Anonymous Letters

Boris,
I don't think I'd go after Potter, at least not publically anyway. I'm sure I could sort something out, but it'd be highly unlikely, if not impossible. I know I don't hate him, I think I'm just bitter about who he is, whilst I'm just, me.
It depends on what he does. If it's just snide remarks and name-calling, just provoking, then chances are he could be. It's a boy thing, isn't it. To show you like someone you bully them, it's the only real way to get their attention. I don't know, it'd be great if both of us had the same situation, we could resolve it together.
Sorry I wasn't much help this time,
Draco

Harry looked over his latest letter, having no idea on how to respond. He sighed and folded the letter up, going to put it in his trunk. He pulled out things which were on top of the photo-frame he hid his letters in, the marauders map, a couple of text books, his invisibility cloak. He paused, looking at the items on his lap, before an idea came to his head. He pulled his wand from his pocket at tapped the map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

The castle boundaries and names following footsteps appeared on the map. It was past curfew, the only people who'd be out were prefects, head boy and head girl, and members of staff. Dean, Seamus and Neville were still down in the common room; Harry quickly put his plan into action before they came up. He threw the invisibility cloak over his head, pulled the back off the photo-frame, grabbing the letters and stuffing them into his pocket and snatched his wand and map from the bed, before tiptoeing out of the common room. He checked his map and ran up the corridor, heading to the third floor. He checked his map once more, before taking off his invisibility cloak and hiding it and the map behind a pillar. He checked he still had the letters in his pocket and walked apprehensively into the trophy room. He looked around and spotted who he was looking for staring out of a window, his fingers interlocked behind his back.

"Malfoy, shouldn't you be patrolling the corridors?"

The blonde spun round and glared; "Potter, what are you doing out, again?"

"I came to talk to you, actually."

Malfoy edge closer to Harry, eyeing him suspiciously; "why?"

"I know, about you."

Malfoy shrugged; "know what? I'm not playing guessing games with you, Potter."

Harry sighed; "I know, that... I know why, Parkinson doesn't, do it, for you."

"What are you talking about? She's disgusting!"

"And female?"

Malfoy's eyes narrowed; "what ARE you talking about?"

Harry sighed exasperatedly; "I know you're fucking gay, Malfoy!"

"How dare-"

"-And don't try and deny it! I have proof!"

Harry pulled the letters out of his pocket and threw them over to the confused blonde. Malfoy picked one off the floor and scanned it quickly.

"Where did you get this?"

"I'm Boris."

The Slytherin looked even more confused, with a hint of anger; "what?"

"I got your letter to Aleks last month, I've been pretending to be them ever since."

"Why?"

Harry shrugged; "I needed someone to talk to."

"Why not your little friends?"

"Because, they wouldn't understand?"

"Understand what?"

Draco was too confused to be angry.

"Did you even read the letters?"

"Yes!"

"Well, think!"

Draco looked around the room whilst trying to remember what he's been talking to Boris about. It suddenly hit him, almost as violently as being punched in the face.

"You're...?"

Harry nodded; "everything I wrote was from me, just a different name... Otherwise, don't you think I'd have told everyone?"

"So all this time, you've been playing me around?"

Harry sighed; "I suppose, technically, but come on, I gave you amazing hints, told you flat out I might be gay in letters, and you still didn't realise! Are you actually just stupid?"

Draco was beginning to get annoyed now; "oh I'm sorry Potter! I'm already confused, then you go and layer on even more confusion and expect me to come to that conclusion? I thought I was going insane!"

Harry couldn't help but smile; "sorry Draco, but it was pretty obvious. I said I'd let you kiss me."

"Again Potter, I thought I was going insane!"

"Well... Anyway..."

"What? You think this changes things?"

Harry shrugged; "well-"

"-Don't even think about it! I still hate you, actually I hate you more!"

"Why? Clearly you can trust me! I've kept your secret for over a month!"

"I don't care! Get lost before I tell someone you're out of bed!"

Harry sighed but did as he was told; understanding Draco probably needed time. He grabbed his map and cloak from behind the pillar and shuffled off to the Gryffindor common room.

Draco rubbed his forehead and looked down at the floor, where the letters Harry had bought were lying. He gathered them up and flipped through them. He was so angry he was shaking.

"Stupid Potter..."

He screwed up the letters and slid down to the floor, dropping the ball of paper in front of him. He couldn't get his head round the fact that all this time he'd been writing to Potter, of all people. And now he knew his secret... But he hadn't told anyone. Draco pulled his wand out and muttered "incendio", pointing at the letters. They went up in flames, destroying any evidence of Draco's sexuality. But what was he going to do now?

Harry woke up to Ron punching him in the arm.

"Come on, it's Hogsmeade today!"

Harry pulled himself up, groaning and looked around. He'd been too focused on Malfoy to remember the Hogsmeade trip. He rolled out of bed and stretched. Ron was already dressed.

"Hurry up, or you're going to miss breakfast."

"What time is it?"

"Quarter to ten."

