DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Sadly.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Nearly there now, just this and an epilogue. Sorry about the long wait – new job and all that jazz.
Should you like this you could also pop over and check out Draco's Detour.
Anyway, hope you like it...
Chapter Ten
Friday 10th January
(That same evening)
"Or you could grow up."
"Hermione!" The three boys started guiltily at her words, the two Gryffindors flushing instantly while Draco simply lifted one eyebrow, inviting her to go ahead.
Hermione studied the boys in front of her, choosing her words carefully. "Harry may be the world's worst planner, but that is no reason for you to go seeking revenge." Seamus at least had the grace to look mildly ashamed and so she addresses him first. "Seamus, I suggest you go to Blaise tomorrow and ask him out properly, and if you even think of acceding to Draco's idiotic scheming I will make sure Blaise never looks at you again."
Draco chuckled as Seamus blanched at the effective and believable threat. At the sound, Hermione rounded on the Slytherin, releasing all the frustration she had felt over the last two months of watching the two boys dance around each other. "And you, you've been sleeping with Harry for a year and you never cottoned on to the fact that he wanted more?"
"Oh course not," Draco bit back defensively, "he never mentioned anything…" The words fell away as a memory hit him hard.
FLASHBACK
Draco was virtually asleep when Harry propped himself up on one arm and broke into his silence.
"You wanna hear something insane."
"From you Potter? No." His actions betrayed him though, as he opened his eyes and shifted in the bed slightly to meet the other boy's gaze.
"I used to have this…fantasy I guess you could call it, when we first started shagging. Part of me actually thought this was a prelude to something more, and I knew exactly how it would go…you would come down to breakfast one morning and find Justin hitting on me, and you'd get so jealous that you'd storm over and grab me, pulling me away from him. Then you'd kiss me, a fiery, passionate kiss that would leave us both hard and panting. When we finally stopped kissing you would tell me, in this really low voice, that you loved me, that you always had, then you'd kiss me again, a really quick, chaste kiss." Harry's voice was quiet as he uttered the fantasy that he'd indulged in for many weeks.
As if suddenly recalled to himself, he laughed carelessly and placed a quick kiss on Draco's lips. "Then I realised that neither of us wanted it, that this is nothing more than it is…exceptional sex." He kissed Draco again and settled down in the bed, curling himself around the other boy and closing his eyes, trying to blot out the panicked expression on Draco's face.
It didn't work…he was to see that expression in his sleep for a month.
0 0 0 0
"You wanna hear something insane."
"From you Potter? No." Draco forced his eyes open and rearranged himself, ready to listen to whatever his bedmate had to say.
As Harry began his confession – for that was what it was – Draco felt the panic begin to seize him…he had never expected to have to deal with this with Harry, both of them knew what this was, and, more importantly, what it definitely wasn't.
By the time Harry finished he was breathing normally, and almost ready to laugh with Harry about the absurd pairing they would make. A little Gryffindor sentimentality was, he supposed, to be expected, but now reality had asserted itself he had nothing more to fear from Harry, and he could congratulate himself on finally finding someone who could accept the idea of sex without love.
It didn't quite explain why Harry's uttering those final words left him with a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, or kept him awake for another hour, just listening to Harry's breathing.
END FLASHBACK
"He told me," Draco muttered, "months ago, he told me. I thought he was telling me how he used to feel, but he wasn't, he was sounding me out."
"Draco…?" Hermione's face showed the concern she felt for Draco, though she quickly reassigned that concern to Harry when Draco's expression turned from regret to annoyance.
"I've been beating myself up about missed chances and he was playing me this entire time! That sneaky bastard."
"Draco…" Hermione's voice was sharper now, angrier.
"It's quite impressive though, for Harry," Draco's expression shifted again, this time to mild and reluctant amusement.
"What are you going to do?"
Serious now, he met her eyes and issued a heartfelt, "no idea. I need some alone time, somewhere not here, somewhere not so Harry…"
Draco left, leaving Ron, Hermione and Seamus staring after him. Seamus turned to the others, speaking quickly to halt the questions that would soon be coming his way. "I can't have this conversation with you, with Harry's best friends." Getting up, he followed Draco out of the common room, leaving only Ron and Hermione behind.
"Well, in the interests of keeping you here…" Hermione walked over to Ron, sitting down on his lap and wrapping her arms around him. "Did Harry tell you then? Or did you work it out?"
"Huh?" Ron's face went from blank to incredulous in a matter of seconds. "You mean it was actually a plan? Harry, my best mate and the bloke who killed Voldemort actually thought that making Malfoy jealous was the way to secure him? Love the guy, but he's completely dense."
"That's what I said," Hermione kissed him happily before pulling back to enquire, "so what exactly did you think was going on?"
"I thought Harry was dating Blaise."
"And you encouraged Seamus anyway? Some friend you are!"
"Well forgive me if I thought my best mate deserved someone a bit better than Blaise, a bit better than a bloke who spent as much time as humanly possible checking Seamus out!"
"What?"
