Borderline

Part 3 - Trample

Notes: Here be several rounds of thank you: Much thanks to sqeakyclean and Kyohaku for beta-reading. You guys rock. And also thank you to Draconna for looking over part 2 (Sorry! Gah.. ). Sadly, I had posted the NOT beta-read version of part 2. Yay me. -_-;; And finally, thanks to everyone who left a review! I really appreciate the comments, without them I probably would've taken much longer. Again *thank you*, and don't hesitate to leave some more. Heh. ^^;

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit fun.

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He spotted Harry among the dark blur of students who were heading towards the Great Hall. He was, as always, in between charity-case Weasel and the Mudblood. The trio appeared to be in the midst of a particularly amusing conversation as each had a dumb smile pasted across their face. The redheaded git was gesturing theatrically, blubbering on about something that had sent Potter into a laughing fit. He was laughing so hard that he had apparently gone weak in the knees and was leaning heavily on Granger to keep from falling. Draco smirked as he watched Potter stumble along making a fool of himself. Some savior you are, Potter.

They were immersed in their own world, huddled close together and not paying attention to their surroundings. They were blissfully ignorant of everything save their happiness. Draco snorted.

The three of them walked leisurely towards the Great Hall; they had yet to notice the Slytherin. Draco took advantage of that and casually made his way to one side of the corridor where he stood half hidden from view by a large statue, which stood before the Grand Hall entrance. He watched them silently through narrowed eyes and waited for them to draw closer. Avoiding Potter was impossible. The Gryffindor had the uncanny ability to always find Draco despite the sometimes drastic measures the Slytherin took to avoid him. After several weeks of the Gryffindor constantly bothering him, he was getting used to it. They usually greeted each other in the corridors with long meaningful insults and overly cheerful sarcasm.

Draco glared as he noticed the Granger whore take part in their conversation. He could hear traces of her sickeningly cheerful voice among the general din of the crowd. Everything about that slut annoyed him, from the amount of books that she carried to the way she breathed air. He hated the fact that she breathed at all, the fact that she was Head Girl, and especially the fact that she now dared to glare back at him, hate for hate.

For all three had suddenly noticed the Slytherin and stopped dead in their tracks.

Draco smirked at Granger. Weasel seemed ready to explode and Potter… well, who knew what was going on in that surprisingly calculating mind. Granger scowled her face red from the unwanted attention. They had exchanged words yesterday, Draco eventually rendering her speechless with anger. The blond smirked triumphantly at her discomposure. It was so easy to unsettle a Mudblood.

Now that he'd been spotted, Draco walked fluidly towards them, taking his time and keeping his eyes on Granger solely to see if she'd squirm. She didn't. Kudos, whore.

The students passing by gave the group plenty of leeway and cast curious looks their way.

Draco reached Potter and leisurely dragged his eyes away from Granger to observe The Boy Who Lived. He could hear Weasel breathing hard, already having trouble containing his temper. Potter however was calm, completely in control and met Draco's scrutiny steadily. The Slytherin's eyes narrowed. Potter wasn't only calm; he was smirking at him. SMIRKING. He reigned in his temper, suppressing it ruthlessly before it was able to spew forth and ruin his perfectly mocking, unaffected composure.

"Hullo, Harry!" He said, his tone a false mimicry of that used between old friends.

"Hiya, Drake!" Harry responded just as cheerfully, not at all disconcerted by Draco's apparent friendliness.

Drake. Very cute, Potter.

Potter's sidekicks stared at them in disbelief.

Crossing his arms, Draco took a step closer to the Gryffindor and smiled.

"I was wondering about your plans for today." He said, his voice saccharine sweet. "I do hope they don't involve me. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore your charming attempts to save me, however I do have more important things to do-" Draco trailed off as he heard Granger mutter something which had the Weasel snickering.

His smile widened as he turned and addressed Hermione. "For example, Granger..."

"Leave her alone, Malfoy." Ron said, immediately serious.

"I do as I please, Weasley." He responded without bothering to look at Ron. He continued before the redhead had a chance to retort, "I've been attempting to figure out what best to do with your kind.." His nose wrinkled as if the last word had left a bad taste in his mouth. "..after your defeat."

