Chapter 2-Quiddich and Apologies
As Harry ran from the room, he tossed the robes over his head and slid his arms into the sleeves. He had shoved his wand into one of the pockets when he stopped.
|These don't smell like they usually do.|
He picked at the collar, brought it up to his nose and sniffed. They had a different sweet, spicy smell. It smelled like…|Oh hell I took Malfoy's cloak! It does smell nice though.|
He looked down at his watch to see that there was still time to grab a bit more breakfast. Ron and Hermione should still be there.
He ran the rest of the way to the Great Hall.
"Did you find that extra quill?" Hermione asked when Harry plopped down next to her and Ron.
"Uh, yeah," |Please let him carry quills!| Harry rummaged through the robes' pockets and pulled out a silver quill. He eyed it curiously, before Ron spoke.
"That's one hell of a quill mate! Where did you get it?"
"Um…It was a gift from…er…Mad Eye for my 16th birthday." Harry quickly pocketed the quill, grabbed a muffin and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Hey I have things in that!" Draco yelled to the empty room while grabbing his wand off the floor. He buttoned his shirt back up and thought about what had just occurred. |The Quiddich game is going to be really awkward now. But Merlin that boy can snog! The way he pushed me onto the desk, rivalry be damned! I'm still shivering.|
By now Draco had all his clothes in order. His shirt was tucked in, he had buttoned his pants, put his tie back on and smoothed his hair back into place. While slipping on Harry's robe he couldn't help but to notice it smelled amazing. Although he could not put his finger on what exactly it did smell like.
As he strode to his next class he found himself inhaling deeply through his nose every few steps. |Can't continue that, people will think I'm mad.|
Incidentally his first class was Potions…with the Gryffindors.
"I should've had more breakfast," Draco muttered rubbing his growling stomach as he approached the dungeons, "I wonder…" he tentatively reached into a pocket of Harry's robes to see if he carried any food; he was rewarded with a chocolate frog.
"Yum," he said when he pulled his hand out and began to unwrap the frog.
The Slytherin was halfway done when the rest of his classmates arrived. Needless to say he nearly choked on his 'breakfast'.
"Draco!" Blaise called out as he walked over to Draco who was leaning against the wall next to the classroom door, "so what happened?" he whispered.
"I guess I made a mistake in the potion, probably wasn't strong enough," the blond lied trying very hard not to look at Harry.
|Is that my chocolate frog? Yes it is. He is eating my frog! Well he didn't have much breakfast…what am I saying, that little blond bastard is eating MY FROG!|
"My chocolate…" Harry whined softly.
"What?" Ron looked at his best friend. Leaning on the wall opposite the Slytherins.
"Oh nothing. Wonder what Snape'll torture us with today?" he answered quickly changing the subject, determined not to look at Draco.
"Probably poisons," Ron grimaced.
"Yay poisons, my favorite! Let's find more ways to kill Harry. Because I don't have enough things going on today."
"Yeah, with the Quiddich match going on."
"Yeah, the match…"
"Are your robes shorter today?" Ron looked at Harry's semi-exposed shoes.
"No."
"Potter, stop that useless blithering and get into my classroom," Snape had materialized unnoticed from the shadows and was striding past his students to the classroom door, leaving the brunette stuttering in his wake. Once they were all settled Snape began to tell them about the potion they were going to brew today.
"Today you are making a potion that, if given to any being, will paralyze it for a half hour," as he said this he tapped his wand on the chalk board and the instructions for the potion appeared there, "begin, now."
"Well damn, it's a poison," Harry mumbled to Ron and Hermione who laughed.
Altogether the potion wasn't that difficult, it just required many ingredients to be either crushed, sliced or disemboweled. The newt's eyes had to have the liquid squeezed from them; it was not pretty seeing students mashing eyes with pestles. As hard as Harry tried he could not manage to get his potion to turn light orange like Hermione's. His was more of a carroty color.
At the end of class Harry felt quite good about his potion; at least it was some form of orange other than green, like poor Neville's. As he corked the flask he could not help but to glance in Draco's direction, he pretended to stretch while sneaking a look at the Slytherin.
When the brunette turned he saw Draco, in his robes, doing the same fake stretch. Their eyes met, emerald on gray, for a moment a shock went through both boys' bodies. In unison their eyes widened and they both blushed, looking away, of course Draco's blush was much less noticeable that Harry's and his composure was regained much faster.
He turned quickly back to his flask, marked it and put it with the others on Snape's desk. Upon turning he nearly crashed into a startled Draco, who had not been paying attention to who was in front of him. Draco gasped at being this close to Harry and promptly dropped his flask to have it snatched, seconds from shattering, by the slightly taller teen.
"Mr. Potter, please get out of the way of more important students," Snape snapped from his desk.
"Sorry Professor," Harry said through clenched teeth, moving out of the way. Draco could've laughed, but he didn't. Instead he set his flask besides Harry's and walked away without a comment.
|Merlin he's cute when he's startled…did I just refer to Malfoy as cute? What has gotten into me? Quiddich is going to be so awkward.| He rubbed the back of his neck and went back to Ron and Hermione who waited at the door.
"That was odd…" Hermione murmured.
"What was?" Harry asked.
"Malfoy didn't say anything when Snape insulted you, or when you nearly bumped into him."
"Really? I didn't notice…"
"Harry, are you hiding something?"
"No," he didn't look at her.
"He's lying," Ron stated only to have the girl roll her eyes and say, "I know that Ron."
"Psh, no, I'm not hiding anything. Why would you think that?"
"You caught his flask," she pointed out.
"It was going to drop."
"Since when do you care about Malfoy's grade?"
"I don-it might have paralyzed me!"
"Only if you ingested it."
