Title: Phoenix Tears
Author: slytherin-nette
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters you recognize from the HP books in this story. All I own is the plot. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling.
Full Summary: To Draco Malfoy, his orders from the remaining Death Eaters were simple. Turn Harry Potter into a woman. Get her pregnant. Resurrect Lord Voldemort's soul into the baby's body. The plan was flawless. He just never planned on falling in love. [DM/femHP]. Post-DH Hogwarts.
Pairings: DM/femHP, Past HP/GW, RW/HG, others.
Warnings: Tormented!Draco and Bitter!Harry. Spoilers from Books pregnancy and VERY dark and mature themes.
A/N: Hello everyone! From here on out, the story will start to pick up as I will be moving a bit faster with regards to our favorite couple. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! :D
Chapter 10 – Wishing and Wanting
Harry paused before she raised a hand to knock gently on Hermione's Head Girl dormitory.
When she didn't get a response from her brown-haired best friend, she hesitated before pushing past the door and letting herself in, making her way down the small corridor towards the living room. The scene that greeted her was one that made her stop and smile quietly in amusement.
Ron and Hermione were cuddled together on the couch near the fireplace – both teenagers fast asleep in each other's arms with their quills, parchment, and schoolbooks scattered along the floor. Hermione's head was resting on Ron's shoulder while Ron's arm was curled comfortably around her waist, his face nuzzled against her hair. The two made such a cute sight that Harry felt guilty walking in on them and she would have walked back out had Hermione suddenly stirred in her sleep.
The minute she saw Harry there, however, the Head Girl's eyes brightened immediately and she tore herself away from Ron so she could beckon the other Gryffindor into the room.
"Harry! We've been wondering all day where you were! Come on in, sit down!" She greeted, blushing slightly as she shook Ron awake and tried to clear the mess of books and quills around them. Harry chuckled at the sleepy, irritated expression on Ron's face and plopped herself down onto the armchair facing the fireplace. She raised her eyes and gazed admiringly around the room's interior.
"Wow…Being the Head Girl sure has its perks. Doesn't it, Hermione…?" She teased lightly, watching as Hermione hastily tried to smooth out the tangles and wrinkles in her long brown hair.
Flicking her brown eyes back at her, Hermione gave her a smile and leaned back against the couch. Beside her, Ron was finally coming out of his grogginess and gave a loud, lazy yawn. "I guess so, Harry. It's just a little lonely here sometimes…I miss the Gryffindor common room and being able to spend time with everyone there." She mused wistfully but Harry answered her with a smug grin.
"Well…Think about it this way, Hermione…Now, you and Ron have a private place to spend some time together alone to yourselves…." She teased, smirking again when both Ron and Hermione blushed this time at her words. Scoffing, Ron rolled his eyes and tossed a throw pillow at her face.
"Apparently that's what we were doing before you came barging in, Harry." He quipped and Harry and Hermione both laughed at his disgruntled remark, shaking their heads in avid amusement.
Just as Harry had leaned back against her chair again, Hermione suddenly glanced over at her in concern. "Harry…? Not that it's any of my business or anything but would you like to borrow some clothes…? Those clothes of yours are too big; they're practically falling off you." She observed in worry, her eyes flicking down and inspecting the large, oversized t-shirt and jeans hanging off Harry's form.
At her words, Harry's smile instantly dissolved into a scowl and she self-consciously tugged her t-shirt – Dudley's old clothes when he was younger – tighter over her frame and adjusted her glasses along her face. She ignored Ron's snort of agreement and shook her head firmly at Hermione.
"No thank you, Hermione…These clothes are fine. I'd rather not draw too much attention to the fact that I now have breasts and hips." She let out an involuntary shudder when an image suddenly flashed in her mind – that of her dream of almost being raped by a cloaked, dark figure.
Another shudder escaping her, she tore her gaze away from Ron and Hermione's questioning looks at her so they wouldn't see the way her face had suddenly gone pale at the memory. "B—besides…Your clothes would probably still be too big anyway, Hermione. You're a little taller than me." She mentioned glumly, slightly put out at the fact that her female friend was now taller than her.
Hermione sighed but managed to give her a sympathetic smile, reaching over and lightly touching one of the other girl's long, uncombed locks. "By a couple of inches, Harry. Don't act so high and mighty about it, it's not like you were that much taller than me anyway." She scoffed, earning herself a weak glare from Harry just as Ron chuckled at the flash of irritation in her green eyes.
When Harry shifted her glare to him, Ron held up a hand and pretended to shake his head. "Don't look at me like that, mate. She's right. Between the three of us, you weren't that tall to begin with." He teased further, finally causing Harry to roll her eyes at them and slink back in her seat.
