Draco Malfoy had had enough.

He was done.

No more following, no more living in terror and fear. No more hiding.

Dark Mark? Sure. Voldemort lives in your house now? Ok, fine, a bit weird, but he could live with that. Kill your headteacher? Murder Harry Potter? No. No fucking way.

Draco had been a coward for far too long. He'd been too terrified to go against his parents will, too scared of the consequences to tell them he was hopelessly in love with the Boy Wonder himself.

Draco had had enough of his parents strictness, too. He was fed up of acting so sophisticated at all times and keeping up the flawless Malfoy reputation. At this point, he didn't even care if his parents never spoke to him again. They obviously didn't care about him enough to go against the Dark Lord and keep him safe, so he couldn't rely upon them to stand with him in his rebellion.

Enough was enough, there was only so much he could handle.

Voldemort had given him this wonderful task of murdering Dumblefuck. As much as he hated his headteacher for his supposed inability to help Draco steer clear of what was being forced upon him, he wasn't a killer. Draco didn't want him to die. Draco didn't want to kill anyone.

He'd broken down countless times as the deadline for his task came closer. He had considered ending his life because of it. There was a problem with that though, Draco didn't want to die, not really if he thought about it for long enough.

It was a huge internal conflict for him, a conflict that had slowly swamped him, drowning his once happy childhood in a constricting worry and fear.

Not anymore, he was over that.

When Draco had woken up, his decision was cemented in his mind. He was not going to complete his stupid task.

Of course, he could have said that to Voldemort himself, but then he would have died, which he really, really didn't want. Draco wanted to live, to prove himself worthy of goodness. He was going to turn to the light and do all of the things he had been prevented from doing his entire life.

He practically leapt out of his bed that morning and started fumbling about.

As a Malfoy, he'd grown used to being stared at in public and in school. It wouldn't be anything new if people were whispering along him as he passed. Draco didn't care what they thought, none of them meant anything to him, not anymore.

Plus, this was all about doing what he wanted, not following the demands of the entire school.

First of all, Draco put on a pair of ripped jeans he had transfigured himself, accompanied by a loose fitting multicoloured t-shirt. He discarded his gel and left his hair wild, something he'd always wanted to try, but had been prevented from doing by Malfoy Code 101; Always look sharp and presentable.

He was not going to go around with Crabbe and Goyle and Pansy and Blaise today, either. No. He was going to find Potter, maybe strike smalltalk with a Hufflepuff or two while he was at it.

Anyone would have said Draco had lost it, gone barmy, he was stark-raving mad. He knew that he wasn't mad. Draco had snapped, that was different, that was good.

He'd finally burst free of the chains holding him back. No longer would he be a slave to opinions and surnames. He would do what he liked.

Number one on the agenda: He was gay.

Really, there was no point in denying it now. Not when Potters arse looked so good in his Quidditch robes. Not when his gaze had flicked down to the Gryffindors lips countless times. Not when he wasn't interested in a relationship with a girl in any way shape or form. Especially not when he'd made out with Theodore Nott once or twice.

His parents had called it a phase and told him about his expected marriage to Astoria Greengrass when he was older. Well, fuck that. No way he was marrying her.

Today was Saturday, he had nothing but free time and a hell of a lot of standards to trash.

Draco was ecstatic. Never before in his life had he rebelled in such a way as this. It was a new thing to him, he'd never even thought about going against his parents before, it just wasn't a very Malfoy thing.

But Merlin was it exciting.

Draco transfigured a pair of black and white converse shoes from a piece of paper at his side and pulled them on with a grin. He had seen the shoes in a muggle fashion magazine, an article which his father had slaughtered before his eyes and called 'ridiculous'.

The shoes were so comfy, so free, so different to the usual slim dragon leather ones he wore most of the time. Draco stood with a flourish, admiring himself in a mirror in front of him.

For far too long, he'd been wary of what people thought about him and how their opinions would affect the Malfoy name. Not anymore! He was done with that!

"Fucking gorgeous Malfoy" he mumbled to himself, turning in all directions to see how he looked. New outfits were always exciting, there was nothing quite like trying on a new silken suit for the first time, or the latest designer boots, but this was different, completely different.

