Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ H o w t o L o v e ❯ Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter.

OI!!!: This is for Crazychick23 who won my little challenge from A Dirty Minded Christmas.

H o w t o L o v e

Harry sat in the corner of the astronomy tower, gazing out at the sparkling night sky, a sad smile playing on his face. He had come up to the tower to be away from everyone else, he just couldn't take the questioning, the praise, the lustful glances, the envious stares, and the general attention of his peers.

It's been this way since he defeated the Dark Lord two months ago, and tonight he was feeling the effects of what he liked to call `psychological placelessness,' meaning without Voldemort there seemed to be a void within.

Well, he supposed literally, there was, as Voldemort had been a part of him. And he was still trying to fill that void, his first attempt being to replace it with Ginny Weasely. That hadn't worked out too well, another reason he was up in the tower; he had broken up with Ginny that night.

Harry scanned the night sky and found his eye fall on the consolation Draco.

Malfoy. The blond had come back to school as well, once it was established that two thirds of his family were on the Light side. Malfoy hadn't been much different than before the fall of old Dark Pants, but he seemed to ignore Harry now, not having much use for him, Harry figured.

Now, that Harry thought about it, he kind of missed being able to fight with the pure blood, it was certainly a way to release stress and keep his mind off other things.

Things like pretty girls with fiery red hair.

In truth, Harry really hadn't wanted to break up with Ginny, but he just couldn't see where it was going. She was perfect in every way, but it was if they were too much alike to be truly compatible, either that or what Ginny said was true and he just didn't get how relationships worked.

He could see that, it wasn't as if he had much experience and his growing up wasn't exactly pleasant. Would he continue on through life like this? Unable to comprehend a function relationship with some one?

Suddenly Harry heard someone come into the room and he turned to find Malfoy.

“Potter,” Malfoy said without a hint of surprise. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Malfoy,” Harry returned, swinging his legs over the window sill to face his entire body towards the boy. “What are you doing up here so late?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Malfoy answered, moving towards Harry. “Move over some, will you?”

Harry raised his eyebrows, but scooted over so the taller boy could sit down. Harry turned with him to face the night sky once more. “S'nice night out,” Harry said casually.

“I suppose,” Malfoy said, face turned away from Harry.

“Your stars are out,” Harry blurted without thinking.

Malfoy turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “I wasn't aware you knew what Draco looked like.”

“Er, yeah, I only know that one and the Little Dipper,” Harry laughed, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “Actually, now that I think about it, it was my favourite when I was little.” He voice got quieter as he said that last part.

“I always preferred Scorpius, myself,” the blond answered, turning to grin a little at Harry.

“A Slytherin through and through, aren't you?”

“What about you? Draco?” Malfoy asked, laughing a little.

“Well, I was almost sorted into Slytherin,” Harry told him, and smiled as the boys eyes got wide.

“I guess I could see that,” Malfoy finally said.

They fell into science, staring up at the wide open sky.

“I don't have any purpose in life,” Harry said abruptly.

“Of course you do,” Malfoy returned quickly, not even look at the brunette.

“No, Voldemort's dead, my duty is done.”

This time Malfoy turned to look at him and said very seriously, “No, it's not. Just because he's dead doesn't mean you get to stop fighting.”

Harry looked shocked, and then his face hardened. “What do you know?”

“I don't,” the blond answered, simply. “But you do.”

Harry's mouth hung open, unable to think of anything to say to that. For some reason Draco was right.

“When I was younger my mother used to tell me that just because I was a Malfoy didn't mean I was better than anyone else,” Draco continued. “I lived by that for a long time until my Father sat me down one day and told me how I was better than everyone else, that I even had stars named after me. And then I came here and saw just how wrong I was, I met you and I realised that I was no better than anyone else, in fact I was worse. And then I began to resent you for it. But, looking back on it now, it seemed like such a stupid thing to do.”

“I'm not different than anyone else,” Harry answered.

“Yes, I know that, I think that's why I was so angry with you all those years, everyone thinking you were so much better than themselves and everyone else. But, I always thought of you as just like the rest of us, only you have that scar.” Draco waved a hand at Harry's forehead. “That's why I tried to prove to everyone that you weren't better than the rest of us. But I didn't really succeed with that did I?”

“You...I...I think I understand why you were so hateful towards me, now. I never hated you, you know,” Harry said earnestly. “I just thought you did.”

“No, I was probably angrier at myself and the rest of the world than you. I can see now that maybe they were right about you being better than the rest of us, certainly better than I.” Draco shot him a side long glance.

“No,” Harry said vehemently. “No, don't think that, ever.” Draco only nodded and they fell into science once more.

This time Draco was the first to speak. “I passed the Weaselette on the way up here, she was snogging Dean Thomas. I thought you two were dating.”

“We were,” Harry said, a little hurt. Not three hours and she'd already found someone else? “We broke up tonight.”

“Wow. She moves fast, sorry about that,” Draco said.

“No, its okay, we weren't working out. It was me, though, I just don't function well in intimate relationships, I guess. I never really had a concept of how people were supposed to interact with one another until I was eleven and came here.”

“So, what you're saying is you have the people skills of a five-year-old,” Draco supplied.

“Basically,” Harry answered, wondering why he was even telling his nemesis all this.

“Good,” Draco replied and suddenly he as kissing him and Harry's hands were threading through that silky blond harry, their tongues were moving against each other's viciously, and Draco's hands were pressing into the heated flesh of Harry's back.

They broke apart, their breathing uneven, foreheads pressed together. “What was that?” Harry breathed.

“People skills,” Draco answered and kissed him again. Harry smiled against Draco's lips, he supposed with the blonds help one day he my learn how to love.

A/N:Well, uhm, that was a little odd. Oh, well, I hope this is okay, Crazychick23!