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As the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson, Draco packed his books, quill and ink away without looking up. It had been another hour spent sitting quietly at the back of the class, trying not to draw any attention to himself. All he wanted to do was pass his N.E.W.T.s with as little trouble as possible. He hadn’t actually wanted to come back at all, but it was part of the restrictions he’d had imposed on him by the Ministry instead of being sent to Azkaban. By their logic, if he was at Hogwarts, he was fully supervised. How they came to that logic, considering what he’d got up to in his sixth year was quite a mystery to him. Still, he wasn’t in a position to argue and so, here he was; just trying to get through each day as it came. Of course, some of the other students made that harder than it should be. They constantly reminded him of his past transgressions, and it was getting tiresome. He knew by now who to avoid and had become quite adept at it. It intrigued him that Potter, Weasley and Granger were not among them.
In fact, Potter intrigued him full stop. It had been a huge surprise when he had turned up to testify at the trial. At first, he was sure Potter was there to make sure both he and his parents were thrown in Azkaban with no prospect of getting out. But then, Potter had spoken of how even though they’d never got along, he had long ago stopped blaming Draco for his part in the war. That he’d realised he and Draco were actually quite similar in that they’d been raised to be pitted against one another in a battle they’d had no choice in and that Draco was a product of his father’s prejudices. He’d gone on to give a passionate speech about why he believed that neither Draco nor Narcissa deserved to be sent to Azkaban and, luckily for the Malfoys, the Wizengamot had agreed with Potter. There had been restrictions imposed, of course, but nothing that Draco couldn’t handle.
Sighing, he realised the class was now mostly empty and he stood up before heading out into the corridor. He had a free lesson now and, although he wanted to go to the common room, he turned in the opposite direction and headed out into the grounds. He’d learned fairly quickly that getting anywhere was not easy when everyone else was in the corridors. He’d taken to walking around the outskirts of the castle whenever he had the time to spare because it was safer. He’d lost count of the number of hexes that had been thrown his way since the start of term.
Emerging into the fresh air, he was surprised at the warmth in the March sun. It had been relatively cold first thing that morning when he’d tramped through the dew-soaked grass on his way to Herbology. There was still a chill in the air as he walked though, and he could see his breath coming in small puffs. Glad of the scarf around his neck, Draco kicked at a pebble as he rounded a corner. He knew he was near to the entrance that would lead him straight to the common room now, and as he crossed the courtyard, he slowed down slightly. Looking around with a frown, he tried to make as little sound as possible. He could hear a high-pitched sound, but couldn’t tell what it was.
Adjusting his bag on his shoulder, he stood stock still as he tried to work out where the sound was coming from. Creeping forward, Draco followed the sound as it got louder. At its loudest, he stopped walking again. The noise appeared to be coming from underneath the hedge. Glancing around, Draco dropped to his knees and pushed his way under the lowest branches of the hedge.
“Oh… Merlin,” he breathed as his gaze landed on the source of the noise. A small flock of yellow and black fuzzy ducklings all huddled together. “Where’s your mother?” he murmured, looking around. He couldn’t see an adult duck anywhere, but he did spot a very suspicious-looking pile of feathers a little way away. He was shaken from his thoughts by a sharp pain in his ankle.
“Ow! What the–?”
Draco hissed in pain and pulled his head back out of the hedge to find out what was going on. He realised straight away what had happened as he spotted someone lying spreadeagled on the floor beside him, though it wasn’t just anybody. It was Potter.
“Malfoy? What are you doing?” Harry asked as he pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his knee.
“Er…”
Draco was torn between telling Harry the truth and fobbing him off with an excuse. He was saved from having to do either by the sound of the ducklings making themselves known again.
“What’s that?” Harry asked, shuffling around so that he could poke his head underneath the hedge too.
Draco sighed and ducked back under the hedge, shoulder to shoulder with Harry.
“What happened?” Harry asked softly, watching as the ducklings jostled and nipped at each other.
