Three Decembers

Part VI: Plots and Vows

Like the naked leads the blind.
I know I'm selfish, I'm unkind.
Sucker love I always find,
Someone to bruise and leave behind.

~Every You, Every Me by Placebo

--__--__--__--

Draco Malfoy stomped towards the Great Hall. He was furious, absolutely furious.

He had been chasing Potter ever since the first day of school (though he didn't notice it until years later), wanting his attention, wanting his admiration. Yet the only thing Potter had ever looked at him with was hate. So he had tried to hate back. He had tried not to care.

It never worked. The Weasel and the mudblood were always there, poisoning Potter's mind against Draco. Then the Weasel died, and Draco did care a bit. A small bit. He let himself admit Weasley was a good quidditch and chess player. He let himself admit Weasley had been pretty loyal to Potter. Hell, he even admitted that Weasley had a nice arse.

He forced himself to try and play nice, even though it wasn't his style.

Draco sat down at the Slytherin table, still thinking.

The detention half-forced it. His face pinkened just thinking about it. There was nothing more humiliating to him than that night. Yet, now, just when he thought everything was getting better. Just when he thought he had a shot, he sees Potter walking through the corridors like he just had a night of mind blowing sex. His hair was more mussed than usual, his face was smudged with what looked like dark make-up (I never knew Potter liked them goth, Draco thought), and there were bruises under his eyes from an obvious lack of sleep.

Draco had wanted him desperately, even then. He couldn't hold back a kiss, even if he told himself it was honestly to just tell whether Potter had slept the night before. Whether he drank. To get close enough to see if he smelled like anyone Draco knew.

No. Potter had horrendous morning breath, though not a hint of alcohol. He had no smell of anyone Draco knew, but he did smell strange. As if he was wearing some kind of weird perfume. It smelled familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out where he smelled it before.

I know he was with someone. What the bloody hell would be doing out all night in the castle, if he wasn't having sex?

Draco was a bit of a one minded creature in cases like these.

Jealousy surged through him. It wasn't the Granger girl, at least he knew that. Potter was trying to get back up to the common room, not coming from it. Draco looked up from his plate when he heard the Great Hall's doors open. Granger walked in looking harassed.

Draco tilted his head thoughtfully as he considered her. He knew she wanted Potter, and now she knew he wanted him as well. Truth be told, Draco was slightly attracted to her as well. Ever since seeing her looking so elegant at the Yule Ball he had been interested in seeing how she was in bed. A prude, some said. However, something told him that they were wrong. Very wrong.

True, she was a mudblood, but Draco could forget that for one night.

Maybe she can help me figure out who Potter is interested in. She is his best friend, and she's supposed to be smart.

Draco took a bite out of his toast.

Let's just see how smart the little tart is.

Potter walked in a little after her. He was freshly cleaned and clothed, all traces of the night out he had gone. He looked drawn in and tired. Draco studied him a bit. Potter tried his best to stay as far away as possible from Granger. As breakfast wore on, he only played with his food, and didn't really notice anyone else around him.

He probably misses his goth sex bunny,

Draco thought bitterly, and found he couldn't eat anymore.

Instead, he glanced at the head table. The headmaster was in animated conversation with Professor Flitwick, and nobody seemed to notice how strange the boy wonder was acting. Except for one. Professor Snape had his eyes trained on Potter, watching his every movement like a hawk.

Draco wondered what Snape was thinking. Whatever it was, it was probably right. The man read people like a book. Here he was, staring at Potter, whom he didn't even like. There was definitely something going on.

A small hand grabbed Draco's. Pansy Parkinson had taken the seat next to him. She smiled at him, and tilted her head up for an expected kiss. Draco didn't disappoint her. Pansy was a nice thing to have around if he wasn't expecting to hook up with anyone else. He cheated on her numerous times, but she never found out, and he didn't much care if she did. He was expected to marry her by both their parents and by the entire school, and hell, if he didn't have any better prospects, why not? Did it truly matter who he married? It was all for status and money. He could always have a few nice pieces of arse on the side.

Potter got up and left the table. Granger tried to follow him out, but Draco was already on her tail. He caught her arm outside in the Entrance Hall.

"Granger."

She looked venomous.

"Don't you dare ever touch me again, Malfoy!" she screamed at him.

He dropped her arm. Touchy.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I wanted to explain."

It took all his acting skills in the world to pretend to actually care about what happened last night. He needed her now, though, and he was going to get to Potter one way or another through her.

Granger crossed her arms across her chest.

A rather small chest,

Draco thought blandly.

"Well?" she asked.

