*Third person p.o.v*
"What are you doing, 'Mione? Have you gone mad?" Ron asked, as his best friend dragged him back to the Gryffindor common room, leaving Harry alone at the great hall.
"I already told you, I need to talk to you." She answered, tightening her grip on his arm.
Ron caught himself from stumbling over a couple of books that were laying on the floor, "Why alone? You've never asked Harry to stay out of a conversation before."
Hermione gritted her teeth. "Just follow me, Ronald."
The ginger-haired boy shut his mouth, and watched as Hermione said the password to the portrait.
The girl had left the great hall, only for her to come back and drag Ron out as well.
Stepping inside, Hermione shoved both herself and the ginger haired boy onto one of the red couches.
"Draco has feelings for Harry." She blurred out, making direct eye contact with Ron.
Ron's jaw hit the floor.
"I figured it out." Hermione turned to face away from her best friend, as she sunk further into the couch and sighed. "If you connect dots, it's really obvious. Like Harry told us, Pansy keeps trying to get thoughts of him and Draco dating into his head. And if you noticed, like I did, Draco isn't mean to Harry like he is to everyone else. Then, I realized that I also always could also feel someone's eyes directed at someone near me, or at me. Turns out it was Draco looking at Harry, every meal." She looked into her lap. "Draco is so obviously crazy about Harry. And Pansy knows. I have this feeling that she's known for a while now."
Ron closed his mouth as she finished explaining. He licked his lips and gulped.
That was certainly the last thing Ron expected her to say.
After being quiet and processing what she'd just told him out of nowhere, he spoke, "Are you joking?"
Hermione glared, her hands finding their way to her hips and relaxed there. "No."
Ron sat in silence again. He, as simple as it is, was just at loss for words.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
This wasn't something Hermione had told him, but he had noticed how Draco would never pick on them if they happened to be without Harry.
And if Draco then decided too, he'd usually only ask where he could find Potter, rudely.
This gave Ron an uneasy feeling in his stomach.
He didn't even like the thought of Harry and Draco being together, as friends.
The thought of them actually.. Doing couple stuff..
It isn't because Ron has anything against gays or whatever.
If Harry happened to be gay, he'd gladly find guys to set him up with.
But, Draco?
"Harry doesn't.. You know." Ron asked, the confusion and slight disgust being clear in his voice.
The bushy brown haired girl shrugged. "I hope not. But considering Harry was laughing at the thought of him and Malfoy together at dinner, I don't think so."
Ron nodded slowly. Harry did find it funny. They even made jokes about it.
But what if he just laughed cause Ron was laughing?
Harry wouldn't have time for Hermione and him, if he were to get together with the blonde Slytherin.
The thought of Draco stealing Harry, after all these years of rivalry, taunting and fights, Harry just.. Started dating him, and leaving Hermione and Ron cause of Draco making him.
Ron was suddenly fuming.
Draco had absolutely no business liking Harry after how he'd treated him, Hermione and Ron himself.
"I'm gonna go talk to him." He stood up from the couch, Hermione following him.
"Ron. Not like this, I know you're upset, but you'll just get in trouble. Please."
The ginger haired boy headed for the portrait, his footsteps echoing in the common room.
* * * * * *
Harry waited for Draco just outside the great hall, his eyes following the students who had also just finished eating, walking down the hall to their common rooms.
He studied the stone floor, waiting for the blonde to show up any minute.
The situation that had happened at the Gryffindor table, had caused him to finish quicker than usual.
He had been sitting alone, not talking to anyone. Not that he didn't have any other friends he could sit by, but at that moment he just felt like sitting alone in his own thoughts.
-If Hermione and Ron weren't there, of course.
Which they weren't.
He couldn't wrap his head around what Hermione just had realized, he and Ron were only joking around about Draco and Harry, at that moment.
Harry bit the inside of his cheek, snapping out of his thoughts and looked around.
Still no Draco in sight.
Where was he anyway?
The Gryffindor had been waiting outside the great hall for 10 minutes.
Surely Harry finished eating earlier, but Draco must have seen him leave and maybe think to himself that he could finish faster as well.
Harry wasn't exactly the most patient person already, so he couldn't help himself but open the great halls doors again, to look after the blonde haired boy.
His head being filled with even more thoughts, Harry closed the doors again.
Draco wasn't even at the table.
The table where he was supposed to be eating, before finishing and finding Harry.
Did Draco.. Burn him off?
Harry huffed.
Maybe he had just forgotten.
Or maybe this was payback for when Harry had snapped at him, not too long ago.
