Harry was used to people whispering about him behind his back. He'd had his fair share of hard stares and suspicious glances over the years, ranging from Hufflepuffs who thought he was the heir of Slytherin to even his best mate because he thought he'd been lied to. Whatever the reason, Harry was accustomed to people shunning him for brief amounts of time.
He wasn't used to people downright acting out against him, though.
"Hey, Potter!" an unfamiliar voice yelled as Harry was walking down to breakfast the following morning with some of his fellow Gryffindors. He turned to look over his shoulder and acknowledge whoever was calling out to him-
-and immediately ended up sprawled out on the floor as his foot got caught in a trip jinx.
Everything seemed to freeze for a shocked second as the same voice gave a chuckled, "Fucking fag," and then Harry's friends were flying into action.
Seamus was instantly at Harry's side, and he and Dean helped him sit up. Hermione and Ron whipped around, wands out and at the ready, and before Ron could even figure out who had cast the jinx, Hermione was throwing a bat-bogey hex that would have put Ginny to shame at one of the laughing students nearby.
"Hermione!" Ron gasped, head swiveling back and forth uncertainly between the small group of students and his friend. "But- Prefects!" he stuttered. Hermione ignored him, stalking forward with her wand pointed.
"Friends first, Prefect responsibilities second," she muttered, cornering three nervous looking Hufflepuffs.
"Wait, Hermione, it's fine!" Harry said as he shoved his glasses back onto his face. Seamus' hand was still resting on his shoulder, but it was suddenly shoved aside and Harry was hauled to his feet, and he found himself staring into stormy grey eyes.
"Are you ok?" Draco asked gruffly, hand grasping the material on Harry's shoulder tightly. Harry blinked, slightly surprised, and nodded. "Who was it?" Draco spat, turning to face the others. "I saw him fall, who hexed him?"
"It was just a trip jinx," Harry murmured, cheeks going red. "Nothing worse than what you've done in the past." Draco ignored him.
"It was these three, Draco," Hermione said, voice uncharacteristically hard. She still had her wand trained on the three boys. Draco's eyes slid coolly over them and he sneered.
"Detention," he snapped, hand tightening further on Harry's robe. "Friday with Filch. And I'll be checking myself to make sure you show up. Be there at seven."
"We can't give detentions, Malfoy," Ron spoke up, staring curiously at the boy. Draco gave him an exasperated look.
"I suggest you learn to read, Weasley. It's really a very handy skill. That, or get your girlfriend to read the rulebook out loud for you because Prefects can, indeed, give detentions." Ron gave Hermione a bewildered look.
"Can we really?" he asked.
"Yes," Hermione replied tiredly. "We can take points, too."
"Oh." Ron blinked. "Well in that case, twenty points from Hufflepuff for attacking another student."
"I was not attacked," Harry huffed, finally shrugged Draco's hand off of him and brushing off his robes. "I'm fine."
"Shut up, Harry," Draco said offhandedly, peering closer at the Hufflepuffs who instinctively drew closer together. "Who got him with the bat-bogey hex?"
"That was me," Hermione said sheepishly, finally lowering her wand. "I saw his wand still raised and got a bit carried away." Draco looked at her appraisingly.
"I've been on the wrong end of that one before. Good job, Granger." He turned to look back at the other students. "Get the hell out of my sight. If I hear that you did something like this again, I'll take it to the Headmaster." The Hufflepuffs scampered away quickly, not needing to be told twice.
"Thanks," Harry mumbled. Draco narrowed his eyes at him.
"Really, Potter, attacked by some fifth-year Hufflepuffs? The levels of your pathetic-ness increase more everyday."
"I was not attacked!" Harry snapped again, shoving Draco's shoulder lightly. Draco smirked, turning to glance over his shoulder at Crabbe and Goyle, who Harry had only just noticed were there.
"Maybe I should lend you my bodyguards," he quipped sarcastically. Crabbe blinked, Goyle scratched absently at his arm, and Harry scowled.
"I don't need them," he said darkly, before looking briefly at the two hulking Slytherins. "No offense, guys." They shrugged.
"Has this ever happened to you?" Draco suddenly asked Seamus, who looked surprised that Draco was actually deigning to speak to him.
"Ahh, well, not really," he started to say, before Dean interrupted him.
"No, there was that one time last year," he said.
"What? When was this?" Hermione asked quickly. Seamus blinked, and then laughed.
"Oh right, with Justin."
"Huh?" Harry said.
"I was with Justin...and...erm...well a certain Slytherin-"
"Oh that doesn't count!" Draco broke in, scowling. "That had nothing to do with-"
"-a certain Slytherin," Seamus continued loudly, "decided it'd be funny to throw a Petrificus Totalus at us while I had my hands down his pants."
"You were out after hours!" Draco insisted, a pink flush spreading across his cheeks. "That, and I thought I might be scarred for life!"
"You cursed them?" Harry said in disbelief. Draco shifted awkwardly.
"After hours!" he repeated, as if this was some important fact that absolutely could not be dismissed. "I could have taken points or something, but I was too busy trying to protect my innocence-"
"Aww, poor wittle Malfoy and his virgin eyes," Ron sniggered.
"Sod off, Weasley!"
"Did you just leave them there?" Hermione asked, disapproval flashing in her eyes.
"I found them," Dean said, grinning. "When Seamus didn't come back I went looking for him."
"No one ever comes looking for me when I don't come back," Harry said, looking slightly put out.
"That would be because you've always come back, Harry," Ron pointed out. Harry blushed.