"Brilliant. That makes me feel loads better. Thanks you two."
Her two best friends laughed again just as Harry sighed and tugged her glasses off, setting the frames onto the table in front of them before leaning back and closing her eyes in exhaustion. Ron watched her silently in hesitation for a minute before he finally took a deep breath and spoke up softly.
"Harry…Mate, I'm actually glad you're here." He ignored Hermione's uncertain looks at him and sat up straighter in her seat. "I've been talking to some of the members of our Quidditch team lately…Well, just this morning actually. And…Well…" Ron's eyebrows fused together as he tried to think of the appropriate approach to tell her. "They've been…persisting that I talk to you about being the Team Captain this year. You know…Since the Quidditch season is about to start and all, they think—"
Without opening her eyes, Harry just let out another soft, defeated sigh.
"I don't think so, Ron."
Hermione opened her mouth to intervene but Ron beat her to it again and frowned, narrowing his eyes and giving Harry a questioning glare. "Harry, why not? Look, I know you're a girl now and everything but given the circumstances of things, I would have thought this would cheer you up—"
Harry scoffed and answered him in a flat tone of voice.
"I hardly think Quidditch is the first thing on my mind right now, Ron. I'm sorry. No."
"B—but—"
Hermione cut off rest of Ron's protests by grabbing his arm and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Harry—" She bit her lip and waited until Harry's eyes opened and shifted to focus on her. "—I suppose what Ron is trying to say is…In a not so delicate manner I might add—" With that, she cast a pointed glare at the redhead, causing her boyfriend to wince to himself. "—that the Gryffindors would really like it if you could at least play seeker for the team again this year. You know…Just for old time's sake I guess." She paused again and watched Harry's facial expression carefully for her reaction.
The other girl seemed to be staring off into space at the moment, her green eyes wide and unblinking. Taking this as a positive sign, Hermione continued and offered her a small, roguish smile.
"Besides…There's no other seeker in Gryffindor with your talent, Harry. You've got to play for us again. If even just as seeker, you don't have to be the team captain or anything. Right, Ron?" Hermione nudged Ron sharply on the shoulder to get his attention, causing him to wince in pain again.
"Er…Y—yeah, Harry. It would be really great if you could be seeker for us again—"
Ron cut himself off again and looked up at the sound of Harry's soft chuckle, his muscles loosening in relief when he saw that there appeared to be a ghost of amusement in her eyes.
"Harry…?"
Flicking her eyes up slowly at him, Harry just allowed the corner of her lips to quirk upwards once into a small smile before she nodded once in agreement. "Mmm…I suppose Quidditch wouldn't be so bad. But—" She glared pointedly at Ron, unknowingly causing the redhead to wince silently again.
"—I will be seeker ONLY if you're the team captain. Can you tell them that?" She asked Ron with a small, conspiratorial grin, which her best friend immediately returned with a smile of his own.
"I suppose…That can be arranged." He nodded and gave both girls a wide grin. "Let me talk to the team about it this afternoon. I'll bet they'll agree to anything just to get Harry back on the team." He told them smugly, chuckling softly when Harry just rolled her eyes and Hermione stared at him.
"Speaking of the team…I hear Ginny is trying out again this year." Hermione's worried, hesitant gaze shifted from Ron's warning glare at her to Harry's awkward expression. "Have you guys…talked…about anything? You aren't really serious with this break-up, are you?" She asked softly but as soon as the words had left her mouth, she immediately wished she could take them back.
Harry's eyes had suddenly hardened at the mere mention of Ginny and she stiffened, causing Ron to pale and shoot his girlfriend a dirty glare. Hermione realized her mistake instantly and flushed as she tried to rush out her apology. "H—Harry, I'm sorry! That wasn't what I meant, I just—"
She stopped when Harry shook her head and sighed again, closing her eyes and raising a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. Her green eyes suddenly took on a weary expression and she looked up at them, managing to give them a weak smile. "It's…alright, Hermione. I…Like I said…It was kind of expected…. It was a doomed relationship from the very beginning…No one's to blame." She told the other girl softly, ignoring the sudden flashing in Ron's eyes at the implication of her words.
The redheaded Gryffindor would have said more had Hermione not taken advantage of the sudden silence to change the topic. Just as Ron opened his mouth to ask Harry what she meant, Hermione suddenly spoke up and turned to give Harry a grim look. "Harry…Have you spoken to the Ministry about what's happened regarding your case? I mean…About any possible leads and all…?" She asked softly, reaching a hand over and gently brushing back the locks of hair from her friend's eyes.
