Party of a Lifetime

by Accio_Sriracha

Summary:

Harry Potter is bored out of his mind at a party he was dragged to until a tall, posh looking blond shows up and catches his eye. When he sees the man join a booze-filled game of spin the bottle, he finds himself joining too.

Chapter 1: The Party

Harry Potter allowed Ron to drag him to a New Year's Eve party, hating himself for letting Ron list him as an emergency contact that he now uses as a get-out-of-work-free card.

"It's the party of a lifetime, Harry, everyone is going to be there." Ron told him as he dug through his closet, tossing him clothes he felt were the most appropriate.

"We have school soon. Gryffindor State doesn't care about parties of a lifetime if you're showing up hungover." Harry muttered, sipping out of his mug. Ron threw a shirt at his head,

"And that, my friend, is exactly why everyone thinks you're no fun." 

With what little remained of Harry's patience he walked with Ron a few blocks down to Dean Thomas' home. The party had overflowed into the yard, a couple made out on the bench a few feet from where some shirtless guys held each other upside down over a keg.

Seamus greeted them at the door, throwing his arms around them both, "Come on in, lads, glad you could make it!" He shouted. Ron nodded to the guys on the porch, 

"They from Gryffindor State too?" He asked. Seamus shook his head, 

"Don't think so, we got all sorts in here. Dean made it open invitation and the word spread fast. I think some people from Salazar College are coming too."

"The ones who threw the snake rave last Halloween?" Ron asked excitedly. Seamus nodded,

"Yeah, those guys, they bring good shit so Dean reached out directly. Those cheerleaders over there are from Ravenclaw Academy, and there's a group playing truth or dare inside from that junior college... Hufflepuff something, I think? They got like that badger mascot, y'know."

Harry didn't bother following along with the rest of the conversation as they tried to shout over the noise inside of the house. He hit Ron's arm to get his attention, "I'm getting a drink!" He called. Ron nodded and gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Harry was only just now starting to believe what Ron had told him earlier; a half hour into the party and sitting on an armchair in the living room with a plastic cup of crappy beer in his hands; dying of boredom. It certainly felt like a lifetime.

To his immense luck, the group of rowdy rich kids from Salazar College showed up about ten minutes later, bearing a ton of booze, and with that, the actual life to the party.

Harry watched a small group of them for a while, eventually learning some of their names through their conversation. The drunk girl with short black hair and an even shorter mini dress was named Pansy. She seemed close with a taller black man- who's suit looked more expensive then Ron and Harry's flat- who she called Blaise-bear. 

Harry assumed his name was actually Blaise, but he wasn't one to judge if it wasn't.

There were a few others they had arrived with, but that group split off immediately to dive into the center of the party, mixing easily with the crowd. Pansy and Blaise-bear stood on the other side of the living room from Harry, both of them hovering near a tall, blond man who seemed to want nothing more than to leave.

He held a glass in his hand, taking leisurely sips out of it as he listened to the other's conversation, adding his opinion when asked but ultimately staying silent.

Harry found himself entranced, eager to know more about this man. He listened closely, keeping his eyes on his phone. They never once said his name, but Harry did learn that they lived in the same area as Harry, the girl worked at the coffee shop just down the street from Harry's flat.

"You alright, mate?" Ron asked, returning from his rounds of saying hi to the people he knew. Harry nodded,

"Peachy, you?"

"Concerned." Ron laughed, "You've been staring at your blank phone screen for twenty minutes."

"There isn't much to look at." He lied, knowing damn well just how much he had been resisting the urge to look up at the blond this whole time.

"Well why don't we go find you a girl to not look at." He joked, "I'm sure touching is just as valuable a sense."

"Piss off." Harry laughed, shoving Ron's shoulder.

"Seriously though, you're the only person in the whole world with this much hatred for a party. You haven't even left this seat since we got here."

"In case you've forgotten, Ron, I told you I didn't want to be here before we got here." He reminded him, Ron rolled his eyes,

"It's New Years. Lighten up for once. Come on, I think they're starting party games in the other room, at least move to a chair in there, yeah?"

Harry conceded, apologizing to people as Ron towed him along, pushing through the crowd and into the dining room.

"Shay!" He called, "I'm in, how many people do we have?" He asked. Seamus did a quick head count, then seemed to lose track,

"Enough." He called back, clearly drunk.

Harry pulled a chair to the edge of the room, making a point of sitting just to piss off Ron. The group had moved the table off to the side, gathering in a circle on the floor with a bottle laying in the middle. Harry couldn't help but notice how much it looked like some odd, drunken version of a sacrificing ritual. All they needed were the candles.

"Hang on, we're in too." A girl's voice called over the music, Pansy pushed her way through the crowd even more aggressively than Ron had, she and Blaise had the blond tucked in between them. The three sat down together, a range of emotions from Pansy's excitement to the Blonde's irritation.

"I'll join too." Harry stood before he could think too much about what he was doing, he took his seat next to Ron, who stared at him like he'd been possessed,

"You're serious?" He asked. Harry shrugged,

"Why not?" He replied.

The game started and the boy to the left of Dean spun first, landing on a girl across the circle. They met in the middle. Before Harry could blink she slapped him hard across the face. Harry threw a panicked glance at Ron and he chuckled, leaning in to whisper in Harry's ear,

"Dean and Shay play differently. They don't like forcing people to kiss, so they offer the alternative of slapping to spice it up a little."

"Isn't the whole game supposed to be that you're forced to kiss though?" Harry asked. Ron's answer was cut off as the boy slapped her back just as hard. The room erupted into noise, the girl broke out into a grin and reached out her hand for him to shake. Harry had a feeling he wasn't going to like this game at all.

"See, risk factor. You slap someone instead of kissing them and they get to slap you back." Ron explained.

"What if one person wants to kiss and the other wants to slap?" Harry asked.