"Oh." The he blurted, "Wait, no! Not after the last party!"
"Blaise told us where you were," Hermione said. Harry just scowled at her.
"Ok, back to my question!" Draco demanded, looking annoyed that he was being ignored.
Harry smirked. "Everyone shut up and immediately pay attention to Draco because he is of utmost importance," he deadpanned. Draco smacked his shoulder.
"No, Malfoy, I've never been attacked before," Seamus finally answered as he chuckled.
"It was not an attack!" Harry insisted exasperatedly, stomping his foot against the ground. Draco absently patted his shoulder as he focused on Seamus, who was still talking. Harry glowered.
"I mean, I guess it's different with you two," Seamus said. "I've always been open about being gay but I don't really...flaunt it. And I've never had a boyfriend."
"We're not flaunting it either," Draco groused.
"No, but you're both definitely more in the limelight then I'll ever be," Seamus pointed out. Draco opened his mouth to reply, but Goyle was suddenly speaking and it startled everyone for a second.
"Wait, Draco, you're gay?" the boy blurted. Draco shot him an exasperated look and it should have been easy to snap back an annoyed 'well duh!' but everyone was staring at him expectantly all of a sudden and Draco found himself at a loss for words.
"Er..." Admitting it out loud was harder than he would have liked, and he'd only ever done it once before and that was to Harry. Pansy had already known; he hadn't had to actually say it, and he really wished that the second time around could have been to anyone else but a group of Gryffindors. "Yes," he managed to grind out between clenched teeth, color blooming in his cheeks. "What the hell did you think when I said Potter was my boyfriend?"
"I...well," Goyle looked flustered. "I mean, it's Potter, I just figured... Well, I didn't know you were gay!"
"And is that a problem?" Draco asked slowly, dangerously. His eyes narrowed as Goyle fidgeted. "You honestly think I'd whore myself out to Potter because he's, what, famous?"
"Umm..." Draco's upper lip curled into a sneer, and his hands closed into fists at his side.
"Unbelievable," he muttered, before glancing at Crabbe. "And you?" The boy shrugged.
"I don't really care."
"...You don't really care," Draco repeated, his entire body tense and looking like he was about to snap.
"Uh, Draco?" Harry said softly, touching Draco's arm lightly. Draco's head whipped around to look at him, eyes still narrowed.
"What?" he snapped.
Harry was about to ask him if he was ok, but he didn't think Draco would appreciate the extra attention so... "We should really be getting to breakfast," he said instead. Draco considered this, the tension gradually leaving his shoulders, and then nodded and grabbed Harry's elbow.
"You're eating with me this morning," he said simply, and began hauling him to the doors of the Great Hall.
"I am?" Harry said bewilderedly as he stumbled after Draco. He cast a helpless look at his friends over his shoulder.
"I ate with them the other night, didn't I?" Draco spat, tossing his head in the general direction of the rest of the Gryffindor. "So you can eat with me today." Harry grinned lightly.
"Alright then," he said. Draco dropped Harry's arm so he could push the doors open, and then paused slightly as Harry walked past him.
"Hufflepuffs, Harry!" he finally said, in a disbelieving sort of tone. "How could you let Hufflepuffs atta-"
"Don't!" Harry interrupted shortly. "Just...don't." Draco sighed.
"I didn't even think they had it in them."
"People don't give Hufflepuffs enough credit," Harry said thoughtfully. "Plus, I've always been a bit of a sore spot for that house."
"Really?" Draco asked as he began leading the way to the Slytherin table. Crabbe was trailing behind them, and Goyle followed at a bit more of a distance.
Harry nodded. "They thought I cursed Justin in second year," he began ticking things off on his fingers, "they were mad at me for stealing the spotlight from Cedric in fourth year, and...well, just anything about Cedric, really," he finished softly. Draco glanced at him at of the corner of his eye.
"That wasn't your fault," he said quietly. Harry looked at him sharply, and Draco shrugged. "Well it wasn't! Diggory was a pureblood anyway, so that was a bad move on the Dark Lord's part." Harry rolled his eyes and pursed his lips.
"Kill the spare," he said bitterly. "That's what Voldemort said. He wasn't going to bother checking. He probably won't care that you're a Malfoy, either. If word gets back to him about us, I mean. It'll just be: What? He's making Potter happy? Kill him!" Draco would have chuckled at the mocking impression Harry was doing, except he was too busy stumbling over his own feet and coming to a sudden halt in the middle of the Great Hall.
"You think that's what'll happen?" he asked in a strained voice. Harry paused, looking back at him, and then he sighed.
"Maybe?" he said, shrugging helplessly. "Don't worry about it, though, eh?" Draco laughed shortly.
"Oh, right, don't worry about it- it's only my life!" he exclaimed. Harry didn't have a response to that, so he just grabbed Draco's wrist and gently pulled him the rest of the way to the Slytherin table. Pansy glanced up as Harry pushed Draco down into a seat and then slid in next to him.
"Morning, boys," she greeted cheerfully, looking back and forth between them. "Took you long enough to get here. Were you having a secret rendezvous in one of the alcoves?" Harry blushed slightly at the idea, making Pansy's grin widen, but Draco scowled and stabbed angrily at some sausages he'd just loaded onto his plate.
"Oh, yeah. A secret rendezvous. Just me and Harry...and the fucking rest of Gryffindor," he muttered sarcastically. Harry smiled sheepishly, "Harry was attacked," Draco blurted.
