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Chapter Text

Harry couldn't believe it. What did he do now?

He was walking back to the castle, his head in a spin. He wasn't sure if he'd done anything wrong and also, he had like no dating experience, but he went over everything he'd said and couldn't find anything wrong with it. He was doing his best and were never disrespectful. He thinks it was because of Cedric and didn't really wanted to talk about him, but Cho gets all emotional about and he doesn't know what to say, it was all so stressing for a first date.

They were supposed to have a nice time and get along, they were on a fucking date after all, they should be able to talk about anything, but she always ended up bringing it the thing about Cedric, and he didn't know how to feel about it because he likes Cho and...obviously he is very aware that she and Cedric were together. Cedric was really a good guy and he knew she missed him so much, which is totally fine, but it was hard knowing that now he wasn't there anymore and she still cried for him.

He had a very vivid memory about that day, his mind takes him back to that dark moment that still remembers like a nightmare. It's inevitable sometimes, even though he tried hard to hide it deep in his mind. It was painful to think about it and it was difficult to be with Cho knowing all that, and it was even more so when she spoke of him with tears in her eyes.

At first he was not sure about the date but then he thought a more formal date might change things, but it seemed Cho acted even more strangely than usual. He couldn't even tell Hermione the truth because he felt ashamed. In the wake, he found himself distracted by analyzing the entire encounter; even the other moments they had before, and found them tangled up with other memories he didn't like to recall.

He reached one of the entrances and didn't stop to look where he was going. His long walk took him near the Herbology classroom, where he normally wouldn't go unless necessary, but it served him well as he walked lost in his thoughts.

All of a sudden, he felt a pain in his foot and saw that a plant with large vines had grabbed his leg. As he tried to free himself, he tripped and knocked over a flowerpot. The loud bang of it hitting the floor startling him.

"Shit!" He says feeling pissed, trying to fix the plant that was making strange movements. When he looked up, he saw a pair of gray eyes watching him from the garden. At first, the mocking curve of a smile appeared but in an instant it disappeared because the guy opted to roll his eyes instead, and Harry was already expecting a couple of condescending comments.

"Can't see where you walk, Potter? Are you really that blind." He said clearly in a mocking tone. This time, it was Harry who rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" He replied with a sigh because this encounter was the last thing he needed right now. He took a minute to look around, there were hundreds of pots with different strange plants, although there was also an area covered in green grass with a small tree in the center and a stone bench. He positioned himself a little further away from the plants and turned to see Malfoy, who was standing a few steps in front of him.

"The date didn't go well, huh?" Malfoy smiled at him, and Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. How did Malfoy found out about his date?

"What do you mean?" He replied more calmly, hoping he could lie about it.

"Everyone knows you went on a date today with Chang. Didn't you?" Malfoy raised both eyebrows.

"How's that everyone knows?" He asked, still confused and feeling nervous. This was the worst thing. Ever.

"Girls gossip all the time and I like gossip. It's very informative," says Malfoy, strangely amused.

"Brilliant." Harry snorts.

"So... How was it?" He asks with interest, and Harry looks at him as if he's looking at a lunatic.

"Why do you even care?" Harry says, genuinely annoyed. He brushes off the dried dirt that has settled around his knees from his trousers.

"I'm just gossipy." He says, shrugging. Malfoy leans against one of the garden columns, looking at the mess he left of leaves and dirt all over the floor.

"Oh right, so you would like to spread it around?" Harry replies defensively.

"Yeah, probably, but now I'm really invested. Like, let's make a deal. If I tell you something personal, will you tell me about it?" Harry's brows twist. What the fuck is happening?

He shouldn't even be thinking about his proposal because it's Malfoy he's talking to, but for some reason, he's actually thinking about it. He's definitely up to something.

"Like what?" He asks not so sure.

"Something no one knows." Draco retorted smirking persuasively.

"Why would you tell me something no one knows? I don't really trust you. How can you?" Harry says, now truly confused and astonished by the confession. Never in his life had he imagined hearing something like that coming from him.

"I know we're not as friendly to each other, but if the rumors are true, I know you're a good person. You wouldn't tell because if you do, that'll be really low." He says confidently, as if it were any other conversation and none other than with his school enemy. Harry remains very distrustful of his intentions, yet he thinks he's suspicious and wants to play along.

"How can I know that's true? That you haven't told anyone." Harry finds himself asking and sees the blond raise his brows drew together.

"Oh believe me, no one knows. You'll notice it in a bit." Malfoy's mouth curved into a weird smile.

"So why don't you tell me if you're already sure I won't tell anyone. " He says, thinking more about the situation because it really was unusual; he still didn't believe a word of it.

"I will if you promise to tell me how your date went. I need the tea, that's the point." Says Malfoy in an effusive voice. Harry thinks about it, this is definitely very suspicious. He still doesn't know in what sense, but he really tried to think about what he had to gain by knowing how their date went.

"Okay, I promise." He says and Malfoy smiles even bigger.

"Really? Pinky promise?" He asks in a squeaky tone he hadn't heard from him before, only when he complained of pain, like in third or second year. It's still weird, maybe Malfoy had been cursed, even though he wasn't visibly affected. What the fuck is wrong with him, maybe he needs to take him to the Hospital Wing.

"Sure, why not?" Harry says resigned. After all, he also wanted to know what Malfoy would say to him. In the first place, he couldn't even imagine why he would say something intimate about him. He was probably just making fun of him and he was worrying for him for nothing.

"Okay, you really can't take that back." He says to reassure.

"Right." Harry says tiredly, waiting for the blond's nonsense. Malfoy smiles and then looks down, his expression closed up looking a little concerned.

"Mmmm...well. I don't know what can I say? " He says, pretending to think about it, but Harry had realized he knew what he meant from the start. He was about to mock him, and Harry was just waiting to hex him when it happened. Unless he realized he'd been hexed before.

"Just say it!" He says desperately because he really doesn't know what he's doing there talking to him. He just wants to leave and not talk to anyone until they completely forget about his existence.

"All right. I'm queer." Draco says suddenly, and Harry isn't sure he heard correctly.

"You're what?" He asks in awe.

"Queer. I like blokes. Are you also deaf or something?" Malfoy says in his normal mocking tone, but his voice sounds affected.

"Oh." He says, the realization hitting him like a bucket of water. "Oh!" Did Malfoy really just say something like that? Was this still part of the joke?

"Yeah, so if you tell anyone, you're a bad person. Really, really bad person." He says, his tone more accusatory but still unsure.

"Okay, I won't tell." Harry replies. For once, Malfoy was right. He couldn't possibly repeat his secret to someone. It was personal, and if he was playing a prank on him, at least no one would know.

"Thanks. So...the date?" He says, bringing Harry back to the real reason they were having this conversation.

"Oh right! It was a disaster." He says now, feeling less attacked than at first. He still needs to think more deeply about what he'd just been told, but for now, he'd have to repeat what happened a few hours ago.

"Tell me all the details." Then Harry proceeds to carefully talk about what happened, withholding some details, obviously, just to see Malfoy's reaction, which, incredibly, was never rude at all. Later, lying in his bed, he pondered the events of the day.

So all that really happened?

Harry went on a date with the girl he liked, for the first time in his life, on February 14th in the corniest, most horrible looking place possible. Then he explained everything that happened to him that day Voldemort returned to Rita Skeeter so she can published on Luna's magazine and finally, he also had a whole conversation with none other than Draco Malfoy about his bad date. He even made fun of him for not noticing a lot of things about girls, like that Cho was actually jealous of Hermione, which was stupid, but Draco made sense of it, and then Harry really felt stupid. He also called him insensitive.

He didn't even care that Malfoy started rumors about what happened on their date because he knew Cho would tell her friends anyway, and everyone would eventually find out anyway.

He couldn't even think about all that anymore, because he was a little nervous about the interview and also all he could think about was the conversation with the boy. He actually thought about that whole interaction because it was quite odd, like they haven't never spoke properly before. They didn't even argue during their conversation, it was like talking to a classmate. Something like that.

Maybe the whole 'Malfoy being gay' thing changed his personality for the better, or maybe someone had actually cast like a happy spell on him, and now he was more tolerable. And maybe it's the side effects of the plant that attacked him, because now he can't stop thinking that talking to him was the least terrible part of his day.

•

Harry went to the restrooms before dinner. He was tired so he walked very slow. He hadn't rested properly in a while and even a few minutes of peace in the empty restroom were enough. He went in, and as he expected, no one was occupying any space. He took off his glasses and splashed water on his face to wake himself up a bit. He stared at the mirror for a moment and looked at his reflection.

He looks at how his green eyes shine under the lights, even with the dark marks under them. He knew his father was rather handsome and they say Harry truly reflected him completely, but he didn't really considered himself as pretty. His mother would surely be upset if he confessed that to her, after all, it was her eyes that were looking at his reflection.

He never had anyone who complimented him on something or be nice to him until he met Hadrig, had been told the truth and got to Hogwarts, where everyone already made an opinion of him because they knew all those things about him except (of course) himself. It was so strange, even the youngest people like Ron knew about him, but then he met him and his family who reminded him how welcome he was in their home and honestly it is a blessing to him, they didn't talk about the things they say about him, they were just there for him. 

All that information makes him overthink things, like with Cho, he didn't knew at what point he started liking her 'cuz like he didn't really know her, he only knew that she is pretty and was good at Quidditch and then that somehow she was attracted to him too, he never really knew why, he's not even sure if it was really because she was all way attracted to him.

He can't imagined being like his father, he wasn't like him as much as he wanted to be. He is just Harry that is too skinny, Harry who has a horrible scar on his forehead, Harry who inherited giant clothes from his cousin, Harry who has wild hair that it couldn't comb in the right way, Harry who has a horrific connection with the Dark Lord that make him feel angry, Harry who wasn't perfect like they all think. He could just never be as cool as James or Sirius or as intelligente like his mother.