"That's usually when the harder slaps happen, people upset they didn't get to kiss."

"Next up!" Dean shouted, pointing to the next person. The girl leaned forward and spun, it landed on another girl about halfway down the circle. She smiled, crawling up into the center and waiting for the chosen girl to do the same.

Harry expected a slap like last time, but was shocked when they began kissing, passionately. He looked away, feeling uncomfortable watching them kiss. Not many others seemed to share his feelings, shouting and whooping until they broke apart. He glanced at the blond, noticing he was looking away as well. Harry smiled slightly, he liked this guy even more every time he looked at him.

"Weasley! Weasley!" People began chanting. Harry looked at the bottle, it had narrowly missed him and was pointing at Ron. The girl who spun was named Lavender, her lipstick a bright red color and her eye shadow the most obnoxious shade of blue Harry had ever seen. For whatever reason, Ron seemed ecstatic to be chosen, rushing to the center and pulling her into a long, long kiss.

Harry was beginning to think this game was only intended to be played by exhibitionists and masochists. Harry, unfortunately, was neither.

"Hey, hotshot, your turn." Seamus called after a couple of turns, pointing a cup at Ron, who was currently being ogled by three different girls and had more lipstick on his face than all of them combined.

He grinned dopily at Harry and reached forward to spin the bottle, it landed on the boy Harry had come to know as Blaise-Bear. Harry stifled a laugh, it was obviously not what Ron had been expecting. Very few people managed to contain their laughter as they looked between the two.

He started to move before Harry caught his arm, gesturing for Ron to wipe his face. Ron nodded,

"Don't want to look like an idiot when I get slapped like one." He muttered, sizing up the other man. He was exceptionally larger than Ron, matching his height- which was unusual enough with how tall Ron is- and far more built. Ron had a sleeker build, fit but not necessarily muscular. He threw another worried glance at Harry when he made it to the center.

Blaise seemed to be having a dilemma of his own, arguing quietly with the girl about something before she shoved him forwards to the center. He cleared his throat and offered his hand first. Ron's eyes went wide with fear, thinking it was to slap him. When he realised his mistake he confusedly reached out to take his hand.

The man pulled him suddenly, forcing Ron off balance and sending him tumbling into his arms, he pressed his lips to Ron's, his free hand wrapping around his waist.

Surprisingly, Ron didn't pull away, he didn't seem to struggle at all. Harry watched for the first time since the game started, not bothering to hide his shock.

After a moment Ron relaxed and kissed him back, not sloppy and drunk like he had with the girls, but with what looked like genuine interest. Harry immediately regretted watching and averted his eyes again, intending to give Ron privacy this time rather than out of disgust.

"Hot damn!" Pansy shouted, catcalling them. The rest of the room followed with confused cheering. Blaise pulled away with a sly smirk, rolling his eyes at her. He reached out his hand again, this time for the actual shake, and Ron took it nervously. He blushed as he returned to his seat beside Harry.

"Enjoying yourself, are you?" Harry teased. Ron turned a deeper shade of red,

"Let's not speak of it."

To Ron's relief, they didn't get much of a chance, Harry was the next to spin. He now also regretted deciding to join the circle. He made up his mind as he reached for the bottle; he would ask them to slap him first, then tap them as light as possible and be on his merry way, hopefully never to be picked again.

He didn't want to see where it landed, the low murmurs from the crowd reassured that choice, and he made his way to the center without looking up.

"Hello." A quiet, semi familiar voice greeted. His head jerked up suddenly, it was the guy. The blond the other two had been protective over all night, the reason he was playing this stupid game to begin with.

"Hey." He mumbled, scratching the back of his head, "Did you-" He started to ask if he'd like to slap first, aiming to stick to his game plan, but then Harry saw his eyes drop to stare at his lips and every thought in his brain melted into a puddle.

He leaned in, taking Harry's hand gently in a completely different approach than his friend's, "Is this okay?" He whispered, quiet enough for only Harry to hear. His free hand reached up to ghost over Harry's cheek. He nodded mutely, not sure he could get his voice to work if he tried.

Harry watched his eyes drop down to his lips again as he licked his own, which brought Harry's attention to his lips. Somewhere deep in his subconscious he realised that there was maybe a bit too much thought of lips for a supposed straight man, but then the blond's eyes fluttered closed as he inched closer to Harry, and Harry gave in to letting himself forget everything around them for a moment.

They kissed, slow and hesitant. Harry had never done anything like this before, he'd never kissed a stranger at a party, never played a game involving said kiss with a stranger at a party, and he'd definitely never kissed a stranger that was a guy.

They broke apart only a second later, but they both had small grins they tried and failed to hide as they took their places in their seats again.

"Did you just-" Ron started, Harry shook his head,

"Let's not speak of it." He repeated.

The game continued as normal, another pair kissed, a girl slapped a guy, a guy slapped a guy, and then it was Pansy's turn.

She lifted her chin and reached forward, landing the bottle on a girl across the circle who had gently slapped a guy on her turn, looking like she didn't want to be there any more than Harry did. Pansy crooked a perfectly manicured finger at the nervous girl, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

The girl took in Pansy's haughty expression and suddenly came to life, a challenge of her own in the glint of her eyes as she pulled herself up, meeting Pansy in the middle with new-found courage.

"Pansy Parkinson." She introduced herself. The girl cleared her throat, tipping her chin up as Pansy had done,

"Hermione Granger." She replied. Pansy reached forward and twisted a strand of Hermione's long curly hair around her finger,

"A pleasure." She whispered, a seductive smile on her face. She leaned in close and whispered something else into the girl's ear, making her cheeks turn pink. She nodded- so slight you would have missed it if you weren't paying attention- and Pansy kissed her.

