-1Disclaim: Not mine!
Draco glanced at his watch for the hundredth time that evening as he wandered down yet another unfamiliar corridor. It was Ten, meaning he had only killed two hours, which meant that he couldn't return to his common room for another two hours, That is, if he wanted anyone to believe he was really on a date with some simpering witch in too-tight clothes.
Date, he grimaced inwardly at the thought, as if he ever went on dates with anyone but himself. Sex God? The Slytherin Prince? He spent his lonely nights wandering dark corridors by himself and trying not to be seen by anyone with the ability to take house points. No one would know that his nights were lonely, his days even lonelier. No one would know that The Slytherin Prince was a virgin, never-been-kissed, and gay to boot.
The blonde boy laughed to himself as he thought the last, their reactions would be priceless, but it was a bitter laughter. The counselors and doctors his mother had hired to "fix" him had blamed everything on his parents and told him that it was just a phase that he would get over. But Draco had always liked boys, as long as he could remember. He'd never felt any attraction to a girl in his short life; and he didn't plan to.
His footsteps would have been quiet in a normal situation, but they were the only sound to be heard in this part of the castle, which made them echo. Draco was thoroughly lost in thought, too lost to notice a dark shadow near the ground. Oddly, as he tripped over the dark spot and flew face-forward toward the concrete floor, the only thought in his head was 'boy killed by a very solid shadow'.
But he was caught in midair by invisible arms and held steadily against an invisible, solid, and muscular chest. The feeling of being held by something that you could feel but could not see was rather odd, but strangely pleasant as well he realized. He was guessing that a person was involved, a very invisible person, who was holding an incredibly confused, and visible, Draco Malfoy.
He felt the figure slip away from him, now that he was steady on his feet, and he heard the whoosh of fabric being tugged swiftly away from something. And a very concerned Harry Potter stood in front of him. "Are you alright Malfoy?", he asked gently, his hand on the paler boys arm, "you seem to have tripped over my foot."
Grey eyes met green and Draco felt his mouth move of its own accord, "Why would you care?," he whispered and the hand drew away as if it'd been slapped. "Don't get me wrong! I'm grateful. But you hate me. Everyone says you hate me." he finished, eyes glued to the floor.
Long fingers drew his face upward. "I don't hate anything Draco," Harry's gaze was piercing, "hate leads to blame, which leads to revenge." He could see the tears behind the dark boys words. "Revenge killed my family and my friends. And I used revenge to kill a man, too." His deep voice was a whisper.
With deep trepidation, the blonde boy took the messy-haired dark boy in his long arms, hugging him tightly. Harry was stiff at first, unsure of his former enemies intention in such a move, but he relaxed in the somewhat awkward grip, letting himself be held.
"Revenge tore my family to bits, killed my father, and ruined my name.", Draco said softly, somewhere near Harry's right ear, "And I've never hated you. I just wanted to be you."
They both laughed a little awkwardly at this and Harry tugged out of the embrace to wipe his streaming eyes on his sleeve. The-Boy-Who-Lived sank to the concrete floor and patted the space beside him, a clear invitation for Draco to sit there. "I'm sorry that I've acted so badly, and I'm sorry I couldn't let the past be and get to know you after the war. And I'm sorry I said those things, but no one else understands what it's like. They just want to celebrate his death. His murder." Harry was fighting tears again.
Draco took his small hand and traced the blue veins very lightly, "Is that why you're wandering the halls at night? Trying to sort out the things in your head? The ones the wonder-trio can't discuss?"
His answer was a shaky nod and Harry glared resolutely at his sneakers in silence, as if trying to set them on fire with his eyes. They sat that was for a long time; two boys, hands entwined, both looking away from each other and anything else.
Finally, Harry stood, brushing off his backside as a clock rang out midnight in the distance. "I should be getting back to the tower", he mumbled.
Draco climbed to his feet and looked down into the smaller boys eyes. "I'll walk you back." it wasn't a question.
They set off at a slow and lazy pace, as if they had all the time in the world, but the silence was awkward. An accidental meeting in the hallway late one night didn't make them best friends, it only relieved them of the best enemies stage of their lives. But now they were stuck in the middle, the nothing stage. A Draco wanted to be a step closer to more-than-friends.
A swift glance to his side revealed to Draco that Harry was no longer walking beside him. Peeking behind him with some fear that the boy had somehow fallen through the floor, or that he had simply imagined the meeting, Draco saw the short boy standing still, a few paces back from where he himself stood.
"Um… you coming?" he called.
Harry looked up, flushing, and quickly loped up to him, but stopped any further progress with a hand on Draco's arm. "What were you dong in that corridor, wandering so late at night? Shouldn't you be partying with the Slytherin's or something?" It seemed the idea that Draco was not usually the person one would expect to find in a dark corridor alone had finally struck the small boy.
Pink splotches grew on Draco's thin cheeks and he looked down at his overly polished shoes. "I…um… they think I'm…uh… on a date… with a girl… but… um… I come here every night…. by myself…", he trailed off and waited for the laughter to start.
Yet Harry simply tugged his arm and led him to keep walking down the hall. The boy with dark hair wouldn't tease him, Draco realized, he understood what I was like to be different from everyone else.
And suddenly Draco didn't want this night with Harry to be over. He was tired of stalking through the corridors by himself night after night. Tired of pretending to be in love with some girl, tired of the rumors that he slept around. He was tired of remembering his father and not being able to talk about his death without being shushed. Draco was tired of being afraid of what would happen when people found out the truth.
He was tired of being purposely misunderstood by everyone around him.
"Harry wait!, "Draco called, the boy had got a few steps farther in his thoughtful moment. Harry turned around, complete shock etched into his small facial features.
"You… you called me Harry", he managed to gasp out.
Draco chuckled slightly, "It is your name." He became slightly apprehensive. If he was so shocked by the sound of his own name on his past enemies lips, how would he react to Draco's next words? "Can you… I mean, would you like- would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"
Harry looked almost afraid of the suggestion, and for a moment Draco feared being rejected. "Yea" Harry finally said, very quietly, "I'd love to."
They finished the walk back to Gryffindor tower in a companionable silence, Draco grabbing Harry's small hand in his own large one; their fingers intertwining as they walked. When they reached the portrait of the fat lady, already asleep, they stood very awkwardly for several minutes before Draco leaned down and kissed Harry's blushing cheek, his own cheek's flaming. "I'll grab you after breakfast, okay? About 8?" he turned to leave without a real answer, letting his warm hand slip out of Harry's grasp.
"Draco!" Harry hissed into the silence of the hall, and Draco turned back to look at him, "It's a date!"
A/N How'd I do? Lol. I know it's been awhile. I just wanted to throw out my humble fluff offering! R&R Please!