Dedication to cxsmictragedy, thanks so much for reading and supporting!!
I'M SO SORRY THIS IS A DAY LATE!! I totally forgot what day it was as soon as my summer semester ended, sorry!
Also, when I say slow burn, this is a slowwwwww burn lol. Hopefully it's not too bad, but if you hate me please let me know! I love feedback <3
This is my favorite chapter so far :) Enjoy!!
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Draco kicked off the ground, nudging the Hufflepuff beside him out of his way. He flew up and towards the Hufflepuff goals, as Angelina shot straight up and grabbed the quaffle, sending it immediately towards Alicia.
Just like in practice. This is just like practice, you can do it, he thought as he ran the drill through his head. Alicia threw the ball up to Draco, as Angelina rocketed towards the goal, Draco sending it back to her. She sped towards the center goal, while Draco took the left and Alicia took the right. She didn't need to pass it to either of them, however, as she had outflown everyone and shot the ball into the goal before a bludger had even come anywhere near her.
Draco and Alicia bumped their broomsticks against Angelina's as the crowd went wild, Lee Jordan's overly enthusiastic voice booming over the speakers. The two girls were smiling, and Draco couldn't help but do the same.
All the rough nights, all the brutal flying drills, were worth it for moments like these. He felt his worries ease away as he watched the scoreboard change to 10-0. He found Hermione in the crowd, next to Neville and Luna, who all immediately caught Draco's eyes and gave him excited waves.
Draco was determined to make his house proud.
The Hufflepuff keeper had the quaffle in his hands, ready to find an open Chaser to send the ball to. Draco caught his eye, he was looking straight at the chaser just ahead of him. As the quaffle flew out of his hands, Draco sped up to the chaser. The second he had caught the ball, Draco ripped it right out of his hands and passed it to Angelina, who scored another successful goal.
It became routine, Draco would target the opposite chaser, steal the ball, and pass it to either Angeline or Alicia who worked in masterful ways to weave in and out of the defense and trick the keeper. Draco managed to score a goal here and there, but he would mostly work the plays and try to keep the ball away from the other team as much as he could.
Draco had become so focused on the game that he had lost track of the score, but by the way that they were playing, he was sure that they were winning. By a lot.
And sure enough, he took a glance at the scoreboard and read 200-20.
Two hundred points? He didn't think that he had seen any team score that many points without catching the snitch during his time at Hogwarts. If they kept playing the way that they were, it wouldn't even matter if Harry was able to catch the snitch or not.
Where was Harry?
Draco hadn't seen him since he had kicked off at the beginning of the game, and he quickly scanned the sky. There he was, sitting above the Hufflepuff student section, not too far from Draco. His eyes were darting around, trying to find the golden yellow ball. But he managed to miss the bludger that was headed directly towards his back.
Fred darted towards Harry, yelling at him to duck, but it had been too late. The bludger smashed into the tail of Harry's broom, causing it to snap in half, and causing Harry to fall.
Fuck.
The entire Gryffindor team heard the crack and snapped their heads towards Harry as he fell out of the sky, Fred and George already darting towards him. They weren't going to make it.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Draco dropped the quaffle and dove, flying faster than he ever had before, harder than he ever had before. Harry was falling faster and faster, picking up momentum as he fell. He was falling faster than his broom, and there was no way that he was going to be able to save himself.
Draco dove even faster, the rest of the Gryffindor team dropping their bats and balls and doing the same as him. Even if he wasn't going to make it, Draco hoped that someone was going to be able to catch him. George was almost there, he reached out his hand as he positioned himself under Harry, but something had gone wrong. He had missed, or his grip wasn't tight enough, Draco couldn't tell, but Harry was still falling.
Draco was getting close. He was almost there, he could see the spot where he and Harry were going to meet, dangerously close to the ground, but it was his best bet at catching him. They were getting closer and closer, only feet apart now, Harry falling faster and faster, until,
Draco wrapped his arm around Harry's, the sudden force causing his broom to lurch downwards. Draco was going to be damned if his hand slipped, so he grabbed Harry's arm with his other hand as he slowed his broom down to a halt, hovering in midair with Harry dangling below him.
Draco pulled Harry up, as Harry swung his leg over Draco's broom, mounting it from behind him. They were both breathing heavily, Draco from flying harder than he ever had before, and Harry presumably from the adrenaline rush of nearly falling to his death.
"Are you hurt?" Draco finally managed to say once the crowd had stopped roaring. The rest of the team, after seeing that Harry was safely situated on a broom, went back to stop Hufflepuff from catching up.
"It doesn't matter," Harry said in his ear. "It's too late in the game for me to call for a sub-"
"I said, are you hurt?" Draco snarled back. If Harry was hurt, Draco was going to get him to the hospital wing immediately. He wasn't going to let this idiot die from an untreated injury just because he didn't want the team to be without a seeker.
"Not really-"
"Not really ?" Draco questioned.
