TITLE : Between Hate and Love
AUTHOR : Hollyva
EMAIL: Estelle@mic.fr
RATING : PG-13
PAIRING : Harry/Draco
SUMMARY : One night, Harry finds Draco on the astronomy tower and they quickly realise there is more than meets the eye. But can they face the obstacles put their way?
DISCLAIMER : All the characters in this story belong to JK Rowling.
------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 4 : I just want to live my life
Far away from the insults, Harry and his friend, Hermione, were enjoying their breakfast. They were chatting about their homework, Hermione's favourite subject.
It's been a few weeks now since the 'Draco story', as Harry liked to call it. He hadn't seen the blond since then, and even though he wanted to, something inside Harry kept him from doing so.
He glanced at the Slytherin table and saw him eating with all his friends. He had noticed Draco's change of attitude and was wondering why. What made him act that way?
He didn't have an answer Instead, Hermione was trying to get his attention.
"Harry" she practically screamed.
"Hum.what? " the raven-haired boy replied. Hermione had noticed that Harry seemed to be lost in his mind quite often lately.
"Hedwig has just dropped a letter for you, " she said, handing Harry the letter.
Harry took it and instantly recognized the handwriting. "It's from Sirius," he said.
He quickly opened the letter. Sirius hadn't given him news since last month and Harry desperately wanted to hear about his godfather.
Dear Harry,
Buckbeak and I are fine and I hope you are, as well. Dumbledore sent me a letter, so I will be at Hogwarts in a few days.
I am hoping to see you then.
Dumbledore told me there was a Hogsmeade week-end and I think it would be the best occasion to see each other. Meet me on Saturday the 26th at the usual spot and bring food if you can.
I will be seeing you then and don't forget to write if anything's wrong.
Take care, Sirius
After reading the letter, Harry was uncertain of his feelings. One part of him, the positive one, screamed, 'Great, your godfather is coming back!' The other, much more insecure part, screamed, 'Oh my god, Sirius is coming back. What if he is disgusted I'm gay?'
Hermione, always clever, noticed something was wrong.
"Harry, what's the matter? " she said.
The black-haired boy looked up from his letter and said, "What if he reacts like Ron? What if he hates me? He's the only family I have Hermione! "
"Harry, Sirius is a grown-up, and Ron is too stubborn to even listen to what you have to say. I'm sure Sirius won't mind at all. He loves you no matter what. He keeps in contact with you even though he's on the run. Do you think he will hate you for a small thing like that? "
Harry looked thoughtful for a minute before saying, "Well, I guess I'll only know for sure when I tell him. "
Then he added, "Look, I have to go to Quidditch practice. I'll see you later. "
"Harry, are you sure? "
Since the Weasley twins and the two remaining chasers had graduated from Hogwarts, the Gryffindor Quidditch team was practically made up of Harry's dorm mates.
Dean Thomas was the captain, and also a beater, while Ron was the other. Seamus Finnigan was the keeper and Ginny, being the fifth Weasley on the Gryffindor team, was one of the chasers. Harry didn't know the other chasers very well: one boy and one girl who where in fifth year.
Harry knew it wasn't going to be pleasant, but decided that his dorm mates couldn't keep him from enjoying Quidditch practice and he wouldn't let them think they had succeeded in breaking him.
**************
When Harry arrived on the Quidditch Pitch, he was surprised not to be looked at. The Gryffindor team apparently prefered to ignore him, which was fine by him.
Ginny and the two other chasers were chatting and laughing together while Dean and Seamus were discussing the new strategies to win the Quidditch Cup.
Harry noticed Ron, far from the group, painfully rubbing his arm. 'He probably fell from his broom. Or maybe he's been hit by a bludger,' thought Harry, actually meaning, 'Serves him right.'
The practice was quite calm and Harry found he still enjoyed Quidditch even when the team wasn't talking to him.
