Undisguised

Undisguised

Coping with the Myriad

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Who does he think he is? Draco thought furiously, angrily pacing a stormy path across his room. Where does he get off trying to take what I want? IÂ… I'll tear him to shreds! No, no. I'll poison him. No, I'll wrap him in wet leather and hang him in the sun! Hanne can not have Harry! He is mine!

Draco was angrier in that second than he had been in his entire life. Never mind that he didn't think Harry would ever touch him. Never mind that Hanne had a better chance with Harry than he did. None of that mattered. If he couldn't have Harry, why should anyone else be able to? How was that fair?!

Because, a little voice in the back of his mind said, everyone thinks you hate him. You've done a good job of proving just that, haven't you?

Hate him? Draco thought in response. I don't hate him.

Then why did you make him think you do?

Because I did hate him, in the beginning. I hated him for all that he was. He was the infamous Harry Potter, and he was good at everything, even if he didn't grow up knowing any of it. He's better than me at everything, and I hated him for it.

And you still do, the voice said simply.

No, I don't.

Yes, you do.

No, I don't!

Yes, you do!

No, I don't! I am in love with him! Draco shouted at the voice.

It's about time, the little voice said as it slowly faded. That was all you had to say. You love him. Go get him.

I can't.

Why not? The voice was suddenly stronger. You want to, don't you?

He won't have me. I couldn't take it if he told me to step off.

But you love him?

Yes, Draco thought defiantly.

Then you'll go get him. You will have what you want. Just go do it.

I can't, Draco told the voice weakly.

You will.

* * *

Harry's quill scratched quietly across the parchment that was sitting in his lap. A small conjured ball of light hung at the top of the canopy, giving just enough light to allow him to see, but not enough to wake anyone if he needed to open his curtains and get up. The book that he had borrowed from Neville was sitting open beside him. Harry was beginning to grasp the scope of what Neville had cast on him. It hit him hard, earlier that night, when he read that it could not be reversed. It had taken him some time to collect himself and deal with that. Slowly he had read on, trying to learn about the thing that would be with him for the rest of his life.

There are times when a person is feeling multiple emotions at once, Harry had read. At these times there will be multiple colors around the person. The strongest emotion is always that nearest the person's body, with others "layered" on top of that. The strongest emotion will be the brightest, with the other colors dimming as they ascend.

For example: if someone is feeling fear (let's say that its color is white) and joy (which is green), and the fear is stronger than the joy, then the white will be surrounding the person first with the green "layered" above it, with the white brighter than the green.

To explain layering, think of a rainbow. Think about the way that the colors of a rainbow sit on top of each other. This is the way that the auras of Emoticus Airius behave when the person is feeling two or more emotions at once. Applying the rainbow idea to Emoticus Airius is fairly simple. In the rainbow, the purple at the bottom would be the color that is the brightest and the closest surrounding the person, with the blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, layered on top of that, getting dimmer and less pronounced as the rainbow spreads away from the person. The purple represents the strongest emotion that the person is feeling and the red, the weakest.

Harry understood all of that; he had already seen it. A few paragraphs later, Harry had seen the word black and snapped back to it, hoping that it would give him some clue about Malfoy.

When you read people with Emoticus Airius, in most cases you will use the brightness to tell the strength of the emotion. There is one known exception: black. This color (or the gathering of all color, rather) does not get brighter. Instead, it appears to get darker while pulling all color around it into itself. The stronger the emotion, the dimmer the other colors will be around the person surrounded by black. It is rumored that a person can feel an emotion so strongly that their black will darken the room around them. I have seen nothing that substantiates this.

What troubled Harry about the essay was that there was very little on how to deal with the spell. All through the text were side references to the possibility of the person with Emoticus Airius going crazy, and it needed to be dealt with, but he could find nothing to tell him how. Then, at the end of the text, he found something that made him breathe a more easily.

Since this is meant as an education text, though this does tell how to perform the spell, it is assumed that it will not be. I also assume that if Emoticus Airius is intended for use, all of the works on it will have been purchased. Therefore, I shamelessly refer you to my other work, Coping with the Myriad, as an instructional guide. It teaches how to center oneself so that other people's emotions do not overwhelm you.

