Drarry - The Boggart

SEVENTEEN

Harry stood outside the lake while the dark of night swallowed him whole. The bright stars encompassed him, even as he looked at them through the partially blurred view from their reflection in the lake. The dark grass was cold and the still air had him wishing that Draco was standing as close to him as humanly possible so that he'd feel warm inside like he always did when the boy was around. 

But as of now, the Slytherin was no where to be seen. 

"He's just running a little bit late." Harry whispered under his breath. Even he didn't believe himself. What if he wasn't ok? What if something had happened? What if this whole time he was just being played? 

Was this how Harry would be constantly? Did liking someone come with a warranty that you'd feel worried and anxious and wonderful all at the same time all the time? He sure hoped not. 

But if feeling like that was what guaranteed him to feel the flutter - no, the tsunami - rise in his chest when Draco finally stepped out from the bushes plucking a twig from his hair, if it was what made him feel more excited and thrilled than he'd ever been while playing quidditch, or first going to Hogwarts, or winning the battle against Voldemort, then it was all so wholly and completely worth it. Because Draco looked perfect tonight and Harry couldn't imagine not noticing the way his lips curved or his cheeks sunk in or his hair shone. Ok, maybe the hair part could be given thanks to the gel, which Harry did not so much appreciate, but it still shone and it was beautiful on Draco.

If someone had told Harry in first year, just after he'd met Draco and started despising him, that he'd be having these thoughts, he'd be more confused than he was now. Which is saying a lot. 

Right now, as Draco walked towards him with a little boys smile on his face and his robes lazily strung over him as if he had just thrown them on, Harry wasn't confused at all. But in general, yeah, Harry was pretty confused. Right now, watching Draco get closer where he sat at the edge of the lake, it was easy to say that he liked him. 

looking back, Harry had known he'd liked boys since around fourth year, the Yule Ball. So many dress robes. But he'd also liked girls. Again, so many dress robes. That stuff didn't confused him. He had that all figured out right now. It was the  fact that it was Draco Malfoy that made him feel this way that was confusing. More confusing and complex than anything he'd ever experienced in his life.

"Hi." Draco offered, which Harry instantly found cute. Hi might just be his new favorite word. But he got the feeling that every word that would fall from Draco's mouth would instantly become his favorite word. It'd be hard to keep up with.

The blonde dipped down and sat next to Harry, rolling up his trousers before dropping his feet into the dark lustrous water. Harry felt the heat from his body over the cold whether from how close he was sitting, and his first instinct was to melt into the Slytherin. He wanted to rest his head on his shoulder and hold his arms around his waist or rest his head on the boys chest and feel his heart beat, and there were a million other things he wanted to do (A/N: 😉), but instead he just sat there and tried to remind himself how to breath at a regular volume. 

"hi." Harry responded with the most clever thing on his mind - which had turned to mush by now - at the moment. Draco chuckled at the uncooperative reply. 

"This water is so cold, how long have you been sitting here?" Draco asked, gingerly stirring his toe around in the water, distorting the vision of the stars in the clear, cloudless sky. 

"Not long" He lied. He'd gotten there early, just because he could and because he felt like it. Not a moment of silence passed before Harry suddenly made a request that'd been on his mind recently.