Cunning Yet Kind [Draco/Harry]

Chapter Ten

This chapter sucks,
but forgive me. School has been wild and not to mention I've got midterms here soon. So, just, be patient with me. Thanks.

Hermione didn't speak to Draco for weeks. She refused. Pansy had tried to get her to speak to him but she denied any form of contact. Even in their classes, Hermione had switched with Crabbe to be with Pansy instead of Draco. It was causing a rift between the group. Ever since the hallway scene, the entire school knew that Draco and Harry, he was Harry now, were dating. Even Cedric Diggory wasn't speaking to Draco. When he would enter the room he shared with Cedric, Oliver and Justin, the only one to speak to him was Oliver. He'd ask how Draco was, how his days with Potter were going. He was the only one that cared enough, Draco thought, to warm up to the idea of him and Harry.

Granted, he knew Hermione was just frustrated. He had promised her this wouldn't happen; that he wouldn't fall for Harry. But how can you predict what you'll feel as time goes on? Draco was sure Hermione would warm up to the idea eventually just as Oliver was doing, and even Pansy, but it would take longer than everyone combined. And he wished, considering she was his best friend, that she would understand and support him.

As he lay with his head in on Harry's chest, legs tangled together as they were silent on the sofa in the Slytherin common room, which was an often occurrence now when it wasn't overcome with other students, Draco was still refusing to go back to his own common room until evening approached. It wasn't that he was bothered by the stares or the whispers from his fellow house mates, it was more so that his friends were doing the whispering, gossiping and staring. Crabbe, Pansy, Justin.. Hermione and Cedric were the only ones he knew weren't talking about him and scolding his choice of relations. But that, he had thought, was from their frustration.

Harry was being gentle. Had been gentle with Draco since Hermione and Cedric stopped talking to him. Draco found it odd. He had found that Harry could be kind, but gentle he had only seen in the halls a few weeks ago. Draco was finding out so many things about Harry, so many things he hadn't know the green-eyed boy hid behind his tough exterior. Feeling the boy shift under him, Draco lifted his head and saw green eyes staring at him.

"What?" He asked. Harry shook his head slightly.

"Nothing." He replied, breaking eye contact with Draco when he took one of the blond's hands in his own, resting his head back on the arm of the sofa. Draco leaned up slightly, pressing a quick kiss to Harry's throat. The boy beneath him chuckled, a sound Draco lo- liked more when it was a proper laugh. He smiled at Harry, pursing his lips as he looked at him. Harry rolled his eyes, lifting his head from the arm of the couch to kiss Draco softly. It wasn't rough or quick as he had kissed Draco after potions. None of their kisses had been like that. They were soft and slow, as though Harry wasn't sure if Draco was okay with anything more. But he didn't mind, either way he was kissing Draco.

Shifting slightly, Draco moved to lean more towards Harry as though he wasn't already atop the boy. Harry laughed, breaking away from the kiss and moving to sit up on the sofa, bringing Draco up with him.

"What's so funny?" Asked Draco, eyes narrow.

"Nothing." Harry said, lips twitching slightly to hint at a smile.

"That's all you've said for the past hour." Draco said, sitting up straight and pushing Harry's legs off the sofa. Harry sat up, looking at Draco.

"So?"

"So?" Said Draco in a mocking mumble. Harry frowned, fingers idly running over the back of Draco's neck as he attempted to catch his gaze.

"Are you okay?" He asked tentatively.

Draco hesitated, but replied. "No."

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Draco looked at Harry, staring in surprise. Harry gave Draco a look of confusion.

"You're weird." Draco said.

"What?"

"You're weird." Draco repeated. "You're so.. I don't care about others but you're sitting here asking what's wrong."

"Oh, I didn't realize you'd rather me leave you alone and wallow in your own—"

"Shut up." Draco interrupted, smacking Harry's chest. The ravenette chuckled.

"Tell me." Harry said softly.

"I miss Hermione.."

Harry sighed, pressing a kiss to Draco's temple. "I know. But, it's her choice whether she wants to support you or not. You can't force her."

"But if she really cares about me, she would support me either way." Draco argued, gazing down at his hands which were sat in his lap. Harry took Draco's hands in his, attempting to catch Draco's gaze. The blond sat silently as he took his hands away from Harry's, shaking his head. "I think I should head out. Get some sleep."

"Already? It's only seven." Said Harry, watching as Draco stood.

"Yeah," Draco said, grabbing the book he had placed on the small table beside the sofa earlier in the evening. "We've got that Potions project in the morning."

"Right." Harry said, nodding. He noticed Draco was about to walk away and quickly Harry stood, his arm extending to wrap around Draco's middle and pull him towards him. "I'll see you at breakfast?"

Draco nodded.

"All right." Said Harry, leaning forward to press a kiss to Draco's lips. It was soft, delicate and slow. Draco couldn't help but smile. Draco kissed Harry once more before he headed out of the Slytherin common room. He managed to avoid a few Slytherins on his way towards the main halls, noticing that not too many students were wandering around. Usually, after dinner, quite a few students were out in the halls messing around or in the library. But, tonight was different. The only people he saw were Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley, both only waving at Draco. Being kind, Draco waved back and gave them both a smile, happy at least two people didn't seem to be judging him. Reaching the Ravenclaw common room after a while longer and muttering the password, Draco saw a distraught Hermione yelling at Justin.

"That's not the point!" She yelled, hands angrily at her sides.

"Then what is the point?!" Justin yelled back, eyes narrowing.

"What's going on?" Asked Draco, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"The point is you know just as well as I do why this is bad!" Said Hermione, pointing a finger at Justin angrily.

"It's his choice, Hermione!"

"Hey!" Draco yelled, catching the attention of both Hermione and Justin. "What the bloody hell is going on in here?"

Hermione just blinked once, twice, then left for her room. Justin sighed heavily, rubbing his temples as he turned to face Draco.

"She's mad. I said we should try and give Potter a chance, she told me that's a terrible idea therefore I said you're our friend and we should come to terms with the fact that you like Potter. She proceeded to yell and here we are."

Draco's cheeks went red with anger as his hands balled into fists. "She's supposed to be my best friend and support me." He muttered, shaking with anger.

"I tried —"

"I know," Said Draco. "I know, Justin, thank you. I'm just — I'm going to go to bed." Justin nodded and watch as Draco headed up the steps to the boy's dormitories. Draco was frustrated, hurt and angry. He wanted nothing more than for Hermione to accept this all, just as Justin was beginning to. But he knew that was a long shot in a game he was definitely going to lose. Curling up in his bed under the duvet, he stared blankly out one of the windows before he finally, at one o'clock in the morning, fell asleep.