Love's First Embrace
Harry was running down a dark hallway. He could hear the thunkitty thunk of pursuing footsteps behind him, coupled with the harsh breathing of his hunter. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, and he struggled to run even faster. But no matter how much he exerted himself, he could feel the person behind him gaining. The footsteps became louder and Harry began to feel the first pangs of panic grip his chest. They were almost on him now…
Harry awoke in a sweat, his own harsh breathing echoing in his ears. He held his breath and listened. There were no other sounds in the dormitory except for Neville's snoring, and Seamus' fevered mutterings. Harry sunk into his pillow and exhaled. He didn't remember his dream in the morning.
The next morning in the Great Hall, Harry slid into his seat with a sigh.
"Good morning, Harry," greeted Hermione.
"Morning, 'mione." Replied Harry as he reached for the pumpkin juice. Ron sat down next to him and began stuffing his face with bacon. Cho walked past the Gryffindor table and gave a small sniff. Harry tried to smile at her, but ended up giving her something that looked more like a grimace. Hermione raised her eyebrow at him and he shrugged. Truth was, he hadn't thought about Cho since last year. For some reason, she didn't seem especially pretty anymore. Harry looked in the other direction in an attempt to dispel the awkwardness that had suddenly congealed in the air. Unexpectedly he found himself staring into staring into a pair of cool grey eyes. It took him a moment to realize that they belonged to his nemesis, Draco Malfoy.
"Harry are you alright?" asked Ron through a mouthful of toast.
"Yeah, of course," replied Harry. He shook his head to rid himself of the funny feeling that had abruptly come across him.
Later on that afternoon he was running through the third floor corridors, late for Charms, when all of a sudden he found himself sprawled across the floor.
"Watch where you're going, scarhead," yelled an angry Draco.
"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry yelled back. Everywhere he went, Draco seemed to be there. He was always in the way at the worst times. Harry picked himself up and brushed off his robes. "Why don't you do everyone a favor and die, Malfoy?" And then he ran off down the corridor again, hoping he wouldn't be too late for Charms.
That Saturday was the first Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch game of the season. The whole school was out at the Quidditch field to watch the match. As the match began, Harry pushed off from the ground. He loved the feel of the wind in his hair. He hovered in the air, far above the players below him. He looked around for the snitch but did not see it. Twenty minutes into the game, Slytherin was ahead by fifty points. And still no sign of the snitch. Harry began to worry. Then suddenly a blur of black and green flew in front of his eyes. It was Malfoy! And he was diving for the snitch! Harry pointed his broom downward and followed. With every puff of air that went past his face, he gained a little bit on Malfoy. Just as they were reaching the snitch, Harry pulled even with his blonde nemesis. Malfoy reached for the snitch, but before he could touch it, Harry snatched it right out of the air.
Just as the commentator shouted "And Gryffindor catches the snitch!" Harry caught sight of Malfoy's face. The dejected look upon it made Harry stop and pause, and Harry began to think of the Slytherin in a new light.
That evening, Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room as the celebrations raged around him. All of Gryffindor House was celebrating, eating chocolate frogs and drinking butterbeer. But Harry wasn't hungry. "I'm going for some more butterbeer," Harry said to Ron and Hermione.
"But 'Arry," said Ron through a mouthful of chocolate frogs, "We have plenty of butterbeer." But Harry was already through the portrait hole.
The school was dark and silent. The only sound he could hear was the echoing of his own footsteps. It was two staircases later that Harry realized that he had no intention of returning to the party before it was over and that he had not brought his invisibility cloak as would be befitting for a midnight walk in the castle. He headed to the Great Hall, which he figured would be safe this time of night. Little did he know how wrong he was.
Harry sneaked through the doors only to be confronted with a very belligerent-looking Draco Malfoy.
"Oh, Potter," said the blonde, "so sorry, Potter."
"Whatever," said Harry in return, and then he paused, "Malfoy, are you drunk?"
"Bugger off, Potter," slurred Draco,
"You've got to be kidding," scoffed Harry. This seemed too hilarious to be true. He couldn't believe his luck.
"I said bugger off," Draco said again and began to walk in the other direction. His steps were steady, but Harry could see that he was about to trip over the bench in his way. Before he could stop himself, he had caught Draco's arm.
"Let go," Draco ripped his arm out of Harry's grasp with a little too much force, sending him to the ground. He knocked his head against the table and frowned. Harry sighed and, wondering why he was bothering, conjured a bag of ice.
"Here," he said, handing it to Malfoy. The Slytherin took it and pressed it against his forehead. Harry sat down, and neither said a word. They sat there in the Great Hall until Draco's ice had melted completely.
WILL HARRY AND DRACO EVER REALIZE WHATS IN THEIR HEARTS?!!!?
CHAPTER 2 COMING SOON!!
PLEASE R&R!! THANKS!