"I can't talk about it here. Let's go outside," he told her.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Watch," he commanded her, getting irritated. "Here's my wand, see?"

He took it out, showed it to her, and gave it to her.

She took it slowly.

It took all his willpower to give her his wand, but he needed her trust, and giving up a wand unprovoked was a universal way of earning it. Besides, even if she hated him, Granger played fair. Everyone knew that.

She followed him out to the lake.

"I don't have much time, Malfoy. Class starts in half an hour."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"I only need a few minutes of your time," he explained.

She watched him. Waiting.

"Okay, about yesterday... I'm sorry. You see, I know you fancy Potter and I was a bit jealous."

Draco's acting skills were not at his best. He was not good at acting nice. He bit his tongue while he wondered what to say.

"Okay, Granger, I'm madly in love with Potter. Happy?"

She stared at him. "What? No. Since when were you gay?"

He exhaled angrily. "Not that it's any of your business, but I am not gay. I don't see a person's gender, I see them."

Granger looked a little impressed. Though, that didn't last long.

"Then why can't you see beyond a person's blood or status?" she asked him, seeming honestly curious.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Please, I am sexually free. I am not a savage."

"And here I was thinking that you might have a chance at being a feeling human being. Apparently not."

"My 'preferences' are not the point of this conversation, Granger! I just asked you out here for your help!"

"My help?"

"Well, not your 'help' per say... But rather your... Alliance."

Granger sat on a giant rock facing the lake. Her legs were crossed, and the winter winds tossed her frizzy hair about. Whenever she wasn't speaking to Draco, she looked out towards the frozen lake. Her mind seemed far away.

This isn't going to work this way. I need to make her able to stand me somewhat. I need her to be able to work with me. Maybe I can even get her in bed...

Draco stopped his mind from being taken away by his hormones. Lusty images could be saved for later.

"Okay, Granger," he said softly, he sat down next to her. "I know you want Potter, even if you may deny it. I want him, too, but neither of us are going to get a shot at him if he's always attached to somebody else."

Granger didn't deny that she wanted him; she just examined Draco with interest.

"I don't like you, Malfoy," she told him point blank. "I don't like you and I don't trust you. Frankly I think you're a rich little brat with too much time on his hands. So why should I even pretend to trust anything your deceitful mouth says?"

"You shouldn't, and I don't care if you do or don't. I sure as bloody hell don't trust you. All I want is your cooperation. Potter is fucking someone in this school, and I want to find out who it is."

"What?" Granger exclaimed. "Harry isn't having sex with anyone! I would have known! He would have told me!"

Draco made eye contact with her. "Potter is having sex with somebody in this school. I saw him just this morning, smelling like perfume and smudged with make-up."

Hermione bit her lip. "I sort of thought he smelled like fish."

He gave her a bored look. "Maybe he's having an affair with the giant squid."

Granger stifled a laugh and quickly turned it into a cough.

Really,

Draco thought. Is it so bad to even laugh at one of my jokes?

"No, Granger. Not fish. It was another smell. A misty smell. It was light and... I can't really explain it all that well. It smelled familiar, however. I know I smelled it on someone before."

Draco leaned towards her, as if to whisper in her ear. She flinched away from him a little. He smirked.

"Help me find out who Potter is dating, Granger. When it's time for him to choose between us, and if he happens to choose you, I'll disappear. I won't chase him anymore. I won't even speak to either of you anymore," he vowed.

"And what if he chooses you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "How can I even take your word?"

He thought for a moment. "If he chooses me, then you will distance yourself from him. You will support us in our relationship, and you will mind your own bloody business for once. Maybe you can go off with the Weasley girl," he shrugged.

Hermione gaped at him. "I'll let you know, I am perfectly straight!"

Draco smiled at her. "Yep, straight as your hair."

She didn't answer, simply glared.

"We're all bisexual on the inside, Granger," Draco told her, smirking again.

"Oh, shut up, Malfoy. Class starts soon. Now tell me, how can I believe you at all? You never gave me any reason to trust you."

Draco glanced at his wand, which Hermione held loosely between her fingers. She had a lot of issues on trust.

Why the hell can't she be a good little mudblood and do what the pureblood wizard says?

"There's one way we can do this so that trust doesn't matter," he told her thoughtfully.

"How is that?" she asked, staring out at the lake again.

"An Unbreakable Vow."

Granger gasped and dropped his wand into her lap. Draco winced.

"You can't be serious," she whispered.

"I am serious. Meet me at the Room of Requirement at midnight. I assume you know where that is?"

She nodded, and Draco walked her back to the school, plotting.