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Draco Malfoy, tyrant of the Slytherin house, looks up—instead of down, for once—at Harry. He's tiny.
He's… a ferret.
Harry bites his tongue to stop himself from laughing. It's absurd, really, seeing him like this. Ferret Draco is pretty cute. Not that human Draco isn't… wait, no, what is he thinking? That rat—or rather, ferret—bastard got his karma for trying to start a fight with Harry. His tiny body is shaking, probably from Moody’s rough treatment just now, and Harry fights his own instincts to feel sorry for him.
Professor McGonagall and Moody are still in the middle of what seems to be a very heated argument about the ethics of transfiguring students, and therefore do not notice when the little white ferret attempts to slink away in shame.
Harry notices, though.
And Harry follows.
Draco is almost at the Slytherin dorms when Harry takes a single longer stride and immediately places himself in Draco's path. Harry can practically hear the venom dripping from those high-pitched squeaks, and wonders what the little thing is trying to say. After a moment, he appears to give up on words, and tries to run past Harry. His little legs are fast, it seems, but not fast enough. Harry steps to the side, easily blocking him once more. The ferret stares up at him with absolute fury in his beady little eyes. Harry smirks, feeling a bit vindicated after years of taunts.
He leans down and scoops Draco up with ease, to which the rodent protests severely. He even tries biting Harry's hand, but his escape attempts are all entirely unsuccessful.
Harry carries him to the Gryffindor dorms, to his own dorm, and drops Draco unceremoniously onto his bed. Draco immediately jumps off and makes a break for the door, but Harry is quick to shut it (no point in locking it, the little thing can't reach the doorknob anyway).
Harry sits on the bed, content to watch as Draco scurries through the dorm, frantically searching for a way out. There is none, at least, none that he can reach, but that doesn't stop him from trying.
Until he eventually, inevitably, gives up, curling into a ball in the corner furthest from Harry, glaring daggers at him. Harry just laughs.
“C’mon, just sit with me,” Harry teases. “You may bite, but I don't.”
Draco glares harder.
“If you don't come on your own, I'll just go over there and pick you up,” Harry reasons. Draco stays in place for a moment, before getting up and, with as much sass as he can manage as a ferret, climbing onto Harry’s bed. He puts as much distance between them as possible, but Harry doesn't mind.
He goes about his day, and feeling inspired, finishes up the last of his transfiguration homework from the week. At night, when the other boys in the dorm begin making their way up the stairs, he urges Draco to hide beneath his blanket. When the ferret does not budge, Harry simply picks him up and tucks him in.
“Do you really want them to see you like this?” Harry asks when he tries to escape. Draco hesitates, then curls up where he is, with his back to Harry.
Harry gets into bed, noticing the extra warmth radiating from the fluffy ball of rage under the blanket with him. It's almost comforting, in a way, and sleep comes easy for him.
The next morning, he wakes up a bit earlier than normal. And is immediately met with, not a tiny ferret, but an entire person-sized human.
Draco is still asleep, thankfully, but it's almost unnerving. He looks almost peaceful, which is not a word Harry thought he'd ever use to describe the boy. But apparently, he can't be calm even in sleep. His distress is betrayed by the furrow in his brow and the tension of his body.
Harry frowns. He may not like the guy—not that he dislikes him, either—but he finds it rather unfortunate that he can never seem to escape whatever troubles him.
Against his better judgement, Harry does the only soothing action his half-asleep mind can come up with—pulls Draco close and presses a gentle kiss to his temple.
Luck does not seem to be on his side, however, because Draco's eyes snap open the second Harry's lips make contact with his skin.
He can sense the way Draco panics, immediately shoving him away and… crawling on top of him? To pin him down, of course, but…
“Hi,” Harry says helpfully.
“The fuck are you doing, Potter?” Draco spits.
“Um,” he answers intelligently. Draco scoffs, and they stare at each other for half a second before Draco's face turns beet red. Ah, so he must have realized the position they're in. Strangely, he makes no attempt to move.
“Do you think you're funny?” Draco continues, as though to distract Harry (or himself, Harry suspects). “Chasing me down, locking me in your room, is that funny to you?”
Harry blinks up at him. “A little, yeah.”
“Well I don't care what you think!” He snarls, leaning forward, his face inching closer and closer to Harry’s. “You'll pay for this, got it?”
“Yup,” Harry replies, a smirk growing on his face despite himself. Draco’s cheeks seem to burn impossibly brighter.
“The fuck are you smiling about?”
“You were really cute, you know.”
Draco sputters, put off by the honesty. “W-what did you just say to me?”
“You were cute. I couldn't help myself,” Harry replies sincerely.
“I ought to wipe that disgusting smirk off your stupid little face, Potter,” Draco says, but Harry can hear the slight tremor to his voice.
“You know, Malfoy, if you wanted to kiss me so badly, all you had to do was ask,” Harry blurts before he can think better of it.
“I– you— WHAT?” Draco shrieks. Harry’s eyes momentarily glance at the other people sleeping in the room, but they're all heavy sleepers, and none of them have even stirred.
“I mean that.” Draco’s eyes bore into his, flicking back and forth as if to confirm.
Then, without another moment of hesitation, he smashes his lips against Harry’s.
Harry smiles into the kiss, feeling the way Draco immediately tries to dominate, as if kissing is a fight he cannot lose. Harry lets him, just to appease him so he doesn't try to run. Especially since this time, he could actually open the door.
Eventually they part for air, and Draco is already scowling at him when Harry opens his eyes.
“What are you…” Draco whispers in disbelief. “What the fuck…” He shakes his head quickly, hopping off Harry and dashing for the door.
“See you around?” Harry asks, just before Draco slams the door shut behind him without another word.
The racket seems to have woken up someone else. “Harry?” they ask sleepily. “What was that?”
Harry just smiles to himself.
Victory.