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The sun was shining happily through the dark clouds, making the snow covered hills practically sparkling. It was a true winter wonderland, chilly air with warm sunshine, soft snow covering the ground and a thick layer of ice on top of the lake. It was a perfect reward for the students after their stressful and tiring week. The two weeks before midterm exams were always gruesome and it was nice to take a breath from all the boring textbooks and hastily scribbled notes. Most of the students were outside, wrapped in warm and comfortable layers of clothes, throwing snowballs or building snowmen, some of them brave enough to skate and the really skilful ones creating beautiful ice sculptures, enchanting them to come alive for a couple of minutes. The rest of the students were huddled inside their dormitories or even in the Great Hall, a blanket wrapped around them and a mug of steaming hot chocolate in their hands as they were discussing study schedules or exchanging pointless yet more exciting gossips.
Draco was looking out the library’s window and frowned at a couple of Gryffindor underclassmen enchanting a sledge and then failing to make it stop. He wondered how they could act so irresponsible. The exams were still ahead, looming over everyone like a dark shadow and it was very important to get a good grade. Sixth year in Draco’s opinion was future-shaping, and Draco had set the expectations very high for himself.
He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his Transfiguration notes, murmuring under his breath as he was reading. He enjoyed being alone in the library, it was much easier to focus without all the annoying chit-chat and occasional laughs. However, he couldn’t enjoy his peace long as a familiar voice spoke from behind, approaching.
“I knew I’d find you here.”
Potter.
Oh, great. Draco closed his eyes for a moment and suppressed the urge to groan in annoyance. If only he could ignore the guy… Unluckily for Draco, he had been taught to have better manners than that. He opened his eyes, but kept them focused on the pages while he hissed “What do you want, Potter?”
A second later, messy black hair and bright green eyes appeared in Draco’s peripheral vision, making it impossible to ignore the bothersome Slytherin any longer. Draco glared at him, momentarily getting blinded by a bright, cocky grin. Harry grabbed the back of the chair next to Draco, spun it around and straddled it, crossing his hands over the back and placing his chin on top.
“I’m sure you have learned all that could be, so you can’t give me the I-have-to-study-to-pass excuse anymore.” It was distracting how smug Harry was, and even more distracting that how hot he looked. Draco was starting to feel very uncomfortable, but did his best to keep his cool and act as nonchalant as it was possible under that emerald stare. He was a Malfoy, after all, not some easy witch in a cheap dusky pub in Knockturn Alley.
Draco narrowed his eyes, giving Harry a disdainful look. “This is a school, Potter, we’re here to study.”
Harry let out a laugh. “Oh, c’mon, you already know so much, you’d pass with flying colours even if you didn’t open a book from now on.” He was buttering Draco up with a sweet smile, and damn, did Draco find it disturbingly attractive.
“Thank you,” Draco said shyly and looked away for a bit before getting himself together and rewarded Harry with a pitying smile, “The perks of studying, you should try it sometime.”
Harry grimaced, but he still looked rather confident. The cocky grin never left his handsome features, which worried Draco. “Fine, have it your way then.”
Draco tilted his head to one side, scrutinizing Harry’s face. Harry let out a short laugh and pointed at the books in front of Draco. “You’re gonna tutor me.”
“Excuse me?”
“See you tomorrow at ten, here.” Harry got to his feet and leaned very close to Draco to whisper the next words, “It’s a date then.”
Before Draco’s blank mind could process what just happened, Harry was gone and Draco stared in front of himself, his heart about to leap out of his chest. What was he going to do?
*
Draco only allowed himself a good half an hour to freak out the next morning, before deciding it was absolutely ridiculous and unworthy of the Malfoy name. He spent most of the night thinking, considering his options. In the end, he dropped the idea of bailing, knowing that Potter would only take it as a challenge and come up with something even more awkward and frustrating. Draco was no fool to risk that. He would tutor Harry and show the smug Slytherin just how out of his league Draco was. If Draco was good at something then it was indeed books and learning. What could go wrong?
He had managed to force two slices of toast and a few sips of pumpkin juice down his throat so he wouldn’t collapse until lunch before he headed towards the library, hoping to arrive soon and have time to mentally prepare. There was a tiny hope of Potter being late and then he would have a perfect excuse to turn him down. He thanked Merlin for the lovely weather, so everyone who wasn’t as worried about grades as Draco was spending the Saturday outside or at least with something better than studying, decreasing the chance of funny looks and hushed whispers. Yes, Draco hated being the centre of attention, something which was impossible once Potter took an interest in you and followed you around like a shadow. A very annoying and unfairly cut shadow. It’s not that Draco found Harry attractive, but he had eyes.
Upon arriving to the library, all his hopes about Potter being late disappeared as he found the boy swinging on a chair with his legs propped up on the table, playing with something shiny which looked like a golden Snitch. Unbelievable.
Draco resisted the urge to bolt and walked up to the table confidently and slammed his bag down, taking a tiny bit of satisfaction in the way Harry startled. He soon regained composure though and flashed a perfect set of white teeth at Draco.
“You came,” he said, his tone indicating he wasn’t sure Draco would. Draco hoped he was giving Harry as much of a headache as the reverse.
Draco took a seat beside Harry, sighing resigned while pulling his books out. “I didn’t have much of a choice, now, did I?”
“Uh-huh,” Harry eyed him amused. Draco was quickly turning red thanked to those brilliant green eyes and he had to clear his throat before speaking.
“We should start with Transfiguration,” he said and opened his book, hastily flipping through the worn pages, looking for the correct chapter. It was on page 248, he knew it by heart. “So, we will review the theory first and then we can practice. The key is not turning an inanimate object into an animal, but to make it believable. It’s not good enough if it looks like one, it must be making the same sounds, behave the same way. I would suggest trying a bug or something similarly easy at first, then we can work on your technique and-”
“My technique?” Harry raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Draco felt blood moving to his cheeks and quickly looked back to the book, continuing in a slightly shaky tone, “as I was saying, after that, we can figure out what you should do at the exam.”
“Hmmm,” Harry nodded, frowning at the book. “You know what, we could start with the spell, I kind of get the theory.”
“No, discussing the theory is just as important as performing the actual spell,” Draco insisted then realized Harry hadn’t even taken out his book yet. He glanced at his bag suggestively. “Where’s your book?” He asked when Harry didn’t even follow his gaze.
There was not even a hint of chastening in Harry’s eyes as he said, “Oh, I don’t have it, thought we could share?” His stupid grin never left his stupidly handsome face and it was very distracting for Draco to concentrate, especially when Harry pulled his chair way too close and leaned over the book, one hand leisurely resting on the back of Draco’s chair. He felt both nervous and incredibly hot at that moment and it took him all his willpower not to abort mission and ran back to his dorm, preferably never to leave it again.
He shrugged. “Fine, read it first, then we will go over the details together.”
“I’ve already read it.”
“Well, you have to read it now,” Draco huffed, earning a short laugh from Harry.
“All right, all right, bossy, huh?” He winked and Draco nearly choked on his saliva but at least he had a bit of time to organise his thoughts before Harry finished reading. He suspected it was more like running his eyes over the words than reading, but Draco decided not to care since he got a little break.
“I’ve made some bullet points back in class so we have an outline for how to cast the spell. Let’s try a ladybird first, using my quill. It’s easy, because you only have to make it fly and look like a real one, no sounds or specific behaviour. I will show you first, and then it’s your turn and I’ll see how to move on after that, maybe we could- What?!” Draco snapped, having enough of Harry staring at him from such a close distance.
“Sorry, I can’t concentrate,” Harry grinned sheepishly.
Draco furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about? We barely started.”
For some reason, Harry had this thing for teasing Draco, and said without batting an eyelash, “it must be your ravishing look.”
That left Draco speechless and his cheeks heated up once again. He spun around, knocking over his inkstand and smearing his precious book with black liquid. He would fix it later. Harry waited patiently for him to get his emotions under control and to make his blush disappear as best he could before placing a hand on Draco’s shoulder. It made him jump slightly, and even though the touch lasted only for a brief second, Draco felt as if his shoulder had been burnt where Harry’s hand connected to his shirt. He turned back, ready to scold Potter and tell him to stop goofing around, but then Potter held his hand up, looking extremely pleased.
He opened his fist and revealed a huge, blue and silver butterfly in it. There was a patch of blackness in its wings that looked similar to a raven. Draco gasped in surprise, unable to mask how impressed he was. And Potter did that nonverbally, even Draco had difficulties with that. The guy had some talent for sure, Draco had never seen such prettily crafted wings before. Then he remembered himself and closed his mouth, shrugging it off.
