"Fuck!"
Draco groaned, sitting up abruptly, head swimming at the action. His body protested furiously in light of his hangover as he ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, groggily taking in his surroundings. It wasn't the first time he'd woken up somewhere other than the Slytherin dorm room, often preferring to drag his conquests to the closest bed available, sometimes not even making it that far.
So, what was troubling the Malfoy heir this early hour wasn't the new surroundings, the pounding in his head, or even his uncertainty of what day it was. No, what made Draco nearly doubt his sanity was the unmistakable unruly mop of black hair that splayed out nicely on the pillow beside him.
"Fuck" he groaned again, wondering what could have possibly been going through his mind when he'd decided to pick up Harry Potter of all people for a bed mate.
Sure, the Gryffindor could be considered attractive, his company even desirable he'd grant, not that'd he'd ever actually say it aloud. But he was certain he'd put Potter on his 'don't do' list.
He wasn't quite sure when the list had begun to form, but over the years it had become quite lengthy, things like 'monogamy' 'brussel sprouts' 'his mother's parties' and 'relationships' being a few of the many items on it. And, regardless of how many times Blaise helpfully pointed out how ridiculous said list was, he followed it without flaw.
Which was why his current situation proved unusually perplexing as he cast a helpless glance at the sleeping teen beside him, correction, waking teen beside him.
"Shit" he muttered to himself, diverting his gaze as sleepy emerald eyes blinked up at him in confusion. Harry groaned slightly, a small wince escaping him as he registered the ache in his lower body.
"So you're finally awake." Draco sighed, the words coming out much less scathing than he'd intended.
Previously sleep filled eyes flew open as Harry recognized the unmistakable voice, head whipping around frantically until he focused on the voice's owner.
"Malfoy?" he rasped, tone sending shivers down Draco's back as the blond had a brief flashback to loud, pleasure filled screams filling the room.
"Potter" Draco said coolly, keeping his voice decidedly steady as he took in the tired teen beside him.
"What?" He said, swallowing and licking his suddenly dry lips, not quite sure of the question. "Er, what happened last night?"
"Really, Potter, even you can't be that stupid." Draco sighed, cursing inwardly as Harry merely blinked at him, a minute widening of the eyes and rosy blush the only thing that signaled Draco that perhaps he did get it after all. "We had sex." Draco said bluntly, running a hand through his hair once more before he swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing slowly so as not to make the room spin once again as he began hunting around for his clothes.
"It's probably past breakfast and people will be wondering where we are." Draco sighed, tossing Harry his clothes, "Get dressed, maybe they won't notice we were both missing at the same time." He glanced up once more "Well don't just sit there and stare, get dressed!" he snapped, casting a quick cleansing charm on the two of them but as always finding it a poor substitute for a proper shower.
"Right, sorry." Harry murmured, standing with a slight wince that Draco couldn't help feeling somewhat smug about.
"Sore Potter?" he asked, smirking briefly at the Gryffindor.
Harry glared, "It's not like I've ever had the chance to get used to it."
Draco faltered at that, staring at Harry in something akin to shock as he asked, "Wait, you don't mean . . . fuck Potter, please tell me you're not a bloody virgin?"
"Not anymore." Harry muttered, flush staining his features as he tugged on his shirt. "And it's not like you seemed to mind at the time; in fact, just the opposite."
"Bloody hell Potter" Draco groaned, running a hand through his hair, "what the fuck were you thinking last night?"
Emerald eyes narrowed as Harry pulled up his pants, "If I remember correctly we were both less than sober. It's not the way that I'd have wanted, but what's done is done." Harry said, tone hardening with his gaze as he bent over to put on his shoes, trying not to flinch at the pain that shot up his spine.
"Look, last night was a mistake." Draco said, now fully dressed as he turned to face Harry. "I don't know if you're expecting a relationship or whatever, but we both need to forget this ever happened, got it?"
The blond swore he saw a flash of hurt in emerald eyes but ignored it along with the subtle tightening in his chest as Harry muttered "Got it."
-x-x-x-
"What's wrong?" Blaise asked, setting down the Daily Prophet to glare at his friend.
"What are you talking about?" Draco sighed, "I'm fine."
"No you're not fine; you've been sighing for the past three days, and even more snappish than usual. And when you're not trying to rip someone's head off you don't talk, and it's getting bloody annoying."
