Shoulder Pillow

Chapter 7: Love

 Harry had had a smile on his face throughout all his Monday morning classes. Dinner on Saturday evening had made everything just that much better. Draco had brought his friends to sit with him and Hermione, and everything had been perfect. Even when Harry had caught Ron glaring at all of them from down the table, Harry just intertwined his fingers with Draco's under the table and watched him as he talked excitedly with his friends; he'd even talked to Hermione on more than one occasion. Draco's hand was a little cold, but Harry didn't mind.

Harry could still feel Draco's soft lips against his own, he had replayed the memory of the blond boy gripping his face to pull him down to kiss him throughout all his classes. Professor Snape had snapped at him more than once for being unattentive; Harry was sure he would fail the assignment he'd been given, he'd been too busy thinking about Draco to absorb any of the information. (Harry desperately wanted to feel those chilled hands in his hair, on his shoulders, everywhere. He wanted to kiss every inch of skin Draco would allow him to, he wanted to slide his hands under the other boy's shirt, wanted to feel his breaths as they moved through his chest. He wanted, no, no he needed to fill the gap between them, he needed to be touching him, and if not touching him, he needed to see him, memorize the lines of his face and the cut of his silhouette.)

"Harry. Harry."

Harry startled back to awareness, looking up at Hermione, who was standing next to his chair.

"Class is over, Harry. You can stop fantasizing now," Hermione teased, "We have to head to lunch now, you can ask Malfoy to sit with us again if you're really so desperate." Harry just smiled at her and jumped up from his seat, quickly gathered his things, and hurried out the door as Hermione linked elbows with him. There were only a few stragglers left in the hallways, making their way to lunch as well.

"Really Harry, if you're so obsessed with him, you may as well just ask him to be your boyfriend now," Hermione advised.

Harry just about skipped a step in his shock. Of course, he'd thought about it. He knew it was faster than most people's relationships, but he also knew that he didn't think he would ever be okay with anyone else touching Draco's soft skin, or gazing at him with the adoration that Harry did. He wanted Draco to himself. He wanted to be the one that was on the receiving end of those soft kisses, wanted to be the one to make those stunning grey eyes glow with laughter.

He just didn't know if Draco wanted it too.

"You don't... you don't think it's too soon? Like I might be pushing him into something?" Harry stopped for a moment before continuing, "I don't want to do that to him, I don't want to pressure him into being stuck with me, Hermione."

Hermione laid her head on his arm as they walked to the Great Hall. "Harry, there's no such thing as being stuck with you. You aren't going to shove him into the dark, love. Maybe it's a little fast, but not every relationship is the same. And from what Pansy's told me, Draco really likes you too. He was practically fawning over you yesterday after dinner."

"You talked with Pansy?"

He looked down at Hermione only to see her looking up at him as well, her cheek a little squished against his arm. The sight made him smile with fond memories of when they were younger, and smaller, with fewer inhibitions.

"We exchanged numbers after dinner last night. I suppose she wants to make friends," He felt Hermione stiffen before she said, "You don't think that Ron will ignore us much longer, do you? I tried to sit next to him in the common room yesterday while you were out with Draco, but he wouldn't say anything to me. He wouldn't even look at me, Harry. He's being so... soo... argh!" She groaned. Harry leaned down and kissed her hair before murmuring, "I don't know, 'Mione. I haven't talked to him since he... blew up at us. I don't know what's going on with him."