“I’m not sure,” Draco admitted. “I’d only just found them when you kicked me.”
“I didn’t kick you,” Harry protested. “I tripped over your bloody feet.”
“Oh. Well, sorry,” Draco said. “I didn’t realise anyone was around.”
“No harm done,” Harry shrugged. “Do you think the parents are around?”
“Not if that pile of feathers has anything to do with it,” Draco said, nodding towards the feathers.
“Ah,” Harry said, nodding in realisation. “So, the ducklings are on their own. They’re very young.”
“Do you know anything about ducklings?” Draco asked, daring to look at Harry.
“No. Do you?”
Draco shook his head. “No. But… how hard could it be?”
“You want to try and look after them?” Harry asked in surprise.
“Well, yes,” Draco said after a moment. “Look at them. They’re adorable, and I’ve not exactly got much else going for me right now.”
“Don’t put yourself down,” Harry said, shaking his head. “You’re doing alright. I know some of the others have been giving you a hard time. I’ve tried to get them to stop.”
Draco shrugged. “I can’t say I didn’t expect it.”
“That doesn’t make it right,” Harry said. “You’re here the same as the rest of us, just trying to pretend we’re normal teenagers for a bit.”
Draco took a breath that was shakier than he’d thought it would be. “If only it were that easy,” he said.
Harry glanced at him. “How are you coping?”
Draco looked up in surprise. “What?”
“How are you coping?” Harry repeated his question. “You know, with everything? How’s, er, how’s your mum?”
Draco blinked and looked down at the ducklings again, reaching out a hand to carefully stroke the one that was closest to him. “She’s doing alright,” he said eventually. “Getting on with things. She doesn’t seem to mind being stuck in the Manor on her own.”
“I’m… well, I’m not sorry that your father got punished,” Harry said with a sigh. “But I am sorry that your mum is alone.”
“I’m not sorry he got punished either,” Draco said softly. “He deserved it. He writes to Mother, though, which I think helps her.”
“And what about you?”
“I’ve… I’m doing okay,” Draco said, frowning at the duckling as it snuggled up to his finger. “I just want to get through the year and pass my exams.”
“And look after these ducklings?” Harry asked, smiling as he watched Draco continue to stroke the small bird.
“Yes,” Draco nodded. “Because someone will have to look after them. They won’t survive on their own.”
“We could take them to Hagrid you know,” Harry said. “He’d look after them.”
Draco shook his head. “No. I want to do this. I want to prove that I can do something good, even if it is something small and insignificant.”
Harry couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t think it’s insignificant,” he said. “I think it’s a nice thing to do.”
Draco looked at Harry out of the corner of his eye. “Thanks,” he muttered.
“Can I help you look after them?” Harry asked after a moment.
“What?” Draco asked, turning to Harry properly, his eyes wide. “Why?”
Harry shrugged and looked down at the ducklings. “Like you said, they’re adorable. I’d like to see them grow up.”
Draco looked down at the ducklings again. “Well… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have some help…”
Harry reached out to stroke one of the ducklings too. “You can tell me what to do,” he said. “I won’t take over.”
“Alright,” Draco said softly. “Do you think we can keep them in the dormitory?”
Harry looked thoughtful. “It probably wouldn’t be the best place for them,” he said. “It might be too warm for them inside.”
“Oh, yeah, I didn’t think of that,” Draco said, frowning. “But we need to keep them somewhere we’ll be able to find them.”
“Maybe we can put some protective charms around this hedge,” Harry said, looking around. “They seem happy enough here, and they’re quite well protected.”
“But what happened to their mother?” Draco asked, nodding to the pile of feathers again. “What if whatever got her comes back for them?”
“We’ll be able to put something up that’ll stop anything getting them,” Harry said, looking thoughtful. “I’m sure there’s a charm that will keep them safe.”