After the practice, the Gryffindors always stayed for a while on the pitch, chatting. Which was why the Slytherins called them the 'Speakditch Team'. A joke only they found funny. Must be something about the Slytherin humor.
This time, Harry didn't stay talking with his teammates as he had the strange impression he wouldn't be welcome.
So he left the pitch and went back to the castle, wondering what he would be doing until supper. He didn't want to go back to the common room where he'd probably have to work on a Charms essay.
He was heading to the Gryffindor tower when he heard two voices . Actually, it wasn't really two voices: one person was crying, and the other, much older, screaming at him.
The screaming voice he recognized at once. The man owning this voice, was none other than one of the men he hated the most on Earth. A man he had met four years ago in a shop. A man named Lucius Malfoy.
But Harry needed more time to recognize the second voice, the crying one. Once he did, he was so angry, that if Voldemort had come, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
The second voice belonged to Draco Malfoy.
It took a while for Harry to calm down. He was so angry at Lucius. What had he done to make his son hurt like that? Most of the time, Draco was reserved and didn't let on to his feelings.
Even though he knew it wasn't the wisest choice, Harry decided to eavesdrop.
"You will do it Draco. Want it or not, " said the elder Malfoy.
Lucius then muttered a curse, but Harry didn't catch its name. The fact is that it gave Draco some more pain.
A question troubled Harry. Where was Dumbledore? Normally he was aware of everything in the castle. How could he not know?
"You will take it next week. I will come to take you and there's nothing you can do about it, " said Lucius.
Soon, though not soon enough for Harry, Draco's father apparated away, leaving Draco on the floor.
Harry hesitated for a minute. Should he go see Draco? Will the other boy be angry? Will he hate Harry for hearing this conversation?
As Draco made another moan of pain, Harry made up his mind; he couldn't leave the other boy like this.
He slowly approached the blond man, and sat next to him. It looked like young Malfoy hadn't noticed him.
"Draco. Are you okay? " Harry said gently.
Draco quickly turned his head to look at Harry. The raven-haired boy saw many thing in Draco's eyes: hurt, sadness, pain. But among those, he recognized love. And it was in this moment, he realised that he didn't just 'like' Draco, he was in love with him. He wouldn't let go without a fight, because he felt like Draco was worth it.
"Harry, " cried the blond boy. "It hurts. Please make it stop. "
The Boy-Who-Lived didn't know what to do in this situation. So he simply took Draco in his arms and tried to comfort him.
It wasn't really working. Draco seemed to be crying harder and harder.
As he took a closer look at his protegee, Harry realised he was bruised everywhere.
His father didn't just cast curses and hexes. He beat him too. Draco had told him about it that night on the astronomy tower. But the Gryffindor hadn't realised it was this bad.
He wanted to comfort the other boy, to take his trouble away, but he knew, once again, he was powerless.
"I'm going to take you to the hospital wing. Mrs. Pomfrey will heal your wounds, " Harry said, still gently.
But Draco seemed terrified by the thought. "NO! " he screamed. "Please don't take me to Pomfrey. There's a spell I know to heal my wounds. I will do it, " he added.
Not wanting to scare the blond away, Harry agreed to let him perform the spell, and watched the Slytherin's cuts and bruises vanish.
But Harry was still worried about Draco . If his father had done this once, he could very well do it again. Harry took a closer look at Draco. He was cuddled against him, trying to get closer and closer.
And he realised there was no turning back for him. He had come to care for Draco in a way he never felt before. All he wanted was to make the other boy happy.
Meanwhile, Draco was feeling safe and warm in Harry's arms. Like nothing could ever happen to him while he was in this position. He felt loved, something he had craved lately. Something only Harry seemed to bring him.
Draco raised his head so he was looking Harry in the eyes. It was strange how he was losing himself everytime he looked into Harry's green orbs.
Harry was having similar thoughts about Draco's eyes. How they were cold grey but could reflect warm emotions. He was lost in them and never wanted to find his way back.
