Author's Note: For anyone confused, we are now about four weeks into the school year, so it's the very beginning of October in this chapter.
-8-8-8-8-
It was 8:45 and Harry was currently sitting on the edge of his bed, deep in thought. He had begrudgingly allowed Hermione to pick out his outfit for the evening's party, and had just finished putting it on. He was dressed in nice black jeans, and a form fitting dark green button down shirt that was a little bit 'shimmery,' and left something up to the imagination, but not too much. After a discussion with Hermione early in the summer, during which he had fervently refused to give up his glasses in favor of contacts, he had agreed to buy himself a second, more fashionable pair for nice occasions, and he wore those now. He had all but given up on his hair.
The party was supposed to start at 9, and go until either everyone left, or they were forced to end it by a teacher. No matter which, it looked as though it would be a very long night for all those attending.
Harry reckoned that someone would spike the drinks, if Seamus and Dean hadn't already, and while he was a little perturbed by this (as there would be fifth years there, after all), he decided not to let it bother him. A little alcohol would probably make the party more interesting anyway.
Presently, Ron finished dressing himself, and stood for Harry's inspection. Harry quirked an eyebrow and suppressed laughter as Ron struck a pose.
"How do I look, mate? I must be simply ravishing, don't you think?" Harry couldn't restrain his laughter any longer when Ron said this, and the redhead laughed along as well.
"Come on," Harry said when he had finally regained his breath and composure, "Let's go get Draco and head down to the common room to see if anything is happening yet."
"Alright, lets," Ron replied, sticking out his arm for Harry in a mock gesture of superior etiquette. He was surprised when Harry actually took the offered arm, but after one glance at the look on Harry's face, they both burst out laughing again. The pair stumbled out of the doorway and up the stairs to where Draco's room was.
As Harry lifted a fist to knock the door swung open, and Harry found the sight of Draco to be a very sobering, and calmed immediately. He was dressed very similarly to Harry, except his jeans were navy and shirt light blue. Harry, try as he might, could not suppress the thought of, 'Yum,' that came to mind when he saw the blond.
"You really should learn to be more quiet when you walk," Draco said to the pair of them, though he was looking pointedly at Ron, "It sounded like a herd of angry hippogriffs were coming up these stairs."
Ron blushed a bit, but Harry just snorted derisively. "Come on then, Draco, lets get down to the party," he said, causing Draco's attention to shift to him from Ron.
"Harry, dear," came Draco's reply, a hint of his 'I-am-Draco-Malfoy-lord-of-the-planet-and-don't-you-just-want-to-worship-me?' smirk surfacing for the first time that evening, "It simply is not a party until I arrive."
"Well then," Harry retorted playfully, "Let's go make it a party." With that he turned and began to walk down the stairs that led to the common room, leaving a shocked Ron and a surprised Draco to follow him.
-8-8-8-8-
When he arrived at the bottom of the stairs Harry saw that several people from the other houses had, in fact, already arrived. Almost all of the Gryffindors that were eligible to attend the party were there as well, so Harry thought his arrival was well timed. He sidled over to where Hermione was standing and talking to Lisa Turpin, so he could ask her how everything was going with the party.
"Hello, Hermione dear," Harry said to her, "Are things going as planned?"
She looked at him a little skeptically, obviously aware that he was not acting totally normally. She shrugged and looked pointedly from Harry to Lisa and back. "Everything is fine, as far as I know. I think I'll go mingle some more. Why don't you stay and talk to Lisa, Harry?" And with that she moved away towards a bunch of Hufflepuffs that were entering the room.
'Trying to set me up again, I see,' Harry thought as he turned to Lisa, 'Not that she's an ugly or unpleasant girl, but I'm just not interested.' He was about to open his mouth to say something to her when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Draco.
"Thought you might like a drink," Draco explained as he held one out for Harry to take. "Can I borrow him for a minute?" he asked Lisa. All the poor girl could do was nod and smile weakly.
Harry took the offered drink and followed Draco across the room that was cheerfully decorated with reds and blues and greens, over to an area that had a few seats in which they could sit and watch the happenings of the party. The pair chose to sit on a large sofa, and sat for a few moments in companionable silence.
"So, what was that all about?" Harry queried after he had taken a few sips of his drink, which did happen to be alcoholic, probably thanks to Seamus and Dean.
"It was obvious that you didn't want to talk to Lisa," Draco replied dryly, "Not that I know why, she's a perfectly stunning girl." There was something strange about the way Draco had said that last part, almost as if he was envious about Harry thinking Lisa was pretty, but the Gryffindor decided not to dwell on it.
He did, however, have the decency to look abashed, "Was I really that obvious?"
