sooo chapter 23! I apologize for this update taking longer than usual. exams were stressing me out and I wanted to focus on studying for a while :)

I'm going to stop adding pictures before chapters. I think it was a bit too.. stereotypical emo wattpad. I might start doing songs though! if you have any recommendations, give them to me :)

enjoy!

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"You have lipstick all over your face."

"What?"

"Lipstick. A few kisses on your cheeks, your forehead, even one on your nose. I ought to be jealous if I didn't immediately know it was Pansy's lipstick on your face."

We had just pulled away from each other's lips when Harry decided to break the perfect moment with that.

The black-haired boy was slouched against the tree I was sitting by before he met me by the lake. His legs were spread apart, and his knees were bent, leaving a perfect wizard sized space. Just the right place for me to crawl into for some long-awaited teen romance I had been yearning for.

I scowled. "Why didn't you say anything before my face came within a three-inch vicinity of yours?"

"Because it looks funny," Harry chuckled. Amusement radiated from his expression. "Honestly, you're lucky I told you before you walked back to your dorm. Did nobody else see you?"

All of a sudden I remembered the students that curiously stared at me when I walked through the common room. My head perked back up. Oh, Merlin, I thought they just noticed that I'd been crying!

I let out a loud groan. I was about to bury my face back into Harry's chest, when he grasped both sides of my face and tilted it so I was forced to stare back at his face. Butterflies fluttered in my chest.

Oh, his smile could light up a whole room. No- a whole city! The way his lips curled upward and pushed the skin of his cheeks to his eyes lit fireworks in my mind. The way his jawline sharpened, and his cheekbones appeared more defined made me gush and melt into his lap. Literally.

His green eyes stared down at me in his lap, grin still fixed on his face. His huge smile proudly displayed his pearly white teeth. Yes, a few of them were crooked here and there but Morgana, who cares? They were perfect. Absolutely perfect. His teeth were part of his smile, and his smile was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

"Do you want me to wipe it off?"

There was a pause.

"Your- your smile?" I asked, confused, and slightly concerned that he read my thoughts somehow.

Another pause.

"What?" Harry responded, absolutely bewildered.

I stared into his emerald green eyes, my thoughts still disjointed. He raised one eyebrow, smirking now instead of grinning.

I froze as it dawned on me. I had completely forgotten what we were talking about because I was staring at him. Again! I hurriedly pulled my face out of his careful grasp and ran my hands down my face. How do I embarrass myself so easily?!

"Aww, Draco! Do you like my smile? You're so sweet-.."

Harry's hands had grasped my wrists and pulled my hands away again. His eyes darted across my nose, my cheeks, my forehead, and then back to my nose. And there was one last moment of silence.

And then Harry threw his head back in glorious laughter. I just gaped at him for a second, wondering what was so funny about my face, before glancing back down to my hands. They were grasped in Harry's, but I could clearly see my palms. They were smeared with the creamy red lipstick that Pansy is always flouncing around in.

At first, I was horrified. I was embarrassed at what my face could have looked like, covered in the makeup. I anxiously wondered if I got it in my perfect blonde hair. I probably looked so ridiculous, and Harry was laughing at me.

But as much as I tried to think of something defensive to say, I realized that I couldn't. I probably looked horrendous, of course, but who cares? Who cares if the boy in front of me is laughing at me? It doesn't matter. All that matters is that he's laughing.

And it's beautiful. It's loud and free, and it echoes across the misty lake behind me. I was lost in every cackle that left his lips. Eventually, after watching him laugh all by himself for a while, I could feel a giggle crawling up my throat, and it eventually came out of my mouth.

Bubbly laughter spilled past my lips. I made a move to cover my mouth, a habit I picked up when a relative had mentioned once that my top gums show when I smile, but Harry pulled my hands away again. He shook his head while still laughing wildly, he didn't need to say anything, I understood.

He liked my smile too.

He liked my smile- and he liked me. That was enough to set my soul on fire. We were both completely lost in giddy laughter. It felt like a dream. I hoped to any powerful deity watching over me that I didn't wake up. The way he grasped my hands grounded me, and I wanted to be closer.

Closer.

Closer.

"Boys, as much as I adore the light you've brought to my night, it's getting past curfew."

I hastily ripped my hands away from Harry's grasp and sat back up with my knees against my chest. I quickly tried to hide my face in my hands, assuming a defensive position.

My heart pounded against my chest with the anxiety of being caught. Being caught with a boy. Being caught with Harry fucking Potter. Merlin, if my father saw me I'd be dead. I'd be a crumpled ball of torn-apart limbs on the ground.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, grounding me again. As I was brought back down to Earth, I remembered that my father wasn't here. It wasn't my father that caught us. It was just Professor- Headmaster McGonagall.

I risked a glance up at her face through my fingers, expecting to be met with anger. But she didn't look angry. In fact, she was smiling. She stared amusedly back at my lipstick covered face.

"I don't suppose you'd like to be cleaned up?" McGonagall asked, reaching into a pocket in her skirt. I felt a jolt go through me when she pointed her wand at my face. I screwed my eyes shut and forced myself to be still while her magic brushed over my face, lifting the crimson off of it.