It wasn't right, nothing felt right. He always imagined someone loving him for who he was, without hesitation. He wasn't perfect at anything, but at least maybe if he was kind enough, maybe someone would. If someone ever fell in love with him, it would have to be for who he is and not what others think he is. Maybe it will never happen; he has more important things to worry about now, though that doesn't mean he doesn't want it to happen. Even now... now that his life is more like hanging by a thread and all...

"Looking in the mirror much?" Someone says next to him, and he flinches. When he looks at the boy, he notices it was Malfoy. Again.

Harry rolls his eyes and puts his glasses back on. "I was just thinking. You should try it some time."

"Think about what? Maybe that your hair's messier than usual?" Malfoy says in his normal, mocking tone.

"Not exactly, but thanks for noticing." Harry says, more subdued.

"It's strange, but it looks good on you." Malfoy says, seeming surprised by his own words. He ducks into a cubicle, leaving Harry equally surprised.

"Thanks, I guess?" He says more quietly.

He stands there contemplating whether to leave or ask the question he'd been meaning to ask ever since he found out, and why he'd wanted to meet him again, alone like this.

"I heard you're dating Greengrass?" He says a little louder so he can hear him. He saw them together actually, she looked so into him, but Malfoy looked like fighting inside for not to be bored while she was talking about something really passionately. Then he heard people talking about them and how perfect they looked together.

"Who's the gossip now?" Malfoy says more condescendingly.

"Is that true? But I thought you were..." Harry begins, but is cut off.

"Yes, I am." Malfoy says quickly. The toilet flushes, and he walks through the door to where Harry is at the lavatories.

"So it's just a rumor?" He asks more confused.

"No, but like I told you, no one knows." Malfoy doesn't look at him directly, but Harry does. His shirt is unbuttoned at the neck and his tie is loosened. His sleeves are rolled down to his forearms, and Harry runs his eyes over those patches of pale skin where even his blue veins are visible.

"Are you with her to cover you?" He asks more cautiously. Malfoy turns off the tap and pauses. Harry looks at him expectantly, and as he turns to look at him, he notices how he looked very distraught.

"Something like that." He gulps and his head is down and Harry winced. He doesn't really know the reasons why Malfoy doesn't want to tell anyone, but he can get an idea.

"Oh. Sorry." He says and he truly means it.

"Don't be." Malfoy purse his lips. They both look at each other directly, Harry getting a little nervous as Malfoy's eyes seem to be scanning him. "Blimey, you're so..." He pauses. Harry looks at him strangely. Was he about to insult him this time?

"...kind," Malfoy finishes, and Harry looks at him curiously because it was the last thing he expected to come out of his mouth.

Harry lets out a nervous laugh. "Is that bad?" He asks him confused, without turning to look at him because he feels his face heating up.

"No, but it's... maddening." Malfoy smiles, but his smile fades to a grimace. As if he's trying to hide it.

"Sorry?" Harry says, unsure of what to say.

"Just don't." Malfoy puts a hand on his shoulder for a few seconds, then quickly lowers it. Head down, he quickly approaches the door, and Harry watches him leave.

"Okay." He says to himself, still too confused and a little in shock. He keeps having these conversations with Malfoy that make no sense.

•

Harry arrived at the Astronomy classroom before all his classmates. He wasn't very hungry or eager to see everyone staring at him, and it was a long walk, so he took it easy. He felt tired, his empty mind was a relief for now, a moment of calm and tranquility was what he needed.

When he reached the bottom step, the door was still open. He entered the classroom and looked around. There was still light illuminating the furniture above the windows.

"Hey." Said a distant voice from where the balcony. As he walked a little further, he saw it was a blond boy he would recognize anywhere. He hasn't seen him much since the article about his interview came out, all the children of the Death Eaters he named, whispered violently to each other whenever they saw him. But Malfoy's shadow was absent between them, they had only connected glances a couple of times and Malfoy just looked down, almost as if he was ashamed.

"Oh, hi." Harry said, approaching him. "What are you doing here?" He asked. Weirdly, why would he ask him that? He didn't remember seeing Malfoy very interested in studying Astronomy, although he didn't really know, since they had never had that class together.

"I just stayed after class. I didn't feel like going to eat." Malfoy tells him in a different tone he'd never heard before, it was calmer and more tired. He wasn't boastful or defensive, as he always had been.

"Same." Nervously, he runs his hands over the cold balcony railing. At any moment Malfoy could cast a curse on him, but for some reason he knew he wouldn't actually do it. "Why are you up here?" The question slips out, he shouldn't be talking to him, but he was anyway.

"I don't know. I like this view. It makes me feel insignificant." He says in a deep tone. He even lets out a sigh, still staring at the horizon.

"And that's a good thing?" Harry smiles confused. He doesn't understand why anyone would want to feel that way. He knew what it was like, he was reminded of it every time he was on Privet Drive.

"Of course. Just think about it. The more insignificant something is, the less important. Putting it into perspective, looking at everything from here reminds me that I'm not important compared to the magnitude of this place. I'm only a thousandth of all space. It means nothing really matters. It doesn't matter what I think, what other people think, what my parents think..." Malfoy continued to stare toward the distant mountains. Even without using the telescope, Harry had the feeling he was imagining himself in that place surrounded by trees that, from where they were now, were just green blobs.

He doesn't know what to say. If it were anyone else, he'd tell them they're important. But he had the feeling it wasn't something Malfoy wanted to hear coming from him. "That makes sense. Just don't say you're insignificant, because you're not."

"I don't know. That's the whole point." He says indiferent.

"Believe me, I know what it's like to be thought of as unimportant. It feels like...," He pauses. "You don't really want that." Harry replies in a quiet voice.

"Who told you that?" Malfoy frowns at him. Harry has a chance to look at him more closely, his eyes looking dull and he had a less marked expression as when he remembered him looking angrily.

"My aunt and uncle. I live with them, they're Muggles but you already knew that." Harry says with a hint of embarrassment, having never told anyone else who didn't know his aunt and uncle about how they treated him.

"Are all Muggles that terrible?" The question makes Harry laugh and Malfoy's eyes now looked more gentle than afflicted.

"No, apparently just them." Harry swallows hard.

"Sorry." Harry just shrugs. It was strange to know that Malfoy now knew about his aunt and uncle too and that he hadn't made fun of him for it.

"My father...he used to make me feel so out of place, like I'd been doing everything wrong since I was born. I used to cry in my room, even the house-elf sometimes tried to comfort me. The first few years here, I thought would be better, but even his letters made me cry. Now I just,...I don't even care anymore. Well, more like, I don't want to care what he thinks of me, but sometimes it does, and it's hard." He watches as Malfoy runs the palm of his hand over his chest, rubbing it, as if that will soothe him.

"Sorry, I don't know much about that but you're his son, he should take care of you and make sure you're okay. I mean you were just a kid, you still are." Malfoy's downward gaze turns to look at him, wearing a sad smile. Harry didn't like looking at it.

"Maybe, but... it is what it is." Harry stares at him for a few seconds, their gazes connecting and he also notices his gray eyes with red marks around them. Should he try to comfort him? But then, Draco's voice cuts his thoughts.

"That day when You-Know-Who came back. I know what happened, I've heard him talking about it. He's just a bloody hypocrite. When he tells me how I have to do things in the most perfect way and he's out doing those things. It disgusts me." Draco looks at him with teary-eyes, and glowing in anger. Like he wanted him to say something. But Harry doesn't know what to say, that was really unexpected.

Now that he thought about it more, Malfoy hadn't been the same since they went back to school that year, he no longer made fun of him or mocked him. Only sometimes, he did see him laugh at the things his friends said but he did nothing else. No more comments, no fighting, not trying to get in his business or encouraging Umbridge like the other Slytherins did.

So they look at each other, with tension wrapping them up and Harry it's so lost on how Malfoy just confessed that to him with a real feeling of rage in his voice.

Malfoy clears his throat. "So what are you doing here? Isn't dinner happening right now?" He asks, clearly trying to lighten the mood, and Harry is surprised since he was still thinking about what to say.

"Yeah, but I don't feel like seeing anyone. They just feel like too much right now." He says in a slow tone because he was thinking about what he was saying, he wasn't even planning on making something up, not when Malfoy had talked about something so... personal.

"Yeah, youre pretty popular right now, right?" Harry is surprised again by choose of words, he doesn't even think this moment is actually happening. He must be dreaming.

"Some of them still think I'm a liar but a lot of people now believes me." Harry sighs. The whole situation was a little better than before, but it bothered him that everyone noticed him. If they ignored him, it would be better to be honest. He wonders what Malfoy thinks about it because after all, his father is a Death-Eater, and he kind of just told him that like he wasn't pleased about it.

"For what it's worth, I don't hate you. I think hate is a very strong feeling." Saying Harry was shocked is nothing.

On any other day, in the past, he would have heard Malfoy say those words and he wouldn't really care, he wouldn't even believe it but now it so fucking strange how is happening; it was different to hear it from this Malfoy he was seeing right now. This Malfoy who looked vulnerable, with red eyes and just...tired.

"Thanks." He retorts with a side smile. Malfoy isn't looking at him anymore, instead looking inside the classroom.

"I'll go now. I suppose you have class in a few minutes." Harry looked at him again and sadness really clouded his features.

"Yeah, but I'm like quite early." There was at least an hour before class. It was a long walk, but no one would be hanging around the tower yet and although Harry wanted to be alone first, he now felt he didn't want Malfoy to leave so soon.

