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Draco was so focused on reading his book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in the eight-year common room that he didn’t notice when people entered or exited the room until he heard someone shouting and pulling the portrait door open, suddenly and harshly.
“I’m telling you ‘Mione, I did everything the instructions said!” yelled Potter, breaking the peaceful silence, to his friend in a way everyone in the common room was able to hear, only that Draco noticed he and trio were the only ones in there.
“Then your potion should have been more of a turquoise than the dark green you got!” replied his friend, also yelling. Draco really didn’t want to be impolite but the screams the two were making, he thought, were more impolite since it was fucking ten pm and the room was so peaceful before they came.
“Would you mind keeping it low?” asked Draco, looking away from his book no longer being able to focus, as politely as he could and he saw a pinkish color take place in the girl standing between the other two boys.
“Sorry,” she said, this time her voice in a much lower tone. He turned his sight to his book and didn’t pay furthermore attention to what the trio was talking about since they were now talking low and he was able to focus on his book.
Suddenly Draco felt a cold breeze entering the room and he looked around until he found with his gaze an open window. He was comfortable and didn’t want to get up to close it but he was also really cold so a struggle went through his mind that died when he saw Potter getting close to the window to close it.
Before he could do so, Draco saw green leaves tied at the top with a red bow flying through the window and entering the common room, he immediately recognized it as a mistletoe. He didn’t pay to much attention to it since he supposed the mistletoe was going to direct where Weasley and Granger were standing together, so he just turned his gaze back to his book.
But he looked where the mistletoe went from the corner of his eye. It fluttered around Weasley’s and Granger’s head pulling them together, he had heard rumors that even when the two people were not close, the mistletoe would pull them together, he didn’t believe McGonagall was going to be that cruel, but he confirmed the rumor as he watched Granger and Weasley approaching each other not really in their own will. They shortly kissed and Granger smiled at her boyfriend, and the mistletoe flew around the room.
He quickly turned his gaze back to his book again but he saw how the trio was now looking at the top of his head so he looked up, finding the mistletoe in there. He instantly blushed, knowing what was going to happen. It’s enough if only one of the people the mistletoe attracts together is attracted to the other one and he knew Potter was going to approach him forcedly and that thought just made him flush even more.
He tried to grab the mistletoe flying around his head but it was in vain since the mistletoe flew across the room and positioned itself on top of Potter’s head, he could feel the heat his cheeks were emitting now.
“Mate-” began to say Potter’s red-haired friend, but he stopped when he saw Potter walking towards the couch, he looked uncomfortable and was definitely trying to stop his legs in an unsuccessful attempt.
Draco didn’t dare to look at Potter’s face, just watching how his legs forcedly made his way towards him. When Potter was in front of him he could also watch the boy’s blush on his cheeks.
“Malfoy? You like Harry?!” asked Weasley as if he couldn’t believe it, but no one in the room could.
“What? No! Potter was the one walking towards me!” said Draco quickly, sounding exasperate still with a blush on his face.
“Well, I’m pretty sure Harry doesn’t like-” he couldn’t finish his sentence because Potter interrupted him.
“Shut up, Ron! There must be something wrong with this one! It must be broken or something,” he said nervously.
“Harry…” began to say the only girl in the room slowly, “The mistletoes never lie. They were enchanted by McGonagall,” she said sounding confident. “Come on Ron, let’s go. They need to fix this on their own,” she said grabbing her boyfriend’s arm and pulling him towards the stairs of the dormitories but she was not really making him move.
“What? You seriously are believing this ‘Mione?!” he asked, and still couldn’t believe it.
“I’m pretty sure it’s just a mistake guys,” said Harry calmly and starting to walk towards them. “See?” he said when he reached close to them.
“Harry-” began the girl but she couldn’t finish her sentence because Harry was abruptly pulled back as if he had a chain pulling him to where Draco was still seated without saying a word, too embarrassed to talk. He hit the floor roughly hitting his arse and the air left his lungs when his back hit the bottom of the couch. “I told you. Let’s go, Ron,” she said now successfully pushing her boyfriend upstairs to the boys’ dormitories, when they heard a door close they saw Hermione coming back stairs again and walking to the opposite side, to the girls’ dorms giving them both a smirk and waving her hand, the universal sign for goodbye.
