Nocturne’s Thread - The Dreambind Draught

Harry’s POV:

Harry really thought about going on a date again. He wanted to give it a try, since according to his dreams he really was craving for affection—affection from no other than Draco.

But apart from the dream, he really wasn’t sure if this whole date-thing would be the best idea.He still had to figure out so much. He still wasn’t even sure who he was and what he wanted in life.
“I mean, wouldn’t it be kind of unfair for the other party?” Harry thought to himself.
Harry was sitting in the library with Hermione. Ron didn’t want to tag along since he wasn’t feeling like studying. So just the two of the trio were working on an assignment for Charms class.

“Harry, you alright?” Hermione asked him as they were sitting in the library working on some Charms essays. “You seem to be having something on your mind again… I know that look, you can’t fool me!” she explained, her gaze expectant, waiting for his answer.
“It’s nothing… well, at least nothing big,” Harry answered, a bit hesitant. Harry knew he could talk to Hermione about just anything, but he really didn’t want her to get the wrong idea about him and Draco, so he didn’t want to mention the dream.
But he came to the conclusion that talking about his idea of trying to date again might help him to sort his thoughts.
“I was just thinking if I should go on a date again,” he blurted out, a wave of uncertainty filling his sentence.

Hermione was a clever and empathetic girl. She could sense Harry’s uncertainty instantly.
“Harry…” she mustered him for a bit, looking a bit concerned. Then she added, “You know that you don’t have to rush anything. If you need more time for yourself, that’s absolutely alright.” She now wore an understanding, soft smile.
“Just do what feels right for you. You know Ron and I will always support you.”

Hermione was probably right. Harry was really reluctant if it was a good idea anyway, so after thinking about it for a short while, he answered:
“Thank you, Hermione. I think you’re right, it doesn’t feel right just yet. But when I change my mind, I’ll let you know!”
“Sure! Let me know, and we can think together about who you could go on a date with. I know quite a few girls who would love to go out with you!” Hermione said with a big grin.Harry laughed out. “Haha, I will keep that in mind, thank you!”
Harry really felt better now after talking about it with Hermione. It really sounded like a rushed idea.
“Maybe at a later time,” he thought to himself.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

It was time for another potion class and Harry took his seat right next to Draco’s.
After his dream he was still feeling a bit unsure of why Draco had appeared in it. But it was just one dream. Could happen to just about everyone.
So he decided to ignore this fact and continue on, just like he always did.

“Hi!” he then greeted him.
“Morning,” Draco answered without really looking at him, seemingly already reading the instructions of the potion book for the next project.
“Yeah, that’s really not the romantic Draco of my dreams,” Harry decided in his head, still blushing slightly while thinking about it.

“This week we will learn how to brew a healing potion,” Professor Slughorn announced to the class.
The lesson went on as always: Neville messed something up, Hermione knew just about everything, and finished as one of the first groups.
Harry and Draco were working rather quietly. For once, there wasn’t much talking between them.
That was, until Draco reached across the table to grab a vial, brushing his fingers against Harry’s hand by accident.

It was just a second. Barely a touch. But Harry froze.
The spot where Draco’s fingers had grazed his skin was suddenly very warm.
Draco, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice—or at least pretended not to.
He just continued measuring the next ingredient, completely unbothered.
Harry, however, had stopped breathing.
‘It was nothing,’ he told himself.
Just a touch. Totally normal.
Completely. Normal. Human. Contact.
Then why was his face on fire?

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

t was a long day for Harry. He had just finished his Quidditch practice and had gotten out of a nice and relaxing shower.
Now he threw himself onto his comfy bed. He stretched his arms a bit and thought, “Let’s see what I dream about tonight. Meeting Draco in my dream was a one-time thing. Surely I won’t see him tonight. No reason to worry.
”Harry was really dog-tired, and only after a short while, he fell asleep.
But there was reason to worry—

At first, everything just seemed like another dream of a beautiful scenery.
Harry found himself in nature again—this time, he was standing on a lavender field, and in the close distance, a clifftop could be seen.It was sunset. The soft orange light of the sun fell on the purple flowers, and a mild breeze brushed through the petals. The lavenders were all lined in neat rows. It was a truly beautiful view.

Harry walked through one of the rows, brushing his hands slightly along the flowers. He felt so free, breathing in the fresh, flowery air.
It had to be somewhere in France. Provence, most certainly.

Harry walked toward the clifftop. Now he stood at the edge of the cliff—The view was astonishing. The sky was colored in a gradient of orange, purple, and a tint of pink. The sea sprawled endlessly before him, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.
A warm breeze brushed past him, and without thinking, he stretched out his arms to the sides—like he'd done once, years ago, soaring over the lake on Buckbeak’s back.
For a moment, it felt like flying again. Like he was weightless, untethered, free.

Harry felt as if he were being held by the moment itself—like the sun, the wind, and the sea were wrapping around him in a quiet embrace.
Until it suddenly felt real. Solid. Warm.
Because it was.
Someone had wrapped their arms around him from behind.