“Not bad, but it’s too friendly, it’s unnatural.”
Harry pouted, and damn, how did he manage to look so good even doing something that childish? The butterfly disappeared and instead Draco’s quill lay in Harry’s hand. He handed it back to Draco who tried his best to avoid their fingers touching, but it seemed impossible, since that was the very reason Harry used his quill in the first place. Their fingers brushed and Draco felt a strange, tingling sensation run through his whole body, as if he had been hit with a mild Warming Charm. He grabbed his quill quickly and withdrew his hand as fast as he could, rubbing at his hand unconsciously.
“I see Transfiguration won’t be much of a problem. Let’s move to Herbology then.”
Not five minutes later, Draco came to a realization that Harry Potter had been very good in many things and that Herbology was not one of them. He couldn’t help but appreciate the obvious effort Harry was putting in to try to understand what he was talking about, though he still spent way too much time looking at Draco and not at the pictures in the book.
Draco was just starting to describe how one could protect themselves against the vicious plant when Harry so rudely interrupted with a “did you know that most people have an attention span for like about ten minutes?”
Draco wasn’t sure whether it was a rhetorical question or not, and felt the need to point out, “I was explaining and it’s hardly been ten minutes.”
“I can’t tell time when I look at you, it kinda stops.”
Draco was really starting to get fed up with all this blushing and stuttered “thanks, I guess.”
“So, where were you at?”
Draco glanced at the book then back at Harry, sighing. “I think it’s enough for one day.” He had enough for one day and wanted the whole afternoon to himself to think and analyse this whole Potter case, and also to come up with a strategy about how to make the next week through without dying of embarrassment.
Harry looked hopeful. “Tomorrow then? Same time?”
“Yeah, fine.”
Draco had no idea why he was torturing himself like that.
*
Draco kept a tight schedule, hoping Harry would eventually get bored or frustrated, but he was obviously down on his luck. Harry never failed to show up late, let alone missing a session. He was even making an effort, though it was very little in Draco’s opinion. It was also irritating how good Harry was in all subjects except Herbology, and Draco sometimes found himself wandering why Potter hadn’t been placed in Ravenclaw, but then Harry would touch his arm or stroke his knee with a knowing smirk and Draco was immediately reminded of the answer.
Draco had Flesh-Eating Trees of the World open and was explaining how to juice a Snargaluff in a correct way, pointing from one picture to another when Harry – as usual – interrupted. “Did you know first impression can change if you spend time with a person?”
Draco rolled his eyes, huffing “why do you always have to get off-topic?”
“Because talking about us is more fun than Herbology,” Harry replied easily and Draco’s cheeks flushed yet again, but he did his best to act unaffected.
“There’s no us, Potter, I don’t know where you get your ideas.”
He grinned. “Hm, we’ll see about that.”
Potter was obviously bad influence because Draco couldn’t help a small laugh of disbelief. “You do realize it sounds like a threat?” Merlin’s beard, was he flirting? Oh no, judging by Harry’s satisfied face he was. Draco felt the urge to run away, especially when Harry leaned way too close, his hot breath brushing against Draco’s earlobe and sending the chill down his spine as he whispered “it’s a promise.”
Draco swallowed hard and looked down, trying hard not to lose control. The hotness was gone as fast as it came and Harry was leaning back on his chair, looking pleased with himself. The smug bastard.
“So, are you coming to watch Quidditch practice in the afternoon?”
For a brief moment, Draco had a hard time to process the meaning of words, his mind too dizzy, but then he remembered. Quidditch, of course, what else? He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Harry looked a bit disappointed, but it was quickly replaced with a surprisingly sincere smile. “I’d like you to come.”
“Why?” The question slipped out before Draco could give it a second thought. He really didn’t want to hear the answer, but since it was out and- bloody hell, was Potter blushing? No, that had to be the light or Draco’s imagination.
“Because it would mean a lot to me.” Harry glanced aside then back, his green eyes locking onto Draco’s gaze and holding it firm and with a shy, lopsided smile he added “please?”
The wind was knocked out of Draco’s lungs and he blinked once, twice. Damn, how was he supposed to say no to this? The library was spinning and all Draco could see was the emerald light and Harry’s hopeful smile and Draco was weak.
“Okay,” he said, his tone hoarse and he coughed to hide it, then added “fine, I’ll go. But only if you stop daydreaming and pay attention to Herbology from now on.”
Harry nodded vehemently and his smile was brighter than the sun. He almost looked adorable. For once, Draco had to turn away in order to hide his smile.
*
Draco absolutely hated his life. He was painfully aware that he had agreed to go to the match because it’d make Harry happy. The million-galleon question was: why did Draco even care about Potter’s happiness? And if that wasn’t already bad enough – tutoring sessions included – Potter had the nerve to sit down at the Ravenclaw table at lunch, his bold actions pulling a rather loud gasp from nearly everyone. He sat so close to Draco that their sides stuck together and Draco spilled his pumpkin juice all over a table.
“I didn’t know you’re so easily scared,” Harry teased and cleaned the mess up with a flick of his wand.
Draco glared at him annoyed. He hated attention, and well, since Harry Potter was almost sitting in his lap, there was barely a person who wasn’t watching.
“What do you want?”
“Just checking on you. You’re still coming to watch me, right?”
“I’m going to watch the game, Potter, not you” he hissed, starting to cut up his bacon with more force than necessary.
“Whatever you say,” Harry waved him off, and leaned closer, causing Draco to drop his fork and knife. He really wished he had the balls to stab the knife into Potter’s hand, no matter how Muggle-ish it would have been. “We’re having a small party after, in the Slytherin dorm, you’re invited.”
“Very flattering, but I’m afraid I’ll have to turn it down,” Draco said quietly, sliding a bit away so their bodies weren’t touching anymore. Harry grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Draco’s eyes widened in horror, Merlin, everyone was watching. Apparently, Harry couldn’t care less. The bloke had no shame.
“Noooo, why? You have to come,” Harry literally whined, not even trying to keep his voice down. Draco was trapped.
“Shh, everyone’s watching,” he hissed through gritted teeth, glancing around then back at Harry’s smug smirk and the pieces fell in place. “You’re doing it on purpose, right?”
He dared to play the innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I just really want you to come,” he chuckled at his own joke and clarified, “erm, I mean, to the party, of course.” And then, as if Draco’s face wasn’t red enough already, he purred into his ear, “for now.”
“I don’t like parties,” Draco said shortly, his tone trembling. It was a wrong answer, because Harry started to speak in that whiny tone again, drawing attention.
“You’ll like this one, I promise, please? You want me to beg? Kneel? I will, I swear-” He moved to stand up and Draco yanked him back down, downright mortified by the idea of Harry Potter kneeling in front of him in the Great Hall and begging him to go to a stupid party. Harry laughed loudly but allowed Draco to pull him back down, his cheeky expression making Draco want to smack him on the head. “So, will you come?”
Draco looked away, resigned, and groaned “fine.”
“Excellent! Then see you tonight.” A wink and he was gone, leaving Draco with the urge to throw himself off the Astronomy Tower. Why could Potter manipulate him so easily? It wasn’t fair.
A moment later Cho Chang threw herself at the empty spot next to Draco, eying him amused while picking up a toast from Draco’s plate. “What did I miss?” She looked way too happy for Draco’s liking, he couldn’t even be bothered that she was stealing his food, again.
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
“He’s hot,” she said as a matter of fact.
“I guess,” Draco shrugged, not wanting to think about how hot Potter was.
“Fine, keep your secrets,” she gave up, knowing it was a hopeless case, for now. She gestured towards a bowl, saying “be a darling ‘n’ pass me a pie, will ya?”
*
If Draco hated his life in the morning, then he definitely detested it in the evening.
It wasn’t enough that Potter kept finding him in the crowd, – and how did he even manage that? – But kept grinning and winking, making it very hard for Draco to keep a straight face, or not to hex the cocky Slytherin. Draco was rather tempted to use a Confundus Charm as a payback for Potter’s earlier actions, but watching Harry on a broomstick somehow decreased his brain function at a rather disturbing rate. The boy could fly, Draco had to give that. He looked as if he had been born to it, and he looked really nice in green and silver Quidditch robes. Draco especially loved the way those pants clanged to Harry’s perfect arse. He was mortified when he realized that he was thinking about Harry’s arse and shook his head, earning a frown from Cho. He pulled his neck back, hoping his blue scarf would hide his blush, or that Cho could be fooled it wasn’t a blush but cold bite. The laugh from Cho indicated that the latter was impossible.
