A Not-So-Unexpected Crush
Morning Monday came and Harry was the first one up. He went to the bathroom to fix his mop of hair as much as he could and after a quick shower, he headed to the therapy classroom.
This was going to be the last week of group therapy they were going to have. Next week, the individual therapy sessions were going to continue for just a few students who might still need help.
Even though it was 6:30 in the morning, the room already had a considerable number of students chatting among themselves. Hermione was already there, as usual, but what Harry wasn't expecting (at least not yet) was to see Draco Malfoy, who was talking to the brunette.
-Harry! I never expected to see you here so early- Said Hermione as soon as she spotted her friend.
-Yeah, um, the guys set my alarm earlier for a prank or something, how are you guys?- Lied Harry, as he tried to hide how inexplicably nervous he was feeling.
The truth was, Harry had woken up very early due to a very weird nervousness that he had been feeling since Saturday, and even though he knew he was excited to see Draco, he did not link the two feelings, because that would mean that he liked liked the Malfoy boy and he didn't think that could be possible.
That week went by like any other, Draco sitting in the middle of Pansy and Blaise but interacting from the distance with both Harry and Hermione; breakfast and lunch shared with the Gryffindors, library "studying" with Hermione and a nice walk with Harry after that. Except Draco was starting to spend more time with Hermione, so the evening walks turned into night walks, which meant more places to walk undetected, thus ending up in more walking time. Also, Draco was starting to gain more confidence in himself, which turned out to be great for flirting, and both Harry and Hermione were great at that as well without even realizing it, so naturally, flirting made up about eighty percent of every conversation between them.
Soon, Saturday afternoon arrived and that meant it was time for the much expected Quidditch match between the two boys.
It all started when Harry got to the Quidditch field to see Draco already mounted on his broom while practicing his skills with the Quaffle, which were actually pretty good. The Gryffindor boy quickly mounted his own broom and decided to try his own skills by speeding to try and block the throw Malfoy had just made. He succeeded.
-Do you always throw like this? Or were you saving your best moves for me?-
-Very funny Potter, your sense of humor just keeps getting better, I'd love to hear more of your very impressive jokes- Replied Draco with very marked sarcasm.
-Ok, I've got another one, does your entire wardrobe consist of only black and white long-sleeved button ups? Or are you planning to go to a photoshoot after this?-
-Real rich coming from you, do you even own clothes your own size Potter?- Said Draco with a bit more anger in his voice rather than the now usual playfulness.
They stayed a few minutes glaring at each other. They had both unknowingly touched a nerve or two, but neither were willing to accept it in fear of sparking a depressing conversation.
-Whatever, lets just play- Said Harry after a while of uncomfortable silence, his much expected weekend was not about to be ruined by bad memories.
They played with a palpable tension in the air, but after a while it started to dissolve and they found themselves having fun despite the negative feelings that had been invoked earlier.
The night started to fall and the boys descended from their brooms laughing over something Harry had done. They were both sweaty and tired, Draco had even cuffed his shirt, completely forgetting the actual reason why he never showed his arms. And everything was visible under the bright moonlight.
-Hey, what happened to your arm?- Asked Harry innocently as the dim light revealed some very noticeable scars on the pale skin.
Draco started walking a bit faster as he hastily tried to cover his arms again with his sleeve, but the damage was already done.
-What, never seen a Dark Mark before Potter?- Replied Malfoy with a tone that was really hard to read.
-No, I don't mean... the Mark, let me see your arm- Harry caught up to Draco and blocked his path to try to grab the boy's arm.
-Potter don't-
Draco's tone was menacing, but that didn't stop Harry from pushing harder, until he finally managed to accomplish his goal and aggressively pulled back the sleeve of the shirt.
-Did you... did you make these?- Asked Harry with a very soft voice that showed surprise and his fingers trailing tenderly one of the darkest scars. Draco wouldn't meet his eyes.
-You know, we've shared stuff before, you can just tell me- But Draco just yanked his arm away and started walking even faster than before.
-It's none of your business Potter-
-You know what Malfoy? It is of my business, because we're friends now, whether you like it or not- Exclaimed the young Gryffindor with a bit of anger.
This made Draco stop, Harry didn't sound disgusted or angry when he commented on the scars, as he would have thought any of his friends would react, he appeared to be genuinely concerned about him.
