Track Change

Track Beta

Draco was waiting in the classroom, impatiently tapping his foot against the floor. Harry was taking forever.

At last, the door opened, and Harry stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"What took you so long?" Draco demanded, surprised with himself about how angry he felt. Like... like he'd thought Harry was going to stand him up or something.

"I had a slight problem." Harry said flatly, then crossed the room to pause beside Draco, then let out a sigh of disgust, and dug his wand out of his robes. Aiming it at one of the tables, he muttered an incantation, and a moment later, Harry dropped himself heavily into a crude but very comfortable couch. "I think I know what this alternate Malfoy wants from us."

"You do?!" Draco nearly leapt out of his seat, settling instead for hurrying over to sit beside Harry, watching him anxiously. "Is that why you're late? You saw him again?"

Harry nodded, closing his eyes and sinking back into the couch cushions. "I had to throw suspicion off - not that I think anyone else would have noticed I was gone, but Neville's worried about me, so he's been watching me constantly. So I went to bed for a little while, fully intent on sneaking out with my Cloak as soon as everyone was asleep. But wouldn't it figure - guess who was waiting for me?"

"He was in your bed again?" Draco repeated in disbelief.

"Yep," Harry nodded with mock cheerfulness, then sneered. "He said he had to talk to me. Then you know what he wanted to talk about?"

Draco shook his head.

"You."

The blond gaped at him. "He wanted to talk about me? Not that I don't understand why someone would want to talk about me, I mean, this is me, but..."

"Honestly..." Harry groaned. "Shut it. Not now."

Draco admitted it - that reaction actually surprised him. Potter wasn't that short tempered with him lately, usually he kept it all in. He had to admit he was very curious now as to why he'd be snapping. "What happened, Potter?"

Harry groaned again, closing his eyes, leaning back and absolutely sinking into the cushions. Draco watched him carefully, waiting for some hint of what had happened to flash on Harry's extremely expressive face, until finally he sighed himself, and snuggled deeper into the couch himself. He was surprised, actually, how well Harry had transfigured the table - this was extremely comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that despite himself, Draco's eyes slid shut, and he was almost asleep when Harry suddenly spoke up.

"He says he'll leave us alone, but only on one condition."

Blinking rapidly, Draco lifted his head from where it had sunk into the cushions, and found Harry watching him, looking surprised. "What condition?" he asked, a little sleepily.

Harry frowned, looking away. "I have to kiss you."

"What?!"

All traces of fatigue were gone now as Draco sat bolt upright, horrified.

Harry's ears were incredibly red, as was the rest of him. "Or you have to kiss me, he said it didn't matter which way it went so long as one of us kissed the other."

There was silence for a moment, then Draco exploded. "What the fuck is he talking about?! What the hell's going on? I am not going to kiss you, nor allow you to kiss me, for that matter, because some freak who looks like me tried to make us! No! Not a bloody chance! Just who does he think he is, anyways?!"

"I never said we were going to," Harry yelped, looking horrified enough himself, thank you very much! "I just said that that's what he wants! He said so!"

Draco spun to face Harry, reaching forward to pin his shoulders firmly to the back of the couch. "Listen to me, Potter. It's not going to happen, do you understand?!"

Harry's eyes just got very wide, and he stammered, "Ah... M... Malfoy?"

"No, Potter, listen. Do you understand?" Draco stressed, shaking the other a little. "Do you?"

"Malfoy..." Harry squeaked, then finally found his voice enough to yelp, "Watch out!"

"Wha-?" Draco started, about to turn to see what it was that Harry was apparently warning him about. Until he felt a hand settle between his shoulder blades, and push him forward with no effort.

Letting out a muffled cry, Draco was forced forward onto Harry, sprawling awkwardly into him, his collarbone making solid contact with Harry's forehead, making both out them let out little cries of startled pain. Furious, and wanting to see just who it was that he was about to hex into oblivion, Draco tried to pull back from the Gryffindor, but the hand on his back only increased its pressure, so that he was effectively smothering Harry, who was letting out little alarmed noises muffled by Draco's jumper.

"Let me up!" Draco yelled, twisting and trying to get away. "You little bastard, my father will have you killed for this!"

"Doubtful," that same annoyingly familiar voice said, and Draco froze. "Comfortable?"

"No!" Draco bellowed.

"Shame," the other him said casually, and didn't release his hold.

Draco was growing rather alarmed - but not by the other's attack. Instead, he was much more concerned for Harry, who had grabbed at his arms when he was first shoved forward, had squeezed considerably tighter when Draco had been thrown into his face, and now that hold was growing weaker. For that matter... Harry wasn't struggling anymore.

"Let me up!" Draco screamed, pushing back frantically. "Harry can't breath!"

Next thing Draco knew, the hand on his back had seized his jumper and ripped him away from the black haired boy, throwing him back to where he'd been sitting before this whole thing began. His own limbs shaking with what felt like adrenaline, Draco looked with alarm at the Gryffindor, who was now hacking and coughing and gasping for breath, with a very concerned alternate Draco Malfoy practically holding him, rubbing concerned circles on his back.

"I'm sorry," that alternate Draco was whispering, almost frantically. Harry was wheezing all over his expensive black dress robes - the ones with the graceful white lace cuffs and collar and the silver runes sewn into the fabric - but he didn't even seem to notice. "Merlin, I am so sorry..."

By now Harry seemed to be regaining his breath, and was trying to back away from the other Malfoy. And wasn't having much success. Draco watched the Gryffindor's nervous movement for a moment, then sighed.

He didn't want to do this. But as much as he despised the idiot Gryffindor, he'd rather be the one to rescue him than to let him fall victim to this insane copy's "good intentions" again.

So Draco reached across the couch, grabbed Harry's shoulder ((He seemed to be doing this a lot lately. This concerned him.)) and tugged, half pulling Harry away from the psycho copy of him, half guiding the other, as Harry seemed perfectly content to near him in favour of avoiding the other him. Pulling the Gryffindor completely out of arms range of the copy of him, Draco was alarmed to discover - a bit belatedly - that this meant Harry was nearly in his lap.

Something that had apparently not occurred to Harry, nor seemed to really bother him at that moment, as he leaned back against Draco, shaking slightly as he settled against his shoulder, so that Draco's arm was stuck behind the other.

Merlin, Draco thought.

I've got my arm around Potter.

What a very strange turn of events.