Undefined

Chapter 25

A Little Gossip

By the following morning, Draco's storming into the Gryffindor common room had spread faster than an epidemic. A veritable buzz followed him wherever he went, and everyone turned to gape and stare was he walked by. There were many theories as to how he'd obtained entry, one purporting that he'd pried the portrait open with his bare hands and marched in raving like a madman.

"You'd think they'd find other things to talk about," Hermione huffed as she passed him in the corridors.

All the rumors, no matter how wild or unfounded (one purported that Draco had used an Unforgivable on Ron in the middle of the common room) painted Draco as either a madman or a hero.

When he sat down to lunch that afternoon, he noticed nearly everyone, including most of the Slytherins, eyed him suspiciously, if not with a bit of disdain. He had, after all, knowingly entered enemy territory and, he was sure, acted quite erratic and outside of himself. What's done is done, he told himself as he always did, until the phrase subconsciously replayed in his head the rest of the day.

It all seemed harmless enough until Blaise voiced the question Draco hoped would never surface. "How did you get inside anyway, I mean unless you had the password?"

Draco said nothing, suddenly finding his jacket potato very interesting.

"Malfoy," Blaise said even more loudly, "how'd you get in?"

Draco said nothing, cutting his meat into very small pieces to avoid looking at Blaise.

"You didn't go looking for Potter, did you?" his voice implying exactly what Draco feared.

"Of course not," he said, taking a bite of meat.

"Then what--"

"Drop it, Zabini," Draco said darkly.

Blaise said nothing, Draco's tone sufficient to squash any further questions. Nott caught his eye a few seats down, and he gave Draco a you-are-such-a-stupid-git look before turning back to his plate.

***

Draco and Harry reported to detention later that evening, Snape eyeing them with a look that unnerved Draco: it wasn't suspicious or even scornful, but knowing.

"He doesn't know," Draco whispered as Harry bent low over his parchment. "He can't know."

"If you say so," said Harry.

"I'm careful around him," Draco said, trying to convince himself.

"I know you are."

"Quit being so paranoid!" Draco snapped.

"I just asked if you thought he suspected; you're the one freaking out."

"I am not freaking out!" Draco said louder than he intended.

"Guilty conscience?" Harry asked, still writing steadily.

"I don't have a guilty conscience," Draco said, his paranoia growing with every breath.

He shouldn't have been so brash, so stupid, and so careless; he should have waited calmly until he found Harry and told him everything at a respectable pace instead of dragging Ron and Hermione into it. But there was no use dwelling on it. If Snape knew, or if the whole knew school for that matter, Draco would take it in stride and deal with it as it came.

"You did this one wrong, Potter," Draco sneered, throwing the parchment rudely at him as Snape stepped in. "Honestly, can't you do anything right?"

They worked on in silence, Snape standing like a sentinel beside Draco as a means to unnerve him. Several times Draco looked Snape straight in the eye, unwavering, his mind closed tightly. Harry looked up uncertainly from time to time, but for the most part concentrated on the task at hand and glanced at his watch every now and again.

"Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, following detention.

Draco turned and looked at him, swearing Snape suddenly gave him a knowing look.

"You are treading on very dangerous ground."

"Sir?" Draco said, shifting his bag, but Snape walked past him without another word.

There was a palpable tension in the common room once Draco entered. He sat down in his usual seat with ease, Pansy jumping up as soon as he sat down. Indeed, it seemed most everyone moved a respectable distance away and eyed him warily. Draco glared at the lot of them before opening his bag and taking out a book, refusing to show any signs of concern. As he flipped through the pages he heard the words traitor and mental muttered a few feet away. Finally, after a few moments, a slight fourth-year girl approached and crossed her arms.

"What exactly happened last night?" she demanded.

Draco looked up slowly, throwing her the filthiest look he could muster.

"And don't say it's not my business because it is! You're a Slytherin! And to go straight into the Gryffindor common room like that was an embarrassment to all of us!"

A ripple of assent spread throughout the room, and Draco realized the precariousness of the situation. He stood, crossing his arms, and towered over the short brunette. He found, perhaps for the first time, he had no idea what to say. He looked from her demanding eyes to the upturned faces, all staring at him raptly.

