Russian Roulette

[Chapter One: Reckless Bravado]

Whispers floated through the air of a clear Saturday night, the wind carrying the sounds of teenagers' voices. From above, one could see a tight gathering of about ten or so young people, sitting under a tree on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Their heads were bent inwards, all saying whatever it was they were saying in an undertone; they weren't supposed to be outside at this time. But, then again, seventh year was a fun time to break rules, as teenagers were liable to do.

Upon closer observation, the observer may find it a little weird when recognizing the faces of the ten people under the tree. They were a mix of Gryffindors and Slytherins--the two houses that socialized with one another the least. Although this may appear to be a friendly gathering among acquaintances, if one were to hear the discussion that was now taking place, their mind would be changed rather quickly.

A black-haired boy with a striking scar on his forehead was gesturing furiously, his eyebrows drawn together to form a scowl. "It was you who cheated, Malfoy!" he hissed under his breath, directing his green-eyed glare towards a blond boy of the same age.

"Shut up, Potter!" the aforementioned teen snarled, his thin arms crossed against a narrow chest. "How come every time we make an attempt to have a friendly gathering, the discussion always turns to the last Quidditch match?"

"How is it that you're trying to be the mature one now?" he fumed in response, "I'd like to remind you that it was you who brought up the match!"

"I told you to shut up, you--"

"Gentlemen!" a shrill voice said, sounding over their bickering. "Could we get back to the task at hand, please?"

"You always interrupt me, Pansy," Malfoy said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the trunk of the tree he was sitting in front of, glaring at the black-haired girl who had spoken.

"It was necessary, dear," the girl called Pansy responded, patting Malfoy's arm soothingly.

He jerked his arm away from her touch and continued to scowl, not taking his eyes off one of the Quidditch goal posts in the distance.

"Anyway," Pansy continued, now addressing the entire group in an amiable fashion, "I'd like to remind you all of why we're here, as you may have forgotten at the fault of our two favorite rivals," she said, casting Potter and Malfoy another dark glance. "The Slytherins have challenged the Gryffindors to a friendly wizarding version of a Muggle game called Russian Roulette. Does everyone know how this works?" Pansy scanned the circle of her peers, seeing several confused faces looking back at her. "Alright then..." she said vaguely, rummaging through a large bag that she had sitting next to her.

She withdrew five vials of clear liquid and roughly ten cups, separating the cups and spreading them out in front of her. "Well," she said, looking up at the group, "the Muggle version of this game involves something called a gun... sort of like a Muggle wand used for killing people. It sounds quite dangerous, doesn't it?" she said, responding to the pale faces of her peers. "But don't worry," she added, smiling, "this game is not fatal. You see in front of you ten cups--one for each person in this circle. These vials--" she gestured towards the various containers-- "contain liquids that all taste the same. Each vial contains enough substance to fill two cups. Four of these vials contain an extremely mild forgetfulness potion--it's just to make sure the players are on more even footing, and you won't forget anything important. The other vial, however, contains a Love Potion."

Everybody in the circle exchanged fearful glances with one another, looking more than a little uneasy. "This Love Potion, however, is not permanent. It should only last about two months or so. As you all know, once a Love Potion is taken, the one who consumes it falls in love--or, at least experiences an imitation of it--with the first person they set their eyes upon. Now, I have no idea which vial contains the Love Potion; as you can see, they all look identical." At the conclusion of these words, Pansy began pouring the contents of the vials into the paper cups that were sitting in front of her.

When she was through, she backed away and gestured for everyone to take one, her taking one herself as well. "Now here's the fun part," she said, smiling. "We can't have everyone choosing who they look at, can we? That would be too easy! So I'm going to make everyone stand up now..." her voice trailed off as she watched everyone stand up. She followed suit a moment later. "Now close your eyes and I'm going to randomly re-arrange you. No peeking now!"

She quickly zipped around the circle, either moving people only a space over, or moving them entirely across the circle at random. She put her hands on Weasley's shoulder and guided him a few spaces away, switching him with Draco. Then she proceeded to move the rest of her peers (Potter, Granger, Thomas, Finnigan, Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini). Once she was satisfied with her new arrangement, she told them all to sit down, taking her own space and trying not to notice who was around her, so she wouldn't have an unfair advantage. Who ever said all Slytherins were cheaters? Right, Harry did.

All whispers ceased once everyone was seated. The tension in the air was apparent as everybody kept his or her eyes closed and waited for Pansy to say the word.

"Alright," she whispered, closing her own eyes and drawing in the attention of the rest of the circle, "after you down the contents of your glass, look in a random direction. I don't want you to think I placed you strategically or anything. Because I didn't," she assured them.

Just as everybody swallowed the liquid in their cups, a far off clock could be heard chiming midnight. The sudden noise made everyone jump and open his or her eyes suddenly, causing many of them to look straight across the circle without thinking of the consequences...

[//]

When Harry Potter opened his eyes, he already knew something was off with him. His head hurt a bit, and he felt sort of dizzy. This didn't last long, for everything seemed to right itself when he set eyes on the person across the circle from him.

However, things did not stay nice like that for too long. No, when Harry realized who it was he was looking at, his heart nearly stopped beating.

Draco Malfoy was staring back at him with a slightly surprised look on his face. When Harry felt those silver eyes on him, his heart seemed to speed up to twice its normal rate.

Oh. Crap.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Pansy's voice break the stunned silence.

"Well, I'd imagine two of you feel quite a bit different," she said, a smile on her face. "But," she continued, "I'll have to ask all of you not to say weather or not you've gotten a Love Potion, if you can tell. Now is your opportunity to let someone know how you feel--and if they don't feel the same, you could just lie and say you were under the influence of a Love Potion to avoid embarrassment!"

Everybody was still staring distractedly at whoever it was they had first looked at, apparently trying to figure out weather or not they had gotten the Potion.

"You look confused," Pansy muttered, almost to herself. "This is one of the weaker Love Potions, so you may not even be able to tell whether or not you've consumed it. But if you feel anything for anyone here, I suggest you act now. That was the whole point of this! We aren't cowards, are we?"

