Chapter 4: Arguing Snakes

"So, what did you do with him?" Draco asked conversationally. He was sitting Blaise in the Great Hall. It was the Halloween feast, and the two Slytherins were looking every now and then up at Harry, who was sitting at the Gryffindor Table. "Because you obviously must have done something wrong to him."

"Me? What do you mean, that I must have done something to him?" Blaise demanded. "How do you know it's not you who gave him the bad date? Malfoy?"

"Me? I did every perfectly, Zabini," Draco said, looking scandalized that his friend would even suggest that he was at fault. "I took him around Hogsmeade, brought him chocolates at Honeydukes, went to the Three Broomsticks, and we checked out this exercise shop Charlie Weasley told me about. It's next to a piercing shop that Harry looked at for a bit."

"Wait, a piercing shop?" Blaise frowned. "Why would he want to look at that?"

"Just something he talks about," Draco shrugged. Blaise stared at Draco for a moment before giving a slightly small look of disgust.

"Piercings are rather disgusting in my opinion," Blaise said. "There is no way Harry would get one."

"It's just him wanting to find some way of going against our father," Draco said. "He knows that Father and Mother would be very angry if he actually gets one…"

"What do you think about this?" Blaise asked.

"About what?"

"Those disgusting piercings," Blaise said.

Draco shrugged. "There is no way Harry would ever do it, so why worry about it?" he asked.

"Then why would he—"

"Look, just shut up about it," Draco muttered. "So, Zabini, what did you do with Harry during your date?"

Blaise frowned momentarily before shrugging it off and giving Draco a confident smirk, "Why Malfoy? Do you really want to know how much better I am at treating your brother?"

"Anything you do to him will falter compares to what I did," Draco smirked.

"Fine then," Blaise said slowly. "Let's see… ah yes, he allowed me to place my arm around his waist, and now he's my babe. We too went to the Three Broomstick, but after that we had a romantic stroll around the town. We saw the Shrieking Shack, checked out some shops, and afterwards he left to leave with his friends."

"What? He couldn't stand being next to you on the way back?" Draco smirked.

"As if," Blaise said, "More like he didn't want to embarrass you by walking back with me." He stretched his arms and sighed. "Face it Malfoy, you are not match compared to me. Harry will be mine."

"As if I'll allow him to be with you!" Draco said angrily. "He came here looking distress, so obviously he hated your date."

"My date? No, he hated your date, Malfoy!"

"How dare you say that!" Draco said angrily. Glowering viciously, he gave Zabini a deadly glare. Zabini returned the glare, and the two did not talk to each other again. When they returned to the Slytherin Common Room, they kept away from each other, Draco retreating to their dormitory while Blaise kept to the dungeons until it was time to sleep.

Harry was surprised, a few days after Halloween, to see Blaise walking up to him alone. They were outside, on their way to Herbology. "Harry," he said cheerfully, "it's been too long since we hung out together." He automatically placed his hand on Harry's waist, which the Gryffindor ignored. They've known each other for years, and he was more than used to the touchy-feeling ways of Blaise Zabini.

"Well Hogsmeade would have count if you weren't so worried about showing off to my brother," Harry said.

"Showing off—if I was showing off, it was for you," Blaise laughed.

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Really?" he sneered lightly. "Then I am remembering it wrongly when we went to look at the Shrieking Shack and you said 'I bet Draco was too scared to show you this?'"

Blaise just rolled his eyes," Please, I was just showing off to you Harry," he said. "Showing you that I am the better, and more courageous boyfriend than Draco."

Harry sighed and shook his head.

"Anyway, Draco told me something interesting about you," Blaise continued.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, that you went to a piercing shop or something?" Blaise asked.

"That, yeah, it was next to Draco's shop and we just looked into the window, that's all," Harry shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"You're not really thinking of getting a piercing… are you?" Blaise asked.

"That it?" Harry asked. "Look, I'm thirteen, Blaise, and, well, I know how angry Father and Mother would be if I get one—"

"So you're not going to get a piercing, good," Blaise said, sighing in relief. "Because, honestly Harry, I think they look horrible on guys."

"Bill's looks cool!" Harry said a little hotly. "And it is not like I was thinking of filling out my entire ear with piercings—that is disgusting, but like maybe something simple when I'm older."

"So you're serious about getting an earring?" Blaise asked.