"Bye." Malfoy nods and then hurries to the other side of the room where the door was.

"Bye." Harry says in reply, but Malfoy is no longer there.

•

Harry paces irritably through the dungeon corridors. It's late so it still gets colder at night, and he's forgotten to bring his scarf, which irritates him even more. He is so tired of the situation and it's getting hard to keep his shit together. Adding the fact that he'd forget he had to do Snape's detention just because once more he couldn't bite his tongue.

Since the beginning of the year, he's been feeling really weird, like more angrier every day. He doesn't know what is going on with him, it is so frustrating, and they won't tell anything to him, so it is like more and more things bother him, even the simplest ones. His friends notice and try to calm him down, but he struggles and prefers to be by himself. And now he couldn't play Quidditch anymore. Dumbledore disappears from his sight. Snape was acting more hostile at class. Umbridge still punishes him for the interview. The school he loved so much, which he considered his home was now living hell, and it's all because of the stupid pink toad. Everyone is just fucked up.

When he gets to the classroom, no one is arround but there's a note written on the door.

"Don't touch anything in my office." It said in very neat and delicate cursive. He had seen Professor Snape at lunchtime and had left him the task of tidying all the cupboards, dusting and leaving everything spotless. As if he cared about seeing his things spotless, all the years he'd been there, things had accumulated so much dust over the years that he has no idea how he's going to clean everything out of the cupboards in time.

He's knackered, fucking done with everything and everyone. He can't even have a rest because he knew about the connection to Voldemort. He wasn't even safe in his own head anymore. What a bloody shame. His heart pounded in his chest, he rubbed it with a little in discomfort and felt his skin went hot all over. His vision blurred for a few seconds.

He noticed everything and took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Inhale. One, two, three, out. Inhale. One, two, three, out. Inhale, one, two, three...

He had to start as soon as possible to leave before curfew and finish his essays, or at least try. Took another deep breath and let the rage leave his body.

After an hour, he moved on to cleaning two cupboards with glass bottles filled with strange liquids he didn't dare open. He stopped to rest his arms, which were aching from lifting and scrubbing the bottles.

"Potter?" Malfoy said, coming through the door. Harry was sitting on the floor with many things around him: strange figurines, utensils, cauldrons, bottles of liquids, and herbs with strange names written on them.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asks, surprised by his presence. He wipes the sweat from his forehead because he hadn't even realized he had a few drops of it. He didn't even felt when the cold stopped.

"McGonagall punished me, and here I am, but I didn't know you'd be here." He says, taking off his scarf, then his robes until he's down to a white shirt and gray waistcoat.

"Snape punished me. There's no point in explaining why." He says irritably just thinking about the situation. Malfoy, to his surprise, doesn't sneer or smile, just grimaces.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that." His tone sounds ashamed. He walks over to where Harry is, dodging all the artifacts scattered on the floor. He sits down next to him. Harry watches him while Draco loosens his emerald-green tie.

"Yes, it's awful. I have a lot to do, and I'm here stuck on a Thursday night." Harry says, still irritated but mostly tired.

"I'm sorry." He repeated but Harry doesn't say anything.

"What happened to you?" Malfoy sighs.

"On Saturday, I was overwhelmed, so I sneaked out at night to the Astronomy Tower. When I was going down the first floor, Professor McGonagall found me, so she promised me a detention later. But then yesterday, when she spoke to me again, Professor Snape heard McGonagall scolding me and covered for me, saying he'd give me the detention. I guess McGonagall was tired of fighting with him, so he sent me here today. I don't know why, but I guess he knew you'd be here. Maybe he thought you'd be doing all the work anyway." He explains with a nervous laugh at the end. He looks tired, and Harry can't stop staring at him.

Lately, since their last conversation in his free time, he's been trying to watch him. He wasn't like he used to be, that's for sure, but he also can't figure out if all of that was just an act or if he'd actually changed. He seemed fine now, like when he'd spoken to him in the tower. He wasn't trying to hide so much now, he seemed...sincere. Malfoy blinked a few more times, probably because Harry hadn't said anything yet.

"Great." It's the only thing he can think of to say. He was exhausted, and now he had to be with Malfoy, who was a bit distracting. Although now they could at least talk, maybe.

"But he's wrong. We're not what we used to be, right? Obviously, I'll help you. Besides, I have to stay here, or McGonagall will realize I didn't complete her punishment. She might even ask you later." Draco stared at him like looking for his rejection.

"All right," Harry says, a little more hopeful and gets up from the floor. He starts looking around to see what's left to clean so he can give Malfoy a rag and get started.

After many minutes -he hadn't even looked at the clock yet-he realizes they still have more than half the job to do. They haven't speak yet, not because he didn't want to, but rather because he knew they'd work faster in silence. Or maybe he was't sure if he wanted to talk to him or about what things they could.

He sighs a little loudly and turns to look at Malfoy, who is very busy with a golden liquid in a small flask, it looked like floating sparkles instead of liquid. Malfoy looked up and saw Harry looking at him. He smiled at him and put the flask aside. Harry smiled back and sat down on the floor again, and Malfoy followed, sitting even closer to him this time.

"Do you know what it is?" Harry says, pointing at the golden flask he'd left behind, trying to start the conversation with something.

"I don't know, but it looks like Liquid Luck." Malfoy replies, shrugging his shoulders.

"Luck? In a flask." Harry asks, disbelieving.

"Yeah, I think I've read it before. I don't quite remember." Harry is really impressed. He honestly doesn't know how he's still impressed knowing magic is real. That says it all.

"How someone managed to invent luck?" He says skeptic.

"I don't know exactly but I think it's pretty genius." Malfoy looks at him. It's like he is still sceptical about them being like friendly and is looking for clues on his expressions.

"Yeah, it is quite cool." Harry gives him a quick smile. They kept silent for a few minutes and for a reason Harry is really nervous not knowing what to say and he didn't wanted to stop talking to him.

"You know... I've been meaning to tell you something," He says and Harry raises his brows.

"What is it?" He asks with anticipation.

"It's just... I'm really sorry for being such a git to you, I'm so sorry." He glances darting about rather than focusing on anything in particular, rubbing his arm up and down. Harry just stares at him, speechless, shocked.

"I think I was truly humiliated in my first year when you rejected me, and I didn't know how to handle it. I couldn't seem to look weak in front of everyone else. My father always reminded me how important connections with worthwhile people were, typical pureblood nonsense, so I was really nervous and didn't know what to do, so I acted without thinking, and then it became easy to try to protect myself against you by making you feel bad. It's not an excuse, but I want you to know what I was thinking. It's tough being around Slytherins, you know? They can tear you apart at any moment if they see you as the weak link, and I'd rather be on the other side than the victim." Malfoy still doesn't look at him, instead playing with a silver snake-shaped ring. He looks anxious, which still surprises Harry, it doesn't seem threatening, and he doesn't even think he's joking because he sounded stressed, as if he'd rehearsed it before. He even looks smaller...

"Okay." He says, because he really doesn't know what to say this time. Again. It's not every day that your sworn enemy apologizes. Usually, his enemies just want to kill him. "Obviously, I didn't know any of this stuff you told me. All I know is that you were an idiot with a gift for insults. I'm sorry." He laughs and turns to look at Malfoy, who has a small smile on his face.

"I know, I'm good at that." He answers shyly, and Harry lets out an unexpected laugh, making Malfoy laugh too. Harry watches him again, it's fascinating to see him like that, as if he were seeing a magical creature for the first time in his life. It was strange, but he couldn't stop looking at him, there were many things he still didn't know about Malfoy.

"You haven't been using your ability lately, so you're getting better, aren't you?" Harry says, careful not to say explicitly that he's been watching him, sometimes, for a long time.

"I try. It's not difficult, but I'm used to it, and sometimes I forget, and it's just... I realized it's not worth it. No one here is the bad guy. You're not really the bad guy. The real bad guy is... you know. There are more important things to consider now than fighting with you for being Harry Potter or with others I used to bother too." Harry sighed again. Hearing Malfoy talk about it made it real, more real than he'd like.

"That's true. I think it'll only get harder every time." He replies and sees Malfoy downturned lips.

"Yeah, I don't even want to imagine it. It's horrible." Harry just nods, and they both remain silent, staring at the floor. He doesn't want to talk about it anymore; he doesn't like it and he senses a certain tension surrounding it.

"Are you still seeing the girl?" He asks, trying to change the subject to something more casual and less stressful.

"Nah, we only dated for three weeks tops. And I was tired of kissing her. It was nice, but not what I wanted. Plus, it dried out my lips a lot." Malfoy presses his lips together, trying to moisturize them, licking his dry skin, and Harry can't help but follow the motion.

"Oh wow! What a tragedy!" He replies mockingly and Malfoy beamed. Yes, he looked better that way.

"Shut up!" He exclaims smiling and Harry simpered.

"Oh, speaking of tragedies, you know what I heard? Rumor has it that you're dating Granger." Harry's mouth drops open, but then he remembers Cho and the whole situation. The girls are really mad at him.

"Really? I wonder who made that up." He comments sarcastically.

"I know, it's funny. Unless... it's true." He says, raising his eyebrows in question.

"No, of course not, she's just my friend." He says confidently, tired of hearing so many crazy things about him.

"Just making sure," Malfoy replies, trying to apologize for his statement.

"They made that up last year too. It was horrible for Hermione. She had a bad moment because surprisingly, girls are evil." Malfoy smiles, nodding at his comment.

"Yeah, I love girls." Malfoy says, agreeing.

"I thought you liked boys more." Harry jokes thoughtlessly, and Malfoy looks at him, offended but not truly offended.

"Piss off!" He pushes him away by pulling on his shoulder, and Harry almost fells to his side. They both laugh and fall silent again.

