A/N : Hello everyone! I am honestly gutted I have not updated in so long, and I have been thinking about this fic. But you know (if you write too) that sometimes you can't do a piece justice by forcing it. Well, I can't anyway. Today I woke up, and I knew it was the day. I spent all day re-reading Becoming Potter, and now I have a new chapter to present for your enjoyment. I'd like to mention that the 23 reviews I have received so far were very helpful in spurring myself on – I appreciate each one and re-read them often for encouragement. I wouldn't mind hearing about your opinions on a few specific things, if you have the time. The First Task? I was proud of it. I hope you liked it. I also enjoyed re-reading the first scene with Harry and Draco dancing. I feel as if the building of Harry and Draco's relationship at the beginning wasn't very smooth though, and a bit let down that those chapters I wrote in a frenzy of inspiration weren't quite as good as I remember. I surprised myself at the Snape scenes, I think they were good?
Anyway, onwards!
When the train pulled into Hogsmead station, Ron and Hermione were waiting for him, huddled together in an attempt to shelter from the blizzard that was raging around them. The meager wooden shelter offered them no protection from the fierce wind howling through the nearby trees.
Harry glanced around a bit as he disembarked. Where was Draco?
"Harry!" Hermione greeted him as she and Ron approached, but her smile wasn't entirely welcoming. "Where have you been? We only got back yesterday, and Dumbledore said that you went to the Malfoys for Christmas! Without telling him!" She waited, her face stern, for his reply.
"I – uh -"
"Why would you do that?" Ron said, sounding surly as ever, shoving his hands roughly into his pockets.
Harry shuffled, uncomfortable with his once best friend's cold expression. "Mother invited me home, and Draco and I couldn't think of a way to wriggle out of it without looking suspicious."
Ron and Hermione stared at him. He wanted to leave for the castle as soon as possible. The snowflakes were hitting his face at such speed that they felt sharp on his skin, and his hair was whipping around his face.
"I was terrified about going there, really," he said, offering a nervous grin "but I think I pulled it off quite well. No one suspected a thing."
"Since when," Hermione said slowly, "do you call Narcissa Malfoy 'Mother'."
Harry winced, hesitating. "Sorry… I just got used to saying it I suppose." He couldn't help but feel annoyed when his friends exchanged a glance, and he knew they had been talking about him.
"You used to speak to us about things." Ron said, snorting and turning away, shoulders hunched as he walked into the wind. Hermione followed him, and Harry huffed and went after them
"Ron - Hermione," he said "we weren't exactly talking –"
"And whose fault is that?" Hermione said icily over he shoulder "We certainly weren't the ones keeping huge secrets from you."
"You say you were terrified," Ron called over the noise of the wind, without turning around "but it looks like the only person who knew about this whole thing was Malfoy!"
"Even the headmaster didn't know you were leaving – Harry, he was very worried about you!" Hermione turned and began walking backwards, so eager as she was to scold him "And if you were so scared about going, he would have been able to help think of an excuse!"
"Yeah, and you couldn't have mentioned you were going to stay with a couple of Death Eaters now could you?"
"Ron-" Harry cut in, beginning to get annoyed.
"And now you come back calling that evil bitch Mother!"
"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed, looking shocked at his language, but Harry had had enough.
"Ron, she is my mum!" Harry snapped "Just because I didn't know it until now, doesn't mean I wasn't curious about meeting her! She's actually bloody nice, and if you call her anything like that again, I'll knock your teeth in!"
Ron turned red and opened his mouth, looking furious, but Harry knew his temper wouldn't hold if he stopped to listen to him.
"I didn't tell Dumbledore because I knew he wouldn't let me go!" he shot at Hermione "And I'm sorry I haven't been talking to you so much, but I'm still getting used to being able to talk to you both. For the first time I can remember I had someone to call Mother, Ron, and I won't pretend that I'm not glad."
He glared at them, and was about to barge past them and walk the rest of the way up to the school alone when he remembered something.
