CHAPTER 11 - Exploration
Harry made his way grudgingly into the dungeons towards Professor Drollborn's office, it was not what he wanted to be doing on a Friday evening but he didn't have much choice. He guessed it was his fault for starting the actual physical fight but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it; Blaise was bound be to his normal egotistical, gay self and Harry was sure they'd end up in another fight. He steeled himself as he rapped softly on the potion master's office, mentally preparing for what was sure to be a terrible evening.
"Enter" Drollborn's voice echoed spookily out into the dank corridor. Harry slowly pushed open the door and stood warily on the threshold.
"Ah, Harry, just in time. You are to join Blaise in your potions classroom and prepare the potion you botched up last week. Together. No fighting, no arguing, no sniping. Run along, I will come and get you when you may leave."
Harry clenched his fists but made no argument; it was a reasonable assignment but one that Zabini would probably make utterly torturous. He turned stiffly away and trudged towards the classroom, scuffing his feet angrily on the grey stones.
Zabini's head snapped up from its resting place on the desk as soon as Harry entered the room and he gave a polite smile.
"I was beginning to think you'd skipped detention." Harry made no reply and walked unhappily towards the desk.
"I've already collected all the equipment and ingredients; you know what we're doing right?" Harry nodded curtly and sat down abruptly.
"Okay then, you chop up the greenery; I'll deal with the animals bits." Harry picked up a knife and collected the assorted collection of leaves, berries and roots, working as far away as he possibly could without falling off the desk. The only sounds filling the room were the swish, thunk of the knives and the bubbling of the cauldron.
"Do you hate me?" Zabini's question broke the tense silence.
"Huh?" was Harry's lucid reply.
"Well I've been a bit of an arse lately and I wanted to apologise."
"Took you long enough"
"Sorry," He paused "It doesn't mean I'm giving up"
"Great, and no I don't hate you, you're just really irritating. There was only one person I hated and he's not going to be bothering anybody anymore. I intensely dislike people, like Malfoy, but I don't hate."
"Oh"
"You seem surprised"
"I just assumed you hated the Malfoys and me."
"No, though you are a load of prats and I'd appreciate it if you stopped messing around with me."
"I'm not; at least admit I've got a chance with you"
"A chance? In hell maybe. Why would you think you did?"
"Just had a feeling you'd be receptive, I know you're with Ginny but from what I've seen you're not exactly passionate about the relationship-"
"That's not-"
"Let me finish. You never check out girls."
"I have a girlfriend." Blaise raised his eyebrows.
"…"
"What?"
"It wouldn't stop me or any hot blooded boy for that matter, the only time I'm not checking out girls is when I'm checking out boys." Harry spluttered, grasping for a response. "I wouldn't say anything to anyone, I just want to help you realise."
"Yeah right, you're a Slytherin and you're friends with Malfoy, who hates me. This is obviously just a ploy to get another scandal on 'the boy who lived'. Well, you won't find any scandals here"
"I'm sure I would if I dug deep enough but it's not a ploy, don't worry I'll stop bugging you about it."
They relaxed back into silence both surprised that they had managed a relatively civil conversation. The silence wasn't even that awkward and Harry was struck with the urge to ask the question he had never been able to ask before.
"What's it like being in Slytherin?" Blaise cocked his head and looked at him inquisitively.
"Why do you ask?"
"I just wondered, you hear all these rumours about how terrible it can be, how spiteful and backstabbing, is it really like that?"
"You're not to tell anybody what I say."
"Of course not."
"Slytherin is…difficult. There is a hierarchy and where you are in it depends on your social status, but that doesn't mean you can do stupid things and remain in your position, you have to be able to keep it. So yes, there is spite and minor backstabbing but we also have to present a united front against the other houses. We deal with our own problems, in house. Things are messed up now though for obvious reasons. Draco's still on top, but there is not much to be on top of anymore, and he does not have anywhere near the power he did have. We're a dysfunctional family."
"That's different"
"I imagine it is, I expect everyone in Gryffindor has the same rights as anybody else blah blah blah."
"Pretty much, we look after each other."
"So do we, the political climate right now isn't the nicest for us. Many of us have lost family and friends and nobody likes us anymore."
"I'm sure that's not true"
"It is. Nobody respects us; we were the losing side in everybody's opinion regardless of where we stood in the war. Why should they be nice to people who's parents killed their family and friends?"
"But it was only a very small proportion of you."
"You try telling everyone else that."
"I didn't realise it was so bad."
"Don't worry, you saved the world, and it's not that bad. It could be much worse; it's mainly just glares, silence and avoidance - nothing we can't slither out of." Harry watched Blaise out of the corner of his eye; he had never seen this side of a Slytherin before. It was honest and realistic and very unexpected. They worked on silently but the tension had dissipated.
"It's not something I've ever considered actually, uh boys I mean. I've got Ginny and its fine, we get along, she's like family to me." Harry blurted out suddenly, his eyes wide in shock at his mouth's betrayal but Blaise quickly latched on to the confession.
"So you date family members then?"
"No," The exclamation was shocked out of him, "I meant that we have that level of understanding and acceptance, its easy being with her, I don't have to work for it."