Harry looked up in surprise at her unexpected question and stared blankly at her for a minute, her green eyes widening slowly in realization. Then, as though it had just hit her, she suddenly flinched to herself and clenched her hands into tight fists. "Damn it…That reminds me. I have to go to Hagrid's house this afternoon to talk to him about the case…Or what's left of it anyway. I almost forgot…" She muttered darkly to herself, unaware of the worried look Ron and Hermione shared.
She ignored their silence, however and brushed her hair back from her face again with an irritated sigh. "Whatever the Ministry's told Hagrid anyway…I doubt anything's going to change for the better anytime soon. I suppose I'm stuck like this…For Merlin knows how long. What does it all matter?" She drawled more to herself than to anyone else, her voice laced with bitterness and anger.
Hermione bit her lip at the desolate tone of Harry's voice and reached a hand over, placing it gently over Harry's smaller one and giving the pale limb a soft squeeze. "Harry…I…Know this may not mean much…But we're here for you. You know that." She met Ron's nod of agreement beside her for a moment before turning back to give Harry a comforting smile. "We will always support you…No matter what happens…At least you can count on that." She whispered softly, watching as those bright emerald green orbs lifted slowly and stared at her, rewarding her with a gentle look of gratitude.
"H—Hermione…Ron…I…I…Thank—"
"Rest assured mate…With all those weird, perverted blokes staring at you all the time now, you can be certain I'll kick their arses for you. Did you realize you're one good looking girl-bloke?"
Ron blinked in confusion when he noticed that both Harry and Hermione had stiffened at his rather blunt comment, both girls freezing up for a long moment as though trying to process his words. For a minute, he thought he had said the wrong thing when he saw the anger flashing in Hermione's dark brown eyes. Just as he was gathering the right, proper apology in his head, a soft sound of what sounded suspiciously like Harry's barely muffled laughter began to fill the silence of the living room.
Blinking rapidly and his cheeks flushing with embarrassment, Ron held his breath and slowly raised his eyes up again – only to have them widen incredulously moments later when he saw that Harry was, in fact, laughing loudly and practically falling all over herself in her genuine hilarity. Beside her, Hermione stared at her in confusion and utter bewilderment, her jaw opening and closing like a gaping fish when she realized that Harry had obviously found the insensitive comment…hilarious.
"Er…Harry…? Are you—"
Ron blinked and stopped talking when Harry raised a hand up to indicate for him to wait for her. Her shoulders were still shaking with laughter when she finally gathered enough breaths to look up at him, her green eyes twinkling in good humor. With a wink that briefly reminded Ron of a very similar expression Harry used to give him back as a male, she offered him a weak, amused smirk.
"So I've noticed, Ron…It's too bad I don't swing that way then, huh…? I reckon that would have made a lot of things easier for me from here on out." She managed to kid weakly, chuckling again at the sound of Hermione's scandalized gasp at her words as she glared at her smirking friends.
"That is NOT funny, Harry—"
"—which reminds me…I've been meaning to ask you two…" Harry's smile easily transformed into a knowing smirk and she winked at them again, giving her two best friends a teasing look.
"I've always wanted to know…How far have you two gone….You know…base-wise?" Her smirk grew at the sight of both her friends' heated blushes and she waggled her eyebrows suggestively at them, causing Hermione to redden even darker and to send her a very dangerous, scandalized glare.
"H—Harry, you….You are such a PERVERT!"
SMACK!
"O—ow! Hermione, wait—I was kidding—"
Ron's ears flushed bright red as he fell backwards from the couch into fresh peals of laughter.
"I've got to go guys…I have to meet up with Hagrid…Then, I have to go to St. Mungo's again."
"Are you really serious about this truce with Malfoy, Harry…? I'm a bit worried for you."
"What's NOT to worry about? The bloody git's a former deatheater and absolute scum, Harry! I don't trust him one bit! He's obviously out to get you somehow and if I find out that he's—"
"I'll be fine, Ron. You two go on ahead and spend some time together. I'll see you tomorrow."
"B—but…Harry! I—it's Malfoy! It's—bloody MALFOY!"
Ron's angry protests still rang clear in Harry's ears later that afternoon as she made her way back from Hagrid's hut to Hogwarts castle, taking great care to step carefully along the stone steps up to the school entrance so as to avoid slipping along the snow. Shivering to herself, she pulled her Gryffindor scarf tighter around her neck and shoved her hands into her jacket pockets just as she reached the top of the stone steps and began to walk back slowly to the nearby entrance to the castle.
Hmm…Ron does have a point, Harry…It IS Malfoy. Are you so sure you can trust him so easily…? A voice inside her own head pointed out just as she reached the entrance, causing the Gryffindor to frown to herself again when she couldn't find the answer to her own silent question.
