Harry Potter and the Unsettling Discovery

Harry Potter and the Unsettling Discovery

Ch. 9

The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.--Elie Wiesel

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy, you're awake." Madam Pomfrey entered and proceeded to bustle about him.

"What happened?"

"Your system has been through quite a shock."

It was the medical personnel's typical non-answer answer, but Draco just didn't have the energy to try to get any more information out of the healer. The sun was rising, and the torch light slowly died as its rays filled the windows. Draco could see now that he was the only patient in the ward, though this didn't surprise him. Few students had stayed behind for the holidays, in fact, were it not for his own decision to stay behind, the Slytherin dorms would be completely empty.

Madam Pomfrey handed him a potion and told him to drink it, fiddling with his sheets while waiting for him to finish. When he did she collected the cup and bustled away. Draco was tempted to ask if he could leave. He wanted to hide himself away in his common room until the holidays ended. The question died in his throat as Harry entered the room and Draco lost all ability to think. Harry looked at Madam Pomfrey hopefully, and she answered his question before he had a chance to ask it. "It's fine, Mr. Potter. You can come in now." The healer sounded slightly exasperated, and Draco wondered why. Harry then turned to approach Draco, but stopped in his tracks when he saw that Draco was awake.

For a second Draco thought he might turn and leave, but after a brief hesitation he continued on his way to the side of Draco's bed. A feeling of tension between them increased as Harry got nearer. Draco shifted his body, slipping his forearm under the covers as if hiding it from the world would also erase the memory of the mark from Harry's mind.

"How are you doing?" Harry asked.

Draco tried to hide his discomfort, but the crack in his voice gave the game away as he answered, "I'm fine, though I don't know what exactly happened."

Harry didn't know how to respond. He looked around at everything except Draco, while Draco looked at everything except Harry. They glanced at each other periodically, but tried not to get caught in the act. There was so much that each of them wanted to say, but neither of them could get anything out. Luckily Dumbledore walked in, and Harry and Draco both felt a surge of gratitude for the man who had an uncanny knack for always being exactly where he was most needed at the time.

"Ah, Draco, Harry! Nice to see you both." The two boys greeted the headmaster warmly, then glanced at each other shortly before focusing their gaze down at their own hands. Their stolen glances were not lost on Dumbledore, who chuckled to himself that he was ever so young. "I trust that you are well, Draco, and that there is no residual pain in your arm."

"Yes, I mean no, I mean...What happened, sir?"

"The incident two days ago between Harry and yourself seemed to have..."

"Two days ago?!" Had it really been two days?

"Yes, you have been sleeping for a while. It seems the change in the mark did a real number on your system. And Poppy tells me she has had to put up quite a fight in trying to keep our Mr. Potter away." Dumbledore looked at Harry, his attempted stern look marred by the presence of a slight grin, which made Harry blush.

"Change in the..." Draco pulled his arm out from under the sheet, despite himself. He was speechless, and could only stare at it, periodically looking up at Harry with eyes wide as saucers. This only made Harry blush more. Dumbledore found the whole interaction quite adorable.

"Which brings up the question of why the marking did not go as intended in the first place, and why the mark would not change until Mr. Potter got his hands on it." Dumbledore mused to himself the incredibleness of the fact that both boy's hearts could continue to beat when such a high volume of their blood currently resided in their faces.

"I still don't think I did anything, sir. I mean, the mark was already faulty before I came along," Harry tried to explain.

"And even though it didn't work, every potion, hex, curse, charm, and transfiguration spell we've tried couldn't so much as turn it pink," Draco finished the thought.

"These are all good points. It seems we have a mystery on our hands!" The man sounded delighted beyond belief. Harry and Draco looked at each other incredulously. "We must put our heads together to fully understand what has happened here, but sadly, I must go. I will give Poppy your release orders, and then I suggest Mr. Potter accompany Mr. Malfoy down to the kitchens. You must be famished."

The headmaster buzzed away merrily. Draco and Harry shared a laugh before realising that they were on their own again. Draco refused to let the tension rebuild between them. He sensed that Harry had something to do with the changing of the mark, despite the objections of the other boy, and he thought that it might mean something important. He tried to think of anything to say, just to dispel their discomfort.

"How are we supposed to know where the kitchens are?" Draco was grabbing at straws.

"I know," Harry seized on the opportunity to talk. "I've been there loads of times."

Madam Pomfrey came back, bringing the clothes Draco had been wearing two days ago with her. She handed them to the boy and pulled the curtain out for Draco to change behind. Harry waited on the other side of the curtain while Draco changed, but couldn't help but notice that the dark curtain was just barely sheer enough to show Draco's silhouette through the cloth in the direct rays of the early morning sun. He still felt the burning in his gut when Draco pulled the curtain aside.