"Not a Cho then?" Harry wrinkled his nose.
"Nope, not so highly strung, well…" Blaise looked at him enquiringly. "It's nothing."
"Personally, I've always stuck by the motto that you can't dislike what you haven't tried. If you'd snogged a guy and didn't work then I might believe you more. Actually no, I would just say it was the wrong guy but that's beside the point. Basically you can't have an opinion on something you've never experienced else its prejudice."
"Are you trying to say I'm prejudiced against gays? That's ridiculous, it's like saying I'm prejudiced against rape because I've never experienced it, some things are morally wrong you don't need to do then to know that they're bad!"
"So being gay is morally wrong?"
"That's not what I was saying, I was just trying to make the point that just because you have an opinion on something you've never done doesn't been you're prejudiced." Blaise laughed softly.
"You dig yourself into deep holes don't you? But I still stand by what I said before."
"Oh for Merlin's bloody sake," Harry reached out a tanned hand and grabbed Blaise gently by the back of the neck, pulling him closer. He narrowed his eyes slightly and gathered his resolve before moving quickly and bringing their lips together. There was a moment's stillness and then Blaise moved, kissing him properly, his tongue slowly prying along Harry's lips until he gave in and opened his mouth. Seconds past as Harry became lost in Blaise's obvious skill; but it was not long before reality dawned and he re-gathered his senses, jerking away and panting lightly.
"Shit." Blaise eyed him hungrily but resisted pressing for more for it was obvious Harry was unsettled. "That was, er, yeah…"
"Better then you expected?" Blaise questioned.
"Well I'm not sure about that, it could've been worse I suppose." Blaise chuckled humorously.
"You enjoyed it, probably blew your little mind away. But that's okay, I know I'm good at what I do."
"And modest too."
"But of course"
It was all too much for Ginny, hidden as she was in the furthest, darkest corner of the potion room. She'd only managed to hear odd words but they were obviously getting along just fine, no drawn wands in sight and then! Her Harry had kissed that slutty Slytherin Zabini, he had initiated a kiss with the very person he'd told her that he had nothing to do with. She burst forth from her hiding place.
"You fucking, cheating fairy." She fumbled her wand out of her pocket and levelled it shakily at them.
"Ginny it isn't what-"
"Oh fuck that for a game of Wizarding Chess, I believed you before but I saw you kiss him. You bloody well initiated it and kept at it, that was a merlinfucking gay snog."
"Ginny, please" Harry's face was pale and drawn as he tried to reason with her.
"Shut up, just shut the fuck up. I don't care what you say, I saw you do it. I may love you Harry but some things can't be ignored and the 'Shirt-lifter of the Wizarding World' is one of those things. We're over! I wish Voldermort had killed you when he had the fucking chance." She let fly a bat-bogey hex and stormed furiously from the room, leaving Harry and Blaise in a heap on the floor where they'd dived out of the way of the hex.
Blaise stood up gingerly and held out a hand to Harry "Come on, the fire-breathers gone you can quit hugging the floor." There was no response so Blaise waved his hand in front of his face. "Hello, anybody home?" Harry blinked out of his trance and robotically accepted the hand and got to his feet.
"Bollocks" He ran a hand through his hair shying subconsciously away form Blaise's comforting arm.
"It could have been worse; the hex missed us after all."
"Oh what joy."
"And I'd say we still have 10mins before Drollborn gets back, we could always, uh, continue that charming exploration from earlier?"
Harry shook his head as he realised Blaise was waiting for a response, "Huh?"
"Snogging Harry, Snogging."
"Well I won't be doing that anytime soon since I've just been dumped and everything. Or did you miss that little exchange?"
"No, I meant us, since you've discovered male is the flavour of the day why not enjoy it. I make a rather nice lollypop." Harry looked at him in disgust.
"What the hell Blaise? My girlfriend just broke up with me because I cheated on her with you and you expect us to start snogging straight away? Are you out of your mind?"
"No time like the present, I've always been an opportunist." Blaise grinned cheekily but Harry's shock was fading and his anger was growing fast.
"You think that kiss meant anything? I was only doing it to shut you up and stop from you from saying that I couldn't have an opinion because I hadn't tried it. It was a stupid, irrational thing to do. It didn't do anything for me and since you're supposedly one of the best kissers in Hogwarts-"
"Damn right I am." Harry silenced him with a glare.
Then it must be the fact that you're a boy so leave me alone. Stop stalking me wherever I go because that was a one-off thing, you've ruined my relationship with Ginny and probably the rest of the Weasleys once word gets out. You're just a Slytherin bastard aren't you?"
Blaise started to protest but Harry cast a silencing spell around him and stared unwaveringly at the door, waiting for the teacher to release them. It seemed like years before he returned to let them out and allowed Harry to dash gratefully from the room with Blaise quick on his heels.
"Harry I'm sorry, but you've got to admit you felt something." Blaise shouted desperately at Harry's retreating back causing Harry to pause and turn slightly.
"Nothing. Fuck all. Zilch. I'm not gay, I'm definitely not interested in you. Piss off."
The green-eyed boy turned back around and continued running; fully aware that at least one of those statements had been a lie.