"I've told you there's no chance in hell that you'll win, Malfoy." Came the strained reply from Harry who managed to keep the bright smile.

Draco ignored Harry entirely and continued on as if he had not been interrupted. "Tell me, would you prefer servicing your Pureblood lords same way you do with Snape -- it would be a privilege really -- or would you rather work among the house elves? Don't worry about the latter, Mudblood, you'd fit right in."

"You slimy *git*! Take that back!" Cried Ron. There was a brief scuffle as Harry struggled to hold back the fiery redhead who badly wanted to give Draco some permanent physical damage. "I'm gonna pound you into fine dust, you bastard!" He wailed as he shoved awkwardly at Harry's arms. Harry dragged Ron farther away from the Slytherin despite the redhead's hell bent effort to grab and kill the blond.

"RON!" Snapped Hermione. It surprised Ron enough to make him pause in his struggles to get away from Harry. She was breathing hard, but she answered Draco levelly. "Thank you for offering such choices you're very considerate." She said sweetly. Hermione smiled brightly at Ron before facing Draco once again. "But really, I make my own decisions. For example, right now I've decided to indulge in a bit of reminiscing." She said smoothly.

A loud crack resonated through the hall.

The slap connected solidly with his face and was sure to leave a red mark. He honestly hadn't seen it coming.

It left Draco dazed for a moment and he looked at her blankly, nonplused. His cheek began to sting terribly and the veins below the abused skin pulsed madly with every heartbeat. It happened once in third year, and it has happened again. The Mudblood had dared to slap him. Again, goddammit, AGAIN.

"Remember that, Draco? And I'm not doing anything with Snape." She finished angrily.

Draco exploded. His wand was out and a crippling Dark Art hex was rolling out of his tongue before he even realized that he had reacted.

However, before he had the full curse out his wand had disappeared. Simple as that. He stared at his empty hand, flabbergasted.

"Over here, Malfoy."

Hard green eyes were set on Draco, watching dispassionately. The wand had flown out of Draco's grip and had landed neatly into Harry's. The Gryffindor's own wand was still raised at Draco. He lowered it. Draco began to tremble.

"Why haven't you given it up?" Potter sounded tired, aged beyond his years. "Anything you try to do to us tends to royally backfire on your stubborn arse."

The Slytherin's body was shaking in silent fury. His hands were balled into tight fists, drawn close to his sides.

"The wand, Potter." He said, hollowly.

"Maybe you want to get rid of Muggleborn wizards and Muggle supporters because you can't handle the competition, Malfoy. Who knows? Purebloods could possibly be less clever than everyone else."

"The wand, Potter." Draco repeated.

"I don't think that's it though. I'm plenty clever, Ron's plenty clever too..." Harry continued.

"The wand, Potter." Draco hissed.

"Maybe, Malfoy, it's just you."

Eyes flashing in outrage and teeth gnashed, Draco rushed up so he was nose to nose with the Gryffindor who stared at him evenly. Harry's scent flooded his senses. "Outside of Hogwarts." Draco promised his voice dead despite his very evident trembling. "We'll see who's good enough when it counts. You're going to fall short and your precious Mudbloods are going to die because of it."

Harry pressed his lips into a thin, grim line. His eyes seemed to gain dark shadows beneath and for a moment he looked as old as Draco felt. "Want your wand?" Harry said, abruptly. Draco just stared. "Well, Pureblood, bend down and get it!" Spat Harry. Angrily, he tossed the wand down the hall, shot Draco a look of utter disgust, and stalked away. Hermione watched, wide-eyed. "Harry!" She said in astonishment. She shot an indecipherable look at the Slytherin before grabbing Ron (who was crowing) by the arm and following the Boy Who Lived. Together the trio disappeared down the hallway.

Left breathing harshly, as if he'd raced the length of Hogwarts, Draco glared spitefully in the direction the Gryffindors had gone. Potter had always managed to get under his skin and this time was no different. His body still trembled, waves of outrage and anger coursed through him. He had just been upstaged by Potter and was left feeling keenly inadequate. He had lost all self-control and had acted out mindlessly.