Ignoring the stares she knew she was receiving from the group of fourth-year Ravenclaws gathered by the benches near the castle entrance, Harry shook the thought away and began making her way towards the school again, her footsteps light and graceful. She stopped just as she reached the castle doors and turned back around, her eyes roaming slowly around the surrounding scenery.
By then, undeterminable amounts of winter had fallen over the school and had buried Hogwarts in a layer of clean white snow – gloomy yet cheerful at the same time as Harry briefly thought about the nearing Christmas season. The Yule Ball for fourth year to seventh year students was coming up next month and Harry had barely realized she would be going without Ginny – perhaps just alone or skipping the ball altogether as she would most probably just draw too much attention.
Why can't I just have a normal life…? Why can't I just be happy for once…? Harry asked no one in particular as she blinked up at the slowly darkening sky, her eyes clouding over in growing sadness. Her mood had dampened considerably, particularly after Hagrid had explained to her what the ministry had decided on. He hadn't even the strength to meet her eyes as he told her the truth.
There is no cure…I'm stuck like this…A woman…For the rest of my life…Or what's left of it. Harry thought bitterly to herself, swallowing the dry lump that had formed in her throat the thought.
"Harry…The ministry's tryin ter find the culprit responsible for your attack…But so far…they've got nuthin… Yer…Yer stuck like this, Harry…They said…There's…nuthin they can do…There's no cure."
Harry clenched her hands into fists again and resisted the urge to punch something, knowing full well that with her luck, she would probably punch the wall and end up getting hurt in the process. Sighing weakly and burying her face into her hands, she leaned against the castle entrance doors behind her. She stood there for such a long time that she barely realized that more snow had begun to fall around them, causing her to blink in surprise when as a single snowflake caught into her lashes.
Closing her eyes and wiping the snowflake away, she opened them again and watched as one, by one, the different groups of Hogwarts students gathered around the outside benches began to stand up and race back towards the school while covering their heads with their books. Their laughter and incoherent chatter filled her ears for several minutes before everything grew silent again and Harry found herself alone, staring serenely into the distance as the snow continued to fall around her.
She stood there like a beautiful porcelain statue, blank and unmoving.
I've always loved snow…So white and beautiful.
Harry's gaze drifted to the horizon and she sighed slowly to herself, her eyes softening in thought. Quirking her lips into a curious grin, she straightened and began walking towards the lake.
"The snow's quite beautiful…Isn't it, Abraxas…?"
Draco chuckled to himself as he heard his eagle owl's soft hoot of acknowledgment from where he was perched proudly on his owner's left shoulder. Ignoring the shivers that were beginning to wrack his lean frame, Draco wrapped his winter cloak tighter around himself and walked on further – his mercury orbs scouting the entire area to make sure none of the younger years were still outside.
Damn Head Boy rounds…I could be inside my room right now with a hot cup of chocolate…Instead of out here freezing my skin off. Why couldn't the mudblood be assigned patrolling duty today…? Draco thought irritably to himself as he continued to circle the castle in impatience.
He spotted several fifth year Slytherins around a tall tree near the back of the castle and signaled curtly to them to head back to the castle. They sneered in disdain but stood up and began traipsing back, their loud jibes and laughter echoing in the deafening silence as they passed him.
Draco ignored their comments, however, and shoved his hands into his pockets. He continued walking until he reached the very back of Hogwarts and stopped just as he was overlooking the frozen lake – his gray eyes widening slowly when he caught sight of the small, lone figure at the very center.
Still perched on his shoulder, Abraxas gave another indignant hoot at him but Draco barely heard him, his gray eyes softening as they stared at the small, beautiful girl standing not too far away.
Harry.
Harry hummed to herself as she spun her charmed sneakers swiftly to the side and skated along the lake's smooth, icy surface, closing her eyes briefly as she felt the cool wind hitting her face.
Hmm…This is nice…Quiet…Peaceful…I wonder why I never did this before. She didn't bother opening her eyes as she turned effortlessly and skid along the lake again in a perfect semi-circle, the enchanted ice blades charmed onto the bottom of her sneakers skidding softly along the clear flat ice.
Figured those stupid skating lessons Dudley never finished had to be good for something…Harry frowned to herself at the sudden reminder of her older cousin and before she could stop, she found herself thinking briefly about her extended family and about how they were doing.
Speaking of Dudley…I wonder how he is…Or Aunt Petunia…Or Uncle Vernon…Harry's scowl darkened suddenly and she turned sharply along the ice, leaving a deep cut along the surface. They're probably fine and happy without me…Now that the 'freak' is out of the house, they can live a normal life again. She thought bitterly, unable to prevent the familiar feelings of anger boiling in her chest.