He can't believe it's been almost two months since Malfoy confided that secret to Harry. He'd thought about it a few times. He knew there were people and wizards who liked other wizards, but he wasn't sure if it was appropriate to talk about it with someone like Malfoy, or anyone in general, because he'd never heard anyone say it so openly, not even Sirius.

"I also heard you can cast a Patronus. Is that true?" The Slytherin's voice brings him back to reality.

"Who said that?" He asks Malfoy, a little worried that they're talking about something only the DA knows about.

"I overheard a private conversation between some Ravenclaw boys. Is it true?" He asks, more curious. Harry thinks about it for a moment, and he's really just asking about something like a Patronus instead of their secret society.

"Well er, I mean yes." He says simply, and Malfoy looks at him in surprise.

"Impressive. I can't. My mother tried to teach me because she hates Dementors and doesn't want anything bad to happen." Harry is surprised because he clearly remembered Malfoy making fun of him for passed out because of them. He thinks is maybe because the return of the Dark Lord, it was certain that at any moment those dark creatures would be everywhere they wanted. Like when they attacked him before school and the minister was going to expelled him.

"Maybe you need more time," Harry said, trying to cheer him up, and he remembered himself cheering up his fellow DA classmates.

"I don't know, I have the feeling I'm just not good at that." He replied in an uncertain tone, something he was now starting to get used to hearing from Malfoy. He didn't know how he felt about him, because he didn't even know what this strange relationship was between them. They were obviously classmates, but now it felt more than that, maybe they were friends, or rather, secret friends...

"It might take time. Maybe you're not choosing your memories well." Harry remembers Professor Lupin's words when he taught him how to cast his Patronus a couple of years ago. He wasn't using memories too strong to cast the spell, or more like too happy, since joy wasn't really a feeling he'd had in abundance in his life. Perhaps it had been when his parents were still alive. At least that's what he likes to imagine.

"Maybe they're not joyful enough. That would explain why my mother looked so sad." Malfoy returns his gaze to the ground, and Harry can't help but take his hand and squeeze it. It felt warm, unlike his own. Malfoy watches his movement but says nothing. There's a slightly sad expression on his face, he could swear his eyes are shining with tears. But Harry doesn't say anything about that. He feels a squeeze on his hand in return, and they let go. Malfoy smiles at him, trying to distract himself, but Harry realizes it's still a fainted smile.

"I also struggled to find a memory. The one I have, I'm not even sure is real, but it works."

"Really?" Harry just nods, and Malfoy looks down at his feet.

"How disappointing. I told you something really personal for nothing in return." Malfoy says with a hint of shyness.

"Well, I didn't tell you to do it." Harry says, amused, trying to lighten the mood.

"I know. It just slipped out." Malfoy looks down at the ground and starts playing with his ring again. "It's weird." He says, looking back at Harry. "It's never happened to me before. I'm always very careful. It only happens with you." They both look at each other, deeply like never before. He felt a shiver run down his spine. It's a strange feeling, but he doesn't dislike it at all.

He is speechless. It's true that Malfoy has been telling him various things about him without Harry having told him to. In a peculiar way, he liked knowing those things about him. He felt like he was the only one who knew about them, although Malfoy never confirmed it. It was like having a secret together. He had never had someone to talk to about secrets. His friends were very close, but there were many things he didn't tell them because he still had a hard time opening up and they sometimes worried too much. He just wanted someone who could listen to him, be with him and only that, maybe the same thing he did for Malfoy.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He replies quietly, and Malfoy stares at him for a few more seconds. He can see his eyes linger on his face, move down to his chin, and then back up to where his scar was hidden.

"I know." He replies, giving a small smile. Harry can live with that.

•

Harry found himself smelling the scarf's fragrant scent, he couldn't help it, it was addictive.

After that day in detention, Harry had rescued Malfoy's scarf with the intention of returning it to him, but every time he saw it, he couldn't resist the urge to bring it to his nose and inhale the aroma. It was fresh and at the same time homey and woody. He had no idea what it was, but it was a very, very pleasant smell. He even fell asleep one day with it around his neck. So he still hadn't found a moment to give it to him, they were very busy anyway.

He went down to breakfast on Tuesday after doing all his homework until the evening. He was totally exhausted and intolerant. He tried to avoid anything that irritated him, otherwise he would explode, and it wouldn't be nice at all. He sat down at the table and listlessly served himself various dishes.

"Everyone's talking about it." He managed to hear Hermione say in a very low voice.

When Harry entered the Dining Hall, most of the students were already gathered. He noticed several groups whispering among themselves, but that was normal and Harry just tried to ignore them. Who knows what gossip they'd come up with this time?

"About what?" Ron asked, sounding confused. Harry, sitting across from them, had been avoiding listening to their conversation because if it came to him again, he'd be on the verge of losing his mind. He was more focused on eating without choking and glancing at the Slytherin table from time to time.

"You don't know?" Hermione asked in a surprised tone. Harry didn't know either, and although he was intrigued by her reaction, he didn't want to know what it was.

"They're saying that apparently Malfoy is...gay." Hearing the words "gay" and "Malfoy" in the same sentence, Harry gulped and started coughing. Hermione looked at him worriedly, but he told her it was fine with a thumbs-up.

"What? Malfoy?" Ron asks, just as stunned as Harry is in his head.

"Yeah, I heard someone in the corridors talking about it." Hermione says, more concerned.

"Are you serious?" His friend asks, still surprised.

"Why would I lie?" Hermione answers, a little annoyed, perhaps because Ron wasn't being as discreet as the others who were talking about it at different tables.

"They shouldn't talk about it, it's personal. Besides, someone liking boys isn't a big deal. It should be more normalized." Hermione says, turning to look at the two of them, even though Harry hasn't joined in yet.

"Maybe in your world, but in the Wizarding World, it's not very usual to talk about it." Ron says uncomfortably. Harry feels his heart beating very fast.

"But what's wrong with it? It's just two people in love like any other human beings." Hermione comments determinedly, and Harry looks at the Slytherin table again but still doesn't see him.

"I'm not saying it's bad, but it's not widely discussed in this world. There aren't many queer wizards." Ron tells her, trying to defend himself. He didn't sound very happy with Hermione trying to teach him a lesson in values.

"Sirius is queer." Harry says, a little tense about his friends' conversation. They knew that Sirius had always been open about the people he liked, especially when he told them stories about his past at school with his father.

"Exactly. It's not that there aren't many queer wizards, it's just that it's not common for them to tell others about it. Statistically, there are several people who are queer in this place." Hermione smiles at Ron, as she always does when she's winning an argument.

"Makes sense." Ron says, resigned.

Harry couldn't stop thinking about that. If according to Malfoy, he was the only one who knew his secret... Maybe Draco thinks he was the one who told everyone. Fuck. He needs to talk to him.

Chapter Text

He desperately searched for the Slytherin boy every time he walked anywhere in the castle. He'd even gone out a few times to quickly explore the dungeons in the hopes of seeing him, but he never found him. He thought Malfoy was probably hiding. Harry was increasingly worried about not seeing him. He even used his map, but his name appeared in the Slytherin common room, with no sign of him.

A couple of days passed, and Malfoy still hadn't appeared. When Harry checked the map in the evenings, he saw he was either in the Slytherin Room or Snape's office. He just wanted to know how he was doing, wanted to make sure Malfoy knew it wasn't his fault, that he hadn't told anyone about what he'd confessed to him. He didn't want to miss the small moments of their casual conversations that ended with Malfoy spilling the beans, because he knew he could trust Harry, knew he wouldn't say anything, knew it was a safe space. And Harry just didn't want to lose that connection between them for that kind of mistake. Because in some strange way, Harry also felt understood by him.

The next day, Malfoy returned to classes, and Harry had never been happier in a Potions class with Snape. He noticed that no one was speaking to Malfoy, and Snape was constantly staring at him, probably to scold those who were bothering him. It was one of the quietest classes he'd ever been in; the only noise was the chairs and the steaming cauldrons.

Harry couldn't stop staring at Malfoy either. He was just watching him because he wanted to know how he was and try to talk to him, unlike the others who were only seeing him because it was his first time out after the rumor. He could still hear whispers around him; Malfoy wasn't looking up to see anyone; he was focused solely on his own cauldron, and Harry wondered how he could concentrate when he'd already made a few mistakes just by staring at him.

He knew if he tried to talk to him, with so many people around, he'd get upset, so he had to wait. He took the map with him to figure out where he was going. Then he noticed that during mealtime, he stayed in the Hospital Wing the whole time, and Harry was eager to see him, because what if someone had tried to really hurt him just because of...Shit.

Later, at the very chance he had, he started looking for him, so once he spotted his name, he ran to a second-floor hallway where he knew there weren't many people and apparently Malfoy was nearby. He found him coming out of a room with a couple of parchments in his hand. He looked unharmed, without any injuries, and Harry approached where he was walking.

"Malfoy, can we talk?" He asked, and saw that the boy was startled by his voice. So he turns to look at him.

"Are you sure? What if they think you're my boyfriend or something?" He said in a sarcastic tone, but it was painful for Harry.

"Just come here. Please." Harry takes his arm, trying to keep him from leaving. They both look at his grip and then turn to look at each other. It had been a while since he'd seen him; his eyes were still the same gray, although when he looked at them more closely, he could see he was upset. Malfoy didn't say anything, just nodded and let Harry lead him to the nearest room, which was an old-time office room.

They walk to the back where there's an old desk in the middle. Malfoy leans against it and Harry stops in front of it, trying to meet his gaze, but the other avoids him.

"How are you?" He asks cautiously. Harry really didn't know what to say; he'd never been in a similar situation where someone was outed without they permission. What do you do in this situation?

