Okay so I wrote this for the Just a Dream Challenge. I had the prompts Crystal and Where to begin. I hope you like it! This story doesn't really have a specific time frame but I think it probably takes place sometime around The Order of the Phoenix and The Half Blood Prince. (cos that's when Draco's the hottest ;) Lol!) I haven't told you when the dream starts so you'll just have to guess or work it out :) Hope you like it :) x
Harry Potter sat in the Gryffindor common room along side his two best friends. He was trying, and failing, to complete his potions homework before the next day's class.
"Arrgh! I just can't do this anymore! I haven't got a clue where to start! " shouted Harry, his frustration getting the better of him. "I'm going for a walk." His friends watched in silence as he stalked across the common room and out of the portrait hole.
Harry made his way through the deserted corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary. Past the thousands of portraits that hung on the walls that encased the Grand Staircase, along the entrance hall and out of the huge wooden doors at the front of the school.
He wondered across the moonlit grounds until he came to a small white bench that sat beneath a tree. The lake was a few meters away and Harry could see the top of his head reflected in the glass surface of the water.
He lay down on the grass and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the lake flowing and the insects buzzing. Then he heard something else. Footsteps. Harry opened his eyes, propped himself up on his elbows and looked toward the source of the noise.
Draco Malfoy was walking slowly toward him. Draco stopped by the tree and stood, staring at his feet. He brought his head up and looked directly at Harry. Draco opened his mouth to say something but Harry beat him
"Look, Malfoy. If you've come to insult me just leave it becau-"
Draco cut him off. "Save it, Harry. I just came here to think. It's a nice place for just thinking things through. Away from the rest of the world."
Harry grunted. "You're not going to insult me? Wow! Now there's a change . . . wait. Did you just call me Harry?"
"It is your name isn't it?"
So much for not insulting me. Well it was more of a snarky comment than an insult, Harry thought, but still.
Draco sighed. "Harry, we've been at school together for years and . . . I don't know where to begin in explaining to you how deeply sorry I am for everything that I have done, or been the cause of, that's hurt you."
Draco walked away from the tree and layed down on the damp grass a meter or so away from Harry. They lay there in silence for a while both staring at the midnight sky.
Harry was confused. Since when did the Malfoy's regret their actions? Especially when those actions have resulted in someone getting hurt . . . and where did Draco get the courage to come out here and tell me all this, Harry thought. Everyone knew that Slytherins were cowards.
Harry looked over at Draco. The moon light left a shine in Draco's snowy hair and reflected in his eyes making them look like globes. Globes that were full of icey snow, swirling and twisting. Turning and . . .
Draco looked at him. "Harry. What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," said Harry quickly looking back up to the sky.
It was a cloudless night. The moon was full and the stars were shining against the dark sky. It was perfect. Almost unreal.
"Draco?"
"Yes?"
"No offense, but how the hell did you build up the courage to come over her and tell me that you, Draco Malfoy - Death Eater, are sorry?"
Draco turned to look at him. "Well," he answered "I don't know if you've heard of them, but there is such a stone as a confidence crystal. It costs an absolute fortune. All you do is think of the thing you need the most courage to do, touch the stone and voila! You have enough courage to go and do it."
Harry thought about this. "Do you have the crystal with you?"
Draco dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a stone. It was small, no bigger than a golf ball, and had a strange glow that surrounded it. Draco held it up to his face. It was the exact shade of his eyes.
"Why? Did you want to use it?"
"No . . ." Harry paused. Did he want to use it? Yes. Did he know what to use it for? Yes. But he couldn't go through with it. Imagine the horror. The turmoil. The revolt. The field-day the Daily Prophet would have if they found out that the leader of the Golden Trio was, in fact, gay.
"Harry?"
"What? Oh erm, no. I don't need it. What happens when you use it?"
"I'll show you. Come here, Harry."
Harry scooted a little closer to the white haired boy, still leaving a large gap between them.
Draco sighed, sat upright and closed the distance. He placed the crystal in his lap, clossed his eyes and breathed deeply several times. A few minutes passed and Harry was wondering if Draco had fallen asleep. He was about to poke him when Draco's eyes snapped open and he jabbed the crystal with such force it flew off his lap, across the grass, coming to a stop at the bank of the lake in a patch of mushrooms.
The crystal didn't do anything for a moment or two and then, with a large 'POP' sound, the faint glow surrounding it seemed to explode. It twisted and turned into a rope and sped straight towards Draco.
It twined around his body, locking his arms together and sealing his lips shut. Draco kept perfectly still where he sat on the grass. His eyes staring at the crystal.
Then, suddenly the rope shattered and the shards transformed into a small cloud of dust that glowed silver. Draco opened his mouth and breathed it in. He then closed his eyes and relaxed.
"Draco?"
"Yes?" Draco answered without opening his eyes.
"What did you need the confidence for?"
Draco opened his eyes. For a moment the only sound was the two wizard's breathing.
"I don't know where to begin." Draco sighed and stared out across the lake.
Harry put his arm around Draco and hugged him before he could stop himself. Draco looked up.
Crystals stared into Emeralds. Death Eater stared into Saviour. Draco stared into Harry.
"You want to know what I needed confidence for?" Draco whispered.
"Yes." Harry replied, barely making a sound.
"This!"
Their lips crashed together. Draco's fingers twined in Harry's hair, forcing the two boys closer.
Harry's heart was racing. Pounding in his ears. He had never experienced anything like this. It was amazing. Harry felt as if he was melting in Draco's arms.
As they broke apart, both boys were breathing heavily and grinning. "Just think," Harry murmered "You didn't know where to begin."
"I love you!" Draco declared.
Suddenly, everything was bluring. No longer could Harry see the snowy eyes of Draco. No longer could he see the lake or the discarded crystal. No longer was he in his lover's embrace.
"Harry?" It didn't sound like Draco, so who was it?
"Harry?" Hermione's voice called to him again.
"Whaa?"
"Honestly, Harry! I knew you hated doing your homework. But I didn't know you hated it to the extent of falling asleep out in the cold as apose to doing it!"
Harry blinked, bringing the world into focus. The bitting cold made Harry shiver as he realised that he was sitting on the grass out by the lake.
"Are you okay?" asked Hermione, looking concerned as Harry stared wildly around himself.
"What? Oh, yeah i'm fine . . . " Harry lied.
"Coming back to the castle?"
"Urm, no," said Harry absently. Something by the lake had caught his eye. "I'm going to stay out here a bit longer."
"Okay." smiled Hermione. She turned and walked back across thee grounds.
Harry jogged the few meters to the lake and knelt down beside a group of mushrooms. Sure enough, exactly what he thought he'd seen was laying there. Between two mushrooms sat a crystal. It was small, no bigger than a golf ball, and had a strange glow that surrounded it. Harry held it up to his face. He knew exactly what he needed confidence for.
He closed his eyes, put the crystal on the grass and concentrated. The 'POP' that echoed around him did not surprise him, neither did the ropes, nor the cloud of silver dust that slid it's way down into Harry's lungs.
Not even the voice that he heard in his mind made him start for he knew what was coming. He knew the exact words he valued the most from his dream. He also knew he would never hear their true speaker declare them. At least not to Harry anyway. Three words.
"I love you."