The Spoils of War

The Spoils of War

~**~**~**~

Snow fell softly from the gray sky, a far cry from the violent storm that raged the night before. The thick layer of powder looked inviting enough that Dumbledore cancelled classes on the condition that there be a school wide snowball war. Once the cheers stopped echoing through the Great Hall, most of the students bolted their breakfast before racing back to their common rooms for scarves and dragon-hide gloves.

Not everyone did, however. Many seventh-years took their time on the oatmeal and toast before calmly heading back to their dormitories for warmer gear.

Draco had laughed to himself when Harry's eyes lit up at the announcement. He was just like a first-year wandering the halls of Hogwarts for the first time. Harry ended up back in the Great Hall, ready to head out in to the fluff before Draco got one bite in. He glanced excitedly at Draco, who, while keeping his face in its trademark smirk, winked at Harry.

'Merlin, how does he do it? He keeps me up all bleeding night long, then *still* has the energy to bound around like a kangaroo!' Draco thought, dragging himself from his place at the table. He yawned and trudged slowly down to the dungeons, when he heard footsteps behind him. He figured it was another Slytherin going to search for their earmuffs, so it was a complete shock when he was pressed against a wall with warm lips on his and gloved hands feeling between his legs.

"Isn't this great?" Harry asked once they parted.

"No, not since you stopped with the touching!" Draco muttered breathlessly, pulling Harry in for another kiss. Once they pulled apart from that kiss, Harry leaned against Draco, who carded his fingers through the messy mop of hair in front of him.

"No, silly boy, I meant the war!"

"Well, I suppose."

"You...suppose? What's that mean?"

"I was hoping for a nice nap through Double Potions this morning. I'm bleeding tired."

"You should get that checked."

"What?"

"Never mind." Harry moved enough that Draco could continue his trek to his dorm, and followed a few steps behind, oddly silent. Draco turned to look at him.

"What?" he asked. Draco shrugged, and sauntered down the dark corridor.

"Never mind," he called back. Harry opened his mouth to retort, but Draco had reached the portrait to his room. "Wait out here; otherwise we'll never get to your little snowball war, alright?" Harry nodded, and slid into the nearby shadows so that if anybody walked by they wouldn't get suspicious of him.

After about ten minutes, Draco came back, dressed in thick gloves and fluffy earmuffs, with his scarf tied around his waist so he could adjust his collar.

He glanced around, didn't see Harry off to the side, and started walking back to the main entrance hall quickly. Harry sidled up beside him and they walked shoulder-to-shoulder all the way to the traffic-heavy pars of the castle, where they sprang apart and kept some distance between them.

"I'll see you out there, Harry," Draco whispered before quickening his pace and heading outside with the rest of the Slytherin crowd. Harry caught up with Ron and Hermione, and they followed the rest of the school out into the freezing air.

The sun was shining, but rather than helping to warm things up, it just glared violently off the snow and made it difficult to work. Each house made a high wall of slush, though the use of magic made that task quick and easy to accomplish. Years grouped together against others. Girls were against boys. Soon it was hard to tell who was working with whom against which other team.

Dumbledore just smiled, a twinkle in his eye, before he called out for the war to begin.

Snowballs flew everywhere. The first years got the brunt of the attacks; they didn't know enough magic to send back snowballs being sent back at them. People were running through the crossfire to attack certain people they disliked.

Draco got an idea.

'If I could just run over and tackle Harry, we could sneak off in--' His thoughts were cut off by a mouthful of wet, cold snow.

"Gotcha!" Harry laughed. Then he hit Draco with another snowball. Draco looked shocked. Once that passed, he tackled Harry, and they slid over the packed snow until they hit a tree.

"Oh, Christ, that hurt!" Draco cursed, sitting up slowly. He winced when he stretched his back. "I'm gonna bruise! Geez!"

Harry was still lying flat on his back looking up at the cloudy sky. The breath had been knocked out of him.

"Mmngfh," he muttered.

"Eloquent, Potter. Very eloquent," Draco said, crawling over to Harry's side and plopping back down into the wet snow.

"You do better with a tree root jabbing into your back," Harry grumbled as he pulled himself to a sitting position. Draco glanced quickly back toward the crowd of shouting students. No one was looking, as far as he could see, so he hugged Harry quickly.

"I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you. Already, my lower back will never be the same after that pleasant fall over dozens of rocks and other painful things." Draco put his hand on his lower back and winced dramatically.

"Oh, stop! You're impossible!"

