It was so like Snape to give them a surprise test first thing in the morning.
He was relishing the disgruntled faces of each pupil as he handed them their papers, grumbling an angry "Quiet!" here and there as Seamus, Dean and Ron groaned.
Draco felt fairly confident, Potions was his forte after all and he'd been reading up on the topic excessively in order to distract himself from his Harry dilemma. He looked over his shoulder towards the door and wondered where on Earth Potter could be. Waiting for him to come barging in hurriedly with his messy mop of hair reminded him of first year, when Harry had sprinted into McGonagall's class with Weasley in tow. Her reprimanding, although mild, had embarrassed him, though it clearly hadn't affected him much as he had been late most days since.
Harry stumbled through the door less than a minute later, Snape lifted his head to face Harry, "10 points, Potter." He spat.
Harry simply nodded, looking relieved Snape had not deducted more. He took his seat beside Draco, slumping his ripped satchel beside him.
"Y'know you could just use a simple mending charm on that right?" Draco mumbled, but Harry seemed more focused on the paper laying on the desk in front of Draco.
He groaned loudly and pinched the bridge of nose in exasperation. "Test?"
Draco let out a small 'mhm' in response, his mind was more focused on other matters. He waited until after Snape glided over to pass Harry a test paper then took one calming breath.
"So, Harry, are you going to Pansy's party?"
Harry eyed him almost suspiciously, well it could have been any expression actually but Draco was trying to avoid those glistening green eyes that always seemed to dissolve any intelligence he once harboured.
"Honestly, I'm not really sure why I was even invited." He responded, brows furrowed and lips quirked up at the right corner.
Draco felt panic overcome him, he wanted Harry to go but how was he going to convince him? Moreover, what excuse did he have for Pansy extending an invitation to him? His palms felt extremely clammy, he wiped them on his robes trying to set his face into a cool expression. He went to speak but his throat hitched, so he inhaled through his nose, swallowed and tried again, "House unity?" He supplied, mimicking Pansy's own words as much more a question than a reason.
Harry let out a hollow laugh, "I'm not so sure."
Draco felt his shoulders drop and he turned to his test paper, he so desperately wanted Harry to go but he was battling with himself about whether or not he should follow Pansy's advice. Her sincere words rattled through his head, like an echo that felt slightly more certain everytime he chanced a side glance at Harry, who was getting out his quill and ink.
"It could be fun." Draco supplied. Harry turned back to him with hopeful eyes, his mouth loosely open. It seemed like he was searching the Draco's face, Draco wasn't quite sure what he was looking for, but the glint in Potter's eyes was a catalyst for a small spark of confidence within him, "Plus, it's not as if you let yourself have much fun, is it?"
Harry's lips pulled into a small smirk, "Yeah, maybe it would be." Draco noted that the raven haired boy had neglected to address his second statement but had no time to point it out as Snape turned his hourglass over, signalling the beginning of the test.
Harry let out an exaggerated sigh, rolled his neck round once and began.
It was about 40 minutes into their time when Draco finished with a smirk upturning his pink lips. He thought it easy, but one small peek at to his right told him Harry did not. In fact, Potter hadn't written much atall, the blonde stretched his arms out in front of him, strategically peering at Harry's test. He was only on question 12 and had 3 extensive writing questions left to go. Harry kept re-dipping his quill in his ink to pass the time, Draco had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he grabbed a spare piece of parchment and began scribbling an brief but ampt answer to question 12. He coughed gently, catching Harry's attention, and slid the paper into his view.
It took Harry a moment to register what the parchment was about, had he even read the question? But soon after, an unmistakable light illuminated his face as he nodded to the blonde and whispered his thanks.
Draco believed it was extremely important to find things out for yourself, as a Slytherin and avid learner he was constantly looking to challenge himself, but he couldn't seem to suppress the urge to help Harry. The thought of being someone Harry looked forward to seeing in class was a pure one he cherished. Being able to take away some of the weight he constantly carried on his shoulders seemed such a reward that he would want very little in return. Maybe it was because Draco had always vied for someone who understood him, someone who saw what he needed exactly when he needed it. Perhaps this was wishful thinking, but a part of him truly believed he could be that for Potter. Because he didn't see him as 'the chosen one' or 'the boy who lived', He was just Harry. And for Draco that was more than enough.
The last grains of sand slipped through the hourglass and the class collectively began packing away their things. They lined up to hand in the tests, each with a varying look of exhaustion. Draco passed over his paper then made his way to door, before he managed to leave the chilly classroom Harry's voice halted him. He spun around to face the shorter boy.
"Draco," Harry said once more, not worrying about the judgement of the rest of the class as they were all discussing the brutal test as they filtered out, "I'll see you at the party." He declared with an impossibly warm smile.
Draco nodded, returning the smile with one of his own, and turned around swiftly, but not before Harry caught the faint blush that was rising to the pale boy's cheeks.
