"I'm over you, Harry."
It was breakfast time on the morning after the three nighttime liaisons. Harry had already been sat at the Gryffindor table in the main hall for just over half an hour, eating a cooked breakfast and having a muse over The Daily Prophet which Hedwig had dropped in for him, when he soon found himself listening to Ron's freckled face. Apparently, he had had a lot of time to think since the kiss – a.k.a The Really Big Thing That Happened In The Broom Cupboard - happened.
"But I don't want what happened between us to change our friendship," Ron finished sincerely, his hands fidgeting and crawling across the table, almost as if he wanted to reach for Harry's hand, but didn't dare.
Harry paused for a second, studying his best friend across the table. He then shrugged, appearing not to care.
"Fine by me," Harry agreed quietly down into his plate, turning back to The Daily Prophet. Ron leant back into his chair with satisfaction and scooped up a forkful of his own breakfast.
Now Ron had done his piece, the black-haired boy felt like doing a bit of teasing.
"Heard you and Hermione last night," muttered Harry, his voice barely audible. Ron heard him clearly, but smacked the table as he leant inwards abruptly to hiss, "What!"
"Relax," Harry grinned mischievously, tapping the side of his nose with one finger and whispering, "Our little secret."
"I highly doubt that, Harry," a bossy girl's voice said, and Hermione slid in the seat next to Ron. "Over the past weeks you've shown all the tell-tale signs of being a bit of a big mouth."
"Mornin', Hermione," Harry greeted her as he slid innocently behind his paper. Hermione snatched at the front of it, yanking it down. Harry was met with her smirking face.
"You and Draco were up rather late in the common room, weren't you?" she asked innocently. Ron looked at her with great interest.
"You what?" he questioned of her. Hermione nodded slowly. Ron then turned back to Harry and asked the same question in the same tone. "You what?"
Harry nodded, seeming quite proud of himself, though a little bashful at the same time.
"Wait, wait. You got Malfoy into the Gryffindor common room?" Ron squeaked with disbelief. "Wow, Harry, you must be the master of persuasion."
"What can I say?" Harry shrugged modestly. "I'm in high demand."
Ron looked thoughtful. It was a fair point.
"Oh yes, that's right," Hermione confirmed as Harry disappeared further and further behind his newspaper. "The girl's dorms are a lot closer to the main common room area than the boy's, so you wouldn't have heard, would you, Ron?"
"Heard what, exactly?" Ron raised a quizzical eyebrow. From what the two could see of the top of Harry's head was now blushing furiously.
"We were only talking!" he protested defensively. Ron looked over at Hermione with sheer delight on his face, relishing in the gossip. She shrugged.
"I'm saying nothing more," she said sweetly, and caught Harry's eye. She tapped the side of her nose with one finger and whispered, "Our little secret."
With that, she stood up, giving Ron a discrete squeeze on the shoulder as she did so, and left the main hall. Ron watched her go before turning back to Harry, who was once again engrossed in his reading.
"Er, I think I'm gonna go, too," Ron coughed. "Got, um, work to do. See ya, Harry."
As soon as Ron had left (in a matter of seconds, jogging after Hermione and catching up with her), Harry rolled his eyes. Honestly. Ron? Work? He was such an unconvincing liar. Irritated, Harry flicked out his paper and tried to concentrate. His meal finished, he gave a casual swing of his wand without even looking at the plate, which magically cleared itself and disappeared. But something – or rather, someone – appeared in its place. It was Draco Malfoy. Harry looked up at the blond boy with confusion.
'What are you doing on this table?' he asked in surprise, slightly accusingly. Draco looked a little upset, and shifted about on the bench opposite Harry.
'I've come to talk to you,' Draco whispered, ignoring the curious stares and muttering wafting over from the concerned Slytherin table.
It was all Harry could do to not roll his eyes and tut extremely loudly. Hadn't the boy done enough talking and whining last night? Harry had had to kiss him for hours just to get him to shut up for two seconds. But still, Harry thought as he admired Draco's sweet rounded face and slicked blond hair, it was worth getting your ear talked off for.
Harry boldly grasped Malfoy's hand and squeezed it tight, suddenly not caring if a few pupils on the Slytherin table happened to notice. So he would get teased about it, so what?
'Okay, Malfoy,' he nodded. 'What about?'
Draco smiled, and leaned in closer, opening his free hand, which had been curled into a fist. In it was a hand-written note, which he handed to Harry without unfolding it.
"Not here," Draco said dramatically, nodding his head at the note before sliding his hand along Harry's and letting go, leaving the main hall with a flick of his cloak. Harry ground his teeth and unfolded the note.
Meet me under the clock tower at 2.
'Gimmie a break,' Harry puffed out with exasperation. What did Draco think this was, some sort of romance novel? That was Harry's first thought. The second was that he must remember to try and control his temper, and not get so easily irritated. But the latter was proving to be somewhat difficult, what with a highly sensitive and emotional rival-slash-lover. Not to mention friends who took great pleasure in winding you up at every possible opportunity.
But then, isn't that what friends are for?