story time: harry’s malfoy obsession picks up again in eighth year. but this time, with a twist (not really)
draco has to attend hogwarts for eighth year as per his probation and he’s a totally different person. instead of snarky, confident, and towering over everyone in his height but he’s now coming across as quiet, small, and unobtrusive.
he’s bullied and does nothing about it and harry itches to punch each bully in the face for it. draco has charms that make most spells bounce off of him, but it doesn’t stop people from trying or shouting taunts.
harry gets angry and finally snaps and flings a bat-bogey hex thanks ginny at a fifth year ravenclaw taunting draco. and to harry’s dismay malfoy barely glances at him. just nods and hurries off and now harry is determined. he starts to fling stinging jinxes at anyone he can catch, tripping jinxes too. he hexes bullies enough to get the message out and once draco leaves he yells at them. losing his control.
then, malfoy finally pays attention to him one day.
harry’s picking up malfoy’s books after he was hit with a tripping jinx, tossing his books in the air only to scatter across the hall. harry had already hexed the bully, shouted an obscenity, and kneeled down to help. malfoy doesn’t say anything and he looks like he’s trying to burrow into his robes to hide. but harry smiles at him and watches as draco’s head tilts curiously and his cheeks pink. huh that’s cute… wait what? then their fingers brush as harry hands over a book and malfoy’s fingers are warm and that surprises harry. now he can’t think about anything but that warmth for weeks. weeks. he needs a plan.
so harry keeps trying to approach malfoy and befriend him not so subtly. draco huffs and gets fidgety but stops trying to protest. just lets harry sit at the same table at the library. let’s him walk alongside him to class just blabbing about whatever he wants to talk about.
weeks pass and malfoy’s resolve starts to crumble and harry catches him trying to fight off smiles. huffing a cough when he really intends to let out a laugh, but tries to smother it. he even sees draco wait a bit in the hall after breakfast until harry comes out and walks with him to class. he even delays packing up by doing so painfully slowly - one book every minute - when he notices harry is behind in cleaning up his workstation in potions too.
then, one evening harry can’t find malfoy at dinner and he’s freaking out. he storms over to slytherin and demands information about his whereabouts and theo looks up at him seemingly bored, but with knowing eyes. don’t get your knickers in a twist potter. he’s not hurt there’s no need to start a fuss. he’s taking a walk outside. i would check the lake if i were you. your boy is quite angsty. the words your boy filter through his head on repeat as he takes theo’s advice and goes to the lake.
he does find draco there sitting at the dock and looking out over the eerily dark water that splashes ominously occasionally as the giant squid slips by. harry sits next to him and draco doesn’t move at all.
harry glances over and notices the red, puffy eyes. draco has been crying and harry doesn’t know what the fuck to do, but he hates seeing malfoy - usually so good at masking his feelings - so broken and vulnerable like this. so he reaches out an arm and wraps it around draco’s shoulders, tugging a bit and pulling him close. draco melts into it and rests his head in the crook of harry’s neck. his hands weave up and grab at his most recent Weasley christmas sweater. holding tight.
after ten minutes, draco’s shaking slows to small shivers and he’s no longer letting out heaving sobs. harry dips his head down and buries his nose in draco’s hair - it’s draco now. has been for a while he supposed but doesn’t recognize that until now. draco smells like vanilla and lavender and suddenly harry feels the overwhelming urge to kiss his head.
and holy shit he smells like vanilla and lavender and he’s warm and soft and cuddling! into! harry’s! chest! and harry realizes he’s so fucking stupid and could fall in love with draco malfoy. what the fuck!!!
so harry talks to draco about why he’s crying and it’s his father - he’s being admitted to st. mungos permanently. they don’t know quite what happened, but he’s lost himself. draco sobs he can’t remember anything anymore. he wanders dazedly and confused like he’s lost. he’s gone. he‘s so ill. harry never liked lucius and draco didn’t really appreciate him all that much either to be honest, but he feels terrible. his heart breaks for draco and he has a new plan.
operation support and love malfoy begins and it’s fucking difficult. harry keeps sneaking out after hours and through the hidden passageway under the womping willow to get treats for draco from hogsmeade. he gets his favorite quills, books, tools for potion making, and loads of candy. draco has such a sweet tooth even if he won’t admit it.