"Oh, and while I'm here, stop being horrible to Draco!"
This time both of his friends looked angry.
"You can't possibly expect us to –" Hermione said sharply
"He's had to suffer just as much as me!" Harry cut her off, his voice getting louder. "He's lost his parents, his friends – and his beliefs! I know it isn't right, but can you imagine what it must have been like, after all those years of being a prat about it, to find out he's not even a proper pureblood after all? It shouldn't matter, but he's been brought up to think it's really important. Can you imagine how his own parents would look at him now, even if they wouldn't already despise him for being Harry Potter?" he paused, letting his eyes settle on each of them a for a moment "The worst thing is, he told me he actually liked you."
Hermione and Ron looked nothing less than stunned at this revelation, but then Hermione caught sight of something behind him and tried to interrupt him. Harry held up a hand to stop her.
"He thought you actually liked him too." Harry spat "I know he was pretending to be me, but I think he was just beginning to like living my life and then you guys showed him that you could never be friends."
"Er – Harry?"
At the sound of that voice, something jolted inside him, and his heart lifted. He turned so fast he was surprised he didn't give himself whiplash. Behind him, standing awkwardly on the dirt track up to the school was Draco, and even though he was in Harry's body, Harry couldn't help thinking he had never looked more endearing.
He wore Harry's Gryffindor scarf wrapped several times around his neck and shoulders, and his cheeks were flushed from the cold and his hair was tufted up from the wind.
"I'm perfectly capable of standing up for myself." Draco said, looking supremely pissed off.
Harry hadn't realized how much he had missed him as a wave of affection coursed through him at that haughty voice.
"You heard him, Harry." Hermione's voice jolted him back to the current situation.
"I don't see why you care anyway, you don't even need to hang around with that slimy little snake anymore." Ron spat, looking completely disgusted.
"Well I do care!" Harry shot back "I like Draco, and I like spending time with him!"
And with that, he turned and began the long walk up to the school with Draco Malfoy, who was clearly trying hard not to smirk.
…ooo000ooo…
Harry had spent most of the train journey – and most of his time at the Manor, if he was honest – thinking of what he would say to Draco when he returned to Hogwarts. He had collected his thoughts about Draco's home, his family, how the Yule Ball went, and those sort of things, and he had been ready to tell Draco all about it.
Instead, what had begun as a happy pause before what should have been a lively conversation had turned into a long and awkward silence.
Harry didn't know what Draco was thinking about, but all of a sudden he couldn't stop thinking about his newly discovered…preferences. Not that he was completely convinced he would never look at a girl again, but he still suddenly felt very awkward, as if Draco would immediately be able to tell somehow.
After another minute or so of silence, Harry was getting irritated. Was Draco really angry at him for telling Ron and Hermione to play nice? He'd had a horrible Christmas holiday so far, and he'd been looking forward to seeing Draco.
He wanted to make him smile.
"So…" Harry ventured suddenly, taking the plunge. "I didn't realize you were a Falmouth Falcons fan."
He was rewarded by a beet red blush, and for once Draco Malfoy had to fumble for words.
…ooo000ooo…
The Hogwarts staff, demonstrating a continuing desire to impress the visitors from Beuxbatons and Durmstrang, seemed determined to show the castle at its best this Christmas. With the decorations went up, Harry noticed that they were the most stunning that he had yet seen inside the school. Everlasting icicles had been attached to the banisters of the marble staircase, the usual twelve Christmas trees in the Great Hall were bedecked with everything from luminous holly berries, real, hooting, golden owls, and the suits of armor had all been bewitched to sing carols whenever anyone passed them. It was quite something to hear 'Oh Come All Ye Faithful' sung by an empty helmet that only knew half the words. Several times, Flich the caretaker had to extract Peeves from inside the armor, where he had taken to hiding, filling in the gaps of the songs with lyrics of his own invention, all of which were very rude.