After the friendly game between Slytherin and Hufflepuff, - which Slytherin won, or rather, Potter, who caught the Snitch with a very bold and dangerous movement which left Draco breathless for a moment, - the pitch had been swarmed by Slytherin students, cheering and clapping and singing and Draco knew that was his moment to slip away. He would never admit it aloud, but he wasn’t sure he could stop himself from hugging Potter now, so it was for the best.
It was well past nine when a snowy owl flew into the dorm, with the password to the Slytherin dorm. Parties were rare, therefore huge things, especially since it was invite-only, but at this moment Draco would rather pass the opportunity to someone else. He trotted down the stairs, wearing his robes, not bothering to dress up much. Cho had already been waiting for him, along with Luna and a couple of other students.
She grimaced as soon as she saw Draco’s outfit and after a meaningful look with Luna, she whispered something to the others, who left with a nod. Draco frowned but received a response quick enough.
“Sweetheart, there’s no way I’m letting you come like that.”
“It’s a party, Draco, you must dress up,” Luna added seriously.
“Look, I don’t want to dress up and I-” He was cut off as Cho and Luna grabbed him by the arm and ungracefully dragged him upwards, Cho saying “you have no say in this,” while Luna smiled sweetly and whispered “trust us, you’ll look irresistible.”
“I don’t want to look irresistible!” He exclaimed, but gave up. He knew his chances with these two, and he didn’t like them.
Half an hour of suffering later, Luna and Cho high-fived, nodding at Draco in approval. He had to admit that they made it up to him for basically turning his wardrobe upside down, because in the end they did manage to dress him up quite nicely. He was wearing a pair of navy blue jeans and a white t-shirt, which thanked to Luna’s skills had a large V-neck cut. He had a black vest over it, to give him a ‘casually classy’ look, Cho’s words not his. Luna also worked wonders on his greasy-looking blond hair, giving it a slightly tousled look, so it wasn’t sticking tightly to his head anymore.
When Draco got his first glimpse in the mirror, he thought he was looking at a different person. He hated to admit, but he looked great and muttered a quiet “thank you” which earned him a group hug. He didn’t expect to look so good to reduce Harry speechless when they met at the party, and just for that gaping expression Draco swore to send Luna and Cho a sweets basket.
Draco could only enjoy Harry’s dumbfounded face for a few seconds before Harry got himself together and the usual half smirk was back on his face, his eyes gleaming mischievously, and before Draco would have a chance to escape, he threw himself at the Ravenclaw boy, exclaiming “Draco, ‘tis so good to see ya, I’m sooo happy you’re ‘ere.”
If those actions weren’t enough, then the smell of Harry’s mouth definitely gave away the fact that he was already pretty drunk and Draco stumbled slightly under Harry’s weight, trying to help him stand properly.
He only managed to push him away at an arm’s length, before Harry slurred, “I thought ya won’t come, I’s so saaad, and now you’re here.”
Draco laughed and pointed out “yes, I am, and you’re totally wasted.”
“’m not!” Harry insisted then pushed himself away from Draco, swaying on his feet. “Look, I can stand!”
“Barely.”
“Why ya mean to me?” Harry pouted.
“I’m not,” Draco protested but after Harry’s glare, corrected, “well, okay, yeah, maybe, sometimes.”
Harry’s face lit up, a stupid grin spreading across his ridiculously handsome face and he reached out to ruffle Draco’s hair. “’tis okay, I like ya anyway.”
Draco’s heart throbbed, that pleasant warm feeling spreading in his veins again, and he was smiling at Harry shyly and Harry was grinning back, and he found Harry a really cute drunk.
“SHOTS!” Someone shouted and Harry jumped up, tugging at Draco’s arm.
“C’mon!”
“Oh, no, no, no, I’m fine, thanks.”
Harry’s face fell a bit but then nodded in acceptance – a rather uncharacteristic behaviour – and made his way to the tables, where Blaise was standing on a table, holding a cup of Firewhiskey while Pansy and Theodore were handing out several similar ones to the eager guests.
Draco scammed the room for Cho and Luna and noted they weren’t drunk enough to be taken back to the dorm just yet. He found an empty spot on a small couch next to Hermione Granger and walked to her, smiling.
“Thought you hated parties,” he said as he sat down, leaning against the back comfortably.
She pointed at a messy ginger head in the crowd standing next to Harry and she sighed, “Ron” then turned to Draco with a curious look, asking “I thought you hated parties too, what made you change your mind?”
“I was bullied into coming,” Draco admitted. It wasn’t far from the truth, actually.
She nodded sympathetically then gave him a good look. “You look great.”
“Thanks.”
“Let me guess, Luna and Cho?”
Draco laughed. “How did you know?”
They had a rather pleasant talk for a while, about lessons and books, until it was interrupted by the appearance of an embarrassingly drunk and horny Ronald Weasley and Hermione deemed it best to took him back to the Gryffindor’s dorm room and let him sleep it off. Draco forced himself not to think of what ‘sleeping’ meant and grabbed a cup of Butterbeer, swearing it will be the only one. He wasn’t into parties and drinks, but he knew it was the only way to cope.
Suddenly, Harry flopped into the recently vacated place next to Draco, even more drunk then before, which was in itself a skill. He moved very close to Draco and rested his head on his shoulder. Draco tensed.
“What are you doing?” He demanded in a trembling tone.
“Mmm, you’re comfy,” Harry snuggled closer and Draco glanced around, desperate for help. Of course, none of his friends were around and he doubted they would help, even if they were. Lovely. At least everyone was either too drunk or in the middle of snogging to care about them.
“You’re such a child, Potter, get off me.” He grabbed Harry by his shoulder and pushed him back, earning a grunt and sad puppy eyes.
“But-”
“You’re drunk.”
“I only had, like, hmm, three cuppas,” Harry giggled and leant into Draco’s touch.
“Uh-huh, more like ten, at least.”
Harry chuckled sheepishly then pulled his knees up to sit on his legs folded under him. He was facing Draco and grabbed his arms tightly, looking into his eyes and leaning in for a kiss. Draco pulled a face and covered Harry’s mouth with his hand then yanked it back with a shocked squeak when Harry bit his palm.
“Honestly!”
Harry only giggled. “If you had let me kiss you-”
“I won’t.”
“Why?”
Draco hesitated. Really, why? It was not an answer he wanted to explore deeper, not currently at least, so he just shrugged and lamely said “because we’re not a couple.”
“We could be,” Harry said, shockingly sharp for a drunken person. Had he been pretending? It was surely something he was capable of. The bloody wanker!
“Harry, you’re drunk and I’m tired, we’re not having this conversation,” Draco sighed, still keeping Harry at bay with his arms. He frowned when Harry smiled at him knowingly.
“You called me ‘Harry’,” he rejoiced, jumping up and down.
“I-” Draco opened his mouth but then the words got caught up in his throat and he blushed.
“Can I kiss you now?”
“NO!”
“Then when?”
Draco stuttered, trying to form a proper word when an idea popped up in his mind – a really crazy and stupid one, but somehow it felt sound at the current situation. He smiled sweetly at Harry, deciding to play along a bit. Could this be the glass of Butterbeer he had? Maybe he should drink more if it made him ease up this much. It felt nice.
“If you get ‘Outstanding’ on your Herbology exam.”
There was a moment of silence and Draco forced himself not to look away. Harry seemed to seriously consider it, then looked at Draco playfully. “You’re asking for a lot. If I get an O, you’ll give me a chance. Three dates. Many kisses.”
Draco bit his lip, hesitating for a second before realizing that there was no way Potter would get an O, so he might as well promise anything.
“Fine,” he said and extended his hand. Harry shook it, grinning like a madman. Draco felt nervous all of a sudden, but he was sure it had been the effect of the silly Butterbeer. He wasn’t used to drinking alcohol but surely one cup wasn’t enough to get him drunk. It didn’t cloud his judgement, he was confident Potter would never get an O in Herbology, it would have been a miracle if he even passed. Yes, Draco was a hundred percent sure.
*
“So, did you have a good night?” Cho asked cheekily as soon as Draco wandered into the Common Room. It was a surprised to find Cho there, they got back rather late, around midnight, and it was a Monday morning. Draco suspected she took great effort to wake up just so she could question Draco at the earliest chance.
Draco yawned and sat in an armchair, across Cho. “It was moderately good, yeah.”
