It was soon becoming apparent that Draco’s mere presence added a previously unknown calm to the elf and the house, making Harry feel like he was even more of a stranger to it all than Draco was.<br/>As Harry tentatively took a seat on the couch beside Draco, he looked over at Kreacher, not as much with suspicion as with genuine curiosity, witnessing in real time how relief washed over the old elf at Draco’s approval.<br/>“Help yourself,” Harry encouraged, though he felt close to no ownership on the spread, finding it oddly formal.<br/>One thing leading to another, they had tricked themselves into a situation that felt incredibly out of character for the both of them, and though Harry had otherwise reached out for Draco whenever they shared a seat, he now felt weirdly infantilized with Kreacher’s watchful eye on him.