"Oh just shut up," Hermione hissed at Ron. "It's not funny!"

Ron took several deep breaths and tried to keep a straight face. He might have managed it. He was halfway there. Red in the face and shaking with suppressed laughter, yes, but it must be said he was halfway there. He'd dug his fingernails into the tender flesh of his palm and was biting the inside of his cheek. He almost made it.

"Yodel lay yodel lay yodel lay hee whoo," Seamus sang under his breath.

Ron dissolved into a heap of giggling redhead, and had to slump against the wall for support. Seamus joined him with a wild cacophony of snorts and imitations of Hermione's truly terrible yodeling. Sometimes the laughter would die down, and then one of them would simply look at the other and they'd be weak with hysterical giggling again.

"Men," Hermione said with loathing. She looked fiercely at Harry for a moment with such a striking resemblance to Buckbeak that Harry took a step back from her.

"You don't count, Harry," Hermione said savagely.

He supposed he should be offended, but at this point, he was intensely relieved.

--

"I can't believe this isn't in the Restricted Section." Blaise pointed at the spell with a grimace. "Look," he urged, pushing the graphic illustration towards Draco. "Gods, I think I'm going to be ill."

Draco had a manic gleam in his eye as he scanned the page. "It's perfect!"

"What's perfect?"

Draco and Blaise whipped around in their chairs. Pansy blinked at them. "What are you reading?" she asked. She looked suspiciously at them and tried to see the book Draco had covered with his arms.

"Nothing, Pansy," both boys said in unison. They smiled charmingly at her, and she blinked as though dazzled. Draco kicked Blaise under the table and gave him a pointed look.

"My but you look pretty today, Pansy dear," Blaise purred, standing up. He smiled at her, and she licked her lips. He stepped very close to her and brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. "So soft," he said huskily. "Oh, but your collar…Let me help you." He accidentally-on-purpose grazed her breasts with his arms and murmured an apology to which she responded by arching her back.

While Blaise distracted Pansy, Draco memorized the spell. "Fecialum intum," he mumbled to himself. "Fecialum intum." He snapped the book close and at the sound Blaise stepped away from Pansy who looked like she might cry at the loss of contact.

"You're welcome," Bliase said, his voice pulsating with sarcasm as they strode out of the library.

"What? Now you can bed the bitch tonight," Draco said unapologetically. "She gives decent head, anyway."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "As tempting as she sounds, thanks but no thanks. I can do better."

Draco looked interested, or as interested as someone can be while trying to keep a spontaneous bladder release spell fresh in his mind. "Who?"

Blaise shrugged noncommittally. "I have someone in mind."

Blaise remained evasive all the way up to the Owlery. He fielded Draco's leading questions and outright demands for the mystery person's name, house, and gender with vague shrugs, secret smiles, and finally threatening to punch Draco right in the nose when Draco asked if it was someone he, Draco, had had sex with.

Draco's response was to ignore Blaise grandly while he penned a quick note to his godfather, which read:

Dearest Seviepoo,

How are you?

Yours truly,

Draco Malfoy

"Bring this to Severus at dinner." Draco stroked his owl's sleek feathers and smiled. "You, my dear, are going to help bring me one step closer to Potter."

Blaise snorted.

"Shut up, Blaise," Draco sneered.

Blaise snorted again.

"Shut up!"

--

Hermione and Harry parted ways once they passed the library after Harry swore up and down that he'd go straight back to the common room. It wasn't as though he had someone to meet. No one was going to sneak him away for an afternoon of lusty sex. Because Draco didn't care. Because Draco hadn't even looked at him since that day. Because Draco had Blaise. He had just been imagining things when he thought that Draco had sounded possessive over him when Draco had said Seamus' last name.

"He probably just thought it was annoying," he said glumly. "Or it reminded him of what we did, and that disgusted him."

A startling thought struck him. What if Draco had been drunk? "My first time was with a drunkard!"

Harry bowed his head and blinked back tears as he walked throat corridors. He was stupid to have gotten his hopes up anyway.

"And who needs him?" he muttered. "Not me. I don't miss him one bit."

He sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Not that we had anything anyway. That…time was just…" I was hard to talk around the lump in his throat. "Just sex. Nothing more."

Unbeknownst to Harry, the portraits were all listening attentively to him. Two country maidens looked sympathetically at Harry while a rather fine portrait of Marion the Chaste looked scandalized at how openly Harry was talking about his sordid affair.

"Good," Harry said loudly and with false confidence. "That's the way it should be. Scarhead and Ferret."

His lower lip trembled and he squeezed his eyes shut. "It doesn't matter," he promised himself as tears feel quickly down his cheeks. "And this is only the potion anyway. I-I don't really c-care."

His chest tightened painfully and he leaned against a tapestry, covering his face with his hands. The portraits didn't say anything, understanding that this was a private matter. A thoughtful centaur went to find the Fat Lady.

--

"My side hurts," Ron moaned, rubbing his ribs.

Seamus grinned but winced when he got up. "Mine too," he admitted. "I'm going back to the common room. Coming?"

Ron shook his head. "I have to find Hermione," he sighed. "Or I shall be sleeping in a Hermione-less bed. See you at diner."

Seamus nodded and headed back to the common room, a thoughtful and amused look on his face. "Malfoy, huh, Harry?" He shook his head. "can't say I saw that one coming."

He whistled jauntily as he made his way back to Gryffindor tower. As he rounded the corridor he looked briefly over his shoulder for any sign of anyone from the other Houses. Gryffindors didn't guard their common room entrance with the anal retentiveness of Slytherins, but they weren't like Hufflepuffs. That lot didn't seem to care who knew where their common room was. Seamus snorted.

"You!" The Fat Lady cried, looking nervous.

Seamus blinked but moved closer to the Fat Lady. Maybe she had just changed the password and he was going to be the first to know?

"You're friends with Harry Potter, aren't you?" she asked, frowning worriedly.

"Yes, why?"

"He's in trouble!" she gasped.

"Where?" he demanded, already pivoting in place, ready to run.

"Fourth floor, east wing."

Seamus sprinted down the hall and ran down the steps he'd just climbed minutes ago. He didn't pause for anyone and had no qualms about shoving people out of his way. "Oi, move it!" he growled at a group of Ravenclaws.

They looked startled. Seamus normally got along with everyone, even a handful of Slytherins. Terrible thoughts flitted through his head as he ran throat corridors, his book bag slamming forcefully against him. What if someone was taking advantage of Harry?

"Dammit, Malfoy, you would really come in handy right about now," he growled. "Stupid wanker!"

Seamus wasn't in love with Harry. He'd never really considered Harry as anything but a mate before Harry had taken the Draught of Submission. Seamus normally went for more exotic creatures, and he had only ever considered Harry exotic in terms of fame, not looks. He rolled his eyes. He'd passed over a real gem. Harry was a fiercely private person; he wouldn't even change in front of the other guys. Seeing Harry without his shirt on really opened up Seamus eyes. Turns out there was something mighty fine under the ridiculously large clothes Harry seemed to favor. Harry was a creature divine with all of his lovely pale skin, startling eyes, and slender build. But Seamus was a man of the present. He would never have Harry. Not even as a casual lover. He was certain of this. But he had Harry as a friend, and if Seamus was anything he was fiercely loyal.

Seamus was prepared to fight of a dozen Death Eaters or at the very least a boggart when he entered the east wing. So when he saw Harry with his knees tucked up against his chest and his head in his arms Seamus was momentarily thrown off balance.

"Harry?" he asked uncertainly.

"Go away," Harry said thickly. "I'm fine."

Seamus made a sound that clearly said he thought otherwise. He sighed and sat down next to Harry, careful not to sit down on Harry's glasses, and he wrapped an arm around the other boy's shoulders.

"He likes you, you know," Seamus said after some time. "Draco Malfoy, that is."

Harry flinched and tried to pull away from Seamus, but Seamus wouldn't let him.

"No he doesn't," Harry insisted in a muffled voice.

"Oh yes he does."

Harry was silent.

