A Lesson in Blackmail

Harry went through the day in a tired daze, went to bed early that night and woke late Saturday morning with flowers in his bed. Three black birds sat on the windowsill, and when he sat up, they chirped good morning to him and flew away.

"What was that?" said Ron, sitting up and yawning.

"Birds," said Harry, and went down to the common room. He found a small group of girls waiting for him there. They grabbed his arms as soon as they saw him and shoved him down into a chair.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled.

"Hold still," said Ginny. He felt something cold on his head.

"What is that?" said Harry nervously.

"Gel. You must be spiky. It looks good," said a girl he'd never even talked to.

Finally, he broke away from the fiendishly fashionable girls and made his way to breakfast.

Draco was already there, looking better rested than when Harry had last seen him. He was sitting between Crabbe and Goyle, who were looking slightly depressed - because Draco kept telling them to shut up, as Harry heard when he was beckoned over.

"You smell like flowers," he said to Draco, who looked annoyed and plucked a petal out of his hair.

"Were you harassed by those birds this morning too?" said Draco.

"Yeah." Harry paused. "How did they manage to get at you underground?"

"Hell if I know. Listen, I'm supposed to tell you that Snape wants to see us after breakfast."

"What for?"

"Shut up. I can't be expected to know everything."

"Excuse me?" Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why won't anybody shut up! I have a headache!"

"Oh, hold on a minute." Harry pulled out his wand and thought for a moment, then pointed it at Draco's head and said, "Cranius aspirinus!" He stuck his wand back in his pocket. "And that's why it's good to have Hermione for a friend."

Draco blinked crossly at him. "Nobody asked for your help."

Crabbe and Goyle laughed and thumped Draco on the back. "Good going, Malfoy. Show him who's better."

Draco got up and walked toward the doors. Harry followed him, taken aback. As soon as they were out of sight, Draco leaned over and said quietly, "Thanks. Much better."

Harry smiled and looked at him, but Draco looked away quickly.

They walked down the long paths to Snape's office and peered inside to see it empty.

"What are you looking at?" came a cold voice behind them. They jumped.

"We were just..." started Harry, but stopped when Draco elbowed him in the side.

"Nothing, sir."

Snape eyed them suspiciously. "Very well. Sit down." They sat down, and Snape continued. "I understand that both of you are aware of a... secret... tunnel leading from this school to Hogsmeade?" They nodded nervously. "Dumbledore has asked me to ask you for a bit of a..." Here Snape looked rather disgusted. "Favor."

There was a tense moment of silence. Draco broke it with, "Favor?"

"Yes. Favor. Dumbledore wants something delivered, and for reasons I cannot possibly comprehend, he thinks it would be safest if students did the job. Since you have already demonstrated your total disrespect for school rules by sneaking about under the ground, it seems you two are the ones for this highly dangerous job."

As Snape had intended, they were both rather confused and frightened. But they were more frightened of refusing Snape than of any task Dumbledore would set for them, so they kept quiet.

"I will meet you tomorrow at four thirty in the morning by the entrance to the tunnel, and give you further instructions then. Do not tell anyone about this. Or else." With that, he turned them out of his office and slammed the door.

"Well, that was weird," said Harry.

"Extremely," agreed Draco. "With the ridiculous rumours they've been spreading amongst themselves, I would think they'd want to keep us apart."

"I bet they figure we'll protect each other, or some stupid thing."

"Ha. It'll serve them right if only one of us comes back."

"Draco, if that happens, it won't be you."

"We'll see, Potter. We'll see."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Naturally, Harry told Ron and Hermione about what had happened, even the part when Snape threatened them with "or else." Ron was ecstatic that Harry got to go to Hogsmeade.

"Here, do me a favor! I need this dropped off in a certain place for George to pick up. I'll tell you where as soon as I get my map. Hold on." Ron tossed a thick folder to Harry.

"What is this?" Harry examined the folder.

"Ideas. For joke things, and candy, you know, for them to sell in their shop. They said that if I come up with some good ideas they'll give me part of the money."

"Oh, wicked!"

"Don't let Malfoy see inside it. Don't let ANYBODY see it! Secret, right?"

"Right." Harry closed the folder and hid it under his robes. "I'll get it taken care of, don't worry."