"Fine." He says in a resigned tone. Harry pressed his lips together, he feels uncomfortable with these conversations, but they were necessary many times, like now. He wanted to know, he needed to know he was okay.

"Really?" He asks and Malfoy finally raises his gaze, which had been scattered across the tiles below them. His eyes looked watery, he was hurt but trying to hide it.

"How could I be okay? Everyone knows I'm fucking gay and they won't even talk to me." Malfoy shouts loudly, even Harry flinches. It seems like he doesn't even care if anyone hears him now, not when everyone already knows his secret. It's devastating to see it firsthand.

"Don't say that." Harry feels terrible; his chest aches, and it's not even him who's been hurt; he feels horrible for Draco.

"It's true." Malfoy answers discouraged. Harry feels stupid. He wanted to talk to Malfoy, but now he doesn't even know what to say.

"I just wanted to check on you. I haven't seen you... I don't know how you feel, and I don't think I can understand you, but I'm here if you want to talk about it... and I wanted you to know that I swear I didn't tell anyone. Not even my friends." Harry says as he is monitoring his face.

Malfoy doesn't say anything for a few moments. Harry just tries to be nice, to be with him, to let him know he still has his support. "I know." He says quietly and Harry looks at him with both brows raised.

"So, who did it?" He asks, trying to maintain his composure, because now the unexpected urge to hex whoever did it has surfaced.

"Daphne. She read my diary and told everyone. I know she was just mad because I broke up with her sister." He says with a downturned head, running his hand through his platinum hair, ruffling his perfect hairstyle.

"So, she's the mean one." He says, and to his surprise, Malfoy just beams lopsidedly.

"I knew I couldn't tell anyone, because that would happen." Malfoy sighs, sounding more serious and self-conscious. Harry understands that maybe it's harder for him to be as open as he had been with him before. Now he has to watch his back more. And that sucks, just thinking about it makes his blood boil.

"But you told me." He says without thinking and Malfoy looks at him again without wandering. He has a soft smile on his lips that makes his body tremble.

"You know why." He murmurs a tone more deep, and Harry's skin crawls. He doesn't even know what's happening to him, this feels so...real?

"I know you'll be okay. You're Draco Malfoy, the best insulter I know. Besides, people are so stupid they'll soon get bored of it." He says more honestly and congratulates himself on having found some words to encourage him. He doesn't know what else to do. He can see Malfoy getting more shy and honestly Harry feels the same, since he's not used to this.

"How are you so sure?" He can see Malfoy starting to play with his rings.

"They always do. If I've learned anything, it's that people are so boring they make things up." Harry has been through this so many times that he hoped he'd gotten used to it, but every day he's more surprised by people's attitude. He won't tell Malfoy that, though.

"But you know it's true. It's not just a rumor." He knows, but he really doesn't want to lose hope that people would be so brazen as to treat someone like that just because they like boys.

"But they don't. It's just a rumor as far as I'm concerned." Harry doesn't really know what was written in that diary and doesn't want to ask, but if it was just Daphne, then they will just have to take her word for it, which wasn't very trustworthy.

"I know, but they still hate me for being gay. I know I'm not the most liked person in school, but this time it's not because of anything bad. Now they're looking at me like I'm weird, like I'm going to infect them with something. It's not even my fault, I didn't ask for this!" Harry watches in astonishment as he breaks down. Malfoy begins to sob softly, his hands covering his face. Fuck.

A couple seconds later, he comes back to his senses and rushes forward to hug him. He hugs him tightly and feels his weight increase. They both fall to the ground still holding each other, and Harry doesn't let go for anything, even with the wetness on his shoulder where Malfoy was covering his face.

He felt the heat radiating from him, felt the small tremors in his body, felt his skin curled against his. He didn't like seeing him like this, but he would do it. He would do everything he could to try to make sure he didn't feel that way again. He hugged him so tightly, hoping it would ease his pain. No one deserved that, not even Malfoy, as bad as used to be; he didn't even consider him as that way anymore. Harry might not have understand how he felt, but if he knew anything, it was the feeling of being different from everyone else.

Life is strange, because who would have told him that Malfoy would be one of the people he could trust, that he would tell him things close to his heart for no reason, and now Harry felt like he understood him more than anyone, that he could trust him.

"Do you want to know a secret?" He says suddenly. He feels Malfoy let go of him and reach out to wipe away the remaining tears.

"About what?" He says, his voice tinged with sobs.

"About me." Malfoy looks at him confused.

"Okay, why?" Harry hadn't expected that question; rather, he was expecting the Malfoy who was eager to know about his private life just to be a gossip like before when their first talk.

"Because I want to tell you." He shrugged.

"What is it?" He asks then and Harry takes a big breath to calm his anxiety a little.

"I... me too. I like boys. And girls, both." Harry continues to look at Malfoy, who blinks slowly, his eyelashes still wet with tears.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Harry thinks for a moment. He really wouldn't have trusted Malfoy yet; his attitude was new, and Harry didn't want to put himself at any further risk when he already felt vulnerable.

"As you've noticed, I'm not good at talking about myself. No one really knows, except my godfather." He explains and Malfoy still staring at him with wide, hazy eyes.

"What about your friends?" He asks, and Harry is really opening up here because they don't know. And he really wanted them to know, he just didn't know when he could say it. But here and now with Malfoy felt like the right time. He didn't want to hide that from him, not when he saw how much it affected him to also be like that.

"They don't know either. I don't know how to tell them." Harry clasps his hands together; this was too much for him. He can feel his body slowly calming down after confessing.

"But they're okay with it... aren't they?" Harry had thought about it a lot, but now he knows Hermione's fine, and Ron was a little uncomfortable, but not negative.

"I think so." Harry retorted softly.

"Thanks for telling me." Malfoy reaches up, takes one of Harry's hands, and squeezes it. "I won't tell anyone."

"I know." He can't hide the smirk in his voice. Draco doesn't reply, just smiles shyly.

"Can we be friends?" Harry blurts out suddenly because he's been thinking about it for a while.

"Yes, I'd like that." Malfoy smiles and leans closer to hug Harry. His nostrils fill with the scent that made him feel warm, now with a hint of cinnamon. He realized it was his hair that smelled of cinnamon. And it was delicious. When they pull away, Harry blinks a few times, recovering, and Malfoy smiles bigger than he's seen the last few times.

"You know? You're my first gay friend." Harry can't help but laugh and Malfoy keeps smiling with an open mouth with tip of tongue showing.

Harry's face flushed red. "Okay, you can call me your gay friend."

"You can call me Draco, though."He adds and Harry laughs again.

"Okay." Yes, this was right. He was doing the right thing. "Draco." He whispers.

•

He continued to see Malfoy more often now in a lot of places: in The Room of Requirement, the hallways (when no one was arround), in the Dining Room (they secretly great eachother from afar) and in some classes (after everyone leaved the room), and still thought it wasn't enough. It was kind of hard though, but they had the advantage of Harry's map and Draco's prefect night shifts.

He wanted to know him better, like find out what he does in his free time, his favorite ice cream flavor for the summer, what he rathers eat for breakfast, which Quidditch team he supports, why he liked green so much, what makes him laugh, his favorite store at Diagon Alley, who he talks to, what are his favorite sweets, who he also has told his secrets to...

He was becoming a little obsessive, but it was worth it because he wanted to help him, and the more he knew the more he could protect him. They were still bothering him about the rumor, and Harry thought it was something horrible. He was just trying to help him, his protective instinct might be stronger around his friends because they were his family, and he wanted them to be safe. That's it.

After the talk with Malfoy, he'd been thinking about how he could help him. There really weren't many options, so he tried to consider the least crazy option he could and one that didn't involve anyone knowing the truth because he didn't wanted to expose Draco any further.

So he decided to do it. He couldn't tell anyone and that made him a feel more anxious, but if it turned out well, then it was...something.

On Friday afternoon, he begins with his plan. It was a three-day plan, and he hoped nothing crazy would happen, all things considered...

That same afternoon, with the help of his map, he went in search of Luna. She would be a good help, and he didn't think anything negative could come of it, even though he'd only known her for a few months. She wasn't like the other girls, this time in a good way.

He found her at the library before dinner. There were some groups of people at the tables around her and that was even better for this occasion.

He walked over quickly, before retracting from doing all of it. "Hi Luna." He salute her kindly.

"Harry, hey!" She says, only glancing up for a moment. She's reading a large book with a huge bird on the cover.

"Can I sit down for a moment?" He asks her trying not to look around and get more nervous.

"Sure, there's no one else sitting there." Luna says pleasantly, still not turning to look at him, and... she really is unique.

"Thanks. So I wanted to ask you something." Harry releases a breath that felt like it was constricting his lungs.

"Okay, what's up?" She finally put her book down to look at him, and Harry figured it was better when she wasn't looking at him.

He cleared his throat louder to prepare himself. "Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow? Like on a date." This time he tried to speak just a little louder, he knew he'd get scolded, but they had to listen.

"Well, I'd love to, but I don't know. I have this project about my dreams to finish." Luna said, sounding not impressed, as if it were just an everyday conversation and Harry didn't just ask her out.

"Please, Luna, come on a date with me. It'll be fun, and I'll help you with your homework afterward." Harry whispers that last part. He feels his face warmer, but it was all part of the plan, he had to hold it in.

Luna thought for a few seconds. Harry looked around in his peripheral vision, and a few people were staring at them. Just as he was about to say something else, Luna finally spoke. "Okay I guess. Thanks for the invitation." Harry's lungs deflated with relief.

"So I'll see you tomorrow at midday, okay?" He asks just to be sure.

"Sure." She replies with a cute smile.

