Harry drew back from their kiss immediately and looked down at the floor, not daring to look up at Snape. But for a moment, he glanced up at his Slytherin lover. On his face was a look of horrid panic with a hint of sadness. His breathing had increased and he looked as if he were about to cry once more.
"Malfoy!" Snape snapped, "Get back to your dormitory!"
Without speaking, Draco immediately stood from the cold tile floor. But before heading out of the lavatory and back to the Slytherin common room, he took a deep breath and made a courageous move for once in his life.
He bent down and planted one more kiss on Harry's lips, not caring that Snape was watching.
At first, Harry tried to push Draco away, feeling embarrassed and ashamed in Snape's presence. But, of course, as Draco kissed him, Harry couldn't help but kiss him back. He even felt a hint of sadness when Draco withdrew his lips.
"I love you, Harry." Draco whispered.
Pure amazement warmed Harry's skin once more. His eyes were flooding, making Draco's image blurry. He couldn't help but crack a smile.
"You should've been a Gryffindor. That was the bravest thing I've ever seen." Harry whispered back.
Draco laughed.
"I love you, Draco." Harry smiled.
"Now!" Snape barked, breaking the romantic vibe between them.
Draco ran towards the door but before he could leave, Snape grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "I'll deal with you later." He slithered before shoving Draco out of the room.
"Potter." Snape snarled.
Harry stood, but still did not have the courage to look Snape in the eye.
Then, he realized that if Draco had the courage to actually kiss Harry in Snape's presence, then Harry should have the courage to look Snape in the eye. After all, Harry was a Gryffindor. And if a Slytherin could muster up that kind of courage, a Gryffindor definitely could.
With total confidence – that same kind that only Draco could bring out – Harry looked his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor dead in the face.
"Yes, sir?" He asked, as if nothing had happened.
"First of all, I'll think I'll take ten points from Gryffindor." Snape said matter-of-factly.
"Ten points?" Harry laughed, "For snogging in the bathroom? And you won't take ten from Slytherin, I'm supposing?"
"Shut up." Snape ordered.
Harry rolled his eyes, keeping up that wonderful confidence.
"Also, I'm giving you one other…special…punishment." The corner of Snape's mouth twitched upward, a kind of wicked smile.
"Yes?" Harry sighed.
"You are never to see Malfoy again, do you understand me?" Snape snarled.
"What?" Harry shrieked, appalled, "But you can't do that!"
"Do you understand me, Potter?" Snape shouted.
Harry purely detested Snape. There was no possible way that he would keep Harry from seeing Draco if he wanted to. After all, they were in love.
"Yes, sir." He said anyway.
"Good." Snape nodded once, "Now get back to your common room you sodding lunatic."
Harry darted out of the lavatory, right past Snape and out into the hall.
The walk back to the common room seemed longer than usual for Harry. He nearly floated in a ditzy fashion. He accidentally bumped into other passing students. He tripped on the rug. His mind was filled with no one else but Draco Malfoy.
How could he have fallen in love with Draco so quickly? Not ten minutes ago, Malfoy was his worst enemy. And now suddenly, that one kiss had seemingly changed Harry's life. He was positively in love with that beautiful Slytherin boy.
When Harry arrived back in the Gryffindor common room, Ron walked right over to him.
"You've got to help me. Lavender won't stop following me. She won't leave me alone for a second." Ron whined.
"Not now." Harry said, shoving past him and heading up to the boys dormitory.
"Harry!" Ron called after him, "Don't leave me!"
Before Harry could reach the stairwell, Hermione stopped him.
"Harry…where have you been?" she asked.
"Just…around…" Harry said.
"What does that mean?" Hermione asked.
"I…went to visit Katie in the Hospital Wing." Harry lied.
"Oh." She believed him. "I might go as well, I can't take much more of Lavender Brown snogging Ronald every five seconds…"
Harry gave her a quick, sympathetic hug before running upstairs to his bed.
Immediately, he got out a quill and began writing a letter to Draco.
