Chapter Four
Draco woke up the next morning and for a second had no idea what was going on. There was someone else in his bed, a warm body pressed snugly against his own.
Panicking, he tried to get away from whoever it was - was I drunk last night? - but when the body moved with him he remembered.
Potter. The ties. The fight with Zabini.
He whimpered and tried to burrow under his covers, but the other boys were awake and watching him.
"Problems, Draco?" Blaise asked innocently.
"Shut up, Zabini," Draco growled. The he muttered, "Potter, we've got to get up and down to breakfast. Move your lazy ass and I might let you take first lesson."
Hermione sat at the table in the Great Hall, hands folded in her lap, looking uncharacteristically worried, seeing as it was nowhere near exam time.
"Do you think he'll show up for breakfast, Ron?" she asked nervously. "It can't be true. I mean, he would have told us, right?"
"What are you on about, 'Mione?" Ginny asked, sitting down opposite her.
"Nothing you need to worry about, and don't call me 'Mione," Hermione snapped crossly.
"Well, if it's about that rot Peeves was spreading, I shouldn't be too worried about it," Ginny said loftily. "I mean, do you really think it could happen?"
"You're right," Ron said, then stood up. "Oi, Harry!" he yelled. "Over here!"
Harry walked over, and Hermione watched with concern. "There's something wrong with him," she said worriedly. "He's walking funny."
Harry stared at the seat with some trepidation. "Right, what do we do now?" he asked softly. "I guess you have to sit backwards and miss breakfast."
"Now, just a minute, Potter," Draco hissed. "If you think I'm going to miss another meal because of you, I'll - "
Harry kicked backwards to shut him up and joined his friends. He was surprised to find that while he was walking it was like being glued to Draco from behind, but when he sat down, their legs sprang apart, so that each could sit on the chair, albeit uncomfortably.
"Where were you last night, Harry?" Hermione asked gently, as if this were a mental patient she'd been warned to be very careful with.
"Just, around, you know?" Harry evaded uncomfortably.
"Around where? You were gone all night! You could have gotten into serious trouble."
"Look, Hermione, I don't want to talk about it!" Harry said sharply. "Dumbledore kept me back, ok?" he asked in a fit of inspiration that took the form of Draco hissing in his ear.
Hermione looked both satisfied with his explanation and hurt that he'd snaped at her. Ginny was looking at him oddly and Ron whistled.
"Hey, where's Malfoy this morning?" Dean asked, artfully, leaning across to talk to Ron and Hermione. "Apparently he went missing just before breakfast, and no-one's seen him."
"Oh, poor thing, he's been missing - what, twenty minutes?" Hermione snapped, knowing well what Dean was up to. "Why should we care where he went, anyway?"
Harry turned pink. Draco had just choked with indignation, and while nobody appeared to have heard it, Dean noticed the blush.
"Where were you last night, Harry?" Dean asked in the tone of someone kindly that you could talk to. Priest-at-the-confessional style.
"Nowhere," Harry said too quickly. "I mean, Dumbledore held me back."
"All night? You must have done something pretty damn terrible," Dean said sympathetically.
"It's none of your business, mate," Ron snapped, intervening. "What Harry does is what Harry does. Don't question him!"
"Ron, shut up," Harry hissed under his breath. To Dean he said, "it wasn't really anything important. Why?"
Lavender and Parvati whipped around from their discussion. "Ooh, then you haven't heard the rumours?" Parvati asked keenly. "Peeves was spreading it all over the school yesterday."
"And you'd believe what Peeves said?" Harry asked incredulously, heart sinking. Behind him, he heard Draco groan.
"Well, no," Lavender said uncomfortably. "But - you disappeared, and nobody's seen Malfoy this morning, so we thought - but if you were with Dumbledore, I gues you couldn't have been -"
Harry listened to her deliberate with mounting tension. When she stopped talking and smiled at him, he sighed with relief.
"Hey, Potter!" someone shrieked. "Potter!" It was Pansy Parkinson, standing up at the Slytherin table, her expression one of spite. "What the Hell have you done with Malfoy, huh? Where is he?"
"Shut up, Parkinson," Seamus said angrily. "Harry doesn't know where he is, do you Harry?"
"No," Harry said untruthfully. Pushing his plate away, he said, "I'm leaving. I have to get some stuff from the Common Room before classes start." Standing up, he attempted to make a dignified exit, tripped, righted himself by grabbing the edge of the table, and managed to walked in synch enough with Draco to get out without further mishap.
"Well, Draco said, shimmering into sight once they'd left the Hall. "That was a bit of a gruesome experience, wasn't it? I told you we should have gone to the Slytherin table. Nobody there questions me."
"Oh, shut up, Malfoy," Harry said tiredly, just as Seamus came out of the Hall. "Harry, wait up!" he called. "I need to go up to the - oh, Merlin!" he shouted. "Harry, what the Hell have you done?"
"Oh, shit," Harry said softly. "Seamus, I can explain."