“Are you sure?” Draco asked, turning to look at Harry once more. “It would be quite nice to let them stay here where they’re comfortable if we can keep them safe. Even if it is a bit awkward to get in to check on them.”
“I don’t know, it’s quite cosy,” Harry said, giving Draco a sly look. “At least, I don’t mind it.”
Draco looked back down at the ducklings. He could feel his cheeks turning pink. “Well, I didn’t say I minded it,” he said quietly.
Harry grinned and looked down too. “You know,” he started. “Now that the war is over, maybe we could start again. I just think that, maybe, now we can put everything behind us and… at least have a proper conversation.”
“I thought we’d been having a proper conversation for the last five minutes,” Draco said, looking up again.
“Hm. So we have,” Harry said, a smile playing on his lips. “So I guess we’ve started again then?”
“Looks like it,” Draco replied, nodding. “Happy?”
“Getting there,” Harry said. “I think I’d quite like to have a conversation somewhere that’s not under a hedge though.”
“What are you suggesting?” Draco asked, looking Harry dead in the eye. He was surprised to see Harry looking back at him, though he wasn’t sure why given that they were having a conversation.
“That you and I spend some time together,” Harry said. “Everyone else is getting on with each other, but we… have barely spoken.”
“I’ve barely spoken to anyone,” Draco admitted. “I’m just trying to get through this year and pass my exams so I can at least try and get a job.”
“Me too,” Harry replied. “I changed my mind about what I want to be when I leave school. So getting my N.E.W.T.s actually matters now.”
“Did it not before?” Draco asked, frowning.
“Well, yes, but I was offered a job in the Aurors as a result of the battle,” Harry said, sounding embarrassed.
“Of course you were,” Draco muttered, his frown deepening as he looked down briefly. “Why didn’t you take it?”
Harry lifted his hand and rubbed at the back of his neck slightly. “I’m tired,” he said simply. “Tired of everything being a battle. I don’t want to fight anymore, not with you or with anyone else. I just want to live as normally as possible. It doesn’t stop the Ministry from sending owls now and again, trying to persuade me to give up school and join the Aurors.”
Draco studied Harry carefully. “Aren’t you ever tempted?”
Harry shook his head. “Not even a little bit,” he admitted. “I thought I might get a bit… bored, being back here but not even close. It’s just nice not to have to make all the decisions and wonder if I’m doing the right thing. I just have to pay attention in lessons and do my homework, and if I don’t, no-one is at risk of dying.”
“Makes sense, I suppose,” Draco said, nodding his head slightly. “I wish I’d had slightly less of people making decisions for me in the past; I have to say.”
“Well, yeah, I can understand that,” Harry replied. “After everything you went through. I knew something was going on with you that year, but I never expected it to be that bad.”
“I don’t think my father did either,” Draco said with a humourless chuckle. “It certainly wasn’t anything like we’d been led to believe.”
They fell silent for a moment, just watching the ducklings as they picked at the grass.
“Do you know what ducks eat?” Harry asked, breaking the silence.
Draco blinked and turned his head slowly to look at Harry. “No… do you?”
“Well, I know people like to feed them bread,” Harry replied with a small frown. “But I don’t suppose that makes up their whole diet.”
Draco licked his lips and took a deep breath. “Do you think we should maybe go and have a look for a book in the library?”
Harry looked taken aback for a moment but then smiled. “That might be a good idea,” he said. “I’m sure there’ll be something in there that can help us. Do you want to go now?”
Draco hesitated before nodding. “Might as well. But we should put those protective charms up first.”
Harry nodded too. “Alright. Is it okay with you if I do them? We, er, we got used to having to put protective charms up last year.”
“It’s fine,” Draco said, waving a hand slightly. “I will trust your experience and ability on this occasion.”
“Thanks,” Harry replied with a snort, pulling out his wand and beginning to recite the incantations.
Draco watched, listening to the spells that Harry was using. Once the spell casting was complete, he gave Harry a look. “Pretty impressive, Potter.”
