yule ball

he's not the type to kiss

 Draco felt a slight shock as his lips met Harry's.

I'm kissing Harry Potter.

For a second, Harry was stiff, and Draco nearly pulled away, thinking, it was a mistake-

But then Harry leaned into the kiss and pulled Draco closer.

For a moment, they were the only people in the world. All thoughts of how public a place the garden was, how Potter was the person he was kissing, flew out of his mind. Then he left out a soft gasp, and the trance they had both been in were broken.

Harry jumped away, nearly falling off the edge of the bench, and Draco simply stayed where he was, watching him.

Harry's face flickered through about a thousand emotions at once, so much that even Draco, who was an expert on reading people, couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

A beat of silence.

"I'm sorry." Harry said.

"Sorry for what?" Draco replied, confused. "I was the one who, well..."

Harry was speaking very fast now, "Yes, but I don't know if you wanted to-"

"If I hadn't wanted to kiss you, then I wouldn't have." Draco's reply came out a little sharper than he had originally intended.

"Oh. I did too. I mean- want to kiss you, that is. I'm not sure why."

"Me neither."

And then they were staring at each other with the sound of the bubbling fountain in the background.

Draco saw Harry's face pinch together, the corners of his mouth twitching, until he burst out laughing.

Harry's laugh was contagious, and soon they were both giggling- giggling, if his father could see him.

Harry took a few, gasping breaths, and sighed, and then there was a silence again. Draco wasn't sure why he wasn't saying anything. He had so many things to say to Harry, so many things he wanted to confess, but one nagged him from the back of his brain.

He glanced towards the window, where students were still dancing. He saw Pansy whirl by in a blink, so fast all he caught was her light pink dress, and he felt a shock of dread run through him.

He shivered. He felt Harry's hand wrap around his, and when he turned back to meet Harry's eyes, they were shy but welcoming.

Harry thought he was cold, but he was worried.

Draco was worried because he had been lying to Harry. It had all been a dare, a dare that got wildly out of control, a dare that was real now.

"Harry..."

Harry, being the most oblivious person Draco had ever met, nodded and smiled. He gave Draco's hand a quick squeeze, and Draco cursed him for being so hard to confess too. Against Harry's innocence, even Draco's small lie seemed detestable.

"Look, Harry-"

"Yes?" Harry looked up at him with bright, eager eyes.

"I..." Draco closed his eyes and gave Harry's hand a squeeze. "I wasn't telling the full truth."

Harry's grip loosened ever so slightly. "What do you mean?"

"It was a dare." Draco said rapidly. He cast his glance towards his lap, where his fist was clenched, fingernails digging into his palm and leaving tiny half-moon marks.

"What was a dare?" There was a twinge of fear in Harry's voice, but most of his desperation showed in his eyes, greener than any plant in the garden surrounding them. They were wide and wild, but not wild with laughter, but wild with confusion.

"Me asking you. It wasn't just something that happened on a whim-neither was out friendship. Pansy dared me too." He snuck a cautious glance at Harry's face.

Harry's eyes were glassy and watery, his mouth slightly open in shock. "You lied to me?"

"Yes, but I swear it was only once-"

"You lied to me." Harry interrupted. His voice was louder this time, less upset and more angry.

"Everything else was real-"

"How am I supposed to know that?" Harry yanked his hand from Draco's and stood up, looking down at him with more anger than he had ever seen from the normally gentle boy. "How am I supposed to trust you. You kissed me. Was that a dare too?"

"No, I swear, I really like you, Harry-"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry yelled. Without waiting for a response, he spun on his heel and ran away, wiping his hands at his eyes as he dashed for the castle.