A/N: Finally Updated! Sorry, but I've been swamped by the play and finals
junk. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are what keeps me writing!
Thanks to everyone who pointed out the reappearing letter, I can only say
that I was extremely unobservant.
Disclaimer: *gets down on knees * PLEASE DON"T SUE! (melodramatic moment over)
Warning: SLASH! Nuff said.
Draco awoke from a lovely dream involving him, Harry, and some heated oil with a lazy smile on his face. Only two more days till Christmas holidays. His smile widened. It was the perfect opportunity to get some alone time with Harry without worrying about interruptions. It would also give him a much-needed respite from his fatuous friends. They had finally noticed Draco's abnormal behavior, and although easily deceived, were an inconvenience he could do without. He sat up and flung open his curtains, eager to get down to breakfast to see Harry.
Crabbe and Goyle were sleeping the peaceful sleep of idiocy and didn't stir as Draco changed from his ice blue silk pajamas to his school robes. He was checking the mirror to make sure his hair was artfully tousled when he noticed the dopey smile on his face. He forced it into a straight line and shook his head. If he had seen that on anyone else's face he would have itched to slap it off. He didn't recognize himself anymore. "Is that good or bad, though?" he mused as he crept out of the dormitory.
When he entered the hall he found it mostly deserted. Draco sat down at his table, making sure he had a good view of the Hall doors. He languidly nibbled on a muffin keeping a discreet eye on the door. After the Hall was almost full of students Harry strolled in, looking wrinkled and very sexy in a just-rolled-out of-bed sort of way. "Wouldn't it be nice to wake up with him looking like that?" Draco thought, reaching for another muffin.
He distractedly chewed on the muffin, so lost in Harry fantasies that he didn't even notice it was lemon poppy seed, a flavor he normally detested, until a chorus of hoots announced the arrival of the dreaded mail. Draco looked up, and saw a familiar owl glide toward the table. It rested only long enough for Draco to pull the letter off his leg before soaring up to the enchanted ceiling and out of the Hall. Draco took a deep breath and opened it.
Dear Draco,
Your mother has just informed me that you sent word that you wish to remain at Hogwarts for your Christmas holiday. Although I am confused as to why you would wish to remain in that muggle loving hellhole when you do not have to, I have given up trying to understand your idiotic ways. Your grades could certainly use the extra study time this will provide you with. In any case, your mother and I are so busy with engagements it will be a relief not to have to work you into our hectic schedules.
In addition I have received word that your behavior of late has been slightly peculiar. You will remember that Malfoy's have a reputation to maintain. I trust you will not disappoint me as you have in years past with your pathetic attempts to live up to our illustrious ancestry.
Lucius Malfoy
Draco's face grew hard and pointed when he finished reading. Placing the letter carefully on the table he picked up his wand and hissed "Incendio." Flames surrounded the letter and began to burn his father's words. He watched the letter blacken with grim satisfaction.
"If only that were father." Draco sighed.
When the letter disintegrated he brushed the ashes onto his neighbor's plate, leaving them with rather burned looking toast. As he stared at the charred area the letter had left, he felt the anger that his father's letters always stirred slowly drain away, leaving only self-pity behind.
"Why couldn't I have a father that actually cared?" Draco thought and then tightened his lips. He wasn't going to turn into some pansy that did nothing but bitch about his life.
He tried to stifle the pity by recalling every single malicious thing his father had ever done to him. Memories of the casual slaps and carefully barbed words came to him and soon he was filled with a fulfilling rage.
When he felt composed enough to glance around him he noticed the care packages his housemates had been sent and had to fight against another wave of worthlessness. His father had forced his mother to stop sending them, claiming that he "didn't need to be pampered like a sissy boy." Struggling to maintain his equanimity, Draco left the Hall.
Harry's eyes, which had been fixed on Draco since he had entered the Hall, anxiously watched Draco trudge from the room. What sort of letter would cause Draco to set it on fire? Without a word to anyone Harry got up from the Gryffindor table. Forcing himself to walk, not run, he left the Hall. Once he had passed the double doors, however, he dropped all pretense of dignity and ran to catch up with Draco. He then gingerly put a hand on Draco's shoulder.
"What's happened?" he asked.
