Drarry AI Oneshots

Fake It Till You Make It

Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter were many things-former rivals, reluctant roommates in their eighth year at Hogwarts, and, most recently, partners in what they both thought was a brilliant plan. A plan so foolproof, so utterly ridiculous, that it had to work.

They were going to fake date. Not because they secretly wanted to be together (or so they told themselves), but because it was the perfect way to come out as gay to the entire school without making it a big deal. After all, if they came out while also fake dating each other, it would distract people from focusing too much on the actual coming out part. Right?

It had seemed like a perfect idea over coffee in the library one morning, as they'd both quietly confessed to each other their concerns about revealing their sexuality in a place where gossip spread faster than a Quidditch match could start.

"So," Harry had said, his green eyes twinkling with amusement, "we just pretend we're together for a few days, tell everyone, and then break up dramatically once it's all out in the open. No awkward coming out speeches. Just a smooth exit strategy."

Draco had smirked at the suggestion, twirling his quill between his fingers. "Exactly. I mean, who would believe it anyway? It'll be obvious it's fake."

Little did they know, nothing was going to go according to plan.

Day 1 of Operation Fake Boyfriends began as smoothly as they could have hoped. Draco and Harry met in the Great Hall, walking in side by side, making sure to lean in just a little closer than usual. Nothing too over the top, just enough to start the whispers.

Harry had leaned in toward Draco's ear and whispered, "Ready for this?"

Draco, with his signature smirk, replied, "Always, Potter."

They sat down at the Slytherin table together, an act that immediately caught the attention of half the hall. Harry hadn't eaten breakfast at the Slytherin table since-well, ever. Heads turned. Whispers started.

Exactly what they'd been hoping for.

But then something unexpected happened.

"Finally!" Blaise Zabini said, clapping Draco on the shoulder as he passed by. "About time you made a move, mate."

Draco blinked, momentarily thrown off. "What?"

"You and Potter." Blaise gave a knowing grin. "You've been dancing around it for ages. Everyone's been waiting for you to admit it."

Harry stared at Blaise, and then looked back at Draco, who seemed just as confused as he was. "Wait-everyone thought we already...?"

Blaise laughed. "Oh, come on. It was obvious."

Before either of them could respond, Hermione and Ron walked by their table, Hermione beaming with pride. "You two," she said, shaking her head, "honestly, we all knew it would happen sooner or later. I'm glad you finally figured it out."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione had already continued on her way, leaving both Harry and Draco sitting there, completely speechless.

"What just happened?" Harry asked, still trying to process the conversation.

Draco, for once, didn't have a snarky comeback. "I have no idea."

Day 2 of the plan wasn't much better. In fact, it was worse.

The next morning, when Draco and Harry walked into the Great Hall together again-this time with Draco casually brushing his shoulder against Harry's-they were greeted by a round of applause. Applause.

At the Gryffindor table, Seamus Finnigan was grinning widely. "Finally!" he called out, giving Harry a thumbs-up. "We were starting to think you'd never get there!"

"I-what?" Harry spluttered, glancing around at the smiling faces. "How does everyone think this is real?"

Draco, equally bewildered, leaned over and whispered, "Is it just me, or are they all acting like this has been obvious for years?"

Harry groaned. "I think they've been waiting for this to happen longer than we have."

Lavender Brown, who had been passing by their table, winked at Draco. "You two are cute together. So happy for you both!"

By lunchtime, it seemed like the entire school had decided that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy being together was the most natural thing in the world. Everywhere they went, people were congratulating them, giving them knowing looks, and making comments about how "perfect" they were for each other.

It was a disaster.

"Okay," Harry said, dropping his books onto the table in the library that afternoon, "this is not going how we planned."

Draco, who was staring blankly at his open Potions book, sighed dramatically. "No, it really isn't. We were supposed to come out, fake date, and then break up. Now everyone's acting like this was inevitable."

Harry rubbed his face in frustration. "I don't get it. How did we end up here?"

Draco shrugged, a hint of amusement in his voice despite the situation. "I suppose we're more convincing than we thought."

Harry shot him a look. "Convincing? We've barely done anything. We haven't even-" He stopped himself, blushing furiously.

Draco raised an eyebrow, his smirk returning. "Haven't even what, Potter?"

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. "You know. We haven't done... couple things."

Draco leaned back in his chair, his smirk widening. "Would you like to?"

Harry's face turned bright red, and he stammered, "No, I mean-this isn't-it's just part of the plan!"

Draco chuckled, clearly enjoying Harry's discomfort. "Relax, Potter. I'm not suggesting we do anything real. Unless, of course, you want to keep up appearances."

Harry groaned. "This is getting out of hand."

Draco sighed, his playful demeanor fading slightly. "Look, if this is really bothering you, we can call it off. We'll stage the breakup early. Make it dramatic enough that no one will ask questions."

But as Draco said the words, something twisted in his chest. He had known from the beginning that this was all fake, that it was part of a silly plan to come out without too much fuss. But somewhere along the way-between the fake touches and the constant congratulations-Draco had started to wonder if maybe he didn't want it to be so fake after all.

Harry, still blushing, looked over at Draco, his green eyes full of uncertainty. "Do we have to break up?"

Draco blinked, caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?"

Harry hesitated, biting his lip. "I mean... what if we didn't fake the breakup? What if... we kept going?"

Draco's heart skipped a beat, and for once, he was at a loss for words. "You... want to keep going?"

Harry looked down, his voice quieter now. "I don't know. Maybe."

Draco stared at him, his mind racing. This had started out as a joke, a fake relationship to make coming out easier. But now, looking at Harry-flustered, vulnerable, and maybe, just maybe, hopeful-Draco realized that maybe he didn't want to fake it anymore either.

"Well," Draco said, his voice softening, "I suppose we could give it a try."

Harry looked up, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah?"

Draco smiled back, feeling a warmth spread through his chest. "Yeah."

And just like that, their fake relationship stopped being so fake after all.

The End... or perhaps, just the beginning.