Author's note: I've had a new beta for a few weeks, and I failed to give her credit the last time. So thank you, my dear friend and one of my favorite authors, Sailor Grape! (huggles) My baby sister, who was my beta before, is in China but she'll be home soon. (more huggles)
Disclaimer: They're not mine, nor will they ever be. They belong to JK Rowling, who happens to rock.
And now, on with chapter 10.
Draco didn't leave the classroom after Harry left. He sat at one of the old desks and pounded his head against his fist. "Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" 'So, now what, Malfoy? What are you going to do?' It would be nice if that blasted voice would offer a little advice instead of irritating him to no end!'What am I going to do?' he thought. 'He wasn't supposed to feel the same way! He's supposed to hate me! It would be so much easier if he hated me! This makes things too complicated!' He dropped his head on the desk.
'What's complicated? Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy! The two of you will rule the entire school! Everyone will fall at your feet! There's no stopping you!'
Draco lifted his head. 'Really?' Wonderful! Still conversing with the disembodied voice in his head! St. Mungo's, anyone?'Well, all except the falling at your feet part. And you may rule the school, but it's doubtful. And, there is your father to deal with. But other than that, there should be no stopping you.'
Draco dropped his head back to the desk. 'You are positively no fucking help at all!' Lifting his head and stroking his chin thoughfully, he sighed. 'What am I so bloody afraid of? This is what I've wanted, isn't it? Bugger what everyone else thinks! I'm a Malfoy, and Malfoys always get what they want!'
Draco stood. Then he sat. "You can do this, Malfoy," he said aloud. He stood again and made his way to the classroom door. "There's just something I have to do first."
Instead of finding his friends, Harry decided to wander the halls for a bit. What had he just done? What would Draco do? He merely told Harry that he understood his feelings, not once saying that he returned them. At any rate, it was all in Draco's hands. What would he do if Draco rejected him? What would he do if Draco said yes? Draco did have a point, the whole school would be in an uproar. But honestly, it wouldn't be any different from anything else that had happened over the last six years. Most of the chaos in Hogwarts in that time was caused by Harry and his friends. Why should his relationships be any different? 'Besides,' Harry thought with a grin, 'this would just top everything.' His grin faded. 'Of course, if Draco says no, it won't bloody matter anyway.'
"Harry!"
The sound of hurried footsteps and Ginny's voice startled Harry out of his thoughts. He turned to her and smiled. "Hey, Ginny."
"Harry, what in blazes is going on? Tell me it's not true what they're saying!" She leaned against the wall to catch her breath.
"What- oh!" Harry widened his eyes in realization. He had forgotten that he told Ron and the others to tell her. "Ginny. . . ." She shook her head. "Just tell me it isn't true! You and Malfoy? That just can't be!"
"Shh! Ginny! Do you want the whole bloody place to hear you?" Harry glanced around nervously and caught his breath when Blaise Zabini walked by and smirked. "Are you happy? I think he heard!"Ginny's eyes flashed. "Who cares, Harry! They told me that you met with Malfoy to tell him! To tell him! Are you daft? Did it ever occur to you that he'll spread it faster than a Firebolt gone haywire?"
Harry sighed. "Ginny, please. It's done now, anyway." He stopped and thought a moment. "And you know something, I don't care if Zabini did just hear you. I don't care who knows what. Before I even knew this world existed, everyone in it knew my life story. Everyone in it knew what I am before I ever had a clue. This is nothing. Harry Potter has a crush! Big bloody deal!" He began to shout, drawing the attention of everyone passing by. Some stopped and stared. "And it's on another boy! A Slytherin boy!" Whispers broke out immediately among the other students. Harry smiled at Ginny. "And so what? I have other things to worry about."
Ginny's mouth hung open. "Harry. . . ."
"See you later." He turned and left Ginny in the middle of the pointing and whispering crowd, thinking he'd better go and hide for a while.
Draco burst into the Slytherin common room. A few of his housemates sat around reading or gossiping, Pansy among them. She looked up and opened her mouth to say something to him, but snapped it shut when she saw his glare. She huffed and turned her attention back to her friends.
Draco scanned the room for Blaise. When he didn't find him, he darted towards the hallway that led to his room. He whispered, "Conditioner!" to his door and it swung open. Stepping inside, he headed straight for his desk. Pulling out the chair, Draco sat and took a long, shaky breath. 'I can't believe I'm about to do this' With a trembling hand, he grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment. Taking another breath, he began to write.
Dear Father,
I'm writing this letter to you in the hopes that I will have your full understanding. I see no other way of breaking this to you other than complete honesty. I have fallen for someone. I know you wanted me to find a 'nice Slytherin witch' to marry and have a Malfoy heir. I'm sorry, Father, but I don't think there is such a thing. Have you seen some of my female Housemates? Half of them don't even take proper care of their hair. That said, the object of my affection is not a Slytherin girl. And when I say this, I mean neither Slytherin, nor a girl. I do hope you're sitting down. It's Harry Potter. Yes, you read that correctly. Harry Potter. I'm sorry, Father, I don't know how this came about, and I'm not sure I really want to. I know you wanted me to follow in your footsteps and serve the Dark Lord, but I don't think I ever wanted that. Please try to understand, Father, I'm trying to make sense of this myself. But please know that I'm not under any enchantments. My feelings are real. I don't know what is going to happen, but I do know that nothing you can do or say will change things. All I ask is that you respect my feelings and try to be supportive of me. Please write to me and tell me that you will.