“Hermione!” shouted Potter vainly, “Don’t leave me here!” but nobody replied back.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Potter decided that if he was going to be in here all night he better get comfortable. He climbed on top of the couch at Draco’s side while Draco just watched the other boy thoughtfully.
He must know. Weasley said he doesn’t feel the same about me. If he doesn’t, then he must know he was pulled to me by the mistletoe because I like him. But he hasn’t said anything yet… The initial blush on his face was starting to fade but these thoughts made the red on his face immediately come back. He raised his book until it covered his face, watching the words on it without really reading or paying attention to it, just trying to hide his blush.
“So…” began to say the boy next to him, “Malfoy.” He turned to look at him trying not to show his embarrassment through his eyes.
“Potter,” he replied.
“Let’s just… kiss? So you know, we can go to our rooms and pretend that this never happened,” he suggested.
“That’s what you want? You are the reason why we are here right now? Because you like me,” he said and his last sentence sounded more like a fact than a question. He knew this was not true but he wanted to see Potter’s reaction. Draco gave him a sharp look waiting for an answer.
“Don’t be ridiculous Malfoy. I’ve told you, there must be something wrong with this one.” He was trying to catch the mistletoe still flying above their heads. “Or…” he began now looking deep into Draco’s eyes. “You feel something for me,” he said now smirking at the boy making him blush again.
“Don’t be ridiculous Potter,” he replied repeating the same words that Potter had said a couple of minutes ago. “Now don’t bother me, I’m going to read. Tomorrow first thing we can go and look for McGonagall and she will be able to solve this hideous misunderstanding,” he said turning his back on the boy. “Meanwhile you can go to the other couch.” He pointed at the couch in front of the one they were both sitting, “This is going to be a long night…” He let out a sight.
Potter stood up and walked over towards the other couch, but as soon as he was going to sit, he was pulled back again like the first time. Air leaving his lungs again when his back hit the bottom of the couch for the second time that night. He let out a groan that died in his mouth when he heard soft giggles.
Draco was laughing softly, covering his face with his book, unsuccessfully trying to pass unnoticed by Potter.
“You knew that was going to happen,” claimed the boy seated on the floor but he didn’t sound angry, he was smiling.
“It was worth seeing you try,” he managed to say between his giggles.
“Merlin, it is going to be a long night,” and it was Potter’s turn to sight. A couple of minutes went by in silence before the dark-haired boy broke it, “What are you reading?” he asked, but Draco was not really paying too much attention to the book anymore, he couldn’t focus with Potter being so close.
“The Tales of Beedle the Bard, my mom used to read some stories from this book when I was a kid and I was trying to remember, er- good, parts of my earlier years,” he replied hesitantly.
“Oh.” was all Potter manage to say. “You’ve changed, you know?” Draco was now confused because Harry Potter was trying to make a conversation with him. Draco just wanted the night to end as quickly as possible. He had been hiding his feelings towards Potter since their fourth year at Hogwarts and he had been doing it quite good, but he didn’t know how much he could keep lying to himself having Potter seated next to him and a mistletoe flying on top of their heads.
“I know. I’m taller now,” he replied sarcastically not wanting to get into a deep conversation, and Potter seemed to understand that.
“You’re shorter than me though,” teased the other boy.
“That’s not true!” he claimed but he knew it was true. He just wanted to extend his conversation with Potter as long as he could. They never talk for something other than homework or classes or just to fight or hex each other.
“It is. Stand up,” he commanded standing up himself. Draco didn’t protest, he just did as he was told, leaving a bookmark in the middle of the pages of the book. “Turn back,” he ordered again.
“Who is going to measure us, you genius?” he asked again with sarcasm.
“No need. Just turn your back.” Without a claim, he complied again. He then felt Potter’s back against his own. Potter’s right hand, he could recognize, was at his side since he could feel it sometimes touching his own. Fleeting touches that either him or Potter broke rapidly taking their hands away. Potter’s left hand was directed to their heads, and then he felt his hand touching the back of his head. “See? I can’t reach your head, it means I’m taller than you.”
“Rubbish,” Draco said and directed his right hand to their heads, confirming that if he traced an imaginary line of his height, the line would be smaller than Potter’s height. Before taking his hand away he felt something weird and without hesitation, he grabbed it, thinking it was the mistletoe and that if he caught it, he could finally set both of them free. A couple of seconds later he realized it was Potter’s hand and he quickly let go. Both of them slowly turned their backs now facing each other. “Sorry,” he whispered really low.