"To me," came Draco's simple reply.
-8-8-8-8-
An hour later the party was in full swing. Music was playing loudly, and there were quite a few students dancing in the middle of the room. Most of them were more than a little tipsy to boot. Seamus and Dean were dancing with the Patil twins, Neville was finally coming out of his shell and talking animatedly with a Hufflepuff seventh year girl, and Ron and Hermione were snogging fanatically in a chair that Harry was surprised could hold them both.
Harry and Draco had had several drinks by this time, but had otherwise not moved from their sofa. Harry had, in fact, had so much to drink that his judgment was impaired enough for him to think that it would be a good idea to get up and join the crowd of dancers. He was currently trying to convince Draco to go with him, a task that was proving nearly impossible.
"Come on Draco, it'll be fun! Trust me!" He pleaded, but the blonde next to him would have none of it.
"No, for the last time, No!" was his adamant reply, and he shook his head in a very pronounced way. "I will not dance in public. No, I will not." He almost seemed to be trying to convince himself, and Harry took this as a good sign. He started bouncing up and down on the sofa as he spoke.
"Pleeeease Draaaaaco, pleeeease?" he said, bouncing getting more entergetic, "Just for a little while, and we never do anything that I want to do!" At this point he was bouncing so much that he fell off the front of the sofa. Draco just looked at him for a moment before bursting out in laughter.
Harry sat on the floor and pouted in what he thought to be an adorable way until Draco calmed down. "Alright, I'll go with you," the blonde said to him, then as an afterthought he added, in a very suggestive manner, "but only if you'll dance with me."
Harry pretended to think about this for a minute before brightening visibly and nodding in a very bubbly way. It seemed that The Boy Who Lived was a very 'happy drunk.'
Harry stood and grabbed Draco's hands, pulling him off the sofa and dragging him towards the dance floor. Draco and Harry both had large smiles on their faces, and anyone who happened to be watching them at that moment would have wondered why it wasn't any cooler in the room, seeing as Hell had definitely frozen over if those two formal arch-rivals were looking at each other and acting in the manner that they were.
A Weird Sisters song that Harry didn't recognize was playing, but he didn't seem to care as he put one arm around Draco's neck and started moving to the beat of the song. With his free hand he held his drink, and would alternately sip it and hold it up so it wouldn't spill on everyone.
As each song came and went Harry and Draco got closer and closer together, and less aware of their surroundings. Soon they were torso-to-torso, legs to legs, and their faces were only centimeters apart. Both of them were so involved in the music and dancing that their proximity to each other went unnoticed for quite some time. Harry was vaguely aware that he was a little more than slightly aroused, but he had had just enough to drink so that he didn't really think anything of the occurrence.
Harry was just about to ask Draco if he wanted to stop to get something to drink, when he looked up to see that the blonde Slytherin was staring at him. Their gazes locked, and Harry was sure that time had slowed. In what must have been only seconds, but really felt like minutes to Harry, he felt in indescribable pull towards Draco, and the other boy must have felt it too, because before he knew it Draco had closed his eyes, then Harry had closed his, and right after that Draco's lips had been on his, and it had to be the best, most overwhelming experience of Harry's life.
The kiss wasn't particularly long or special in it's own regard, but the passion and want that Harry felt behind the kiss was something that he had not ever thought he would feel. At least, not through something so simple as a kiss. But the lips on his were so soft, the body pressed up to his own was so warm, and the arms wrapped lightly around his waist made Harry feel more secure than he had in a very long time so there was obviously something significant about this kiss, and Harry planned to repeat the experience as much, and as often as possible.
At last, Harry pulled back from Draco, opening his eyes and becoming aware that they had stopped dancing and would probably need to move somewhere else so as to not attract too much attention. He turned back to the Slytherin in that was pressed up against him, and watched as Draco opened his eyes as well. Harry watched as the look on the face of the boy he had only just realized his true feelings for changed from one of dreaminess, to comprehension and realization, and finally, to Harry's total horror, to one of despondency.
Draco pulled away from Harry and turned and ran up the nearby stairway, making his way up to his bedroom, leaving a shocked and dismayed Harry behind to wonder what had just happened.
-8-8-8-8-
As Harry Potter walked quietly up the stairs leading to the boy's dormitories of Gryffindor Tower, he thought about the events of the last few minutes. He had quickly sobered up after the kiss, but that hardly made it easier for him to process what had just happened between him and Draco. One minute they had been dancing like everyone else, the next they had been kissing in a way that made Harry's knees weak to think about it, and right after that Draco had been running away from him up to his room.
