Erised Pain by Nyu-sama

Chapter 3: Serendipitous White Rabbits

Harry had been flying for a few hours that morning when he noticed a figure watching him. A figure with stunning blonde hair. Harry quickly landed and approached the boy feeling scared and excited at the same time. Draco had searched him out; surely this boded well for his plight?

"You've been flying a lot lately, Potter." This was true.

"Yeah, so?"

"So are you going to play quidditch again? Ginny Weasley is a terrible excuse for a seeker, and the other houses aren't much better. No one's a decent opponent anymore. So, I want to know if you're taking up quidditch again so I can have some decent play?"

Harry was surprised at this, was Draco complementing him? He must be. Harry smiled broadly.

"You want some decent play? Well let's go then."

"What? Now?"

"Why not? It's Saturday and the pitch isn't booked."

"But we're two seekers, how the hell can we have a decent game?"

Harry chuckled, "you'll see Draco." He turned around and started walking towards the supply shed. Draco followed calling "the name's Malfoy, Potter! Malfoy!"

"Alright then," Harry said floating on his broom, a few feet off the ground tossing the quaffle to himself. "I like to call this fast and furious one-on-one."

Draco looked intrigued, so Harry continued.

"The rules are simple, we pass the quaffle between us, it can never touch the ground, and you can only hold onto it for five second at a time. You let the quaffle hit the ground, or you hold it for too long, you automatically lose. We'll also release the snitch, and if you can catch the snitch while abiding the other rules you'll win. Did you get all that?"

"Perfectly. It's going to be fun, kicking your arse."

"You think so? Too bad it's going to be your arse that gets kicked, all the way to your moulding dungeon." And with that Harry released the snitch and took off into the air. "Catch Draco!" he called, and threw the quaffle hard.

Draco caught it deftly, and then they threw it back and forth trying to make the other unable to complete the pass. This continued until Harry saw a fluttering glint of gold, with a whoop Harry threw the quaffle straight up into the air and took off after the snitch.

Draco realised what was happening and tore off after Harry, but he was too late. The snitch was already struggling in the Gryfindor's tight grip. Draco watched as Harry dove, still holding the snitch and caught the quaffle with one hand right before it hit the ground. Draco was quite impressed by Harry's flying, though he'd never admit it. How could someone who'd taken most of the year off still be that good? Despite himself, Draco was smiling as he landed next to Harry. "Rematch, Potter? I'm just getting the hang of this game of yours."

Harry smiled teasingly, "can't Draco, it's lunchtime and I'm starving." And with that he locked up the balls, shouldered his broom, and made his way towards the castle. Draco could only follow morosely behind him.

Harry felt ecstatic for the rest of the day. He had felt like he was back in the mirror, but this was better, it was real. And the incredible thing was that Draco had kept pestering him until he'd agreed to a rematch the following Saturday.

At the rematch Harry won again, but Draco made them keep playing until he'd finally won a game. By the time they were finished playing they were both utterly exhausted, and simply laid on the grass next to each other for a while.

"So," Harry said after he'd finally caught his breath, "friends then?"

"What?"

"Can't we be friends now?"

Draco snorted, "don't be ridiculous Potter."

"Why not? We've just spent our entire Saturday together."

"I couldn't possibly be friends with a Gryffindor." Harry scowled at this, but his face lightened somewhat when Draco said, "we could be acquaintances though."

" Well it's a step up from enemies, alright then Draco."

"Hey! You still don't get to call me that!" Draco fumed, and Harry just smiled at him. Things were going well.

Despite Draco's assertion that he could never be friends with a Gryffindor, the two had grown awfully close over the next month. They played one-on-one quidditch often, bantered but never fought, and even studied together. Harry was swimming in his happiness. Draco acted as if things had always been this way. But Harry noted a significant shift in their relationship one day in the library.

They had been working on their transfiguration essay, pouring over books, when Harry noticed Draco looking at him strangely. "What's wrong Draco?"

Draco's head snapped back around sharply. "Ah nothing, Harry. Just, er, dozed off for a second there."

