Harry realized he had seriously underestimated the lengths that girls would go to in order to ask him out. It was obvious that he didn't want to be asked out at this point. He literally ran away when that Ravenclaw girl… Merlin, he didn't even know her name. But the point was he ran when she called his name! So clearly he didn't want her to ask him out to the Ball.

He also hadn't wanted any of the other suitors- wait could you call women suitors? He considered that for a moment as he cowered behind a stack of old dusty books in the library that he was sure hadn't seen the light of day in decades. No, he supposed you couldn't use the word suitors for girls, but he could use it for the one guy who had asked him out. The point was he hadn't wanted any of their attentions, he had spent the last few weeks making up every lie under the sun as to why he was rejecting this person or that person's invitation: he had a girlfriend, he was coming down with a cold, he wasn't going to the ball (that didn't last long apparently it was mandatory), he wanted to go stag, he was gay - actually that shouldn't count as a lie it was true-, but the next one, of him telling some bloke he was straight after he propositioned him once that news spread, that was a lie.

After a few more moments he hesitantly stood up and stepped away from his hiding spot. He wished he had his invisibility cloak, he could have just slipped it on and made his way to Gryffindor tower with no other incident. Maybe he would start packing it in his rucksack. Hermione would probably disapprove, but he could-

Harry's thoughts stopped short as he looked up and found himself face to face with the one person he did actually want to ask him to the ball.

Draco's eyes narrowed on him for a brief moment, before he stepped away from Harry and took a seat at the table a few feet behind him. Harry turned with the blonde as he moved away from him and tried to form some coherent sentence in his head.

"I-uh- I was just-"

"Using your cloak to clean off the whole of The Goblin Wars section of the library? Yes, I see," Draco quipped, not even bothering to look up at him from the book he had opened.

Harry could feel his cheeks burning at the insult and wanted more than anything to go back to the days where he thought he just hated Draco and was only obsessed with him because he thought he was an arrogant evil arse, but those days had ended over the summer. And now he was just this idiot pining over git. He seriously cursed whatever fates had caused him to want Draco Malfoy. Or maybe it was him, maybe he was sick in the head. All those years with the Dursleys had made it so that he didn't know how to have a relationship that was loving, maybe all the verbal abuse warped his head to the point where the only love that he wanted was toxic and-

"Potter."

He was staring. Shit. And Draco had noticed him staring.

"I- I wasn't dusting the books."

Draco's mouth parted slightly at Harry's ridiculous statement and he leaned back in his chair in bewilderment a moment, before clearing his throat and sitting back up.

"I'm going to give you some advice," Draco sighed, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe he was about to help him. "Pick a lie and stick with it."

"I know you self-righteous Gryffindors don't usually have experience with this sort of thing, but it isn't that complicated. If you tell a different lie each time some poor sap asks you out, people are going to catch on that you're lying."

"I- I don't know what to say," Harry mumbled, hoping that this bit of honesty would have Draco continuing to talk to him.

It seemed to work. Malfoy rolled his eyes grandly at his statement. "You live with muggles?" Harry nodded. "In the muggle world?" Another nod. "Then say you're dating a muggle girl. It's the perfect 'I have a girlfriend, she doesn't go here' lie. No one would think twice about it. The statute of secrecy also explains why she wouldn't be attending the ball."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before taking the chair across from Draco.

"Yeah, but-erm- I do have someone I want to go to the ball with and-"

"Potter," Draco cut off, looking at him as if he had grown another head. "What are you doing?"

Harry wasn't sure what Draco was referring to and blinked wildly. "I'm explaining, I-"

"No, why are you sitting with me?" Draco emphasized, gesturing about.

"Don't be a git, Malfoy," Harry snapped. "We're having a conversation and I am going to sit for it."

"There's no need to have a conversation, I just solved your problem," Draco exclaimed. Harry held in his own smile as he noted Draco's voice had a small twinge of a whine in it.

"Well, you didn't actually," Harry continued a lot more confidently. "Because your lie may very well work and there is someone I want to ask me to the ball."

