Summary
*Harry Potter was staring at the sight with wide eyes and a thudding heart, convinced that something like that should not be allowed. Draco Malfoy should not be allowed to smile.*
Harry Potter was staring at the sight with wide eyes and a thudding heart, convinced that something like that should not be allowed. Draco Malfoy was the kind of person that only ever sneered and scowled as though he permanently had a bitter taste in his mouth. Harry suspected he actually held a piece of lemon under his tongue at all times, just to be sure there wouldn't be a moment when he would not be glaring at everyone around him because yes, Draco Malfoy is also that kind of person.
And when he smiled, it was mocking or sarcastic, never genuine and nice. So now, when his lips stretched all the way, all the creases in his forehead smoothing out, making way for those around his eyes and the most beautiful sound escaped him as he laughed, Harry was sure that, yes, this should be illegal.
Because his heart was hammering in his chest and his cheeks were flushed and he was suddenly compelled by the urge to kiss the smile on the blond's face and oh my god Draco Malfoy was adorable when he smiled.
"Harry?"
And right now, Harry Potter wanted to stitch Hermione's mouth shut because he looked away for just a second and the smile was gone.
"What?" he snapped at his friend, who threw him an unimpressed look and leaned closer to him.
"You're staring at Malfoy again. Please do not tell me you have some kind of theory that now he's trying to bring Voldemort back?"
"That's unfair of you. I was right the whole time in sixth year."
He tried to avoid answering the question. Hermione always had this nasty talent of reading him as if he was another runes book just waiting to be discovered. Sometimes he really appreciated it, other times he wanted to hide from her forever. Like right now.
"You haven't answered my question, though."
"What do you want me to say, 'Mione? You know I don't think he's some evil mastermind and you also know I don't think he deserves the way he's being treated. I testified for him, for fuck's sake."
But his friend did not allow herself to be fooled by such pretty words.
"But you've been staring at him."
"No. I was looking in his general direction."
"For ten minutes straight?"
"Lost in thought."
"Harry!"
"Hermione?"
"Don't play dumb", the girl snapped, keeping her voice low still, not wanting to let Ron in on that discussion until she was certain she knew what was being discussed.
"Giving a valid explanation is called playing dumb?"
Hermione hated that raised eyebrow her friend sported from time to time and the air of superiority it gave him, unbeknownst to him. She also hated how he was so smart but did not seem keen to use that important trait of his unless it was to win some petty argument or when his life was in imminent danger, rather than put his mind to work in school to study for his N.E.W.Ts.
"You did not give me a valid explanation. You've been staring at him ever since school started. That's a week and a half now", she reminded.
"And you would only know that if you've been staring at me and I don't think you believe me to be plotting the annihilation of all non-magical folk."
Hermione rolled her eyes, but dropped the subject nonetheless. She wasn't going to get anywhere with the stubborn idiot. Especially not in a room full of people.
×××
From that day on, Harry found himself staring at the blond much more often than usual, which, let me tell you, was pretty much all the damn time, looking and waiting for the one thing that would surely be the highlight of his day. That fucking smile.
For some reason, Draco didn't smile much. Nor did he sneer or smirk anymore. He was rather a reserved character and Harry found he missed the animated boy he knew. Sure he could do well without all the insults and fighting, but he wanted to beat each and every person responsible for making Malfoy this way with his own two hands.
"So then", Ron continued heatedly, blissfully unaware of the wanderings of his friend's eyes towards the blond slytherin sitting not far from them. "She told me she was only with me out of pity. Can you imagine that?"
"Honestly mate, It's been three years since the whole story with you two, why sweat over it?" Harry tried to end the conversation so Ron would go back to his book and he would go back to his staring.
"That's what I said! But no, Lavender insists to make it crystal clear that she would have never gotten together with me for another reason. When she would have clung to my neck 24/7 if she had her way."
"Damn right she would", Pansy's voice carried through to them from two tables away where she was sitting next to Draco. "You're a catch, Weasley. Too bad Granger got to you first."