At those last words, the five Gryffindors in the circle got a determined glint in their eyes, while the other four Slytherins grinned wickedly.

Harry, for one, didn't need any more probing. He quickly got to his feet and, in three quick strides, he was across the circle, standing in front of Malfoy. The boy in question looked at him skeptically, waiting for him to explain his movement, and trying in vain to hide his surprise.

When Harry said nothing, Malfoy too got to his feet. "Potter?" he said, raising an eyebrow, hiding his nervousness with arrogance, as usual. With a jolt, Malfoy realized that everybody else in the little circle had stopped what they were doing to watch his and Potter's little exchange.

Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times, his eyes glazing over creepily. Malfoy just raised another eyebrow, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.

'Thunk!'

Before Malfoy knew what hit him, he was pressed up against the tree-trunk behind him, Potter's hands encircling his wrists. His hands were being pinned to the tree on either side of his head by a pair of strong arms. He saw Potter gazing back at him, a look of grim determination plastered onto his face. "Wha--" Draco began, but was cut off as a pair of soft lips closed over his own.

Draco's immediate reaction was surprise. 'I'm being kissed... by someone I can't stand...' Draco thought vaguely. But, to his extreme horror, his body immediately responded to the kiss. Draco felt himself start to kiss Potter back, which scared him more than just about anything else he could think of. After a few heated moments, Draco felt himself relax into Potter's arms, thinking, 'hey, this isn't so bad!'

Draco felt his knees start to give way, and as they bent, they hit Potter's thighs. Harry instinctively stuck his arms underneath Draco's, catching him before he fell and deepening their kiss.

When the two broke apart, they were greeted by a stunned silence. Draco definitely felt at a loss, already missing the heat of Potter's body, whom he suddenly didn't hate nearly as much as he did thirty seconds ago. Draco leaned over and began to kiss Harry again, this time many times in rapid succession. It was only then that the full impact of what had just transpired hit him. And boy did it hit hard.

Draco detached his lips from Harry's, backing up slowly. "Wha--what just happened? " he said, backing up until his back hit the tree trunk. He slowly slid down, feeling pieces of the bark breaking off and sticking to the material of his shirt, some digging into the delicate skin of his back.

Harry just stared at him, looking very put out. "Damn," he muttered, sitting down next to Draco. It was only then that he noticed everyone watching them. "Eh, what're you staring at?" Harry said shakily, still apparently trying to digest what happened.

Pansy cleared her throat abruptly. "Well, I think we know who took the Love Potion then! Gosh, I didn't think of what would happen if the answer were so obvious! Potter, why'd you have to go and kiss him? Now the secret's spoiled!"

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly, "but wait, I don't even know if I took the Potion..." he continued in an undertone, almost talking to himself, his eyes glazing over and his face contorting with concentration as he tried to remember whether or not he'd ever wanted to kiss Malfoy before...

"WHAT?!" Draco screeched, his eyes bulging. "You mean you've WANTED to DO THAT before NOW?!"

Harry screwed up his face in concentration even more. "That's the thing... I can't remember!"

Hermione smiled in delight. "That's the genius of the Love Potion! The drinker cannot tell whether what they're feeling is their own emotions, or the feelings brought on by the Potion! I suppose that's why everyone either took that or a Forgetfulness Potion..."

"Thanks so much for your support, Hermione," Harry muttered darkly, burying his face in his hands.

"Oh, cheer up everyone!" Pansy interrupted, causing everyone to snap their heads from Harry to herself. "Shall we carry on with the night's plans?"

She got several nods of agreement, resulting in everyone standing up from where they were on the floor and beginning to walk towards the castle, being led by Hermione.

Draco couldn't help feeling unsettled by the fact that no matter where he stood, Harry always somehow ended up walking next to him. Draco would shoot him a purposeful sidelong glance, but Harry just wouldn't notice. Draco even found himself believing that Harry didn't realize what he was doing--he just automatically walked towards Draco.

It even got to the point where Harry was physically clinging to Draco's arm. When Draco felt Harry touch him, he put his hand over Harry's without thinking, stroking his fingers over the back of Harry's hand. It was only until Harry was leaning forward to kiss him that he realized what he had been doing. "WHAT AM I THINKING!?" Draco roared, causing the entire group to turn and look at him.

"Love is in the air, dear," Pansy said, giggling.

"Shut up, you cunt," Draco muttered, sidestepping Harry, who was making another beeline for him. "This is like an alternate universe," he said, not loud enough for anyone else to hear. "Potter's hitting on me and I'm enjoying it. Eurgh, what's wrong with me?"

[//]

The plan had been that they'd play the game, then go back inside and have a party in the Room of Requirement. The Slytherins had provided the game, so the Gryffindors got to host the party. Hermione was about to do the honors of walking past the door three times and thinking of what they needed, but Pansy insisted that she do it, because "Granger's too much of a prude," as she put it.

Hermione had scowled, but stepped aside anyway, allowing Pansy to activate the room.

Upon opening the door, the small group took a great, deep breath. It was gigantic. There was a dance floor right in the middle, with a DJ booth right in front of it, complete with strobe lights and such. There also happened to be a table on one side of the room that was littered with bottles looking suspiciously like alcoholic beverages. There were also a few doors in the back of the room that were slightly ajar, revealing several bedrooms.

"Why so big, Pansy? There's only ten of us," Draco asked.

"Oh, the rest of the seventh years should be arriving soon," she answered pleasantly, casting a spell on the DJ booth so it would work itself. Instantly, a song started blaring through invisible speakers, filling the room with sound.

"What?!" several people exclaimed.

"Oh yes," Pansy said matter-of-factly, "it was only the ten of us that wanted to play that little game, but I took the liberty of inviting everyone else to this party. The more the merrier, correct? But you all have to swear not to breathe a word about the whole Love Potion thing. They are quite illegal."

Everybody nodded in agreement. Several moments later, there was a knock on the door, and in streamed the rest of the seventh years. The people already in the room greeted their friends, leading them into the room. Draco, however, remained sitting glumly in the corner, listening to the throbbing beat of the intoxicating music.