"Draco!" Harry said sharply, but Draco continued obliviously.
"By Hufflepuffs."
"Wait, you were attacked?" Pansy asked quickly, her eyes narrowing.
"It was not an attack," Harry insisted stubbornly.
"For being a fag," Goyle spoke up. Draco and Harry shot him twin glares.
"And Gregory here," Draco said slowly, "has a problem with me being...being..." and there was that word again.
"Gay?" Blaise offered, speaking for the first time since the couple had sat down. Theodore and Millicent both tuned into the conversation quickly, suddenly interested. Draco's nose wrinkled.
"Yeah. Gay," he sneered. Pansy smacked Goyle's shoulder.
"And what's wrong with that?" she asked angrily.
"Nothing!" Goyle said quickly. "It's fine. I just...find it sort of unnatural."
"You didn't say anything when Draco first told us," Theodore said.
"And you didn't have a problem with it during the dares," Millicent added.
"Draco never actually...told us," Crabbe pointed out, coming to the defense of his friend. "I mean, we all kind of got the point, but..." he trailed off.
"I don't get it," Blaise said immediately. Goyle flushed and started shredding his napkin absently.
"He thought Draco was just with Potter because...because he's Harry Potter," Crabbe explained. Draco scowled, dropping his fork on the table and crossing his arms. Harry's lips twitched as he tried to hold back his laughter.
Pansy snorted. "And how long have you known Draco?" she asked. Goyle's cheeks reddened further.
"Well that's the thing," he said slowly. "Do you know how many times I've...I've been...alone with him?"
"Oh, for the love of- Is that what your problem is?" Draco said loudly.
"And the amount of times we've showered together-"
"That's because they're communal showers!"
"And you change with him in the Quidditch locker rooms!" Goyle turned to Crabbe quickly, one arm knocking over a glass of pumpkin juice as he gestured aimlessly. "Won't that make you nervous now?"
"I still change in front of Seamus," Harry pointed out.
"Well you're gay too, aren't you?" Goyle said viciously. Harry opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. His cheeks went pink.
"We all changed with Draco in the room this morning," Theodore said instead.
Goyle snorted. "Yeah, but not anymore. He might be...be...he might be-"
"Perving on you?" Draco snarled. "Think I get off watching you all strip?" Goyle shrugged, and Draco leveled his glare on each of his dorm mates in turn. "Just for the record, I find none of you lugs attractive. Or...well, at least not like that."
Blaise pouted. "I'm not good enough for you, Draco?" he cooed sarcastically. Draco threw a piece of toast at him and he dodged it, chuckling.
"I still want to hear about this attack," Pansy spoke up.
"It was not-"
"Trip jinx," Draco interrupted, giving Goyle a dark look before ignoring him entirely. "Some fifth year Hufflepuffs. I gave them detention."
"And then Weasley took twenty points," Crabbe added.
"Well, good!" Pansy said, nodding quickly. "They deserved it. Are you ok?" she directed at Harry. Harry scowled.
"I'm fine," he muttered. Then, imagining Hermione's disapproving look in his head, he quickly added, "Not that I don't appreciate your concern."
"I can't believe they'd do that," Blaise said as he sipped from his cup. Harry shrugged and snatched a sausage off Draco's plate. "That's something I'd expect from a Slytherin, not Hufflepuff."
"That's what I said," Draco agreed absently, frowning at Harry. "Did you take my knife?"
"Oh, sorry, here." Harry handed it back and Draco began cutting his pancakes into perfect bite-size squares. Harry watched curiously, leaning on his hand.
"Manners, Potter. Get that elbow off the table," Millicent quipped. Harry gave her a petulant look and Draco snickered.
"Are you going to tell Dumbledore about the attack?" Pansy asked innocently, very clearly trying keep down a smirk.
"IT WAS NOT AN ATTACK!"
* * *
Later that evening, Draco had managed to drag Harry to the library to study. Or rather, Hermione had been trying to make him go after dinner and Draco had just happened to be walking by and after hearing Harry refuse several times, he asked if Harry would rather go with him.
Harry had said yes in a heartbeat. They'd left a fairly exasperated Hermione now trying to get Ron to go with her.
Though now, Draco was starting to regret ever asking Harry to go. He was used to studying alone. He liked studying alone. Harry didn't particularly enjoy studying at all, though luckily his grades didn't suffer for it. Still, Draco was trying to get through his Potions homework, and while he vaguely realized that Potions was probably not the best thing to be working on with Harry, he wanted to finish it before moving onto another subject.
"Wait, how does runespoor venom counteract with belladonna again?"
"The essence of belladonna," Draco corrected absently, left hand tightening around his hair in frustration as he leaned his head on his hand. His right hand was busily taking notes from the chapter he was trying to read. "And I've told you three times already, it neutralizes it. How hard is that to remember?"
"But how come in this chapter it says when they're together it speeds up the reaction-"
"That's the belladonna root. Can't you read?"
Harry scowled, wrote something down, and then glared at Draco. "Yes, I can, thank you very much." Draco made an incomprehensible sound, not looking up. Harry bit his bottom lip sheepishly. "...Draco?"
Draco sighed in exasperation. "The belladonna root reacts with runespoor venom and makes it a catalyst for that particular potion. Usually you don't use the root in the same potions that you use runespoor venom because without the armadillo bile, it becomes very volatile. Runespoor venom in itself is very volatile. But, like I told you numerous times, the essence of belladonna neutralizes it." He glanced up at Harry. "Do you get it?"
