Tomorrow at the Latest

CHAPTER THREE.

Harry woke the morning after his study session with Draco feeling like he hadn't slept at all. This was partially true. He had spent hours awake wondering why Draco had run out on him just when they'd been having a civilized conversation that was, despite it's meaninglessness, highly enjoyable. He'd have to talk to Draco about it. But when? And how?

Harry managed to look like he was paying attention in all his morning classes, but his mind was elsewhere. He had formulated a plan to speak to Draco during his first class, and had been running over it in his mind ever since. After potions with the Slytherins was over, he would catch Draco leaving and drag him into a deserted store room to talk.

As Transfiguration ended and Harry packed his bags with books and headed for Potions, he started to get clammy. He couldn't put a finger on why exactly he was getting this worked up about a misunderstanding with a friend. This emotional stuff was something girls did. Harry wasn't a girl. At least he didn't think so.

When Harry entered the dungeon classroom, he headed to an empty bench and sat without looking around. Silently, and trying hard not to look around, he got out a quill and parchment to take notes for Snape's class. He only looked up when he heard Snape begin class, and realized with a jolt of surprise that Draco was sitting next to him.

"Good morning to you too, Harry." Draco said barely moving his lips.

"Oh! Sorry. I didn't know you were here." Harry answered in an undertone.

Draco didn't seem to remember yesterday's incident at all. He acted perfectly normal, as if nothing had happened. Maybe Harry had dreamt it. He thought back to what he had done in the past few days, it seemed logical that he had spent time with Draco. Damn, it had actually happened.

Harry managed to survive Potions with minimal embarrassment by Professor Snape. Just before class ended, Harry 'accidentally' knocked a stack of books, both his and Draco's, off the table. They were forced to stay a few minutes after the bell to pick up their things.

Snape sneered in contempt at Harry's feigned clumsiness. "Don't leave anything behind. And be on time to lunch." He swept out of the dungeon, his black robes billowing with his fluid movement.

Harry and Draco both knelt on the floor to find their things.

"Draco, did I do something wrong yesterday?"

Stupid, bloody Gryffindor. Can't leave well enough alone. Has to investigate a problem that could just be forgotten or avoided, but no.

"Draco?"

"No, no, I already said, it wasn't you."

"Then why did you hurt me like that?"

Draco sat back and looked Harry in the eye, glowering. "Because I'm afraid you'll hurt me. In a nutshell, I showed more emotion than I'm comfortable with."

Good going, Malfoy. Let him know even more about you. Isn't this exactly what you've been berating yourself for?

Harry cocked his head. "Why do you think I'd hurt you?"

Draco avoided Harry's face, sneering slightly. "You wouldn't understand."

"Well, whether I'd understand your reasoning or not, I can still promise you that I'll never hurt you."

"Sure. Whatever." With a mirthless laugh, Draco stood up and headed for the door. Harry caught his arm.

"Draco, it's okay to show emotion. Emotion isn't weakness. It just shows you have a heart."

"Damn you, Harry Potter."

Harry pulled Draco into a hug which was not returned. "Why am I being damned?"

"...For making me feel."

Harry tightened his arms around the unreceptive body. He knew Draco needed the contact, and it didn't bother him that he was too insecure to admit it. That would come later. "Let's go to lunch."

After lunch with Draco at the Slytherin table, Harry went through the rest of the day's classes feeling rather numb. He guessed it was because the reality of the last few days was sinking in. He was spending more time with his worst enemy than with his two best friends. And even weirder, he was enjoying it.

After dinner, Harry brought his wizard chess board down to the common room to have a game with someone. When he arrived in the warm, circular room, Ron and Hermione were seated side by side on a overstuffed sofa near to the fire, speaking in hushed voices.

"Anyone for a game of chess?" Harry leaned down to leave a light kiss on Hermione's forehead and playfully punched Ron's shoulder before dropping himself onto the cushion between them.

"What, Hermione gets a kiss, but I don't? That isn't fair." Ron folded his arms and pretended to pout.

"How rude of me." Harry leaned over and planted a kiss on the other boys forehead.

"Geez, Harry, I was just joking."

"Oh." Harry's cheeks reddened.

"Ew." Ron rubbed his head where Harry's lips had touched him.

