A Lesson in Blackmail

Draco and Harry met back in the tunnel that same afternoon to deliver the folder for Ron. They were prepared this time, with Harry's invisibility cloak and alibis prepared. Harry was supposedly studying with Hermione, and Draco knew that if he claimed to be doing something for his father nobody would ask any questions.

Their walk to Hogsmeade was surprisingly uneventful. They delivered Ron's folder to a friend of Fred and George's at the Red Dragon Inn, and then got to their side plan of finally obtaining new underwear. It didn't take them long at all.

It didn't take them long to get into the tunnel back to Hogwarts, either. The entrance was very well hidden, and they had the invisibility cloak to shield them. They were relieved that they hadn't given themselves away, and they had a completed mission and new clothing to show for it. Also, they were a bit more comfortable now.

"Hey, Draco," said Harry, once they were safely sealed away from Hogsmeade. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands." Curious, Draco obeyed. He felt something soft pressed into his palms, and he chanced a peek at it. Then he began laughing out loud.

Draco held them up, making a strange face at them, and examined them - a ridiculously gaudy pair of silvery silk boxers, featuring cheerful little green teddy bears.

"I thought it was somehow appropriate," said Harry. "The last I saw of the other ones, they were flying in the wind. And these are Slytherin-coloured!"

"I am never wearing these," said Draco. "Ever."

"I didn't think so," answered Harry. "But it was too funny to pass up, teddy boy."

Draco smacked him on the shoulder, and took off down the tunnel. "Come on, let's get back before we're missed."

They didn't get back that night, though. Filch had come and resurrected the barrier while they were in Hogsmeade, and though they tried for an hour, they couldn't figure out how to get through.

"Figures," muttered Harry. "What are we going to do now?"

"I don't know, Potter," said Draco, sitting down. "But I'm not going to keep banging on that when we know it doesn't work. Let's think about it for a while."

"Think about it, sure. You're going to fall asleep."

"I am not. I've got to keep watch. With that wand of yours giving off such bright light, anybody within a hundred meters of the tunnel will see us!"

Harry dimmed his wand to the point where they could barely see each other. "Is that better, then?"

"Much. Stop pacing like a rabid wolf, it's obviously not helping anything."

Harry sat down next to Draco. "You're shivering," he said after a moment. He picked it up and draped it partially over Draco's shoulders.

"So are you." Draco slid the rest of the cloak over Harry, then laughed at him. "Nice head. It's too bad you don't have a body to match it."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "I could say the same about you. But unless the light goes completely out, there will be floating heads. I'm not willing to suffocate."

Draco grabbed Harry's wand and banged it on the floor once, and everything went dark. "That's better."

"I'm blind now, you idiot!"

"You've got your other senses, idiot. You don't need to be able to see anyway, you know what's here. You could reach out and touch any of it that you wanted to." Draco's heart stopped short when he felt Harry's hand on the side of his face. It started up again when he felt Harry's lips touch his own softly.

"Sorry," whispered Harry, his lips still almost touching Draco's.

"I'm not," Draco whispered back, and wound his arms tightly around Harry. Harry responded in kind. Draco kissed him again, this time with no hesitation.

Draco was filled with an irresistible desire to not care about what he was supposed to be doing, or at least he didn't try hard enough to resist it. "Just forget everything, just for now," he whispered. Harry nodded his head against Draco's shoulder and brushed his lips against his neck.

Harry tried not to think about this would mean later.

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

The two spent a few happy hours simply allowing themselves to be near each other before attempting to return to Hogwarts. They often thought, during those hours, that they should return... that they might be missed... that what they were doing was... but no, there were more important things at the time.

They fell asleep together in the early hours of the morning, and woke up before long. Draco woke first to find on the floor, strangely, a flower of the sort the birds had taken to leaving. He tickled Harry's nose with it and waited for him to wake up.

"Come on, we need to find a way back."

Harry yawned and stretched for a minute before gamely helping Draco search for a weakness in the barrier. Finally, Draco found a tiny keyhole on the edge of the wall. He pointed it out to Harry, who immediately used the Alohomora spell he'd learned so long ago from Hermione to unlock it.

"That was strangely easy," said Draco.

"But it took so damn long!"

"Yeah, let's go. They're going to kill us if we come back any later."

"I don't think anybody will believe I was studying with Hermione for this long."

"I don't think anybody believed that anyway."

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

It was Monday, but Draco convinced Harry to forego his classes in favour of sleep. "You shouldn't be so perfect, hero boy," he remarked mockingly. "Go up to your tower, none of your Gryffindor friends will be there to tell you off."

Harry thankfully complied. He couldn't possibly concentrate in class anyway. He was beginning to realise how stupid he had been to fool around with Malfoy like that. What had he been thinking! Now he was on the verge of making all those stupid rumours come true, and what for? Nothing good could come of it. Draco Malfoy was a hell of a good kisser, but he was still a Slytherin.

Harry hardly slept at all. He kept waking abruptly, his head filled with vestiges of dreams of Draco - holding Draco, fighting with Draco, Draco laughing with the whole school about what a stupid git Harry Potter was for falling for him. Finally, wracked with doubt, he went in search of Draco. He found him sitting alone outside on the steps of the school.

