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The moment seemed almost outside the fabric of reality. Like time herself slowed down just for them, holding her breath.
He isn’t sure how he and Malfoy ended up here, on the astronomy tower, almost shoulder to shoulder. It was way past curfew, and the stars danced around each other, unknowing of their small audience. A beetle chirruped nearby, and he could tell it was magical. Its shell almost seemed to reflect the sky, and every couple seconds it toed across the wall, its feet lighting up with its movement, small ripples disappearing into the stone.
“They’re called ward beetles” Malfoy suddenly said, his voice missing its usual mocking tone.
“What?”
“They feed off the wards, and strengthen them too. They say seeing them is a sign of good luck”
“I don’t feel very lucky”
Malfoy huffed a laugh, but his smile looked more like a grimace.
“Yea, neither do I”
It was the beginning of sixth year, and it was already miserable. He was so tired of being Harry Potter.
Harry cleared his throat.
“What’s the glowing? When it walks?”
“Just the wards on the stone. The magic goes up its legs and the beetle absorbs it. Then it finds any weak spots in the wards and gives it some of its own magic back.”
“S’ pretty. Do you know why its wings reflect like that?”
This time Malfoy shrugs, “just to blend in, I suppose”
They didn’t ask each other why they were up there, instead accepting the silent truce. It was silent for a moment.
Harry couldn’t resist glancing at him. His face was glowing, the moon reflecting off his hair like spider silk. And his eyes..
“Which one is yours?” Harry asked, looking at the sky. He never paid much attention in astronomy, not when there were more important things to be learning, like defence, and more defence. “Your constellation, I mean.”
The beetle chirped again and then flew away, the beat of its wings surprisingly loud in the silence. He was kind of sad to see it go.
Malfoy sighed and leaned closer to him, grabbing his hand and raising it, using his own finger to point. He looked tired.
“There. It kind of looks like a big N. It’s one of the largest constellations, of course.”
Harry couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Of course.” He snickered softly. Still, he quickly found the constellation. “What about Sirius?” He whispered.
Honestly, he already knew where that one was. He’d spent nights staring at it, especially in privet drive, where there was nothing else to do but mourn the life he could’ve had. He just wanted Malfoy to lean closer again, and wasn’t that an odd thought?
“It’s a star. It sits in the Canis Major.” Malfoy pointed their hands up. “Actually, Sirius is two stars in one. The one we see is the brightest one, right there.”
Harry held his breath, not wanting Malfoy to hear him breathing louder than usual.
“The other Sirius is more faint. People call it the pup.”
Harry swallows, and nods. He didn’t know that, actually. Malfoy let their hands fall back down, and he expected the boy to make room between them again, but instead he kept holding his hand, resting them on their knees.
Harry could feel his palm start to sweat, and hoped Malfoy wouldn’t notice.
The world went quiet again, and they could hear the wind whistling past the stones, humming its own tune.
They didn’t talk about the impending war, or Voldemort, or how they could both be dead this time next year. Instead they sat there, closer than they should be, closer than they had ever been.
He didn’t want this to end. He wanted to sit here and talk about nothing important, wanted to keep this truce going just a little while longer, because tomorrow it would be like this never happened. They would never talk about it, and they would probably never do it again.
But.. his head was starting to ache in the way that hinted at impending doom, and he didn’t want this moment to be tainted.
He slowly got up, stretching to relieve the crick in his neck.
“Goodnight” he whispered, almost lost to the sound of the castle, before walking away, the soft tap of his worn out shoes adding a beat to the wind.
Malfoy didn’t reply, still staring at the stars.