She sneered and turned around sharply again, making another fresh cut along the ice. I wonder how they'd react when they see me this way…They'd probably go completely ballistic and call me even more of a freak. A guy trapped inside a girl's body…Who would have thought? Sick world… Harry's jaw clenched in anger again and she turned one last time, nearly making yet another angry mark along the ice with her shoes had she not heard the soft sound of an owl hooting in the distance.
What the…Who's— Harry snapped her eyes open immediately in alarm and looked up with blazing green eyes, ready to snap at whoever it was out to taunt her about her condition again. Instead of feeling overcome with anger, however, she was surprised to find herself staring into a pair of mercury orbs, the sight of which caused her to momentarily stop abruptly in the middle of the lake.
"Draco…?"
She flushed unknowingly at the sight of him and met his unnerving stare with a confused look, taking in the beautiful eagle owl perched on his shoulder and the strange softness in his gray eyes. For a long time, he ignored her questioning look at him and continued to stare at her in admiring silence, his intense stare lingering intently on her face and watching the wind blow through her hair.
"How long have you been standing there…?"
Harry's eyebrows fused together in growing annoyance as she skated over to him, stopping just where the lake slid up the bank of snow so she stood several feet from the Slytherin. Trying to ignore the look in his eyes, she reached over his shoulder and gently stroked his owl's feathers.
"Handsome owl…What's his name…?"
It seemed that the fact she was standing so close to him had managed to snap Draco out of his self-induced staring and he finally flushed in realization, blinking rapidly as he tore his eyes away. "A—Abraxas…H—his name is Abraxas…" He swallowed audibly to stop himself from stammering. "I named him after my grandfather…" He told her softly, watching out of the corner of his eye as Harry's lips quirked upwards into a small smile and she nodded, running her hands over Abraxas' feathers.
"I had an owl once…Her name was Hedwig…She was really beautiful too…Snowy white…Really smart…" Harry felt a pang of sadness as she pulled her hand back and adjusted the scarf on her neck. She trailed her gaze back up and offered the Slytherin a friendly smile when Draco seemed to shift around uncomfortably as though he was unsure of what to say. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he finally looked up and hesitantly returned her smile, his eyes flicking to the frozen lake behind her.
"That was….Really beautiful…I mean…" He flushed again and adjusted the winter hat over his head when Harry gave him a questioning look. "What you were doing…Floating along the ice like that…? You were really…Graceful. How did you do it…? Is it some kind of magical floating or what…?" His eyes flicked down and stared curiously at Harry's enchanted sneakers in mild interest.
At the look of genuine curiosity in the Slytherin's eyes, Harry couldn't help laughing softly and shaking her head, raising one of her feet up to show him the glass blades attached to the soles. "It's…not floating…It's called ice skating. It's…actual a popular past time in the muggle world. I…I used to do it a lot in the park when I was a kid…It reminds me of flying, actually. Probably why I found it so easy to fly when I first started." She admitted quietly, meeting his eyes and offering him a small grin.
"I realize it's not exactly the manliest of pastimes but hell…I'm a bloody girl now anyway so I don't think it really matters now if I do anything to jeopardize my masculinity." She quipped wryly and if anything, the dry tone of her voice caused Draco to laugh as well, his eyes lighting up with humor.
"I wasn't going to say anything…" He pointed out with a smile, causing Harry to make a face at him just before she turned around on the ice again and skated several meters away. When she spun back around to face him, Draco was staring quietly at her again with a smile lingering on his face.
Feeling a little uncomfortable, Harry raised an eyebrow and gave him a miffed look.
"What?"
Blinking and shaking the expression away from his face, Draco quirked his lips into a self-satisfied smirk. "Nothing…It's just…" His lips twitched a bit and he had to turn his face away from her to hide his smile, unwittingly causing her eyes to narrow even further as she turned to glare at him.
"What? What is it, Malfoy?!"
Draco's shoulders shook with mirth as he lifted his finally lifted his gaze up and met her eyes, allowing her to see the genuine sparkle of amusement in the bright, silver orbs. "It's just that…You moved so much like a girl like that…On the ice, I mean…I was imagining you as a boy and I—"
SPLAT!
He didn't finish the rest of his sentence when a snowball came flying right at his face and cut him right off, causing the Slytherin to sputter indignantly for several seconds as he wiped the ice off his face and turned to glare angrily at her. From where she was standing on the ice several feet away, Harry was holding another snowball in her hand and was smirking at him, one of her eyebrows raised up in an expression of obvious challenge. Seeing his evident anger, she laughed and grinned at him.
"What's the matter, Malfoy…? Can't fight back against a girl?"
His eyes flashed and just as he was about to bite out a sarcastic retort, Harry tossed another snowball at him and this time, it managed to hit him square in the face – causing him to stumble backwards a couple of steps in surprise. Abraxas hooted indignantly and shot off Draco's shoulder, shooting his disgruntled owner an irritated look before he flew off towards the distant Hogwarts owlery.