Draco had nearly incriminated himself by using a rather nasty Dark Arts hex inside of Hogwarts. Potter had unwittingly saved him from doing so and then had made up for it by humiliating the Slytherin.

He glared around, making certain that no one had been there to witness this injury to his pride and let out a quiet tense breath. The corridor had emptied out at some point. Everyone had been in a hurry to get to lunch. The Slytherin inhaled deeply and willed his body to calm down.

He walked down the corridor, swiftly picking up his wand and tucking it inside the safety of his robes.

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Draco woke up with a start. There was parchment sticking to his face and he hastily removed it as he sat up and looked around. He was in his dormitory in front of his desk with books and parchment piled neatly around him. He must've fallen asleep while reading. He had been researching for a Transfiguration paper that was due in two weeks time. Draco rubbed at the cramps in his neck and stretched languidly. It was fairly dark and quiet outside of his room. He glanced at the clock. Early morning.

He groaned and leaned forward again, head resting on crossed arms. Draco peered across the room to the closed window and the early dawn beyond. He hazily imagined seeing the silhouette of Potter doing lazy loops on his broom through the early light. "Petrificus Totalis." Draco said quietly. He could envision perfectly the widening of Potter's eyes just as his bound body lost control of the broom and began to free-fall to its death. He could see the Gryffindor locking eyes with him in sudden understanding. He would beg for his life and his eyes would attempt to convince Draco that he had finally understood the full implications of picking the Mudblood side. Just what he wanted to see. Potter helpless to Draco's whims. "Wrong side. I told you so." Draco said knowingly, a smile on his lips.

"Avada Kedavra. Goodbye, Potter." He finished.

A flash of green light and then all that was left was the emerald glossy stare of the lifeless Boy Who Lived.

You're life is bound to tragedy, Harry.

Is not! Said the playful voice of the free-falling corpse.

Draco started and swore violently at his daydream. Even in his mind, Potter got the last word. The Slytherin growled and stood up, moving to his trunk and pulling out his toiletries.

He muttered an unwrinkling charm for his robes, which straightened out immediately, and he crammed his toiletries into a pocket before heading out to the Prefect bathroom. Once there, he peeled off the crumpled clothing he had slept in and gratefully stepped into a hot shower. He ducked his head under the force of the water, running his hands through his hair, and enjoying the feel of the droplets pelting his skin. It beat down forcefully and the pleasant noise of the shower drowned out everything else, lulling Draco into a relaxed, unaware state.

His thoughts led back to last night. Studying had only delayed his preoccupation with Potter. He had fallen asleep and Potter had haunted him throughout the night. The Gryffindor tormented him there, appearing in dream after dream and trying to convince Draco of utter foolishness even then. Harry smiled at him in the last one and kissed him full on the lips.

Then he pushed Draco off a cliff.

The Slytherin rolled his eyes. He picked up a bar of soap and began to finish showering.

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When Draco entered his dormitory, he found Potter sitting on his bed waiting for him.

Draco hexed him, picked up his broom and left for breakfast.

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Later that morning, Draco sat in the empty Quidditch stands, reading a Potions text and reviewing for the class. He knew Potter would find him. Potter always found him. He would hold Draco hostage at least once every day and he'd recite one of his 'Mudbloods are our equal' tirades boring the Slytherin to tears. It was rather amusing at times though to make Potter lose his patience and snap.

A nondescript sound behind him.

And there he is, thought Draco. He tucked his book within his cloak and stared out at the Quidditch field. It was nice crisp weather today, perfect for Quidditch. Practice had gone well.

There were more obvious noises behind him on his right. Subtlety wasn't Potter's strong suit.

He proved it by loudly clearing his throat.

Draco steeled himself and turned around to stare at the Gryffindor. Harry was sitting two benches behind and to the right, leaning forward with his arms crossed on his lap. One foot was propped up on the bench in front of him. He was huddled within his cloak and watching Draco. The occasional brisk wind caused Potter's unruly hair to sway sharply to the side revealing the scar and reminding Draco of Harry's status in the Wizarding world. Draco scowled. They had their usual staring contest until Harry flashed a brilliant smile at Draco, which never failed to annoy the Slytherin.

"Goody, my savior has arrived." drawled the blond.

