A/N reformatting and reuploading, since I realised on looking back at it that the website reformatted my story without telling me...sorry about the mess that it was before...in case you didn't realise, this is my first story. Not actually an author, it just got in my head and wouldn't go away. Loads of people have favourited and followed already though, which is lovely I'm glad you all like it. First half is Draco's pov, second half is Harry's.
Draco Malfoy was in a state of shock. After the war and his family's subsequent trial, Draco had spent a month travelling around America, to "learn about the American ministry and the wizarding community there". In reality? To avoid one Harry James Potter. Since his hormone induced experiment with Blaise Zambini in 5th year, Draco had admitted (to himself and Blaise, if no one else) that he preferred the male sex. However, since this discovery, Draco had found himself with an undeniable attraction to Potter, which became more and more difficult to hide as they grew older, and also developed into what Blaise like to call "a new and frightening level of obsession". Obviously he was exaggerating, but nonetheless, something had to be done. The trial meant spending a large amount of time with the object of his obsession – no, affection, definitely not an obsession – and with Potter being at his most adorably naive and forgiving, Draco felt it necessary to be as far away as possible from the young man until his hormones came back under his own control. Hence the extended holiday in America.
To return to the present, Draco Malfoy was in a state of shock. This was because on returning to England and Malfoy Manor, he found his mother had 2 "gifts" to welcome him home. The first was not a reason for shock. Narcissa had informed her son that she had enrolled him for the optional "8th year" at Hogwarts, to allow the students from the previous year to complete their NEWTs, which had been interrupted by the war. Since Draco had been intending to do this himself, it was not particularly a problem. The shock came with the second gift, something that was physically presented to the young man on his arrival in the Manor.
Sitting on his bed, Draco stared at the little bundles which were now roaming the room and making as much noise as they could. Kittens. He thought to himself. Why in the name of Merlin would she give me kittens. Inside the basket had been a letter from McGonagall, addressed to his mother, informing her that yes, it was perfectly alright for Draco to bring the kittens to school in September. Muted voices broke Draco from his reverie, and he realised that Pansy had arrived to welcome him home. He got up to leave and found his foot immediately pounced on by the darker of the two kittens – which proved more difficult to dislodge than it seemed it should. Finally getting rid of the thing, Draco found his other foot being pounced on by the other kitten. Sighing and shaking his head, Draco picked up the two bundles of mischief and put them back in the basket, taking it with him out the door.
How does this happen? Draco wondered. It was now almost midnight, and Pansy had long since left. Draco was still trying to fathom how his oldest friend had turned into a cooing, simpering fool at the sight of the menaces which were now attempting to climb his curtains. Since Draco had neglected to before she arrived, Pansy had taken it upon herself to name the little creatures, and before he could argue, the things seemed taken with her. Since he couldn't think of better names (and didn't want to deal with an upset and angry Pansy) Draco's new pets were now named "Kit" and "Kat". He groaned and fell backwards onto his bed, wondering how much worse this situation could get. Then he remembered that he was returning to school in a week's time, and it was more than likely Granger had bullied Potter and the Weasel into coming back too. Wonderful. Really, really great. Draco sighed, and lay back, waving his wand to draw the curtains and turn out the light – momentarily forgetting his tiny charges. That is, until they fell off the curtains as a result of his spell, and immediately started yowling at him. The kittens wouldn't quiet until he picked them up and allowed them to curl up and cuddle into him on the bed, which meant that an exhausted and frustrated Draco Malfoy woke up the next morning with a pile of fur on his head. Not a good way to start the morning he thought with a sigh.
Sitting on the camp bed that he'd been sleeping on for the last week, Harry Potter looked around his best friend's bedroom and wondered again why he was here. Because you couldn't handle being alone in Grimauld Place all summer, said a quiet voice in the back of his head. Harry sighed. It was true, he'd come to the Burrow a week ago because being alone in Sirius' old house had made him really rather maudlin and he hadn't been sleeping well. He had realised over the course of the summer that the Weasleys were his family now, and this new recognition (while causing Molly to burst into tears when Harry told her he thought of her as his mother) led to the conversation he'd had just yesterday with Ginny.
The two had found that they saw each other more as siblings than partners, and decided not to get back together. Ginny had also pushed Harry into admitting the (rather dangerous) obsession he'd had with Draco Malfoy for the last few years, and after a few hours of her guidance, Harry had been forced to admit that he was rather attracted to the blonde. This new discovery meant questioning his sexuality properly, which led Harry back to his current situation – sitting on the camp bed wondering how to explain to his two best friends that he might be gay. Deciding to just get it over with, Harry got up and headed down to Ginny's bedroom, where Ron and Hermione were currently situated.
When he entered the room, Harry was immediately greeted with raised eyebrows and a quiet "Finally going to tell us what's bothering you then?" from Ron. He slumped down against the door and looked carefully at the floor. After warring with himself for another few minutes, he broke the silence.
"I talked to Ginny. We decided we're not getting back together, 'cause we feel more like family than anything else."Harry finally risked a glance up. His friends were just looking at him. "What?"
Hermione sighed. "That's not everything Harry. If that was it, you'd just be relieved that it's sorted. What's bothering you?"
Harry mumbled something intelligible while looking back at the floor. Ron groaned and threw a book at him. "Out with it you idiot. We aren't going to care you know. Unless you have some kind of contagious disease, in which case I'm kicking you out of my house 'cause I don't want it."
Harry glared at him, then sighed. "I think I might be gay. I don't know. I've never really thought about it and I don't exactly know how I'd go about finding out..."
He trailed off and looked up nervously. Ron gaped at him for a long moment, then snorted. "And you've only just discovered this possibility? You didn't consider it during your crazy Malfoy obsession?"
Hermione glared at him. "Ronald, you are being very insensitive. Again."
Harry just laughed. "That's what Ginny said. And no, I didn't. So, are you going to help me or not?"
Ron laughed too. "No way. You're not experimenting with me you loony. Go find some poor muggle boy in the village." He winked, then left the room laughing to himself. Harry looked at Hermione, who just smiled.
"The only way to know for sure is to try it, but I wouldn't advise just finding some random bloke to sleep with. You'll regret it that way. You should try to find a friend who is gay or bisexual, and experiment with them. Try Shay and Dean, though they might be together by now. Good luck."
She left the room with a smile, leaving a very confused harry wondering how exactly he would broach the subject to Seamus without becoming the butt of an extended series of jokes.
A couple of days later, Hedwig's return confirmed that Seamus and Dean had admitted their feelings and were officially a couple. As they were now just a few days away from returning to Hogwarts, the trio decided that they should probably go shopping for their things. Well. Harry and Ron decided this, on learning that Hermione and Ginny had already been shopping and gotten everything organised.
Upon their return, they found Quidditch to be their best time killer, and therefore spent the rest of the week playing, while Harry tried to puzzle out his feelings and discovered that the rest of the family had somehow become aware of his confusion. They were very accepting, though Harry did find himself the butt of an extended series of jokes anyway, courtesy of George. All too soon, the time to return to school arrived, and Harry discovered a new flock of butterflies in his stomach at the thought of seeing Malfoy again. He fumed quietly at himself for behaving like a 12 year old girl, but somehow managed to fall asleep before his nerves and his hormones got the best of him.