Sorry this chapter is a little late. It's not terribly long either
FantasyFiend09- don't you know by now that Harry and Draco can never have a smooth ride as long as I control their fates?! lol
Victoria92- thank you so much for the compliment :D
thanks also to BloodyRose90, luvsallthingsslash, ParanormalMoonlight, SilentMelodies13, RocklifeDude, Jasmine A. Roberts, Alishabear, PhoenixRose92, hotflower901, cassy1994, Sami-Marauder girl, mochiusagi and ashuraou for reading and reviewing!
oOo
"Harry Potter," Rita Skeeter smiled. She held out her hand to shake. He simply looked at it. She chortled and withdrew her hand, giving a fake pout. "Not happy to see me?"
"Is anyone ever happy to see you?" Ron sneered.
"And Mr. Malfoy, I hope there are no ill feelings between us," Skeeter smirked. "Coincidence that you are once again in the middle of a sex scandal?"
Ron stood, looming over the reporter. "Since when is being gay a scandal? You print one word harming Harry in any way, the Ministry will come down on you so hard, you'll never crawl back out."
Waving a dismissive hand, Rita turned her attention to the former Chosen One. "I only want the truth."
"Ha!"Hermione spat. "You wouldn't know the truth if it bit you on your arse."
Harry's eyebrows raised. It wasn't often that Hermione used colorful language.
"Harry has nothing to say to you," Ron interjected.
Sitting quietly in his seat, Harry was glad this time for Ron's intimidating ways. Rita Skeeter looked at each one of them. Each of them glared back, except for Draco, who was afraid if he looked at her, he may actually get up and punch her.
The server began bringing meals to the table, not so gently shoving the reporter aside.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, in a tone that was clearly insincere. She placed Harry's sandwich down, along with Hermione's. Another waitress, beside her, placed Draco and Ron's food down.
"Anything else I can get you?" the server asked. "Maybe I could take the trash away?" She looked pointedly at Rita.
"You can't make me leave. This is a public place."
"But it's my public place," a tall, burly man called from the bar. "And I have the right to toss out on their arse anyone who is disturbing the peace here."
"Silas," Rita batted her eyelashes. "You wouldn't really make me leave, would you?"
"Does a bear shite in the woods?"
Gasping dramatically, Skeeter said, "I will not stand here and listen to such language."
Her four inch stilettos clicked quickly on the floor as she walked out of the tavern in a huff.
Harry and Ron laughed out loud at the expression on Skeeter's face, while Hermione sat pleased by the pub owner's support of Harry.
Draco sat staring into his salad. He slammed his fist on the table, then got up and went to the loo.
"What's his problem?" Ron asked.
"I'd better go talk to him," Harry said.
After Harry left, Hermione addressed Ron's question. "Malfoy's been humiliated by the woman. And now the attention is back on him, along with Harry. Can't you see how he'd be upset?"
"I guess. I never thought of Malfoy as having any feelings before."
"But he does. Apparently, very strong ones for Harry. Even so, he just sat there. He didn't speak up for Harry. You did."
"Oh, should I have not done that?" Ron questioned. "We've always stood up for each other."
"I don't think you did anything wrong, Ron. But maybe Malfoy is upset that he wasn't the one who stood up to Rita Skeeter."
"Then he should have said something himself." Ron took a bite of his fish.
"I wonder why he didn't," Hermione mused.
"Cause he's a bloody coward," Ron muttered.
Harry and Draco came back to the table and sat down at their places.
"I think we're going to have our food wrapped up and go back to Hogwarts, if you don't mind," Harry told his friends.
"Of course," Hermione smiled sympathetically.
"You've never let anyone run you off before," commented Ron.
"I'm not running off," Harry insisted. "We're just tired. And people are still staring. You two should enjoy your meal in peace."
"Aw, who cares what everyone-"Ron began.
"I do!" Draco snapped. "I mean, not for me. But I don't want to bring Harry down with me."
"You're not bringing me down," Harry said. He caressed the side of Draco's face and gave him a small kiss.
The pub quieted slightly, not to the extent it did before. Harry thought perhaps the crowd was already getting used to the idea of their saviour shagging another man.
Harry waved to get their waitress's attention and asked to have their meals boxed up.
"And thank you for trying to get rid of Rita Skeeter."
"Any time," she winked.
Harry took some money out of his pocket to cover all of their meals plus a generous tip. Handing it to her, he said, "You've served us so many times, and I don't even know your name."
"It's Mel." She held out her hand to shake.
"Short for Melanie?"
"No," she winked. "Melvin," Mel said proudly.
Harry's eyes went wide as he took the hand, noticing for the first time that it was nearly as large and wide as his own. And though the nails were polished, it was definitely more masculine than any woman's hand he'd shaken.
"You're an inspiration to us all," Mel said. "And this . . . well, to find out that our hero is gay . . . that a hero can be gay, it's just so vindicating.
"I had no idea you were a-"
"Man? Only my long time regulars know, er, knew. I suppose a lot of them know now," Mel laughed and looked around. "People see what they want to see. Or rather, they don't see what they don't want to see."
