Disclaimer:  I do not own nor will I ever own Harry Potter or any of his friends, enemies, or associates. 

Author's Note:  This story contains slash.  Oh, for god's sake.  The summary says, "Draco Malfoy loves Harry Potter."  If you do not realise that that implies slash, then you have either a) never actually read the Harry Potter series, or b) serious problems.  Your choice.  Please feel free to hit the 'back' button if you fall into either of these categories. 

Rating:  R

Beautiful Thing

By maudlinrose

Draco Malfoy loves Harry Potter. 

Oh, yes. 

Sitting in Potions, bits of Draco lean towards wherever Harry is sitting – a quill, a finger, his wand.  If Harry would only turn to Draco, he would find Draco ready, his body poised exactly to strike up a conversation or an argument.  Every class this happens, and every class Draco is disappointed.  For Harry never turns to Draco.  Harry is aloof, and wary, and doesn't look at Draco at all. 

Draco finds himself getting ever more vicious to Harry.  The taunts, childlike in first year, are becoming careful and deliberate, striking at Harry with the same effectiveness as a fanged snake. 

Harry's a parseltongue.  He can always talk the snake out of harming him. 

Draco stalks Harry from class to class.  Whenever Harry turns a corner, he is there, smirking and muttering under his breath about mudbloods. 

Harry ignores this.  Harry doesn't care.  Draco is nothing to him, a little boy with bad hair and an attitude problem. 

Sometimes, ordinary people fall in love in ordinary ways.  They invite each other out to Hogsmeade, trying desperately not to appear too anxious.  Trips up to the Astronomy Tower become more frequent, snogging sessions more fervent.  A marriage proposal – or the invitation to share a flat – is made.  Maybe he dumps her, or maybe she sleeps around, and it all turns to custard.  The unlucky couple glare at each other in the Great Hall, and it's mundane, and normal, and they go on with their lives, after a while.   

Draco would do anything to be ordinary. 

Sometimes, even extraordinary people fall in love in ordinary ways.  Usually, there's an adjustment period, where they accept that they're extraordinary, and congratulate themselves on their good luck.  Maybe they come out of the closet, and their friends don't accept it, and choices have to be made.  Maybe she's an ex-prostitute or he's on the run, and neither of them wants an ordinary life so they decide to live in a tent in the woods.  Maybe they're both just simply brilliant, and they live their lives like superstars, bright and shining.  But they do it together. 

What happens, though, when the love is one-sided?

Sometimes, extraordinary people fall in love in extraordinary ways.  This was the case with Draco.  He doesn't quite know how it happened, actually.  One day, his hatred of all things Harry disappeared in a blaze of sexual attraction.  Slowly, surely, love bloomed in the heart of Draco so that now, almost a full year later, Draco is stuck with this ball of sheer feeling in his chest, almost like indigestion. 

The only problem is, Harry doesn't feel the same way. 

Draco knows this.  He can tell, you see, because Harry pays no attention to Draco at all.  Whenever he turns to look at Harry, Harry is looking the other way… laughing with Weasley and Granger, glaring at Professor Snape, even picking his nails absentmindedly.  When they last played Quidditch, Harry ignored every single one of Draco's taunts, and went on to catch the Snitch in a blaze of Gryffindor honour and glory. 

Draco can't understand why Harry doesn't love him.  He is, after all, a Malfoy… rich and good looking, with fantastic connections and a large ancestral pile. 

And Harry's a Gryffindor.  He's supposed to be friendly and nice and love back, the silly twat.  You'd think he'd be grateful, for god's sake.  He grew up in a closet, after all.  He's supposed to be the kind of person who would take whatever he could get.  Not that Draco is a bad deal, of course. 

Of course he's upset about it.  How would you feel if the one you loved didn't love you back?  He's upset, and angry, and not quite in a normal frame of mind.  At Quidditch practise Draco is distracted by images of a naked Harry holding his Firebolt.  At meals he thinks only of what it would be like to lick rice pudding off Harry's abdomen.  He has no life, and it bothers him greatly. 

If it were only sexual attraction Draco could deal with it.  Maybe he'd have to spend a lot of time in his dorm room to work off 'excess energy'.  Maybe he'd have to seduce a Hufflepuff – somebody willing and eager.  Maybe, if it came to it, he could pretend that his Aunt Clarice has died and make a quick trip to Knockturn Alley, where anything can be bought, even broken down, diseased wizards who'll pretend to be someone else for the price of a meal plus drinks. 

But it's worse than that. He also wants to hold Harry, and comfort him.  Caress the raven locks of hair and stroke the pale cheeks.  Draco shouldn't be having these thoughts: he's a Malfoy, and Malfoys, especially the young ones, aren't supposed to want to comfort anyone except aging relatives with large estates.  This makes it impossible for even Draco, a consummate Slytherin, to justify seeing other people.  He doesn't want other people.  He wants Harry. 

Loving Harry Potter leaves Draco with no choices.  He's a lost little lamb surrounded by wolves, and he can't move for fear of being eaten.  Not that he'd mind being eaten, if it were Harry's mouth….

At a time in his life where he should be out having fun, shagging girls and getting pissed, he's alone in the library, plotting ways to get Harry's attention.  He shouldn't be a seventeen year old virgin – the first one in Malfoy history – because he was too busy loving Harry to pay the least bit of attention to the dozens of rich, nubile girls who wanted him. 

Draco would do anything for Harry, murder included. If Harry asked, Draco would hack his way through classrooms of small schoolchildren just to make him smile. 

If only he could get Harry's attention….

He's getting bitter, now.  Harry seems to be dating Others.  It's time for desperate measures, and Draco knows just what to do. 

Isn't love a beautiful thing?

FIN