The maze
“Okay, that’s enough!” Hermione said, practically jumping out of her seat to grab Harry’s arm. “You’re acting like an old man that doesn’t want to be happy and I’m sick of it! You have to fix this now.”
Too tired and broken to fight back he followed her helplessly. Three months had passed and Draco was still ignoring him. In fact, Harry didn’t even see him anymore, he wasn’t at meals, he skipped the classes they had together, there was nothing. It was like Draco Malfoy didn’t even exist, like he wasn’t at Hogwarts.
They had been enemies since they were eleven; their relationship problematic, full of punches and insults, but even then, the saw each other. They saw each other practically every day, they spoke to each other. Now? Not even that. Harry never thought he could miss that, but he does.
God, he wants that. He wants anything that would mean see Draco, talk to him. Even if it is awful, sarcastic, he wants it. He craves it. Just something, even if it’s little, that’s all he needs.
For all he knows now, Draco might be dead. He might be dead and Harry doesn’t even know. Or he might have traveled to the beach, or to France, or Italy, or Spain, or America or wherever he wishes!
All the progress they had done was lost now, it was like they never met. Like Harry and Draco never happened. Like the L that’s on his bracelet was just a reminder of the looser he is, not the name of the love of his life.
Hermione’s voice snapped him back to reality. Now that he’s aware of what’s happening — Hermione pulling him to the Black Lake — he is curious and extremely confused.
“Hermione?” He said. “What are you doing?”
She answered with a cold glare.
Then, he spotted a white-blonde head sitting near the lake.
Oh no.
Oh no.
This was no good.
“Hermione?!” He repeated. Now with his voice full of concern.
“Shut it! You are talking to him.”
His eyes widened. “What?! He doesn’t want to talk to me! Nor see me or even breathe the same air!” He said a bit hurt.
“I don’t care! You’re miserable, Harry. And I know he is, too. So this has to stop, you two need to fix things, for your own good.”
“He’ll kill me.” He answered.
“It’s worth the risk.” She sighed.
When they were a few feet away Hermione stopped abruptly. “Draco, a word.”
The blonde turned to look at her, Harry could swear he saw a smile growing on his face, but he stopped when he saw him. His face grew paler.
“I don’t think there’s anything to say.” Draco said dryly.
Merlin help him… the man was spitting venom on his face and Harry wanted more. This was the first time he heard Draco’s voice in months. Months! He nearly choked with his own saliva and flushed.
Draco’s voice was so attractive.
Wait, no. Or well, yes. But now was not the time.
“Draco…” Hermione begged. “Please, you two need to talk. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t extremely necessary.”
Draco’s look softened at the sight of Hermione, but his face was still unreadable. He remained silent for a painful long minute, Harry was getting ready for being harshly rejected, but suddenly, Draco nodded.
Just a mere movement of his head, but he agreed. He agreed!
Oh no.
He agreed!
What was Harry going to say?
He had spent hours thinking of what to say, how to apologise, but now… he froze. He froze and he couldn’t think of anything.
“Thank you.” Hermione whispered. “I’ll leave you two alone.” And off she went.
Harry and Draco stared at each other. Harry had almost forgotten how Draco’s face looked like, how sharp his features were, how tall he was, how delicate and elegant his fingers looked, how pale he was and how his hair shines under sunlight.
Damn it, it looked so soft. Harry wanted to run his fingers through that hair, he wanted to smell Draco’s elegant shampoo, he wanted to kiss the top of his head. And then his gaze landed on his lips. Had they always been this red? Harry wanted to kiss them, bite them, lick them…
Draco cleared his throat. “So?”
Oh, right.
They were here to talk.
Yeah, he could do that.
“I’m sorry.” He blurted out.
Draco scoffed. “If that’s all you have to say then save it and leave.” He said dryly.
Harry kicked himself internally. “No, wait! There’s more…”
Draco glared at him. “Go on.”
