Elven Desire
Chapter Seven – Our friends
Harry awoke the next morning to another letter from Draco, which of course made him deliriously happy but then a sudden feeling of his stomach turning to lead reminded him that tomorrow evening he was going to be having dinner at Malfoy Manor with Narcissa and Draco.
Dread washed over him, he hadn't been to Malfoy Manor since the war. He had been held captive there, Hermione had been tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange in that horrid place. Harry remembered it to be dark, depressing and the air being stagnant with dark magic and bloodshed. How could he step foot into that building and face those particular demons so soon?
His nightly nightmares would on occasion remind him of that place and it made him shudder with remembered pain. He could hear Hermione's screams echoing in his ears on some nights as the disgusting slur against her muggle parentage was carved into her flesh. He would go, of course he would, because it meant a lot to Draco that he have dinner with his mother but that didn't mean Harry was going to like being there or that it was going to be easy for him. He wouldn't tell his boyfriend any of this however, he would grin and bear it all, bottling up the emotions, which would no doubt only make the nightmares worse afterwards but it was something that he would suffer through for Draco.
Opening the letter Harry couldn't help but smile, he loved that they were sharing such small but personal details of their lives with one another and in writing too. It all seemed terribly romantic to Harry and he loved it. Dragging himself from bed, a soppy grin plastered all over his face he dropped down in the solid wooden chair at the desk in the too small room that had far too much furniture squeezed into it. He sat posed, quill in hand so that he could form a response but found that it was an extremely difficult letter to write when all of the others had been so blissfully easy. This one however saw mention of their childhoods, a subject that Harry found difficult to even think about let alone discuss with anyone and he desperately wanted to avoid all mention of it.
Harry had discovered through the letter writing that putting things down on parchment was a lot easier than discussing them face to face. It was the reason he had felt so free to divulge so much to Draco when he struggled to even mention it front of his best friends. He couldn't even bring himself to feel guilty about that, he was at least talking to someone openly. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all dealing with their own emotional trauma, the Weasley's had lost Fred and that grief was still raw, no matter how well they pretended otherwise Harry could see the pain and the heartache they faced day to day.
Harry wasn't ready to share the first ten years of his life just yet in writing or talking about it, so full of poison and hate as it was. Draco didn't need to be subjected to those horrors at the moment, not when they had only just started to really get to know each other. Hopefully, if Harry was smart enough then he could avoid having that particular discussion for the foreseeable future. He prided himself on avoiding the difficult subjects, preferring to keep them to himself, not wanting to be a burden to anyone else.
He still felt the overwhelming urge to break down, to scream and to cry. Those particular emotions from the night of his eighteenth birthday before the change had taken over him were still there. He still wanted to move into Grimmauld Place and grieve in his own way for everything that had been lost. However he knew that the Burrow was the best place for him to be right now. While he figured out his Elven nature and inheritance he needed to have his friends and his family around him. To survive he had pushed those feelings deeper than ever down inside of him and that was where they remained.
No doubt he would continue to face his nightmares until he found the courage to face them, which wouldn't be anytime soon. He needed time and solitude to deal with everything that had built up upon him over the last year. He didn't want to cry in front of his friends, he didn't want them to know just how much pain he was in. Draco at least made him forget about it for however a brief amount of time. Clutching the letter from his boyfriend in his hand he turned his attention to forming a response.
Draco
I would love to see your drawings one day, I am sure they are wonderful. I'm really looking forward to it. Your love of chocolate milk does fascinate me and is just as adorable and cute as your obsession with skittles. I don't care what you say, you can be as adamant as you like, it's what I think. You shouldn't have regrets, we've all made mistakes in our pasts, if we hadn't have made them then we wouldn't be where we are today.
Now because you told me such a personal confession and I called you cute, twice here are some things about me. My favourite colour is not red like everyone thinks, it's actually green because of my eyes. I have a huge sweet tooth, I would eat desert for every meal if I could, especially treacle tart. I have never been to a beach and one of the many things I would love to do is to walk barefoot in the sand and swim in the ocean, though I would have to learn to swim first. Finally, my last confession to you is that I honestly can't stop thinking about you.
