Accidentally in Love / drarry

February, 2000

So I said I'm a snowball running
Running down into the spring that's coming all this love

***

The second week of February was wet. Even though the sun had barely made an appearance at all, all of the snow that had piled on the Highlands over the past two months had started to slowly melt, making everything slippery and muddy. Harry had nearly fallen over twice making his way down to the greenhouses with Neville, and he was considering suggesting to George to develop some kind of a balancing pill or a portable safety cushion like they had in muggle cars. What made the weather even more depressing were the grey clouds hanging low over the school. They had even gotten some freezing cold rain, which had made Harry refrain from flying for the time being. For the first time since the beginning of the school year, he didn't envy Ron for having Quidditch practice. Especially when he came back a slightly blue-ish hue and looking like a wet dog.

So, Harry stayed inside, studying with Hermione at the library and of late also avoiding eye contact with anyone who wasn't his friend. This precaution was due to the fact that he had recently been finding Valentine's Day cards in the most peculiar places. One had been slipped in his satchel, whereas another one had found its way in between the pages of his copy of Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants, and the most disturbing being the one slipped under his pillow. Harry didn't want to give anyone the chance of cornering him with another batch of love potion-laced chocolate cauldrons or some other dubious present, and was mainly using Hermione as a human shield these days as they made their way through the corridors.

It soon became evident, though, that catastrophes tended to gravitate towards Harry (something Ron and Hermione readily agreed with), when the morning mail was delivered at breakfast on Wednesday, a few days before the dreaded 14th. To be completely honest, Harry would have rather faced Severus Snape's undead ghost eye-to-eye and insist again that his nickname really was Roonil Wazlib, than deal with what was about to happen.

Ron was complaining about the Potions essay that was due that day, when they heard the unmistakable squeaking and flapping of owls that marked the arrival of the day's mail. Only, the sound seemed to be louder and more forceful than usual, and before anyone in their group had the chance to point it out, dozens of owls flew in with the regular mail carriers, and proceeded to drop about five dozen pink and red cards on Harry. The sudden mail haul buried not only Harry's, but also Ron's, Hermione's, Neville's, Seamus', and Parvati's breakfast plates.

Harry proceeded to hide his face in his hands, his elbows still propped on the table, when the last cards landed on his and Ron's head, and toppled to the floor. Then it was silent.

When Harry peeked from behind his fingers, most of the people in the Great Hall were staring at him. Someone from the Hufflepuff table whistled. Harry felt his face grow hot as he removed his elbows from the table, and a few more cards fell on the floor. His friends' faces looked pretty much like what one would imagine they would after being drowned in glittery cardboard. Ron was the first to clear his throat, which defused the tension somewhat, and seemed to be a cue for the others to return to their breakfasts.

"So," he started, picking up a very pink card from the top of the pile with a picture of a teddy bear on it, "you planning on doing anything for Valentine's Day?" He examined the card between his fingers.

The red on Harry's face deepened as he glanced, as subtly as he could, at Malfoy, who was sitting a few yards away, evidently appraising the pile of cards. His hair was longer by the day, and it was lightly swept to the back, reminiscent of his eleven-year-old self, but without the excessive hair gel. His robes were neat as always and his pointy features softened by the morning light. He really was quite fit, and Harry still couldn't understand how he hadn't seen that before.