“Yeah, see, I’m not just a one-trick Hippogriff,” Harry said with a grin as he put his wand back in his pocket.
“Apparently not,” Draco agreed with a hint of a smile on his face. “Come on then. We’d better go before the bell rings, and we have to go to Charms.”
“Right,” Harry said, pushing himself back out of the hedge and standing up. He brushed the dirt off his knees and picked his school bag up.
Draco gave the ducklings one last look and then pushed his way out of the hedge again to join Harry. Picking his bag up, he looked at Harry.
“Lead the way,” Harry said, gesturing for Draco to go ahead of him.
Draco set off down the path, heading for the main entrance to the school. He wasn’t sure what was going on right now, but he wasn’t going to complain. It was nice to have a conversation with someone who wasn’t himself, and even better to have a discussion with Potter that hadn’t resulted in them hurling insults or hexes at one another.
Harry caught up to Draco, and they continued their journey to the library in silence, though it wasn’t filled with the usual tension.
A few minutes later, they had dropped their bags onto a table in the library and were searching the shelves for books that they thought might be able to help them.
“Here, this one looks promising,” Draco said as he examined a thick book. “It says it has Muggle animals in it as well as magical ones.”
“Oh, let’s have a look through that then,” Harry said, his hand closing around Draco’s wrist to lead him back to the table.
Draco jumped slightly at the contact but followed Harry willingly to the table, where they sat side by side. Draco opened the book to the contents page, and they scanned the list.
“Oh, there,” Harry said, pointing to a line on the page. “Page two hundred and fifty-eight.”
Draco flipped the pages of the book until they landed on the right page. He ran his eyes over the page, looking for any mention of feeding habits of ducks. “Oh, here,” he said, marking the point with his finger.
Harry leaned over, his shoulder pressing against Draco’s, and began to read. “Gastropods, invertebrates… crustaceans, worms… I think they’ll be okay under that hedge then. There must be plenty of snails and stuff under there.”
Draco, who had gone very still as Harry pressed close, turned his head to look at Harry. “Do you think so?”
“Well, yeah, there must be worms in the mud, and there are usually snails all over the place when it rains,” Harry reasoned. “So maybe we won’t need to worry too much about feeding them.”
“But how can we be sure?” Draco asked, frowning again. “If we don’t see them eating, how will we know that they are eating?”
Harry paused. “Good point… do you know of some kind of observation charm?”
“No,” Draco replied, his frown deepening. “I don’t think there is such a thing.”
“Oh. Well that’s not much help, is it,” Harry said with a sigh. “Wait… I had a two-way mirror last year. Maybe we could get something like that?”
“Don’t you still have the mirror?” Draco asked, turning to Harry.
“Er, no,” Harry admitted, his cheeks reddening slightly. “I accidentally smashed it in a fit of rage. I did keep a fragment of it but ended up losing it somewhere amid the battle.”
“Ah,” Draco said, giving a nod of recognition. “Had they been bought from a shop, or created somehow?”
“I’m not sure,” Harry said. “Sirius gave them to me; he said he and my dad used to use them when they were in separate detentions. Oh, wait… maybe your mum might know something about them? They could have been a Black family artefact.”
“I suppose I could ask her,” Draco said slowly. “She might have had something similar to talk to her sisters when they were younger.”
“Okay. In the meantime I think we should just keep an eye on the ducklings and see how they get on,” Harry said.
Draco nodded. “Alright, I’ll send her an owl at lunchtime. Speaking of which, we should probably check on the ducklings after we’ve eaten and then again after dinner. I wonder what time they sleep.”
“Probably when it starts getting dark,” Harry said thoughtfully. “So it might be quite late.”
“Before curfew though?” Draco asked, glancing at Harry. “Or we’ll have to sneak out.”
“Maybe. If we have to sneak out, I have my Invisibility Cloak,” Harry said carefully. “It, er, should cover both of us but we’d have to be quite close together.”
