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Tripping Over Love: Not Quite Falling- Chapter 03
Draco woke to find that the Hogwarts Express had reached its final destination. He had an arm slung over both Crabbe's and Goyle's shoulders, and his feet were dangling between them at least six inches above the ground.
He pulled away from the goons and fell awkwardly to the ground, where he brushed himself off and straightened his cloak. He walked hurriedly toward the school, leaving all responsibility for his luggage to the semi-capable hands of Crabbe and Goyle.
When he entered the Great Hall, followed closely by the two trunk-toting lunkheads, he huffed over to the Slytherin table and took his seat very unceremoniously.
As if his current…situation wasn't bad enough, Draco knew that the next few weeks of his life would be filled with torment for passing out on the train. The blonde sighed loudly and buried his face in his hands in an attempt to block out the mental images that were flashing unwarranted through his head of torment and…etcetera. They were most unwelcome.
Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny took their respective seats at the Gryffindor table. Harry glanced over at the Slytherin table, and the slouched, depressed figure that was Draco Malfoy caught his attention and held it. Something in his chest moved a little quicker, and it was making him very uncomfortable.
"Harry? Whassamatter? Ron asked, wiping a trail of pumpkin juice from his chin. "You've been acting weird ever since the train ride."
"Have I? I hadn't noticed," was all Harry could reply with.
"What's so interesting that you can't pay attention when your friends talk?" Ron peered over Harry's shoulder. "It's just the Slytherins."
"I know. I think I feel sorry for Malfoy or something."
"Why the bloody hell would you be sorry for Malfoy? He laughed at you when you passed out third year, why shouldn't we return the favor now?"
"Ron, just because Harry is nice, doesn't mean you have to be mean." Hermione chimed in.
"No, it's alright, I mean, I'm probably just hungry…and tired…and sick…" Harry was rambling now, but didn't notice. Try as he might to pay attention to the conversations around and with him, Slytherin table was always there in the corner of his eye or the back of his mind.
"You'd have to be to feel sorry for Malfoy!" Ron laughed heartily at his own joke, as did some of the surrounding Gryffindors.
Hermione and even Ginny, to a lesser extent, simply gave him 'the look'. The 'finally decide to grow up so I don't have to baby-sit you anymore if you don't mind' look.
At length, a huge mass of incoming first-years filed almost silently into the front of the Great Hall. The clamor of lively conversation died down at last, and silence filled the impressive room.
The first-years stood silently at the head of the great hall as Professor McGonagall stood up at her seat to make an announcement.
"Attention students," she commanded," In the event of Headmaster Dumbledore's absence this year, I will temporarily be acting as this year's Headmaster. I'd like to introduce you all to the temporary Gryffindor House Head," anticipation was thick in the air, "Rubius Hagrid."
Hagrid stood up and took a bow. A wide assortment of gasps, groans and cheers flooded out from the Hogwarts student body. The loudest cheers coming, of course, from the Gryffindor table.
After the rest of the standard beginning-of-the-year announcements, which we have omitted here for lack of interest, the Sorting began.
You may or may not insert an annoying rhyming song detailing Hogwarts' four Houses here.
All of the House tables filled once again, the feast began. Harry congratulated Hagrid on his new position, as did all of the other students who were pleased at the development, but upon returning to his seat, found that he was, once again, inexplicably drawn towards Draco.
Draco turned his head to glance over his shoulder, as he'd been doing every five or six minutes since taking his seat. He'd yet to catch Potter looking at him, and was secretly both relieved and disappointed. Was it possible that the spell had failed? That something he'd done had caused it to misfire and not work? But, if it had, then what did all of these unwanted, incomprehensible feelings and longings he'd been having mean? No, the spell had worked. He was doomed.
Draco spent the next ten minutes pushing food around on his plate. He'd found that he'd quite lost any appetite he'd had before. He stood up and headed toward the Slytherin common room, but not before glancing once more at the Gryffindor table.
His eyes met Harry's. It was only for a moment, but it was enough to cause both boys to blush, causing Draco to start running in the opposite direction, and Harry to pretend to have been choking on his food.
When Draco at long last reached his common room, it was with gladness that he welcomed the solitude and quiet.
Curling his slight frame up in one of the chairs by the fire, Draco fell asleep; lulled to sleep by memories and thoughts that he found both terrifying and soothing.
Author's note: Hello again! No, I'm not dead. Just…a woman. Anyway, I didn't realize that my spacing was difficult to read, so thank you, ranchan-akari, for telling me. This was a fun chapter to write, and it turned out much better than it had sounded in my mind. More awkward shounen-ai cuteness next chapter, hopefully as a prelude to the fun stuff…Oh, and I hope that the mood of this piece will get lighter too. Angst is only fun up to a certain point.
