More chapters on the way!

Harry was relieved that life could go back to whatever was normal for him finally. Draco had got him good with that prank, but now he couldn't stop wondering about the Slytherin boy.

What would it be like if he dated Draco? Or if they were friends? Or if they kissed?

Sure Harry's life was normal again, but he was still caught up with Draco's pale smooth skin, with the small curl to his lip when he was bent over his work in Potions and he got it right, his long fingers gripping the handle of a broomstick, the way his hair would fall out of his hair-wax-charm and frame his face.

Harry blinked his way out of his reverie and stared at the dining-room table in horror. He liked Draco. He like liked Draco.

"What's the matter?" Ron asked around a mouthful of mashed potatoes. Harry leaned in, not wanting the whole table to hear them.

"I think I like-" Harry managed before he saw Ron's face morph into horror, eyes staring just above his head.

Harry turned with a sense of dread that only heightened when he saw Draco standing over him with crossed arms and a carefully arranged blank look on his face.

"Malfoy, what-?" Harry was cut off once again by the boy frowning even deeper.

"I need to talk to you." He sounded very much like he would like to be anywhere else but in front of Harry.

Hermione shifted over on the bench to make space for him and Draco sneered at her. "Alone, Potter."

Harry rose, picking up a bread roll as he went. He looked back at Ron and Hermione with a small shrug.

"We'll come looking for you in ten minutes." Ron promised and Draco's scowl deepened. He turned and swept out of the hall, leaving Harry to follow.

XXX

Draco stopped when they were behind the greenhouses, and Harry made sure that no plants were inching out of the windows to attack them before he turned his attention to Draco.

"What did you need?" he asked, thinking of his wand tucked up his sleeve.

Draco was looking off to the side, foot kicking the ground in a nervous tic.

"Look, I just wanted to say sorry." Harry was certain this was a trap now.

"What?" He managed, eloquent as ever.

"I'm sorry." Draco forced out like it pained him.

"For what? And why now? You've been awful to me and Ron and Hermione for the past seven years. Why are you just trying to be nice now?"

Draco chewed at his lip, a line forming between his eyebrows. "Well, I guess for being rude on the first day and every day since. I-I admired you greatly for a while, and I didn't quite know how to show that. Then you so blatantly hated me that I couldn't find a way to go back on what I'd done and how I acted."

"I never hated you." Harry said truthfully, watching Draco as he looked everywhere but at him.

"I didn't hate you either."

Harry was silent for a while, listening to the foliage growing in the greenhouses and watching Draco's face get gradually more strained.

"You were rude to me at the wand shop too." Harry said finally and Draco grimaced, like he had hoped he had forgotten about that.

"I was eleven, Potter." He said, rather affronted.

Harry thought for another long moment. "I guess I forgive you. But you need to apologise to Ron and Hermione too. You've been awful to both of them." If Draco really wanted to make amends, then apologising to Ron and Hermione was the least thing he could do.

Draco nodded, a rather frantic look in his eyes. Harry took a bite of bread roll and turned to leave.

"Thanks Malfoy." He said as a parting comment, still unsure about actually calling him Draco.

Draco lunged forward and caught the smaller boy's sleeve. "Wait, Harry there's something else."

Harry faced him again, and gestured for him to continue. Draco looked even more uncomfortable than beforehand.

"Look, after what happened in Potions the other day…" Draco started, and Harry went to wave him off, but was stopped by Draco grabbing his sleeve again.

The taller boy looked far too sincere and… young. Harry often thought of Draco as something other than a fellow student but he was only 16.

"I like you, Potter. You're infuriating and annoying but you're interesting and… I just like you okay?"

Harry tilted his head back and laughed. "Look Draco, that prank isn't going to work on me twice."

Draco moved so fast that Harry didn't even have time to reach for his wand.

"Merlin, Potter." He muttered and grabbed Harry by his tie, pulling him in hard and crashed their lips together.