A Valentine Rhyme (part 3)
"Hey, where are we going?" Harry was startled out of his trance, having completed the mental list of boys to ask. He was startled because that name included the boy he was walking with right now.
Draco stopped, startled. "What?"
"We're by the dungeons, Malfoy. Not the charms office."
"Must've taken a wrong turn." Malfoy mentally swore. He was an idiot for taking a route that any first-year would know was the wrong way.
"A wrong turn? Malfoy, this is opposite of where we should be!" Draco was silent. Suddenly, Harry remarked, "You know, now that I have you to talk with, Ginny told me to ask all the boys about the poem. So: did you or did you not send it?" the corners of his mouth quirked up. The answer was, of course, no.
But Draco stayed silent. "I'm not asking if you like me. If you did send it as a joke, I promise not to beat you— too badly."
The silence was unnerving, "You're ignoring me?"
"No…I…" the words trailed off.
"What?"
"I do like you!" The words reverberated off the dungeon walls, echoing through the basement.
"What?" Harry repeated, dumbly.
"I do like you," he turned, "I do like you, I do like you. Not as a joke. I sent it. Although, I didn't make that stupid poem. That was the dwarf's doing," he looked rueful.
"Oh. Well, it…" Harry paused, a little afraid, "I'm happy that it wasn't a joke." He finished lamely. "What about your family? Are you coming out soon? Are you thinking this through?"
Draco was suddenly angry. "You don't care that I just said that I liked you, want to be with you? All you care about is my family?" he whispered. "I don't believe it. I don't believe it. I spent so long just wishing…" He stopped, and ran past Harry, up the stairs.
Harry was utterly lost. He hadn't meant to be so cruel, just the idea of Malfoy liking him, and not only as a friend, baffled him. His thoughts needed to catch up. Maybe it wasn't so bad, he thought. Maybe I could like him too. He thought of the Draco he knew. Cold, proud, beautifully above everyone else, eyes glinting. He was beautiful, Harry admitted it to himself. Maybe he should try again. He thought of the other boy's recent insults. They had all pertained to his search for the nameless admirer. But the strain was too much.
He sat down wearily, wondering what to do next. He couldn't tell what time it was, but he was sure it was late.
Green eyes closed, slowly, until sleep came and Harry didn't have to think any more.
Breakfast was muted for the two. Crabbe and Goyle spent it talking about Potter, who had evidently spent the night in the dungeons only to be found by Snape in the morning.
"Some lame excuse about going to see him for extra credit and falling asleep waiting for him."
"Too bad Dumbledore stopped Professor Snape from taking off 200 points. Said Harry was too stressed."
"What an idiot!"
Ginny had slept in, gathering her energy for the test today, while Harry sat in silence between Hermione and Ron, both a little disbelieving of his story.
"You didn't really ask Snape for extra credit, mate?"
"Harry, that is not a good way to get your grades up. You know that!"
Harry was not talkative, to the distress of the pair. He was, instead, deep in thought. He had been too hasty in his decision. The shock, he reminded himself, was the reason he was so unemotional. But when he passed the other table to talk to Draco, the Slytherin didn't even look his way, or throw a barbed comment at the black-haired boy, highly unlike him.
As he walked away, Harry heard Goyle mutter, "Umm…that was Harry…Harry Potter? Remember?" And a slight yelp and a crash.
By the time dinner came around, Harry was horribly upset. He had spent all day in a funk, getting hit by bludgers twice during practice. Fred and George teased him the entire time, and even Wood lifted himself from the intensity of the scrimmage to comment, "Harry, you don't look like yourself," to which Harry thought, "What, do I look like someone else?"
Draco had decided to act cold and ignore his crush, very consciously, so he didn't make a stab at Harry all day. Potions was unusually quiet as both Draco and Harry made their invisible potions mechanically. Harry was only slightly surprised to find, with Draco's remarks silenced, he did a pretty OK job. Of course, he also was in a very black mood. He figured that with Draco quiet and him in a good mood, he might actually have done well the year before. But no matter, Snape was out to get him.
Ginny was distraught. She had tried to be the matchmaker and get her two older friends together, but it had ended in something very bad, she could tell. Whatever happened wasn't good. Draco refused to talk to her, and Harry just looked broodingly past her when she tried to speak, not really paying attention to the younger girl. Her efforts had gone to naught.
Ron and Hermione, ever the best friends, offered to get revenge on person responsible for putting Harry in such a bad temper. Harry waved them off tiredly.