Honesty is His

"Every man has his faults, and honesty is his." - William Shakespeare

Harry's eyes widened. "What the hell are you going here?" Malfoy sneered, dusting himself off from having run into such "Gryffindor scum."

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Harry retorted.

"Such an original response Potter. What's the matter? Can't come up with a better insult?" Malfoy smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the stone wall.

"Malfoy I..." Harry sighed. "Look, I don't want to fight you," he commented, trying not to meet his gaze. What he wished more than anything was just to get away from his enemy. His thoughts turned back to what he had witnessed a week before and dreams that followed. He tried to push past the Slytherin.

"Not so fast Potter," Malfoy's hand went up and settled against Harry's chest to stop him. Harry sucked in a breath. "What's the hurry Potter? Off to a secret rendezvous?"

Harry coughed. "Malfoy, please."

He raised a straight, blond eyebrow. "Potter said please?" he laughed. "What has the world come to?" Malfoy still hadn't removed his hand from its place on Harry's chest.

"Malfoy."

"Potter," he responded tauntingly. Finally, he took a step back from the Gryffindor, but he still wouldn't let Harry past. "You know Potter, I was on my way to meet my boyfriend. See, there's a secret room back there." Harry fought the urge to look over his shoulder to see where Malfoy was pointing to. "Did it surprise you that I was a faggot Potter?"

Harry almost blanched at such a derogatory term. He couldn't answer.

Malfoy took a step closer to his enemy. His sneer faded into a sadistic smile. Another step. Another. Harry could almost feel Malfoy brushing up against him. One more step brought Malfoy fully up against Harry. Harry could feel Malfoy's breath on his face when he spoke. "I'll let you in on a little secret about me Harry."

He shuddered. "And what's that Malfoy?" He was still unable to meet his gaze.

"Let me tell you just why I decided to turn gay..." He leaned in closer, so close that his lips brushed against Harry's cheek. He opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted.

"Draco, I...!" Terry Boot entered the hallway and stopped short when he saw the two boys.

Draco pried himself away from the Gryffindor and turned to Terry, a soft smile molding to his sharp features. Boot's expression was unreadable, but if the fists clenched at his sides meant anything, he was not happy. "Terry, I was just talking to Potter here."

"I can see that," Boot answered through compressed lips. He stared at Harry.

Draco, believing that he had done nothing wrong, looked at his boyfriend, and then at Potter, concerned. "What's the matter Terry?"

Boot, lips still compressed and hands on his hips, turned slowly to look Malfoy in the eye. "Are the two of you quite finished?"

"Finished?"

Boot nodded.

Harry bit back a sigh at how adorably confused Malfoy looked. "What are you talking about?" the Slytherin finally asked, stepping up toward the Ravenclaw.

Boot took a step backwards, saving his personal space. Draco reached out to touch his shoulder, but Boot shrugged away. "Terry?"

"You said there was no one else."

Harry's eyes widened at Terry's implications, and his face paled.

"What?!" Draco managed to sputter. "Someone else? You think me and Potter - that we -?!" He looked at the shorter boy, exasperated. "What?!"

Terry wringed his hands together in front of him. He was calm when he spoke next. "When we first got together, Draco, you told me that if was because of me that you liked guys. I was honored - flattered even. You knew I had a crush on you, and instead of mocking me and harassing me, you chose to return it. I felt like the luckiest wizard in the world. But something was up. I could tell. I'm even surer of it now." He sucked in a breath and held up his hand to silence Malfoy when the blond opened his mouth to object. "I think you are attracted to me, yes. But I also think, now especially, that you are using me. I wish I would have seen it sooner - before we went public. This hurts even more now, because my feelings for you are more than lust - they're genuine. I knew I was hoping for too much when you came to me." Terry stopped talking and cast a sad glance toward Draco. He made a move to walk away, but Malfoy's hand shot out and gripped him by the wrist.

"Terry, wait," Malfoy pleaded.

Boot bit his bottom lip.

"We need to talk about this. Please," he begged. Boot made a move to shake his head, but Draco continued. "Please. This is just all a misunderstanding."

Terry looked at the Slytherin, and then at the Gryffindor standing behind him. Harry was looking down at the floor, his cheeks red and his feet shuffling along the stone floor. A sudden realization crossed Boot's mind. He sucked in a breath. "I hope you're right," he said. "We'll talk. But not now - later. Meet me back here after supper." He walked away.

