"Bastard" Harry yelled after the retreating blonde. Harry's wand was tight in his grip, knuckles a shade of tense white from the effort involved in gripping the wood between his fingers.
Malfoy turned, full smirk on his lips, hateful gaze in his dark eyes. His wand was withdrawn too, and although he was armed, he was painfully aware of Potter's dominance in the situation.
"What did you say Potter?" Malfoy drawled, managing to keep up appearances – the uncaring look in his eyes never failing as he stared his opponent down.
Their brushes had been getting more intense, and the animosity between them seemed to bubble when they passed in corridors. Both sets of friends had been trying their best to neutralise the tension between the two boys, but the more they were pulled back, the harder they pushed; Both of them.
"You heard me." Harry spat, aware that Ron was coming up behind him and about to grab his arm. He took a step forward to hint that he really didn't want to be hauled away from the situation, and Malfoy's eyes twitched. Potter was angry this time, really angry.
The reason for the confrontation this time had been a repeated attempt of Malfoy's to reduce Harry to tears. Jibes about his 'pet' and 'dog' and 'mongrel' had slid from the Slytherin's lips, referring most disgustingly to the Gryffindor's Godfather, and his recent demise. He'd been clutching at straws, the more he started confrontations with Potter, the less susceptible Harry became to his insults. The anger at topics Malfoy breached had slowly subsided, nothing he said about his friends, his parents, his scar, his magical ability, seemed to 'work' anymore, and after the recent battle at the Ministry Draco had something fresh.
"You might as well be a bastard, Potter. No father, and not even a Father figure left either!" Draco shrilled almost cheerfully. When Harry began pacing towards him, Draco grinned, his attempts at drawing a reaction from Harry finally working.
Harry had gone beyond the urge to hex Malfoy into oblivion, and instead he felt a huge physical desire to beat the crap out of him instead. All awareness of the fact that Draco had two oversized goons to do his dirty work for him slid from Harry's mind; and in a flash Harry's wand was on the floor, and his hands were at Malfoy's neck.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT." Harry screamed, as they made a physical connection. The force of Harry's lunge unbalancing Malfoy, and with wide surprised eyes, he toppled backwards to the floor, hands instinctively clasping at Harry's wrist to dislodge them.
It only took a few minutes before Malfoy's croak, indicating that he couldn't breathe meant Harry's hands slipped away from the other's neck, but forcefully pushed into Draco's shoulders, forcing him down into the grass.
Harry wasn't aware of the screams from Hermione, or the tug of his best friends at his shoulder, merely shrugging them off at each attempt. So entirely fixed on Draco his resolve failed to falter. Harry was panting hard from the physical effort it was taking to pin Malfoy down and brush off his friend's attempts to pull him away. It was when He felt two sets of massive arms pluck him easily from Malfoy's hips where he had straddled him that he cried out.
Crabbe and Goyle had locked Harry's arms in such a way that rendered them useless, and he found himself unable to move. Malfoy jumped to his feet, and advanced on Harry's struggling form, rubbing his neck gently as he did so.
"Bloody Gryffindor." He spat; eyes narrowed and fixed pointedly on Harry's eyes. The green gaze was ferocious, but enrapturing. The hatred in them only lured him closer, and before Draco knew what he was doing he had reached a gentle hand out to Harry's cheek, Crabbe and Goyle's restraints keeping Harry from pulling away.
Slender fingers met with soft skin, and all at once Harry stopped struggling. His eyes widened, and Draco was reminded of the petrified first years on their introduction to the school. Naïve, Fearful, and scared.
"Get off me, Malfoy!" Harry barked, his throat dry. Draco didn't want to listen to the request, and the delicate touch of his fingertips slowly eased into his palm meeting Harry's cheek, cupping it gently. Harry struggled to remember that he was supposed to be unwilling to allow the dirty Slytherin to touch him.
"I said--!" Harry was cut off by a firm finger to his lips, and Draco was aware his time was running out. Both Crabbe and Goyle wore looks of confusion at Draco's actions, and he could see their grip beginning to loosen. Potter's eyes gave another flash of innocence, and something inside Draco melted. He leant forward, one hand clutching Harry's waist as the other curled fully behind his head, launching himself at Harry and crushing his lips against Potter's shocked ones.
The minute he'd thrown himself at Potter, the restraints holding Harry back were released, and Malfoy's weight caused Harry to fall back, much as Draco had done minutes prior. Draco's hate-filled hands weren't locked with Harry's neck though, but forcefully pinned the boy down whilst he pleasured himself in kissing Harry, possessively. There was only a moment of stillness before Harry reacted, returning Malfoy's gesture with matched eagerness. The crowd that had formed around them were shocked into silence and stillness, but it was such a crowd that had initiated the attention of a certain Potion's Master.
Snape sliced through the stunned teenagers that blocked his view of the action, and when his eyes fell upon the Rivals, apparently locked together, he almost stopped in his tracks. In one sweep, a strong grip on Malfoy's robes ripped him from Potter and Draco found himself on his feet, hair a mess from Harry's eager fingers, lips red from the rough contact with Harry's.
Scrambling to his feet, Potter stared blankly at Snape, and Malfoy, who had been allowed back onto his feet. He thought he might have heard a pin drop over the quiet, and everyone jumped when Snape finally spoke.
"My Office. Now!" He shrilled, the importance and urgency of the words hitting Harry hard, he shot a look at Malfoy, who had quickly gone to retrieve his wand before running through the gap in the students that Snape had ploughed, apparently desperate to get away. Harry lingered, slowly hobbling to get his wand. The shock of Malfoy's attack apparently rendering his limbs weak.
"I SAID NOW, POTTER." Snape yelled, and Harry felt the hairs on his neck prickle, before he turned and followed Draco's footsteps, aware of Snape hot on his heels.