Draco Malfoy and his Unknown Fate:

Author's Notes: Hmm. Blaise and Draco chat a bit. Lots of tidbits garnered from the Harry Potter Lexicon for this. Nothing big, just details to flesh the story out. Still, I give credit where credit is due.

Warnings for this chapter: Er. Bit of angst. Light Gryffindor bashing. Some crude guy talk. Oh, and mild swearing probably.

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm merely borrowing them for the time being. This will be slash (eventually). Don't like it? Don't read it. Otherwise, enjoy.

"I'm so nervous. What if they kick me out? What if I ruin it all? Oh god, I'm going to die." Draco cast a quick glance over at Blaise who looked to be only moments away from wailing in distress. It was a Hogsmeade weekend and they had decided to do their Christmas shopping together and Blaise was busy venting his fears to Draco about the upcoming Christmas Hols. Crabbe and Goyle had lumbered off earlier in the day and Pansy was gossiping with her girls so it was just the two of them.

"Don't be ridiculous." He said curtly. Blaise nodded, reassured. After all, he didn't expect the other Slytherin to coo at him like a Hufflepouf. "You come from good stock and your parents are fairly wealthy. As long as you're on your best behavior her parents will love you. Frankly, I'm surprised you even agreed to visit her family. I didn't know things were quite that serious."

The other boy shrugged, flicking a curl out of his face. "Well, she asked me to and I couldn't bear to disappoint her."

Draco laughed, punching his friend playfully on the shoulder. "You are so pussy whipped." Blaise shoved him back.

"Shut up. You're just jealous 'cause you aren't getting any, Draco."

"True, true." He mused mournfully, which only made the brunette laugh. "You think my poor, frustrated libido is funny, do you Zabini?"

"Absolutely hilarious, Malfoy. You may tease me for being wrapped around my girlfriend's finger, but face it Malfoy. You're an incurable romantic."

Draco goggled. "What? Where did you get that ridiculous idea from?"

Zabini smirked, cocking one eyebrow up in a manner he had to have picked up from Draco. "Because, you're still a virgin despite the fact you could have shagged Cornfoot about a hundred times over last year. You want your first time to be with someone special." He carried on despite Draco's vehement if vague protests. "And you like dramatic ideas. True love. Romeo and Juliet. Soul mates. All that bunk. You eat it up with a silver spoon, though you'd never admit it."

Draco was seething. "I may be gay Blaise, but I still have a cock! I'm not a bloody girl."

"I didn't say you were. Guys can be romantic. Look at. Um."

"Oh?" It was said with an insufferably smug look that made Blaise roll his eyes.

"Like me, for instance. Putting myself through hell just to make Tracy happy. Her parents are going to eat me alive, but here I am, bravely soldiering on for her sake."

"Are we back on that again? They can smell fear, you know. If you don't want them looking down their noses at you or killing you with kindness by being excruciatingly polite and distant I'd advise you to act confident, even if you're knees are knocking."

"Yes, Malfoy. That makes me feel loads better. Wanker." He paused before curiosity got the better of him. "Killing me with kindness? They can do that?"

"My mother's an expert at it. In the right hands, it can be worse than an outright snub. I'd doubt they're anywhere near as bad as my family, though."

"And thank the gods for that, at least. I'm still nervous mind you, but I'll muddle through well enough I suppose."

There was a comfortable silence the rest of the trek until they reached Hogsmeade where they immediately set out towards the smaller shops. Blaise bought his girl a pretty cloak and matching muff as well as some other things Draco paid no attention to in an attempt to prevent ruining the surprise of his own gift. Draco picked out a few copies of the comic The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle for Greg who had some incomprehensible fondness for them, some owl treats for Grindylow, a new sketchpad for Vince along with a small charcoal set, a small statuette of a nightingale that sang and could even be spelled to give its owner a wakeup call in the morning for Pansy as well as a bottle of her favorite perfume, an old copy of Odd Ointments and Bubbling Brews by Herbert Paddywhack that had several obscure potions in it that he knew Snape would love, and a set of Puddlemere United robes for Blaise who supported them, though Draco personally favored the Falmouth Falcons. Any Quidditch team who had the motto, "Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads." was number one in Draco's opinion.

He almost bought a lovely humidor for Lucius before he remembered he wasn't going to get his father a Christmas present this year. You could have been a great Malfoy, if you'd been even a bit of a man. The words echoed in his head mockingly as he recalled that particular memory while he stared at the would-be gift unseeingly. He was jolted out of his morose reverie by Blaise's hesitant touch on his elbow. "You alright there Malfoy?" Draco shook off the lingering melancholy.

"I'm fine. You done?"

"Yeah. Let's swing by Honeydukes before we head over to the Three Broomsticks, okay?" Draco agreed and they set off, ending up in a corner booth with several bags of sweets propped nearby as they sipped at their butterbeers forty five minutes later. The mood had lightened considerably by then. "Wow, there was really a big crowd today. For a second there I thought I'd actually have to beat Finnigan over the head to get myself some Ice Mice."

