I Hate You, I Love You - Drarry

Part 14: Chocoballs in the Snow

A brilliantly blinding light seared its way through the opening of Harry's eyelid. He opened one, annoyed that the morning was here already. The time of day that brought realization and made people look at things a different way. Harry cocked his head up and to the side to take in the beauty of the man beside him. A soft, content smile stretched on Harry's face. The morning light spilled in strips through the dormitory curtains leaving parts of Draco illuminated, and some parts in the black dark. The reflection of the white light where the powerful early sun hit his uncovered collarbone was blinding, but Harry's eyes quickly adjusted. His bravery lingering, he reached out a finger and traced the hills and divots in his jawline and lower neck. Draco stirred in his sleep.

Harry quickly retracted his arm and pretended he was asleep. Without having to see, he felt Draco sit up in the bed, stretch and yawn, and swing his legs over the edge of the bed. The sound of Draco's soft footsteps circled around to Harry, and a hand suddenly brushed through his thick, mahogany hair. Harry opened his eyes in surprise and returned a smile.

Draco grabbed Harry's exposed hand and lightly tugged on it. 

"I have a day planned for us. Come on," he said with a shy blush in his cheeks.

"Like..." Harry drew out as he stood and reached for a loose white button-down, not facing Malfoy. "A date?"

He heard Draco clear his throat as he slipped on the soft shirt, following it with some tan pants.

"If you want to call it that," he mumbled, just barely audible.

Harry whipped around and became close to the blonde boy. He grabbed Draco's arm and attention.

"I would love to go on a date with you."

❄❄❄❄

The cobbled streets of Hogsmeade were submersed in the blizzard's cruel doings, making it impossible to sneak around in an invisibility cloak unnoticed. The shops were mostly empty, due to winter break, so they stuck to the places they knew were unoccupied.

Rushing down the sidewalk, Draco nonchalantly took Harry's hand in his, playing it off as nothing as his heart raced. They made their way to Honeydukes, scheming to sneak in and take a couple of sweets. After trying the back and side entrances, they found a fluke in the locking spell and squeezed in through the door. A myriad of Acid Pops and Chocolate Frogs lined the shelves. Fudge Flies and Fizzing Whizbees zoomed past their heads while faulty Exploding BonBons went off in their packages.

"Looks like the candy shop never sleeps," Harry said.

Draco gasped as something caught his attention. "Chocoballs!" he ran over to the unattended counter like a child, pointing at the dark confection. "I'm getting the whole lot."

Harry giggled and grabbed some treacle tart for himself. Feeling guilty, Harry secretly dropped a couple of wizard coins into the tip jar at the front. A cloud of smoke popped up from the can, and the coins had vanished. He made sure Draco didn't catch him in the act.

They walked back into the winter, their arms piled with stolen sweets. Draco tried to grab Harry's hand again, but he couldn't hold his packages with one arm, and all of his boxes fell to the snow. Draco flushed with embarrassment as Harry helped pick them up off the ground, laughing lightheartedly at him.

"Harry!" Draco panicked, interrupting their conversation about Quidditch teams. "Madam Rosmerta! Over there!" he yelped and pointed down the street. The jolly woman was exiting The Three Broomsticks, attempting to lock up the door.

Harry slipped under his invisibility cloak he had brought. "I'll meet you by The Black Lake. Take the detour around The Shrieking Shack."

Draco nodded and skipped across the road, to his path. Harry had chosen to walk past Madam Rosmerta, hidden, to snag some butterbeers for Draco and him. As she had just started to insert the correct magical key, Harry slipped in through the ajar door's crack, hoping Madam Rosmerta didn't feel the breeze of his movement. Harry headed toward the back kitchen where they surely kept the beverages. He found what he needed, grabbing two portable stein mugs. He crept out through the back window, still blanketed under his cloak. After a couple of minute's journey, Harry spotted where Draco was standing in the snow, on the coast of the frozen-over lake. A small lavender blanket spread across the ground, a conjured creation of Draco's, Harry assumed.

Still under the cloak, Harry silently walked over the ice and stood right in front of Draco's tall stance, trying not to give away his location. Stretching to his tip-toes, he opened his invisibility cloak just enough to peck Draco quickly on the lips. Malfoy jumped in shock and then tried to return the kiss, but Harry almost immediately closed the cloak's opening, cowering back a couple of steps.

"Potter!" he sang laughing, glancing in all directions. "Come out!"

Harry smiled, squeezed his eyes shut, and didn't move until he felt long, thin fingers pull the cloak off of his face, resting it on his shoulders.

"Don't hide from me," he said gently.

Draco stooped to his eye level and parted his lips as if going in for a kiss. Harry stood very still and opened his mouth slightly. Before they could close the small distance between them, Draco popped a Chocoball in his mouth.

"Hey!" he said with his mouth full of creamy sweetness. 

Draco chuckled as he ate one along with him, walking off of the slippery, frozen lake.

They sat down on the picnic area Draco had created, surrounded by rich candies.

Harry sat with his back up against a nearby barren tree, while Draco rested his head on Potter's lap. Harry stiffened at the sudden bold move, but slowly became used to how the weight of him felt, and the intimacy it brought.

"Draco, school's starting back up soon."

"I know," he sighed and looked up at Harry. Those light grey eyes pierced through Harry's glasses. Malfoy's slender arm reached up and grazed Harry's cheek with the back of his hand.

"What will happen then?" he wondered.

"I don't know."

"Will everything change?" Harry asked worriedly.

"I don't want it to," Draco said immediately and let his hand fold to his chest. "We can hide it from everyone. A secret, between just you and me."

"I can live with that," Harry said confidently but felt unsure. How could he make promises like that?

Draco looked away. "I'm sorry if I'm making this complicated, but we are complicated. Don't you think?"

"We are nothing but complicated," Harry sighed, leaning his neck upward, resting it on the gnarled, dead tree.

He gazed out into the blank, white horizon. Rolling hills coated in snow. The grey lake fading into the depressed sky, its barriers undefined.

"Nothing but..."