Not wanting to wait anymore, Harry headed back to the Gryffindor common room.
* * * * * *
Draco ran down the hall, at a quick pace.
He was late, because of Pansy.
Damn Pansy and her 'Your hair looks a little greasy.'
Of course, Draco couldn't have that. So, he immediately went back to his dorm where he took a shower.
In his opinion, his hair looked as perfect as always. But if Pansy had thought his hair looked greasy, Merlin knows if Harry maybe did.
Draco turned around a corner, where he then bumped into someone.
"If it's you again, Longbottom, I swear I will hex y-" He started, but cut himself off when he saw a furious redhead staring daggers, right into his eyes.
Draco crossed his arms, rolling his eyes, and breaking the intense eye contact. "Weasley, move. If Potter didn't already tell you, we actually have a very important-"
Ron grabbed Draco's collar, slamming him up against the wall, making the Slytherins breath hitch in his throat. "You fancy my best mate?!" The Gryffindor asked, his voice dangerously high and the hand that wasn't holding Draco pinned up against the wall, clenched into a tight fist that slowly raised as seconds passed.
"W-What?" Draco clawed at the boys arms, desperately trying to get out of his grip and hold himself up slightly. Ron was holding his collar tightly, and pressed it up against his throat so he got choked. And not in a good way.
Ron turned his head, watching as some students passed, looking at them with wide eyes.
"I got everything under control, just keep walking, Ravenclaws." Draco choked out, his pride not daring him to ask for help.
Ron looked at him again, tightening his grip.
The red haired boy was surprisingly strong, Draco noted.
"Let me go, Weasley!" He demanded.
Ron shook his head. "Not before you explain yourself, Malfoy."
Draco tried to get a hold of his wand, that was buried in his back pocket, but if he did so, he most certainly couldn't breath at all.
Thinking for a moment, he sighed. "Let me down and we can talk."
Ron raised an eyebrow. Draco had never talked to him in such a calm, pleading and defeated tone before.
Letting him down, Ron pulled out his wand, in case Draco had gotten the idea to curse him or run away. Pointing it straight at his nose, he nodded for him to speak.
Draco touched where Ron had just pressed his hand up against, feeling how sensitive the spot was, before turning to the boy.
He wasn't surprised when he saw Ron being ready to defend himself.
When the Gryffindor nodded, obviously eager for him to speak, Draco straightened himself.
"Yes."
"Yes, what?" Ron urged, taking a step closer to Draco, causing the Slytherin to still be pressed up against the wall.
-But at least Ron wasn't choking or pinning him up against the wall anymore.
"Yes, I.. I have certain feelings for.. Potter." He cringed at the words coming out of his mouth.
Ron's raised arm fell down loose, in shock, his wand hitting the floor.
Draco watched as the other boy looked as if lost for words.
This would be the perfect time to escape.
Almost taking the first step back to the Slytherin common room, he stopped himself.
What would Ron do with this information?
Draco stared at the other boy, wondering what he should do.
Stay and get beat?
Or run away and let rumours spread?
"Why? Since when?"
Draco grimaced. He didn't want to answer those questions.
"You better answer, Malfoy, or I will tell Harry."
"Don't be childish, Weasley."
Ron plastered yet another dangerous and challenging facial expression on his face, "I'm not kidding. I know he's in our dorm right now, and if not, he'll be there when curfew starts. Do you want me to tell your little secret to him?"
A short silence followed.
"Shit." Draco whispered, and couldn't help but facepalm. He was doomed.
Ron picked up his wand, not pointing it at Draco, but just holding it down his side.
"What do you want to know?"
Ron breathed out, relieved. He'd gotten Draco to talk.
"When did you catch feeling for him?" He asked, his voice being more calm now that he knew that he had the Slytherin wrapped around his finger.
Draco bit his lip. "2nd year." He admitted.
"That long?" Ron continued, Draco nodding. "Why'd you bully him then?"
That exact question had bothered Ron since he found out about this whole thing. If Draco fancied Harry, how come he wanted the boy to hate him and hurt him?
"It's.. I'm gonna kill you." Draco breathed out. This was all so overwhelming.
"Spit it out." Ron ordered in return.
Groaning, the boy spoke, "I had always looked up to him. Since I was 5 years old, or something like that. I wanted nothing more than to be friends, with 'the boy who lived'." He sucked in a sharp breath before continuing. "I will make your life living hell if you tell this to anyone, Weasley."
Ron nodded, showing him that he could go on and not be afraid of the Gryffindor telling on him.