Harry spent most of the night before Christmas holed up in his private room in Slytherin, penning letters to Sirius. Draco had been passing them onto him, but now that it was Christmas, Harry was practically wracked with guilt.
He hadn't meant to leave it this long. He should have written letters to his godfather, even if he didn't tell him the truth about everything. He had been sitting hunched over at his desk for a good hour now, a slowly growing mound of screwed up parchment on the floor beside his chair, and the ivory dragon statue watching over the proceedings solemnly.
It was well past midnight before Harry had the final copy he was planning to send to Sirius.
Dear Sirius,
I'm so sorry for not writing to you. I know you must think I forgot about you, or something like that, but the truth is, I've been an awful godson, and I have missed you so much. It's just that recently a lot of stuff has happened to me, and I have been so confused about it all. I haven't been talking to Ron and Hermione either, but I suppose that won't make you feel better.
First of all, this summer something huge happened to me. It completely turned my life around, and it's not something I can talk about in a letter. I hope I can see you soon.
Secondly, I made a truce with Draco Malfoy, and we're sort of friends now. I was worried you wouldn't approve but I hope you won't mind. He's nothing like his parents once you get to know him, and in some ways, he reminds me of you. He's been there for me during this really rough time in my life, and I don't think I could have managed without him.
Next, there's the tournament, though I know you already know about it. If things weren't complicated before, they are ten thousand times worse now. It's been awful. I can't believe I have to compete in this thing when people have died competing. I'm not old enough, I didn't enter my name, but I'm still bound to take part. The first task was touch and go, and the second task isn't going to be easier.
I've been so wrapped up in my problems that Ron and Hermione aren't talking to me, not that I blame them. Draco's been helping me with the tasks, but don't tell anyone.
The last thing is something else I'm not sure I want to say in a letter, but I hope you won't think I'm a coward for not saying it in person – especially because the next time I see you I will need to tell you about the first thing I was talking about and there will probably be other people there. After I tell you, you probably won't be in the sort of mood to talk about my personal problems, so I think it's probably best I tell you in a letter. I think I'm gay.
I'm not sure what your reaction will be. I haven't told anyone else about this yet. I have the impression that purebloods can be weird about this sort of thing, but I also know that you're not really like other purebloods. I hope you don't hate me.
Anyway, please tell me what you've been up to. How's Buckbeak?
I'm sorry I haven't written,
Harry
He knew the ending was a little weak, but really, what was he supposed to say to end the letter on a light note after dropping a bombshell like that? Hoping that Sirius would forgive him for his silence, Harry attached the letter to Hedwig's leg. Draco had sent her to him earlier that night, and she seemed to somehow realize who Harry was, because she had spent the past few hours nipping at his clothing and preening, making herself at home in his rooms. There was a room slightly above ground level further up the stairs, the window of which Harry intended to release Hedwig from, although he would have to be careful the other Slytherins didn't see him with Harry Potter's distinctive and easily recognized owl.
…oo000ooo…
"Wake up!"
Harry sat bolt upright in bed, fumbling for his wand under his pillows with one hand, and scrabbling for his glasses with the other.
"It's me, idiot!" Draco said, and Harry relaxed, belatedly realizing he didn't wear glasses anymore.
"Whatya doin' here?" he said blearily.
Draco was standing beside his bed, heavily laden with presents and a huge smile on his face, telling Harry that he was either very drunk or in an extremely good mood. He was in his pyjamas, but the Gryffindor scarf was present, as always. Harry couldn't help wondering if Draco liked being a Gryffindor more than he made out.
"I thought we could open out presents together." Draco said brightly, setting down his presents on the floor and plopping on the bed beside Harry. "I can't be bothered with Weasel and Granger-"
"Back to that are we?" Harry said wearily
"-and I know you probably wouldn't want to be alone at Christmas."
"Isn't it a bit early?" Harry yawned, glancing at the clock on his bedside table.