"Draco."

He turned to see Harry standing above him. "Oh, hey, you. Not sleeping?"

"We need to talk."

"About?" Draco had somehow gotten access to some Muggle cigarettes, and he somehow looked perfect holding one just then, thought Harry. Or not perfect - dangerous.

"Last night."

"What about last night?"

"Draco, I'm sorry. Forget about it, please. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Obviously."

"Stop kidding around. I just wanted to say that I didn't mean it."

Draco was crushed, but he'd be damned if he'd show it. "I did." Had he meant to say that? He didn't think so, but it was true nonetheless.

Harry was confused. "What do you mean, you did? You never mean anything."

"Look, Harry. I meant to do that, and I would do it again. I'm somehow attracted to you. So deal with it."

"Why me? I'm the too-good boy, remember, the one you hate. The one you aren't supposed to even talk to. And that's just pretty weird."

"And I'm the bad boy, and what better for a bad boy than the most unexpected? If you're worried about what your friends might think, you'd better deal with it." Draco stood and placed his cigarette between Harry's lips, holding his fingers there for a beat longer than necessary. Harry coughed at the smoke and pulled back and Draco smiled. "Besides, I think corrupting you would be a lot of fun. Don't you?"

Harry never got a chance to answer before Draco continued quietly, "Think about it. Meet me Friday night on our platform in the Dark Forest." He strolled away arrogantly, leaving Harry's head in a whirl.

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

Harry hardly spoke at all at dinnertime, and his friends were worried about him.

"Harry, what's wrong?" asked Ron. "You've been so weird the last few days. And I'm not just talking about the blue hair."

"I know," said Harry, but offered no further explanation.

"You can talk to us, Harry," pressed Hermione.

"I know," said Harry.

"So?" demanded Ron exasperatedly.

Harry sighed and figured his stomach was too filled with butterflies to eat anyway. "Come with me." The three abandoned their dinners and headed outside, where they could make sure that no one was listening in on them. They sat down cross-legged on the grass in the middle of the quidditch field.

Hermione was the first to press him this time. "Alright, Harry, out with it. What's up with you?"

He gauged the situation, afraid to shock them and somehow wanting to at the same time. "I think I might have a crush," he ventured.

Ron looked interested, and Hermione was downright excited. "Oh, on who, Harry!"

He played with the grass for a moment, wondering how to phrase it before going with tactlessness. "Draco Malfoy."

They were certainly stunned. None of them spoke for at least two minutes. When Ron finally came around, he said in a hoarse voice, "Why?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Hell if I know. I wouldn't choose to, would I? But I think I do."

Hermione found her wits. "Why - what's happened between you two lately?"

Harry explained the mutual pranks, the half-true rumours, the arguments that had become less and less argumentative. He explained the attempted delivery of Ron's folder and the impromptu distraction, and the unexpected incident when they were stuck in the tunnel. He told them about Draco's proposal of corruption. He left out the part about the new teddy bear boxers. When he was done, Hermione and Ron had a lot of questions, but they couldn't find the words for them, so the inquiries would have to wait until later.

"All I have to say, Harry," said Hermione, "is that if you think he won't hurt you, go for it. But if he hurts you, I know a lot of spells he won't ever be able to defend himself against."

Harry smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Hermione. At least you make it sound like it's clear."

Ron was strangely quiet. Harry watched him, worried about what he would think of Harry's unusual attraction. Finally Ron said, "Whatever you think, Harry. I don't like him at all, but it's your life." With that, he got up and began walking away. Harry looked after him, troubled.

"Don't worry about him, Harry," consoled Hermione. "I think he's just a bit jealous, like usual."

"There's no reason for him to be jealous!" Harry leapt up and ran after Ron.

"Ron! Ron!" Ron slowed slightly, and Harry caught up to him. "Ron, what's wrong? You know Malfoy isn't even on par with you. You're my best friend. He's just... I don't know, but we're not friends. Don't be mad. It's just not the same thing."

Ron looked relieved, even though he wouldn't admit it.

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

Harry spent the rest of the week trying to decide what to do about Draco. Hermione was no help to him, because she kept trying to get him to make charts displaying the pros and cons of his choices. "It's not about the facts, Hermione," he kept telling her, and she kept shaking her head exasperatedly at him.

Ron did his best to avoid discussing the issue. He seemed uncomfortable about it all, which bothered Harry a little, but he didn't want to push it. Ron seemed stressed enough.

The advice he needed came quite unexpectedly from Neville, though the boy never knew it. Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room on Friday afternoon, just hours before he was to meet Draco. The two hadn't talked in almost a week, and Harry strangely missed him. He was staring out the window, trying to decide how he should handle Draco, when he heard faintly through his thoughts the sound of Neville's voice asking him a question.

"What?" said Harry, looking up.

"Don't you know?" replied Neville, looking puzzled.

Harry lapsed into thought again and Neville left, shaking his head at Harry's unhelpfulness. "Hermione, do you know what I need to do to get rid of these feathers?"

Harry felt as though he had been struck by lightning. "Don't you know?" he whispered to himself. Yes, he did know what to do. He had known all along.

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