"No-"
"Harry James Potter, if you are lying to me I swear to God I will fly your ass to St. Mungo's this instant ." He threatened, and Harry sighed behind him.
"I mean, my arm feels a little bit funny, I think I just scratched it, I can't tell through my robe. But the bludger didn't hit me!" He yelled over Draco when he almost interrupted him. "The bludger didn't hit me, I swear. I'm sure it was just a scratch from my broom."
Just a scratch from my broom, my ass , Draco thought, but there was no use in arguing with a stubborn Harry.
"Are you okay if I start flying?" Draco asked.
He felt Harry nod against his shoulder as he moved closer and wrapped his arms tight around Draco's waist. I want you to think of me-
No, this was not going to happen now. Draco started flying, leaving the thoughts behind him as he slowly picked up speed to get Harry comfortable with getting to full speed on the back of someone else's broom.
"Draco?" He asked. "How are you going to be able to score with me on your back?"
Draco chuckled. He sent a nod towards Angelina, mouthing I've got this. She flew off, understanding what he was about to do."I don't really think that's going to be an issue right now."
The score was 220-30.
"Oh," Harry whispered.
"Oh, indeed." He laughed, "you are welcome." He wasn't planning on taking all the credit for their score, but was Draco really going to pass up an opportunity to brag?
"Okay, I need you to listen to me Harry, and I need you to listen to me very carefully," he started.
"Why do I feel you're about to do something reckless and insane?"
He rolled his eyes. "I need you to listen without interrupting. " He snarled, expecting a snarky response in return, but was met with pleasant silence. He picked up his flying pace, his eyes beginning to dart around the pitch as he climbed to get a better look. "You have to catch the snitch, it's the rules. The rest of us aren't allowed to touch it, and as you said, it's too late in the game for you to get a substitute-"
"You're insane. No."
"Yes," he said back, "and remember the no interrupting part? As I was saying, you have to catch the snitch, and you have to do it from the back of my broom."
"What? Draco, you're cra-"
He was cut off when Draco made a sudden dive, Harry's arms wrapping around his waist even tighter, his heart suddenly pumping much faster. He had seen a golden glimmer down below, near where the grass met the wall of the pitch, and dived lower to get a better glimpse. As they plummeted, he heard Harry gasp, and he knew that he had seen it too.
"Shouldn't I be on the front of the broom so I can catch the snitch?" Harry yelled over the roaring wind.
"If you do that I won't be able to see where I'm going, dipshit." He yelled back.
"Then let me take over the broom!"
"With your arm? You would have to be insane! Don't you dare believe for a second that your arm is just scratched- hold on!" He yelled as he dodged a bludger that was heading right towards him.
"I didn't see that coming-"
"Yeah, and you didn't see the first one coming, either!" He yelled. "And you wonder why I won't let you fly." He was met with silence as he pushed the broom faster. Between the bludger and their conversation, he had lost sight of the snitch but then spotted it off hovering above the professor's stands. Unfortunately for them, the Hufflepuff seeker had spotted it too.
Draco quickly glances at the scoreboard. 240-70. Hufflepuff was slowly creeping back up, their 200 point lead had fallen to only 170 points. By the time someone caught the snitch, he wasn't completely sure they would still have enough points to win by default.
"If you're on the front, how am I going to catch the snitch?" Harry shouted. "Hufflepuff will be closer to it than I am!"
"Easy, I just have to be the faster flier," Draco smirked as he sped up, hugging the wall as he chased the snitch around the turn of the pitch. He was met with silence from Harry. "What, you're not doubting my abilities, Potter?"
"Just shut up and fly faster!"
So he did.
He scooted as far forward on his broom as he could without toppling over. The snitch wasn't getting away from him now, they were too close to lose sight of it. They were neck and neck with the Hufflepuff seeker, which would normally be fine, but with Harry being on the backside of the broom, Draco pushed harder and harder every time he caught up with them.
"I'm almost there!" Harry yelled. His fingers were inches from the snitch, further than Hufflepuff's but every time Draco pushed himself to go faster, so did the snitch. "I'm going to jump!"
"Wha-" before Draco could protest, the idiot had actually jumped off his moving broom. Granted, they were only a foot or two off the ground, but Draco was at top speed.
Draco halted his broom, holding his breath as he watched Harry tumble on the ground. Draco cautiously touched down to the ground. His eyes darted around for the snitch, but couldn't find it, meaning one of the two seekers was holding it in their hands.
Harry had stopped rolling and sat up. Draco watched as a smile crept its way onto Harry's face as he lifted his hand in the air, opening his fingers to reveal the golden snitch.
The roar from the crowd was deafening. Draco flung his broom to the ground and sprinted at Harry, tackling him in a hug. "You did it," he said, his heart filling with joy. He had won his Quidditch game. "I can't believe you actually did it, you reckless, brilliant bastard!"