She raised one eyebrow. “’moderately good’ eh? I’ve seen you and Potter, you’re sitting so close I thought you’re snogging first.”
“We were not!”
“Such a pity, really, you’d look great together,” she said with a dreamy expression.
“Please, stop, it’s already bad enough I’m tu-” he shut his mouth suddenly, remembering himself, but it was already too late. Cho’s eyes were as wide as a house elf’s.
She pointed at Draco and squealed, “you’re tutoring him? So that’s where you’ve been disappearing off to lately.” Draco decided to stay silent, not wanting to keep digging his own grave. Cho sat up, with a serious expression all over her face. “Answer me, Draco, do you like him?”
Draco hesitated, glancing at his feet then back at Cho, chewing on his bottom lip until at last he sighed, “well, he’s not bad.”
“Merlin’s beard, Draco, you do like him!” She looked so excited it was unsettling.
“A bit, yeah, maybe,” Draco admitted, deciding it was pointless to deny it any further. Cho could read him like a book anyway. Damn, he liked Harry Potter. He was sure he wasn’t alone with this but apparently Potter liked him back, and that possibility made Draco almost dizzy.
“You should get together,” Cho suggested.
Draco blushed slightly, stuttering “I don’t, it’s very new, I mean, Cho, I don’t know-”
“It’s okay, take a deep breath.” She smiled and walked to Draco to kneel in front of him. He took Draco’s hands, squeezing it encouragingly. “You’re still figuring out, that’s fine, I just want you to know, you can count on me.” As a second thought, she added, “and Luna, I’m sure she supports you too.”
“Thanks, but I- yeah, thanks, I guess.”
She nodded and pulled him down for a quick hug. “Now, you fancy some breakfast before Charms?”
“Sounds great.”
He felt relieved after talking about Potter with Cho, but at the same time, he was anxious. Now that it had been said, he couldn’t take it back and he liked Harry, it was true. He really was more than just a pretty face and cocky attitude. He just wasn’t sure about what Potter saw in him. The boy was rather well-known for his flirtatious behaviour and had quite a string of lovers and broken hearts, if the rumours were anything to go by. Why did such a famous, popular guy fancy plain, grey Draco Malfoy? What did Potter want?
*
Blaise howled with laughter and even Pansy repeatedly smacking him in the head with Advanced Potions wasn’t enough to make him shut up. Harry was sitting on his own bed, legs folded under his body, face buried in his palm, fingers messing up his black hair even more. Pansy was sitting on Blaise’s bed, trying to shut Blaise up and glancing at Harry in sympathy at the same time.
Eventually, Blaise was calm enough to speak. “You’re so screwed, man, who would’ve thought little Malfoy had it in him?” Harry preferred him laughing.
“Blaise, not helping,” Pansy scolded him.
“I know.” Harry groaned, looking pathetically at his friends. “What am I going to do now?”
“Well, if you ask me, better face reality and give up,” Pansy said with a shrug. “If he truly wanted to date you, he’d not set conditions.” She had a point, which Harry decided to ignore.
Blaise got up from his bed and started to pack his bag for classes. “What do you see in him anyway? There are plenty of others waiting.”
“I really like him, okay?”
Pansy and Blaise exchanged a glance then simultaneously said “how many times we heard that.”
“It’s different,” Harry claimed vehemently, throwing a pillow at Pansy who caught it and threw it back.
“You just like the chase, once you get him, you’ll get bored,” Blaise reasoned while he was flipping through his Charms textbook, looking for his half-finished essay.
“I won’t,” Harry insisted, hugging his pillow to his chest. “Believe me, it’s different.”
“Careful, it sounds an awful lot like love to me,” Pansy warned him, admiring her poison green nails.
Blaise scoffed, “Don’t be absurd. Harry in love? With Draco Malfoy? It even sounds ridiculous independently, let alone in one sentence.”
Theodore pulled his curtains apart and nodded at Pansy. “She’s got a point.”
“Thank you.”
“Whatever,” Blaise shrugged then turned to Harry with a serious expression, “still, there’s no point in discussing since you will never get an Outstanding at Herbology.”
Harry smiled mockingly. “Well, thank you.”
“What? It’s true.”
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Well, better be quick, exam’s on Friday.” Pansy supplied helpfully.
Harry fell back onto the silver sheets, groaning. He would find a way. He had to. If Draco wanted to play like this, then he was in for a surprise. An idea popped up in his mind and he bolted upright.
“Oh, no, that smile,” Theo groaned. They all looked at Harry, expectantly.
“I need to speak to Longbottom,” Harry announced.
“Good luck with that,” Pansy said ironically, but Harry wasn’t listening, his mind already coming up with a dozen plans.
*
“Lower your wand, Neville, there’s no need to be alarmed,” Harry threw his arms open, grinning.
Neville gripped his wand with trembling fingers, still pointing it at Harry. “Really?”
Harry rolled his eyes. “C’mon man, I haven’t hexed you since fourth year. It’s been ages.”
“Still too vivid in my memory,” Neville hissed, backing as Harry was coming closer.
“All right, I’m sorry about that, okay? I apologise. Now, please, put that wand away and move to the serious business.”
“What business?”
“I need a favour,” Harry said calmly, glaring at the wand suggestively. Neville lowered it a little, frowning.
“Why would I help you?”
“Because I guarantee that no one from Slytherin will as much as give a bad look at you.”
Neville was tempted to accept. He could use a break, for sure, it wasn’t as bad as before, but his year still wasn’t entirely uneventful either.
“What do you want?”
The smirk Harry gave him was unsettling and screamed trouble. Neville knew he would regret this deal.
*
Okay, so maybe Draco liked Harry, but that didn’t matter, since they had an agreement. Draco couldn’t just walk up to the Slytherin and admit his feelings, firstly, because he’d rather die, and secondly, he had no idea what feelings they were. Yes, Potter was undoubtedly handsome and fit, and despite his reputation of being an asshole, Draco found him a surprisingly pleasant company.
He was actually looking forward to their little meeting after classes, something Draco had gotten used to strangely quickly. He liked to see Harry’s cheerful smile and he even liked his flirtatious approach despite making Draco embarrassed more often than Draco would care to admit. Therefore, it came as a bit of a shock, really, when Harry appeared in the library at their usual spot, at four PM sharp, but instead of throwing himself leisurely onto his preferred chair he stood rather awkwardly, looking at Draco seriously.
Draco glanced up from his book, waiting.
Harry placed his hands on the back of a chair, leaning forward a bit and smiled. “Hey!” Draco raised his eyebrows instead to reciprocate the greeting. Harry was acting, well, odd. He went on saying “um, so, I’ve been thinking, you know, about our, arrangement,” Draco’s cheeks started to heat up at the memory, but he held the green gaze. “I think it’d be better to put our study sessions on hold until the exams. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Oh,” Draco fought hard to conceal his disappointment as surprise. “I thought you needed help.”
“Yeah, I do, but, I’ll have to do it on my own. It’s not fair to you to keep teaching me when, well, you know the stakes.”
After a bit of pondering, Draco replied “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Harry smiled relieved, then winked. “Until Friday.”
Draco watched him leave with a sudden bitterness and he couldn’t stand spending another second in the library. He gathered his things in a rush, swung his bag over one shoulder and hurried back to his dorm.
“I thought you were with Harry,” Luna stated surprised as soon as Draco entered. He grimaced. Of course Cho told her everything, and under other circumstances he would have been mad, but right now he desperately wanted to talk to someone and actually, Luna was a better option than Cho. He wasn’t really in for a lecture about how dumb and irresponsible he was and why on earth he had to play along Potter’s stupid games.
Draco inhaled deeply and sat on the floor next to Luna, leaning against the couch. “Me too.”
“He didn’t show up?” She inquired politely and closed her textbook to give Draco her full attention. Draco had no idea how girls did it, they just sensed when someone needed them. He was extremely grateful.
“He did, actually, it’s just, he said something, you know, weird,” said Draco while he took off his sweater and loosened his tie. Luna waited patiently for him to continue, her huge eyes calm and interested. “I did something stupid, at the party, you see I-” he ran his hand through his hair, exhaling loudly. “I messed it up, Luna, he wanted to kiss me and I, well, I set a condition.”
“Condition?”
“I know how stupid it sounds, but he was drunk and I was freaking out and then I just, I wasn’t thinking.”
She tilted her head slightly, her long blonde locks bobbing. “What condition?”
Draco pouted, embarrassed to admit “I’ll date him if he gets Outstanding in Herbology.”