I took a shaky breath, and my eyes fluttered open when I heard her withdraw. She still held a warm smile, but she looked worried. She looked like she was pitying me. I just stared back down at my knees and prepared to be scolded for being out past curfew.

"I apologize, I suppose I should've warned you," the tall woman started, making me glance back up at her in surprise. "Unfortunately, I'm unable to break old habits." She glanced at Harry beside me, and then to his hand on my shoulder. "It seems you two have had no issues with breaking old habits, though."

I heard Harry chuckled quietly beside me, and he squeezed my shoulder. I finally allowed myself to let out the breath I'd accidentally been holding, in the comforting presence.

"Well, I'm not sure how much we've broken them, rather, switched them up a bit," the sentence was almost whispered. I gave the black-haired woman the best polite smile I could manage, still being gripped with anxiety. She must have seen through the tight-lipped expression, because she took a few steps closer to me and, to my utter amazement, kneeled to match my height on the ground.

"Draco, I want you to be aware that I don't hold a grudge against you." I furrowed my eyebrows and subconsciously brushed my hand across my left wrist. The action was not lost on the old woman, who gave me another pitying glance.

"There's no reason not to, Professor," I mumbled, eyes flitting down to her heeled boots, usually hidden by her long dresses. She sighed and shook her head lightly.

"Yes, there is. You might be an adult now, but you're still a student. Still my student," she reached a hand out a placed it on the back of my hand, which I had resting on my knee. "I admit, when you were younger I found you quite insufferable. Quite the spoiled brat, you were."

I let a little chuckle slip past my lips. "I can't say I disagree with you."

"Neither can I," Harry quipped from beside me, looking exasperated at the mere mention of me as a child. I glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, as if saying 'you're not allowed to agree', before turning back to McGonagall when she spoke again.

"Although it's only been two years, I'm sure you understand just how young you were. I'm afraid sixteen is much younger than you might've thought at the time. Take it from me; I can barely remember when I was sixteen! I'm an old woman by now, but don't tell anybody I admitted that," the tall woman joked, obviously trying to bring the mood back to what it previously was.

I flipped my palm up and squeezed her hand with mine. "I don't expect your forgiveness, nor do I expect you to even spare me a second glance," I started, and took another shuddering breath. "Thank you, for, um- for giving me another chance. Wether it's being allowed back into Hogwarts, or just- general hospitality. I didn't expect it from you. I didn't expect it from anyone. Thank you."

I internally cringed at the stammering in my sentences, wishing I could've just shut my trap instead of pushing through the inconsistencies.

"Oh, and thank you for getting the lipstick off," I quickly added. I could feel Harry's thumb brushing up and down on my shoulder. McGonagall grasped my hand in both of hers. The action made me believe she really did forgive me, no matter how much I didn't deserve it.

"You and your mother offered more funds than we could've possibly used. Your help with the repairs was greatly appreciated, even if your probation was what brought upon the assistance," she snorted, looking amused.

I smiled. "I was eager to help. It wasn't as if I was being forced to work as hard as I was," my smile faltered. "I would've come more after the beginning, but they stopped making me go. I took more time to er- re-asses at home. I suppose."

Harry whipped his head back towards me with a big grin on his face. "You helped with the repairs?" he asked, curiously.

"Um, yes. I couldn't do much, with the restrictions on my wand, but I tried my best with the physical work," I sheepishly avoided his eyes. "I honestly expected you to be there, you know, with your saviour complex and all."

Harry's thumb stopped brushing my shoulder for a moment. "I was uh- indisposed. If you want to say that."

I frowned. "Indisposed?"

"Don't worry you're pretty little head about it," he shoved me playfully. "After all, you were more... 'indisposed' than I was."

I shuddered. "Fine, but I'm asking you about it later," I drawled out and shoved him back.

"Only if I get to ask you what you were 're-assessing' at home."

"I guarantee it's a lot less interesting than you think it is."

Before he could respond, McGonagall pushed off my knee and rose to her feet. She gently brushed the little bit of dirt off of her skirt and returned to her poised position above us. "Well, I'll be off then. I expect you two to be back in your dorms very soon, lest you want detention, which I'm sure you are mature enough to avoid," the Headmaster huffed.

Harry snickered and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "We'll be in soon after you, Professor. Thank you." He held me tighter as I tried to pull away.

The old woman looked entertained. "I could almost forget that you two were the reason for half the grey hairs on my head," she paused for a second, and then let out a bark of laughter. "Your fathers' friends and Severus caused the other half!"

Harry and I glanced at each other, surprised by the out of character chortling coming from the Professor. The bespectacled boy looked back at her, stars in his eyes at the mention of his family. I briefly looked back down at my hands, suddenly missing my own godfather.

"Well- goodnight then," McGonagall chuckled, starting to walk away. Harry waved.

"Goodnight Professor!" He yelled after her.

"Goodnight Professor," I said, much more quietly.

Harry turned back to me, the smile on his face ever-present. I smiled back at him, and we both leaned in at the same time.

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cute chapter after the last two!