Preface

Ending BoredomPosted originally on the Archive of Our Own at /works/8065558.

Rating:

General Audiences

Archive Warning:

Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category:

M/M

Fandom:

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Relationship:

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley

Character:

Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Pansy Parkinson, Ron Weasley

Additional Tags:

Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, One Shot

Stats:

Published: 2016-09-18 Words: 2213

Ending Boredom

by CogitoCorpus

Summary

Harry has a soulmate mark. Harry is very bored. Draco Malfoy makes Harry feel something again, could this be his soulmate?

Notes

See the end of the work for notes

Ending Boredom

Harry was bored.

He sat in the library with a book on his lap, pretending to read the words on the page. He wasn't even sure what it was about; maybe herbology? There was a picture of a flower a few pages back. Hermione was seated opposite him taking down careful notes from a book about four times the size of her head.

Harry sighed and absently turned a page. He was mind numbingly bored. It wasn't just because Hermione was making him study either; it was everything.

Classes were dull. The days were mundane. Nothing was new or exciting anymore.

When Harry had first returned to Hogwarts for his eighth year, he had been excited. He had spent his days having fun with his mates and enjoying all his classes. But then he had begun to feel, well, bored.

It was a little while after he began to feel this way that Ginny had broken up with him. She has finally seen the jet black symbol marked just above his hipbone. A snake coiled into a tight circle, its silver eyes stood out in its centre. Harry had, in all honesty, assumed that everybody in the wizarding world had these symbols. He knew Ron had a sun marked on his left shoulder blade, and Ron had told him that Hermione had the same symbol on her forearm.

Soulmate marks. Harry thought everybody was born with them. It was only after Ginny had stormed out of his dorm room hysterically crying that Hermione had told him only some wizards are born with the symbols.

These were people who fit together like puzzle pieces. People who completed each other. Harry had thought he would be sick from all the lovey-dovey talk. It sounded ridiculous.

'Harry.' There was a loud thud that brought Harry back to the library. 'Harry.' Harry blinked and smiled at his friend.

'Um...Yeah?' he said, shooting Hermione a sheepish smile. She merely rolled her eyes and stood up.

'I said I've got to go meet Ron, I'll catch up with you at dinner?' Harry nodded and assured her he would be fine on his own and a good five minutes of worrying later, Hermione was finally on her way out of the library.

It was another hour after that when Harry finally uncoiled himself from his seat and stretched out his back. He hadn't read more than two words.

He was putting the heavy book back when he was knocked straight into the shelf, reflexively he put his hands out to break his fall.

"My bad, Potter" Harry tensed, the voice was soft spoken and quiet, but the word 'Potter' was spoken like it was filth. Malfoy.

Harry turned on his heel, feeling a flicker of…something in the pit of his stomach.

"Why don't you watch where you're going, Malfoy." Malfoy's eye's narrowed and Harry saw a flicker of fire in them before his usual cool mask was back in place.

"I'm…sorry, next time I'll make sure to watch out for the Golden Boy." He said the final words with a sneer and Harry flinched at the sound of them. He bloody hated being called that and Malfoy knew it if the ghost of a smirk on his face was anything to go by.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Harry was aware it was the library and was aware it open to the whole school. But, for some reason, he didn't want Malfoy to walk away yet. So he grasped at the only straws he could think off. He absently noted the fact that Malfoy no longer slicked his hair back, and a couple of strands of white blonde hair fell in front of his face.

"Why am I in the school library, During exam period?" Malfoy paused and smirked, "This concept might be foreign to you Potter, but I'm here to study. You know, to get good grades…to pass my exams?" Malfoy rolled his eyes like he had better things to do than deal with Harry.

"Just watch where you're going," Harry muttered, realising the conversation (if it could even be called that) was over.

"Will do, Potter." Malfoy turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Harry staring down at his feet sheepishly. By the time Harry was back in his dorm room, the familiar sensation of boredom was back.

Harry didn't know why he did it. A mixture of wanting to feel that something in his stomach again and wanting to stop feeling so bored.

It was just before charms on Monday morning and Malfoy was standing beside Parkinson, smirking about something or other. Ron and Hermione were beside Harry but engaged in their own conversation (or argument) about last night, it sounded like Ron had done something stupid but Harry wasn't sure what.

Harry was looking at Malfoy, or rather staring at him. A few strands of his hair had fallen loose again and Harry found himself wanting to stroke it out of his face. Merlin, he thought, there is something wrong with me. It was at some point during the looking/staring that Malfoy turned his head and caught Harry's eyes.

Which is when Harry decided to narrow his eyes and (like a first year) smirk at Malfoy. To almost any of the eighth years standing around in the corridor, it seemed like a completely harmless facial expression, to Malfoy it was a challenge.

Malfoy took a couple of steps towards Harry before lifting one eyebrow, He was too easy sometimes, Harry thought.

"Can I help you, Golden Boy?" It was said just low enough so that only Harry, Ron and Hermione would have heard it.

"I don't need anything from you, Malfoy," Harry lied, immediately noting the flicker in his stomach and the fire in Malfoy's eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure I could give you…" Malfoy paused and took another step in, dropping his voice even lower, "something that you'd like."

Harry was stunned to silence, that was not the response he was expecting.

"The fuck does that mean?" Harry was ashamed to note that his voice did not sound as confident as he would have hoped.

"Eloquent as always Potter," Malfoy drawled, "You know, I almost think I could find a way to make you speechless" He moved even closer, until there was only a a foot or so between them.

Harry just stared at him, the fire in his eyes was intense but Harry could see something else there…doubt?