Thankfully she didn’t gasp or yell, only nodded. “I see.” It was rather well-known how bad Potter was at Herbology, even Luna knew that. “But you want to date him, right?” She asked slowly.
Draco groaned, gripping his hair tightly as if it would solve anything. “I don’t know, maybe?”
“Then it’s all right,” she replied plainly.
“Is it? Luna, gosh, are you even listening? He won’t get an O, therefore-”
“So what? You can still date. Who cares about your silly dare?”
Draco looked at her as if she had slapped him. “He does. He called off our studying session so he can focus or whatever. He’s taking it seriously, I also have to.”
“Well, at least you see how determined he is.”
“It’s so stupid, Luna, why me? Why did I, of all people, catch Potter’s interest?” He looked so lost and vulnerable, Luna had to hug him and Draco didn’t even try to protest. He needed comfort.
“You’re smart and handsome, why wouldn’t you?” She smiled, stroking Draco’s back soothingly. “We’ll figure something out, promise.”
Draco only nodded, not trusting his voice. It was a disaster.
*
He spent the next day exchanging secret glances with Harry in the Great Hall, Draco shaking his head disapprovingly or turning away - hiding his smile - every time he caught his gaze and Harry winked or grinned. He had a warm, tingling sensation rushing over him every time Harry walked past, and the hair on his arm stood on end under that heavy, promising gaze.
On Tuesday afternoon, Draco even lost track of Professor Slughorn’s explanation on some potion he didn’t care to remember and was snapped out of it when he heard his name. He was too engrossed pretending to ignore Harry that Cho had to elbow him in the ribs. He growled at her, then looked up at Slughorn’s frowning face and sheepishly said “Sorry, Professor, could you please repeat it?”
It earned him an eye roll from Cho and a giggle from Luna, and Draco felt blood rushing into his pale cheeks yet again. It would have been awful, if Draco hadn’t enjoyed it so much. His skin was burning and he felt a strange pull towards Harry, realizing how much he missed spending the afternoons together. He tried not to think about their deal, and focused on enjoying the dance. Even if Harry failed – which was highly possible – Draco would figure something out to date him. If not, surely Luna and Cho would come up with something. He mildly considered talking to Hermione, but quickly dropped the idea. True, she was the smartest witch of their age, but Draco already felt like there were already too many people involved in his love life.
*
Harry should have known something was wrong when Pansy climbed into the dorm and told Harry that Draco was waiting for him outside. He was so stunned he completely missed Pansy’s sly grin and mischievously gleaming eyes.
As soon as he was out of the door, he got swept off his feet by Draco practically jumping at him. Harry landed ungracefully on the floor with a loud ‘thud’, Draco straddling him and hugging him so tight he nearly suffocated Harry.
“I missed you so much!” Draco’s tone was so uncharacteristically high-pitched that Harry wondered if he had hit his head so hard he was hallucinating, but Draco’s weight on him was too real. He grunted and sat up, trying to push Draco back.
“Draco, what’s up with you?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to see you,” Draco giggled and now that he was facing Harry, Harry could clearly see something was off. Draco’s usually sharp grey eyes were now clouded and unfocused and his smile was disturbingly broad.
“I love you so much!” Draco exclaimed and leant forward for a kiss. Harry turned his head so fast he hurt his neck, so Draco ended up placing a wet kiss on his left cheek. That was close. Harry was smart enough to put two and two together and groaned “Pansy, you fucking bitch!” while he was trying to stop Draco from kissing him. He swore to hex Pansy into next year as soon as he had dealt with Draco.
“Okay, let’s get up, shall we?” He smiled and Draco pouted. He would have very much enjoyed this situation under other circumstances, but Draco wasn’t himself and Harry – despite what people gossiped about him, - wouldn’t take advantage like that. He could get whatever he wanted on his own, he didn’t need dirty tricks like this.
“I like it here,” Draco stated and rolled his hips to emphasize it. Harry stifled a moan and grabbed Draco’s hips to stop him moving.
“Look, why don’t we go find somewhere private?” He suggested and he swallowed hard at Draco’s expression. Fuck, he was so pretty and gorgeous and it was too tempting, Harry wanted nothing more than to grab those blond locks and pull him down for a rough kiss, but he had to resist. Draco wasn’t himself and he couldn’t take advantage of him like that. He cared about him and knew Draco wouldn’t want it either. If he had done anything, Draco would surely hate him for the rest of his life. He prayed to Merlin to be strong enough for this.
Finally, Draco climbed off of his lap and got up, pulling Harry up and aiming for a kiss again, but Harry covered his mouth quickly, pushing him back. He faked a sweet smile and said “not so fast, babe, let’s go find somewhere quiet.”
Draco sniggered with a nod, hooking his arm around Harry’s and allowing him to lead the way. It took longer than it normally would, with Draco trying to steal a kiss on the way more than once, but Harry finally managed to reach his destination. He made Draco sit on a windowsill, explaining “I’ll go make sure we’re alone, you be a good boy and wait here, okay?”
Draco laughed, his eyes clouded with desire.
“Draco?” Harry asked sternly. The last thing he needed was to Draco wander around in the castle in his current state.
“Yeah, yeah, okay, but be quick.”
Harry grinned and hurried away, practically banging on the door. It opened rather quickly, revealing his surprised teacher. Harry stammered, “Professor Slughorn, please, I need your help, my friend, Draco, love potion, I don’t know- please.”
Professor Slughorn quirked an eyebrow and Harry took a deep breath. “I believe he accidentally took love potion, can you help, please?” Slughorn eyed him for a moment and then nodded and walked back into his office, gesturing at Harry and saying “bring him in.”
“I’m- I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he admitted awkwardly, still standing in the doorway. “You see, he’d be very embarrassed and I don’t want to make things worse, could you please just, well, give me the potion, and I’ll take care of him?”
“Dear son, you know it’s against the rules,” Slughorn tried to reason, but he always had a soft spot for Harry and Harry planned to take full advantage of that.
“I know, sir, I promise I’ll handle it, won’t say a word, I swear. I just don’t want him to get hurt,” Slughorn hesitated and Harry delivered the final blow, nearly pleading “he means a lot to me.”
Slughorn sighed, but shook his head in amused resignation and rummaged through his cupboard, handing a small vial to Harry. He said seriously “If anything happens-”
“I’ll come right away, of course, sir. And thank you so much.” He flashed his brightest smile and rushed back to Draco, hoping to find him where he had left him. Thankfully, Draco was still there, picking at a stray thread on his robe. He jerked his head up at Harry’s approach and grinned happily causing Harry’s heart to skip a beat. Gosh, he wanted that grin to be genuine, not some fake one due to Pansy’s stupid one-woman action. Harry knelt in front of him and Draco pulled him in for a tight hug. Harry hugged back awkwardly for a bit, enjoying the warmth and Draco’s exquisite smell before peeling Draco’s arms off to pull out the vial.
“Listen, sweetheart, I want you to drink this.”
Draco eyed the sparkling drink curiously. “Why?”
“It’s just- Do you trust me?” Draco nodded. “Then be a good boy, and drink it.”
Draco’s face lit up. “Can I get a kiss first?”
A pained expression crossed Harry’s face. He could do that, just a quick peck, and then blame it all on Pansy and the potion. Maybe Draco wouldn’t even remember. It would be so easy, so amazing, so- No, he couldn’t do that, couldn’t betray Draco’s trust like that. He ran his hand through his messy black hair and said with a small smile “After, all right?”
“Fine,” Draco agreed at last and drank up. The effect wasn’t immediate, but quick enough. Within minutes, the curtain of fogginess lifted and disappeared, leaving Draco to stare confused, and a little horrified at Harry. He jumped up, panting “Where- where am I? What happened?”
“Draco, calm down.”
Draco pointed at Harry accusingly. “You, it’s all your fault!”
“How’s it my fault?” Harry stared dumbly.
Draco’s head was spinning. “I remember being on patrol, and then Pansy, yes, she came and gave me a pie, saying you sent it, and then-” His eyes widened in shock and he covered his mouth.
“Love potion,” Harry supplied helpfully.
“You sent me love potion?!” He nearly shrieked.
Harry snorted indignantly. “Don’t be absurd, why’d I do that?”
“How would I know?” Draco argued, glaring at Harry furiously.