“Um— mind if I sit here?” He pointed the spot next to Draco. “It might be a long talk.”
Draco narrowed his eyes, seeming hesitant about Harry’s question, but he nodded.
Relieved, Harry sat down next to him. Their knees almost brushing, Harry’s heart beating faster.
He took a deep breath before talking. “I’m sorry.”
Draco rolled his eyes.
“Let me finish.” He said before Draco could interrupt again. “Look, the thing is… I am truly sorry. I know I said that already, but I want you to understand that I really am. What I did… was the worst mistake of my life. I think of it daily, and it hunts me, I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop feeling like a twat—”
“Yeah, cause you are.” Draco said harshly.
Harry sighed. “I know. And I deserve this— the nonexistent treatment, because what I did was— is unforgivable. I didn’t come here seeking for your forgiveness, because I know that’s too much and I don’t deserve it, but that doesn’t mean it hurts.” His voice went smaller, nearly a whisper. “Trust me, Draco. This hurts so much. I- I miss you. I miss us.”
Draco flinched unconsciously at the words. “There is no ‘us’, Potter.”
Back to Potter. Ouch.
“But—but…”
“There’s no but. There was no ‘us’, it was all fake.”
Harry’s heart twisted. “W-what do you mean… all fake?”
“It was fake.” Draco said dryly. “I know your feelings weren’t real, so there’s no point in pretending. You really hurt me— but okay, wasn’t that what you wanted? You got it, so now stop messing around with me.”
Harry frowned. “What?”
Draco raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean with ‘your feelings weren’t real’?” Harry asked.
“Potter, this is ridiculous.”
“No, it’s not. Tell me, what do you mean?”
“Potter, I— stop, this was a mistake.” He stood up and walked away.
Harry ran after him, placing his hand on Draco’s shoulder, forcing him to look at him. Draco’s eyes were so lovely, he really missed him.
“Draco…” he whispered. “What do you mean?”
Draco’s eyes watered and he shoved him away. “You know what I mean! All of this was fake!” He yelled. “I thought you cared about me, but no. Of course not. It was just a prank! A very stupid, dumb and ridiculous prank! But I fell for it. I was a fool, because—” his lips quivered. “because I also fell for you…” he finished. Tears running through his cheeks.
“Draco…”
“No! Just— What do you want from me?!” He ran his hand through his hair, messing it a bit. “I know I was a dick to you since the day we met, and that I probably deserve all the bad things that happen to me, but— just stop! I think this was enough. I don’t want your pity, so just leave me alone!”
Harry’s own eyes watered, seeing Draco crying makes him cry too. Besides, this was all too much, he was so tired. He just wishes things could go back to how they were…
“Draco, listen to me! None of it was fake!” He yelled.
“Oh fuck of, Potter!”
“No! Listen to me!” He stepped closer. “Everything that happened, everything I did, absolutely EVERYTHING was real! It was the most real thing that I could’ve done. I fell for you! I fell for you, too. It was real… it is real.”
Draco stared at him with puffy eyes. “What?”
“It is real, Draco. My mistake was that, a mistake. A terrible and awful mistake, that I’ll regret ‘til the day I die, but my feelings? No. All of them were real. I fancy you, I care about you, I—”
The words died on his tongue. Not being able to continue.
“But- that can’t be! Why would you tell William my secrets if you care about me?”
“I don’t know!” Harry said anxiously.
“Oh, you don’t know?” He scoffed. “You just go around telling the secrets of the people you care? Well, great. Your friends are very lucky.” He said dryly.
“It’s not like that!—”
“Yes, it is! Or what other explanation do you have? That you don’t know how to keep your stupid mouth shut? Because that’s not a fucking excuse!”
“I know it isn’t! But seriously, I don’t know why I did what I did. I mean it! I never wanted any of this to happen, but it did. And it sucks.”
“Of course it does! I- I thought we had a nice thing together—”
“We do!”