"Uhhhemm," Harry cleared his throat croakily, "well, let's go."

Draco looked as nervous as Harry felt. Harry led them out of the hospital wing and toward the kitchens. As they made their way down, Draco felt the need to speak.

"I guess I owe you a thank you."

"Me? For what?"

"Whatever you did to the mark."

"I didn't do anything. Anyway, it wasn't a normal mark, even before I knew it existed. Maybe YOU changed it."

"No, believe me. I tired to get rid of it many times, in many different ways. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, all of us tried."

"So THAT"S what you were doing!"

"What?"

"Oh, erm. I saw you going to Dumbledore's office at midnight, I just wondered..."

"You been following me, Potter?"

"No! No, not at all! I just happened to be..."

"It's okay, Potter. I know I am devilishly handsome. I can't blame you for wanting to take a peek."

Harry was starting to resemble a tomato, but Draco was having too much fun to stop. "Judging by the colour of your cheeks, I've hit a nerve."

"No! You haven't hit a nerve. There is no nerve. This is the way my cheeks always look."

"Harry, I could toast a marshmallow in the heat coming off of you."

The use of his given name caused a jolt to go through Harry's system, and his stride faltered. He tripped over his own foot, and despite efforts to regain his footing, he found himself sitting on the floor, Draco towering above him laughing. "Honestly, good thing for you you're better on a broom than you are on your feet," Draco chuckled as he reached a hand out to help Harry back to his feet.

Though slightly embarrassed about his clumsiness, and the mad blush that now seemed a permanent fixture on his face whenever Draco was around, Harry mostly hoped that he would hear his given name spoken by Draco more often. Harry grabbed hold of the offered hand, adding, "Yes, pitty for you though."

With a mock exasperated breath of protest, Draco pretended to let go of Harry, almost letting him fall back on his bum. In a fray of movement, Harry grabbed onto the offered arm with his other hand as well, shifting their positions slightly and nearly knocking Draco off balance in the process of keeping himself up. They both held on, in an attempt to prevent either of them falling again, which forced them into a semi-awkward embrace. The unexpected sudden closeness caught both boys off guard, but the fact that neither seemed in a big hurry to physically separate was not lost on either of them.

"Uh, well, here we are," Harry finally burst the silence.

"What?"

Harry pointed to the wall behind Draco, on which hung a painting of a bowl of fruit. It seemed to be taking Draco a while to register where they were and what they had been doing, so Harry reached passed him to tickled the pear and open the kitchens. Misinterpreting Harry's movement toward him, Draco grasped Harry's upper arms, pulling him closer. The unexpected move from Draco knocked all thought from Harry's mind and, seemingly, all breath from his lungs. He instead focused his gaze on Draco's lips, which were parting ever so slightly as he pulled the Gryffindor closer. He licked his own lips in anticipation.

"Harry, breath," Draco said, his own voice a breathless whisper as well.

Harry could feel his heart pounding in his face, and his breath came back to him in deep, heavy pants. He locked eyes with Draco, his whole body aching for contact. 'Those eyes,' he thought to himself, 'Those grey eyes, so familiar.' He snaked his arms around Draco's back, preparing to pull their bodies closer together. He leaned closer, and the last thing he saw before closing his eyes were Draco's own eyes fluttering shut.

Both boys leaned in closer still, ready to dive into the deep end when Draco felt a soft thump and push on his lower back, pushing him harder into Harry. The sudden brush of one stiffening body part against another through the fabric of their clothes caused both boys' eyes to snap open. They stared lustily at each other until a scrambling noise behind Draco interrupted the moment.

Harry looked over Draco's shoulder to determine the source of the commotion. There, on the floor just outside the opened painting to the kitchens, lay a mess of woollen tea cosies. And right in the middle of the pile lay...

"Sorry, sirs! Dobby did not see..."

"Good morning Dobby, how are you doing today?"

"Harry Potter!! I is doing quite well. How is you doing today?"

As Harry answered, "I'm doing great, Dobby," Draco spun around and took a step back. At the look on his face as he took in the sight before him, Harry couldn't help but laugh. Dobby was standing up, and piling each and every tea cosy on the floor around him onto the top of his head.

"Dobby, is that you?" Draco sounded slightly amused, and also slightly worried.

"MASTER DRACO! I is not seen you in a long time! How is you?" The elf caught Harry off guard by dashing into the open arms of Draco Malfoy, who received him with a warm hug. He knew Draco's family had owned Dobby, but with the way Dobby spoke of his former owners, coupled with all of the previous knowledge he had about Draco and his family, Harry had not expected Dobby and Draco to have a friendly relationship, to say the least.