Hermione threw a pillow at him. "Don't be homophobic, Ron."

"I'm not homophobic!"

Ignoring his last comment, Hermione went on, partially just to bother Ron.

"Oh, I see, you're going to be one of those freaks who think lesbians are great but gay guys are gross. That's so fucking-"

Ron rolled his eyes and placed a finger over his friend's mouth to quiet her. As if to prove his tolerance, he moved closer to Harry and put an arm around his waist.

"C'mere, you."

Harry sputtered in surprise as Ron dipped him backwards and kissed him on the mouth. His eyes widened. Hermione burst into laughter. Ron looked shocked at his spontaneous action.

"Did I...I didn't just..."

"Kiss Harry?"

"Yeah. That. I did, didn't I?"

"Yes, Ron. You kissed me." Harry was startled. He hadn't thought Ron had it in him to kiss another boy. Or even a girl, for that matter.

The three friends sat for a minute, laughing. Seamus wolf-whistled from across the common room.

"I can't believe I just did that." Ron held a hand to his forehead, as if nursing a headache.

"Neither can I." Harry agreed.

Hermione wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "That was classic. Okay, what were we talking about?"

"I asked you two if anyone wanted a game of chess."

"I'll play!" Ron volunteered.

Hermione fixed Ron with one of her Go-Along-With-What-I'm-Saying-Or-Fear-For-Your-Life stares. Having silenced him, she said, "No, before that."

"Oh." Ron said. "We were commenting on how well you've been getting on with Malfoy, Harry.

Harry watched them expectantly. He hadn't put much thought into what Ron and Hermione would think about him spending time with Draco, but apparently, he was about to find out.

Hermione and Ron sat and looked at Harry, unsure of what to say.

"Well?" Harry asked.

Both of them jumped.

"Oh! Right." Ron cleared his throat.

"We just think it's a bit uncharacteristic of you to be spending time with him," Hermione said cautiously. "That's all."

"Yeah, I know it's a bit weird. But there isn't any need to be so wary about it. There's a lot more to him than you'd think." Harry explained.

"Oh." Ron cleared his throat again, obviously skeptical.

"You two should spend some time with him. Maybe we can all go together on the next Hogsmeade visit or something."

"Okay." Ron cleared his throat for the third time.

"Ron! How many times are you going to do that?" Hermione snapped.

"Sorry."

"Yes, Harry, I think that's a good idea. He should bring one of his friends from Slytherin, so he doesn't feel overwhelmed by spirited Gryffindors."

"Harry, we trust you to make sure he's not going to do anything...to you," Ron said, "I mean, I know he got mad when I called him a Death Eater, but he does come from one of the most prominent families of You-Know-Who's followers...so just...be careful."

Harry appreciated his friend's concern, even if he thought it of no great consequence. "Aw, that's sweet, Ron." He pulled his caring friend into a hug.

"You aren't going to kiss me again, are you Harry?" Ron asked tentatively.

"Only if you ask me to."

This comment was followed by approximately three seconds of silence followed by vociferous laughter.

Draco returned to the Slytherin common room that evening in a mood that was bordering on bad. He had never allowed himself to express any emotion other than anger, so when Harry started to break his shell, instead of feeling love, he felt anger. Blaise, the closest Draco had ever had to a best friend, recognized the signs of a potential outburst of anger from Draco and dragged him to their dormitories.

"What do you want, Zabini?" Draco spat the words out.

Blaise sat on his bed and pulled a knee up to rest his chin on it. "Nothing. You just seemed upset, and I wondered if you wanted to talk."

Draco swallowed. He wasn't good at talking. But on the other hand, Blaise never seemed as critical about him as most people were, so it would be easy to talk about his problems without being chastised for them. Wait, you don't have problems. What are you on about, Malfoy?

Draco stood, his back to Blaise, and ran a hand through his blonde hair. He sat heavily on his bed and took a deep breath. Blaise blinked at him.

"What did you do over the summer?" Draco asked in a blatant way of changing the subject.

Blaise was unfazed. "I went with my dads to Province Town in the states. Did you know that Provincetown has one of the largest lesbian/gay communities in the U.S.?"

"No." Draco had known for years that Blaise didn't have a mother, but two fathers. They had used a surrogate mother to have him.

