It was time for potions.
Draco felt butterflies settling in the pit of his stomach; and they were nothing like those he got whenever he was around Harry — He would rather not call it butterflies; moths seemed more appropriate.
The Gryffindor could tell the blonde was a little tense, he saw Snape glancing at their group during breakfast - and this wasn't one of those he always gave whenever he got an answer wrong in potions...
Even though their wrists were bound, Harry clasped their hands together in a reassuring squeeze.
"Since when are you a fan of PDA?" Draco chuckled, a ghost smile appearing on his lips.
"Says you" Harry responded with a smile of his own.
The rest of the walk was followed by a comfortable silence, Draco and Harry glancing at each other every so often.
"Mr Potter, - Malfoy" Snape addressed once they entered the classroom. "I have some good news. As requested by Dumbledore, your bound will be removed - permanently."
Of course Draco knew this wasn't the case; and suddenly the butte- moths returned.
"After class in my office" Snape said half-heartedly to the boys. "Don't be late."
Draco nodded and pulled Harry towards their seat, watching silently as everyone else began swarming through the door.
"To be fare it has technically been three months" Harry mumbled out of the blue.
"What are you talking about?" Draco flipped through the textbook pages while keeping his eyes on Harry.
"The bound. Snape said that we were going to have it for three months and, even with Dumbledore's request to end it, it's been almost three months" He explained. "Maybe a few days overdue even."
Draco smiled and nodded, thinking about were they started... To Harry it seemed like some weird fantasy; almost like one of Aunt Petunia's romance novels she kept under the staircase.
Of course Harry never understood the stories... What were the chances of two people, completely different in every aspect, coming together by some coincidence - and end up falling in love. It was completely unrealistic.
(A/N yeah... Completely unrealistic, HaRrY)
"-ry? Harry!?"
Harry flinched as he was pulled out of his trance and turned towards the voice.
"Could you please hand me that jar?" Draco asked with an amused smile.
"This one with the dried lizard tails?" Harry confirmed and handed him the jar when the blonde nodded.
"If we were still acting like we did three months ago I would've told you that you're an idiot who should pay more attention" Draco smirked.
"Arse" Harry rolled his eyes playfully and watched as the Slytherin plopped a few lizard tails in the cauldron.
"You never were great with comebacks" Draco laughed at the boy's poor attempt of a response.
"Oh yeah? Well you were never great at expressing your emotions" the Gryffindor returned the smirk.
"I told you I liked you, didn't I?" Draco pouted.
"Took you a couple of years."
The blonde rolled his eyes and started stirring the potion, the clear liquid slowly becoming a pale blue.
"So I've been thinking..." Harry trailed off with a nervous smile.
"Harry, we've been through this. Don't think ,— It's bad for you" Draco said, sarcasm laced in his playful tone.
"That explains a lot" Harry snorted. "But seriously. We haven't really been able to spend time together since you got back; and when we did it was either with our friends or trying to calm each other down because of something..."
Harry did have a point. Most of the time they were with the group, and when they did get to talk it was either ranting about other people or trying to rid each other of their insecurities caused by everyone else's thoughts. Not to mention that neither of them haven't been able to sleep well, and occasionally had spent sleepless nights trying to clear their mind about the things they didn't tell each other — or anyone else for that matter.
"Are you asking me on a date?" Draco teased and arched a brow at the boy.
"No" Harry scoffed. "I'm actually trying to tell you to ask me on a date."
"There is no logic behind that." The Slytherin grinned. "But, what type of boyfriend would I be if I didn't comply to your request?"
"Wait- since when are we dating?" Harry gasped, sarcasm laced in his tone.
"Haha" Draco returned the sarcasm. "Hilarious."
~ Meanwhile ~
Vivian sat quietly on the hard bed of the hospital wing, her long curls hiding her face as she lowered her head in shame.
She blamed herself for Opal and Quinton's situation — and she blamed her feelings for letting her get caught in the middle of it. She had known from the beginning that the Withers' weren't exactly on the light side when it came to picking sides. Yet she couldn't stand the idea of not helping them; but now she was in a completely different situation... She had to make a choice between saving them from the darkness ahead or saving herself from the heartache and pain that awaited for her.
"What happened to you?" Theodore chuckled as she took a seat across from her.
"Me? You should see the other guy" she smirked. The two of them were mutual friends — almost similar to something Harry and Luna had.
Note the "almost".
"Yeah. I saw Opal on my way in" he stated cautiously. "Want to talk about it?"
Vivian scoffed and straightened her posture, her hair falling behind her shoulders in the process.
"Bloody hell" Theodore muttered and stood up. "Did she crucio you in the face or something?" He asked while tilting her head a little to inspect the wound.
"Oh come on" she groaned. "It can't be that bad."
"Not that bad?" He barked. "If Quinton sees you like this he's going to loose his shit. What the hell did you do?"
The girl pulled away and slapped his hand away. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Vivian, if you being involved in this is going to result into... This. Then I don't think you should be helping" he stated. "And I think Quin would agree, Infact, you shouldn't even know about any of us or-"
"- Shut it, Theodore" she hissed. "I knew what I was getting myself into the moment Opal told me about it. I decided to help because I wanted to, not because I was forced."
"And do not bring Quin into this." She warned.
There was a long silence between them before Theodore finally sighed. "Look, Vivian, I get that you don't want anyone to get hurt; but you realize that you could be sent to Azkaban for helping Deatheaters..."
"And you don't think the same will happen to you?" Vivian challenged with a glare.
Theodore returned the glare, "We chose our side, Viv. It's time you chose yours."
***
Classes had finally ended for the day, and both boys were finally released from the bound. Of course, after wards Snape wanted to have a word with Draco in private while Harry waited outside — unfortunately, this time they'd placed a silencing charm on the door; so there was no eavesdropping from the Gryffindor this time...
"I'll see you tonight, okay?" Draco smiled as they neared the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world" he snickered. "Before dinner at the lake, right?"
"Mhm" Draco nodded before kissing Harry's forehead.
"Can't wait to get rid of me can you?" Harry chuckled.
"You have no idea"
"Arse"
"Prick"
"Says the one who fell in love with me in a span of two days" Harry smirked.
Draco blushed and looked down at the boy standing infront of the old painting. ' Am I in love with Harry? Would I even call it "love"? He shook the thoughts out of his head and replaced his blush with his signature smirk, "I think you're talking about yourself, Potter."
"Shut up" it was Harry's turn to blush. "It wasn't two days."
"Yeah, you're right" Draco nodded. "It was probably during the first day. Although I can't blame you, I am amazing" he teased.
"Please" Harry scoffed. "Now go before I change my mind about tonight."
"Who's the eager one now?"
"Can y'all stop being gay for a minute and just say goodbye?"
• • • • • • • • • •
Ohhh finally got some dirt on Vivian and the Withers'...