"Jesus Parkinson", Harry sighed. "This conversation was weird enough without you opening your mouth. And weren't you playing for the other team?" he then asked in genuine confusion.
"And should that imply that I am unable to admire a fine male piece of arse?"
"I guess not", shrugged Harry, thinking he, too, could think of girls as beautiful without being sexually attracted to them.
"And Brown is currently figuring herself out, so don't give her such a hard time", Pansy then added, addressing Ron again.
The readhead, with a face colour to match his hair from the compliment still, nodded, looking away.
Harry gave a mocking smirk as he muttered, loud enough for the four of them to hear, even though Draco did not seem to be listening.
"I'll bet my arse she's just embarrassed about Ron's name I reckon is still carved on the wall above her head."
Ron snorted with laughter and Pansy shrieked a delighted You're shitting me, but all Harry could see was the pull of pale pink lips against white skin as an appreciative grin formed on Draco's face who finally looked up from his book.
"Yeah, Hermione told me she did that in Fifth Year with some charm she found in a book. Don't know if she's managed to take it off yet", he said before he could catch himself and felt instantly bad for it. Harry was far from being a mean person, everyone knew that, but he shocked himself at what he would let slip from his mouth just to get that beautiful smile out of the slytherin again.
"Please don't go shouting that around the school, though", he mumbled rubbing his neck.
Pansy offered him a surprising sincere smile and said:
"What do you take us for? Us Slytherins prefer a good gossip over a full blown drama. We deal in backstage blackmails, if anything", she added with a wicked smile.
"And never give away our sources", Draco completed with a smirk and, if Harry wasn't going insane, a fucking wink in his direction.
Was Draco actually trying to kill him, but had just taken a different approach? Because Harry could already see the headlines in Witch Weekly, "Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One, The Saviour of the wizarding world, dies of a stroke at the young age of eighteen."
And I mean, seriously, can anyone blame him?
"That's a good thing, then", he managed to rasp out. "Wouldn't want my golden boy image spoilt now, would we?"
And at that, Draco actually laughed and Harry thought he was going to melt on the spot.
"You should really laugh more often", he said before he could catch himself. The reaction was immediate. Ron chocked on basically nothing but spit, Pansy did something between an excited squeal and a surprised sound and Draco froze on the spot.
No. He did not just say that.
"I- uh... I just meant-" he tried to explain before he was interrupted by Pansy who now sported a shit eating grin.
"There aren't many ways you can mean that, Chosen One", she wickedly said before she stood up and dragged a very confused and probably damaged Ron away, leaving the two boys in a very uncomfortable silence.
All Harry could do as he tried to ignore the pointed stare directed at him was to fiddle with the sleeve of his shirt. Okay, how about he tried shutting his mouth once in his god damned life and tried thinking before speaking? He heard it would do him lots of good.
Alright, so he might have a little crush on the guy he's thought of as a pain in the arse for the most of the time they've known each other. Nothing has changed much, apart from the fact that he wanted to be Draco's pain in the arse now, and in a quite different way, if I may add. And he might have just blurted out something people usually don't tell even to their friends, much less to their arch nemesis since they were eleven.
So what if Draco found out Harry liked him? What would be so bad in that? Other than the fact that he would be humiliated by the very person that held his fancy who then, without a doubt, would go shouting it for the whole of England to hear and oh boy, Merlin knew Harry's had his fair share of publicity.
Then again, he might be overthinking it all. I mean, more or less telling someone their smile looks nice isn't something so important, is it now? And surely, when you looked at it from an objective point of view, it sure as hell would seem so, but Harry knew that if Draco were to say something of the sort to him, he would most definitely have a seizure right then and there.
So no, Harry concluded, it was not something one could just overlook, which is why, without sparing a second glance to the blond still seated at the table next to his, he gathered his things and left, trying very hard not to walk too fast to the point where he'd seem desperate, but fast enough to carry him far away from that damned library and him.
As he exited the double doors and broke into a sprint down the hall, he found himself wishing he would have after all looked at Draco, if nothing but to see how he took it. Was he disgusted? Shocked? Angry? But Harry had no way of knowing, had he lifted his eyes from his hands and looked at the blond, all he would have seen was a bright blush and a shy smile spreading over the boy's face.
