Things were going great for the new couple lately, though there was one particular they couldn't ignore: They couldn't be public about their relationship.
"Harry, it's not so subtle that you and Malfoy are... exchanging... messages..." Hermione observed one day at Breakfast. Harry and Draco were sending each other looks and magic air kisses. They were not so evident, as the air kisses only took a second to arrive to the recipient. They were heart shaped, small, flying pink clouds that culminated in a soft "pop" upon reaching the target's lips.
"I know, Mione," said a smiling Harry. "It's just, I can't really help it... It's hard for me to hide how crazy I am for him." He finished, blushing a little.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, here we go. I mean," She said. "We've already established that we are fine with you and Malfoy, but... are you sure you can really trust him? After all, this is Malfoy we're talking about." She continued, in a worried tone.
"Oh come on, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. "I can look after myself. He seems pretty genuine to me. You just need to get to know him, that's all. Didn't you say it yourself, that you were ready to become friends with him?"
Hermione sighed, but it was Ron who spoke. "It just takes a bit of getting used to, that's all. But, Harry, do be careful with those exchanges. You don't want the whole school to see..."
"Don't worry, I don't think anyone noticed." Harry said and a second later a magic air kiss settled on his lips. Ron and Hermione noticed right away. Harry gave a surprised giggle, while his two best friends were looking at each other. "I mean, we did notice." Hermione observed.
"Because you know, Hermione! That's why... I mean, otherwise someone else would have said something, but no one is." Harry explained. It was true, no one in the Great Hall seemed to have seen it. They were all too busy munching on their food, anyway.
Although, at the Slytherin table, a perplexed Pansy was looking at the pink trail of sparkles the air kiss had produced, but she could have easily mistaken it for one of those magic illusions of the Great Hall sky-like ceiling.
"Guys..." Harry said, then he took a breath. "You'll think me crazy, but... " he moved closer to them so that no one would over hear. "I think I might be falling in love with him."
At this, both his best friends gasped.
"WHAT?" Ron almost shouted. A few heads turned to see what had just happened, but then went back to their businesses when they didn't see anything weird. Ron blushed at the attention he had just received. Hermione elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs. "Well this is quite a bit for us to process, Harry." Hermione said, glaring at a now wincing Ron.
"I'm sorry Ron," Harry said, looking at his best friend, who was still red in the face. "But I never felt anything like this with Ginny... I guess I was never really in love with her." He then turned around to look at Draco, smiling. His boyfriend didn't see him, as he was chuckling lightly at something Blaise had said.
"I mean isn't he just so cute when he does that?" Harry said dreamily.
"Not to burst your bubble, but... Don't you think you're rushing a bit? I mean, you've just gotten together..." Hermione said.
"I don't really care." Harry replied with a shrug. "I just feel so euphoric when we kiss. Eh,even by simply being with him, really. I mean just look at him smile... it might sound shocking, but... Draco's really sweet once you get to know him."
Hermione and Ron didn't really agree with him, as they didn't think the words "Draco" and "sweet" belonged in the same sentence. Harry saw that his friends were not so convinced, so he continued. "He just happened to be unlucky. He didn't really have a choice, he had to join in on Voldemort's plans or he would have been killed. But he wasn't too happy about being a death eater. Such thing made him suffer greatly."
At this point, Ron and Hermione changed their facial expression.
"But, really, under all of that army he had constructed, lived a decent guy. He just needed someone to help him come out of his shell. And it seems like I'm that person. You see, we get each other, guys. I feel like I'm home, with him. He's like that dark part of me... but at the same time, that part of me that can make me happy like no one else can."
As soon as Harry was done speaking, he noticed that Hermione was teary-eyed. Not that it was hard for her to become emotional, but he was glad that she'd reacted like that to his speech about how he felt for Draco.
"Oh, Harry..." the girl said, "These words are just so beautiful." She was now crying freely. Ron put his arms around her. Harry was pleased to see that Ron, too, seemed to have understood what he had meant.
"What has gotten into you lately, Draco?" Blaise asked his friend, down at the Slytherin table. He must have noticed his enhanced good mood. Plus, the way he kept glancing at the Gryffindor table didn't help.
"Ah, guys..." Draco said, addressing both him and Pansy. "Did I ever tell you that I love you?"
Pansy gave him the most weirded out look ever. "Um... no... Draco, as we both noticed... there's something in the air. And you were afraid I'd tell-"
"It was nothing, really." Draco interrupted her. "It was just that I had copied from Granger during Potions." He shrugged.