"It's half past seven!" Draco said indignantly "I never get up this late at Christmas, and the other Gryffindors are all up!"
"Were they – alright to you?" Harry asked tentatively, not needing to specify that he meant Ron and Hermione.
Draco shrugged moodily "They pretty much ignored me and told me to give these to you." He jerked his head at the pile of presents.
"Ah." Harry said awkwardly. "Well, I got you something."
"I got you something too. But let's get through all this first."
For the first time, Harry noticed the mountain of presents awaiting him at the foot of his bed.
"Wow."
"Yeah."
"You get this every year?"
"Yes." Draco looked slightly embarrassed. Harry's pile was tiny compared to the many boxes and parcels addressed to Draco, and they were all expertly wrapped with thick, heavy wrapping paper and satin ribbons.
"Well," Harry gestured at them "they're for you, and I know you'll have to keep them in here, but you should unwrap them."
"Thank Merlin!" Draco burst out, as if he'd been holding it in, and rushed over to the pile, grinning like a maniac.
Harry's presents included a pair of odd socks, obviously personally knitted, from Dobby, a book called Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland from Hermione, a bulging bag of Dungbombs from Ron, which he wasn't entirely sure was supposed to be complimentary and a handy penknife with attachments to unlock any lock, and undo any knot from Sirius. He stopped there, feeling even more guilty. He'd only sent Sirius a selection of Honeydukes sweets.
"You alright? Get something nasty?" Draco asked, and Harry looked up and couldn't help smiling.
Draco was practically swimming in a shredded mass of wrapping paper, surrounded by trinkets and toys and looking ecstatic.
"No I'm fine. What did you get?"
"I'm not even half done!" Draco said happily. "Mother got me a shed load of new clothes, but she also got me these." He gestured at several moving model dragons of various sizes and species which were wading through the wrapping paper puffing steam and smoke. "And look, Pansy got me a new dragon book!" he held up a heavy, red leather affair which had True Stories of Dragon Wrangling printed in gold leaf on the front.
"I take it you like dragons?" Harry said wryly, but Draco ignored him.
"Father sent me these," he gestured at a pile of books distastefully, and Harry could almost feel the Dark Magic pouring off the stack of moldering old tomes "and Blaise got me tickets for the Falcons." He paused at this, and Harry just knew he was thinking about his comment from the day before. Sure enough, Draco was now quite red. "Anyway…" he returned to his unwrapping hastily.
The next present Harry unwrapped was from the Dursleys; a single tissue. This was an all time low, but he didn't pay it any mind. The biggest present was a massive box of assorted sweets from Hagrid. There was also his usual Weasley jumper, and a large quantity of Mrs Weasley's home made mince pies.
Harry sat contently munching on a pie, watching Draco unwrap the last of his presents, which appeared to be an impressive and gleaming set of black dragon skin dueling armor. Harry was more than a little envious.
"Ready for my present?" Draco asked, once he had disentangled himself from the many buckles of the breast-plate, which had turned out to be so fiddly that he'd given up halfway through trying it on.
"Yeah." Harry couldn't help but feel nervous. He had been really quite stuck at first when he was Christmas shopping for Draco, and he was sure Draco would give him a much nicer present.
"Close your eyes." Draco commanded, and Harry did so, smiling broadly as he felt something large and heavy being set on his knees.
"Open up!"
Harry looked down. The present was wrapped in the most garishly Gryffindor wrapping paper he had ever seen. The ribbons were red and gold, with spangled stars and glitter throughout, and the paper had small gold snitches and brooms dotted over it.
"You're really good at wrapping." Harry said ruefully, picking at the spello-tape carefully.
Draco slapped his hand away. "Potter, if you don't rip that open properly I'll take it right back!"
The present really was beautifully wrapped, and the packaging had to have cost a few Galleons at least but Harry did as he asked, although he couldn't help wincing at the deep, rich sound of the thick, expensive paper tearing.
