16 | Contemplating

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Chapter 16: Contemplating

Draco's heart sank as he watched Harry's figure recede in the direction of the castle. Dammit, what have I done? I probably just messed everything up... I swear he looked like he wanted me to kiss him, but then he went and ran away on me, so now I'm not sure! What if he never talks to me again? What if he tells somebody that I kissed him? Merlin, what if Crabbe and Goyle find out? They would never let me live that down... What if he did want to kiss me but I was so bad at it that he ran away?

The blonde gave up on his walk around the grounds and decided he would try to do some school work until dinner. He made his way back to the dungeons anxiously, praying he wouldn't run into Harry.

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Harry's head was spinning with the realization that he had just kissed Draco Malfoy. Like, snooty, arrogant, annoying, Draco Malfoy. Although, he hasn't been very snooty, or arrogant, or annoying lately, Harry reasoned. And it was a good kiss... But what am I doing?? I can't be with Malfoy— he was so mean to my best friends, his father is a Death Eater, and I mean I'm pretty sure I'm not gay... I think.

As Harry approached the blank wall of the room of requirement, he repeated the phrase "I need a big room where I can fly and make lots of noise" in his head three times. Seeing as neither his shower, nor his attempt to go fly on the Quidditch pitch had served their purpose of clearing his head, Harry decided it was time to let loose. Nothing could improve his mood faster than flying in his dragon form. Especially with Draco riding me. Harry's heart fluttered at that implication. Bloody hell, maybe I am gay...

After taking off his clothes by the pond like usual, Harry focussed on shifting each part of his body. His eyes flashed to their electric green hue, wings erupting from his back, scales armouring his sleek, black form. With a flick of his tail, his transformation was complete. He felt so powerful in this form, the sensation sent his head spinning like a carnival ride. Harry took a deep breath in before exhaling the largest ball of flame he could muster into the air; the feeling was the catharsis he had been craving.

Tossing aside all of his prior concerns, Harry took three bounding leaps before launching into the air. Once he reached a sufficient altitude, he allowed his wings to catch the air, gliding in a few lazy circles. He then nose-dived toward the pond, pulling up at the last moment into a graceful backflip. Harry continued on, flying, diving, spinning, and flipping through the air, heart pounding happily in his chest.

After what felt like hours, Harry was exhausted from flying and decided it was time to go back to being himself again. With a sigh, Harry closed his eyes, shifting his body back to its human proportions. He stepped into his pants and pulled on his t-shirt, not bothering to put on the grey hoodie he had worn earlier. Tossing the hoodie over his shoulder, Harry grabbed his wand and made his way back into the corridor. I still can't believe that Draco Malfoy kissed me. In his exhaustion, Harry couldn't help but let a bemused smile cross his face as he headed back to the Slytherin dormitory.

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Draco slowly made progress on his Herbology assignment while he sat in the Slytherin common room. He kept finding his mind wandering back to their former Gryffindor. He didn't seem angry when I kissed him, mostly just alarmed. Maybe that means that things will be okay? I mean he kissed me back, so he can't have hated it...

As if summoned by Draco's thoughts, the raven-haired boy stepped into the common room. He looked sweaty and a little more dishevelled than usual. Just how I like him... The blonde cautiously looked up at him as he walked by. Harry's eyes were fixated on his feet as he hurried toward the dormitory, refusing the meet Draco's gaze. The blonde thought he saw a hint of redness flush Harry's cheeks, but perhaps he was just warm from whatever activity had left him all sweaty.

Deciding to mind Harry's space, Draco waited until he saw the former Gryffindor exit the common room before he put away his Herbology assignment and got ready for dinner. Draco knew Harry would need time to process how he was feeling, and that he would probably get defensive if the blonde didn't allow him the distance he needed. He had spent enough time watching Harry's Gryffindor friends interrogate him over the years to understand how he handled his feelings. Harry would confront him when he was ready, he just had to figure things out on his own first.

Draco sat with his other Slytherin friends in the Great Hall, occasionally glancing over at the Golden Boy's lonely figure. Harry sat in his usual spot at the end of the table, fork in hand, staring at his plate with distaste. He occasionally poked the food with his fork, but Draco hadn't seen him take a bite of anything yet. Another good sign that he's probably not angry with me. He usually eats loads when he's mad.

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Harry knew that he should eat something to make up for all of the energy he had burned off earlier, but he couldn't find his appetite. The house elves had even made his favourite meal for dinner tonight, but still, he prodded at his chicken disinterestedly. He was overwhelmed by how quickly his budding friendship with Malfoy had completely shifted, and, not to mention, the implications of the information he had learned earlier that day. His heart pounded every time he thought about the blonde, actively fighting the urge to glance over at him from across the table. He knew his eyes would betray his emotions to the perceptive Slytherin, and he still needed time to decipher what those emotions were before he confronted the situation.

Just as Harry was about to give up on eating dinner that evening, he heard the familiar voices of Ron and Hermione approaching from behind him.

"Oi, Harry!"

He looked over his shoulder.

"Still feeling sick?" Hermione asked, glancing at his full plate of food.

"Wh- oh, yeah," Harry responded sheepishly. "Madam Pomfrey gave me a tonic but I don't have much appetite." With all of the other craziness that had happened in the last few hours, Harry had almost forgotten about his feigned illness during the Quidditch game.

"That's pretty common, you should be feeling better by breakfast though," Hermione said with a sympathetic look.

"So are you comin' to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Ron questioned.

"Oh, uh, no I don't think so. I've gotta finish that Transfig essay," Harry replied.

"Since when do you care about—" Ron was cut off by Hermione elbowing him.

"I think that's a very responsible decision, Harry," Hermione interjected. "Would you like us to stay and work with you? We could meet in the library, I've been meaning to do some extra reading for Ancient Runes."

"No, that's alright. You two go have fun in Hogsmeade," Harry responded with a tight-lipped smile.

"You sure, mate? I'm starting to think you're avoiding us," Ron said in a joking tone, but Harry could tell he wasn't entirely joking.

"I've just had a lot going on. Sorry," Harry replied shortly.

"Well is there anything we can help with? I know we don't understand what you're going through, but we're still here to support you," Hermione offered.

"I appreciate the offer, but there's really nothing you can do," Harry stated bluntly.

Ron's features flickered between concern and frustration. "Can you at least tell us what's going on?"

"Listen, I don't really want to talk about it. Especially not with you guys. I know you want to help, but I'm confused and it's not something that I'm proud of, and I don't need your opinions making it even harder for me to figure out," Harry spouted, getting up from the table. "Enjoy Hogsmeade, I'll see you later."

"Harry, wait!" Hermione called with a hint of desperation.

Harry didn't respond, but simply rushed out of the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione watched their friend exit the hall, sharing a glance of concern and dejection. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of curious, grey eyes had been watching the whole encounter.

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Author's Note

Hi friends, sorry this upload took a while longer than the others. I got stuck for a bit but we got through it:) I know there's not a whole lot of action this chapter, but hopefully you guys still enjoy it!!

See you soon for the next chapter😈

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