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment. "It's sort of like Hogwarts."

When Draco thought about it, Blaise's comment made sense. It wasn't uncommon to see same-sex couples in the corridors holding hands on the way to classes. At balls, no one thought twice about seeing two girls or two boys going together.

"So, want to talk?" Blaise noticed an immediate tension in Draco's body at his simple question. He would have hugged the boy, but it was an unspoken understanding the Blaise wasn't to touch Draco.

"Well, have you noticed that I've been spending time with Harry lately?"

"Yes." Blaise showed no surprise at Draco's use of Harry's first name.

"Well, that's kind of it."

"How does he feel about you?"

Draco was surprised. "I don't really know. I'm afraid to think about it."

"How do you feel about him?" Blaise asked innocently, but received a death glare from Draco. "I'm just asking. You don't have to answer."

"I know that," Draco snapped bad-temperedly. Blaise got the idea that Draco had at least some kind of feeling for Harry, probably stronger than friendship, or Draco would have admitted it. He continued playing the role of therapist.

"Do you want a relationship with Harry?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Draco rounded on Blaise.

"Because you won't face simple facts on your own initiative. Without outside help, you'd never deal with any feelings at all, sink into depression and live an unhappy life."

Draco covered his face in his hands and tilted his head back, as if to gaze at the ceiling through his eye lids. He laughed dismally, thinking about how his life was already unhappy. "You're right. I can't believe I'm letting you do this for me. And I can't believe I just said that."

"It's okay, Draco."

"I've been saying the dumbest things lately."

"Love makes the mind work in strange ways."

Draco snapped his eyes open. "Love?"

"Yes, love."

"But I'm not in love!"

Blaise forced a cough that sounded a lot like 'Potter!' and started to roll on his side, facing away from Draco. "Whatever you say, Draco."

"Wait!"

"What is it?" Blaise rolled back over to meet Draco's eyes, which were pleading. In need of love so badly, so close to it, and yet so unwilling to grasp it.

Blaise noticed the look in Draco's eyes changing from lost to confused to indignant to forced resilience. "Nothing. Never mind."

Blaise turned away again. He wished Draco would let down some of his barriers. His mind was brilliant, but it was being blockaded by confining ideas. Draco was in trouble, Blaise speculated, if he didn't start trying to deal with his emotions soon. He heard the other boy step outside the dormitory and slam the door. And unless he was very much mistaken, Draco's body slid down the wall to rest on the floor in the outside corridor.

When Harry checked the bulletin board in the Gryffindor common room, he found out two things. One, that the next trip to Hogsmeade was that weekend, on Saturday. He would ask Draco that morning when he saw him if he wanted to go with him, Ron and Hermione. Second, that the dance classes Hermione had talked about started the week after the Hogsmeade weekend. Harry was interested, but he could keep pretending he wasn't, because he'd get to go anyway. Hermione would force both him and Ron to attend. But he could think about dance later.

Harry looked for Draco at breakfast, but he wasn't there. He caught up with the Slytherin in the corridor between Transfiguration and Potions.

"Good morning, Draco."

"No. It's not." Draco responded flatly, not looked at Harry.

Harry matched Draco's brisk pace toward the dungeons. "Did you know there's a Hogsmeade visit this Saturday?"

"I do now."

"Want to go with me, Hermione and Ron?"

Draco turned to face Harry. They were almost exactly the same height. "Why would I go to Hogsmeade with you?"

Harry was taken aback. "Because I asked you to."

"Why do you want me to go with you?"

"How many questions do you have to ask before you agree to anything?!" Harry exploded.

Draco smirked. "So, you're expecting me to agree."

"Forget it. I'm going to class." Harry walked past Draco down the corridor. Draco stared after him, instantly regretting his obnoxious reaction to Harry's gesture of friendship. He wanted to run after Harry and apologize. But he didn't know how. He wanted to be accepted. He wanted to get along. He wanted to be wrapped in Harry's arms. He wanted Harry's soft lips against his own.

Fuck, where did that come from?

Shocked half to death by his own emotions, Draco stood motionless for a few seconds, alone in the middle of the corridor. He didn't move until the bell rang. Pushing his recent, rather troubling thoughts out of his head, he ran for the dungeon, but was already late for Potions.

