The night of the Yule Ball had finally arrived and everyone was on edge, the school was buzzing with excitement as everyone finished their dinners and began to make their way up to their dormitory to get ready for the big event. It was Christmas Eve and this was the first year at Hogwarts when everyone wanted to stay during the Christmas holidays, no one older than fourteen had gone home and Harry didn't like it, he was used to being one of the few who stayed and having the castle to himself; he loved the peace and quiet. Hermione had practically inhaled her dinner and was one of the first ones to go and get ready, she seemed very nervous about tonight and Ron kept saying it was because she didn't have a date and was going to be in her room crying all night but Harry didn't think so, by the way she was acting he was sure Hermione had a date and it was someone she really liked.

Harry looked at himself in the mirror, he was wearing the emerald green robes that Mrs Weasley had picked out for him and he agreed with her when she said they brought out the colour of his eyes; they were piercing green and he was actually pretty satisfied with how he looked, although his black hair was still an unruly mess but he would never be able to fix that. He continued look at himself as he thought about the night ahead, he just wanted to get through it as quickly as possible; he didn't want to go with Parvati, he didn't want to dance in front of everyone and he certainly didn't want to see Draco with Pansy. A small frown creased his face as he thought about the older boy, he hadn't seen him since he walked away from him in the hall and he was thankful for that because he knew if he saw him again he would start aching and he hated feeling like that.

"Bloody hell." Ron's voice made Harry spin on the spot and he had to fight every fibre of his being not to burst out laughing.

Ron stood in the dormitory wearing scarlet robes which looked as though they were from the 1800's, they looked dreadful and Ron was so pale he looked really sick. The red haired boy looked as though he was about to burst into tears when he realised just how horrendous his dress robes looked compared to Harry's.

Harry pursed his lips and forced himself to keep a straight face. "They don't look that bad, they are just more traditional."

"Traditional? I look like my great Aunt…" He paused and smelt under the arm and his face grimaced. "..I smell like my great Aunt as well."

Harry allowed himself a small smile but refrained from laughing. "At least you're not going with a girl you actually like or anything."

Ron gave himself the once over in the mirror before scoffing and turning towards the door. "Murder me Harry."

"They really aren't that bad Ron." Harry half whined, now exasperated with this conversation.

"Bet Malfoy is going to have a field day when he sees me…" Ron sulked as his shoulders hunched.

An ugly scowl quickly took over Harry's face when Ron mentioned Draco. "Do you really give a shit what he thinks? He is a prick." Harry looked at himself once again and licked his dry lips before heading for the door. "Come on, we better go."

The two walked in comfortable silence out of the Gryffindor common room and down the steps towards the Great Hall, where the ball was taking place. Harry's stomach flipped with every step he took and his heart was beating so violently in his chest he felt like it would burst out of him, his breathing was shallow and his mouth was bone dry. To say he was nervous would be an understatement and he wasn't sure what he was nervous about; was it the fact he was going to have to dance in front of the whole school? Or the fact that he was going to see Draco tonight? It was probably a mixture of both, he was so nervous he actually felt as though he was going to throw up.

Making it to the entrance of the Great Hall they saw their fellow class mates meet their dates and they all looked so happy and excited for the night ahead. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat as Ron and he waited for Padma and Parvati. Fidgeting with his hands he forced his breathing to relax as he scanned the area for Draco, he was sure once he saw him and got the initial shock out of his system he would fine for the rest of the night. Then he saw the twins come down the steps, they both looked lovely and were wearing very nice dresses, forcing a smile he walked over and awkwardly gave Parvati a half-hug.

"You look lovely." He said as he pulled back from the hug.

"Oh Harry." The girl blushed crimson and pushed a loose thread of hair behind her ear.

Padma on the other hand was simply staring in utter disgust at Ron's dress robes, she wasn't even being subtle about how horrified she was and Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for Ron as his nose was starting to turn pink from embarrassment. Professor McGonagall quickly ushered the two into the Great Hall and kept Parvati and Harry at the entrance so they could enter with the other champions to start the dance.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as a cold shiver ran down his spine, turning around his eyes connected with grey ones. Draco was walking towards the Great Hall from the direction of the dungeons and beside him, holding his hand, was Pansy Parkinson. Draco's face hardened when he saw the younger boy, his mouth set in a grim line and he gazed longingly at Harry as Pansy pulled him inside the hall. Harry, who didn't realise he had been holding his breath, let out a long huff as the blonde hair disappeared into the crowd entering the hall. The older looked hauntingly good in his black dress robes; frowning at himself Harry pushed the thoughts from his mind.

Parvati suddenly gripped Harry so hard in the arm her sharp nails dug into his skin causing him to wince. Turning around to see what she was so shocked about, his mouth dropped instantly. Hermione was coming down the stairs in a beautiful pink dress, her hair was swept to one side; she looked incredible. Harry couldn't believe how amazing she was, he had never noticed Hermione in that way before but now she was absolutely stunning. Harry was even more surprised to see Viktor Krum greet her at the bottom of the steps, kissing her lightly on the hand and leading her to the front of the entrance where the rest of the champions were standing with their dates. That's also when Harry noticed that Cho had gone with Cedric, not that he actually cared.

"Is everyone here?" Professor McGonagall strutted around the entrance counting the champions and their dates. "Perfect, it is time for you to lead us in our dance."

