The Path of the Righteous

Dedication: To my lovely betas, Tess and Jayne. Love you both, my lifesaving betas ^_^

NB: 'thoughts'

Chapter Two - A Definitive Moment

Harry had decided.

He figured that whatever Malfoy's response was going to be, at least it would be better than this. Day in, day out, staring into space, staring at him. Harry desperately wanted to be near him, to touch him, to be able to have a civil conversation with him.

He had to do something about it. He was desperate. The only solution seemed to be to talk to Malfoy.

'Even Malfoy's ridicule would be better than this. At least I would feel like I've done something about this ... this feeling,' Harry thought bitterly. Though he knew that the only reason that he was approaching Malfoy was because, if he didn't, he would eventually go mad. Yes, though Harry was a member of Gryffindor, the house for the brave and all that, he would have been quite content not to talk to Malfoy, to not act upon his feelings, to merely sit back and act as before -- before this feeling had accosted him. In fact, that was what Harry had originally planned -- but, of course, nothing ever went as planned.

At first, Harry had been quite convinced that if he ignored it, it would go away, or at least fade. That hadn't happened. If anything, by trying to not think about it, he had thought about it even more!

Then Harry had thought that maybe he could take his hormonally charged teenage mind off him by directing his attentions elsewhere. He had flirted with Parvati, Lavender, Ginny, even Hermione! But all that accomplished was a lot of extremely pissed-off housemates, weird looks from Ron and Hermione and his own nausea and disgust at himself.

Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb; he was both tired and frustrated. For the past week or so, he had hardly had a full night's sleep. 'Right, this has got to stop. Tomorrow morning, double Potions -- I'll make my move then.' With that decided, Harry fell asleep.

***

There was something wrong with Potter. Draco was sure that for the past few days, Potter had gone out of his way to avoid him -- or, more precisely, Slytherins in general. Potter had also gone on some Don Juan-esque crusade, fancying himself as Hogwarts' Casanova. It had actually been quite amusing for Draco and the other Slytherins, watching the various reactions from his pursuits. Some had fainted out of flattery; others wrinkled with disgust, and the Mudblood had nearly gagged when Potter had used his charms on her during lunch the other day. That had been Draco's highlight for the week.

But now, Potter was staring at him. He could feel it, the green orbs burning holes at the back of his head. It made him feel uncomfortable, but at the same time it was... oddly satisfying.

Snape had put his class into pairs, instructing them on the art of brewing the complex truth potion Veritaserum. Snape had assured them that they would fail not only the assignment, but consequently the Potions N.E.W.T. as well, since Veritaserum was to be one of the key potions they would be tested on. Of course, Snape's statement excluded his favourite Slytherins.

Draco was not worried, however. During the summer, he had privately brewed all of the N.E.W.T. potions and found them dreadfully simple. He wished Snape would forget the syllabus and teach them some more intriguing and complex concoctions. He had found some recipes that he thought were quite interesting in his book, All that a Potions Master Needs to Know, but due to his lack of some of the more ... explosive ingredients, he could only imagine the pleasure of brewing them. He had thought of asking Snape for assistance, but resisted the urge with the knowledge that Lucius would hardly approve. In fact, he'd probably urge the school governors to fire Snape. There was, of course, the option of borrowing these ingredients from Snape's personal supplies, but somehow Draco couldn't bring himself to take any of the Potions master's supplies without permission. Draco sighed. If only Lucius wasn't so against Draco's dreams of becoming a Potions master -- for without his father's approval, Draco couldn't even purchase the ingredients for double their value at the apothecary. Yes, Lucius had connections; the only apothecary who stocked any of the ingredients that Draco needed just happened to be a minion of Lucius'.

Meticulously, Draco chopped away at the Friodeaus plant; he was partnered with Goyle, so, naturally, he had to do all the work if they were to successfully brew the Veritaserum. He only hoped Goyle would remember to stir the potion counter-clockwise for thirty-eight strokes before changing to clockwise and stirring until the potion turned clear. He would have preferred to work with Blaise. Though the other boy didn't share Draco's enthusiasm for the subject, he was competent enough to brew a potion without a supervisor. However, Blaise was currently instructing Crabbe on the way to stir the potion.

At that moment, Blaise glanced over at Draco. Meeting his gaze, he gestured towards Crabbe and rolled his eyes, then, with his brows raised, nodded towards Goyle. Draco rolled his eyes in return, and they shared a smile. They understood each other -- well, that is to say, Blaise understood Draco as much as anyone could understand a Malfoy.