"She's right!" a voice piped in. "We've heard all kinds of rumors, but nothing from you!"

Draco scanned the room, his eyes falling on Nott, who looked as though he were trying to blend into the armchair he occupied.

"What do you reckon happened?" Draco finally asked the girl.

"I don't know," she said, her voice annoyingly haughty. "But from what I've gathered you went looking for Potter. I heard Parvati Patil talking in the corridor today and she said the only words out of your mouth were 'Where's Potter?'"

"Oh, did she?" Draco said, trying to sound as casual as possible, his mind whirring and buzzing as he tried to think up a feasible lie.

"Yes!"

"I also heard Potter, Weasley, and Granger disappeared for a while," a third voice said.

"Are you fraternizing with them?" the girl asked, looking quite appalled and aghast.

"You're never in your dorm anymore!" someone else shouted, and Draco had the distinct impression that he was faced with a very angry mob minus the pitchforks.

"I am not," Draco said, his voice shaking, "fraternizing with Potter, Weasley or the Mudblood."

"Seems like it to me!" the girl shouted.

"Believe what you like, but it just so happens that what I do in my spare time is of great importance to the Dark Lord. If you question my motives, then you're questioning his as well."

He hoped his voice held and sounded intimidating enough and to his immense relief, it seemed to have worked. The short brunette backed away, still eyeing him suspiciously, and joined a group of girls clustered in a knot near the doorway to the girls' dormitory. Everyone else returned to their work, still muttering and whispering. He glanced at Nott, who gave him a sympathetic look. Draco gathered his things and left, feeling a roomful of eyes staring at him as he went.

It's feasible, he told himself as he walked to the fifth floor. No one will question me, it's nothing! He stopped and kicked the wall, feeling like he had royally fucked everything up. He'd always commanded a great deal of respect, but he felt as though the confrontation within the common room had undermined and shaken his position. He suddenly felt quite powerless, realizing the full implications of letting his heart rule his head.

He stopped in a corner, trying to stop the maelstrom of emotions and panic raging through his body. Above all, he sought to regain the control he'd perfected for so long. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone grab his arm.

"You scared the shit out of me," Draco said, realizing it was Harry.

"You look terrible," Harry said once Draco properly turned and faced him.

"I know," Draco said, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him past the appalling tapestry into the privacy of the Room of Requirement.

He paced the room, circling the same spot for what must have been fifteen minutes.

"Will you sit down?" Harry said. "You're making me dizzy."

Draco ignored him and continued to pace in an effort to figure out if there was any way to fix what had obviously gone so terribly wrong.

"Calm down," Harry finally said. "It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Draco snapped. "I faced a mob in the common room a few minutes ago."

"Imagine how I felt trying to explain everything today."

"What did you say?" Draco asked, hoping he could glean something from Harry's explanation.

"Nothing," Harry said. "I told them to bugger off as it wasn't their business."

"Fantastic," Draco said, finally sitting. "That doesn't sound suspicious."

"I suppose you'd prefer it if I'd told everyone the truth?"

"Of course not!" Draco snapped. "But you should have thought of something."

"Oh, right, because I'm brilliant at that."

"What about Hermione?" Draco said, hopeful. "Couldn't she come up with anything?"

"Ron won't let her get involved," Harry said darkly. "Not after last time."

"Oh, right," Draco said, feeling Ron had a very good point. He finally took a seat and sighed deeply. "What should we do?"

"Nothing," Harry said. "It'll die out; I've been through this before. It always goes away on its own."

Draco laughed slightly, feeling certain this was not one of those times. This had nothing to do with any odd external event: it had been a deliberate action on Draco's part, who everyone thought would willingly hex Harry within an inch of his life.

"There're bigger things to worry about anyway," Harry said. "If they'd realize what was really going on outside and quit worrying about who's talking to who--"

"Or who's fucking who," Draco added.

"Whatever; the point is, it doesn't matter. In a few days it will be old news."

For the time being, Draco believed what Harry said, feeling as though the whole matter would blow over and that Snape's knowing looks or the dark haired girl's fiery confrontation meant nothing.