Harry
He felt a little guilty that he had skirted around the issue of his childhood without so much as mentioning it but he just wasn't ready. He doubted that he ever would be. That was too personal a confession to make at this stage of their growing relationship. The horrors and abuse from his child hood were experiences that he wanted to keep locked away in a box in his mind, never to be opened again if he could help it. Not even Severus Snape with his mind numbingly excellent skill at Occlumency could have dragged the thoughts out of him they were buried so deep.
Harry sent the letter off with Padfoot before retreating back to the warmth and comfort of his bed, pulling the duvet over his head and snuggling into the depths of its warmness. He was resigning himself to the fact that he was going to need Hermione and Ginny's help to get ready for the festivities at Malfoy Manor tomorrow, which would mean hours of tediously being made into a dress up doll again but he wouldn't be able to make any decisions no matter how big or small, especially not about his clothing. Until the dinner was over and done with he wasn't going to be able to think about anything else.
He didn't drag himself out of his bed until around lunch time at which point Ron, Hermione and Ginny accosted him at the foot of the stairs, dragging him away from the kitchen and the food that Molly had made for them. Harry put up very little in the form of a protest as he was manhandled into the sitting room and a copy of the Daily Prophet shoved in front of him. Plastered across the front page was a magically animated picture of him and Draco in a passionate lip lock in the middle of Diagon Alley. Harry groaned at the sight of it, the title of the article making his gut clench. The Boy-who-lived-in-love? It read.
"This is a nightmare!" Harry said with a growl of frustration, though finding himself unable to take his eyes off the photograph, mesmerized by it, watching with intense interest as the two of them kissed.
"Well you did snog him in the middle of Diagon Alley," Hermione scolded and Harry glared at her. "Whether you like it or not you're famous Harry, you're hot news and everyone wants a piece of you, especially after the Which Wizard article you did. You have to start living your life more carefully or otherwise this is going to continue to happen. I know it isn't fair but you have to accept it."
"This is infuriating!" Harry said with anger in his voice, "I'm not a piece of meat that they can salivate over, putting all these stories in the papers! That lawyer you found me better hurry up and sort this out because this has got to stop!"
"I'm sure he's working on it but I don't think that should mean you shouldn't be more careful, especially with things like this. You're making it far too easy for them Harry," She said sternly as she watched him scan over the article with rage glinting in his eyes. It was all speculation and there was a lot about his sexual preference towards men delighting wizarding folk but disappointing witches everywhere. As usual it was all drivel worthy of Rita Skeeter, whose name was not attached to the article. If it had been then there would have been hell to pay.
The fire in front of them blazed into life with brilliantly green flame announcing that someone was coming through the floo network to join them. They weren't afraid, they had had no need to be. No one could get through due to the wards and the password required to access the Weasley fireplace.
Seamus staggered out of the fireplace moments later, followed in quick succession by Dean, Neville and Luna. It was quickly explained that the four of them had been hanging around in Diagon Alley when they had seen the Daily Prophet article, which apparently everyone had been talking about. Shortly after that they had been recognized as Harry Potter's friends and classmates and been accosted by reporters trying to get whatever information they could from them, which was why they had come here.
They needed an explanation as to what was going on. Of course Seamus had already been told about the inheritance after he had run into Harry and Draco the other day as it had been the only way to calm him down and stop him raving about a Deatheater kidnapping Harry.
The other three however were clueless as they started asking questions regarding the article, wanting to know what was going on and if any of it was true. Seamus hadn't told them anything, declaring that it was not his business to gossip, they were going to have to talk to Harry if they wanted answers. Harry felt shamefull about the thought of lying to them about this when they had been dragged into the mess with him so despite agreeing with Draco that their Elven natures were to be kept on a need to know basis he deemed this as need to know. They had all been through so much together and he would need support from all of them to get through the school year in one piece.