"I haven't the faintest idea what you mean." Draco said stiffly, ignoring the raised eyebrow he received in response.
"Does this have anything to do with Potter?"
Draco's eyes widened fractionally, but just enough for Blaise to notice as he offered a pleased smirk to the blond.
"I may have been a bit drunk but it wasn't enough not to notice you leave with him. Not to mention you keep staring at him at meals and in class. It's actually quite funny, it seems as though every time you turn away Potter looks over."
"It was only a one night stand, if Potter wants to pine after me like some lovesick puppy he's free to, he wouldn't be the first." Draco said with a smirk, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Oh please, you know you've had a crush on Potter since first year. You finally get a chance with him and you're blowing it?"
"It's not a crush" Draco snapped "and I don't do relationships." He said, spitting the last word out as if it were something vile.
"You say you don't do a lot of things that I know you do, like subscribe to Witch Weekly and keep a diary."
Draco glared, "There was only one article I wanted to read, I bought one edition, I didn't subscribe. And it's a journal."
"The point is this little list you have is stupid. You're stopping yourself from getting something you really want. And I know you want it since about a fourth of your'journal' is taken up by pages of you mooning over him."
"Shut the fuck up." Draco snapped. "I don't moon over anyone. And even if I wanted to I can't just start a relationship with him."
"Why not? I get that you've had some shitty ones in the past, if they can even be called relationships, and your parents pretty much screwed you up, but most of ours did. The point is you should get over it and go after Potter if he's who you really want. And don't even try to pretend he's not."
"Please, it's not that simple. I practically kicked him out and told him to forget it ever happened. Potter and I'd never work out. He's the Boy-Who-Lived and I'm an Ex-Deatheater."
"So the media would have a field day, but I think you two would actually make a good couple. You're both fucked up enough to balance the other out. Cupid couldn't have made a better match."
"Just drop it." Draco muttered, standing before stalking out of the common room, leaving his friend alone on the couch.
Blaise smirked as he watched the blond leave, shaking his head to himself as a plan already began to formulate.
-x-x-x-
For the second time that week Harry woke up to a room he didn't recognize, blinking groggily as he looked around. He began to raise a hand to run through his hair when he stopped, realizing that his arm felt a bit heavier than normal.
"Shit" Harry hissed as he looked at the sleeping blond tied to his wrist beside him. "Malfoy, wake up." he snapped, startling the Slytherin awake.
"What the . . ." Draco asked, catching on a lot faster than Harry had to their predicament. "Fucking Blaise."
"Zabini?" Harry demanded, "He did this?"
Draco nodded curtly, "Apparently he thinks he's doing us a favor." He sighed, looking around and realizing that they were in what appeared to be a poorly lit broom cupboard.
"I don't see how." Harry muttered.
"He wants to set us up." Draco explained, somewhat embarrassed as he sat back against the wall, Harry having no other choice but to lean against him in the cramped space.
"And he honestly thinks that's a good idea?" Harry asked incredulously. "In all the years he's known you he seriously hasn't figured out that you hate me."
Draco frowned at that, "I don't hate you Potter, the war's over, and when it ended we agreed to stop the pointless fighting."
"We may have stopped fighting but your opinion of me doesn't seem to have changed if last week was anything to go by." Harry muttered. "You can't even call me by my first name."
The two sat in silence for a moment, both processing their situation. They were locked in a closet, chained to each other by a spell; obviously Blaise's doing, without their wands, and probably in some abandoned corridor that left them with no chance of being heard.
"How long do you think we'll be in here?" Harry sighed, attempting to kick in the door but utterly failing.
"Until Blaise gets what he wants probably." Draco shrugged. "He's persistent like that."
"And just what does he want us to do?" Harry hissed, frustration lacing his tone.
"Kiss, fuck, who knows Po- Harry. Either way we're not likely to get out of here any time soon."
"And what if we don't want to?" Harry asked, voice wavering in a way that Draco didn't like.
"Why are you so upset about this, all we have to do is act and we're out of here, we did much more than that Friday."
"And you reacted to it oh so well." Harry snapped, glaring at the blond in the half light.
Draco was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out just why Harry was so bothered by it. Sure it was inconvenient, but not terrible.