"Blaise. At first I thought he was an OK guy, not exactly who I'd have pictured Harry with, but hey," Ron shrugged, as if emphasising his point, "but then I started watching them. Blaise was all over Seamus, watching him, grabbing his attention, checking him out."
"But I thought you thought Blaise was the guy, from last year."
"I did at first, then I figured it was some sort of rebound deal, because the guy Harry told us about didn't mesh with Blaise. And again, the checking Seamus out thing was a factor."
Hermione leaned forward again, sinking into Ron's arms and kissing him, an unspoken apology in her words…once again she had underestimated him.
Pulling away as another thought struck her, Hermione spoke again. "You wanted him to date Draco, didn't you?"
"Hey," he pouted at the accusing tone, "it's not like Harry didn't want it. And I didn't exactly plan to set them up or anything, but the guy's OK. He's more serious than Blaise, and more grounded than most people around Harry…maybe I kinda thought they fitted."
"I love you," Hermione laughed, laying her head on his shoulder, "God I love you."
"More than anything, 'Mione. Always will."
0 0 0 0
Seamus never paid very much attention to where he was going at the best of times, and gave absolutely no thought to it at the moment, his mind busy processing the new information he had received recently. As such, he didn't notice Blaise until he walked into him.
"Steady," Blaise laughed, catching the other boys, hands lingering just a moment too long.
Seamus spoke without thinking, without planning. "Heard something interesting today?"
"Do tell."
"Apparently Harry was sleeping with Draco all of last year, apparently he's completely in love with the guy, totally smitten."
"O-oh," Blaise managed, looking completely blindslided.
"Yeah, and you know our Harry, never one to sit back, and apparently he decided that the thing to do would be to make Draco jealous, to force him to declare his feelings." Seamus walked slowly towards Blaise as he spoke, backing him into an open,empty classroom. "But that wasn't all, apparently someone else not only thought that this was a sound plan, but actually joined in because they too liked someone they thought the couldn't have. Fancy that!"
"Um Seamus…"
"Yes?" Seamus was all innocence.
"The desk is rather cutting off my circulation."
"Shame. Let's just be completely clear about this, because I'd hate to get all upset about this only to be mistaken. I've spent the last two months feeling miserable because I'd lost you to Harry, only to find out this whole thing was a game, that the two of you were manipulating us."
"Manipulation is such a harsh word…you were miserable?"
"You don't need to sound so happy about it. And it was all your fault, Mr I Don't Need A Boyfriend."
"Um, that title seemed to fit you pretty well too."
"Until I met you."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh."
Both fell silent, Blaise kicking himself for missing out on two months with Seamus, Seamus cursing, wondering if he'd admitted too much.
"You know," Blaise began, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "Harry used to tell me loads about him and Draco, about the couple-esque things he did, and it made me so jealous that he could have that with Draco for a year, and I couldn't have it with you for even a week. There's so many things I wanted us to do, so many things I still want us to do."
"Like what?" Seamus took another step forward, stepping into Blaise.
"Like spend two days in bed, watching TV, eating and shagging. Like staying up all night to talk. Like flooing to London to spend the day together when we should be in Hogsmeade with the rest of the school. Like kissing you in the middle of the Great Hall, but I want there to be people around."
"Do you want people around every time we kiss," Seamus turned his face up to Blaise's, lips parted slightly in invitation.
"Well…" he began, before claiming Seamus, wrapping the other boy in his arms and holding him tightly. "You're mine now, no one else's."
"I've been yours for months."
There was only one answer to give that, and Blaise kissed him again, letting him know exactly how he felt.
0 0 0 0
It was nearly an hour later when Blaise returned to the seemingly empty Slytherin common room, throwing himself onto the nearest sofa with a contented sigh.
"Another romantic liaison with Potter, Blaise?"
Masking his shock admirally, Blaise answered Draco with a controlled calm. "Actually, I was with Seamus. Harry is a free agent."
"Does he know that?"
"He soon will."
"Rather callous Blaise, I'm sure we don't want to risk breaking the hero's heart now, do we?"
"I'm in no danger of doing that, and we both know it."
"So Finnegan talks as well does he? Nice to know that not all Gryffindor's think with their dicks."
Blaise sighed, sat up and leaned forward, completely serious now. "Harry loves you Draco, plain and simple."
"There is nothing simple about it."
"Don't be such an idiot. He's told me things, about the time you spent together, real time, as a couple. You saved him from himself, and he's grateful for that. But he loves you not what you did for him. He loves the person he came to know over the last year, the boy who stayed up all night talking about Black, the boy who watched videos with him and who snuck bananas into the hospital wing for him when everyone else gave him chocolate."
Draco sat their in stony silence, a determined look creeping onto his face as Balsie spoke. "I believe it is the established mode for the person who loves me to declare that love, or have you gone from phony boyfriend to messenger?"
"Concerned friend."
"Keep out." Draco stood to leave and made as if to say something else before clamping his mouth shut and walking away.
"He's desperate for someone to love him." Blaise's voice stopped him at the foot of the stairs. "I could have won him in a heartbeat if I'd wanted to. He loves you, but he'll settle for being truly loved by someone who has the courage to love him."