"No I'm—I don't know I'm just thinking about it—look, why are you so suddenly obsessed with this one thing?" Harry asked.

"Well, if we ever date, I honestly don't want my boyfriend with earrings," Blaise said. "It's too feminine."

Harry stopped walking and stared at Blaise. The Slytherin kept walking for a few seconds before realizing that Harry stopped. He turned, confused.

"Blaise," Harry said, "I love you, and that is the only reason I am telling you this, but, shut up."

The Slytherin continued to stare at Harry before a sly, devilish smirk appeared on his face. "You said you love me," he said.

"Yes, and I love Draco too, now shut up," Harry said before he continued walking.

Blaise quickly ran to keep up, "But who do you love more? Me or Draco?"

"Draco because he is my brother, and I think I told you to shut up."

"But I am talking about the different type of love, you know, the love between lovers," Blaise said. "The love that keep people awake, agonizing for their other half—that type of love."

"Well I definitely don't agonize over you," Harry said, still walking. "Look, if you want my honesty, here it is. Our date at Hogsmeade was terrible, horrendous even. I don't care if you and Draco are trying to make each other jealous, but don't make me suffer because of it."

"Then give me another chance!" Blaise said. "Serious Harry, look I'm sorry bout the first one, but hey you can't judge things on only one try right?"

Harry stopped and turned to Blaise. He considered the boy for a moment before sighing, "Fine, we'll have another date. …After the Quidditch match, alright? But listen, I don't want this to be about Draco, understand? Don't tell him about it, don't talk about him—don't even mention his name. This isn't about some stupid comparison, this is just about you and me. Got it?"

"Yes, my lovely husband," Blaise said, giving Harry a confident smile. Harry rolled his eyes but smiled regardless. The boy's cute, he couldn't help it. Blaise took that smile in strides and he returned his hand on Harry's waist.

"So what will we do? Shall I comfort you after Gryffindor's embarrassing defeat at Slytherin?" Blaise smirked.

"As if!" Harry said. "I'll make sure that Slytherin loses!"

"Nope, we're going to kick your asses, Harry," Blaise said. Harry shook his head and smiled coyly.

"Whatever you want to think to make you happy," Harry muttered to himself. Blaise just laughed and spent the rest of their walk to Herbology verbally picturing their future date.

The day of the match was a horrible date. The winds were howling violently and rain kept a constant pressure, feeling as if buckets of water kept falling onto Harry and the Gryffindor Team as they walked towards the Quidditch Pitch. Oliver Wood, the Quidditch Captain, looked as if he was going to be blown away with the wind. "We have to win this," he kept saying. "We have to win this!"

"We get it Oliver, don't worry," Fred said.

"Yeah, we got this," George agreed.

Harry frowned at the weather, he did not want to stay out there for long, thunder was starting to roll in and he didn't want to risk getting hit by a stray lightning bolt. Casting a charm on his glasses to keep the rain off, Harry told himself that he will catch the Snitch quickly just to get out of the rain.

Within five minutes of the match starting, Harry was soaked to his skin and frozen. His eyes squinting, he searched desperately for the hint of gold. It seemed, however, that luck was on his side as he caught a flash of gold over the Slytherin goal posts. Leaning hard into his broom, Harry sped towards the Snitch before the Slytherin Seeker could see it. Like a blur of red, Harry made the entire stretch of the field. The Snitch just stayed there, as if waiting for Harry. His hand reaching out, his fingers easily curled around the small golden ball, and he won the game. It was the easiest game he had ever won, but, for some reason, he felt that it was a little anticlimactic.

Holding the Snitch high in the air, the Gryffindors roared in cheers around him as Lee Jorden screamed into the air that Gryffindor has won. Still feeling frozen, Harry and the other Gryffindors retreated into the changing room. They all needed a hot shower.

"You did brilliant Harry!" Fred smiled.

"A real pro," George said.

Harry smiled at the two of them, and they followed Oliver into the boy's toilet where a row of showerheads waited for them.

Fred, George, and Oliver already took off all their clothes and Harry felt himself freezing as he stared at them all.

They were all burly, tall with muscles, in Oliver's case he had thick chest and clear abs with hints of hair that traveled down to a place Harry would never look; while the twins had similar thick shoulders, defined chests and…Harry felt something strange stir within him as he stared at the twins' chests, both of which had two silver studs sticking through their pink nipples.

