your name on my wrist || drarry soulmates au

9 || confrontation tingz

Oh, shit, Draco, he thought. Watching the girls out of the corner of his eye, he leaned down, pretending to tie his shoe. Confident Draco could hear him, Harry whispered, "I'm going to leave in just a moment. Follow as close behind me as possible, and keep the invisibility cloak on."

Harry assumed Draco heard him, but he didn't want to stay under the table too long. He straightened up right as Hermione glanced back over at him. He tried to ignore her and took an inconspicuous sip of his butterbeer.

He watched as the girls moved to a table on the other side of the pub. Safely out of sight, Harry grabbed Hermione's beaded bag from where he had stashed it safely behind his back (it had been lent to him for something or other that summer, but he had forgotten to  return it). Harry rummaged through it before grabbing a tall metal water bottle. He made sure it was empty, whispered a cleaning charm, then grabbed Draco's butterbeer and poured the still-heated liquid into it. He muttered a warming charm before screwing the lid on tightly, placing it back in the bag, shrinking it, and stuffing it in his pocket.

He released a breath. It may have been a bit extra, but Draco hadn't had a chance to finish the staple drink of the wizarding world.

Harry carefully stood up, sure not to kick Draco (at least not too hard, it didn't hurt to have some fun). He grabbed a few coins out of his pocket and set them on the table. He didn't know how much it was, but certainly more than necessary, so he hoped Madam Rosmerta enjoyed the extra tip.

Harry casually walked through the restaurant, holding the door open a little wider and longer than necessary, but then walked towards the castle at a leisurely, casual pace. When they were safely out of sight of the village, Harry said, "Draco?"

There wasn't a response.

"Draco?" Harry said again, looking around and trying not to let the rising panic show in his voice. There was no need to be worried, after all.

A second longer, and Draco's head appeared a mere two feet away. He was grinning. "You really think I would have lost you, Potter?"

Harry let out a breath and said, "Fuck you, I had no way of knowing."

Draco slipped the rest of the cloak off him and held it in his hands admirably. "Since when did you have an invisibility cloak, Harry? This is the real deal, too, these are extremely rare!"

Harry smiled as Draco reluctantly handed it back. "It was my father's. Dumbledore gave it to me in first year, he was holding it for safekeeping, apparently," he said as they started walking.

"Wow," Draco said. They walked in silence for a moment, Harry folding the cloak, before Draco said, "Wait a second. Is that how you never got caught walking around the corridors at night? And don't even deny it, the amount of things you got up to, yet you were always in the correct places during the day. I always assumed you just had a knack for hiding from the teachers and prefects at night."

"Yes, I used this cloak, among... other things," Harry said. "It certainly came in handy. Once, though, I got stuck in the trick staircase and nearly got caught."

Draco laughed softly. Harry pulled out his bag, stuffing the cloak back in and pulling out the silver water bottle.

"Draco. This is for you," Harry said, offering it to Draco.

"A water bottle?" Draco said, wrinkling his nose in confusion. Harry thought it was quite adorable, but then he told his brain to shut up. "Harry, what would I need with a-"

"It's butterbeer, you prat. I know you didn't get to finish yours, so..."

Harry noticed Draco's cheeks tinge pink. He wasn't sure why, but Draco was also faintly smiling at the bottle in his hand. There was an odd expression on his face, as if no one had ever done something like that for him before.

"Thank you," Draco said softly. Harry just nodded. He had a funny feeling in his chest, and felt like he was floating, somewhat. He wasn't sure why, but something told him it may have had something to do with seeing Draco so... relaxed, and happy. Harry shook his head in confusion and refocused on the person walking beside him.

"Draco. Thanks for... today, it was nice, even if our... hangout was cut short," Harry said.

Draco smiled. "Yeah... yeah, you too. I'm glad you aren't ignoring me anymore."

Harry blushed and said, "Sorry about that."

"It's alright, I'm used to it," Draco said, face falling.

Harry waited for a moment before saying, "You shouldn't be." Draco looked at Harry in surprise, and he continued, "No one should feel worthless like that. Used to being ignored, looked down upon. I know that better than anyone."

Draco's face went from appreciative to confused, but before he could question anything, Harry started walking very quickly towards the castle.

The rest of the way back to the 8th year common room just contained lighthearted conversation, both people purposely avoiding the previous topic. Harry felt weirdly happy that Draco realized he didn't want to talk about it and respected his boundaries.

They went their separate ways - if studying in the same room could be considered separate - and didn't talk much more that day, but the silence was comfortable, for once.

Harry went to bed feeling happier than he had in months.

// ahhh i love them so much it's a problem though-

and i love you all so much too! I find it extremely hard to wrap my mind around the fact that people actually want to read my fanfiction and like it? like a bunch of people take time out of their day to read what I wrote? anyway, I'm insanely grateful for all your lovely comments and votes and even if you just read it, I still really appreciate it. thank you so much - it really makes my day whenever i get a notification when someone comments, hehe...

also, use this paragraph's comment to ask me anything about myself or my life or this fic or harry potter or anything, like a little q&a i guess? y'all said you liked the author's notes so maybe I could include some answers to your questions either in the author's notes or just reply to your comments, i haven't decided yet. but anyway. q&a here! lol.

anyway i really hope you enjoyed and if you did, votes and comments are always extremely appreciated! ily!! xx james //