Harry glanced at his friends, who gave sheepish grins. Ron and Hermione didn't see any of the signs Harry showed. Even though he consciously tried not to, he couldn't always help himself from appreciating a male form. And more than a few times he caught himself saying something a straight man probably wouldn't say.
Mel smiled and removed the colorful scarf she wore around her neck. "Of course, I did my best to keep up the illusion, so I can't fault the unobservant."
Harry squinted a little, examining Mel more closely. He noticed her distinct Adam's apple and the firm jawline. There were other, subtle sings as well. "I can see it now. Now that I'm really looking."
Mel pursed her lips. "I don't like wearing glamours." She shrugged, "But I enjoy being a girl." She retied her scarf.
Sensing Draco behind him, Harry cut the conversation short. Another waitress was handing Draco their boxes of food.
"We should get going now," Harry told Mel. "Thank you."
"No. Thank you," Mel smiled.
Draco rolled his eyes, making no moves to hide it.
"Harry," he said quietly, urging Harry along.
It was ironic that when they first arrived, Harry was nervous and unsure, and Draco at ease. Now their roles were reversed.
oOo
Quietly coming to a stop in front of Harry's door, the pair regarded each other.
"Are you coming inside?" Harry asked,
"I don't think so," Draco answered.
Harry held up the bag with food he had taken from Draco at some point during their trip back. "Aren't you hungry?"
"Not really."
"Well, why don't you come in for a while anyway?"
Sighing, Draco asked, "What for?"
"Maybe your appetite will pick up," Harry suggested.
His own had picked up greatly, but the only thing on his menu was Draco. "Did you forget something?"
Draco looked at him questioningly.
Taking a few steps forward, Harry whispered, "I love you."
Instead of having the desired affect, Harry's declaration seemed to depress Draco.
"I don't see how. Not after the cowardly way I behaved tonight."
"You weren't cowardly," Harry replied. "I thought you showed great restraint not hexing Rita Skeeter'e big fat arse." Harry smiled, but Draco was unmoved.
"Your friends stood up for you. And I just sat there, like a Malfoy, cowering in the corner. And now I'll probably be splashed all over the front page of the Prophet again."
"She has no story. No one talked to her. Her photographer didn't even get a photo."
"Weasley all but confirmed it."
Harry paused. "What do you mean?"
"What he said to Skeeter about how being gay isn't a scandal. You know she took that as confirmation. And obviously someone who saw you kiss me contacted the Prophet. They'll tell what they saw."
"But Draco, I meant what I said before. I don't care what anyone else thinks," Harry said. "At least come inside and eat with me."
After a long look and a sigh, Draco agreed. Though sex was forefront on Harry's mind, he didn't bring it up again. The way Draco had glossed over his hints earlier and his melancholy mood made it clear that the pair would not be consummating their relationship that night. Much to Harry's disappointment.
They ate quietly, speaking occasionally about anything but what happened at the Leaky Cauldron. Quidditch and a new spell or hex Harry learned as an Auror took Draco's mind off his worries and lifted his spirits. By the time he left Harry's chambers for the night, he had been more relaxed and affectionate. But Harry decided not to push the issue and let him leave with just a few tender kisses.
Arriving back at his own chambers, Draco felt better and thought perhaps he had blown the situation out of proportion. He slept rather well that night, despite the events of the evening, remembering that Harry told him that he loved him.
oOo
Monday morning brought a new sense of excitement for Harry. It was literally the dawn of a new era for him. One in which he no longer hid in the closet. He made his way toward the Great Hall after several minutes of debating with himself over whether or not to go up to Draco's room to get him. He wasn't sure how the Slytherin was feeling, and so decided to play it cool. He was nearly at the bottom of the stairs when he spotted Draco out of the corner of his eye making his way down.
"Hey," Harry said quietly.
"Hey," Draco returned. "Sorry about last night."
"Don't worry about it. It was Skeeter's fault."
Draco looked away. "No, I meant, about my gloomy mood afterward. I know you wanted to-" He cut himself off when a student approached, then walked past. Then he lowered his voice. "I know you wanted to shag last night. I purposely didn't let on that I picked up on that."
Harry smiled. "I know. And it's okay. I want it to be right for both of us. Let's just eat breakfast and get through the day. I'll talk to McGonagall later to tell her what happened, in case someone from the Prophet tries to get a story out of her."
Neither of them suspected what would happen when they walked through the threshold of the Great Hall.
Though they walked in the same way they always did, no closer, no further apart, the entire Hall silenced and watched them.
The sight of hundreds of pairs of eyes on him gave Draco a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What's going on?" he whispered.
"I don't- oh, no," Harry saw a student looking over a copy of the Prophet.
"What?"
"Just keep walking," Harry said, tugging on his sleeve.
As they made their way to the head table, students stared up at them. Draco finally saw the newspapers and grabbed one off the Ravenclaw table.
"She printed a story anyway? That bitch."
"Maybe it's not that bad," Harry said hopefully.
"The way everyone's looking at us, I'm guessing not."
"Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Potter," McGonagall nodded. "I trust you have seen this morning's edition."
