Chapter Five
Draco awoke with a start – and groaned. He was back in his bed and
in his pyjama, just as he had been for the last four days. This time,
Draco knew for a fact that this wasn’t where he’d fallen asleep.
He remembered the conversation with Potter – Harry! – until
late last night. He wanted to slam his head into the wall because now
he had to do that over again.
At the same time, Draco couldn’t help but feel happy. If he and Harry had managed to become friends once, it would be possible again. On top of that, after last night’s long conversation with Harry, Draco wasn’t so sure that friendship was all that he wanted. Harry was nothing like Draco had always thought: he was funny and sweet and shy and brave and loving – the list went on and on. Though Draco knew that they couldn’t completely ignore their history, he also knew that there was something there, something very special.
Because of these thoughts, Draco was in quite a happy mood when Pansy knocked on the door and came into the room in her underwear and dressing gown.
As before, she said, “Draco, I don’t know what dress to wear tonight.”
Draco stood up and walked over to Pansy. He smiled slightly at her, which obviously threw her because he never did that.
“Pansy,” he said, “please go put some more clothes on and then go find someone who can be nice to you and appreciate you, because I can’t.”
He didn’t say it nastily; he said it as gently as he could. Still, he was a Malfoy and Malfoys weren’t trained in ‘gentle’ speaking.
“Draco?” Pansy asked, confused. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you shouldn’t be throwing yourself at me – you should find someone who wants you and loves you,” Draco said.
“Oh,” Pansy said. Taking advantage of her confusion, Draco turned her around and steered her out of the room. For some reason, he felt quite satisfied with not screaming at her – or fucking her, for that matter.
As expected, Crabbe and Goyle stood waiting in the Common room for him. They walked to the Great Hall, where Goyle said, “They’ve made it so pretty,” and Crabbe nodded in agreement. Draco didn’t say anything. The sky with its heart-shaped clouds was starting to make him feel more than a little nauseous after seeing it for five days.
Draco looked over at the Gryffindor table and found Granger and Weasley kissing with Harry next to them. Harry looked up to meet Draco’s gaze and he was obviously surprised with the lack of hatred in Draco’s eyes. As he had the day before, Harry offered a small smile – which turned into shock when Draco returned it.
After that, even the repeat of the sixteen owls with their cards and their letters could get Draco in a truly foul mood. He engaged in conversations with Crabbe and Goyle – as far as those two could engage in conversation anyway – and didn’t blow Pansy off completely. She seemed to have understood the message far better this time than any of the other times anyway, because she wasn’t hanging off him.
It was obvious how Draco’s mood because Millicent even dared to open her mouth as she pointed to the ceiling and said, “Look, another owl!”
The owl with Harry’s red rose landed before Draco. He took it and smiled, breathing in its scent.
“It’s very pretty,” Crabbe said. “Who is it from?”
Draco shrugged. “I don’t know,” he lied. “There’s no card.”
Yet once conversation had returned to other things, Draco looked up and met Harry’s surprised eyes.
In Transfigurations, Draco’s good mood continued. This resulted in McGonagall finishing her lecture without making Draco attempt to transform the mouse into a ferret – which in turn heightened Draco’s mood even further. Instead, the whole class was allowed to start trying to transform mice. Draco’s transformation went, unsurprisingly, better than most.
“That’s very good for a first try,” McGonagall said of his attempt to transform the mouse into a rabbit. The mouse had become bigger, with the right ears and overall look. McGonagall picked it up and uttered a spell to see through the rabbit. When she set it down, she smiled at Draco. “Five points to Slytherin. Save for a few underdevelopments in the stomach region, you have managed to turn the mouse into a rabbit. You’ll need more work, of course, but it’s a very good start.”
Draco nodded his thank you. It wouldn’t do to start smiling at teachers, although it was what he felt like.
On his way to Potions, Draco passed the girl he knew would soon attempt to pull him into an empty classroom for a snog.
“Who is that?” he asked Crabbe and Goyle, nodding towards the girl.
“That’s Joanna Willenheimer,” Crabbe said. “She’s a sixth year Hufflepuff.”
When the girl tried to pull Draco with her, Draco followed willingly but before she was able to kiss him, he turned away.