“We don’t! And we didn’t! It was all fake. Just get over it, I discovered your childish plan to make my life hell and that’s it. Just bloody accept it!”
“I won’t because it makes no sense! I told you my feeling are real!”
“They weren’t!” Draco stepped closer, his finger right in Harry’s chest. “So just leave me alone!”
Harry stepped closer again. “My feelings were real, for Godric’s sake! I love you, you dimwit!”
Draco, who looked ready to fight back, stopped. Everything stopped. He froze.
Harry realised what he just said. It simply slipped out, but now it was there, so he was going to use it.
He pushed harder. “I love you, Draco. I really do. Since the day we had to share rooms in third year, right there in that moment I knew I loved you. Even though I think I loved you much before that, just that I didn’t want to accept it. Because even when we were ‘enemies’ and we hated each other I couldn’t keep you out of my mind. I was obsessed with you, I’ve been obsessed with you since the moment we met in Madam Malkin’s. I love everything about you, you’re the most perfect person I’ve ever seen and I am so proud of you, you are my whole world. I can’t breathe when you’re not near and my life’s miserable without you, because you’re my star, Draco. You make my days shiny, you put a smile on my face, and without you my life has no purpose. You’re my star and I need you…”
Draco kept looking at Harry, his eyes going crazy, first landing on Harry’s right eye, then left, then right, left, right, left, right, not knowing where to look. Then, on Harry’s mouth.
Harry doesn’t know how it happens, or who moves first, but he’s kissing Draco. He’s kissing him harder than any of the times they kissed before. His hands find their way to Draco’s waist, pulling him close. Harry wants to feel, he wants more, this is exactly what he needed. He had been craving for it, and now that he has it it’s too much, too good. He’ll never get enough of Draco. He wants to kiss him forever.
He pushes forward, deepening the kiss. Relief surges over Harry when Draco opens his mouth, giving Harry the access to push his tongue inside. When their tongues meet, Harry thinks he might faint. It felt so good, it was like they were meant to be together, like the whole world stops and it’s just him and Draco.
His lips move to Draco’s cheek, then his jaw, his neck, exploring his way through Draco’s skin. He sucks a sensitive spot on Draco’s neck and Draco makes the most delicious sound Harry has ever heard. He, too, makes a sound in response. He keeps snogging Draco as if he might die if he doesn’t. And by now, Harry thinks he really might, he had wanted this so much that now that he has it it feels like being alive again. Like you were drowning for so long and someone grabs your hand and pulls you to the surface.
He wants more. He’ll never get enough of it. Suddenly, he reaches Draco’s waistband, untucking his shirt to put his hands in Draco’s back. He wants to feel skin. He’s never felt so much desire for someone, not this badly. His hands are up again on Draco’s tie, trying to take it off, but Draco pushes him away.
He wants to complain about the loss of his body, but then he looks how frightened Draco is. He’s shaking all over and his eyes are wide, filled with panic.
The blonde takes several steps back, shacking his head and covering his face with his hands. Harry finally reacts. Draco’s having a panic attack.
“Draco, look at me. Breathe.” He steps forward, but Draco pushes him away again.
“Look, I’ll stay here. I won’t move, but you have to breathe, okay?” He tries to sound as calm as possible, but if Draco doesn’t breath anytime soon he’ll freak out too.
Draco’s breaths are shaky, he’s struggling to breathe and his hands keep shaking awfully.
Harry has an idea. “You know what? I realise that you’ve told me some secrets, but I’ve never really shared mines with you.” He closes his eyes at the thought of Draco’s secrets. “But hey… would you like to know one? I personally think it’s really cool. Back then when I was with the Dursley’s, before I came to Hogwarts and discovered I was a wizard,” he chuckled at the memory.
“I really freaked out then. Hagrid literally broke the door and went, ‘yeh a wizard, Harry!’ I think I opened my mouth so much that my jaw was on the floor.”
