Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.


He followed me for much longer than I thought possible, but that might be because he kept turning to tell Hermione to cancel all her other plans concerning him and me. She seemed more put-out than she really had a right to.

My hopes soared. Did that mean he's going to spend the rest of the night in my company? Similar thoughts and questions chased and rattled around in my brain until I felt my bottom touch the floor.

I stood up and looked around, alarmed at the sudden disappearance of light.

There was a shuffle from in front of me, and I heard Harry whisper a silencing charm on the door and a quiet request for me to back up as far as I could. I did so, and gasped when I felt him reaching behind my head for something...although it was a gasp of pain.

"Sorry...Lumos." He set his wand down on the top shelf and hoisted himself up. He then proceeded to levitate me up to the top shelf with him, where a few candles sat next to a picnic basket. He lit the candles and put his wand out, obviously preferring the firelight over the bright glare of his wand.

He must have seen my glare towards the basket because he commented on it soon enough. "I keep food up here on game nights."

"Why?" The question left my mouth before I could think about it. He smiles, clearly pleased he got something out of the Ice Prince without it being coated in venom.

"Because I always hoped to get you up here to talk to you."

"Why up here? Why not the common room?"

"You misunderstand...my friends are horrible eavesdroppers, even if they don't show it. Speaking of which..." He cast a few more locking and silencing charms towards the door.

"So...talk about what?"

"Well I'm not gonna lie, a lot of this is more personal than it is superficial. I know pretty much all of the on-the-surface things when it concerns you. I had to know them to be your enemy." I nodded, understanding completely. It was for the same exact reason that I knew the superficial things about him.

As I thought about all the time wasted on trying to find out as much as I could about the Golden Boy, I noticed a gentle blush start to paint his cheeks.

"So talk."

"Are..." he cleared his throat. "Are you straight or are the rumors true?" The blush got redder, something I found rather impossible as his skin was already so dark.

"Honestly, you don't know?" He shook his head and I could tell he was going to take his question back but before he could, I pulled out a picture. "Would I wear this if I were straight?" I watched as his eyes grew wide at the fishnet shirt and leather pants ensemble Pansy made me get. It was one of my favorite outfits. He looked up at me under cautious eyes.

"I want to see you in that sometime. That'd be hot." I flushed as he handed the picture back again.

"Thanks, but yeah, I'm gay." He flashed me a quick look and went back to rummaging around in the basket for something. The silence that enveloped us in the little closet only took seconds, but it felt like hours. I always loved to be in his presence and just like every other time I instigated an argument to get his attention, this was no different. It was nice. I realized that I actually liked spending time with the lion, if a little uncomfortable at being in said lion's den. "Can we stop fighting?" The question came out of nowhere, but I didn't regret it. If he wasn't willing to talk to me civilly in public then I guess the fights would have to continue.

"That is one question that will have to wait for a later time." He looked at me, unleashing the full power of his eyes on me, with his warm eyes. "Word on the street is that Draco Malfoy adores coffee." I brightened instantly.

"Absolutely! I'll make it though, I'm rather picky about..." My objection dwindled into nothing as I watched in awe as Harry expertly prepared my coffee for me. He did it faster and better than I did. When he was done, he openly laughed at my astonished expression. Although I didn't recall letting my Slytherin coldness to leave my jaw on the floor. "How'd you...?"

"Simple. I pay attention. Now drink, I didn't poison it, you know." I took a cautious sip and almost died in ecstasy. "What'd you do different?"

"I added strawberry juice."

"...No seriously." There was no way such a simple ingredient could make such a monumental difference.

"Seriously that's it. You do like it, don't you?"

"Hell yes! How'd you know I like strawberries?"

"Simple, I paid attention. When I saw you virtually gorge yourself on nothing but strawberries once a week, I decided it wasn't healthy so I had a friend put them on the tables every day. Good things in moderation not gorging yourself. That's just a recipe for disaster." We fell into a comfortable silence as I sipped my coffee, not wanting the goodness to end.

"So what else is in that thing?" I indicated towards the basket with a nod of my head.

"Basically fruit...juice...um...and apparently a spare rib..."

"What?" Well there goes the Malfoy Ice Prince cover. Or what was left of it. He pulled out what was once an entire rack of ribs with one unfinished at the bottom. It was so bizarre and random that I burst out into a fit of giggles. Only after I was done did he say anything.

"Done being cute?" I nodded, not trusting myself to talk, lest I start laughing again. "Good, because I've got another question." I indicated for him to ask. "Does your dad know?" The dead silence was so thick I had an issue giving a curt shake of my head.

