Title: Idioteque (6/6)
Author: Jendle
E-mail: jenny.preston@virgin.net
Disclaimers: Not mine, JKR's, except for the title which is also the title of a song by the god-like geniuses Radiohead. Please don't sue me cos I'm skint enough as it is...
Spoilers: Don't think so...not yet, anyway.
Date: 8/01/02
Summary: Draco is staring at Harry, who is staring at Seamus.
Warnings: Slash. If you don't like, don't read.
Archive: Ask me if you want it (I'll probably say yes.) The complete Idioteque is also avaliable now on ff.net and soon on http://www.envy.nu/jenee13
Notes: This is my response to a challenge, which went thusly: 'Draco threw back his head, laughing insanely until he realized the whole class was staring at him and sat down, blushing wildly.' I failed miserably to get this in, the envisioned scene turning out to happen both in the dining hall and totally differently, but I thank the challenge anyway for giving me inspiration :o). (What a cop out...)
*
*
During the tense affair of lunch, Draco and Harry both pretended they were too engrossed in eating to carry on with their conversation. Whenever Draco glanced over at Harry, he was making a great show of examining the soup with more attention than it really deserved.
Draco finished first, put the tray on the floor by the bed, and pretended to go to sleep, facing towards the wall. This needed thinking about. A perfectly reasonable conversation with Harry Potter had just been ended by the discovery on both sides that Hermione had been telling them they fancied each other. There were three things very odd about this sentence for Draco. The first was that he had been having a perfectly reasonable conversation with Harry Potter. Granted, it had almost been an argument, but they weren't insulting or trying to kill each other, and it definitely had the air of a friendly discussion. This was quite possibly against the Malfoy family code (although he had no doubt that falling in love with him was equally forbidden). The second thing was that Hermione Granger had been talking to Harry about Draco in a favourable manner, and had been even talking to Draco. The third thing - this one needed the most thinking about - was that the Mudblood had come to the conclusion that, despite Finnegan, Harry liked Draco. Ordinarily, Draco would have ignored this, but she'd been right about his own feelings, so a brainbox like her wouldn't have any trouble with the feelings of her best friend.
So. It seemed likely that Harry liked Draco. Draco was perfectly aware that he liked Harry. Loved him, possibly. And where was this getting him? Why couldn't someone else deal with it? Draco felt far too ill for this amount of thinking. This was lucky, because as soon as Madame Pomfrey noticed that Harry had finished his soup, she let Hermione in to talk to him, or more accurately, at him.
*
Harry looked up at Hermione and sneezed at her.
"You talked to him about me," he said accusingly, gesturing at the sleeping lump of Draco Malfoy.
"Who, the cat's whiskers?" inquired the lump that was, on reflection, probably not asleep, sitting up and blowing his nose.
Harry looked slightly guilty. "Didn't realise you were awake," he said apologetically.
"Don't worry, that was the idea," Draco admitted.
Hermione looked at the two of them with an unreadable expression. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," Harry answered.
"Like death," Draco answered at the same time. They glared at each other.
Hermione looked exasperated. "Oh, for heaven's sake. What do I have to say to you two? You've been ignoring each other for weeks, and now you know what I said to both of you you're still being like this! It's true, not some evil Hermione-joke for my own amusement. Stop being so bloody pathetic!"
Harry and Draco both jumped, alarmed. Hermione's expression looked exactly like Professor McGonnagal in a bad mood.
"But...Seamus..." Harry pointed out nervously.
"Yes, he needs to talk to you too. He's waiting until I've finished." Harry looked at her in mystification but she didn't enlighten him. "I'll be back after lessons," she said ominously and left.
Harry looked warily at Draco, and caught his eyes. They just sat there and looked at each other across the room for what could have been hours until Seamus opened the door and came in with an odd expression. He looked slighly surprised to see Draco Malfoy in the next bed.
"Something wrong, Finnegan? All the other rooms were full," Draco said coldly. Harry found himself unsurprised at Draco's coldness towards his boyfriend, with the uncomfortable but all the same relieving knowledge he now had.
Seamus shrugged, and turned to Harry. "I...um..." he glanced uncomfortably at Draco, who was watching with interest.
"Fine," Draco said, sighed melodramatically, and turned over to face the wall, burying his head under a pillow. Harry wasn't altogether sure that he wasn't still listening, but Seamus was um-ing again.
"Yes?" Harry prompted him kindly.
"I...Dean...um...well..."
Draco sat up suddenly, proving Harry's suspicion. "What he means, Harry, is that Finnegan and Thomas have found true love and he no longer requires your delightful but un-Dean-like company," he said, and what Hermione had said all fell into place.
Seamus nodded almost gratefully. "It was...nice, though," he said to Harry.
"Yes, it was," Harry said, but he was looking at Draco again and Draco was looking back, and neither didn't notice Seamus's bewildered then understanding look, or the door close as he left quietly.
They just sat and looked at each other, and couldn't stop smiling. After a while, it occurred to Harry that the situation would improve dramatically if they were in the same bed, but as soon as he thought it Draco shook his head and said, "We can't. The beds are spelled so she knows if we get up."
This seemed to break the moment, but it didn't matter because they had as long as it took them to get well to look and talk, and then they had forever.
*
The End
*
A sequel is possible, even probable. Thanks for reading, especially if you sent feedback :o).