Draco snickered. "Gryffindors have such thick heads it probably wouldn't have even phased him. Though a concussion or two couldn't hurt, that's for sure."

"I suppose not. Not too bad on the eyes though, is he?" Blaise said slyly.

Draco turned to him, his eyebrows shooting up incredulously. "Blaise!" His tone was exaggeratedly scandalized. "Why, you lothario you, what would Tracy say?"

"Shut it Malfoy."

"Then don't fish, Zabini."

"Pansy and I were talking -" Draco interrupted immediately.

"Quite the meeting of miniature minds, I take it."

Blaise sighed and rolled his eyes. "Shush. We got to talking and we've both decided that you need to get yourself a boyfriend. I mean, there has to be one boy at Hogwarts willing to put up with your insufferable attitude."

"Yes, but will he be able to meet my exacting standards?"

"Draco, you can't meet your exacting standards."

"That is entirely besides the point."

Blaise looked like he was about to pull out his own hair in frustration, but Draco's laughter at the constipated expression on his face stopped him. "Laugh all you want Draco. We just don't want you to be lonely." Draco was touched, but hid it with a sneer. It would not do to become a milksop.

"Oh, trying to spread the love, eh?"

Aware the message was understood and appreciated despite the caustic words, Blaise rolled his eyes. "Not in this lifetime. I just want to get you laid so you'll stop acting the prat. What about… hmm. Finch-Fletchy?"

"For the last time, no Hufflepuffs, much less Mudblood Hufflepuffs. I'd die of shame. No, I'd probably kill myself before I had a chance to die of shame." He corrected quickly.

"Don't blame you there. Those dozy sods are so dense they'd probably need a handbook and color coded chart just to get the right bits in the right places." They shared a chuckle and Blaise mused on, propping his chin in his hands. "How about a Ravenclaw? Boot, maybe? I think he may be bi."

"Pansy's has dibs on him, though I doubt it'll pan out. And he's got a thing for his sister. It's… unsettling, to say the least." Draco took a swig of butterbeer to hide the grin at Blaise's grimace of distaste.

"Oh, ew. Alright, bye bye Boot then. Um. Finnigan's involved with Thomas, so that knocks out two. Well, how about Creevy? He's so queer he makes Lockheart look straight."

"Frankly, I'd rather shag Potter. Creevy looks like a frog."

"Well, there you go!" Blaise said, clapping his hands enthusiastically.

Draco gave him a flat look. "That wasn't an endorsement. I don't know about you, but I don't have don't have a thing for amphibians."

"No, no. Potter. Your beloved enemy, remember him? The boy can do miracles on a broom and you've always liked Quidditch players. He's not too hideous I suppose and he is a celebrity. He's loaded. And he comes from a decent bloodline. Sure, he's crap in Potions, but that just means you get to gloat about it. It'll make you feel all manly, yeah?" The other Slytherin was ticking off Potter's good points on his hands, grinning up at Draco insolently.

"That's - you!" Draco was beyond words. "Are you out of your mind?! For one thing, Potter's straight. He'd probably punch me if I came onto him. For another, hello, burning animosity and unrelenting rivalry? Not to mention, he's got a Dark Lord out to kill him and any significant other he has is likely to be killed faster than a Mudblood at a Dark Revel."

"I notice there wasn't any problems with Potter himself in there."

"Shut up Blaise. I do not fancy Potter. At all. And I never will."

Blaise smirked, pleased and not a little amused. "Draco, you're slipping. I never said you fancied Potter. I simply said he'd potentially make a good boyfriend. I think I sense a little projection here."

"Sod off." He said shortly, taking a swig from his mug to prevent any further conversation.

Blaise however, did not take the hint. "Oh come on. So you've got a thing for Potter. I can see how why you might. He's all heroic and whatnot. Rescuing damsels in distress and saving the world. Probably has a nice arse too considering all that flying he does."

"Blaise. I wouldn't shag Potter if he paid me to. Well, not unless there was ball gag handy. The bloody Gryffindor's so self righteous he'd probably spend the whole time preaching at me."

The other Slytherin coughed and spluttered helplessly, having taken a sip just when Draco mentioned the ball gag. Apparently the butterbeer had gone down the wrong way when he'd gasped in shock. When he finally caught his breath he roared in laughter. "Oh gods, I can see it now. Yeah, suck it harder Malfoy and have I mentioned you shouldn't be so mean to Mudbloods? You've been a bad, bad boy. Bend over baby, while I lecture you on the evils of following You Know Who." Blaise mimicked Potter's voice closely as he spoke, which made Draco snicker despite himself.

"Shut up. I have better taste than that."

"Right." Said Blaise, obviously humoring him.

"I do."

"Sure."

"I'm serious, here."

"I didn't say you weren't." Draco eyed him, taking in the too bland expression plastered on the other Slytherin's face.

"Well, good then." He said reluctantly, unwilling to leave it at that, but incapable of pushing the point when Blaise would only tell him he was protesting too much. But he had a feeling this was going to come back to bite him on the arse.

To be Continued

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