Harry almost ran to Hedwig as soon as he saw that last paragraph. He had the money to send off for the book, but the only place that he knew to send the order to was Flourish & Blotts, which would raise questions he did not want asked. At this stage of his Hogwart's schooling his was not a name that would be ignored, and he did not want to get Neville in trouble. He sighed and sat back down on his bed. He decided to tell Hermione and Ron the next day what was going on. Hermione would know if Coping with the Myriad was in the library.

He chewed on the tip of his quill and he studied what he had written: a list of colors of everyone he knew, with a separate list for Malfoy. His colors bothered him. He had a nagging feeling that he needed to know what Malfoy's Aura Pattern was. Once again, the old saying popped into his head. Yes, he would have to keep a closer eye on Malfoy. He was surprised by how easily colors came to mind when he thought about the people that he knew. He could even put a color to those emotions he had not seen yet. He sighed, put the scroll down on the bed, and reached for his wand. He wanted to go for a walk, just to clear his mind, and saw nothing wrong with that, especially if he took his fatherÂ’s Cloak.

Dimming further the light over his bed, Harry climbed out and pulled the Cloak out of his trunk. Slipping it over his shoulders, he left the dorm and headed down to the common room. He stood looking into the fire for a moment. He considered going down to his and Kayden's meeting room, but thought better of it. That was where Kayden went when he wanted to be alone at night. Turning, he climbed through the portrait hole and ignored the Fat Lady's usual demand to know who's there. (Now why was she up at this hour?) He looked out of the tall windows casting moonlight into the shadows as he walked by, the light sprinkles of rain outside causing the light to dance. He hoped that it would not be raining too much when the sun came up. He didn't want to spend the whole day inside. Sighing, he turned a corner and headed down the flight of stairs. He wasn't really paying attention to where his feet were going, his thoughts directed more towards the puzzle of Draco Malfoy then on a destination. Turning yet another random corner, he looked up instinctively and jumped to the side, just in time to keep from running headlong into the very boy he was thinking of.

Malfoy stood in shadows made deeper by the light flowing in through the window beside him. His eyes were on his feet, and he was mumbling something. Harry stood and watched him for a minute, catching the breath that he lost in the near collision. He backed up a bit to rest himself on the wall opposite Malfoy, scraping his foot on the floor. He shot a quick look at the other boy, but Malfoy did not even look up. Whatever heated conversation he was having with himself had his total attention.

Where are his colors? Harry thought, suddenly bolting off the wall as this new problem jumped at him from the shadows. Trying not to make too much noise, he inched closer to the boy, squinting in search of some clue of the colors that should be there. He was almost on top of the boy before he saw it: black, so deep that it blended into the night surrounding the boy.

"I can't," Malfoy whispered fiercely, causing Harry to pull up short. "IÂ… he would laugh at me until he burst. I couldn't take that. I just can't do this. I am going back to my room."

Harry looked around, searching for whoever Malfoy was talking to. There was no one else there. Who the hell was he talking to, himself? It sounded way too two-sided for that.

"I can, and I'm going to," Malfoy whispered defiantly at his feet. "Leave me alone!"

Harry again had to dodge quickly out of the way, this time as Malfoy left, practically running down the hall, his steps ringing loudly in the silence. Harry looked around in some confusion. This was not what he had had in mind when he decided to go for a walk. Whipping out his wand, he cast a sound dampening spell on his shoes and raised off after Malfoy.

* * *

"You did what?!" Ron and Hermione exclaimed in unison.

"I followed him," Harry repeated. "I donÂ’t know why. It just seemed like the right thing to do, with him going on like that. And he did, too. All the way back, until he passed the Serpent." Harry shook his head.

"So," Ron asked with a gleam in his eye, "you have the Slytherin password?"

"Yeah."

"What is it?"

"Ron!" Hermione glared at him. "Harry is talking about following a Slytherin back to the Slytherin Dorms and all you can think about is going back?"

"Well, yeah!" Ron grinned evilly. "Why not? We could cause some real damage down there, and they'd never be able to prove it was us."

"That's not the point." Hermione rolled her eyes at him and turned back to Harry. "Who was he talking to?"

"His shoes, for all I could see. There was no one else there, unless they were invisible like me. I doubt that. I would have known. They would have bumped into me on the way there, I think."

"So Malfoy is losing it," Ron quipped. "Now that is something to write home about. If Mom wouldn't likely send me another Howler for it, that is."

