Chapter Text
“DRACO!”
oh god here we go, Draco thought to himself as he laid on the cold familiar ice.
"How many times have I told you not to over rotate that triple axel!? You're barely landing the triple let alone a quadruple. Get up. You're done for today.”
Draco sighed but reluctantly made his way off the ice.
“Snapes in a mood today huh?” Pansy said, meeting Draco by his locker. “He's always in a mood.” Draco replied, taking off his skates.
“What are you doing out so early?” He asked his closest friend. “Oh you know I walked out.” She said smirking, this was a regular occurrence for Pansy.
Draco chuckled, “Why don’t you just quit?”
“I could ask you the same.” She said, lifting her chin at him.
“Maybe because I actually like skating. Unlike you, I'm not forced to be here.” He explained, still smiling at Pansy’s attitude.
“But do you? You’ve been miserable this year. I mean don't get me wrong you’re great and i know you love skating but recently its like you perform on auto pilot. Snape is sucking the life out of your routine.”
Draco stopped smiling at this. “He just wants me to make the national team.” He answered quietly, not sure if that answer was for pansy or for himself.
He’d just recently begun training with Snape, one-on-one privates only. He used to train with a team and he loved it, he had friends and a nice coach. But when Snape offered to train him privately to prepare him for nationals this year, he couldn’t refuse. Snape was tough but he knew what it took to win.
Pansy searched Draco’s face but decided to drop the topic. “Right…anyway I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Draco smiled at her as she returned back to the girls rink. Draco sighed one last time before texting his chauffeur and collecting his things.
Draco's phone:
Draco: I'm done early. Come get me.
Old Tom: On my way Mr. Malfoy.
Draco sighed, clicking his phone off.
⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
“HARRY! YOU DID IT!! YOU DID IT KID!”
Harry breathed heavily, feeling the cold familiar ice on his skin.
“I didn't land it, Sirius.” Harry said disappointingly sitting up from his failed attempt at a quad axel.
“But you completed all 4 and a half spins with pretty good technique.” Sirius said enthusiastically helping Harry up from his fall.
Harry finally let himself smile at this.
“Way to go kiddo!” Sirius said with a bright smile, ruffling Harry’s hair.
“Do you think I’ll be able to compete it?” Harry asked, drinking from his water bottle Sirius handed to him.
“Oh yeah.” Sirius said confidently, “If you keep practicing like that.”
Harry's face lit up, “Okay! Then let's keep practicing!”
Sirius laughed at Harry's enthusiasm. “I wish we could kiddo but I have to lock up, you have school and you have to take Ron home. I also don’t need the Dursley's calling the cops on me again for keeping you when I'm not supposed to.” Sirius explained light heartedly.
“I’ll never understand them. If they hate me so much, why not let me leave?” Harry rolled his eyes. “How’s all that going by the way?” He asked, hoping for good news.
“We have a court date.” Sirius’ smile dropped a bit.
“You told me that last time.”
“I know…Hey you got to go, it's 9:30.”
“Shit, okay I’ll see you later Sirius.” Harry skated off the ice texting Ron to meet him outside. Neither Ron nor Hermione skate but they both got a job at the rink to spend time with Harry after school.
Harry’s phone:
Harry: I’m done
Harry: Stop eating all the snacks and come to the car
Roonil Wazlib: coming
Harry: smirk emoji*
Roonil Wazlib: Oh, shut up Mione's coming to
Harry: What happened to her car?
Roonil Wazlib: In shop
Harry jogged through the parking lot to unlock his car where Ron and Hermione were waiting. Well Hermione was waiting, Ron was aggressively trying to open Harry's car door as if it would magically open if he pulled hard enough.
“Ron. How many times? Don't do that, you could break her.”
“Oh, shut up and open the door.”
“I told you. You know he doesn’t play about his 1976 Pontiac songbird” Hermione said teasing.
“It's sunbird and you know it! And she's fragile, now let's go.”
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
“Only 1 spot? Since when?” Hermione screeched, when Harry dropped the news at lunch, he’d read an article that there had been another recruit to the national team.
“2 were recruited I suppose.” Harry shrugged.
“How is that fair?” she questioned, "They can't just recruit someone without them having to compete with everyone else!”
“Yeah Sirius was fuming but 1 spot is better than none. I don’t think the competition will be too hard.”