“No problem,” replied the (now confirmed) taller boy. “Let’s go to the couch, I don’t want to be pulled again.” They both did so. Draco grabbed his book before seating and opened it where the bookmark was placed and before he could start trying to read, Potter broke the silence one more time “Where are we going to sleep?” Draco hadn’t thought about that. Even if he wanted to, and Potter accepted, the couch was too small for both of them and he didn’t want anyone to see him and Potter with a mistletoe flying above their heads, so their rooms were not an option.
Draco knew the only solution for getting out of this was kissing Potter because he knew that there was really nothing wrong with the mistletoe; he was one who had feelings towards the other. Potter was just being nice to him because that’s how he is, and even if Potter could forgive him, he could never forgive himself. “I don’t know,” he replied “And I don’t care either, just don’t distract me anymore, I will continue reading,” he said coldly turning his back again to Potter.
How had Potter still not hexed him? He must know by now that Draco is the one with the feelings. But then again, Potter could also feel the same, and that’s why he hadn’t said anything. Don’t be ridiculous. Saint Potter could never feel anything more than shame for someone like you. He heard a little voice in his head say, and that thought caused a painful squeeze in his heart.
After a couple of minutes of just staring at his book lost in his thoughts, he heard Potter casting a timing spell, he took a quick glance and observed that it was already 23:46. How did the time went by so fast? He turned his gaze back again to his book, his back still facing Potter. The common room was darker now, almost making it impossible for him to read.
He decided to settle in so he put his legs up on the couch and crossed them together in the Indian style. Moments later he heard at his back how Potter was moving but didn’t pay to much attention to him, just thinking about how he just wanted the night to end already. But he was forced to gaze at his back when he felt a weight leaning on him.
“What are you doing, Potter?” he said, spilling the other boy’s name as if it was toxic and he couldn’t get it out of his mouth.
“Well, I can’t go to the other couch can I? And it’s getting late. I don’t know if you are planning to sleep but I am dying of tiredness because of the stupid potion I didn’t manage to do correctly today. So I just wanted to rest,” he replied, the words leaving his mouth so fast, like bullets, that it was hard for Draco to understand them.
“Well, you can rest on the floor, not on me.” Draco really wanted to sound angry but he was just flushing again because of the contact of his back and Potter’s pressing together and he thanked that the other boy couldn’t see the blush on his face.
“Oh- Fine, I didn’t know it was going to bother you.”
“Well, now you do.” And maybe Draco had been a little too cold. He saw how Potter crawled to the floor and seated there, pressing his back against the bottom of the couch and he rested his head in the seat of it. Draco felt a twinge in his chest indicating guilt. Merlin, he should have let Potter just rest on him. Why he had to ruin the moment?
He saw Potter closing his eyes and he stared at him for a longer moment than what he had felt it like. He looked at his beautiful lashes in his closed eyes, his perfect jawline with his perfect angle, he saw his messy hair laying wildly on the couch seat and he was tempted to touch it, Merlin, it just looked so fluffy. The mistletoe was still flying around their heads, in a bigger circle now because of the longer distance they had now, compared to before, but not long enough for the mistletoe to pull one of them (probably Harry) close to the other.
“Why are you looking at me so much? Do I have something on my face?” said Potter softly without opening his eyes surprising Draco because of the sudden interruption of the silence.
He turned to face the boy on the floor, uncrossing his legs and laid his feet on the floor, next to where Potter was seated before saying “Not on your face, but your hair is a bloody mess,” he replied trying to sound cold again but failing ridiculously, instead, sounding soft just like Potter, almost whispering so only the two of them could hear.
“Fix it then,” challenged the brown-haired boy.
Draco obviously couldn’t lose the challenge, so slowly and hesitantly he started to move his hand towards the other boy’s head. When he reached his hair, he realized he was correct. Potter’s hair was soft, and even though it looked like a total mess, when Draco ran his fingers through Potter’s messy curls, they easily slipped to the end of his hair. He started to run his fingers through Potter’s hair repetitively like an addiction, it was so soft and he wondered what it would smell like. They stayed in that position for a long time, Potter enjoying the caresses and Draco enjoying how soft his hair was until Potter broke the silence one more time.
“Can I climb to the couch now?” he asked opening his eyes and looking deep into the silver ones above him. Draco flushed and Potter smirked at this.