×××
"And you just left?" Hermione shrieked, seemingly outraged at her best friend's behaviour. "You can't leave after something like that, Harry! Ron and Parkinson told me Malfoy was nothing but flustered. Can you imagine how bad you must have made him feel?"
Harry looked at his bushy haired friend in astonishment. In the strangest and most comic way possible, he had basically come out to his friends and not only that, but also told them his crush was now one Draco Malfoy, and yet here Hermione was, all but yelling at him for how childish he acted. The whole situation made him feel weird in a way. They haven't talked about things as silly as feelings since fourth year. The war and looming threats of their lives did not leave room for much more than survival. Talking about stuff like that, feeling stuff like that, was strangely comforting and yet melancholic at the same time.
"'Mione, would you calm down already? I don't understand where all this excitement came from. You do realise how far fetched everything you just said was, right?"
"Oh, don't give me that look again, Harry."
"I'm not giving you any looks! I'm just saying I think you're a bit too excited about this to think straight. Malfoy doesn't like me. I-Jesus, it sounds weird even saying it." He frowned a bit at that, ignoring how his heart rate picked up at the prospect, then lifted an accusing finger in the air and jabbed it at his friend. "I'm lucky I got out of there in time, or he would have surely hexed me bruised. Not to mention it's stupid. Me liking the git."
"That's not true, Harry! And I think it's really cute. You've been staring at him since school started."
"Thank you for pointing that out", he said and ignored the roll of her eyes Hermione gave at his usual sarcasm. "Don't think I believe him to be planning world domination anymore now, do you?" he asked grumpily.
"Not at all", Hermione cheerily answered, pointedly ignoring his friend's bitterness. "I find it endearing that you were actually staring at his smile", she then added, causing Harry to blush crimson and smile shyly, a rare sight indeed.
"Oh do shut up."
×××
That day at dinner, for some reason, Harry could not keep his eyes off of the blond. Shocking, am I right?
This time, Draco didn't laugh. Nor did he smile. He was just pushing his food around his plate, nodding absentmindedly at what Pansy said, ignoring her failed attempts at a conversation. His eyes didn't wander around the hall, Harry knew they never did. He knew as soon as Draco Malfoy dared lift his eyes, there would no doubt be at least a scowl directed at him.
But this time, he did lift his head up. His eyes didn't search the room, but fixed on the one person they always sought. And when they locked eyes, Harry's heart started to race, but Draco quickly adverted his gaze, blushing a deep crimson Harry could see quite clearly even from across the Great Hall. His heart squeezed in his chest and fleetingly wondered how could anyone be this cute. Draco Malfoy was a white kitten in disguise, Harry decided.
He was brought back into the real world by a painful jab in the ribs and he looked at Hermione, irritated for interrupting his staring once again.
"What?"
"You saw that as well as I did", she said, a wicked and very pleased grin on her face. She did not need to mention what she meant by 'that'. "Now look me in the eye and tell me that was the reaction of someone who was disgusted by your comment."
Harry fumbled with the hem of his robe and muttered unconvincingly: "Maybe it was a trick of the light."
"You've been staring at him ever since day one, Harry. Did the light not pull tricks on you before?" she asked sarcastically.
Harry just shrugged and rolled his eyes.
"Why are you so stubborn? It's obvious he isn't indiferent. Why is it so hard for you to believe that good things can happen to you too?" she asked, voice and eyes softening.
Harry shrugged again for lack of better response and focused on the food in his plate, not daring to look at Draco again that evening.
×××
This lasted only until the next day at breakfast where, try as he may, Harry could not resist the urge to glimpse the boy who was surely sat in the same spot, facing Harry. But when he lifted his eyes this time, Draco was the one already watching and did not look away like he did the other day, so Harry tried for a tentative smile.