Draco woke up the next morning and for a second had no idea what was going on. There was someone else in his bed, a warm body pressed snugly against his own.
Panicking, he tried to get away from whoever it was - was I drunk last night? - but when the body moved with him he remembered.
Potter. The ties. The fight with Zabini.
He whimpered and tried to burrow under his covers, but the other boys were awake and watching him.
"Problems, Draco?" Blaise asked innocently.
"Shut up, Zabini," Draco growled. The he muttered, "Potter, we've got to get up and down to breakfast. Move your lazy ass and I might let you take first lesson."
Hermione sat at the table in the Great Hall, hands folded in her lap, looking uncharacteristically worried, seeing as it was nowhere near exam time.
"Do you think he'll show up for breakfast, Ron?" she asked nervously. "It can't be true. I mean, he would have told us, right?"
"What are you on about, 'Mione?" Ginny asked, sitting down opposite her.
"Nothing you need to worry about, and don't call me 'Mione," Hermione snapped crossly.
"Well, if it's about that rot Peeves was spreading, I shouldn't be too worried about it," Ginny said loftily. "I mean, do you really think it could happen?"
"You're right," Ron said, then stood up. "Oi, Harry!" he yelled. "Over here!"
Harry walked over, and Hermione watched with concern. "There's something wrong with him," she said worriedly. "He's walking funny."
Harry stared at the seat with some trepidation. "Right, what do we do now?" he asked softly. "I guess you have to sit backwards and miss breakfast."
"Now, just a minute, Potter," Draco hissed. "If you think I'm going to miss another meal because of you, I'll - "
Harry kicked backwards to shut him up and joined his friends. He was surprised to find that while he was walking it was like being glued to Draco from behind, but when he sat down, their legs sprang apart, so that each could sit on the chair, albeit uncomfortably.
"Where were you last night, Harry?" Hermione asked gently, as if this were a mental patient she'd been warned to be very careful with.
"Just, around, you know?" Harry evaded uncomfortably.
"Around where? You were gone all night! You could have gotten into serious trouble."
"Look, Hermione, I don't want to talk about it!" Harry said sharply. "Dumbledore kept me back, ok?" he asked in a fit of inspiration that took the form of Draco hissing in his ear.
Hermione looked both satisfied with his explanation and hurt that he'd snaped at her. Ginny was looking at him oddly and Ron whistled.
"Hey, where's Malfoy this morning?" Dean asked, artfully, leaning across to talk to Ron and Hermione. "Apparently he went missing just before breakfast, and no-one's seen him."
"Oh, poor thing, he's been missing - what, twenty minutes?" Hermione snapped, knowing well what Dean was up to. "Why should we care where he went, anyway?"
Harry turned pink. Draco had just choked with indignation, and while nobody appeared to have heard it, Dean noticed the blush.
"Where were you last night, Harry?" Dean asked in the tone of someone kindly that you could talk to. Priest-at-the-confessional style.
"Nowhere," Harry said too quickly. "I mean, Dumbledore held me back."
"All night? You must have done something pretty damn terrible," Dean said sympathetically.
"It's none of your business, mate," Ron snapped, intervening. "What Harry does is what Harry does. Don't question him!"
"Ron, shut up," Harry hissed under his breath. To Dean he said, "it wasn't really anything important. Why?"
Lavender and Parvati whipped around from their discussion. "Ooh, then you haven't heard the rumours?" Parvati asked keenly. "Peeves was spreading it all over the school yesterday."
"And you'd believe what Peeves said?" Harry asked incredulously, heart sinking. Behind him, he heard Draco groan.
"Well, no," Lavender said uncomfortably. "But - you disappeared, and nobody's seen Malfoy this morning, so we thought - but if you were with Dumbledore, I gues you couldn't have been -"
Harry listened to her deliberate with mounting tension. When she stopped talking and smiled at him, he sighed with relief.
"Hey, Potter!" someone shrieked. "Potter!" It was Pansy Parkinson, standing up at the Slytherin table, her expression one of spite. "What the Hell have you done with Malfoy, huh? Where is he?"
"Shut up, Parkinson," Seamus said angrily. "Harry doesn't know where he is, do you Harry?"
"No," Harry said untruthfully. Pushing his plate away, he said, "I'm leaving. I have to get some stuff from the Common Room before classes start." Standing up, he attempted to make a dignified exit, tripped, righted himself by grabbing the edge of the table, and managed to walked in synch enough with Draco to get out without further mishap.
"Well, Draco said, shimmering into sight once they'd left the Hall. "That was a bit of a gruesome experience, wasn't it? I told you we should have gone to the Slytherin table. Nobody there questions me."
"Oh, shut up, Malfoy," Harry said tiredly, just as Seamus came out of the Hall. "Harry, wait up!" he called. "I need to go up to the - oh, Merlin!" he shouted. "Harry, what the Hell have you done?"
"Oh, shit," Harry said softly. "Seamus, I can explain."