***

"Harry, aren't you coming? We're going to be late for History of Magic," Hermione said, impatience weaving in her voice. Hermione and Ron were standing at the door to the Potions classroom, looking expectantly at Harry.

"Err ... You guys go ahead; I just want to ask Snape something."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. Harry knew she didn't buy it -- she wasn't the smartest witch in the school for nothing. Feeling a deep flush creeping up his cheeks, he stared determinedly at Hermione, using his eyes to urge her, beg her, to leave. Eventually, Hermione seemed to relent; with a last gaze at Harry, she dragged Ron away.

Harry sighed, relieved; he'd have to think of an excuse to tell her later. But for now, he needed to talk to Malfoy. He and the rest of the Slytherins had already left for Charms; Harry would have to run to catch up with him. Running out of the Potions classroom, Harry was just in time to see the Slytherins begin to turn the corner. Spotting the familiar blonde head, Harry took out his wand.

"Diffindo!"

Malfoy's bag split. Quills, inkbottles and parchments spilt out. Even from down the corridor, Harry could hear the curses issuing from Malfoy's mouth. The other Slytherins were all falling over each other trying to help. Even him. Harry hoped they'd go away, especially him. He needed to talk to Malfoy alone, but if he was there Harry knew he would probably lose the ability to speak; then what would he do? Thankfully, Malfoy waved them off. He seemed to be more frustrated that they were trying to help him than that his bag had split open.

"Go," he commanded. Reluctantly, the Slytherins wandered off, him included. Harry sighed in relief; for once he was thankful for Malfoy's bossiness and the Slytherins' regard for tradition and power. They obeyed Malfoy, simply because he was a Malfoy.

"Potter, you seem to have made it a habit of making me late," Malfoy drawled.

***

"How did you know it was me?" Potter asked, suspicion written over his face. Stupid Potter, he was such a bad liar. Draco had heard him lie to the Mudblood and the Weasel after Potions, and he had felt Potter's eyes on him during class. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Potter wanted to speak to him and, since Malfoys were known for their intelligence, Draco had made the connection straight away. Plus, of course, a few days ago, Potter had made him late to Arithmancy, because he wanted to talk.

"Potter, you are so stupid, and about the most unsubtle person I know. Did you think I wouldn't notice the way you were staring at me during class? What is it, Potter, you have a crush on me or something?"

"No! No, of course not. Eww ... Malfoy, that's gross!"

"What? Great Harry Potter, a homophobe? I would never have thought the good, righteous, noble and fair Golden Boy of Gryffindor would be so closed-minded."

"Shut up, Malfoy, I have nothing against homosexuals. In fact, ... that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Look, Potter, if you need to talk to someone about your identity crisis, I suggest you pay St. Mungo's a visit. Better yet, why don't you ..."

"Malfoy, shut up! Look, I know you hate me; I don't really mind, because the feeling is mutual. But I ..."

"Potter, as much as I enjoy standing here being belittled by you, I have better things to do -- like get to class."

"Malfoy, wait. You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just ... look, I need your help." Potter was turning really red now. In fact, Draco hadn't thought anyone could possibly turn so ... red. He probably should be teasing Potter about his coloring right now, but Draco was in a good mood. After all, the grand Harry Potter had just apologized to him, a Malfoy! Wait until Lucius heard about this.

"Malfoy... IhaveacrushonBlaise."

Oh, this was too good to be true -- Potter has a crush on Blaise. Ha! Blaise Zabini!

"I'm sorry, Potter, what did you say? I didn't quite catch that." Potter was squirming, and, if possible, turning redder. 'This is so worth being late to class for!' Draco loved this -- Potter was so funny. If only he could provide entertainment as good as this every day.

"I ... I. Have a. Crush. On. Zabini." Potter was pronouncing each word carefully; his green eyes alight with rage. Draco loved it. He loved how worked up Potter was becoming; he was so angry, so pissed off, so passionate, all because of him.

Draco was confused, though. When he had asked if Potter had a crush on him, he had actually half believed it. It all made some sort of sense. All these attempted talks, the staring, the blushes -- they all pointed to Potter fancying Draco, not Blaise. Not that Draco wanted Potter to fancy him or anything, but it had left him with a feeling of power over Potter. A sense of control. And Draco loved to be in control -- he was used to it. So he wasn't completely sure how he felt about Potter fancying Blaise; he wasn't even sure if Blaise swung that way!

