It's too hot, Harry moaned mentally as he sat, surrounded by red-faced and sweating eighth years, in the swelteringly hot Transfigurations classroom. He looked at Ron, who had his face on his desk and his eyes closed, dreary from the warmth. Even McGonagall, usually unforgiving, seemed drowsy as she stood at the blackboard and wrote notes, not even shouting at slouching pupils. The whole class was in a stupor, and had been for the entire Double-Transfigurations period. Finally, when Harry thought he could bear it no longer, the bell went for lunch and the class packed up hurriedly, all present wanting to go out into the fresh air. As he began to leave with Ron and Hermione, Harry saw Draco, Pansy, and Blaise walking to the door too. An idea came to him.

"Oi, Draco," Harry called to them, "It's far too hot in here, I think you should leave,"

Draco's already red face flushed and he looked at Harry indignantly. "Potter, I- You-"

Ignoring Draco's stutters, Harry laughed and followed Ron and Hermione, feeling oddly exhilarated. Ron looked at him, annoyed.

"Why the hell did you just flirt with Malfoy?" He asked, indignantly. "I mean, it's one thing for you to be gay, but to be gay for him?"

Harry laughed, ignoring Ron's confused expression. "Did you see the look on his face? If I had insulted him, he would have just said something nasty back. But flirting? He has no idea how to respond!"

A grin crossed Ron's face. "That's... not bad, actually,"

"I know, right?"

Hermione just rolled her eyes. "Would you two hurry up? I want to get outside before I die of heatstroke!"

00000

Harry and Ron were walking back from potions alone, Hermione having had gone to the toilet with Ginny - "Honestly, why do they have to go in packs? What do they think is in there?" - when they saw Draco and Blaise walking to the Slytherin dorms towards them. Harry grinned and nudged Ron, who suppressed a snort. As they neared them, Harry looked at Draco until Draco felt his gaze and caught his eyes. Then, distinctly, Harry kissed the air and winked at Draco, who started spluttering. Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

"This in brilliant!" Ron exclaimed once they had stopped laughing and were out of earshot of the other two. "The way he goes strawberry red is just-" He had to stop as another fit of laughter gripped him.

"If only we'd figured this out years ago," Harry grinned. "Think of the fun we could have had!"

00000

Several weeks later, the eighth years found themselves in Slughorn's potions lesson making, to Hermione's (and many of the other girls') joy, Amortentia. They gathered around the sample of the potion Slughorn had made as he briefed them on its properties, everyone taking deep breaths through their nose.

"...and, of course, the potion smells like what most attracts the smeller," Slughorn finished. "Though you should already know that, as I have shown you this potion previously in what would have been your sixth year."

Harry looked to his left where Draco was breathing deeply while he watched Slughorn. He leant towards him slightly.

"Hey babe, you know what I smell when I'm near Amortentia?" Harry asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Draco sighed.

"Potter, if you say me, I swear to-"

"That wonderful cologne that you wear," Harry feigned doe-eyes at Draco, who's ears turned slightly pink as he elbowed Harry in the side. Harry turned and caught Ron's eye across the circle of students. They both tried very hard not to laugh.

"You need to stop this, Potter," Draco growled under his breath. "Or I swear to God, I will-"

"Mister Malfoy," Slughorn peered at Draco. "Seeing as you are so keen to talk, can you tell the class what you smell?"

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"what do you smell, my boy?" Slughorn repeated good-naturedly. Draco rolled his eyes.

"I guess... the smell of log fires and vanilla, and-" He cut off. "Log fires and vanilla." He repeated, definitively. Slughorn returned to the class.

00000

Harry was making his way to the grounds on his own. Ron and Hermione were, as Dean had put it, "Playing tonsil tennis", and Harry had learnt that they usually liked to be alone for this. He reached the courtyard and leant against the wall of the building, looking up at the orange evening sky. The sun was just brushing the tops of the trees, and its light shone through them, turning the courtyard half golden, and half greenish shadow.

Hearing footsteps on the gravel nearby, he turned his head to see Draco Malfoy walking towards the school. However, when he caught sight of Harry, he redirected and sauntered in his direction. In Ron's absence, Harry felt no need to shout a pick-up line as he usually did these days, so instead he quietly watched Draco draw closer.

"Draco?" Harry asked when Draco was only a few paces away. "What's up?"

