Doppelganger
Part XIII: What the hell?

By Krystiana

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. (aka HP and all other characters belong to JKR and whole bunch of other people, blah, blah, blah...)

Warnings: A well-deserved 'R' rating. I mean it. THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN CUT FROM THE ORIGINAL. Sorry, but is fucking insane, so I wasn't taking any chances. If you want to read the unedited version, go to my livejournal ) or my website ).

Archive: My site ), , Noire Sensus (if they should somehow get a hold of this), Schnoogle (eventually). Anywhere else, please e-mail me first.

Thanks: To Emma Grant. She's been beta-ing this turd since the beginning, and I'm really happy she hasn't abandoned me yet. I know I'm taking forever, but my goal is to have it finished before I hit the one-year anniversary of starting this project... which is sometime around mid-October. THANK YOU, Emma, for sticking with me so long.

Notes: duck Yup. Hi. I'm not dead yet. Sorry.
I'm working a bunch of extra hours 'cuz I need moola, 'cuz my birthday is going to be EXPENSIVE this year. I've already spent over $200 dollars preparing ($192.50 for most of an exhaust system, $19.50 for e-check,). I've still got to get my plates renewed and my license renewed, which will be another $60. I hate money. BUT I'm also working on this... like twice as fast as I have been. Most of the story is written - just need to play connect the dots. The next couple chapters should be fairly quick in coming out. Have fun.

Draco opened his eyes to a slowly lightening sky. He blinked a few times, trying to remember why he was waking up outside. The last thing he could remember was talking with Potter, and Madame Hooch showed up. Harry had grabbed him, wrapping his arms around Draco. Draco remembered listening to Harry's heartbeat, and thinking of how comfortable he was in Harry's arms...

Draco was suddenly aware of a very close, very warm presence next to him. He moved his head and spotted Harry, asleep.

Merely a week ago, Draco would have recoiled in disgust at the thought of waking up next to Harry Potter. Today, however, he just smiled, watching Harry sleep. He looked like a child - his cheeks pink, his hair in disarray, and his glasses askew on his face. Without knowing why, Draco found himself being unable to resist reaching out to touch Harry. When Draco's fingertips brushed Harry's cheek, green eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times before meeting Draco's stare.

"You're awake," Harry said, his voice scratchy from sleep.

"And you were asleep," Draco said quietly. "Good morning."

"Morning?" Harry said in disbelief. His eyes flicked up to the sky, noting the sun peeking over the horizon. His gaze trailed back to Draco's eyes. "Glad to see you slept through the night."

"I did, didn't I?" Draco rested his head back on Harry's arm. I finally fell asleep, without having to deal with any waking visions of a certain naked boy... he thought.

Harry smiled at the feeling of Draco's weight settling back on his arm. He felt more rested than he had in months - he hadn't had a single nightmare, or any wet dreams involving the boy next to him...

Almost simultaneously, Draco and Harry realized the proximity of the other, and they sat up, jerking apart. Harry blushed, pushing his glasses up his nose, while Draco merely stared at him, his expression frozen.

"Um..." Harry started, chewing on his lower lip.

"What are you trying to do to me, Potter?"

"Nothing!" Harry protested. "You fell asleep on top of me."

"And... what? I looked so damned cute that you couldn't bear the thought of waking me up?"

Harry's eyes flashed dangerously. "I didn't want to wake you because you'd been awake long enough to get seriously ill."

"Oh, so you did it out of kindness?" Draco snapped.

Harry opened his mouth to retort, but quickly closed it, a strange sadness coming over him. "Do we really have to go back to this?" he said quietly. "Blaming each other, yelling at each other?"

Draco's eyes widened, but his expressions softened. "We're not... friends, Potter," Draco said, his voice lacking it's usual bite.

Harry's expression crumbled. He looked away and back up towards the castle, but not before Draco caught his falling face.

"Harry..." Draco's voice was quiet.

Harry ignored him. "Did we miss classes?"

Draco frowned, and quickly regained his composure. "No. We've got about an hour before breakfast even starts."

Harry turned his head back towards Draco. "How do you know that?"

"The position of the sun." Draco smirked. "It's a very useful survival skill, Potter. I thought that you would have learned that, of all people."

Harry snorted. "My survival is dependent on knowing what time it is?"

"You're the one that's always late to Potions."

Harry rolled his eyes, standing up. He gathered his cloak in his arms, finally bringing it to Draco's attention.

"An invisibility cloak?" Draco said, his eyes widening, wondering why he hadn't noticed it the night before.

"It was a gift from my father," Harry said casually. He stretched, cracking his back. "You must have known I had it."

"The mystery of your disembodied head floating around Hogsmeade is now solved," Draco commented, smirking. "You gave me nightmares for a good week after that, Potter."

"Good for me, then."

