It wasn't love. The pain in her eyes told him that plain enough. The sleepless nights spent together looking at the stars on the Great Hall's balcony was out of desperation, a strong desire in both for an ear that would listen.
The bottle of gin split between them was the key to the stories, pain, and desires they both had. Out there, under the unfiltered gaze of the stars, anything could happen.
No emotion could be hidden, even if the pair had been willing to hide something. The Gryffindor lioness and the Slytherin prince, the most incompatible pair, yet they knew each others deepest wishes.
It was a mutual understanding between the two parties. No one was to know about these secret meetings. They were to remain the same during the day; mean comments, smirks, and the occasional bloody nose still littered the days. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary with the situation, no one cared to look closer in the situation. If they had, they would have detected hurt behind those comments and smirks, regret behind the bloody nose (though it still felt bloody good).
The pair knew it was wrong, they both risked dire consequences if caught by either side. Death for the Slytherin, dishonor on the Gryffindor, not to mention what the dark lord would do if he found his most trusted death eater with his second enemy.
But still they met, every night without fail. The gin was present and the stars always showed up. They talked until the earliest rays of light spread over the horizon, and then they slowly drifted into their respective dorms.
Five years later so much had changed. The world was torn apart in war and the pair could not see each other. Their prides proved too strong. Finally, at the Final Battle, he had told her. He thought the feeling was mutual, but she didn't. She had given up a long time ago.
They still meet, occasionally under the stars. The gin is still present and the faithful star always show up. They talk until the earliest rays of light spread over the horizon, and then they slowly drifted back into their realities.
But for those few brief hours, each see behind the others façade.