Blaise got up in the morning and noticed Harry's empty bed. He didn't think much of it until he went to see if Draco was awake too.
Blaise pulled the curtain back and found that Draco was not alone. He was fast asleep, nestled with Harry under the covers. Blaise's jaw dropped.
A quiet, dark hoot came from the headboard, and he saw a beautiful snowy owl perched dutifully. The owl's large yellow eyes seemed to glare directly into the depths of Blaise's soul. With an expression of mild panic and fear, Blaise retreated, pulling the curtains closed behind him. "Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to bother you." Blaise whispered to the owl.
~~~
They both woke together, with their first waking thought in slight confusion before they recalled the night.
"Hey." Harry said softly, his cheeks tinted pink.
Draco awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Um, er- are you okay?" Harry asked.
"I'm fine." Draco said, quietly.
Neither were quite sure what to do. Part of Harry wanted to bolt, to get away from how awkward it was. The other part of Harry really didn't want to leave. Draco wanted to leave to keep some dignity, but he also didn't want to abandon the comfort of Harry's embrace.
Harry sighed, and cast a Tempus. "We're about to miss breakfast."
Draco groaned and got out of bed, Harry following his lead. They rushed to get ready for the day.
"Are we going to talk about that?" Harry asked.
"No." Draco said, blushing.
"Okay." Harry said. "Are we going to ignore it?"
"Isn't that part of not talking about it?" Draco replied.
"Right." Harry said.
Hedwig hooted.
"Hey Draco?" Harry asked.
"What?"
"When did Hedwig get here?"
"A house elf brought her last night, while you were asleep." Draco said.
"Oh. Do you know who it was?"
"Dobby." Draco said. "I recognized him. He used to work for my family."
"Dobby." Harry said, standing still.
"Harry?" Draco frowned.
Harry blinked, and shook his head. "Right. Of course he's still alive."
"He died, then?" Draco asked.
"Yeah. In my arms." Harry said, his voice oddly hollow. "I buried him."
"Oh." Draco said. "I'm sorry?"
Harry gave a nod, and whistled for Hedwig to come to his shoulder.
~~~
"Hey Harry!" Hermione greeted cheerily. "You're up late."
"I slept in..." Harry said. Technically it wasn't a lie.
"You're not the only one." Hermione said, looking at Ron out of the corner of her eye.
"Hey!" Ron complained.
"Anyway, I was wondering if you thought about-" Hermione began.
"Teaching Defence?" Harry asked.
"Yes. Have you?"
"I have." Harry said.
"What do you think?" Ron asked. "Are you gonna do it?"
"Yeah, I think I will." Harry said.
Ron and Hermione grinned.
~~~
"You two are getting along nicely." Blaise said to Draco.
Draco's head snapped to the side to look at Blaise. "Excuse me?"
"You two are as cuddly as kittens." Blaise said.
"We are not-" Draco began.
"-I saw you this morning-"
"-That wasn't-"
"-Oh, but it looked like-"
"-You looked wrong-"
"-Nah, I don't think so-"
"Blaise shut up." Draco hissed.
Blaise snorted, and clamped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing.
"Would you cut it out?" Draco asked.
"Dude, just make your move. Like for real." Blaise said. "He's into you."
"No, he's not-"
"If he wasn't into you, then why would he choose to spend time with you rather than with his Gryffindor friends of five years?" Blaise said. "And you know, I don't think Harry's the type of guy to set his head on just anyone's lap. And fall asleep there. Or in their bed."
Draco tried to hide a growing tint to his cheeks.
~~~
"Harry." Draco said as they walked down a corridor.
"Yeah?"
"Do you have any plans for this weekend?" Draco asked.
"Uh, I do, actually. Meeting up with some friends in Hogsmeade." Harry said.
"Ah. I assume your friends won't like me very much." Draco said.
"No, probably not." Harry said.
"What are the lot of you going to be getting up to?"
"Well, I've got to give a speech or something and get them to-" Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um."
"What was that?" Draco asked.
"I forgot you didn't know about it yet." Harry said.
"Forgot about what?"
"Well, erm... I can't tell you yet." Harry said.
"Why not?" Draco asked.
"I don't know which side you're going to pick." Harry said.
"Oh."
