NOT a date
It had started gradually.
Harry wasn’t sure exactly when it had happened—when Draco Malfoy had stopped being just an annoying presence in his life and started becoming something else entirely. It hadn’t been some grand, cinematic realization, no one singular moment where everything clicked into place. Instead, it had crept up on him, slow and inevitable, like the tide pulling sand into the sea.
He had spent so many years hating Malfoy that he hadn’t noticed when his irritation had stopped feeling entirely like hatred. The fights, the sharp words, the ridiculous rivalry—it had been easy to label it all as dislike, even when the edges of it had started to fray, even when it had become something else. When Malfoy had become someone else to him.
At some point, Harry had started noticing things he really shouldn’t have been noticing—the way Draco’s hands moved when he spoke, the way his pale lashes cast delicate shadows against his cheekbones, the way his eyes weren’t just grey but mercurial, shifting like storm-lit clouds. He noticed the way Draco laughed rarely but fully when he thought no one was listening, the way his lips twitched when he was fighting a smirk, the way his fingers drummed absently against his knee when he was deep in thought.
And it was infuriating.
Because Harry shouldn’t care about Malfoy’s stupid little habits, shouldn’t be so ridiculously aware of him at all times, shouldn’t feel that stupid, traitorous pull every time their eyes met across the room. And yet, he did. He cared far too much, noticed far too much, felt far too much—and then, before he even knew what to do with it, they had already fallen into this thing. This secret, ridiculous, unbelievable thing that Harry still couldn’t quite wrap his head around.
But now, somehow, he had found himself here—on what was absolutely not a date, because Draco Malfoy would nevercall it that, but that’s definitely what it was.
“It’s not a date, Potter,” Draco had said, standing with his arms crossed in the dim light of the corridor, looking both irritated and completely insufferable. “It’s a—mutual outing. A civil exchange between two people who are very, very good at keeping their emotions under control.”
Harry had just stared at him. “Malfoy, we literally snogged in an abandoned classroom last week.”
Draco had rolled his eyes. “That was circumstantial.”
Now, as they walked side by side through the quieter side of the castle grounds, Harry had to bite back a grin. Because Draco might refuse to call it a date, but Harry knew better.
Draco had put effort into this. He was wearing a sweater that was just a little too nice for a casual evening stroll, and he had done something to his hair, because it was falling over his forehead in a way that looked both perfectly careless and very intentional. And the way he kept glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eye, like he was waiting for him to say something—
Yeah. This was definitely a date.
“You’re staring.” Draco’s voice was dry, cutting into Harry’s thoughts, but there was a flicker of color at the tips of his ears.
Harry smirked. “Am I?”
Draco sighed, dramatic as ever. “What could you possibly be looking at?”
Harry shrugged, all false casualness. “Nothing. Just thinking about how ridiculous it is that you still won’t admit this is a date.”
Draco groaned. “If I admit it’s a date, will you stop talking about it?”
Harry tilted his head, pretending to consider. “No.”
Draco huffed, shoving his hands into his pockets, but Harry caught the way his lips twitched upward, the way his shoulders weren’t quite as tense as before.
They continued walking, the cool evening air wrapping around them, the castle glowing softly in the distance. At some point, they found themselves near the lake, the water still and reflecting the sky like polished glass. Harry skipped a stone across the surface, watching as it hopped once, twice, before sinking into the depths.
Draco watched with mild interest, then bent down to pick up a stone of his own. He examined it like he was appraising a rare jewel, then tossed it effortlessly. The stone skidded across the surface—four, five times—before finally disappearing beneath the water.
Harry narrowed his eyes. “That was luck.”
Draco gave him a smug look. “That was skill, Potter. Try and keep up.”
Harry grabbed another stone and launched it with determination, only for it to plop into the water unceremoniously. Draco burst out laughing, head tilting back slightly, the sound unexpectedly bright against the night air.
Harry’s heart did something stupid in his chest.
Before he could dwell on it too much, Draco nudged him lightly with his shoulder. “Admit it—you’re rubbish at this.”
“I’ll admit nothing.” Harry grinned. “Except that you are ridiculous.”
Draco smirked. “And yet, here you are. Out on a totally not a date with me.”
Harry rolled his eyes but didn’t deny it. Instead, he let himself enjoy the warmth of Draco beside him, the soft sound of laughter lingering between them, the way the world felt just a little bit lighter in that moment.
And maybe, just maybe, he didn’t mind losing to Draco Malfoy all that much after all.