She curled a hand around Hermione's waist, pulling her close and weaving her other hand through her hair. Hermione reciprocated immediately, both of her arms coming up to wrap around Pansy's shoulders. They kissed for a few seconds before Hermione reluctantly pulled away, wiping Pansy's lipstick off the corner of her mouth.

Blaise recreated Pansy's catcalling, throwing in a long whistle as Pansy turned and gave him the finger.

Then it was Blaise's turn, he spun the bottle, landing on Dean. Dean looked to Ron- who's face was bright red again- and back to Blaise with an amused expression,

"Name's Dean, this is my boyfriend Seamus, we're the hosts of the party." He introduced himself to Blaise as he made his way to the center. Blaise nodded politely,

"I'm Blaise Zabini, I'm with the group from Salazar collage. It's nice to meet you."

They shook hands. Ron tensed, watching the interaction with more concentration than necessary.

"Go on then, Blaise, show me what you've got."

Blaise blew out a slow breath, then slapped Dean as gently as possible. Dean's smile grew wider,

"I expected as much." He whispered, giving Blaise a light slap back, "It's nice to meet you as well. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you around." He winked at Ron and returned to Seamus.

Blaise turned and joined his friends quietly, Pansy had a knowing look on her face. The blond shook his head, wearing a slight smile as well.

Ron turned to Harry with wide eyes, he leaned in close to whisper in his ear,

"I think I have to tell you something."

Harry snorted, shaking his head, "It's okay." He replied, patting his arm, "I know."

Ron nodded silently, turning back to look at the group without really seeing them.

Next up was the blond. He looked to Pansy with a pleading expression, she rolled her eyes and shooed him to the center where he spun the bottle. Harry turned away, he had noticed the look on Ron's face when Blaise got Dean and had no intentions of making a mistake like that of his own. He was just beginning to wonder why it got suddenly quiet when Ron nudged him,

"Mate, it's you." He muttered. Harry turned, sure enough, the bottle pointed directly at him. He looked at the blond, who seemed just as shocked as he was. Dean laughed loudly,

"Merlin, this just keeps getting better!" He cried, throwing an arm around Seamus.

The blond sighed and moved towards the center again, waiting awkwardly as Harry moved forwards as well.

"Er... Hey." Harry offered.

The corners of his lips twitched up in a smile, "Hello."

Harry took a deep breath, the feeling of everyone's eyes on him making him nervous. 

The blond rolled his eyes, pulling him into a sudden kiss.

It didn't take long for his instincts to take over, before Harry realised what he was doing he was holding his hips, pulling him closer.

They broke apart after a couple of seconds this time, both of them a little breathless.

The blond turned and sat with his friends again, his expression hidden by his hair as he stared down at his hands.

Harry moved quickly back to Ron, turning away from the group so they couldn't see his face.

"I think you have something to tell me." Ron smirked. Harry groaned and let his head fall onto Ron's shoulder,

"Please stop talking."

Ron chuckled, patting Harry on the back consolingly.

The next pair met in the center, a girl and a boy who were both extremely nervous.

"Kiss or slap, honey!" Another girl shouted, lifting her cup, "You gotta pick one!"

The girl in the middle flushed scarlet and looked away. The boy watched her for a moment before he reached out to take her face in his hands, lifting her face to his. She sucked in a surprised breath at the motion.

He smiled softly, leaning in slowly until they were only inches apart from each other.

"Attaboy, Neville!" Someone shouted from the other side of the circle. He didn't seem to hear them, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

They broke apart quickly, Neville tipped his head towards the door to the living room, whispering something to her. She nodded and took his hand, walking out of the room together.

"Aww, they're probably gonna cuddle and read plant books together!" The first girl sobbed, wiping at her eyes, "They grow up so fast!"

The groups attention moved back to Seamus, everyone in the circle had officially gone besides him and Dean.

"House Rules!" Seamus shouted, turning and knocking Dean to the floor, kissing him passionately.

The room was a mixture of groans and shouting, some throwing things at them and telling them to get a room.

"They already have one!" Ron laughed, tossing his own empty cup, "Bloody use it!"

Harry found himself smiling too, starting to enjoy himself a lot more than he thought he was going to.

"Alright, show's over, back to your drunken festivities please!" Dean called when they broke apart for air, waving a hand at them all.

Harry stood, hoping to make it to his previous spot on the armchair before someone else stole it. Ron caught his arm before he could make it to the door, 

"Oh, no you don't." He laughed, pulling Harry backwards, "There's a whole other side of the house this way, I'm not having you go back to your little socially devoid bubble again."

Harry followed reluctantly, apologizing as they bumped into people while they passed. Ron was stopped in the hall by the group of Ravenclaw cheerleaders.

"Weasley, right? We've heard a lot about you." The first girl giggled, twirling her hair. Ron looked back at Harry, his eyes wide,

"Um... hey guys- Ladies! Ladies. Yeah, you all seem... nice." He cringed, stepping backwards.

Harry coughed to cover his laughter, he'd never seen Ron's game so terrible before.

"Did you want to get something to drink?" Another one asked, pouting her lips. Ron shook his head,

"No." He backtracked immediately, "I mean, I would, but I um- I can't right now." He cleared his throat and looked around until he spotted a guy at the counter, "I've got someone I have to go talk to, great meeting you!" He grabbed Harry's arm and all but sprinted away from the cheerleaders.

"Ron, what are you-"

"Hey, Cedric, how are you?" Ron asked loudly, cutting Harry off.

Cedric grinned and held up a mug, "Good, how about you guys?"

"Is that coffee?" Ron asked incredulously. Cedric nodded,

"Yeah, I don't drink. I got a sports match and some big tests coming up. I'm on scholarship at Hufflepuff, remember?"