When he quietly pulled the heavy classroom door open, Snape had his back to the class, so Draco's dash to a seat went unnoticed. When the professor turned around and brushed the chalk off his hands, he didn't appear to see any change in the seating arrangement of his class.

It was several moment before Draco realized who he had joined at a bench. He heard an exasperated groan to his left and turned.

Harry sat, his fingertips spread and resting on his forehead, elbow on the desk. His hand was in between he and Draco, so the Slytherin could see how bothered Harry was by his recent lack of respect for his new friend.

Draco wanted Harry to look at him badly, but he didn't know what to do. The words 'I'm sorry' were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know how they would sound when they were spoken. And besides, Malfoy's didn't apologize. Seeming apologetic implied you had done something wrong. Fuck the Malfoy's. You don't want to be like them. They're Death Eaters. Draco listened to his first conscience, then the conflicting one. But they have some good principals, though. Worth remembering. // Those good principals will just push Harry away from you. // So? I don't need Harry. // Yes you do. You thought just a moment ago about how much you wanted him, needed him. // What if he hurts me? I don't think I could deal with that. // He hasn't done anything to you yet, and you're already avoiding dealing with it. And 'it' is theoretical. // But in theory, everything is possible. // Why don't you try trusting someone for a change?

Draco took out a slip of parchment and wrote a short note to Harry.

Mind if I bring Blaise Zabini?

DM

He slid the note across the table at the Gryffindor. Harry held the note under the table and read it. Turning to Draco, he shook his head, granting permission. Draco pulled the parchment back and wrote under the first message, 'I'll go.' Harry read the note and pocketed it without changing his unreadable expression.

Harry's impassiveness bothered Draco. Hadn't he just agreed to go? Shouldn't Harry be acknowledging him? Weren't they friends?

Malfoy, you prick. You just treated him like shit in the corridor.

Draco ignored the nagging voice in his head that had told him he'd done wrong. On the upside of the situation, he'd be going to the village with Harry that weekend. The rest of Snape's lesson was very difficult to pay attention to.

As the class drew on, Draco allowed himself to be more and more bothered at how he had just treated Harry. He had to apoligize. It would be a first, but maybe it was something he should know how to do. Just before the bell was about to ring, Draco 'accidentally' knocked over the flask of flobberworm puss that he and Harry had used to mix their potion.

"Damn." He said impassively, peering at the yellowish ooze dripping off the end of the table.

Harry groaned. "Ew."

Snape sneered. "Harry, stay and help Draco clean up your flobberworm puss before you leave. I don't want to see any evidence of that by the time I return."

Harry and Draco nodded as the bell rang and all the other students, having already cleared up their ingredients, made a rush for the door. Snape swept out after them.

Draco immediately turned to Harry and opened his mouth. Overtaken by an illogical wave of panic, he closed it again. Harry ignored him and turned to the mess.

"Harry?"

"What?" Harry snapped, still irritated by the way Draco had blown him off in the corridor, and now that he had spilled the flobberworm puss.

Harry's sharp tone upset Draco more than he ever thought someone speaking to him could.

"Harry - Iwasaprickinthecorridorandi'msorry."

Harry looked at Draco in surprise. "What did you say?"

Draco was miserable. "I said I was sorry."

"Why were you so...so..."

Draco hung his head. "I was angry for letting myself be vulnerable the other day."

"How did you let yourself be vulnerable?" Harry asked tenderly.

Draco couldn't stop himself. He knew he was just digging his hole deeper and deeper. "Because I let you know how much I care."

"Draco." Harry wrapped his arms around the other boy. "Telling someone you care doesn't make you vulnerable. It makes you incredibly courageous. And it can tighten a bond between two people like you can't even imagine."

Draco responded to Harry's hug by squeezing him like a stuffed bear.

"For example. Look at us. Most boys don't do this. They haven't got the ability to touch with this kind of trust. This is special. And it's only possible because we both know that we care."

"God damn you, Harry Potter." Draco's voice sounded strained.

"What is it this time?"

"You make me feel."

"Is that so bad?"

"I haven't decided."

"Well, try giving emotion a chance. After all, this feels pretty good to me."

"I might get used to it."

"I hope so."