Harry swallowed the large lump in his throat and lined up with the rest of the champions, closing his eyes all he could do was hope that he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of the entire school.

To put it politely, Harry's dance was a disaster. He couldn't remember the moves, he tripped over his own feet, he stood on Parvati and when he had to lift her he didn't grip her hip properly and nearly dropped her flat on her face. Worse still, while he was making a mess of the dance he happened to notice Draco standing at the front of the crowd staring intently at him and that made him even more nervous, however he was surprised to see Draco wasn't laughing at him, unlike the rest of the Slytherin's, instead he had an intense look on his pointed face and if Harry didn't know better it was almost as if Draco was silently supporting him and encouraging him to relax and get through the dance.

Now Harry sat at a table watching the rest of the school dance with each other and everyone looked as though they were having an amazing time. Ron, Parvati, Padma and himself all sat in silence watching everyone else enjoy themselves. Ron watching Hermione dance with Viktor, he had a look of utter disgust and jealously on his face as he watched Viktor twirl her around in the air. Harry was watching Draco dance with Pansy, the two were holding hands and he was spinning her before he grabbed her hip and pulled her close to him. He didn't even notice the twins had now left the two of them as they continued to watch Hermione and Draco.

Pain shot through Harry's chest and stomach as he watched Draco brush Pansy's hair behind her ear and whisper something to her. Swallowing hard and looking around the hall he suddenly felt tears burn his eyes and knew he had to get out of there. Without saying a word to Ron he stood up from his seat and stormed out of the hall, unable to watch Draco and Pansy any longer.

Draco had stopped dancing and was watching longingly as the younger boy left the hall. Realising this was his only chance he excused himself from Pansy and began to walk out of the hall, taking long strides he didn't want to make it obvious he was in a rush but he had to catch up with the Gryffindor. Leaving the hall he took a quick scan around and saw Harry head outside.

Harry didn't know where he was going, all he knew was that he needed some air and he needed to get his head straight. He walked through the courtyard, to the other side of the castle where it was deserted so he could have some alone time with his thoughts. Taking a deep breath he pushed his hair out of his face and leant against a wall, he hated these stupid feelings he had for Malfoy, especially when he knew that the taller boy didn't give a shit about him and that was probably the most painful thing about this whole situation.

"Harry?"

Harry's head snapped up with a crack and standing in front of him was the boy who was responsible for the dull ache he constantly felt in the pit of his stomach. Harry opened his mouth to talk but closed it again; he didn't know what to say so he just cast his eyes downwards.

Draco licked his thin lips and moved closer to the younger boy, stopping just inches in front of him. "I'm sorry; I never meant to hurt you."

"Then you shouldn't have led me on." Harry's voice was cold and he folded his arms over his chest.

"Look, the idea of being close to you scared me." Draco confessed in a small voice.

"Why?" The question left his lips before he could stop it.

Draco's brow furrowed and his lips pursed as he thought carefully about his answer. "Well it's you and me. We are meant to be rivals, everyone in the school thinks we hate each other and we did. But now, now I can't stop thinking about you and…fucking hell."

Draco's voice faded as he realised he had said too much. Stuffing his hands inside his pockets he stood rooted to the spot and his eyes remained on the ground. Harry eyed the older boy up and down, he wanted to believe him but after what happened last time he found it very difficult.

"Then why did you tell me that kiss meant nothing to you? That I mean nothing to you?" Harry needed to know the answer; he couldn't understand what was going through the older boys head.

Draco's head shot up, his cold eyes wide with disbelief and with one step he closed the gap between them so their noses were practically touching. Moving his hand through Harry's hair he stared into his green eyes. "I never said it meant nothing. You have no idea how I felt about it, but like I said, the thought of being close to you scares me. Not only are we so different but we are both boys and the thought of anyone knowing about us terrifies me."

Harry pushed forward and claimed a hard, rough, passionate and desperate kiss. Gripping the taller boy's hair he pulled it roughly causing Draco to moan in pained pleasure. Draco pushed his body against Harry's as he kissed him back just as passionately, his arms running up and down the younger boy's back before groping his ass. Harry pulled Draco as physically close as possible, his tongue entering the all too willing mouth of the older boy, Draco pushed his own tongue forward to meet Harry's and the two wrestled for dominance. Blunt nails dug at his scalp and neck causing Draco to buck his hips forward and the two groaned as their groins brushed together.

Draco pulled back as the need to breathe became too great. Panting loudly he leaned his forehead against Harry's. "What are you doing to me?"

Harry swallowed hard and panted as well as he tried to regain his breath. "Whatever it is, you are doing the same to me."

Draco smiled his illusive genuine smile before letting the younger boy go; licking his lips he could taste Harry on them. "I'm sure we can find a way to make this work, but we need to make sure no one finds out."

A brilliant smile slowly took over Harry's face and his white teeth shun beautifully in moonlight. "You really want to do this?"

Pushing a hand through his perfect hair Draco took a quick scan around and making sure no one was around he leant forward and placed a chaste kiss on Harry's lips. "Yeah, I mean there is something between us and we would be stupid not to see where it goes."

"But how are we going to do this? Act like we hate each other but still somehow be together?"

Draco ran his hand through Harry's messy hair, his icy grey eyes never leaving Harry's hopeful green ones. "We will figure it out."

The two made their way back to the Great Hall knowing that everything was going to change and Harry could only hope it would change for the better.