"Are you working at Hogwarts now? I hadn't heard anything about you for ages."

"Yes! Dumbledore is offering Dobby a job, with pay!"

"Good for you, Dobby! Harry and I were just coming down for some food..."

Harry actually burst out laughing as Dobby nearly dragged Draco back into the kitchen. As soon is they entered, they were swarmed by additional house elves. The sight of so many house elves overwhelmed Draco, who had nearly disappeared under a pile of pastries.

"Okay, okay. Let the man breath! Thank you all very much." Harry followed them into the kitchen, and the beaming faces of house elves piled more pastries into his arms, before thanking him back and dispersing around the kitchens.

Draco just stood there, not knowing what had hit him. Dobby and Harry helped him over to a table, where the three of them sat and talked while Harry and Draco nibbled on the many pastries.

"I've missed you, Dobby."

"Dobby has missed Master Draco too."

"Dobby used to read to me when I was very little," Draco explained to Harry. "Father was always too busy, and mother..." Draco's face fell slightly as he picked up a new pastry to bite into. Harry didn't want to get into darker subjects just yet.

"What kinds of things did you read him, Dobby."

As Dobby talked about various wizarding children's stories, Harry and Draco would sneak glances at each other, some of these glances causing waves of fluttering in Harry's belly. Harry always thought house elves were oblivious to things like that, but Dobby seemed to catch on to what was going on.

"Soooo, Master Draco is close friends with Harry potter? Harry Potter is a good wizard, yes?"

"Yes, Dobby, he is." Draco smiled across at Harry as he spoke, "He is a VERY good wizard." At the look he gave Harry as he said that last line, Harry felt like he was melting from the inside.

"Would Masters Draco and Harry be liking Dobby to pack a basket of food so masters can enjoy this beautiful day together?"

"Yes, Dobby. That would be excellent. Thank you!" Draco smiled down at Dobby, who bolted off, conducting the nearby elves into action.

A rush of nervousness came over Harry at the thought of being alone with Draco, especially given what had almost just happened out in the hall. Harry wasn't exactly experienced, but he very much felt something for Draco. He just hoped he would be able to handle himself.

Elves rushed around them like a tornado, dropping Cornish pasties and all manner of other hand held foods into a basket. Harry found himself presented with the laden basket, and ushered, along with Draco, out into the hall, where the portrait slammed shut just after Dobby squeaked out, "Good luck, Master Draco!"

Draco was smiling at him, and Harry couldn't help but chuckle back. House elves really were funny creatures.

"Dobby was our house elf, as I suppose you know. Growing up an only child in a manor house, parents always engaged in some social function or another, it can get lonely. Dobby used to play with me when I was younger. For the longest time I always thought Father had ordered him to, it only occurred to me within the last few years that it would never even occur to Lucius to do that."

Harry had never heard Draco refer to his father as Lucius, and didn't know quite how to respond, so he opted for remaining silent.

"He mentioned you once or twice before you set him free. It annoyed me, actually..." Harry pulled a face at Draco. "What? You have to admit that there's always been some level of competition between us."

"I wouldn't call it 'competition,' Draco. I would call it 'You being a prat.'"

"I was nev...okay, I'll admit to being a prat, but you gave as well as you took."

At this, Harry stopped walking. Draco turned around, surprised at the frown on his face, and walked back to him. "I wouldn't call defending myself, or those who are important to me, 'giving as well as taking,' Draco. You have gone out of your way to torment, mock, and in some cases physically attack Ron, Hermione, and me."

Up until now, Draco had assumed that this conversation was all light hearted banter, but judging by the look on Harry's face, this was an issue that needed addressing. "I know, I know. The competition between us I mentioned earlier, I guess it's always been a bit one sided. Ever since the first time I met you, our first day here at Hogwarts, I guess I've been a bit jealous of your notoriety. You got all this attention, and I thought that you didn't deserve it." At Harry's attempted interruption, Draco silenced him. "Just let me get this out, it's something that needs to be said." He waited for Harry to nod before he continued.

"I thought I deserved the attention more than you. I knew you were raised by muggles, and I stupidly thought that not growing up in our world had made you somehow inferior. Don't interrupt, I know that's bullshit. I just thought that you were... I don't know, but I had to prove that a pureblood could beat you. I had to prove it to the world, but mostly I had to do it to prove my worth to my father.

"Remember, I was also a baby when You-Know-Who tried to kill you, I didn't have any memories from his former reign, all of my knowledge came from Lucius. I couldn't help but swallow it, it was all I knew. And up until about two years ago, I really couldn't understand what it meant to be his follower. For most of my life, You-Know-Who was just a bitter, arrogant, tone in my father's voice as he spoke about purebloods and muggleborns. He never actually spoke of what his life was like before the day his master disappeared; he just spouted his bigoted ideals. Even after You-Know-Who's return, father didn't really speak openly with me about what he did. All I knew were snippets from the Prophet, or the wireless, which I never really believed. Who wants to believe that about their father? It wasn't until he told me that I was to become a Death Eater that I really understood what being a Death Eater means.

