A Holiday Season (Drarry Fanfic)

Sweet and warm

I hadn't seen much of Harry lately. It seemed like he had hidden himself in the Gryffindor Common Room to avoid running into me. It was also very possible that I was the one exaggerating things. The last time I saw him, I held him in my arms to shield him from the unforgiving cold, and that contact might have been too intense for him. I had to admit I was sad. I felt for a moment that perhaps he and I could be friends, at least. I wouldn't be going back to my parents; I was no longer their son, as I had chosen to do what I felt was right. That wound was still very fresh under my skin, and I was cheered by the thought that, despite the pain of suddenly becoming an orphan, I would have his friendship as consolation.

I was sitting on a bench in the garden near the lake. It had been so cold the past few weeks that its waters were frozen. It was astonishing to think that beneath that thick layer of ice, there were forms of life. Truth be told, I felt a little like that lake. For a long time, I got used to showing myself as cold and uninterested, sometimes even cruel, but deep inside, there was a scared heart that simply wanted to feel some affection. "Your emotions make you weak," my parents would repeat, especially when I threw huge tantrums as a child.

"Hi, mind if I sit?" Harry didn't wait for my response and sat down next to me on the bench with what looked like a box of caramel popcorn.

"Where did you get that?" was my first impression; then I realized Harry was next to me. I felt my body go into alert mode immediately.

"I bought it from Collin, Collin Creevey. He's selling some snacks to earn some extra money. Says he wants to buy a new camera. Want some?", he offered them to me.

"I don't usually eat sweet things..." I said, thinking about how boring that sounded, but it was the honest truth.

"You are strange indeed," he said, laughing a little. "I didn't used to eat sweet things either because my aunt and uncle wouldn't let me. Sometimes I could sneak into the kitchen at night and steal some fruit, and on occasion, I even dipped my finger into Dudley's birthday cake." He blushed a little, looking embarrassed. "They never noticed, I think. At least, they never let on. Was it the same for you?" He turned to me with interest, and I became even more nervous.

"Well... my parents wouldn't either, only on my birthday. A strawberry cheesecake with whipped cream without sugar. That was the most sweet thing I would eat for the rest of the year. I think... that's why I don't like eating sweet things so much, I don't find it all that fascinating, to be honest."

"Mmm... I see," he said simply, then popped some popcorn into his mouth. "This tastes glorious."

"Your aunt and uncle... weren't kind to you?" I had always wanted to ask him that question; from what he had just shared, I could assume they weren't.

"No, unfortunately not. They hate magic and everything related to it. Since my parents were wizards, and therefore I was too, they didn't like me very much. I must admit that at one point I wanted to talk to a woman who worked in social services and visited our school often and tell her how bad things were, but... I was afraid of being sent to an orphanage or something like that. I thought being with my aunt and uncle might not be the worst thing that could happen."

From his tone, I could tell those experiences were still sad for him, and that squeezed my heart a little.

"Discovering that I'm a wizard was the best thing that ever happened to me," he smiled warmly, and we looked at each other for a few seconds. My heart melted instantly, and I think my brain did too because I felt the urge to kiss him on the cheek, and nothing stopped me from doing it.

"I'm sorry you went through that, but I'm so glad you're here," I said, after touching his cheek with my lips.

Harry was completely red, and I probably was too. His box of popcorn fell to the ground in surprise. Maybe I had done a tremendous stupid thing, and this would be the end of everything.

Then Harry grabbed me by the collar of my coat and  kissed me on my lips. I felt Harry about to pull away from me, but I didn't let him. I held him tightly, kissing him back. I kissed him gently and delicately, fearing to scare him off, as he kissed me timidly and uncertainly.

My heart was pounding with every beat, and the blood ran swiftly through my veins. His moisty soft lips, as well as his small warm body, fit perfectly with mine, like a mold that was meant to fit. Harry, I like you so much, I thought in my head as I hugged him, hoping those thoughts would emanate from my body, hoping he could really know it without any doubt.

There was a strange mixture of uncontrollable excitement and desolate fear inside me. I had barely had him in my arms, and I was already afraid to let him go, just so he would never come back.

We kissed several times more, then paused naturally, like birds do before singing again. We looked into each other's eyes, both blushing and nervous.

"I don't know what just happened," he said, sounding genuinely confused. "I... I'm in love with..."

He leaned back, and I had to let him go. He got up from the bench and walked away hurriedly without looking back at me, leaving my broken heart scattered all over the snowy ground.