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“There’s another. It’s not happy, exactly. Well it is. It’s the happiest I’ve ever felt. But it’s complicated.”
“Is it strong?”
Harry nodded.
~
“Potter!”
Harry turned around, his face twisting into a frown as he watched Malfoy jog down the empty corridor towards him.
“Did you-“ Malfoy hesitated. “Did you really faint?”
“What’s it to you, Malfoy,” Harry rolled his eyes, preparing himself for a scathing remark.
Malfoy mumbled something.
“What?” Harry asked.
“I said I’m concerned!” Malfoy snapped. “Merlin, I can’t stand you. Can you stop injuring-“ He suddenly turned beet red, eyes wide, before spinning around and stomping away.
Harry stood gaping after him in shock.
~
Ron clutched his sides, howling with laughter.
“Ron, it’s not funny,” Harry said faintly. “I’m a little scarred to be honest.”
This sent him into a fresh round of laughter, coaxing even a smile from Hermione.
“It is quite interesting, I have to say,” Hermione tapped her quill against her lip.
“What, that Malfoy’s behaving like a teenage girl with mood swings?” Ron snorted. “First, he mocks Harry in the Great Hall, and then chases him down to ask the exact same question, but nicely? Bollocks.”
“No,” Hermione glared. “How he’s suddenly switching from getting under your nerves, to just talking for your attention.”
“For my what now?” Harry blinked rapidly.
“Oh, don’t be daft, Harry. Surely you know what I mean?”
“Er, I really don’t.”
Hermione mumbled something to herself about stupid boys, and got up. “I guess you’ll simply have to figure it out then,” she shrugged, walking into the dorms.
Harry exchanged a look with Ron, a pit of dread and something else sinking into his stomach.
~
“You didn’t dice the daisy roots finely enough. That’s why your Shrinking Solution turned out the way it did.”
Harry jumped, swivelling his head around. He let out a huff when he spotted Malfoy leaning against the wall outside the Potion’s classroom, one leg crossed over the other as he examined his nails snootily.
“Watch me that closely, do you?” Harry scowled, still fuming from the lesson with Snape.
Malfoy’s eyes flicked up, locking with his. Harry found himself unable to look away.
“Yes,” he replied simply, pushing off the wall and stalking away.
~
“This cannot keep happening,” Harry groaned. “Why can’t he just take the piss like a normal person?”
“Bloody hell, that’s what he’s trying to do!” Ron exclaimed. “He’s finding new ways to get under your skin. Harry,” Ron leaned forward, grabbing Harry’s cheeks and looking intensely into his eyes. “You cannot let him get to you. Show him that Gryffindors are made of more.”
“Er, yeah definitely,” Harry’s voice came out squeaky, as he squirmed in Ron’s grasp. Ron shook him once, before lunging forward and wrapping his arms around Harry. He thumped him, before pushing him back and walking away.
“What’s gotten into him?” Harry gaped at his retreating form.
“He had quite the discussion with Dean and Seamus last night,” Hermione said, glancing up from her book. An amused smile curved her lips. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”
Harry shook his head. “Everyone’s gone mad,” he muttered.
~
“Up for a Seeker’s game, Potter?” Malfoy was perched on the window ledge, one leg bent up towards him, the other swinging down. He tilted his head, smirking in Harry’s direction.
“I thought losing the actual matches was enough to satisfy that humiliation kink of yours, Malfoy,” Harry said, intrigued despite himself.
“As for your big-headedness one?” Malfoy drawled.
“Malfoy you-“
“It’s a beautiful day,” Malfoy interrupted, sighing. “Greg and Vincent have detention, Pansy, Daphne and Blaise refuse to get near a broom. Come on. Play a Seeker’s game with me.”
Harry looked down at the ground, shaking his head slightly. “Oh, fine.” He looked up and grinned. “Only if you race me to the broom-shed though.” With that, he took off down the corridor, Malfoy’s calls of “Cheater!” echoing behind him.
Harry laughed delightedly as he shoved through the throngs of students leaving breakfast in the Entrance Hall, skipping down the stairs, and bolting across the lawn. He could hear Malfoy’s feet battering on the ground behind him, gaining on him with those long legs of his.
Harry reached the shed first, slamming into the door, as Malfoy slammed into him. They fell through onto the muddy floor of the shed, Malfoy landing on Harry’s stomach with a soft “oof!”
Harry lay panting, as Malfoy pushed himself up onto his palms, proclaiming loudly, “Clearly, I’m faster Potter, you’re just a cheater. If I knew Gryffindors played this dirty, maybe I’d like them more.”
“Hey, you’re the one who came here to lose. Consider it a warm-up.”
Malfoy thwacked Harry’s shoulder, before collapsing next to him. They lay next to each other, breathing heavily for a few minutes. Then Malfoy rolled onto his side, whispered, “I’m faster” into Harry’s ear, and shoved a handful of mud down the front of his shirt.
No one was more surprised that Harry, when instead of tackling Malfoy, he laughed.