Draco's eyes narrowed and Harry felt his confidence slip as each moment under the blonde's gaze passed.

"You want someone to ask you to the ball, but you have spent the past two weeks turning everyone down with blatant lies…"

"Uh-"

"Tell me, Potter, is this girl you're longing for smart?"

"Well,-"

"Does she have an ounce of self-respect?"

"Wait, what?"

"Does she have any self-respect, or is she one of the hundreds of other girls willing to prostrate themselves for a chance with the Chosen One?"

The last two words were said with such disdain that Harry could barely move let alone talk.

Draco snorted. "You're an idiot."

He stood up and began packing his things, shaking his head and muttering things in French that Harry was very sure were not at all flattering towards him. He was just about to leave, his rucksack slung over one shoulder as his other hand gripped the book he had attempted to read when Harry at last found his voice.

"Would you go with me?"

Draco halted in his attempt to leave.

"To the ball," Harry clarified, his voice sounding not at all casual or confident. "Would you go with me?"

Draco's face went from shock to pure balled-up evil. "You're an arse."

"I'm serious!"

Draco continued to walk and now it was Harry chasing him down as that Ravenclaw girl had chased him. "Malfoy, wait! Wait!"

Madam Pince shushed him as he followed after Draco, but he hardly cared he was leaving the library anyways as he did his best to try and get Draco to listen.

"Draco, just wait!" Harry practically growled, reaching for the other boy's robes only to halt in his attempts as Draco rounded on him.

"Heard the rumours, huh?" Draco spat, moving so close to Harry that the other boy was forced to take a couple of steps back. "Thought you could embarrass me? Make a joke? Or maybe just find out if it was true. Go fuck yourself, Potter."

"What? No. I don't even know what you're talking about!" Well, that wasn't true he absolutely had heard all the rumours regarding Draco's preferences for men, which is what made him even more hopeful that maybe they could-

"Merlin! You are the worst bloody liar!" Draco screamed, slamming his book on the ground and balling his hands into fists. Harry for a moment thought the other boy was going to strike him and moved farther away.

"I'm not lying!" Harry declared, knowing full well he was lying, but unable to help it at this point.

Draco's face twisted into something absolutely feral and Harry had the good sense to actually look contrite as the other boy's jaw tightened.

"Okay, maybe- maybe I heard something mentioned once, but-"

Draco didn't let him finish, before turning on his heel and leaving. Harry moved to follow again but stopped. He didn't know what to say. What to do. He ran his fingers through his hair and realized what an awful mess he had made. He shouldn't have just blurted out at the first opportunity that he would like to go to the ball with Draco. He should have just talked with him. Maybe tried to talk to him again on another day, slowly building up to asking the blonde out, but no. No, he had to just blurt it out the way he did.

II

Harry had absolutely no idea how to talk to Draco. He lay in his bed and tried to conjure up a scenario where he could approach Draco and successfully make his feelings known, or at least not get hexed. There didn't seem to be any. Harry was even willing to risk being hexed to try and ask Draco again, but the blonde was hell-bent on not allowing Harry anywhere near him.

"You could use the cloak," Ron pointed out, from over on his side of the dorm. "Follow him about and wait for him to be alone."

Harry twisted his mouth in thought. "You don't think that's too invasive? Like a bit stalkerish?"

Ron looked over at him in exasperation. "Oh, so now you have an issue stalking Malfoy and invading his privacy."

Harry flushed. "It's different now."

Ron snorted. "Is it?"

"Ugh, no wonder he hates me," Harry groaned, running his hands through his hair.

"You two both have reasons to hate one another. You far more than him."

"Ron," Harry warned.

"Yes, yes I know- I know. I'm not saying for you to hate him. I am accepting, I am grown. I am frustrated beyond measure that I have to hear you obsessing about Draco Malfoy still after all these years, but I'm not trying to dissuade you."

"You made that comment earlier," Harry reminded.

"That was half-hearted," Ron shrugged. "And it's a habit at this point to call him a git."

Harry said nothing and went back to his brooding.

