5. Weakness of Explanation

Harry's table stared at him in silence.

"What the hell?" Ron finally burst, the table nodding in agreement.

Harry smiled easily, serving himself dinner as if nothing was happening.

"What the hell were you just doing with Malfoy?!" Ron asked once again, his face flushing with anger.

Harry looked up at Ron, his face calm and smiling, "I was kissing him, isn't he absolutely adorable?"

Hermione started nodding but caught herself, "You do remember that that is, MALFOY, right?"

Ron peered at Harry suspiciously, "He put you under a spell didn't he? Used a love potion or something…"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Love potions are completely and totally fictional, the closest thing you can come to is a mind controlling spell or a soul manipulation spell…." Her eyes lit up, "it could be, I mean it is Malfoy we're talking about here…"

Harry shook his head, "Believe what you wish, Herm, but you're not going to experiment on me to figure it out."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but stopped, mouth agape, as Draco approached the Gryffindor table soaked and sticky with pumpkin juice.

Ron snickered, at Draco's dripping form, "What happened, Malfoy, forget how to pour?"

"Shut up, Ron." Harry muttered as he studied Draco, "Come here." He gestured impatiently to him.

Draco obliged seemingly without hesitation and Harry took his hand, guiding him to sit beside him. As he let go of his hand he rub his fingers together, pulling them apart with some difficult, tiny beaded strings of the sweet sticky Pumpkin syrup suspended between his fingers.

"You're going to need a bath." he murmured with a grin, "You're all sticky." He licked his fingers mischievously.

Draco blushed and looked down at the table.

"Eat something." Harry whispered, but it wasn't a command, it was too soft and gentle for that.

"I've lost my appetite." he murmured back.

Harry gently hooked Draco's chin with two fingers, pulling his head up to look him in the eye, "Are you alright, Draco?"

Draco's eyes wandered away from Harry's, he couldn't look him in the eyes without seeing someone he didn't know. One moment he was the Potter he had always known then he was cruel and dark and then this, caring, loving Harry that Draco couldn't even comprehend.

"I'll be fine." he said

Harry nodded, a small smile upon his lips as he dipped his head down gently kissing Draco as he had done when they first came into the dining hall. Draco blushed, this time he had no control over it and it left him dumbfounded, never had he been out of touch with his body, never.

Ron made a gurgling sound in the back of throat, drawing Draco out of his confused state. He looked over at the redhead who had gone pale and looked decidedly ill. Harry laughed upon seeing Ron's face, Hermione sat stunned for the entire episode.

"I'm sorry," Harry said as he managed to control his amusement, I supposed I should have given you two time to adjust to the idea of me being with Draco."

Hermione snapped out of her daze, looking at Harry with disbelief, "It doesn't seem possible, I mean all of a sudden, just today you show up and you are not only gay, or at least bi, but you are also dating Malfoy, your rival for your entire existence in school. It just doesn't seem possible."

Harry shook his head, his voice was solemn but his eyes had that dark far away look in them, "All things are possible, especially in love, love has no boundaries."

Draco tugged at Harry's sleeve unable to take the tension that now swirled around them, "Let's leave. Please?"

Harry looked down at him and Draco caught his eyes for just s second and found them lost and farther away than he ever thought possible, he didn't look human. Regardless of what was happening in those eyes, the thoughts that swirled in his mind, he stood from the table and left the hall, Draco following close behind.

Outside the door Harry stopped and stood still within the shadows cast by the flickering torches. Once again Draco could feel him there, couldn't sense his presence only sure that he was there because he was looking at him. He slowly moved around Harry's still form until he stood in front of him, looking up into the shadows in which his eyes should have been.

He opened his mouth to call out to him but before he could Harry moved, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tightly to his chest. Being there he could feel the coarseness of Harry's uniform, and could feel the beating of his heart, the slow lulling movement of his breathing. For such a long time they remained that way, though in truth it was probably only a couple minutes. Draco lost his ability to hate the person holding him, he lost the recognition of who was holding him all he knew was the warmth and that gentle heartbeat. he had that innate feeling that someone cared about him, that feeling he had felt so very little in his life, that feeling he craved for because of its absence.

Slowly, Harry's arms around him slipped and fell away and he walked on; as if nothing had happened and Draco, obediently followed behind.