“What about Malfoy? Do you think he is a competitor you need to worry about?” Ron asked, biting his sandwich.
“Obliviously.” Hermione answered quickly.
“No.” Harry snorted.
“Oh, come on Harry, think logically. You’ve been competing against him for years. You know it's always ‘Potter or Malfoy’.” Hermione said, “I mean he’s a pretty talented skater.”
Harry rolled his eyes, “Yeah sure, but he’s such a flat performer. Tell me you feel anything when he skates? I mean even his music is boring.” Hermione smirked at this knowing Harry was right.
“I know but he’s still pretty good. Anyway, when's the competition again?” Hermione asked.
“This Friday."
“Wow, that’s in 4 days mate.” Ron said, shocked
“Yeah, I know.”
Harry roughly swallowed his sandwich in one hard swallow. The nerves haven’t gotten to him in the past, but this was the grand prix. This was his future. And the fact that there’s only 1 spot now was really starting to worry him. Especially knowing his competition can practice whenever he wants and Harry can only practice when it’s on the Dursley's calendar.
⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
“Right, so you just went on a 15-minute rant about how you think Harry Potter is going to take that final spot Friday…where is this coming from? You’ve been competing against him for years, you know it’s really just up to the judges that day." Pansy answered, scribbling on her forgotten chemistry paper.
“Were you even listening? I said I saw his Instagram story yesterday. He seemed happy..what if his routine is better than mine?”
“Oh yeah, I saw that- wait. You? Draco Malfoy? Viewed Harry Potter's Instagram story?
“I was on my fake account obviously and wait, how did you see it?”
“Oh I follow him.” She shrugged.
“You follow that prick?!”
“He’s hot and you have to keep your friends close and enemies closer.”
“I can’t believe you right now. My own best friend follows my sworn enemy.”
“Oh my God you are so dramatic. He is so not your sworn enemy.” Pansy rolled her eyes, catching a glimpse at Draco's completed chemistry paper, “How did you finish that? You were the one talking?!”
“Pans.”
“Right. Potter. Come on, we've seen him skate. He's sloppy. No technique.”
“Okay but at the showcase last month his technique looked a lot better.”
“That's not something you need to worry about you are arguably the prettiest skater I know.”
Draco sighed, “Thanks Pans, but he can flip.”
“So could you if Snape would let you! I'm telling you Snape is holding you back.”
Draco didn't answer this. Because on one hand he knows Snape only wants what's best for him. A clean routine. Execution is his favorite word. But there’s only 1 male spot open on the national team and playing it safe may win trophies but it doesn't win national titles.
“You’ve gone quiet because you know I'm right.” Pansy smirked
“Yeah yeah, here.” He rolled his eyes, shifting his paper so Pansy could copy.
⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
“UGHH” Harry groaned loudly, laying frustratingly on the ice after not landing his quadruple axel. Sirius walked over to the spot Harry had fallen, “It’s okay kid. Don’t beat yourself up, I'm confident you’ll make it with or without the quad axel.”
Harry closed his eyes trying not to let his internal frustration out on Sirius, “This isn't just another competition though, this is my life..this is everything.” He said that last part quietly.
Skating had always been a part of Harry’s life. When he was five the Dursleys took Dudley and his friends ice skating. Harry wasn't allowed of course but he’d watched a girl glide effortlessly on the ice from the sidelines and immediately knew he wanted to do that too. Once he’d met Sirius at age 7 and found out he was a coach, Harry begged Sirius to convince the Dursleys to let him skate. Ever since then it's been his passion, his escape. When he stepped on the ice he was someone else, someone free.
Sirius looked at Harry for a while, sadness engulfing his eyes, “I know. You have another day of practice tomorrow in the actual rink but in the competition I’d rather you do a clean triple than try for a quad.” Harry sighed at this knowing he’d definitely score that final spot if he had his quad. Sirius helped Harry up and they both made their way off the ice. “But remember there will be scouts there tomorrow so-”
“Wait what?”
“Yeah, I told you this,” Sirius chuckled lightly.” They won't be able to choose anyone, everyone has to go through the competition the next day, but they will be looking. Alright alright let’s get you home, I’ll be there bright and early to pick you up, okay?” Harry nodded swallowing his nerves.
⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
“Scouts will be there tomorrow.” Snape said dryly, after Draco's last run through of his routine.
“I know.” Draco responded, breathing heavily. “So even though it's practice you have to perform well. Execution is key, remember that.” Snape said outside of the rink as Draco skated to the exit. He swiftly took off his skates, not bothering to answer Snape.
He packed his things quickly knowing Tom was outside waiting. On his way out, he faltered in his quick stride catching a glimpse of the trophy case. He glanced over all the trophies and awards when he saw his mothers name. He absent mindedly put his hand on the glass looking at her carefree smile in a picture of her winning gold.
Draco's earliest memory of skating was when he was 5, the lake froze over and his mother took him to the ice for the first time. She strapped on his skates and held his hands as they glided across the ice. He wasn't very good, but he remembered how it made him feel; happy, free. He’d expressed he wanted to start skating lessons once the lake thawed that winter. His father wasn’t sold but his mother was thrilled. He used to love it, he really did. But now it felt like the pressure was getting to him. Like he was too far in to fail. When Snape presented the idea to compete in the grand prix this year they were ecstatic even his father.
At first he was excited but his routine and work schedule was sucking the fun out of his sport. He hated being so stiff on the ice but he didn't know if he knew how to be loose anymore. He’d been training with Snape for a year for this moment and it’s been the worst year of his life. All the feelings he used to get when skating he didn't feel anymore. It was all about perfection with Snape and sure it helped him win but he wasn't sure it would be enough this time.
⋆꙳❅*°⋆❆.ೃ࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
“Why are you so late, boy?” Vernon snapped at Harry as soon as he walked in the door.
“This is the time I always come back.” Harry answered, annoyed at his uncle’s antics. Vernon squinted his eyes at Harry's attitude. “Talking back? Okay no dinner!”
“Fine.” Harry said not really in the mood to face the rest of the family anyway. He shut his door behind him and slung his skating bag to the floor before collapsing onto his bed.
He was so nervous for the next two days. But he was happy his uncle was letting him stay with Sirius for the weekend. He loved multi day competitions because that meant he could stay with Sirius either at his house or at a hotel. This agreement started when Harry was 10 and went to his first out of town competition. Vernon and Petunia didn't want to take him and Sirius offered. They were skeptical at first but were convinced by Sirius explaining he’d be out of their hair for 3 days. And even though Harry can drive now and has Sirius's old car, he still likes to travel to competitions with Sirius because he gets to spend more time with him.
Harry tossed and turned in bed, the nerves getting to him. He grabbed his phone from his bedside table and absent mindedly looked up Draco Malfoy's name on Instagram. He hadn't remembered thinking of him really, but he had been in the back of his mind all this week.
Harry and Malfoy had been competing against each other for as long as he could remember. But they only started really paying attention to one another because of the internet's obsession with pinning them against each other.
When they were 13 they started to gain more attention in the skating community and with that, people started noticing similarities and differences in their skating style. Seeing as they were both from the same part of England and the same age, people naturally started comparing them. They of course had their own strengths and weaknesses but were still on the same skill level, going jump for jump and spin for spin. Harry and Malfoy were both very talented skaters and were referred to as ‘the best of their age’ and ‘Great Britain's next Olympians' and that is why the internet coined them rivals and each other's biggest competition from that point on.
Harry shrugged it off as silly internet drama that would eventually die down, it never did. At that age he’d known Malfoy as a skater pretty well. They competed against each other at almost every competition. It was always him or Malfoy taking first place, but he never knew him personally. Harry had tried to introduce himself one time at an event they’d both been invited to. This was around the time the rival posts started flaring up and Harry thought if he introduced himself properly, they could have been friends. But as he went to introduce himself Malfoy walked right past him engaging in a conversation with a random skater from Ireland. Ever since then he’d known Malfoy as a rich rude snob.
He scrolled through his posts mostly consisting of his progression reels and pictures of awards. But before he knew it he was going down rabbit hole of all things Draco Malfoy, his rink, his old team, his best friend which he’d just realized followed him. When Harry looked at the clock it was already 12 and he had to leave at 5 with Sirius. He swore, turned his phone off and turned over in his bed. He tried to sleep but his mind was on Draco bloody Malfoy. That night he dreamt of white ice and whiter hair.