Long, Long Time

"Cause I´ve done everything I know to try and make you mine

And I think I´m gonna love you for a long long time"

Draco Malfoy woke with a start, unable to remember anything about the dream he had been having. He scanned the room and realized that he was back at school for his final year, and that he had awoken before any of the other seventh year Slytherins.

He got out of bed and walked over to the window. The sky was a clear blue and the sun was shining brightly in on him, almost bringing Draco out of his sour mood.

Almost.

Draco decided to get ready before waking the other boys, and did so. As he caught a glimspe of his robes lying on the floor, he had a quick flashback of the night he had tried so hard to forget.

"Because I wanted you too," he heard Harry's voice in his head. It was the night that Draco knew he needed to put away in his mind, yet the night Draco knew would plague him for the rest of his pathetic, miserable life. "It shouldn't be long," Draco muttered to himself unknowingly.

He showered and dressed, and by then the other boys had been awake for some time and were ready to go down to breakfast. Draco, however, wasn't very hungry at all. Well, in the matter of food, that is, Draco thought to himself. Because Draco knew he had a hunger. He had grown accustomed to it ever since that night and it had been getting much easier to live with.

Until now.

Draco knew that the year would close and he didn't know where he would be at that time. But he knew one thing was for sure. Harry won't be there, no matter where I am. Draco sighed, coming to terms with that prospect would leave him in a dreary mood, not unlike his normal mood. So no one will notice that I am miserable, Draco thought.

"Oh, but you know

he will know, he can see right through you."

Draco seethed at this thought, knowing full well that Harry could tell. And then he cursed himself for caring, like he had done so many times since that night. The night he cursed, yet the night that had shown him what he desired most. Love. Touch.

Draco shook the thoughts from his head as he walked to the Great Hall with Crabbe and Goyle. It was no use thinking about it now, Draco knew, because he could never allow himself to dabble in his own desires. It was his fate that Father would choose his own choices for him. Draco did not have the authority of running his own life, and knew that anything he wanted would surely be taken away from him by Father. In more ways than one, Draco loathed who he was, because he knew that he loved Harry and yet he would not admit it to anyone but himself.

Ever.

Because Harry may be his weakness, his indulgence for that one sweet night, but Harry was also the Boy Who Defeated Father's lord. He could not be forced to choose between Father and the Boy Who Lived. besides, even if he had the choice, it got hi nowhere. Father would kill him if he chose Harry, not only the defeater of Dark Lord, but a boy. He could never carry on the Malfoy line if he never had a child with a pureblood witch.

Besides.

Draco had a reputation to uphold, a pride to honor and a family to obey. He could not be found dealing in minor relationships with petty goodie goodies, regardless of who they were. It was unheard of, and Draco was disgusted with the fact that he allowed himself to even consider it in the first place. He was, after all, a Malfoy. Nothing could change that, not even Harry Potter. And Harry would never understand that, not ever. He knew that Harry would expect him to change if they were to be any more than enemies. And while Draco had no intention of being a Death Eater, he had no intention of giving Harry the satisfaction of thinking he had something to do with that.

Harry.

Draco had grown accustomed to thinking of him by his first name. Just since that night. He once had attempted to insult him and nearly called him Harry. Harry had given him a look of knowing, and smiled shyly. Draco had glared and walked off, momentarily blank of the insult had so cleverly come up with.

"Draco, earth to Draco," Pansy cried, tapping him lightly on the arm. He had been sitting in front of his breakfast, lost in thought. He stared down at his food and grimaced.

"Well? What do you think. Draco?" Pansy questioned.

"About what?" Draco asked, annoyed.

"You mean you weren't even listening to me? What's your problem, then?" she screeched. Draco flinched and rolled his eyes. He turned his head slightly and caught Harry looking at him, eyes sullen and pleading.

Draco sneered at him and turned back, knowing full well that Harry's eyes were still on him, still pleading. He smiled at Pansy and, disgusted a little, placed his hand on Pansy's thigh.

"Well, why don't you explain it to me later, after Potions?" Draco smiled sweetly. He glanced quickly at Harry and watched his face grow red in fury as he turned back to his own breakfast.

Pansy looked at him, surprised, and smiled back. "Okay, then, Draco."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione prodded, "You look really angry."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry snapped, and pushed his eggs around on his plate. Draco always had a way of ruining his day. All he wanted was for Draco to acknowledge his existance, but instead all he had managed to do was acknowledge Pansy's instead. Right in front of his eyes. God, how I hate him, Harry thought.

