Because I Deserve It - Drarry

Chapter 22

The next day, Harry decided he would ask Draco out on a date, to make it official. He didn't want to do it publicly - that would be asking for trouble - so he had to wait until no one else was around. Unfortunately, that did not happen as often as one might think for such a large castle. Every time Harry glanced over at the blond, he seemed to be with someone or another. Slytherins, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, even Gryffindors were always hanging around him, chattering about one thing or another. He supposed he could ask to talk to Draco alone, but he was already so nervous. It would be like seeking out a potential disaster.

He knew there was no reason to expect rejection. Draco was interested in him; there was no mistaking that. There was no justification for his anxiety - Draco had already expressed a willingness to be in a relationship with Harry. However, that didn't stop the butterflies in his stomach from going mad every time he thought about doing it.

As he left class, he spotted a familiar platinum blond head bobbing along the corridor ahead of him. His heart sped up, and he hurried forward, intending just to do it. He had nearly reached Draco when suddenly, a slight figure cut in front of him and began to talk to the boy.

The severely cut sleek black hair was all too familiar to him, and he muttered, "Dammit, Parkinson" under his breath. The girl had the most inconvenient timing. He walked behind them, not hiding per se, but not making himself known either. It wasn't eavesdropping if he wasn't hiding.

"Well? What are you moping about today?" She asked impatiently.

Draco shot her a look, but Harry couldn't see his expression from where he was standing.

"I'm not moping," he insisted. "I'm perfectly content today."

Even without looking at his face, Harry could tell that wasn't true. The inaccuracy of his falsehood shone out through his posture, the set of his shoulders, even the way his fingers twitched as he lied. To the untrained eye, his statement might appear to be correct, but Harry knew better. Just seeing Draco slouching enough to be a hairbreadths' away from perfect told him something wasn't right.

"Of course," replied Parkinson, unconvinced. "I have no doubts about the veracity of that."

"Good," he replied. "Because you shouldn't. There's absolutely nothing for you to doubt."

They walked in strained silence for a couple of seconds. Then, Parkinson said, "So what has Potter done this time?" Harry started at the use of his name and listened harder to see if he had done something to make Draco like this.

"Nothing," Draco said, and his fingers twitched imperceptibly. Harry narrowed his eyes. He hadn't even talked to Draco since the previous day, what could have gone wrong in such a small amount of time? Luckily, Parkinson pursued the matter for him: "You know you'll feel better if you tell me. I can assure you that you're simply overthinking the matter, whatever it is."

Draco shook his head irritatedly. "I already know that I'm being overly sensitive; I don't need you to tell me that." He sighed. "It's nothing. It's not something Potter did; it's more something he didn't do."

Parkinson gave him an exasperated look. "You have it bad, darling, truly. Just go find him, I'm sure he'll be as delighted to see you as you will be to see him." Draco sighed again.

Harry decided that it was a good time to interject. "He'll be even more delighted than you, I'd wager." Parkinson jumped and turned around, startled. Draco's reaction was less overt; he merely stiffened before facing Harry.

Parkinson scowled in annoyance, but Harry only had eyes for Draco. He watched as the boy straightened slightly, his eyes flashing with only the barest hints of the emotions he felt. Embarrassment was the most dominant, but there were underlying flickers of anger and fear. Eventually, though, happiness bled through and shone out with a fierceness that took his breath away, manifesting on the blond's face as a slow, hesitant smile that Harry gladly returned.