Malfoy spun on his heel to face Harry, who jumped at the sudden movement. "This is far from over Potter," Draco sneered. He turned and walked away, his black school robe billowing out behind him.

Harry didn't move from the spot. He was more confused than ever.

***

"Mr. Potter, twenty points from Gryffindor, and you will serve detention with me tonight," Professor Snape's voice resounded throughout the dungeon class room. It was almost as loud as the explosion that had taken place moments before.

Harry was working with Ron on the potion that day. Neither of them was very good at Potions, but they could both manage so long as they were concentrating. Ron was concentrating; Harry was distracted. Because of his distraction then, he added the mandrake roots too soon, and the potion proceeded to explode.

"Did you hear what I said Potter?" Snape continued.

Harry looked up at him and nodded. "Yes sir. I did."

Snape raised an eyebrow at him. "What Potter? No lame retort? No protests?"

He shook his head. "No sir."

The Potions Master gave him one last glare at the Gryffindor before spinning on his heels and sweeping back to the front of the room, his long black robes billowing out behind him.

"What's gotten into you Harry?" Ron asked, nudging him in the side. "You didn't even object when Snape deducted House points. Now you have detention for it too."

He shrugged. "I don't know Ron. I was distracted."

"Yes, well get undistracted," his best friend told him. "We have to redo this potion now, no thanks to you," Ron continued, muttering something incessant about mandrake roots and reading directions and hating Potions class. Harry shrank back in his chair.

Draco Malfoy turned around in his seat at the front of the room and laughed at Harry, his lips curling up into his usual sneer. Unfortunately, the two boys' gazes met and locked gray eyes on green. Harry felt his face redden slightly, and he suddenly turned away very quickly. If he had held his gaze a little longer, however, Harry would have noticed Draco's own pale face blushing slightly on his cheeks.

***

The moment Harry stepped into the Potions classroom that evening for detention and found one Draco Malfoy leaning slyly against Snape's desk, he should have known it was going to be an interesting night.

"Well, well, well. Potter has finally graced the room with his presence," Malfoy sneered. "You're late Potter." He uncrossed his arms and took a step forward.

Harry stopped just inside the door and straightened his shoulders to make himself taller. "Where's Professor Snape?" he asked, not at all meeting Draco's gaze.

"Out," Malfoy replied, taking another step closer to Harry. "The good professor was kind enough to allow me to preside over your detention this evening, being a Slytherin prefect and all." He smiled smugly. Another step and the distance between the two was almost closed.

Harry nervously took a step backwards. Draco compensated with a step forward. Just as Harry backed into the door, Malfoy drew his wand, cast a charm to lock the door, and had Harry's wand in his hand before you could say Quidditch.

"We need to finish that conversation we started in the hallway," Malfoy threatened. "I told you I wasn't finished with you yet."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He wanted nothing more than to be able to insult Draco, or make fun of his sexuality, or make some sort of retort regarding his involvement with Voldemort, but unfortunately, his proximity to the boy in question made it difficult. "Malfoy, I -"

Draco stretched out his index finger and set it against his lips. "Be quiet Potter. I need to talk." Harry was beginning to breathe heavily, and he felt a pain growing in his chest, not to mention another part of his body that was responding to Draco's nearness. Suddenly, Malfoy was across the room, leaving Harry with his back against the door, panting. Then, he began.

"When I was very young, Potter, my father told me a story. He told me that it's a common trait for pureblood Slytherins to be attracted to members of the same sex, particularly those in a different House. He told me that it was because Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor had a torrid love affair when Hogwarts was being created. It ended badly, thus precipitating the string of strong hate and detest between the houses. He also told me that he himself had once been attracted to men, but that his father forbid it, betrothing him to my mother and forcing him to wed her."

Draco took a deep breath. "He then proceeded to tell me that he would not do that to me when that time in my life arrived. I thought him a crazy, old crackpot, and I refused to believe a word he was saying. Then I met you." He let his words sink in before continuing. "This summer my father began to suspect that he had been right all along, and he approached me about it. He told me that I was free to have relations with anyone I so chose, though that I was required to wed a woman when the time comes. He pressed on and on about who the 'lucky boy' was, though I did not falter. He may have been alright with my new fondness for the male sex, but I know he would have a problem if he found out it was you I lusted after."

The reality of Draco's words sunk in, and Harry sucked in a breath.