"Stop looking at me like that, both of you!" Harry said loudly for his best friends were both giving him the 'we know you're lying and we want to know why' look.
"Gah fine, I'll tell you later! Just stop!" with that he stalked off to history of magic with Ron and Hermione following. Harry sat down to have his friends sit on either side of him. Soon his mind began to wander due to the monotonous sound of Professor Binns voice. |I hope the Quiddich pitch isn't too muddy. Quiddich against Slytherin…Slytherin…Malfoy…Draco…Draco…he has such a nice name…it fits him…so do my robes, a bit long though.|
"What are you smiling at? Binns just described a magical cabbage." Ron whispered, for Harry had unknowingly smiled dreamily at his own thoughts.
"You were listening? To Binns?" Harry whispered back.
"Not really, but what were you smirking at?"
"I told you guys, later, ok?"
"Just give me a hint. Please?"
Harry sighed and said simply, "Robes."
"Robes?"
"Robes, that's all I'm saying for now. Wait until after the match."
"Harry what do robes have to do with anything?" Hermione leaned over to say after finishing her notes for the class.
"You'll see, let's go," the class had ended and students were now filing out of the room, "Only three more classes until freedom."
Those classes seemed to last forever until it was finally time to leave for the field. Harry said goodbye to Ron and Hermione and went to the locker rooms to change. After a quick pep talk to the team they marched out into the crisp March air, greeted by a roar from the red and gold clad end of the stands. He walked to the middle of the field to shake hands with the Slytherin captain.
|Merlin he looks hot out here. With the wind...and his hair…wait-what?| Harry thought as he mounted his broom. The two teams rose as the balls were released, he flew in circles around the pitch searching for the golden snitch.
Out of habit he glanced at the other seeker to see if he had seen anything, forgetting that seeker was Draco, and quickly looked away. After a few points he spotted it at the other end of the pitch, the snitch! The brunette raced to the other end of the field as the snitch took off, flying lower, forcing Harry and now Draco into a dive. Then it scooped up again, Draco struggled to keep up with Harry's Firebolt as they sped all over the pitch, they were nearly neck and neck. Dean Thomas's commentary was drowned out by the rushing of wind. Harry stretched his arm out trying to grab the small golden object as the blond next to him did the same, their arms bumped as they struggled to get ahead of one another. Soon their legs were too colliding from the proximity of their bodies. Both boys panted and reached for the snitch, "Come on Potter, just this once," Draco hissed through gritted teeth; softly enough Harry barely heard it. He suspected he wasn't supposed to. With one lunge and a muttered, "Sorry," Harry snatched the winged ball from the air.
"And Harry Potter gets the snitch!" was the commentary that echoed over the field as Harry landed, surrounded by teammates and the roar from the stands.
"That has GOT to be the fastest win we've ever had Harry!" Ron yelled over Alicia's head.
"I KNOW!" Harry shouted back over Ginny's head.
After a few victory laps Harry led his team back to the locker rooms to change. Once everyone had left he decided to take a shower, no one was there so why not?
"Damn it!" Draco hissed, landing next to his team, "Can no one hit a bludger?"
He stalked back to the Slytherin rooms and hurriedly showered. The blond waited until everyone had left then grabbed Harry's cloak from his locker and strode across the field to the Gryffindor locker rooms. He steeled himself and knocked on the door.
"Hello?" Harry's muffled voice came from the other side of the door.
"Potter, open the door," Draco called through to the other teen.
"Who is it?" |is that Malfoy?|
"You know who it is, just open the bloody door!"
"Ok…geez."
The door opened and Draco got a full view of the Boy Who Lived pulling a green sweater over his head. The muscles of his stomach and chest pulled upward with his arms. Draco continued to stare at the spot where his chest used to be, covered by fabric, eyebrows slightly raised.
|Nice six pack|
"Um…Malfoy?" Harry asked, wondering why the blond was staring at his torso.
The Slytherin shook his head, blinked about ten times then said "Hmm?"
"You came here."
"Oh yeah, um, here's your cloak," he stuck out his arm awkwardly remembering the circumstances in which he got it.
"Thanks, er, I have yours in my locker…um…come in?" Harry led him into the room and over to the benches near the lockers.
"Thank you, listen Potter," Draco said softly, "Sorry about…earlier...that wasn't supposed to happen," he continued, not looking at the brunette, blushing slightly.
"Oh! Um…ok…you can call me Harry, if you want," he answered taking Draco's cloak from the locker. |Merlin he has THE hottest blush I have ever seen!|
"Okay, you can call me…Draco then."
"I've always liked your name," Harry confessed facing Draco and handing back the cloak.
"Sorry to say, but yours is crap," Draco looked up at this and began to laugh.
Harry at seeing this lapsed into laughter himself. Soon the two boys were clutching different objects. Draco who had fallen onto the bench held his stomach and Harry the locker for support. After a minute the laughter receded, the boys wiped their eyes and Harry sat on the bench straddling it.
"That has got to be the hardest I have ever laughed," Draco smiled.
"I think that's the first time I've seen you laugh and smile honestly," Harry grinned back.
"I don't usually have any reasons, Slytherins aren't particularly that humorous. Only, really, in malice…hmm," He sat thoughtful for a moment as Harry watched him, hands folded in his lap.
"Well I have to say you've never been more amusing, Mal-Draco," His name sounded strange in his lips, like a new language just meant for him.
Draco looked at the taller boy when he said his name, "It sounds better when you say it…Harry."
"What, your name?"
Draco nodded.
Harry looked down, blushing a little, "You have no idea how much better 'Harry' sounds when you say it."
In that instant, when they first said each others names, their eyes locked. Gray to green. Gryffindor to Slytherin. They both realized opposites do indeed attract. In unison they leaned forward, eyes searching, and their lips met.