Thank you to all those people who have reviewed my story so far. It means a lot to know that I don't totally suck at writing... (grins) Anywho, thank you and enjoy part two!
---------
The Saturday morning sun stramed across Harry's face as he groaned sleepily, rolled over onto his side, buried his face in his pillow, and attempted to tell his brian that he should be sleeping for another couple of hours. That plan was not going to work, not today. The early morning had other plans for Harry it seemed.
"...Fneh..." Harry muttered as he stretched lazily, rasing his arms above his head and wiggling his toes under the comforter.
Throwing back the covers after a minute, Harry scratched his t-shirt clad chest, grabbed his glasses from the bedside table, and ran a hand through his sleep tousled hair. He was glad that today wasn't a school day, as he had quite enough of trying to avert his eyes whenever Malfoy came into the room, walked by, or generally looked in his direction. Though most of those times the pale boy had been determined to provoke Harry about something. Not only was Harry sick of avoiding Malfoy, but he was sick of Ron and Hermione asking why he didn't do anything or say anything to Malfoy when the blond boy did something to him. And if that wasn't bad enough, Harry had once had to excuse himself from lunch one afternoon because he had been watching Malfoy from aross the Great Hall, and the damn teen had been sucking on another one of those blasted sugar quills! Could he NOT for once, Harry fumed, suck on candy or use his mouth in such an enticing way?
In the past four days since Harry's first... ummm... experience invloving thoughts of Malfoy and employing certain parts of his anatomy, the green-eyed teen had become increasingly aware that he wat attracted to that pale, lithe teenager, who by all rights should be locked away for how rotten he acted. For reasons unknown to Harry, he had begun to get fluttery sensations in the pit of his stomach, and strange heart... palpitations, as that was what it seemed like he was having, and it only happened when Mlafoy was in the room or entering the room. The only way that Harry had been able to momentarily quell these feelings had been to ignore Malfoy all together- however well that worked, which wasn't a lot of the time. Hence the never looking directly at the blond boy (if he could help it), or talking to him- even if that ment induring the crude remarks. When Ron and Hermione asked him what was wrong, he would just flush deeply, avoid eyed contact or roll his eyes and change the subject. A part of him wondered though if they suspected that something was up... Harry hoped not. He had absolutely NO intention of gracing them with the knowledge that he got off thinking about Malfoy, or the fact that he actually had a crush on the guy.
Not that he had a problem that Malfoy was male, as Harry based his sexual preferences on who he was attracted to; their personalitlies, their quirks, never what sex they were. He could care less if the person he fell for was male or female. He just seemed to have a problem with the fact that Malfoy was, well... Malfoy. A person who had been his nemisis, and who had tormented him, since he was eleven. Ever since Harry had rejected eleven year old Draco Malfoy's 'offer' of friendship in the robe shop, Malfoy had been cold towards him, acting like he was truly hurt that Harry hadn't wanted to be his friend. Though somethimes Harry wondered if it wasn't a lie or act, that the blond boy really had wanted to be Harry's friend. A true friend. Though maybe Malfoy had wanted to be friends just for the sake of saying that he was friends with The Boy Who Lived.
"...Why did I have to be me?..." Harry said out loud through a sigh, sitting up and crossing his legs, looking out the window at the pink and blue streaked sky.
If he could have just one Malfoy free day, he thought, then he could see if he truely did have a crush on the Slytherin Ice Prince, or if it was just simple infatuation. Maybe he just felt this way towards Malfoy because he was attractive (yes, Harry did admit that the blond was incredibly good-looking, beautiful even) and Harry was in desperate sexual need. Maybe the fact that Harry had never had any real sexual experiences before, as he thought wanking off didn't really count as it hardly ever involved another person, in his case anyways. Yes, that had to be it, Harry thought as he swung his feet off the edge of the bed and padded across the room to the bathroom. He was just really, really horny, and Malfoy was just an image to release that tension on.
Thirty minutes later, Harry emerged from the dorm room clean, dressed and just a little more awake than he had been. Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean (who were sleeping together in the same bed, as they had finally started to date a month or so ago, much to the relief of every other Gryffindor who had to live with them) were still fast asleep, and would be for another couple of hours. Much to Harry's frustration, as he wished he was still asleep. Shrugging after a moment of envy, Harry decided to head down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast. Seeing how no one else would be up at this time, he knew that he would get his fair share of food, for once. Ron seemed to eat all of his food, plus the food of everyone within three feet of him, just to fill his stomach. And having hit the six foot one mark over summer, Ron Weasley had a lot of stomach to fill.