"A book?" Harry asked, confused. He turned the large black leather book in his lap over, searching for a title.
"Open it." Draco urged, sounding nervous.
Harry did so, and gasped.
"I thought that – well, I hope you don't mind, but I saw your photo album, with your mum and dad, and I thought-"
"It's perfect."
"I thought you should see, they weren't always how they are now, and –"
"Draco-"
"-thought you should have them, just to see what your childhood-"
"Draco!"
Draco stopped talking and looked sheepish.
"I love it."
Harry leafed through the pages, tears threatening. It was a photo album. The first few pages were for Lucius and Narcissa; as a teenaged couple holding hands, Lucius tall and proud, but with a look of youthful innocence on his face that Harry didn't recall seeing in person, and Narcissa, much younger, probably only fourteen, blushing and smiling as she held his arm. Next, a wedding photograph, Narcissa looking very young still, but blissfully happy. Lucius smiled down on her warmly.
"They were in love, once." Draco murmured, leaning over his shoulder.
A very pregnant Narcissa sitting alone on a futon followed, but from the way she was smiling Harry was sure Lucius was the one taking the photograph. After that, there were a whole host of mother and baby photographs, Draco – me, Harry thought – at first nothing more than a pink, screwed up face, then eventually a chubby toddler with platinum curls and a gummy smile. Narcissa looked utterly enchanted with Draco in every one. There was only one photograph with Lucius and Draco together at that time, and Harry couldn't take his eyes off it. Lucius was sitting on an armchair, poised regally as baby Draco squirmed in his lap, reaching for his father's cane which Lucius was holding far out of his reach. Lucius had the hint of a genuine smile on his face, and his eyes were twinkling, but it was still nothing like the motherly warmth in Narcissa's photographs.
Turning the pages, Harry was greeted with more and more family photos of Draco and his parents. He smiled. Now I can see the childhood I missed. About halfway through, he paused, frowning. He turned the pages back, and stopped at one of Draco aged around five. The little boy was holding a toy dragon and running across a room Harry recognized from the Manor; it was the drawing room where he had first met Narcissa. He was clearly shouting and making a lot of noises. On the next page, little Draco was alone, and he stared up at the camera with a blank face, although every now and again his expression twitched or he glanced impatiently at something off camera. The pages after that were the same. No matter what Draco was doing; from trying his first broom to working with his Piano tutor, his expression was curiously neutral, and his eyes stared out from the photograph hauntingly.
"Why did you stop smiling?" Harry asked quietly
"That's when Father took up my upbringing." Draco replied with a small smile "He showed me how to hide my emotions. It's an important skill."
Harry didn't reply. He continued looking through the album, feeling disturbed. He was about to put it down when Draco stopped him.
"Look at the last page – it's my favorite." He murmured.
Turning to the inside of the back cover, Harry stared at the photo there.
At first he thought it was of himself and Draco; a copy of the photograph he had been sent over Christmas, but when he looked closer at the dancing couple, he saw that it was Lucius and Narcissa.
"Is that – are they in the Room of Requirement?" Harry asked, confused.
"No." Draco replied "I just pictured that room when I asked for a room to practice dancing in. The room conjured it up perfectly. Look closer though, it really is a beautiful picture."
Harry watched the couple spin and twirl. Narcissa moved like a ghost, flitting across the floor, her face bright with happiness, and Lucius lead her in the dance like a gallant knight, or a king. It seemed like a fairytale.
"It's like our photo." Harry said.
"I hoped you would see that."
Harry looked up.
Draco was gazing at the photo, a soft expression on his face, and when he felt Harry looking he looked up too.
Would it be weird to kiss Draco when he looks like me? Their faces were inches apart, and Harry wanted to show him how much this meant to him. Draco really couldn't have done a better job…
"So can I get my present yet?" Draco asked suddenly, and Harry laughed, the moment was gone.