Draco didn't say anything, but Blaise thought he saw the other boy's expression soften as he went off down the dark staircase.
0 0 0 0
Harry had left Blaise several hours ago, wondering up to the top of the castle to sit on the roof, looking out across the lake.
This façade with Blaise had to stop, he knew that much. Perhaps he could get Seamus alone, tell him how Blaise felt and let things take their course. That was the easy part, and he knew that however he came to do it, Draco would not be so easy to talk to.
Draco was proud, and would hate the thought of being manipulated, especially by someone who knew how much he had been hurt by Lucius' manipulations. If Harry confessed what he had done, and why, there was every chance that he would destroy any feelings Draco may have held for him.
On the other hand, should he lie, claim Blaise had broken his heart and seek comfort from Draco, it would only end in tears. Either Draco would take him back on the same arrangement as before, or he would turn him away, second hand goods. Or worse, he might see through the lie and despise Harry for it.
Whatever he did, he stood a good chance of never having Draco the way he wanted him: as a boyfriend, as a partner.
'But at least I'd know, one way or the other, I'd know.' And maybe, with this dream of Draco well and truly crushed, he could find someone who did love him. The only problem was he couldn't imagine himself loving anyone the way he loved Draco.
'I just want to be loved,' he thought sadly, pulling his knees in to his body and curling himself up tightly, 'what's so wrong with that?'
0 0 0 0
When Harry came down stairs the next morning to see Blaise and Seamus kissing in the corridor outside the Great Hall he guessed something had been resolved and only smiled as the pair separated with guilty looks on their faces.
"Congratulations guys," he smiled sadly at them before continuing on to get his breakfast.
"Did you talk to Draco?" Seamus asked anxiously.
"Yeah, I told him about us, confirming what he'd worked out really. I did duck out of telling him it was all my idea though, I like being able to see you far too much!"
"Your plan? We all thought it was Harry's."
"No, all my idea, and he took some convincing."
"Look like we all owe Harry an apology then," Blaise looked at him questioningly and Seamus relented, biting back the grin that was threatening to spread across his face. "You see it was such a dumb idea that we all kinda assumed Harry had come up with it in his usual look before you leap way. I mean, surely Slytherins prefer words over action any day and I'm sure any good Slytherin would have realised the risks of succeeding in making Draco Malfoy jealous."
Blaise looked so offended that Seamus couldn't help leaning in for another kiss, and they only separated when Snape rounded the corner and nearly collided with them.
They fled before he could remove any more points for fraternising with the enemy.
0 0 0 0
Inside the Great Hall, Harry tried to catch Draco's eye, but all he got in return was a blank unwavering gaze.
Eventually he looked away, all hope finally lost.
Draco knew, and he couldn't forgive.
END CHAPTER TEN
Well, what did you think? Most people 'guessed' it was Hermione – didn't think it was much of a cliffie myself, but there seemed to be some debate!
There's been a lot of 'Harry's mean' feeling in this fic (which was the idea, so yeay) but I've tried to turn it around a bit now, and make you see the other side…did it work?
Thanks to everyone who reviewed…Cookie Gestapo, HyperBunnyAttack, Nanashi Tsurunaji, KAT, Juniper, Pretty Racing, Dreamerdoll, lady shadowsinger, Bleedingxheart, moonstar-dust, Lady Slone, Cricketpoor, Nony, ChiKoiDoji, Shinna, MidnightRosie, Bongo MonkeysXP, Chaotic C00L, Ruby Love, Twisted Veela, Shadow315, Sandinmyhair, Louis, AnimeJo, My Kingdom, SuPeRfReAk111, manda490, chaeli.meep, insanemarionette, Amaya Jade, OryssaV, Alixa Elizabeth Hufflepuff, MagicalThinking, Darkmoona, manda490, Jane-Lily, CrystalBlue, Semma, Original, Lovely A, vermilionxx, HeyBlondieHowYouDoin, ayjayaj, ashfan, hehe, MorbidlyDisturbed, Isidoria, CompleteGeek,Honighase, Rei Sakura Li, juniper, Kime, escptheshdw835, Blue Rosed Dragon, HazelWolf1, Dark Angel's Blue Fire, Tearlesereph, Lee Kennedy, GruenerWackelpudding, Virtual Maiden, Draci Alyissa Keaira Harper Moongale, Wow, Kit, Mary, manda490, Kakisensei, marley, Quiproquo, darkheart1230, Moongypsy04, kalisin, Quidditchjunkie, YG, NayNymic, AriaDaCapoAlFine, Emy16, zina , Anux, wwwendy, Makalani Astral, Honeyduked, Indigo Kitti, Megane-chan, Unconsciousdiary, Aishteru, silver woman, Volupta, Shoal, angels death, Shena, bard, Holy Snappers, B Madden, mystic fire demon, AmethystxX, Skyla Gerdes, hdobsession, broken-angel-gurl, maleficus-lupus, Fifespice, suckers love, ura-hd, brokentoy19, Iridescent Twilight, Daishiko, Eladia, duchesscarml, ChibiYuffie1, I Am The Bunny Slayer, Tangledhair and f4