Laughing and watching as Draco wiped his face again, Harry skated several more meters away from him and grinned widely, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. As soon as he had managed to see clearly, Draco narrowed his eyes and glared poisonously at her, all of the familiar feelings of annoyance he felt towards his Gryffindor rival suddenly resurfacing as he watched her laughing form.
Unable to control himself, he gritted his teeth and shot her a malicious sneer.
"That is not funny, Potter…You'll pay for that one."
Harry's eyes widened for a split second and she watched nervously as Draco lifted his wand and pointed it at his feet, initiating a charm spell that molded a blade of ice at the bottom of his shoes. Checking to make sure both shoes had properly been charmed, Draco seemed to hesitate slightly before he stepped onto the ice and stood perfectly still, trying to find his balance. It took several more seconds for him to do so and once he managed to stand up straighter, Harry began to back away.
"Draco, it was a joke...Don't take it too seriously. I was just playing around—"
Draco glared at her, his eyes glinting in unmistakable anger.
"Well it wasn't funny, Potter and if you think for one minute that I'm going…to…Damn it!" Draco cut himself off before he had managed to finish his properly formed threat and began to curse loudly, his eyes growing as wide as saucers as his shoes began to skid along the ice on their own.
"D—damn it…Potter! How do you control these things?! Mine are dysfunctional, they're not working!" His voice rose several levels in his panic and he began to flail his arms around in panic, inevitably causing Harry – who was standing several feet away from him – to stare at him a bewildered expression on her face for a long moment, her eyes slowly growing wider and wider.
Biting her lip furiously in an attempt to stifle the hysterical laughter that was threatening to erupt from her, she swallowed audibly and tried to hide a smile as she reached a hand out to him.
"H—here, Draco…I think you just need to find your balance. Take my hand—"
Draco felt a surge of humiliation at the sound of the shaky, barely concealed hilarity in her voice and growled loudly, turning sharply to his side in an attempt to grab her hand and pull her down with him. It backfired on him, however, and as he turned, what little control he had over his skates was lost and he began to skid forward slowly, causing the Head Boy's eyes to widen in absolute panic.
"W—wait, POTTER! Don't just stand there, do something!" Harry was way past hysterics at this point and was trying so hard to keep from laughing that she was red in the face, watching helplessly as Draco skidded himself clumsily – sharp protests, flailing limbs and all – towards a tree.
Draco cursed loudly right before he slammed painfully into the trunk and toppled backwards onto the ice, his winter hat falling onto his face. Flushing bright red in embarrassment, he tried to stand up again despite the pain in his back but it seemed his little misfortune wasn't finished yet and within seconds, Harry's lips twitched she watched the snow on the tree branches toppling right on top of the Malfoy Heir – falling right onto the top of his hair and messing up the blonde strands even more.
Even after all that, Harry still might have been able to hold herself together but as Draco scowled angrily up at her from where he was sprawled on the ice, he forced a sneer and glared at her.
"Shut up, Scarhead! Muggles are stupid anyway! I was just…I was just showing you how stupid their pastimes were! They're petty! And dangerous! See?! And I could have been killed—"
Harry broke right through Draco's pitiful tirade when she hastily turned around and burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking with uncontrollable laughter as she raised a hand and wiped helplessly at the tears in her eyes. If it was possible, Draco reddened even further at her reaction and he tried to pretend he didn't care about her laughter as he struggled to get back up onto his feet.
"SHUT UP, POTTER OR I'LL SHOVE YOU INTO THE SNOW! IT'S NOT FUNNY!"
He heard another snort of laughter from her as she turned around and desperately tried to control her laughter as she skated over to him, hiding a smile as she reached out and offered him a hand. "H—here…L—let me help you up, Malfoy…" Her voice quivered in mirth and she was obviously struggling to keep a straight face as she looked at him, refusing to meet Draco's angry death glare.
His eyes still narrowed, Draco muttered something under his breath but took her offered hand, hoisting himself back up onto his feet in front of her. In his haste, however, he realized a second too late that he had been too close to her when he stood up and it was only when his face was mere inches away from hers that Draco realized his mistake. Instantly, the blush on his face transformed to one of surprise and he coughed as he tried to step away, his eyes inadvertently lingering on her lips.
Harry appeared not to have noticed his staring and was still trying to hide a smile; her green eyes alight with humor. "Well…I guess we can say for certain that you really are an accident prone, Draco…And here I thought that Buckbeak incident in third year was just pure bad luck." She teased.
Draco sneered at her and tried to hide his embarrassment again by pretending to fix his hat.