“You’re upset, I get it. I promise to hex Pansy into oblivion, but you can’t seriously believe it was my idea?” The idea was so unbelievable Harry had to laugh but clearly Draco didn’t share his opinion. He stared at Harry dryly and the laugh died on his lips, his joyful expression quickly replaced by disbelief. “You can’t be serious,” he whispered and looked down, embarrassed, as he quietly added “wow, you have an even lower opinion about me than I expected.”
Draco was suddenly ashamed of himself and he awkwardly sat back next to Potter. “Sorry, I just,” he rubbed his face before continuing, “I don’t have such a bad opinion about you, you know,” he admitted with a half-smile. Harry glanced at him and responded in kind. He looked uncharacteristically nice and sincere.
“You were trying to kiss me, actually.”
“Trying?”
“I turned away,” he said, then added with a smirk “you kind of licked my cheek off.”
“Oh God,” Draco groaned and buried his face into his palms, trying to hide. Harry chuckled and grabbed his hand, removing it.
“Hey, it’s fine, it wasn’t that bad.”
“Speak for yourself, I can’t believe, Merlin, Pansy, I’ll-”
“I’ll take care of Pansy, don’t worry about that,” Harry assured him. He was looking into Draco’s eyes and Draco felt the sudden urge to lean it, but that could be the after-effect of the potion, right? Harry broke the magical moment at last, grinning. “So, our little arrangement is still up?”
Draco opened his mouth then closed it and repeated it several times. He wanted to tell Harry it was a stupid idea and that he had nothing to prove, especially not to him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it, so in the end he said “yeah, it’s still up.”
Harry nodded. “Guess we should go then.”
Draco agreed and got up. They walked to the end of the corridor in comfortable silence, both of them thinking about what happened, but neither of them wanted to speak. “See you tomorrow then,” Harry said when they reached the end and he had to turn right where Draco had to turn left.
“See ya,” Draco said curtly and watched Harry go before acting on impulse and called “Harry!” Harry turned around abruptly, frowning. Draco ran to him, grabbed his face and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
“A little encouragement,” he said sheepishly, cheeks burning, then turned on his heels and disappeared out of sight before Harry’s frozen mind could catch up. He touched his lips, not quite believing what had just happened, but then a stupid, love-struck grin spread across his features and the world instantly seemed like a much better place. Draco liked him, his mind kept screaming and Harry nearly jumped his way back to the Slytherin dormitory. He didn’t even want to strangle Pansy anymore.
Of course that idea dissolved as soon as he came face-to-face with the girl. She wasn’t even trying to look innocent, and had the nerve to ask “did you enjoy yourselves?”
Harry lifted his wand, glaring at Pansy who glared back unimpressed.
“Have you lost your fucking mind?!” He roared, causing Blaise to open the door and peer into the room.
“You okay guys?”
“NO, we’re not!” Harry snapped at him. Blaise grimaced at Pansy, muttering “Told you it was a bad idea.”
“You knew?!” Harry demanded, but before Blaise could make up an excuse, Pansy spoke.
“Oh please, I did you a favour. It’s unlikely of you not to take a chance.”
“You technically drugged my future boyfriend and call it a favour? What’s wrong with you?!”
Blaise fully opened the door and trotted into the room, stopping beside Pansy. “Look, man, she may have-”
“Shut up!”
Pansy drew her wand just in time to block Harry’s Stinging Spell.
“Look, we both know your brilliant plan won’t work, there is no way for you to pass Herbology with an O,” Pansy clarified then shrugged and added “I was just tryin’ to help, you know.”
Harry let out a laugh which bordered on insanity. “Help me? What did you expect me to do with him?”
“A proper snog, at least,” she grinned then blocked another spell.
“I’m going to kill you, I will Crucio you, you bloody bitch!” Harry snarled and then everything went to chaos, hexes flying and furniture exploding. Blaise yelled at them to stop and ran for cover only to be hit with Pansy’s badly aimed Petrificus Totalus. He fell to the ground with a loud ‘thud’ but it didn’t make Pansy and Harry to stop, if only, it encouraged them to keep going now that Blaise wasn’t trying to stop them.
Their petty fight had come to an ugly end soon, when Harry hit Pansy with a rather painful Stinging hex and in return he received a Disarming Charm, sending him flying back right into the wall. He got to his feet, shaking his head in vain hope to make the ringing in his ears stop. He crawled to Pansy who looked absolutely disgusting with half of her face thrice the normal size.
“You arse,” she hissed as Harry helped her to her feet, laughing.
“You deserved it. Now, no more brilliant plans to help me,” Harry said seriously, then grinned “anyway, I convinced Longbottom to help me.”
“You did what?” She squealed in disbelief then grunted as she was trying to turn her face back to normal. “You should’ve told me that.”
“Well, didn’t really expect any action from you,” Harry pointed out while he walked to Blaise and cast a quick spell to release Blaise who sat upright, glaring at the pair.
“You stupid wankers,” he growled, rubbing his elbow.
“Yeah, yeah, well, we had to relieve some tension, didn’t we?” Harry chuckled and pulled Blaise to his feet. Blaise looked at Harry alarmed.
“You act more insane than usual,” he observed.
Harry shrugged, smiling mysteriously. “I’m in a good mood.”
Pansy answered to Blaise’s questioning glance with a wave of her hand then she turned to Harry, scowling. “How in the bloody hell did you manage to get Longbottom’s help?”
Blaise gaped. “You convinced him? How?”
“Wha- you have surprisingly little faith in me,” Harry feigned to be scandalised then threw himself onto the sofa. “Don’t worry about that that.”
“You didn’t use Imperio on him, right?” Blaise sounded worried. Harry glared at him.
“Of course not.” Harry rolled his eyes then said “I promised no Slytherin will bother him.”
“How generous,” Pansy sneered and took the armchair closest to the roaring fire. She eyed Harry curiously. “So, what’s your grand plan?”
*
Draco knew he was acting, well, stupid, but he couldn’t help it. He felt giddy and happy, every cell in his body jumping up and down in excitement, and he couldn’t wipe his smile off, no matter how hard he tried. When Cho joined him for breakfast in the Great Hall, she looked seriously worried as she asked “have you been hexed?”
Draco laughed it off. “Don’t be silly.”
His choice of words alarmed Cho even further and her hand shot out to touch his forehead. “You ill or something? Jeez, Draco, what happened to you?” Her perfectly plucked eyebrows wrinkled in a frown but then her eyes widened in amazement. “No way.”
“What?”
“It has something to do with Potter, right?”
Draco grinned mysteriously and glanced towards the Slytherin table, unconsciously searching for Harry. He found him rather quick and gave a small smile when Harry realized he was being watched and raised his head. He grinned back and Draco looked back at Cho, shrugging. “Maybe?”
“Blimey! Details, now!” came the demand and she leant closer eagerly.
Draco was feeling light and careless and he didn’t mind talking about it, so he admitted “I kissed him” with a slight blush. Cho squeaked then quickly covered her mouth.
“Damn, Draco, that’s- well that’s- wow.”
Draco nodded in agreement. “I know, I mean, it wasn’t even a proper kiss, more like a peck on the lips but, well, it felt nice.”
“I bet it did,” she giggled, then turned around to check Harry out not so secretly. Harry glanced up from his cornflakes and gave her a sly grin, which caused Cho to blush and turn back to Draco. “I’m glad for you,” she smiled. It was odd but surprisingly refreshing to see Draco come out of his shell and actually look happy and carefree. Maybe Potter wasn’t such a bad influence after all.
Unfortunately, Draco’s happiness only lasted until dinner. By that time, Luna had also been informed about the events of the previous evening thanked to Cho and the trio sat at the table, discussing the exams and occasionally Draco’s love life. He couldn’t be bothered to tell them to shut it as for once, it was a topic he enjoyed.
He was just about to pour themselves a bit of pumpkin juice when he caught a glimpse of Harry from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help but stare and what he saw formed a lump in his throat and a sudden unwelcomed tightness in his chest. Harry walked to the Gryffindor’s table, which alone had been enough for suspicion – but then the very person he had walked up to was Neville Longbottom. Draco froze as he watch Harry practically lift Longbottom from his seat and then dragged him out of the Great Hall in a hurry.
“Draco!” Cho exclaimed and Draco snapped out of his reverie, jerking his hand back. The cup was overfilled and he was pouring juice everywhere on the table. He set the jug down absentmindedly staring at the entrance. Luna cleaned the mess with a twist of her wand and she and Cho eyed Draco confused.
“Draco, what is it?” Cho asked quietly, glancing at the entrance as well.
Draco forced himself to look back at the concerned girls. “Have you- have you seen it?”
