Disclaimer: Not mine. No offence intended. It's main pairing: Harry/Theo. Background: Ron/Draco. Hermione/Blaise.

Harry didn't want to be the type of man that often felt sorry for himself. But, given how he was the only one out of his friends who was single and dateless on Valentine's day wasn't helping him in not feeling sorry for himself.

"You can find a date in no time," Ron had told him, and even though Harry knew that was true, he didn't want to have a date because he was popular. He wanted a date with someone that actually liked him for him.

Ron probably knew how he felt but it hadn't been long after when he and Malfoy, of all people, had got together and Hermione was with Blaise Zabini. It seemed after the war, those that were left behind, had decided to shack up with Gryffindors.

It would have been okay, really, because Harry could have spent some time with Luna, but there was a Hogwarts Ball for Valentine's Day. It seemed, after the war, everyone was celebrating, well, everything.

0-0-0-0

"Fancy seeing you here, Potter." Harry looked up from the book he'd been staring at and not reading at all when he heard Nott's voice.

"I can say the same for you," Harry replied. He'd been hiding in the library since breakfast on Saturday morning when everyone walking around was planning themes, songs, and dances for the Ball the next day.

Nott shrugged and sat down across from Harry. "I'm avoiding Draco. He's trying to set me up with one of Weasley's friends." Nott's eyes widened and he shuddered.

"Which friend? Not all of them are that bad," Harry said smiling. Ron was basically doing the same thing with Zabini and Malfoy's friends.

"Not the one I'm interested in," Nott said, giving Harry a pointed look he couldn't decipher.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, trying not to make a face. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to the bloke who fancied his ex-girlfriend.

Nott shook his head. "Uh…that's his sister, not his friend," he said.

"Oh, you're right. Luna then?"

Nott shook his head again. "You're really that thick?" he asked. "Wow, Draco was right about you."

"About what?" Harry asked, pushing the book away, and crossing his arms. He was not going to take this right now. His friends, Merlin, even Malfoy insulting him all the time was enough. They were friends…sort of. But what was Nott's problem?

"Right…" he seemed to mumble to himself. "This is why I don't even try."

"Try what?" Harry asked, curious. He leaned towards the table, as Nott's voice was so low, he wanted to keep it quiet. His hands rested on the table next to the book and he wanted to know what Nott was talking about. Who did he fancy? Why was he so shy about it?

Suddenly, Harry found himself thinking how good-looking he thought Nott was. Were all Slytherins in Draco's inner circle so attractive? Did he simply not make friends if you weren't good enough to be a model on the cover of Witches' Weekly?

Within a moment's notice, Nott reached over and grabbed Harry's hands. "Go to the Ball with me tomorrow?"

"What? Why?" Harry asked, surprised, and sounding more upset than he'd meant to. "I mean…why?" Now, his voice was more pleading. Evidently, Harry couldn't keep it together. "You don't have to feel sorry for me. I wasn't planning on going. I don't need a pity date."

"That's not what—"

"And I'm not interested in making whoever it is you fancy jealous. I mean, isn't that what you Slytherins do anyway? Use other people for your advantage?"

It's what Malfoy had done to more or less hook Ron in. He'd started spending a lot of time with Hermione a month after they'd all come back to Hogwarts for their eighth year. So much so both Ron and Zabini had been incredibly jealous and confessed their feelings to the one they pined after.

"Oh wow." Nott looked right at Harry as if he was in disbelief and slightly amused. "I don't want to make anyone jealous. I want to do what makes me happy. My father wanted me to join the Dark Lord, you know. They said they'd disown me if I didn't. But thankfully, he was more invested in his loyalty with the Malfoys than anything else and I was spared. I've been doing whatever the Pureblood society has wanted of me. I haven't been happy for a day since third year. So no, I'm not doing this to make someone else jealous, Potter."

"Then why me? I mean if it's not because I'm the saviour of the wizarding world…" Harry said, rolling his eyes, "then why? I'm nobody. I'm just Harry."

Nott took a deep breath and looked like he was pained. "Maybe I fancy just Harry."

"I don't—"

Nott sighed again and closed his eyes for a second. "Obviously, I have to spell this out for you. Just Harry. You're interesting when you're not being thick. You don't take shite from anyone. You argued back with Snape, of all the scariest people in the world, and didn't retreat. You're not bad to look at…I mean, I've noticed that since I noticed I liked boys and not girls. When I used to think Draco fancied you, I used to get so fucking jealous, I wouldn't talk to him for days. And like I said before, I want to do what will make me happy. And I think kissing you might be one of those things."

"Kiss—Kissing me?"

Nott started to laugh again.

Harry made a face as he hated being laughed at. He gathered his things and started to stand up when Nott grabbed his wrist.

"Wait…Please don't go. I finally got the Gryffindor courage to ask a Gryffindor out on a date. I don't think I'll take rejection all that well."

"Okay…" Harry drawled. If he was already trusting two Slytherins in his inner circle, there was no use in distrusting the one across from him. Especially when he'd admitted he thought Harry was "not bad to look at. "I'm heading back to my room. Maybe you can come with me?" No one was going to be there right now, Harry knew.

"What did you have in mind?" Nott asked, catching up with Harry and matching his step with Harry's.

Harry shrugged, looking away. Certain his ears were turning bright red and his face was feeling quite hot for a cold day in February. "I don't know. Maybe try some of that kissing stuff you were talking about."

Nott smiled and slipped his hand in Harry's as they walked back to Harry's room. Within a day, Harry had his Valentine's Ball date, and a Slytherin boyfriend. Just like his best friends.

THE END