"Right, I always forget you're a Badger." Ron laughed. Cedric nodded,

"Proudly so. The scholarship I got is the tri-student scholarship. It's supposed to be for academic, athletic, and leadership qualities." He leaned in close, "But between you and me? It's murder. The course load is so difficult, I hardly ever have spare time, and when I do; I have to kill it by studying or volunteering to do campus tours for the freshman. It's alright though, I met my girlfriend Cho through the program and she's amazing."

Harry smiled, "Cho Chang, right? How is she?"

"Oh, you know her?" Cedric asked. Harry nodded,

"We've met. It was back in high school. She was one of the students I tutored in DA club."

Cedric smiled, "Oh yeah, she's great, she goes to Ravenclaw Academy. She's still playing sports and she's smarter than she's ever been. She seems really happy right now."

"That's good, I'm glad to hear it." Harry nodded.

Ron pointed towards the back door, "I'm gonna go for some air." He announced. Cedric nodded,

"Good to see you both."

They walked away, stepping outside into the cool night air, Ron laughed once the door shut behind them,

"Didn't you have a thing for Cho back then?" He asked. Harry shrugged,

"She liked Cedric. The only way I would have ever been able to be with her is if he wasn't around, but obviously that wasn't gonna happen."

"And you're cool with them dating now?"

"Yeah, why not? She's happy, he's happy. I'm not really looking for that kind of relationship right now anyways."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Sure, that's what they all say."

"Hey, I wasn't going to ask about you literally running away from those girls earlier. The Ron I know would have killed me for trying to pull him away."

"I don't want to talk about it." Ron muttered. Harry scoffed,

"Oh so when I don't want to talk about something, that's not allowed, but when you don't want to talk about something-"

"It's different, Harry." Ron groaned, he glanced around and pulled Harry away from the porch, they stood beneath the tree in the yard, "I don't know how if I'm ready to talk about it yet."

Realization dawned the moment he took in the serious look on Ron's face. Ron was hardly ever serious, and when he was it was usually very important to him. Harry smiled,"Is this about Blai-"

"Shhhh!" Ron hissed, clapping a hand over his mouth, "Don't say his name out loud."

Harry rolled his eyes, pushing Ron's hand away, "Okay, chill out. I won't say it."

They both froze as the back door opened again, Pansy stepped out with a glass in hand, she swung it towards Blaise with a loud laugh,  "You should have seen the look on your face! You're totally whipped Blaise-bear!"

Blaise stepped out after her, rolling his eyes,

"Okay, first of all, no I'm not. Second of all, says you." 

"What is that supposed to mean?!" She called.

"You know what that means! You were practically drooling over that girl."

"This is lies, slander, defamation of my very character!"

The third one, the one that caused an immediate blush to form on Harry's face, closed the door behind them with a quiet laugh, "Pans, he's right. Plus, we all know she's exactly your type."

"And what's your type? Tall, dark, and brooding?"

"At least I didn't fall head over heels for a straight guy." He threw a glance at Blaise.

Ron's posture went rigid again. Harry raised an eyebrow but Ron didn't notice, his attention completely focused on Blaise's response.

"No man who kissed me has ever come back straight." A coy smile played on his face, he pointed at the other man and it turned wicked, "And I wouldn't be the one to talk about falling if I were you."

"Yeah, honestly, I've never seen you look at someone that way before." Pansy nodded, elbowing him in the side. Blaise snorted,

"I've never seen you look at someone any way before. Way to dive right in."

"Can you both shut it already?" The blond sighed, moving to sit down on the swinging bench. Pansy tapped a finger to her chin in thought, sitting down beside him and swinging her feet into his lap,

"Only if one of you get me another drink." 

"No, you're at your limit." The blond replied without hesitation. He didn't seem fazed by her closeness, lifting his hands and resting them back down on top of her legs like it was normal for them.

"Limits are for little boys who can't handle their liquor." She pouted. Blaise grabbed her glass from her,

"Limits are for girls who don't want puke on their dress. No more drinks, I'm coming back with snacks."

He kissed her cheek and opened back up the door, stepping inside and disappearing into the crowd again.

Ron's eyes widened and he looked back at Harry, "I have to go, er... talk to someone."

"I know where you're going, Ron, just go. I'll be fine."

Ron nodded and slipped into the group going back inside. Pansy noticed him,

"Speak of the devil. How long do you think 'snacks' will take?"

"Over fifteen minutes, my guess."

"I'll give it ten before he comes back out here to tell us he's leaving." She laughed.

Harry leaned against the tree, staring up at the sky. He could hear the distant sound of fireworks and parties on other streets.

He thought back to the last New Years he'd spent with Ron's family, helping Mrs. Weasley put away the Christmas decorations and pass out snacks to the rest of the family before midnight.

He knew she'd be proud to hear he went out this year, she was always fussing over him, telling him to meet someone he liked so he wouldn't be lonely.

His excuse was always that he was too busy with work and school for that kind of stress added on to everything, but the truth was, he'd never really found anyone. Even Cho, who he liked more than anyone else he'd met, just wasn't what he was looking for. She was a friend, but he doubted they would ever be more than that, not with them both wanting very different things.

The blond caught his attention again as he leaned over to whisper into Pansy's ear. She giggled and threw her hands up,

"Fine! You win, it's been fifteen minutes. I'll go check on him."

"Play nice, Pansy. The poor boy is probably confused."

"I'll be nice if you save me a drink."

He rolled his eyes, "Nice try." He laughed. She stood and walked inside, perfectly balanced on her deathly tall heels despite all the alcohol she drank.

Harry turned his attention back to the sky, content in the solitude under the tree. That was, until he heard footsteps in the grass stop a few feet away from him,

"Hello."

Harry looked down, the man had gotten up from the porch swing and was standing in front of him, watching him curiously.

"Hey." Harry whispered back, moving over so there was room for him to lean against the trunk too.

