Ba dum dum dum ba dum dum...

The sound of his heart thumping was all Harry could hear. He peered around the door of the bathroom. He couldn't hear crying anymore. 'I was sure I heard someone crying,' he thought to himself. Just as he was pulling his head back out, he heard it again. The unmistakable sound of a boy crying while trying not to. It came out as a high keening whine followed by a deep gut twisting sob. Harry froze. He wasn't used to dealing with people crying. He remembered Cho Chang crying all over him the year before in the Room of Requirement. He smiled wryly to himself. 'That went well,' he thought sarcastically.

Harry took a deep breath. He had to see if the person was ok. He couldn't just walk away from someone in trouble. 'My ''saving people thing'',' he realized, as he stepped in through the entrance and pushed open the heavy wooden door into the main bathroom. What he saw next was the last thing he ever would have imagined seeing.

Draco Malfoy stood white as a ghost and as still as a statue in front of a sink. His long pale hands gripped the edge of the ceramic basin in a grip so tight, that, even in the low light, Harry could see the whiter than white knuckles standing out on his elegant fingers. Draco's usually meticulous white blonde hair flopped down wearily over his eyes, still gleaming and soft looking, but untidy and neglected. His skin looked waxy grey in the shadows of the dim bathroom. His face was covered in the shadow of a extravagantly decorated mirror frame but Harry was sure, that if he could see them, Draco's eyes would be ringed heavily with dark grey smudges.

'What on earth do you think you are doing?'
'Being a good person, a good Gryffindor!'
'Yeah well, bully for you but just remember who exactly you're feeling sympathy for here!'
'He's obviously upset..'
'Good!'
'Hey now, he might be my ... enemy, nemesis, bully, cause of annoyance for the past five or six years - whatever you want to call him ... but he's still a person! And I'm older now than I was back in First Year when I refused his hand, I'm more mature. I don't hate him, not really'
'But… but... but... but he's Malfoy!'

Harry's inner conscience fought a furious battle between doing the decent thing and helping Malfoy, or legging it before Malfoy had a chance to hex him. The legging it side, which oddly sounded a lot like Ron, appeared to be losing.

Screwing up all his Gryffindor courage, Harry stepped into the room.

Draco spun around so fast his blonde hair whipped around his head like a halo would around the head of an angel. Draco's grey eyes were as big as saucers, staring straight at Harry. Harry stared right back.

Then, Draco seemed to mentally shake himself. As quick as a flash, he pulled out his wand and pointed it in Harry's direction. Fearing a hex of the Unforgiveable kind, Harry flung himself behind a row of cubicles. There was silence.
Harry peered at Draco from under the cubicle door. Draco was stood stock still in the middle of the bathroom staring intently at his wand, as if wondering what to do with it. 'Hmm... He looks so innocent and cute when he's puzzled,' Harry mused, before catching himself, 'Cute? What the hell?' Harry shook his head to clear himself of those thoughts that, funnily enough, didn't seem so strange. Then before Harry had a chance to quiz himself about that particular feeling, something caught his eye. Draco began to shake slightly. Not a full on shiver but a slight tremble, that would probably have gone unnoticed by Harry if he had not been staring at Draco while having those certain thoughts.

Harry watched as Draco's big grey eyes filled with tears, before he slid to the floor in a crumpled up heap.

''Malfoy!'' Harry shouted, leaping up from his hiding place on the floor and sprinting around the cubicles. Draco proceeded to burst into floods of silent tears that shook his body violently as he lay curled up on the floor. Harry dashed to his side. Kneeling down beside his one-time enemy, Harry had to finally admit to himself, that Draco was beautiful. More than beautiful. Intoxicating. Mesmerizing. 'No, there's another word..?' Harry wondered. Harry looked back down at Draco.

Even while crying, Draco managed to look stunning. His wide grey eyes looked even brighter with the pools of tears in them, showing up the almost miss able flecks of baby blue surrounding his pupil. His cheeks, slightly flushed from the crying, only made him look healthier, and more glorious. Harry noticed Draco's perfect white teeth that gnawed his plump pink lower lip. His small delicate nose had a sprinkling of light freckles over his pale skin, only highlighted by the tears rolling over them.

Slowly, as not to frighten him, Harry reached out a hand and gently laid it on Draco's shuddering shoulder. Draco cried harder, the tears flowed strong and fast, like little streams rolling down his chiseled cheekbones, sliding along his pointed jaw line. Harry marveled as one sparkling teardrop burst, trapped by the slight bit of light brown stubble that lay on Draco's chin. Timidly, Harry placed his other hand on Draco's forehead, lightly sweeping back the fine blonde hair.