It felt homely and comfortable and cosy all at once. He loved it!

There were plenty of things that Draco wanted to do today, one of which had been bothering him for quite some time.

His parents knew that he was.... homosexual. They had embraced him with open arms, telling him how proud they'd been if him for letting them know.

The key word there was had.

Since The Dark Lord had been discovered alive again however, they feared for their sons safety. The Dark Lord had never been very kind towards anyone he didn't deem 'normal'.

And of course, Draco hadn't quite fit the quota for 'normal'. Go figure.

His parents had told him it was a phase, that he'd get over it. That had set off warning bells in Draco's head. Why the sudden change? He hadn't understood. His parents had been so accepting not long ago, and then suddenly, they weren't.

He wasn't stupid, he knew it had something to do with Lord Voldemorts return. The Dark Lord was renowned for being strict and prejudiced towards countless groups of people. Did that include Draco? Was The Dark Lord homophobic, too? It seemed entirely plausible, so Draco accepted that he would be.

He pretended that he was straight for a while, really tried to make it true, to feel something for the numerous girls around him. He just.... couldn't. Boys were too enticing, it was infuriating, but he couldn't change how he felt.

He told his parents about this, begged them to believe that it wasn't a passing thing. This was him, Draco Malfoy. They would just have to accept it, his attractions couldn't just be changed.

His parents hadn't accepted that. They had turned against him, telling him almost sadly that it was for his own good. He had understood then what he knew to be fact now; they were protecting themselves, not him.

Nothing had been the same since. Draco had only become more frustrated as time went on, more angered with his parents for giving in and turning their backs on him. He couldn't blame them, they thought they were protecting themselves - which he could understand - but he couldn't think of them in the same way anymore.

Draco walked towards the door, throwing it open and leaving in a flourish. He made his way to the Great Hall ignoring the gaping mouths of various Slytherins as he went.

-------

Draco swaggered over to the Slytherins table and sat down, crossing his legs and placing a trio of pancakes on his plate. People were staring, but he didn't care. Distantly, it irked him and made him want to writhe uncomfortably, but he wasn't going to do that, and so he ate his breakfast in peace.

Draco looked up at the Gryffindor table and saw Harry Potter looking at him. Draco grinned, and winked at the Boy Wonder.

Potter blushed a deep crimson, smiling almost bashfully back at him and turning around as if in a dream. That made Draco snicker into his plate. Did he just make Saint Potter flustered? It sure looked like it.

There was a bang next to him and then the sound of two elbows hitting the table.

Draco twirled his fork in his hand and took another forkful of syrup-coated pancake. Pansy had just made herself known beside him, he could almost see the look of speculation on her face; one perfect eyebrows raised, mouth a straight line as her gaze flicked up and down over him.

To annoy her, Draco stayed silent, knowing that she would give her input after a minute or two. He had swallowed another mouthful when Pansy spoke for the first time.

"I like it. You look good in colour, it's different from your usual black and silver." Pansy said with what sounded like the hints of a smile.

Draco smirked "Why thank you, dearest Parkinson, your input is much appreciated." he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

She didn't acknowledge that he'd spoken. "I know why, but really Draco? Now? In the middle of the year?"

Draco had told Pansy that he was going to do this, weeks ago when he hadn't really been going to, he was actually quite surprised that she remembered, considering how little she listened to him when he spoke rubbish.

If he was honest, he hadn't expected her to react any differently. Why would she? Pansy knew how he felt about what was happening at home, she was in just about the same boat as him. The only difference was she didn't have the Mark yet.

'Enough' Draco chided himself. He didn't have to think about any of that today. He didn't even have to think about his task today, not if everything went how he wanted it to.

"Why not now? What better time is there?." He kept his voice as even as he could, twirling the remainder of his pancake in the leftover syrup on his plate and putting it in his mouth. Draco chewed thoughtfully as his friend shook her head.

"Draco, you're crazy." She sighed, then a smirk appeared on her face "Can't wait to see their faces though" she grinned, indicating the Gryffindor table. Draco caught the underlying challenge in her tone. She didn't think he would go through with his plans.

