Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenge list at the bottom.

Thank you to both Amber for helping with the idea, and Laura for beta'ing. You're both stars :P

Word Count - 1397

Of Cheese Making and Indigestion

Draco leant on the desk, his chin resting in his hand. His shift wasn't even close to being over, and he was bored out of his mind. The library was so quiet at the beginning of the school year. Of course, he would be wishing for these days to return when the end of year exams rolled around.

He'd taken the job to satisfy both his love of the written word and also to give him an excuse to not be sociable. People, he'd found out, were not his forte. They tended to get offended so easily, and he often got himself in trouble without actually meaning to.

"Hey!"

He blinked and turned his head to the side, looking at the man who'd interrupted his boredom. Green eyes sparkled at him from behind circle glasses.

"Hi," Draco replied warily.

"Can you point me in the direction of books about cheese making?"

That was probably about the last thing Draco expected. "Cheese making?"

The man nodded, an earnest look on his face. "Uh huh."

"Ah… sure. This way."

Draco led the man over to the correct shelve and left him to it, returning himself to the register and his boredom. Ten minutes later, the man returned with two books on cheese making and with a bright smile, checked them out and dashed out of the library.

Draco shook his head after him.

Odd.

…

"Hi, me again."

"I can see that," Draco replied, dryly. It was the same green eyed cheese maker from a few days earlier. "How did the cheese making go?"

The man put the books on the desk and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Utter disaster. I'm looking for something on poker though. Like… how do you play it? Because if I don't learn, my dorm mates are gonna be laying claim to my first born child."

Draco choked out a laugh but dutifully gave directions to the gaming section. The man came back a few minutes later with three books and a gorgeous smile.

"Thanks. If I ever have kids, I'll find you so they can thank you too."

Draco watched him leave with a funny feeling in his chest. Probably indigestion, he decided.

…

The third time the man came to the library, Draco helped him find books on Rubber Ducks, and found out his name was Harry Potter.

….

The fourth, fifth and sixth times, Harry arrived, Draco laughed so much he thought he might actually die. Apparently, for those who knew how to negotiate through social situations, University life could be fun.

Oddly, Draco's indigestion returned every time Harry did.

…

The seventh time, he wasn't alone.

"You didn't have to come with me," the girl with him said, linking her hand through his arm. "I know the guys wanted you to go play football with them."

"Hey," Harry protested, "I'd choose you over everyone, you know that."

Draco glared at the two of them as they wandered off between the stacks. He felt an unreasonable urge to follow them but he remained at his station.

As they walked between stacks, Draco caught snippets of their conversation.

"... Does he know?"

"Not yet. I'm a little bit nervous."

And

"I was hypnotised!"

"... huh. Really?"

They just made Draco angrier, giggling quietly together. He also saw the girl look at him appraisingly a couple of times. It made him paranoid that they were talking about him, perhaps laughing at his being a loner with nothing better to do that work in the library.

When the two appeared at the desk twenty minutes later, Harry offered Draco his usual wide smile. Draco glared at him.

The girl put a stack of books on the counter, looking between the two men curiously. Draco watched as Harry's smile faltered.

Draco checked the books out for her silently, ignoring Harry's few attempts to engage him in conversation. He didn't know why he was feeling so hurt, but he was, and he didn't want to talk to Harry.

Harry sighed when Draco pushed the books forward, but took the backpack the girl stored the books in and looped his arm around her shoulders.

"C'mon. I'll walk you home."

Draco didn't get indigestion from that visit. Instead he felt sick.

…

It was over a week before Harry returned to the library, and when he did it was with a cautious smile rather than his usual bright one.

"Hey," he murmured as he reached the desk. "I need a book on kite flying if you've got one."

"Kite flying?"

Harry nodded. "Yep. Kite flying. Apparently I suck at it."

"I'll have a look," Draco offered, checking on the system. After a few minutes of searching, he shook his head. "We don't have any but I can order you one in. It'll probably take a few days."

"Will it be here before the next weekend?"

Draco nodded. "Should be."

"Awesome, that'd be great, thanks."

He was turning to leave when Draco spoke.

"That girl you were with last time you came in… that's your girlfriend?"

He cursed himself the moment the words were out, and he felt his cheeks flush accordingly.

Harry shook his head. "Hermione? No. Best friend. Girlfriends aren't really my area."

With that he was gone."

Draco found himself feeling guilty about the way he'd treated Harry. He also found it curious that his indigestion had returned in force.

…

Draco locked the library up and turned in the direction to walk home, only to freeze when he saw Harry watching him from the carpark, leaning against a silver car.

"Hey," he greeted when Draco finally forced his legs to move in Harry's direction.

Draco raised his eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

"Why would you be doing that?"

"Because… I thought about what you asked earlier, and I realised that you might've been a little bit jealous when you thought she was my girlfriend. That and you're awful cute when you're angry, Draco. So… here I am."

"I wasn't jealous," Draco denied, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"You sure about that? You seemed a bit jealous. I… like that you were a little bit jealous."

Forgetting to deny it again, Draco tilted his head. "Why would you like that?"

"Because, I figure that if you're jealous, then maybe you might like me a bit. And maybe you'll not tell me to go to hell when I tell you that," he broke off to check his watch, "I have a table booked for us in thirty five minutes."

"Why on earth would you have a table booked?"

"Ahhh, a date? Maybe?"

"You don't want to date me," Draco informed him. "I'm a social disaster."

Harry shrugged. "I'm short. We all have our quirks."

Draco regarded him for a moment. "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"I won't force you," Harry replied hastily. "But it would make me very happy if you'd come to dinner with me."

Draco nodded, and Harry opened the door for him. Draco watched him moving notebooks from the passenger seat, amused that he wasn't at all prepared.

"Ready to go on a journey?" Harry asked brightly, when they were both in the car.

"How far can we be going, if the table if booked in half an hour?"

"I meant into the unknown. I'm a bit of a novice at dating, to be honest. Seems to be going well so far though."

"... We haven't even made it to the restaurant yet."

Harry shrugged. "It's not all about the destination. Have you got your seatbelt on?"

…

"Hey," Harry greeted, brazenly leaning over the counter to press his lips to Draco's. They'd been out on a few dates since Harry had met him in the carpark, and Draco thought it was going well.

He hadn't managed to chase the man off, at any rate.

"I need help finding a book."

"When don't you?" Draco replied, raising his eyebrow.

"Hmm. I need a book on the art of coffee making."

Draco frowned. "Are you on a quest to annoy the life out of me?"

Grinning, Harry shook his head. "Course not. I just have a perfect reason to learn how to make the best coffee. I mean, you don't want to wake up to substandard coffee in the mornings, do you?"

Written for;

Ways to say; 5. I'll walk you home.

Library Lovers - Fangirl; University!AU / Slash pairing / "I choose you over everyone."

Serpent Week - 26. Egg Eater - Watch (object)

Scavenger hunt - 3. A slash pairing.

Insane House Challenge - 466. Notebook

Character Appreciation - 3. Muggle Car.

Lyric Alley - 7. "I'm a little bit nervous."

Disney - The Sultan - Word set, Hypnotised/Short/Happy

Book Club - Larry Underwood - Guilt / Journey / "You're awful cute when you're angry [name]."

Showtime - 3. The Wizard and I - Quirk

Buttons - "Does he know?"

Meet Cute, Day 3.