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Only once he was in the safety of his own bed with his sealing and silencing charms up, did Draco begin to quiver. He did not know entirely why he had told Potter the things he had. Was he tired and had just given in to the other boy's persistency? Draco had to face the consequences of his actions; Harry Potter now had a secret he could use against him. The thought should have unsettled him more than it did, but he could not really foresee Potter blackmailing him with this. It was just too Slytherin of an idea.
Two good things had come out of that incident though; Draco would be able to fulfill his part of the agreement with Dumbledore by befriending Harry, and he would get the information he needed about Muggles. Harry would probably be willing to lend Draco the use of that Granger girl. "Yes," Draco thought. "For that plan to ever even have the chance of working I need to be well prepared. I hope it does not come to that, but it is nice to have a last resort."
Harry had a way of extracting a reaction out of the normally tepid blond. There were few students in Hogwarts that Draco would waste time on by getting a 'good one' on them. Harry was not an easy target per say, but he was a fun one and that was all that mattered. When Draco was being truthful with himself, he had to admit that his relationship with Harry Potter was probably his most secure and reciprocal one. Harry had been quite perceptive when he stated that Draco had no friends. It was true that he had in fact never formed a true friendship, but that was normal among the more successful Slytherins. Those who rose in power formed alliances, not friendships. A true friendship involves self-sacrifice and that is, undoubtedly, a Gryffindor quality. His agreement with Goyle and Crabble had been that they would be his muscle and blame-takers, and he in turn would help them pass their classes. Since Draco had recently ceased attending classes they had not provided their part of the pact. Little did they know that he was still keeping up with his workload and was even reading ahead. He could have told them, but he really did not see the point of spending any more time helping them study and, more often than not, cheat. Maybe he would start showing up and even staying in class tomorrow.
Sighing, Draco gently slid up his left sleeve to reveal one of his limbs that had been covered in controversial scars. He could feel the weight of his pocketknife in his robe. The idea of cutting out some of the confusion and emptiness of his life flickered briefly in his mind. Surprisingly, Draco found that he vanquished that thought rather quickly. He suddenly did not feel up to it. Harry was right; he was not looking overly attractive with scar tissue. Perhaps more than two good things had come out of their conversation.
Draco was reminded of a sign that Pomfrey had up in the hospital wing his first year. It read 'Sometimes talking about it is a cure in and of itself.' The slogan seemed tacky at the time and it still did. Draco hoped that his own psychobabble could come up with a better sounding reason then that drivel.
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Harry was actually anticipating Potions that morning for the first time in, well forever. He had a secret. It felt good to be trusted. Harry had replayed the whole scene from yesterday out in his head and had come up with the conclusion that Malfoy had wanted to tell Harry about his problem. Malfoy could have just pushed him aside and left the washroom, but he did not. Having always loved a mystery, Harry was looking forward to solving the enigma that was Draco Malfoy.
Harry entered the class with his two friends and found that Draco was already sitting at the front of the room stirring their potion. Hermione wished him good luck on the final steps of his potion. Ron shot a glare over at Malfoy and then rolled his eyes back to Harry. 'You are going to need more than luck working with that Slytherin trash. Maybe he'll get the hint and flee at the beginning of the class today instead of pestering you till the end,' Ron said in a loud stage whisper.
Draco did not even turn around at this comment. He knew full well that every pair of eyes was watching him to see him give a wonderful Malfoy comeback, but Draco resisted the urge. Biting his lip, he waited to see what Harry Potter would say. For some reason he needed to know if the 'Golden Boy' would treat him differently since their encounter in the bathroom.
After Ron's comment, Harry had glanced over at Draco wondering how he would react. When it became apparent that Draco would not rise to the challenge, Harry felt compelled to speak up. 'Ron,' Harry replied. 'You needn't worry about me so much. I've been in the presence of worse company before. And Malfoy really isn't that bad.' With that said, Harry gave Ron one of his encouraging smiles and made his way to his seat beside Draco.
Ron stood staring after his best friend. He really did not understand what that was all about. Harry was defending Malfoy. He only removed his eyes from the black-haired boy when Hermione began to pull at his robes.
'Really Ron,' she groaned dragging Ron to his seat. 'Don't tell me you didn't get what Harry said. He's obviously worried about You Know Who. Why else would he say that he'd rather sit beside Malfoy than the Dark Lord. I wonder if his scar has been hurting? It has been too quite and peaceful in the wizarding community. You would think that what with You Know Who having a body that there would be a lot more frightened people setting up better charms.'