With indifferent determination Draco shrugged Harry's hand off and continued walking down the hallway. Harry grabbed him more forcefully and turned him around. He drew back when he saw Draco's face. It was as composed as a sculpture, but his eyes burned with a disturbing luminescence. Concerned and slightly panicked, he quickly pulled Draco into a nearby bathroom, where they could talk in relative privacy.
"Draco, what's wrong?" Harry said, his voice echoing around the bathroom walls.
"My father," his voice was a monotone, although Harry could detect faint emotion in its husky depths, "just wanted to wish me Happy Christmas" a wry smile turned up the right side of his mouth.
Harry gazed intently at Draco who was determinedly counting the cracks in the ceiling. He suddenly drew Draco into his arms and hugged him until Draco felt as though his ribs would break. Draco let out one shuddering sigh and closed his eyes, relaxing into Harry's warmth.
Harry stood and gently caressed Draco's back until he felt the tension drain out of him. He then pulled away, and unexpectedly embarrassed, blushed and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Draco," Harry began, reaching up to run a hand through his disheveled hair, "I don't know what your father said but whatever he thinks…I mean I like you a lot and…Oh bugger! Just don't let him get to you…" Harry took a deep breath and was about to continue when Draco cut him off with a kiss. Surprised, Harry dropped a hand on Draco's shoulder and kissed him softly back.
"Thank you, Harry." Draco whispered when he broke off. His eyes twinkled in faint amusement as he watched Harry turn a deep pink. He grabbed Harry's hands and leaned forward, when he became aware of the rising murmur of students penetrating the bathroom walls. His eyes lost their soft look and he straightened.
"We should be getting to class, I suppose."
"Yeah," Harry sighed, "I guess so."
Harry watched Draco smooth his robes and twist his face into the wry, haughty front he showed the world. Harry didn't know whether to feel sad that Draco was forced to conceal all his humanity behind a sneering mask, or privileged that he had been allowed to peek behind it. Draco confidently swayed to the door, and after one backward smile disappeared into the wave of students filling the hall.
Harry shut the door of the rotten smelling classroom and looked around. He couldn't see much, as the lights were off and the room was rather lacking in windows.
"Lumos" he whispered. The illuminated room was just as dull as the darkness had been. It used to be the old divination room, but when Professor Trelawney had been hired, she'd claimed it lacked atmosphere and moved up to the Tower. It was now empty of everything except an almost pasty layer of dust. With a sigh Harry spread out his invisibility cloak and sat crossed legged on it, absent-mindedly doodling on the dust-covered floor. He had just finished a lopsided Christmas tree when he heard muffled footsteps echoing softly from the corridor.
Harry fumbled with his wand and hissed "Nox," plunging the room into blackness once more. Harry stood up and listened intently to the approaching steps. He smiled. It was Draco. Before he could become disturbed that he could recognize Draco's footsteps, they stopped and the door to the room opened.
Draco slipped in and closed the door silently behind him. In the darkness his eyes found Harry and he walked swiftly towards him. Without a word he slid his arms around Harry's shoulders and kissed him with quiet desperation. Harry had been longing for a taste of Draco's lips all day but he pulled away.
"Draco, hold on." Draco sighed impatiently, but said nothing, so Harry kept talking; "Ron and Hermione suspect something and have started following me everywhere. You can't imagine the time I had trying to get here." Harry smiled faintly at this. "I had to pretend to go to the loo just to get away, and Ron almost followed me in there. The thing is they've decided to stay here for Christmas too. They won't leave me alone." Harry fling off Draco's arms and began gesticulating wildly. "It's ridiculous! Ever since last year they think I'm constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown or something! And when I start to act a little odd they're convinced that I'm a candidate for St. Mungo's. I have a nightmare or two and they think I'm about to shatter into a million pieces!!"
Draco leaned back, startled by Harry's vehemence. His hands groped the darkness until they brushed Harry's heaving back. He wrapped his arms around him and whispered in a deliberately calm voice:
"You have nightmares?"
He could feel Harry stiffen in his arms. The room was filled with a silence that was stretched and magnified by Harry's sharp inhales and exhales.
"Yes." Harry whispered.
