Chapter 7

"So," Harry started. "You and Pansy?"

Draco tilted his head. He stared at his boyfriend for a second, slightly offended.

"You're kidding, right?" he immediately asked.

Harry just looked at him with a neutral look.

"You're not seriously wondering if we've ever dated, right?" Draco asked, more pressingly this time but Harry didn't budge.

Draco looked disgusted. "How can you even think that?" He motioned toward the closed door. "She's just Pansy. She's like a sister. An annoying sister."

Harry still didn't respond to his defense so Hermione decided she might take over. "Well, it's a fact that the entire school seemed to think," she started carefully but one look from Draco cut her off. She bit her lip and looked outside. It was obvious that this was one conversation she had to stay out of.

Her boyfriend didn't seem to realize this, as he butted in with a rude, "She was always following you around like that."

"Exactly," Harry followed which gave Draco no chance to glare at the redhead.

"Like I said, I just ignored all the batting of the eyelids and whatever," he said, exasperated.

Harry still didn't let up. Draco sighed. "You have got to be kidding me, you're not seriously going to be upset about that?"

Blaise chose that moment to enter, muttering "Well, it's clear who wears the pants. Draco, if you're already losing at something like that you're turning soft."

Draco scowled at the unwelcome intruder as he turned to the new boy. "Wow Blaise, you sure arrived fast. You used to be able to talk back to Pansy. I guess those days are over already."

Blaise just grinned, unfazed. "She only told me you were sitting here with your boyfriend so I just had to come and see this. Gotta admit; it's not what I expected."

Pansy re-entered and the party was complete. Blaise dropped himself next to Draco, who rolled his eyes. At the same time Pansy shoved Hermione to the side to sit on the opposite couch. This earned her a loud complaint from Ron, but she pointedly ignored it. They started off with side-way glances at Harry, ignoring the other couple that was sitting in the carriage when Pansy finally spoke.

"So?"

"So what?" Draco said, annoyed at the turn the conversation had made.

"Is it true?" Blaise pitched in. "Or has Pansy just wasted my precious time?"

"Pansy always wastes people's time," Draco retorted. This earned him an angry look from Pansy, who was losing patience.

"Is he your boyfriend or not?" she snapped. Draco turned to Harry. The latter was just surprised that he was now being pulled into the conversation.

"So," Draco said, "are you my boyfriend or not?" Harry looked into his eyes, trying to keep a neutral face, then shifted his gaze over Draco's shoulder to Blaise and Pansy.

"I am extremely uncomfortable with this conversation," he answered truthfully.

Pansy sighed exaggeratedly. "That wasn't the question! Are you a Gryffindor or not? I thought you guys were supposed to be stupid or something." She made a thoughtful face, "No wait, it was something like idiots, or thoughtless."

"Well, maybe when you find the word I'll answer" Harry said, annoyed by her outburst. She glared at him but that didn't stop her from saying, "Brave," in a bored tone. Harry smirked not unlike Draco and shrugged. "Yes, I'm his boyfriend and you're pretty blind if you haven't figured that out on your own by now." Draco looked at her with raised eyebrows, showing her she'd lost the fight. Pansy just huffed, surprisingly undignified for a Pureblood, and turned away. Thethird Slytherin was sitting to the side, very much enjoying the entertainment.

"So it seems the boy's become more Slytherin over the holidays," Blaise pitched in.

"That would be because of my good influence," Draco retorted with a smirk at Harry. His boyfriend punched his shoulder and they grinned at each other. Pansy and Blaise stared at them in annoyance and rolled their eyes at the overly-Gryffindor display but Hermione smiled, used to it by now.

Meanwhile Ron was angrily glaring outside and trying to block the abundance of Slytherin from his mind.

In the next moment, Draco, Blaise and Pansy started a heated discussion about broomsticks, quidditch and tactics for the tournament this year. When Harry got over the surprise of the moment, and realized he wouldn't be shot down if he dared to speak, he also joined the conversation. It all ended with Harry and Blaise taking one side, being backed-up by a timid Hermione, while Pansy and Draco fervently took the other side and Ron just sat there in shock.

When they arrived at school, they split up. It wasn't by choice though… or at least not by Draco or Harry's choice. But Blaise and Pansy seemed to have different opinions about that. They dragged Harry's boyfriend off to a different carriage, now pulled by creatures that sadly everyone could see, with the excuse that there wasn't enough space in the Gryffindors'.

The rest of the journey was a silent one. Somewhere halfway to the dining hall the other Gryffindors caught up with them and set off a string of light-hearted conversations. This year, the Great Hall was more crowded than ever because almost all the students from before the war were back in their own year, and there were new first years as well. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down with the rest of their friends. In less than a few hours, the rumours about Draco and Harry being able to tolerate each other enough to arrive together on the station (and maybe even ride in the same carriage, but who really believed that, right?) had spread throughout the school. Harry ignored the annoying rumors by hunching over the table and choking down his food.

For Draco, the journey was less pleasant. He'd only just left the carriage to be assaulted by questioning looks and one or two rude inquiries about his father. Thankfully most people seemed too frightened or preoccupied to really push the matter. Still, he had to push through a horrible crowd to get inside and things didn't really improve there either. It was like swimming through jelly; you just didn't move forward. When he finally entered the Great Hall, all heads seemed to be turned towards him. But he held his head high and strode of to a place at the Slytherin table.

Harry spent the entire time trying to see how Draco was doing, but people around him didn't make that easy. They were all trying to talk to him or blocking his view or breaking his concentration in other annoying ways. He finally caught a glimpse of the perfect blonde as the boy was getting up to leave. Harry exchanged glances with Hermione and Ron, showing he wanted to go as well. He wanted to catch up with him, he wanted to talk to him, he wanted to help him, he ...

Hermione told him to calm down. Harry took a deep breath but it didn't stop his heart from beating too fast as he almost ran out the room. However, it was all in vain. Draco had hurried away from the crowd and by the time Harry finally got outside, he was already gone. He was more than a little disappointed when he walked back to his own dorm.

It was difficult to focus on the small talk everyone was making as they were unpacking. His mind kept wandering back to the dungeons. Was he alright? How was he being treated? What was he doing? What was he thinking? He didn't realise that someone was talking to him until an angry voice shouted.

"HARRY!"

"Huh? What?" he mumbled.

"Jeez, Harry, where are your thoughts? You're like a love-struck maiden." They all laughed but Harry noticed Ron's concerned looks. He smiled reassuringly. Ron might not like Draco, but he did care about Harry.

That night, Harry decided that he'd find Draco before breakfast.