Chapter 29: Study Break

Harry groaned, trying desperately to focus on his exams when really all he could think about was his future. Yes, he knew that the best way to plan for his future was by studying, but he couldn't put the quill to the parchment when all his nerves went to thinking about becoming an Auror, not completing his review. In fact, it was so nerve wracking he wished he had some chips to snack on, not just rely on Draco's healthy-alternative snack bars. He wiped his glistening pre-sweat forehead and prayed Merlin for a stress release. Draco wouldn't be any help, since he was the one adamant on studying so hard in the first place. It was no wonder he was so high up the class rank in Hogwarts.

Draco had his quill in one hand writing down so fast it was almost as if it was a involuntary twitch. A text book rose in the air, comfortable enough so that Draco could see the contents without even bending his head. Harry admired the work ethic, but the jealousy rang through him like a green angry beast. Shaking it off, He rose from his desk chair and pattered across the dorm room, stopping by Draco's desk to comb through a portion of Draco's hair with his hands, which was proven to irritate the Slytherin. Draco swatted at his arm, a half-arsed attempt, and tried to return to work, but Harry wouldn't give up on breaking Draco's exam-studying silent treatment.

"Draco...Draco...Dray-co..." Draco growled and swirled around in his desk chair, almost wavering in his levitation of the textbook, making it teeter precariously in mid-air. "You know i Salazar well hate it when you call me 'Dray' you arse." Harry smirked, bent down and planted a wet kiss onto Draco's forehead, and tried to pull him out of the chair manually. Draco wouldn't budge, and Harry cursed himself for insisting Draco participate with him in Rugby. It toned him up beyond belief. "If you're not going to tell me what you want, you're not moving me." Draco told him, pouting like a petulant child.

"Fine. I want to take a... study break. I'm tired." Draco rolled his eyes so fast Harry worried it would get stuck inside his head. "Is it just me, or do you seem to do this every single year?" Draco mocked, setting his textbook on the solid desk. "Wrong. I do this every time we study for something." Harry talked back candidly. Draco barked out a laugh against his will and grabbed onto Harry's scalp, kissing him hard before untangling himself from the wooden chair he was sitting in backwards. "Okay. But only for thirty minutes. We have reviews to finish." Harry nodded when he gained movement back from the kiss and grabbed his wallet, checking for anything else he needed before remembering he needed shoes.

Draco draped Harry's robe around him as he dug into his shoes, in a hurry to get out of the claustrophobic dorm room for as long as possible in order to put off his impeding doom- no, his future amazing career as a Auror, who would help everyone around him with his service. If only that was easier to believe for Harry at this point. Draco grabbed his own robe and tied it together, motioning at Harry to hurry up. Harry nodded and hurriedly wrapped his own robe tighter as he stumbled out the door Draco was currently holding open. Face red, Harry thought this was definitely the world getting back at Harry for not studying.

~.~.~.~.~.

Draco had guided Harry to a nearby bake sale on the greens, trying to help Harry blow off enough steam before he blew up. Draco was observant, he knew when the hot-headed Gryffindor would explode, and how to make sure it could diffuse before it happened. On this event, he knew he could make it go down with something sweet: a weakness for Potter. Secretly, sweets were a weakness for Draco too, but a Slytherin never shows his weaknesses. Draco ordered a muffin while Harry got a tart, and they sat down on a bench where it would be considered rude to come up and bother them. Or at least Draco hoped it would.

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked, trying to get a answer out of him that wouldn't be a 'fine.' or 'good.' Harry bit his lip nervously and munched into his tart. Speaking through the tart, Harry said, "Imfhs finsh" Draco glared at him until he swallowed and wiped himself with a napkin. "I'm fine." He repeated, blushing. Draco wiped off a stray crumb and glared again. "I know you're not fine, or you wouldn't have asked to come out here and not study anymore." Harry gave a guilty face and Draco had to restrain himself from giving into Harry's foul charms of persuasion. "You're right. I hate having to decide. Why can't it be easy?" Harry whined. Draco had half a mind to smack him and the other half to kiss him, hard. The little bugger practically had everything handed to him, but he still was picky.

"What does your heart want, Harry?" Draco asked, only halfway sarcastic. Harry took another bite and this time chewed before answering. "I've wanted to be a Auror since I was sixteen. But everything now is trying to pull me into different directions." That was understandable. Draco definitely felt that way after the war, after he had convinced himself not to hate himself anymore as long as his mother still needed him. And now he was studying Potion Making while he should be focusing on Money Management. Draco knew that Harry wanted to be a teacher, probably of DADA, but he was holding himself back because of self doubt. More than anything, Draco wanted Harry to be in his life, and that was something that made Draco pull back everyday.

Draco put a discreet hand on Harry's thigh and he immediately leaned into the touch. "I know. Harry. You can take things two at a time if you want." Draco was strictly referring to Teaching and Aurors, nothing else. He didn't want Harry to start getting a big head. "I'm thinking about that. Mostly because I can't be arsed to be brave when it's about myself." Draco laughed even though he knew it wasn't supposed to be funny. Harry glared but that just made Draco laugh harder. "What's so funny?" Harry asked, face red again. "Harry, you are the last person I would ever accuse of being a coward. Trust me. You are the bravest person I know, the bloody Daily Prophet could tell you that." Draco practically yelled. It was so obvious, how was Harry so immune to it?

Harry smiled, half from shock and half from actual happiness. "Thank you, Draco." He expressed, dropping the wrapping for the tart and Draco's muffin cup into the trash by the bench. "Want to head back? I've got lots to think over." This time, the smile was out of pure happiness. Draco could especially say, that in his own experience, this was one of the happiest smiles he had ever shown. "Yes, but remember to get back to studying too." Draco reprimanded. "Okay, dad." Harry joked, pulling him up off the bench and into his arms, causing passerby to look at them curiously. "We're in this together, you crazy Gryffindor." Draco uttered into his ear before Harry could pull back.