"I'll explain everything, but not here, we'll go out to the Quidditch clearing. We can talk there," Harry said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair in frustration without realising what he was doing and the consequences of it until it was too late. The intakes of breath as those who hadn't known about his inheritance spotted his newly acquired pointed Elven ears and he realised his mistake.
"Wow," Luna said, breaking the silence and the tension, "No wonder you're so beautiful all of a sudden, you're Elven."
"Yeah," Harry said, "Come on, let's go outside and I'll explain everything and maybe Hermione can help me so I don't miss anything," Harry said nervously, patting his hair back into place over his ears self-consciously. He was going to have to be more careful, especially when at school. He could cope with his friends knowing, in fact he wanted them to know but not the entire school. If the entire of Hogwarts knew it would only make Draco irritable as he had wanted to keep it a secret.
HPDM
"Draco darling," His mother said in a sickly sweet voice, "Have you seen the Daily Prophet this morning?" He had gone out flying first thing this morning and as a consequence was running a little late for breakfast. Normally Narcissa would have lectured him for near enough half an hour on proper time keeping but she seemed far too preoccupied in the daily paper to be bothered too much about his tardiness.
"No mother, I have not," Draco replied as he took a seat opposite her. Today on the menu was poached eggs and salmon, not his favourite. He reached instead for the coffee, pouring an extra-large cup for himself.
Folding up the paper she slid it across the table to him. "I would have a look sweet one, the front page is particularly interesting," She said as she began to take sips of her tea, never looking away from her son.
Draco unfolded the paper to see what she was making all the fuss over. He stared for a long while at the front page, watching as the photograph of him and Harry kissed in Diagon Alley. The headline of, 'The Boy-Who-Lived in Love?'In large letters above it. Draco only smiled, "I see nothing wrong with this," He said, "I think it's rather tastefully done."
"Dragon dear, I thought you wanted to keep your relationship with the Potter boy low key? A front page article in the Daily Prophet is hardly low key," Narcissa stated to him coolly with bewilderment.
"I do want to keep it low key but I did not realise that this was being taken at the time and I'm not upset that it happened either. After all there is no better way to inform the world that Harry Potter is off the market. With that damned Which Wizard article I think that something like this was much needed."
Narcissa had scowled at her son as he had uttered the curse word in her presence but said nothing of it on this occasion, too preoccupied with how impressed she found herself being at how Draco had staked his claim on his potential mate so publicly. He'd never admit to anyone that he had done it all on purpose of course but she knew her son well enough to know that such a blatant display of territorial behaviour could be no accident.
"Is there anything I should know before the dinner tomorrow?" Narcissa asked, changing the subject as a black owl swooped into the room carrying a letter addressed to Draco. "It would be rather inconvenient if Harry Potter dropped dead at the dinner table because of a food allergy, though I dare say I could see the irony in killing him in such a way accidentally when so many have failed at the task when they purposefully wanted to kill him."
"I don't believe he has any food allergies mother, however I shall ask him just to be sure. Though his favourite desert is treacle tart, perhaps you could request that the house elves make that for dessert tomorrow night," Draco queried, keen to retreat back to the sanctuary of his bedroom and read Harry's letter.
"I am sure that the house elves can manage that," She said agreeably, "Is that letter from him?"
"Yes mother, it is," Draco said as he tucked it into his pocket.
"Are you going to read it?" She asked, finding herself to be slightly amused by the behaviour her son was exhibiting over a letter. She found it rather endearing when normally he was so cool and aloof. Perhaps Harry was going to bring out the affectionate side of her son that was rarely ever seen. She hoped that this would be the case, he acted far too much like his father with his icy exterior. However he had her heart beating in his chest, one that was capable of great love and warmth.
"Later," Draco responded coolly. With the personal titbits of information they had been sharing with one another it seemed wrong somehow to open and read the letter at the breakfast table in front of anyone, even if it was just his mother.