Harry started thinking about that day in the closet; he would have never opened up to Draco if he hadn't done so first, so maybe now it was time to return the favor.
-I have some scars too you know- Harry started, his voice threatening to crack.
-They're not made by me, but I have never let anyone seen them before either. I assume neither Pansy or Blaise know about yours?-
Draco shook his head subtly.
-Draco, I understand how you feel, I really do, but neither of us is going to be able to move on unless we start helping each other. So please, let me help you-
Draco didn't move. He was trying to blink back some tears before Harry could see them, and he could hear the other boy getting closer.
Harry got to where Draco was standing and stood behind him, waiting for him to turn around, but when he did, the Gryffindor boy was thrown off by their closeness.
He couldn't think properly, suddenly, all of his senses were focused in how Draco's heartbeats felt against his chest, how the moon highlighted the sharp features of his face, and how pale his lips had turned with the cold nature of the night. The only thing in Harry's mind was how desperately he wanted to kiss the handsome young boy in front of him, the boy who could understand him, the one that had become his friend. His thoughts however, were interrupted by the same boy, who asked him a question which he could not process at first.
-Sorry what?-
-I just asked where you'd gotten your scars from-
-Oh- Harry answered as they turned around to the direction of the broom shed,
-Well, I spent most of my life living with the Dursleys, the only family I had left after my parents died- He explained
-And they were never the loving type, so I basically lived in a cupboard under the stairs and got beaten almost daily by both my uncle and my cousin- Harry finished quickly. He definitely did not want to talk about the topic, but he figured that if he told this to Draco, it would contradict everything he had said just moments ago, so he opted to tell him a very summarized version of his home life.
-I'm sorry- Said Draco simply after Harry had finished talking. He couldn't relate all that much to Harry's tale, but his home life hadn't been the best either because of his father, so he could understand what Harry had gone through and suddenly felt a lot worse about tormenting him so much at school.
How Harry hadn't killed himself ages ago, was a mystery for the blond boy, since he felt like he would have done so if he had been in the Golden Boy's shoes.
Truth be told, Draco thought about suicide very often. He hadn't found the energy in himself to act upon those thoughts so far, obviously, but every time he thought about having to live such an unpleasant life, he felt as if suicide was the best option.
However, he hadn't felt suicidal ever since he had started hanging out with his new group of friends, so he supposed that maybe there were other solutions to a bad life, and maybe Ron and Hermione had been that to Harry...
After a while of walking in comfortable silence, when they had already left their brooms in the shed and were now heading to their common room, Harry had an idea.
-Follow me-
-Where?- Asked Draco
- You'll see-
Harry guided Draco all the way up to the seventh floor, right across the "Barnabas the Barmy" tapestry, where the Room of Requirement had been restored to its former glory. As he walked past it the three times, he tried very hard not to let the memory of Fred cloud his thoughts. He finally managed to get the door open and then proceeded to take Draco inside.
What Harry had asked the Room for was nothing too complicated. It was merely a small living room with some chairs and a fireplace, not unlike their common room.
-Why did you bring me here?- Asked Draco.
-Don't worry, we're not going to take long- Replied Harry as the door closed.
-I just wanted to try something- He added as he dragged the other boy to one of the chairs.
Harry took out his wand and a couple sickles from his pocket, he then proceeded to put them on a table and close his eyes as he muttered an incantation. Draco looked at him in silence and curiosity.
Soon, the coins started to glow and dance around themselves for a few seconds before setting down on the table again and turning off their light.
-What did you do?-
-It's a spell I learned from Hermione- Draco blushed a little when he heard her name, but the room was far too dark for Harry to notice.
-The coins are now connected, so if one gets modified, so will the other. Now, I want you to promise me that the next time you feel like you might want to harm yourself, you'll call me. You only need to write something in the coin and I'll come here to meet you-
Harry looked at Draco expectantly, hoping really hard that he hadn't just messed up everything.
-Fine, I promise- Said Draco as he took the coin.
-Thanks- He added as he turned around to look at Harry.
They stayed there looking into each other's eyes for a while under the dim light of the fireplace until the Gryffindor boy decided that this was as good moment as any other to make his move. He leaned forward, half expecting Draco to move away. He didn't. After a few seconds, Harry slowly brushed his lips against Draco's in a soft and tender kiss, which the blond boy quickly returned. Harry knew in this moment that he had a big crush on Draco Malfoy.