A/N: Hello everyone! I've posted a new story??? *gasps all around* XD Anyway... this is would be considered slash or yaoi/shounen ai and if that makes you uncomfortable, don't read and please don't flame. Kthnkz
Liquid Love
Harry was lying on his bed, Marauders' Map in front of him. He was watching Draco again; his weary eyes glued to the dot that bore the Slytherin's name. He had been at it for hours and so far, Malfoy hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. Harry yawned and was about to call it a night when the dot began to move out of the common room.
With a renewed sense of determination, he followed it to the seventh floor corridor. Malfoy paced in front of a wall a few times and then disappeared off the map. Just as he thought: Draco Malfoy was still using the Room of Requirement and Harry was going to find out why. He had tried to get in before with the intention of finding out what Malfoy was doing in there but it remained a cold, blank wall, mocking him.
He let out an exasperated sigh, feeling utterly useless. As he went to place the map back into his trunk, he came across a pair of balled up socks….and then it hit him.
***
"You're going to use some of your Liquid Luck on that git?" Ron asked, alarmed.
"Harry, I know you're suspicious of him," Hermione added, "but don't you think this is taking it a bit far?"
"No, I've told you. I know Malfoy is up to something and I'm not going to sit around and do nothing to stop it."
Hermione let out a longsuffering sigh as Harry got up from the table and left the Great Hall. He ducked into a deserted corridor and pulled out the map. Malfoy was headed for the Room of Requirement! He tucked the map back into his robes and pulled out his vial of Felix Felicis. Taking a quick swig, he replaced it into his pocket and took off for the stairs.
Harry wasn't sure why but he felt compelled to take a shortcut he didn't even know he knew about. He was racing along the halls until he collided with someone. Confused as to why something so trivially stupid would happen while under the influence of the luck potion, Harry hoisted himself from the floor to look down on whom he had run into. To his surprise, Draco Malfoy sat up, rubbing the back of his blond head and cursing to himself.
"Can't you watch where you're going…Potter?" He had just looked up and caught the emerald gaze of Harry staring down at him. Malfoy clambered quickly to his feet, drawing his wand from his robes and standing, though flustered, en guard in case Harry should attack.
"Sorry about that," Harry apologized, not bothering to take out his wand for some odd reason.
Draco looked befuddled, letting his wand drop a fraction. "What are you even doing here, Potter?!" he demanded harshly, his words laced with venom.
Harry, funny enough, was not bothered, "I might ask you the same question."
The Slytherin sneered and turned his back on Harry, walking in the opposite direction from where he had been heading. "Weren't you going this way?" Harry asked, "Hence the collision?"
"Mind your own business!" Malfoy shouted, whirling back around to glare at him, "I should hex you into oblivion!"
"You're awfully testy today," Harry commented, taking a step closer to the other boy.
Draco made a sound much like a growl and started to walk away again but Harry only followed him. Hearing the extra set of footsteps, he turned back to see the Gryffindor about five feet behind him, looking completely innocent. Anger and confusion flitted across Malfoy's handsome features as he glared at the object of his hatred. Harry merely looked back at him and even smiled! It was getting way too weird for Draco to handle.
"W-what's wrong with you, Potter? Have you got stalking problems?" He demanded, his voice wavering a bit.
"Is there something bothering you, Draco?" Harry inquired, evading the question.
Malfoy's eyes widened at the sound of his first name leaving the dark-haired boy's lips and Harry could hear his gasp of shock. "Why would there be anything bothering me?"
Harry took a few more steps forward until he was standing right in front of his longtime nemesis. Malfoy actually looked intimidated and even a little…scared?
"I noticed you've gotten thinner," Harry said, sounding concerned.
Draco swallowed hard, 'what is Potter playing at?' he wondered. "How very perceptive of you but I believe my physical state is of no circumstance to a meddling Gryffindor such as yourself."
Not swayed by his angry words, Harry reached a hand up to tentatively brush his fingertips across the dark circles under Malfoy's eyes. Draco flinched and ducked his head away from Harry. "You haven't been sleeping much, have you?" the smaller boy asked, tilting his head to the side.
"J-just leave me alone, okay!" Draco started to back away when Harry reached out and grabbed his wrist. The blond boy's heart thundered away in his chest. What was going on?
"You can tell me, Draco," Harry said softly, "I won't judge you. I want to help."
"You can't help me," he replied, mortified to feel hot tears rising in his eyes, "No one can help me." He tried to turn and go but Harry kept a firm hold on his wrist.
"Don't be ashamed to cry; like I said, I'm not judging you. Please…talk to me."
Draco didn't know why but for some reason, he actually felt like opening up to him! It was like Potter had some kind of weird control over him that broke through his resolve piece by piece until he was left trembling, tears coursing down his face. Harry, amazingly, pulled Draco into a hug and Draco, even more amazingly, reciprocated it. He clung to Harry as if he were his lifeboat in the middle of a raging sea and sobbed into his shoulder.
Harry soothingly stroked his back, patiently letting him cry it out. Through the haze of Felix Felicis, he knew how strange this was but deep down within him, he knew this was what had to be done. It was right. At some point, they both managed to lower themselves to the floor, the blond still crying, more quietly now.
After a few moments of silence, Harry was amazed to hear Malfoy say: "I don't really want to do it."
"Do what?" Was he actually opening up?
"The Room of Requirement…that's why you came here, isn't it?"
"Yes and no."
"You just wanted to see what I was doing in there."
Harry nodded silently. Draco took a shaky breath and then said, "Something terrible…something I don't really want to do but I must. I should…it's my job."
"What do you have to do?"
Malfoy bit his lip and averted his eyes to the floor, "I can't tell you, Potter."
"He'll kill you, won't he?"
The other boy did not reply. "We can go to Dumbledore, you know," Harry suggested, knowing he was treading dangerous waters, "He can give you protection."
Draco seemed to stiffen at the name and then shook his head. "No," he rose to his feet, "Please…just leave me alone. I'm so confused…I…Why am I even talking to you?"
"I expect you just needed someone to confide in. You don't have to tell me now of course but…if you ever change your mind and feel like talking again…"
Malfoy didn't make eye contact but nodded all the same and then strode off in the direction of the Slytherin dormitories. Harry smiled briefly to himself, hoping he was actually getting somewhere.
A/N: So... you like? Review please! They make me happeh w