"Harry! Do you really want to do this?" Hermione gave Harry one last chance to back out. Harry firmly shook his head.
"Hermione, I'm going through with this. We're friends now, and if he sees my poster as meaning him, then it would be better than seeing my parents." Harry's expression was covered by his unruly hair. Hermiones mouth dropped open in shock. Ron wrapped his arms around Harry.
"No matter what happens, you know we love you right?" Harry nodded wordlessly and Ron stepped back from the embrace. Harry picked up the sign that read date me! in large bold letters.
"Good luck mate." Harry grinned at his bestfriend.
"Who needs luck when Seamus fills all your robes with four leafed clovers and hides leprechaun figurines under your pillows?" Ron laughed, shaking his head at the memory of him screaming bloody murder when he climbed into bed and found one of the leprechauns. That had been an eventful night.
"Harry, don't be too disappointed with the outcomes." Hermione warned Harry, who scoffed.
"At this point, the worst outcome is a punch in the face and him never speaking to me again." Harry gasped. "What if that happens? I swear to Merlin I will kill m-" Hermione slapped Harry across the face.
"Don't think so negatively!" She scolded.
"Mione! Give the poor guy a break." Ron wrapped his arms around the smaller girls waist and she leaned against his frame.
"Lets go then." Harry held the sign to his chest with slightly shaking hands.
The trio didn't get further the the portrait lady before Gryffindor girls started throwing themselves at Harry.
"Oh Harry, I always knew you liked me!"
"Yes Harry! I will date you!"
"He's talking to me you dimwit!"
Harry ignored the desperate girls and bowed his head, Ron and Hermione shooting glares at anyone who stepped within a metre of Harry. Ginny slapped a girl that tried to grab at Harry.
"Honestly, can't you see he doesn't like you?" She scowled at them and took her place next to Hermione.
"Is he going to ask him out?" She murmured to the brains of the trio.
"He's just going to walk around with the sign. He's hoping D will think it's for him and say yes. If he doesn't mention the sign, Harry won't bring it up again." Hermione explained. Ginny frowned.
"What if Draco thinks Harry's directing the sign at someone else? Then he won't say yes in case it's not for him because he'll look like a fool." Ginny fretted. Hermiones brown orbs went wide as she processed Ginny's words.
"Oh dear. There's not a very big chance of this working out. Harry's just going to receive girls desperate for a piece of him. Should we tell D the signs meant for him?" Hermione questioned. Ginny shook her head.
"No way. Harry's got to do this on his own. It isn't our place to interfere, and who knows how Draco would react if we told him the sign was for him?" Ginny pointed out. Hermione groaned, and the two girls hurried up and fell into place with Ron and Harry.
They were at the entrance of the Great Hall.
Throughout breakfast, Harry Potter stared not so subtly at Draco Malfoy, and Hermione, Ron and Ginny took it upon themselves to get everyone that thought Harry's sign meant them out of the way. Harry deserved this, and Merlin help anyone who was going to get in the way of that.
"Look at him again and I'll hex you." Ginny promised a wide eyed Hufflepuff. Everyone who was anyone had heard of Ginny Weasley's infamous bogey hexes, and known someone who had been the subject to one.
"Harry." Hermione hissed. "Stop staring at him. You may as well be holding up a sign that says, I'm in love with Draco Malfoy." Harry tore his gaze away from the blonde briefly enough to glare at Hermione, before gazing at him again. Hermione sighed.
Ron ate.
"Anyway, didn't you say you've got Quidditch practise now Ron?" Hermione asked her boyfriend pointedly.
"Oh Merlin. Ginny we'd better go." Ron sighed and let out an audible swallow when he noticed his sister had already gone.
"Oh no. Ginny'll kill me. Why didn't she tell me?" Ron whined as he hurriedly wiped his chin and set off out of the Great Hall.
"Come on Harry. We've got potions." Hermione smiled at her best friend. Harry groaned.
"Ron and Gin are so lucky that they miss Monday morning potions. Maybe I should have signed up for Quidditch this year." Harry stood up reluctantly and Hermione linked their arms before walking out of the room.
"Nah. Ginny loves being captain, and it takes her mind of things. She needed this." Hermione smiled. "Anyway, Draco's in this class! Get keen!" Hermione giggled and Harry groaned.
"This was a bad idea." Harry gulped.
"I know you don't want to hear this but-"
"Don't say it!"
"I told you so." Hermione grinned smugly.
"At least I'm his partner in this class. I'll get to talk to him!" Harry perked up considerably. Hermione sighed.
"If you consider going, h-h-hi d-d-draco, as talking, you can think again." Hermione said with a smirk.
"Oi! I do not sound like that!" Harry protested loudly.
"Sound like what?" Draco slid into conversation easily.
"Oh. Uh, hi." Harry said meekly.
"I'll be going." Hermione winked at Harry and went off to have a heated conversation with Seamus.
"Looks like you're planning on getting yourself a girlfriend, Potter." Draco teased. Harry flushed.
"N-no. Not really. It's this guy. He's really amazing." Harry blurted out. He almost slapped himself. Why the hell did he say that? To his surprise, Draco hugged him.
"Don't let them change you. Being queer is just as much a part of you as your dorky little glasses and shitty hair." Draco murmured into his ear. Harry shivered. Draco released him with a smile.
"So? Whose the lucky guy?" Draco prompted. Harry shook his head.
"Nuh uh. Not getting that out of me." Harry said quickly.
"For Merlin sake!" Hermione barrelled over.
"Mione no!" Harry shouted.
"Nonsense. Anyway, Draco dear, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend. As a date." Hermione said with an easy smile.
"Granger, I, I'm flattered, but you're missing a dick." Draco said with a bashful smile. Hermione laughed.
"Hey Harry. You've got a dick? Don't you? Harry might as well take my place." Hermione nudged Harry forward.
"W-what?" Harry stuttered.
"Ah Granger. Potters got a date. We mustn't interrupt." Draco smirked at Hermione.
"Brilliant! You can meet each other at the shrieking shack. It isn't called that for no reason yknow." Hermione bit the insides of her cheeks to contain her laughter.
"Mione! I-I have a date." Harry hurried to say.
"Might as well tell him. Draco, Harry's sign was meant for you. I know, awfully stupid of him, wasn't it? I told him." Hermione said daringly.
"Mione!" Harry shrieked. Draco laughed.
"It's alright Potter. It'd be my honour to go on a date with you."
