Everything had all gone down to the gutter and this one single mistake had altered their lives significantly. But nothing mattered now, nothing mattered but the beating of their hearts as one, nothing mattered but the love they shared amidst the hate they had once built around themselves.
So much for beating Draco in Quidditch, Harry thought, a smile slowly forming on his lips as he recalled the night before. It was so much real, almost that it Harry felt he was in a totally different universe where logic and reason were far a million light-years away and to be without them was bliss anyway and irrelevant.
Last night, Harry knew then and there that the person in his arms— this was the person Harry wanted to share all his life with even if it be so ludicrous because of his young age. It wasn't infatuation, not a small, schoolboy's crush and yet even with its distinct feeling, it had with it little tingles of those but was much more stronger, encompassed all superficial, minor attractions. It was love.
All his life, Harry Potter wanted to be loved completely, wanted to feel how it was to have somebody by his side. Even in that short span of time, he knew that although he and his lithe blonde lacked the 'magic words' that emanated the deepest affection or the formality of a real, well-established relationship, the fact being that they were merely 13, that in their young, juvenile hearts, it was all real. It was love. Or something close to it anyway.
Harry sighed dreamily. Nothing could stop the way he felt then. Nothing. Especially not when he'd just dragged a half-unconscious Draco Malfoy into the Slytherin Dorms.
"Harry!"
Ron poked his head into the drapes surrounding Harry's four-poster bed. Sunlight filtered into the little space that connected Harry with the real world and he groaned, realizing it was morning already. "What is it Ron?" Harry pulled the covers up his chest and rolled over to another side so he didn't have to face Ron. Somehow his little nocturne relationship with Draco made him feel guilty when around his friends.
"Today's Thursday, Double Potions with the Slytherins." Ron glared at nobody in particular. "Have to wake up extra-early if you still want to enjoy your meal and digest it properly."
"Slytherins…" Harry slurred unconsciously, a dreamy look about his face. "Draco."
"What?" Ron asked confused; he had pushed open the drapes now and Harry had to lift his hand above his eyes to shelter them from the harsh sun. Luckily, he had his glasses on, what sending Draco halfway to across the school and back into his dorm room and all. "Harry, are you feeling any good?"
"Yeah, couldn't be any better." Harry shut his eyes, sighing before pulling himself together and swinging his legs at the edge of his bed. Ron was already dressed for breakfast, except that his hair was disheveled in odd sorts. Harry had bags under his eyes and Ron shook his head at him, which reminded him of Hermione when she reprimanded them about unfinished or carelessly done homework.
"Maybe you should rest or something." Ron ran a hand through his red hair and frowned. "This whole fiasco with… Black, and those dementors," Ron bowed his head down, unable to look Harry in the eye. "They could give you a good night's worry. For all I can say, you should just lay back. Let everything flow easy, don't trouble yourself over that, all right Harry?"
Harry gave him a small smile and nodded. "You know what Ron?"
"What?" Ron walked over to the chest at the foot of his four-poster bed to retrieve his brush.
"I'm looking forward to Double Potions with the Slytherins today."
Ron gave him a quizzical look. "Why?"
***
"A Gryffindor?" Blaise shook his head as Draco combed his hair with usual finesse. He had a little trouble though, since his other arm was in a cast. "Honestly, Malfoy, you could be so… queer sometimes. If you're father finds out about this, you're dead as a rat. And leaving the infirmary like that—" He snorted. "It takes some courage. Your really defy the rules (At this, Draco looked smug.) but still remain to be queer."
"I AM NOT QUEER!" Draco spat, taking more time to fix his blonde tresses than needed. "And besides, what father doesn't know, can't hurt him. Right, Blaise?"
Blaise stared at the youngest Malfoy's back as he continued running the comb through his hair, carelessly smooth in everything he did.
"Right Blaise?"
"…Right." Blaise just shook his head. "Whatever." He walked over to the door and didn't do so much as throw a glance over at Draco. "I'm going down to breakfast. You do what you want, Master Malfoy. It's your life after all. "
"Yeah, maybe I will." Draco smiled at his reflection in the mirror who did, equally the same.
***
Breakfast was another ordeal in the Gryffindor table. Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood were at least civil to each other. However, today they sat at least 2 feet from each other, refrained from locking eyes and touching. Percy's eyes were swollen and bloodshot. Oliver was forking his breakfast until Harry and Ron strolled into the scene with Hermione.
"Morning, Wood!" Ron said happily. "How's practice going? Eager to beat those haughty, egocentric, self-centered, self-absorbed Slytherins?" Harry grit his teeth as he sat down next to Hermione.
Wood said nothing, just looked up at him with a pissed off expression. Ron took the hint and sat across Harry, next to Dean Thomas who happily chatted with Seamus about a game against Manchester United. "Well…" He looked at Percy who seemed to be quiet as well, glaring at his plate because maybe it looked like it didn't feel like combusting into flames any second.
"What's wrong, Percy?"
Hermione was doing her homework on the table, plate pushed aside and she seemed so absorbed in it, she didn't care about the world around them.
Harry was about to scold her about not taking too many classes at once when Percy threw down his fork and stood up, startling everyone including Harry but excluding Hermione. "You want to know what's wrong, Ron?"
Ron gaped at him, confused. "Uhh…"
Harry gulped, praying Percy wouldn't throw an emotional fit right then and blurt about last night. He helped himself to a serving of beans and decided eating was the most appropriate thing to do.
