Harry grumbled to himself as he hurried along the corridor and down towards the potions classroom. He was running late once again, and he was getting pretty fed up of it. It had been 3 months since he had defeated Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries, and he was still exhausted most of the time.
Madame Pomphrey had him on controlled Pepper up potions that he had to go to her to take to counteract the magical exhaustion, but because they were worried that he might overdose on it, she controlled the doses. Which meant that not only had he woken up late, but if he had any hope in hell of getting through the morning then he needed to go all the way to the Hospital Wing to get his potion, and then all the way back down to the dungeons to the classroom.
His only saving grace was the fact that it wasn't Snape teaching potions anymore, it was Slughorn. Hermione and Ron had tried to stay with him, mainly to make sure that he didn't kill himself nearly falling down the stairs again the way he had last week when he had nodded off while walking up a moving staircase. He had waved them on however, they were doing their best to help, but he felt bad for them having to look after him so much.
Magical Exhaustion was something that would take time to shift he knew that, he had used a hell of a lot at the Ministry, firstly the amount of magic that it took to summon a person to you the way he had Sirius as he nearly fell through the veil had wiped him, and then the explosion of magic that he had used to take Voldemort down, well, he wasn't shocked. But he was frustrated with how tired and slow he was feeling. Trying to do school work was like trying to wade through until the pepper-ups really kicked in, and even then it was difficult.
Huffing and puffing he straightened out his robes as he reached the door to the classroom and tried to catch his breath just a little before he knocked and walked in.
"Ah Harry! Don't worry Ms Granger and Mr Weasley informed me that you would be late, not to worry at all my boy, we are just doing a little example before you get brewing, so you have not missed much," Slughorn waved him in.
"Thank you Professor I am sorry I am late," Harry nodded making his way over to where everyone was gathered around the table with a cauldron Slughorn was standing beside. It seemed he really was in time as Slughorn took the lid off of the cauldron as he approached the group.
"Now as I was saying, this is..."
"Merlin, Malfoy did you spill your aftershave!" Harry grimaced.
"What?" Draco blinked turning to look at Harry confused. He had been very quiet this year, the arrest of his father at the Ministry had shaken him, but rather than blaming Harry and the others as they had expected, he seemed...content with what had happened, though he was keeping a low profile. In the month and a half that they had been back at Hogwarts he had not picked one fight with them, indeed he seemed to be going out of his way to avoid them, though Harry had felt his silver blue eyes on him numerous times.
"This place stinks of you, how much aftershave are you wearing!?" Harry asked before looking confused as the whole class gawped at him.
"You have to be kidding me!" Ron spluttered.
"Harry," Hermione said in that tone that said she was about to tell him nicely that he was a moron.
"What?" He frowned, looking around and seeing Draco was staring at him wide eyed and...was blushing.
"The potion today is Amortentia," She said slowly, patting Ron's arm absently as he just stood there making noises that were kind of like a kettle.
"The love potion?" Harry scrunched his nose, and then wiggled it as he got another blast of Malfoy's aftershave. He didn't understand why everyone was being so quiet, and staring at him.
"Yes that's the one!" Hermione looked proud that he had obviously done the work, before she shook her head and visibly got back on target. "Can you remember what it said about the smell?"
"...No, but what does that have to do with how much aftershave Malfoy used?" Harry asked exasperated, looking at the blonde again to see him standing even redder.
"Harry!" Ron groaned.
"What?" He huffed.
"Harry, Amortentia is different to every person because it smells of the person we love," Hermione said softly.
"But I'm smelling Malfoy's aftershave," Harry frowned looking at the blonde and then the cauldron. Slughorn moved from the trance he seemed to have been in and placed the lid down on the cauldron for a few seconds, and then lifted it again. The difference in the power of the smell of Malfoy's aftershave changed notably.
"See?" Hermione asked gently.
"Oh," Harry blinked at the cauldron and then Malfoy as his brain caught up. "Oh!"
"Yes," Hermione nodded.
"Right then," Harry coughed stepping into line. "Professor?" he pushed when the silence carried on.
"Oh yes of course!" Slughorn flustered before carrying on, but everyone was a lot more interested in the two blushing boys in their class.
"Seriously Harry!" Ron groaned.
"Look I didn't exactly realise myself, not really, I mean I always noticed him, and looked for him, and I guess, well, since last year I acknowledged he is good looking, especially now he isn't so...pointy, but I didn't realise," Harry huffed.
"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked calmly sliding her hand into his.
"Do?" Harry squeaked.
"Harry he knows you like him, and he's always liked you. You're going to need to say something to him,"
"He likes me?" Harry perked up a little from the misery cloud he had been under since the lesson.
"Yes, I do," The three of them stopped and turned to see Draco standing behind them looking quite nervous. "Could we, maybe talk, alone?"