Harry's heart thumped louder. 'Shut up!' he thought to himself, 'I'm comforting him, that's all!'

Harry continued the motion, gently dragging his fingers through the soft hair of Draco's fringe, pulling it off his face until it flopped back into place, touching his hand off the warm forehead before repeating the motion again. Gradually, Draco began to relax. His tense shoulders began to melt under the gentle weight of Harry's hand while the motion of Harry's other hand through his hair soothed him and calmed his wildly thumping heart. Eventually, Draco stopped crying.

Harry realised Draco's shaking body had long since stilled but he continued his soothing strokes through Draco's hair. Draco's eyes fluttered closed.

Harry wanted nothing more at that moment, than to fall asleep with Draco in his arms but he knew curfew was coming soon and without his Invisibility Cloak, Harry wasn't too keen on trying to navigate his way through the patrolled corridors with Draco in the state that he was. Harry also wanted to know who or what exactly had hurt Draco in such a way. A fierce wave of protectiveness rolled over Harry and he vowed to hex whoever had hurt his Draco into the middle of next week. 'Wait a minute... my Draco?' Harry thought to himself, smiling gently in wonder and pride.

Plucking up his courage once again, Harry took his hand from Draco's shoulder and gently swept the back of his hand over Draco's flushed wet cheek. Draco opened his eyes once more.

Glistening vulnerable grey-blue eyes met warm blazing emerald green ones.

Draco's heart began to thump erratically once more.

Harry's heart jumped up into his mouth.

Later, Harry would not know anything about that moment except that he felt drawn. Drawn to the amazing, beautiful, angelic boy lying beneath him. Harry leaned forward slowly, gently, romantically. Draco lifted his head. His intriguing grey eyes softened more than Harry would have thought possible. Draco tipped his head. Harry was so close now he could feel the heat radiating from Draco's body. He could smell the scent of strawberry and cream shampoo from Draco's hair. He could almost taste the chocolate flavour of Draco's mouth from his breath waving lightly into Harry's face. Without another thought more, Harry tipped his head a millimeter closer.

It was electric. Their lips pressed together in a sweet gentle meeting. Soft lips against soft lips. Warm and inviting. A shock ran through them. Draco moved his lips slightly. Harry's moved with them. Harry's lips pulled Draco's lower lip into a soft but firm hold before releasing it a split second later. Draco's tongue flicked out to touch Harry's lip. It tasted of sugar and treacle. Harry parted his lips sensually and Draco gently pushed his tongue inside. Harry's tongue flicked out to meet it.

Soon, their lips were firmly locked and their tongues were dancing eagerly. Harry stroked his hand along Draco's cheek, down his chin, around his neck and wrapped his fingers tightly into the hair at the back of Draco's neck. He moved his other hand slowly, but surely, down from Draco's head to lie flat against the crumpled robes wrapped around Draco's chest.

Draco lifted his hand from the ground and brought it up to Harry's face. He touched lightly off of Harry's neck and gasped at the shock of passion that flew through him. Harry felt it too. Their kiss quickly deepened and Draco's other arm found itself firmly wrapped around Harry's strong waist.

Eventually, the need for more air than quick breaths through their noses became too much, and they softly broke away. Their eyes fluttered open and locked. The gaze was intense. The eerie sounds of deep breathing and the steady drip drop of water from a tap were intense. Their touches on each other remained unmoved.

Without removing his eyes from Draco's, Harry gently slid his hand from the back of Draco's neck to his cheek. Using the pad of his thumb, he wiped away the remaining tears. All the time keeping his eyes locked with Draco's, he moved his head forward to kiss the tearstain running down the side of Draco's face.

''Harry...'' Draco whispered, his voice breaking with emotion, ''You're beautiful…''

Harry grinned suddenly, breaking the intense mood of the room. ''I could say the same for you,'' he replied with a flirty grin. Draco smiled contentedly. Harry's breath caught. ''But, it wouldn't be enough,'' Harry continued. Seeing the puzzled look on Draco's face, he smiled. 'There's that cute puzzled face I love,' Harry thought smugly. He continued aloud, ''I would have to call you breath taking.'' 'Now, that's the word I was looking for,' Harry finished in his head.

Draco smirked. ''Always have to go one better, don't you Potter?'' he smiled, without all the malice a statement like that usually held. Harry smiled back, looking positively radiant. He tipped his head, ''I can go more than one,'' he winked, before leaning in to kiss Draco once more.