“Yes,” Draco replied shyly and he stood up and then sat on the couch at Draco’s side again. “And don’t distract me again, Potter. I’m going to read,” he warned and turned his back on the boy for the third time that night.
Potter apparently also turned his back on Draco from the noise he was making, settling like Draco, with one leg on top of the other on the couch.
It was a really uncomfortable position for both of them since their backs had nowhere to rest on and Draco’s back was starting to ache. Hesitantly, and afraid of Potter’s reaction, Draco started to lean slowly onto his back, and he felt the other boy doing the same, slowly and hesitantly like him.
“So it’s fine if you do it, but if I do, I need to go to the floor?” teased the taller boy in a low whisper since they were so close now, there was no need to speak aloud.
“Shut up, Potter,” whispered Draco just enjoying the feeling of Potter’s back against his own. He closed his book slowly not trying to get Potter’s attention and he let it slip until it reached the floor. They were both quiet, and Draco slowly started to rest his head onto the other boy’s head. Potter did the same.
After what Draco felt like the longest minutes in his life, The-Chosen-One slowly started to move his head to his right side, resting it on Draco’s shoulder and forcing Draco’s head to slide to Potter’s left shoulder. They were now both looking at the ceiling.
“Draco,” whispered Potter softly making Draco slightly shiver because of the use of his first name. It was the second time in his whole life he had heard him using his first name.
The first one had been the first and only time they went together to the Forbidden Forest, he was so scared that time and Potter knew it because he said ‘If I didn't know better, Draco, I'd say you were scared.’ Of course, he was not going to show that his heart had given a little flip at the mention of his first name, so he just replied with his usual ‘Potter’.
“Harry,” he whispered back, just as soft and low as Harry had.
“It’s my fault,” whispered Harry without further explanation.
“What do you mean?” asked the other boy.
“That we are here,” he gave a little pause before continuing, “that we have that thing flying above us and that we can’t go to our dorms,” he explained still in a whisper. Wait, Harry had feelings for him?
“What are you talking about, Potter?” asked Draco more roughly than what he had expected.
“Don’t get mad, Draco,” whispered Harry now sounding serious.
“Just tell me what are you talking about, be straight,” whispered Draco calmer.
“I don’t think that will be possible,” Harry chuckled, “I know you don’t feel the same and I know if we go to McGonagall tomorrow she could get us out of this, but I think you ought to know that there’s nothing wrong with this mistletoe.” Draco could hear his voice shaking now.
“I know there’s nothing wrong with the mistletoe,” now Draco was nervous. He turned his head looking at Harry, he admired his breathtaking, defined profile before Harry turned to face him, they were really close now, they could feel each other’s breath, their mouth a couple of centimeters away. Draco took a quick glance at Harry’s lips, they looked soft, and pink, and Draco really wanted to kiss him, even if it wasn’t the most comfortable position.
“I’m so sorry, I really didn’t want to,” he quickly split apart from the position he had with Darco and turned to look at him and Draco cursed for his insides. Damn it, Potter. Couldn’t you just let it be? “but it’s just in Defence Against the Dark Arts they don’t teach how to not fall for your enemy, you know?” and he giggled nervously “It took me so long to-” but his words were stopped by Draco’s hands grabbing the sides of his head and pulling him close, pressing their lips together.
Harry had to take a moment to process what was happening, and then he started to move his lips against Draco’s. Draco’s hands were moving through Harry’s addictive-to-touch, soft curls. Harry grabbed Draco’s waist possessively and pulled him closer, if that was possible. Draco climbed into Harry’s lap. They abruptly split apart when they heard something falling on the floor, they both looked at their side on the floor and saw the mistletoe laying in there motionless. They looked into each other’s eyes, the greens getting lose in the silvers, and the silvers getting lose in the greens and they started to laugh together.
They had been so stupid. How hadn’t they seen they liked each other? Slowly they stopped laughing and continue to look into each other’s eyes.
“I really like you, Harry. And I really want to try to make, whatever you want to have, work,” said Draco lost in Harry’s eyes.
“I want you, for the rest of my life,” he said and they both kissed again, softly and innocently just losing into each other’s mouth.
Draco also wanted Harry for the rest of his life, and he would gladly let another mistletoe fly on top of both of them if that meant they could be together for as long as they wanted.