They all snickered, remembering the Howler that Ron had gotten the year that he and Harry flew the family car all the way to school. As far as Harry knew, the thing was still running wild in the Forbidden Forest, where it had run after being beaten to near scrap by the Whomping Willow.

"What I donÂ’t understand is why he was so scared," Harry said after the giggles subsided.

"So you know what his colors are too?" Ron asked him, astounded.

Harry sighed. That had taken the better part of the morning to explain. In his hurry to tell them about the night before, he had forgotten that he hadn't yet told them about Emoticus Airius. They were a little shaken when he finally got them to stop asking questions long enough for him to explain it to them. Hermione was especially upset that she had not seen it sooner. She had demanded the right to try and find the books he needed, before he even got the chance to ask her about Coping with the Myriad. Now, as the sun rode high in the Great Hall's ceiling, they took it mainly in stride, until he slipped about it.

"No," Harry said. "I wish I did. He has this set of colors around him all the time that I wish I understood. I know what one is from Divinations. He got so scared when Trelawney called on him that he nearly wet himself. Black was surrounding him the whole time, so I'm guessing that's his color for fear."

That had been the hardest part of the morning. They made him tell them all of their respective colors. The worst part was that he didn't even have to stop to think when they asked. They would say an emotion and he would spit out the color instantly. Apprehension and disbelief filled his eyes then. Now Ron was surrounded by his blood red of surprise and Hermione was wrapped in her frustration white.

"Well, I think you just need to stay away from him," Hermione said as she stood up. "And tell Kay the same."

"Where are you going?" Ron asked, looking up at her.

"To go find Harry's book. He won't be able to eat here much until he has it, right, Harry?"

Harry was not paying any attention to her. He was looking up at the professors' table, at Dumbledore. He was staring, dumbfounded, right at Harry. The strangest thing about it was that Dumbledore wasn't surrounded by any colors. Dumbledore seemed to shake himself, then stood. Whispering something to Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore pointed in Harry's direction and left the Hall. Harry watched as McGonagall walked over to him with no little apprehension. Once again, Harry found himself wishing he knew someone's colors, this time the Transfiguration Professor. At least then he would know if Dumbledore was upset with him.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said, as clipped as ever, upon arriving at his seat at the Gryffindor table. "Do you remember where his office is?"

Harry nodded.

"He told me to tell you that the password is Airius. You are to see him right away."

Harry nodded and rose slowly. Ron looked at him with a strange look, the blood red around him only getting brighter as more shock filled him. Harry felt that shock start to fill him. He knew that it was Ron's. He was not shocked that somehow Dumbledore knew; it was normal for the man to know things that others didnÂ’t. He looked away from Ron quickly and his own shock soon subsided.

The walk to Dumbledore's office took longer than usual. He really did not want to look into the normally glittering eyes and see anger. Too soon he found himself confronting the gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office. Sighing, Harry spoke the password and waited for the gargoyle to jump out of his way. Climbing the stairs and crossing the "waiting room" (Harry had started thinking about it like that), he knocked on the Headmaster's door.

"Come, Harry," the soft words came from the other side of the door.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" Harry said meekly as he entered the office. Once again he was confounded by the lack of color surrounding Dumbledore.

"Have a seat, Harry," Dumbledore said as he stood. Harry complied and sat in the chair on the other side of Dumbledore's desk. "First off, I would like to give you my sympathies. I know that you do not think you have any need for them, but you will understand, in time."

Harry just looked at him expectantly. He tried not to let the apprehension inside of him show on his face.

"I know that you know what I am talking about. Emoticus Airius. How did you come by such a lonely fate?"

Harry choked. He had known that Dumbledore had known, but to know something was totally different from actually hearing it. Several excuses jumped to the tip of his tongue, but he dismissed them instantly. He knew better than most that they would not work with Dumbledore.

"Neville cast it on me by accident, about three nights ago now," Harry said quietly, waiting for the scolding that he knew was coming for not telling someone.

"And who else knows about it?" Dumbledore asked soothingly as he walked around the desk and leaned on it, looking down at Harry.

"Hermione, Ron, and K-Kayden Hanne."

"Ahh, Hanne. Yes, I thought that you might have told him. You two haven't started fighting yet, have you?"

Again, Harry found himself admiring this man, his headmaster. Was there anything that went on in the castle that this man didn't know about?

"No, Professor. H-how did you know?"

