Title: Prats and their Lack of Listening Skills
Beta: CleopatraIsMyName
Rating: T/PG-13
Challenge/Prompt: Written for Round 12 of the Quidditch League Competition/prompts were 4, Puppy; #7, Dialogue: "Keep looking at me like that, I dare you."; and #12, A blessing in disguise. Also, written for the OTP Boot Camp, the Slash/Femmslash Boot Camp, and the Your Favorite Hogwarts House Boot Camp/prompts were #5, Calm; #20, Guilty; and #38, Blank.
Warning(s): Swearing XD
Word Count: 3299 (D;)
Disclaimer: This work of fiction is in no way connected to the author of Harry Potter, JK Rowling. Harry Potter is owned by her, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: In which double tails wag happily, Draco isn't graceful, and Pansy is a morning person.
Taking a deep breath, and letting it out slowly, Harry was certain of his impending Animagus transformation. Looking down at the manual he now carried around daily, Harry reread the concise steps in his neatest handwriting and concentrated on relaxation.
Of course, Harry was never good at pure relaxation, and always found this step to be the hardest one to take. It took a shorter time than usual, and Harry was surprised to finally find himself as relaxed as he would ever get. His thoughts were always running at a rapid pace, from one thing to the next. It was a sort of survival mechanism he had developed when he was still living with the Dursleys, and one that he wasn't sure if he even wanted anymore.
A clear image of his Animagus form sprung to the forefront of his mind, and Harry focussed on it: the feel of the fur surrounding his skin, the thought process, his body morphing…
Pain lanced throughout his body, and the dull ache of bones shifting, fur growing, shrinking and shrinking and shrinking…
The next thing Harry knew, he was waking up on the floor of the classroom. When he tried to stand up, he found that he was working with four legs, instead of just the familiar two. His sense of balance was off, and he struggled to get his extra, short limbs to work to his benefit.
Once he was positive he wouldn't fall over, Harry took a carefully measured step forward. Pretty soon after, Harry was running around the expanse of the classroom.
With a twitch of his lips, Harry found that he liked this form.
Harry ran up and down the breadth of green grass beyond him, animatedly. His erratic thoughts were still as he frolicked by himself, bounding at butterflies and toeing at the pasture. His double tails would still take some time to get used to, but he hadn't managed to trip up, yet.
Looking up, Harry noted the steadily darkening sky, and realised that he had been outside for a good few hours. Knowing his friends, Hermione would undoubtedly grow worried at his continued absence, and Ron would grow tetchy at it, jumping to all sorts of unwelcome conclusions.
Whimpering slightly, Harry ambled towards a side-entrance... and then he was being lifted up by a pair of arms.
Harry's alarm grew rapidly when he realised that his attention had been so thoroughly focussed on going back to the Tower, that he hadn't noticed the increase in sound. Wiggling around in the sudden constriction, he brought his head up and looked his captor in the eye.
'Parkinson?' Harry thought, ending all movement entirely.
"Draco, look, I found the cutest ickle Crup!"
Harry's eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of the blond just over Parkinson's shoulder. Malfoy had a truly uncharacteristic, playful smile on his lips.
"Yes, Pansy, I see the Crup. But shouldn't you be looking for its owner? For all you know, they could be worried sick."
"Oh, hush," Pansy turned her head and stuck out her tongue. "Stop acting as if you wouldn't be gushing over the sweet thing, yourself. Just look at its face!"
Harry found himself pushed towards Malfoy, and given an extreme close-up of the Slytherin's face. Before Harry was given any time to fully examine the details of the flaxen-haired wizard's appearance, besides the nearly invisible splatter of freckles on the bridge of his nose, Parkinson had pulled him back. Harry was slightly unnerved by the face rubbing against the top of his head, just between his sensitive ears. Desperate to get away from the touch to such a delicate spot, Harry wiggled frantically.
"Pansy, let the poor Crup go. Can't you see he doesn't like your fierce hold? You have a killer grip." Draco sighed exasperatedly, taking Crup-Harry out of Parkinson's hands. Harry's struggle to get free nearly started all over again, but he seemed to find Malfoy's hold more soothing than Parkinson's, and Harry's current brain couldn't seem to find any problem with being held by Malfoy.
The two teens bantered as they walked towards the side-entrance Harry had originally been planning to slip through. With a sigh that Malfoy fortunately didn't catch, Harry thought that his escape was imminent.
Until the Slytherins walked in the complete opposite direction, and seemed to have absolutely no plan to release Harry. At all.