It felt strange admitting weakness to someone. Although Ron knew about Harry's frequent sleepless nights, they had an unspoken agreement never to mention them. Harry didn't feel comfortable talking about his dreams. They were too unsettling, and to do so would let Ron see how fragile he really was. But for some reason, Harry trusted Draco enough to admit his failing to him.
Draco was completely unsure of what to do, so he just hugged Harry. He didn't trust his mouth not to betray him with a sharp comment, as it usually did whenever he felt uncomfortable. They stood there, entwined, Draco periodically pressing kisses on Harry's back and shoulders, until Harry felt relaxed enough to notice the slight ache in his feet. He turned in Draco's arms and pulled Draco down onto the Invisibility Cloak. After they sat there awhile Draco broke the silence.
"So, your friends are staying over?"
"Yes." Harry sighed, "They mean well, but ever since last year they've been mothering me. They seem to think that I'll jump off a broomstick if I don't have constant guardianship. It's going to make it a lot harder for us to see each other."
"Not really. It's been pretty easy to dupe them these past few weeks."
"Are you calling my friends gullible?" Harry said, a reluctant grin on his face.
"No, just trusting, like you." Draco said, a faint note of envy in his voice.
"Speaking of which, I've got to get back. Even the most trusting person wouldn't believe it took me half an hour to go the loo."
With a sigh Draco stood up and tugged Harry up with him. "Same time tomorrow?' he asked.
"Definitely." Harry grinned. He picked up his cloak and after leaving one tantalizing kiss on Draco's lips, disappeared under it. The door opened and shut, leaving a miniature cloud of dust in its wake.
Despite the choking atmosphere of the room Draco remained, lost in thought. Love was definitely not what everyone said it was. He supposed he should have learned that already from watching his parents decaying marriage, but a small bastion in his mind had held out that love was possible and something to look forward to. Squinting into the blackness, Draco realized that loved sucked. It was fucking scary. It had caused his emotional happiness to somehow get entwined in Harry's.
What if Harry dumped him? Or what if he died? He had to admit it was probable. After all, when you had the darkest wizard in a century after you, death was a possibility. Draco laughed sardonically. It figured that he would fall in love with the one wizard whom Voldemort wanted to destroy more than anything else.
And the worst part of it was that he couldn't fall out of love with him. Every time he saw him it grew worse, like some cancer spreading through his body. He nearly screamed in frustration. Why hadn't he thought his stupid plan through? Now he was left emotionally attached to the Boy-Who-Lived indefinitely.
He stomped out of the room, disgusted with himself, although a part of his mind couldn't help looking forward to his meeting with Harry tomorrow.
Christmas holidays finally arrived, clearing the castle of most of its occupants. Harry's days fell into a sort of routine. He would spend time with Hermione and Ron playing chess or talking, he would escape to see Draco, Ron and Hermione would follow him, he would lose them, he would spend time with Draco (mostly snogging), he would return to the Gryffindor tower. Ron and Hermione always looked him over when he returned, as if searching for clues to his whereabouts, but they never questioned him.
Harry, although unable to keep from blushing under their scrutiny, was determined not to share his relationship. They were going to figure it out soon though, despite Draco's reassurances of their stupidity. The gleam in Hermione's eyes was changing from one of puzzlement to one of knowing. He just hoped his lingering doubts about Draco would be gone before they discovered it.
The routine continued through the holidays. Harry had been attempting to avoid Ron and Hermione more and more as the holidays wore on but it was hard to avoid your best friends when they were two of about twenty people in the entire castle. There were no crowds to lose them in, and no classes to focus their attention away from him. They were sticking to his side like barnacles and it was getting to a point where he almost felt like telling them, just to get them to stop following him around. Finally, the day after the holidays ended they cornered him. Harry, relieved to have the castle full again, was going to meet Draco in the astronomy tower, when Ron and Hermione, faces full of determination, forced him into a chair in a far corner of the common room.
Harry, fully aware of what was about to happen, braced himself for the coming storm.
"Harry," Ron said "we know that your hiding something from us, and we think we've figured it out."
"You have?" Harry said warily.
"Well of course," Hermione looked rather smug, "you've been seeing someone, haven't you?"
"No…" Harry said nervously.