"He's dying as we speak. If I tell him now, he'll disinherit me. It's not that I don't want him to know, it's that I'd rather him die thinking that he could be proud of his only son. Even if he doesn't remember me anymore. It's easier letting people see an image of what they want to see, rather than seeing what is really there."

"What do you plan on doing after school? It is N.E.W.T. year you know..."

"I...don't know. I planned on being an Auror, but spying for the Order really made me reconsider. I'm sick of the lying and the hiding and the being undercover and double spying and triple spying. It's not fun to say the least. So I think I'll just go to the muggle world to hide away for a year or two. Maybe learn to bartend or something beauty related." He nodded. "So, why'd you want to talk to me?"

"Because I find your company intriguing and I have questions about you that I'll never get the answer to if we're going to be shouting at each other."

"Ask away." My stomach did a few flips and I took another sip of me coffee to sooth my nerve.

"Do you hate me?" I gaped, appalled he'd ever come to that conclusion, and embarassed that the fighting had only made it seem like I did.

"Of course not!" His downcast face brightened a little.

"But you don't like me..." His eyes clouded a little at the thought.

"Yes, I like you. Who wouldn't?" He muttered something that I didn't quite catch. "Sorry, didn't quite catch that."

"I said you don't like me the way that I want you to..." He crawled back into a corner slowly as he confessed this. I gotta give him points, he may belong in Slytherin when he wants to be sneaky but he's definitely more of a lion than a snake for admitting that. I noticed that he had moved a good two feet away from me, and I was not very happy with the lack of warmth he put off. Only then did what he said sink in.

I slid over next to him, traveling much faster than he had moved away from me, a move purely to keep him from escaping to the safety of his friends.

"And who says I don't?"

"Well...no one did, but..."

"And just how do you want me to like you, Golden Boy?" He looked at me, clearly intent on telling me off for calling him by one of his many hated nicknames. But once he looked up, it seemed he couldn't look away.

Eventually he did and stared intently at his knees, which were pulled against his chest. I brushed a stubborn lock of his hair away from his face with my left hand, my right placing my coffee by the basket so it wouldn't accidentally spill.

He looked up again, clearly startled by the feeling of my hand on his hair and took in my current position. My legs curled into my right side, my face only a mere twelve inches from his.

"Who did the Sorting Hat say you were going to need?"

"Well, it said that I would know when I was ready to accept who it was. And I do know. I've known since last year." He swallowed.

"And...who is it?" I looked at him, took in his miserable appearance, and decided to take pity on the poor man. He clearly needed to know. I put my index finger under his chin and pulled his face up to mine so I could clearly see his eyes.

"You."

Watching Harry take in the information I just gave him was funnier than watching a drunk elephant wearing a pink tutu stand up on its hind legs and attempting to bow.

"Really?" I nodded, and he didn't look away from me. Noticing that my legs were going numb from lack of blood, I shifted my position. Stupid blood circulation...However, it could be considered a good thing, since the action brought me closer to him. I was now a total of six inches from the Golden Boy. Holy shit...damn hormones, be quiet! Stop trying to rampage around and take control of my actions!

"I'm dreaming. I'm going to wake up in a few minutes and realize I made all this up in my sleep."

"No." I disagreed with every fiber of my being. "This is reality, how can I prove that to you?"

"I don't know." So, as he didn't know, I did the first thing I could think of that would appease my raging hormones and yet make him see that I wasn't going anywhere...and hopefully not confuse him anymore. I kissed his hand.

CRACK!

"DOBBY!" If I jumped three feet at the sudden noise, I jumped three miles at Harry's sudden exclamation.

"Dobby is sorry Mister Harry Potter sir, but Dobby must take the spare rib Winky dropped into the basket"

"Why's it take you so long to figure out where it was?"

"Winky passed out, Mister Harry Potter sir, and she only woke up a few minutes ago to tell Dobby she wanted her rib back. Winky is terribly distressed Mister Harry Potter Sir."

"Okay, okay, go ahead. But please only come back if I call for you, you almost gave poor Draco a heart attack." As if only noticing me for the first time, my old house elf squeaked.

"Mister Draco Malfoy! Such a long time, a truly long time, sir!"

"Hello Dobby. Still have a thing for socks?"

"Yes sir, very much so. Well, Dobby must see that Winky gets her rib. Goodbye Misters Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy!"

CRACK!

"Talk about ruining the moment."

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"What else did you want to ask me?" He shifted and I backed up until only our legs were touching. I cradled my coffee as he answered my hesitant question.

"Well, just things in general." I gave him a pointed look. "Why did you fight with me so much? You seemed to put considerate effort into making me miserable." I sat and thought on his question for a minute or so before answering.