Watching everyone have fun like that was really pissing him off. Didn't anyone care that he was miserable and confused? Draco didn't exactly like dance parties and such. Although he usually came off as a show off, he was actually quite shy when it came to dancing. So, he parked himself by the... erm... refreshment table, helping himself to a glass of some amber liquid that burned as it went down his throat.

Draco later decided that this was a dumb idea; he had been hoping to clear his head, and the alcohol did nothing of the sort. Yes, it made him more simple-minded, but not in the way he had been hoping for. This whole thing was just way too confusing for him to handle. Why did he have to go along with Pansy's hare-brained scheme of the game? Honestly, Draco's pride got in the way of his well being far too often than should be allowed.

He really wished that Pansy hadn't given the rest of the people the Forgetfulness Potion. Because right now, he was sure as hell feeling something towards Potter, and he was just as sure that it wasn't dislike. Sure, he felt resentment, but he'd felt resentment towards Potter for as long as he could remember. He'd even say that he felt like he'd hated Potter, but what was the reason again? Of course, he was Dumbledore's Golden Boy. He got everything he wanted whenever he wanted it. He didn't have a nazi-like father breathing down his neck, making decisions for him. Oh, and the boy had refused his hand in friendship in their first year.

Draco crossed his arms and scowled, recalling the incident. It wasn't one of his better moments. He had went to school, actually hopeful and excited about possibly meeting Harry Potter, the boy he had heard so much about, and managed to get his father more angry than Draco ever could, no matter how hard he tried. How was it that his father could feel more emotional about a boy he had never met than he did about his own son? Anyway, Draco figured he'd have to be pretty amazing. And he wasn't disappointed. The boy radiated a child-like innocence that Draco, despite his young age, had never really gotten the chance to enjoy. He had that distinguishing scar, which however much he might have hated, in reality made him so much different from everybody else. Fitting in was overrated, after all.

After all this build up, though, what happened? The mighty Boy-Who-Lived turned out to be much less saintly than Draco had hoped. He had turned him down, in favor of Ron Weasley, or rather "The Red-Haired Menace," as Draco referred to him in his mind. Draco's scowl deepened as he saw the aforementioned redhead leaning against his Mudblood girlfriend, obviously having a good time while Draco was miserable. Suddenly, Draco remembered why he hated Potter in the first place.

But then again, there was no ignoring that emotion he had felt after Potter had kissed him. What was it? Excitement? Well, maybe, Draco reasoned with himself. He was a seventeen-year-old boy, after all, and he was pretty damn sure that he would have been excited had anyone decent-looking kissed him. Then, belatedly, Draco realized that he had just referred to Potter as decent-looking (in a roundabout way, albeit) and shook himself mentally. But then again...

Draco chose that moment to cast a wary look in Potter's direction, as if to prove to himself that he felt nothing for the other boy. At first, with a wave of relief, he realized that he felt absolutely nothing when looking at Potter. The other boy was standing in the opposite side of the room, by the other refreshment table, sipping a drink. A few seconds later, Potter must have felt Draco watching him, because he turned to look at him and the two rivals locked eyes. With the same horrified jolt Draco got after realizing he enjoyed kissing Potter, Draco became aware of the fact he was looking forward to a repeat performance. 'I must have gotten the other Love Potion,' Draco tried to assure himself, and it sort of worked. His heart rate slowed slightly. You see, there's a rational reason for everything. He was attracted to Potter because he had that damned Love Potion coursing through his veins. This wasn't necessarily a good thing; Draco now had to endure two months of being "in love" with Potter. But at least it would be over soon, right? Sure, it would be torturous, but on the bright side...

Draco thought for a moment, but couldn't think of a bright side.

He slowly took another gulp of his drink.

'Well, this'll be fun,' Draco thought dejectedly, 'I'll just watch everyone dance the night away while slowly getting smashed, and I won't remember any of it in the morning!'

Yes, Draco's plan was going along quite nicely. That is, until a decidedly tipsy-looking Harry Potter grabbed his hand and suddenly dragged him onto the dance floor. Draco was slightly startled at the fact that he didn't notice the other boy coming up; he supposed he was more drunk than he thought.

"P - Potter!" Draco hissed into Harry's ear. "What do you think you're doing? People will stare!"

"Who cares?" Harry said, his voice slurring slightly. "Besides, nobody's watching. They're all too busy with their own thing."

"Good point," Draco said, starting to give in to the beat, and the dance floor that seemed to be beckoning to him.

Throughout the first song, Draco kind of just stiffly moved his body to the music, not touching Harry at all. If there was any physical contact between the two, Harry had initiated it. However, after a few songs, Draco discovered that several people were coming up to him with hungry looks on their faces, handing him more and more drinks. It was rude to refuse, Draco thought, so he drank every one of them. Soon, Draco found he didn't have many inhibitions left, and when a song he really liked came on, he found himself practically jumping on Harry.

Well, Harry had been wrong. Yes, people were busy with their own things, but apparently not busy enough to not notice the fact that two archrivals (both boys, as well) were all over each other on the dance floor. Neither Harry nor Draco really seemed to care, however. In their drunken state, they were even enjoying all the attention. Draco didn't really understand why, but people kept handing him more and more drinks, but he still wasn't complaining. He liked the way his brain sort of buzzed and numbed as the liquid went along his throat, burning all the way down.

The last coherent thoughts Draco had had been wondering why everyone was cheering and catcalling when Potter started to kiss him again... and boy did it feel good, this time without a question.

[//]

It was very odd, waking up the next morning, for the last thing Draco remembered was being at the party, completely smashed. His first thoughts this morning when he first gained consciousness, however, was that this must be what a terrible hangover feels like. Draco groaned, cracking his eyes open slightly in order to try and discern what time it might be. Judging by the really bright light (too bright, in his opinion), it was around nine o'clock. As soon as this was determined, Draco snapped his eyes shut again and tried to lift his arm in order to rub the pounding headache from his temples. When Draco first realized he couldn't lift his arm, he thought that it was because all his limbs felt so heavy from the hangover. However, when he wriggled slightly to test his range of motion, he came to the sudden realization that he was laying on top of something quite solid, and uncomfortable.

