Harry had gone to bed optimistic. The case seemed to remain at a stalemate, something that wasn’t unusual for Harry’s line of work, but being quarantined to the Manor had Harry feeling particularly in limbo. Despite their recurring evenings sharing a bottle of wine, this had been the first evening Harry had regained a sense of normalcy.<br/>It hadn’t been much to soothe the fact that Harry had been pulled out of his life for closing in on three weeks, but it had been such a refreshing change of pace to share a laugh with Malfoy. He felt it in the way his optics of Malfoy had changed, the different things he had noted when they parted for the night.<br/>Harry had laid in bed relishing the fact that he had made Malfoy laugh, feeling it to be a great personal achievement after a lifetime of tension.<br/>He had been on the brink of sleep, reliving that entire interaction when he all but bolted awake at the sudden recollection that Malfoy had called Viktor Krum his type.<br/><br/>_____<br/><br/>Due to his interrupted, delayed sleep, Harry woke up an hour past his usual call time. On top of that, not yet ready to face the day, Harry had dragged getting dressed, hoping to join Malfoy in the study rather than for breakfast in the kitchen.<br/>Harry regretted nothing from the passing evening, finding it to be the most enjoyable evening he had yet to spend at the Manor. It had humanized their relation, and Harry genuinely expected that conversation in isolation to be enough to shift the entire way the two of them interacted. But the knowledge that Malfoy was not only good company, nice on the eye but possibly into men was truly a horrifying set of revelations to have made in quick succession.<br/>Harry was less certain about how that last part might affect their interactions going forward.<br/>He arrived at the study a bit to ten. Force of habit, Harry thrummed a nondescript note to the door to the study before opening it.<br/>"Morning," Harry greeted, unsurprised to find Malfoy working at his desk.<br/>The way Harry’s smile tilted making him appear sheepish, aware of the fact that he had, by their usual standards, slept in. It felt like they had gone out for a pint too many on a workday, feeling like Malfoy would know exactly what had offset hiss rhythm.<br/>Unable not to lean into the joke, Harry offered a boyish, "Sorry - had a late night."