It had never occurred to Harry that Draco might not be his. The fact that the blonde time-traveling werewolf didn't belong to him was hammered home as he watched Cedric swirl him around the Great Hall. The happy look on Draco's face was another blow. The way he laughed at something Cedric said another. Promises of friendship weren't good enough in the face of losing Draco to another.
Worst of all, he wished he was the one twirling Draco around, making him smile and laugh. He wasn't graceful enough, he wasn't witty enough, or charming enough. Cedric and Draco were a sight on the ballroom floor, all grace and elegance. Harry would have tripped over his own feet; he had, actually, while dancing with Cho. That might have made Draco laugh, but it wasn't the kind of laughter Harry would have wanted to hear.
Soon Cho had left him to dance with a Beauxbatons boy. She knew he was technically with Draco, he had confessed everything when they were spending time together during the holidays, but watching him moon over the blonde had been too much. Harry couldn't blame her, not really. Neither he nor Ron beside him was good company.
Eventually they had retreated to the gardens, both too upset to watch the objects of their affection dance with other men any longer. There they had overheard Hagrid's confession to being a half-giant, a sufficient distraction for Harry's overworked imagination until Ron and Hermione fought on the stairs. Her tears and his anger had brought all his worries back to the forefront of his mind. Unlike Ron, he knew he was in love with Draco. He knew he wanted the blonde all to himself – in fact, he had had him until the disastrous Yule Ball. No, until he had become jealous. Jealous that Cedric would be the one kissing those pink lips, touching that soft blonde hair-
Realizing if he stood here much longer he might have to witness such a sight, Harry sprinted up Gryffindor Tower. The other fourth years were either in bed sulking (Ron), downstairs partying in an empty classroom (Seamus and Dean), or still with their dates (Neville and Draco). That meant no one saw him sneak into Draco's bed and pull the curtains tight.
There he waited, twisting his wand in his hands, as he tried not to imagine Cedric being as charming and handsome as all the girls said he was and winning Draco despite not being the werewolf's mate. Sirius had warned him that a werewolf could fall in love with someone who wasn't their mate if their mate died or rejected them. He had meant it as reassurance that Draco would be alright if Harry didn't want him, but now it left his stomach in knots.
Finally the familiar footsteps crossed the room and a pale hand pulled back the bed curtains. That happy smile was still on Draco's face, making Harry's stomach sick as he sat up. He tried to smile, but it didn't feel right on his face.
"Did you have a good time?" he asked.
"I did," Draco answered and, to Harry's relief, started to change into his pajamas instead of telling Harry to get lost. "Did you?"
"Not really."
Feeling guilty because he didn't want to ruin Draco's night just because of his jealousy – again – he jumped to the first thing he could think of to change the subject.
"Did you know Hagrid was a half-giant?"
Draco nodded and Harry immediately wondered if that was why the blonde didn't get along with his friend. That notion was quickly dispelled by the man's next comment.
"I don't really care one way or the other."
"You looked fantastic tonight," Harry blurted and could have kicked himself. He refused to blush as Draco raised an eyebrow at him, however; Cedric wouldn't have. Cedric would have been suave and charming and direct. Sliding beneath the covers as Draco got beneath them himself, Harry tried to be like that, reaching for the blonde's hands and holding them tightly. To his relief, Draco didn't immediately pull away. He didn't hold onto Harry, either.
"Harry, what are you doing?"
"I hated seeing you with him," he confessed in a whisper. "You were so happy and it wasn't with me."
Draco didn't respond – or pull away – and Harry's fear bubbled over.
"Did you…did you kiss him?" he asked.
Instead of answering, Draco countered with, "Did you kiss Cho?"
"No!"
Harry could hardly believe Draco would think he would kiss someone else. He pulled himself closer to the blonde, needing him to believe him and needing to know the truth.
"Please, just tell me. Did you kiss Cedric?"
"On the cheek," Draco admitted and Harry wasn't sure if he was relieved or hurt. Maybe the werewolf knew, because he immediately added, "We're just friends, Harry. He knows how I feel about you."
Draco had told Cedric he loved Harry. The relief of that little fact banished the fears of the last few hours. There was still a chance for them; he hadn't lost Draco. Not yet.
"I don't want to be like Ron," he blurted, "You know he's got a crush on Hermione? He's incredibly jealous of Krum, but he has no idea what to do about it."
Draco gently squeezed his hands.
"They'll figure it out."
Harry didn't really care if they figured it out; that hadn't been the point.
"What do I have to do to get you back?"
Instead of just telling him, Draco began to pull away.
"You know what you have to do," he said, "I deserve better than to have you ashamed of what you feel for me."
"I'm not!" Harry quickly interrupted anything else Draco planned to say, snatching the blonde's hands up again. "I'd never be ashamed of you. I'll prove it to you, I swear it."
Harry's heart was in his throat as Draco hesitated. He had meant every word; he would do anything to keep the blonde in his arms. Even if it meant telling the whole school – hell, the whole world – about them, he would do it. Draco deserved the best of Harry. The question was, did Draco trust him enough to give it?
"Okay, I trust you."