Harry sat down beside Draco and looked over at him. The other boy had slight bags under his eyes and he still looked pale, but it could just be his natural pallor. Harry decided that Draco did not look that bad and hoped that things were going better. He had to admit that he had never tried to play shrink with anyone before and had little idea of how to talk some one out of being self-destructive, but somebody had to try. His eyes made their way down to Draco's arms. He wondered if Draco had managed to keep from cutting himself last night. Then he noticed Draco's hands. He knew that the other boy had amazing eyes, but had never noted that he had perfect hands as well.
'You sitting there watching me stir is not going to get this potion made any faster, Potter.' Draco had noticed Harry staring at his arms and knew that they had to talk otherwise Harry would try to make him talk, even here in the middle of the class. Gryffindors never seemed to know what timing was. Anything that had to be said should be said right away was their motto. He would have to teach Harry a few things about tact. 'You can take over the stirring from me and I'll cut up the rest of the ingredients. We're on part B number two. There are one hundred and fifty two stirs left, starting now.'
Harry continued stirring while counting down in his head. Looking around the room he noted that they were far ahead in their potion compared to the groups. He turned his head to watch Draco slice a vampire toe. He now knew why Draco was so talented at cutting up his ingredients. It was because he had perfect hands. They were very steady and precise. He watched as delicately long fingers secured the toe and the other hand's wrist swiftly flicked to bring down the blade in a flash.
While Harry was inspecting these hands, he heard Draco clear his throat. Harry covered up his interest in Draco's hands by asking how they were so far ahead.
'I started early. I had a spare before, so I came a little early to class to set everything up and start the cauldron boiling. I want to get out of here early. I'm sure Snape will let us if our potion is good. Which it will be.'
'Me too? Both of us?' Harry asked, confused.
'Unless you want to stay here longer than you have to,' Draco said, raising an eyebrow.
'Of course not…I. Why are you being so nice?'
'We need to talk. You made me a promise yesterday and I intend to hold you to it.'
Harry nodded. Looking back at the cauldron he realized that he had completely lost count of his stirs. Trying his best to not look panicked and at the same time not ruin Draco's potion, he tried to calculate his average stirring rate and deduce how many seconds ago he had stopped counting.
'Twenty-eight stirs left and then we add the sliced toe and powdered opium seeds,' Draco answered Harry's unasked question non-pulsed.
Harry smiled sheepishly at the other boy, thankful for the help, but at the same time upset that he was caught at being stupid.
They added the rest of the ingredients and in no time they had a beautiful, light pink liquid simmering in their cauldron. Draco raised his hand to gain Snape's attention.
Snape who had been berating Neville yet again for another potion's catastrophe, saw Draco's hand rise in the corner of his eye. He made his way over to the two boys, who had been surprisingly tension free all class.
'Yes, Mr. Malfoy?' Snape queried.
'I was hoping that you would inspect our potion now, Professor.'
'Ah, certainly,' Snape answered, bending over slightly to take a better look. 'It looks as it should and, yes, it smells just right. Well done, Mr. Malfoy. Another perfect potion. After you are done cleaning up your work area you may leave.'
'Thank you Professor. Potter and I are pleased with how it came out as well.'
Snape raised an eyebrow at that last statement and Draco just stared bold- faced back at him. Deciding to let it pass, Snape moved on to see how the rest of his less talented class had faired. Exceptions had to be made for exceptional individuals. Dumbledore allowed Harry Potter his eccentricities, then why shouldn't Snape allow Draco Malfoy his. That was one of the reasons that Snape had never reported Draco for wandering around after curfew as well as for a few other rules that the boy had bent or outright broken. Snape wondered what Draco had planned for Potter when they walked out of this class early into a deserted hallway.
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So what do you readers of fanfiction think? I would love to hear from more of you, so please leave me a message. Still looking for an editor. *hint hint*
I have exams coming up soon, but I'll try to get at least one more part out before I move back home. University is almost over for the summer! I got my old job at a comic store back. Still need to find a better paying job, but that one is fun.
Isn't Harry cute?!? I have most of the plot figured out…now just need to type out the right words and timing and flow to make it all work. This will be long. I hope I can stay with this and finish it. I usually get bored about 1200 words in and drop the story because I've thought up another one. *sigh* Attention deficit or what..?