Draco glowered at Pansy from the corner of his eye." I'll have you know that I fully intend to......" he remembered where they were suddenly. Even though Draco was through with caring what everyone thought, there were some things he didn't feel overly inclined to share. He fought to find other words "do as I said" he blurted after a moment.

"Sure darling, of course you will" Pansy snickered.

------

Draco walked through the hallway, a nervous wreck.

His pulse was hammering, his breathing stunted.

He was going to do it. He couldn't put it off any longer.

People laughed and smiled as he walked past, whispering comments about him losing his mind and going off his rocker.

He tuned them out, pre-occupied.

Draco had had a few conversations with Hufflepuffs so far today, thankfully keeping his usual cool air throughout them. It turned out that Puffs weren't that bad, which wasn't something he expected to ever think.

Pansy was over the other side of the courtyard when he walked out into it. She knew what he was about to do and if anything she looked expectant. She lay back against the opposite wall, surrounded by a small group of Slytherins without taking part in any conversation. She had been the one to give Draco his information, he hoped it was true.

Harry Potter was bisexual. Rumour was, he had found out due to a Slytherin crush.

The only Skytherin that Potter had ever had contact with was Draco, so he was hoping that meant him.

If it didn't, he was going to be in a heap of trouble.

He spotted Potter with his little troupe, leaning against the wall adjacent to where Pansy was. Like her, he seemed left out of the conversation, standing a bit off to the side while the others talked.

This was it. Draco's one chance.

He breathe deeply, ignoring the gazes flickering between him and Potter. The tension was palpable, yet Potter hadn't even noticed him yet.

Malfoy strode forwards, trying as best he could not to rush, to walk and not run.

The Boy Who Lived had just looked up, eyes showing confusion as he took in his nemesis's appearance.

Draco's heart rate skyrocketed. He gritted his teeth, probably making himself look furious in the process.

Then, he was three feet away and not stopping.

Anxiety gripped him. He couldn't do this. He couldn't go through with it.

'I can't'

It was too late to stop now. Draco pulled his arm up in front of him and slammed Potter against the wall, eyes glinting ferociously and dangerously.

He noticed the slight height difference between them now. He was an inch or two taller than Potter, so that the other boy had to look up.

Silence rung about them, deafening silence as all onlookers found themselves lost for words.

Draco's eyes flicked down to Potters lips, just as Potter glanced at Draco's.

Then, suddenly, their lips were together. Potter arched his back for a moment, then sighed and melted into the kiss. His arms wrapped around Draco's back, tracing circles as he pulled himself closer.

Draco's fear evaporated, he ghosted his hand up Potters neck, feeling him shiver as he clutched his hair, running his fingers through the soft strands.

It was like pure energy was coursing between them, electrifying and beautiful.

Nothing else existed, just the two of them.

And then, it was over, Draco pulled back reluctantly, slowly.

He was panting, eyes wide. Harry's glasses were askew, his hair a ruffled mess, even more so than usual.

"Love the outfit Malfoy" Potter said softly, eyes tracing Draco's own once more.

Draco was in shock, unable to answer. Harry had kissed him back, he hadn't shoved him away. Faintly, Draco figured that if Potter hadn't kissed him back, it could have been viewed as assault. Thank Merlin he had.

More pressingly, why had a single kiss felt so good? So tantalising and gentle. He hadn't been expecting that, nothing could have prepared him for the rush of feelings that were burning through him.

Everything around them remained silent for another few seconds, as if the school were collectively holding their breath. Then came the stream of gasps and laughter, pockmarked with clapping and confused voices.

Both boys looked only at each other, eyes dancing with a conjoined fire. Emerald gazed up at molten silver, dark and light stood face to face, as if breaking eye contact would erase whatever had just happened between them.

Draco had no idea what to do now, he hadn't thought that far ahead when he had spoken to Pansy all that time ago. His mine seemed frozen, incapable of understanding the situation. Draco tried to conjure a single thought, a remark, anything. But all he could do was take in Harry's eyes.

Thankfully, Harry didn't appear to be in the same predicament. He licked his lips, glancing up at Draco's, then pulled the other boy closer and connected their lips once more.