"Oh..." Pansy said, although she didn't look too convinced of what she had just heard. "Isn't it that you like her, perhaps?"
At this, Draco laughed so hard that he had tears in his eyes. When he finally stopped laughing, he took a breath. "Oh, aren't you so funny, Pans?" He said, wiping a tear. Draco was genuinely entertained. Oh boy, if she knew who he really liked...
"Malfoy, can you believe it, Luna!" Ginny said to her friend, that same day. They were walking to Herbology, that they both had in common. "From what I know, they're pretending to hate each other still. I don't understand how he can just... be with him, you know?"
"Oh I can't be too surprised, my dear friend." said Luna. "He literally ogled him all the time. I don't think the nargles had anything to do with it, at this point." Luna raised her shoulders.
"I mean, I never saw him look at you the way he did him."
Ginny gave her a dirty look. "Well, Thanks for reminding me... Oh,I really want them to pay. Here's what I'm going to do..." The Weasley girl said as they were entering the greenhouse.
"Are you planning to set him on fire?" Luna asked, putting on her gloves inside out.
"I'm not that mad at him... No, I will hit him where it hurts the most." Ginny said. She moved closer to Luna. "His heart." She then whispered, crunching a bean, making a red substance ooze out of it.
Meanwhile, at the Defence Against The Dark Arts class, the new professor for that year, Miss Sivan, came bearing results for the NEWTs mock test the students had taken a week earlier.
Miss Adrastea Sivan was a young woman, possibly in her thirties. Her teal blue hair fell in a cascade of curls on her shoulders and, as it moved, it scattered glitter everywhere. Many speculated that she was some kind of a veela, but it was never confirmed. She was very fond of long, white cloaks, which gave Harry the idea that she was always ready for her own wedding.
Many boys in the class were mesmerized by her apparent delicate manners, but in reality she was a very strong witch. Perfect for the subject, Harry always thought.
Ron and Harry were discussing how the simulation might have gone. "I don't think I got a good mark, Harry." Ron told his best friend. "Bloody witch always grades my works poorly."
Harry had just opened his mouth to reassure his friend when he heard a "psst" coming from Draco.
The green eyed boy turned his head swiftly, meeting his gaze. "What?" he mouthed to him.
"Check on grades together?" Draco mouthed back. Harry nodded, then turned to Ron.
"You see, this is the only way we can have a moment in public. By checking the grades sheet together." He sighed. "I don't think it's fair, Ron... I mean, why can't I kiss him in front of everyone like you do with Mione?"
"Harry..." Ron began. "People wouldn't understand... homosexuality is treated very cruelly in the Wizarding World. Especially by purebloods. Think of how the Slytherins would react."
Harry didn't really care, though. Hell, he had defeated Lord Voldemort only months before. Certainly, a few angry Slytherins couldn't hurt him.
"I would manage." He said. "I wouldn't be afraid to show them how I feel for him."
"Yeah, but, do you think Draco would be willing to do that?" asked Ron.
Ron had a point. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by Miss Sivan's voice. "Come see how you did, this time." she said, then with a swift movement of her wand she made a grade sheet appear.
Harry and Draco rushed to the board, seemingly bumping into each other, but it was staged.
In that spare second, they held hands.
"Get out of my face, Potter!" Draco spat. "Your messy hair is blocking my view."
"You do that!" Harry yelled back, but he smiled at him when no one was looking.
"Wait a minute..." Pansy muttered to herself. She had noticed that smile.
"Come on, Potter and Malfoy! Don't be childish!" Professor Sivan scolded them. "At least you agree on your mark... "
The boys looked at the sheet, they had both got a D.
"Mr Potter, from what I'd heard about you I thought you wouldn't be able to get a grade below Outstanding in this subject." The teacher shook her head. She looked very disappointed.
The NEWTs pressure and the occasional haunting memories of the previous year had been very harsh on Harry and his ability to concentrate, even on his beloved subject.
Harry had let himself down, in the first place.
"Tell you what, both of you." Miss Sivan said, getting up. She walked closer to the pair. "Why don't you come to my office for some remedial Defence? This afternoon at 5."
There was no need to tell them twice. It was a perfect opportunity for the pair to spend some time together, away from unwanted eyes. Sure, Miss Sivan would have been there, but she would disappear during her remedial lessons, as Harry was told by Neville, at least.
Harry had to be in character, though, so he quickly pretended to protest. "Oh, but I have Quidditch practice!"
"Your team will survive." said miss Sivan.
Pansy was growing more and more suspicious. The fact that Draco had not complained supported her theory that something was off with him more and more.