"Umm..." Draco pursed his lips and breathed harshly through his nose. "Yes!" Harry said quickly. "Yeah, I get it..." Nodding, Draco returned to his work for a few minutes. "Er, Draco?"
"Yes?" Draco said testily.
"Uh, where it says that crushed beetles can only be used in potions stirred clockwise if there's fluxweed involved...didn't we make that one potion in the fall that-"
"Cooling balm, commonly used on sunburn," Draco murmured. "Stirred clockwise because of the aloe involved. The aloe overrides the beetles so you don't have to stir it counterclockwise."
"Oh." Harry looked back at his book, chewing absently on his quill. "Hey, Draco-"
Draco slammed his own quill down with a loud sigh. "What, Harry? What is it now?" Harry's brow furrowed.
"Never mind," he muttered. Draco sighed again.
"No, I'm...ah...Harry-"
"It's ok. Really." Harry looked up at him. "I'm bad at Potions, I know." Draco shrugged awkwardly. Harry stared at him for a second, and then laughed shortly. "You're supposed to say, 'no, Harry, you're great at Potions!'"
"But then I'd be lying," Draco said teasingly. Harry balled up a piece of parchment and threw it at him. "Look, it's not a big deal. Some people are just crap at certain subjects. Can't be helped."
"Like you and Charms?" Harry smirked. "Messed up your levitation charm as soon as you heard my name last year." Draco scowled.
"I'm not generally bad at Charms," he grumbled. "That was your fault."
"I didn't do anything."
"Yeah, well your exam proctor- Are you the famous Potter?- Like there are any other Potters."
"He was just checking," Harry murmured.
"And he sounded so impressed. That's probably how you got into Potions in the first place," Draco said.
"What?" Harry asked, eyes narrowing.
"Well you're obviously crap at it. Yet you still got in. And I know Snape doesn't let anyone unless they got an Outstanding," Draco continued, oblivious of the look on Harry's face since he'd returned to taking notes. Draco snorted. "Whoever graded yours must have seen your name and boosted you up a few levels."
"I do just fine at Potions when Snape isn't breathing over my shoulder and purposely trying to fail me," Harry snapped. "And I studied my arse off for that O.W.L."
"So you maybe you managed to get above an Acceptable, but really, Harry, an Outstanding?"
"That's obviously what I got!"
"Then why do you have to ask me a new question every five bloody minutes, hmm?" Draco glanced up, smiling a 'you-know-I'm-right' type of smile, and Harry snapped. Slamming his book shut, he gathered up his parchment and quill and dumped everything into his bag. "Where are you going?" Draco asked.
"Fuck off, Malfoy," Harry spat. Draco blinked and his eyes widened.
"What- Harry!" he said, looking slightly alarmed. "Stop it, you're causing a scene!"
"Like I give a fuck if I'm causing a scene!" Harry exclaimed angrily, standing so quickly he knocked his chair over. Madame Pince was giving their table a disapproving look.
"But where are you going?" Draco asked again.
"Back to Gryffindor," Harry snarled, and then he spun on his heel and stalked out the library doors. Draco stared after him for a few stunned seconds. Then he glanced at his Potions textbook and the unfinished homework in front of him. Pursing his lips, he glanced back at the doors again, half expecting Harry to come back through them. When it was clear that he wouldn't be returning, Draco cursed.
"Bollocks," he muttered, and, ignoring the sudden whispering of everyone around him, he rushed out of the library.
* * *
Harry burst through the Gryffindor portrait, ignoring the insulted squawk from the Fat Lady, and headed straight for his room. He'd barely made it three steps before he was accosted by Hermione.
"Harry! How did the studying go- oh..." She faltered in her steps at the outraged look on Harry's face. "Um, did something happen?" she asked tentatively.
"Yeah, bloody Malfoy happened," Harry sneered, looking remarkably like Draco as he did. Hermione would have laughed in any other circumstance.
"What'd he do?" she asked instead. Harry opened his mouth to answer, but they were interrupted by a loud banging on the portrait and more angry squawking from the Fat Lady.
"Nobody let him in!" Harry said loudly. Several second years sheepishly sat back in their seats.
"Harry!" a muffled voice yelled. "Potter, let me in!"
"No!" Harry yelled back.
"Why not?!"
"Because I'm mad at you!"
"Why?!"
"If you don't know then I'm not telling you!"
"Harry, this is ridiculous," Hermione said, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. "If he doesn't even know what he did-"
"He doesn't think I got an Outstanding on my Potions O.W.L. by myself," Harry snapped. "He's thinks I got it because I'm fucking Harry Potter and apparently everything gets handed to me on a silver platter. Like my life is such a luxurious thing to live!" Harry began directing his comments at the portrait again. "Well it's not! I have to work for things just like everybody else, and I'm sick and tired of people like you and Snape always giving me a hard time because you think I'm some sort of fucking celebrit-" He was cut off as the portrait swung open and Draco swept through it, Ron behind him with an arm full of food.
"Found him outside," Ron said, taking a bite out of an apple. Without swallowing, he continued, "Though' I'd let 'im in." Harry crossed his arms angrily and Draco did the same.
"And where were you?" Hermione asked, frowning a little. "I thought you were in your room."
Ron shrugged. "Kitchen," he replied simply. "What's up with these two?"
"Draco made Harry mad or something," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. Ron's own eyes lit up.
"They're having a fight already?" he said excitedly, plopping himself down on a nearby chair. "I should have gotten popcorn."
"Ron!" Hermione scolded.