Draco kept on walking until he was right in front of Harry, standing very close to him. Harry saw with a start that his eyes were soft and his lips were slightly parted. He looked first at Harry's eyes, and then his lips, then back again. Harry felt his stomach lurch in a pleasantly confusing way.

"You know," Draco said softly, biting his lips, "This sunset is gorgeous. But you..." He leant even closer, and now their lips were mere inches apart, and Harry's breath caught in his throat as he looked into Draco's icy grey eyes, "You... are breathtaking." Harry swallowed and tried to think of a reply, but instead felt as though he were drowning in the icy pools of Draco's eyes. Harry felt adrenaline running in his veins, felt the need to do something- or someone.

Then, without warning, Draco smirked, turned on his heel, and strutted away towards the entrance of the school. Harry let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding and shook himself, noticing that his fingers trembled slightly as he pushed his hair away from his face. What the hell had just happened?

Harry realised that he wanted Draco to turn back, to say something, to say-

To say nothing. Again, Harry shook himself and turned back towards the castle. It was getting cold, anyway.

00000

Over the next few days, Harry tried all he could to get his own back at Draco. But he might as well have been invisible. Draco was acting not only as though Harry wasn't there, but as if Harry had never even existed. On the third day of this, Ron gave him a funny look.

"Are you pining over him or something?" He asked, incredulously. Harry just shook his head, glaring mutinously over at where Draco sat chatting to Pansy. He knows he's doing this, He thought, angrily. He knows exactly what he's doing to me and he loves it.

The days became weeks. People were coming up to Harry now, noticing. Did he dump you or something? Giggled Lavander and Parvati. Even Seamus and Dean had laughed about it in the dormitory. "Poor Harry's got blue balls over Malfoy," Seamus had said, causing Ron to snort with laughter. The flirting had become normality for everyone, including Harry, and it was impossible not to notice its absence. He hated it, but worst of all, he hated that he couldn't stop thinking about how close they had been, how Draco's eyes looked like shards of glass; like storm clouds. However much he denied it, he knew, somewhere deep within himself, that he wanted to get lost in those eyes again.

So, do. A voice in his head told him.

00000

Harry was buzzing. He felt as though he was about to jump from a cliff without a broom. Draco was right there, talking to Blaise. Now he just had to wait until Blaise left. Draco had to be alone for this, because it was no longer a joke made for Ron's amusement. This was personal, and it was terrifying. But somehow, that made it even better.

The pressure of his plan and the fear of Draco's reaction was enough to make him queasy, and he was beginning to half hope that Blaise wouldn't leave just to give him an excuse not to do what he had told himself he would. But of course, as Harry thought this, Blaise began to walk away and Draco leant against the wall of the corridor in much the same way as Harry had done on the day Draco had sought his revenge. Go now, Potter, Harry told himself, but his legs weren't moving. Come on!

"Potter?" Draco raised one eyebrow as Harry strode towards him, forcing himself to walk casually, and smirking at Draco. "What do you want?"

Mimiking Draco's actions of several weeks earlier, Harry said nothing. Instead, he drew closer to Draco, looking him over. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Potter, are you seriously trying to-"

But his words were cut off when Harry kissed him. It was brief, Harry forcing himself to pull away after a second or two, and Harry had to prevent his legs from bolting as soon as they broke apart.

"You shouldn't have left so soon, Draco," He breathed, and Draco briefly closed his eyes. "We could have had fun." He turned, ignoring the butterflies that were trying to eat their way out of his stomach, and made to saunter away and revel in his victory. But a hand closed around his wrist. He turned to look at Draco. "Yes?"

"You should know," Draco didn't sound like he was being sacrastic, or trying to tease Harry. In fact, he sounded unlike Harry had ever heard him before. Breathless, and earnest. "I wasn't lying when I said you looked breathtaking. You did." Harry blinked.

"You... what?"

"I can't play games any more. At first it was funny. But it's beginning to hurt. That's why I ignored you. So don't play around with me."

They looked at eachother. "I'm not sure I was playing," Harry began, unsure of where he was going. "I just hated not speaking to you. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Draco looked surprised. "I thought you were still trying to confuse me?"

Harry shook his head. "That's what I told myself. I doubt that it's true."

Draco took a step closer to Harry. "So... If I kissed you, you're saying you wouldn't mind?"

"I wouldn't mind finding out," Harry grinned.

And then they were kissing. Really kissing. And Harry had absolutely no idea what had just happened, or exactly why. But he knew that he didn't want it to end.