With growing horror and dread, Draco slowly looked down at the arm that he had tried to move, but couldn't. He had to suppress a cry of terror when he saw another arm draped over his own. Well, that explained why he had trouble moving it.

Draco felt panic start to grow in the pit of his stomach as he willed himself to open his eyes wider in order to observe his surroundings. This was not his bedroom. While he inhabited a room draped in the colors green and silver, red dominated this room. His first thought was that this must be the Gryffindor dorm (the horror!) but then he realized that he was in the only bed in the whole room, and he was certain that wasn't how it went.

Next, Draco checked out his current state. He was frightened when he saw that he had no top on, but he quickly realized that he wasn't naked on the bottom as well, but had his boxers on still. That didn't exactly guarantee anything, but it did make him feel a bit better.

Next was the part he was dreading: Whom was he laying in bed with? Although Draco already had a pretty good idea, as he remembered quite a bit from yesterday if not everything, he decided he'd better check anyway. It seemed as if he and the other person were laying in the same direction, and he was pressed against the other person's front. The person, whom Draco was certain was a boy, had his arms around Draco in a very loving fashion. Draco gulped as he steeled himself for the shock, turning around slowly to face the boy who was holding him.

He was immediately face to face with Harry Potter himself, complete with tousled hair and lightning bolt scar. Draco let out a deep breath that he hadn't been aware he was holding. He wasn't sure if this was out of relief or resignation, but he could work with it either way.

Potter was still dozing peacefully, but his grip had tightened around Draco's waist when he felt him move. Draco weighed his options. He could either silently leave the bed without rousing Potter and get out as fast as possible, wake Potter up and demand an explanation, or lay here and wait for Potter to wake up, and then they could snog until--wait.

Draco mentally slapped himself at even thinking of such a ludicrous thing. He quickly reminded himself that this was Potter he was thinking about, and he should be praying that his boxers had stayed on the entire night.

Yes. Potter. Bad.

Draco weighed his options again, this time leaving out the snogging one, that had unfortunately slipped in. He decided that choice two was his best bet, because he didn't fancy seeing Potter later on without knowing exactly what transpired last night.

So, he turned his attention back to the dark-haired teenager with his arms around him (which Draco didn't get a warm, fuzzy feeling from at all, mind you). He propped himself up on his elbows, still facing Potter, contemplating how to wake him. He seemed so peaceful, and it really was a shame to disturb him, but Draco needed answers. Now.

"Potter," Draco whispered very quietly, not wanting to re-awaken the splitting headache that had just started to ebb away, if only slightly. Harry didn't move. "Potter!" Draco said a little louder, and a little more insistently.

The boy still didn't move a muscle.

"POTTER! Wake up, goddamnit!" Draco screeched, a little louder than he had intended. But only a little, I swear.

At that, the other young man jolted awake, looking around confusedly, sporting the same grimace Draco's hangover had given him. Draco sighed out of relief. "Thank God, I thought I was going to have to get a foghorn."

"Who's there?" Potter mumbled vaguely, squinting against the bright light, trying to figure out whom it was he was trying to get into focus.

"Who do you think, you twit? Do you take someone different to bed with you every night? Here... put your ruddy glasses on!" Draco said impatiently, reaching over Harry's dazed form to grab his glasses off the night table and hand them to their owner. Potter placed them on his face, rubbing his eyes underneath them and blinking several times before recognition dawned on him.

"Draco?" he said softly, reaching his hand towards Draco's face. Draco flinched and pushed the hand away.

"Since when have I been 'Draco' to you, Potter?" he said bitterly, noticing with no small amount of relief that Potter, although shirtless, was also wearing his boxers. Despite his resentful words, Draco couldn't help feeling a slight fleeting spark of hope, or happiness, or excitement, or something at the sound of Potter using his first name.

Potter just blinked, stupidly Draco decided, and reached out one of his hands to touch Draco's arm. Again, Draco flinched but did not pull away this time out of curiosity. "You're so cold," Potter said distractedly, rather than answering Draco's earlier question. And with a look of concern, he reached behind Draco and pulled the blankets over Draco's shoulders, wrapping them around him snugly.

"Thanks," Draco said carefully, eyeing Potter suspiciously. "Listen, as much as I'm enjoying this tender moment, I'd like to ask you what the fuck happened last night, because I can't remember a bloody thing."

Harry thought for a moment, looking slightly sad. "You don't remember anything? Remember, we played that game, and then there was a party..."

"Potter, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about. I remember all that stuff, so apparently I have to ask you straight out, because you've obviously taken slow pills this morning. Did we or did we not have sex?"

"Oh," Potter mumbled, blushing slightly. "Um, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure we were too drunk to do anything like that."

Draco made a show of letting out a monumental sigh of relief. "Right then. I'll be off, if you don't mind..."

"Wait!" Potter cried as Draco made a move to get out of bed. "I do mind!"

Draco froze and blinked a few times. "Wh--what?"

"Draco, stay with me," Potter whispered, startling Draco considerably.

"Why?" Draco said incredulously, his frustration practically bringing him to tears.

"Because... I love you."

Draco froze, shock seemingly paralyzing him. Suddenly, all the memories of last night came flooding back to him. The game. The fucking Love Potion. He had forgotten about that part. The party. The people staring at them. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit..." Draco had started unconsciously mumbling, running his fingers through his hair as he went.

Abruptly, his little episode ended, and he snapped back to attention, turning his gaze away from the wall and back on Potter's heartbroken face. "Listen to me, Potter. You don't love me. You hate me, remember?" Draco felt as if he were talking to a small child who had a crush on him. "This... love you're feeling, it's not real. Do you remember the Potion you took last night?"

Potter looked thoughtful for another moment, then nodded, still looking miserable. "But I can't remember if I felt that way before I took it or not!" he moaned, rocking back and forth almost imperceptibly.

"Pull yourself together, Potter, for God's sake," Draco mumbled, placing a firm hand on Potter's shoulder. This served to be a bad idea, for the moment their skin made contact, Potter's eyes shot open wide, and before Draco could even register what was about to happen, Potter was upon him, kissing him passionately, and prying Draco's lips open with his tongue.