"We're here you know." Draco scowled at Ron's half eaten apple.
"I have nothing to say to you," Harry finally spoke up, turning away from Draco and heading for the stairs. Draco followed him stubbornly.
"Don't you walk away from me!" he said, grabbing the back of Harry's robe. Harry shook him off, walking up the stairs. "Come on, Harry, I followed you all the way up here!"
"Well goody for you," Harry quipped sarcastically.
"Harry...Harry, come on-" Harry threw open the door to his room, startling Dean and Neville who were inside. He absently wondered where Seamus was, but he didn't dwell on it.
"Out!" he snapped at his two dorm mates, and they quickly grabbed their books and slid past Draco out the door. Harry slammed it behind them, and Draco shifted awkwardly.
"Harry, I... This is your room?" he asked suddenly, as if just noticing where he was. He glanced around, nose wrinkling at the choice of colors.
"Yeah it is. Problem?"
"It looks just like mine," Draco muttered. "I'd kind of hoped Slytherin had something better than the other houses..." He shrugged, but when Harry didn't answer, he finally looked at him again. Harry was sitting on his bed, glaring. "Look, what the hell is your problem?" Draco asked.
"You didn't hear me earlier?"
"No, I heard you. I just have a hard time believing that you're that mad at me because of what I said."
"Weren't you mad when Hermione implied that you bought your way onto the Slytherin Quidditch team?" Harry asked, picking up a random pillow so that his hands would have something to do. He began fiddling with it absently.
"Yes, I was furious," Draco replied, taking a step closer to Harry.
"Because you went through tryouts to get on the team, right?"
"No, I was mad that she had the nerve to speak to me like that," Draco retorted. Harry's upper lip curled as he gave the boy a look of disgusted disbelief.
"Unbelievable," he muttered. "Bloody unbelievable, that's what you are." Draco blinked, and Harry scowled, moving so that he sitting against the headboard of his bed and crossing his arms angrily across his chest. "I do have to work for things, you know," he said bitterly. "I don't get whatever I want because of who I am. Good grades and test scores don't just randomly appear on my papers."
"Well obviously not, if your Potions marks are anything to go by," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "But of course, Snape grades those. Not some star struck exam proctor."
"Damn it, Draco!"
"What?"
"Stop being...being-"
"Difficult?" Draco supplied. "You seem to like referring to me as difficult."
"Well you are!" Harry said. "You're right, I don't do well in Potions, but guess what? I don't get top scores in Transfigurations either! Or Divination, or Charms- I might get decent grades. Sometimes really good grades, even. But not one teacher in this school has ever let me by in their class just because of my name."
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Draco quickly said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You've always done well in that class and you're always really close to the professors-"
"Oh yeah," Harry interrupted, scoffing. "Umbridge and I were real pals. And I couldn't get enough of Lockhart. And, wait, wasn't it Quirrell who was trying to kill me all of first year?"
"That-...ah-"
"But yeah, you're right again. I do well in Defense Against the Dark Arts. So there's at least one class I'm just inherently good in," Harry said in clipped tones. "So I guess that means the only reason you do well in Potions is because Snape's friendly with your dad, huh?"
"Don't you talk about my father!" Draco snapped furiously. Harry pressed his lips firmly together, brow furrowing.
"Right, sorry," he muttered. There were a few seconds of awkward silence, before Draco tried again.
"Quidditch," he said, somewhat weakly. "You were the youngest player on a house team-"
"In a century, I know. Because I'm good," Harry murmured, taking of his glasses so that he could rub his eyes tiredly. "I can't help that. I didn't get on the team because I'm Harry Potter, I got on because McGonagall saw me catching Neville's remembrall. So that was actually your fault." He gave Draco an ironic sort of smile and Draco glowered at him. "Things don't happen to me because of my name, ok? Or at least not good things."
"But..." Draco frowned. He glanced around the room, brow furrowed, before bighting his bottom lip slightly. Then he sighed and sat down on the bed across from Harry. "Harry, I'm...I'm...I'm sorry, ok? It's just...I spent the last five and a half years thinking that...or telling myself that..." He trailed off, looking away again, and then shook his head quickly. "Look, I know you got that Outstanding on your own. You probably deserved it, too."
"Of course I did!" Harry insisted. "I studied for hours for that stupid thing."
"Yes well... Why are you taking Potions anyway?" Draco asked. "It's obvious you don't like it."
Harry snorted. "Are you kidding? I hate it!"
"...Right." Draco blinked. "So then you're taking it because...?"
"I need it to become an auror," Harry admitted.
"Oh. An auror? Really?" Harry shrugged.
"Yeah," he said.
"I'd have pegged you for...you know, professional Quidditch or something," Draco said. Harry shrugged again, and then they sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment. "So," Draco spoke up again. "Ah...am I..." He blushed, glancing off to the side and wrinkling his nose. "Fuck it," he muttered. "Do you forgive me?"
"Do you think I should?" Harry asked, giving him a hard look. Draco squirmed slightly.
"Yes?" he replied uncertainly. "I apologized..." Harry looked at him for a few seconds longer before sighing.
"Yeah, I guess I forgive you, then," he said, giving Draco a tight smile. Draco smiled back a little, and Harry blinked. "Hey, where's your books and stuff?" he asked, realizing for the first time that Draco was empty-handed.
"Oh. I, um...I left everything in the library," Draco said sheepishly. "So did we just have our first fight?"
"Yes, and only after two days of being together," Harry said dryly. "Like I said, I give us a week."