"Malfoy, all I'm asking is that we call a truce and maybe be civil to each other from now on. I mean, seven years, Malfoy. We've been fighting for seven years. I'm tired of it, and I'm sure you are, too. I don't expect you to set Blaise and me up or anything, but I just want to be able to talk to him civilly for once. Maybe then ..." Potter shrugged; he looked helpless, yet hopeful -- not at all like a savior of the wizarding world.

Draco didn't know what he felt. All he knew was that if he called a truce with Potter, he would lose the little power and control he had over Potter. But a little part of him, a part hidden away for seven years, wondered if he dared to hope that maybe, under this truce, Potter and he could become friends.

"I ..."

"Let's bury the hatchet, Malfoy." Potter's eyes were pleading, staring unblinkingly at Draco. In them, Draco could see exhaustion, frustration, and a challenge. A challenge that said, "Are you afraid?" And Draco wasn't afraid. Malfoys, though not known for their bravery, were known for their determination. A Malfoy would never back down or quit. And Draco fully intended to follow the tradition; he was not going to back down from Potter's challenge. Potter wanted a truce, fine. Draco would give him a truce.

Draco stuck his hand out, just like he'd done seven years ago on the Hogwarts Express.

"What do you say, Potter? After seven years, what do you say?"

A look of understanding dawned on Potter's face. Without taking his eyes off Draco's, he reached out and grasped the other boy's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Draco Malfoy."

Green on silver, pale skin against tanned; neither boy suspected that it was this moment -- this moment of union between light and dark, Gryffindor and Slytherin -- that would decide their futures, and the future of the wizarding world.

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A/N: Eh... I hope the characters weren't too OOC! You probably noticed that near the end of this chapter, I sort of went dialogue overload, please tell me if the dialogue fits into the story or not. I really was unsure of how to express what I wanted without the dialogue! I really hope this chapter isn't too corny.

Another thing, it is probably obvious that I didn't have a beta reader for chapter one of PotR, there were heaps of mistakes in my writing. For example, last chapter I wrote Arithmetics instead of Arithmancy and Zambini instead of Zabini ::blush:: Thanks to moondaughter for pointing the Arithmetics mistake out!

Replies:

moondaughter: Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you think my Malfoy is in character... I hope he continues to be in character in this chapter! Thanks so much for correcting me on the "Arithmetics" error, I feel rightfully stupid. ::blushes:: By the way, I adore your icon - Half-naked!Orlando, need to remember to breathe ^_^

Meemo Malfoy: Thanks heaps for your kind review, I'm glad you liked it! I hope you like this chapter as well. And I will email you immediately ^_^ I feel like such a stalker commenting on people's FAP settings, but I do <3 your signature. The one that begins with "A kiss is just the kiss, till you find the one you love..." Very sweet.

Mistykasumi: Thank you for your nice review. I'm happy you found it funny, I was worried that the humor didn't come through! Thanks for pointing out Harry's OOC-ness in chapter one, he stuttered a lot didn't he? I tried to keep the characters more IC in this chapter, but I don't know if it worked or if its just a delusion ^_^ Oh and Blaise will play a part in this story, a very important part, and rest assured he will make it difficult for a H/D relationship! Yep evil!Blaise (not really).

Mysticalsoul: Glad you liked the strip poker scene ::joins in with the evil laughter:: Hope you like this chapter as well ^_^ Thanks so much for the review!

ddz008: I'm glad you like the story so far, hope you like this chapter as well. Yes, eventually this story will be a H/D story ^_^ But note: eventually.

Paige Weldon: Yeah! The humor came out! I was a bit skeptic of my skills of writing humor, but I'm glad that you found it at least a bit funny ^_^ Yep, eventually this fic will be H/D slash.

Anastasia: Thanks for the review and the encouragement. It's my first slash story, quite intimidating, that thought! But I'm glad you liked my attempts ^_^

Doppelganger: Love bastard!Draco. Is my Draco really bastard!Draco? Wow...cool huh? ::LOL:: Thanks for the review ^_^ I absolutely love your fic, both the original and the sequel. What a twist! Never expected that.

Aarra: Thanks for reviewing ^_^ I did update >>> see! Hope you like this chapter ^_^ Ooh..slashy Quidditch icon! I swear the poster designers are cupboard slashers!

Thank you to all these who reviewed! I ::heart:: you all ^_^

To all these who haven't reviewed, I hope you do...no pressure though.

~Lia