"Oh, Tilly mentioned that Blaise would be calling round to see you today. He hasn't seen you since … well since last term at Hogwarts. He hasn't been coping very well with young Gregory's death. I think he just needs his friends around him," Narcissa said, looking at her son imploringly. Draco had tensed at the sound of his friend's name, unsure if he wanted him around now that he too had come into his Elven heritage.
"Fine," Draco said finally through gritted teeth, "Though perhaps we should invite Pansy and Daphne over as well, I would like to know if we are all to be going back to Hogwarts together this year." Draco suggested as he thought that having all three of his friends around him might defuse the tension a little more than if it was just Blaise and him alone.
Narcissa nodded in agreement, "I shall send word to their mothers and invite them over as well," She said as Draco raised himself from his chair, eager to retire to somewhere more private where he could read his letter. He had no further desire to continue any conversation with his mother who was intent to force company upon him today. He did not believe for a second that Blaise was coping badly with Goyle's death at all. He hadn't even liked the boy that much. "Draco, you have hardly touched your breakfast," She scowled as he headed for the door.
"Not hungry," She heard him call as left the dinning room and headed for the stairs. Narcissa just shook her head in disbelief, muttering under her breath about the curse of young love. Having his friends round for the afternoon had been supposed to serve as a distraction from Harry Potter for a little while. However it would seem that her precious son was already too far down the road of besotted bliss to be distracted.
HPDM
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Seamus and Dean were all gathered together in the clearing where Quidditch would normally be played, however the wizarding sport was the last thing on everyone's minds as they became mesmerized by the golden shimmer of Harry's skin as he sat upon the grass, soaking up the strong afternoon sun that blazed down upon them.
They had all chosen to lounge on the grass, all of them relaxed, carefree and they had every right to be. They were young and had little to worry about now that the war was over and Voldemort gone, finally defeated. The biggest stress they had to face was passing their N.E.W.T's and with the school year not starting for another few weeks they were giddy on the amount of freedom they had.
"So you're an elf," Neville began, he was sat holding Luna's hand, looking completely at ease with the new development. It seemed that nothing could phase this group after everything they had seen and experienced.
"I'm Elven," Harry corrected him, "Well, Half Elven, since my birthday. I realise that I should have told you all sooner but I'm still figuring it all out myself. It's all a bit weird really." Harry told them, he found himself subconsciously biting his lip through nerves.
"And what has Malfoy got to do with this?" Seamus asked, Harry looked to Hermione giving her a look that told her to say nothing. He wanted to make sure he didn't tell them too much when it came to Draco, only the basics. He was at libaty to share his secret with whomever he wanted, however he didn't have the same freedom when it came to his boyfriend. "The Prophet published a picture of the two of you snogging."
"Well, Draco saw me in Flourish and Blotts looking at books about Elven inheritance. We had already cleared the air before we left Hogwarts after the battle was over and we just got to talking. He helped me get the right book and then he asked me out for lunch. That was the day you saw us Seam, he didn't mean to be rude, he just gets a little jealous sometimes." Harry explained carefully. He had to choose his words with caution and embellish the truth a little but he wasn't flat out lying which he thought made it okay.
"Why would he be jealous over me?" Seamus asked with confusion. His question made a few of the group snigger. Ron snorted in amusement and Harry just rolled his eyes. The Irish wizard's memory was abysmal after copious amounts of alcohol and it was a common occurrence that he would get so riddled on whatever booze was going that he wouldn't remember a thing when he woke up the next morning. Apparently this was the case with the night of Harry's birthday celebrations.
"You snogged Harry at his birthday party Seam," Dean supplied helpfully with an exasperated sigh at his best friend. Seamus made a small 'oh' sound as he struggled to remember that night. He would very much like to have remembered kissing Harry Potter.
"So are the two of you dating now?" Luna asked in her usual dreamy tones.
"I guess we are," Harry admitted, "We're at least seeing if it'll work. He's going back to Hogwarts this year too so we'll at least be in the same vicinity as each other but it'll be hard to do anything other than study with our N.E.W.T's."