"Oh, we'll last longer than that," Draco smirked. "It'll be two weeks, at least." Harry laughed.
"Well, there is a good side to all of this," he said.
"You Gryffindors," Draco muttered. "Always looking on the bright side. Ok, what is it?" Harry gave him a leering grin.
"We get to have make-up sex." And then he pounced, pinning Draco to the other bed and attacking his mouth. Draco laughed against Harry, opening his mouth for him instantly, and their tongues met. Harry groaned, pressing Draco further into the bed as their tongues stroked around each other, twining and twisting and rediscovering each other all over again. Draco kissed him back hungrily, and then paused for a quick second before pushing up with all of his weight and flipping over so that Harry was the one on his back.
"I get to top this time, remember?" he murmured, pressing his face to crook of Harry's neck and running his hands underneath the boy's shirt. Harry gasped, arching up into his touch.
"Yeah, I remember," he said softly, putting his hands on either side of Draco's face and drawing him up so he could kiss him again. "Fuck, wait!" he gasped as Draco's fingers dipped beneath the waistline of his jeans.
"Why?" Draco asked, running his tongue along Harry's collar.
"Ah, Draco! Draco, wait," Harry gasped again. Draco pulled back, sighing in frustration.
"What is it?" he asked gruffly.
"This...um...this isn't my bed." Draco froze.
"It isn't?"
"No. No, I was sitting on my bed before."
"...Ew..."
"This is-"
"Don't tell me!" Draco said quickly, sitting up and sticking his hands out in front of him as if to ward Harry off. "I don't want to know!" Harry chuckled and sat up as well, making it so that Draco was now straddling his lap.
"My bed," he started to say, before grabbing Draco's wrists and pushing him onto the bed in question, "is this one." He pinned Draco down again, grinning into his face, and Draco stuck his tongue out at him.
"Good to know," he smirked, and the rolled over so that Harry was beneath him again. "I won't forget that." He quickly recaptured Harry's mouth and had one hand beneath his shirt again, when someone began pounding on the door.
"Harry!!" Ron's voice called, muffled through the door. Harry's head dropped back onto the mattress and he groaned. "Harry, some of us would like to go to bed!"
"Sod off, Weasley!" Draco yelled at the door. There was a brief pause, and then even louder banging.
"Whatever the hell you're doing, stop! Stop stop stop STOP!! Not in our room, Harry!!"
"Stay with me tonight," Harry told Draco quickly as the Ron began pounding yet more loudly on the door. "We can put up a silencing charm."
"What? No!" Draco looked scandalized. "No way, I'm not doing it with other people in the room!"
"They won't know we're here!"
"Harry, no," Draco said again, pulling away and standing up.
"Harry, open the door!!"
"Draco, come on," Harry pleaded. He hooked his fingers into the back of Draco's trousers and pulled the boy back to him, immediately wrapping his arms around Draco's waist. "We can't always do it in the Room of Requirement."
"No, but we can also find some other time to do it when all of your roommates aren't here!"
"HARRY!!!"
Scowling, Draco ripped away from Harry and stomped over to the door to throw it open.
"What type of wizard are you?" he snapped as Ron nearly fell through the open door. "There's this spell known as Alohomora. It unlocks doors. Try it sometime!"
"Sorry, Malfoy, I tried to get him to leave you two alone for about ten more minutes, but he wouldn't listen," Seamus quipped. He was standing a bit further back with Dean, looking amused, and Neville was behind them. Ron ignored them and shoved past Draco, catching site of Harry standing awkwardly between two disheveled beds.
"Harry," he said slowly, crossing his arms, "why is my bed messed up?' Draco shuddered.
"Oh, God, that was your bed?" he asked, disgust evident in his voice. "I need a shower. I feel dirty."
"Harry?" Ron asked again.
"Maybe you didn't make it this morning," Harry said sheepishly, scuffing his toe against the ground. Ron groaned.
"Right, well, I'll leave you to your bed issues," Draco said from the doorway. "I need to go get my stuff from the library and finish that bloody Potions assignment."
"Hold up," Harry said, moving forward quickly and grabbing Draco's arm. Draco raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yes?" he asked slowly.
"Do you think you could...help me? With Potions, I mean." Harry shrugged, grinning lightly. "I'm crap at it."
Draco smirked. "I think we can find some arrangement that'll work out. You'll have to repay me, of course," he said loftily.
"I can repay you however you like. Just name the time and place," Harry said, his grin widening. Seamus snickered, while the rest of Harry's dorm mates made various sounds of disgust.
"Careful, don't want to shock them too much," Draco quipped, turning to leave again. Harry spun him around and pushed him up against the doorframe.
"Sod them," he murmured, and then he planted his mouth on Draco's and kissed him. Draco's eyes went wide and inadvertently met Ron's across the room. The bug-eyed look on the boy's face was more than enough to make laughter bubble up inside Draco, but he held it down and deepened the kiss instead, eyes sliding shut.
There was some sudden whispering from beside them and then footsteps were thundering down the hall, but Harry and Draco ignored it easily. By the time the footsteps were coming back, Harry had one hand twisted into Draco's hair, the other halfway up his shirt, and Draco had both arms wrapped around neck and one of his legs was hooked around the back of Harry's.
Then there was a loud click and a flash of light, and Harry instantly knew what had just happened and he pulled back.
"Colin!" he growled, turning to the side. The fifth year was standing there anxiously, nearly hopping from foot to foot, and he pointed a finger at Seamus.
