The first thing I did after the portrait slammed close was to wonder what in the world had just happened. I didn't understand what I had done, but it must have been something terrible to make Draco run out like that. I instantly started coming up with reasons, one more absurd than the other, and soon I came to the conclusion that Draco hated me. Yes, afterwards I realised that that was a very stupid notion, but at that particular time it didn't once occur to me that Draco was the Veela in our relationship and probably unable to hate me. No, to me it made perfect sense that he hated me and wanted nothing more to do with me. I mean, that was the only possible solution, right? I had kissed him, and he had run out of the room. Really, it didn't take a genius to figure out that either my kissing abilities weren't as good as I thought them to be, or Draco really couldn't stand to be in my company. To my muddled brain, it was the last option that stuck. And it hurt. It hurt like hell.
And it was in that state of mind, lying curled up on a ball on the couch crying my heart out, that Hermione found me hours later. "Harry!" she exclaimed, running over to my side. "What's wrong, what's happened? Are you hurt?" She instantly started fretting and I shook my head no. "Thank Merlin," she breathed, then asked again. "What's wrong?"
"He doesn't want me, Hermione," I whispered, feeling my eyes fill with tears again. "I did as you said, but he doesn't want me. He hates me."
"I'm sure that's not the case," Hermione said slowly, her mind a lot clearer than mine, and therefore able to see all the holes in my logic. Not that I'm admitting to any holes, mind you.
"I kissed him, and he ran out," I sobbed, clutching a pillow to my chest. Hermione looked positively murderous and for a moment I feared for Draco's life, but then she pulled herself together and asked calmly.
"Harry, I need you to tell me exactly what happened, ok? Can you do that?" I sniffled and nodded in agreement before clearing my throat and starting by the beginning.
"– and then he just ran out," I finished, the tears once again flowing freely down my face.
"You told him you were kissing him because he was hurting?" asked Hermione slowly, and I nodded. "Oh, Harry." She sighed. "He doesn't hate you, but he's afraid the only reason you were kissing him was because you felt sorry for him."
Realization dawned upon me and I sat up abruptly. "But I would never do that!" I exclaimed. "I'm not some kind of slut, kissing people just to make them feel better."
"Yes, I know that, and you know that, but Malfoy doesn't. To him you are still a Gryffindor, and Gryffindors are willing do to anything to help others. He probably thinks you felt you had to kiss him, since it was you not kissing him that made him hurt. He is feeling insecure and wounded at the moment, but he doesn't hate you." Said like a true shrink.
"I have to find him!" I said, jumping to my feel and drying my eyes. I looked up at the clock above the fireplace and my heart instantly leaped up into my throat. "Oh, Hermione, it's been an eternity since he left, he's probably in real pain by now! He could be anywhere, and I'm not there to help him! I have to find him!" In my frenzied state I had forgotten all about the Marauder's Map, but fortunately for me, and probably for Draco too, Hermione still managed to keep her head calm in a crisis. Well, excluding the Devil's Snare incident in our first year of course.
"The map!" she exclaimed and within seconds I was in my room searching frantically for it. I finally located it underneath my stack of chocolate frog cards and I grabbed it and ran to the living room.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," I muttered and watched as the lines spread in front of my eyes. I scanned the whole castle, but I couldn't find him anywhere. After a few minutes, I was getting a bit desperate. "I can't find him!" I cried in despair, and Hermione instantly rushed to my side. She took one scrutinizing look at the map and located him within seconds. I should have known by now to ask her right away.
"There, by the lake!" she pointed and I was on my way out before she has finished the sentence. I barely heard her yell "Good luck" after me, I was in such a hurry to find Draco. I have never really thought the way from the dungeons to the lake very long, but that night, it felt like more than a hundred miles. My heart beat faster with every second that passed, and I felt that if I didn't find him soon, I was going to explode. Literally.
When I reached the lake I instantly noticed a blonde figure sitting next to a big rock on the shore, and ran over to him. "Are you alright? Are you in pain?" I panted, falling on my knees in front of him and quickly examining his face. He was looking back at me with cold eyes, but I could see he was hurting by the way he unconsciously clutched his chest.
"Go away, Potter. I don't need your pity," Draco sneered and I felt a twist of pain by the use of my surname.
"You don't have it," I said and hesitantly reached out to pry his hand away from his chest. "Does it hurt here?" I asked, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat underneath my hand.
He didn't answer, he just kept looking at me. "What do you mean 'I don't have it?'" he asked after what seemed like an eternity.
"I mean just what I said, you don't have my pity. I kissed you because I wanted to, and I'm here because I want to be. I'm actually rather affronted you believe I would stoop so low as to kiss someone just because I feel sorry for them," I said, my hand rubbing light circles on the Veela's chest.
"But you said – " he started, but I interrupted him.
"Yes, I know what I said, and I meant it, just not like you thought. I kissed you because you were hurting, but I would have kissed you if you hadn't been hurting too. I rather enjoyed it, and I'm not about to wait until you're in pain to kiss you again," I said, determined to make Draco see.
"So you really want to make our relationship a real relationship, it's not just something you're doing because you feel you have to?" Draco asked and I could hear the slight breaking of his voice that told me he was nervous about the answer.
"Give me some credit," I scoffed. "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to. I might be a Gryffindor, but I'm not stupid." Draco raised an eyebrow at me and I hit him playfully above the head. "Stupid Slytherin," I muttered, but it was ruined by the grin that slowly spread on my face. "So are we ok?"
"Yes, Harry, we're ok. More than ok actually, we're brilliant." He smiled and kissed the tip my nose, making me blush a delicate rose colour and scrunch it up, my eyes crossed, to try and see the place he'd kissed me.
"Good," I answered. "Because, well, I was wondering if, uhm…" I was a little nervous about what I was about to say, and I didn't quite know how to phrase it.
"Yes?"
"IfmaybeyouwouldliketogotoHogsmeadewithmethisweekend?" Bravo Harry, I'm sure he understood that perfectly.
"Harry, love, I didn't quite catch that," Draco said, urging me to repeat it.
Blushing furiously I said softly. "I was wondering if maybe you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" I looked down at the ground, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.
Grinning broadly, Draco placed his finger underneath my chin and forced my head up so that I was looking directly at him. "Harry, are you asking me on a date?" Really, I was inviting him to go with me to Hogsmeade, how many things could it mean?
"Uhm maybe?" I mumbled, feeling about ready to sink down into the ground. I've always wondered if that is technically possible, it would be fun to try some time.
Positively beaming, Draco bent down and gave me a soft kiss. "I would love to," he said and my eyes lit up as I looked at him.
"Really?" Merlin, I sounded like a lovesick puppy.
"Really really," he answered and as he turned me around so that I was sitting with my back leaning against his chest, I couldn't help but feel very content. Love sick puppyness be damned, I rather enjoyed being held.