"Not yet Headmistress." Harry frowned at the way she had addressed the pair formally, but returned the gesture.
Her expression softened slightly. "I'm not one to believe everything Rita Skeeter prints, but I can't control other's reactions."
Harry sat down as she handed him her copy. Draco stood and read his.
As usual, Skeeter took what very few pieces of factual information she had and embellished greatly. There was an older photo of Harry and Draco, from Draco's trial, where they briefly acknowledged one another. The headline under it read Potter Gets Malfoy Off Again. She reported that Harry had been in the Leaky Cauldron with Draco, and that witnesses said they kissed. However, the truth ended there. Skeeter had the pair not only snogging furiously, but groping one another in the company of Harry's friends and nearly shagging right there on the table for all to see. She also exaggerated Draco's lack of chivalry in standing up for the Chosen One when she confronted him. She painted Draco as a submissive partner, going even so far as to insinuate that he was acting as a slave to Harry, alluding to her previous articles chronicling Draco's love life. The article went on to drag Ron into a love triangle, considering the way he defended Harry.
Growing more and more enraged, Harry slammed the paper down.
"It's not true, Professor!" he called across the table. "She made this up."
"But you told me yourself that you and Mr. Malfoy are involved."
Harry lowered his head. "Yes, but all that stuff she printed didn't really happen that way. We barely even spoke with her. And it was only one little kiss."
With that, Draco tossed his paper on the table and left, humiliated as he was before. While the Prophet article was embarrassing for Harry, it was totally emasculating to Draco. He couldn't stand the scrutiny of the entire staff and student body a second longer.
Harry got up and began to follow, but McGonagall stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.
"Harry, this column could be very damaging to your reputations."
"But I told you, it's not true," Harry protested.
"Unfortunately, the harm may have already been done."
Shaking his head, Harry stormed off. It wasn't fair. People would judge them based on what Rita Skeeter wrote, without any substantiating facts. Even if they didn't buy into everything she wrote, they would believe that there must be some truth in it. Even Ron believed that her previous articles about Draco must have had some basis in fact.
He realized that it could compromise their positions at Hogwarts, if the Board thought it would lessen the school's reputation. He had to find a way to fix the situation.
Regrettably, classes were about to start and Harry had to go to his classroom. Throughout the day, he endured stares, giggles, and sneers. Harry wondered what Draco was going through. Was it worse for him? Probably, Harry decided.
By the end of the day, Harry had lost any patience for his students and the last unfortunate class of the day was relegated to writing an essay on the immorality of using Dark Magic. He sat at his desk, head in hand as the students wrote in silence. All he could think about was talking to Draco.
oOo
Harry approached Draco's door and turned the knob. He had gotten used to letting himself in over the past month or so, as long as no one was watching. But Draco's door was locked.
He stood a moment, and was about to knock, when a small house elf came out with a tray of half-eaten food.
"Master Harry Potter," the elf smiled. "Can Minke get a tray of food for Master Harry?"
"No thank you Minke. I'm going to eat in the Great Hall," he returned the smile. "Is Draco inside? Did you bring him some food?"
Shaking her head slowly, Minke frowned. "Master Draco is not well. Minke has brought Master Draco lunch and supper. Minke was asked to bring all meals to this room."
Harry frowned. He didn't like the idea of Draco hiding in his room, but he understood.
"Thank you, Minke." Harry stepped into the room and closed the door once the elf left. "Draco?"
"What are you doing here?" Draco walked out of his bedroom.
"I came to see if you were all right. I didn't see you at any meals, or in the hallways."
Draco shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be all right. Once again, I'm the laughing stock. My students can't concentrate on the lessons I'm teaching. Oh, and Professor McGonagall has offered to give me some time off."
"What do you mean by time off?"
"What do you think it means?" Draco snapped. "She's probably going to sack me."
"But it's not your fault. I told her none of it is true."
"And do you think your students believe that? Mine certainly don't. The younger ones don't seem to understand or care. But the Sixth and Seventh Years . . . well, let's just say, they know things I didn't when I was their age."
"I'm so sorry," Harry pulled Draco close. "This is all my fault. I had to go and out myself in the Leaky Cauldron of all places."
"No, it's not your fault," Draco sighed. "If I had protested more about those articles Skeeter wrote years ago about me, this wouldn't have been such a big deal now. At the time, I figured it would all blow over and be forgotten. And, you know, too much denial only makes a person look more guilty."
"She's gone too far this time. I'm going to fix this."
"No, Harry. Let it go. I'm sure no one really believes Weasley is a ponce. And what she said about you wasn't that bad. They're too busy laughing at me anyway. Let it go. You should cut your losses."
Harry pulled back. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, I wouldn't blame you if you break up with me. I'll probably be asked to leave Hogwarts, so you won't have to see me around. Maybe the new Potions Professor will be fit," he gave a weak chuckle.
"I'm not breaking up with you. And you're not leaving Hogwarts," Harry said. "And I am going to fix this."
He kissed Draco firmly on the lips and walked out, determined to do as he said.
oOo
Okay, so Skeeter's headline may have been over the top . . . but I couldn't help myself.