Draco’s breaths were still shaky, but calmer. He was really trying to listen to Harry’s voice. Okay, that was good.
“Anyway, that’s totally off the point. Thing is, before that, my cousin Dudley was celebrating his birthday in the zoo. We were watching a really cool snake, but it wasn’t moving, and since he’s an insufferable big jerk, he started knocking the glass. I told him to stop, because he was upsetting the snake, so he went away. Then, I started talking with the snake, but the biggest surprise was that she answered me. I freaked out. I mean, can you believe it? I was an ordinary boy and then a fucking snake talked to me. That was quite a shock.”
He chuckled. Draco’s breaths still uneven, but better.
“I kept talking with the snake, it was cool. But then Dudley came back and he shoved me away, he was like two times bigger than me, so I ended up on the floor. I was so mad at him that I did magic— accidental magic, I mean, back then I had no idea what had happened, but it was awesome. Dudley was pressed against the glass, and then it disappeared, so he fell inside with the snake. Ended up soaked with the water! The snake escaped and said thanks, it was quite funny. But the best part is that when Dudley tried to get out of there the glass had appeared back, so he was stuck inside the glass. It was the most exciting moment of my life! It was hilarious!”
He laughed. Because, really, it was one of the funniest things that had ever happened to him. He could remember it as if it was yesterday.
“You attacked your cousin with a big snake?!” He heard Draco said.
His gaze went up to Draco, who was still pale and frightened, but breathing normally.
He chuckled. “In my defence, he was being a dick, so he deserved that. AND it wasn’t my fault, accidental magic, remember?”
Draco’s lips twitched, as if he was trying to hide a smile. Harry suddenly looked sad, he remembered that things would go back to normal. To the nonexistent treatment.
“Thank you.” Draco said.
Harry frowned. “What?”
“For helping me, that is.”
“Oh. Sure, it was nothing.”
Silence. Bloody painful silence.
“Harry…”
Harry sighed. “I know, I’m sorry. This will never happen again. I took it too far.”
Draco nodded. “Look, I- I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s okay.” Harry said numbly. “I really am sorry.”
“I understand that. But I don’t think I’m ready to forgive you yet…”
“I know…”
“But I don‘t want to give you the nonexistent treatment…”
Harry’s stomach sank. “What?”
Draco’s lips twitched again. “I’m done with that. It’s only making us miserable, so I’ll stop.”
Harry’s eyes brightened and a stupid grin grew on his face. “Really?!” He said excited.
Draco nodded. “What do you say? Maybe we could start again. As… friends?”
Friends…
He wanted to scream no with all the strength he had, but friends was better than nothing.
He nodded. “Sure. Promise you won’t ignore me anymore?” He asked, raising his pinky finger.
Draco snorted. “Promise.” Raising his pinky finger as well.
*
The day of the third task finally arrived. He and Draco had been talking the last week, it wasn’t the same though, Draco was more distant and unsure. But they were still talking, and that was more than enough.
Harry was getting ready to get into the maze. It was terrifying. He didn’t want to win, he just wanted this to finish, so if getting that cup back meant that, then he’ll get that bloody cup.
Hermione hugged him tightly before going back with the rest of the crowd. Draco didn’t hug him, but Harry spotted him in the crowd. Trying to blend in, but of course, that white-blonde hair wasn’t making it easy. He chuckled at that. At least he was watching him, and that was good. It brought Harry some comfort.
At least he was here.
He exhaled as the other champions went into the maze, he closed his eyes before going in.
‘You got this, Harry.’
‘You got this.’
“Hermione!” Draco said.
She turned to look at him. “Oh, hi!” She grinned. “Excited?”
“Not really. Terrified, more likely. I think I’m going to be sick.”
Hermione chuckled. “He’s going to be fine.”
Draco sighed. “We don’t know that, but sure. He’s Harry Potter, always finding a way to survive.”
“Yeah… the boy who lived.”
Draco laughed. “The boy who lived…” he repeated.