Whimpering in frustration, Harry struggled against Malfoy's arms to no avail.
"Calm down," Malfoy appeased Harry, running a hand down the Crup-Harry's back. Crup-Harry immediately stilled, once again, and was slave to Malfoy's ministrations.
By the time they all reach the Slytherin common room, Harry was dozing on Malfoy's shoulder, the reassuring gestures having quite the effect on him. With a quick good night to Pansy, Malfoy takes Crup-Harry to his dormitory.
Surprisingly, the questions about Crup-Harry were asked with a resigned tone, both Goyle and Zabini not making much of an effort to argue with anything Malfoy said. Crup-Harry, drowsily, contemplated just how many times Malfoy has done peculiar things like this, such as bringing a strange animal to their dorm.
"Just make sure you keep that mutt to yourself, Draco," Zabini muttered.
Malfoy just sneered in reply, answering Harry's question without even knowing it.
When Malfoy finally set him down, Harry's Crup-brain thought it would be the most wonderful thing ever to settle down into the, surprisingly cobalt, covers and doze the night away.
And so he did.
When he woke up the next morning, it was to a warm arm atop of his curled-up body. It was a disorienting feeling, waking up as a Crup, and Harry was unsure whether or not he would do that again.
He felt the bed shake a little as Malfoy shifted, and Harry mentally groaned at his current circumstances. He hoped Hermione and Ron weren't going completely ballistic at his sudden disappearance.
"Draco!" the bed hangings were separated with a thud, and Parkinson walked into the room with sure steps. Harry felt a pang of sympathy for Malfoy, as the brunette shook his shoulder.
"What is it, Pans?" Malfoy groaned, pulling the bed covers over his head. Parkinson snorted and placed her hands on her hips.
"You promised me you were going to get up early for Hogsmeade today," she raised an eyebrow, grabbing at the blankets before Malfoy had a chance to totally block her out. "If you don't get up right this second, I may tell a certain someone about…"
"Fine!" he yelped, jumping out of the bed. He managed to get himself tangled in the blankets, in his desperation, and Crup-Harry had to stifle a Crup's version of a laugh, to no avail. When Parkinson finally caught sight of him, she gasped and picked him up, causing Harry to make another noise, this one of discontentment.
"Pansy!" Malfoy admonished, "Stop grappling the Crup, he might get angry and bite the living hell out of you, you stupid chit!"
"Dray-Dray," she pouted, "Don't call me names, I'll tell your mother."
"I swear to Merlin, woman…"
Parkinson chuckled in reply, and Harry couldn't help but feel the need to snicker along with her. Malfoy looked truly hilarious, with his mussed hair and clothing, laying into Parkinson.
Harry felt a spark of jealousy at the thought of Parkinson and the others knowing this other Malfoy, the one he never got to see, the one underneath the superior and unaffected mask.
Once Malfoy was dressed impeccably in his usual Slytherin robes and with his hair carefully styled, they were nearly out the door, until…
"Pansy!" Malfoy sputtered as his friend cast a spell on his hair. All of the gel he put into it suddenly Vanished, and he was left with his hair unrestricted.
"You know I hate that shite, Draco," she pursed her lips in disapproval, reminiscent of McGonagall. "Your hair looks so much better when you have it down. Why your father advised you to wear that for so long is beyond me."
Malfoy just murmured under his breath in reply, and played the denial card when she questioned his words.
Once they were finally outside the dorm, Harry was glancing this way and that, searching for the familiar faces of his friends. When he heard Hermione's voice, he tried desperately to jump out of Parkinson's arms. She merely tightened them, preventing Harry's long-awaited escape for freedom.
"Draco," she said. When Malfoy looked at her as they strolled down the path towards Hogsmeade, she continued, "You should Transfigure something into a leash. The poor Crup has been struggling to get on the ground for a while, and I don't want to lose him in case he gets too excited."
"That's because he had a previous owner, Pans, and one we should be looking for."
"You just don't want to admit you like having a cute ickle black Crup around, so you're hiding behind that silly excuse. I know you Dray, and you're too Slytherin to not want to keep something you wanted after someone else lost it in their neglect."
Malfoy flushed in response, and Harry's tails started to wag.
"Aw, I think he likes you, Dray," she cooed, switching Crup-Harry from one arm to the other in order to free her other hand. She stroked his soft fur, and Harry was hard-put to stop her. It felt so good!
"We're here," Malfoy announced, causing Parkinson to halt her attentions. Harry nearly growled at the blond for interrupting his comfortable massage.