He really didn't know what to think. All he knew was that he had find Draco and talk to him. "And hopefully,' Harry thought with a tiny smile, 'Kiss him some more.'
Harry arrived at Draco's bedroom door only to find it locked, the muggle way. Draco wouldn't answer the door, but Harry would not take no for an answer. He backtracked to the dorm he shared with his four year-mates, and rummaged around in his trunk for a set of bobby pins that he had inherited, and learned how to use, from Fred and George before they had left the school. He headed back up to Draco's room and set to work on the lock. Luckily it did not take him long to unlock.
Harry cautiously opened the door and stepped in, wand at the ready in case Draco was going to hex him. He stood still momentarily, and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the light in the room.
When his eyes finally adjusted he scanned the room for the beautiful blonde he was seeking out. Draco was sitting in the large armchair in front of his room's small fireplace, legs pulled up to his body and his head buried in his arms, which were resting on his knees. It was a sight that made Harry's heart jump into his throat; especially when he realized that Draco was crying.
Though he made no noise, Draco's shoulders were shaking in a way that made the act unmistakable. The way that the light given off by the fire lit up the Slytherin made him look almost seraph-like, a terribly distraught one, anyway.
Harry slowly moved toward the newly realized object of his affections, and knelt down in front of him. "Draco?" he asked softly, and the only response was a momentary stiffening of the other boy's shoulders before he sat absolutely still.
"Draco?" Harry asked again, filled with a determination to find out just what had happened, "Look at me Draco." When the other boy failed to do as Harry asked, the Gryffindor carefully pulled his arms away from his face, and pulled his legs down and to the sides. Harry moved so he was kneeling between Draco's legs, and was gripping the armrests of the chair for support, so that he could be more level with Draco's face. He found that the blonde was still not looking at him.
Draco's face and eyes were shining with tears, and Harry felt as though he had never seen anything more heartbreakingly beautiful in his whole life. He took a chance of freaking Draco out again, and moved one of his hands up to the sad boy's face, turning it so Draco had to look him in the eyes.
"Why are you crying, Draco?" Harry asked gently, his hand moving down from Draco's face to rest on his shaking hand, which was fidgeting in his lap. "Please tell me what's wrong."
Draco appeared to be steeling himself for something horrible before he answered, "I'm upset because... Because I ruined everything."
Harry was confused, "What do you mean, 'ruined everything,' what did you do that was so bad?"
"I kissed you. You must hate me now, I've ruined what we had, our friendship. I understand, you know, if you hate me again." Draco looked away from Harry again, and closed his eyes as a solitary tear slid down his cheek.
Harry was speechless. Draco thought he would be mad? He wasn't! He was the total opposite, and that must mean that Draco...
Was it possible that Draco had liked the kiss just as much as Harry had? It certainly seemed possible, based on what he had just said. But, was Harry willing to find out? Yes. He looked up at Draco to tell him how he really felt, and saw that the blonde was looking back at him again. Suddenly he decided that it would be a much better idea to show Draco exactly how he felt. He leaned towards the other boy, and touched his lips to the other boy's. He watched as the Slytherin's eyes widened slightly at the light pressure, then fluttered closed. Harry closed his eyes right after. He had really not had much experience with kissing in his life, so Harry decided to go by instinct. After all, it hadn't really failed him before. Harry snaked an arm around Draco's neck, and suddenly he felt himself being pulled up into the chair with Draco. He certainly found no problems with sitting in his affection's lap, and decided that this was definitely one of the best moments of his life.
Harry opened his mouth slightly, and touched his tongue lightly to Draco's lips, the other boy immediately opened his mouth in response, letting out a low moan, and Harry went into sensory overload. As his tongue touched Draco's for the first time, Harry's world exploded. There was no one left to Harry but the two of them, and no time mattered like the present. Harry knew intuitively that he never wanted to give this feeling up, and would fight for it if he had to. When the need to breathe became more imperative than the one to keep kissing Draco, Harry slowly ended the kiss and pulled back.
He knew he must look dazed, and when his vision finally came into focus and he saw a very disheveled looking Draco who said, "Repress, much?" Harry had to laugh.
And he kept laughing until he felt a very arousing and wholly pleasant sensation on his neck. After a moment of befuddled thinking Harry realized what had happened. 'He licked me,' was the only coherent thought that Harry could rationally compute as he turned back to face a now smirking Draco, with wide eyes.
Harry's thought process returned to normal, or rather, as normal as it ever was, and decided that the best course of action would be to kiss Draco again. So he did.
Over and over and over.