Author: Jendle
E-mail: jenny.preston@virgin.net
Disclaimers: Not mine, JKR's, except for the title which is also the title of a song by the god-like geniuses Radiohead. Please don't sue me cos I'm skint enough as it is...
Spoilers: Don't think so...not yet, anyway.
Date: 8/01/02
Summary: Draco is staring at Harry, who is staring at Seamus.
Warnings: Slash. If you don't like, don't read.
Archive: Ask me if you want it (I'll probably say yes.) The complete Idioteque is also avaliable now on ff.net and soon on http://www.envy.nu/jenee13
Notes: This is my response to a challenge, which went thusly: 'Draco threw back his head, laughing insanely until he realized the whole class was staring at him and sat down, blushing wildly.' I failed miserably to get this in, the envisioned scene turning out to happen both in the dining hall and totally differently, but I thank the challenge anyway for giving me inspiration :o). (What a cop out...)
*
*
During the tense affair of lunch, Draco and Harry both pretended they were too engrossed in eating to carry on with their conversation. Whenever Draco glanced over at Harry, he was making a great show of examining the soup with more attention than it really deserved.
Draco finished first, put the tray on the floor by the bed, and pretended to go to sleep, facing towards the wall. This needed thinking about. A perfectly reasonable conversation with Harry Potter had just been ended by the discovery on both sides that Hermione had been telling them they fancied each other. There were three things very odd about this sentence for Draco. The first was that he had been having a perfectly reasonable conversation with Harry Potter. Granted, it had almost been an argument, but they weren't insulting or trying to kill each other, and it definitely had the air of a friendly discussion. This was quite possibly against the Malfoy family code (although he had no doubt that falling in love with him was equally forbidden). The second thing was that Hermione Granger had been talking to Harry about Draco in a favourable manner, and had been even talking to Draco. The third thing - this one needed the most thinking about - was that the Mudblood had come to the conclusion that, despite Finnegan, Harry liked Draco. Ordinarily, Draco would have ignored this, but she'd been right about his own feelings, so a brainbox like her wouldn't have any trouble with the feelings of her best friend.
So. It seemed likely that Harry liked Draco. Draco was perfectly aware that he liked Harry. Loved him, possibly. And where was this getting him? Why couldn't someone else deal with it? Draco felt far too ill for this amount of thinking. This was lucky, because as soon as Madame Pomfrey noticed that Harry had finished his soup, she let Hermione in to talk to him, or more accurately, at him.
*
Harry looked up at Hermione and sneezed at her.
"You talked to him about me," he said accusingly, gesturing at the sleeping lump of Draco Malfoy.
"Who, the cat's whiskers?" inquired the lump that was, on reflection, probably not asleep, sitting up and blowing his nose.
Harry looked slightly guilty. "Didn't realise you were awake," he said apologetically.
"Don't worry, that was the idea," Draco admitted.
Hermione looked at the two of them with an unreadable expression. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," Harry answered.
"Like death," Draco answered at the same time. They glared at each other.
Hermione looked exasperated. "Oh, for heaven's sake. What do I have to say to you two? You've been ignoring each other for weeks, and now you know what I said to both of you you're still being like this! It's true, not some evil Hermione-joke for my own amusement. Stop being so bloody pathetic!"
Harry and Draco both jumped, alarmed. Hermione's expression looked exactly like Professor McGonnagal in a bad mood.
"But...Seamus..." Harry pointed out nervously.
"Yes, he needs to talk to you too. He's waiting until I've finished." Harry looked at her in mystification but she didn't enlighten him. "I'll be back after lessons," she said ominously and left.
Harry looked warily at Draco, and caught his eyes. They just sat there and looked at each other across the room for what could have been hours until Seamus opened the door and came in with an odd expression. He looked slighly surprised to see Draco Malfoy in the next bed.
"Something wrong, Finnegan? All the other rooms were full," Draco said coldly. Harry found himself unsurprised at Draco's coldness towards his boyfriend, with the uncomfortable but all the same relieving knowledge he now had.
Seamus shrugged, and turned to Harry. "I...um..." he glanced uncomfortably at Draco, who was watching with interest.
"Fine," Draco said, sighed melodramatically, and turned over to face the wall, burying his head under a pillow. Harry wasn't altogether sure that he wasn't still listening, but Seamus was um-ing again.
"Yes?" Harry prompted him kindly.
"I...Dean...um...well..."
Draco sat up suddenly, proving Harry's suspicion. "What he means, Harry, is that Finnegan and Thomas have found true love and he no longer requires your delightful but un-Dean-like company," he said, and what Hermione had said all fell into place.
Seamus nodded almost gratefully. "It was...nice, though," he said to Harry.
"Yes, it was," Harry said, but he was looking at Draco again and Draco was looking back, and neither didn't notice Seamus's bewildered then understanding look, or the door close as he left quietly.
They just sat and looked at each other, and couldn't stop smiling. After a while, it occurred to Harry that the situation would improve dramatically if they were in the same bed, but as soon as he thought it Draco shook his head and said, "We can't. The beds are spelled so she knows if we get up."
This seemed to break the moment, but it didn't matter because they had as long as it took them to get well to look and talk, and then they had forever.
*
The End
*
A sequel is possible, even probable. Thanks for reading, especially if you sent feedback :o).
