A handful of Potter

Draco fidgeted in his seat at the Slytherin table in the great hall, as the door opened and the golden trio entered. Granger and Weasley walked talking towards the Gryffindor table, Potter trailed not far behind.

He didn't look as scrawny as he used to when they were little, but his hair was still untameable as always and his emerald green eyes even more piercing than before the war. He let his gaze sweep through the hall, making Draco's heart flutter, when it came to a short halt on him. Potter's glasses were gone, Draco heard that Granger insisted on him wearing contacts with the war being over, and it really did him some good - namely looking even hotter. Apparently he had also gone shopping, as the t-shirt he wore -Draco hadn't seen him wearing it before - didn't leave much place for imagination and Draco could clearly see the lines of muscle underneath.
Draco was startled when he felt Blaise nudging him in the rips with his elbow.

"You're staring again." He said, obviously delighted to tease.
Even if he couldn't see it, Draco felt a pink tinge on his cheeks appear.
"You're blushing" came now the statement from his right, where Pansy was sitting with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Dreaming if Potter again?" she asked knowing exactly that in fact he was.

Draco's always had a bit of a crush on Potter, probably since their first encounter in Madam Malkin's even if then he didn't realise what it was, and that feeling had only grown stronger. He didn't even know when it was that he realised he was in love with Potter but it had crushed him. They were enemies and he knew he could never have him and then there was the war, he had been afraid and everything had fallen to pieces. But the feeling was there and it had never once left him, he had felt it so strongly in the Manor when he didn't identify Potter. When they were in the Room of Requirement he thought he was about to die and he would've taken it with him into his grave.
It certainly hadn't helped when potter came back and saved his life - he knew at that point he wouldn't ever be able to love someone more.

And once again he had lost all hope when he thought Potter had died and then he wasn't dead, but Draco was on the wrong side of the war and there were the trials...
As fate it wanted he then fell even more in love when Potter testified for him. He thought his heart would burst and he tried to talk to Potter, who again broke his heart into pieces by walking away without saying anything.

Look where that got him, Draco thought, lost in his mind, now I'm sitting here staring at him, unable to look away.
He nearly shrieked and fell off the bench when Pansy talked to him.
"Earth to Draco, are you even listening or are you too good for plebeians like us? Or are you just too busy imagining all sort of things with your loved Po-" she added, not finishing when Draco told her to shut the fuck up if she didn't want his wrath to come over her.
It really bothered him, that his threats weren't as effective and of course he couldn't fool his friends.

Draco looked over to the gryffindor table were Potter was now sitting between his friends laughing about something - most likelystupid - the Weasel had said. Draco did notice that a week ago the she-Weasel started sitting at the other end at the table, at first even sulking, than practically in Potters lap flirting with him. Not that Draco had anything against that new state of sitting order. Still it was very - interesting.

"Do you think he finally came to some sense and broke up with the Weaselette?" He asked, no one in particular.
He didn't see the pitying look his friends gave him, since he was still staring at the dark haired male.
Inwardly he cringed a bit about how hopeful that had sounded, like he had now a chance with Potter - as if.
"That would be very likely given their behaviour around each other. Maybe Potter is even gay."
Draco knew that Blaise had only said that because he wanted to pay Draco back for some pranks he had played on him but he still allowed himself to wonder - maybe it wasn't as hopeless as he thought, maybe Potter could even start to like - NO! he told himself. You will not let yourself hope, he doesn't like you.
He really could forego the pain of a rejection.