Author's Notes: This was writtern last year for the lovely leo_draconis over at livejournal. I figured, with Valentine's Day coming up, thst it
would be the perfect time to share it! =D
Characters/Pairings: Draco/Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny/Neville
Warning: Sooo much Fluff. Seriously, it will hurt your teeth.
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, Draco/Harry, Luna/Neville, and Remus/Sirius would be cannon.
Harry was a nervous wreck.
Ron thought he had lost his mind.
Hermione, (much to Ron's disgust), thought it was very sweet.
Draco Malfoy sat alone at the end of the Slytherin table. Not many Slytherin "eighth years" returned that year, and Malfoy seemed to be a bit of a loner, without his usual entourage surrounding him. He and Harry had managed at sort of "truce" for this year, much to the amazement of everyone that knew and had seen the epic rivalry with their own eyes. When asked about this, both boys would state that they were tired of fighting, and just wanted some peace.
It also helped that Malfoy was very good a potions, and as Slughorn's expectations of Harry's Potion abilities raised. Without The Half Blood Prince's book, he was all but lost on the subject. Being partnered with Malfoy turned out to be a blessing. Harry's grades improved, and they boys found that they could be civil, if not get along pretty well.
This is where the trouble started for Harry. After lots of hard work over the summer, trying to help rebuild Hogwarts, and trying to rebuild the Wizading World, he came to stunning realization that he and Ginny could not "rebuild" their previous relationship. While they remained good friends, and she went on to date Neville Longbottom, Harry remained single, and slightly...confused. Now that he had the time to relax, not fearing that impending doom was at his heals, he started to notice some things. Mainly, his obsession with Draco Malfoy didn't diminish. If anything, it was growing at an alarming rate, and...new revelations were becoming clear to a once fear and gloom filled mind.
Those revelations are what brought him today, Valentine's Day, to the end of the Slytherin table.
Harry shuffled nervously in front of Draco. He had rehearsed with Hermione what he was going to say, but here, now, in front of the blonde boy that made his heart race, and filled his stomach with dragonflies, all his practiced word fell to the floor and died a pitiful death of, "Err's" and "Umm's".
Finally, Draco had had enough. He looked up at the emerald eyed lad.
"Spit it out Potter, what do you want to ask?"
This made Harry silent, and puzzled.
"A-ask?"
Draco rolled his eyes.
"Yes Potter. Asking is when you open your mouth, and a question comes out, directed toward m-"
Harry waved Draco's words away.
"Yes, I know what asking means Malfoy! I meant, why do you think I'm going to ask you something?"
Draco looked down at his perfect, clean fingernails.
"Aren't you?"
He looked back up at Harry, his eyebrow raised.
Harry blinked, swallowed, and tried to remember if he was, in fact asking Malfoy a question. It took a minute to think while Malfoy's brilliant grey eyespeered at him, but it finally came to him that he was, in fact, not there to ask a question.
At least, not yet.
"Actually, no. I'm not."
It was Draco's turn to be puzzled.
"But you always have that silly look on your face when you want to ask me something."
"What silly look? I have a silly' asking questions' look?"
"Yes. You face gets squishy, and it looks like you can't decide if your constipated, or embarrassed to have to ask. You blush too."
"I-I blush?"
Harry wanted to believe that Malfoy was taking the mickey on him, but as he touched his cheek, he found, to his horror, that it was warm.
The famous Malfoy smirk was in play on Draco's face.
"That's right Potter, you blush like a school girl, and look ill. That's your 'question for Draco' face. So, let's have it! What does The Golden Boy wish to ask? Questions on out Potion's homework? No? Perhaps you want me to teach you how to comb that mop of yours?"
Harry shook his head. While it was refreshing that he and Malfoy could go from fighting for years, to this comfortable light teasing, his plan was going all wrong.
"No, no. Malfoy, I'm not asking a you a question, remember?"
"Then why did you come over here then? Did you want a better view? I must admit, I do look good."
After feeling his cheeks warm up a bit more, Harry decided to gather his courage, and just plow on.
"It's Valentine's Day!", he blurted.
Draco's playful smirk shifted into furrowing his brows.
"Yes, I am aware of this fact. Good job that you know it though!"
The playful smirk came back into play.
"Oh ho! Does Potter have a Valentine for me?"
"Erm...yes."
Harry all but shoved a piece of green parchment into a shocked Draco's hands.
Draco blinked wide eyes at Harry, and then down to the homemade card.
It was a simple green parchment heart, with a hand-written message in black ink saying,
"Happy Valentine's Day Draco. - Harry"
Harry cleared his throat.
"I know it isn't much, but all the other cards at the store were red or pink. I figured you would burn anything Gryffindor red, and you might hex me if I gave you anything pink. I thought you might like a green one better."
When Draco didn't say anything, but continued to stare at the card. Harry made to walk away, kicking himself for possibly messing up what friendship they had.
"Harry, wait." Draco whispered.
Harry turned back to see Draco standing behind him, pulling something out of his robe pocket.
All thoughts of being hexed left his mind when he saw the perfect, single white lily in Draco's hands.
Draco quietly handed the lily to Harry, and Harry cupped it, as if the bloom was made of glass.
Tried to the stem was a red ribbon, and a tag that said,
"To: Harry",
in the elegant script that he came to know Draco's perfect handwriting.
"I was going to have a school owl deliver that later, anonymously. All of the stupid shops around here only have red and pink roses or carnations. How plebian. As if I would lower myself to give anything as common as a carnation, or as cliche as a rose! So, I asked my Mother last night if she would let me have a lily from the Manor. Lilies are more elegant, especially the ones grown in a Malfoy garden. Higher class. They even smell better. Nothing like these pathetic floral shops offer. They would be falling over themselves to have something so beautiful grace their shops."
Draco became quiet, tugged at his collar, and walked closer to Harry.
He covered Harry's cupped hands, and a little blush graces his fair cheeks.
"This one was the most perfect one I could find. I… put an impenetrable charm on it, so it will not wilt, and stay fresh. This lily will never die."
With tears in his eyes, and his heart in his throat, Harry croaked,
"I have that question now."
An uncertain Draco looked down at their joined hands, afraid he had gone too far, and hurt Harry, rather than gain affection he so wanted.
"Yes?"
"What are your thoughts on first kisses?"
Draco's head snapped up at a, still teary eyed, yet happily smiling Harry.
He smirked back.
"I think you have to go through them, to get to the second and thirds."
Hermione sighed happily, while Ron turned an interesting shade of green, as they watched Harry and Draco share the first, of many kisses.
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