"Bye." Harry says, and doesn't wait for her answer. Instead, he runs out of the library. He knows there are loats of students watching him leave.

The hardest part is over. As soon as people started talking, he'll know he's done his job.

On Sunday, Harry was late coming downstairs to breakfast, he really didn't wanted to deal with all the commotion his little date the day before had probably caused. Even his friends thought he was crazy because he liked Luna, they judged him just a little bit, so now he pretends to be miffed with them so he doesn't have to talk about everything that happened. But he was hungry and loved Sunday breakfast, so he just had to suck it up.

He left through the portrait, heading for the nearest staircase, but before he could take the first step, someone pulled him aside.

"Why did you do it?" Draco asked, looking a little pissed, maybe. But also he looked like he hadn't slept well the night before, his eyes were red and his hair was disheveled.

"What?" Harry said, confused.

"Everyone's saying you're seeing Lovegood." He didn't wanted this to happen but Harry guessed Slytherins were smart too.

"Yeah, so?" He tried to sound nonchalant and confused, not sure if he managed because it was hard to improvise so early.

"No one remembers me anymore, your news are more important." Draco comments with a concerned tone.

"I guess people like to opine on someone else's business." Harry says simply and Draco rolls his eyes. Yes, he knows. Fuck.

"You did that on purpose?" He asks, and Harry knows he has to try not to screw up because, honestly, it would be embarrassing for him. Right?

"What?" He asks again being seriously confused.

"You made up that rumor because you knew they'd stop talking about me." So Draco really knows. Harry was really hoping he could get away with it, but it was difficult with Draco.

"It's not a rumor, I actually invited her." He says, because it's true. He and Luna went for Butterbeer, and then he bought her all the sweets she wanted because he felt bad about having tricked her. Then they went to the bookstore, and on the way back, he couldn't hold it in any longer. He told her he'd rather be her friend. She didn't know it was a date until Harry confessed, and then Harry felt stupid. But it was better that way. Luna really was clueless but that's what he liked most about her. At least now.

"Are you really dating the looney girl?" Draco asks, somewhat flustered.

"So what if I did? Are you gonna call me looney too?" Harry knew everyone made those kinds of comments about Luna, even Ginny, but now that she had indirectly helped him because of his plan, he felt even more bad hearing those comments firsthand.

"No, but I don't know. I don't think you're the kind of person who draws attention in the library for that kind of thing." Harry must have been very obvious if everyone was talking very specifically about that part. He wonders now how are they telling the story, what kind of stuff they're making up.

"Well, I guess I am." He says, feigning annoyance.

"So why didn't you told me?" Draco hesitantly asks in a small voice. And Harry was fucked because if it was real, that he liked her, he would have told him anytime. So he says nothing and Draco keeps looking at him like that, like he's hurt.

"Harry, does it have anything to do with me? Tell me the truth." Draco places a hand on his shoulder, causing him to scan his gaze over his arm until it reaches his eyes, and Draco is already looking at him intensely. As if he could see the truth in his eyes, Harry really feels very exposed like this. He can't even answer his question, and that was a huge clue to the truth. It's the end.

"Why did you do it?" Malfoy asks, looking as if he's about to cry, or maybe it's just his imagination, seeing his red eyes staring at him as if they could see right through him.

"Because you don't deserve what they did to you. No one does." Harry blurts out, he'd thought about it a lot but had never said it out loud.

But suddenly Draco pulls him into a tight hug. "Thank you." He whispers into his shoulder, causing Harry to react by hugging him back.

The pleasant smells reached him again, now he perceived a scent similar to apple and cinnamon, and he really hated it when they separated because the scent vanished.

"You really are mad." Draco told him in an incredulous tone.

"A little, Luna is actually nice, it wasn't crazy like how everyone is probably talking about it in breakfast right now." Harry barely realized that he had probably missed breakfast.

"They are saying you're into Ravenclaw girls." Harry rolls his eyes, of course they'll say that. "I don't really know her, but I believe you." Draco looked a little shy about commenting, as if he wasn't sure he could say that kind of thing. "Do you fancy her?" He asked immediately and Harry was caught off guard by the question.

"I don't, she's a good friend, but I don't think I like her...in that way." Harry sensed a nervous energy around him, though he didn't know if it was just him.

"Oh, all right." Draco replies, more calmly, but his cheeks look a little pink.

"What about you? Do you like anyone?" He doesn't hold back from asking because he's really been wondering if Draco has a crush on some boy, or if he has a type, or what his ideal guy is like. Maybe he can get an idea of who he might like. Although, Harry has no idea about that kind of things, not even about girls. Why is it so hard to date someone?

"No, not really." His cheeks look even pinker, which makes Harry smile. He made Draco nervous.

"It's okay, we're still young. You'll find someone." He comments feeling somehow relieved, trying to show support, and he spends a few more moments looking at him because he's never thought about it before, but looking at him now... Draco is a cute boy. He is not bad, like maybe it could be his type, just maybe.

"I hope so, and you too." He says more shyly, and Harry beams. Yes, he looks pretty good.

•

"I'm sorry she found your secret group," Malfoy said, cautiously. They were both lying next to each other on a rug they'd found in an old hall, which looked more like an office. Draco had found the room on one of his patrols as a prefect. He'd told him no one ever went near it, and the hall wasn't that bad; it had a few armchairs, some tea tables, and a fireplace.

"It was bound to happen, I guess. She's so fucking annoying, even more now." Harry said, pissed off at the memory of everything that she make it happened. It didn't even bother him that much that they'd be found and that he got punished. But he screwed up, because Dumbledore was accused because of him, and now the disgusting toad was in charge of the headmistress. If it was bad before, now it was appalling.

"It is. Your hand looks worse every time. I don't know how they let her be the headmistress. What about Dumbledore? I've heard they're looking for him." Draco commented, turning to look at him, but Harry kept staring up at the ceiling covered in strange figures made of old wood.

"It's because she's from the Ministry and very closed to Fudge. They've been doing stupid stuff out of fear, so now they do what they want. They even tried to arrest Dumbledore." He confesses to Draco. At first, he didn't know whether to tell him about what happened in April, when they had been betrayed at D.A., because he was still feeling guilt knowing it was his fault Dumbledore left his possition, but he wanted to tell him, and many had found out anyway, except for what really happened with Dumbledore. 

"What the fuck?" he exclaims, suddenly sitting down, and Harry copies him. 

"Yeah, he took the blame when it was really me. I still feel terrible about that. When we needed him here most, and I screwed up." Harry decides to look at the floor to avoid his gaze, feeling ashamed.

"Hey," He touches his shoulder to call his attention. "I'm sure Dumbledore protected you for a reason. It was the logical thing to do," Draco tells him, and it was the last thing he'd think he'd say, but he was also a Slytherin, and they had very different ways of thinking, he realized. He turned to look at him, and his eyes looked warm even though they were such a cold color.

"Yeah, I guess, but it's still our fault," he says with a grimace.

Draco thinks for a few seconds and says, "The Ministry has done everything they could to discredit him. They were going to bring him down on purpose someday."

"Yeah, maybe." Harry tries to smile but fails. Everything was going wrong without Dumbledore presence. He felt sick every day. His friends didn't understand. He couldn't trust himself. He felt like he was a danger to others. Dumbledore wasn't there to help him anymore, and it was too dangerous to see Sirius. Everything was a calamity, and he felt overwhelmed.

"Come here." He hears Draco say and feels his arms wrap around him in a soft hug. He'd never imagined someone like Malfoy giving such nice hugs; it was truly...comforting. Plus, he smelled amazing. He'd never met someone who smelled so good.

"Have I told you before that I love the way you smell? You're like an apple pie," Harry comments, trying to be as nice as possible without making it weird, because it was a little weird to say something like that. Unless you were saying it to someone very close to you.

"Uh, I don't think so, but thanks." Draco slowly backs away from the hug. "Mum gifts me perfumes like that, and I usually didn't like them, but now I wear them." Draco's voice lowers; Harry knows it's hard for him to remember that his parents aren't talking to him anymore.

"They suit you. I've never smelled perfume like that before," Harry says softly and sees Draco smile shyly.

"I guess it's worth a few Galleons more." Harry laughs at the comment. They stare at each other for a few seconds, and Harry can't stop the urge to lean in close again.

"Stop sniffing at me. You're being weird," Draco says, laughing because Harry kissed him on the top of his head.

"Sorry, it's addictive," he says, pulling back. Since when was Draco so irresistible to him?

"You're weird," Draco says indignantly.

"But you love me like that," Harry replies playfully.

Draco pouts trying to disguise his smile. Harry takes the opportunity to put an arm around him again and kiss him on the cheek, this time. He tries to leave as much drool as possible on his cheek.

"Yuck! You left your saliva on me." Draco wipes his face with his hand, looking disgusted, which makes Harry laugh.

"But you love me," he says playfully.

"I wouldn't go as far as that." Malfoy rolls his eyes, but a smile plays on his lips.

"You're privileged to have a kiss from me," Harry continues, trying to anger him. It wasn't really just fun watching him fight back.

"You wish I'd kiss you," Draco says still wiping his cheek.

"Oh, do I?" he asks, playing along.

"Yeah, I mean look at me. Plus, I'm a Slytherin, we have a certain reputation," he says proudly, but Harry is now intrigued. He didn't know what he was talking about or if he was just messing with him."What kind of reputation?"

"We snog a lot," he says confidently, and Harry feels himself blush a little, because himself had no experience whatsoever, only Cho. He hadn't even kissed a boy. He wondered if Malfoy had already.

"Bloody hell! How many people have you kissed that I don't know?" Harry asks blown away for the confession. Honestly, now that he thought about it, he didn't know much about the other houses, just the basics. Surely there are many legends or superstitions that each one has.