The blond was wearing a soft smile and holding a cup of completely clear liquid. He noticed Harry staring and lifted it,

"Pansy doesn't let me walk around a party empty handed, and I don't drink in public, so it's just water."

Harry nodded, he wasn't planning on asking, but the knowledge seemed right somehow, it fit into the blond's character.

"You seem close." Harry commented. He nodded,

"Closer than anything, they're my best friends." He hesitated before adding, "We aren't that much alike, but they're both all that I have, so we manage the differences."

"Yeah, Ron's like that for me too."

He tipped his head, "Is that the red-head you're here with?"

"Yeah, the one your friend kissed."

"Right, how'd he take that? I know he seemed to have a preference for women."

"Understatement, but I'd say it went..." He tried to find the right word and ended up shaking his head, "Well, let's just say he's probably not going to have that preference much longer."

Draco gave a warm laugh, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"So your friend does this often? Romancing straight men?"

"Not on purpose, he just sort of stumbles into it. He seemed... different with Ron, especially rejecting the other guy's kiss. I think he might actually have feelings."

Harry nodded, "Your other friend, she seemed pretty intense as well."

"Oh, yeah. That's Pansy for you, but same as Blaise, I'm not sure what it is about this party that's making everyone find their match." He joked.

They looked at each other and Harry felt his heart skip a beat. He cleared his throat and looked away, not wanting to be sucked into the moment, into the peace of their little quiet corner under the starry sky. He never let his guard down this much, the thought of everything he never knew he wanted terrified him.

The blond leaned his head against the tree, watching the party continue on inside the house.

"Did you um..." He hesitated, looking like he didn't really want to ask, "Did you find your match here?"

Harry tried to keep his breathing even as he shrugged, "I'm not sure yet." He whispered.

"What can make up your mind?"

There was a question in his eyes, one Harry was honestly a little afraid to answer. He answered it with a question of his own instead,

"Do you want to get out of here?" Harry asked quietly. He nodded without hesitation,

"Yes."

Harry pushed off of the tree, feeling more brave than he was, and reached out a hand.

He slid his hand into Harry's easily, like they'd known each other much longer than a couple of hours.

"It's late." The blond commented as they weaved carefully through the group by the back door, "I'm not sure what all is still open."

"It's New Years Eve." Harry replied, never letting go of his hand, "Anywhere you want."

"Let me tell Pansy we're leaving." He gestured towards the kitchen.

She stood talking with two of the others from the Salazar Collage group,

"Dude! You've got to try this!" A shorter, muscular man shouted, shoving a cup towards him. The blond shook his head and raised his free hand in a brief wave,

"Hey Theo, Astoria. And I'm alright, thank you."

"Enjoying the party?" The girl beside Pansy asked, Astoria, Harry assumed. She swept her long blonde hair over her shoulder, her aesthetic exactly the opposite of Pansy's but just as breathtaking.

"I'm actually headed out." He replied, nodding towards Harry. All three of them immediately noticed their linked hands. He cleared his throat, "Don't wait up for me, yeah?" He asked. Pansy nodded,

"Have fun darling, be safe. I'll walk with the others." She kissed his cheek, throwing a curious glance towards Harry.

They started making their way to the door again, passing by Cedric (who gave him an extremely obvious thumbs up), and Neville who was cuddled on the sofa with the girl, talking about their favorite forms of aquatic herbology.

They finally made it outside, Harry noticed the couple he saw when he first arrived were still occupying the bench, though the group of shirtless guys had been joined by a larger number of also shirtless guys. They had abandoned the keg, or maybe just ran out of alcohol, and were now playing chicken on top of each other's shoulders.

They laughed quietly to themselves as they passed, their shoulders bumping into each other. Harry couldn't help but wonder how he'd ever managed going to these sorts of things before, he'd never had so much fun at a party than he did now, joking about how insane these people were and how none of them would even remember this in the morning.

It was different with him, Harry didn't feel like he was bringing the mood down, he felt alive for once.

Harry had never cared much for the holiday before, not needing an excuse to drink so badly that he would choose to celebrate the beginning of a month. But now, as he walked down the street holding this strangers hand with the feeling of a warm buzz and the sight of hundreds of fireworks going off all around them, he finally understood. Something so new, the start of endless possibilities, might be something worth celebrating.

"Would you like to see my flat?"

The blond's eyes were a bright silver color, reflecting the light of the fireworks. Harry nodded, not allowing himself a chance to overthink things,

"Lead the way."

They walked a few blocks over until they reached Harry's street, Harry was just about to point out where he stayed when Draco gestured to the opposite side,

"That's me." He mumbled, looking nervous, "I, uh-" He cleared his throat, "I don't normally do this sort of thing." He confessed.

Harry laughed, "Me neither."

"Yeah, I could tell."

"What gave it away?" Harry asked jokingly.

He pretended to think about it before he snapped his fingers, "I think it was you staring at your phone for twenty minutes in an armchair by yourself."

Harry smirked, "You sure it wasn't the terrible kissing skills?"

He shook his head, his smile growing wider, "I'd say they're pretty alright if you asked me."

They walked into the flat still smiling. Harry looked around, letting out a low whistle,

"Wow, your place is amazing." He breathed. 

"Thank you, Blaise and Pansy share a flat upstairs."

"And you live here alone?" Harry asked.

"Technically, but they spend the majority of their time here so you wouldn't think so."

"Why don't you all just share a place?"

He cleared his throat, undoing the button on his collar, "I have a thing with privacy." He muttered. He waved a hand dismissively, "It's not a huge deal, but they more often than not invite partners to stay the night at their flat, so it's a lot easier for me to have my own place for all of our sanity."

Harry nodded, not wanting to press any further. He could tell the issue was personal, and he knew better than to pry.

"I had assumed you three would be staying somewhere more..." He tried to find a word that wasn't rude, "Upscale."