"Harry" Draco began hesitantly, an idea coming to him that he wasn't quite comfortable with. "Did I . . . hurt your feelings, Friday?"
"What? Don't be ridiculous." Harry said curtly. "We were drunk, you obviously thought it was a mistake, and that's fine. It was a one night stand; I get it, why would I be upset?"
"You said I thought it was a mistake." Draco said, considering the Gryffindor's words, "You didn't?"
Harry paused, realizing his mistake instantly,"I just didn't feel it was as catastrophic as you found it to be." He murmured, not meeting the older teen's gaze.
Draco didn't reply, the emerald eyed teen's words giving him the answer he'd been looking for. Perhaps Blaise was right and he'd been too blind to see it. It seemed Harry liked him, the feeling quite mutual if he allowed himself to admit it, and he would be an idiot to ignore it.
Harry hadn't regretted their night together, and Draco had only made his first time dreadful by kicking him out and telling him it was a mistake never to be repeated. He felt like the world's biggest prat as he considered how Harry must have felt.
He didn't know when it had happened, or if it had merely been there all along and he'd simply ignored it, but somewhere along the lines he had come to like Harry, a lot. Perhaps Blaise wasn't that stupid after all. Perhaps it was time to amend his list. He was being given a chance, and he'd be damned if he didn't take it.
"I'm sorry" he said, the words tasting a bit foreign on his tongue. Harry's head snapped up at the words as he looked at the Slytherin in confusion, obviously not having expected the words.. "I shouldn't have treated you like that, especially when it was your first time, I was a prick."
"It's fine, I get it." Harry said eventually, looking away as Draco struggled to formulate more words.
"No, it's not fine." Draco argued, "I treated you like shit because I was scared of what would happen. I was afraid that things wouldn't work and that you'd regret it and wanted to beat you to the punch before you could tell me how much of a mistake it was."
"What?" Harry asked, fully aware of his lack of eloquence but not quite sure he believed what he was hearing.
"Blaise was right, and I've been a prat for ignoring it and how I've treated you. I like you Harry, and have for a while I think. I know we were a bit drunk, but I don't regret it, I'd actually like to do it again, only . . . sober."
Emerald eyes blinked up at him, surprised. "I . . . are you sure you're alright?" he asked, feeling the urge to check the older teen for fever.
"Positive" Draco chuckled, "Look, I like you, and I know you like me too if the way you look at me and acted that day and now is any indicator. I get your concern, but like you said, lots of things have changed after the war, including me. I know my reputation's not the best, but I'm serious about this. I really like you Harry. Just give it a try and I swear you won't regret it."
Harry's shock was evident, the Slytherin's words being the last thing he had expected to hear when he woke up next to the blond. "Have you ever even had a relationship before?" he asked, buying time.
"Have you?" Draco challenged. "Your brief interlude with the Weaslette doesn't count, especially when you happen to be gay."
"What makes you think I'm gay?"
"Are you denying it?"
Harry paused; shaking his head after a minute as he figured it wouldn't do him any good to lie. "Fine, I'm gay."
Draco smirked, "I figured. So it looks like neither of us have had a proper relationship before, but it's never too late to start. I'm serious Harry, and you're obviously not adverse to the idea, what's your hesitation?"
"I just . . . don't want to get hurt." Harry said honestly, never having felt more exposed than at that moment.
"I won't hurt you."
Harry snorted, "Where have you been for the past seven years?"
"It's the past" Draco argued, "isn't the whole point of this year and coming back a fresh start, a second chance?"
"You're saying you've changed?"
"Yes." Draco said firmly, not wanting to lose this opportunity, "Give me a chance and I can prove it o you."
"You do realize what everyone will say, don't you?"
Draco grinned, sensing Harry's resolve slowly crumble, "And why should we give a damn?" he retorted, smiling as Harry offered a small grin.
"Alright." the Gryffindor said, heart speeding up as he realized just what this meant. He was taking a chance, and for some strange reason, it wasn't nearly as scary as he'd have thought it'd be. Perhaps change wasn't so bad after all.
Draco grinned, leaning down to bring the brunette into a deep kiss, Harry smiling into the contact as he let out a small groan.
He'd certainly have to be sure to edit his list. It seemed as though Harry had a knack for swooping in and turning his world upside down, not that he was complaining. He smirked as Harry let out a particularly loud moan. Yep, definitely not complaining.
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