"Yes, ok," Harry said uncomfortably.
"Harry.." Ron huffed.
"We will see you later," Hermione kissed Harry's cheek and muttered in his ear "I will defuse him, do what makes you happy," before dragging Ron away by his arm.
"If you are that unhappy about being left with me then why did you stay!" Draco huffed when Harry turned back to face him.
"No, it's just I'm fairly sure that they are about to have sex to calm Ron down," Harry grimaced.
"Oh," Draco scrunched his nose, and Harry nearly face palmed as he realised he found it cute. Merlin Hermione was right, he really was oblivious.
"Yes. Erm, so talking, we should talk," Harry nodded.
"Yes, we should," Draco mirrored him nodding.
"So..." Harry paused when he heard and noise and turned to catch sight of a number of heads ducking behind the wall. "Maybe we should go somewhere a little more private,"
"Aww come on Harry! This is better than watching TV!" Dean protested stepping from around the corner.
"You're both so awkward, it's brilliant," Pansy agreed.
"Do you know somewhere they won't be able to try and listen in?" Draco asked dryly.
"I do actually, erm, this way?" Harry said before blushingly offering his arm to Draco. He nearly withdrew it embarrassed when the crowd awwwwed behind them. But then Draco's arm slipped through his, and he rested his hand unsurely on Harry's bicep.
"Shall we?"
"Yes," Harry said before pausing and turning to meet Dean's eye with a smirk. "Patronus, Hermione Dean and the others were spying on me trying to talk to Draco," He said softly before flicking his patronus away.
"Harry!" Pavarti yelped as he turned and carried on leading Draco away.
"Bastard!" Dean bellowed.
"I haven't really seen your patronus properly before, it's very impressive," Draco said after a few moments of walking. Draco's arm felt amazing and weird in his, he was feeling awkward and electrified.
"Thank you. He's called Prongs," Harry bit his lip.
"Cool, I have never been able to cast one," Draco shrugged.
"I could teach you," Harry blurted out.
"It seems you would be a good teacher, everyone seemed to do well last year," Draco looked away. "I am sorry about that,"
"The Inquisitorial Squad?" Harry frowned a little.
"You all had each other to back each other against Umbridge, the Squad was all that I could think of to protect my Slytherins," Draco sighed.
"Protect them?" Harry asked confused.
"She got one of my second years, with the blood quill," Draco hesitantly took Harry's hand and lifted it, brushing his thumb over the scars there. "I am sorry,"
"I don't blame you," Harry shook his head.
"But I could have..."
"No, it was a really bad situation, an impossible one. You were trying your best to survive, like all of us. Here we are," Harry stopped in front of the wall.
Draco watched curiously as he paced up and down outside the wall he knew housed the Room of Requirement. When the door appeared he stepped forwards and reached for the door before turning to look at Harry questioningly. Harry smiled and nodded, and watched as Draco opened the door excited and stepped inside.
The room was nice and simple, soft green walls with grey accents, a comfy sofa with a table in front of it held some drinks and some food.
"Erm, well, are you, shall we sit?" Harry flustered.
"Oh yes," Draco nodded awkwardly before they both tried to go through the door at the same time. Laughing awkwardly Harry motioned Draco through and they made their way to sit on the sofa.
And so proceeded the longest and most awkward 5 minutes of Harry's life as he and Draco sat there trying to avoid looking at each other. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to have this conversation.
"Merlin this is awkward," Harry covered his eyes and dropped against the back of the sofa.
"Would you like to know what I smelt?" Draco asked, his voice surprisingly soft. Harry opened his eyes and met silver blue ones, nodding he turned a little so he was properly looking at Draco.
"Go on," His stomach was in knots, and he felt ridiculously nervous.
Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath as though remembering. "Broom oil, grass, air...flying, and peppermint,"
"Oh," Harry bit his lip. "Is that..."
"You, Harry. When I smell Amortentia I smell you," Draco smiled shyly.
"I...well see I...you are...and...bugger this," Harry groaned, just as Draco started to look disappointed Harry covered the small space between them and pressed their lips together.
"That was terrible," Draco laughed.
"So bad," Harry agreed readjusting his glasses where Draco's nose had nearly knocked them off.
"Again?" Draco asked, his smile one Harry had never seen on his face before.
"Again," Harry nodded slipping his fingers into Draco's hair and slowly pressing their lips together. This time was better, they kept it chaste, just the smooth glide of their lips, getting used to the feel of the other against them, the smell and taste of the other. And the feeling of rightness.
"So, how long?" Draco asked.
They were lying on the sofa together, Harry had his arm wrapped around Draco's shoulder, and the blonde was resting his head on Harry's chest. They were chatting and getting to know each other properly without the enmity between them.
