Chapter 2
The second time that Harry Potter kissed Draco Malfoy, was the day they returned from the Easter holidays. The pair had found themselves in an argument. Draco supposed, looking back, that it was quite tame when considering fights of the past. But now that they each held a significant role in the other's life -a positive one, every insult singed like acid.
Draco, upon entering the common room for the first time since getting back, had been in a sour mood. His mother hadn't been doing well at all; her house arrest leaving her so isolated that she would have been on the brink of madness if not for Draco's frequent letters. She had spent her days walking aimlessly through the silence of the Manor, simply waiting for him to return. That image brought with it a dark kind of sadness that flashed with regret and thoughts he much preferred to keep buried.
When he caught sight of Harry, upon his return to school- happy and chatting with his friends- Draco felt that feeling clutch painfully. They had both done good and bad things in their lives, so why was Draco being punished, and Harry rewarded? Was the world really that black and white?
An old fury resurfaced. A childish kind that watched Potter with envy. Hate. It was this that dug the scowl into his features, and drove him to shove past Potter as he made his way to the dorms.
"What- Draco?" Rung from behind him, as did a further sense of guilt (Why would it never end?) but he was already walking up the stairs. To his distaste, however, Potter followed him; ever the stubborn Gryffindor. "Draco? Draco."
He remembered, through the haze of anger, through the flurry of thundering thoughts, thinking that he liked the way Harry said his name. He didn't say Draco; Malfoy, Death Eater, Criminal. He said Draco in a way that made him hopeful for his future. Content with his Present.
"Go away, Potter" He ground out, still speeding up the stairs. He couldn't face him as he felt the anger mellow into sadness. He was a coward even when it came to his own emotions.
"What- Draco! J- Just Stop! Stop it!" Harry panted harshly as he grabbed Draco and threw him up against the wall of the winding staircase; holding him there no matter how much the blonde thrashed.
"Get OFF-"
"NO what is the matter with you? Is that it? You're just going back to being the absolute arse you used to be- I gave you a chance and you just-"
The change was abrupt, when Draco felt his sadness boil into rage once again. He shoved Harry to the opposite wall, the forearm against the ravens chest pressing down bone-crushingly hard.
"Why am I being held to a different standard than everyone else? If any of your other friends were to do this you may think to ask them what the matter is, but instead, you go straight to dumping me like a used Carapace. You say you see me as a friend but instead, I'm just a charity project to you. The second this friendship isn't easy for you, you end it!"
The raven's breath was hot, "You know exactly why this isn't the same-"
"Because you don't trust me!"
"Because I trust you too much! And then you go and do this-"
"I'm sorry, am I not allowed to be upset? Have emotions? Get fucking angry sometimes! What? Was I supposed to just sit quietly as Harry Potter's little friend just because you spoke at my trial?" Draco laughed. It was an enraged, manic kind of sound. "It's all making sense now... Of course, you didn't speak at a Death Eaters trial so he could go out and try and live his life, oh no.. you just wanted your own little piece of Voldemort to fuck with. Was it your way of getting revenge?"
"I don't-"
"Trying to show me the freedom I could have had, just to break my fucking spirit when you drag me away to some kind of fucking prison after Hogwarts. Was that the plan? Of course it was."
"You're being crazy-"
"Am I, Harry? Really? Because I don't think I am-" the Gryffindor tried hard to push him away but Draco wouldn't relent in his blind rage. "Why else would you have done it? It never made sense to me.."
"Because it wasn't fair! We had both tried to kill each other. And then we both saved each other- you saved me twice; I was in debt to you!"
"So then what are you doing Harry? Why can't I just be fucking annoyed at you and the entire fucking world - like everyone else can?"
"Because I don't want you to be annoyed at me for Merlin's fucking sake-"
"Why not!"
It was in a rush of red-hot anger and buzzing thoughts that Harry grabbed Draco's face fiercely, kissing him in a way that burned; even as the cold ridge of his glasses dug into his cheeks.
As quickly as it had happened, Draco felt Harry push him away, and by the time his vision had cleared of peppered stars, he was alone.
Fucking Harry Potter and his fucking stupid kisses.