"It was his idea!" he squeaked. "He sent Dean to come and get me!" Then he paused, looking down at his camera and then back up at Harry. "It was a really good picture, though. D'you want a copy?"
"Erm-"
"Yes," Draco answered promptly. Colin gave him a wide-eyed look. "Now get out of here, Creevey! Or I'll take that camera and toss it out the window." Colin squeaked again and sidled out of the room. Harry smacked Draco's shoulder.
"I'm going to go scourgify my eyes now," Ron said faintly, walking dazedly in the direction of the bathroom.
"Harry, you didn't do anything on my bed, did you?" Neville asked, looking nervously at his bed. Harry sighed.
"We didn't do anything on anyone's bed," he said. Ron snorted and closed the bathroom door behind him.
"The library's going to close soon if you don't let me go," Draco said in an amused voice.
"Oh, right." Harry blinked. "Sure you won't stay?"
"He's not staying!!" came Ron's muffled voice from the bathroom. Draco smirked.
"Maybe I should, just to piss him off," he said. "But no, I need to get back to Slytherin before Pansy has a heart attack. She'll already be on my case for shirking Prefect duties tonight."
"Ah," Harry smiled. "Good point. Come on, I'll walk you down."
* * *
When Saturday finally rolled around, Harry gave his excuses to Ron and Hermione about why he couldn't go to Hogsmeade, none of which they believed, before immediately dashing off to the Room of Requirement. He nearly ran headlong into Draco on the way, and the two boys shared a quick grin before they both took off for the room. Harry slid to a stop in front of it first, Draco slamming into his back a mere second later.
"Come on, open it!" he urged, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist. Harry shook his head quickly.
"No, wait, I have to walk in front of it three times..." He trailed off as he began walking, concentrating on their normal room, and Draco moved with him. When the door appeared, Harry threw it open and they both nearly fell through it in their hurry. As soon as it was closed behind them, Harry raised an eyebrow at the décor.
"It's green," he said flatly.
"It worked!" Draco smirked. "Much better than that garish red that's always here, don't you think?"
"Hardly."
"Too bad," Draco quipped, and then he began pushing Harry toward the bed. "Enough talking," he muttered as he did. Harry laughed, spinning around so that he was walking backwards and when the back of his legs hit the bed, Draco pushed him down onto it.
"Why did we wait so long again?" Harry murmured, pulling Draco toward himself and kissing him lightly.
"We've both had Quidditch practice," Draco replied, crawling onto the bed and making Harry move further onto it. As soon as Harry was lying amongst the pillows, Draco all but dove onto him. Harry arched into his touch, mouth instantly opening beneath the other boy's. Draco sat up quickly, yanking his shirt off over his head, and Harry did the same thing below him. Then they were kissing again, chests sliding together. Harry brought his knees up, one pressing into Draco's groin, and Draco gasped loudly, ripping his mouth away from Harry's. "Lube," he panted.
"Lube?" Harry asked, squirming beneath Draco and running his hands along the boy's chest.
"The lube," Draco gasped as one of Harry's hands played with his nipples.
"Oh, the lube!" Harry froze and slowly looked up at Draco. "Oh..."
"Harry!" Draco said in an exasperated tone.
"Oops?" Harry offered sheepishly. "I was in a bit of a hurry, you know!"
Draco groaned. "Well now what are we going to use?"
"Umm..." Harry's face screwed up in concentration, and Draco looked at him oddly.
"What are you doing?"
"Think really hard about lube," Harry said. "Maybe the room will give us some."
"Seriously?"
"Yes!" Draco shrugged, doing as told. "Did it appear yet?"
"Uh...no," Draco said, looking around the room.
"Damn."
"There should be a spell for this," Draco muttered.
"Oh. There is," Harry said, sounding sheepish again. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Then use it!"
"Well I...um...it was in that book Seamus got me. But...I don't remember it."
"Harry," Draco groaned, falling forward and resting his forehead on Harry's shoulder.
"I'm sorry!"
"What if we think about lotion or something," Draco suggested. "Something not sexual. Maybe there's some sort of protective spell on the room."
"That might work," Harry murmured, closing his eyes to concentrate again.
"Oh! There it is." Harry opened his eyes to see Draco reaching toward the nightstand and snatching up a tube of lotion. "This'll work, right?" he asked.
"It should," Harry said, sliding his trousers down his hips. He squirmed a bit until Draco lifted up, and then he removed them entirely. Draco did the same, kicking his off the bed and then kneeling in between Harry's legs. He squeezed a dollop of the lotion into the palm of his hand, and then paused, looking down at Harry.
"Um...I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted, biting his bottom lip slightly.
"It's not exactly complicated," Harry said dryly, spreading his legs open further. Draco swallowed, eyes going wide as he looked at him. Harry felt his cheeks warm. Blinking, Draco came back to himself and began coating his fingers with the lotion.
"Ready?" he asked, meeting Harry's eyes. Harry took a deep breath, willing himself to relax, and nodded. Nodding back, Draco slid one finger past Harry's tight entrance and felt himself get even harder at the thought that another part of his body would soon be imitating this motion. "Ok?" he murmured. Harry nodded again, and Draco added a second finger, slowly sliding both fingers in and out. Harry took a jerky breath, releasing it in a shuddering way. Draco looked up at him, watching the emotions play across his face as he gently spread his fingers, and an idea came to him.