Your son, Draco
Draco read and reread the letter. Satisfied, he sealed it in an envelope and headed for the Owlery.
Harry raced up the stairs that led to the Gryffindor common room. Stopping at the Fat Lady, he shouted, "Scallywag!" and she swung open. He found Ron and Hermione sitting by the fireplace, Hermione studying, Ron pretending to study. "You guys, I've really done it now!" Harry began to pace around the sofa. A few other Housemates snickered. "See, they know what I'm talking about!" Harry gestured to the rest of the students. "You lot were there, weren't you?"
Hermione looked at Harry and snapped her book shut. "Be still, Harry. Does this have anything to with what everyone's been chattering about? Something about shouting in the middle of the hallway that you're in love with a Slytherin boy? And where have you been? It's nearly dinnertime!"
"I've been flying in the Quidditch pitch. And I didn't say in love! I said crush! Oh, bollocks! Now I've really, really done it!" He dropped on the couch and put his head in his hands.
Ron's jaw dropped. "Harry, you didn't!""Oh, I did!" Harry looked at Ron. "Ginny jumped on my case about Draco, and I don't know what came over me! I just shouted out that Harry Potter has a crush on a Slytherin boy!"
"Harry, just calm down already!" Hermione put a hand on his shoulder. "It isn't a big deal. Besides, if you get the answer you want from M-- him, it really won't matter, will it?""I suppose you're right. I just wish I hadn't done that before I'd gotten an answer. It'll be torture now until I do."Ron clapped him on the back. "Don't worry about it, mate. It can't be any worse than when the whole school thought you were the heir of Slytherin. Or when no one believed you when you said You-Know-Who came back. Or when-"
"Thanks Ron, that'll do. But I suppose you're right. The only reason I did it was because it suddenly hit me that I don't care what anyone thinks anymore." Harry looked around at the rest of the Gryffindors, who seemed to be hanging on his every word. "So I hope all of you are amused by this. Because it's making me a bloody wreck!"
Hermione took Harry by the shoulders and turned him to face her. "Listen, Harry, the only thing that matters here is your happiness. Nothing else is important. You know that you have Ron and me behind you no matter what."
"She's right, mate." Ron looked at the rest of the students. "Let them whisper and giggle all they want."
Colin Creevy approached them. "Umm, excuse me, Harry, but no one really asked what we thought about all this. I mean, we heard you shout back there in the hallway, but honestly, no one's going to put you to the rack or anything."
Harry blinked. "Really, Colin?"
"Well, yeah," Colin continued. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that none of us cares who you fancy." The rest of their housemates nodded in agreement.
Ron elbowed Harry in the side. "See, mate, nothing to worry about."
"Although," Colin said slyly, "I think we would like to know just who it is." He quirked his eyebrows suggestively.
"No, Colin, not until I've gotten my answer. I don't want the whole school buzzing about this before he tells me yes or no." Colin lowered his head in disappointment. "Oh, alright, then." He returned to his other housemates and began a game of Exploding Snap.
Ron turned back to Harry. "Not until you've gotten your answer? So does that mean he's actually considering it?" he asked in a whisper so that the rest couldn't hear him.
Hermione brought her head in closer. "That's right, how did it go?"Harry smiled. "Well, he didn't hex me, so I think that's a good sign. And this might sound crazy, but I think he may have dressed himself up for it. His clothes were different, and he had his hair tied back. He looked great." Harry's smile broadened at the thought of Draco. He blinked. "But I did tell him that his hair looked better down, and so I took the ribbon out and started playing with his hair. I think I caught him off guard with that."
Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth. "That was really bold, Harry. Well, if he didn't curse you right there, then he must feel something."
"It felt really odd to be doing that, though. I mean, we've been fighting for so long, and now all of a sudden I'm flirting and fiddling with his hair." Harry looked down and plucked at a button on the couch. "I just hope this goes well. Otherwise, I'm going to feel rather silly."
Ron shook his head. "Don't worry, mate. You weren't brought back to us in a shoebox, so I'd say your chances are pretty good. He probably needs time to think."
At that point, Ginny came through the portrait. She stopped and looked for Harry. Running to the couch, she cried, "Harry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to jump down your throat like that! I hope you're not mad at me!" She plopped on the couch between Harry and Ron.
"Ginny, it's alright, I'm not angry with you. I just hope you understand-"
"Oh, I understand, Harry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I mean, it's none of my business if you and Malfoy-"
"Ginny!" Hermione slapped her forehead.
"What?" Ginny blinked cluelessly.
A hush fell over the common room. Everyone stared at Harry in a mixture of reactions. Some gaped, some smiled, and some of the girls sighed dreamily. Colin rose from his place at the table and joined them at the couch. Harry had never seen him smile so wide.
"So, it's Malfoy, is it?"
Harry covered his face with his hands. "Fuck!"
