When they finally reached the water, Harry couldn't help a sharp intake of breath, the scene was beautiful. Willow trees lined both sides of the canal and large, dark grey stone served as the edges of the waterway. If it were not for the stone edge, the water would have almost met with the grassy sides of the bank. The sparkling water ran steady and clear, transitioning to a deep blue at the bottom which Harry admired with awe. The two made their way to the bank, setting the basket down a few feet from the water's edge and Draco laid out the picnic blanket.
"This is amazing. How did you find out about this place?" Harry asked, still distracted by the stunning scenery.
"I came here for the first time in third year, it was winter then but it still left a lasting impression. I've been coming here ever since, every Hogsmeade trip."
"Third year…was that the year…?" Harry trailed off, looking slightly ashamed.
"Ah, yes. That trip. The one where I was a prat to Granger and was rightly pestered by a certain poltergeist." Draco looked amused but also with a hint of shame.
Harry grinned sheepishly.
"How unfortunate, I hear that has been a real problem, especially around the Shrieking Shack."
"You know, I hear that place is haunted." Draco replied with a sly grin.
"Best to avoid it in the future then, ey?" Harry suggested, winking at Draco.
The two boys chuckled, both enjoying reminiscing about the silly things they had done in their early school years. The picnic basket was opened and food was shared, the house elves had been very generous, packing them fresh pumpkin juice, little tarts, sandwiches, crackers and dips. The two enjoyed the spread, still laughing and chatting away as the afternoon sun hung lower in the sky. Once they had finished everything and packed the picnic food away, Harry came up with a rather adventurous idea.
"Hey, want to go swimming?" he asked, excitedly standing up and walking closer to the water.
"Really? In there? Very…Gryffindor of you." Draco stated, raising an eyebrow.
"Why not? It's not like anyone is around to stop us." Harry pointed out.
Draco considered it for a moment before standing up and joining Harry by the edge of the water. He met Harry's gaze, taking a deep breath before slowly unbuttoning his trousers and kicking off his shoes. Harry's cheeks reddened for what felt like the hundredth time that day and he turned away to hide his blush. He began taking off his own trousers with shaky hands, trying to act like he was fine and not feeling strange about the idea of Draco without his trousers on. While he was still fiddling with his zip he heard a loud splash and whirled around to see Draco had dived into the canal. He was happily swimming and from what Harry could see, without a shirt.
"Are you coming in then? Or do you prefer just to watch?" Draco drawled in a tone that stopped Harry's heart for a millisecond.
Harry quickly shed his shirt and dived in to join Draco in the canal, creating a sizeable splash which sprayed over the blonde. This initiated an animated splash war which continued for the next hour and ended in a contested victory for Draco. The two boys dragged themselves from the canal, water dripping all over the picnic blanket before Draco cast a drying spell on the both of them. They both shoved their trousers back on, Draco with more grace than Harry as they both lay down once more on the blanket. Chests heaving from the intensity of the war they had just ended, both boys lay almost silent, just hearing each other breathe in and out.
Harry shifted and looked over at Draco, his eyes drawn to the other boy's contented smile. Draco had closed his eyes and was relaxed, feeling the cool breeze that was rolling off the canal. He is so…beautiful, uhhh why am I thinking that? Harry's thoughts were interrupted when Draco's hand dropped from where it had been resting on his stomach to the space next to Harry's. He could almost feel their fingers touching, just half an inch more and they would be making skin to skin contact.
A/N: I got a lot more writing done today so I have another chapter coming soon. It will EVENTUALLY get to be something (hopefully) not just almost touching and awkwardness. Stay tuned!