Count the Stars
By: Neko-chan
A/N: Anyway, this is my _very first_ attempt at Harry Potter slash. (Yaoi and/or shounen-ai to you anime fans. ^_~) I know that I'm not very good at this, but I want to at least try it. So, just bear with me, 'kay? I hope you like it. If I get enough positive response, I'm thinking about _maybe_ doing a whole chapter story. Enjoy! ^_^
Disclaimer: Neko-chan doesn't own Harry Potter. It would certainly be nice to...but she doesn't.
WARNING: This story contains SLASH. (Male/Male relationships) If you don't like slash, then please don't read any further than this. Thank you very much! ^_^ Draco/Harry
Emerald green eyes stare up at the night sky, absently picking out the different constellations. There was Orion. Scorpio. The Big Bear and the Little Bear. And there, just barely rising above the horizon, was Draco.
Harry frowned and stared at the dragon constellation for a moment or two. The object he held in his hands, threaded between his fingers, becoming almost alive in the warmth of his body. A golden necklace chain with a black opal hanging majestically from it. Yes, it was beautiful. But Harry didn't care about that.
Dumbledore had given it to him the year before, smiling softly--or did he smile a bit sadly?--telling Harry that it had been his mother's. Besides the photo album, this was the only thing he had from the two of them. The necklace...comforted...him when he was feeling depressed. Like now.
The young man sighed and held up the necklace, staring into the black opal pendant. The stone seemed almost alive with its colors. He could sense something feminine about it; deep down inside he knew that _something_ of his mother lingered within the necklace. But it still wasn't his mother and father.
A soft footfall behind him. Harry didn't bother to turn around--it was probably either Ron or Hermione, anyway. They both knew that Harry was up in the Astronomy Tower. But they also knew that he wanted to be alone. The figure paused.
"What are you doing up here, Potter?" a silky voice snarled. Harry blinked, but didn't take his attention away from the necklace. It was Draco. But why would Draco Malfoy be up in the Astronomy Tower on a night like this? It was bitterly cold and even Harry could feel it through his many layers.
The green-eyed boy paused for a moment, then finally decided to answer. "I'm thinking, Malfoy."
Now it was Draco's turn to pause. Something seemed a bit...off...about Harry tonight. He wasn't being sarcastic or hot-headed. Instead, he seemed sad and distant. It wasn't like the usual Harry Draco knew. "About what?" he asked, this time softening his voice.
"Families, mostly," was the answer. "I've always wondered what it would be like to be with a family that loves you, you know? The kind that shares hugs and kisses; the kind that cares for you so much that they would give anything to have you live. I once had that type of family. But both of my parents are dead now. And my aunt, uncle, and cousin aren't family. We're related by blood, but that's it. What's it like to have a family, Draco?"
The blonde boy paused, looking at Harry with shrewd, gray eyes. The green-eyed boy had never called him by his first name before. It was strange to have him do so, but it also felt a little bit...right. Why was that? "I don't really know, Potter," Draco answered shortly.
Harry blinked and turned around, staring at Draco with surprised eyes. "What do you mean...?"
Draco laughed bitterly and plopped himself down next to Harry. Though the two were enemies, Draco sensed that tonight would be very important to his future. How, he didn't know. It just would be. "Harry," the name felt strange in his mouth. But a good strange, not a bad one. "Why do you ask _me_ of all people? If we switched shoes you would still be asking me that question. I don't have a family, either. At least, I don't have a family by your definition. Did you know that they--my parents--never told me that they loved me?"
Harry paused and thought for a moment. "Yes, Draco. I knew that. I can see it in your eyes. After all, the look in them is just like mine." He held up the necklace. "This belonged to my mother. It's the only thing that I have from her and my father. I wish I could have known them. At least just for a little while..."
The prefect for Slytherin sighed and edged closer, slipping under the blanket Harry had brought with him. It was _cold._ "Harry? What's it like to be and feel loved?"
"... ... ... I don't know, Draco. I can't remember. Happy and wonderful, I guess. Like you belonged somewhere. Like someone needed you. Like you were important. Hey! Look over there. Draco is rising up over the horizon."
"You're right. It looks like it's rising up to meet the North Star. Doesn't it look a little...green tonight?" was Draco's soft reply.
Harry blinked and smiled down at Draco, his own green eyes sparkling happily. "Yeah, I think it does."
Draco smiled in content and leaned his head against Harry's shoulder. It really _was_ cold and Harry was so very warm... Maybe...was this what it was like to feel loved? If it was, he didn't want it to end. It felt too good.
"Draco?"
"Hmmm?"
"Count the stars with me?"