"Here you go." He passed him a small, square package. "It's nowhere near as good as yours." he said hurriedly, suddenly wishing he could snatch it back. What had he been thinking?
"I'll love it." Draco assured him, and laid into the package as if it had murdered his pet kneazle. When the last shreds of the wrapping paper had fallen to the ground, Draco was holding a small wooden box, which he opened carefully.
"I thought it was something we had in common." Harry said anxiously, by way of explanation.
A golden snitch fluttered out of Draco's hands.
"I got your initials on it," Harry continued, heart lightened at the smile on Draco's face "and it flies at three times the usual snitch speed – I thought it would be more of a challenge for us. We could have a proper seeker's game."
"Thank you." Draco said, watching it fly around the room "Can we try it out later?"
"Yule Ball." Harry reminded him, suddenly feeling glum.
"Oh yes. I forgot." Draco frowned "Definitely tomorrow though."
"Draco?"
"Hmm?" Draco was eyeing the box of sweets from Hagrid.
Harry shuffled closer. "Thanks for the photo album. It meant a lot. It was perfect."
Draco looked up very quickly when he felt Harry's breath on his face. For a moment he looked completely shocked at finding Harry so close, then he suddenly looked nervous.
"Harry?"
Harry leant forward and brushed his lips against Draco's cheek. "Shall we go down to the Great Hall?" His heart was beating in his throat.
"Uh." Draco stuttered, his eyes locked with Harry's. Then he looked away, and broke into a stunning smile. "Alright." He said, barely managing to get his smiling lips around the two syllables, and he couldn't seem to meet Harry's eyes again either.
…ooo000ooo…
Christmas lunch was magnificent, and included at least a hundred turkeys and Christmas puddings, and large piles of Cribbages Wizarding Crackers. There was no Christmas tea today, as the ball included a feast, so at seven o'clock Harry began to change into his dress robes that Narcissa had bought for him. They were a rather severe looking black affair, and at the last moment Harry changed his mind and tugged on a navy-blue set of robes instead. They were just as nice as the set he had worn to the Malfoy ball, and they made his eyes look good, he decided.
The Slytherin common room looked strange, full of people wearing different colors instead of the usual mass of black. Pansy greeted him in frilly robes of pale pink, and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he led her out of the common room and to the hall.
Blaise Zabini winked at him, a younger girl with blond ringlets holding his hand, but with a rather handsome Slytherin sixth year pressing his lips on his cheek before leaving with his own date. This gave Harry something to think about. Even if Blaise was openly gay, he was fairly discreet about it with the rest of the school – or perhaps just because the ball was a very proper event.
The Entrance Hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Those people who were meeting people from different houses were edging through the crowd, trying to find each other. Harry thought he could see Ron and Draco with the Patil twins, but he couldn't see Hermione anywhere.
The oak front doors opened, and everyone turned to look as the Durmstrang students entered with Professor Karkaroff. Krum was at the front of the party, accompanied by – Harry gaped, it was Hermione!
But she didn't look like Hermione at all. She had done something with her hair; it was no longer bushy, but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was holding herself differently, somehow – or maybe it was merely the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. She was also smiling – rather nervously, it was true, but she looked utterly beautiful.
Over the heads of the Durmstrang students, he saw that an area of lawn right in front of the castle had been transformed into a sort of grotto full of fairy lights – meaning hundreds of actual living fairies were sitting in the rose bushes that had been conjured there, and fluttering over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer.
Then Professor McGonagall's voice called, "Champions over here, please!"
Harry watched Draco and Padma move forward through the crowd with a touch of jealousy at how they held hands. The rest of the school followed after them.
Once everyone was settled in the Hall, Professor McGonagall told the champions and their partners to get in line in pairs and follow her. They did so, and Harry applauded with everyone else as they started walking up towards a large round table at the top of the hall, where the judges were sitting.