"Harry." Harry turned and found Ron staring at him seriously. "You have to have a date to this ball tomorrow. So you need to either ask Malfoy again, or you need to ask someone else."

"I don't want to ask someone else. I am going to ask Draco."

Ron's mouth twisted slightly. "And if he says no?"

"I won't go with anyone else," Harry declared petulantly. "I'm the bloody saviour of the wizarding world now," Harry muttered with disdain. "They can't make me have a date."

Ron nodded. "Okay, do me a favour mate and when you declare that to McGonagall let me be there."

Harry considered that scenario for a brief second before standing up and rummaging through his trunk.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to go stalk Draco Bloody Malfoy, because of course nothing in my life can be simple."

"Good man," Ron cheered, giving him an encouraging salute and returning back to the magazine he was reading. "Good luck."

Harry absolutely hated this and he was well aware that Draco would absolutely hate this, but as he headed to where Draco was on the map, the cloak hiding him from anyone else's view he didn't see he had much of a choice. He found Draco over on the lawn, but unlike when he had checked the map earlier, he was not alone.

"Thank you," Draco murmured, holding up a book and handing it over to Blaise Zabini.

The other boy nodded and pocketed the book in his bag. "I still don't know how you lost your copy."

"I don't want to talk about it," Draco muttered.

Blaise raised a brow at that statement and instead of leaving sat on the lawn with the other boy. "Want to tell me why you've been so unbearable the past few days?"

Harry inwardly groaned. Of course, Draco needed that book he had been trying to read when they spoke. When he threw it down, Harry pocketed it and he had been so busy thinking of a way to approach Draco. He never even considered using the book as a means to, 'hey Draco, I have your book. Listen, can we talk?' It would have been perfect.

"Nope, not particularly," Draco snapped, his lips pressed together tightly as though he wanted to physically show the other boy he wouldn't be getting any explanation out of him.

Blaise nodded, but it was very clear he wasn't done. "Does it have to do with the ball?"

"No."

"Draco…"

"It doesn't!"

"Okay, well then you need to tell me what it does have to do with because Theo is very close to strangling you. And Greg literally won't come into the dorm room until you're asleep so as to avoid dealing with you completely."

"What are you talking about? I had breakfast with Greg this morning."

Blaise crossed his arms. "Did you happen to notice that he only ate half of what was on his plate?"

Draco pinked slightly, before muttering something Harry was unable to hear, but it seemed to be an apology from the way Blaise's glare softened.

"Spill, Malfoy," the other boy demanded, shoving his shoulder into Draco's in a way that made Harry green in envy at their familiarity.

Draco licked his bottom lip nervously. "It's Potter. He-"

"Oh, Merlin, no," Blaise groaned. "I thought we were done with all this? Seriously? Seriously, Draco!"

"Will you let me finish?"

"I can't believe we're back to this," Blaise complained, his face buried in his hands. "Draco, if we have to hear you obsess over Harry Potter again we're kicking you out of the dungeons. That's it- we cannot deal with-"

"Forget it. Forget it," Draco snapped, taking the book in his lap and packing it in his bag as though to leave.

"No, no, go on tell me. What did the git do now? Let's get it out of your system. Better me than Theo."

"Just forget it," Draco said thickly, moving to stand.

Blaise looked up at the sound of Draco's voice and there was real concern on his face as he grabbed the other boy's arm. Harry felt a giant pit in his stomach begin to open as he watched Draco. He was upset- Harry had thought Draco angry, but this- this was… hurt. He looked hurt.

"Whoa, hey, what's going on?"

Draco looked like he may still very well leave, but Blaise didn't release his arm.

"It's stupid."

"I'll decide if it's stupid," Blaise said venomously.

Draco looked at the other boy briefly before sitting back down.

"I bumped into Potter in the library the other day and- and I gave him some advice."

Blaise wrinkled his nose at this statement. "You gave Harry Potter advice," he repeated slowly. "And what, pray tell, kind of advice did you have for Harry Potter?"

"It was real advice!" Draco swore, before telling Blaise the advice he had given.