The next few hours were spent in quiet observation of the two Slytherins, and Harry felt that little spark of jealousy burn brighter. Malfoy was so open with Parkinson and his other friends, when they later joined them, than Harry ever hoped he would be with him. Harry was reluctant to leave the Slytherins, after a while, but he knew he should.
After Parkinson and Malfoy set him down on a chair in order to enter another shop, it didn't take much for Harry to run away from Zabini, as the bloke held no lost love for canines of any kind. He was soon able to locate his friends.
"Hm?" Hermione glanced down at her trainer. A small black Crup was carefully tugging at her sock, and Crup-Harry could see the gears turning in her brain. She gasped in realisation.
"Oi, Hermione," Ron gained her attention. "Isn't that Crup the one Ferret and Parkinson were carrying around earlier?"
"I believe so," she nodded her head. "Isn't that right… Harry?"
Harry concentrated on his human form, the image and the way his body felt his sole focus, until the familiar change overtook him.
Ron gasped, before grabbing his bearings. "Bloody hell, Harry, warn a bloke before you start changing into shite."
"I thought Hermione had given you warning enough," Harry shrugged in response. He looked at Hermione, and cringed as she opened her mouth to lecture him on using dangerous magic, when he heard another sound come from behind him.
"Crup!" he heard Malfoy call out, his white-blond hair a contrast to the dark green of the trees as he came into view. When the Slytherin saw them, he paused before shaking his head, moving in another direction.
"Crup!"
Hermione arched an eyebrow at Harry, and Harry couldn't stomach her disapproving expression, one that he couldn't help but compare to Pansy's own McGonagall impression, and walked off towards Hogwarts.
Later on, Harry lay on his bed and stared up at the over-hangings. Malfoy's expression of loss and desperation tore at his heart, and he couldn't help but wonder at the other teen's reaction if he had known that it was Harry in his Animagus form, and not just some first-year's lost Crup.
'Probably furious,' Harry thought to himself, an arm slung over his eyes. His bed hangings opened suddenly, and Hermione's head popped in.
"Harry, we need to talk about this."
Harry shrugged his shoulders in response, but made room for Hermione, anyway. He heard the hangings close and felt the bed dip. A chin nestled into his shoulder, and he automatically wound his arm around Hermione's back.
"For some reason, I feel terrible, Hermione," he murmured. She nodded her head.
"I think you should tell him what happened, Harry," she said. "And then why you didn't reveal yourself at all, not to mention when you finally left."
"Do I have to?" he whinged. He felt Hermione nod her head against his shoulder, and sighed loudly. "Okay, fine, fine. I'll do it."
"Now," she said, after a few seconds. Harry finally sat up and jumped off the bed. With a small grin in Hermione's direction, he picked up his Invisibility Cloak and Map and walked out of the dorm.
Once he was sure he was alone, he pulled the Cloak over his head and activated the map with a few taps from his wand and a whispered phrase. Malfoy was currently in the… Slytherin common room.
The distance between the Tower and the Dungeons seemed even longer than it usually was, and Harry found himself growing more hesitant and wary as he dodged a great many obstacles. Not only the professors patrolling, but Peeves even seemed like he was trying his best to prevent Harry from ever getting to Draco.
And when had he become Draco to Harry?
When he finally got to the door the common room hid behind, Harry shuffled in place before gripping his Gryffindor courage in a fist and knocking on the door.
One of the younger students answered the door, and stared into the darkness of the Dungeon. When the kid moved away from the door in order to close it, Harry used that split-second to run into the common room area and make way for the boys dormitory.
Finding Draco's dorm room was nearly effortless in its ease, and Harry wondered just how much he had observed while in his Crup form. Sighing to himself again, Harry had just taken off his Cloak and lifted his arm to knock on the door when it opened. Pale grey eyes, pointed features, alabaster skin… and Harry realised, with a rush of heat to his cheeks, that Draco was already in front of him.
Clearing his throat, Harry asked, "So, uh… How's it going, Malfoy?"
A strong hand gripped his arm and Harry found himself thrown to the middle of the dorm. With a struggle, Harry managed to regain his balance and slowly stood up, cradling an arm to his chest.
"What was that for, Malfoy?"
"Never mind that, Potter," the blond bit out, closing the door lightly behind him. Harry winced in reaction. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
It took a few seconds for Harry to finally answer, running a hand through his raven hair, and Draco seemed to grow more irritated by the second.