Harry nodded and stumbled around the room, getting ready. They were all finally on their way to Hogsmeade; Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione was listing all the errands she needed to run, things she needed to buy; Ron and Harry were in their own worlds. Ron had quiddich on his mind, Harry had Malfoy. He was thinking about how to get him on his own again, perhaps talk some sense into him.

"We'll meet you in the pub, I can't be bothered walking around today," Ron said, grabbing Harry's arm. Hermione sighed and walked off. Harry looked at Ron confoundedly, having not paid attention to anything his friends had said since they left the grounds.

"Come on."

Ron dragged Harry over to the Three Broomsticks, muttering things about Hermione. Harry volunteered to get the drinks, knowing Ron didn't have enough money to spare on rounds of drinks. They both sat at a table in an awkward silence, neither having much to tell the other. Ron sat playing with a coaster, sighing occasionally. Harry tried to force any thoughts of Malfoy from his mind and think up a topic of conversation.

"So... Quiddich try-outs next Friday," he finally said. Ron looked up.

"Um, yeah... Can you make me Keeper?"

"Um, no. You need to try out... And it won't really be fair having a team of Weasleys."

Ron smirked; "why not? We're clearly the greatest Quiddich family, ever!"

Harry managed a smile; "it's just not fair, Ron. Give other people a go, yeah?"

"Fine, but don't come crying to us when you lose! We'll create our own team!"

Harry laughed; "just the four of you? Off you go then."

"Well..."

The two friends laughed and managed to keep up the conversation; it being the longest conversation Harry had had in a while. Hermione joined them eventually, carrying several bags, mainly full of school supplies. She got her butterbeer and sat opposite Harry, smiling.

"Hello boys, what're we talking about?"

"Divination homework," Ron replied, sliding his hand underneath the handle of his mug.

"Oh yes, you're still taking that joke of a lesson."

Harry smirked; "still hating on Trelawney?"

"She's a fraud! And that is not a lesson! It's a load of..."

Harry and Ron leant closer, waiting to see if Hermione would finally swear.

"...Rubbish!"

Ron sighed and picked up his drink. Harry smirked to himself and looked around the pub; it had slowly begun to fill up.

"Oops, nature calls," Harry said, standing up. Ron laughed at Hermione, who cringed at Harry's mention of needing the toilet.

"Seriously Hermione?"

"He doesn't need to announce it to the world!"

Harry laughed and wandered off to the bathroom, the sounds of Hermione and Ron arguing fading into the background noise. He was washing his hands very meticulously when his blonde adversary walked in. Upon seeing Harry was in the bathroom, Malfoy spun round and left. Harry, shocked by how quickly it had just happened, stared at the door, not understanding. Malfoy was clearly avoiding him. He quickly dried his hands and left, looking out for Malfoy as he went to sit with his friends. He couldn't be seen. He sat down and looked into his drink.

"What happened? We saw Malfoy go in and out of the bathroom," Ron asked. Harry shrugged.

"I have no idea, it happened so quickly."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously; "is something going on with you two?"

Both Harry and Ron looked back at her confoundedly.

"Really Hermione? Harry, and that ferret?"

Harry nodded; "exactly! You forget it's Malfoy."

Hermione rolled her eyes; "I was only asking. And you are acting suspicious!"

"Well, I do have a difficult life... I might go back to Hogwarts, I have some homework to finish."

He finished his drink and got up. As he reached the door he heard Ron scold Hermione for driving Harry away, again. He felt bad for being the cause of their arguments, but he didn't want to be around anyone until he'd figured things out. He shoved his hands in his pockets and began the walk back to Hogwarts.

Draco kicked stones in front of him as he wandered towards the shrieking shack, having left his friends in the Three Broomsticks. Potter seemed to be taunting him, being everywhere he was, being the subject of his dreams, and generally being the only thing he could thing about, despite being the one person he hated most in the world. But Draco was beginning to doubt if his hatred of Potter had any real substance. Was it because he was Harry Potter, mudblood-lover and enemy of the cause, or because he was Harry Potter, the boy he wanted but couldn't have? Draco wished it was the first. And after the stunt Potter had pulled, he felt he had more basis to hate him than before, but he'd had a point. Potter could have gone public with Draco's secret, but instead he kept it to himself, and actually trusted him with his own secret. However, being gay was one thing, but being gay with Harry Potter was a whole new level of unacceptable. And with this increasing feeling of forbidden love, Draco felt more compelled to take the chance.

That evening, Harry decided to join his friends in the common room instead of being anti-social. However, he found the conversation didn't interest him. On one side, he had his male friends discussing Quiddich, and on the other his female friends discussing school and work. He sat in the middle, wishing he actually had homework to do, even though he'd used that excuse once today. He sighed loudly and slumped back his seat, wishing someone would notice and try to entertain him. No one did.

"I'm off to bed," he said, getting up and stretching.

"But it's only nine!" Ron argued. Harry shrugged.

"Yeah, but you're all boring me tonight."

"Well sorry."