Harry doubted that he would have to worry about running into Malfoy and his brain deprived friends either, as they were probably still in their dorms. It was just as well. Harry didn't feel like sharing his breakfast with any of them.
The common room was still relatively dark when Harry came down the stairs, with only a hint of the morning sun coming through the curtains, casting pink, purple and blue hues around the large room. Harry paused for a moment, deciding that even though this was an ungodly hour, this moment was the most beautiful part of the day. Everything was so fresh, un-touched, ready for whatever life had to throw at it. Harry suddenly found himself wondering what time of the day Malfoy enjoyed the best. Was it the pure morning? The afternoon? Or the cold, but equally beautiful night?
Harry shook his head. Today was supposed to be a Malfoy FREE day, and here he was, thinking about what time of day the guy liked!
"I am slowly going crazy..." Harry sang in a slow voice as he turned and forced himself to walk towards the portrait enterance to the Gryffindor tower.
It didn't take him long to reach the Great Hall, having slipped from The Fat Lady's view before she could speak, and he met no one on the way there. Not even Peeves the poltergeist was around causing trouble, which was odd, though Harry didn't at all miss his presence. Harry enjoyed a quiet meal of eggs, toast and hashbrowns with a cup of coffee, with nothing on his mind to distract him. Though he usually didn't drink coffee in the morning, or at all for that matter, Harry found himself enjoying the hot beverage. The caffeine flowed through his system quickly, sparking every nerve into awakening and giving his brain the extra kick start he craved.
Sighing, Harry closed his eyes and put his hands around his second cup of coffee, never noticing that there was someone standing near him until they spoke.
"Potter," a familair, stomach clenching drawl, "didn't think I'd see you so early in the morning."
Harry didn't open his eyes, "What do you want Malfoy?" he asked, trying to sound annoyed or indifferent, and hoping that it worked.
"Oh, defensive are we?" Malfoy retorted, casually coming closer so that he was standing just off to Harry's right, before hopping up onto the table.
Harry knew what he had done, as Malfoy's scent- apple and spice- became stronger when he got closer, plus the fact that Harry peeked his eyes open for a fraction of a second to watch him. A moment of silence went by before Harry sighed again and spoke. "Why are you still here?" he could feel his heart skip a beat as he said those words. Okay... maybe I do have a crush on him, Harry thought.
Malfoy chuckled, "You don't get it so you?"
Harry opened his eyes. Malfoy was sitting crossed legged on top of the table, wearing plain black jeans (slim fitting black jeans Harry marvled), a thin black turtle neck sweater- with sleeves that came way past his pale hands- and black shoes. The effect made Malfoy seem paler than he usually looked, but Harry thought the outfit made the boy sitting there look beautiful, almost ethereal. It was a thought that the green eyed teen didn't berate himself for.
"Get what?" Harry finally asked.
Malfoy tilted his head and smirked, "I like the fact that I can make you uncomfortable."
Harry frowned, "Who said I was uncomfortable?"
"The fact that you're squeezing the life from that mug for all your worth, and the fact that you're incredibly twitchy," Malfoy stated, looking down at Harry's knees, which were shaking a mile a minute, "plus the fact that you keep glancing at the door like you what to run away. I like the fact that I brought this on."
"What makes you think you brought it on?" Harry snorted. He was determined to keep asking questions until Malfoy got annoyed and left, as he thought that his heart was going to jump out of his chest any moment and never come back.
"Oh, so you're just naturally this way?" Malfoy remarked, "is this how you plan on defeating Voldemort? With a caffeine induced twitch?"
"No." Harry said, aware of the fact that Malfoy had said Lord Voldemort's name, but at the same time not caring. If he wasn't a chicken to say the name, who was Harry to question him?
Malfoy grinned, not with evil intention like always, but something else. "Then why are you so nervous all of a sudden?"
Harry shrugged, "Don't know. Maybe it's the fact that you're sitting too close for my liking for no reason other than to piss me off."
Yes! Harry thought, I came up with a retort and didn't throw up!
"So... you're mad then?" the lithe blond asked innocently, propping his elbows on his knees and resting his chin in his palms.
"Why are you talking to me?" Harry questioned, "I thought you despised me."