"Well," a pointed look from Draco made Harry think over his words quickly before sputtering, "You remember that Crup you found yesterday?"
"Yeah…" the blond arched an eyebrow. "What of it?"
"Well, that wasn't just any Crup," Harry continued. "It was actually me…"
Draco looked blank in response, and Harry had no idea whether or not he had actually understood what he had said.
"It was my Animagus form."
"I see," and the ice laced the blond's voice and words, causing Harry to freeze mid-smile. "So, did you have a great laugh with your friends? 'Oh, let's just trick Malfoy and his twat friends. Bet it'll be such a joy.' So, was it Potter?"
Harry shook his head.
"No, Malfoy, you don't understand."
"No, what you don't understand, Potter, is that this conversation is over. Get the fuck out of my room, now!"
Harry steeled his courage, but faltered underneath Draco's own steel glare. With a scoff, Harry raced out of the room.
The next few days were miserable for Harry. He had this underlying guilt gnawing at his chest, and it was only enhanced as Draco pointedly ignored his presence during and after classes.
Though they had surely never been the best of friends, at each other's throats as it were, this was a whole different side. Before, there were angry exchanges of words, stares, and just a whole heap of other shite underneath it. But, now, there was nothing. No matter how much Harry did, Draco didn't react in his usual, sarcastic manner. Sodding hell, Harry was even missing the Slytherin's fucking drawl, of all things.
It was on one of these days, probably the worst one ever, since Draco was in most of his classes that day, when Harry was grabbed and virtually thrown into the classroom. Wincing at the pain flaring up in his arm, he only had to catch sight of the robes before he muttered, "What is it with Slytherins and throwing me into rooms, these days? I swear to Merlin himself, that was the same arm as last time, too."
"Fix it, Potter." Parkinson gritted out, arms crossed. Harry took a step back at her intimidating presence, and said, "Fix what?"
"You know what I'm bloody talking about, you stupid wanker," Parkinson seethed. "Now, fix what you did to Draco. Talk to him, you sodding git. He's been moping for days, and freezes at the slightest murmur of a word even similar to Potter. Do it, now."
"Malfoy won't even look at me, let alone react to me. How am I supposed to get the prat to talk to me?"
"I'll handle it, just go to the Potions classroom on Friday at six."
With that, Parkinson had launched out of the room with the determination of a bull, and Harry was feeling slightly worried for Draco.
As promised, Harry waited within the classroom, and was relieved when Draco was shoved within the room, himself.
"Potter," the blond gritted out. Harry cast a Silencing Charm on the prat before he could speak any further and simply said:
"I'm sorry."
Draco immediately stopped what he was about to do, probably cancel the Charm himself, and waited.
"I'm sorry for not revealing myself as a Crup earlier, and for letting you take me into the common room, and bloody well violating your privacy. I'm sorry, okay? So, can you please stop ignoring me, you stupid prat?"
Realising Draco couldn't speak with the Charm still on him, Harry cancelled it out and waited.
"Do you even understand how furious I am with you? My anger blazes like a million suns."
"Yeah, yeah, stop being so dramatic," when Draco arched an eyebrow, Harry rolled his eyes. "Please?"
Draco grunted in reply and shrugged, "Fine."
Harry smiled brightly at the blond's tinted cheeks and took a step forward. "And Malfoy?"
"What?"
"I've been wanting to do this for a while."
Harry surged forward and gripped the blond's shoulders, crushing a kiss against his lips. When the kiss ended, Draco had his eyes closed, and a small smile was twitching at the corner of his lips.
"Potter?" he finally opened his eyes. Amused stormy eyes glinted at him, and Harry swallowed in response.
"What?"
"Is that the best you got?"
Harry burst out laughing and kissed Malfoy, allowing it to deepen.
Several minutes later, and Draco was fixing his dishevelled robes, and Harry was trying to fix his hair.
At Harry's suggestive smirk, Draco groaned and threatened, "Keep looking at me like that, I dare you."
After Draco deemed them both presentable - though Harry was given a 'Good enough' - Draco seemed ready to leave.
"Come on, Scarhead," Draco started, gripping Harry's elbow. "You have some explaining to do to Pansy… and an apology to give."
"An apology?"
"Someone had to suffer through my anger."
As Harry threw his head back and laughed, he felt that he had no need to be jealous, after all.
Author's Note:
You don't even understand how hard it was to finish this fic under 3300 words, gais XD I struggled so hard. You see that word count? D;
Hope you enjoyed it, nonetheless :D