Draco watched Potter walking with her friends into Hogsmeade Village and couldn't help the lightening of his heart when he heard her laugh ring out down the snow-covered lane.
Her face was partly obscured by a large woolen hat, her cheeks flushed with the cold, her glasses fogging with every laugh, her long dark hair swaying in a large braid down her back.
He wanted to go to her to be part of her amusement. Kiss her in the icy air. Warm his hands in the recesses of her winter coat, he loved how she looked in the snow, winter was always his favorite season and to see her amongst the snow had him wanting to shout to the world that she was his, he loved her smile, he loved the sound of her laughter, the gleam of her dark hair, he just…loved everything about her.
He gulped in the cold air and froze. He loved Harrie Potter.
Blaise turned back when he noticed Draco had come to a halt "What is it?" taking in the look of panic on his friends face Blaise strode quickly back. Draco looked at his friend with dawning horror and felt Blaise probing his mind trying to read his chaotic thoughts.
What he saw there before Draco could block him told him enough
"I think you need a drink" Blaise smirked "Rome?"
Before Draco could reply Blaise and grabbed his arm apparated them to a back street they had come to many times before. Both men waved their wands in a star pattern and a shining black door appeared, the entrance to their favorite club 'Alba' that they had been going to since their holiday in Rome for Blaise's fifteenth birthday and had talked their way in.
They strode into the dim the dance floor was crowded despite the early hours. Blaise waved to a server and passed her some galleons and a flirty smile, and they were shown past the velvet ropes to the more exclusive raised seating that looked down onto the swaying bodies of the dancers. The music pulsed, and Draco saw a few of the patrons giving them interested glances.
"If Consus is on he knows what we order and my tab chit" He handed a golden crested token to the server and she acknowledged his obvious status with a small bow before leaving for the bar.
"Are you going to talk?" Draco shot his friend a dark glare and muttered
"When I have had a drink or three" Blaise twisted his mouth in response and they both watched the gyrating bodies of the dancers below, Draco could see many multi-colored vials being taken by the other matrons and smiled as the magical effects took place.
He and Blaise had had many enjoyable nights here. The nights they could remember anyway.
The pretty server returned shortly, drinks in hand. Four tumblers of fire whiskey, six unknown shots and about 12 brightly colored vials.
"Consus sends his regards and says he knows what Mr. Zabini likes" Her Italian accent making it sound near indecent.
Blaise laughed, and he and Draco raised their glasses at the fore mentioned Consus, the man waved back his jovial attitude at seeing the Slytherins again tangible from across the space.
"So, you are really into Potter" Blaise took a large mouthful of whiskey and grinned when Draco downed his in one grimacing as it burnt its way to his stomach.
"You have been for a while Draco"
Draco stared at his friend in outrage "What the hell do you mean by that?"
"You are different with her. It is obvious to me that you have feelings for her, ever since that morning we sprung you"
"When the fuck did you get all knowing?" Draco stared at his friend as if viewing a stranger
"Shit Draco you aren't the cold ice prince you pretend to be. I have known you long enough to know that this isn't like your normal flings"
"It is much worse Blaise" Draco downed another shot icy air leaving his mouth "I have feelings for her"
His friend shook his head downing his own drink "Oh the horror of feelings"
The two friends started on the vials, by the time they had finished them Draco's hair was longer and neon pink, his skin was covered in pulsating yellow stars and he was less than steady on his chair. Blaise now sported a bright blue afro and had purple stripes dancing across his skin and seemed to be just as unsteady as Draco.
"Blaise this is so unwise, Potter and I? it just seems mental"
"Why? She is smart, funny, great flyer, hot as hell" Draco agreed emphatically at that "She is powerful, she isn't intimidated by you, and rumor has it she is rolling in galleons" Blaise waved to the server to order another drink. Draco was surprised to see he had finished his side of the drinks tray.