Harry shrugged and smiled even more brightly. "Rejoice then, Malfoy."

Draco responded with a blank look.

A short while passed and the Gryffindor's smile began to falter. His mouth parted as if he was to say something but he clamped down again. Something was bothering him and he studied Draco thoughtfully who stared back with a stony expression.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry." He said in a strained sort of way. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." It was as if apologizing caused him physical pain.

Draco smirked. "We're not buddies, Potter. You don't apologize to me."

"Well, I just did. Hermione-" Then he bit his tongue. 'Hermione made me do it' was written all over his face.

Why would Granger want him to apologize? Draco remained unimpressed. "Cute. Now that you have apologized, I have regained the will to live. Your job here is done. You may go now, Potter."

And the smile was back. "Don't think so, Drake." He moved down two rows to sit right on Draco's side despite the Slytherin's most unwelcome expression.

"You're on the wrong side, you know." He said, casually.

"I've learned a wide variety of hexes, you know." Draco responded just as casually.

"Why must you-"

"Stop trying to save me, Potter." The Slytherin interrupted, immediately going to the point. "I don't need saving."

Harry frowned and looked out at the Quidditch field, studying the hoops. He sighed. "Ever occurred to you that you're doing our world no favors?"

"Ever occurred to you that you're fighting the best chance we've ever had?"

Harry whipped around. Piercing green eyes clashed with silver. "That wasn't an attempt to get me on Voldemort's side, was it?" He asked in disbelief.

"You're on the wrong side, Potter." Draco echoed mockingly.

"Voldemort killed my parents."

"Voldemort. Good chap, he is!" The Slytherin said cheerfully.

Harry scowled darkly. "You're such a sick fuck, Malfoy." He bit out.

"I know! We evildoers are just so appalling! Really!"

The Gryffindor shook his head and bit down on his tongue. Seconds later, he burst, "Who do you think you are to judge who should be in this world and who shouldn't? Ever heard of 'live and let live', Malfoy? How on earth do you think that ridding our world of Muggleborns will do any good? A Pureblood has nothing- MALFOY!"

Draco was humming. He paused and raised both eyebrows at Potter. "Mm?" He inquired. "What, have you finished feeding me self-righteous rubbish?"

Harry glared. "All I ask," He said quietly, "is who are you to judge who should be in this world and who shouldn't."

The Slytherin looked at his nails idly and shrugged. "I'm a Malfoy."

"Good for you, you pompous arse. Surnames don't count for everything."

"I agree. I also have my looks and my charming personalities."

The Boy Who Lived raised an eyebrow. "Plural, Malfoy?"

"Yes. There's my Veela princess side, my dashing dragon slayer side-"

"Malfoy!" Harry groaned but a tiny smile quirked the corners his lips. He shook his head.

"Look." He said earnestly, thoughtfully. "Who are you fighting for?"

Draco frowned slightly as if in deep thought, his eyebrows creased together. "Well... I fight for my Veela princess side, my dashing dragon.." He trailed off, smirking as the Gryffindor glared daggers at him.

"Look." He tried again. "I want you. You've always been there. From the start even if only as an enemy, you have been a part of my life."

"Aww, Potty feeling nostalgic? I'm touched."

"Shut up, SHUT UP!" Potter paused, then continued as if he hadn't just had an outburst. "I don't want to kill you. I want us for once to be on the same side. Get out now, Malfoy. What good will it do you to live in a Pureblood only world? How could Muggleborns be possibly holding back Purebloods? You think Voldemort is going to stop at Muggleborns?" He continued tensely. "He's going to keep seeking power, he's going to rule over you. Want to be Voldemort's slave, Draco?"

The Slytherin noticed that Potter was unconsciously leaning closer as he spoke. His hands were on his sides, gripping the terrace seat so tightly that his knuckles had become bone white from the strain. The wind picked up blowing Potter's hair into his face. His hair seemed so soft.

"You're a fool Potter." Draco finally answered. "I hate Mudbloods. You think I'll let one rule over me?"

The Gryffindor's eyes grew wide and he drew back looking utterly bewildered. He gaped and blinked at Draco several times, uncomprehendingly.

"Wha- How..why.." Harry fell silent, his expression calculating. He seemed to be reassessing Draco. "I don't understand."