"I don't really know. Maybe like twelve of fouteen, but that was last year with all the girls from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang." Draco said with serenity while Harry was still procesing all the information.

"What? You've kissed them all?" Harry exclaims.

"Don't be ridiculous. Not all of them. Like you've kissed some people, haven't you?"

"Er, well no." Harry felt his cheeks getting hot.

"Really? How many have you kissed?" Draco asks with an expression like he is really confused.

"Like only one?" He only have kissed Cho, he didn't knew he had to kiss more people before or whatever Draco was doing.

"Well, now you know why we are Slytherins." Draco chuckles.

"That is, yeah I guess." Harry feels really weird in his chest. Like he is missing something else. "Have you recently?" he asks curiously. 

"Well, not lately," he says with a nervous laugh, and Harry realizes why.

"Oh yeah. They're all gits for not talking to you. I mean, look at you," Harry says because it's still awful that they don't treat him the same anymore. After Harry's false date, Draco's friends talked to him quite more, but there were still certain people from his house who gave him the silet treatment or wouldn't even dare to look at him.

"You're a wanker," Draco says, blushing slightly, and Harry loves seeing him like that. It was an unusual sight.

"Why?" Says Harry with fluttering eyelashes.

"For being my friend?" Draco replies in a whisper, as if unsure if they were actually friends. Harry sometimes felt a little surreal knowing Malfoy was his friend, too.

"Then I'm a wanker, but I'll still be your friend," Harry says, bumping Draco's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Wanker," Draco says, hitting him back.

•

Harry felt like shit. Everything was wrong, everything is a fucking mess. Everything is messed up, he was messed up. Dumbledore is fucking mad and it's a miracle he's not fully gone crazy yet.

His bloody life mission! His mission in life was killing or being killed, like what the fuck he did not wanted that, nothing of that stupid prophecy and still wasn't even that bad like having to remember the reality: his godfather was dead. Sirius. He was left alone. He felt his belly twisting in knots just for the thought of it.

And not only that, but after his conversation with Dumbledore, he felt increasingly estranged from everyone. He always knew something was fucking wrong with him, but no way in hell he expected this type of strange life, no one was like him, no soul in earth or in a million years, no one has to do what he has to, no one knew what it felt like, not even Dumbledore could help him change his destiny. It had been set in stone since he was born, and there was nothing he could do about it. And he can't even ask Sirius for advice or anything really...

After a long afternoon locked in his room sleeping, he went down to dinner because this time he wanted to. He wanted to pretend everything was okay and avoid awkward conversations. No one knew anything about what happened yet. It had only been a couple of days, but it felt longer. He just hoped he wouldn't get any special attention from Dumbledore because that was the least thing he needed right now.

He gets out of the portrait and there was Draco standing in front wall of the Gryffindor Tower entry. He hadn't thought about him these past few days, it was a little painful knowing his father was there and that actually tried to kill him. Harry knew he didn't talk to his parents anymore after they found out about him being gay, but they were still his family and he didn't wanted to think about it because he was already fond of him. He never would have imagined it, but he really liked spending time together and talking and everything they did alone.

"Harry, can we talk?" His voice sounded very serious, making him immediately worried. Draco looked paler, there were dark spots under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for a few days.

Harry just nodded, not knowing what to say. He didn't really want to talk to him, but he had a feeling he needed to talk and knowing that, it was best to get this over with. Everyone was already having dinner; he could get food later anyway.

"There's no one inside, do you want to come in?" He asks, because he really doesn't know where to go without being overheard.

"I don't know." Draco says, looking uncertain, as if he were afraid...or just to be seen there, but Harry had an idea.

"Wait here a second." He went back inside and ran to his room; no one was there. Then he quickly went downstairs in his father's silver cloak. When he came back out through the portrait, he put it on, leaving his head free, and Draco stared at him, astonished.

"Wow, an Invisibility Cloak? Where did you get it?" He said, half surprised and half excited. Harry felt very proud, but then he remembered his dad and godfather. Fuck.

"It was my dad's. Are you coming or what?" He said, putting the cloak over him, and they walked through the door together. Harry led them to his room and closed the door behind them.

"So,...how are you?" It must have been the transparency of his mood or his face, or something, because Draco noticed. And also he felt like he knew something.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Why do you ask?" He didn't wanted to talk about Sirius or his eyes will start burning. Part of him was glad Draco didn't know about him, but another part knew he would have liked to meet him. They were family, after all, and now Malfoy was on his side. Or so he hoped, because otherwise...

"I'm sorry it's just that...You know, my parents won't speak to me, but my mother sent me this letter saying that father was arrested at the Ministry. And I haven't seen you around and I was worried, does this have something to do with you? Did he do something to...did he hurt you?" Draco looked really stressed and worried and now Harry feels bad. He didn't even though that he was looking for him the past hours.

He feels his heart beating very fast, he didn't want to think about it again. It was painful and didn't wanted to recall everything from that night. But Draco asked him if he was okay, he was worried, he deserves to know.

"Well, at least he didn't kill me." Harry responded slowly and Draco's eyes got bigger and bigger for the confession.

He would have liked to lie, but it was pointless. He would soon know the truth, and Harry was a terrible liar to him.

"Fuck. I didn't knew. I just had a feeling like... I don't know. Oh Salazar. I'm so sorry." Draco looks so sad, almost crying. And Harry's heart just sinks.

"I know. It's not your fault." He replied, unsuccessfully attempting a smile.

"I'm so sorry. I don't even recognize him anymore. Ever since You-Know-Who came back, he's been so paranoid. Like he's been possessed. I'm not defending him or anything, but I really feel like shit. I fucking hate being his son." He says in a frantic voice. Harry can see him breathing heavily, but doesn't know what to do, what the right thing to do would be.

"Voldemort's mad at him. It makes sense he'd be worried." Draco flinches more at the mention of the name but doesn't say anything. Harry thinks it was a bad idea to say it, because Draco looked more sick.

"So things are really going bad." He says, his voice lower and shakier.

"Yes." Harry says with a sigh. "He was there too and now everyone's going to find out I wasn't lying." He can see Draco's surprise, but now he looks even more terrified.

"I'm glad you're here." He says with tears in his eyes. Harry just watches.

He nods. He doesn't know what it means, but maybe Draco really is on his side.

"You know I'm on your side?" Harry just thought about it, and now his comment makes his chest feel warmer.

"Yes, thank you." They both look into each other's eyes, a small smile on their faces, even though they're both miserable.

Harry sits down on his bed and Draco sits down next to him. He doesn't know what to think now; he has though about a lot of things from a new perspective and he knows that he doesn't have time to think or worry about someone like Draco when there are more important things to do, but the thought of him makes him a little...happier?

It was strange because he hadn't thought of Malfoy as a friend until they became closer that day when he came out to him and although, at this point they were really close. It still didn't felt right, it was a different feeling calling him friend. Plus, no one knew they were talking, and it wasn't like he could just go and introduce everyone to his friend now.

He feels himself a little nervous being beside him on his bed, maybe they were too close and also his bed was small and unmade, he even felt just a little embarrassed about it. Draco looked around as if absorbing every detail, which wasn't surprising because he'd never been there before. He notices his gaze fell on his messy suitcase, which he'd opened to pack a few things that he didn't wanted to see for now.

"Is that my scarf?" Harry turned to see where Draco was pointing and saw a piece of green yarn sticking out. Just the thought of remembering why he still had it made his cheeks heat up.

"Yeah, I didn't knew how to give it to you without anyone noticing." He scratches his head, he felt more nervous now so he stood up to avoid him noticing and grabbed the scarf by the sticking out end to pull it out of its hiding place.

"I've been looking everywhere for it." Draco said enthusiastically, and Harry felt even more embarrassed.

"Here it is." Harry didn't want to let it go, so he walked over to where Draco was sitting on his bed and placed it around his neck, stroking the soft fabric with his fingers. Still holding it, even though it was around his neck, he looked up at Draco, staring at him with bright eyes, mouth open, and rosy cheeks. He looked really cute like that and because of the small distance between the two, he could smell his perfume and despite the fact he seemed like he had just woke up, he still smelled so good and Harry was actually a little out of it.

They were still looking at each other in a deeply way, so then, without thinking too much, he closes the distance and kisses him. 

Their lips meet gently for a couple of seconds. No one moved and Harry suddenly realized what he just done.

He pulled back, feeling ashamed of kissing him just like that, without even asking him. He didn't even know he felt this way about Malfoy. Just because he was gay too it didn't mean that he had to like him. He just had a strong impulse and didn't stop it. Oh Fuck!, shit. "Oh sorry, sorry, I don't know what was I..." But before he could even begin to apologize, Draco kisses him back.

Seconds later, Harry found himself between Draco's legs, his errand hands running through his pretty platinum hair while Draco wrapped his arm around his waist to press them together. They were really, properly snogging, their lips weren't that wet like when he kissed Cho but it still felt nice and both of them were making enthusiastic moves to go deeper, Draco made some bloody hot noices and sometimes even in a tender way. Harry hadn't thought of him in that way but, Draco was actually sweet.

When they finally broke apart, Harry found himself smiling. His heart was racing, but in a good way. Seeing Draco, freshly kissed, his lips pink and swollen brought back many feelings he didn't know he could feel. They both stared at each other, and Harry just wanted to kiss him longer, right now, but he stopped when he saw Draco moved his mouth.

"I have to tell you something." He whispered really close because Harry ended up sitting on his lap.

"Okay?" Harry said, a little anxious.

"I like you." But that bad feeling vanished and instead his mind clouded slightly, his chest felt strange, as if his breath had been cut off.

"Really?" He asked, positively surprised.