"Sorry." Harry said softly.
Draco swallowed. "What if I choose the Death Eaters? What would you do?"
Harry sighed. "I don't know." He said softly. "I'd rather not think about it."
"So my options are to join the Death Eaters or your Order? Why can't I choose neither?" Draco asked, a brow raised.
"You're too close to the conflict to be neutral. Just like I am." Harry said.
"I think we're a bit different."
"Not as much as someone might think." Harry said.
~~~
For a moment Harry forgot, and nearly called out a greeting to Aberforth. Then he sighed. Harry didn't say anything until Hermione was ordering butterbeers for the three of them. Harry crossed the room and sat for a moment beside the veiled witch.
"Mundungus, is that you?" Harry asked.
"What?" Mundungus startled. "How'd you know it was me?"
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. "I thought you were banned."
"Well, I-"
"Tell Sirius I caught you. Before Aberforth does." Harry advised, heading back over to his friends. Mundungus shuffled right out the door.
"What was that?" Ron asked.
"Just had to make sure it wasn't Umbridge." Harry shrugged.
"Was it?"
"No." Harry said, and handed over the sickles for the butterbeers.
The familiar faces of the DA began to arrive and filter in.
"Hi Harry." Neville greeted and sat opposite of Harry.
"Glad to see you, Neville." Harry returned.
Harry waited until everyone was settled before taking a deep breath and deciding how to go about this. "I think you're all here because Hermione had the idea that we learn for ourselves what we aren't being taught. That we learn how to defend ourselves. Not just theory, but in practice."
"But you want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL too, though?" Michael asked, looking between Harry and Hermione.
"Of course I do." Hermione said. "But more than that I want to be properly trained in defence- because- because- Voldemort is back."
The reaction was immediate. Harry very nearly rolled his eyes and heaved a great sigh. He hadn't missed this part. Marietta shrieked and sloshed butterbeer over herself; Terry gave an involuntary twitch; Padma shuddered; Neville yelped oddly and managed to turn it into a cough. They all looked at Harry fixedly.
"Well, that's the plan anyway." Hermione said. "If you want to join us, we'll need to decide how we're going to-"
"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" Zacharias asked, aggressively.
Hermione began to speak, and Ron bristled next to Harry. He set a hand on each of their shoulders. They both went quiet and looked at him. Harry turned to Zacharias, and the others.
"You want to know what makes me say Voldemort is back. If you don't believe Dumbledore, I could show you a memory in a pensieve." Harry said calmly. "However I can't recommend watching someone die. I'm not going to waste an afternoon trying to convince anyone of something that they will refuse to believe. So whether you believe he's back or not, I'll be frank: I don't give a damn. What does matter to me is that you can defend yourselves, that you can defend those who matter to you."
It seemed as though the entire group had held their breath as Harry spoke. Harry had a feeling that even Aberforth was listening.
"You don't give a damn?" Zacharias asked, unimpressed.
"Whether you believe it or not, he's back. That's not going to change." Harry replied. "So I'd rather that you can defend yourself. If you're not interested in learning how to defend yourself, go ahead and clear out. The door's right there."
None of them left their seats, which didn't surprise Harry.
"So," Hermione began again. "Like I was trying to say, if you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet and where we're going to-"
"Is it true," Susan interrupted, "That you can produce a patronus?"
There was a slight murmur of interest from the group.
"Yeah." Harry said.
"A corporeal patronus?"
"A stag." Harry replied.
"Blimey, Harry!" Lee said, deeply impressed. "I never knew you could do that!"
"Mum told us not to spread it around." Fred said to Harry with a grin. "Said you got enough attention as it was."
"She's not wrong." Harry said. A couple people laughed.
"And did you kill a Basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" Terry asked. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year..."
"Er, yeah, I did." Harry said.
Justin whistled; the Creevey brothers exchanged awestruck looks and Lavender said 'wow' softly.
"And in our first year," Neville said to the group, "He saved that sorcerous stone-"
"Sorcerer's," Hermione said.
"-Yes, that- from You-Know-Who." Neville said.
Hannah's eyes were not the only ones that went round.
"And that's not to mention all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard tournament," Cho said. "Getting past dragons and merpeople and Acromantula and things..."
A murmur of impressed agreement sounded.