Blaise blinked a few times, as though shocked by Draco's civility. "That was good advice."

"Told you."

"So what? Are you upset he didn't take your advice?"

"Do you really think me that vain?"

"Yes, absolutely."

Draco made a gesture at the other boy that would have lost them an obscene amount of house points if a professor was around.

Blaise just laughed at the other boy's antics and again Harry found himself jealous of how much this other boy got to know Draco.

"Alright, so what happened?"

Draco looked away and became very interested in a blade of grass he picked at between his fingers.

"He asked me to the ball," Draco said quietly.

Blaise's face fell at the words. "He's heard the rumours," he stated, looking away from Draco, his eyes dancing around as though he were making the connection.

"I think you and I both know it's not a rumour," Draco swallowed.

Blaise glanced briefly at his friend before away again. "Want me to hex him?"

"You can't hex the saviour of the wizarding world."

"I'll hex him for you if you ask."

A small smile formed on Draco's lips at that statement. "Thanks, but it's fine. I should probably get used to stuff like that."

"So what is your plan for the ball?" Blaise asked, leaning back against the castle stones as he waited for an answer.

Draco shrugged. "No plans."

"I'm going stag," the other Slytherin proclaimed.

"Are you going stag or are the other girls too scared to ask you due to your mother's reputation?" Draco asked with a teasing tinge to his voice.

Blaise gave him a lazy smile. "Oh, I was asked to the Ball. It seems some witches are willing to risk death for a night with me."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"You want to go stag together?"

Draco frowned. "Go stag together?" he repeated. "Is that your way of asking me to the ball?"

"No," Blaise said slowly. "That's my way of asking if you want to go stag together. We will dance with other people, but then we can hang out when we're not dancing."

Draco's eyes narrowed at the other boy's explanation, but he seemed to decide it was not worth arguing over. "Okay, sure. We'll go stag together."

"Good man, Malfoy."

Draco did smile at that and Harry left the lawn feeling sick to his stomach. He couldn't ask Draco now. Draco was going stag with Zabini.

By the time the Ball arrived Harry still didn't feel any better. He felt like there were snakes in his stomach and he couldn't think about anything other than Draco. It wasn't even about Draco not going to the ball with him, it was about how Draco sincerely thought that Harry only asked him to make him feel bad. Was that how Draco really saw him?

"Potter."

Harry looked up at McGonagall waiting expectantly. "Erm?"

"Your date," the older woman repeated. "You did ask someone to attend with you, did you not?"

Harry could hear the warning in her voice.

"I did. Yes, I did ask someone." And he absolutely did, they just didn't realize he was sincere.

"And where are they now?"

"Uh, I - I will go get them."

McGonagall was going to kill him. He quickly hurried out of the room with absolutely no plan on what he was going to do. He considered for a brief moment just running down to where the ball was and begging anyone to come with him. Considering how many applicants he had at the beginning, he didn't think this would be too difficult, but he found himself walking instead towards the dungeons.

He could do this. He had faced a lot more fearsome obstacles than the whole of the Slytherin house. He would just march over and talk to Draco. Maybe he would even appreciate that Harry was going to him. How could he not be sincere standing outside the Slytherin entrance dressed for the ball? This was going to be fine. Or it would be absolutely awful, but either way, he would try again.

He went the same path that he and Ron had gone down their second year, but when he got to the entrance he realized that he didn't really have a way to get in. They didn't have a portrait that he could request to find Draco. He was just about to panic when some third-year girl came out. She blinked wildly at the sight of him.

"Hi, erm, would you mind getting Draco Malfoy for me?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the request. "Wait here," she instructed, as though she didn't trust him to not barge in. She whispered the password against the wall and left with no other words.

Harry stood outside as instructed. Awkwardly shifting as other Slytherin students and their dates walked by him, all eyeing him suspiciously. It was taking quite a while. The girl he had spoken to emerge, but when he asked where Draco was, she simply said she had told him and went on her way.

Harry was just about to give up when Blaise Zabini came stalking out toward him.