Again, Draco found he wasn't too inclined to stop Potter's ministrations. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and so did Potter, so why fight it? He soon found out why, for he suddenly felt something hard pressing up against his leg, and it most definitely wasn't his wand.

Draco quickly broke their kiss, spluttering indignantly. "Potter!" he barked. "What do you think you're doing!?" Potter moaned in frustration, trying to re-attach himself to Draco's mouth. When Draco refused to let him, he settled for latching onto Draco's neck, biting and sucking on that very sensitive spot right behind his ear.

"P - Potter! Pot - ... oooohhh..." Draco didn't seem to be able to protest any longer, and he couldn't deny that he was enjoying himself, either. He found himself thinking things such as "how on Earth did he learn to do that?" and, "if only I had known Potter's mouth could do such wondrous things..." However, Draco's blissful mental blabber only lasted for so long. He was soon snapped back to reality by the same insistent pressing against his leg that he had felt less than a minute earlier, coupled with the horrifying realization that he himself was getting turned on.

"OKAY, YOU'RE GOING TO STOP THAT NOW!" Draco yelled, panicking slightly as he threw Potter off him. "Oh Merlin," Draco practically sobbed, burying his head in his hands, "what is wrong with me?"

Potter was still staring at him, looking deliciously tousled with his head cocked to one side out of confusion. That might have been his dominant emotion, but he couldn't hide the obvious disappointment.

Draco took a moment to clear his head. "Okay, Potter. I really do have to go now. I have to clear my head, and take a shower. I'm covered in sweat, and frankly I don't think it's just mine. I also happen to have a hangover from hell, as I'm sure you're experiencing as well, so I have to go find some sort of spell or potion to ease my pain. Goodbye." Draco said all this in monotone, an air of shock surrounding him.

Again, just as Draco was about to leave the room, Harry grabbed his arm. "Wait. We obviously have to talk about... what just happened," he said, his tone of voice screaming desperation. Apparently he was grabbing for any sort of chance that Draco would stay. Draco found this endearing, but wouldn't admit it, not even to himself.

"I just told you, Potter, why I have to go. Now, if you'll kindly remove your hand from my arm, I'll be on my way."

"But... we're still in the Room Of Requirement, I'm sure you can find everything you need right here!" Potter said, never taking his eyes off Draco.

Draco realized that Potter was quite right, and he found this idea very tempting. Frankly, he had no idea where to start when it came to the solution to his hangover, and he was certain the room would have one of he did not. Draco sighed in resignation. "Fine. How do I make this thing work?"

Harry perked up considerably at these words. "You just wish really hard for something, and it'll show up," he explained logically, waiting for Draco to follow his instructions.

Draco closed his eyes tightly and focused on his hangover, wishing it away. Once he opened his eyes, there was a vial of potion standing up on his bedside table. He eyed it suspiciously, shooting Potter a wary look. When Potter nodded encouragingly, Draco picked up the vial carefully and tipped it down his throat, grimacing at the taste. However, a few seconds later, he already felt signs of his hangover clearing up. He sighed in relief, stretching and finally getting out of bed without being stopped.

"Well, it worked," he informed Harry, who eagerly started wishing for his own vial of the stuff. "I'm off to shower. Can this room make that appear, too?" Draco liked the idea of staying in the room more and more as he thought about it; he wasn't quite sure whether or not he was ready to face the rest of his year after that clearly embarrassing display at yesterday's party.

Harry nodded in answer to his question while drinking down the liquid he had wished for. "It should work, yeah."

Draco tried, and sure enough, a door appeared on the wall. When Draco opened it, he saw that it lead to an impossibly large bathroom, complete with soap, shampoo, towels, and fresh clothes. He made to close the door, but opened it slightly to look at Potter first. "You don't have to stay, you know," he said carefully, hoping that Potter would in fact leave.

"No, I want to," he said, obviously clueless to Draco's discomfort.

"Fine," Draco said, not wanting to argue. He closed the door tightly and locked it, slumping against it once he was sure it wasn't going to open. His head was swimming with impossible thoughts; thoughts that Draco had been certain he'd never have to think. It was very obvious to him that Potter wanted nothing more than to be with him, and honestly Draco had no idea why he was putting up so much of a fight. Maybe it had something to do with that goddamned pride that always seemed to get in the way of everything. Or maybe... Draco didn't know what to think. This was possibly the most confused he'd ever been in his life, and that was saying something.

This just simply wasn't supposed to happen. What happened to hating Potter, dreading seeing his face, enjoying tormenting him, and wishing he would die? With a surprised jolt, Draco realized he had never thought any of those things. He really hadn't ever dreaded seeing Potter's face; in fact, he always enjoyed their confrontations. He saw it as a challenge. And he didn't enjoy tormenting Potter; he enjoyed tormenting Potter's friends. Also, he couldn't remember one time that he wished Potter would die. His life would be boring without Potter to bug.

So... what harm could come out of giving this whole thing a chance? Even though Draco perhaps didn't ever hate Potter, he was pretty damn sure he had never been attracted to him, so he must have been the other one to get the Love Potion last night. So... maybe the two of them could have a two-month fling, until the potion wore off, and then he could go back to resenting Potter, and Potter could go back to ignoring him. And maybe he could even get some sex out of the deal. Draco cackled at his maniacal plan as he turned on the shower and stepped in. Today promised to be interesting.

[//]

Meanwhile, in a newly wished-for bathroom, Harry wasn't faring much better confusion-wise. Like Draco, he had taken advantage of the solitude and got to some way-overdue thinking. This whole thing... it just couldn't be good. Harry marveled at the fact that he always managed to get himself into trouble one way or another, and it always ended up hurting him more than anyone else. Because this was hurting very badly. The part of the whole thing that unnerved him the most was the fact that he wasn't even sure if he had taken the Love Potion or not. He hadn't given it a second thought at first last night, when he got up to kiss Draco, he just did it because he didn't want to be called a coward, and Draco had been the only one in the circle that he found himself attracted to at that moment. However, after the initial kiss, he felt something embedded somewhere in his chest (or was it the pit of his stomach?) start to grow, and branch out so that suddenly, every time he got to touch Draco, every fiber of his being wanted to do more than just touch.