"I am going to treat that question like you are asking me two things, ok?" Dumbledore smiled. "About you and Hanne, one only has to have eyes to see the way you two look at each other, Harry. And those who are not seeing itÂ… well, they're just blind. About my knowing that you have been cursed with the Eternal AuraÂ… Harry, have you read anything on Emoticus Airius?"

"Only what's in Neville's book."

"Then you will not have read this, no. You see, Harry, the only time you will not see an aura around someone is when they, too, have been cursed with Emoticus Airius."

"So youÂ… youÂ…?" Harry stammered.

"A very long time ago," Dumbledore smiled down at him, eyes twinkling. "It seems several lifetimes ago when I think about it."

"But, how do you deal with it?" Harry asked. "How can you be at meals and not be in so much pain that you want to cry?"

"Ah, Harry, so that's your problem. I see now." Dumbledore shook his head. "Yes, an accidental casting of the spell would leave that out of it. You see, Harry, the casting of Emoticus Airius is tricky. It is supposed to do two things. First is the obvious one. The second is supposed to do something to your eyes so that you can't go blind, and so the brightness of the colors can't hurt you."

"But I've read that 0there were people who went blind because of it."

"That book must have been before we added the second part to the spell, the part that helps the eyes. I discovered it. I had to, to keep my sight."

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and pointed it at Harry. "Now, this might tingle for a bit. Emoticus Airius Nolinth".

Light punched out of the Headmaster's wand and hit Harry square on the forehead. Harry's eyes started to tingle, almost like they were filled with soda. He closed his eyes on instinct and began to rub them.

"The feeling will strengthen and ebb over the next few hours. It will be gone by dinner, I would think. That should help." Dumbledore smiled. "And I want you to read this. This will be with you for a long, long time, Harry. ItÂ’s really old, but it still has a lot to teach us unfortunate few who have come across Emoticus Airius."

Harry took the book that he offered. On the binding were the words "Coping with the Myriad".

"It will teach you to keep your own emotions separate from others. Practice what is in that book and you will be able to keep from getting angry when others are angry and know that it is them feeling it and not you."

"Professor?" Harry inquired. "You keep calling it a curse. Why?"

"It takes strong people to be able to be around you when they know that you can tell what they are feeling just by looking at them. Most see it as an intrusion, and will not want to be around you once they know."

"Is there any way to get rid of it?" Harry asked desperately as this new information set in. "I donÂ’t want it. I didn't ask for it."

"I have been looking for years, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I have found none."

"I donÂ’t want to be alone," Harry said miserably.

"Just donÂ’t tell anyone. And keep those that you have told quiet about it. No one can be afraid of something they donÂ’t know about. Now you should watch this. I am going to teach you a little spell that might help a little with those you have told, if you think you need it. It is a Truth-Binder Spell. It makes the speaker keep their word."

* * *

They ran, hard, their pursuers close on their heels. They shared a look and laughed as they rounded yet another corner and flashed down the awaiting hall. Breathing heavy, Harry pointed out the stairs to Kayden and they turned to fly up them as the two girls behind them appeared at the end of the hall.

"You two won't get away so easily, ya know?" one of them shouted at their disappearing backs.

"You think you can run faster than us?" the other asked.

Kayden paused to look over his shoulder and laughed at them, black hair flying into his face.

"You know Britt, you would think that you two'd give up after two floors. You should, you kn-" Kayden's sentence halted with a laughing humph as Harry pulled him along.

"Never!" they screeched in laughter at the same time.

After that there was no more time for talk. The boys were already heading up the stairs and the girls started to dash down the hall.

At the top of the stairs, Harry paused to look around. They were in the astronomy tower.

"Gotcha!" Britt and her companion giggled as they appeared at the foot of the stairs.

"Naw," Harry answered as he took Kayden by the arm gently, "you just think you have."

Turning on his heel, Harry dashed down the right hall. It was a dead end, ending in the spot below Trelawney's trap door. He hadn't meant to come here, but the girls were on their heels, so there was no turning back. Opening a door at random, he dashed inside and pulled Kayden with him. He closed it quickly as the girls appeared at the top of the stairs. Digging the Cloak out of his back pocket he threw it over him and Kayden and pulled them away from the door.

"Why did you bring that?" Kayden whispered, as was his habit when he was under the Cloak.

"I didn't mean to. It was there from this morning. I will tell you about that later," Harry answered. "Shh!" he hissed quietly as the door opened slowly.