Liar.

"You no more hate him than he you. And the truth will never be masked by lies, you know. You can't hide form it any longer. Time is running out."

And time was running out. Before they knew it, their seventh year would be complete and they would venture off into their own world, he to the Light side and Draco to the Dark. And Harry just knew that Draco was avoiding his feelings for that reason. What good would he be to a future Death Eater except for a prize to the Dark Lord?

"You don't know that."

There was hope. Maybe Draco wouldn't turn as evil as his father. But maybe he would.

"Harry, we're going to be late for class, honestly, where do you boys go off to when you start day dreaming?" Hermione cried, frustrated.

Ron smiled at Harry and Harry nodded back. He knew where Ron's mind was, but he still couldn't figure out exactly where his mind was.

Draco.

Harry frowned as the name flickered through his mind. He swore silently to himself and left the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione, still wondering sadly why he could no longer push away his feelings for Draco like he could before. Why did they seem so urgent, as if every day that came, there was only a day left after to tell Draco how he felt. Like something terrible would happen soon and he had to reveal his true feelings. Or else.

Nonsense.

It was all just hitting him hard, because he knew it was their final year. He fought back the idea that he would never see Draco again after graduating.

"Time runs quicker, still."

"But why?"

Harry wondered frantically. "What does this insistence imply and why must it plague me like this? It never has before."

No.

Harry could not understand why, but it felt as if he had no time left to talk to Draco. And the feeling had come on quite suddenly, one day he was fine and the next there was an urge he hadn't felt before. He had to come clean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco sat in Potions, wondering how much longer Snape could drown on about God-knew-what potion. He fought the urge to glance in Harry's direction, wondering why he suddenly wanted to. He knew what that would cause him, a returned look from Harry, that hope gleaming in his eye like Draco would scoop him up in his arms and carry him away.

"That doesn't sound so bad."

Draco's face soured at this thought and he quickly wiped it from his mind. He knew how foolish it was to think about it at all, it would never happen. Besides the reason why he couldn't allow it, there were plenty others. Harry's friends hated him and, although he gave them reason to, he would never force Harry to choose between him and them. Draco knew Ron's type, stubborn and close-minded. Almost like Draco himself. Draco could just see it now: Potter in tears because the Weasel won't be his friend. And it would be Draco's fault for letting Harry fall for him. He didn't want to see Harry lose his friends anymore than he wanted to admit his feelings to himself. It was only one night, for God's sake, why does it plague me so?

Loneliness.

Draco knew all to well the answer to his question. He had been so lonely that night, no one to care, no one to wonder where he even was. But Harry had come into the library, and instead of turning and fleeing, he had come to Draco's side. Always the noble Gryffindor, Draco had thought to himself.

"..Mister Potter," Snape muttered angrily.

Instantly Draco snapped out of his thoughts at the mention of Harry's name. He turned and sneered in Harry's direction, causing Harry's cheeks to tinge red. He watched Harry's face carefully as he looked toward Snape, a defeated expression crossing has face.

"Yes, sir?" Harry uttered, somewhat nervously.

"I believe I asked of you a question, which you undoubtedly can't answer, as I see you were quite occupied with writing a note. A love letter, I presume?" Snape asked wickedly. "Care to share with the class?"

"Er, no, Professor," Harry said defiantly, tucking the slip of parchment into his robes.

"Very well," Snape growled. "For your selfishness, and unwillingness to pay attention, thirty points from Gryffindor."

Moaning could be heard form all around as the other Gryffindors heard the punishment. Harry was looking rather red, both from fury and humiliation. He glance at Draco and Draco nodded curtly, mouthing something along the lines of How stupid can you be?

At the end of class, Draco began to collect his books and, without a word, Harry came to him and pressed a piece of parchment into his hand. He turned quickly on his heel, gave Draco a reproachful look, and walked out.

Draco, a little caught off guard by the tingling that coursed through him from Harry's touch, continued with his belongings and quickly left the room, ready to throw the parchment back into Harry's face. He hadn't time for foolish notes, and was furious when Harry was nowhere to be found. He quickly unfolded Harry's note and felt his stomach drop.

Meet me in the Astronomy Tower, 9 pm tonight.

Do not be late and do not allow yourself to be seen.

Please. You know as well as I do that you cannot resist this.

Harry

Draco, overcome by surprise, didn't know what to do. For the first time in his life, he was about to do something that he knew was downright wrong. And he didn't have a choice in the matter.