“See what?” Luna’s brow crinkled questioningly and Draco realized he had asked a silly question since the girls sat with their backs to the other tables.
“I think, I saw, Harry, with Longbottom,” he said slowly, not sure why it bothered him so much. Maybe it had to do something with the way Potter was holding onto Longbottom.
Cho shook her head. “Don’t be absurd.”
Even Luna agreed “it’s impossible. You must be tired, let’s go back, shall we?” She suggested and Draco nodded, not really understanding the words, and followed his friends back to the Ravenclaw dorm room, being lost in his thoughts the entire way, and then through the entire night. He was trying to listen to Luna, it had to be some kind of weird hallucination, but Draco knew what he had seen and he didn’t like it.
The next morning didn’t improve his mood, and he sat through Herbology class in a quiet and passive manner, much to his friends concern. Normally, he was buzzing with energy during Herbology, he loved plants with a nearly insane passion and he knew almost everything that had to be known, but now he couldn’t find happiness in the warm and humid air of the greenhouse, neither all the greens and blooming flowers. Transfiguration class didn’t go any better either. Luna and Cho both tried to cheer him up, saying he must have seen it wrong or mistaken either Potter or Longbottom with someone else and Draco was so close to being convinced when the news reached him during lunch.
He was angrily poking at the vegetables surrounding his slice of lamb, staring at the plate and being lost in thoughts when Hermione dropped down on the other side of the table next to Cho. Apparently Hermione promised to help Cho out with her essay for Transfiguration, but she had to postpone it and Cho wasn’t very happy. They were trying to come up with a win-win option when a blazing orange head appeared behind Hermione, startling her.
“Oh guys, you wouldn’t believe what happened in DADA class,” he started with an utterly amazed expression. “Harry picked Neville as his partner!”
Hermione spun around so quick it was almost inhuman and hissed “Ron!” but it was too late as Ron had already spoken, the words leaving Draco to feel as if someone had just cast a rather nasty Cooling Spell on him.
Luna and Cho immediately looked at Draco who just started numbly into nothingness, not realizing Hermione to get up and drag Ron away, slapping his shoulder viciously while hissing.
“Draco-” Cho said in a soft tone and that was all Draco was able to take. He jumped to his feet and practically ran out of the Great Hall, not stopping until he found an empty corridor where he could sink to the ground and try to even his breath, stifling the tears that were burning the back of his eyes threateningly.
He wanted to believe it didn’t mean anything, he so desperately did but it was impossible. For the first time in his life, Draco hated to be smart. He would rather have the sweet oblivion but the evidence was written all over his mind. After the kiss, Potter didn’t want him anymore. It must have been a whim, or even worse, a bet, and then he got what he wanted and dumped Draco like a sack of dragon crap. Their secret smiles during Wednesday must have been out of pity on Harry’s side and then after dragging Longbottom out of the Hall that evening, neither of them showed up for breakfast the next morning.
Draco felt betrayal gnawing at his chest, making it hard to breathe and he felt sick. He rubbed his eyes hard enough to hurt himself, but he wouldn’t let himself cry over someone as cheap as Harry bloody Potter. Looked like he had found himself a new pet to play with and if Draco wanted to be honest, it hurt that Potter chose Longbottom over him. The chubby Gryffindor wasn’t even pretty. No, he wouldn’t compete with anyone, let alone Neville Longbottom, his Malfoy pride just wouldn’t let him. He stood up at last and shook himself mentally. Yes, it did hurt, but he would get over it and Potter would sorry what he had missed.
He skipped Potions since they had that class with Slytherin and there was no way in the nine hells that Draco would let Potter see how hurt he was. Instead, he spent the afternoon sulking in bed. He couldn’t even cry, which was both a relief and a pain in the arse, because he was fairly sure crying would make him feel better, but he was actually proud of himself he couldn’t do it. He wondered why he was so upset, it wasn’t like they dated. Yes, Draco was finally interested in someone who turned out to be a prick and it sucked, but really, there was no need for him to be this depressed.
He was so lost in trying to convince himself that it wasn’t a big deal that he didn’t notice Luna entering the room and Draco jerked when the sheets dipped next to him, and he was glancing up at Luna’s bright blue eyes startled.
“I took notes for you.” She handed a paper with a smile which Draco took with a grateful nod. There was really no need to agonise over Potter when he had such wonderful friends.
Luna put her hand on Draco’s arm and softly said “You deserve better, anyway.”
“Thanks,” Draco aimed for a genuine smile but it came out as a miserable grimace. He had to look away. “It’s just, it hurts,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I know.” Luna was squeezing his arm softly and it felt nice. “It could still be a misunderstanding.”
“Luna-”
“I know, but, you should talk. Maybe he can explain-”
“Give an excuse, you mean?” Draco frowned angrily. Luna knew Draco would be too proud for that, but she had to give it a try.
“I’m just saying, you should talk.”
Draco huffed a sarcastic laugh and sharply asked “Since when are you an expert on relationships?”
The wince she made was barely visible, but it was enough for Draco to notice and feel like a total arse. Luna didn’t deserve it, it was Potter he was angry with. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.
“I know you didn’t mean it.”
“Still, I-”
“Draco, there’s no need to beat yourself up over something this silly. It’s all right.” He studied her face for a long moment then nodded and her face brightened a bit, latching onto the chance of changing the subject. “Now, shall we go have dinner?”
Draco sighed. “I’m not sure I’m hungry.”
“Nonsense. You know how important comfort food is, and you love sweets.” She added the last part as an afterthought and winked.
Draco chuckled weakly. “You know what? You’re right.”
She slapped him playfully and giggled “I always am, silly.”
His mood lifted by a notch, but as usual, it didn’t last very long. He had a pleasant dinner with Luna – Cho was sitting at the Gryffindor table, looking as if she was having her last supper while Hermione kept talking with rather enthusiastic hand gestures – and he only ate sweets, as per their agreement. To rule out the chance of staring too much at the Slytherin table they switched places and now Luna was the one who had a good view in case Potter showed up. She kept assuring Draco through the whole dinner that he was safe and Potter was nowhere, something Draco wasn’t sure how to feel about. Luna assured him with a small smile that Longbottom was there, to which Draco only shrugged and stiffly replied “Not my business.” She looked like she wanted to say something, but then decided against it and carried on with her dinner. Draco nearly believed he had made it through the day when it became rather obvious just how much life hated him.
He was leaving the Hall when he ran into Potter, who was just entering and he smiled broadly.
“Hey Draco! I missed you in Potions.”
Draco wanted to say so much at once but no word would come out so he simply turned away, dragging Luna along. He felt rather pleased by the astonished and confused expression on Potter’s face. The prick well deserved it although Draco had no idea why Potter was still trying to make an effort.
Thursday had been awful, if Draco had to list his worst days in his entire life, it would make the top five. Apparently, Potter got the message rather quick and gave up trying to make eye-contact or to talk. It hurt Draco. He knew it would happen, but it still hurt like a Thesral’s kick, and that thing could send a man straight to hospital. It got even worse when upon entering the Great Hall for breakfast on Friday morning, he caught a glimpse of tousled black hair and round glasses as he dropped a box right in front of Longbottom, grinning confidently. Draco spun around and left, his appetite gone.
He had no idea Herbology exam would be his breaking point. He barely held it through the test, scribbling furiously, not choosing his answers carefully, and when the bell rang signalling to put the quill down he practically ran out of the classroom and didn’t stop until he reached the sleeping quarters where he fell onto the bed and started crying, casting a Silencing Charm between sobs and hiccups.
It was so stupid, he knew, but just couldn’t help it. It was the big event, and he planned to date Harry regardless of what grade he got, but would make fun of him of course. It was supposed to be the best day of his life, a new beginning, a chance to happiness and instead it ended up as a disaster, Potter playing around with Merlin knows who and Draco was a crying mess.
*
Harry decided to ignore Draco’s weird behaviour in the past two days; he had put it down to Draco being embarrassed after that kiss-like thing. It felt nice, Harry wouldn’t complain, but he was about to show Draco what a real kiss was like and not that poor example, if he managed to find him. He had a feeling Draco was avoiding him all Friday but Harry planned on catching him, even if he had to use the Imperius Curse on one of the Ravenclaw students to get him in their dorm. Luckily, it didn’t come to that point because he ran into Cho and Luna on their way back from the Herbology exam and idly wondered if Draco had skipped that one as well. Was he ill?
Upon his approach he received a rather unwelcoming glare – something he was used to but coming from the pair was pretty surprising, he didn’t do anything to anger them, - but he wouldn’t waver and stood tall and confident in front of the girls, putting on his most charming smile.