Ignoring all the odd looks he was getting, Harry shuffled up to bed. He grabbed his map and crawled into bed, planning to spend his evening stalking Malfoy's every move.

For several days, Draco avoided Potter as much he could in a desperate bid to get him off his mind, only seeing him in lessons and in the Great Hall over meal times. However, it didn't particularly work. He did manage to think about other things, but everything in between were thoughts of the raven-haired Gryffindor. Draco slumped down in his armchair, sighing. Blaise glanced up.

"Something wrong Malfoy?"

Draco sneered; "none of your business."

"All right, was only asking."

"You're always trying to get in my business, all of you! Just leave me alone!"

He jumped up out of his chair and stormed out of the Slytherin common room. He'd been quite snappy for a while, everything anyone did annoyed him, whether it was talking to him, or just breathing. He strolled slowly up the corridors, musing to himself about how nice it'd be to have the castle to himself for just one day. He made his way up through the corridors to the stairs of the astronomy tower, beginning the steep ascent to one of the highest points at Hogwarts.

At the same time, Harry was growing sick of his friends. He grabbed his map and went off for a walk. He wandered through the labyrinth of corridors that was Hogwarts, before checking his map. Malfoy was in the astronomy tower. Harry thought it was about time he go and speak to him, it had been several days since their last real encounter, and he was curious how the Slytherin was doing. He hurried up the corridors, sprinting up the stairs, stopping when he got near the top, mainly to catch his breath, but also to creep up the rest. He sat on a step for a few moments to get his breath, before quietly creeping up the rest of the stairs, hoping to go unnoticed. When he got to the top, he saw Malfoy leaning on the railing, staring out across the grounds. His pullover and tie were in a small heap by the wall; his hair flickered in the wind, and his loose school shirt ruffled. Harry couldn't suppress the smile that spread across his face. He pulled his own jumper off and wrapped it around his map, before making himself known. He cleared his throat, Malfoy spun round, his eyes narrowed.

"What do you want, Potter?"

Harry shrugged and dropped his jumper on the floor; "to talk."

Malfoy watched him suspiciously; "what about?"

"Anything, what's on your mind?"

Harry expected a quick snipe, being told where to go, and was surprised when Malfoy shrugged.

"Fine."

Harry's eyes widened; "really?"

"Well, seeing as you're my 'pen pal'... I have no one else to talk to."

"Right, yeah..."

Harry leant on the wall and slid down, watching Malfoy, noticing in particular the top few buttons of his shirt undone. Eventually, Draco sat down, on the other side of the room.

"So... How have you been?"

Draco sniggered; "really? That's your opening line?"

Harry smirked idiotically; "sorry, but really."

Draco shrugged; "fine... Giving up pretending you don't exist, seeing as you're everywhere!"

"Sorry. Have you stopped hating me?"

"...I never hated you." Draco looked down at his feet; "I was just angry."

Harry nodded; "understandably."

"...So, 'Boris' said he liked someone, who acted a lot like me... Were you...?"

"...Yes. I was talking about you."

"So you..."

"...Yes."

Draco nodded and continued looking at his feet.

"Pretty weird, huh?"

"...Yes."

Harry glanced down at his feet before looking back up at Draco. He was rolling his shoelace between his fingers, refusing to look up.

"Is it really so awkward?"

Draco looked up; "a bit... So, you're definitely gay?"

Harry shrugged; "pretty much."

"Do your little friends know?"

"No."

"Really? You still haven't told them?"

"I don't know how to really... They've only just figured out I don't like Cho..."

"Seriously? I figured that out a while ago."

Harry smiled; "I know, you mentioned."

Draco managed a smirk; "so... how long have you liked me?"

"Um... Properly, a couple of letters in? But I had a feeling about it a while before."

Draco nodded; "all right..."

It went silent, the two boys began fiddling with anything within reach, trying to avoid the awkward atmosphere which had engulfed them. Draco stood up and went to lean on the railings again; Harry smiled and paused for a few moments before pulling himself to his feet and joining the blonde.

"As much as I hate this place, it's still beautiful," Draco sighed, not even casting Harry a quick glance. Harry smiled.

"It is... And we have good memories... Remember the duelling club?"

Draco smirked; "yeah... Still talk to snakes?"

"I do... Have you learnt to never insult a Hippogriff?"

"That beast was savage!"

"No it wasn't, you're just an idiot."

Draco scowled; "you'd be saying the same thing if it had attacked you."

"Yeah, well I listened to the teacher."

Draco was ready to reply with an insult about Hagrid, but held his tongue, knowing insulting Harry's friends wasn't the best way to get on his good side.

"Well, nothing bad ever happens to you."

He instantly hid his face in his hand, realising what he'd just said. Harry just laughed.

"No Draco, my life is peachy. No dark wizards trying to kill me or anything."

Draco smiled foolishly; "you know what I meant, I meant here, at Hogwarts, where everyone's out to watch your back."

Harry smiled back; "yeah, I know..."

They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, before looking away and grinning foolishly to themselves.