Draco seemed taken aback, but slowly, Harry could see the corner of his mouth lift up in a half smile. A smile directed at him for no reason. He felt like he could fly right then as a pleased, wide grin spread over his face, yet again causing the blond to blush and look away. Harry had never taken fucking Malfoy for the blushing kind, but he found he rather liked that detail that contrasted so strongly with the rest of the boy's personality.
"What excuse are you going to find this time?" Hermione asked and, to her utter surprise, Harry answered with a simple: "None."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes! I'm going to make sure that fucking smile stays on his face", was the only thing he said before standing up with determination and headed out of the Great Hall. Hermione didn't think he had a reason for doing so, for their first class of the day didn't start for another half an hour, but she suspected he felt like he needed a dramatic exit.
×××
The next day, when Harry sat, with no hesitation, next to one Draco Malfoy in potions, gasps and whispers could be heard around them. Draco regarded Harry with a raised eyebrow, trying very hard to hide the blush on his face.
"I really like your hair", Harry suddenly blurted out. He figured the only way to know if Malfoy actually had a positive reaction to his previous compliment was to make him another and look at him this time.
And surely enough, Draco's cheeks turned pink as if on cue and he looked away with what looked like anger in his eyes. And it confused the shit out of Harry.
Draco, though, was much more simple than the brunet could have phantomed. What do you do when your crush of years comes and compliments you to your face not once, but twice? The Slytherin answer, you can guess, is to play it off cool and act like it doesn't affect you at all when, in truth, you feel as if your heart is currently situated between your liver and appendix. So when such a by the book slytherin like Draco gets flustered and can't for the life of him control the amount of blood flooding his cheeks, you can only imagine he would be upset with himself. Simple, isn't it?
"What are you on about, Potter?" he asked, managing to more or less sound commanding and bitter, but his eyes were pleading. Harry would know this because he spent very long time watching Draco's eyes.
Before he could answer, though, Slughorn entered the classroom and silenced the restless students. Harry, though, was not phased by this. If anything, he was pretty happy with the reaction he got and by the way his heart grew thrice the size, he knew that wouldn't be the last time he complimented Malfoy.
×××
"Your eyes are very beautiful", he said the next day as they made their way out of the DADA class, catching Malfoy off guard once again. This time, though, the blond got a grip on himself and bit back:
"I am aware that the horrors of a war can cause permanent damage, but people tend to see a healer if their brains don't work anymore."
At that, Harry frowned. Draco didn't believe he was being serious.
"I mean it. I really like your eyes and your hair and your smile."
"That's it", Draco announced resolutely. "I'm writing to the Daily Prophet and telling them that the Boy Wonder has finally gone nuts", he said, though Harry didn't miss the tentative upward tug of his pink lips and his eyes brightened with glee, making him look like a child on Christmas morning which Draco most definitely did not find adorable. No way.
"That's one way to put it", Harry said and yes, he concluded, falling in love was not so different to going insane.
×××
From then on, Draco found he couldn't go through a whole day without Potter somehow appearing out of nowhere and complimenting him on something. It usually ended in Draco laughing his arse off, despite himself, at which point Harry would always say: "That's what I wanted to see." and just casually stroll away.
These moments were the highlights of Draco's day. It had gotten to the point where he went to sleep with a smile, smile that Harry liked so much, on his face and occasional giddy giggles that he would later on deny completely when questioned by Blaise who was a very light sleeper, apparently. Every day he woke up wondering what Harry was going to say to him that day and how the fuck did the git always know where he was? That was another part of the game Draco absolutely loved. Harry found him no matter where he was and Draco often enjoyed hiding in the most unimaginable places in the castle, just waiting to be discovered.
This whole thing brought him such joy that he didn't stop for a second to wonder what after? Until it was brought to his attention by one Pansy Parkinson who, apparently, was paying very close attention to the way the two danced around each other.
It was painfully obvious that they were head over heels for each other and yet the morons weren't dating yet. Why weren't they dating yet? Oh, she knew why.
"He's been waiting for your sorry arse to do something for over a month now!" she yelled at her friend who, unsuspecting of her sudden outburst, wondered aloud one evening in the common room if Potter actually meant anything serious by those compliments.