Only once he was in the safety of his own bed with his sealing and silencing charms up, did Draco begin to quiver. He did not know entirely why he had told Potter the things he had. Was he tired and had just given in to the other boy's persistency? Draco had to face the consequences of his actions; Harry Potter now had a secret he could use against him. The thought should have unsettled him more than it did, but he could not really foresee Potter blackmailing him with this. It was just too Slytherin of an idea.
Two good things had come out of that incident though; Draco would be able to fulfill his part of the agreement with Dumbledore by befriending Harry, and he would get the information he needed about Muggles. Harry would probably be willing to lend Draco the use of that Granger girl. "Yes," Draco thought. "For that plan to ever even have the chance of working I need to be well prepared. I hope it does not come to that, but it is nice to have a last resort."
Harry had a way of extracting a reaction out of the normally tepid blond. There were few students in Hogwarts that Draco would waste time on by getting a 'good one' on them. Harry was not an easy target per say, but he was a fun one and that was all that mattered. When Draco was being truthful with himself, he had to admit that his relationship with Harry Potter was probably his most secure and reciprocal one. Harry had been quite perceptive when he stated that Draco had no friends. It was true that he had in fact never formed a true friendship, but that was normal among the more successful Slytherins. Those who rose in power formed alliances, not friendships. A true friendship involves self-sacrifice and that is, undoubtedly, a Gryffindor quality. His agreement with Goyle and Crabble had been that they would be his muscle and blame-takers, and he in turn would help them pass their classes. Since Draco had recently ceased attending classes they had not provided their part of the pact. Little did they know that he was still keeping up with his workload and was even reading ahead. He could have told them, but he really did not see the point of spending any more time helping them study and, more often than not, cheat. Maybe he would start showing up and even staying in class tomorrow.
Sighing, Draco gently slid up his left sleeve to reveal one of his limbs that had been covered in controversial scars. He could feel the weight of his pocketknife in his robe. The idea of cutting out some of the confusion and emptiness of his life flickered briefly in his mind. Surprisingly, Draco found that he vanquished that thought rather quickly. He suddenly did not feel up to it. Harry was right; he was not looking overly attractive with scar tissue. Perhaps more than two good things had come out of their conversation.
Draco was reminded of a sign that Pomfrey had up in the hospital wing his first year. It read 'Sometimes talking about it is a cure in and of itself.' The slogan seemed tacky at the time and it still did. Draco hoped that his own psychobabble could come up with a better sounding reason then that drivel.
___________________________________________________________
Harry was actually anticipating Potions that morning for the first time in, well forever. He had a secret. It felt good to be trusted. Harry had replayed the whole scene from yesterday out in his head and had come up with the conclusion that Malfoy had wanted to tell Harry about his problem. Malfoy could have just pushed him aside and left the washroom, but he did not. Having always loved a mystery, Harry was looking forward to solving the enigma that was Draco Malfoy.
Harry entered the class with his two friends and found that Draco was already sitting at the front of the room stirring their potion. Hermione wished him good luck on the final steps of his potion. Ron shot a glare over at Malfoy and then rolled his eyes back to Harry. 'You are going to need more than luck working with that Slytherin trash. Maybe he'll get the hint and flee at the beginning of the class today instead of pestering you till the end,' Ron said in a loud stage whisper.
Draco did not even turn around at this comment. He knew full well that every pair of eyes was watching him to see him give a wonderful Malfoy comeback, but Draco resisted the urge. Biting his lip, he waited to see what Harry Potter would say. For some reason he needed to know if the 'Golden Boy' would treat him differently since their encounter in the bathroom.
After Ron's comment, Harry had glanced over at Draco wondering how he would react. When it became apparent that Draco would not rise to the challenge, Harry felt compelled to speak up. 'Ron,' Harry replied. 'You needn't worry about me so much. I've been in the presence of worse company before. And Malfoy really isn't that bad.' With that said, Harry gave Ron one of his encouraging smiles and made his way to his seat beside Draco.
Ron stood staring after his best friend. He really did not understand what that was all about. Harry was defending Malfoy. He only removed his eyes from the black-haired boy when Hermione began to pull at his robes.
'Really Ron,' she groaned dragging Ron to his seat. 'Don't tell me you didn't get what Harry said. He's obviously worried about You Know Who. Why else would he say that he'd rather sit beside Malfoy than the Dark Lord. I wonder if his scar has been hurting? It has been too quite and peaceful in the wizarding community. You would think that what with You Know Who having a body that there would be a lot more frightened people setting up better charms.'