Before they even realised it, and moving like a higher force controlled them, the two boys brushed their lips together, and let their tongues dance slowly.
If they thought their first kiss was good, this one was certanly heaven. Neither of them had ever felt such a deep emotion.
The kiss lasted for a few seconds, before they pulled away to breathe. They didn't seem to realise what had just happened. They were both still breathing heavily.
Draco was the first to come to his senses, and cursed himself for being so weak. He looked again at Harry's eyes and he couldn't believe what he saw. There was love, so much love he was lost in it.
But as tempting as it was, he couldn't stay here and live an old fashioned romance. He needed to protect Harry from all the plans against him. It would be better in the end. 'One day Harry, one day I'll explain everything. And I hope you'll understand,' Draco thought before getting up and running away, leaving Harry alone and shocked, once again, not understanding what had just happened to him.
TO BE CONTINUED
Well I hope you liked this chapter. I have the whole storyline of this story in my head and if you look well, you might find some clues about the plot.
Don't look too much though, it will spoil everything.
Now I'd like to thank the ones who reviewed the story till now.
Kimmy You're the only one who reviewed the three chapters. Thank you.
MIKE Thanks a lot. You were the first reviewer for this story.
Forfifith I took your advice for the quote marks. And as for Ron, don't worry about that. He'll come around, after doing a BIG mistake. Oops . I shouldn't have said that. I'm turning into Hagrid now :-)
Asaroth69 I'm glad you like that line. Took me some time to find it.
Omowiro It's nice to know people are waiting for the next chapter of my story.
Sweet Cherry : Don't worry I'll keep going and I don't know where to put all the ideas I have. Maybe I'll write another story after this one.
Bite me : Obviously, you didn't understand the word 'slash'. So, go read a good Ron/Hermione and let me write my story. Though I can't say Harry and Draco are not sexy *grin*
And thanks to my beta too, Heather. You must have a lot of patience to correct my spelling errors.
Next chapter this week-end, or maybe later.
Hollyva
AUTHOR : Hollyva
EMAIL: Estelle@mic.fr
RATING : PG-13
PAIRING : Harry/Draco
SUMMARY : One night, Harry finds Draco on the astronomy tower and they quickly realise there is more than meets the eye. But can they face the obstacles put their way?
DISCLAIMER : All the characters in this story belong to JK Rowling.
------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 4 : I just want to live my life
Far away from the insults, Harry and his friend, Hermione, were enjoying their breakfast. They were chatting about their homework, Hermione's favourite subject.
It's been a few weeks now since the 'Draco story', as Harry liked to call it. He hadn't seen the blond since then, and even though he wanted to, something inside Harry kept him from doing so.
He glanced at the Slytherin table and saw him eating with all his friends. He had noticed Draco's change of attitude and was wondering why. What made him act that way?
He didn't have an answer Instead, Hermione was trying to get his attention.
"Harry" she practically screamed.
"Hum.what? " the raven-haired boy replied. Hermione had noticed that Harry seemed to be lost in his mind quite often lately.
"Hedwig has just dropped a letter for you, " she said, handing Harry the letter.
Harry took it and instantly recognized the handwriting. "It's from Sirius," he said.
He quickly opened the letter. Sirius hadn't given him news since last month and Harry desperately wanted to hear about his godfather.
Dear Harry,
Buckbeak and I are fine and I hope you are, as well. Dumbledore sent me a letter, so I will be at Hogwarts in a few days.
I am hoping to see you then.
Dumbledore told me there was a Hogsmeade week-end and I think it would be the best occasion to see each other. Meet me on Saturday the 26th at the usual spot and bring food if you can.
I will be seeing you then and don't forget to write if anything's wrong.
Take care, Sirius
After reading the letter, Harry was uncertain of his feelings. One part of him, the positive one, screamed, 'Great, your godfather is coming back!' The other, much more insecure part, screamed, 'Oh my god, Sirius is coming back. What if he is disgusted I'm gay?'