"Where are they?" Harry recognized the voice of Britt's companion. She was surrounded by green.

"They couldn't have just disappeared!" Britt's frame shook with frustration. She was haloed in grey.

"Well, they're not in here. Let's check the other way. Maybe we got it backwards. And they could always have gone up when they saw us looking over here. We'll have to try that, too," Britt's companion said.

The girls left, slowly closing the door behind them. Harry shrugged out from under the Cloak, walked to the door, and pushed his ear against it. When he could no longer hear the steps of the girls, he turned with a grin on his face. Kayden took off the Cloak and offered it to him, a broad smile on his own face and a halo of bright teal (his color for happiness), which quickly changed to gold, Harry's favorite color. It was his color for love.

Harry's heart melted at the sight of that smile. Gods! But he is beautiful! Walking slowly over to his boyfriend, Harry took the Cloak and tossed it to the floor and reached for Kayden. Capturing those smiling lips with his own, Harry wrapped his arms around his dark haired beauty.

"IÂ… I wantÂ…" Kayden whispered, breaking the kiss.

Harry pulled back looking at him. The meek look on Kayden's face told him exactly what his love wanted.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked gently.

Kayden's nod was a little unsure, and Harry looked at him with his head tilted to the side, an eyebrow raised. Kayden nodded again, this time forcefully, his nervousness still there, but under a blanket of certainty. Harry pulled out his wand and flick it in the direction of the Invisibility Cloak. The Cloak quickly flattened itself on the floor behind him, then lay still. Pulling Kayden into another kiss he gently brought them both backwards onto the Cloak.

"I love you, Harry," the younger boy said.

"And I love you, Kayden my love."

* * *

Draco was not having a good day. How could he? Everywhere he went was the object of his --- everything. Desire, heart, soul. All of it. Everywhere he turned, there he was, haunting him, and Draco knew that he didn't even know it. His every move, laugh, smile -- oh, that smile! Draco didn't think there was a more beautiful smile on the planet. Two days ago, he would have sworn that he could deal with being in Harry's presence, without worrying about keeping his feelings secret and controlled. Now he had another problem, and he couldn't make it go away.

The voice that had started before sunset the night before had not left. It was nowhere near as forceful as in early morning, the force of which had pushed him out of his room and towards Gryffindor Tower, but it was still there. A muted whisper in the back of his mind, telling him over and over, "Go get him!" and, "You will because you love him!". He fought it, fought the compelling need to walk up to Harry and kiss him. He had to. He could not be weak. He sat in the Great Hall, staring across the room, and the voice was as strong as ever. He couldn't ignore either it or what it was telling him to do. He couldn't ignore the boy across the room from him, either. He could notÂ…could notÂ…could not.

Why do you keep talking about what you "can't do"? He's there. Go get him.

He'll laugh, Draco thought back fiercely, or stare, or gawk, or say something mean. I can't take that. I wouldn't want to live after that.

But you want him. It was not a question.

Yes, Draco thought, defeated. I want him more than Life itself.

THEN-GO-GET-HIM! the voice roared.

That did it. Draco lurched to his feet almost against his will, like someone else was controlling him.

"Where are you going?" another Slytherin asked as he slowly walked away from the table. He ignored her.

That's it. One foot in front of the other. Just walk over and tell him how you feel. That's all you have to do.

Draco passed the Hufflepuff table. Many of the students looked at him warily, wondering what he was up to.

It's not hard. You just walk up to him and tell him how you feel. He will not ignore it. You know that.

Harry was nearing the Ravenclaw table. Hanne was sitting near the end, within touching distance. Harry didn't even look at the boy when he looked up, all of his attention set trying to make his feet do what the voice in his head commanded. He missed the sudden worried look that Hanne shot Harry.

* * *

Harry was laughing at something Dean had said when the fear hit him like a fist in the stomach. He looked up instantly at I, his boyfriend's fear coursing through him. He didn't know how he knew that it was I's fear that had struck him, nor did he care. It was I. I threw a look over at the end of his table. I's eyes followed and landed on I. What in the Sam Wise (Sam Wise? I really need to lay off the Muggle fantasy novels.) was he doing?

* * *

Draco's heart lurched as Harry made eye contact with him. He thought that he would freeze where he stood. He wanted to. But the voice in his head roared at him again and his feet continued on. He watched as Harry leaned over to Weasley and Granger and whispered something. They looked at him for a second longer. The three got up and, with apologies to the others around them, made their way towards the door, and Draco.