"And what would that be?" Harry said, relieved that this time, his voice had managed to carry some sort of confidence (which he certainly did not feel).

Malfoy took another step closer, looking down at Harry (the bloody git was a good inch taller than Harry). He could feel Malfoy's breath on his cheek as he nervously licked his lips. Harry wasn't sure whether to run or shout or fight, so he just…stood. In one swift movement, Malfoy dropped his head and pressed his lips to Harry's.

Fireworks. That's what muggle movies taught him. That's what you're meant to see or feel when someone kissed you. Harry didn't see fireworks, he saw black. But he felt explosions. He felt his earth tilt and electricity shoot through him.

He wasn't bored anymore.

Malfoy's lips were soft and hesitant as they pressed against Harry's own. It wasn't until Harry registered Ron's voice ("What the fuck does he think he's doing?!"), that Harry realised the gravity of the situation and pulled back.

There was a heavy silence. All eyes were either on Harry or Malfoy and nobody dared speak. There was an electricity in the room that was growing by the second. Harry locked gazes with Malfoy as he tried to tell his mind to calm down and figure out what to do. Fire was racing through every part of his body and Malfoy's lips had never looked so good. But he was still Draco Fucking Malfoy. So Harry did the only thing he could think of. He punched Malfoy square in the jaw.

Malfoy's hand flew to his jaw as he stared at Harry, hurt written all across his face, for a moment Harry felt bad. And then Malfoy shoved Harry in the chest.

Both boys were on the floor, limbs flying everywhere and blood covered both of their faces. All Harry could think was if he wasn't fighting Malfoy he would be kissing him and he didn't know which was worse. So he punched him again. Harry reached his hand up to block Malfoy from hitting him, tearing his sleeve in the process. Malfoy paused, breathing heavily over Harry. Harry, in turn, stopped breathing, he stopped thinking. Because, there on Malfoy's left bicep, was a jet black snake, its eyes a shade of emerald green. Before Harry could say anything, Malfoy pushed himself off Harry and ran towards the dungeons.

Harry walked through the rest of the day in a trance. He didn't notice the worried glances he was receiving from Hermione or the tentative pats on the back from Ron. He went through his classes without saying a word.

Malfoy was his soulmate. He was Malfoy's. In his jumble of thoughts the words 'why' and 'how' continued to pop up, along with the memory of Malfoy's lips on his. By the end of the day, Harry had an answer for 'how'- because it almost seemed obvious now that he knew. Malfoy could always get a rise out of Harry, he could always make Harry feel. He always made Harry want to push himself further. As for why? Well, why did it matter?

And, Harry could admit that somewhere along the line his feelings of hate had begun to be mixed with a sort of curious lust. The idea of running his hands through Malfoy's hair made his heart rate speed up. The idea that Malfoy was his made his cheeks heat and his chest swell.

Fuck, Harry thought, I want Draco Malfoy.

And just like that he knew he had to find him, had to talk to him, to apologise, to kiss him.

Well, that plan turned out to be easier said than done.

Malfoy didn't leave the dungeons for three days. He didn't come to class or the great hall. Harry had begun to look at the Maunders Map every chance he got, Malfoy was always in the dungeons.

It was on the fourth day (just before Harry did something stupid) that Harry finally saw him again.

He was sitting in the great hall at the Gryffindor table, Malfoy's place was empty, as was Parkinson's. Harry sighed at his plate, the git was going to have to come out of the dungeons at some point. Then a very sharp jab in his ribs and a hissed "Harry, look!' brought his attention to the entrance of the great hall.

In came Draco Malfoy, he stood tall and moved elegantly. You'd never have known he had avoided classes and, well, Harry, for the past four days.

He sat down at the Slytherin table and didn't look at Harry once, just turned to Parkinson and kept talking. Harry felt anger and want beginning to bubble in him. Malfoy couldn't just kiss him and then punch him and then ignore him. Before he knew what he was doing, Harry was striding over to the Slytherin table.

He had no plan in mind and all around him the great hall fell to a hush as everybody watched Harry Potter stride towards Draco Malfoy.

Harry had reached the head of the Slytherin table when Malfoy finally lifted his head to meet Harry's eyes. He looked unsure and still a bit hurt and Harry felt his anger die but his want was still burning in the pit of his stomach.

Malfoy seemed to realise Harry wasn't going to be backing down and stood up, drawing himself to his full height.

"Potter, I'm sure your Gryffindor brain is telling you this is a good idea, but—" Harry never got to find out what the end of the sentence was because he was pulling Malfoy down by his tie and pressing his lips to Malfoy's. This time, it was Malfoy who was in shock, he didn't move for a moment before pressing his lips back against Harry's, and Harry felt relief wash through him. When they pulled apart the entire great hall was silent. Malfoy(-Draco?-) wrapped his long fingers around Harry's own.

"I thought…I thought that I got it wrong," Draco said softly "I thought maybe you weren't mine." Harry's smile in that moment could have split his face. He removed one hand from Draco's and moved his robe aside.

"I'm yours." He said quietly, lifting up his shirt to show Draco the mark on his skin, "After all this time, who else could I possibly end up with?"

The great hall went from silence to chaos in a matter of moments. People were shouting all across the hall.

"Harry Potter just kissed Draco Malfoy!?"

"What the hell has just happened!"

"AHHHHHH!!!!!"

Neither Harry nor Draco moved apart or moved at all. Until Draco leant down and pressed his lips to Harry's once again.

Harry knew he wouldn't be bored anytime soon.

Afterword

End Notes

Hi!

So that's my one shot!

I just kind of wanted Harry and Draco to kiss in the great hall and be happy together.

Hopefully, you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Thanks for reading :)

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