Harry turned around and found no other than Draco.“By Merlin’s beard, why is Draco here again?” Harry thought to himself, wearing a confused look on his face, feeling like laughing and crying at the same time.
He slowly freed himself from the embrace and stepped to the side.
Harry just felt so confused inside that he managed to get only a soft, slightly broken “Draco?” out of his mouth, still trying to process what had just happened.

Ever since Harry took that sleeping potion from Hermione, his dreams had felt different—more intense and real in some kind of sense.
If this was some kind of lucid dream, shouldn’t he be able to influence it?And if he was able to… why on earth would Draco be here?
Did this mean Harry wanted to see Draco in his dreams?

Harry was still feeling very confused, but he decided to just go with the flow.
He knew he wouldn’t have any nightmares anymore thanks to the potion. And well, everyone likes a nice hug, right?
Also, he was starting to feel a bit curious about what this dream would still hold for him.
It was his dream, and the reason for a dream was for its owner to get some good rest and maybe… to let go.
So he let the dream take guidance for him.

Draco took one of Harry’s hands again and said, “I want to show you something.”
“Okay,” Harry answered, feeling a bit defeated by the romantic touch again, but also just accepting the plot of the dream.
So they walked along the edge of the cliff, hand in hand, toward a big tree in the distance.

The tree looked really magical. Many of the branches were growing in odd ways, reaching from the top to the ground. The branches were covered in green leaves with a few tiny flowers.

“This is one of my favourite secret spots I used to hide at when I was a kid. I’d always come here when I wanted to be on my own and just needed to think a bit,” Draco explained with a smile to Harry.
“But didn’t you grow up here in England too?” Harry asked.

“That’s right, I grew up at Malfoy Manor in England. But my mother has relatives in France, so we have a summer house there to visit them from time to time,” Draco explained further. “Sit down with me, I want to show you something.”

Suddenly the sky was getting a bit darker, the day turning into night.
“Why is it so dark now? Are we going to watch the stars again?” Harry then asked, a bit confused about what was happening.

“No, but something even more beautiful,” Draco said as he reached out his hand to remove a leaf that had fallen from the tree into Harry’s hair. “Close your eyes for a bit.
”Harry gasped softly. His heart skipped a beat, his cheek turning light pink.He was probably just surprised by Draco’s sudden touch. Couldn’t have been anything else.
But maybe it was also the softness in Draco’s slightly flirtatious voice, and his warm, cautious touch—as if he were holding something precious…

Harry did as he was told. He closed his eyes, pressing them together tightly—just like his lips, which now showed a sense of nervousness.
What would Draco do?
He surely wouldn’t just kiss him, right?
Harry nervously started to lick his lips, his body a bit tense.
His thoughts were running in spirals when Draco’s voice brought him back to reality.
“You can open them now,” he said.

Harry had just started to say, “Hm? But it’s still dark, I can’t see anyth—” when Draco opened his hand—And suddenly, there was light.
A dozen fireflies floated up from Draco’s palm, flying to the top of the crown of the tree.
It wasn’t dark anymore. The air around them filled with beautiful, glowing fireflies. The fresh air of the summer night embraced the two of them.It felt like a scene straight out of a movie.

They looked up.
Harry opened his mouth in surprise. “Woah!”
“It’s beautiful…” he said, now grinning widely.
“I know,” Draco replied. But his gaze wasn’t on the fireflies.
His silver-blue eyes were locked on Harry, almost as if they were saying, You’re beautiful.

Harry laughed out loud. He felt so light. Everything felt so easy here.
He didn’t need to overthink anything. Just be in flow with the dream.
Draco reached one of his hands out to Harry, saying, “Up for a dance, Mister Potter?”
“Sure, why not?” Harry said in return.

Draco took one of Harry’s hands and placed it on his shoulder. Then he placed his own hands on Harry’s back.
And as if by magic, suddenly music started playing.
“Follow my lead,” he said.

The whole moment was truly magical.
Harry let himself be guided, his steps unsure at first, but gentle and trusting. The melody floated around them, soft and slow, as if the dream itself had summoned it just for them.
They moved in perfect harmony, eyes locked, the world around them fading—Until there was nothing left but the two of them and the fireflies above.
Harry wasn’t sure if his feet were touching the ground—or if he was floating.

Their dance grew closer, their bodies drawn together—until they ended up hugging each other tightly.
Draco’s embrace felt so warm, Harry could almost feel his own heart glowing.
His heart skipped a beat yet again.He took a deep breath. He smelled the fresh air of the summer night and the flowers…But he could also smell vanilla, green apple, and a hint of lavender.

For merlin‘s sake— Draco just smelled so nice.
He now knew that for sure—because it smelled just like the lavender field where his dream had started.
He hadn’t felt so free in a long time.
He felt… splendid.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Harry woke up in his room again.
He fell out of his bed with a thud, groaning, “Fuuuuck,” out loud—now lying on the floor in his pyjamas.
He knew he was truly fucked.

This dream had been even worse than the first.
Could it be that he had a crush on Draco?
And worst of all... he had actually enjoyed the dream.
He felt better than ever.

Now Harry really had to figure some things out in his life.
Well—maybe there was some reasonable explanation for it.
For sure.
Harry was sure of it.