"You lost, Malfoy?" Harry asked when they neared him. "If you are, the Slytherin Table is over there. You're on the wrong side of the Hall."

Tell him, the voice said forcefully. He's right there. Just tell him.

"H-H-Harry?" Draco said haltingly.

Harry, Ron and Hermione froze. It took a second for Draco to realize why. He had used Harry's first name aloud. He mentally kicked himself and was about to run when the relentless voice shouted at him again. The words just poured from his mouth as though he had no control over his own tongue.

"Harry, I'm in love with you." He said it loudly enough to be heard at the Teacher's Table.

* * *

Harry looked around as the whole Hall fell silent and looked at Malfoy with shock. Come to think of it, when his eyes returned to Malfoy, he was looking at the boy like something from two dimensions over. What did he just say!?

Throwing a look at both Hermione and Ron, Harry said, "is this a joke, Malfoy? Because if it is, I think you just did more harm to yourself than to me."

Indeed, the whole Hall was whispering fiercely among themselves, with what Malfoy had just professed on everyone's lips, including the Slytherin's.

"N-no," Draco stammered quietly, looking at his feet.

"Are you coming down with something, Malfoy?" Hermione looked at him worriedly. "You hate Harry, remember?"

"NO I DON'T!" Draco shouted. "I AM IN LOVE WITH HIM!"

Once again, the Hall fell into the silence of death. Ron and Hermione took a step back away from Malfoy. Harry stood his ground, more out of curiosity than bravery. The colors around Malfoy were intriguing. The green that surrounded him whenever he looked at Harry was there, only this time it wasn't alone. White, bright and glaring, was layered beneath it, next to the boy's skin. Harry was surprised that the glare didn't hurt him, being this close. He knew that the new Emoticus Airius that Dumbledore had cast on him worked most of the time, but its effectiveness this close to this much brightness surprised him.

Malfoy took a step closer to him. "I love you. You did hear me, right?"

Harry's attention quickly focused on where it should have been. "I heard you, Malfoy. I'm just not sure I can believe my ears."

"You can. I do love you. More than anything. I never would've told you but thisÂ…"

"This what, Malfoy?" Ron sneered from behind Harry. "All the emotion getting the better of you? So you are human, after all."

"Shut your money-grubbing hole, Weasley," Malfoy snapped.

Harry took a step back from the silver haired boy in front of him, rejoining his friends, and placed a calming hand on Ron's shoulder.

"WeÂ… have to go, Malfoy. We all have homework that is backed up, and we need to get it done. I will talk to you later. I think," Harry said, then turned and walked towards the doors of the Hall with Ron and Hermione.

Harry wasn't sure what made him turn, but as he neared the doors, he turned and looked at the boy that had just professed his love. Albeit, totally out of the blue, and with no prior warning, but even Harry had to admit that that took guts. He couldn't just write it off as another of Malfoy's ploys, because as he saw it, it did hurt Malfoy more than him.

The silvery head was hung low, the silvery eyes shimmering with tears. The green and white were still there, even brighter than Harry could've imagined possible. Another color sat next to his skin this time, though: fuchsia, bright and glaring. Harry looked over his shoulder at the halo that surrounded the boy. As he watched, black started out dim, at the top of Malfoy's "rainbow", and started getting deeper and deeper, dropping levels until it was sitting next to his skin. Malfoy looked up at Harry as tears began to stream down his face.

They hit Harry like four mountains, making him stumble with the force of the feelings. Fear, deep and coursing fast. Embarrassment, meek and subtle. Despair, glaring and raw. Love, proud, true, and strong. Black, fuchsia, white, and green, all there for his eyes to feel. Slowly, the meaning of the colors hit home, then one after another, colors that he had not yet seen around Malfoy slammed into his brain, their respective meanings closely following. Harry blinked and shook his head as Ron tugged at his sleeve. He turned, looked at his friend, and held up a finger at him. Harry returned his gaze to Malfoy, and just looked. There was only one color now, bright as the sun though green as the grass. Harry blinked at it in confusion, taking a moment to comprehend what he was seeing.

Love, a voice whispered in the back of his mind. Love, proud, true and strong.

Another mountain hit Harry.

Oh my Gods! Draco is in love with me!