He could think of a million things he wanted to say in his letter, but he knew that just putting it on paper would do nothing. He had to speak to Draco in person. He had to see him and touch him and kiss him…
So he wrote a more simple letter:
Draco, Snape's forbidding me to see you. But I don't care. Meet me in that same deserted lavatory in ten minutes. I love you. Harry.
He rolled up his letter and let Hedwig out of her cage.
"Give this to Draco." Harry ordered her.
She squawked at the unfamiliar name.
"Malfoy." Harry repeated, "Draco Malfoy."
She flew out the window, carrying Harry's letter and went off in the direction of the Slytherin boy's dormitory.
Harry then grabbed the Marauder's Map off his desk and raced off to that same lavatory he had just visited.
He let his subconscious lead him there, while his mind focused on other thoughts.
Harry had never thought in his entire life that he would ever love Draco Malfoy but somehow, he did. He loved Draco. It might've been true all along, and he just didn't realize it until now. He pondered what might've happened if he'd befriended Draco on that first day at Hogwarts. Would they have confessed their love for each other sooner? Would he be in Slytherin now? Would Ron and Hermione even know him? Would he be a Death Eater?
Through these questions, Harry realized that he was glad he had decided to stick with Ron on the first day, instead of accepting Draco's friendship. This way, he could have both his friends and Draco. He wouldn't let Snape stop him from having both.
When he reached the bathroom, he noticed it was empty.
That's alright. He thought. Draco probably hasn't received my letter yet.
Harry took the Marauder's Map out of his pocket and opened it. He studied it carefully, searching only for Draco's name. He was delighted by the words Draco Malfoy when he found them. The words followed a pair of footprints, moving out of the Slytherin common room at this very moment.
Draco's on his way. Harry smiled at the thought.
He sat down on the tile floor with his back against a wall. He had been here just fifteen minutes ago with Draco. It seemed like he had never left. It was as if he had come to the Gryffindor common room in a daze and now that he was back in this bathroom, he'd forgotten that he had left in the first place.
Harry supposed that it was just one of the many side effects of being in love, along with the fact that he was extremely impatient while waiting for Draco to arrive.
When he glanced at the Marauder's Map again, Harry noticed that Draco's footprints were now stopped at a spot in the middle of the hallway. With disappointment, Harry noticed that just next to his footprints, another set of footprints were drawn, along with the words Severus Snape.
Harry prayed that Draco would make up a good excuse for being out of his common room.
Harry bit his lower lip as he watched Snape walk in the opposite direction, leaving Draco behind to do as he pleased. Harry let out a relieved sigh.
Immediately, he stood from the ground and walked to a sink, checking his reflection in the mirror. He had to look at least decent in front of Draco. He smoothed his hair and tried to cover up his lightning bolt scar. Perhaps looking at the scar made Draco feel uncomfortable, knowing that Voldemort, the one who ruined Draco's life, was the one who put it there. Maybe Draco would feel as if he weren't strong enough, because the scar showed that Harry could stop Voldemort if he really wanted to. But Draco couldn't…he was forced into this life he had as a Death Eater.
Harry took out his wand and muttered a simple Oculus Repairo charm to clean his glasses.
He looked down at the sink below him and suddenly had a strong urge to wash his hands. He turned on the sink and let the ice-cold water run over his hands. It made him feel better, as if the water was washing away the sins he was committing by going against Snape's orders. Harry was so used to doing what he was told that it was an odd and sort of dirty feeling to break the rules. Maybe he should've been in Slytherin after all. Maybe the Sorting Hat had been right. Maybe he was meant to break all the rules and be with Draco from the very beginning.
But then he imagined his life without Ron and Hermione. He would never have the Weasley's house to come home to at Christmas. He would never have Hermione to help him with his homework. He might be doing deeds for Voldemort himself.
He turned off the sink and dried his hands on his robes. He looked at them carefully and noticed that they were shaking uncontrollably.
No, he was always meant to be a Gryffindor.
Suddenly, he felt two arms wrap themselves around his torso.
Draco.