Harry sat down beside Draco and looked over at him. The other boy had slight bags under his eyes and he still looked pale, but it could just be his natural pallor. Harry decided that Draco did not look that bad and hoped that things were going better. He had to admit that he had never tried to play shrink with anyone before and had little idea of how to talk some one out of being self-destructive, but somebody had to try. His eyes made their way down to Draco's arms. He wondered if Draco had managed to keep from cutting himself last night. Then he noticed Draco's hands. He knew that the other boy had amazing eyes, but had never noted that he had perfect hands as well.
'You sitting there watching me stir is not going to get this potion made any faster, Potter.' Draco had noticed Harry staring at his arms and knew that they had to talk otherwise Harry would try to make him talk, even here in the middle of the class. Gryffindors never seemed to know what timing was. Anything that had to be said should be said right away was their motto. He would have to teach Harry a few things about tact. 'You can take over the stirring from me and I'll cut up the rest of the ingredients. We're on part B number two. There are one hundred and fifty two stirs left, starting now.'
Harry continued stirring while counting down in his head. Looking around the room he noted that they were far ahead in their potion compared to the groups. He turned his head to watch Draco slice a vampire toe. He now knew why Draco was so talented at cutting up his ingredients. It was because he had perfect hands. They were very steady and precise. He watched as delicately long fingers secured the toe and the other hand's wrist swiftly flicked to bring down the blade in a flash.
While Harry was inspecting these hands, he heard Draco clear his throat. Harry covered up his interest in Draco's hands by asking how they were so far ahead.
'I started early. I had a spare before, so I came a little early to class to set everything up and start the cauldron boiling. I want to get out of here early. I'm sure Snape will let us if our potion is good. Which it will be.'
'Me too? Both of us?' Harry asked, confused.
'Unless you want to stay here longer than you have to,' Draco said, raising an eyebrow.
'Of course not…I. Why are you being so nice?'
'We need to talk. You made me a promise yesterday and I intend to hold you to it.'
Harry nodded. Looking back at the cauldron he realized that he had completely lost count of his stirs. Trying his best to not look panicked and at the same time not ruin Draco's potion, he tried to calculate his average stirring rate and deduce how many seconds ago he had stopped counting.
'Twenty-eight stirs left and then we add the sliced toe and powdered opium seeds,' Draco answered Harry's unasked question non-pulsed.
Harry smiled sheepishly at the other boy, thankful for the help, but at the same time upset that he was caught at being stupid.
They added the rest of the ingredients and in no time they had a beautiful, light pink liquid simmering in their cauldron. Draco raised his hand to gain Snape's attention.
Snape who had been berating Neville yet again for another potion's catastrophe, saw Draco's hand rise in the corner of his eye. He made his way over to the two boys, who had been surprisingly tension free all class.
'Yes, Mr. Malfoy?' Snape queried.
'I was hoping that you would inspect our potion now, Professor.'
'Ah, certainly,' Snape answered, bending over slightly to take a better look. 'It looks as it should and, yes, it smells just right. Well done, Mr. Malfoy. Another perfect potion. After you are done cleaning up your work area you may leave.'
'Thank you Professor. Potter and I are pleased with how it came out as well.'
Snape raised an eyebrow at that last statement and Draco just stared bold- faced back at him. Deciding to let it pass, Snape moved on to see how the rest of his less talented class had faired. Exceptions had to be made for exceptional individuals. Dumbledore allowed Harry Potter his eccentricities, then why shouldn't Snape allow Draco Malfoy his. That was one of the reasons that Snape had never reported Draco for wandering around after curfew as well as for a few other rules that the boy had bent or outright broken. Snape wondered what Draco had planned for Potter when they walked out of this class early into a deserted hallway.
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So what do you readers of fanfiction think? I would love to hear from more of you, so please leave me a message. Still looking for an editor. *hint hint*
I have exams coming up soon, but I'll try to get at least one more part out before I move back home. University is almost over for the summer! I got my old job at a comic store back. Still need to find a better paying job, but that one is fun.
Isn't Harry cute?!? I have most of the plot figured out…now just need to type out the right words and timing and flow to make it all work. This will be long. I hope I can stay with this and finish it. I usually get bored about 1200 words in and drop the story because I've thought up another one. *sigh* Attention deficit or what..?