Skill and Seclusion [2] || Harry Potter x OC x Draco Malfoy

135. Hand In Hand

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but hand holding <3

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Bel and Harry both stared at their interlinked hands placed upon the green grass of the clearing.

Neither quite knew what to say next.

How to initiate the conversation they needed to have about the next step to be taken.

All they did know was they couldn't quite believe this was reality and not a dream.

For too long they had both been dreaming of being closer, and it was finally starting to happen.

However, there was a lot to navigate.

Which is where Harry decided they should start.

"So ... what does this mean? For us?"

"I ... I don't know", Bel gave an honest answer.

Now she was finally starting to understand how Riley and Ollie must have felt when they navigated their own relationship.

The situation, no matter how incredible, was rather awkward.

Bel couldn't help but no longer see her close and trusted best friend sat beside her, but rather a stranger with a future of possibilities tied to him.

Which is what she had been afraid of.

She couldn't lose the bond she had with him.

Not now.

"What I do know is that I don't want anything to change. You know, with us", she voiced one of her many concerns.

"Neither do I. But ... will anything change? Nothing seemed to change with your two Hufflepuff friends, right?"

"Not drastically. But their friendship was different to ours. There are things we will have to figure out that they didn't, so it's tricky to use them as a comparison."

Harry took in a deep breath and looked back down to their hands in each other's.

With a soft smile on his lips, he expelled all of his worries and then took the steps to help Bel do the same.

"I think we're getting ahead of ourselves."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just slow down. I mean ... let's just treat this as it is. We're going to the Yule Ball together. For reasons that have to do with both the fact that we're best friends and the fact that ... we could be something different."

"You don't think we should try and figure out exactly what that means?"

"I do. But not now. We both have so much going on. So many things that remove us from being normal and happy. I don't want this to turn into something like that. Something that we delve into and overthink and then discard out of irrational fears. Let's just be happy about this for now. Go to the ball together and then we can figure it all out. Okay?"

Bel agreed with him wholeheartedly.

If they were to enter into a deep discussion about what this could mean for them, Bel would most definitely let her worries overcome her.

All of the concerns about being a burden that she wouldn't voice.

Not wanting to scare him away by saying just how much she needs his friendship and relies on him.

Her general fear surrounding romance and love.

For now, let that all rest.

For now, just be happy.