Now, this confusion thing was deeper than just figuring out whether or not he had taken the Potion. Harry had just gotten over his whole Questioning-His-Sexuality episode late last year, and had finally come to terms with the fact that he was probably bisexual, although he still wasn't so sure. Now, Malfoy turned all that reasoning upside down and backwards. Now, whenever he tried to think of someone that he was attracted to--gender regardless--all he could think of was Malfoy. Harry wasn't supposed to fall for his rival. Especially when he already had a girlfriend.

Earlier this year, Harry and Ginny had decided to try and give their relationship another shot, but in Harry's opinion, it wasn't working out. This time, for completely different reasons. The truth was, whatever he had felt for Ginny last year was gone now, however bad he felt about it. Ginny was his friend and he didn't want to hurt her, but he was going to have to do something if he wanted to try and get together with Draco, which wasn't looking too promising, mind you. Ginny would throw an absolute fit if she knew that Harry had been extremely close to having sex with Draco Malfoy while he was dating her. The truth was, Harry had lied about the reason for the two of them not doing anything the night before. The real reasons were much different (he remembered, because he was significantly less drunk than Draco had been). First of all, Harry knew Malfoy didn't know that he had a girlfriend, and he had intended to keep it that way (although at the moment, he was reconsidering). Himself and Ginny had decided that in order to prevent something awful from happening, they'd have to pretend that they weren't dating. It actually worked out quite well, to Harry's initial delight. The only problem was that now he didn't have a good reason to break up with her.

The other reason he and Malfoy hadn't went all the way was quite funny, actually. Moments before they started to mindlessly shag, Draco had suddenly realized what they were about to do, and he totally freaked out. In his fragile emotional state because of all the alcohol he had consumed, he had even started to cry. Harry sniggered when he thought about it now; Malfoy had sounded like a girl about to give up her virginity. He couldn't remember anything that Draco had specifically said, but he remembered it was very tearful and panicky, and he was wringing his hands a lot. If worse came to worse, he could use that particular memory as blackmail so Malfoy wouldn't spread rumors about him.

But even after considering all this, the question still remained: Was Harry really one of the ones who had taken the Love Potion? 'Relax,' he told himself, 'I'm sure I was. But even if I wasn't, then neither was Malfoy, because he's acting quite similar to the way I am.' Once Harry was done mulling all this over, he had finished washing himself. He turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing a towel to dry himself off.

A few minutes later, he walked out of the room with a towel around his waist (he had forgotten to bring the fresh clothes he had wished for into the bathroom) to find Draco staring at him, a hungry look appearing on his face as he drank in Harry's appearance.

"What are you looking at?" Harry mumbled, blushing furiously.

This seemed to snap Draco out of whatever trance he had managed to fall into, so he quickly blinked and shook his head. "Nothing, nothing," he murmured. "Listen, Potter," he started, slightly louder this time, "I think we have to talk about this... I have something to say."

"Draco, can't this wait until after I've gotten dressed?" Harry said, still blushing, pulling his towel tighter around him self-consciously.

"No, I've got to say it now, before I lose my nerve," Draco answered immediately, grimacing inwardly. Harry nodded in an understanding fashion, waiting for Draco to continue. "This isn't too easy to say, but ever since you kissed me that first time yesterday... I've felt very weird. And not good-weird either, I mean confused-weird. The bottom line is, I think I'm the one who's gotten the other Love Potion." Draco said all this very slowly and quietly, as if he were almost hoping Harry wouldn't hear him.

Harry looked at him for a few moments and blinked. "Well, yeah, I kind of already figured that out. I can't see why else you'd kiss me back, you hated me."

"Well it wasn't so easy for me to figure out," Draco mumbled resentfully, but just shook his head at Harry's inquisitive raised eyebrow. Now worrying his bottom lip with his teeth, he continued. "My point is... well, since we're both under the effects of the Potion, these two months would probably go a lot faster if we were to... maybe... have something of a relationship." When he saw Harry open his mouth to interject, he quickly said, "It doesn't have to be anything serious. In fact, it'd probably be better if it weren't. But you know... just to make us feel better until the Potion wears off."

Harry's mouth broke out into a grin as he realized what Draco was saying. "Malfoy... are you asking me out?" he said, almost incredulously.

"Er, in so many words... yeah, I suppose." This was the most nervous Harry had ever seen the other boy, and he decided he really liked this side of him. He guessed it was an effect of the Potion, but for some reason, everything Draco did just made Harry want to pounce on him. He was about to do just that, when suddenly he remembered the problem he had been contemplating while he was in the shower. There was something about Draco that made him forget what he was thinking, and this was no exception.

"Draco, of course I'd--" he had started, but cut himself off with a sigh. "Wait... no, I can't."

"WHAT!?" Draco roared, making Harry flinch. "How... WHY!? You were practically begging for it earlier, and now you're saying NO!? I've humiliated myself for NOTHING!?"

Harry's heart broke, seeing Draco this upset. Before Draco could gather his bearings, he was suddenly laying down with his back pressed to the bed he had been sitting on with Harry on top of him, kissing him. Harry completely forgot himself the moment their lips made contact. Before he knew what was going on, he had his hand underneath Draco's shirt, stroking his stomach. He had been about to go for the next step and shove his hand down Draco's trousers, but Draco made an indignant noise from underneath him, and Harry winced, pulling away.

"Would you quit leading me on?" Draco moaned, half out of frustration, half out of exasperation.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, his voice dripping sincerity, "I want to have a relationship with you. More than anything else, right now, in fact. That really scares me, but still. It's just that... I already have a girlfriend!" Harry said the last part in a rush of words, his cheeks flushing red. He buried his face in his hands, not wanting to see Draco's reaction.

"W--what?" he said, blinking furiously. "I'm not even sure if I still want to date you after hearing that, if that's how you treat the people you go out with! Potter, we almost had sex last night! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I really should get around to breaking up with her, because I honestly don't give a shit about her that way anymore," Harry said before he could stop himself.