Harry was staring up at the ceiling, concentrating on the various lines and shadows and trying to ignore small sparks of pain. It wasn't really that bad, but not thinking about it helped. He'd just been tracing a long groove with his eyes when he felt a hand wrap around his semi-aroused cock. Gasping, his gaze flew back down, and he saw Draco grinning up at him. And then suddenly Draco's mouth opened and Harry was buried inside that wet warmth.
"Draco!" Harry gasped, head falling back as his chest arched. His hands gripped the blankets beneath him, and as Draco bobbed his head and sucked up, Harry barely even noticed the third finger being added. He actually bared down against them, memories washing over him of the last time he'd done this, and suddenly he had an aching desire to be filled again, to feel Draco fucking him. Draco ran his tongue along the underside of his cock, and Harry thrust up into his mouth. "Draco, please," he begged, though he wasn't sure exactly what he was begging for. Draco spread his fingers once more and Harry gasped, and then Draco pulled out and released Harry from his mouth, closing his hand around him instead.
Draco positioned himself and quickly began pushing in, gasping at the pleasure shooting straight through his body as he remembered what Harry had said about wanting it; wanting him. Harry obviously wanted it now because he was groaning loudly and moving up against him, drawing Draco further inside. Which was good, because Draco wouldn't have been able to stop if he tried right now, and with a final thrust he fully embedded himself in Harry, drawing a startled gasp from the boy.
"Ah...s-sorry!" Draco stuttered, eyes squeezing shut so he could concentrate on Harry and not on the deliciously tight heat surrounding him. "Are you ok?"
"I'm f-f-fine," Harry replied, breathing deeply. "Just k-keep...ah!...keep moving!" Draco didn't need to be told twice and he began a steady pace, thrusting in and out of Harry's body with long, slow strokes. Harry moaned beneath him, drawing his knees up to his chest so Draco could get a better angle. Draco paused briefly, moving Harry's legs so that they were thrown over his shoulders, and then he was moving again. It felt like every time he thrust he found himself even further inside Harry, though that was really impossible because their hips kept slapping together and that meant Draco was already as deep inside as he could be.
Gasping, Draco opened his eyes a bit, not realizing that they'd been closed. Harry opened his at the same time, and suddenly they were looking at each other and the world faded out around them.
"Harry," Draco whispered. Harry's eyes widened a bit and a jumble of sounds left his throat as he apparently tried to respond. Draco smiled, shaking his hair out of his eyes, and Harry grinned briefly up at him before gasping loudly again. Draco thrust again, rotating his hips a little against Harry's, and he could have sworn Harry actually went cross-eyed. The boy had lost his glasses at some point, though Draco didn't remember if they actually took them off. He wanted to ask Harry if it felt alright, especially since Harry usually made sure he was hitting that spot inside of Draco, but Harry definitely seemed to be enjoying himself so Draco didn't worry too much about it.
He actually wasn't getting it each time, but Harry felt like he was in heaven anyway. It might have been the closeness of Draco's body, or just the sheer intimacy of what they were doing, but it felt great and Harry didn't want it to stop. But he could feel the pleasurable pressure building up, his cock ached with it, and when Draco did accidentally graze his prostate Harry's world exploded. Throwing back his head, he groaned loudly as he came, black spots dancing in front of his eyes. His body quivered and tightened around Draco, sending the other boy over the edge as well, and they convulsed together, gasping and riding out their orgasms until Harry's legs finally slipped from Draco's shoulders and Draco collapsed against Harry in a boneless heap.
"Oh my God," Harry moaned low in his throat. "Fuck." Draco grinned into Harry's chest, before he weakly pulled out and fell against Harry's side.
"I like topping," he panted, sweeping some hair out of his eyes. Harry smiled.
"So do I," he agreed. "And bottoming."
"I suppose I like that too," Draco said softly.
"You bloody well do," Harry smirked. Draco flicked his nose, and Harry scowled at him. Draco snickered.
"So we've got the whole day to ourselves," he said. "What shall we do?" Harry sighed, folding his arms behind his head.
"Dunno," he murmured. "Aside from having mad, passionate sex, you mean?"
"Yes," Draco said, lips stretching into a grin. "Aside from having mad, passionate sex. Do you play chess?" he asked, sitting up. Harry sat up as well, spotting a chess board that had just appeared on the table in front of the couch.
"A little," Harry said. "Ron beats me every time." Draco arched an eyebrow at him.
"Well we can't have that," he drawled. "Come on, let's play. Does this room supply food as well?" A platter of sandwiches appeared next to the chess board. "Guess so," he laughed, getting off the bed. Harry followed him over to the couch, snatching up his boxers along the way. Draco did the same.
"I have to say it," Harry said, plopping down on the couch. "I would never have imagined you and me ending up like this. In fact, I'd have hexed anyone who suggested it only a couple of months ago."
"I'd have hexed their entire family. Might have even thrown in an Unforgivable or two," Draco smirked, meeting Harry's eyes. Then he dropped his gaze, looking off to the side. "It's still a bit hard to believe."
"Very hard to believe," Harry amended with a small smile. "Even harder to believe," he started to say, drawing Draco's eyes back to his, "is that I haven't been this happy in over a year." Draco's cheeks went pink.
"Don't suppose I was any help before," he said sheepishly. "Though I'll admit, it's been awhile since I was this...happy, too." Draco's nose wrinkled slightly. "Ugh, listen to me," he muttered. Harry laughed.
"Alright. Make me good at chess," he said cheerfully. "I'm determined to beat Ron before we graduate." Draco happily obliged.
* * *
The following week, the war began.