~
Wind whooshed through his ears, his glove-less fingers frozen against the broomstick, this high up. Ahead of him, he could see Malfoy, bent forward entirely, surprisingly long, blond hair soaring behind him, ankles locked securely underneath the broom.
Harry sped up, flying alongside Malfoy now, knees knocking together as they chased the golden spot in the sky. Harry made the mistake of glancing sideways, suddenly mesmerised by tiny wrinkles of concentration on Malfoy’s forehead. It cost him the game.
Malfoy dove down so fast, that he was back up, horizontal with the Snitch glinting in his hand before Harry knew what happened. He was grinning widely, hair glowing almost golden in the sunlight, two little diamonds of joy glinting in his eyes.
Harry had almost convinced himself to let Slytherin win the next game if just for that look on Malfoy’s face, before he shook himself out of it.
~
Harry stared at the canopy of his bed for close to an hour that night before he fell asleep, unsure of why he kept hearing Malfoy’s laughter.
~
Harry watched Malfoy at breakfast the next morning, as he sipped his cup of tea (because of course he would have tea and not coffee, the post British git). He was waving his other hand, dramatically narrating something to Zabini and Parkinson.
He watched as Malfoy finished his breakfast, and got up to walk to Care of Magical Creatures. Harry found himself standing up before he fully knew what he was doing.
“I’ll see you in class,” he said hurriedly to Ron and Hermione, following Malfoy out of the Hall.
“Malfoy, wait up!” he called.
Malfoy turned. “Yes, Potter?” he drawled, once Harry drew level with him.
“Er,” Harry started, unsure of what to say now. “Let’s uhm, walk to class?”
Malfoy raised one eyebrow, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “Sure, Potter,” he said smoothly.
Harry stared at the rosy pinkness of Malfoy’s cheeks, caused by the late autumn breeze, almost all the way down to Hagrid’s hut.
~
“Malfoy?” Harry whispered into the quiet of the Hospital Wing.
A groan, and then a shiny blond head sat up in one of the beds further down the room.
Harry tiptoed towards it. Malfoy’s hair was mused from being on the pillow, his arm hung uncomfortably through a sling.
“What do you want, Potter?” Malfoy grumbled.
Harry stopped short. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I couldn’t sleep, and the next thing I knew I was here.”
Malfoy sighed. “Oh, might as well.” He lay back down, as Harry settled into the chair beside his bed.
Madam Pomfrey chose not to comment when she found Harry Potter squeezed into a chair on Draco Malfoy’s bed side the next morning, their fingers only centimetres apart on the bed.
~
Harry was woken by the sound of something hitting the windowpane next to his bed. He got up with a start.
Another small object pelted against the window.
Harry grabbed his glasses, and peered out into the darkness. He could just about make out Malfoy on the grass below, his wand raised as another rock levitated towards his window. Harry grabbed it out of the air with a sigh.
He slipped on the Invisibility Cloak, and was down beside Malfoy in a matter of minutes.
“What?” Harry yawned.
Malfoy simply grabbed him by the forearm, yanking him towards the Great Lake.
“Malfoy, if you’ve only been nice to me to dunk me in the Lake, I at least deserve to die in something other than my pyjamas.”
“Do you ever shut up?”
“Yeah, I do, at the same times that you stop being a git.”
Malfoy dug his nails into Harry’s forearm, then soothing it with his thumb as Harry hissed. He slid his palm slowly down Harry’s arm, until his fingertips were touching the centre of Harry’s hand.
Harry let himself be dragged to the bank of the Great Lake.
“What is it, Malfoy?” he asked impatiently.
“Look,” Malfoy replied.
Harry looked. And gasped.
Thousands of fireflies littered the surface of the Lake, glowing a wonderful, deep golden against the black of the water. They fluttered, making a gentle sound, like the sound of a content exhalation.
“It happens every autumn,” Malfoy whispered. “It’s their announcement that the season is officially over.”
Harry said nothing, continuing to stare at the breathtaking sight in front of him.
When Malfoy slid his hand all the way down, into Harry’s palm, he simply squeezed back, as they stood there, shoulder to shoulder.
~
“Have some chocolate.”
“Thanks, Professor.”
“Harry.”
“Yes, Professor?”
“Does he really make you that happy?”
Harry stared.
Lupin stared back.
Harry nodded once, cautious and afraid.
Lupin smiled.
“Then what are you waiting for?”
~
“Malfoy!” Harry called, stalking down the path to the Lake, aiming for the blond figure resting back against the tree.
Malfoy looked up from his book, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“I produced a Patronus,” Harry proclaimed.
Malfoy gaped, standing up. “How on earth-“
“I thought of you.” Harry was breathing heavily now, watching the way Malfoy’s mouth dropped open, his chest heaving slightly.
“I thought of that night with the fireflies, and I thought of you, and I produced a Patronus.” How had he never noticed those little flecks of gold in Malfoy’s eyes?
“Potter that’s-“
“Insane, I know. Believe me, I didn’t see that happening either. But it did, and now I’m here, and I would really like to kiss you, if you would please let me.”
Malfoy stared.
Then, his face broke out into the most perfect smile Harry had ever seen, his eye’s sparkling like sunlight on waves.