The statement brought a crease between Draco's eyebrows, crease he knew Harry wouldn't appreciate and the thought made him unconsciously smile, before concentrating back on the present conversation.
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean", Pansy shrieked. "He made the first step and told you you should smile more. He's been hitting on you for god knows how long now, he's been throwing you looks that literally make me want to puke. Not to mention all the times he beat up the kid that still insists on picking on you-"
"He did what?" Draco squeaked, interrupting Pansy's rant. He didn't even have the sense to feel embarrassed for his reaction.
"You fucking heard me!" Pansy bit. "He's so in love with you it actually makes me sick and you still wonder if he means anything by it?"
"Then", Draco said, still not convinced this wasn't just some cruel fantasy. "Why hasn't he done anything so far?"
"Hasn't done anything?" Pansy now looked ready to strangle him. "I just told you all he's done 10 seconds ago you ignorant asshole! He's waiting for you to do something. Just imagine if you made advances for over a month and the subject of your fancy didn't respond in any fucking way at all."
Now that, Draco didn't think of.
"Fuck", was all he managed to utter.
"Yeah, fuck", Pansy mocked. "Let me tell you, you're really lucky he's not given up yet. Merlin knows most people would have, by now. He must really fucking like you for putting up with your sorry arse for so long."
Anxiety now pulled at Draco's heartstrings, causing him to hug himself tight in an attempt to close himself off from the world, a nasty habit he had picked up during the war. Pansy was right. He hadn't responded to any of Harry's advances so far, but he genuinely thought it didn't mean anything to him. Not to mention, only an utter fool wouldn't make out Draco's feelings from the way he couldn't contain his smiles and the way his cheeks no doubt turned pink. But even so, if he was in Harry's shoes, he wouldn't even have started flirting. Thing that he had proved over the years.
What if now Harry didn't want him anymore? What if he had gotten tired of running after him? What if he didn't like his smile anymore? But that was ridiculous, Draco told himself. Harry had just two hours prior complimented him. And Draco hadn't responded. What if that was the last straw?
He didn't realise he had started picking at his fingernails until Pansy gently pried his hands away.
"Calm down, Draco", she said, though now she no longer sounded harsh and accusing, but more gentle, almost mother like. She started massaging his shoulder lightly, the way she knew calmed him down when anxiety grabbed hold of him. "You still have time. Things are still very good", she reminded him. "If you ask for my honest opinion, Potter looks far from ever growing tired of you, so don't worry."
Draco visibly started relaxing at her words. She was right, he reminded himself. He had to remember who he was and stop losing his head like that. If he would have thought this through like he should have, he would have realised on his own that nothing was lost.
"But that shouldn't suggest you stand there like a puppet doll and wait for him to offer you everything on a silver platter", the brunette continued. "Those times of your life are over. You said so yourself. And a relationship, no matter of which kind, has to be balanced. You have to give, too, Draco."
Draco nodded, determination flowing through his blood.
"Yeah", he said, almost making to stand up. "Yeah, I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell the whole fucking world if I have to."
×××
Of course, it was easier said than done, for the next day on their way to breakfast, when Draco and Pansy were fortunate enough to see Potter in the hall, having a conversation with Finnigan and Thomas, all of Draco's determination and courage from the night before melted in a puddle of butterflies by his feet. He couldn't do this. What if Harry didn't mean anything by it after all?
"Go on, then", Pansy said, a knowing smirk on her face. "Go tell the whole fucking world", she mocked, knowing damn well the idiot was shitting himself.
There was a moment of silence in which Draco seemed torn between a thousand things before he turned away and made to walk away, almost trembling with nerves.
Pansy, on the other hand, had other plans. She blocked her friend's path and started pushing him towards the three Gryffindors.
"No way. No! I'm not doing it- Pansy, you bloody bint, stop pushing me!"
The raven haired girl stopped in the middle of the hall, hands on her hips and an accusing glare towards her friend, her very, very stupid friend.
"Yes you fucking will!"
"No, I won't!"
