Melting
By OracleVortex
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Disclaimer: I own nothing. Phooey.
Another Draco x Harry fic! :: Grins devilishly:: Yep, ya gotta love it.
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It was hot. Sweltering. The kinds of day were you could see the heat wafting off the sidewalk. Personally, Draco Malfoy preferred it that way. He would go outside in pants and a turtleneck, sweating and wishing he could feel the heat on the inside. As warm and as humid as it was, his heart was coated in ice. Not once in his short span of life had he felt it melt.
Despite his almost morbid fetish with the sun, Draco was a milky statue in the sunlight. It was as if the glow of the moon was under his skin, he was so pale. He didn't tan, he didn't burn. He wanted both, craved both, yearned for both, but was denied the sensation.
"I hate this place." Draco muttered, turning away from the rippling waters of the lake to stare up into the gloomy towers of Hogwarts Castle. Most of the school was outside; enjoying what they all thought was pleasantly warm weather. Draco envied their simple pleasures, wished he could join them. Instead he sat smack-dab on the top of a hill, basking in the heatless sun, and staring off into nowhere.
"I rather like it, really."
Draco's gaze shifted slightly, taking in the slight form of Harry Potter. "Bugger off."
Harry stood half a step in front of him. His head was tilted down slightly, compensating for the two-inch height difference. Light glinted off of the raven-haired boy's glasses, and glittered in emerald eyes. "Touchy today?" When Draco didn't answer, he went on. "Feeling under the weather, Malfoy?"
"Get away from me." Draco said harshly, his voice catching as he turned away from the Gryffindor, staring at his reflection in the lake.
"My, my…does all these happy people bother you?"
"Sod off…you don't understand…"
"Yes I do. You aren't happy until you're messing in everyone's lives." Harry said this in a cheerful voice, though the teasing smile did not reach his eyes.
"Does that include my own, I wonder…?"
Harry looked at him sharply. "Pardon?"
"Oh, just leave me alone…" Draco said weakly.
The raven-haired boy peered at him. "But seriously…are you feeling all right?" Instinctively he reached for Draco. The Slytherin batted his hand away.
"Quit pretending you want to help me." Draco muttered. "Go play 'Sainthood' elsewhere, Potter."
"I want to." Harry said in a low voice. "I want to help you. Let me help you."
The apparent absurdity of the statement struck Draco, and he stepped back, confused. "No…you don't know how hard this is for me." Draco looked at him, a wild look in his eyes. "This isn't any of your business." Harry reached out to him again, and Draco recoiled. "You're killing me…" He said in a small voice.
Harry paused at this, startled by his tone. Suddenly the infamous Malfoy of pureblood riches was openly and undeniably venerable. Blue-grey irises stared up as him, brimming with years of unshed tears, and Harry was reminded of a child; the innocent, but pained, expression of a child. "Draco…"
"I'm not the heartless bastard I used to be, Harry." Draco said quietly, fingers tightly gripping his arms through the robe sleeves. "I've changed, everything's changed. Now I'm cold. Just cold."
Harry stared at him, turning the seemingly harmless phrase over in his mind. "Cold, Draco?" He eyed the thinner boy, noting the heavy sweater and long pants, visible under robes.
Draco's grip in the dark silk tightened further, and his knuckles turned white with the effort. "I hate the winter, Harry, yet I carry it wherever I go. It's bitter and glacial, and freezes my soul raw."
"It's the hottest day of summer, Draco." Harry said softly. He moved to touch Draco for a third time.
The Slytherin scrambled backwards, the movement strangely fast. "Please…" He said. "Just…don't…"
Harry darted forward, grasping Draco's arms with a quickness borne of years dodging his cousin. "Bloody hell, Draco." Harry's eyes flared as he brought the other boy closer to his face. "Feel the burn." He pressed his lips forcefully to Draco's. The blonde didn't pull away, but rather stilled in the face of the touch.
And Draco melted into it.
Draco gasped as he felt an empty swelling within. It was all the more terrible because the frosty isolation of his heart steamed at the sensation. A crack – a fissure – opened inside Draco, splitting the ice. Water was pooling in his belly and the panic produced was collecting in his eyes. Control was the basis of his being, and he was slowly losing his grip. Fear of feelings arose in him, and he saw it reflected in Harry's eyes. He was losing control. It scared him.
The pale teen bolted, tearing away from Harry, panting with restrained feelings. His head spun as he tried to comprehend them, heart beating faster than it had in years. Confusion was the dominant figure, bewildered at the reaction that a kiss had brought to him. He had kissed many in his life…none affected him as this. Puzzlement showed its face, and realization dawned on him as Draco saw Harry's face before him, expression anxious and tender. Uncertainty surfaced, and Draco touched the teen's cheek, trembling at the warmth of the contact.
Harry slid an arm around the blonde as his legs gave out, overwhelmed by his freed emotions. Draco's head was tucked under Harry's chin, and the Muggle-raised boy lifted him easily to his feet.
"Snitches, Draco…" Harry murmured. "Are you all right?"
"Dragon's teeth…" Draco breathed. "It's hot out here…" Letting go of Harry, he tilted his face to the sky, and for the first time, felt the searing heat as he stared directly into the sun. "It…burns…"
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Some people say that Draco Malfoy is an icy bastard. Ever think that this may be because he has no other choice?
Draco: Brr…
Me: Here. ::hands him hot coco::
Draco: Ahh…
Lol. I'm on an angst kick lately. :) Good stuff, good stuff… R&R please.
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