“Hey, witches, have you seen my soon-to-be boyfriend?”
Cho rolled her eyes and walked right past him, pulling Luna along. Harry nearly gaped but he composed himself. Fine, he would do it the hard way then, he didn’t have time to play silly games anyway. He had his exam results.
Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak from his bag – he carried it around most of the time, - and followed the girls from a safe distance, entering the Ravenclaw dorm without a problem. He didn’t have time to look around, all he noted was that almost everything was a shade of blue which filled Harry’s heart with calmness. He sneaked up the stairs as quiet as possible. He had a feeling that Draco would be in the sleeping quarters. He wasn’t wrong. He was also lucky that Cho and Luna stopped in the Common Room so Harry got a head start. He hoped Draco was alone because caution could be damned. He threw off his cloak and entered the room without knocking, casting a quick Silencing Charm and Locking Charm so he and Draco wouldn’t be interrupted.
Draco was lying on his bed, something golden twinkling between his fingers. Harry recognised it immediately. It was a Snitch. He couldn’t help but smile. Draco glanced at him from the corner of his eye and then there was complete stillness for a moment. He then leaped to his feet, staring at Harry with an expression which contained so many emotions Harry couldn’t name them even if his life had depended on it.
“Potter?”
“Surprise!” Harry grinned and pulled out a crumpled paper from his pocket, unfolding it and showing it to Draco as he approached. “Guess this means you’re my boyfriend.”
Draco frowned at the paper and his heart skipped a beat.
Herbology – Outstanding
How in the bloody hell Potter managed that? Not that it mattered. Draco put up a listless face and dryly said “Awesome.”
Harry’s face fell and he lowered his hand. “Don’t be so enthusiastic.”
“What did you expect?” Draco glared, anger boiling up inside him. He was dangerously close to explode and lash out at Harry with all his misery and fury.
“Well, a kiss, at least,” Harry replied. His frown deepened.
Draco scoffed. “Don’t hold your breath.”
“Wow, I didn’t know your word meant so little,” Harry said disappointed.
Draco snapped. “Excuse me? I think you’re the last person to judge.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What do you want?” Draco snarled, balled his fists to control his trembling as he continued “Surely, you can’t think I’m dumb enough to date you.” He said with a tight-lipped smile. For some reason which was beyond his understanding he wanted to hurt Harry. The weird thing was that it did hurt Harry, but Draco didn’t understand why. Why did Potter still care about him? And why did he look so devastated? Draco felt like a total arse, but then his anger overcame his pity. Potter hurt him first, not the other way around. He was ready to go along with, well, whatever it was, and then Potter had to go and screw everything up like he always did and then had the nerve to blame Draco.
“I thought we had a deal,” said Harry quietly.
Draco laughed coldly. “I thought you’re better than your reputation, so guess we’re both disappointed.”
“I’ve always been nothing but honest with you,” Harry claimed and he finally composed himself, because he was staring back with such fierceness, it almost scared Draco. Almost.
“Oh really? Well then guess we’ve got a very different definition of ‘honest’!” Draco shouted.
“Okay, you’re talking nonsense. What the hell is your problem?”
“You know that damn well!”
“I truly don’t, so please, your highness, enlighten me.”
Draco went silent, unable to bring himself to say the words. It sounded stupid, he was stupid, they were arguing like a couple yet they had never been one. This was insane and pointless, they had nothing to do with each other and it hurt, it really did, but it was the truth. In the end he murmured “I just didn’t think you’d lose interest in me so quick.”
Harry was dumbfounded. “Why on earth would I lose interest in you? I just came here.”
“Please, just, don’t play your Slytherin games with me.” Draco had to turn away, not bearing to look into Harry’s face anymore. There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Harry’s mind was spinning, he knew he had to say something if he didn’t want to lose Draco, but he had no idea what to say. He was afraid, which was new and worrisome, but he had to do something about it.
He quietly said “I’m not playing games, not with you.” He reached out to Draco’s shoulder, hesitating a bit before touching him. Draco flinched but didn’t push him away. Harry stepped closer. “Draco-”
“What about Longbottom?” Draco asked in a broken tone. What happened next made him wonder if Potter had finally lost it, because he burst out laughing. Draco turned to glare at him and it took Harry several moments to stop. He was still chuckling when he replied “You can’t possible think, shit, Draco, I don’t know whether I should be offended or amused.”
“I’m glad you find it funny,” said Draco coldly and crossed his arms over his chest.
Harry was shaking with laughter, but managed to get a few words out. “You’re not, very smart, for a Ravenclaw, are you?” He sounded somehow affectionate which only made Draco even more annoyed.
“You can’t, oh shit, if I tell this to Pansy she’ll piss herself, I, Merlin’s beard-”
Draco’s frown started to turn into a confused scowl. Finally, Harry got himself together and straightened, grabbing Draco by the arm and pulling him down the bed, sitting close. He looked somehow embarrassed.
“Fine, guess I owe you an explanation, but-” he held up his forefinger and looked at Draco seriously as he carried on “you can’t tell it to anyone and you must promise to stick to our agreement.”
“That depends on the explanation.”
“No, you gotta promise,” Harry insisted. “It’s not what you think it is, I swear.” He put his hand over his heart. Draco was torn. It was such a silly gesture yet it meant so much to him. Should he give in, should he get into another stupid deal? Every cell in his body screamed that Potter was trouble and he better run, but he just couldn’t. It was like an invisible force chaining him to the Slytherin. He wanted it. Wanted Harry to explain everything, wanted to believe his every word, wanted to be his boyfriend, wanted Harry to want him. He nodded against his better judgement.
“I bribed Longbottom,” Harry said plainly.
“You did what?”
“I, kinda promised him no one will hex him until graduation if he helps me steal the test from Prof. Sprout’s office.”
“And he agreed?”
“Of course, it was a great deal,” Harry looked rather proud.
Draco gaped. He had expected a lot of things, but not this one. Also, if it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t believe it for a second, but it was just like Harry bloody Potter to pull off some trick like that. “You could’ve got expelled.”
Harry sniggered, pushing a stray lock out of Draco’s forehead. “It was absolutely worth the risk.” Draco’s heart did that funny little leap again and he had to lick his lips before speaking.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
Harry shrugged sheepishly. “I thought you’d call it off.”
“Why would I?”
“Because you didn’t want to date me.”
“Nonsense!” The words were out before Draco could rethink and he covered his mouth, embarrassed. Harry chuckled and pried his hand off with a smug smirk.
“Now that we cleared that up,” he held Draco’s hand firmly, leaning close enough that his hot breath brushed against Draco’s lips. “Can I finally get a goddamn kiss?”
“But you cheated,” Draco said weakly.
“So what? I still passed. You didn’t say how I should do it.”
Draco hummed, impressed, then a smile appeared across his face at last. “You’re pretty smart for a Slytherin.” He closed the gap before Harry could come up with a witty reply. Harry made a surprised noise but didn’t complain. He brought his hands up to Draco’s face, cupping it between his palms and tilting his head to have a better access. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck and opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, not being able to surpass a satisfied moan when their tongues finally lapped over.
It felt nice, it was slow and passionate, both of them taking their time before their actions became more erratic and desperate, their kiss got needier, filled with lust. Harry pressed gently on Draco’s chest and Draco leaned back, pulling Harry on top of him, their bodies touching from toe to forehead, sending a shock of electricity through their bodies. Harry moved from Draco’s mouth to kiss along his jawline and then settled at his neck, sucking the skin hard enough to leave a slight bruise. Draco moaned and arched his back, his lower parts rubbing against Harry’s, drawing a delicious groan from the Slytherin.
This was going very fast and Draco’s mind was clouded with desire but he didn’t want to screw things up so he gathered all his willpower and pushed Harry back, who gave him a confused look.
“What?”
“Three dates.” Draco panted and Harry tilted his head. He clarified “You promised three dates.”
“You’re such a tease,” Harry groaned, then added “you also promised lots of kisses.”
Draco chuckled then pushed him off gently. “It’ll be worth the waiting.”
“You’re going to drive me crazy, right?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Draco smiled innocently but put a hand on Harry’s knee.
“Uh-huh,” Harry eyed the hand suspiciously. Draco laughed, but then his expression turned to serious and he glared at Harry.
“How on earth did you get in here?”
Harry barked a laugh and caught Draco’s lips for a mind-blowing kiss instead of an explanation. Draco was perfectly fine with this.