"It really wasn't an accident…That damned Hippogriff mauled my arm right off—"
"So it grew back?" Harry cut him off bluntly, grinning again when Draco sputtered indignantly.
"Th—that was a FIGURE OF SPEECH, Potter!"
Harry's eyes were teasing as she smiled at him, chuckling helplessly to herself. "You really are such a self-righteous, pompous git, Draco…I just realized now that maybe it wasn't a bad thing."
He had been on the verge of forming a proper insult in his head when she had said this and the minute he heard it, the rest of Draco's thoughts disappeared into an incoherent stammer. Blushing and unable to think of anything to say in response, he stared intently at her in genuine surprise.
Harry was still smiling right back at him, her eyes bright with warmth and her cheeks flushed slightly from her laughter. Around them, a soft breeze was blowing gently and caused her hair to fly up into the air every now and then, drawing Draco's gaze to the long, and midnight black tresses.
Unable to stop himself, he took several steps closer until he was standing directly in front of her, noting the sudden look of confusion and shock that suddenly creased her beautiful features. As he was able to stand this close to her, Draco noticed for the first time the height difference between them.
He knew he had always been taller than Harry – even when she had been a boy – and had always used it as an advantage whenever he was taunting him. As a girl, however, Harry seemed to be even smaller in height and as he stood closer in front of her, she reached up only to his ears.
She seemed to have realized the exact same thing he was thinking as she stiffened and looked up warily at him, her hand unconsciously ghosting over the wand in her pocket. "Malfoy, what—"
Draco smirked and leaned down to peer very closely into her flushed features, purposely causing the Gryffindor to tense and blush further in shock at his obtrusive nearness. Ignoring her stammered protests, Draco smirked wider and leaned down even closer to peer right into her flushed face, noting with a hint of satisfaction that Harry was too stunned by his nearness to think properly.
As he brought his face down even closer towards hers, stopping only when their mouths were inches apart, Harry finally blinked herself out of her daze and moved away sharply in weak protest.
"Malfoy, you're standing way too close—"
Pulling away, he arched an eyebrow at her and offered the stammering girl a handsome smile.
"You make a really beautiful girl, Potter."
"………Wh—what?"
Harry was almost as red as her Gryffindor scarf at this point and she stared at him as though he had grown an extra head, her mouth slightly open in disbelief. Draco's smile dissolved into a mischievous smirk and during Harry's momentary shock, he uncoiled his hand from behind his back.
SPLAT!
In spite of himself, Draco ended up laughing when he caught sight of the look of horror on Harry's snow-covered face – followed by the sound of the Gryffindor's indignant sputtering as she looked back up and gaped at him in disbelief. She was still wiping her face clean of snow when Draco began rolling up another snowball in his hands, grinning mischievously as he raised it up in the air.
"Two can play at this game, Potter."
Harry's disbelieving glare easily transformed into a grin and she stuck her tongue out at him, ducking his snowball before she turned to skate away. "Heh. Only a blind prick could miss that shot!"
"Look who's talking four eyes! D—damn it, how do you get these skates off?! No, STOP! Don't throw that! That is UNFAIR, Potter! I am at a disadvantage here! I can't even chase you with these—"
SPLAT!
"Damn it!"
The force of her thrown snowball hitting him right on the shoulder caused him to lose his balance and for the second time that afternoon, Draco found himself sprawled on his arse right on the ice, growling and cursing to himself as he listened to the sweet sound of Harry's soft, helpless laughter.
Draco was still laughing as he walked back into the castle with Harry that afternoon, their forms drenched completely from the numerous times they had fallen into the snow. His entire body was shivering from head-to-toe and his hair was completely messed up but he barely noticed his discomfort. He was focused on the girl beside him as she turned and offered him a bright, teasing grin.
"I win again, Malfoy."
He scoffed, shaking the snow out of his hat as they walked through the corridors.
"I let you win, Potter. There's a difference."
"You're just a sore loser."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am—fuck!"
Harry turned around sharply at the sound of Draco's curse, her eyes widening when she caught sight of what had sent him into a state of distress. Further down the hall and heading towards them, she caught a glimpse of Pansy Parkinson, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass – all three of which were chatting cheerfully to themselves as they strode down the hall. Fortunately, the three girls seemed so caught up in their lively conversation that they had yet to notice her or Draco there at all.
Draco eyes were panicked and he turned around in growing urgency to look for a place to hide.
"If they see us together like this again, rumors will spread like fire! We can't—"
Turning to face him, Harry cut him off by giving him a firm, reassuring look. "Calm down, Draco…Look…Do you have my invisibility cloak with you?" She asked him but at her words, Draco just paled even further and cursed under his breath again, shaking his head. "I'm sorry… I don't…I just—"
Harry silenced him again with another glare and sighed, looking around them for a place to hide. When she found nothing and the giggles of the three approaching Slytherin girls began to draw nearer, she finally made up her mind and turned to face him, ignoring the look of confusion in his eyes.