The blond snorted, noticing the hesitation, "Our families are very wealthy, yes." He nodded, shrugging off his jacket, "But it wasn't our choice to be born into them, I can't remember meeting a Slytherin who actually enjoyed spending summers with their family." He sat down on the plush sofa, gesturing for Harry to sit too, "Pansy wanted to work in the cafe near here, so we moved into the closest flats."

"That's it? You decided to move here because she wanted to work at the cafe?"

He shrugged, "I never said there weren't also upsides to rich families." He turned to face Harry, "Honestly? I like living in these flats, it's much better than what it was like at the Manor."

"I'm sorry, did you just say Manor?" Harry failed to hide the shock in his voice.

"It sounds nice, sure, but it was incredibly suffocating. I wasn't allowed outside of the gates, and anytime I was I needed to have an escort present at all times. My meals were brought to my room and the only form of entertainment I was allowed was taking piano lessons. It felt more like a prison than a home." He explained. Harry's face fell immediately,

"I'm sorry, I had no idea it was like that."

"It's alright, you wouldn't have known. Besides, we don't normally talk about it, Pansy is all about appearances, showing weakness to the public isn't flattering."

Harry shook his head, "You're allowed to be human, you know?"

"I know, we are very open between the three of us, don't think we bottle everything up. It's just with the public, she doesn't want me getting hurt, especially in a world where there's so much that can hurt you. She taught me to be strong, but brave enough to accept help." He laughed, shaking his head, "I still struggle with that last part."

"She sounds like a wonderful person." Harry smiled softly. He nodded,

"She really is." He sighed, "Enough about me. What about you? What's your family like?"

"Oh." Harry laughed awkwardly, "Er... well, my parents died when I was really young. Ron's parents took me away from my aunt and uncle's house when I was about eleven, and I stayed with them until I moved in here for collage."

"Do you remember them? Your parents?" He asked quietly. Harry shook his head,

"Not really. Sometimes I think I can, but I only really know them from pictures and stories." He smiled, "But Ron's family, the Weasley's, they're the best family I've ever met. They have Christmas as a huge family and they eat dinner at the table together every night. Their mum's an amazing person too, she makes everyone these jumpers with their initials every year and always has an extra room to spare for someone who needs one."

He smiled, his eyes glistening again, "They sound like wonderful people too." He nodded, "I'm sure your parents would have been happy to know you found them."

Harry was quiet for a long time, trying to keep from tearing up, "Yeah, I'm sure they would be." He finally whispered.

The blond stood, brushing off his pants, "I don't want to keep you, I'm sure this isn't exactly how you wanted to spend your night."

Harry stood too, a little reluctantly. He wasn't sure he was ready to say goodbye yet. He checked the ornate clock on the wall, "It's only eleven thirty, how about I stay? Just until midnight, that way neither of us is alone on New Years Eve."

"Okay." The other nodded, he turned and walked into the kitchen, "Do you have a preference? I mostly stock the things Blaise and Pansy like, I'm partial to wine, but I have whiskey as well if you'd prefer."

Harry followed him, sitting down on one of the bar stools at the island, "I'll take whatever you're having."

After a couple moments of clinking glass and a muttered curse, he finally found what he was looking for. He set it down on the counter in front of Harry, the words on the bottle were all in another language.

"It's french." He explained, pointing at the label, "'Dîner à minuit'." He smiled, "It was given to me as a gift a while ago, I kind of have to use it."

"Why do you have to?" Harry asked.

"The person who gave it to me made me promise I would use it for a date." He mumbled, his cheeks tinted red, "And seeing as you're the only person I've invited over, or am planning on inviting over, it seems this is the only occasion that fits."

"Is this a date?" Harry asked, leaning forward, his voice was low. The question made the blond's eyes snap up to his, he cleared his throat,

"Um... do you want it to be?" He asked. The sudden nervousness in his expression made Harry's stomach flip.

Harry pretended to think about it like he had done earlier, leaning back casually, "I believe I asked you first."

He shrugged again, turning away to grab their glasses, "I would like it to be." He hesitated before adding, "If you're interested."

Harry stood, walking around the counter and reaching past him to grab the cups.

The blond was taller by a couple of inches and easily could have reached it himself, but the action gave Harry the excuse to stand close behind him. He leaned in so his lips were right next to his ear,

"I'm interested." He whispered.

He felt a slight tremor go through him. Harry wasn't sure what possessed him to act like this, he'd never exactly been the most extroverted person in the world. And he definitely had no luck in the relationships department, but it felt easy with him, right in a way it had never been before.

"Okay." The blond whispered.

Harry set the glasses down on the counter, closing the cabinet door.

"I think we can save that bottle for our second date." Harry mumbled, letting his hands run down his shoulders, along his arms. When he reached his hands he took them gently in his own, "I have a good idea for how else we can pass the time."

"Draco." The blond said suddenly. Harry paused and he cleared his throat, never turning away from the cabinet, "My name is Draco." He repeated.

"Draco." Harry whispered, he'd never heard a name like that before, but it fit the blond perfectly, as everything else about him seemed to, "It's nice to meet you, Draco."

"It's nice to meet you too, Harry."

Harry gently turned Draco around to look at him, their faces inches apart, "Can I kiss you?" He asked. Draco nodded,

"Yes." He whispered.

Chapter 2: The Kiss at Midnight

Harry kissed him, one arm wrapped around him and the other braced against the counter top.

Draco's hands came up to his hair, his fingers running through the strands and sending chills down Harry's spine.

"Would you like to see the bedroom?" Draco asked, his eyes hopeful. Harry nodded and stepped back to let him go. Draco took him down the hallway to the door at the very end.

The room had a soft, emerald green carpet and dark colored walls. There were floor to ceiling curtains on the windows and a canopy bed with a massive amount of pillows.

