Draco's POV
I kind of eavesdropped on Harry's conversation with his friends.
I mean, it was never really said out loud that their conversation was a private one... So I preferred to think of it as just listening to one of my friends talk to someone.
It wasn't until they started talking about Harry being here on a date (or so the girl said) when I started to feel awkward, and realized that it probably wasn't very considerate to listen in. Still, I couldn't tear myself away. I had heard stories about this Lovegood girl... apparently she was loony or so people called her, but when she made observations she was usually right.
So what did that mean for us? She obviously had seen something in Harry that made it seem that we were dating; not just him liking me, but a mutual romantic relationship. Or at least, we were apparently on the way to dating.
I shook myself out of my thoughts and watched as Harry waved goodbye to his friends, and the couple continued down the path. I waited until they were out of sight before taking the spell off myself and walking out from the bushes on to the path.
He didn't look straight at me, obviously hoping that I hadn't heard anything. "Uh, ready to go?"
For his sake, I decided to play along. "Sure. So who were those people?"
"Luna and Neville." he smiled fondly. "Neville's been my friend since first year, though I didn't really appreciate him at first. He's in Gryffindor, too. I only met Luna in fifth year, though. She's in Ravenclaw, and is a bit strange, but she's an amazing friend."
"Did they fight with you in the final battle?"
"Yeah. And in fifth year, too, when we went to the ministry. They were in the DA with me."
I thought back to when I was fifteen. "That secret club that Umbridge hated?"
He laughed. "Yeah, I guess. But it was more a study group than a 'club'. And if I remember right, you were one of Umbridge's minions."
"Not a minion." I muttered.
"Anyway, it ended when one of the members told Umbridge everything. We kind of got our revenge though: Hermione put a curse on the parchment so that if anyone told, they'd get the word 'sneak' on their forehead in boils."
I raised my eyebrows. "Never really thought she was the type to do that kind of thing."
"She can be pretty rebellious if she wants to." He smiled. "Remember third year? She slapped you."
"I remember." I said feebly. My face hurt just thinking about it: the girl had quite a strong arm.
"Yeah." he sighed, and I remembered our deal that he couldn't talk to her. I felt horrible.
Suddenly, an idea sprung up in my head. Why couldn't I let him to see her? I had let him talk to Luna and Neville, after all. Why couldn't he meet Hermione for a couple minutes?
I smiled and grabbed his arm. He looked at me, confused, but he didn't have time to say anything: we were already flying through space and within a second we were standing in front of a house that was so tall and wobbly, it was hard to believe that it hadn't collapsed yet.
"The Burrow." Harry gasped looking at the house and then back to me. "Wha-"
"Hermione should be here. Luna and Neville said that she was talking to Ron, after all."
"But... our deal..."
"It's off, as long as you don't mention me."
His eyes sparkled bright green and he impulsively hugged me. I hugged him back automatically, not even thinking about it. When he pulled back, he smiled at me and ran up to the doorway of the house. I performed a disillusionment charm on myself once again and walked up beside him. He glanced slightly in my general direction then remembered the agreement and fixed his eyes on the door once again, grinning widely.
He knocked on the door, and instantly there was a flurry of motion and noise from inside the thin walls.
"Ginny! Door!"
"You're closer, Percy, you prat!"
"I'm working!"
"You've been working all day! You can get up for two seconds to answer the door!"
"Merlin's beard, you two. I'll get it." I recognised the voice as either Fred or George Weasley's, but a bit sadder than it had ever sounded before... I distinctly remembered Fred's body lying on the cold grey floor in the great hall. It was George, then.
The door was pulled open after a few seconds, and a man in his twenties stood in the doorway. His brown eyes were empty and dark bags under them showed weeks of next to no sleep. He was holding a bottle of firewhisky in his right hand.
"Harry." he said, sounding neither happy nor upset... just stating a fact.
"Hi, George." Harry's face had dropped once he had caught sight of his friend's dishevelled appearance. "How are you holding up?"
"Does it look like I'm doing well?" he laughed unhumourlessly, motioning to his alcohol.
Harry obviously couldn't find the words that he wanted to use. "Uh, yeah. I mean, I, er, miss him too, you know."
"George? Who is it?" Molly Weasley appeared at her son's side and blinked. "Harry? I thought you were in hiding until the rumors died?"
"I guess I felt homesick." He smiled weakly at her, and I could tell that seeing George without Fred had put a bit of a damper on his spirit.
She embraced him in a warm hug. "I've been awfully worried about you, too. We all missed you so much. I just put a pot of tea on... come in, come in."
Harry nodded. "Thanks, Mrs Weasley. I hope this isn't a bad time."
"Not at all, Harry." She put her arm around him and guided him into the house. I slipped in behind them, still invisible, before the door slammed shut.
Before long, all of the Weasley's, except for Ron, Bill and Charlie, were gathered around Harry at the table, drinking tea and trying to make conversation. For the second time that day, I felt intrusive, so I sat by myself near the wall and watched Harry beginning to smile, happy to be back with his friends.
"So, dating any guys yet?" Ginny asked, wiggling her eyebrows at him.
Harry laughed. "No. What about you?"
She blushed. He grinned. "Who is it?"
"Well, we're not dating. But there's this one guy..."
"Who?"
"Anthony Goldstein," she leaned back in her chair and smiled. "He's a Ravenclaw... or was, at least. His seventh year was last year, so he's busy applying for jobs now."
Harry thought for a moment. "Wasn't he in the DA?"
Ginny nodded. "And he helped hex Malfoy at the end of your fifth year, when the git tried to attack you with Crabbe and Goyle."
"Uh, yeah. Git." Harry scratched the back of his head and I held back a laugh. "Well, I approve, then."
"Thanks. It means a lot, coming from you." She swung her long red hair back over her shoulder and hugged Harry. I tensed up, remembering their relationship in our sixth year. I don't know why it bugged me so much, but I just really didn't want them getting so close.
That's when it hit me. I was jealous. A completely new feeling, which would be why I hadn't noticed it sooner. I didn't want Harry to be with Ginny again, or anyone else for that matter... so who did I want him to date? Me? I thought about it. I mean, I was gay, so that wasn't a problem, and I couldn't deny that he was extremely attractive. I imagined us going on a date, maybe to a theme park or something...
My thoughts slowed down. A date. To a theme park. Holding hands. It sounded familiar, and I flashed back to our week at Disney; going on roller coasters together, him worrying about me when I felt sick after, the girls that giggled at us when they spotted us holding hands... was that not a date? Was it possible to be dating without even realizing it?
I rubbed my forehead. This was too confusing to begin to think about right now. I tried to turn my attention back to Harry's conversation with the Weasley's, but my mind kept jumping back to the one thing that was undeniable: I would be jealous if Harry was in a relationship with someone else.
Author's Note:
Well, it's up (finally).
AND I HAVE AN EDITOR! Thanks to Amarah to helping me with this chapter (and chapters in the future). My writing can get pretty bad when I have writer's block so it's nice to have someone to help me make it better. :) Thanks again, if you're reading this, Amarah.
So my teacher asked me again about reading my story... I've decided that I'll let her if she asks again. She's read and watched Harry Potter, so at least she'll (sort of) understand it, even if she doesn't get the whole Draco/Harry romance. I just have this weird fear of other people that I know in person reading what I write... it makes me sorta uncomfortable. So, if you do end up reading this, Ms. Donald, that's the only reason why I didn't let you read it sooner. :)
And thank you to everyone who's reading this as well... I appreciate Every. Single. One . Of. You. Don't forget to tell me what you think... comment/vote! <3
Love you guys!
Raven