Draco pulled away, Harry absolutely beaming as the rest of the team came flying and sprinting over to them. "And I couldn't have done it without you being a reckless, brilliant bastard yourself."
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
Draco was the last one left in Harry's hospital wing.
"I told you that you had more than just a scratch on your arm." Draco crossed his arms as he glared at Harry, who rolled his eyes and laughed. "You shouldn't be laughing at your injuries, Potter!"
To be fair, Harry had miraculously managed to only sprain his wrist when he was hit by the bludger earlier. It was once he jumped off Draco's broom, however, that he had really injured himself, breaking three ribs. Draco felt bad for tackling him once he found out, but Harry said he was so full of adrenaline that he hadn't even felt it in the moment.
"So we're back to last names now," he raised an eyebrow. "Don't think that I missed you calling me Potter on the pitch, too."
"I only say it when I am pissed at you."
"Well, I'm pretty pissed at you too, you know," Harry said, causing Draco's heart to momentarily drop before he continued, "you should be out celebrating with the rest of the team. Go to the party, please. I'll be fine on my own, I promise."
The rest of the team, plus Hermione, had left to go back to the common room to celebrate the win. Madam Pomfrey had refused to release Harry from the hospital wing, as she wanted to make sure his bones grew back the right way.
"First of all, I am a prefect who should not be condoning such activities, and secondly, Halloween gave me enough partying to last a lifetime-"
"Loser," Harry interrupted.
"-also," he continued, "there is something I have been meaning to tell you."
He looked down at his hands, playing with his nails. He had rehearsed his speech over and over in his head, many times, but suddenly his throat was dry and he couldn't speak.
He looked back up at Harry, who was staring at him curiously. "Go on," he said softly.
Draco took a deep breath. "I realized I never really apologized to you, it has come in bits and pieces alone the way, but it was never fully there. I was going around being angry at you for never saying you were fully sorry to me when I was the one who needed to say it."
"That's not true," Harry said, "I told you, you don't have to apologize for anything-"
"I do, okay?" He clenched and unclenched his hands in frustration. "Just, let me finish, okay? I just, I am sorry. This whole, having friends thing is very new to me and I just don't know how to act, that isn't an excuse for my behavior, I know. I spent so long trying to figure things out and I hurt everyone around me."
"Draco, we know that you didn't mean to-"
"But I still did it!" He exclaimed, tears welling up in his eyes. Draco went back to staring at his hands. "I spent so much time worrying about Hermione that I didn't worry about anyone else, and I spent so much time worrying about everyone else and I realized I should be spending more time worrying about myself, but in that process, I hurt everyone around me along the way. I really still don't quite know what to do, and I am sorry for the damage that I have caused. I am sorry for how I have acted in the past and I am sorry for the way things have been going this year. But I am also scared, I'm scared of what's going to happen in the future."
"I realize I am not perfect, and I never will be. I know I'm still figuring things out, and I'm just scared that I will continue to hurt people, and I don't want to."
When Harry didn't respond, Draco lifted his head to meet Harry's eyes once more. "Is that all?"
Draco's stomach dropped. Was he being serious right now? The nerve-
"Merlin, that was a joke!" Harry groaned, presumably once he saw the anger starting to cross Draco's face.
"Oh."
Harry laughed, and Draco felt like an idiot. "Do you even understand sarcasm?"
"No," Draco admitted, "I really don't."
"Wait, was that sarcastic-"
"No!" Draco picked up a pillow and whacked him on the shoulder with it as Harry laughed. "You know I have the bloody social skills of a four year old!"
"Well, it's a good thing you have a few friends now to teach you-"
He whacked him on the shoulder again, this time as Draco laughed. "I am not your charity case! I can see The Prophet headlines now, The Boy Who Lived Teaches Social Cues to Local Children. Should I call Skeeter in now, or should I wait until you've recovered from your heroic quidditch injury?"
Harry laughed in return, prying the pillow from Draco's hands and whacking him back. "So you admit it, then." He said as he stopped laughing.
"What?"
"You admit it. Having friends. You think that we're friends now."
He smiled. "I mean, I did save your life and all, you kinda owe me-ouch!" He yelled as Harry whacked him on the shoulder again. "Okay, yes, I see us as friends, happy?"
"Yes." He smiled.
"What?"
"You asked if I was happy. I said yes."
"You... you want to be my friend?" Draco didn't realize why he was so shocked. They had been acting like friends for the past few days, hadn't they? After the Halloween party, the two of them seemed to have broken each other's walls and let the other in. So why did he seem so surprised?
Harry rolled his eyes. "And they call me oblivious! Of course-"
"Like I said, social cues-"
"Of course I want to be your friend."
Draco smiled. In the past few days, he had smiled more times than he could count. They were real smiles, too, the kind that reached your eyes and spread across your entire face and made you feel like nothing else had mattered. Before this year, he couldn't remember the last time he had a smile that made him feel so warm inside. And now, in the past few days, that had all changed, and he was sure that Harry had something to do with it.