"Wow." Harry whispered, he had used that word more tonight than he had in the last year, "Your room is gorgeous."

"Thank you."

"Do you mind if I-" He gestured towards his shoes, worrying about keeping them on with the carpet. Draco shook his head,

"No, not at all, I usually keep my shoes over here." He slipped off his dress shoes and set them down beside the door. Harry followed suit, placing his worn down running shoes beside them.

Draco gave another nervous laugh, the sound made Harry's chest fill with warmth.

"It's almost midnight." Draco whispered, taking a small step closer. Harry hummed, closing the space between them. He reached out and circled his arms around Draco's waist, 

"You know what they say about a New Year's kiss?" He asked. Draco shook his head,

"What do they say?" He mumbled distractedly. His eyes were focusing on Harry's lips again, just like they had when they sat in the center of the circle together.

But they weren't in the circle now, it was just the two of them, alone in Draco's bedroom, and Harry had never felt more sure of himself. He dropped his voice lower,

"The person you kiss is the person you're supposed to spend the rest of the year with."

Draco's eyes fluttered closed, tilting his head to the side, "Yeah?"

Harry laughed softly, kissing Draco's jaw. He felt Draco's arms wrap around his shoulders, their bodies pressed closer together. Harry tightened his grip, moving down to kiss his neck. He heard a small gasp escape him. 

"Harry-" He mumbled, his lips parted. Draco's hands found his hair again and it didn't take long for them to pick up where they left off.

Draco fumbled backwards towards the bed, pulling Harry on top of him. Harry straddled his waist without ever deciding to. Despite having never done this before, his body seemed to know exactly what to do, and he definitely knew exactly what he wanted.

Draco's hands slipped underneath Harry's shirt, skating along his back as they kissed. "I take it back." Draco whispered, pulling away for a second to look up into Harry's eyes, "Your kissing skills may need improvement."

He managed to keep a straight face for two whole seconds before he broke into a wide grin.

Harry laughed, pressing their foreheads together, "You're hilarious." He muttered. Draco lifted up to kiss the tip of his nose,

"One of my many talents."

"And humble too?" Harry commented, raising an eyebrow, "You really are full of surprises."

"Just wait until I show you a few of my special talents." Draco rolled his hips, Harry's next sentence was cut off by a sharp breath.

They stayed in bed for a long time, tangled in bed sheets and each other's arms. It wasn't until the clock in the living room chimed softly that they broke apart. Harry smiled, pulling him in for one last kiss as the final bell sounded,

"I guess that means your stuck with me." He whispered. Draco rolled his eyes,

"I better be, you still owe me a second date with that wine bottle, remember?"

They were all smiles and soft touched as they got dressed again. Harry slipped back on his shoes, waiting as Draco took the time to tie his own properly. They walked back into the hallway hand in hand.

"May I walk you to your place?" Draco asked. Harry nodded, grateful to have an excuse for the night to not be over yet.

"I'm actually just down the street, I was going to point it out earlier but I never really got the chance."

They stepped out into the night again, much colder than Harry remembered. Draco sighed and took off his coat, draping it over Harry's shoulders.

"Thank you." Harry whispered, pulling his arms through the sleeves so he could take Draco's hand again.

They crossed the street and made their way up to the third floor, Harry had just pulled out his keys when he realised it wasn't locked.

"Draco." He whispered. Draco noticed the panic in his voice immediately,

"You locked it when you left?" He asked. Harry nodded,

"I always double check."

Draco took a deep breath, glancing towards the stairs, "Well, whatever happened its not likely an intruder is still in there, we should call the police if we find anything out of place." He suggested. Harry nodded,

"Right, okay, I'll be right back." He started to push open the door but Draco caught his arm,

"I'm coming with you. Don't turn on the lights, use your flashlight."

Harry pulled out his phone and did as he said, pointing it first towards the living room. Everything seemed normal, even down to the empty mugs they left on the coffee table this morning. They paused when they heard a sound from the kitchen,

"Look." Draco whispered, pointing at the ceiling. The light from the kitchen was shining from around the corner. Harry shook out his hands and nodded,

"Stay behind me, there's a baseball bat by the door, grab that." He spoke under his breath.

They walked as quietly as possible, the closer they got the clearer the sounds were. Harry froze just around the corner, turning to stare wide-eyed at Draco. Someone was moaning.

"What the-" Draco muttered, his eyebrows furrowed. They peered around the corner, then immediately wished they hadn't.

Blaise and Ron stood in the kitchen. Both of their shirts lay in a pile on one of the chairs and Blaise's hand was pressed between them, doing something Harry pretended wasn't what it really was. Ron had one hand thrown around Blaise's shoulders, the other holding the pantry handle above his head.

The pair jumped apart the moment they saw Draco and Harry standing there.

Harry tore out of the room, cursing loudly,

"What the fuck, Ron!" He shouted.

Draco burst into laughter, unable to form a coherent sentence. He tossed the baseball bat to the side and clutched his stomach. Blaise looked sheepish, putting his shirt on and throwing glances back at Ron.

Ron had sunk to the floor in embarrassment, he threw his shirt back on and covered his face.

"Going for snacks, you said?" Draco teased, staring at Blaise. Blaise shoved his shoulder, then turned his attention back to Ron,

"Love, let me help you up." He whispered, holding out a hand.

"Petnames too? Who are you?" Draco gasped.

"Still myself enough to know I'll deck your scrawny arse if you say anything else." He shot back, raising an eyebrow. He turned back to Ron and held out his hands.

Ron took them, letting Blaise lift him off the floor. He immediately tucked his head into Blaise's shoulder.

"How was the party?" Blaise asked, wrapping his arms around Ron, "Did Pansy get home okay?"

"I think she went with the others." Draco replied, walking back into the living room and turning on the light. Harry sat with his head in his hands, wishing beyond anything he could unsee the image in his head. Unhear it too.