"Yes." He answers timidly, and Harry wants to kiss him very badly. Yes, that's probably a very clear sign. Why hadn't he thought about it before?

"I think I like you too." The admission easily falls off his lips. He hadn't been able to think about it because he just felt it. They both looked at each other shyly.

"What are we gonna do?" Draco chokes out, and by his look of wide, terrified eyes, makes Harry realize the raw reality.

"I don't know." Now he would rather go back just a few seconds to when they were still kissing and not think about it too much.

He has a lot to deal with now, especially about his future, the Order of Phoenix, the prophecy...But none of it felt as bad as what he was feeling now, because now, he could process the reality, about that he actually likes Draco, and maybe had liked him for a while but hadn't even realized it. And now that they could have something, it was actually very complicated.

"I know it's only been a short time, but I really care about you. I don't know how I didn't realize." He tells him sincerely, and Draco just looks at him with his bright grey eyes. He still looks flushed and Harry absolutely adores him.

"I... I didn't tell you before because I didn't want to ruin our friendship. You're like my only friend." Draco confesses and Harry is feeling his chest tighten with affection for him.

"We won't ruin it. I promise. But we have to be careful." Knowing that Voldemort has a connection to him, Malfoy's father is a Death Eater, no one knows Malfoy is his friend and that Harry will probably die in the war..., yeah, nothing looks good. But something deep inside is telling him he should try. The selfish part of him wants to experience this, at least once. It should be something nice for him. He deserved it, deserved to be happy, at least for a while. It was unfair to the others, but he still had time. He would try his best to move forward. He would try to survive.

"I know, if my parents find out this time they'll kill me." Well, that was another worry on the list.

"Things are more serious now. We have to keep a cool head and not expose ourselves." He said with a tone of fear, but not as much as he really felt. Now that he had something good, something else to lose, he was terrified. "Fucking hell. I'm already afraid of losing you." He said without thinking again and just watched as Draco looked at him tenderly. It's pretty fucking scary how much he means to Harry.

"You won't. We're together and I'm here, and I want you." Draco whispers against his lips, and honestly Harry wanted to cry, but didn't. He didn't even have any tears left.

"Promise you won't leave me?" Promise me you won't die? Like Sirius... 

"I promise." Draco replies, Harry pulled him closer to kiss him once more. Harry is terrified, but now, in this very moment, he feels more alive than ever and he wouldn't change that for anything.

Harry knew it was probably a mistake, that he might die sooner rather than later, but he wanted this; it was what he longed for and had always wanted. He pushed all those thoughts away because he wanted to enjoy Draco right now.

They kiss even more, lie down on his bed, and make out. Harry loves him so much; he can't even explain how much he wants to just stay with him in this forever, without worries, just live like normal teenagers.

For now, he'd settle for this moment.

•

The sun was getting brighter now, so it was nice to feel at least a little bit of comfort when going for a walk, although some days the freezing rain would be more in keeping with his mood. Given the weather, he could take advantage of the opportunity to go out into the gardens because he liked being alone, well, at least not with all the crowds of people who kept asking him questions about what happened at the Ministry. But right now, his favorite moments were spending time alone with his boyfriend.

While Ron and Hermione were still in the Hospital Wing, he did his best to spend time with Draco before finishing the term, which had been really difficult the last few days. It was a relief to know his friends had finally come out unscathed, because it was partly his fault for going out to fight for nothing. He still felt guilty about that.

He and Draco went to the gardens, away from the other sunbathing students. They had their first official date under the stars that evening in the Astronomy Room. With the help of Dobby and the other houseelves, who cooked some tasty food, he was able to arrange a nice table for two. That day was one of his favorites.

Which made him nostalgic when the last day of school arrived. They had said goodbye the night before. Harry wanted to cry because he was going to miss him so much. He didn't know what would happen at home with his parents knowing what they know, his father in prison, and Voldemort in his sights. It was terrifying.

They couldn't even speak through letters because it was too dangerous. He wouldn't even think about doing it, no matter how much he wanted to.

They spent the night cuddling, sharing a few intense kisses because it felt like the last time, even though he knew they would be back in a few months. Three months was a long time. Even living with Muggles, time passed so slowly and now knowing his boyfriend was far away for that long, was much more frustrating.

"I finally told my friends." Harry and Draco stood side by side, hugging each other as they watched the dancing fire in the room fireplace.

"Really?" Draco asks in a whisper, to which Harry just nods. "Wow, I'm so proud of you," his boyfriend tells him, immediately making him smile.

"Yeah, they're fine, although Ron was a little disappointed because he really wanted me to go out with Ginny. I think he misunderstood the term bisexual, but Hermione probably tortured him with it, so it's all good," Harry explained, remembering their conversation with a smile. It was really fun to watch Ron rant about how he didn't understand anything. They weren't even surprised or upset, which was nice, and Harry felt better after talking to them about it.

"Ginny? Really?" Draco asks. He sounds a little indignant. He didn't even realize Malfoy might be upset about Ginny. But now that he was, maybe he was planning to play along.

"Yeah, well, she's pretty, smart, and used to have a crush on me," he says simply, and Draco pulls away from him to look at his face.

"Oh, really? What else does that redhead have that I don't know?" He says, even more annoyed and very jealous. This was new. And quite hot on him.

"Don't be jealous," he replies, smiling, and Draco continues his angry facade.

"I'm not." He replies, obviously offended, and unfortunately for Draco, Harry starts laughing.

"Yes, you are. And let me tell you, it makes you look ten times more attractive." Harry leans in close to steal a chaste kiss.

"You're just trying to make me feel better," Draco replies against his lips.

"And it's working?" Harry kisses his lips once more deeply and pulls back to see his boyfriend's reaction.

"Maybe just a little," he says, feigning modesty, and Harry rolls his eyes.

"Then maybe this will help." Then Harry kisses Draco even deeper, taking his head in his hands to run his fingers through his beautiful hair. Draco also grabs his neck and presses their chests closer together. When they separated, they look into each other's eyes. The warm light from the fire covers part of their faces, Harry can see the dark pupils and the redness of his lips from having bitten him several times that day. He looked stunning, and Harry realized he liked this version of Draco better, messed up by kissing and groping him all over. He was a beautiful mess.

"Just a little more." Draco moaned into his ear, sending shivers down his spine. Harry took the initiative and leaned over him to lay them both down on the floor. He then climbed on top of him and began kissing him again with the same intensity. He moved down a little to his neck and up to his ear. It was spicy and sensual. He couldn't get enough of it; he wanted to have Draco like this every day, and he'd never complain again.

After finishing their kissing routine, they both lay back on the blanket Draco had conjured under them.

"I want you to have this." Draco passed Harry something small that felt slightly cold to the touch.

"Why are you giving me your ring?" It was one of the rings Draco always played with. He knew he had three: one had a snake on it, another had small green emeralds embedded in it, and the last was just a silver band with no decorations, just a pattern of lines. Draco had given him the last one.

"I want you to have something to remember me. You can give it back to me when we meet again." Draco takes the ring from Harry's palm and places it on his ring finger. "But it looks good on you."

"Thank you. I wish I had something that nice to give you too," Harry tells him because he hadn't really thought about it; he didn't have many things, none like Draco. He had plenty of nice things.

"You've already given me everything I could ever wanted," Draco tells him, and Harry kisses him again; he was starting to get a little emotional.

"I'm going to miss you so much," he says quietly, as if it were a secret. It was in some way.

"Me too. These months will be torture." Draco takes his hand and kisses the back of it, the gesture made him feel his cheeks heat up.

"But we'll see each other again at least, and that means the world to me," his voice is shaking so Draco hugs him.

"Yeah, for me too." At least he knows he just has to wait for him; it's not like everything will suddenly end. He has to stay strong and just wait a little longer.

•

With their suitcases packed, they ate their last feast and then headed toward the carriages that would take them to the train station.

The crowd was quieter than usual; you could tell the atmosphere was more charged, the weather was getting cloudier, which was odd for the summer. He supposed it had to do with everything that had happened, and was happening, what the reality means to the Wizarding Community.

Harry had been able to forget about it for a bit, talking with his boyfriend, enjoying his last quiet moments, but now seeing everyone in that mood made his stomach clench.

Everyone is aboard the train. Harry had a small plan, and he feels anxious because any meeting in plain sight is dangerous. The plan was to see Draco one last time, as close as he can, although if that doesn't work, he'll settle for seeing him from afar. He already misses him too much, and it's only been a few hours.

He follows his friends to find an empty compartment. They make their way through each cubicle and corridor, increasingly toward the back of the carriages, and Harry is disappointed every time Malfoy isn't in any of them.

Until they reach one of the last compartments, where he watches him sitting, staring out the window. He was alone. He wanted so much to stay there with him, but he also wondered if the girls that still talk to him were gonna do it. With his father in prison, it was difficult to be in charge again in the hierarchy of his classmates. They hadn't talked much about it because Draco didn't like to talk about it.

His friends continue searching, but he pretends to drop his suitcase, intentionally causing it to crash against the compartment door and make Draco turn around. And it works. As soon as he realized it was him, Draco opened the door, and Harry turned toward the corridor watching the surroundings, so no one could see them. Then he threw a balled-up piece of parchment for Draco to pick up.

He quickly picks it up and opens it, smiles, then pouts. Then he turns to look at Harry and gestures slowly for him to understand. "I'm gonna miss you too my precious boy." Harry smiles and blows him a kiss. He is too pretty for his own good.

Draco rubs his hand over his chest, still with a tender smile, and Harry looks at him one last time, reluctant to move, until he can actually defrost from his position and moves to where his friends are talking with Neville in the background.

It was going to be one of the longest summers of his life.