"You know, he was quite ready to castrate me in class today," Seamus added. "My balls could feel his eyes boring into them."

Harry only sniffled. But Seamus thought it was a hopeful sniffle.

"Plus, he threw the cauldron at Snape to get detention with you," he said conversationally.

At this Harry looked up. "Really?" he asked, his bright eyes swimming with uncertainty.

"Oh yes," Seamus said with a grin. "He fancies you." Harry gave a happy squeak and threw his arms around Seamus.

"I don't know why I like him. We only had sex," he babbled. "And maybe it's just the potion." He looked earnestly at Seamus. "But I want to try," he finished, looked determined.

Seamus handed Harry back his glasses. "Come on. If we don't show up to dinner Hermione and Ron will think that someone's tried to kill or at least kidnap you. And Malfoy will think that I tried to have my naughty way with you and will arrange a tragic accident for me."

Harry laughed.

--

Blaise gripped Draco's arm, bringing the other boy up short before he could enter the Great Hall. "Are you really going to do this?" he asked, looking seriously at Draco.

"Of course I am," Draco said heatedly, pulling himself out of Blaise's grip. He glared at Blaise as he straightened his shirt. That was the fourth time Blaise had asked since they'd left the Owlery.

"Is it worth it?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at him. Bliase was his best friend and perhaps the only true friend he had. It was Blaise who had found him in Muggle London after he had stormed out of the Malfoy Manor last Chistmas, wearing nothing but his bathrobe and slippers. It was Blaise who had stood unflinchingly by him when the Ministry demanded to see his left arm, and it was Blaise who informed the Aurors that they were in violation of the Act of 1458, which defended citizens from Aurors without warrants. Yes, Blaise was his best friend.

But he was not about to tell his best friend that he wanted to rescue Potter because the idea of Potter being frightened or upset made him want to hurt something. He wasn't about to say that this had nothing to do with being possessive. He lov-had feelings for Har-Potter. There were lines Slytherins drew. And this was one of those lines drawn in bold, italicized, and underlined.

"Yes," he hissed.

Blaise sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Let's just get this over with then."

--

Snape sat on the edge of his seat, scanning the crowd of students entering the Great Hall for a flash of white blonde hair. Draco wore it long these days, and it stood out in sharp relief against the hundreds of brunettes in the school. There.

"Found you," Snape said quietly to his goblet.

Professor Flitwick looked nervously at Snape as the man stood up. With silky grace, Snape strode down to the Slytherin table. When students began to titter as he passed by them, some of them doing impressions of him from that day in class, his temper honed to razor sharpness.

Draco was already seated, his back to Snape. Good. The element of surprise would flavor this experience.

--

Blaise was seated across the table from Draco. It was he who noticed Draco's owl had flown in, and he pointed it out to Draco.

"There she is," he said quietly. He closed his eyes. Really, this was just too much to watch.

"Snape's coming," Pansy remarked as she poured herself some water.

Blaise looked up. Snape was indeed coming. And he looked like death in all of its glory. "Draco," Blaise hissed "Snape's behind you, and he looks furious. I don't think that you'll need the spell."

But Draco had ignored Blaise after he heard Snape was behind him. He whipped around in his seat, his wand pointed in the air at his owl, who circled above Snape. "Fecialum intum!" he bellowed at the same time Snape said, "Detention, Malfoy!"

Blaise covered his eyes with his hands. He was not prone to the flights of fancy or dramatic gestures that appealed to Draco so very much, but some situations warranted an appropriate, symbolic even, gesture. This was such a time.

Snape screamed in rage as owl excrement hit him. Draco's owl hooted and she dropped Draco's letter on top of Snape's befouled head. Snape clawed at the sealed envelope, ripping the letter open. His eyes grew beadier and beadier as he read the short note.

"MALFOY!"

"DETENTION!" Snape howled, pointing his finger at Draco. His face was a furious shade of red and his eyes glittered with fury. "DETENTION EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR MISERABLE LIFE! AND I'M TELLING YOUR MOTHER!"

Draco felt rather faint. "What have I done?"

TBC