"But I was talking about us, you and me. I felt I had to beat you, to prove my worth to Lucius. But it became more than that. As we got older, I dunno, my feelings toward you changed. You proved me wrong, you and Granger. How could I go on believing that muggleborns and others who are new to this world are inferior? Granger was living proof that you don't need to come from wizards to have talent. And you? You were another point entirely.

"I guess the competition changed. Sure, I still wanted to prove myself to my father, but I also wanted to prove myself to YOU. I wanted to show that I was worthy of...I wanted to...I..." Draco had no idea how to get at what he was getting at. He didn't really think he understood it all himself, but explaining it was ever harder. "Ever since sixth year, I wanted you to notice me. I wanted to get under your skin. I wanted to get inside you." They both blushed at this, but Draco went on, "If the sexiest, most powerful, most well known wizard in the whole school sits up and takes a notice of you, well...that's a big ego boost. I guess the way to a Gryffindor's heart is not through childish one-upmanship."

Draco locked eyes with Harry, and no matter the intensity of the moment, or the power that crackled behind Harry's eyes, Draco refused to look away. Harry noticed him now, he had gotten under Harry's skin, and he wasn't going to let it go. He reached out and pulled Harry's face toward him, locking his fingers in that deliciously messy black hair. If Harry had put up a fight, he would never have got away, but Harry didn't put up a fight. He wrapped his arms around Draco, and melted into his embrace.

Their mouths met in a wet blaze, a wholly different kind of wet than Harry's first kiss. Whereas that kiss had been awkward and uncomfortable, this kiss sent shockwaves into Harry's mouth, through his body, down to his groin, stopping only to swirl around his heart.

This kiss was rough at first, all biting swollen lips and heat, but as a moan escaped from Harry, the kiss softened and deepened. Frantic movements become slow exploratory ones. Harry took a few steps forward, pushing at Draco until his back was up against a wall. Pressing him there, Harry slid his hands up and down Draco's sides. Draco's hands slid down Harry's back, until finding their destination at Harry's backside, where Draco squeezed and pulled Harry even deeper into him.

Erection brushed against erection, and both boys gasped. Harry pushed himself away from the wall a little, but Draco kept a firm hold of his lower half, not allowing the retreat. He looked at Harry, swollen lipped and panting, and began rocking his hips forward. Harry threw his head back in a moan, and Draco took that opportunity to affix his lips to Harry's neck. He kissed and licked, tasting the sweet, masculine, salty flavour of Harry before biting down gently but firmly at the place where Harry's neck met his shoulder. Harry moaned again and pulled himself tighter into Draco, meeting lips again as he pushed his hands up under Draco's shirt. Needing more skin contact himself, Draco pushed his hands into the back of Harry's trousers, under his pants, and grabbed Harry's backside even harder. He continued to rock into Harry as Harry pulled himself into Draco as close as they could get.

Their kiss sporadically interrupted with panting and breathless moans, the two boys rocked into each other. A shroud of dizziness enveloped Draco, and his limbs began to tingle as the throbbing built in his crotch. He could feel his orgasm building when...

"Excuse me! Just what do you think you are doing?!"

Harry pushed himself away from the wall so quickly, Draco almost fell over. He looked up into the face of Minerva McGonagall, beside herself with indignation. He snuck a glance at Harry, who was still out of breath as if he had just run a marathon, and had the obvious look of a man who had just...well, been doing what they had been doing. His clothes were disrupted, his hair messy as ever, his lips swollen and red, his very prominent erection standing bold and unashamed, clearly visible through his trousers. Not even looking up at McGonagall, his eyes fixed on Draco with an intensity that could give even a marble statue pleasure.

It took McGonagall a second before she realized the gender of, and only a second more before she registered exactly which two boys she had just discovered doing a bit more than snogging heavily in the halls. Her eyes went wide, her cheeks flushed, and Draco would bet all his family's wealth on the fact that she was slightly turned on, but she tried her best to take on an stern look.

The pink of her cheeks didn't quite match her firm but calmly disapproving tone of voice as she said, "Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, kindly proceed to the headmaster's office immediately, I will meet you there shortly."

Draco and Harry scuttled away, but as they turned the corner, Draco looked back to see McGonagall laying one hand on her chest, and reach the other up to straiten her hat and collar, before bending down to pick up their fallen picnic basket.

End Chapter Nine