"I don't know to be honest. There has always been something about you, a pull. I honestly could not chose a moment, or an age, were I realised. It has just kind of...always been you," Harry shrugged, careful not to upset Draco where he was lying on him.
"And I heard that you weren't very good at this sort of thing," Draco smiled, his fingers playing the buttons of Harry's shirt.
"Heard?" Harry frowned confused.
"Cho, apparently, from what I heard, was going around saying that you weren't very good at the whole dating thing, or you know sex,"
Harry choked at the words and the implications of what Draco was saying, and he was about to correct him, when he took in the tone of the blonde's voice. "Are you jealous? Is that why you were so horrible to her last year?"
"I was not,"
"Draco, you hexed her, you do that to no one but me and Ron. You won't even hex Hermione," Harry snickered.
"She was annoying me," Draco huffed.
"By doing..."
"...talking about having sex with you," Draco huffed.
"I didn't have sex with her, I kissed her, once," Harry clarified.
"You didn't sleep with her?" Draco perked up.
"Yes, no, I mean no, I didn't sleep with her," Harry sighed and covered his face.
"So much for good with this," Draco laughed. He leant up over Harry and pressed kisses to his cheeks and nose to take the sting out of his words. Harry lowered his hands, sliding them around the blonde's waist to hold him close as their lips found each other again, he couldn't get enough of kissing Draco, and holding him close. Of talking to him, without the anger and fighting...and the vying for each other's attention.
"So, how did it go?" Hermione asked. Harry snorted at seeing her sitting waiting for her in the common room, Ron wasn't in sight. He made his way over to sit next to her on the sofa.
"We are going to give it a go. Are you ok with that?" He was nervous about her answer.
"Harry I want you to be happy, you love him. As long as he tries to at least be civil with us, I will be ok," She took his hand and squeezed it, smiling encouragingly at him.
"He said he would be different, to try and be better. With Lucius locked up, he can learn to be himself, and he wants to give a go at that with me at his side," Harry smiled shyly.
"Oh Harry," she leant over and gave him a hug. "Ron will behave," she promised him.
"I do not want to know how you managed to swing that one," Harry grimaced.
"I have a very talented tongue,"
"Oh Merlin! Oh Merlin! My ears! I knew you didn't support me and Draco, you are trying to turn me celibate before we can do anything more than kiss," He whined as she started laughing.
Harry huffed to himself as he raced down the steps to the dungeon, Merlin, maybe he should ask if the potions classroom could be moved to the same floor as the Hospital wing, this was getting ridiculous!
Three months since the Amortentia incident, and even though the magical exhaustion was finally getting better, and he was functioning a lot better. But along with that they were cutting down his pepper up potions. He was running only ten minutes late instead of half an hour.
Panting he threw open the door and hurried inside the room, grimacing when he saw that everyone was gathered around the centre table against for yet another talk, Slughorn had been doing them every lesson that Harry was running late for, and he was feeling more and more guilty about it.
"I'm sorry I am late professor," He sighed.
"No worries Harry, no worries," Slughorn smiled.
Harry made his way across the classroom and stopped between a certain blonde and brunette. Harry hummed happily as Draco slipped his hand into his, raising their joined hands he pressed a kiss to the back of Draco's before turning to face forwards and catch up on what potion they were brewing today. They didn't seen Ron grimace, though it was more out of habit now, him and Draco had actually managed to find common ground over chess, and Ron was happy to have someone that could actually give him a challenge.
They also didn't see Pansy and Hermione exchanging amused glances from where they were standing next to each other, rolling their eyes at the sappiness between the two of them.
Harry was too busy focussing on the warmth of the hand in his, and the feeling of Draco standing shoulder to shoulder with him. They had their first proper date outside of Hogwarts the next day, they had both planned little dates here and there, including the time Draco had the Room of Requirement change into his favourite restaurant in Paris. But they had not been able to have a date outside of Hogwarts, tomorrow was the first Hogsmeade trip since they had gotten together. And Harry had the date all planned out.
He knew Draco would love it, his boyfriend had a love for being spoiled, but he loved being spoiled with affection, care and Harry showing him much he meant to him with little gestures than he did anything Harry could buy for him. He had been surprisingly embarrassed to admit that he loved the rose Harry had picked up for him on the perfect afternoon that they had spent just walking around the grounds together hand in hand, than the necklace Harry had bought for him on owl order.
He had been worried that Harry would be offended, but he had just smiled and kissed Draco, knowing that he was being trusted with this softer and gentler side to someone who had shields for his shields. The man that he loved.
It was an interesting year already. No Voldemort to have to worry about. Sleeping like Rip Van Winkle - not sleeping beauty thank you Draco - and in love with Draco Malfoy. Like deeply, madly, completely in love. And he was fairly sure that Draco felt the same way. If the way he turned to smile at Harry was anything to go by.
Yup, definitely an interesting year. A good year.