Cute when you smile

All in all, the Slytherins had taken the news that Draco and Harry were officially a couple remarkably well. There had been the inevitable taunts and threats, but those were far fewer than Draco could have hoped for, and they were rapidly quashed with threats of exceedingly nasty hexes. Draco had been the Prince of Slytherin for years now, and he had enough power to get away with just about anything. Including, thankfully, bringing Harry Potter into the Slytherin common room.

He could remember the first time Harry had been inside the common room. The Gryffindor boy had gawked, then grinned slightly, and muttered something about, 'hasn't changed a bit.' Draco chose not to comment.

Naturally, they had their problems. Didn't everyone? Draco was far too afraid to open himself up completely any farther, and Harry had an irritating habit of trying to pry too deep too fast. A few well placed stinging insults had largely cured him of it, but Draco could just tell that he was waiting for his chance.

Then again, compared to what he had expected a year ago, this was as close to heaven on Earth as Draco could imagine. He had a friend and a true love, decent grades, and no immediate threats on his life. His father had even stopped pestering him, though Draco suspected that that was just because Lucius Malfoy had forgotten about him. He refused to think about that: no point looking a gift horse in the mouth and all.

He knew that Harry had entered the common room, but he didn't raise his eyes from his book. He would soon, but it was important to maintain his image, even with the one he loved.

"Hey," Harry's voice was lightly teasing, a warm caress without actual contact.

"Mm?" Draco asked, not looking up from the book he was reading. He was going to make Harry work for this!

"Aren't you going to look at me?" Harry asked, forcing mock hurt into his voice. Draco rolled his eyes and looked up, his gray eyes caressing Harry's form. He slipped a bookmark into the book, meeting Harry's eyes lazily.

"Happy?"

"I'd be happier if you kissed me," Harry said, his eyes boring into Draco's.

Draco rolled his eyes in loving irritation. "My, you are demanding, aren't you?" he purred. Not that he was complaining too hard, mind you. He was just having far too much fun to resist. He leaned across the gap, kissing Harry thoroughly. "Better?" he asked.

Harry nodded.

"And is that all you wanted?" Draco asked.

"Aren't you going to talk to me?" Harry asked.

Draco shrugged. "Do you have anything interesting to say?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Unimaginative, aren't you?" he drawled. "What, you're allowed to drop the flawless comeback on your home territory?"

Draco grimaced. Obviously Harry knew him far too well, and he was using that to his advantage. "No one cares here," he explained, grinning slightly. "I'm on top, and Zabini is so far behind me in terms of status that I don't even have to try anymore."

Harry snorted. "So that's all it is here? Status?"

Maybe he didn't know Draco that well after all. It was a disappointment. "Didn't you realize that? You'd think people would have figured it out by now."

"You hide it so well," Harry told him. "After all, it's beneath you to care about such things, isn't it?"

Draco nodded approvingly. "You're learning," he said. "Maybe you would have done well here after all."

Harry grimaced. "Don't say that," he muttered.

Draco blinked. "What?" Slytherin wasn't that bad! He knew that they had a bad reputation, but still!

"Promise not to tell?" Harry's voice was low, almost urgent.

"Depends on what it is," Draco said warily.

"Promise, or I won't tell."

Draco sighed. He wanted to know more than ever now, and a vow of silence was a small enough price to pay. "You're hard to please. All right, I promise."

Harry took a deep breath, obviously steeling himself to spill some great secret. "The sorting hat wanted to put me into Slytherin." He dropped his head into his hands, apparently too ashamed to contemplate looking up.

Draco snorted, repressing the urge to burst out laughing. That was it? Harry Potter's greatest secret was that a talking hat had wanted to put him into Slytherin when he was eleven years old? It was almost pathetic. Harry wouldn't appreciate that, though, and Draco could tell that the other boy really did think it was a big deal. He rolled his eyes, then slipped his hands under Harry's and levered the other boy's face up to look at him."Harry, there's nothing wrong with that, you know."

"But… Slytherin!" Harry moaned.

Draco was having a very hard time keeping the laughter from his voice as he cautioned, "Don't forget where you are. We're rather proud of our House, you know."

"I… I'm sorry." Harry sounded truly contrite, and Draco decided to forgive him. After all, he was still technically a newcomer in the House of Snake.

