It had been almost half a year since the night that Harry had spent with Draco. The boy who lived sat atop his bed and thought about the soft feeling of Draco's hair between his fingers. The other had been incredibly vulnerable at that time, Harry had been able to feel his insecurities but also his determination and frustration. They hadn't been gentle but deep down Harry had to admit that he'd genuinely enjoyed the experience.
Harry let himself fall into his bed and looked up at the sparsely lit ceiling. He contemplated his next steps. Almost immediately after that fateful night, he had broken up with Ginny. He truly hadn't wanted to cheat on her but he had realized how different his feelings were after comparison.
He'd explained to her what had happened and although she had been genuinely hurt and upset, they had made up after a time. Ginny had confessed to him that she'd always felt as if she had been his second choice and that he saw her more as a sister than a girlfriend.
Nowadays she was always teasing about the way he shyly tried to avoid Draco. After Harry had become aware of his feelings for the blond, somehow everyone seemed to have collectively agreed to put the two together. They had been partnered with each other in potions, herbology also transfigurations.
The first had actually been quite enjoyable, they had spent a lot of time in the library. At some point, Harry even caught a glimpse of Draco's sleeping face after a long evening of research. It was the last task he was currently really worried about. After all, they would have to spend a long time together while possibly having to maintain eye- or even skin contact.
A thought crossed Harry's mind and he jumped up out of his half-asleep state; what if he messed up his spell and accidentally injured Draco?
*
When Draco woke up, he felt quite refreshed, which was honestly only thanks to the sleeping potion he had drunk last night. He was nervous, even more, nervous than when usually confronted with Harry's handsome visage. Through the time that he had spent with the boy who lived, he had somehow fallen even harder, if that was even possible, but he had also noticed that Harry had grown somehow restless. He wondered whether it was girl trouble, after all the other had been single for a good while now.
To be completely honest, he had been incredibly joyful when he heard the news of Potters' breakup. However, somehow the dark-haired snack had started to avoid him and he wasn't sure why.
He wondered whether anyone had revealed his infatuation with Harry, but then he realized that the only person who knew about it was his mother, and she'd never share anything about his actual private life.
After completing his morning routine, Draco went to the great hall for breakfast and met Harry on the way down. He smiled a bit perplexed but then went to him to ask about the plan for the day, after all the assignment was due in two days.
Harry looked up to him and Draco felt the words on his tongue die out at the startled look that the other threw him. He swallowed heavily but encouraged himself to continue anyway. With a heavy feeling in his chest, he stepped towards the other. "So, Harry are you free for the assignment?" He tried saying as relaxed as possible. Harry just nodded at him quickly and rushed past without throwing a look back.
*
Harry reached the table feeling completely flustered when Draco had stepped into his perimeter, his blond hair still damp and smelling of a light woody scent, Harry hadn't been able to stop the blush rushing on his face.
Hermione patted him on the back heavily after he had sat down and asked: "What did you just say to Malfoy? He was watching your back like an abandoned puppy."
Harry spun around in panic and sure enough, Malfoy was slowly stirring around a bowl of tomato soup with a downcast look. Harry groaned and burrowed his head between his arms. "Oh no, I didn't want to ignore him, but I always feel so helpless when directly confronted with him! What should I do?" Hermione disapprovingly shook her head, she was privy to the secret, after all both Ginny and Harry were her good friends.
"You can't keep doing this, can't you see that you're hurting the both of you? I say just go for it, honestly, you know for a fact that he's head over heels for you, there's absolutely no chance that he'd reject you!"
Harry pulled all of his courage together, and promised: "Today, I will tell him I swear!" He took a deep breath, "I'll just do it while we practice for transfigurations today, no pressure or anything…"