Draco smirked. "I'm Slytherin. Ambition's my forte. And note that I'll be killing you not vice versa. Try and keep that in mind."

Potter seemed to have had enough. His nostrils flared and he looked up at the sky, supplicating. He raised his hands palm up in exasperation. "It's like talking to a brick wall!"

"A handsome brick wall!"

"Shut UP, you..." He was left grasping for words.

"..ferret?" Draco suggested helpfully.

"UGH." The Gryffindor buried his face in his hands. Taking several calming breaths, he faced Draco, who looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"I'm going to try everything to win you over." Potter said in a tone that left no room for doubts.

"How romantic. Such vows. Forgive me if I swoon. The nausea can be overwhelming at times like this."

"This isn't a game!"

"But we could make it one! Exploding Snap? I can conjure us up a deck."

"I want you not what you stand for." The Gryffindor said through gritted teeth.

Draco looked astonished. "You mean you don't want blood and mayhem? Pity!"

"Your future children's names Malfoy?"

The Slytherin nodded vigorously.

There was an odd look on Potter's face. Draco watched as his frame began to shake silently. Potter looked away, his odd expression deepening. Then, he burst out laughing. The Slytherin raised an eyebrow.

"You're impossible." He said through his mirth. He continued. "Draco. There's no reason for you to follow your father's footsteps…"

Idiot. I'm not following my father's footsteps.

"Be on our side, convince a few Slytherins to switch too. Voldemort doesn't offer you anything worthwhile."

Draco looked at him blandly. "That's your brilliant plan? Do you think we're bonding, Potter? You think that getting most influential Slytherin on your side will make the rest of my house follow? We're not Hufflepuffs, you Gryffindor twit. We follow our own wants and when they are acquired we wait until your back is turned and perform an Unforgivable Curse on your sorry arse."

"Not all Slytherins could possibly be like that."

Draco smirked in response.

The Gryffindor ignored the smirk and bit his lip. He asked quietly, "Why did you just tell me all of that?"

"Why? Because I enjoy ruining your dastardly plans." Came the amused reply.

Harry groaned again and rolled his eyes.

"Bit off more than you can chew, savior?"

"No." Potter replied almost absentmindedly. "You're nothing that I can't handle."

Draco scowled at that and glared. The Gryffindor noticed, folded his arms and smirked. "Didn't like that, did you?"

Draco refrained from gouging Harry's eyes out.

They had a staring contest again. Then, The Boy Who Lived scooted over so that he was in close proximity to the Slytherin. So close that their thighs brushed together.

Draco went very still. In this kind of game, Potter had him beat. Annoyingly, his heart began hammering wildly. Harry ran his hand over the Slytherin's left. His hand was warm and callused against Draco's skin. He brushed his lips over Draco's palm before placing the blond's hand on his face.

"This seems to be the only way to get any heartfelt reaction from you." Talking more to himself, he spoke quietly, eyes closed and Draco's palm pressed tightly against his cheek. "Your hand is warm. You're human too, aren't you? Everyone has a weakness."

Draco remained silent.

"I really don't have time for this. He's going to attack Hogwarts before Christmas and I need to be ready for it. You know, I don't think I hate you. I'm saving all my hate for Voldemort and Death Eaters." Harry squeezed his hand. "Please, Draco. Think of all the consequences."

Harry studied the Slytherin's face carefully, searching for any signs of his words making some kind of impact on the Slytherin. Draco kept his expression carefully blank. The Gryffindor's cheek was cool to the touch. His hand inexplicably ignored his request to yank away from Harry.

The cold weather suddenly felt biting to Draco. He hunched his shoulders closer trying to regain some warmth. Abruptly, Harry let down his hand and stood up. He gave the Slytherin a harmless smile and left the terrace. Draco blinked after him, listening to his footsteps fade away. Then he pulled out his Potions book and resumed preparing for class. He ignored the weather.

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Father,

If it's true that the Dark Lord is planning to attack before Christmas then there's a spy in Hogwarts, one that knows rather valuable information. They've been leaking secrets to the Mudbloods.

Send money, you aging prude. And thank mum for the chocolates.

Draco