To that end, he changed the subject slightly. "So that's the big secret. Nothing else? No dastardly addictions to sugar quills, or midnight visits to see Moaning Myrtle that I should know about?"

Harry goggled at him, obviously horrified. "Myrtle?! You must be joking!"

Draco's grin dripped with malicious pleasure. He still enjoyed taunting Harry, despite their truce, and he couldn't resist. Harry's reaction was making this so much more entertaining than he could have imagined. "She fancies you, you know."

"I know," Harry assured him. "She has since I was twelve." He grimaced, obviously remembering the ghost more clearly. Suddenly, his face turned a bright scarlet, and his eyes dropped down and began a very deliberate study of his hands.

Draco laughed again. "What?" he asked. "Something you're not telling me?" Something worse than Slytherin?

"Yes," Harry agreed. "I won't either. You would just get jealous and try to kill her. No one should be killed twice."

Draco's eyes widened momentarily. "You mean…" he trailed off in frustrated horror, preferring just to gawk open-mouthed at Harry.

Harry grimaced. "Nothing happened. She was just… call it wrong place at the wrong time."

"What did she see?" Draco demanded, more curious than ever and more than a little appalled. What had he been doing?

"Me," Harry admitted. "In the bath."

"In the…" Draco was well aware that his Malfoy mask had slipped completely, but he couldn't put it back on. Harry… in the bath… with Moaning Myrtle. "Are you telling me that you took a bath and let her in?"

"I didn't let her in," Harry objected. "She just came!"

Draco shook his head. Clearly Harry hadn't grown up in a house where the mirrors talked and House Elves could open locked doors. "Harry, you really must be more careful! Remind me to teach you the proper veiling wards. You never know when they'll pop up, and it's best if you're prepared."

Harry shrugged, apparently at a loss for what to say. He started to speak, thought again, decided not to, and closed his mouth firmly. Draco's raised eyebrow went unnoticed, and Draco decided not to pry. After all, if he wanted Harry to stay out of his secrets, it would be best if he did the same.

"So, apart from that, do you have any more secrets you want to spill?" Draco asked him instead, hoping that he would appreciate the sacrifice.

"Not that I know of," Harry said. "Why, do you?"

Draco considered. What could he say? He didn't have that many secrets that he was willing to share, even with Harry. Suddenly, he thought of something. Yes, that would work. He grinned.

"I can't stand Weasley. But then, that's no secret. And I think you're cute when you smile."

Harry stared at him. "What?"

Draco shrugged, slightly uncomfortable. He wasn't one for flowery compliments, and that one had been slightly unexpected. He hoped Harry appreciated it. "You asked me for my secrets," he said. "I gave them to you. Well, one of them. We can't divulge everything all at once, now can we?"

Harry smiled slightly, obviously reading between the lines and accepting, for once, that Draco didn't want to talk. "You're cute when you smile too, you know."

Draco preened. "Of course," he agreed. He was a Malfoy, after all. Good looks came with the package. Then again, few people actually said it. Most were far too afraid of him to say anything like that. He realized with a start that, apart from his mother's crooning when he was a child, that was the first compliment he'd ever received. His father didn't believe in them. He decided that he liked it.

"But it's always nice to hear it."

Harry reached across, brushing Draco's hair with the tips of his fingers. "You just have to ask," he murmured, "and I will tell you as many times as you want."

"You could show me instead," Draco suggested, his voice slightly hoarse with anticipation and desire. Compliments were all very well, but this was better. He edged forward slightly, inviting Harry to take him and eager to absorb the other boy in return.

"I could," Harry agreed. They met halfway, their lips touching in a single moment of overwhelming love and desire. Draco met Harry's eyes in that instant, and he was blown away by the depth of love he saw in the black haired boy's emerald gaze. He had never felt this… loved before, and he realized with a start that he wanted more of it. He deepened the kiss, praying as he did so that nothing would ever change.

Disclaimer: I own nothing created by the excellent J. K. Rowling. Both Harry and Draco are, unfortunately, hers, and I'm just messing with their heads. Please review and tell what you think. Yes, it is indeed fluff. I did my best not to include any angst at all, and I hope I succeeded. My floatiness has subsided a bit, but that's all right, considering the next chapters. Parallel of… yeah, you already know all of this. Read and review. Please!