“Joanna,” he said, “you’re a sweet girl but you should go find someone worthy of your affections.”
“You’re worthy!” Joanna said.
Draco shook his head. “No, I’m not. And I’m in love with someone else, so this is hopeless.”
Joanna looked teary-eyed and Draco hurried out of there before she could start crying for real. He was trying to be as nice as possible about these letdowns, but it obviously wasn’t an easy thing to do gently.
In Potions, there was nothing to do but to make another batch of Juroserum. As he’d done four times before, this one turned out perfectly and Draco wondered if he wouldn’t be able to do it blindfolded by now. Weasley’s cauldron blew up and there was nothing Draco could have done, or wanted to have done, about it. Draco still left the classroom with a small smile, as he and Harry had shared a look that meant something after Weasley’s cauldron had exploded.
The owl delivered the box of chocolates when they were sitting in the Great Hall for lunch, as each day before. Draco took the wrapped box and the cards and set them aside, continuing on his meat load – which was tasting decidedly bad on this the fifth day in a row.
“Aren’t you going to open them?” Pansy asked.
Draco looked thoughtfully at her. Then he smirked. Why not? Why did he have to wait until the late afternoon to open the box of chocolates? He would be living through this day again anyway; there was no reason not to make it a bit different from the ones before.
“Yes, I am,” Draco said decidedly and grabbed the box. He unwrapped it quite carefully.
“Oh, chocolate!” Pansy said.
Draco slapped her hand away when she tried to reach for the box. He opened it and smiled slightly at the heart-shaped sweets within. Then he stretched out his hand and picked one up – and disappeared, as expected.
The room was once more lit with the light from the candles. Draco smiled at this; the room was right once more. It had felt strange to see it as the classroom it was the day before.
He pretended not to know where Harry was standing. He didn’t know why; it was a game that he didn’t know the rules of.
“Hello?” he said. “Anyone there?”
He wondered if Potter had had time to come here. He had been at lunch mere minutes earlier. A second later, Draco had his answer; the sound of the Invisibility Cloak dropping to the floor was heard behind him.
He turned around and looked upon Harry.
“Hi,” Harry said nervously. Draco had to remind himself that Harry hadn’t done this before – this was all new to him and to Harry, the two had neither had sex or spent hours talking. Nor had Draco killed him, a little voice reminded Draco, but Draco didn’t pay the voice any attention.
“Hi.”
Draco looked around the room. “Nice set-up.”
Harry smiled slightly. “Thanks.”
“Thinking of bringing some girl here to romance her on the floor of a classroom?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No,” Harry said nervously. “I brought you here.”
Draco smirked. “To romance me?”
Harry swallowed and the memories of Harry doing so before crashed over Draco. How he’d crushed Harry, how he’d seduced him, how he’d killed him, how he’d talked to him and now – how he’d loved him? The thought came unbidden, but—
“Yes,” Harry said after a few seconds. Then he looked away.
Draco smiled. “Good.”
Wide-eyed, Harry’s head snapped up and he stared at Draco. “What?”
“I said ‘good’,” Draco said. “Because otherwise I would have had to romance you. And seeing how you were the one who brought me here, it seems only fair that you’re the one to do the work.”
Harry’s mouth fell open. “You— you want me to?”
Draco took a few steps closer. “Harry,” he said, deliberately using his first name, “don’t you think it’s a very stupid idea to lock yourself in a room with someone who supposedly hates you?”
“I hoped you didn’t anymore,” Harry breathed.
Draco smiled at him. This time, it was a soft, genuine smile – a smile Draco rarely allowed himself to give others. “You’re in luck.”
Then he closed the distance between the two of them and his lips locked onto Harry’s. It was a much softer kiss than any of those they shared while having sex – this time, Draco took the time to taste Harry and feel his warmth.
Harry soon lost his apparent paralysis and wrapped his arms around Draco. One hand came to rest in Draco’s hair while the other one was wrapped around Draco’s waist. Harry pulled Draco closer to him, close enough for Draco to feel the heat emanating from Harry’s body.
“Oh Merlin,” Harry breathed, finally pulling apart.
