The next few days were quiet. Harry heard or saw none of Draco, and Draco made sure he was avoiding Harry at all costs. He couldn't have the boy starting to worry about him. He couldn't have him trying to help; he'd end up getting hurt, and Draco knew how much of a hero Harry was known to be. So this was all right. This was the best decision. He shouldn't have gotten himself involved with Harry in the first place.

Those few days were spent spending detention with Snape. He seemed to have a never-ending supply of chores for the young Slytherin to do. Scrubbing the floor, the cauldrons, organizing the viles, chopping up extra ingredients, grading some fair few assignments he hadn't gotten around to. These detentions sometimes lasted into the dead of night, where Draco could be seen trudging tiredly down to the Slytherin dorms. No one was awake, of course, and he had permission to be walking down the halls so late.

Draco hadn't been getting any sleep either. Most of his time was spent thinking about Harry. The lack of seeing him seemed to add more onto the amount of time he spent thinking about the boy. Damn it. He hadn't meant for it to go this far. He had thought it to simply be a crush, not love. Not a feeling he had blocked himself from all of his life. Love. Obviously, he had been right in doing so; it only caused more trouble than necessary in life. Yet, he kept on thinking of Harry; tossing and turning in the middle of the night as he did.

Then there were more detentions. More skipping of meals. More worrying. More thinking. More never-ending distress that Draco couldn't help but feel every day. Not once had he seen Harry. He supposed the boy had taken his word for it and backed away from the situation. Maybe he knew that getting twisted into the life of a Malfoy was a bad idea.

Good. That's what Draco wanted.

Yet... it wasn't.

The night before the day he'd be leaving to go home to his mother, which happened to be Christmas Day, edged around quite suddenly. And he needed to see Harry. He had to. It was Christmas, and he only wanted to see the boy for one last time. There was no way to avoid him tonight.

So after detention, instead of heading back down to the Slytherin dungeons, he made his way toward the Gryffindor portrait hole. The Fat Lady was sleeping in her painting, and Draco stood there, looking horribly exhausted, wondering what to do. That was, until the portrait swung open all of a sudden, making him jump.

"Who's there?" Draco whispered. It looked like no one had come out.

"Draco?" Someone whispered back. "Is that you?"

"Yes, are you Harry?" He replied somewhat stupidly.

"Yeah." Harry slipped off the hood of his invisibility cloak to reveal his face. Draco nearly pounced on the boy, wrapping his arms around him. All of the restless sleeping, and thinking of Harry through it all, certainly had a way of building up inside of him. He wasn't afraid of showing his affectionate side tonight; he wanted to see Harry.

"I've been wanting to see you..." Draco buried his face into the crook of Harry's neck, while the raven haired boy tentatively tried comforting him. "I'm leaving tomorrow." He murmered.

"I thought you didn't want me around..." Harry said softly.

"No, I want you around. I just... well, no helping me when I go home, okay?" Draco lifted his head then, to watch Harry's face. The boy looked very uncertain.

Harry shifted on his feet for a few seconds, his eyes glancing to the ground, before he looked back up at Draco. "Ok. I won't. But you'll be okay, promise me? You can come to my house this summer, and we can plan it when you return after Christmas."

"Your house? With the muggles?" Draco asked, biting his lip.

"It'll be fine... they can't stop me from bringing you home with me."

Draco smiled, the heavy feeling in his chest seeming to lighten. "I'd like that."

Harry returned the smile. "I'm glad you came to talk to me before you left."

"I couldn't go without saying goodbye..." Draco's arm slid up and around Harry's neck, so that he could lean his head on the other boy's shoulder. He could feel soft breathing against his face as Harry tilted his head down to look at him.

"It won't be goodbye. You'll see me soon."

Draco didn't say anything. He was trying to blink back the burning feeling forming at the corner of his eyes. No, why was he going to cry now? Things were going well...

"Draco?" Harry asked after a few moments of silence had passed.

"I know... I'll see you soon." His head lifted from Harry's shoulder, and he tried smiling. But it was difficult. The hand not resting on Harry was used to wipe quickly at his eyes.

"Are you crying?" Harry questioned, his eyebrows furrowing worriedly.

"No." Draco said softly. Before anything else could be said, he leaned forward, pressing his lips against Harry's. That hand wrapped tighter around Harry. He could feel Harry's lips slowly moving in response to the kiss. He felt arms wrap around his waist, pulling him closer. And he did, as he let his tongue slip between the other boy's parted lips. He deepened the kiss, pouring all of his wanting into this one moment. He felt Harry's tongue slip past his, and explored that wonderful taste that belonged to Harry, and when it came to the point where he had to breathe, he reluctantly pulled away. He licked his lips, hoping that he'd be able to keep the kiss there forever...

Draco stayed quiet, calming his uneven breathing, while he felt Harry's chest rising and falling against his own.

"I was... going to go and see you tonight." Harry mentioned quietly.

The Slytherin smiled again. His fingers idly ran up and down the back of Harry's neck. "So we both had the same things on our mind." Harry nodded, his own small smile forming as he looked to the ground.

"I'll be seeing you soon though. When I return." Draco knew he was trying to reassure himself. Part of him knew that wasn't really going to happen. He swallowed heavily, his smile fading. He drew his arm away from Harry, looking on the verge on crying again.

"I'll be waiting for you." Harry spoke softly, still looking down. Though his gaze finally lifted to look at Draco, looking sure of the fact. "You'll be fine."

"I know..." Draco choked out slowly. He used the back of his hand to hurriedly wipe at his eyes again. "See you in a week, Harry." With that, he turned around, and started near running down the hallway. He didn't hear any other footsteps moving behind him, and he instantly knew that Harry was still standing there watching him go.

Though, he eventually turned the corner, knowing he was out of Harry's sight, and that's when he felt the burning stop, and that tears were beginning to fall silently down his face.