At that, Malfoy's eyes seemed so soften, before he did something that Harry would have never thought possible or plausible.
The pale teen reached out a single hand towards Harry's face, brushed away the messy bangs from his forehead, then gently placed his palm against Harry's flushed cheek.
"Who said anything about despising you, Potter?" the teen stated softly. Then, without another word, Malfoy jumped off the table and strode from the hall, leaving behind a very shocked Harry Potter.
As soon as he knew he was alone, Harry unclentched his hands from around his mug, rasing one to the spot that Malfoy had touched. His cheeks were still flushed and warm to the touch, and Harry wondered what the hell Malfoy had done that for, touching his face like that? Was it because he knew that Harry... liked him? No, he couldn't know. Harry had been sure not to let himself go unguarded when it came to Malfoy. But what if he had been too careful? What if he had acted so out of the ordinary that he may as well have screamed from the top of his lungs whislt on top of the teachers table in the Great Hall that he had a crush on Draco Malfoy?
"...I hate this shit..." the black haired teen said into his hands after a while.
He didn't leave the hall for quite some time after Malfoy had left, though he didn't really feel like facing anyone at the moment. Choosing instead to take a walk, Harry headed outside, not noticing where he was going, just simply letting his feet take him where they wanted to go. Soon, he found himself down by the lake, walking slowly along a twenty foot cliff. The sun was now bright and clear, and the sky was just loosing it's morning glow, while the air around Harry warmed with the promise of a gorgeous day.
Exhaling deeply, Harry kicked at a loose stone, sending it skipping across the water. He smiled absently to himself when he watched as the Giant Squid raised a tentacle out of the water, shaking it like a fist in his general direction.
The warm Autumn breeze lifted the hair away from Harry's forehead as he sank to the ground, crossing his legs under himself and staring out across the water. He was thankful that he had coosen to wear jeans and a really light sweater, as he was already getting a little bit hot. Letting his mind drift back towards what Malfoy had said not one hour ago, Harry closed his eyes, not sure of where to start trying to figure it out. So much did Harry want Malfoy not to hate him, so much in fact that it was actually beging to hurt when Malfoy said something mean to him. He thought that if maybe, just maybe, Malfoy started acting his age and treating Harry with a little bit of kindness- not that he had to lick the ground he walked on or become his bestfriend- then Harry wouldn't have such a hard time accepting his feelings for the pale teenager.
It was very rare that Harry let his emotions rule him... well, except for when his anger came into play, and he was finding it very unnerving that he was being affected so much by this crush. Not even Cho Chang had had this kind of effect on him, and she had been his first crush.
Even though he had became embarrassed and tongue tied around her, Harry had never really felt the same things as he was around Malfoy. And though Cho had been his first girlfriend and his first kiss, Harry had been extremely relieved when they had broken up. She was way too emotional and... domineering... to keep him interested for very long. To her, he was just a shoulder to cry on about Cedric Diggory's death, and that was just because he had been there when Cedric was killed by Voldemort.
"Like that's a reason to date someone." Harry snorted.
Harry sat there for what seemed like ages before he started to head back up to the castle. He was sure that Ron and Hermione were looking for him, and he truthfully missed their company. It was nice to have some time to himself, but when you've had eleven years of solitude, you start to get anxious when you've been away from people for too long.
He didn't have to actually look for his two bestfriends, as they were headed in his direction just as he walked up to Hogwarts, both with looks of worry and excitment on their faces. Frowning, Harry called out to them, "What's wrong?"
Hermione answered first, brushing her hair from her eyes (which had thankfully ceased to be so frizzy) and smiling at Harry, "Nothing."
Harry eyed her suspiciously, "Then why do you look as though you're going to faint from lack of oxygen?"
Ron interupted Hermione's retort, "Is it true mate?" he asked, looking down at Harry (as Harry was a good five inches shorter than Ron).
"Is what true?" Harry questioned, tilting his head to the side.
"That you've got a crush on someone," Hermione said, "someone who isn't in Gryffindor?"
Harry started. Had Malfoy really found out that Harry liked him, and told everyone?
"I thought that you were interested in Ginny." Ron said, a little to mournfully for Harry's liking.
"No," Harry answerd, feeling slightly annoyed at Ron for constantly pushing his younger sister at him. "Ginny and I are just friends. Nothing more than friends."
Ron looked crestfallen, but said nothing.
"So is it true?" Hermione asked once more, putting her hands on her almost non-existent hips.