They chatted a bit until Professor Moody came and asked to speak personally with Draco. Frowning, and glancing at Hermione, he nodded.
“Wait for me.” He said.
She nodded.
“What happened, Professor?” He asked as soon as they stepped into Moody’s office. “Is something wrong?” He panicked.
Did something happen with Harry?
“Oh my foolish boy…”
He frowned. “What?”
The man chuckled. “You’ve got no clue of what’s going on, don’t you?”
“I- I don’t understand, professor.”
“I am no professor.” He smirked.
“What?! Who are you?” He asked, his voice cracking.
“I am Barty Crouch Jr.”
Jr?
Oh no.
“Y-you are a Death Eater!”
The man stepped closer. “I am.”
He tried to run away, but the door was locked. Damn it. “Let me go, you idiot!”
“I don’t think so…” An evil look on the man’s face. “Your daddy’s waiting for you.” He smirked.
Draco froze. He was going to be sick. Lucius? What did he want? Why was he working with Barty?
What was going on?
Whatever it was, it was really bad.
“I don’t want to see him. He’s not my father!” He yelled.
“I have strict orders, my innocent boy. Don’t misbehave, it’ll only be worse if you do so.”
The man grabbed his arm strongly and before he could get away nausea started to appear. His vision was blurry and he— wait, were they apparating?
There was a loud crack and suddenly they were inside the maze.
“What the hell?!” He yelled, still trying to get out of the man’s grip.
“Go find that pretty boyfriend of yours.” He spat. And with that, Moody— Barty Crouch Jr. — was gone.
He panicked. What was he going to do?
Where was Harry?
Was he safe?
A million thoughts were going through his mind when he heard some muffled sounds. Someone… fighting?
Even if it was something bad, that meant that someone was there. He needed to see someone, get them out of there, do something. He ran towards the voice, and there, a few feet in front of him, was Harry with Cedric Diggory.
He froze. The two of them were fighting against a weird plant, which was gripping Cedric’s foot.
“Incendio!” He blurted out.
The plant was on fire, nearly burning Cedric’s foot, but before that could happen it let him go.
Huh, it worked?!
Cedric and Harry looked up, their eyes meeting Draco’s. Cedric frowned, looking more confused than ever, and Harry… well, Harry’s jaw dropped to the floor. His face grew paler, as if he had just seen a boggart.
None of them said anything for a while.
Okay, this was awkward.
“Umm— sorry?” Draco said sheepishly, remembering he almost burned Cedric’s foot.
Cedric stared in disbelief. “Er- it’s alright, mate.”
He smiled politely.
More silence.
“Not to be rude or anything, but what the hell are you doing here, Draco?!” Cedric asked.
“Long story… we should probably get out of here first.” He said.
Harry was frozen. His jaw still on the floor.
“Harry, I swear a fly just entered into your mouth.” Draco said.
He closed his mouth immediately. Flushing into a bright shade of red. “Draco?”
Oh yeah, he was a slow one.
“Yes, yes. It’s me. Now let’s get out of here.” He said, walking towards the boys.
“But— wha—”
“We don’t have time for explanations! Later!”
“O-okay.” Harry said, following Draco’s lead.
They all ran for at least five minutes until they spotted the shining cup.
The three of them shared looks.
“You have to go, Harry.” Cedric said. “It’s only fair that way, you helped me.”
“But—”
“It’s fine, you deserve to win. I’ll walk away.” He said at last, and turned away. Leaving Harry and Draco alone.
“Harry—”
“Come with me.” Harry said.
“Only one—”
“Come with me.” Harry repeated.
He rolled his eyes, of course Harry wouldn’t grab it without him. He was the most stubborn person on Earth. Well, maybe besides himself.
“Okay.”
Harry smiled.
They both stepped closer and nodded.
“Three…”
“Two…”
“One!”
They apparated, but instead of getting to Hogwarts they were…
In a graveyard?