"Everything is!" Percy cried out, eyes trained on Oliver who was red in anger or embarrassment, maybe both. "Because some people in this table think two-timing is a good old sport that has a kinship to Quidditch!"
"You know what I've lost my appetite." Wood garbled under his breath as he too, stood up. Harry chewed on his beans numbly, trying to enjoy them as Ron watched in sheer confusion. Wood glared at Percy who did the same, huffing and balling his hands into fists. "The food has suddenly turned sour, as some people here had!"
"Did you just say I'm sour in bed?" Percy gasped. "Well, fine then. You were never good, either, always redundant, never changing rhythms! And the size of… of that thing is so… ARGH! I hope you screw your ugly Slytherin lover and you lose your gnats!"
Ron pulled on a disgusted face. "Eurgh. Too much information."
Harry swallowed his food, biting his lower lip in annoyance. He was losing it already.
Oliver and Percy were at it for a good two minutes before Percy yelled at him, frustrated and stomped away angrily.
Oliver crossed his arms at him before reality sank in and he scampered away after Percy. "Hey, Perce, I'm sorry! Wait up! I was just kidding! Babe, come back!"
Harry sighed in relief. His secret was safe. Just as he was about to relax, Ron shook his head, watching as the two boys left. He turned back to Harry. "You know Harry," He reached out for those beans. "People nowadays are always not telling the truth. Look at… er… Wood, double-crossing my brother like that. If I were being lied to, I'd mash that git into pulp!"
Harry could only nod. "Want some beans?" He croaked, faltering.
***
[Some parts were taken from the book itself; come one, you know which! My alterations though]
It was halfway during Double Potions when Draco Malfoy came to class, his right arm bandaged. The Slytherins had a slight pandemonium, fawning over Draco and Ron couldn't have been more disgusted.
Harry sighed dreamily as Draco cast him a coy look, which luckily nobody saw.
"Settle down, settle down." Said Professor Snape idly. Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn't have said 'settle down' if they'd walked in late, he'd given them detention. But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in Snape's classes.
They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing ingredients in the same table.
"Sir," Malfoy called. "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm—"
"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape without looking up.
Malfoy cursed under his breath at his crap luck; Ron went brick red and Harry was about to offer his help as well and take Ron's place when the latter said something.
"There's nothing wrong with your arm." He hissed at Malfoy. Malfoy smirked across the table. "Weasley, you heard Professor Snape, cut up these roots."
Harry threw his hands back and rolled his eyes. "Good god, Draco." He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the boy straight in the eye, a thorough look of annoyance shimmering in his emerald eyes; Draco's lips curled upwards into a smile, or smirk. "What?"
"Could you at least spare my best friend the sanity?"
Draco frowned. "Sanity, Harry?"
Ron was enough confused as he seized his knife and pulled Malfoy's roots toward him, and began to chop them roughly, so that they were all in different sizes.
"Professor," drawled Draco. "Weasley's mutilating my roots sir."
"Oh, I'd love to break your other arm if you don't stop it, Draco."
"Hang on, Why're you two referring to each other with your first names?
"Shut up, Ron."
"Yeah, shut up Weasley. Lover's quarrel here." He sneered at the red head who rolled his eyes.
"Lover's quarrel my ass—hey!" Ron looked up from the 'mutilated' roots to stare at the two. "What's going on. Am I missing something here?"
"Only your best friend's infinitely better love life." Draco replied sarcastically; even with a cast he could muster the pride for such words, then again his ego was as large as the universe, Ron thought. Draco turned to Harry. "We're breaking up now aren't we?"
"Excuse me?" Harry scoffed. "Okay, so now you've taken Flint and Wood's lead to break up with me? This is what you call subtlety?"
"Subtlety?" Draco cried out. "What? I'm the one getting confused here. Are you telling me I don't look good with a cast? I know this damn thing here's not the best accessory in the world but if you hadn't strutted around like Mr. I-own-the-world during Care of Magical Creatures, I wouldn't have touched that mangy Hippogriff in the first place! Thus the cast!" Draco was breaking down and everyone started to stare, even Snape had blinked.
"I'm not saying you don't look good with a cast," Harry chuckled, shook his head as he gathered Draco into his arms. "You look good without anything on…er… I mean, you look good even without… Well, you look good, period. Because you're mine and I love you."
"Love you too." Draco slapped him playfully on the arm.
"Ahem." Snape coughed. "All right you lot of cretins, show's over. Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy resume your antagonistic normality, please. I'm sure nobody in this room would want to witness your affectionate tendencies toward each other."
Draco blushed; so did Harry.
And silence stretched on as Ron grumbled at being lied to.
***
"Perce, I'm sorry."
Blue eyes looked away, tried in vain to at least—he was trapped in his lover's arms, or rather former lover. "Perce, look at me."
"Don't call me that; I though I told you it was over."
"I love you." A desperateness in his voice. Percy blushed. "The thing with Marcus was just a mistake… please."
Percy softened, melting in Oliver's embrace. "All right you idiot!"
And a pair of watchful eyes hardened from a distance, silent tears trickling down.
Tbc..
Please review! What do you think besides the minor spelling mistakes? This goes out to bad-ass-cinderella! I am so sorry I didn't update for the past months… I was kind of busy… Thanks you so much for keeping in track of my unfinished stories… Cheers!