Harry was stunned by the use of his given name. Draco had never called him Harry before; this was definitely a good sign. Harry was so pleased by this new development his essay ended up being a whole five inches longer than required.

Unfortunately the good rapport between the two ended rather abruptly. Harry didn't know what to make of it. One day they'd shared friendly banter and the next day Draco wouldn't talk to him. In fact Draco wouldn't even look at him. It was strange, but Harry let it go figuring that Draco would come round in a day or two. But after a week of Draco's silence, Harry became upset. He thought they were becoming close, and he couldn't recall doing anything that would have upset the blonde so much. So, he felt completely justified in cornering Draco and using a leg-locking spell on him, as far as Harry was concerned Draco had it coming.

Draco cursed when he felt the spell hit him, but could do little else, and fell in a very ungraceful way that made Harry wince at the subsequent collision of Draco and the floor.

When Harry knelt down and helped the fallen form sit up, all Draco could do was scowl.

"Don't look at me like that Draco," Harry recoiled under the icy gaze. "You completely deserve this for ignoring me all week. I thought we were friends."

"And I thought I told you we couldn't be friends."

"Well you've been acting like a friend to me, but maybe you didn't notice it."

"So what? I'll correct it now. We're not friends, and I won't act like one to you anymore either."

"Why?" Harry sounded rather frail, and despite himself this saddened Draco. When he replied his voice had lost its malice.

"Look Harry, some things are better for you not to know. Lets just pretend that we've always hated each other. Going back to the way things used to be will make everything so much easier."

"Easier for you maybe, but I don't hate you, and I can't pretend that I do." Harry's voice had regained firmness to it, but Draco was beginning to crack.

"God Harry! You're so dense! Don't you know who I am? I've told you before, I'm a death eater's son. And soon I'll be a death eater too. We'll be enemies again, and you will hate me. It's better this way."

Harry felt a chill run through him. It made sense now, but he couldn't give up now, not when he'd been getting so close. "Don't join them Draco."

"I don't have a choice Harry. My father's already bargained me, and the dates been set."

"That doesn't matter. Don't do it."

"It's not that simple!"

"Yes it is. You don't want to be a death eater, I can tell."

"We don't always get what we want. You know that. My father-"

"Screw your father!" Harry was livid. "The man's never really cared for you! You don't owe him anything!"

"I know," Draco's voice was timid, "but I'm afraid of him."

At this Harry smiled. "Don't worry about him. I'll take care of him and Voldemort too. I'll destroy Voldemort, even if it's just to keep you from getting his ugly mark on your flawless skin." Harry must've realised he'd said too much because he was blushing.

Draco noted this and smirked. "Why Harry, I didn't know you had such an affection for my skin."

Harry blushed deeper, and Draco continued to taunt him. "My my, Mr. Potter. Does the Daily Prophet know you have a fondness for boys? This would be front page news."

"Oh shut up!" Harry was too flustered to think of a good retort.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed, Harry."

"I what?"

"You heard me. You're cute. I think you're cute."

Harry blinked stupidly a few times. Was Draco flirting with him? He'd never dreamed the scenario turning out this way, he'd always imagined sweeping Draco of his feet somehow. Of course he had to admit that was a silly idea. Draco was no blushing maiden. In fact Harry was the one blushing now. He couldn't think of a single thing to say back to Draco. But he didn't have to. Draco leaned toward Harry, breaching the gap between them. When their lips touched Harry felt the world around them dissolve. For that moment everything was perfect. It didn't matter that his knees were sore from kneeling on stone, it didn't matter that a deranged dark wizard wanted to kill him. Nothing else mattered at that moment, nothing else existed. It was just him and Draco. It was heaven.

After their moment among the stars ended and they parted to breathe, Draco assented to Harry's firm position on not becoming a death eater. Harry was well pleased and found himself moved to kiss Draco again. Draco however thought it most undesirable to snog on a stone floor, and very undignified as he was still under the leg-locking curse. Harry had quite forgotten this latter fact, and as unabashedly as he could, released Draco from the invisible bindings of the spell. Harry helped Draco stand, and as they went to find a more suitable space for their amorous activities, their hands stayed firmly intertwined.

