Cold as Ice

Chapter 4.

Draco lay flat on his back and stared at the stars. It had been a week since he had kissed Harry in this exact spot. They hadn't spoken since that night, bar the unpleasant conversation at breakfast. Draco still felt sick to his stomach every time he thought of the hurt look on Harry's face as he, Draco, brushed him away like some annoying child. Had he ruined his one chance of happiness, just because he wanted to show the Slytherins that he was still the same Draco Malfoy that he had always been, even though he wasn't? How could he be the same after that night?

'Malfoy,' said a voice. For a fleeting second, he thought it was Harry, but when he looked up, he saw Ron standing there, arms folded and an angry look on his face.

'What is it, Weasley?' Draco sighed, sitting up.

'Why did you do that to Harry?' Ron barked. Draco's eyes widened.

'Uh...do what?' he stuttered.

'You know damn well what, Malfoy. Harry told us everything.'

'And just what did he tell you?'

'Don't play dumb with me.'

'Did he send you to talk to me?'

'No. I came because I can't stand by and let you mess with Harry's head.'

Draco dropped his head into his hands. Harry was lucky to have friends like Ron, much as it pained Draco to admit it.

'Harry doesn't need me,' he muttered.

'He needs love. If you can give him that, then he needs you,' Ron said.

'I don't know...'

'Listen. Harry has never known a proper love, like the love of a parent, or a partner. Not that he can remember. And he's never really had feelings for anyone either. Except you.'

'He doesn't have feelings for me.'

'No? Then why has he been going around like a wet weekend for the past seven days?'

Draco held Ron's steely gaze, letting his words sink in. Harry was still upset? Hadn't it been Draco who was infatuated with Harry, not the other way around?

'You have to talk to him, Malfoy. Sort something out. Don't just muck him about. That's all I'm saying.' Ron got up and walked off.

'How, though?' Draco said softly to his knees. 'How can I talk to him about this, when I feel so bound to my Slytherin roots?'

As he said the words, he knew he had to sacrifice something. Either he gave into his heart and lost his credibility, or he told Harry to clear off and stayed a true Slytherin - and a true Malfoy. Because Malfoy's didn't love, not in the way Draco loved Harry, anyway.

Draco sat outside all night thinking everything over and over. The sunlight was creeping over the horizon before he went inside to bed.

Harry hung back in the shadows as a very tired-looking Draco slipped into the entrance hall and down the stairs to the Slytherin common room. Once he had gone, Harry carried on with his trek around the castle that he had started four and a half hours before at one o'clock, the exact time he and Draco had kissed the week before.

Harry was almost annoyed that he was letting this get to him so much. But at the same time, he knew he couldn't just let it go. Draco had touched his heart in places he didn't even know existed. Why was it that now Harry felt so strongly for Draco, Draco turned him away?

So for some reason, Harry still clung tightly to the hope that Draco would come back to him and say it was all just a mistake, that he never meant to hurt Harry so much.

The golden early morning sun shivered through the windows, but Harry passed by without noticing the pretty patterns it made on the floor, or the way it glittered through the dust-motes. Maybe if Draco had been there, he would have seen the beauty around him.

But Draco hadn't spoken to him in a week. He hadn't even tried to make conversation, friendly or otherwise. Harry would have liked Draco to achnoledge him just a little, maybe insult him in front of a class, or slag off his parents to an audience of jeering Slytherins. Anything but ignore him completely.

Suddenly, Harry gave a dry laugh. A few weeks before, he would have given anything for Draco to leave him alone. Now he wanted him to be around more. Life was twisted.

Shaking his head, Harry set off back to the Gryffindor common room.

Draco had sensed Harry lurking in the entrance hall even tough he hadn't seen him. Scary, when he thought about it. All the same, he knew what he had to do, so he stopped and waited for Harry to move. Strangely enough, Harry wasn't wearing his invisibility cloak, so he was very easy to follow.

Draco slunk along in the shadows, watching Harry's every move. He felt completely awake now, although he did jump quite violently when Harry gave a short laugh.

Then Harry turned around to face the way he came. He's probably going to his dormitory, Draco thought. Biting his lip, he weighed up his possibilities. He could talk to Harry here and now, in private, or he could let him go and leave this silent, unbearable tension go on longer than it already had. He decided to talk.

'Harry.' Draco stepped out of the shadows in front of Harry. Harry's eyes lit up, then became wary.

'What?' he said slowly. Draco took a deep breath and let all his words spill out of his mouth like a waterfall.

'I'm sorry I was so nasty last week and that I haven't spoken to you since. I was scared. Scared that if one of the Slytherins found out, they'd tell my father and he'd...disown me or something. But it's been killing me, not talking to you, not holding you, not kissing you. I've hated it, but I've been too scared to say anything.' Draco stopped. Harry was staring at him, but not in a bad way. Almost in awe.

'I'd give anything for you to be just kissing me now,' Draco added softly. Without a word, Harry walked to him and pressed his lips to Draco's. It was their best kiss yet, in both boys opinions. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Eventually, the boys broke apart.

'Never, ever do that again, Draco,' Harry said. 'I thought you didn't want me.'

'How could anyone not want you?' Draco grinned, lacing his fingers around Harry's and swinging their arms.

'Well, now they can't have me,' said Harry. 'And stop swinging our arms like that. We look like little kids.'

'Sorry.'

They started to walk slowly along the corridor together silence. Harry smiled to himself. This felt right.

'So, who shall we tell first?' he said half-jokingly. Draco froze up.

'We're going to tell people?' he choked.

'Eventually, of course,' Harry replied quickly.

'Why? Why can't we stay a secret?'

'Because I'm crap at keeping at keeping secrets, for one thing.'

'I don't care! We are not telling anyone!'

Harry stared at Draco.

'Draco, there's no need to get upset. If you don't want people to know, I won't tell anyone. Now, come here.' Harry held out his arms to comfort Draco, but he walked away, anger etched all over his face. Harry's arms dropped limply to his sides.

'Draco, please. I didn't mean to upset you,' he said quietly.

'But you did,' Draco hissed.

'Leave it, Malfoy,' said a voice menacingly.

Draco turned around to see Ron standing there, fists clenched.

'Stay out of this, Weasley. You've had your say' Draco snapped. Ron grabbed the front of his robes.

'I warned you Malfoy,' he snarled, 'I warned you about mucking Harry about.'

'Ron, leave it,' Harry said in a low voice from behind Draco. Ron took no notice.

'Harry deserves better than you,' he growled. Draco smirked.

'Jealous, Weasley? You can't get your own lover, so you try and split us up. You can't bear that your best friend, yet again, has everything you don't,' he said smugly. Ron stepped back from him, trembling with rage.