Harry reguarded her with a look of calculation, wondering how much he should tell. He settled on litttle, very little information.
"Yes." he admitted.
"Ooo!! Who is it?" his friend squealed as she perked up visibly, "what house is she in?"
"Ummm..." Harry started, but was cut off by more questions.
"What does she look like? What's her name? Is she in our year?"
Harry held up both his hands in deffense as Hermione advanced on him with each probbing question. "Hold on a second Hermione! You're not even letting me answer!" he protested.
Ron grinned, "So does that mean you're going to tell us who she is?"
Harry snorted, "Do you think I'm that dense? No, of course I'm not goingt o tell you."
Both Ron and Hermione deflated, and complained at the same time, "Harry!"
Laughing, Harry said, "I'll only tell you something if you promise me something in return."
"Oh we will! We will!" the brown haired girl answered, "We'll give you anything!"
"...Hermione..." Ron cautioned.
Harry ignored Ron and crossed his arms, "Okay then. You give me five sugar quills and two chocolate frogs, and I'll tell you something about the person I've got a crush on. Deal?" he asked, "and don't tell me that you haven't got any sweets, I know you do."
After a moments delibration, Hermione stuck out her hand and they shook hands, "Deal," she said, "now tell me something."
"Uh-huh. You have to give me the sweets first." Harry grinned.
Looking at first like she was going to argue, Hermione relented after a shove in the ribs with Ron's elbow. It didn't take them long to reach the Gryffindor tower, as both Harry's friends were desperate to know what Harry ha to tell, and he soon found himself seated at the head his bed with his friends at the foot. His 'prizes' were in a neat pile in front of him.
"Oh come on!" Ron said in an exasperated voice, "tell us something!"
Harry sighed. He had decided on telling them a bit of information that they would have to swear they wouldn't freak out over.
"Okay, now you have to promise that you won't got all daft on me when I tell you this," Harry warned, and grinned when his friends nodded quickly, "okay... the person that I've got a crush on is... a....is a guy." he finished with a deep breath.
It took a while for that comment to sink in, and when it did, Harry got a reaction that he deffinately wouldn't have pictured the two of them having.
"Ooo!! That's so cute!" Hermione all but screamed, clapping her hands and grinning broadly at Harry, excitement clearly evident on her face.
Ron, looked flabbergasted, opening and closing his mouth like a blowfish. When he finally did speak, he blushed, "A bloke? Well I wasn't expecting that." he sounded almost as if he were talking to himself.
"So... you guys don't mind that it's a... bloke?" Harry asked, suddenly very worried, for no apparent reason though.
"I don't mind," Hermione said, beaming at Harry, "I kinda like that fact that I have a gay friend."
Harry held up a hand, "Whoa! Who said anything about beinf gay? I still like girls, I just happen to have a crush on a guy right now. That's all."
"Oh, well... whatever," she replied, "I'm just happy for you."
"Thanks," Harry smiled at her, before turning to Ron, "what about you? Does it bother you?"
Ron shook his head, then said a very Ron Weasley thing, "So long as it isn't me you've got the crush on, I'm good."
That made Harry laugh and Hermione roll her eyes.
"You don't have to worry about that Ron," Harry said when he had calmed down some, then added in a teasing voice, "the guy I like is way better looking."
Ron glared at him before reaching out and grabbing the nearest pillow, and slamming it down onto Harry's head. What ensued could only be described as an all out wrestling match, pillows flying everywhere, and all three friends laughing until they were doubled over with pain.
Harry didn't even think on the fact that if Ron and Hermione found out it was Draco Malfoy he had a crush on, they would either kill Malfoy and send Harry to Saint Mungo's for treatment, or they would both die of shock. Either way, Harry was sure there would be an explosion when the truth came out, he knew that much for certain.
--------
Authors Note:
So how'd you like it? Hope this part was long enough for you guys! The chapters will most likely get longer and longer as I continue... for however long that will be, I'm not sure.
I'd just like to say thanks again to all of you who have reviewed, I look forward to reading them all! (sniff, sniff, SNIFF) Aww... now I'm all teary eyed...
Anyways, for those of you who do review for this chapter, I give you Harry Potter... in (GASP!) well, let's just say I give you Harry Potter in all his glory, hmm? That sounds yummy. Anyhoo, ta-ta for now!! (I had a picture of Tigger when I typed that....)