"Look," Harry said, and everyone fell silent. "There were things I did on my own, and there were things I had help with. Saving the stone- I couldn't have done that without Ron and Hermione. Killing the basilisk? I would've died from the poison if Fawkes hadn't saved me."
"We've turned up to learn from you and now you're telling us you can't do the stuff?" Zacharias asked.
"That's not what he said," Fred snarled.
"Would you like us to clean your ears out for you?" George enquired, drawing a long and lethal piece of metal equipment from a Zonko's bag.
"Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stick this." Fred added.
"Yes, well," Hermione said, trying to divert attention. "Moving on. Are we agreed to take lessons from Harry?"
There was a murmur of general agreement. Zacharias folded his arms and said nothing, though perhaps this was because he was too busy keeping an eye on the instrument in Fred's hand.
Harry's gaze drifted off to the side, and he zoned out for a bit.
"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said, "Is that she's got some... Some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilize us against the Ministry."
Harry only barely managed to stop Hermione from arguing with Luna. Hermione looked at Harry incredulously. "Leave it be." He told her gently.
From there, it was another nearly sickening case of Deja Vu. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the last to leave. As Ron began to complain about Michael Corner dating Ginny, Harry noticed a familiar figure leaning against a wall in a rather attractive manner.
Draco met Harry's gaze and began to walk towards him.
"-Hey, why's Malfoy coming here?" Ron changed topics abruptly.
"I think he wants to talk to me." Harry said.
"Why's he need to talk to you?" Ron frowned.
"Did you forget that we're roommates?" Harry asked him.
"Well of course you'd sleep in the same dorm-"
"Oh, Ron, the Slytherins have rooms. There's usually two to a room, but I'm sharing with Blaise and Draco." Harry said. "It's just the three of us in there."
"What?" Ron asked, absolutely affronted.
"Harry." Draco said in a formal tone, having gotten close enough for conversation. "Can I talk to you?"
"'Course." Harry said to him, and then turned to his friends. "I'll catch you later."
"Er, catch you later?" Ron replied, confused.
Draco and Harry walked off towards a more secluded area.
"You've got a serious face on." Harry said to him.
"I've always got a serious face."
"No, sometimes it's a smirk or a sneer." Harry said.
Draco sighed.
"So, what is important enough to thoroughly confuse Ron?" Harry said lightly.
Draco took a deep breath, and glanced around to make sure that they were alone as they walked through a wooded area of Hogsmeade. "I've made my decision."
Harry froze in his tracks. Draco had made his decision. Harry's heart dropped to his stomach. "You have?"
Draco nodded. "I have."
Harry's mouth felt dry. "And what did you decide? The Order or Voldemort?"
"Neither." Draco said.
"Draco, that's not an option- you can't just not pick a side-" Harry said.
"I have picked a side, is what I'm trying to tell you." Draco said firmly.
"What? But-"
"Your side." Draco said, looking Harry in the eye. "I choose your side."
"My side?" Harry asked quietly. "My side? Not the Order?"
"That's it." Draco said. "I pick you."
Harry frowned. "But I'm not- I'm not-" Harry was struggling. "I'm not an organization, I'm just one man, I can't protect you like the Order can-"
"I don't want you to protect me." Draco said. "I want to protect you."
"What?" Harry whispered, more confused than he'd ever been.
"Truly amazing that you have the advantage of foresight and yet are so oblivious." Draco said.
"Draco, this isn't funny, your life is on the line, stop joking or whatever this is-"
"I'd never joke about this." Draco said lowly, before gently setting a hand to the side of Harry's face and kissing him.
Draco pulled away too soon, and it took Harry a few rapid blinks to register what had happened. In those precious seconds, Draco had already begun to walk away. Harry grabbed his arm to stop him, and then released his hold on Draco's arm in favor of grabbing his collar.
The second kiss was much longer. When they pulled away for air, Harry set his forehead against Draco's shoulder.
"Okay." Harry said softly. "I think I can accept your decision."
"Well, I'm not changing my mind."
"I rather hope you don't."
A/N
So I just realized it was Thursday not long before now... Yay having like no concept of time.
Anyway: DRARRY!!! It's here!
There will be an update next week, but I am unsure for what comes after then. Thanks for reading!