Draco smiled and rested his forehead against Harry’s. Finally, things felt right. This was the way it was supposed to be – he was supposed to be with Harry and not just as a friend, but as his lover.
“I love you,” Harry whispered.
Draco sighed softly and closed his eyes. “I think I might love you too.”
He felt Harry’s arms tighten around him even more and was pulled into another kiss.
A few minutes later – or possibly quite a bit more – Harry and Draco finally forced themselves to disconnect from each other. Harry’s face was flushed and Draco found that he felt happier than he could remember ever being before.
“I like it when you do that,” Harry said.
“What?” Draco asked. He wasn’t aware he’d been doing anything.
“Smile,” Harry said.
Draco chuckled. “Right.”
Harry worried his lip. “We should probably go back to the Great Hall,” he said. “I left when you started opening the box of chocolates and you disappeared rather suddenly.”
“Indeed,” Draco said. “A chocolate Port Key? What if I had shared the chocolates with someone else?”
Harry shrugged. “They were set only to work on you.”
Draco cocked his head to the side and asked something he had been wondering about through the series of Valentine’s Days. “What if I had opened it later? Were you going to sit here all day?”
Harry smiled. “No, definitely not. I’d placed a spell on the wrapping as well, so that when you undid it, I’d be notified. Then all I had to do was come here and hide.”
Draco raised an eyebrow. “In your Invisibility Cloak,” he said. “Why?”
“You might have come here all pissed off or, uh, scared about not knowing where you were,” Harry said.
“Malfoys don’t get scared!” Draco said indignantly, though he had been scared the first time around. Harry definitely didn’t need to know that.
Harry rolled his eyes. “It was just a precaution.”
“Let’s get back on the subject,” Draco said. “Shall we go back to the Great Hall?”
Harry looked indecisive. “Are you sure you want to go back together?”
Draco frowned at him. “I don’t know about you, but my interpretation of that snogging-session back there was that we’re no longer enemies.”
Harry smiled. “I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to show us in public so soon.”
Draco shrugged. Inwardly, he sighed because he knew that it didn’t matter – come tomorrow, he would have to do this all over again.
“I don’t mind,” he said out loud.
Harry actually took his hand at that point and his smile was from ear to ear. He pulled Draco with him and they found themselves in the hallway on the second floor. Draco pretended to not be sure of where they were and allowed Harry to guide him.
The Great Hall was in a frenzy; the students were talking wildly between themselves. Draco heard mentions of Voldemort and saw that Pansy was crying, holding the box of chocolates. Because of the commotion, it took a few moments before anyone noticed Harry and Draco standing in the doorway. Then the news spread like wildfire among the students and the Hall became completely silent.
Harry’s hand felt warm in Draco’s. Draco glanced at Harry. Then he thought, why the hell not and pulled Harry to him – and kissed him hard in front of the whole school.
After all, he would have to live through it all tomorrow again.
The Hall was silent for all of four seconds. Then screaming, applauding and intense whispering broke out. Harry and Draco pulled apart, both grinning widely. It didn’t matter to Draco that he’d have to do it all over again tomorrow – this was a moment he’d treasure forever.
“The whole school is staring at us,” Harry said.
“Uh-huh,” said Draco.
“We’re going to be the news of the school,” Harry said.
“Uh-huh,” said Draco.
“This is the best Valentine’s Day ever,” Harry said.
“Uh-huh,” said Draco and with a smile, he pulled Harry to him again.
That night, Draco didn’t sleep in his own bed. Instead, Harry brought him with him to the Gryffindor Tower and Harry’s Head Boy room. They didn’t have sex; they were both agreed on wanting the relationship settle before that happened, but they slept together, tightly intertwined.
When Draco awoke, it was to the feeling of Harry’s warm body next to him, still asleep. His heart raced and his palms became sweaty as he realised that it was February fifteenth. All those things that had happened the day before – people would remember them! He’d been nice to people, to Pansy and to that girl and— and he’d kissed Harry Potter in front of the entire school! His face heated at the mere thought.
Yet then Harry moved against him and the arm he had around Draco’s waist tightened.
And Draco realised that there was no day he rather wanted it to be.
The End
Chapters