Chapter two- Burning Parchment
After the incident in the bathroom, Harry had finished filling up the tub and taken a long bath. He bathed through dinner and then headed straight to his dormitory. Draco Malfoy had done similar; after he left the bathroom, he headed straight to the Slytherin common room and then up to his own room. He had been sitting on his bed ever since. Occasionally someone would walk in, but he would scowl at them and they would leave. He stared at the blank piece of paper which he was holding. He was trying to write a letter to Potter, an explanation. But why he had kissed Harry? He didn't know the answer himself.
Harry was sitting, looking out the window at the dark sky. He knew he should probably be doing his potions essay, or practicing for the last task of the Tri Wizard Tournament with Mad-Eye Moody, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything but sit, stare and think. He watched as an owl flew past the window. He knew what he had to do. He had been writing letters to Sirius since he realized he had a godfather. Now was the perfect time to write a letter. This one however, would not be for Sirius, but for Draco. He got up and retrieved a quill and some ink from his bag as well as a clean piece of parchment. He stared at the paper for a while, and then finally, started to scrawl a note.
Malfoy,
Why did you kiss me?
-Harry
Using his wand, he set flame to the note. What he had written was too simple and so blunt. And he had used Draco's last name. He had called Draco 'Draco' in the bathroom, so why shouldn't he now? He tried again.
Draco,
I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I want to meet up and talk about the…incident.
-Harry
Again, this wasn't quite what he had wanted to say. So, he set fire to that note and began to write one. This note he wrote carefully, in his neatest handwriting.
Draco,
I love you.
-Harry
Harry stared at the three simple words. And burned the paper again. Finally, he decided on what he would say. He began to write, hoping that this would be the letter he sent.
D.M,
I was kinda wondering what happened in the bathroom. Did we kiss?
-H.P
Harry stared at the writing. He added in the word 'why' before the words 'did we kiss'. There. This was perfect. He then began his way to the Owlery, note tucked safely into his pocket. Once he got to the Owlery however, he realized Draco would not receive his note until morning. Draco was a Slytherin, whose common rooms and dormitories were in the Dungeons. Hedwig couldn't exactly fly through walls. Harry crumpled up the note in frustration and hurled it off the edge of the Owlery. It landed without noise a few feet below but Harry didn't see any sight of it as he huffed back down the steps and back towards the castle.
At almost the exact same moment as Harry had hurled the note off the edge of the Owlery, Crabbe and Goyle had walked into the room which they shared with Draco. Draco looked up at them and they started to question him.
"Where were you at dinner?" Crabbe asked.
"Yeah," grunted Goil.
Draco scowled at them, stood up and pushed past them out of the room. As he walked to the entrance to the Slytherin common room, he heard Pansy come up behind him. Great. Why had he done that stupid favor for that prefect anyway? Now he had to deal with Pansy. Anger swelled up inside him as he ignored her and left the common room in a half run. He needed air, he needed some time alone and he needed to get out of the castle.
As he turned the corner, he saw Professor Snape walking towards him. Snape had questioned him, but once Draco had told the Potions Master that he was going back to his common room, he had turned the corner and found a different way out of the castle.
He snuck away from any other Professors he saw and was finally free as he opened the giant doors that would lead him out into the night. He breathed in the night air and started to walk. He didn't know where he was going exactly, just somewhere to think. As he walked and looked up into the night sky, he let his mind wander. Almost automatically he found himself thinking about Harry. Once again he was filled with anger. He was so angry with himself. He hadn't held Potter's hand; he hadn't given Potter a hug. He had kissed him. He kissed Potter.
Draco was lost in thought as he walked, not bothering to look ahead of him. He didn't think anyone else would be out at night. He should have known better. All of a sudden, he smashed into something hard. He looked up, ready to yell at what or whoever it was. The words were already on his lips 'you filthy little Mudblood, Blood Traitor or bastard' depending on who he saw standing in front of him. Before he had said anything however, he looked up, stunned as he saw who he ran into. A dark haired boy with his round glasses slightly askew stared back at him. It was, of course, Harry Potter.
Both boys stared at each other, each at a loss for words. The grey eyes met the green. There was silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence. Neither boy was looking at the other with the usual hatred. Harry was sure this was a good sign. Maybe he and Draco could even be together. Maybe…but then something in the look the blonde boy was giving him changed. It was brief, but Harry had seen it.
Harry had a new plan in mind. Push past Draco and never speak with him again. He had seen the small flicker of hatred in the boy's eyes. They could never be together. As Harry started walking towards Draco, Draco braced himself. Maybe Harry would kiss him. Or hug him. Or something wonderful like that. But when Draco saw the stony look Harry had on his face, he realized that Harry had misinterpreted the look Draco had given him. It wasn't hatred. It was wanting. Draco wanted Harry so badly. To just be with him, without it being a crime.
Harry came and pushed past Draco, but he lingered as his hand brushed against the Slytherin's. Even just the slightest brushing had disarmed both boys. Draco slid his fingers through Harry's. They stood there for a few moments…and then, Harry broke free. He walked off in what he hoped was a confident stride, back to the castle. Draco's hand fell limply to his side as he watched the raven-haired boy walk away. While he was walking away, Harry muttered a summoning charm under his breath and the crumpled note he had chucked off the Owlery flew back into his hand. He stared at the words he had written. His heart pounding, he muttered 'Incendio' under his breath. He watched as the parchment caught fire and each word burned. One by one. Until there was nothing left but ashes.