harry spends all his free time with draco. listening when draco wants to talk. talking when he wants a distraction. cracking jokes, telling him stories, being honest and vulnerable and sharing secrets. they play exploding snap and wizards chess. they study together and explore the castle.
they go to the room of requirement together for the first time and harry holds draco’s hand while he cries a bit over the scorch marks that stain a corner of the empty room. it’s not the room of hidden things - that just won’t come back. and neither will crabbe.
harry spends hours daily for an entire month in slytherin before draco finally visits gryffindor tower. at this point, everyone in gryffindor knows harry has a crush on draco even if he hasn’t admitted it and they’re all kind and include draco in everything. draco’s a bit overwhelmed but he actually starts to like the bloody gryffindors, harry can tell, and they start to spend more of their time there instead.
harry starts to be more tactile too. he sits closer than he has to when they’re on the sofa by the fire and if he’s feeling bold and notices draco is particularly comfortable then he tucks his feet under draco’s bum or lays his legs across his thigh. he’ll touch him constantly at the small of his back or tap his arm for attention, like grabbing his wrist to point something useless out and not letting go until he has to. extends an arm to rest on the back of the couch behind draco or lets their knees rest together while they study. draco never complains, but doesn’t initiate it yet either.
draco gets more and more comfortable as time goes on and harry can’t remember the last time he saw draco sneer. but he does see a new side of malfoy and draco is always so smiley and soft. his grey eyes sparkle and get squinty when he laughs and oh boy does he laugh. he throws his head back and really just lets it out when he’s happy and harry wants to drown in it.
eventually draco even starts to steal harry’s hoodie. he was fascinated the first time he saw it. what is that potter? he dipped his hands in the pocket at the front and harry nearly choked on his own tongue but then harry wore it a lot because draco was always more tactile when he wore it. he’d fiddle with the hood and therefore his fingers were close to harry’s hair at the nape of his neck and harry loved it. but then one day he took it off, leaving it on the sofa, and draco took it before he left. harry didn’t realize until draco walked in the next day wearing it. harry nearly passed out because draco was wearing his hoodie. draco practically owns it for a while. harry’s thrilled.
towards the end of the year, harry buys draco his own hoodie and draco looks offended and storms off and harry doesn’t get it. hermoine rolls her eyes at him because he’s so oblivious. so harry goes to find draco and draco won’t talk about it but makes harry wear the new hoodie himself. green looks better on you anyway.
so then, a week later, that hoodie goes missing and his old one returns for some bizarre reason. harry’s so confused but then he notices the hoodie smells like malfoy. soft and like vanilla with a touch of his cologne and harry gets it. draco wanted the hoodie because it smelled like him. because it was his.
he’s jumping up and freaking the fuck out because oh my god does draco like him too? and runs to talk to hermoine, forgetting about the charm on the girl’s dorm’s stairs and ends up sliding down and shooting across the common room only to slide right into draco who can get into the tower on his own because even though the fat lady gives him shit for being a slytherin she reluctantly loves him and always lets him in when he knows the password, which he always does and knocking his legs out from under him.
draco collapses on top of him and harry thinks oh shit he’s going to be so angry but instead draco just bursts into laughter and brushes the hair out of harry’s face. he pauses awkwardly after doing so, seemingly realizing what he’s just done, but then he notices harry is clutching the hoodie he returned and he smiles shyly.
he goes to climb off harry but harry grabs a hold of his wrist and just mumbles draco. and this is the first time he said draco out loud even though malfoy has been draco since christmas. draco looks at him, eyes wide, and then he seems to make a decision. then, harry notices draco leaning down and KISSES him.
and, obviously, harry loses his shit and gasps so audibly that draco pulls back like oh my fuck i read all the signs wrong and harry just smiles so brightly and then grabs draco’s shoulders and squashes him in a tight hug, draco’s face squished against harry’s cheek and harry whispers thank god. and then kisses his cheek and temples until draco manages to squirm enough to face him again and they kiss but this time it’s slow and lasting and so so gentle but passionate and the whole gryffindor common room including hermoine who came down after hearing draco’s yelping as he fell down is clapping and cheering and mumbling fucking finally. idiots.
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