"Oh come on," Hermione scoffed, "You've been sneaking off at all hours and I don't think it's to see the house elves."
"Well…"
"And on top of that, you're in love!" Hermione beamed.
"I am?" Harry whispered.
"It's pretty obvious. You've been walking around all week with a moronic grin on your face. You actually said 'excuse me' to Snape when you bumped into him in the hall, for Christ's sake! I'm sorry mate, but you're definitely in love." Ron said this as though he were telling Harry that he'd just contracted a nasty skin rash.
" I am!" Harry murmured.
"Look! He's doing it again!" Ron nudged Hermione. Harry's face wore a beatific grin that was almost painful to look at.
"Harry!" Hermione snapped her fingers in front of Harry's face
Harry's eyes lost their dazed look and he focused on his friends, who were looking rather exasperated.
"So?" Ron asked, "Whose the lucky girl?"
Harry's brief euphoria crashed and burned. He covered his face with his hand.
"Come on Harry! You can tell us! I'm sure whoever it is has got to be pretty special." Hermione assured, resting one hand on his knee.
Harry merely winced and tried to bury his head in his knees, crushing Hermione's fingers.
"You can tell us, Harry! You know we wouldn't tell anyone." Hermione assured.
"I know," Harry sighed, "but still…"
"I'm sure we'll like whomever you're dating," she said.
"Yeah right," Harry thought.
"Oh it can't be that bad!" Ron slapped Harry on the back "It's not as if you're dating someone like Draco Malfoy!"
Harry's head shot up and he muttered something that sounded like "Oh hell." He wished the common room was on the ground floor, so he could jump out the window and flee to safety.
Hermione, who immediately understood the significance of Harry's reaction, gasped and said, "Oh, Harry."
It took Ron a bit longer to put two and two together, but when he did his face turned a magnificent shade of red.
"Harry, are you trying to say that you are seeing Draco Malfoy?" His eyes were wild and belied his calm voice.
"For a few weeks." Harry's face was set in stone, though he instinctively shrunk back in his chair, waiting for the explosion of Volcano Ron.
"You're kidding right?" Ron begged, "Please tell me your kidding."
"I'm not. We'll have been seeing each other for one month next Tuesday."
"So you've been…all those times you said you were…you were seeing HIM?" Ron stuttered.
"Yes," Harry looked into Ron's eyes defiantly.
"Have you slept with him?? Are you sleeping with Malfoy!?" Ron's voice was rising with every word he said.
"No!!" Harry shouted, "At least, not yet. I had hoped that-"
"STOP!" Ron bellowed, "I don't want to know!"
Hermione thoughtfully looked at Harry and said, "Have you thought about what you're doing? You realize that this is the boy who has made our lives miserable for the past five years?"
"I mean all the times he insulted you, your parents, Hermione! He's a sniveling bastard and I can't believe that you would-" Ron frantically gestured, "-with him!" Ron looked as though he had swallowed an extra strength vomit flavored Every Flavor Bean.
"Ron," Harry pleaded, "if you would just listen-"
"NO!" Ron stood up and spat, "I will not listen to a pillow biting fairy! Especially one who is in love with that slimy excuse for a human being!"
"He's not slimy!" Harry yelled and jumped up from his chair, "At least he can accept me, which is more than you can seem to!"
"As far as I'm concerned he's a spoiled cruel satanic boy-"
"SHUT UP!" Harry screamed, his breath was jerking in and out of his lungs in angry gasps and his fists were clenched at his sides.
"Calm down!" Hermione hissed, "Everyone's staring at us."
Indeed, the whole common room had drifted closer, wanting to hear what could have caused such a terrific row between two inseparable best friends.
"I don't care if everyone hears me! I'm sure they'd all be thrilled to know that the Boy-Who-Lived is screwing Draco fucking Malfoy!" with that Ron ran from the common room, his feet slamming up the stairs to his dormitory.
Everyone was staring at Harry in shocked silence. Colin Creevy was so stunned that he barely had enough strength to snap a shot of Harry as he fled the common room.