Draco looked like he was pretty much about to explode. "POTTER! YOU IDIOT! WHY HAVEN'T YOU DONE IT YET?" he said, extremely frustrated. Bloody Gryffindors, he'd never understand them.

"Because she's my friend, Draco!" Harry said miserably, "And Ron would kill me!" As soon as those words left his mouth, he clapped his hands over it, not believing he let that slip.

"You're dating the Weaselette?" Draco said incredulously, jealousy flaring up behind his gray eyes. "I thought you two broke up last year!"

"We decided to give it another go," Harry explained, not wanting to go into the finer details of why exactly he and Ginny broke up.

"Well, you better end it soon, before I take matters into my own hands!" Draco said, with every intention of following through with his threat. In fact, he figured he might take it into his own hands anyway, not even giving Potter a chance to do it himself. As he thought this, a plan started to hatch in his mind...

[//]

After a while, Draco finally got up the courage to leave the Room Of Requirement. Him and Potter had already missed breakfast by a long shot, but he was starving, so he hurried off to the Great Hall for lunch, because according to his watch, it had already started.

As soon as he walked in, the majority of the seventh years turned to stare at him. He silently prayed that Potter wasn't dumb enough to walk in immediately after him, because that would just confirm everyone's suspicion. Draco tried to ignore the imploring stares he was getting as he made his way over to the Slytherin table and sat down next to Pansy.

Pansy's eyes sparkled with amusement as Draco blatantly ignored her questioning gaze. Finally, she decided it was no use, and that she'd have to verbalize her question, otherwise Draco would just continue to pretend he didn't know what she was doing. "So... where were you last night? I heard from Blaise you didn't return to your dorm at all."

"Pansy," Draco moaned, "do I have to tell you? I'm pretty sure you already know!"

Pansy began to giggle ceaselessly, and every time she caught her breath, she just wound up giggling again when she looked at Draco. "So how was it? Is The-Boy-Who-Lived a good shag?"

"PANSY!" Draco said again, blushing at her blunt question. "We didn't do that! What kind of guy do you think I am?"

"Oh," Pansy said, sounding distinctly disappointed. "Oh well, there will be other times. I'll have to throw another party so you can get Potter drunk and shag him."

"That won't be necessary," Draco said, sounding slightly proud, "Potter practically jumped me when I asked if he'd be my boyfriend."

"Wh - what?" Pansy said, all amusement gone from her voice. "That's not how it's supposed to go." She looked quite serious, which was rare for her.

"What do you mean?" Draco said, annoyed.

"Draco, think about it. Potter's taken a Love Potion. So have you, it would seem. If you get into a relationship, it'd be based on, well, plastic feelings, for lack of better words. Love Potions only create the illusion of love, and it will wear off after two months. What'll happen then? You won't care about Potter anymore, and I hate to break it to you, but he won't care about you either. You will have wasted two months of your life with someone you normally cannot stand. Do you think you'll be able to live with yourself once this wears off? Do you think he'll be able to live with himself?"

"I don't talk to you so you can give me a lecture on morals, Pansy," Draco said scathingly, completely unaffected by her little speech. Pansy frowned, but remained silent as Draco continued. "Don't you think the two months will be a lot easier if we become involved? I'm sure you've experienced unrequited love before, and I'm sure you know it isn't all that much fun. Why suffer when it actually isn't unrequited? We're just having a bit of fun, is all!" Draco said this with confidence, but Pansy saw the spark of worry behind his careless expression.

"Is there any way I can talk you out of this?" Pansy said dryly. "I'm telling you, someone is going to wind up with his heart stomped into the dirt. There's no such thing as a relationship with no emotional consequences after the fact."

"Well, this'll be a first then, won't it?" Draco snarled, refusing to even look at Pansy for the rest of lunch. Then again, he thought about it for a bit, and he realized someone was going to get their heart stomped into the dirt. But there was no chance in hell it'd be he... or Potter for that matter. No, it was going to be the Weaselette, and he was going to make sure of that.

As if the fates were listening to his thoughts, at that moment, the girl had walked into the room, closely followed by Granger. Draco was even graced with a snippet of their conversation.

"I don't know, Hermione... do you really think I should ask him what's wrong?" Ginny was saying in an undertone, but despite her precautions, her voice still carried.

"Definitely," Hermione affirmed, although Draco could tell she was worried by the look on her face. Ginny didn't know about the Love Potion, and nobody was allowed to tell, because Pansy had locked them all with a magical promise. Draco laughed inwardly; this was going to be too easy.

"Thanks, Herm," Ginny was saying, smiling at her friend. "I'll see you later, okay?" Draco was disappointed for a moment; it looked as if Ginny were going to go directly to the Gryffindor table, and he wouldn't have a chance to follow through with his plan. However, she stopped at the Ravenclaw table first to have a chat with one of her friends, apparently... perfect.

[//]

Harry was innocently enjoying his lunch when, all of a sudden, he saw several heads snap upwards, staring at a point behind him. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Ron, who was sitting across from him, and happened to be one of the people staring. Ron just simply made a sharp jerk with his head in the direction he was looking, signaling Harry to turn around, so he did. He immediately saw what everyone had been staring at; Draco was marching towards him, a broad (decidedly evil) grin on his face.

Harry stared some more, trying to repress the emotions that were bubbling up inside his stomach, as a result of the Love Potion.

Draco sniggered and put his hand in his pocket, feeling the small bottle of Truth Potion he had stored there. It wasn't nearly as strong as Veritaserum; it made the drinker tell the truth, but aside from that, they completely retained their personality. Very convenient, for they wouldn't know what hit them until later, when it wore off.

Draco got up from the Slytherin table and quickly walked towards the Gryffindor one, attracting several stares from fellow seventh years as he did so. His smirk widened; this'd just help his plan.

Once Draco had gotten in front of Harry, he gave the boy a small nod and muttered, "Potter."

When Harry didn't answer, but merely stared at Draco, he continued. "What? Aren't you going to say hello to me?"

"Er, hi, M--Malfoy," Harry said, struggling on Draco's last name; he obviously felt more comfortable using his first one lately.