“Oh,” Draco said quietly. “Okay, well… okay.”
“It might not come to that,” Harry said quickly. “We might have time before curfew.”
“Maybe,” Draco agreed, nodding. “Hopefully.”
Harry chuckled slightly. “Yeah. So… Charms?”
“Is it that time already?” Draco asked, half groaning.
“Afraid so. Are you not enjoying Charms?” Harry replied, giving Draco a curious look.
“It’s not that I don’t enjoy it,” Draco said, shrugging slightly. “It’s something I find quite easy, so I’m not struggling, but I do feel a bit exposed in the classroom. Wary of some people, I mean.”
“Ah. I can understand that,” Harry said with a nod. “I’ve been there. It usually helps to have someone to talk to.”
“Which I don’t have. Not anymore,” Draco replied.
“You could sit with me,” Harry said thoughtfully. “Neville wouldn’t mind. And it might help to get the others to give you a break.”
Draco looked at Harry, raising an eyebrow. “Are you serious? Why?”
“Yeah, of course I am. Why not?” Harry replied, shrugging. “I told you I wanted to put everything behind us and start again. So why not sit together in a class?”
“Well…” Draco said, flustered. “I…”
“Just try for today,” Harry said quickly. “See how it goes.”
“Alright,” Draco replied finally. “What harm could it do?”
Harry grinned. “Exactly. Come on.”
They put their books back on the shelves and picked their bags up, before heading out of the library and towards the Charms corridor. Draco realised as they walked, that although people were looking at him, he wasn’t worried about being hexed for once. No-one would dare to send a hex the way of Harry Potter. He tried to ignore the tingling feeling in his stomach as he walked alongside Harry. There was no conversation between them, but the silence didn’t feel awkward or tense as it would have done once. He felt nervous about how his sitting with Harry would come across to the rest of the class, but he knew that Harry wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
As they reached the classroom, there were a few of their classmates already inside, and Draco stopped at the doorway.
Glancing over his shoulder, Harry stopped too. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing,” Draco said, shaking his head. “Just… worrying about nothing.”
“It’ll be fine, I promise,” Harry said. “Come on. Neville isn’t in yet, so we don’t have to explain why he has to move.”
“Are you sure he won’t mind?” Draco asked, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.
“He won’t mind, I’m positive,” Harry replied.
“Alright,” Draco said, sighing slightly at the same time. “Lead the way.”
Harry smiled and headed into the classroom, Draco following closely behind him.
***
After Charms, where Draco had had a surprisingly good lesson, he and Harry had eaten lunch together in the Great Hall before heading back out to check on the ducklings.
“Told you sitting with me wouldn’t be too bad,” Harry said as they walked along the path that led to the ducklings’ hedge.
“Well, you’ll have to forgive me for not quite believing you,” Draco replied, kicking at a stray pebble as he walked. “Past experience of spending time with you caused me to be a little bit wary.”
“I know,” Harry said, adjusting his bag. “My past experience was no better. But I think we’ve moved past that now, don’t you?”
“I think so,” Draco nodded. “Living through a war makes you realise that there are more important things than arguing over blood purity and money.”
“Wow,” Harry said, looking at Draco in surprise. “I think that’s top of the list of things I never expected to come out of your mouth.”
Draco shrugged one shoulder. “It’s how it is though,” he said. “I’ve come to realise a few things.”
“I’m glad,” Harry replied, unable to stop the smile that crossed his face. “It’s nice to have you on the same side as the rest of us.”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t rub it in,” Draco sighed. “I know I’ve got a lot of making up to do.”
“Plenty of time for that,” Harry said, nudging Draco’s shoulder with his own. “Let’s just concentrate on our ducks for now.”
Draco snorted as he stumbled slightly, surprised by the contact from Harry. “Our ducks now, are they?”
