherwise. By standing as quickly as he had, he'd given himself vertigo.

"You clearly haven't. Hermione, help me take him to Madam Pomfrey." Ron stated, and soon the two were lugging Harry off towards the Hospital Wing: Draco Malfoy following behind from within the shadows.