16 days under the influence (Draco x Harry)

Chapter 37:

*Third person p.o.v*

Harry felt bad for Cormac.

"He doesn't seem to mind it, Harry, truthfully." Said Hermione calmly, trying to get Harry to stop staring at him.

Whispers about Cormac holding Harry's books for him had spread through the houses like wildfire already, and the amount of unwanted attention Harry had gotten before, had now also reached Cormac.

Cormac, like Hermione had said, truly didn't seem to be fazed by it. In all honesty, it looked as though he didn't care about the amount of attention he was receiving, at all. Not even as people were coming up to him to ask about Harry's sexuality.

Cormac's answers had also spread, and Harry found himself liking him even more when Ginny had come over to Harry and said she'd heard what Cormac had said.

'He's cute, so I wish. But I don't know.'

"Harry, it's not your fault. He sort of agreed to it when he asked you out,"

"Hermione, he didn't 'agree to it' just because he asked me out. Maybe he didn't know that he'd get all this attention." Said Harry then, not bothering to cover up his irritated tone. Harry only wished he could be able to date someone or just be interested in someone and not have it be the news of the week.

"Don't worry about it, mate." Said Ron from beside him. "I'll talk to him. Figure out if it's bothering him, alright?"

Harry nodded gratefully at Ron. "Thanks." He breathed. He hoped Cormac was as unfazed by it as he seemed to be. Otherwise, Harry felt really bad. Because he knew exactly what it felt like to be the center of unwanted attention.

"But look at it from the bright side," Said Ron then, grinning playfully at Harry as they entered the divinations classroom. "At least some of the attention's away from you."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"But Harry feels bad—"

"I know, it was a joke, 'Mione." Said Ron then, giving Harry a look that very obviously meant 'She just doesn't understand'.

Hermione gave him a sharp look as she sat down in the middle of the front row. "I didn't think it was, that's why I—"

"Sense the tone then." Said Ron, and Harry tried not to laugh at his attitude. Hermione narrowed her eyes at them whilst they sat beside her.

* * * * * *

When dinner rolled around, Harry found himself simply just listening to Ron and Hermione's conversations.

"Why do you even still take divinations anyway, if you hate it so much?" Asked Ron then, when Hermione had been complaining about how ridiculous Trewlaney's teaching was for particularly long.

"I would like to learn as much as possible. And I would rather have fewer free periods," Said Hermione. "I couldn't even imagine having as many free periods as you two do. And you don't even seem to mind that you could be learning instead of doing nothing."

"We don't do nothing," Said Ron quickly. "We do our homework."

"You only do your homework when you have a free period with me." Said Hermione, giving Ron an annoyed look.

Ron spoke as they sat down by the Gryffindor table; "..Well, we talk. And not about homework, or the professors, or about the classes we're taking. Could you imagine that? Not talking about that all the time?"

Hermione frowned. "I talk about other stuff,"

"Yeah, like sneaking into the restricted section of the library." Ron scoffed.