"Are we all going back to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked the group curiously and was pleased to see that they were all nodding. "That's fantastic!" She exclaimed with approval, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She was thrilled that they would all get to spend one last year together just being teenagers. It was something that had been sorely lacking in their lives thanks to Lord Voldemort and his followers. They deserved to have a nice normal year before they graduated. No Philosophers stones to retrieve, no heir of Slytherin to defeat, no escaped convicts to rescue, no triwizard tournaments to compete in, no prophecies to collect, no death, no destruction and most importantly no war.
"Oh here we go," Ron said with a comical groan as he spotted the Malfoy family owl winging its way towards them. Hermione and Ginny shared a look and started giggling when they realised what Ron had seen. The others looked at them as if they had all gone barmy.
"What is it?" Dean asked with confusion as the owl dropped its letter into Harry's lap, who was grinning broadly. It had been so long since any of them had seen him smile like that. It made them happy to know that he was still able to smile in that way after everything that he had been through.
The first two months of the summer where Harry had seemed to go into a rather depressive solitary state and not talk to anyone and not socialise or even spend time outside of his bedroom, it had concerned each and every one of them to see him coping so badly with the after effects of the war. To see him happy like this however gave them all hope that he was going to be okay.
"Malfoy and Harry have been sending each other love notes," Ginny explained to the group.
"It's adorable" Hermione added as Luna 'awed' at them. The boys all looked a little sickened by this but Harry paid no attention to any of them, too focused on the letter clutched in his hand. He wanted to desperately to open it but he wasn't sure he should when he was in front of his friends. He knew that Draco had told him things that he wouldn't want them all to know. It seemed far too personal so with heavy regret he stowed away the unopened letter in his pocket. He would read it later when he was alone.
"So are you guys okay with this, me being Elven and dating Draco? I'm going to need your help if I'm going to survive this school year. I may not have Voldemort trying to kill me anymore but with the press continuously hounding me and being half Elven has to be kept a secret too, I'm going to need every one of you by my side," Harry said, looking to his friends pleadingly. He hoped that they would understand. He looked at them in shock, astounded when they all nodded their agreement with very little questioning or comments.
"We're with you Harry," Neville said with a smile, Luna nodding along with her boyfriend.
"All the way," Dean agreed.
"As long as Malfoy doesn't hurt you then I'm on board, if he fucks up then I'll make him regret ever being born," Seamus warned looking a little miffed about something and no one knew what. He had never told anyone how much he lusted after Harry. He wasn't into relationships, he enjoyed being single and able to sleep around too much for them and he didn't want a relationship with Harry either but he would have liked to fuck him at least once. He had woken up many a morning with tented pyjama bottoms after erotic dreams about the famous boy wizard and how he would look writhing beneath him with pleasure.
"My sentiments exactly," Ron said in agreement with Seamus, entirely unaware of what the sandy haired wizard had been thinking about as he had said that.
Within the hour they were all on their brooms and playing Quidditch, all apart from Hermione, Luna and Harry. The two girls were reading and discussing something from one of their text books, having quite the meeting of minds. Harry on the other hand had taken the opportunity as it had been presented to him and snuck away into a denser part of the forest where the trees grew a little closer together, much to the amusement of his friends who had watched him go. He sat down at the base of a large tree once he was out of sight of them all and removed the letter from his pocket.
Harry
Even though I am still adamant that I am neither cute nor adorable it may be worth being called such degrading things just to find out so much about you. I had no idea that green is your favourite colour, how very Slytherin of you. I already knew of your passion for anything sugary and sweet, though I readily admit to not know that full extent of it. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow evening, my mother would like me to ask you if you have any food allergies so she can avoid inadvertently killing you. I cannot stop thinking about you either. Though don't assume that you can so easily avoid the difficult subjects with me, no matter your feelings on the matter we will have to discuss our childhoods eventually. My confession to you this time is that I already care for you a great deal Harry and I want to know everything about you, the good and the bad.