"I, for one, care more about my hand cramping up every day after Snape's detention," Harry said.

"I told you I'd do it for you," Draco said.

"Right, then we can land another two months detention for not following directions," Harry said, mocking Snape's voice.

"Why're you like this?" Draco said, laughing.

"Like what?" Harry said, looking quite perplexed.

"Just...how you are," Draco said.

"Stop with the details, would you?" Harry said sarcastically. "I can't keep up."

"You really don't care, do you?" Draco said.

"No," Harry said simply. "I really don't."

Draco slid closer to him, wrapping one arm around him and gently stroking his leg with the other, tracing lazy circles on his thigh.

"You're starting something," Harry said.

"Am I?" Draco said. "I'm just sitting next to you."

"Sure you are," Harry said, moving slightly as though encouraging Draco to move his hand higher.

"I'm not allowed to sit next to you?" Draco whispered in his ear. "Is that what this has come to?"

Harry pointedly took his hand and pushed it farther up, moaning deeply as Draco cupped his groin and squeezed. He smiled, enjoying the sensual feast before him, watching with a bit of possession and awe as Harry's face flushed slightly and he bit his lip as he thrust into Draco's hand.

"God, you're--" Draco murmured, but stopped abruptly.

"What?" Harry breathed, grabbing Draco's tie and pulling him close; so close, their foreheads rested together.

Draco swallowed, feeling utterly terrified all over again.

"I'm what?" Harry said, his voice heavy.

Draco felt a soft whine escape his lips as Harry relinquished his grip on the tie and hastily unfastened Draco's trousers.

"You're..." He gasped and spread his legs as Harry eagerly took hold of his swollen shaft.

Then he couldn't think anymore and his entire world encompassed this moment.

"Go on," Harry whispered, his lips resting near Draco's ear.

In lieu of an answer, he pulled Harry into a hard, desperate kiss and pinned him against the soft cushions of the sofa. They were a tangle of hands and arms and clothes, until Draco pulled away to discard his shirt and realized how helpless Harry looked beneath him. Unable to stop himself, he grinned.

"What?" Harry said lowly, twisting out of his shirt.

"Honestly," Draco said, unfastening Harry's trousers, "haven't you hit your growth spurt yet?"

"Fuck off," Harry retorted.

Draco smiled slightly as he leant down and traced soft kisses over Harry's neck and

chest, indicating a destination his mouth would soon reach. "Fair enough."

"Wait," Harry said, suddenly. "Want me to do you first?"

"No," Draco said lowly. "It's all right."

Harry grinned slightly and settled back amongst the cushions as Draco bent back down and kissed his stomach lightly, stopping only to unfasten his trousers, quite sure he'd never looked forward to giving a blow job as much as he did at that very moment.

***

For the first time, Draco indulged in nonsensical talk with Harry as they lay bathing in the comfort and serenity that follows a truly spectacular orgasm.

"Let me ask you something," Draco said, gazing at the side of Harry's face and enjoying the sight of him without his glasses.

"What?" he said lazily.

"On a daily basis, how horrified is Ron that we're shagging?"

Harry laughed. "We don't talk about it, but I'm sure he's a bit traumatized."

"I'd love to suck you off in front of him."

"That wouldn't be awkward," Harry said.

"Not at all."

"I've thought about that before," Harry said, and immediately looked as though he regretted saying it.

"Thought about what?"

"You and me with Ron nearby," Harry mumbled.

Draco didn't say anything for a moment. "You mean you want him to watch?

"God no," Harry said, with a disgusted look on his face.

"Just listen?"

"I suppose," Harry said, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Look, I shouldn't have said anything..."

"Right, because now I'm going to run and tell him."

"What were you going to say earlier?"

"When?" Draco asked, knowing full well.

"Don't be daft," Harry said, nudging him lightly with his elbow. "When you said I was so...something."

"I don't remember," Draco lied.

Harry sighed, but did not press the matter, which was one of the many wonderful things about him: he knew when to let up and when to press on. Draco kissed his shoulder lightly and settled back, listening as Harry's breathing deepened and he fell asleep.

"You're so perfect," Draco finally whispered.