"Come on."
Undaunted, she grabbed his collar and pulled him over to the shadowy part of the corridor. Snatching his hat from his hands, she shoved it onto his head to cover his hair and gave him a wink.
"Harry, what—"
"Shh! Just follow my lead."
Draco's eyebrows fused together in confusion as Harry leaned against the wall before reaching over and yanking him against her, instantly causing him to blush as he was pressed against her body.
"Harry, what—"
"Shhh!"
She shushed him sharply again and buried her face into his shoulder, yanking him down so that he was doing the same and that his lips were practically lingering along the skin of her neck. Draco reddened at this, overwhelmed by the sweet whiffs of her scent but Harry didn't seem to notice anything and kept their forms perfectly still – making great sure to hide both their faces from view.
To Draco's great surprise, the little ploy seemed to work as Pansy, Daphne and Astoria passed them by easily with looks of disdain on their elegant faces directed towards them. Scrunching up her face at the scene, Pansy made great care to speak loud enough so that her shrill voice could be heard.
"Honestly…You would think there would be girls with enough class these days not to show such scandalous displays of affection out in public…It's disgraceful. This school's going to the dogs." Pansy drawled out loud, sneering as she passed by Draco and Harry's intertwined figures in the corner.
They heard Daphne giggling loudly in response. "Maybe you're just jealous, Pansy darling…Don't you wish Theo would show more public displays of affection towards you?" She cooed, causing both her and Astoria to burst into giggles again when Pansy began sputtering at her words.
"I do NOT! I DESPISE public displays of affection! It's so…Plebian!"
"Oh…? Then who was it I saw kissing Malcolm in the hallways back in sixth year?"
"Oh shut up, Astoria! You know perfectly well he kissed me!"
Draco and Harry both let out a sigh of relief when they heard the three girls' lively chatter fading slowly as they disappeared further down the hall towards the Slytherin dungeons. As soon as they were gone, Draco stiffened and found himself blushing again as he suddenly reminded of the fact that her body – heaving slightly for breath – was still pressed up so tightly against his. Realizing the same thing, Harry felt her own cheeks burning in embarrassment and she tried to move away quickly.
"Er…Draco…Uhm…I'm…Kind of trapped…"
Seeing the awkward grimace on her face, Draco realized his mistake instantly and coughed, forcing himself to pull away from her and shoving his hands into his pockets. Harry's own cheeks were still red as she straightened from the wall behind her and emulated his position, biting her lip quietly.
Both teenagers stared at each other's shoes for several more awkward moments, unable to meet each other's eyes. Finally, Draco forced himself to look up and nod once at her in gratitude.
"Well…Uhm… Thanks…Er…for that, Harry. I guess…I'd better go get changed." He heard the words in his head and cursed inwardly at how stupid and awkward he sounded but Harry didn't seem to mind as she smiled at him. She nodded back, raising a hand to push her long hair out of her face.
"Er…Yeah, sorry about that, Draco. I didn't know what else to do. Figured this girl thing could come in handy for something, huh?" She forced a laugh and shook her head, giving him a small grin.
"Anyway…I'd better get going too. I have to get changed. I'll…see you at the hospital later?"
Draco didn't trust his own voice to answer properly so he just nodded at her again.
She looked a little confused at his reaction but shrugged and smiled in return, giving him one last friendly wave before beginning to turn towards the Gryffindor towers. Draco stood there for a long time and watched her walking away from him, his eyes lingering intently on her retreating back.
I want her.
Draco's eyes widened in stunned, belated realization.
Horrified, he turned on his heel and bolted as fast as he could towards his dormitory. In his head, a single coherent though reverberated over and over again, drowning him and lulling his mind.
Bloody hell…I want her…I want her…I want her…I want her…I WANT HER.
With a gasping, weary breath, he finally reached his dormitory and slammed the door shut loudly behind him, closing his eyes and collapsing back against the wooden entrance in exhaustion.
The mantra chanted over and over again in his head until he was positively certain of it and the more he repeated the three words to himself, the more his heart began to pound in growing panic.
Damn it…What now…?
He could still make out her distinct, enticing scent lingering all over his robes.
Draco sighed and covered his face in helpless defeat.
He wanted her.
A/N: Oooh. And so it finally begins, Draco. Wahahaha. I hope you all enjoyed all the D/H interaction in this chapter! I know these were the kind of moments you were waiting for. More to come soon!
Next Chapter: Another hospital scene, Another D/H scene at the library :D
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