"Thanks, mate. I owe you one."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Snape and Draco were already at the statue when Harry got there at four twenty-five in the morning. As he approached, Snape pulled out a small wooden box and handed it to Draco. "Don't open it, or else. Good luck. I'm going back to bed." Snape stumbled away blearily.

"That's it?" said Harry, watching after him.

"He told me already where to take it," yawned Draco. "C'mon, let's get this over with."

They climbed into the opened statue and closed it behind them. "Lumos," whispered Harry, and his wand lit the tunnel.

"Not so bright! It's not five yet!" complained Draco. Harry dimmed the light.

"So what is that? And where are we going?"

"Something ominous, I don't know. They won't tell me. And we can't open it without people knowing, I checked. But there's a building in Hogsmeade we're supposed to take it to."

"Right. I certainly hope Filch took down his damn barrier." Harry paused. "Hey, you remember that blackmail deal?"

"What blackmail deal?"

"The one where you own the teddy bear boxers."

Draco grimaced. "I wasn't aware that was a blackmail deal."

"You've got to be kidding. You think we wouldn't do it?"

"I should have expected. But what about it?"

"This is the part where I do something I shouldn't, and you don't tell anybody because the whole school knows somebody had teddy bear boxers."

"Bloody bastard. What are you doing?"

"I've got something of my own to deliver in Hogsmeade. Nobody's supposed to see it, right? Top secret." Harry stared seriously at Draco.

Draco grinned. "Like a Muggle secret agent. Shady."

Harry hummed a tune he'd heard in a spy movie once and flipped up the collar of his shirt. Draco laughed at him. "Dork." Harry kept humming and began to slink along the walls.

"Just because your hair is all spiky and blue doesn't mean you're cool, Potter."

"You just wish you were as attractive as I am, Malfoy. Sorry!"

"That's not even possible. You know I'm the foxiest one in the school. And my hair is bluer than yours."

"It is not!"

"Your hair is brown, Potter! Mine's blond. It dyes blue, not bluish-brown."

"There's no brown, idiot. It's magic dye."

"Well, we'll just have to get a mirror and see later."

"Fine, you're just delaying your defeat."

Draco bit his lip. "Wait, why are we fighting about our hair?"

Harry shrugged. "At least nobody's on fire."

Draco rolled his eyes at the bad joke and Harry laughed and pushed him toward the wall. "Get a sense of humour, Malfoy."

"That's strange, I was about to say the same."

They heard a noise behind them and whirled around.

"What was that?" whispered Draco.

Harry whispered back, "I don't know."

They both held their wands out defensively and listened hard.

"... need to reach them before they get there..."

"They're after us!" hissed Harry, frightened. He put out the light.

Draco just gripped his wand tighter and stared straight ahead.

They could hear them coming just around the corner.

"Boys! It's Hagrid and Madam Hooch, we were sent to tell you not to take the package to Hogsmeade! Boys?"

"Madam Hooch! Don't you dare let her see the folder, or I'll tell on you!" hissed Harry.

"What folder?" hissed back Draco.

Harry panicked. "The one up there on the floor!"

Madam Hooch stepped around the corner, almost onto the smuggled folder. "What's..."

Draco, pressed for a distraction, threw Harry against the wall. And kissed him. On the lips.

"Oh my god!" said Madam Hooch, and completely forgot about the folder.

"Oh my god," thought Harry, and did likewise.

Draco's heart pounded and everything before his eyes went white, so he shut them. "Turbulent," he thought. Slowly, he pulled away from Harry.

Madam Hooch had backed further down the tunnel to give them a bit of privacy, dragging Hagrid with her. Harry quickly retrieved the folder and hid it in a crack in the wall with the thought that he'd deliver it later.

"Ah... thanks," he said, clearing his throat. "That worked quite well."

"It did indeed," agreed Draco. They walked to meet the adults silently.

Madam Hooch and Hagrid had obviously been talking about Harry and Draco, because they stopped when the boys appeared. Madam Hooch took the mystery package from Draco with no explanation as to why the plans for it had changed.

"Ready to head back?" said Hagrid nervously. Harry wanted desperately to explain to Hagrid what had happened, but he just nodded and followed the rest back to the school.