-8-8-8-8-
Harry and Draco had continually alternated kissing, talking about what had happened between them and what they were going to do about it, and simply sitting silently and contentedly in each other's arms. It was a very warm and happy time for the two boys, and it was well past midnight before either of them thought to look at a clock.
"Oh, shit, Draco, look at the time, we've been up here nearly two and a half hours!" Harry had glanced at his watch and sat up on the bed, where the pair had moved when the armchair had become too uncomfortable for the two of them to sit and kiss and talk in. "I'm going to have to go back to my dorm."
"No, you're going to stay here and sleep with me," came Draco's answer, and at the look on Harry's face he realized what he had just said. "Sleep, Harry, that's all. But you're going to stay here to do it."
Harry couldn't help but grin. He had a boyfriend (they had both, over the course of the evening, admitted the new depth of feelings for one another, and decided that they better start seeing each other as soon as possible; this had been followed up by more kissing), and was going to spend the night with him in his bed. Albeit, nothing really sexual would happen, but Harry had never had anyone he could do something so special and intimate with as to share a bed with them.
The two boys quickly stripped down to their boxers, and Draco lent Harry a tee shirt to wear, putting one on as well. The two climbed into the bed and under the covers, kissed each other softly one last time for the night, and went to sleep, curled in each other's arms.
Harry awoke the next morning to the feeling of warm breath blowing across his forehead, and even warmer arms wrapped around his torso. He immediately stiffened, and then relaxed again when he remembered the events of the previous night. The dark haired boy buried his face in the neck of his new love, and snuggled up to the hot body beside him.
"Are you awake, then?" Harry heard Draco ask quietly from above his head.
"Mmmh, yes," Harry replied sleepily, "This is nice. Why haven't we done this before?"
Draco gave a light chuckle, and then heaved what was apparently a sigh of relief. "I was so worried," he said, "that when you woke up you would remember what had happened and be angry. I'm glad you're not."
Now it was Harry's turn to laugh. "Didn't I convince you well enough last night that this is what I want? I guess I'll just have to keep trying." So he scooted back up towards Draco's face and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"I don't think that I'll ever get tired of that," Draco said after they had pulled apart, and then added with a suggestive smirk, "but I'm not sure that I'm quite convinced that you like me just yet."
Harry smiled, and played along, "Well then, I guess that I'll just keep convincing you until you're sure," and with that he went back to kissing the boy in his arms.
Several minutes later, when Draco had finally assured Harry of his confidence in the Gryffindors feelings for him, the two decided to dress and head down to the great hall for breakfast.
"Are we going to tell people about us?" Draco asked suddenly, while he was pulling on a pair of blue jeans.
Harry looked up from buttoning the shirt that he had borrowed from Draco for the day, and said, "If I could, I'd shout it from the rooftops, but honestly, I don't think that that's a very good idea. I think we should only tell a few people that we trust. I don't want anything bad to happen to you just for being the "Lover of The Boy Who Lived." I would never want to put you in harms way."
Draco smiled, and crossed the room to give Harry a small kiss. "I take it you'll want to tell Ron and Hermione?" he asked.
"Yes, and maybe Professor Lupin? Is there anyone else that you want to know?" Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's shoulders, still caught in the "new romance bliss."
"Mmh, I don't think so," Draco replied, "Those three, and maybe Dumbledore, are fine with me. Come on, let's get to breakfast."
-8-8-8-8-
When the two boys arrived in the great hall, they went to sit down by a solitary Hermione. She looked up and smiled when they sat down, and her eyebrows shot up at once when she saw the outfit that Harry was wearing. It was obviously not his own.
"Where did you get those clothes, Harry?" she asked him once he and Draco had settled themselves and begun putting food on their plates.
"What? Oh. These are Draco's. He let me borrow them." Luckily Hermione had looked to Draco at the comment and missed the blush on Harry's face. Draco simply shrugged at her.
Harry was wondering if Hermione would figure them out before they had the chance to tell her themselves, but as she "Hmm'ed" and went back to her meal he figured that she would not.
Draco coughed lightly to get Harry's attention and motioned to him as though to tell Harry to "get on with the revealing of their secret." Harry nodded and mouthed, 'Give me a minute,' then turned to Hermione.
"Where's Ron at, do you know?" he asked her, biting into a muffin.
"Oh," she said as though suddenly remembering something, "He had a bit of a headache this morning and decided to stay in bed. He did, however, say that you failed to return to your bed last night Harry. Where were you?"
'Here goes nothing...' Harry thought pensively, and answered, "Oh, Um, I, uh, spent the night with a beautiful blonde." He snuck a quick look at Draco who seemed to be holding back a smile.
"Oh." Hermione said, and turned back to her breakfast. Then what Harry and said seemed to finally click in her head, and she quickly looked back at him, wide eyed. "OH."
