A Drarry Teacher au

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The next day Draco woke up to the alarm charm on his wand, which he had to do since his actual alarm clock accidentally got blown up. oops. He groaned, having gotten only a few hours of sleep. He would have taken an anxiety potion last night, but there is a wait period of six hours in order to avoid accidental overdose of the anxiety potion, and if he took it last night, he wouldn't have been able to take it in the morning. Despite the reassurance of his crush not hating him, the letter did not magically cure his anxiety and sleeping problems, which is one thing people forget when writing romance stories. Romance doesn't magically fix mental health, that is a gradual thing. Realizing he was going to be late for breakfast if he didn't get up and start getting ready, Draco sat up, and instantly wanted to crawl back into his warm bed. The dungeons were cold in the mornings, especially during Winter. He granted himself a few moments to wake up, taking that time to consume the bitter tasting anxiety potion. He hated the taste, but it helped his anxiety. As soon as Draco deemed himself awake enough, he got out of bed, and headed towards his closet, opting for muggle style dress attire versus the wizard's dress robes. Once he was dressed, he started heading to breakfast. Time to face the unknown.

~~~~

Harry walked into breakfast slightly later than usual because he was writing an owl to Hermione. When he arrived, he tried not to get his hopes up so he kept his head down, only looking up to say hi to the troublemaker trio until he got to the head table. His stomach dropped a little, and butterflies seemed to have taken over for a few seconds as he caught sight of Draco. He still looked a bit rough, he adorned a slight stubble, and his hair was a bit messier than usual, but he was there, which Harry honestly thought he wouldn't be. Sure, he hoped that Draco would be there, but he knew that his mental health should come first. As Harry walked to his seat, he scanned his friend's face for any signs of discomfort. He felt bad, hoping that he didn't pressure Draco into coming back. Draco finally caught sight of Harry as he was sitting down, sending a soft smile towards him.

"Hi," Harry said, the word barely there. All the words he was planning on saying, the long overdue ones, escaped his brain, his mouth clueless as to what to say. Draco reached a hand to slowly run through his hair, his fingers slightly shaking. He sent a soft hello back, he too speechless. Harry could tell that Draco seemed off, watching his unsteady fingers dance in an unpredictable pattern on the table. Deciding to try and calm Draco's nerves in one of the few ways that didn't involve words, the Gryffindor's own shaky hand reached over and gently laced itself in Draco's hand that was continuing to drum, giving it a gentle squeeze. With a glance into his emerald eyes, Draco knew that whatever happens, they were in this together. Draco stared at the entwined hands, at how pale his skin looked compared to Harry's. With a small grin, Draco squeezed back before continuing on with his breakfast. Neither professor let go until the end of breakfast, when both went separate ways to face a day full of classes.

~~~~

Harry's day was going pretty well. His last class of the day was the one that Teddy and his friends were in. He decided to talk to Kat after class, to make sure that everything was okay. He wasn't going to pry, he just wanted to make sure that his godson's best friend knew that he was there if needed. He tried his best to make sure all his students felt comfortable, and he made sure that his classroom was a safe space. Today he needed to get his mind off of everything, so it was practical lessons all day. The kids were perfecting their patronuses, and those who had theirs helped others. They were so busy that they worked up until the bell rang, everyone rushing to get their bags so they could relax before dinner. Harry waited a moment before speaking.

"Class dismissed, Ms. Salter can I please speak to you for a moment? Skyler and Teddy you can wait outside," Kat nodded, confused as to why he wanted to speak. After everyone left Harry came around and sat on his desk, facing his student who was in a chair.

"Teddy has brought to my attention that you haven't been doing well lately. I have noticed that as well, you have been talking in class less and your grades have slipped slightly. I just want to know if everything is okay? You don't have to talk if you don't want to, just know that you have a community of support here at Hogwarts," A few moments of silence passed as Kayden pondered if he should tell him. The professors should know so that he can be properly addressed, and Professor Harry was the professor Kayden trusted the most. Deciding on what to do, Kayden spoke.

"You're familiar with all the parts of the LGBTQ+ community, right?" Harry nodded, having a feeling that he knew where this was going.

"Well, you see I am part of it. I kept bouncing around between different identities, trying to figure myself out until I realized that I fell under the letter T," Kayden drummed his fingers, staring at the desk. Even though he knew that he would be supported, it was still hard to say it especially since Teddy was the only other person Kayden came out to. Harry placed a hand on the table, in Kayden's field of vision so he can look up.

"Thanks for telling me, I am so proud of you," at that Kayden smiled.

~~~~

Dinner came and so did Draco's nerves. He took another potion right before he went down to eat, trying to settle the knot in the pit of his stomach. He knew it was time, he had no clue what Harry wanted to talk about but he himself had some words he needed to say. Words that have been bottling up since Christmas. Trying to clear his throat, Draco continued to walk towards the Great Hall, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't register that he was there until he sat down. Neville sent a smile towards him before turning back to Hagrid, seemingly in the middle about a conversation regarding Hagrid growing vegetables in his garden. Draco turned to his left, gulping when he saw Harry, who was busy pouring pumpkin juice into his cup. He waited until he was done, quietly studying Harry. He was wearing a dark red button up with a yellow tie, a dark black vest hugging his sides. His hair was slightly long, very curly and unruly as usual. His glasses were sliding down his nose, Draco getting the urge to reach over and push them up. Draco didn't know he was staring until emerald eyes met his, the corners scrunched up like they do when Harry smiles. Draco sent a smile back, grinning wide despite the storm of butterflies in his stomach and his lead filled limbs telling him not to smile. His smile faltered, slowly disappearing as he remembered what he was supposed to say.

"We need to talk Harry" emerald eyes studied his, the corners not scrunched up anymore.

"Are you sure Draco? I don't want to pressure you or anything," Draco bit his lip. Why did Harry have to be so perfectly kind.

"I am sure. If we don't talk now, the worry will eat me alive. It's best that we talk sooner or later, because it's long overdue and I feel like we both have some explaining to do," Draco stated, somehow Harry's courage rubbing off on him. Harry studied his eyes for a few more moments, hand twitching as if it wanted to hold Draco's.

"Yeah I agree. Um, wow all the words left me. I will meet you at your room thirty minutes after dinner ends," Harry said, all his courage disappearing. Draco squeezed his hand quickly in reassurance, going back to his plate as both professors became lost in thought. One thought kept recurring in their minds,

"I hope this goes well."