Draco stood, glowering. "For a third year, something like that is quite horrible."

"You deserved it."

"I.." Draco paused. "I suppose I did." He turned his back and began walking off the pitch towards the lake.

Harry blinked, turning to see Draco walking away from him. "Where are you going?"

"To take a shower. I definitely need it."

"Well, you're definitely getting a bit rank, but you're not going to get very clean by bathing in the lake," Harry said. "The castle is the other way."

"There's a passage by the lake that leads directly to the Slytherin dungeons."

Harry raised his eyebrows. That passage was definitely not on the Marauder's map. "There is?!" he exclaimed, quickly catching up to Draco. "Since when?"

"Since forever." Draco looked sideways at Harry. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Just... a bit shocked that you told me about it," Harry said.

Draco shoved his hands in his pockets, sniffing. "It's Slytherin territory, Potter. I don't expect to catch you down there."

"I'm the one with the invisibility cloak, remember?"

Draco glanced at the cloak in Harry's arms. "True. But before your bubble gets too big, it only leads to the hall where you can find the entrance to the common room. The Eight Room is down there, too."

"What's the Eight Room?"

"The room reserved for the Slytherin head boy. I believe our... counterparts are staying in there, for some reason. I wish I knew how they convinced Professor Snape to give it to them."

Harry James woke up the feeling of someone blowing on his ear. Before opening his eyes, he savored the sensation of being next to the person he was chained to.

Waking up next to Draco Lucius was something Harry James would never tire of. Their link would sometimes provide the feeling of being two people at once, and the moment in between being asleep and being awake was one of those times.

He could feel Draco Lucius blowing on his ear again - harder, this time. Harry James smiled at his lover's impatience.

"I know you're awake."

Finally opening his eyes, Harry James looked at Draco Lucius, who was hovering over him with a smirk on his face. "Good morning, lovely," Harry James said.

"Sleep well?"

Harry James stretched his arms over his head. "Best sleep I've got since we arrived here."

"Me, too," Draco Lucius said, lifting his hand to trace his lover's lips with his fingers. "We're up rather early. We've still got an hour or so before breakfast even starts." He lifted his eyebrow suggestively.

Harry James grinned. "You're insatiable."

Draco Lucius leaned down, his lips barely touching the skin on Harry's cheek. "If you're not in the mood..." He didn't finish his sentence, instead turning and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Harry James sat up, moving so that he could wrap his arms around Draco Lucius, savoring the feeling of skin on skin. He buried his head into his lover's shoulder. "I might be in the mood..." He moved his head slightly so he could place a kiss on Draco Lucius's neck.

Draco Lucius grinned, turning to face Harry James. "Now who's insatiable?"

Harry James tightened his embrace, kissing his lover's cheek and slowly moving over to meet the other boy's lips. Draco Lucius leaned into the kiss, probing forward with his tongue. Their tongues met, and Harry James pulled Draco Lucius back onto the bed with him, twisting so that they could face each other properly. Draco Lucius reached out to run his fingers through his lover's hair... but Harry James suddenly sat up, his eyes narrowed, and his gaze pointing towards the door.

"What's wrong?" Draco Lucius asked, sitting up alongside him.

"Someone is outside."

"So?"

Harry James ignored Draco Lucius, getting off the bed and quickly crossing the distance to the door, which he yanked open.

"Hey!" Draco Lucius protested, pulling a sheet over top of him. Harry James was wearing pajama pants, but Draco Lucius always slept in the nude.

"Don't worry, Draco," Harry James said, amusement creeping into his voice. "It's only Draco."

Draco turned his head towards the suddenly open door of the Eight Room, his eyes widening. He'd been standing with his arms crossed, telling an invisible Harry his theory of the connection between thestrals, dementors, and Professor Snape. He immediately turned to face Harry James, who was leaning on the door frame, smirking. Draco managed to keep his face straight, resisting the urge to let his mouth fall open, or raise his eyebrows, or something to give away the thoughts running through his brain.

The Harry Potter next to him was currently invisible, and staying silent, for some reason. The Harry Potter in front of him, however, was wearing nothing but silk green pants. They were hanging so low on his hips so that they looked as if they might fall off at any second. His hair was tousled, and his eyes almost seemed to glow. His chest was...

Draco told his brain to shut up before it went any farther than that. Why the hell wasn't Harry James wearing a shirt? Didn't he realize how it could be affecting other people?

"Harry..." Draco heard his own voice whine from inside the Eight Room. Draco Lucius appeared next to Harry James, wrapping an arm around his lover's waist. Draco heard Harry's breath hitch next to him, and a strange sense of satisfaction rose inside of him, knowing that Harry was being affected the same way he was.

Of course, Harry James had at least been wearing pants. Draco Lucius, however, was completely nude.