"I don't care if she has galleons, I have some" He jingled the coins in his pocket
Blaise looked at him for a long moment before slurring "Yes, so she doesn't want yours, is what I mean. . . meant, alcohol is good. Plus, she likes your pasty white arse"
"Blaise I will tell you a secret" Draco leant forward across the table knocking into it and causing the empty glassware to rattle "I really like Potter"
"I know fool, that is why we came here" Blaise slurred
Draco waved his finger in the air shaking his head "Like Love Potter" He stood up and swayed backwards falling back into his chair.
"Shit the floor is messed up, we should go back to Woggharts" Blaise tried to stand and gripped the table tightly, swaying. "We be too drunk to apparate Dray"
Blaise waved to the server and she came over with two black vials this time. They downed them, and both cried out as the immediate effects of the sobering potion hit them, it also nullified the magical drinks, so they returned to their normal selves.
They waved to Consus and placed a large pile of galleons on the table as a tip walking sedately from the place. When they were in the alleyway Draco spoke quietly
"I honestly don't know how to proceed from here Blaise"
His friend blew out a slow breath "You really love her?"
"Terrifyingly so" Draco near whispered
"You are completely fucked then." and Blaise took Draco's arm and apparated them back to Hogsmeade.
Harrie was just coming out of Honey Dukes unwrapping a chocolate frog when a blonde someone pulled her into the small gap between the two brick buildings. The smile dropping from her face as she saw this was an entirely different blonde.
"Hey Harrie" Zacharias Smith grinned
Harrie suppressed the urge to punch the former DA member in the face
"Hello Zac, how's it going?" She said trying to be polite but still glancing towards the groups of people she could see walking past on their way to spend their money on sweets. Smith was far too close for Harrie's liking and she desperately wanted Ron and Hermione to hurry up.
"Rumor has it you have a thing for blondes" He said with an all too knowing look, his eyebrows wriggling suggestively.
Harrie felt her stomach turn, "What makes you say that?"
His smile made Harrie want to be sick and she threw another longing glance towards the open air at the end of the alleyway "What do you think it means Harrie?"
"I don't know, that's why I asked" Harrie answered darkly
"I saw you. You and Malfoy." Zac said, his face alight with malicious intent
"So what? What I do is none of your business" Harrie tried to say calmly but inside she was seething.
"Bet you want to keep it quiet though" Zac ran his finger along Harries arm
She froze not liking his tone "What are you implying?"
"You put on such a good show, I thought I might sample a bit as you give it up to anyone and I won't tell anyone what I know" He said, the Hufflepuff lunged suddenly and pushed her hard into the brick wall, his body pushing against her. His mouth moving towards her face. His hands were squeezing her hard enough to hurt and she could feel her magic rising with her adrenaline.
"Get the fuck off me!" She struggled against his hold and let her wandless blast hit him, causing him to fly backwards hitting his head sharply on the brick wall behind him.
"HARRIE!" Harrie didn't think she had ever been so happy to hear Hermione's voice, as she and Ron came rushing towards her.
"Was he touching you?" Hermione sounded shocked
Harrie nodded, rolling her arms where his grip had hurt her.
"Disgusting prick" Ron muttered darkly giving the groaning form of Smith a kick.
"He is completely not worth it. Make sure no one is looking" Harrie said and she moved to prop Zacharias head against the wall. "Obliviate, Rejuvenate," Harrie muttered the spells with her hand hovering over Zacharias dirty blonde head
"Hey Zac, are you alright?" She said, whilst clicking her fingers in his face
Zacharias looked up at the three-people standing over him and groaned at the pain flaring in his head. "What happened?"
"You slipped, we think you hit your head" Hermione said looking nervously around in case anyone else saw what had really happened
"Yeah you should go see Madam Pomfrey. You went down pretty hard" Ron muttered darkly
"I will take you" Hermione said throwing Ron a murderous look. Harrie and Ron watched them trudge up the road back towards the dark castle in the distance.
Ron steered Harrie away from the shops and they started following Hermione's retreating form back to the castle.
"What happened?" Ron spoke quietly
"He said he knows I like blondes and he tried to kiss me" Harrie admitted
"What an arsehole, we should have hexed the fucker" Ron said, running through all he hexes they could have used on him.