Harry and Draco didn't spend much time together for the rest of the week, to both of their unexpressed chagrin. Harry sent Draco an owl at breakfast to tell him and Blaise to meet he, Ron and Hermione at the castle entrance at eleven o'clock on Saturday morning. Draco had nodded at him from the Slytherin table to show he agreed. Harry watched as Draco showed the letter to Blaise, who also nodded.

At five to eleven, Ron, Harry and Hermione left their common room in high spirits. Almost everyone old enough to visit Hogsmeade was going that day, so they were not alone. They also weren't the only ones to be meeting students from other houses. There was a mass of teenagers in the Entrance Hall, shouting and laughing. The trio found Blaise and Draco closest to the heavy oak doors that stood wide open, letting in the morning sun.

As they approached the Slytherins, Harry warned Ron and Hermione. "Be nice. He's my friend. And Zabini as well."

Ron grimaced slightly and Hermione nodded. "Right."

"Hello, Draco." Harry greeted Draco with a hug, to which Ron raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. The two boys held the embrace a split second longer than was necessary for a friendly greeting, and broke apart smiling.

Hermione, sensing she wasn't going to be introduced to Blaise, took it upon herself to make introductions. "Hello. I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Hermione. This is Ron."

Of course, Blaise knew them, but he was polite. "Hello Hermione, Ron. I'm Blaise."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

Ron hadn't said anything through Hermione's polite exchange with Blaise. He realized suddenly that he had had a rather misled take on Slytherins for the past four years. He had assumed they were all as obnoxious and rude and muggle-hating, but Blaise had seemed very decent. Maybe he could give this Slytherin friendship stuff a shot after all.

The five students, three Gryffindors and two Slytherins, started down the steps to the horseless carriages that brought them and their classmates to the village.

"Everyone's staring at us," Harry noted, glancing around them.

"Why shouldn't they?" Hermione said logically. "It isn't often you see Gryffindors and Slytherins spending time together."

"Especially us. Haven't we been worst enemies for the past several years?" Draco said.

"Yes, but we don't have to mention that." Blaise intervened. "What do you want to do in Hogsmeade?"

"Oh, we usually go to all our favorite shops first, then have lunch, then find something else fun to do." Ron explained.

"What shops do you like?"

"Zonko's Joke Shop is one of my personal favorites."

By that time, the five had found an unoccupied carriage. All the boys climbed in first, and just before Hermione stepped up, she was joined by Cho Chang. At a casual invitation from Hermione, she joined their group.

"Wow, a Ravenclaw, two Slytherins and three Gryffindors." Cho remarked. "Does it get any weirder?"

Harry looked around. "I don't think so." He was seated next to Draco, who was next to Ron. Opposite them sat Hermione and Cho, and next to them, Blaise.

When the carriage stopped, Harry felt his pocket to make sure his satchel of galleons was still there, then climbed out after Draco. The six students stood on main street of Hogsmeade.

"Let's go to Zonko's first." Ron said, starting down the street. Walking through Hogsmeade were lots of Hogwarts students, talking, laughing and yelling. Harry noticed a couple of Hufflepuffs with their wands out, trying to charm a cobblestone to dance down the centre of the street.

After Zonko's, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Cho, Blaise and Draco walked farther up the street, stopping in all the shops that looked interesting, and even those that didn't. After barely half an hour since arriving, all three friends were wired. Harry and Blaise were laughing like neither of them had in ages, Draco was doing crazy imitations of Professor Snape, Ron was behaving like an idiot. Hermione and Cho acted out scenes from muggle movies, as overly-feminine sorority girls.

Draco was getting a lot of strange looks from villagers as well as Hogwarts students as he danced down the street, singing All That Jazz, a number from Chicago. He found it particularly easy to ignore concience that told him not to make ties with anyone, especially Harry. The rest of the groups followed him at a run, cat-calling.

"This is just like the French Quarter!" Cho exclaimed, as they wandered into a beautiful side street.

"Oh, look! A robe shop!" Draco pointed a few building's down the street.

"Aren't we the little shopper?" Hermione snorted. She had never been very interested in clothes.

"Come on, we're going in." Blaise announced, grabbing Ron and Draco's arms and dragged them toward the entrance.

"What?" Harry was confused.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Don't you want to try on gowns?"