Harry James also heard the small gasp that Harry had let out, and he imperceptibly glanced to Draco's left. He couldn't see Harry, of course, but he had a feeling that his double was definitely nearby.

Draco was staring at Draco Lucius, unable to believe that he had simply walked to the open door without any clothes on. Draco Lucius noticed Draco's expression, and shrugged. "Don't look so shocked. It's not like you haven't seen it before."

"Not from this perspective!" Draco protested.

"Well, deal with it," Draco Lucius said crossly, pulling Harry James against him. "Harry, let's go back to bed." He placed a hand on his lover's stomach, trailing light touches up his chest. He placed a small kiss on Harry James's ear, smiling as his lover gave a small shiver. Draco tried not to stare at Harry James, his eyes widening at the reactions Harry James was having to Draco Lucius.

Harry James smiled, reveling in the sensation of Draco Lucius gently touching him. "If you insist, love." He turned around to re-enter the Eight Room, but not before tossing a smirk over his shoulder at Draco.

The door shut, and Draco stared at it, fighting his body so he wouldn't blush.

"I... I have to go," he heard Harry's voice say. "I'll see you later." Harry's voice was already farther away, and the footsteps he heard quickly faded into the distance.

Draco finally turned away from the door and headed farther down the hall to the Slytherin common room. He definitely needed a shower.

"What was that all about, Harry?"

Harry James grinned, rubbing his cheek up against Draco Lucius's. "I heard him talking to someone before I opened the door."

"Maybe he was talking to himself."

"Do you talk to yourself?"

Draco Lucius was silent for a moment. "Okay, point made."

On opposite ends on the castle, two young men stumbled into their showers.

One of them immediately turned the shower on full blast, while the other tried to slow his breathing before finally reaching out to the nozzle.

Both young men let the water hit their faces, letting it run down their bodies as they stared up at nothing. Their thoughts were focused on one image - a living double of their own selves, sidling up to a double of someone they thought they knew.

One of these boys saw the image of a blonde-haired rival tracing patterns on a chest identical to his own.

One of these boys saw a green-eyed youth smiling as he leaned into the touch of fingers impossible to tell apart from his own hand.

They both pictured loving kisses, some they had actually been witnessed, and some that happened nowhere but in their imaginations. The kisses shifted from the lips to the neck, from the neck to the chest, from the chest and drifting down...

Lips colliding in furious passion as they moaned the name they had hated for so long...

One boy came with a muffled shout, and the other let out a sharp gasp as he jerked forward one last time. The boy that had been facing the wall buried his head in the crook of his arm, breathing deeply. The other boy felt his knees give out, and he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. Both let the water fall over them, washing the evidence of their activities down the drain.

The two boys were both staring blankly, silently thanking that they were alone in the showers, their respective housemates still asleep. One thought was running through both of their minds, although only one of them said it out loud.

"What the hell is happening to me?"

"What do you have to look so satisfied about?" Draco Lucius asked, picking an orange off the top of the pile of fruit.

"Nothing," Harry James replied, his smirk growing as he saw the doors to the hall open and Harry walking through them, alone. His eyes followed Harry as he made his way to the empty Gryffindor table.

Harry took his seat, glancing over to the Slytherin table. He nodded to Draco Lucius and Harry James, the latter responding by grinning. Harry James pressed his fingers to his lips, and then, quite deliberately, held his hand out towards Harry and gently blew on it.

His eyes widening, Harry blushed a deep shade of red. He quickly averted his eyes from his twin, suddenly becoming very interested in his empty plate.

Draco Lucius paused in peeling in orange, raising an eyebrow at his lover. "Did you just blow yourself a kiss?"

Harry James grinned even wider, leaning over Draco Lucius to grab an apple. On his way back down to his seat, he paused to give Draco Lucius a kiss on the cheek. Harry James let his lips linger a bit, moving his mouth up to his lover's ear. "He was wanking," he whispered just as Draco Lucius bit into a slice of orange.

Draco Lucius snorted around the fruit, giving Harry James an amused glance. "You can tell just from looking at him?"

"Of course," Harry James answered. "We're completely different people, but we've got the same core instincts."

"You mean the same raging hormones? I doubt that."

"No. I mean the way his ears are a bit pink, his eyes are brighter than normal, and his hair is still dripping from the shower because he didn't bother to completely dry off." Harry James leaned on his elbow, thoughtfully twisting the apple in his fingers with his other hand. "I know what I look like after I wank off, and that is definitely it."

"You spend that much time studying your reflection after having yourself?" Draco Lucius let out a short laugh. "And you call me vain."

Harry James ignored the quips, not taking his eyes off of Harry. "I wonder who he was thinking about."

"First you blow yourself a kiss, and now you're fantasizing about jerking yourself off in the shower," Draco Lucius said, flicking a bit of orange peel at Harry James. "You are such a narc."