That afternoon, during the Quidditch practice, the team was beginning to question their captain's absence. Ginny, in particular.
"Where is Harry?" she asked her brother.
"Oh, he's just at this Defence Against the Dark Arts remedial lesson with Sivan." He responded absent-mindedly.
"But we can't just practise without him! We haven't practised in like a month!" Ginny whined.
Quidditch practice had been postponed so many times in the last month, given that everyone had been busy. But now, the only missing player was Harry.
"We can. I will guide everyone myself, Harry entrusted me with this task." Ron responded, showing off a bit of a leader vibe. "It's Harry I'm worried about. Hoping Malfoy won't kill him in there!" He chuckled.
As soon as Ginny heard "Malfoy", it hit her like a lightning.
"I'm sorry, I need to.. go to the toilet." she said as she rushed towards the castle.
"Do it quickly!" Ron shouted at her from the Quidditch pitch.
"Well, boys, I'll leave you to it. I'm expecting you to work on what I've just told you, ok?" Miss Sivan said, then left as expected.
Harry and Draco didn't focus on the parchment, though. As soon as their teacher closed the door, Harry launched himself at his boyfriend, wrapping him into a tight hug. "I've been waiting all day for this!" He said in an excited tone.
"Me too, my love." Draco let slip. The moment he said those words he realized what he had just said. He called Harry my love. What was happening to him? He had never been like this with a person, let alone Harry Potter. Yet, he had said those words. He was really changing and he didn't mind it too much, he found. But he was still quite shocked at his own words.
Harry pulled away and looked into his eyes. "My love?" He repeated.
"Um..." Draco began, but wasn't sure of what to say after that.
"Look, Draco...I know we haven't been a couple for the longest time, but..." Harry took a breath.
There it is, Draco thought. He still thinks I'm the worst git to have ever lived. He's going to break up with me this very moment.
"So, when I met you I never would have dreamed to be in a relationship with you. I felt a strong sense of dislike for you, but then as time went on I realized that what I felt for you was a strong attraction that I tried to conceal with hate.
"Then we decided to swim into this ocean, new to both of us, and I've come to the realization that we are all we need to be complete. I am the light, you are the darkness. You and I, together, are all that is most different, but also all that is most similar. With you is the only way that I feel like I'm Harry Potter. I love you, Draco, like never before. And I hate the fact that we have to hide. I'd shout it from the rooftops... " Harry said. He was smiling brightly and he felt tears threatening to invade his eyes. "I'm in love with DRACO MALFOY!" He finally shouted. He was now panting, hoping that Draco felt the same as he did.
Draco couldn't find the words, he was far too touched to do so. He was only able to say "Oh, Harry..."
Harry thought that the grey eyed boy was about to reject him, he was sure. He looked quite shaken.
"But if you don't feel the same, I-" he tried to say but his boyfriend wouldn't let him finish, he simply pulled him into the most passionate kiss ever. "I love you too." Draco said, out of breath, after they had parted. Feeling like the happiest boy in the world, Harry pulled him into another, more passionate kiss.
In the meantime, a determined Ginny Weasley was running to the dungeons, aimed at the Slytherin common room. She looked around for a bit until she found her person of interest. "Parkinson, wait up!"
The Slytherin girl turned around, annoyed. "What do you want now, freckles?"
Ginny glared at her, but almost immediately cut to the chase. "There's something you need to see."
Pansy raised her eyebrow. What if that gingerbread girl was referring to Draco? "Wait, what do I need to see?"
"Just follow me." The redhead ordered. She started walking, her head turned to see if Pansy was coming or not.
Pansy looked around a bit. She hesitated at first, but then she decided to follow her.
As the other girl made her way to the DADA office, she had the confirmation that they were going to see something about Draco and Potter, since she knew that they'd be there for remedial lessons.
"Here we are." Ginny said as they arrived at destination. "After you."
Pansy grabbed the door by its handle and slowly pushed it open. She was not prepared for what she saw when she did: Draco, her longtime crush, had his arms wrapped around his so called rival, Harry Potter, and they were kissing passionately. The girl's mouth dropped open.
"Accio Camera!" Ginny whispered and a camera flew straight in her hands.
There were a clicking sound and a flash, but the boys didn't seem to notice.
"Holy fucking shit!" Pansy shouted, her hand still on the door.
The pair froze. They slowly broke apart, then they turned around to face a shocked Pansy and a smirking Ginny.
"Pa-pansy?" Draco managed to say. He was shaking a little.
"Told you, you had to see that." Ginny said with her arms crossed, giving Pansy a triumphant look.