A/N: Am I evil or am I EVIL? If fight scene seems stilted it's because I'm not really a conflicty person and therefore have no experiences from which to draw this from. (Eww, bad sentence) Not going to make any promises on how long it will be till next chapter but it will be shorter if you review *cough cough*
Disclaimer: *gets down on knees * PLEASE DON"T SUE! (melodramatic moment over)
Warning: SLASH! Nuff said.
Draco awoke from a lovely dream involving him, Harry, and some heated oil with a lazy smile on his face. Only two more days till Christmas holidays. His smile widened. It was the perfect opportunity to get some alone time with Harry without worrying about interruptions. It would also give him a much-needed respite from his fatuous friends. They had finally noticed Draco's abnormal behavior, and although easily deceived, were an inconvenience he could do without. He sat up and flung open his curtains, eager to get down to breakfast to see Harry.
Crabbe and Goyle were sleeping the peaceful sleep of idiocy and didn't stir as Draco changed from his ice blue silk pajamas to his school robes. He was checking the mirror to make sure his hair was artfully tousled when he noticed the dopey smile on his face. He forced it into a straight line and shook his head. If he had seen that on anyone else's face he would have itched to slap it off. He didn't recognize himself anymore. "Is that good or bad, though?" he mused as he crept out of the dormitory.
When he entered the hall he found it mostly deserted. Draco sat down at his table, making sure he had a good view of the Hall doors. He languidly nibbled on a muffin keeping a discreet eye on the door. After the Hall was almost full of students Harry strolled in, looking wrinkled and very sexy in a just-rolled-out of-bed sort of way. "Wouldn't it be nice to wake up with him looking like that?" Draco thought, reaching for another muffin.
He distractedly chewed on the muffin, so lost in Harry fantasies that he didn't even notice it was lemon poppy seed, a flavor he normally detested, until a chorus of hoots announced the arrival of the dreaded mail. Draco looked up, and saw a familiar owl glide toward the table. It rested only long enough for Draco to pull the letter off his leg before soaring up to the enchanted ceiling and out of the Hall. Draco took a deep breath and opened it.
Dear Draco,
Your mother has just informed me that you sent word that you wish to remain at Hogwarts for your Christmas holiday. Although I am confused as to why you would wish to remain in that muggle loving hellhole when you do not have to, I have given up trying to understand your idiotic ways. Your grades could certainly use the extra study time this will provide you with. In any case, your mother and I are so busy with engagements it will be a relief not to have to work you into our hectic schedules.
In addition I have received word that your behavior of late has been slightly peculiar. You will remember that Malfoy's have a reputation to maintain. I trust you will not disappoint me as you have in years past with your pathetic attempts to live up to our illustrious ancestry.
Lucius Malfoy
Draco's face grew hard and pointed when he finished reading. Placing the letter carefully on the table he picked up his wand and hissed "Incendio." Flames surrounded the letter and began to burn his father's words. He watched the letter blacken with grim satisfaction.
"If only that were father." Draco sighed.
When the letter disintegrated he brushed the ashes onto his neighbor's plate, leaving them with rather burned looking toast. As he stared at the charred area the letter had left, he felt the anger that his father's letters always stirred slowly drain away, leaving only self-pity behind.
"Why couldn't I have a father that actually cared?" Draco thought and then tightened his lips. He wasn't going to turn into some pansy that did nothing but bitch about his life.
He tried to stifle the pity by recalling every single malicious thing his father had ever done to him. Memories of the casual slaps and carefully barbed words came to him and soon he was filled with a fulfilling rage.
When he felt composed enough to glance around him he noticed the care packages his housemates had been sent and had to fight against another wave of worthlessness. His father had forced his mother to stop sending them, claiming that he "didn't need to be pampered like a sissy boy." Struggling to maintain his equanimity, Draco left the Hall.
Harry's eyes, which had been fixed on Draco since he had entered the Hall, anxiously watched Draco trudge from the room. What sort of letter would cause Draco to set it on fire? Without a word to anyone Harry got up from the Gryffindor table. Forcing himself to walk, not run, he left the Hall. Once he had passed the double doors, however, he dropped all pretense of dignity and ran to catch up with Draco. He then gingerly put a hand on Draco's shoulder.
"What's happened?" he asked.