Hermione, always clever, noticed something was wrong.
"Harry, what's the matter? " she said.
The black-haired boy looked up from his letter and said, "What if he reacts like Ron? What if he hates me? He's the only family I have Hermione! "
"Harry, Sirius is a grown-up, and Ron is too stubborn to even listen to what you have to say. I'm sure Sirius won't mind at all. He loves you no matter what. He keeps in contact with you even though he's on the run. Do you think he will hate you for a small thing like that? "
Harry looked thoughtful for a minute before saying, "Well, I guess I'll only know for sure when I tell him. "
Then he added, "Look, I have to go to Quidditch practice. I'll see you later. "
"Harry, are you sure? "
Since the Weasley twins and the two remaining chasers had graduated from Hogwarts, the Gryffindor Quidditch team was practically made up of Harry's dorm mates.
Dean Thomas was the captain, and also a beater, while Ron was the other. Seamus Finnigan was the keeper and Ginny, being the fifth Weasley on the Gryffindor team, was one of the chasers. Harry didn't know the other chasers very well: one boy and one girl who where in fifth year.
Harry knew it wasn't going to be pleasant, but decided that his dorm mates couldn't keep him from enjoying Quidditch practice and he wouldn't let them think they had succeeded in breaking him.
**************
When Harry arrived on the Quidditch Pitch, he was surprised not to be looked at. The Gryffindor team apparently prefered to ignore him, which was fine by him.
Ginny and the two other chasers were chatting and laughing together while Dean and Seamus were discussing the new strategies to win the Quidditch Cup.
Harry noticed Ron, far from the group, painfully rubbing his arm. 'He probably fell from his broom. Or maybe he's been hit by a bludger,' thought Harry, actually meaning, 'Serves him right.'
The practice was quite calm and Harry found he still enjoyed Quidditch even when the team wasn't talking to him.
After the practice, the Gryffindors always stayed for a while on the pitch, chatting. Which was why the Slytherins called them the 'Speakditch Team'. A joke only they found funny. Must be something about the Slytherin humor.
This time, Harry didn't stay talking with his teammates as he had the strange impression he wouldn't be welcome.
So he left the pitch and went back to the castle, wondering what he would be doing until supper. He didn't want to go back to the common room where he'd probably have to work on a Charms essay.
He was heading to the Gryffindor tower when he heard two voices . Actually, it wasn't really two voices: one person was crying, and the other, much older, screaming at him.
The screaming voice he recognized at once. The man owning this voice, was none other than one of the men he hated the most on Earth. A man he had met four years ago in a shop. A man named Lucius Malfoy.
But Harry needed more time to recognize the second voice, the crying one. Once he did, he was so angry, that if Voldemort had come, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
The second voice belonged to Draco Malfoy.
It took a while for Harry to calm down. He was so angry at Lucius. What had he done to make his son hurt like that? Most of the time, Draco was reserved and didn't let on to his feelings.
Even though he knew it wasn't the wisest choice, Harry decided to eavesdrop.
"You will do it Draco. Want it or not, " said the elder Malfoy.
Lucius then muttered a curse, but Harry didn't catch its name. The fact is that it gave Draco some more pain.
A question troubled Harry. Where was Dumbledore? Normally he was aware of everything in the castle. How could he not know?
"You will take it next week. I will come to take you and there's nothing you can do about it, " said Lucius.
Soon, though not soon enough for Harry, Draco's father apparated away, leaving Draco on the floor.
Harry hesitated for a minute. Should he go see Draco? Will the other boy be angry? Will he hate Harry for hearing this conversation?
As Draco made another moan of pain, Harry made up his mind; he couldn't leave the other boy like this.
He slowly approached the blond man, and sat next to him. It looked like young Malfoy hadn't noticed him.
"Draco. Are you okay? " Harry said gently.