“Yeah,” Harry said, nodding as they reached the hedge. “They’re going to be like our kids. We need to raise them properly.”
“We’re not married, Potter,” Draco exclaimed with a laugh of disbelief.
“Do we need to be married to have little feathery kids?” Harry asked with a grin.
Draco paused before shaking his head. “No, I suppose not,” he said. “At least I know you’ll be able to protect them.”
Harry gave a delighted laugh. “I’ll do my very best,” he said. “And I know you’ll help. You’re pretty decent with a wand.”
“Praise indeed,” Draco said softly, his cheeks colouring as he dropped his bag to the floor.
“Come off it, you know you’re good,” Harry said, lowering his own bag too. “You used to love reminding me when we were younger.”
“Maybe so, but you never admitted it,” Draco replied, raising one eyebrow.
“I didn’t want to make your head any bigger,” Harry chuckled. “Luckily it seems to have shrunk a bit now.”
“As I said, I’ve come to realise a few things. Come on, let’s check on these ducklings,” Draco said as he knelt down. He was hoping to distract Harry from talking about their past.
“Yes. Alright,” Harry exclaimed, nodding. He dropped to his knees beside Draco. “Do you think we maybe should make this gap a bit bigger so we can get in?”
“That actually might be a good idea,” Draco said thoughtfully, sitting back on his heels for a moment.
“If we make it bigger, we’ll be able to spend a bit more time here,” Harry reasoned, looking around.
“Yes, that would probably be handy. Then we won’t have to answer loads of questions,” Draco said, nodding. “Alright, let’s do it now.”
Harry grinned and pulled his wand out. He glanced around quickly before pointing it at the hedge and muttering the spell that they knew would increase the space under the hedge without making it noticeable to outsiders.
A few moments later, they slipped under the hedge and settled themselves beside the ducklings who were sleeping in a pile.
“All seems well,” Draco said quietly, looking at Harry. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
“No, it would seem not,” Harry said, smiling fondly at the sleeping ducks. “It’s quite nice sitting here while they sleep.”
“Peaceful,” Draco said, nodding again. “It’s nice to have a break from the common room if I’m honest.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Harry said, looking down. “Stops people staring.”
Draco looked at Harry curiously. “What do you mean?”
Harry sighed. “Haven’t you been getting The Daily Prophet?”
Draco shook his head silently.
“There’s been a couple of articles in there about me,” Harry said, frowning. “You know I was offered a job with the Aurors after the battle? Well, somehow they’ve found out about it and that I turned it down.”
“Ah,” Draco said, nodding in understanding.
“Yeah,” Harry said. “Exactly. They’re saying how I should have taken the job and that I’m ungrateful.”
Draco frowned. “But you’re only seventeen. Being an Auror needs experience, doesn’t it? I mean, no offence, but just because you defeated… him doesn’t mean you’re ready to be an Auror.”
“I know, that’s why I’m here,” Harry said, nodding. “I didn’t feel ready to take a job like that, plus, I don’t really want to do that forever as I told you earlier.”
“I can understand that,” Draco replied. “But surely so does everyone else?”
Harry shook his head. “Apparently not,” he said. “I see the looks I get sometimes. Not from people in our year, but the younger ones. It’s frustrating because they just don’t understand what it was like.”
“They should count themselves lucky,” Draco muttered. “I wish I didn’t know what it was like.”
Harry snorted. “Me too, believe me.”
“Do you think you’ll ever get over it?” Draco asked softly.
Harry was silent for a moment. “Maybe. I hope so. What about you?”
“I’d like to think I will,” Draco replied. “It might take a while, though.”
Harry nodded. “I think that’s okay, though.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Harry said. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather it take time and be properly recovered than to think I’m recovered and then have a relapse. If that makes sense?”
Draco nodded slowly. “I think it does. I’d rather be properly recovered too. I still get nightmares sometimes so I know I’m not there yet.”
“Me too,” Harry admitted, nodding. “I’m getting better at calming down afterwards now though.”