"Well, if my father ever found out that I wasn't being mean to the famed Harry Potter, then he would have done terrible things. So I appeased him. Plus, it gave me an excuse to talk to you, to get to know you...even if it wasn't the way I wanted." He nodded thoughtfully.

"What's your favorite color?" The question was out of the blue and completely unexpected; I had no time to think about my answer before I gave it.

"Lime green." He looked taken aback. "What?"

"I figured you would say something like silver or black. Not lime green, that was a little unexpected." I smiled. He can make my coffee better than I can, and yet he doesn't know what kind of colors I prefer...

"What's yours?"

"Mine? Hot pink." Now it was my turn to be surprised.

"Really? I thought something more muted like grey or red." He chuckled.

"Well I'm not a very muted person. Around my friends, most definitely. But when the aren't around, I'm a night owl and a party animal." He looked up at me through half-closed eyes with a sinfully sweet smile that should be made illegal.

Then what he said sunk in.

I didn't expect him to be a night owl by choice, and it seemed that it didn't bother him at all. And the party animal part really surprised me because I never would have imagined him at a club or a rave...or a party at all.

"Surprising." He cocked his head to the side.

"How so?"

"Well, normally I'd expect that sort of thing to come from me or Blaise, not you."

"It seems that you have a lot to learn about me then." He leaned back, and the tense atmosphere broke.

A loud knocking interrupted my coffee-drinking and thinking session as Harry openly stared at me.

"Harry. Harry. HARRY!"

"Finite. Yes Hermione, what do you want?" He let the annoyance run think into his voice.

"I'd like to speak to your face and not a door, for one."

"And?" She sighed audibly.

"Oh fine. It's Blaise, he's waiting for Malfoy. He wants to go–"

"And I damn well am not leaving without my friend!" Blaise's voice drowned Hermione's voice out when he cut her off mid-sentence.

"No." My voice was loud and clear, a fact I was proud of. Only a hint of my obvious anger showed. "I can make it back to the dungeons perfectly fine on my own. I don't need a babysitter every single second of my life. Go on, there's a good lad."

"But...Draco, you're in a closet with Harry Potter."

"I'm well aware, thanks. I've only been talking to him for a few hours, how could I be so stupid as to not realize that I am, indeed, within three feet of the boy and not trying to kill him?" Sarcasm flowed through, thick and heavy, like poison in my voice.

"But Pansy..."

"Can take care of herself. I don't give a damn if she throws a fit; she's not my fucking mother. My mother is dead, and she has no right to be concerned about me as much as she is. Now, go on and make sure she doesn't cause another scene with her stupid tantrums." He huffed, and I heard him stomp off.

"Harry, the rest of us are going to bed."

"Okay." He quickly reset the spells he cancelled.

"Are your friends always that demanding of you?"

"Sort of." A fond smile lit up his face a little. "They know where to leave it, at least. Are your friends always so overprotective?

"Most definitely. It's really annoying after a few days. I always have to be with one of them, otherwise they get way too edgy. No idea why either..."

"What are they going to do when you start dating?"

"How do you know I'm not dating anyone else right now?" I challenged.

"Easy. I keep informed. You rarely get alone time, let alone enough time to be dating someone. Not to mention Blaise and Pansy make social shit impossible, unless you're ragging on anyone you meet in the corridors. And they're always in the same room as you, if they're not right next to you."

"How do you know that?" It was impossible, unless he's been stalking me under a disillusion charm...or maybe he's got an invisibility cloak...

"I have my secrets and you have yours. Rest assured that I don't follow you, not really."

"Then how do you know?"

"Ask no questions, and I'll tell no lies."

"You spend too much time around the Weasley twins."

"Perhaps, but I do pick up on some useful things." He paused, thinking. "Maybe I'll tell you in time." I let that pacify me for the moment.

"Why were you staring at me before?" I just couldn't get that question out of my head.

"Because I wanted to, and because I couldn't help it." I nodded, intending to get a more specific answer out of him.

"And why is that?"

"I wanted to because you're extremely easy on the eyes, and I wanted to so much I simply couldn't help it." He looked a little sheepish, and I nodded again.

"What time is it?"

"Does it matter?" I shook my head. "What time do you think it is?"

"Um...nine-thirty?"

"Nah, it's actually eleven-forty."

"Wow. We've been up here longer than I thought." I was suddenly hit by a wave of instant fatigue and yawned, struggling to keep my eyes open.

"Would you like to go to the dungeons?" I shook my head, eyes closed.

"Too tired." through my irritation at sounding so small, I felt my stance begin to wobble, and then I was pressed against something warm and firm."

"Just sleep, then."

"M'kay." And darkness overcame me as I fell asleep, smelling the one thing that was irresistibly Harry.