"You're going to regret this if you don't!" she warned. "I'm not letting you pass up a chance to finally be fucking happy. Not to mention you'll wind down on the Potter rant after so many years. Now go on and claim your man, how hard can it be?"
"Oh, do pretend you know me at all! Do you expect me to come up with a poem on the spot to express my deep and true feelings for him?" Draco asked, voice laced with sarcasm. They both knew he was as smooth as a brick wall when it came to Potter.
"Do spare me the sass, darling", Pansy dismissed him with a careless hand gesture. "I'm getting tired of this whole ordeal. We both believed you would have to live your miserable life with the knowledge that you would never have Potter, but then surprise, surprise, he offers you an opportunity just like that and you don't fucking take it. Have you really gotten this soft?" she admonished.
Draco fumbled on the spot and cast a shy glance towards the messy haired boy, now laughing at something Thomas said. He shouldn't do this. Shouldn't even be thinking or talking about silly stuff like this, when there were people that died, probably on that very spot he was standing on, and sins to atone for. Oh, so many sins. And yet, there he was, yearning for a normal life, for normal teenagers' problems. To worry for his exams and the assignment he forgot about, but mostly he wanted him. Wanted the boy he had tormented for so long, the boy whom he lied for at the risk of his own life, the boy who saved his life and whose words alone kept him away from Azkaban. That wasn't the Boy Who Lived or The Chosen One he wanted. It was Harry.
And there Harry was, laughing with his friends and going on with his day to day life, trying to heal, just like any other. And there Harry was, even after Draco heard the words Harry Potter is dead with his own two ears. There Harry was after he almost wasn't and Draco would be damned if he didn't take his chances.
Nodding to himself, pleased with the moment of bravery he talked himself into, he strode forwards, towards the brunet who now took notice of him and tuned out whatever Seamus said, his eyes only for the blond approaching.
Harry opened his mouth, obviously ready to give another cheesy compliment but this time, Draco beat him to it.
"You have a nice smile as well", he said before he could talk himself out of it. God damn, being a Gryffindor sure was hard.
"What?" said Harry as he stared dumbfounded at the blond in front of him. Dean and Seamus were laughing their asses off, but Harry didn't seem to notice.
"I said you have a pretty smile", Draco repeated, trying very hard to conceal the tremble in his voice. "And your eyes are stunning. I think they were the first things I noticed about you back in Madam Malkin's that day, despite your bird's nest of a hair, which, by the way, I am actually rather fond of."
Harry was still staring at him in amazement, his face not betraying any other emotion, but Draco was too far to back down now, so he continued:
"I like how you always put others before you, how you may seem a bit oblivious but actually always notice the things that matter. I like how you keep a normal sized head despite all the fame and worshipping. I like the way you chew your lip when you concentrate and the way your eyes lit up when you're with your friends." He took a deep breath and steadied himself before finally, finally saying it: "I like you, Harry."
The corners of Harry's mouth were slowly lifting up and his eyes danced behind the frames of his glasses, heart doing cartwheels in his chest.
"Why didn't you say anything so far?" he asked, not that surprised his voice couldn't raise above a whisper.
"It took me a while to realize your motives were pure", Draco sheepishly admitted with a glance in Pansy's direction, only to find her gone. Finnigan and Thomas somehow disappeared, too.
"You didn't think I was being serious?" Harry asked, taking a tentative step closer.
"Can you blame me?" They were too close for Draco to think straight anymore.
"I guess not", the brunet half shrugged, lifting one hand to gingerly place on Draco's waist, the action causing their skin to burn at the contact. He was leaning in, slowly, only stopping when they were few millimeters apart, waiting for Draco to close the gap. Waiting for his approval, thing that did nothing but make Draco fall for him even more.
When their lips touched, it fett better than anything either of them ever experienced and they both decided that that was what they were missing their whole lives.
When they pulled apart, both shaky breaths and giddy smiles, they couldn't be bothered by the crowd that had gathered around them, nor by the occasional shouts of protest, for they were in each other's arms.
"Took us long enough", Harry murmured as he pressed their foreheads together and Draco could do nothing but laugh.
"We've got a lot of catching up to do, I reckon."