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The Law of Inertia
A cat at rest will tend to stay at rest,
unless acted upon by some outside force
- such as Draco Malfoy.
Harry and Draco have been dating for two months and they are still hiding their relationship from their peers. The only person who knows is Harry's friend Hermione and that is only because she's clever and wouldn't leave Harry alone until he told her who he's seeing. All Ron knows is that Harry is dating a Slytherin and Harry is pretty sure that Ron thinks he's dating a girl.
As they are hiding their relationship, most of the couple's time together is spent in empty classrooms, abandoned corridors, and the far corners of the library. Harry, however, is keeping another secret. Harry is a neko. It had happened during the summer on Harry's sixteenth birthday and Hermione had been glamouring him since - until Harry had started dating Draco, of course. Draco, apparently, loves cats. Harry hadn't known when he's started seeing him, but had found out when Draco saw him without glamour for the first time. (a/n: a story for another time, dear readers.)
"Harry, mate, it's time to get up." Ron called. He himself had just rolled out of bed and started changing into his school robes. Ten minutes later, the red haired boy was dressed and ready to go downstairs for breakfast and Harry was still in bed. "Harry - get up." Ron calls, standing at the end of the bed. Harry grumbles, his ear twitching in Ron's direction, but other than that the dark haired boy gives no other sign that he heard Ron at all. "Harry, I know you're awake - you're ear just twitched." Ron said, impatient to go down and eat. Harry doesn't reply and doesn't move. He is, seemingly, asleep. Ron tries for five more minutes to wake up his friend, but it is in vain. Hoping that Hermione can rouse him, Ron goes and fetches her from the Gryffindor common room where she had been waiting for them to come down. Hermione and Ron had started dating during the previous year.
Hermione tried as well, nut to no avail. Harry was intent on staying asleep.
"I know someone who can wake him up." Hermione said fifteen minutes later back in the Gryffindor common room. "Then go get 'em! I'm starving!" Ron moaned. Hermione left the room without another word.
Down in the Great Hall, Draco Malfoy had been spending the last twenty minutes waiting for his boyfriend to walk in so he could go 'bully' him while eating breakfast as slowly as possible. When Granger walks in alone Draco wasn't surprised. Harry and Weasley must have overslept, he thinks. Then she starts toward the Slytherin table, toward him. Draco threw himself into looking absorbed in his food to keep himself from seeming too friendly with the Gryffindor girl. "Draco-" she says quietly once she arrived behind him. "What?" he asked. The annoyance coloring his voice wasn't entirely fake. "You're - uhm - cat is sleeping on my transfiguration homework and I can't get him to get off of it." For a moment they stare at each other. It had been long understood between the two of them that if Hermione came up to him and said something about Draco's cat that it meant that she needed to talk to him about Harry. "I'll come get him." he says, standing.
Once they're out of the Great Hall Draco lets down his mask of cold indifference, "What's going on? Is something wrong with Harry?" he asks as they head towards the hidden entrance into Gryffindor tower. The entrance was no longer 'hidden' to Draco, but he had never been inside. He had walked Harry to the portrait hole multiple times, but never had he gone inside. The same was not true for Harry, who had been in the Slytherin common room in the dungeons more times than Draco could count, most of the time in his cat form.
"Harry is fine, but he refuses to get up. I'm thinking that the only one that can get him up is - you."
Ron was slumped across a couch in the Gryffindor common room, close to falling back asleep himself, when Hermione climbs back through the portrait hole, followed by Draco Malfoy. "Hermione, what the bloody hell -" Hermione interrupts him. "Trust me, Ronald - if anyone can get Harry up, it's Malfoy." Ron doesn't look convinced, but he follows Hermione and Draco towards the boy's tower anyway, "I do trust you - it's him I don't trust." he grumbles.
Draco stands and the end of Harry's bed, in the same exact place that Ron stood when he tried to rouse Harry earlier. "Harry, if you don't get up right now, I won't rub your ears later." Draco says, the look in his eyes as he stares at Harry's form makes Hermione blush and look away. Ron looks very disturbed and is staring at Malfoy like he's gone crazy. Harry stretches, his tail lifting the thin sheet away from his body as it waves upwards, "But I like it when you rub my ears-" Harry says sleepily. He twists his body around to reach for his glasses. "I like it when I rub your ears too, but I like it more when you wake up on time and come down to breakfast." Harry smiles crookedly at him, "Don't lie, Draco. You know you like petting me more than breakfast." The two exchange a heated look.
"Would someone like to tell me what the bloody hell is going on?" Ron asks, his outraged voice filling the small room. Harry winces back from the loud noise and Draco turns to glare at the read headed boy for ruining the moment. Hermione grabs Ron's arm and starts hauling him towards the door, "Come on Ron, let's go down to breakfast. Draco will take care of Harry and I will tell you everything."
Once they were gone Draco turns toward Harry, "Well, now you're Weasley friend knows about us, and all because you refused to get out of bed on time." he did not look happy. "I know-" Harry said. "Wait - are you saying that you refused to get out of bed on purpose so that Granger would have to come and get me and-" Harry was full on grinning now, triumph written all over his face. "I needed to tell him, Draco. He's my best friend." Harry says, becoming serious in a moment. Draco let that sink in for a moment. "Alright, but next time you need to let me know your plan before Granger randomly approaches me in the Great Hall with some story about a cat sitting on her homework." Harry laughs at this, "Is that what she said?" he asks. Draco starts laughing too now, "Yeah."
Once they stop laughing Draco examines Harry's bare torso and maroon boxers, "and next time - wear a proper nightgown. The only person that gets to see this much of your skin is me." he growls, putting his arms around the smaller boy. Harry leans into his embrace, "Okay - do I really have to get up?"
"Yes. Yes you do."