He tried to look away quickly, ignoring the sudden strange tightness in his pants, but Fred caught him. "Like what you see, Malfoy?" he joked.

"Uh… umm…"

"It's alright Harry," Fred said. "Nothing wrong in looking, you're just curious right?"

Harry nodded. "You… have piercings," he said.

"Yeah, great isn't it?" Fred smiled. He turned to fully face Harry. Harry's face reddened extremely, thankful that Fred had the common sense to wrap a towel around his waist. "Bill and Charlie recommended it—they both got the same piercings, though Bill obviously has a bit more."

"Did it hurt?" Harry asked.

"These? Not really, but they look wicked now," Fred smirked.

From his shower, George's voice yelled out, "Fred! Tell Harry he's in trouble!"

"What?" Harry gasped.

"That's right you are," Fred nodded. "You, little Malfoy, forgot our agreement."

"What agreement?"

"That you would be our Test Subject," Fred said. "You never showed up."

"But that was weeks ago!"

"Exactly, and it wounds our hearts that you forgot," Fred said dramatically.

"Look, I'll make it up to you, how about we do whatever it is you want to do tomorrow?" Harry said.

"Alright, it's a date," Fred smirked. "Don't plan anything else though, little Malfoy. George and I will have you busy for the whole day. And if you're good… we'll tell you more about our piercings." The Weasley twin snickered to himself as he headed into his own shower, leaving Harry completely flustered.

He stripped and stepped into his own shower, needing the water to be freezing cold to solve a little embarrassing problem before turning the temperature up to relieve his frozen body. He stood under the hot water for nearly ten minutes until he was sure that Oliver and the twins were out of the showers. Then he stepped out, got dressed in his robes, and walked into the changing room to see Blaise waiting for him.

"Got worried you got lost in the showers," the Slytherin smiled. "It's raining, and that ruins my idea of us hanging out by the Black Lake, but I think I can think of something fun."

"As long as you have an umbrella," Harry said. Blaise just laughed and waved the long umbrella he held in his free hand. He wrapped his other hand around Harry's waist, and the two squished together as they walked out, Blaise opening the umbrella in front of them, and holding it. "So, what exactly did you do during the match?" Blaise asked. "You were a blur."

"I just wanted the game to be over," Harry shrugged. "I mean, look at this weather!" He waved his hand around to the storm around them. "I could have seriously been struck by lightning."

"So instead you moved like lightning," Blaise said.

"Is that supposed to a joke?" Harry laughed.

"Well, you laughed so it worked," Blaise smiled.

"You are too cocky for your own good, Blaise," Harry said.

"Yeah, but you already told me you love me, so what are you going to do about it?" Blaise asked, he turned and gave Harry a huge grin. Harry smiled at it, and leaned closer to Blaise.

He loved hanging out with Blaise, along with Draco. He always had fun with the two Slytherins, either on their own or with each other. It was true that he loved them, Harry was not one to lie about his feelings, but, when he thought about his future, when he looked at Blaise, feel his body against his, he couldn't begin to choose. He could picture himself being with Blaise, but where would that leave Draco? Yet, on the other hand, he can easily picture himself and Draco being together… but where would that leave Blaise? How would his parents react to either of them? Harry and Draco were technically brothers, their relationship would be considered incest… and Blaise… Blaise …

Whichever road Harry takes, he would break someone's heart.

"Harry? Harry, what's the matter?"

Blaise's voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts. They reached the castle.

"Nothing's the matter."

"Then why were you frowning?" Blaise asked.

"I wasn't—I was frowning?" Harry asked. Blaise nodded.

"Sorry… sorry, I was just thinking," Harry said softly.

"Hey," Blaise said softly, "you shouldn't be thinking sad thoughts around me. Now I'll just work extra hard to make you happy. Come on," Blaise closed his umbrella and pulled Harry closer. The two made their way down to the dungeons, Blaise bringing the small Malfoy to the Slytherin common room just to drop off his umbrella before the two walk out again before the Slytherin Quidditch Team could see them.

"So," Harry said as they stepped out of the dungeons and back into the entrance hall, "what do you plan on doing for our date?"

Blaise turned and smile coly at Harry. Winking playfully, he said, "Easy Harry, we're going somewhere were we can have some fun," before pulling the young Malfoy up the marble staircase.