"Yes!" Ron squealed, running past Blaise. Hermione and Cho burst into simultaneous laughter, and followed the elated boys into the shop.

After the boys explained what they wanted to do. The seamstress working at the counter cocked and eyebrow.

"Well, we don't get many drag-queens here, but I'll see what we're got in the back." She was followed into the back room by six giggling teenagers. The boys stepped into the middle of the room. Their measurements were taken by an assistant of the first woman. Both of the seamstresses seemed rather amused to be fitting four boys up with girl's apparel. They started bringing out dresses and hanging them on racks for the boys.

Draco picked up a long black gown with a low front and silver hems around the neck and sleeves. "Well, here goes. He disappeared into a dressing room. Ron, Harry and Blaise followed him.

A few minutes later, Hermione and Cho burst into laughter once more. Draco stepped elegantly out of his changing room. The dress he was wearing was magnificent. The black satin fell to his feet and the silver collar came half way up his chest. The top of the sleeves was parallel to the top of the front, so his shoulders were bare.

Ron's dress was a vermillion red. It had a high collar and no sleeves. "Oh, I look smashing in this, don't I?" He admired himself in the tall mirror.

"Yeah, Ron, you sure do look smashed." Harry emerged from the dressing room, wearing a light purple dress, sleeveless and barely reaching his knees. Ron scowled at him.

Blaise laughed, coming into view behind Harry. "He doesn't look half as bad as you."

"Oh my, Blaise! Wearing that, you almost make me want to be straight!" Hermione joked.

"Hey!" Cho cut in.

After the boys had changed out of their dresses, the boisterous crowd skipped back into the street. Almost immediately, Hermione shrieked.

"Oh my Gods, look!" She pointed at a store sign directly across the street that they had missed before. It read The Leather Co. and had manikins in the window, wearing outfits almost entirely of genuine leather.

Cho saw where she was pointing and shrieked also. "Let's go!" They grabbed each other's hands and ran across the street. The boys laughed and followed.

Inside the store, a tough-looking wizard sized up Hermione and Cho with his eyes before disappearing into a store room. They giggled excitedly to each other quietly until he returned with several jackets and pants on hangars.

"Alright. See if these fit you. There are changing rooms there." He indicated a corner of the store with a camouflage curtain hung from the ceiling, creating a makeshift dressing room. Hermione and Cho took the hangers and stepped behind the curtain.

"Oh, this looks good." Hermione spoke from behind the curtain. Harry, Draco, Ron and Blaise walked around the store, looking at racks of leather clothing.

"Damn, Hermione, you sexy beast." Cho's words made everyone laugh. Both girls came back into the open room. They both wore similar outfits of leather. The black pants were fitted well, giving their buttocks a defined shape. The jackets were a perfect fit for both girls.

"If I were a girl, I would be madly in love with both of you." Draco said casually. Other such comments were exchanged. It wasn't long before both girls had purchased an outfit. They had both changed into one more set of clothing. Hermione decided on a fitted leather jacket, and Cho picked out a pair of tight vinyl pants. Both carrying bags, they left the store with the boys.

"Let's go pick up some lunch." Blaise suggested. "It's nearly two."

"Yeah, good idea." Ron agreed. "All this hyper activity is tiring me out. I need a good sugar load."

Having reached an easy consensus, the party started toward the Three Broomsticks for their mid-day meal.

"This was the best afternoon I've had in a long time," Harry announced as he and the rest of the crew headed up the hill toward the Shrieking Shack. Lunch had been eaten, and they were making for a small grove of trees and flat ground near the shack that had once been considered haunted by the citizens of Hogsmeade.

Draco threw himself down beneath a tree. "I'll say." He stretched out on his back, hands under his head. Harry settled himself on top of Draco, one hand splayed over his chest, his head on his shoulder and one knee between the other boy's thighs. Ron lay on his stomach, head resting on his arms. Blaise climbed up the first limb of a tree and hung upside down. Hermione sat up against a tree, with Cho lying across her legs. She casually massaged the older girl's back as they sat, completely relaxed.

For almost an hour, the six new friends sat together, talking and moving only when they had to. Harry felt more relaxed than he had in months. By the time they had to leave Hogsmeade and return to Hogwarts, every one of them agreed they had to go on an outing again soon. They had all had the time of their lives.