All's Fair

Chapter Five- Resistance Is Futile

Harry must have dozed off eventually, because he was woken by Snape throwing open the door to the closet in his normal over-dramatic manner.

"Potter, Malfoy. Are you still capable of speech?"

Draco mumbled sleepily.

"I shall take that as a no. Does that mean," started the teacher with a rather disturbing smile, "that you have wounded each other to a point where your lungs, mouths or voice boxes no longer function?"

"Uh," said Draco, "actually I was just having a nap."

"Did you need to sleep to take your mind off the excruciating pain that you were experiencing?"

"Actually, I was bored. Sir."

"So not hurt in any way?"

"No, sir."

"Not even bruised?"

"No, sir. I'm sorry?"

Snape frowned. "I suppose that you actually did the snake tongues, then?"

"Of course," said Harry, finding his voice. "Professor, could I ask you something?"

"Will it potentially harm people?"

"Uh. Right, um. I was just wondering if snake tongues can cause strange behaviour if inhaled."

Draco looked at him, then the potions master in horror. Say yes, please say yes...

"Not that I know of, Potter. They aren't even poisonous. Rather boring, really, but necessary in many potions..."

"Thank you, Professor," said Harry quickly before the man could begin to ramble about ingredients in a manner very similar to that of Hermione.

"Well, since you have done all you need to, you may go. Oh, and ten points from both of your houses for wasting my time with stupid questions."

As Harry and Draco walked quickly out of the room, Draco rounded furiously at Harry. "You got points taken away from Slytherin!" And you found out that it wasn't the snake tongues that were making me act strangely.

"I was just curious, Malfoy. Do you want to know why?" Harry asked, with a smile that Draco thought was positively evil.

"No, no, it's quite alright."

"Are you sure? Because I have some theories about certain things that could be of some... relevance to you."

"I- what- you- Stop being such an idiot, Potter!"

"I'm not the one that is being an idiot. I gave you the option of furthering your knowledge, and you are completely over-reacting."

Draco stopped and composed himself.

Draco Malfoy, you are a Slytherin.

Okay, so you are pretty sure that he knows that you want him- but that's not too much of a problem is it?

Well he isn't running away screaming.

So you can do this whole thing the Slytherin way. If you want him, you can and will have him.

"Potter," started Draco, pleased that his voice at least sounded confident. "I have been thinking."

"Apparently so, since you spent the last few moments muttering to yourself."

"Wh- Potter, you are interrupting me!"

"Sorry, Malfoy. Carry on."

"I was going to say that I had worked out what we could use as spoils."

"Really?" said Harry overly brightly.

"Don't mock me! You do not mock Malfoys!"

"Okay, sorry Draco."

There was a moment's pause.

"Did you just call me Draco?"

"No."

"Then what-"

"Your ears were deceiving you. Tell me about the spoils thing."

"But I want to-"

"Tell me or I'm leaving!"

"Touchy! As I was trying to say, I had an idea."

Harry was silent, not daring to open his mouth again. Draco got the picture, and, after smirking triumphantly, continued to talk.

"The winner gets to have the loser as his slave for a day."

Harry cleared his throat, then licked his lips. "You do know," he said, slightly huskily in Draco's opinion, "that this could be interpreted as distinctly dodgy."

Draco smiled. "I do indeed."

Harry's eyes widened. "I see. And did you think of a way that I can win?"

"What makes you think that you will be the one winning?"

It was Harry's turn to get a sudden increase of confidence. "Because, Draco," he emphasised the word, "I want to win- and I always get what I want."

What else do you want, Harry? Thought Draco. Well, I can definitely take this opportunity to find out...

"We're on first name basis, are we?"

"What does it sound like?"

"But I thought that you wanted this to be unfriendly."

"No, Draco, you did. But I can't hear you complaining."

Oops. That was right. "Well, you clearly love to call me by my name, so I suppose..."

Draco frowned at the knowing smile that began to appear on Harry's face.

"You're not as stupid as I think you are, are you... Harry?"

"How stupid do you think I am?"

"I'm not even going to answer that."

Harry did not respond to that. Eventually, he said, "So, do you actually know how to win this?"

"I'm not going to tell you that!"

"I don't mean how to win- I mean how to win!"

"Harry, think back to what you just said."

Harry turned it over in his mind.

"Oh. Well, I meant, how am I meant to try and win if I don't know what I am meant to be doing?"

This threw Draco very slightly, because he had been having so much fun imagining what he would make Harry do once he had won that he had not actually thought how he would do so.

"I haven't decided how to win yet."

"Oh. So what do we actually do now?"

"Keep going like we are, I suppose."

"Typical Slytherin, thinking of only the reward, not the game."

Draco smirked. "You could have been in Slytherin. I wonder how much of your mind is thinking the same way, Harry?"

His smirk widened as the boy that he was conversing with flushed very slightly. Draco would not have noticed, except he himself barely blushed, so knew the most subtle signs.

"I am going now, Draco. Ron and Hermione will be wondering where I am."

"Sure they will, Harry. Sure they will."

Harry did not answer as he walked quickly away.

Harry was not quite sure why he was behaving the way he did.

I don't like him. I definitely don't like him. But I think I like him.

Is that even possible?

Well, it must be. Otherwise it would be too weird.

Actually, most things in my life are 'too weird'.

I can't believe that I keep acting like that in front of him, though. What must he think of me? I'm like... a flirt. Like Seamus!

Well, not as bad as Seamus.

"I always get what I want." I mean seriously! What was I thinking? What was he thinking?

Come on Harry, rationalise, rationalise.

Worst case scenario: he hates me, and will laugh at me and publicly humiliate me. I can avoid this by winning, and playing it very cool. On the upside, people will probably notice me a little more.

Best case scenario: he likes me, and I win. Hmm, I wonder if him liking me and me losing would be too bad?

I guess telling myself off for bad (or very good) thoughts won't work any more. Is there even a point?

Nah.

Plus, I must say that the bad/good thoughts themselves are more fun that killing myself over having them.

Now, I need to go shower.

Hmm, Draco in the shower.

Actually, I think he mentioned that to me by accident at some point.

Very promising.

Draco too had decided that resistance was futile.

He had bashed his head repeatedly on the dungeon walls on the way back to the common room, trying to work out why exactly he had been so forward as to suggest slavery as a prize.

Head bashing, however, had not really provided a solution.

It was not like as a Slytherin he was not used to being forward- in fact, he was normally completely shameless in pursuing relationships with boys and girls alike.

It was just that when he went for them, it was usually because they were gagging for it. With Harry, he was not really sure. Sometimes thee boy made it very clear what he wanted- but sometimes he seemed so indifferent.

On the other hand, even if Harry was not desperate now, Draco was confident that he could change that.

But he had been so obvious. His father would have hung his head.

Draco made himself a reminder not to tell his father that he had potentially agreed to be the slave of the boy that had 'defeated' his master for the day. It could go down very badly...

I suppose, he eventually decided, that it could be worse. Harry definitely went for it. I just need to find out what it means to 'win' and how to do it.