•I think I like him•

22. The Blaze Of Anger So Hot

Word count: 1937

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Harry wasn't all that sure what had come over him, after finding Draco at Honeydukes. He felt giddy -carefree, even. Which was strange. Harry loved the life he now had after coming to Hogwarts. Happiness was a common sensation these days, and he wasn't a stranger to relaxation. But being carefree? Really, truly carefree? Between the Dursleys, Voldemort and now Sirius Black, it wasn't really surprising that it was a feeling he hadn't been graced with before.

But the fact that it was Draco who stirred up this sense of untroubled peace? September Harry would have probably had a stroke. But December Harry? December Harry went all rosy-cheeked and fluttery.

Harry broke out of his thoughts when a charmed snowball skimmed the side of his head, and he glared at the first years, before being reminded of the invisibility cloak still covering him. He huffed out a self-deprecating laugh, before continuing his trudge to Zoko's Joke Shop. Second only to Honeydukes, it was his best bet to finding Ron and Hermione.

He snorted lightly at the thought of what 'Mione would say to all of this. The constant cautiousness hammered into him over the last few years; broken. Hermione had spent much of her time telling Harry how oblivious he was to the world around him, but that by no means made him dim. However, even if evidence pointed towards an inkling of a crush towards the blond, Harry was fixed on ignoring it. This thing with Draco was guaranteed to end quickly and explosively, and so he was determined to simply relish in this feeling for as long as possible. And, honestly, it felt nice to have a crush like any other teenager, even if that crush was on Draco Malfoy of all people.

Harry stopped when he caught a flash of orange through the window of Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. Of course- as if Hermione would let Ron drag her to Zonko's without stopping at Scrivenshaft's first.
He grinned and pushed open the door, finding Hermione enthusiastically peering at silver-tipped quills through glass display boxes, while Ron picked at a loose thread at the sleeve of his jumper. Harry felt an almost overwhelming urge to creep up on the pair and scare them half to death, but he thought that to be a bit of a childish thing to do considering it could very easily be the thing that gets him sent right back to Hogwarts, and his cloak confiscated. Instead, he stomped his feet on the ground as he walked up to the pair, and while Ron looked around in confusion, Hermione's eyes landed in his general direction as a smile graced her mouth.

"I should have known that you'd find your way here" she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

"You really should've" he whispered back, earning an eye roll. Ron grinned at the sound of his voice.

"Harry, mate-" Hermione slapped a hand over Ron's mouth, the look on her face promising immediate anguish if he were to dare utter another word. He held his hands up in surrender without even a seconds hesitation. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

She dragged them outside, pulling off Harry's cloak when they were down an ally and out of sight, "How?" She demanded, arms crossed and brows raised expectantly.

"I think the better question is who" he pulled out the map.

"Who?" Ron asked, drawing a smile from Harry. "Fred and George"

"Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, you mean" Hermione sighed.

"Who are-" Ron began, before; "They gave me this" Harry interrupted, not overly interested in explaining to Ron the plot of Alice in bloody wonderland, thanks, Hermione.

"And what exactly is that?" Hermione seemed bored, but Harry took humour in knowing that she was about to be beyond fascinated. He slipped his wand from his pocket, muttering, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" and with a tap of his wand, the familiar map and moving footprints spilled black over the parchment.