Heart swelling with happiness, Harry couldn't help immediately lean in. He needed to feel Draco's lips against his again. It had nearly been a month since they last kissed.
"Can I kiss you now?" he whispered, unwilling to just take what he wanted after all that had happened.
"Please," ghosted across his lips and Harry closed the millimeters that separated them. Draco's lips were as warm and soft as he remembered. They parted on a sigh, allowing Harry's tongue to slip past their defenses and explore his mouth. Draco's tongue responded, twining with Harry's as they kissed, hands sliding into hair to pull each other closer. They kissed until they were breathless, until Harry ached with a need to do more than just kiss.
Of course, that was when Draco pulled away, his hair a mess from Harry's fingers. That was when he alwayspulled away. The werewolf had drawn a line in the sand and they weren't to do more than kiss until Harry was of age. Some nights, like tonight, Harry wasn't sure he would make it three years without doing anything more.
Tonight was not the night to make that argument, however. He drank in the sight of Draco disheveled and lacking his normal perfect control. Then he leaned in for one more kiss – a brief, chaste contact of lips – and slipped from Draco's bed for his own. Maybe he should have stayed, but it wasn't the rest of his year he had to confess his affections to. It was the entire school.
Harry spent the rest of the Holiday trying to think of the proper way to show the entire school that Draco was his boyfriend. Just holding hands wasn't enough; Draco didn't seem to want to hold his hand anyways. Kissing him in the Great Hall seemed too clichéd to win a pureblood wizard's heart. Sending a swarm of heart shaped letters that sang ballads was too over the top, not to mention no one would know he had sent them.
Thankfully, Draco didn't seem intent on rushing him. They were getting along fine now, snogging nearly every night. The next Triwizard task was approaching as well, but Harry couldn't really be bothered to think about it. There was Cedric's stupid hint, but he didn't really want to do anything Cedric had told him to do. Before he knew it, the Holiday was over and he still hadn't proven anything to Draco. He felt like the world's biggest prat.
Honestly, he might never have gotten around to it, if he hadn't found Draco and Cedric laughing in the courtyard after Divination one day. Draco's head was thrown back, laughing at whatever charming thing Cedric had said. The Hufflepuff bastard was smiling, cool and handsome as he could be, as if he wasn't hitting on Harry's boyfriend. As if Cedric had a chance and Draco wasn't in love with Harry.
Before he knew what he was doing, Harry had marched across the courtyard, a nervous looking Ron in his wake.
"Stay away from him," Harry had snapped at Cedric, shoving the older student away from his boyfriend and purposely putting himself between them. "You know he's not available; stop trying to flirt with him."
"Harry –" Draco started, but Cedric wasn't about to let someone else fight his battles.
"He's not available?" Cedric asked, straightening his robes. "Could have fooled me. Who's he dating, then? A ghost?"
"Me, that's who," Harry shouted, "He told you so and you still keep trying to take him from me. Back off, or you'll regret it!"
"I'll regret it?" Cedric's eyes flashed and Harry realized they were both holding their wands pointed at the other. "Regret making Draco happy? I'm not ashamed of him, unlike some people."
Harry saw red. A hex danced on his tongue, about to spring from his lips, when his wand abruptly flew from his hand. Cedric's did as well, the Hufflepuff student helping and staring as both lengths of wood slapped into Draco's hand. A peculiar look hovered on the pale blonde's features, though his grey eyes were cool.
"Gentlemen," he said softly, "you are causing a scene. One I do not appreciate."
Startled, Harry glanced around and realized he had gathered a crowd. The students were whispering and had clearly heard what the fight was about. Cedric didn't seem to mind, merely shrugging and holding his hand out for his wand. It was the completely opposite from Harry's reaction as he felt a bright blush climb his cheeks. He wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.
"It's only the truth, Dray," Cedric was saying with that insufferably charming smile. "Can I have my wand back now? I won't hex Harry if he promises the same."
Draco huffed, holding out the wand hilt first to the Seventh year before turning to Harry with a concerned look.
"Are you alright?"
"I…"
Harry glanced around, finally realizing that this was the opportunity he had been looking for. As embarrassed as he was, he couldn't let this chance go by.
"No," he said firmly, "I'm not."
Walking up to Draco, he pulled the blond to him by the waist and glared as best he could with a face as bright as a tomato.
"No more flirting with Cedric. Not while we're dating."
The peculiar look returned to Draco's face, but his hands rested on Harry's shoulders.
"I wasn't flirting with Cedric."
"No, but he was flirting with you. No more. You're my boyfriend and I'm tired of it."
Sliding his hands up Draco's back, he pulled the man into a kiss as gasps and cheers and giggles came from every side of the courtyard. Harry had never felt more embarrassed in his life, but body pressed against his made it worth it. The dazed expression on Draco's face when he pulled away only made it better.
"Okay," Draco said breathlessly, "No more flirting."
The giggles and cheers from the gathered crowd startled Harry, but he didn't look away from the grey eyes looking into his own. There was so much love and affection there, it nearly took his breath away. How could he have ever thought he could do without this?
"I love you," he whispered.
Draco's answering smile was all Harry needed, but the words he whispered didn't hurt either.
"I love you, too. I always will."