With indifferent determination Draco shrugged Harry's hand off and continued walking down the hallway. Harry grabbed him more forcefully and turned him around. He drew back when he saw Draco's face. It was as composed as a sculpture, but his eyes burned with a disturbing luminescence. Concerned and slightly panicked, he quickly pulled Draco into a nearby bathroom, where they could talk in relative privacy.
"Draco, what's wrong?" Harry said, his voice echoing around the bathroom walls.
"My father," his voice was a monotone, although Harry could detect faint emotion in its husky depths, "just wanted to wish me Happy Christmas" a wry smile turned up the right side of his mouth.
Harry gazed intently at Draco who was determinedly counting the cracks in the ceiling. He suddenly drew Draco into his arms and hugged him until Draco felt as though his ribs would break. Draco let out one shuddering sigh and closed his eyes, relaxing into Harry's warmth.
Harry stood and gently caressed Draco's back until he felt the tension drain out of him. He then pulled away, and unexpectedly embarrassed, blushed and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Draco," Harry began, reaching up to run a hand through his disheveled hair, "I don't know what your father said but whatever he thinks…I mean I like you a lot and…Oh bugger! Just don't let him get to you…" Harry took a deep breath and was about to continue when Draco cut him off with a kiss. Surprised, Harry dropped a hand on Draco's shoulder and kissed him softly back.
"Thank you, Harry." Draco whispered when he broke off. His eyes twinkled in faint amusement as he watched Harry turn a deep pink. He grabbed Harry's hands and leaned forward, when he became aware of the rising murmur of students penetrating the bathroom walls. His eyes lost their soft look and he straightened.
"We should be getting to class, I suppose."
"Yeah," Harry sighed, "I guess so."
Harry watched Draco smooth his robes and twist his face into the wry, haughty front he showed the world. Harry didn't know whether to feel sad that Draco was forced to conceal all his humanity behind a sneering mask, or privileged that he had been allowed to peek behind it. Draco confidently swayed to the door, and after one backward smile disappeared into the wave of students filling the hall.
Harry shut the door of the rotten smelling classroom and looked around. He couldn't see much, as the lights were off and the room was rather lacking in windows.
"Lumos" he whispered. The illuminated room was just as dull as the darkness had been. It used to be the old divination room, but when Professor Trelawney had been hired, she'd claimed it lacked atmosphere and moved up to the Tower. It was now empty of everything except an almost pasty layer of dust. With a sigh Harry spread out his invisibility cloak and sat crossed legged on it, absent-mindedly doodling on the dust-covered floor. He had just finished a lopsided Christmas tree when he heard muffled footsteps echoing softly from the corridor.
Harry fumbled with his wand and hissed "Nox," plunging the room into blackness once more. Harry stood up and listened intently to the approaching steps. He smiled. It was Draco. Before he could become disturbed that he could recognize Draco's footsteps, they stopped and the door to the room opened.
Draco slipped in and closed the door silently behind him. In the darkness his eyes found Harry and he walked swiftly towards him. Without a word he slid his arms around Harry's shoulders and kissed him with quiet desperation. Harry had been longing for a taste of Draco's lips all day but he pulled away.
"Draco, hold on." Draco sighed impatiently, but said nothing, so Harry kept talking; "Ron and Hermione suspect something and have started following me everywhere. You can't imagine the time I had trying to get here." Harry smiled faintly at this. "I had to pretend to go to the loo just to get away, and Ron almost followed me in there. The thing is they've decided to stay here for Christmas too. They won't leave me alone." Harry fling off Draco's arms and began gesticulating wildly. "It's ridiculous! Ever since last year they think I'm constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown or something! And when I start to act a little odd they're convinced that I'm a candidate for St. Mungo's. I have a nightmare or two and they think I'm about to shatter into a million pieces!!"
Draco leaned back, startled by Harry's vehemence. His hands groped the darkness until they brushed Harry's heaving back. He wrapped his arms around him and whispered in a deliberately calm voice:
"You have nightmares?"
He could feel Harry stiffen in his arms. The room was filled with a silence that was stretched and magnified by Harry's sharp inhales and exhales.
"Yes." Harry whispered.
