Vacation
When Harry woke the next morning, he found Draco already up. The blonde sat on the edge of the four-poster, his knees on his chin and his hands around his legs. He looked sad.
At once Harry was awake.
"Hey, what's the matter? Was I... Did I do something wrong last night?"
The thought scared him. He didn't want to hurt Draco ever again. But the other just shook his head.
"Then what is it? You can tell me, right?"
Harry hoped so. The Griffyndor had worked hard to gain Draco's trust and hoped that it was enough for the Slytherin to tell him his worries.
"It's just... Summer Vacation is only two weeks away, you know... and... I don't...I dontwantogohome!", Draco suddenly blurted out and Harry needed a moment for his still awakening head to form a halfway sensible sentence out of this.
"You... don't wanna go home?" He repeated slowly. This puzzled him. Draco had a nice home didn't he? Parents, a big Mansion, as far as Harry knew even Servants. But something in Draco's look stopped him from saying this.
"Why don't you?", he just asked.
Draco sat still for a long while. Then he whispered "I just don't" and buried his head in his arms.
Harry wondered what to do. He didn't think that asking would do any good, if Draco didn't want to tell him there was no point persuading him. In the end he just swapped his Arms around the blond and caressed his Head with slow soothing strokes. But as he looked forward to the holidays, his heart sank and an unfamiliar fear, like a foresight of coming terror clenched his heart in a tight fist.
They didn't manage to see each other until the end of term, not alone anyway. Of course they met on the corridors but they didn't do much more then look at each other. In public, they were the same as always, enemies to the core, hate the only feeling they would ever have for each other. Draco had begged Harry not to tell anyone yet and Harry had agreed. He knew that Draco valued his pride high, that his standing at the top of everything meant much to him. And on some level he was even glad to have the Slytherin all to himself. It was there little secret, a forbidden love-affair. Harry smiled, Draco would just sneer at him if he tried to fed the blonde such "romantic nonsense" as he used to call it. Still, he had told Harry that he loved him on several occasions now. Harry just hoped that the summer Vacations wouldn't destroy what they had so carefully build up, and what seemed so very fragile, whenever Harry looked at it
At the last day of term Harry, Ron and Hermione stood at the Train station and waited for the Hogwarts-Express to arrive and take them home too their respective families. Harry caught a glimpse of Draco, flanked as usual by Crab and Goyle. His heart gave a jolt and he had to hold back really hard not to run to him. He felt someone tugging on his sleeve. It was Hermione and she said" Come on, Harry, or we won't get any seats!"
Harry looked back, but Draco had vanished again in the thick crowd of pupils.
The rest of the drive home was quiet, they played chess and exploding snap, ate from the Sweet trunk and laughed at things that had happened this Year. But Harry joined in only half-heartedly. His mind wandered, through the train, into the Slytherin compartments, to Draco. What was he doing right now? Did he miss Harry as much as Harry missed him?
The black-haired boy thought about their relationship. It had all started so very innocent...
They had been in Potion, when there was a loud smashing sound. Goyle had obviously dropped a glass viol. Harry could see Draco's face contort in pain for a second. A large Drop of blood, ruby-red and strangely contrasted to Draco's white skin had appeared on his cheek. Harry had no Idea how on earth Goyle had smashed the viol but somehow one of the splinters had managed to cut Draco's cheek. The blond frowned and raised his hand to his face to feel the damage. When he saw the blood in his Hands, he grew white. It was only for a split second but Harry was sure he swayed a little. Then he blinked and hit Goyle over the Head.
"No look what you've done, you great ape! You are as stupid as you are fat!" He had hissed and stomped out of the room.
"What an imp..." murmured Ron next to Harry. "Can't even take a little cut, that poor Draco-baby." Harry pushed him in the ribs to stop him talking, because Snape swooped past them and wouldn't be delighted to hear them talk ill about his favourite Student. At least that's what he told himself later. But there was this tiny little voice inside his head that told him that maybe he, Harry was the one who didn't want to hear any ill speaking of Draco. But that was absurd, right?
Still from that moment on, something was different. Harry suddenly noticed all the small little details about Draco that he never saw before. How his long, white fingers contrasted with the dark wood of his Wand. How his Hair gleamed when he had been showering after Quidditch Practice. How there was a kind of cold fire in his eyes when he got angry. How graciously he moved, and on and on. It didn't take him long to realize that he was completely lovestruck.
Harry Potter was head over heals in love with Draco Malfoy. The whole thing sounded like a gigantic Joke Rita Skeeter would conjure up, to bring them both into discredit. But Harry couldn't help it. And he also couldn't help to wish that Draco would smile, just once. Whenever he smiled in public, it was cold and calculating. It never reached his eyes. Harry just wished that he saw just for once how his whole face would lighten up when he was really happy.
Still he never thought that it would work out. He dreamed about it of course, day and night, but he never thought about it as a real possibility. And in the end, it was Draco who had come to him.
Harry had been last the changing room after a Quidditch match with Slytherin. He didn't want to go celebrate the Victory with the others just yet. Harry wanted to procure the feeling of Draco, flying right next to him, for a bit longer. They were never as close as then, there , high above the ground, with the wind on their faces. In the end, Harry thought, it was a miracle that he could the Snatch at all, with all the Distraction that he had.
He was just about to hoist himself up to go back into the Castle, when he stepped into the room. He looked strangely dishevelled, as if he didn't really now, what he was doing there. He just stood at the entrance, and the, made a few steps, until he stood right in front of Harry.
He had raised his hand, as if to caress his face, but stopped dead, as if he was realizing what he was about to do.
Up until this Day, Harry was sure that Draco would have backed away if he hadn't grabbed his hand. Without thinking about what he was doing or what consequences might follow, he pulled Draco in and kissed him. At first he felt the other stiffen and for a horrible moment he thought he done the wrong thing. That Draco had only come here to tease him somehow, and now he was making a fool out of himself. But then the lips against his softened and Draco returned the Kiss, though unsure, as if they both didn't know if they weren't half dreaming anyway. When they broke the Kiss, Draco backed away, a look of Shock on his face. He turned but Harry got hold of his hand again.
"Meet me tonight in the third floor." He said, fixating Draco, who's eyes widened. He stood still for a second, then he wrestled his arm free and ran away.
When Harry had waited that night, he feared that Draco wouldn't come. Or worse, that he had put Filch on his heels.
But Draco came. Harry showed hi the Room of Requirement and for the first time they both let their masks fall. Harry found that the real Draco was much more fragile and vulnerable then he looked, shuddering at Harry's slightest touches.
On the next morning, they decided not to tell anyone yet, not even Ron and Hermione. Harry didn't want to have to deal with the looks on there faces when he was telling them that he was gay and above all, dating Malfoy.
"...ry. Harry!"
With a jolt, Harry came out of his memory. Hermione was looking at him with an expression that told him he wanted his opinion on something.
"Ahhm... could you say that... that last bit again...? He stammered. Hermione raised her brows. "I knew you didn't hear a word we talked." She said sighing. "I haven't said anything in the last 5 minutes at all."
"Sorry", Harry said contrite. "Never mind. But you seem to be awfully dazed these days, Really." She looked out of the Window and Harry saw that they were nearing King's Cross Station. He hastily put on his normal clothes and just finished stuffing his cloak and everything back into his trunk when they arrived. Inside the heavy crowd, he was swept through the barrier, without the chance of a last glance at Draco.