Draco
Of course that made Harry extremely nervous. Draco was persistent and clearly wasn't about to let the issue of their childhoods drop. Putting the letter back into his pocket he made his way back to his friends where his firebolt was waiting for him. Mounting his broomstick he kicked off from the ground to join his friends in the air. He needed a bit of time before he could respond as he needed to consider what he would write carefully. He needed something that would delay the questions for the time being and not arouse suspicion either.
As he soared into the air, climbing ever higher, it felt as if he had left his worries on the ground below. Up here he was free to just be himself and enjoy the sensation of the wind through his hair, inhale the glorious scents of the summer and think about nothing but the weightless freedom of flying. He joined Ginny high above the rest of the game, searching out the golden snitch while the others passed the Quaffle to one another trying to score through the haphazard goal hoops that were well in need of repair.
HPDM
Pansy Parkinson was the first to arrive at Malfoy Manor later that afternoon, followed shortly by Blaise Zabini and then lastly by Daphne Greengrass. Not once in all their years of friendship had the four of them ventured into one another's bedrooms. The Slytherin's in them saying that it was too personal a space to share, even with friends, so they sat in the main sitting room of the Manor, a house elf having brought them all a cup of tea, except Draco who couldn't stand the stuff and was instead enjoying his fourth mug of coffee for the day.
"You boys look stunning," Pansy said once they had been left alone. She had grown into her looks in recent years. Even though she still looked remarkably pug like she was prettier for it. Her dark hair glossy and thick, falling to her shoulders and her eyes a glittering blue.
"Creature inheritance," Blaise said proudly, puffing out his chest with arrogance, "I'm Elven, beauty is part of the package."
"Indeed," Draco said, unimpressed with Blaise's show of egotistical dominance. He didn't need to catch the oak scent to know that he was no submissive. However Draco had known that this would be the case the moment that he had found out that Zabini had come into his own Elven inheritance. He had always been on the larger side compared to the blonde, taller and bulker with muscle, this hadn't changed much at all.
"What about you Draco?" Daphne asked curiously eyeing up Malfoy with interest. Blaise had tied his lengthy black hair back in a ponytail, proudly displaying his pointed Elven ears. His dark skin practically glowing, the golden eyes a stunning contrast. He too had bulked out and gained height since the inheritance so that he now towered over all of them at 6ft 2. Draco was only 5ft 9 in comparison to his friend.
"Though I do not wish to publicise myself as much as Blaise is I can tell you that I too am Elven," Draco drawled coldly to them before taking a sip of his coffee.
"You're keen enough to publicise your relationship with Potter though," Blaise snapped at him irritably, he had heard the intended insult in Draco's words and did not appreciated them in the slightest. The slighter of the two witches was already eyeing the two wizards warily as she played with a strand of her long blonde hair, fully prepared to grab for her wand at a moment's notice.
"I wanted to ask you about that myself," Pansy said, "It was all over the Daily Prophet today that the two of you are together now, in love with each other apparently."
"Is it true that he loves you?" Daphne asked curiously, Draco only sighed at the intrusion of his love life, wondering why they were all so curious all of a sudden. They had never been concerned about his exploits between the sheets before now. He was beginning to wonder if this was how Harry felt under the constant bombardment of questions about things that were too personal to be discussing with anyone. He placed his coffee down to free up his hands just in case he might need his wand. The trust was never fully there between the four of them, they were always on edge, waiting for one of them to attack.
"Harry and I are dating," He confirmed, "It is a relatively recent development between the two of us so I highly doubt that he is in love with me as the Daily Prophet claims. I do expect you to be civil to him and to his friends this year however. There is no need for further hostility now that the war is over," Draco said smoothly, hoping that he would be able to get his friends on board with this. However he didn't hold out much hope for this happening. They were very much stuck in the old ways but he would be foolish if he didn't at least try for civility between the two houses.