“I think I am too,” Draco said. “I think being in a shared dormitory helps, funnily enough. It helps knowing other people are going through it.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Harry said, nodding again. “I never hear anyone, but I know it’s happening.”
“Silencing charms are a wonderful invention,” Draco said.
“Indeed they are,” Harry replied. “Well, I don’t think these ducklings need us right now. Think we should go to Potions?”
“Probably,” Draco said reluctantly. “I’d rather stay here, though.”
Harry grinned. “So would I,” he said. “But we can come back later.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Draco sighed. “Come on then. Before I change my mind.”
Harry laughed and pushed himself out of the hedge, making sure that no-one was around.
Draco took one last look at the ducklings and followed Harry.
Dusting themselves off, they picked their bags up and headed back towards the castle. Neither of them really noticed the looks they got from their classmates as they arrived at the dungeons together.
***
As the weeks passed, Draco continued spending his free time under the hedge with Harry and the ducklings. He knew that it would probably be considered strange that, at the age of seventeen, he was hiding in a hedge, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. Keeping an eye on the ducklings had given him a much-needed distraction, and it had been rewarding to see them grow bigger and stronger.
It had also been something of a surprise to him that he and Harry had got along so well during the time they’d spent together. A lot of the time, they’d taken their homework down to the hedge with them and had sat quietly scribbling away on their parchment. Other times, they’d been distracted by the ducklings who were scrabbling around and trying to find food in the ground. They’d talked too, of course, finding that they really did have more in common than they’d ever realised. By unspoken agreement, neither of them mentioned the first six years at Hogwarts. Draco didn’t have any real desire to talk about those days, and he suspected that Harry might feel the same.
Draco had seen Harry in a whole new light over the last few weeks, and he wasn’t sure how to process those feelings. They’d had a brief conversation about past relationships, and Harry had revealed that he wasn’t just attracted to girls, but had never had a relationship with a boy. Draco had been more surprised to learn that Harry was no longer seeing Ginny Weasley, and his stomach had done a little flip at this revelation. He felt a mild sense of panic at the realisation that he might find Harry more than a little bit attractive. Given Harry’s admission, Draco thought that it was only fair to share that despite it looking like he and Pansy were together, he was actually gay and Pansy was nothing more than his best friend. To his credit, Harry hadn’t dwelled on this other than to assure Draco that he would support him if he ever needed it.
Since that conversation, Draco had felt more relaxed around Harry and had begun to flirt subtly during their conversations. Sometimes, though Draco couldn’t be sure he wasn’t imagining it, Harry seemed to flirt back.
As they reached the end of April and the weather warmed up significantly, Draco and Harry found themselves under the hedge on a sunny Saturday morning. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, but they’d both elected to stay behind. The ducklings now had almost all of their adult feathers, and they were looking like fledging any time soon. Both Harry and Draco wanted to be there when it happened.
Harry was sitting with his back propped against the trunk of the hedge, his legs laid flat on the ground, a book open on his lap.
Draco was sitting beside him, his back resting against Harry’s left arm and his legs drawn up as he watched the ducklings squabble.
“Do you think they’ll manage when they leave?” Draco asked thoughtfully.
“I can’t see why they wouldn’t,” Harry replied, looking up. “They’ve done well enough so far. They’re all a good size; they’ll be able to hold their own.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Draco said. “I’ll miss them when they go… I’ll miss this.”
“I’ll miss them too,” Harry said, closing his book and putting it to one side.
Draco was silent for a moment. “What about this?” he asked quietly.
Harry went still.
Draco chewed his lip slightly, wondering if he’d pushed things too far.
“I won’t miss this,” Harry began, before pausing.
Draco felt his heart sink, but he didn’t dare move.
Harry slipped his hand down until it closed around Draco’s right wrist. “I won’t miss this because I have no intention of letting it go,” he continued in a soft voice.