Harry James finally tore his eyes away from Harry, smiling as he tossed the peel back at Draco Lucius. "Jealous?" he said in a teasing voice.

"Who should I be jealous of - you or you?"

Harry James blinked. "Now I'm confused. Which 'you' am I?"

Draco Lucius grinned, popping the last orange slice into his mouth. His eyes moved to the doors when they opened again. Draco walked through and quickly surveyed the room, noticing the lone Gryffindor. He walked past the Slytherin table and sat down next to Harry, straddling the bench.

Harry James raised an eyebrow. "You'd think he's obsessed."

"I think he always has been," Draco Lucius commented. "The obsession is just showing itself differently than it used to."

On the other end of the hall, Harry had paused with the fork halfway to his mouth when Draco sat beside him. "Um... hi?" Harry bit his tongue, not quite knowing what to say.

"What are we, Potter?"

Harry put his fork back down on the plate. "Are we still playing the question game?"

"It's not polite to answer a question with a question."

Harry snorted. "You're lecturing me on my manners?"

"Are we friends?"

Harry's eyes narrowed. "You told me when we woke up that we weren't."

Draco covered a flinch by looking down at the bench. "Do you think we could be?"

"I..." Harry shut his mouth, studying Draco's face. "I don't know, Malfoy."

"Can you call me 'Draco?'"

Harry didn't miss a beat. "Can you call me 'Harry?'"

Draco finally lifted his eyes to meet Harry's, a faint smile on his lips. "I suppose."

Harry lifted an eyebrow, opened his mouth, and shut it again. He picked up his fork again and began stirring the food around the plate.

"Does that make us friends?"

"What... the two of us on a first name basis?" Harry looked up. "I think it takes a bit more than that."

"What would make us friends?"

Despite himself, Harry couldn't resist a small grin spreading over his lips. "You don't ever give up."

"No. What would make us friends?"

Harry set his fork down once more, turning to face Draco by lifting one of his legs up to the bench. He looked carefully at Draco, whose hair was still damp from the shower, and surprisingly not slicked back. "Do you trust me?"

Draco blinked. "Should I not trust you?"

"It's not polite to answer a question with a question. Manners, Mal-" Harry cut himself off, and leaned forward on his knee. "Draco." A few fifth year Gryffindors finally entered the hall, taking their seats at the table. As they noticed Draco, the whispers between them began.

Draco grinned. "Well, seeing as you're the savior, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't."

"Should I trust you, then?"

Draco's smile dropped, and his eyes fell to the table. "I'm not a Death Eater, Harry," he said, his voice only audible to the boy next to him.

"Are you going to be one someday?"

Draco lifted his gaze to again meet Harry's, and Harry stilled at the honest emotion he saw. "I don't know."

"Do you... want to be one?"

Draco continued staring at Harry, his eyes hardening suddenly. "I was raised to be one."

"That doesn't answer my question. What do you want for your future, Draco?"

"I don't..." Draco paused, glancing up and down the table. He leaned forward and whispered to Harry. "I can't really answer that, Harry."

Harry didn't respond to Draco, but didn't back away from him, either. Draco stayed where he was, leaning close to Harry...

A boy and a girl suddenly stood across the table from them. Harry looked up, his eyes widening when he recognized them.

"What's he doing here, Harry?"

Hermione stood next to Ron, studying Draco carefully. "Draco Lucius?" she asked hesitantly.

Draco snorted. "You wish, mudblood."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Don't call her that, Malfoy."

"Oh, so we're back to a last name basis, Potter?" Draco said, glancing at Harry casually.

"What do you mean back?" Ron spat. "Since when haven't you been?"

"Since about two minutes ago, until you two walked in and ruined it."

Hermione glared at Draco, her fingers itching to reach for her wand. "We didn't ruin anything, Malfoy. You're the one that called me... that name."

"A mudblood. It's what you are, Granger, whether you like it or not. You just happen to not like the terminology I choose."

"No, I don't like it. And you could have a bit of courtesy to not use it, seeing as how it's me you're referring to."

Draco's eyes narrowed at Hermione, and he smiled viciously. "Your opinion doesn't matter, mudblood."

Before anyone else could react, a hand snaked out, grabbing the back of Draco's cloak. He was pulled out of his seat, coming face to face with Draco Lucius.

"What's your problem?" Draco sneered at his twin.

"You and I are going to talk." Not releasing his hold on Draco's cloak, Draco Lucius yanked on it, causing Draco to stumble.

"Let go!"

"No," Draco Lucius said, his tone biting. "Harry got a chance to talk one on one with his counter-self. I get to have time to share a piece of my mind with you."

The Gryffindors watched with wide eyes as one Draco dragged another down the length of the table and out of the hall.

continued. -------