"Why thank you, Potter, I will have a seat," Draco said in an obnoxious fashion, making a show of taking the seat next to Harry. Draco could see Harry struggling against the effects of the Love Potion, and frankly, Draco wasn't doing too well himself. He'd just have to do what he had to and be off, then.

When Draco stared at Harry for several moments, and all Harry did was blink with a pained look on his face, Draco heaved a heavy sigh. "What pleasurable company you are, Potter. I'll see you around." While everyone's gaze was on Draco's face, he popped the cork out of the vial in his pocket, getting it into his hand. It was so small that if he closed his fist around it, no one would see it, so that was exactly what he did. While he got up, he made sure to turn his hand upside down over Harry's glass of pumpkin juice, not looking at it so he wouldn't draw attention to what he had done.

Sure enough, nobody seemed to notice that Harry's glass contained something a bit more potent than pumpkin juice. Draco slipped back to the Slytherin table, watching Harry from afar and rubbing his hands together excitedly as he saw him drain the contents of his glass just as Ginny took the seat that Draco had previously occupied.

It was then that he realized that it had been a bad idea to sit down back at the Slytherin table, for how would he eavesdrop from all the way across the room? Draco strode back toward the Gryffindor table, making it look like he was headed for the doors. Right when he passed by a large potted plant, he pretended to have dropped something, and bent down to "look for it." He stayed in that position, hidden behind the plant, as the youngest Weasley started to talk to her hopefully-soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend.

"Harry, I've noticed something a bit... funny with you lately," the girl was saying gently, getting a little closer to Harry than Draco would have liked. He cursed the wretched Potion for making him jealous so damn easily.

"Oh?" Harry answered, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Yes," Ginny said firmly. "Is there anything going on? Something you'd like to tell me about?" Draco was surprised to hear a hint of a threat in the girl's voice. Maybe he had underestimated her...

"There's something going on, but I really don't want to tell you about it," Harry said honestly, as the Potion Draco had just slipped him made him answer automatically.

"Why not?"

"Because you'd get really mad," Harry said, not even realizing what he was saying.

"Oh would I?" Ginny said, her voice now definitely taking a dangerous edge. "Hm, I think we should maybe take this conversation outside." And with that, she grabbed Harry's upper arm and began hauling him bodily from the Great Hall. Draco sniggered, following them closely, but not so closely that he would be detected. He now crouched behind a large statue that they were standing near, still hidden from their view.

"Now, Harry," Ginny had started, her face turning red to match her hair, "where were you all last night, and this morning? I don't remember seeing you come back to the common room, and when I asked Ron if he'd seen you, he said no."

"Oh, I was in the Room Of Requirement," Harry said innocently.

"All night?" Ginny prodded.

"Yes, all night. It was quite comfortable, actually."

"And, who did you spend the night with?" Ginny said, looking proud of herself, thinking she would catch Harry off guard. Draco sniggered at her stupidity; if Harry had been in his right mind and wanted to avoid answering that question, he would have found away. But, luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it), he had fallen victim to the Truth Potion. Draco suppressed a cackle and listened for the explosion.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry said, answering her earlier question without elaborating. He simply had the same unconcerned look in his eyes as he had for the rest of their conversation.

Ginny stared at him for a few moments before registering what she heard. "Harry... you are joking, aren't you? Mind you, I'm going to kill you for even suggesting such a thing, that you'd spend the night with that Malfoy scum rather than me." Although Ginny's words suggested otherwise, her face was breaking out into full-blown panic. She seemed to be calculating; what if Harry had been telling the truth?

Draco looked at his watch nervously; it had been ten minutes since Harry had taken the Potion, and it'd only last for another five. He just hoped Ginny could have her explosion and storm away before then, so Harry wouldn't have a chance to smooth things over.

"No, Gin, I'm telling the truth. Why would I lie to you?" he said, not a trace of sarcasm in his voice.

Ginny glared at him for a few moments before turning on her heel and beginning to swoop away. However, she seemed to think differently of this as she saw people start pouring into the corridor they were in. Harry couldn't see this, but Draco noticed that she now had an evil grin on her face, very reminiscent of Draco himself.

"Harry, how could you?!" she said loudly and dramatically, but just enough so to draw attention. Sure enough, her plan was working--the people coming down the corridor stopped to watch what was going on between the two Gryffindors.

"I trusted you," she said, her voice trembling, "and you go and do this?"

"Yes, well I was going to break up with you anyway," Harry said, anger now entering his voice.

Ginny gave another fake sob before barreling into the crowd away from Harry, covering her face to hide her suspicious lack of tears. A few of the people in the crowd ran after her--they were apparently her friends--but the others scattered quickly and walked away.

Harry stared after her, a confused look on his face. Draco didn't dare get up quite yet, for if he did Harry would see him. However, Draco was getting nervous, for the Potion was going to wear off any minute, and Harry would realize what just happened. Harry didn't seem too concerned with moving though, so Draco began to get more and more anxious.

Harry briefly turned away from the statue Draco was behind, so Draco decided to make a mad dash for the nearest door. Unluckily for him, Harry turned back around before he could run out of sight.

"Draco, where did you come from?" he said, confused.

Draco froze, cursing his bad luck. Instead of answering Harry, he looked at his watch. 'Three... two... one...' Draco thought, bracing himself for the explosion.

Sure enough, comprehension dawned on Harry's face, as he recalled what happened, looking from Draco to the statue he had just been hiding behind, his eyes narrowing angrily.

"Did you do something to me that made me say those things?"

"Come on, would I do that?" Draco said, making a feeble attempt to avoid Harry's anger.

"Yes, you would, in fact," Harry said.

"But Potter, you couldn't do it yourself! I just helped you along a bit!"

"Yeah, but now she's hurt!" Harry said, biting his lip. "We were friends, and now that's all ruined because of you!" Harry glared at Draco, waiting for his excuse.

"But Harry!" Draco reasoned. "I just did it because I wanted to be with you!" At these words, Harry's expression softened, if only slightly.

"Well, alright. I forgive you, if you put it that way."

"Does that mean you accept my offer?" Draco said hopefully.

"Absolutely," Harry said, pushing Draco against the statue he had been hiding behind, in order to snog him senseless once again.

[//]

[End Of Chapter One]