"Draco does not accept whatever apology you came here to make. He said and I quote 'tell him to leave, so we can go back to pretending the other no longer exists and move on with our lives.'"

Blaise turned to leave, but Harry grabbed his arm. "Wait, no, I'm- I'm not here to apologize I-"

"You're not here to apologize?" Blaise asked, his nostrils flaring. He moved closer into Harry's personal space and Harry saw his hand go to rest on where his wand would be in his formal robes. "I am going to give you till the count of three to get out of here Potter, before I give you another scar to-"

"Do whatever you want to do, but I'm not leaving till I speak with Draco. And I have a wand too, Zabini," Harry threatened viciously. "And a lot more experience than you when it comes to dueling."

Blaise didn't move. He seemed to be calculating whether he could or could not take him.

"I really do want to go to the ball with him," Harry said, deciding to take advantage of the silence. "It wasn't a joke. He just took it wrong."

The other boy frowned slightly and Harry could tell that he wasn't sure if he should believe him.

"I'm standing here in formal robes, Zabini," Harry pointed out. "Please, just- just get him to come down."

Blaise opened his mouth to speak then seemed to think better of it. He turned away and left, leaving Harry to wonder if he would or would not be bringing down Draco. He waited on bated breath and, just when he was convinced that Blaise had, in fact, an arse and wasn't going to get Draco on his behalf, Draco emerged.

He was wearing dark black formal robes that had constellations neatly stitched in silver embroidery at the bottom of where his cloak and sleeves fell. A silver roped chain ran along his chest connecting the cloak and when he moved, it seemed to shimmer ever so slightly, like starlight. His mother must have picked them out, or maybe he did, but either way, it fit him well. It made the gray in his eyes look that much fiercer.

"Potter, I'm here. Now hurry up and speak," Draco hissed, moving Harry away from the Slytherin entrance into an enclove a few feet away.

"Youlooknice," Harry blurted out, his heart racing as he stood there against the wall.

Draco looked even more furious at Harry's proclamation. "Why are you doing this?" Draco asked. "Why are you here? I mean- we never got a long, I know you hate me, but-"

"I don't hate you," Harry interjected.

"Yes, you do," Draco sighed, his fingers pressing the bridge of his nose as he seemed to be trying desperately to hold in his temper. "And I don't blame you for it either, but you've never been cruel. So why is it now that-"

"Draco, I don't hate you," Harry repeated sincerely.

Draco moved away from him, Harry hadn't even realized he took his hand. "What is this?" he asked, his voice sounding close to panic. "What are you doing?"

Harry flushed and felt bare as Draco continued to stare at him waiting for an answer.

"I- uh- well," Harry searched for something to say. "Uh, when did you know you liked men?"

"That is none of your business, Potter," Draco said quietly, his words falling like frost on the ground.

Harry flushed. "Well, I knew when- uh- when everything settled down and I-uh- couldn't stop thinking of you."

Draco said nothing, he just stood there staring at him.

"It took me a long time to- to figure that out," Harry admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "At first I thought it was just because you're - well you know."

"No, in fact I don't know," Draco said, his words clipped and cold.

Harry pulled at the sleeve of his cloak awkwardly. "You're good looking," he finally bit out. "You know with the hair, the eyes and the-" he stopped himself and just gestured to about.

Draco seemed a bit caught off guard at that. "You think I'm good looking," he repeated slowly.

Harry just nodded and suddenly found a crack on the castle floor very interesting. "And charismatic. I-uh- I miss that about you. The way you used to be, when you would be overly dramatic about things. You always had the other Slytherins cracking up with your little performances and-"

"My performances making fun of you," Draco pointed out, as if Harry had gone mad.

"I know how this sounds," Harry sighed. "I know. But- it was- you don't do that anymore. Well, that's not true, I think you do just -just not around me."

"Make fun of you?"

"No, no that's." Now Harry was the one pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do you remember a while back you were in the courtyard telling Nott about a quidditch game you went to? And you were like performing it out as you talked about it to him? And like jumping and feigning left and moving your hands a lot?"

Draco pinked slightly, but nodded.