"He said he saw Malfoy and me" She said her voice thick with worry
"Greasy fucker is just trying to shit stir. You sorted that problem out" Ron replied.
Harrie stopped walking and looked up into Ron's face, worried etched on her brow, "Do you think others know?"
Ron just shrugged "You guys are both very recognizable, and you are at it like rabbits"
"Would it matter?" Ron asked tentatively when they are walked on a bit further
Harrie stopped walking, and Ron stalled and look back at her
"Do you think it would matter?" She asked
Ron shrugged and carefully said "Not to those that love you"
Harrie brows furrowed and she thought about what Ron wasn't saying
"You mean just everyone else would have a problem with it?" She finally asked
"They are always going to have something to say no matter what you do Harrie" He said with a commiserating look, Harrie didn't know if she should be annoyed that Ron finally understood how shitty being 'famous' was or if she should just hug him for being him.
"Fuck this shit, it's cold. Let's go see if the house elves can make peppermint hot chocolate for us", He said giving her a shove and dashing up the path towards the castle Harrie running to catch him.
Harrie and Ron were sitting on the couch in the common room, playing a new card game some first year and showed them, when Hermione came at sat with them.
"He has concussion and a skull, not that you were interested" She said testily
"Dick deserved worse" Ron muttered, scowling when Harrie put a pick-up card down onto the pile, while she smirking all the while had another turn.
"Regardless of his behavior, he was seriously hurt Harrie. What possessed you to use such force?"
Harrie and Ron both looked at her with looks of both outrage and disgust on their faces "The pervy git was trying to molest me Hermione!" Harrie hissed, looking around furtively to make sure no one was over hearing. The last thing she needed right now was someone first year telling people Harrie Potter got sexually assaulted.
"What the hell else do you think Harrie should have done? Cried rape? Let him get his jollies trying to black mail her into fucking him?" Ron growled, his voice rising and getting a few curious heads turning their way.
"Of course, I am glad you weren't molested by him! Don't try to say otherwise Ronald Weasley! Just why on earth didn't you just walk away from him Harrie?" Hermione asked her face flushing as her temper rose
"He's fine now, he don't remember shit and I will just have to be more careful in future" Harrie said with a shrug as she placed another card down onto the pile that saw her winning the game and Ron huffing in annoyance at being in charge of having to shuffle the cards. Hermione sat there looking at Harrie expectantly until Harrie grudging told her what the Hufflepuff had said to her in that alleyway.
"Harrie, I don't want to pry…"
"Yes, you do" Ron snorted, dealing out the cards to include Hermione this round too.
"Why don't you just make yourselves known, public displays and all" Hermione asked, looking at Harrie with her brown eyes that always had Harrie wanting to look away, curse that girl and her chocolatey eyes. She was like a dog, you just could deny her when she looked at you like that.
Harrie sighed in defeat and said "I don't know"
"You need to talk to Malfoy about this Harrie" Hermione said putting her arm comfortingly on Harries arm and leaning her head against her shoulder
"I don't want to"
"Harrie…"
"Hermione just don't push it ok, it's Harries life" Ron said cutting Hermione off mid rant, which Harrie thought was very noble of him to do. Hermione was much scarier than she was. They started playing the game filling in the rules to Hermione as they went on. Both girls smiling at Ron's outrage when he was definitely doing worse than them, when Hermione said quietly
"Malfoy might feel the same way you do Harrie"
Ron tutted and shook his head, Harrie through her head back in defeat, Hermione really was like a dog with a bone when she thought she knew best.
"Yeah and what if he doesn't?" Harrie said bitterly, she could almost picture it. Her telling the blonde how she would quite like to sit by him at meals and…live happily ever after. Merlin she was proper fucked if that's where her thoughts of him took her. They didn't even call each other by their first names yet, though to be fair they don't do much 'talking' anyway. Hermione gave her a commiserating look and opened her mouth to say something when Ron interrupted again
"Then he is a fool" he said not looking up from his cards.