Apples and Oranges [Drarry] ✔

Chapter 15: Loud and Clear

"I stared at him in utter bafflement. It was practically unbelievable that I could have this – him, truly within my grasp, more than willing and so so real. I knew I must've looked like a loon – smiling like the world had been predicted to end and was suddenly saved by some miracle – but I hardly had any capacity to care about such things as appearances at the moment.

Maybe real life does allow us a solid Grand Romantic Gesture from time to time after all."

– Apples and Oranges by Francis Gallagher

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The Burrow is crammed with people, floating paper decorations, lights and kitchenware. The cacophony of noise spills through the open doors and windows into the garden that's positively trembling with expectation.

They don't do this every year, but they try to make an effort every once in a while, and this year it felt appropriate to celebrate Neville's and Harry's birthdays together again.

Neville is who knows where, but Harry is wrestling with the tablecloth that has somehow shrunk itself since the last garden party and is now a weird vaguely triangular shape across the table instead of at least being a runner, if not a proper tablecloth.

"You invited Draco, right?" Hermione whispers in his ear. She taps her wand to the tablecloth, and it stretches over the edges until it's perfect. Harry glares at it before turning to Hermione and nodding.

"Yes," he says quickly as she eyes him dubiously. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Maybe because you've been avoiding him for the past two weeks?"

Harry cringes. "Avoiding is a strong word. Besides, we've seen each other at Teddy's and then the whole portrait revolt at Grimmauld happened and well, we have been writing to each other!"

"Barely a letter per week?" Hermione replied with an eye-roll. "You can't lie to me, Harry Potter, you tell me everything and you know I'm not above using it against you."

Harry glares at her but she doesn't back down. He sighs.

"I haven't been avoiding him," he says, "I've just been... giving him space –"

"Space he never asked for!"

Harry rolls his eyes. "You're making too big of a deal out of this. We haven't seen each other in twelve days – that's nothing."

"You used to see each other almost daily, so excuse me if I think this is a drastic change of pace." Her voice is soft as she says it and it almost makes it worse. Harry knows that she – alongside Ron and Luna and Ginny and Dean – wants the best for him. But if his friendship with Draco is going to have any chance of survival, he has to take a step back to let his emotions... cool down a bit, just until he's able to face the man without wanting to jump him or claw his own heart out of his chest.

"What do you want me to do?" he asks Hermione. "I invited him to the party. He said he'd come. What else can I do?"

"Talk to him. Tell him you enjoy his company. Indicate in any way you can think of that you want him to still be your bo–friend."

Harry sighs again. It's not some extraordinary advice. He's been planning to do those things anyway. But it's good to keep them in mind. To be reminded of it. If he wants to keep Draco in his life – in any way that the man will let him – he'll have to ask for it, because obviously, Draco Malfoy is more than indifferent to how this all turns out. He only hopes that if he succeeds and gets to call Draco his true friend without any ambiguity, he'll find a way to make his crush fade in due time too.