Draco quickly turned his head to look at Harry. The raven-haired boy saw many thing in Draco's eyes: hurt, sadness, pain. But among those, he recognized love. And it was in this moment, he realised that he didn't just 'like' Draco, he was in love with him. He wouldn't let go without a fight, because he felt like Draco was worth it.
"Harry, " cried the blond boy. "It hurts. Please make it stop. "
The Boy-Who-Lived didn't know what to do in this situation. So he simply took Draco in his arms and tried to comfort him.
It wasn't really working. Draco seemed to be crying harder and harder.
As he took a closer look at his protegee, Harry realised he was bruised everywhere.
His father didn't just cast curses and hexes. He beat him too. Draco had told him about it that night on the astronomy tower. But the Gryffindor hadn't realised it was this bad.
He wanted to comfort the other boy, to take his trouble away, but he knew, once again, he was powerless.
"I'm going to take you to the hospital wing. Mrs. Pomfrey will heal your wounds, " Harry said, still gently.
But Draco seemed terrified by the thought. "NO! " he screamed. "Please don't take me to Pomfrey. There's a spell I know to heal my wounds. I will do it, " he added.
Not wanting to scare the blond away, Harry agreed to let him perform the spell, and watched the Slytherin's cuts and bruises vanish.
But Harry was still worried about Draco . If his father had done this once, he could very well do it again. Harry took a closer look at Draco. He was cuddled against him, trying to get closer and closer.
And he realised there was no turning back for him. He had come to care for Draco in a way he never felt before. All he wanted was to make the other boy happy.
Meanwhile, Draco was feeling safe and warm in Harry's arms. Like nothing could ever happen to him while he was in this position. He felt loved, something he had craved lately. Something only Harry seemed to bring him.
Draco raised his head so he was looking Harry in the eyes. It was strange how he was losing himself everytime he looked into Harry's green orbs.
Harry was having similar thoughts about Draco's eyes. How they were cold grey but could reflect warm emotions. He was lost in them and never wanted to find his way back.
Before they even realised it, and moving like a higher force controlled them, the two boys brushed their lips together, and let their tongues dance slowly.
If they thought their first kiss was good, this one was certanly heaven. Neither of them had ever felt such a deep emotion.
The kiss lasted for a few seconds, before they pulled away to breathe. They didn't seem to realise what had just happened. They were both still breathing heavily.
Draco was the first to come to his senses, and cursed himself for being so weak. He looked again at Harry's eyes and he couldn't believe what he saw. There was love, so much love he was lost in it.
But as tempting as it was, he couldn't stay here and live an old fashioned romance. He needed to protect Harry from all the plans against him. It would be better in the end. 'One day Harry, one day I'll explain everything. And I hope you'll understand,' Draco thought before getting up and running away, leaving Harry alone and shocked, once again, not understanding what had just happened to him.
TO BE CONTINUED
Well I hope you liked this chapter. I have the whole storyline of this story in my head and if you look well, you might find some clues about the plot.
Don't look too much though, it will spoil everything.
Now I'd like to thank the ones who reviewed the story till now.
Kimmy You're the only one who reviewed the three chapters. Thank you.
MIKE Thanks a lot. You were the first reviewer for this story.
Forfifith I took your advice for the quote marks. And as for Ron, don't worry about that. He'll come around, after doing a BIG mistake. Oops . I shouldn't have said that. I'm turning into Hagrid now :-)
Asaroth69 I'm glad you like that line. Took me some time to find it.
Omowiro It's nice to know people are waiting for the next chapter of my story.
Sweet Cherry : Don't worry I'll keep going and I don't know where to put all the ideas I have. Maybe I'll write another story after this one.
Bite me : Obviously, you didn't understand the word 'slash'. So, go read a good Ron/Hermione and let me write my story. Though I can't say Harry and Draco are not sexy *grin*
And thanks to my beta too, Heather. You must have a lot of patience to correct my spelling errors.
Next chapter this week-end, or maybe later.
Hollyva