"Impossible to resist, yes?" Harry threw a handful of snow at Draco. Draco swatted at him.

"Impossible to deal with!"

"Ah, but you love me anyway."

Harry got a faraway look in his eyes. "Yeah. I do." He smiled at Draco. Draco smiled back. He leaned in, head tilted and snow falling from his hair. Harry followed suit and closed his eyes. They met for a tender kiss.

"I love you, too," Draco whispered, his lips brushing Harry's. "But I'd love you more if the snow wasn't melting through my underwear."

Harry snorted.

"Did you just snort, Harry?" Harry nodded, ducking his head to hide the blush rising to his cheeks. "You...snort? I never would have guessed!"

Harry stopped the verbal attack against him by shoving snow down the back of his attacker's robes. Draco yelped.

"Cripes! How are you getting me so many times? Am I that unobservant, that I miss your advancing attacks every single bloody time?!"

"Let me think about it...yes!"

"Wanker!" Draco threw a handful of snow at Harry who dodged it easily. Harry laughed loudly, which only served to frustrate the blonde boy more. Draco tackled Harry, and they struggled a bit before Harry gave up.

"I win!" Draco smirked, sitting on Harry's stomach.

"Just so I could get some air! You know, to breathe...you weigh enough to crush a house-elf," Harry retorted, still smiling.

Draco just looked at him. Harry looked so beautiful, so innocent lying there surrounded by white, face red from the cold and contrasting wonderfully with his green eyes.

"Gods, you're beautiful," he whispered. Harry shook his head in disagreement. "No, listen. You are. Not only physically--though that certainly doesn't count against you--but inside. You're sweet and loyal and everything else that I'm not. And I hat you for it. But I love you for it, too. Does that make sense?"

"As much sense as you ever make, Draco, m'boy," Harry responded, choked up over Draco's words.

"A whole damn lot?"

"Next to none. But right now, I don't give a monkey about that. I want you." Harry pulled at Draco's robes to put them face-to-face. Draco resisted, glancing around nervously.

"What is it?"

"What about the rest of the school? I mean, if someone sees?"

"Not an exhibitionist, I see."

"Don't make fun. You know what'll happen if we're found out!" Draco got off Harry and huddled into a small ball at the foot of the tree.

Harry sat up. Yes, he knew the consequences, but sometime he just didn't care.

This was one of those times.

"Well, continuing with that, how long will it be before people start noticing that we're both gone for hours at a time, both tired every single morning? How long until they figure it out anyway? I mean, all this secrecy is just buying us a bit of time. Everyone's going to find out someday, anyway." Harry argued. "And don't tell me about what your father will do to you. I've heard it before. But you know what I think? I think that you care more about your own sodding reputation than about me! Do you know how many times I've wanted to hold your hand without making sure no one was watching? Or how many nights I've lain awake thinking about just kissing you in the Great Hall and letting it be known?" He was shouting now. He couldn't help it. Draco's words had touched on some of his worst fears about their relationship.

"And don't you think I feel the fucking same?!" Draco was near tears. "I just thought you'd prefer a living boyfriend to a mutilated corpse!" He stood up and began to walk up the hill toward the school.

Harry watched him leave. He was too upset to follow after, so he stayed sitting in the snow. The cold seeping into his clothes was nothing compared to the icy chill now settling into his bones.

'That wanker! I know *exactly* how he feels! I'm just too bleeding smart to go and get us all screwed forever! Bugger! It's not my chuffing fault that we can't come out and tell the world!' Draco thought angrily, kicking at an abandoned fort. Farther on, the fight was winding down, and many students were back inside enjoying hot cider and fresh cakes. Draco barely noticed that, he was so lost in thought.

The fort he was beating finally fell. So did Draco's defenses. He started to cry. He sat down and sobbed.

Much later, Harry finally found enough strength to head back to the castle himself. He'd had plenty of time to think about what Draco had said. Draco did have some valid points, but for the most part, he'd been talking shite. And Harry was still upset besides.

'The nerve! He can't know how I feel! And even if he could somehow comprehend anything I feel, he'd act differently! That idiot!' He screwed up his face in anger and stomped up the hill still cursing Draco's name viciously. All he wanted to do right now was take a long hot shower and alleviate his tension.

Once Harry made it up the hill, he heard sobbing. He knew it was Draco. No one else had reason to cry, as far as he knew. And even though he knew it was his fault Draco was in tears, he wasn't going to apologize. He'd started it! So Harry stomped right past the hole Draco had burrowed for himself to stew in.

Draco watched him go.