The walls of the Hall had all been covered in sparkling silver frost, with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy covering the starry black ceiling. The house tables had vanished; instead there were about a hundred smaller, latern-lit ones, each seating about a dozen people. Harry took a seat beside Pansy, though all the while his eye was on the main table where Draco was pulling out a chair for Padma.
The feast was actually very enjoyable; Pansy was reveling in the opportunity to dress so girly and she clearly loved parties. She was as loud as ever, but for once she left Harry relatively alone, instead choosing to talk to Daphne Greengrass's younger sister, who turned out to be Blaise's date. Theo Nott wasted no time in passing out hangover cures, each Slytherin accepting their phial with a solemn nod. Clearly Slytherins knew how to party hard. It wasn't until halfway through the meal that Adrian Pucey finally stopped sending furtive glances towards the teacher's table and whipped out a bottle of Firewhisky, which he upended over their punch. A boy Harry only knew as Vaisey gave the concoction a quick stir, cackling wildly.
Some time later, the latern at their table suddenly went out.
"What's happening?" Goyle grunted suddenly, and Harry stared at him in shock. The boy hadn't spoken all year.
"It's not just us," Daphne's sister piped up "they've all gone out."
The others all turned in their seats, and indeed the hall was darkened apart from the dance floor, where the champions were getting ready to lead the dance.
Harry scowled as the music started up, and Draco and Padma made an utter spectacle of themselves.
"Who knew Potter could dance?" Pansy exclaimed from beside him, looking shocked.
"What an idiot." Harry replied, as Draco twirled Padma around and then dipped her so that her hair brushed the floor to the amazed gasps of the onlookers.
He never did that with me, he thought sullenly.He chose to ignore the fact that he would have looked ridiculous. Other people were now joining he champions on the dance floor.
Suddenly Pansy was tugging at his arm, and he allowed her to lead him to the dance floor like a prized pet poodle. Remembering her antics at the Malfoy ball, he took her through the motions of the simpler waltz this time. Hermione and Victor Krum were dancing nearby, and Harry tried to give her an encouraging smile as soon as he thought Pansy wasn't watching, but then Fred Weasley and Angelina Johnson ploughed through the dancers between them, obstructing his view.
"Idiots." Pansy sniffed.
Harry endured three more dances, then managed to shrug Pansy off.
"I need some air." He made to push past her when she tried to stop him.
"But Drakey-"
"I'm feeling sick." She leapt out of the way.
As he left the Hall for the grounds, Harry watched her corner Nott for a dance.
"Going outside?" said a voice as he passed the doors.
Harry jumped, nearly falling down the front steps, and Draco's face loomed out of the darkness.
"I've had enough of parties." Harry said truthfully.
"I quite enjoyed it." Draco said conversationally as they passed into the rose grotto. "I like to dance."
"Yeah well you definitely didn't hold back with Padma." Harry muttered.
Draco stopped. "Jealous are we?" he said playfully.
"Piss off." Harry said, frowning. He walked further into the deserted rose grotto; it was still too early into the ball for the other students to have left the hall. A cool hand slipped into Harry's and he started.
"Draco?"
The fairly lights were too dim for Harry to see Draco's expression until he grasped his other hand too, and they were face to face.
"Er-"
"Would you like to dance with me? Properly?" Draco waited for a reply, his nose inches from Harry's.
Harry cast an anxious look towards the oak front doors, where light spilled onto the grass.
Draco took his silence for assent, and slipped his hand along Harry's arm and onto his lower back. They were standing very close now.
Draco stepped forward, and Harry stepped back, and suddenly, they were dancing. Not quite at the Yule Ball, but close enough. Together.
The music was clearly audible, and they had the fairy grotto to themselves. This song was a slow one, and Draco was holding Harry closer than he had before. As their cheeks touched, Harry let his chin fall onto his partner's shoulder and closed his eyes.
A/N: If anyone's interested in another Drarry fic by me, and you've already read Improbable vs Impossible, try Playing With Fire. I've just uploaded it, and no reviews so far but I've had a lot of follows and favorites.