Draco eyed Harry who sat on the stairs. He was wearing some monstrous orange jumper that blended with the autumn leaves barely clinging to the branches. He was looking over his glasses, lenses steamed up from the mug in his hands, at a book spread over his lap. Draco sighed, ran his fingers through his pale hair, and walked towards him.
“Nice outfit, Potter. That jumper belong to Ron’s Mum?”
Harry looked up at him, a sigh swirling the steam from his mug. Harry went back to his book before Draco sat himself down on the step next to him. Harry placed a finger in the book and looked up irritably.
“Did you want something, Malfoy?”
“Yeah,” Draco said, face offended that he needed to ask, “we’re partners for the History project. So we need to get it over with.”
Harry blinked, “I’m not… did you actually think I would work with you?”
“I’m not doing this all myself and I don’t trust you to do it all either.”
“I’ll do my bit, you do yours. We don’t need to talk.” Harry turned his attention back to his book.
Draco flipped the cover of the book over so that it slammed shut, “I am one of the top students of the year and I plan to keep it that way. I’m not going to let you screw that up as well.” he said.
Harry threw his book into his bag sulkily and turned to face Draco, “fine, let’s sort it now so you can get lost.”
“It’s cold, we’ll do it inside.”
“That happens when you don’t wear a jacket in the middle of October.” Harry replied, eyes glaring at Draco’s thin, green jumper.
The two bickered across the grounds and through the corridors until they reached one of the communal common rooms. Draco dumped his belongings on the floor and flopped onto a sofa, sighing as the warmth of the giant fire spread over his chilled body. Harry sat on the floor opposite, spreading the project papers over the coffee table.
“You can sit on the sofa you know.” Draco sneered.
“No thanks, you might bite.”
“You wish.” Draco said before thinking.
Harry’s brow quirked, “well that doesn’t help the rumours.”
“Excuse me?”
“About you liking boys.”
Draco’s heart beat hard against his chest, he could feel a flush rushing to his cheeks. “Is that why you’re not sitting on the sofa?” Draco asked, “because of that rumour?”
“What? No, I don’t care who you like.”
Draco scowled at Harry.
“Honestly,” Harry continued, dipping his quill distractedly, “I really don’t care. I’m the last person to make fun of a guy for being gay.”
“You?” Draco asked as he watched Harry scribble notes on the paper in front of him.
Harry looked up at him, silent for a few seconds before realisation of what he said seemed to reach his eyes.
“Oh my god.” Draco laughed, he could see the colour draining from Harry’s face. He leaned forward conspiratorially, “is it Weasley?”
“I-no. It’s not. Are you going to do any work?”
Draco leaned back against the plush of the cushions again and watched the flickering of the candles in the pumpkins that sat around the fireplace.
“I’m still freezing,” Draco said, pulling his crossed arms closer to his chest, “this place is a dump.”
Harry sighed and slapped his quill against the table, he pulled at his sleeves and lifted his jumper off.
“Here.” he said, holding the jumper out to Draco.
Draco stared stupidly at Harry’s outstretched hand, “I’m not wearing that.”
“Don’t be a child. You’re cold and we’re probably going to be here late into the night at this rate. It’s only going to get colder.”
Draco snatched the jumper, the material soft against his fingers. He gingerly looked around the empty common room before pulling it on. He could have sworn he saw Harry’s lips quirk as he smoothed his hair back behind his ear.
“Better?”
“Sure.”
“You suit that colour.”
“Piss off.”
“I’d love to.”
Draco groaned, they were getting nowhere with the project, he was tired, and he was wearing another boy’s jumper. Harry of all boys. He was ignoring the fact it smelt of him.
“You know, I did ask to be friends first?” Draco said.
“Yeah, after you offended my other friend.”
“You’re telling me Ron has been a saint this whole time? He’s never offended you or your other friends? Imagine if we had been friends and you were on his bad side.”
“Where is this coming from suddenly?”
“Tell me who you like.” Draco said, pulse thrumming in his head.
“Are you serious?”
Draco slid off the sofa to sit next to the opposite side of the table, “for what it’s worth, I won’t tell anyone.”
“Then why are you so interested?”
“I just…”
Harry sighed once more, “the person I like is in this room.”
Draco shot up from the floor, knee banging against the table as he looked around for who it was before remembering they were alone.
“No-one?” Draco said in disappointment.
Harry ran his palm over his face, an exasperated noise spilling from his mouth. Draco turned back to him, sinking onto the floor again.
“You must have had a crush on someon-“ Draco started before Harry reached over and tugged at Draco’s jumper. He leaned across the table and pressed his lips to Draco’s, the soft warmth of Harry sent a shiver down his spine. Draco’s body flooded with an unfamiliar sensation, a rush of pleasure, a coldness that took over his limbs. He kissed back. There was nothing else he wanted to do. With each kiss the pleasure washed over him, a fresh shiver with each moment their lips connected. He had never felt this way before.
Harry broke away from the kiss and released his grasp on Draco. He sat back, lips glistening in the firelight. Draco was stunned, speechless, his lips still tingled.
“I have a thing for blonds, if that helps.” Harry said.
“I…”
Harry leaned in again and Draco welcomed him, lips tasting each other, arms crumpling the project papers beneath them.