Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Italicized words refer to thoughts

"No."

"But you got dared, Draco. You can't just say no. You chose dare anyway" Goyle whined.

"I chose dare under the assumption that we are all intellectuals who do not give out dares that dunderheads produce," Draco said as a matter-of-factly.

"Well you assumed wrong so go ask Potter out," Blaise responded, patting Draco's knee in a comforting manner. Draco slapped his hand away.

The rest of the house looked seemingly hopeful. Pansy looked rather relieved. The 7 years of rivalry between Draco and Harry were finally taking the right turn and she couldn't be more pleased that it was all over. The last thing she needed on her path of clearing out her history with the Dark side was her best friend keeping up his rivalry with the Golden Boy.

The war was over and reparations well underway. Hogwarts had been rebuilt quickly so that students could continue their studies. The seventh years who missed their year of studies last year had the option to stay for an eighth year. Some did, to learn, some stayed to clear their mind of the war. The rest took the jobs they were offered and were happy elsewhere.

The Slytherin eighth years were playing a game of Truth or Dare in the common room, with the rest of the house watching them. Blaise had just dared Draco to ask Harry out for Hogsmeade weekend but Draco being Draco, started whining about it. The entire house was not having it. It was their only chance for Draco to get with Harry, just like how they all wished, ever since they were introduced to the concept of the fine line between love and hate.

"Ask him! Ask him! Ask him!" The entire house chanted together.

"Fine, but if he doesn't agree.. when he doesn't agree, don't expect me to chase after him till he does." The Slytherins cheered. Draco waved his hand, signaling to the other eighth years to follow him while he carries out his task at hand. The eighth years followed, with most of the house in tow. But of course, he was too nervous thinking about asking Harry out to notice.

Draco possibly has the smallest of crushes on Harry. Maybe it wasn't as small as he would like it to be and perhaps, it was too much that he had to mask it with hatred all these years. His mask was failing ever since the war ended as he knew he had no reason to keep it up. Draco was losing his mind. What if Potter still hates me? What if he doesn't care and just says no? It was more than Draco's pride at stake here, all these years of crushing on the boy were now nearing the end and the future seemed bleak.

Draco was so busy thinking that he hadn't realized that he had already made it to the third floor, nearing the great hall. He stopped fast in his tracks, bringing his thoughts back to reality. Only then did he realize that the majority of his house was behind him, not to mention the snarky third year who always had a camera on him. He vaguely reminded Draco of the little Gryffindor boy who kept following Harry around. Pity, he was still recovering in St. Mungo's, leaving Draco with no source to get pictures of Harry. Not that it mattered of course.

Draco spun around swiftly, prepared to bark at his Slytherin juniors for following him when they started gasping and nudging one another. Draco froze. He knew who was behind him and for the first time in his entire time here in Hogwarts, he did not want to turn to face the pretty boy. He would have appreciated a moment or two to collect himself before turning to face Harry, however, the ever so faithful Pansy had spun him around.

"P-Potter."

Harry stared at Draco through his glasses, nodding slightly in acknowledgment with his head cocked to the side in puzzlement. Harry was certain it was not the time for lunch yet but the presence of the entirety of Slytherin outside the Great Hall made him rethink. He could hear Hermione whispering away to Ron behind him, probably about how they are going to waste time taking the longer way to the Library considering the roadblock before them, he figured. Just as he was about to turn around, Draco addressed him again.

"Potter, do you have plans this weekend? Surely you must have, you would never make plans without your two sidekicks, why am I even asking. Of course, Saint Potter, forever busy with friends, with a Dark Lord chasing his back or not." Draco cringed at himself internally. Saint Potter? he questioned himself. He knew it was childish and he was over it but he could not help himself rambling on, making a bigger fool of himself in front of the Slytherins and worst still, Harry James Potter as well.

"Actually Malfoy, Harry is quite free this weekend, it being a Hogsmeade weekend after all. Ron and I were planning to go shopping together, isn't that right Ron?" Hermione shot invisible daggers from her eyes to Ron and the ginger could not do anything but nod his head quickly. Draco swore under his breath. Pansy must have hooked up with Granger about this, why that sly bitch. He knew he had to pop the question. Why am I so nervous, it is just Potter, we are not getting married, just ask him out Draco. He will reject you and you will turn around and say 'told you so'.

"Well since you are evidently stuck in the third-wheel option, how about I provide you an escape option?" Draco resumed cursing under his breath and questioning himself internally. What on Merlin's name Draco? Escape option? What am I doing, why must I be so embarrassing? Merlin, look at him, so cute and pretty and lost and.. oh shit. He does not understand. Must I spell it out for him?

"P-Potter," No stuttering. Draco cleared his throat and tried again. "Potter. Would you perhaps like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" He did it, he finally did it. Draco was elated. His part of this ordeal was over and all he needed was Potter to reject him and life would go on as per normal. (Of course, that included moping about how Potter will never be his, nothing unusual anyway.) He waited patiently for Harry's response, bracing himself for the worst. The bespectacled boy simply stared in a state of shock, unsure of how he should respond. Hermione's grip on Ron's hand became deadly and Ron yanked Harry's elbow and whispered something in his ear.

Draco could not really hear what he said though he did make out the words 'trust me' and 'you'll never know'. Harry had turned to shoot him and Hermione a pleading look but they were unfazed. Harry turned back and cleared his throat, pushing up his spectacles by the side with the center of his palm. How he managed to do that without getting his glasses dirty, Draco never understood. One thing he could understand was how unknowingly cute Harry was every time he did that, especially with the slight trace of a pout he had on at the moment. Draco cursed his attention to details and focused on the present.

"Uh, I guess I would not mind your company?" Harry tried to reply Draco with a statement but he could not help ending it like a question. He blinked at the blond, hoping that his face was not burning red yet. Draco felt his heart morph into those creatures in his stomach, fluttering to its own beat. "Main foyer where Filch gathers the students," Draco uttered and turned his back to the trio, signaling the end of the conversation.

Harry was nowhere close to understanding the scene that had just unfolded before his eyes. Thankfully, he had his two best friends to pull him away before he embarrassed himself further. There goes our library trip. Why was I so sure that for once we would actually study rather than find ourselves in trouble? Ron thought to himself, unsure as to how he was to react to whatever happened.

Of course, he would support any activity that could help his best mate to get over the war and getting Harry a partner was near the top of the list. As much as Ron would rather not admit, he knew that sometimes a change in company does help. Malfoy as the change in company was not something he had hoped for. Hermione had explained to him, well to whoever was present at the common room at that time, that Draco would be good for Harry to come to terms with the war and the losses due to their similar experiences. Only then did Ron realize that the two boys did have a lot in common, similar but different. Neither Ron nor Hermione talked to Harry about this though.

"Did Malfoy just ask me out on a date?" Harry had to reconfirm that what just happened was not some practical joke. Ron sighed and patted his shoulder, nodding. "And I agreed?" Hermione beamed. What has my life come to? Can't I ever stay away from problematic people? Harry sighed. Ron walked in silence while Hermione could not stop smiling. Whatever is she so happy about? Is she happy that I'm finally dating? I get it, she had been nagging for weeks that I should date but Malfoy?

Thanks for reading the first chapter! Apologies if I made any grammatical/spelling errors. I am not too sure how many chapters this fic will have but it will just be about their growing relationship. Do leave a review!