"I like that about you. Not that you make fun of me, I like how when you talk you like to use all of your body. I like that when you're walking the halls you stand up right, like you don't know how to slouch, but when you think no one is looking you relax. I like that I know when you're concentrating cause you will typically be so deep in thought it's obvious you don't hear anyone else. And I like how you walk, like you have somewhere important to be and- and I hate that I don't see that anymore, because I think you're still like that, but in private so everyone else gets to see that part of you and I don't."

Draco stared at him for a long moment, before looking away. Harry watched as his throat bobbed for a moment, swallowing whatever emotion he had.

"My father's always disapproved of my theatrics," he murmured, still not quite looking at Harry. "He always wanted me to be more reserved."

"Yeah, well, that's not too surprising."

Draco then did look up at Harry, his eyes a kaleidoscope of emotions, but none of those emotions seemed to be anger. Scared, unsure, but none of the anger that had been there before remained. "I still dont- What do you want?"

"I want to take you to the ball," Harry said simply.

Draco shook his head. "How do you imagine this going, Potter? Honestly."

"Uh, well, rocky at first. I think you will in the first few moments tell me I'm an awful dancer, cause I don't think you will be able to help yourself, but I'm hoping you will dance with me anyways. I can learn and-"

"No, how do you imagine people will react when you show up to this ball with me?" Draco said, gesturing between the two of them.

And Harry could see it then. All the self-doubt and loathing the other boy must have harboured for himself. "I don't care about that."

"How could you not care about that?" Draco demanded, his mouth open in a way that Harry was sure his father would not approve of. "You're not only showing up to this ball with a Malfoy, but- but with a man. How do you not care that everyone will be talking about us? That the papers will be writing about us? That-"

Harry just grinned. "I just don't. I- I just care that you come with me."

"You don't even know me," Draco pointed out. "You will be subjecting the both of us to this scrutiny and you may decide that- that you don't even really like me."

"Malfoy, if I feel this way after everything before, then I have a feeling that when we're not at each other throats, I will like you even more."

That actually did win Harry a smile and he grinned proudly at knocking down that first bit of wall with the other boy.

"Draco, I really do need an answer. I am insanely late and- uh- McGonagall is probably not going to be too happy with me," he admitted. "But I- I don't want to go with anyone other than you and if you say no I have a feeling she will get someone to go with me and I want so bad for you to be my first date."

"You've had dates before," Draco frowned. "Patel for the Yule Ball and Cho on Valentine's Day."

"Trust me, Draco, those should absolutely not count," Harry deadpanned.

"Why?"

"If you agree to come with me I'll tell you all about it?" Harry bargained, giving him what he hoped looked like a very charming smile.

Draco huffed a laugh before nodding his head in agreement.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Okay, then," Harry knew he was grinning like a fool, but he did not care.

"So are we going?" Draco asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.

"Yes, yes," Harry declared, moving to take Draco's arm. Draco moved slightly away, clearly not quite ready for that and Harry just mumbled a quick sorry before leading him to the room they were supposed to be at. Draco took his arm when McGonagall instructed him before they were led out to the ball. Him, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny and Luna all for their services to the war effort. Draco looked pointedly uncomfortable the whole time they were lining up and Harry was very thankful the two of them were last in the procession.

"It's going to be okay," he swore, leaning in as only he could hear him and putting his hand over the blonde's to try and calm him. Draco nodded stiffly and just held tighter to his arm.

They were next. Hermione and Ron had just left, leaving them the last to enter.

"I always knew," Draco said quietly. "Always knew I liked men," he explained, his cheeks pinking with the admission. "And I've always had a thing for green eyes."

Harry's brows went up at that admission.

"I noticed yours during the robe fitting in Diagon Alley, didn't even see the scar," Draco chuckled looking up at the ceiling as if he were an idiot. "Thought to offer to be your friend, get to know you and well you know the rest from there. We ended up enemies."

"No we didn't," Harry said kindly. "We ended up here. We were enemies and now you're my date," he smiled, walking them forward as their names were announced together.