Draco felt a bit worried, leaving Harry alone like this to face his friends, but it was Harry's wish. Draco just hoped Harry would come to him, if there was any problems. Right now, he decided to face his own challanges - his fellow Slytherins.

He looked over at them. Pansy looked worried, Blaise had that careful expression that told the unobservant that he did not care one bit about anything. To Draco it was clear though that he in fact was keenly following the situation, waiting for Draco's move. Those two were his friends though. It would be Nott and his followers, that he would have to win over. Nott wore a calculating look which did not reveal much, as usual. Draco knew though, that one wrong move on his part and all the others would fall in line behind Theo. On the other hand, the right move on Draco's part and a miscalculation on Theo's, would put Draco back on top in the Slytherin hierarchy. It all would depend on the words they would exchange in a matter of moments.

Draco made sure his face showed nothing but calm confidence and self assurance as he walked up to them and sat down in a seat beside Pansy and facing Nott. He took care to fill up his plate without saying anything, patiently waiting for Nott to make the first move. He was just about to start eating, when Nott spoke up.

"So…" he drawled. "Kissing the enemy again, I see?"

Smiling inward to himself, Draco was satisfied. Nott had opened up with just the question he had hoped for. Careful not to seem defensive or eager to explain himself, Draco turned toward Nott with a deliberately set expression of mild curiosity as to why Nott might be asking something like that. "Enemy?" he repeated Nott's term, the question clear in his voice.

"Potter. You know, the 'Savior of the Wizarding World' and 'Killer of the Dark Lord'" the sarcasm and anger was clear in Nott's voice. That was his mistake. Nott had apparently decided to play this counting on the emotions of anger many Slytherin's felt toward Harry. Draco would play it counting on their ambition and desire to be on top - or as close to it as possible. Knowing the game were not won yet though, Draco continued his show of mild confusion at Nott's words.

"The war is over, Nott," he said, speaking as if to explaining something to an oblivious child. "I don't know about you, but I believe in cutting my losses and move on. I believe in accepting what has happened and making my new allegiances thereafter - I, for one, will not be kept back by old mistakes." He hated having to make it seem like he only cared about Harry due to him being the hero that he was to many, but this was how he needed to play it out to Nott. He needed to make it seem like it was a strategic move on Draco's part; putting himself in the good graces of the hero of the winning side.

By the look on Nott's face, his words had been understood. Meeting his eyes squarely, Nott weighed his response. Finally, he nodded quiet acceptance and went back to his food. Darco had won this game. It was an ongoing one, as always, but for the moment he was on top. Nott's silence let him know though, that he was not done. He'd backed down, but only to wait for a new opportunity to strike.

Draco spent the rest of the evening "holding court" in the Slytherin common room, just like in old times. Pansy and Blaise by his side, the first visibly supportive - and to Draco, even though probably not to the others, relieved by Draco's return to power, as to speak - and the second seemingly in a teasing and joking mood, but just as with Pansy, Draco knew that he now had his old friend's full support back.

Harry did not come down for evening tea. Neither did the Weasel or Granger. Draco hoped that meant they were all too busy bonding or something. He also hoped that Harry had had something to eat; the Golden Trio had left the Great Hall before Harry had eaten any dinner. There was nothing Draco could do at the moment though, just wait. At least they would have Potions together the next day.

Later in the evening, only the eight year Slytherins remained in the common room.

"You know, Draco, if I'd known you where bent that way, I just might have made a move on you myself years ago," Nott's voice was slightly teasing, with a hint of seriousness.

Startled, and instantly annoyed with himself to allow it to show on his face - if only for a moment before taking back the control - Draco looked at Nott with a arrogant smirk. "I'm afraid you do nothing for me, Nott" he drawled. "You should know by now that I'm carefully selective."

"Yes," Nott replied disdainfully, apparently they were now up for the next round - this one played out for a slightly smaller audience though. "You know, I've always wondered about you. I don't think I've ever seen you kiss anyone before. Well, except when dear Pansy here accosted you in our younger years" The last part was said with a loathsome laugh - it was common knowledge, after all, that Pansy had wanted more than friendship from Draco, but Draco had turned her down. It was also common knowledge, that even if he had, he did care for her in his own way - after getting past their different desires, their friendship had grown even stronger. Nott knew that his words would anger Draco on Pansy's part.

Before he could make the mistake to let his anger take control, he felt Pansy take his hand and squeeze it gently. Thus helping him remain in control, and letting him know that she did not need him defending her. She understood the game Nott played.

Knowing his lack of sexual activities had been a topic of gossip and discussion before, he knew he had to say something on the subject. He had known for years that he was not like his friends when it came to the matter of sex and relationships. He did not understand their obsession with it. First he had thought that he was just developing later than his friends, and then came sixth year and all that mess with the war, and he told himself that he just did not have the time. Although, even then, a part of him had tried to tell him he would have had the time if he really had desired it, and others might have sought the comfort of another person's closeness at those difficult times. For him, that just had not held any interest. A good wank every now and then, and he was satisfied. The thought of involving someone else just seemed to him to be way too much of a bother.

That was, until Harry. He could not say that he wanted to rip the other boy's clothes off and have his way, but there certainly was an interest on Draco's part. Also, he had to admit, to himself at least, a good deal of his thoughts had been occupied with thinking about what sexual partners Harry might have had. That was new for him though. He had never cared about that sort of things before. Harry was different, somehow. When he thought about it, he gathered Harry had always been different to Draco, even when he had been Potter. Hate or love or whatever you might call it, there had always been a connection between them.

Nott was waiting for a reaction from Draco though, so now was not the time for introspection. Now was a time for giving an answer that would win him the game and shut Nott up for at least a little while.

Smirking and adopting a haughty look, Draco looked straight at Nott. "That's because I've never met anyone else with such a hot arse to fuck before", he really hoped he had expressed that sentiment in a sufficiently natural way. Sexual remarks and innuendos really was not his strong suit. From the look on Nott's face, he was at least momentarily shocked by the words coming out of Draco's mouth - as was all the other eight years. Draco might be known for his hateful and cruel taunts, but sexual references had been seriously lacking from his vocabulary.

Taking the opportunity of the silence, he rose to his feet and declared he was turning in for the evening. He was not sure if he had won this round of the game, but by leaving the room and the unfamiliar conversation topic while everyone else was still to shocked to speak, he made sure it was at least a draw.