"My father.." Draco squeezed his eyes shut. "Only talked about how proud he'd be of me, if I became friends with him. Or else.. I was a zero to him."
The red-haired boy listened very carefully, not wanting to miss one detail.
"So of course, I had been preparing myself since then, on how to become friends with him.. But then again, I made a big mistake by insulting you."
Ron looked him up and down. Did he just say that he regretted being mean to him?
Draco fiddled with his sleeves, nervously. "So.. I guess I just couldn't stop myself from being mean to him. He had ruined my only chance of getting my father proud of me.. But when the 6th year then started.. I realized I didn't care anymore. I didn't care about if my father was proud of me or not. Yeah, it hurts to know, but then again, I hate that man."
Ron chuckled, causing Draco to smile slightly. The boy didn't mean to laugh, but it just sounded funny.
"I couldn't make him proud any other way, and that made me realize, that no matter what I did and how I did it.. I screwed up my chance back then."
Ron then decided it was now appropriate to place his wand back in his back pocket. He trusted the Slytherin enough not to curse him or run away.
"That still doesn't explain how and when you started fancying him." Ron added, leaning up against the wall next to Draco.
It surprised the pale boy when he saw how Ron was acting suddenly. Not that he wasn't happy that Ron now knew that he wouldn't do anything.
"Okay.. So in the 2nd year, I had been talking more and more to Pansy, and the only subject that came to mind every time I talked to her, was Potter. She already knew back then, cause every time I talked about him, I could feel my face heat up. When I got into fights with him or taunted at him, I felt something else beside anger. I also knew back then, but I was in denial to be honest."
"So you're gay?"
Draco glared. "What does my sexuality have to do with this?"
Ron shrugged. He didn't need to know, he just felt really interested at the moment.
"Anyways.." The blonde looked around the empty hall. "And how.. How can you not? I know plenty of girls in this school that's crushing on Potter. My reason is the same as theirs. Well, maybe not the exact same.. I couldn't care less if he was the poorest boy alive, the non-chosen one, just a regular boy. I'd still have feelings for that git."
Ron almost, almost, felt bad for the boy. But when the memories of how he'd been towards him and his best friends, he stopped himself from softening. "So what happens if he doesn't want you? What happens if he does?"
Draco blushed. "Well.. If he doesn't want anything to do with me.. I'll leave him alone. If he does.." His heart beat faster at the thought. "I would want him to be my.. Boyfriend."
The shorter boy watched as Draco's whole face turned a dark scarlet red. "What would happen if he said yes to be your.. 'Boyfriend'." Ron cringed at the thought. "Would you make him stay away from Hermione and I? So you could have him all to yourself and not have us talk some sense into him?"
Draco scrunched up his nose. He knew Ron still didn't think that all Draco wanted, was Harry. He just wanted Harry to be his, and be happy. He couldn't live with himself if he made him stay away from his best friends. He wanted Harry to be happy, not miserable. "No.. Never." He admitted.
Ron furrowed his eyebrows.
"You.. Make him happy. I don't know why, and will never know, neither will I ever understand why." Draco added sharply. "But.. You do. And I don't want to see someone I really care about, be sad. Would you want Granger to be sad?"
The red haired boy blushed deeply as well. "Hermione?- I never said I had any feelings for her!" He exclaimed, defensively.
"I didn't say you had feelings for her, I said you cared for her. But since you immediately jump to that conclusion, I think it's pretty damn obvious that you do."
Ron shook his head, "This is about you and Harry, don't forget that, Malfoy."
Draco rolled his eyes, picking his nails. "Right. I just told you, I would never make him stay away from you. You make him happy. And that's all I want. I want him to be happy."
Ron didn't know what to say. It sounded like he had genuine feelings for Harry.
He would never forgive Draco for what he's done to them, but now he knew.. That maybe the boy wasn't that evil.
Ron sighed. "You're free to go."
Draco stared at him, obviously surprised. "..You won't tell him? And you're not pissed, and thinking about ways to murder me?"
Ron couldn't help but chuckle again. "No. I hate you, but I'm not afraid to admit that.. Maybe you and Harry being together.. Would make him happy."
Draco felt like he could jump up and down in excitement. But of course didn't. He just continued staring.
"But if you do anything, to him.. Just know that Hermione knows more spells than I ever will, and she'll surely also be even more pissed than I will be."
Draco smiled. "I would never do anything to hurt him."
The shorter boy snorted, looking at the Slytherin from the corner of his eyes.
"Fuck you, Weasley. Anymore." Draco corrected himself.
* * * * * *
Word count: 2789