Stare

Harry Potter, as always, had extra homework to do on Christmas break.

He'd asked the extra load from Professor Snape, who glady gave him more than what he'd hoped for. Extra homework kept him busy, since he had nothing better to do for the next three weeks. Everybody else had gone back home, even Ron, who was more excited than ever to go home and have his mother's home cooking. Hermione, too, since she said her parents were taking her to some tropical country for the break, and come back the day before the Hogwarts Express leaves.

Quietly, he entered the library, and checked out some books he thought had some information on the topics he was assigned. He carried the set of leather-bound, old, thick and dusty books to some far part of the castle, to a study hall students rarely went in.

Near the quadrangle inside the school, Harry saw Draco Malfoy letting his owl go with a letter clasped tightly in its beak. He stopped and stared at him, wondering why Malfoy was staying at the castle instead of being already home, opening mountains of presents near huge fireplace, near the toasty fire.

Then he realized he was staring dazedly at him. He looked away, flushed, blood rushing to his cheeks, stepped foward and dropped two of the thickest books he was holding, and the bottle of ink, which spilled on the cold, stone floor.

A clink of glass, thuds of books and the sound of flying parchment was heard, along with a soft profanity that escaped Harry's mouth. He got down on the floor, quickly trying to retrieve his things and clean the mess the ink made before the Malfoy caught him, and before Mr. Filch makes him to do hours of detention.

His glasses slid down his nose as a shadow in the shape of a particular Slytherin he knew all too well blocked the sunlight. Harry looked up, and saw a very blurry Draco looking down at him with raised eyebrow.

"What the hell are you doing, Potter?" asked Malfoy rudely. He was discourteous as usual.

"Nothing," Harry answered awkwardly, then returned to gathering the books and the sheets of parchment as he tried to remember a charm for rubbing off stains. He set the books aside with the parchment, and pulled out his wand, "Tergeo," the ink rubbed off of the stone.

As soon as the ink disappeared off the floor, Harry gathered his things, and made his way to to the study hall with his head lowered, unable to look back at the blonde who was watching him walk away.

'Don't look back, don't look back. He'll notice you blushing!' Harry hurried into the dark hall, almost in a run.

Behind him, Malfoy was smirking. "He's cute when he's awkward. And the blush was a plus," he said to himself, and decided he should go back to the dungeons to get a hot cup of tea to warm up.