Draco swallowed. His wrist was warm where Harry’s fingers were pressed against it. He looked down at their arms before shifting slightly so that he could rest his head against Harry’s shoulder. “I don’t want to let it go either,” he whispered, as though afraid to speak the words out loud.
“Spending time with you these last few weeks has been… eye-opening,” Harry said softly. “In more ways than one.”
“You’re telling me,” Draco murmured. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”
Harry huffed with laughter. “Same,” he said. “I thought you were flirting with me so many times, but I couldn’t be sure.”
“I was,” Draco nodded. “Just not very hard. I wasn’t sure if I’d read the situation right. I didn’t think, well… that you’d ever like me, nevermind like me.”
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but I think we’re definitely going in the right direction now, don’t you?” Harry replied, rubbing circles on Draco’s wrist with the pad of his thumb.
“I’d like to think so,” Draco said, nodding, though he was finding it hard to concentrate with the feeling of Harry’s thumb moving on his wrist.
“Good,” Harry murmured, resting his cheek against Draco’s hair briefly.
Draco closed his eyes and gave a deep, contented sigh.
They stayed like that for a moment, and then Harry sat forward, dislodging Draco in the process.
“What’s wrong?” Draco asked, opening his eyes in alarm.
“Nothing, look!” Harry exclaimed, pointing at the ducks. They were squeezing under the hedge behind the nest, one by one.
“They’re leaving,” Draco said in a hushed voice, sitting forward as well. “That’s it, then.”
“I think we made good duck parents,” Harry said, turning to Draco with a grin.
“I think we did too,” Draco replied. He studied Harry’s face for a moment then, impulsively, he leant forward and pressed his lips to Harry’s in a searching kiss.
Harry gasped, surprised at the suddenness of the kiss, but quickly smiled against Draco’s lips.
“Sorry,” Draco said softly as he pulled back. “I shouldn’t have assumed…”
“It’s alright,” Harry said, shaking his head. “That was… it was nice, and if you hadn’t made a move, I would have.”
Draco smiled and ducked his head slightly. “Normally I would have made you do all the work, but I couldn’t help myself.”
Harry chuckled. “Good to know,” he said. “I have to admit; I’m not really used to all of that. I’ve only been with Ginny and that just, sort of… happened. We fell into–and out of–it.”
“Ah… you’re still ahead of me,” Draco said, sighing. “I’ve not actually had a relationship with anyone. I’ve had… moments, but not a relationship.”
“I can’t say I’ve had a lot of experience with relationships,” Harry admitted. “Yes, I was with Ginny, but we were either here at school or, well, you know. I don’t think it was conventional at all.”
Draco nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe we can learn about relationships together,” he said lightly.
Harry’s mouth twitched into a grin. “Maybe we can,” he agreed.
“Alright, well, good,” Draco replied. “That’s settled then.”
“Seems so,” Harry said, nodding before pausing for a moment. “Does that mean I can kiss you now?”
“I’d be offended if you didn’t,” Draco said, looking at Harry out of the corner of his eye.
Harry laughed and shifted, bringing one hand up to cup Draco’s cheek as he pressed their lips together once more.
Draco smiled into the kiss as he returned it. He didn’t care that they were still sitting under the hedge, or that the ducks had long gone. If it meant kissing Harry, he would stay in this hedge for the rest of the year.
Breaking apart, they looked at each other once more and started laughing.
“We should probably get out of here now the ducks have gone,” Harry said, running one hand through his hair. “I think we still have some time - we could walk into Hogsmeade if you’d like?”
Draco nodded. “Sounds good to me,” he said. “Let’s go.”
Pushing their way out of the hedge, they got to their feet and headed for the gates. As they passed through the gate, Draco took Harry’s hand almost shyly, and they walked the rest of the way hand in hand. For the first time this year, Draco found that he didn’t care who saw him. With Harry by his side, he felt something he hadn’t felt for a long time - happy.