Day 19. Harry Potter. Harry/Draco. "And You Dance" Title: And you dance Author:digthewriter Word Count: 480 Rating: PG-13 Warning: EWE. Auror Training Academy. Made up stuff. Pretend Relationship. Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. Author's Notes: This story is going to be called "Nothing Ventured. Nothing Gained." Each chapter is going to have a unique title but it'll all be part of one big story. I hope! AO3 link for all chapters in a row! All my thanks to nia_kantorka for the beta - omg best alpha/beta ever!
"Let's dance!" Luna said as the silence on the table continued and she got up, coming around the table, grabbing Harry's hand. "Come on, Harry. It's been a while since you've stepped on my toes."
Harry allowed her to pull him away and he didn't even look back at Malfoy to see his reaction.
"Don't worry too much about it, Harry. I don't think he meant it the way you're taking it."
"What do you mean?" he asked, spinning her around the room. "And, I've been practicing by the way."
"Oh, how fun!" she squealed and her joyous laugh echoed through the room. Harry threw his head back and laughed as well. "And what I mean is..." she said after she'd sobered up and they were dancing slow again, "he likes you. He's just hurt. And when someone's hurt they say silly things. He doesn't want to kiss that other bloke. You know that, right?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know, do I?"
"Mind if I cut in?" Malfoy's voice was smooth as he placed a hand on the small of Harry's back and stepped closer. "Luna, Jones's ordered you some mulled wine from the bar. It's waiting for you at the table and Jones is making his moves on Marco."
"Oh, great!" she said, looking delighted. "This deal with Otto's worked out quite nicely for me. A fun dance with Harry, and free drinks!" She kissed Harry's cheek and walked away from them, and Harry watched her go, as Malfoy's hand didn't move an inch. If anything, he only pressed it against Harry's body; harder.
"You're cross with me." It wasn't a question. Malfoy came around Harry and rested his arms on Harry's shoulders, his fingers playing with Harry's hair.
"Why would I be cross?" Harry said, finally finding his voice. "You want to fuck that Marco bloke to get back at Darling--"
"You can't think I actually meant that!" Malfoy whisper shouted. "I just blurted it out. I wouldn't--" He stopped himself from finishing that sentence.
"You wouldn't what?"
"I wouldn't trade you for him." Malfoy's voice was low, and he was avoiding eye-contact.
"What does that mean?"
One beat. Two beats. Three beats.
"Malfoy. What do you mean?"
Malfoy's sharp gaze bore into him and then he closed the remaining distance between them. "Since the Skeeter interview, or maybe before -- I've stopped."
"Stopped?" Harry asked, not catching on.
"Stopped pretending."
"What?" Harry felt stupid for being so stupid. Was Malfoy saying what he thought he was saying?
Malfoy didn't reply for a while. They continued dancing slowly, holding each other, as their embrace only became tighter.
"I wondered if it was all in my head," Malfoy said finally. "I feared I was reading too much into...us."
"No," Harry said quickly. When Malfoy frowned, he added, "You're not reading too much, what I mean to say is that I don't want to pretend."