"Well you are one lucky man Draco, I saw that article in Which Wizard, I don't know what happened but that boy is certainly tempting, at least he would be if he was a pureblood," Daphne said, a dreamy look in her eye that told them all that she was censoring her thoughts for their benefit. What she was really thinking about had no place in civilised conversation. She would never admit to it though, she wouldn't stoop so low to admitting she had a crush on a half-blood traitor.
"Daphne, I would appreciate it greatly if you wouldn't even be tempted over my boyfriend," He said in a way that told her he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Yes, I saw that article myself. They were speculating about whether or not Potter had come into his own creature inheritance," Blaise mused thoughtfully, his golden eyes glittering dangerously.
"Do you believe everything you read in the papers Blaise, I thought you had more brains than that," Draco drawled back, trying to keep his temper in check, he didn't want any of them knowing about Harry but especially not Blaise. He wanted to keep Harry's secret and protect him from the lustful advances of Zabini, whose brain cells seemed only to operate the lower half of his body. It made Draco's blood boil to think of Blaise Zabini being the one to touch Harry, to claim his innocence without thought or care. If it was within his power then he would never let it happen.
"I don't think you'd be getting this angry if it wasn't true Draco," Blaise said in triumph, "I can sense your emotions now remember, you can't hide behind that impenetrable Malfoy mask with me anymore."
The two young women were watching the exchange with interest and caution, ready to react if things became more heated but not wanting to miss the face-off between the two dominant Elven males either. If the two of them started fighting or duelling then it would certainly be an entertaining battle that neither Pansy nor Daphne wanted to miss. Though they knew they would do their duty as friends and separate them before too much damage was done to them or the furniture.
"I am angry Blaise because of the way you are talking about my boyfriend. All of you ought to leave well enough alone. He has been through enough already," Draco said placidly, not wanting to rise to anything that Blaise said as he desperately tried to calm himself down. However it was unfortunate for him that at that moment his mother decided to walk into the sitting room that the four of them were occupying and starting up a conversation as if they didn't have guests at all.
"Draco, dear one, has Harry written back to you yet? I really need to finalise the dinner plan for tomorrow evening," Narcissa said after sweeping majestically into the room with quill and parchment in hand as she scribbled out her notes.
"No mother, he has not," Draco said, tensing as he felt Blaise become awash with self-satisfaction. Draco knew his friend far too well to be naive enough to believe he didn't have a plan. He waited patiently until his mother had left the room before grabbing Zabini by the scruff of the neck and slamming him up against the nearest wall with a growl. Blaise only sneered at him with amusement and elation. "You'll stay away from him Blaise," Draco snarled at him.
"He is like us, isn't he but I net, judging by your reaction he's a submissive," Blaise cackled with victory, "A true prize, a male submissive is a rare treat."
"Harry's mine," Draco said through gritted teeth, hatred coursing through him, "You'll leave him alone."
"Not a chance," Blaise jeered, "Just because you're all high and mighty Malfoy doesn't mean you get everything you want. I know our laws, I have every right to chase him as you do."
"I've kissed him already, only one step away from full bonding, he's mine," Draco snarled dangerously. He was not averse to ripping Blaise's head off at that moment but he feared what his mother would think and even with magical aid blood was a hard stain to scrub from the walls and carpet. It was perhaps only Narcissa's sanity that made him refrain from killing his fellow Slytherin in that moment.
"But that was before he had options," Zabini retorted, "After everything you've done to him and his pathetic Gryffindor friends, everything your father did, why would he ever want you?" Blaise sneered hatefully, "I can see him already, kneeling down before me, begging to please me and I'll let him too before fucking him into oblivion. Maybe when I'm done with him you can have a turn, for a price of course."
Enraged by Blaise's words he drew back his fist and punched him squarely in the jaw before Pansy jumped up, wand in hand, shouting the spell to separate the two wizards before they could do anymore damage to one another or the room they were in, it wouldn't do to damage or break the antique furniture, most of it was several hundred years old after all.