In the days that followed they found it extremely hard to hide their status as a couple. Mostly because the energy it would've required to properly disguise the situation became reallocated to other tasks, such as making out whenever possible. But this oversight in propriety led to definite discovery, and if the subsequent gossip around Hogwarts wasn't bad enough, the embarrassment of the two boys was almost crippling when Witch Weekly announced their relationship to the entirety of Great Britain.

Draco could only be grateful of his extreme confidence that his father would not be reading the article tucked away as he was in Azkaban. Of course he knew Luscious Malfoy would find out somehow, and though he did fear the wrath of his father, especially as his shift in loyalties and abandonment of the death eater initiation would result in Luscious being kept from rescue indefinitely, Draco was assured that Harry would keep him safe. He had grown a lot of faith in the Gryffindor and his abilities to defeat the Dark Lord. As such, he was able to firmly put his put loyalties behind him and stand strongly by Harry's side. He even found himself able to form a relationship of mutual civility with Gryffindor house. The school had accepted their relationship with a good deal of teasing, but very little malice. Though Ron had promised to knot Draco's limbs into a very unappealing shape should he betray Harry, and Hermione similarly threatened with a particularly nasty hex. All in all Hogwarts was a perfect place for Harry and Draco's blossoming romance.

On a particularly nice evening, Harry and Draco sat close together watching the sunset. Draco had originally refused to do anything so horribly clichéd as sunset watching, but Harry had insisted with a tight grip on his arm. Draco had now relaxed by Harry's side, they were talking in soft tones as the light waned in spectacular colours.

"I'm glad you're with me, Draco," Harry said slipping his arm around the blonde's waist.

"Well the sunset isn't too bad, once you get over the sissyness of this scenario."

Harry stifled his laugh, "not just right now. I mean to say, I'm happy we're together. It means a lot you being with me."

Draco wrinkled his nose and looked into Harry's face. "Don't get overly sentimental now, or you'll find yourself swimming in the lake."

Harry made an exasperated noise. "I'm not trying to be sentimental, I just wanted you to know that having you makes it better for me. I finally feel like I've got something to fight for. Before you there wasn't much to make defeating Voldemort appealing. I would've done it out of obligation, destiny, or whatever. But I didn't see much of a point to it for me personally. There wasn't anything I wanted that getting rid of him could get me. Until now, that is. Now I want a life with you, and for that I'll destroy him wholeheartedly." Harry paused for a second, "alright, that was horribly sentimental. Throw me in the lake then, I deserve it." But Draco just leaned in closer and rested his head on Harry's shoulder.

"I ought to. But I think I'd rather sit just like this for now. Honestly, I'm afraid I may be a bit sentimental too."

As the sun cast its last embers the two boys held each other tightly. They knew the time would come soon enough when they would not be afforded situations like this. But they also knew they'd get through it together. And because of that, the coming sunrise would be beautiful too.

Well, that's it. I'm sorry this is so short, but length is certainly not my forte. I'm a poet by nature and I tend to say things in the shortest or most elegant way possible. I know this can rob my prose writing of explanatory detail, and sometimes of comprehension itself. I tried my best the make this piece cohesive, and with it's rather simple plot I couldn't stretch it any further.

I hope you liked it though, as I certainly enjoyed writing it. This piece has been a really nice warm-up bit for me as I've another more complicated story that I'm working on. It seems like it's going to be an epic of sorts, and when I started writing it that scared me a bit. I've never written anything very long, but I feel much more confidant about it after finishing Erised Pain.

I received a lot of lovely reviews on Erised Pain, and I want to say how much I appreciated them. It makes writing even more satisfying knowing that it's being enjoyed. I tend not to share my poetry as it gets rather personal, but nothing beats the feeling of having your work well received and complemented. Thank you all so much! And if there is anything I can do better please let me know, we're all amateurs after all.

Ja!

-Nyu