note: Kiss between Harry and Cho still happened. Instead of Cedric being dead, he was badly affected by the rebounded curse in the graveyard and spends Order of the Phoenix in st mungos.

Part Five: Fall Apart

Harry and Draco enjoyed some weeks of blissful entanglement. Harry felt positively filled up with love by Draco while Draco was happier than he had ever known himself to be, thriving with Harry's affections. The unusual obsession they had always had for each other now seemed to finally click into place; as though they were always meant to be close, never meant to be enemies. Or perhaps it was that they both knew of each other's worst sides that they felt they could be truly free with each other.

It wasn't that it was perfect, the two of them didn't always see eye to eye still. It's just that it was more bickering than fighting, and they had permission to express their passionate desires with one another instead of repressing them. And Harry was seeing a side of Malfoy, a gentle, loving side, that he had never known existed within the icy blonde slytherin.

He didn't know how to tell his friends about Draco just yet. He felt ashamed that he was feeling so happy when he and Cedric had only just broken up, and he was sure his friends would not approve of his actions lately. He didn't approve of his actions lately.

On top of the guilt, when he saw Cedric during class or mealtimes, he missed him terribly. How could so many conflicting emotions exist inside him? Harry was reminded of his kiss with Cho - while Cedric had been away recovering in St Mungos - during which she had cried. He thought he understood her feelings much better now.

Laying beside Draco, underneath the charmed whomping willow, Harry brushed his fingers against Draco's pale cheek. He felt the warmth, and the faint scratch of the beginning of some stubble on his jawline. Draco sighed contentedly, loving every touch from Harry. He turned his face to look at Harry and received a gentle kiss from Harry's soft lips.

"Can we lie here forever?" Draco said dreamily.

"I don't see why not," Harry smiled, kissing the end of Draco's nose. "What else is there to do? Go to herbology?"

"Merlins, no."

They did go to herbology, their only motivation that they would get to be alone together again right after.

And so the days went by like this.

However, as is the nature of the schoolyard, you're bound to bump into someone you don't want to at some point or another. It's almost unavoidable. This particular afternoon, while crossing the courtyard to their next classes, Cedric Diggory and Draco Malfoy happened to come face to face. Cedric paused for a moment, shock evident on his face before he shoved past Malfoy without a word.

"Watch it, Diggory!" Malfoy spat.

"Piss off, ferret," Cedric shot over his shoulder without stopping.

Draco would have liked to say it took more than that to set him off, but it didn't. When it came to Harry's ex, he was insecure. Before he knew it he had caught up to Cedric, grabbed his shoulder to force him to face him and they were exchanging blows.

A circle had formed around them, with the occasional attempt by someone to pull them apart, but it wasn't until Harry caught wind of the commotion and arrived that the fighting could be stopped.

"Stop it! Both of you!" He pulled Draco away from Cedric, putting himself between the pair.

Harry frowned at Draco, fixing him with a look to back down, before turning to Cedric.

"This is stupid!" Harry told them, exasperated.

"Yes. It is." Cedric replied, looking Malfoy up and down. Then he said,"Great choice, Harry," gesturing to Malfoy. He spat some blood out of his mouth and then turned to walk away with some of his friends.

Back at the common room Harry passed Draco a handful of ice wrapped in a dishcloth. He couldn't remember a spell for bruises, Merlin he was useless.

"You should go to Pomfrey," Harry said quietly.

"It's nothing."

He sat on an armchair while Draco perched on the arm of the sofa, holding the ice to his bruised jaw.

"Why did you have to pick a fight with him?" Harry asked, sighing. He was upset at the whole situation but mostly he was disappointed with Draco, seeing him behave the way he used to, before.

"It wasn't just me," Draco said bitterly. Harry looked like he didn't believe him.

"Cedric doesn't like to fight," Harry said and that set the already on-edge Draco off.

"And you think I do?!"

"I don't know!" Harry yelled back. "You seem to get in enough of them!"

Malfoy laughed incredulously. "Of course you'd take his side!"

"That's not what I'm doing!"

"Of course it is! As much as I try, you still see me as a scheming death eater! Everyone does!"

"That's bollocks."

"It's not!"

Draco was getting on Harry's nerves.

"Well, are you really trying, Draco? Have you even apologized to anyone you hurt? Have you made any effort to be better than you were?!"

"Yes!" Draco screamed back. "I'm trying every goddamn day! I thought you saw that! Not everyone can be perfect like you, Harry goddamn Potter!"

"Perfect?! This again!" Harry laughed incredulously. "You're kidding me!"

"You don't know what it's like!"

"I was 'Undesirable Number One', I think I fucking do."

"Fuck you, Potter, that's different." Draco threw the ice down, cubes smashing and skidding all over the floor, and stormed out. So he was Potter again to him?

Harry supposed he was right. Harry was a hero of the war and Draco a barely-pardoned criminal. He knew it had been hard for him to return to Hogwarts knowing he had somewhat of a target on his back. Still, Harry didn't find this to be a valid excuse for Draco's behaviour.

We always have choices, Harry thought as he lay down on his bed, exhausted by the afternoon's events.

But then, what good choices had he made lately. He had cheated. Ruined his relationship with the lovely Cedric, who had been good to him, good for him, and for what? Only to fuck up with Draco as well and end up alone and more miserable than ever.