"Get out," Draco hissed, "All of you, get out of this house!"
Blaise only laughed at him as he wiped the blood from the split lip on to his sleeve. "Guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow Draco," He said as he headed for the fireplace, happy to use the floo network to take his leave for now. Pansy and Daphne gave Draco concerned looks but said nothing before following in Zabini's wake deciding that it was better to take their leave rather than risking the blondes temper any more.
HPDM
Harry sat down to write his response to Draco just before dinner that night, realising that he was a little late but it had taken him this long to work out what he was going to say. Plus the others had only just left, their game of Quidditch having carried on for hours after the snitch had decided to become more elusive than usual, even to Harry's enhanced Elven eyes.
Draco
Please tell your mother that I have no food allergies to speak of and won't accidentally kill me. As for the avoidance, I'm sorry. My childhood is not something I like to relive. Not even Ron and Hermione know the full extent of what it was like for me growing up and I don't think that I am ready to share that yet. Again all I can say is that I'm sorry. My confession to you is that I have never felt more nervous or scared about anything more than this dinner tomorrow – including fighting Voldemort. The only thing easing this feeling is that I get to see you again.
Harry
Sending Padfoot off into the twilight sky he decided that he should head down for dinner despite not feeling particularly hungry. His stomach was twisting in knots at the prospect of the following evening and it had taken away his appetite. He had already asked for Hermione and Ginny to help him get ready the next day which would be one less thing on his mind at least. He just wanted to see Draco again, to smell his intense chestnut scent, to hold him close and never let go.
HPDM
Harry's reply reached Draco just as he was climbing into bed. His mood had not improved since he had kicked Blaise, Daphne and Pansy out. Zabini's threat of coming back the next day still ringing in his ears. Draco didn't like to think that Blaise would be at Malfoy Manor when Harry was here, the very idea of it fuelling his anger. He didn't want that sex hungry Elven anywhere near his Harry.
Blaise's words had been harsh but they rung true, Draco had seen him treat many a witch and wizard in that appalling manor without batting an eyelid. Zabini was gorgeous and he knew it, using people to get what he wanted and then cruelly discarding them when he had no further use for them. Draco wasn't about to stand by and let that happen to Harry as well.
The blonde scanned over the contents of the letter, his mood lightening at the hastily scribbled words upon the parchment. The very core of his being was crying out to protect the young man who had clearly suffered so greatly in his life already. If he could have held the boy in his arms at that moment then he would have done, he would have travelled any distance necessary to be able to but he knew that for tonight at least his yearning would go unsatisfied. He climbed into his large empty bed and attempted to find comfort in sleep but the raging emotions he could sense from Harry prevented it.
Instead he lay awake, staring at the ceiling as he tried to come to terms with the gut wrenching nerves and anxiety Harry was experiencing while also battling with his own thoughts and emotions regarding his so called friends. He had never sought out to be friends with them, it had been thrust upon him by his mother who, at the time he was born, believed that he needed only socialise with those of the right blood status and social standing. Instantly the four of them had been thrust together purely because they had been the same age.
Pansy was now more of a simpering puppy, following him around because it was all she knew, all the while her sapphire blue eyes on the lookout for a wealthy husband to make claim to, of course he would have to be pure blood to satisfy her family but that wouldn't be too difficult. Daphne of course acting as docile as a deer but Draco had seen her bite, he knew she was one to look out for, especially when pissed off. The two females were the prime example of keeping friends close and enemies closer. Neither of them however would have any interest in Harry beyond appreciative glances because of his blood status.
Blaise on the other hand was dangerous and Draco knew this. He would chase after Harry with relentless enthusiasm if only because Draco wanted him. Blaise Zabini may not ever have known his father but he was more like him than even his mother, Tilly was willing to admit. He had passed on his spiteful cruelty to his son and his eager determination too. He was not someone to be trifled with.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I really liked writing this one ... next up in chapter eight - The Malfoy Dinner.