It felt strange admitting weakness to someone. Although Ron knew about Harry's frequent sleepless nights, they had an unspoken agreement never to mention them. Harry didn't feel comfortable talking about his dreams. They were too unsettling, and to do so would let Ron see how fragile he really was. But for some reason, Harry trusted Draco enough to admit his failing to him.
Draco was completely unsure of what to do, so he just hugged Harry. He didn't trust his mouth not to betray him with a sharp comment, as it usually did whenever he felt uncomfortable. They stood there, entwined, Draco periodically pressing kisses on Harry's back and shoulders, until Harry felt relaxed enough to notice the slight ache in his feet. He turned in Draco's arms and pulled Draco down onto the Invisibility Cloak. After they sat there awhile Draco broke the silence.
"So, your friends are staying over?"
"Yes." Harry sighed, "They mean well, but ever since last year they've been mothering me. They seem to think that I'll jump off a broomstick if I don't have constant guardianship. It's going to make it a lot harder for us to see each other."
"Not really. It's been pretty easy to dupe them these past few weeks."
"Are you calling my friends gullible?" Harry said, a reluctant grin on his face.
"No, just trusting, like you." Draco said, a faint note of envy in his voice.
"Speaking of which, I've got to get back. Even the most trusting person wouldn't believe it took me half an hour to go the loo."
With a sigh Draco stood up and tugged Harry up with him. "Same time tomorrow?' he asked.
"Definitely." Harry grinned. He picked up his cloak and after leaving one tantalizing kiss on Draco's lips, disappeared under it. The door opened and shut, leaving a miniature cloud of dust in its wake.
Despite the choking atmosphere of the room Draco remained, lost in thought. Love was definitely not what everyone said it was. He supposed he should have learned that already from watching his parents decaying marriage, but a small bastion in his mind had held out that love was possible and something to look forward to. Squinting into the blackness, Draco realized that loved sucked. It was fucking scary. It had caused his emotional happiness to somehow get entwined in Harry's.
What if Harry dumped him? Or what if he died? He had to admit it was probable. After all, when you had the darkest wizard in a century after you, death was a possibility. Draco laughed sardonically. It figured that he would fall in love with the one wizard whom Voldemort wanted to destroy more than anything else.
And the worst part of it was that he couldn't fall out of love with him. Every time he saw him it grew worse, like some cancer spreading through his body. He nearly screamed in frustration. Why hadn't he thought his stupid plan through? Now he was left emotionally attached to the Boy-Who-Lived indefinitely.
He stomped out of the room, disgusted with himself, although a part of his mind couldn't help looking forward to his meeting with Harry tomorrow.
Christmas holidays finally arrived, clearing the castle of most of its occupants. Harry's days fell into a sort of routine. He would spend time with Hermione and Ron playing chess or talking, he would escape to see Draco, Ron and Hermione would follow him, he would lose them, he would spend time with Draco (mostly snogging), he would return to the Gryffindor tower. Ron and Hermione always looked him over when he returned, as if searching for clues to his whereabouts, but they never questioned him.
Harry, although unable to keep from blushing under their scrutiny, was determined not to share his relationship. They were going to figure it out soon though, despite Draco's reassurances of their stupidity. The gleam in Hermione's eyes was changing from one of puzzlement to one of knowing. He just hoped his lingering doubts about Draco would be gone before they discovered it.
The routine continued through the holidays. Harry had been attempting to avoid Ron and Hermione more and more as the holidays wore on but it was hard to avoid your best friends when they were two of about twenty people in the entire castle. There were no crowds to lose them in, and no classes to focus their attention away from him. They were sticking to his side like barnacles and it was getting to a point where he almost felt like telling them, just to get them to stop following him around. Finally, the day after the holidays ended they cornered him. Harry, relieved to have the castle full again, was going to meet Draco in the astronomy tower, when Ron and Hermione, faces full of determination, forced him into a chair in a far corner of the common room.
Harry, fully aware of what was about to happen, braced himself for the coming storm.
"Harry," Ron said "we know that your hiding something from us, and we think we've figured it out."
"You have?" Harry said warily.
"Well of course," Hermione looked rather smug, "you've been seeing someone, haven't you?"
"No…" Harry said nervously.
"Oh come on," Hermione scoffed, "You've been sneaking off at all hours and I don't think it's to see the house elves."