"You didn't go home with her?" Blaise questioned, suddenly suspicious. Draco sighed,

"We left early, you know parties aren't my thing."

"Mine either." Harry added, lifting a hand. The fancy cuff caught Ron's eye and he gasped,

"You're wearing his jacket." He pointed out, some of his color finally returning now that he could take the attention off of himself, "Did you two-"

"No." They both said at the same time, though their matching blushes that suddenly formed told a slightly different story.

"Oh my god." Blaise laughed, "And you're making fun of me? You slept with him!"

"Blaise, I swear to god, if you don't-"

"No, no, darling. Fair's fair. You will be hearing about this for at least a week if Pansy has anything to say about it." He smiled.

Harry put his head back into his hands, his stomach queasy for a new reason.

"We better go make sure she got home okay." Draco sighed, "Thank you for tonight, Harry. I expect you to keep your end of the deal." He raised an eyebrow and Harry rolled his eyes,

"I will."

Blaise leaned in and kissed Ron's forehead, his expression softer than Harry had seen it before,

"I'll see you around." He whispered. Ron nodded silently.

They watched as the two left their flat, neither of them speaking for a long time. Finally, Ron plopped down into the seat beside Harry,

"Did that really just happen?" He asked.

Harry nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I think it did."

"Harry, I think we have something to tell each other." He joked. Harry snorted,

"Happy New Years, Ron." He muttered, standing up and heading towards his room, "Get some sleep."

He laid in bed that night thinking of Draco, wondering what things would be like now that they'd found each other. He wasn't sure they'd ever be the same, but he also didn't think he wanted them to.

 

Chapter 3: The After Party

"Okay, but I'm telling you, the best way to get a girl to like you is to be straightforward." Ron was saying, pausing to take a sip of his drink, "Girls love a guy who takes charge. You don't ask, you just do it, y'know?"

Hermione slapped Ron's shoulder, "Honestly, Ronald!" She shouted, laughing. He shook his head,

"What? I'm just saying! Look, back me up on this Harry." He turned and pointed across the table at him. Harry held up his hands, not wanting to face the wrath of Hermione, she was quite fierce when she wanted to be.

"What is going on in here?" Pansy's voice came from behind them, she wrapped her arms around Hermione's shoulders, "Are you two being rude to my girlfriend?"

"They'd never be that stupid." Blaise smiled, walking up after her and ruffling Hermione's hair, "Hey dorkface."

"I told you to stop calling me that." She groaned, though her lips still curved in a small smile.

"Hi." Draco whispered, kissing Harry's shoulder as he sat down beside him, "Sorry we're a little late."

Harry shook his head, "You guys are fine, we were just talking about the best method to hitting on someone."

"Oh yeah?" Blaise laughed, raising an eyebrow at Ron, "What do you think that might be?" He asked. Hermione shook her head,

"You really don't want to know."

"I was a person before Blaise, y'know? I can't help it if they liked me!" He cried. Harry patted his hand,

"We know, Ron. You were a helpless victim in all of their swooning."

Ron nodded, "Exactly."

"You're all ridiculous." Draco laughed, "I think the best method is pretty obvious, don't you?"

"What's that?" Pansy asked, "Staring at them for ages and never having the guts to make a move?"

"Do you see him over there? Do you think he's listening? Act cool!" Blaise mimicked. Draco threw a napkin at them both,

"Shut it, I was talking about that spin the bottle game, you idiots."

Hermione nodded, "It seemed to work well enough." She moved her hands back to let Pansy steal a piece of her salad, "Neville and his girlfriend are still going strong too."

"I can't believe it's already been a year." Ron shook his head, "Time flies, doesn't it?"

"I can't believe we all have the same anniversary day." Pansy said, "This will make for some great parties."

"Nobody throws a party for a relationship anniversary, Pans." Draco muttered. She clicked her tongue, shaking her head,

"Every reason is a good reason to party."

Harry passed out the menus to them, pointing out which one he thought Draco would like.

"Honestly, does Draco do anything for himself?" Hermione asked when Draco accepted Harry's opinion without even reading it.

"Excuse me? I'm extremely independent, thank you." He retorted.

"When was the last time you opened a door, Dray?" Pansy asked. Ron snorted,

"Or made yourself food? Harry's always cooking for him, especially after they moved in together."

"As if I'm not always cooking for you." Blaise said, elbowing him. Ron gave him a small smile,

"That's just because your food tastes better."

"I think we all know Hermione is the spoiled one here." Draco pointed out, "Pansy won't let you out of her sight."

"Sure, but that doesn't mean I'm the most high maintenance, I take care of Pansy more than any of you take care of each other."

"I would just like to add-" Harry spoke over the loud bantering, lifting up a hand, "Draco has a bell."

Draco smacked his arm.

"A bell?" Blaise repeated, looking intrigued.

"I got it for him when he was sick last October, and he hasn't stopped using it since."

Draco shook his head when the others broke into laughter, "Listen-" He laughed a little himself, "I didn't want to use it at first, in my defense."

"Pillow princess." Pansy teased.

"Says you." Hermione whispered, a teasing smile on her face. Blaise howled with laughter,

"You're lucky I took Harry's place in their flat, I don't think I'd ever stop making fun of you." Blaise told Pansy. She rolled her eyes,

"Just pass me the mustard, you prick." She laughed.

The table was full of jokes and smiles the rest of lunch, sharing stories of the past year and everything they'd done together.

Harry couldn't imagine a better friend group, and he was secretly a little grateful in the end that Ron had drug him to that party.

It really was the party of a lifetime after all. Well, his lifetime anyway.

 

Notes:

Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed :)

My tumblr account is: accio-sriracha if you'd like to check that out for updates on fics coming out/ fun headcannon posts and oneshots <3

Lots of Love,
-Sriracha.