"Yes, 'oh,'" Harry affirmed, laughing a little.
Hermione's demeanor rapidly changed to that of a child in a candy store. "Who is she?" she asked quietly, leaning over the table in a very conspiratorial way, "Was it Susan? Or Lisa! Yes, I knew you'd like her."
"Um, Hermione," Harry said, cutting her off, "I didn't spend the night with a girl." Draco was definitely losing the battle with restraining his laughter now, and reached over to take Harry's hand for his own support. Harry took it happily, and looked back to Hermione.
The intelligent girl had not missed the display between the two, and while she had been stunned when Harry had said he hadn't spent the night with a girl, things suddenly moved into place in her mind when she watched the interaction between the two boys sitting across from her.
'Strange,' she thought, 'I would have thought that the idea of Harry and Draco together would be disturbing, like Ron, with house elves, but really it's not. I think they really will fit each other. They certainly do make a beautiful couple.'
Harry saw that Hermione had obviously made the connection, but since she wasn't saying anything he asked, "Herm? You alright?" He used the hand that wasn't attached to Draco's to pour himself a glass of pumpkin juice, and take a sip.
Hermione shook herself out of her thoughts and replied, "Yes. So, last night, was it, you know, good?"
Harry choked on his pumpkin juice, and Draco's fight with the laughter was lost.
-8-8-8-8-
Several minutes, and even more explanations of what had and had not happened the previous night, and Hermione's curiosity was sated. At Harry's request she had even agreed to tell Ron about the two being together, in exchange for them kissing in front of her for a minute or two. They thought this was an odd request, but complied anyway. They were happy to have another excuse to lock lips for a while. And to get out of telling Ron.
The three of them headed outside so that Harry and Draco could put on their little show for Hermione in private. When they finally reached their destination, and Harry and Draco had finished pashing, Hermione looked a little dumbfounded.
"What? Is it really that bad? You asked to see it you know," Draco said to her in slight annoyance when he saw the look on her face.
"Oh, no, no, no, you don't get it. That's got to be one of the hottest, most beautiful things I've ever seen." She was clearly warning up to the idea of the two of them together. "You don't realize what you have here, you could make money by doing that for girls. Separately you're both good looking, but together you compliment each other in a way I've never seen before. You're stunning."
While Harry and Draco looked at each other in astonishment, Hermione excused herself to go look for Ron so she could tell him the good (or possibly bad) news.
-8-8-8-8-
It was nearing lunchtime, and the young couple was strolling slowly by the lake. Harry spotted Ron walking quickly in their direction, so he and Draco headed towards him as well. They stopped to wait by a large tree, and when Ron arrived they honestly couldn't tell if he was happy or disconcerted to see them.
"Hey Ron," Harry said nervously, "Everything okay?"
"No, actually, it's not. Hermione just played the worst trick ever on me," he responded, now obviously sulking.
"What do you mean?" Draco asked him, shooting Harry a pointed look.
"She told me that the two of you are dating. And you know what's worse? I actually believed her for a minute. God, I'm so damn gullible," Ron kicked at the grass beneath his feat, and blushed crimson to his ears.
"Um, Ron? She wasn't joking. Draco and I are really together." Harry watched his friend apprehensively for a reaction.
Ron simply snorted and said, "Yeah, not going to fall for it twice in one day, I'm not stupid you know." He sounded almost offended.
"Another one that needs convincing? Is the two of us being together really that unbelievable Draco?" He asked the blonde beside him. Turning back to Ron he asked, "Okay, how do we prove it to you?"
The redhead's face snapped up to look at Harry suspiciously, "You could, um, kiss him I suppose, and I mean really. No little peck on the cheek." He smirked, clearly thinking that Harry would never do such.
"Your lot certainly are a bunch of voyeurs, Harry," Draco said with a sigh, "Shall we do this then?"
"I suppose. Don't say I didn't warn you Ron." With that Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's waist, and pulled him close for a long, openmouthed kiss.
They only stopped when they heard a thud nearby, and a familiar voice saying, "Oh, honestly, I told you that you had a powerful thing going there. You shouldn't have done that without warning him first." Hermione walked up and crouched beside a fainted Ron.
"But we did warn him," Draco informed her, "In fact he asked us to do it."
When Hermione looked at him skeptically Harry elaborated, "He didn't believe us when we said we were together, so we asked him how we could prove it. He told us to kiss."
Hermione sighed and said something to the effect of, "That figures," before levitating Ron and taking him back to the castle. Harry and Draco followed slowly behind, happy for the moment, just to be in each other's company.