"Well…"
"And on top of that, you're in love!" Hermione beamed.
"I am?" Harry whispered.
"It's pretty obvious. You've been walking around all week with a moronic grin on your face. You actually said 'excuse me' to Snape when you bumped into him in the hall, for Christ's sake! I'm sorry mate, but you're definitely in love." Ron said this as though he were telling Harry that he'd just contracted a nasty skin rash.
" I am!" Harry murmured.
"Look! He's doing it again!" Ron nudged Hermione. Harry's face wore a beatific grin that was almost painful to look at.
"Harry!" Hermione snapped her fingers in front of Harry's face
Harry's eyes lost their dazed look and he focused on his friends, who were looking rather exasperated.
"So?" Ron asked, "Whose the lucky girl?"
Harry's brief euphoria crashed and burned. He covered his face with his hand.
"Come on Harry! You can tell us! I'm sure whoever it is has got to be pretty special." Hermione assured, resting one hand on his knee.
Harry merely winced and tried to bury his head in his knees, crushing Hermione's fingers.
"You can tell us, Harry! You know we wouldn't tell anyone." Hermione assured.
"I know," Harry sighed, "but still…"
"I'm sure we'll like whomever you're dating," she said.
"Yeah right," Harry thought.
"Oh it can't be that bad!" Ron slapped Harry on the back "It's not as if you're dating someone like Draco Malfoy!"
Harry's head shot up and he muttered something that sounded like "Oh hell." He wished the common room was on the ground floor, so he could jump out the window and flee to safety.
Hermione, who immediately understood the significance of Harry's reaction, gasped and said, "Oh, Harry."
It took Ron a bit longer to put two and two together, but when he did his face turned a magnificent shade of red.
"Harry, are you trying to say that you are seeing Draco Malfoy?" His eyes were wild and belied his calm voice.
"For a few weeks." Harry's face was set in stone, though he instinctively shrunk back in his chair, waiting for the explosion of Volcano Ron.
"You're kidding right?" Ron begged, "Please tell me your kidding."
"I'm not. We'll have been seeing each other for one month next Tuesday."
"So you've been…all those times you said you were…you were seeing HIM?" Ron stuttered.
"Yes," Harry looked into Ron's eyes defiantly.
"Have you slept with him?? Are you sleeping with Malfoy!?" Ron's voice was rising with every word he said.
"No!!" Harry shouted, "At least, not yet. I had hoped that-"
"STOP!" Ron bellowed, "I don't want to know!"
Hermione thoughtfully looked at Harry and said, "Have you thought about what you're doing? You realize that this is the boy who has made our lives miserable for the past five years?"
"I mean all the times he insulted you, your parents, Hermione! He's a sniveling bastard and I can't believe that you would-" Ron frantically gestured, "-with him!" Ron looked as though he had swallowed an extra strength vomit flavored Every Flavor Bean.
"Ron," Harry pleaded, "if you would just listen-"
"NO!" Ron stood up and spat, "I will not listen to a pillow biting fairy! Especially one who is in love with that slimy excuse for a human being!"
"He's not slimy!" Harry yelled and jumped up from his chair, "At least he can accept me, which is more than you can seem to!"
"As far as I'm concerned he's a spoiled cruel satanic boy-"
"SHUT UP!" Harry screamed, his breath was jerking in and out of his lungs in angry gasps and his fists were clenched at his sides.
"Calm down!" Hermione hissed, "Everyone's staring at us."
Indeed, the whole common room had drifted closer, wanting to hear what could have caused such a terrific row between two inseparable best friends.
"I don't care if everyone hears me! I'm sure they'd all be thrilled to know that the Boy-Who-Lived is screwing Draco fucking Malfoy!" with that Ron ran from the common room, his feet slamming up the stairs to his dormitory.
Everyone was staring at Harry in shocked silence. Colin Creevy was so stunned that he barely had enough strength to snap a shot of Harry as he fled the common room.
A/N: Am I evil or am I EVIL? If fight scene seems stilted it's because I'm not really a conflicty person and therefore have no experiences from which to draw this from. (Eww, bad sentence) Not going to make any promises on how long it will be till next chapter but it will be shorter if you review *cough cough*
