But I'll reinforce my main pairing, with a nice little warning now: This is a Harry and Draco slash, people. Which means, gasp, shock, horror, they're both boys, and they like (and will even possibly loooove) each other! Egads! And they sing and dance, too!
So dont tell me you didnt see it coming.
Sigh. I'm too caustic. Forgive me. You know I love all you people, as long as you love me and my slash obsession. Now on with the show!
Snape's outburst of song and its subsequent consequences were hot gossip, and the news spread like wildfire across the school. As such the Potions Master was now dealing detentions the minute he entered classes in an effort to curtail remarks and requests for "a song, sir?" – that misfortunate student had last been seen covered in mysterious boils and tap-dancing uncontrollably towards Filch's office. Most other students, however, had the good sense to keep their mouths shut, and for the rest of the day the dungeons were unnaturally silent.
Harry would probably have felt extremely sympathetic toward his professor, had he known. After all, he himself was rather terrified of facing everyone after his dance with Draco, and was quite prepared for a whole onslaught of remarks regarding his uber-fast retreat from the dungeons following said dance, but thankfully none came.
Of course, this could have had something to do with the fact that Harry had temporarily disappeared.
After running from the dungeons, Harry had skipped his next two classes and lunch, hiding out in the Room of Requirement, which had kindly provided him with a large, warm squishy couch, bottles of Butterbeer and boxes of chocolate. He had spent the next three hours wallowing in something very akin to shame.
He had danced with Draco Malfoy.
Not only had he danced, he had dirty danced with Draco.
And despite his staunchest insistence that he really didn't, he had a deeply-buried, niggling feeling that he had maybe been more than, er…piqued by it.
It had, after all, taken a good half hour before his, eh…pique had been calmed.
Harry took another hearty sip of Butterbeer and a big bite of a piece of chocolate, which was what he had resorted to doing every time he thought about his traitorous body's reaction to being so close to Draco Malfoy, bane of his existence – no matter that Draco really was quite an attractive boy, very possibly the most attractive boy that Harry had known. Even more so than Oliver Wood and his rugged looks or Cedric Diggory with his pin-up charms, but that didn't matter – Draco Malfoy was still 'the enemy' and as such, he shouldn't have been…piqued.
Another thought, another swig of Butterbeer, another chunk gone from the bar of chocolate.
At this point, Harry was more-than-just-slightly tipsy, but remarkably calm.
It was in this state that Draco found him in, three hours after the Potions class incident.
Now, it hadn't been his plan, exactly, to look for Harry. But since he had heard talk of Harry Potter vanishing, he had been slightly anxious. A casual conversation with some other students had confirmed that Harry had indeed missed all his other morning classes. And when Harry hadn't shown up for lunch…
Draco, despite his crunchy outer shell, really had a soft gooey center. Sort of like a caramel-filled chocolate egg. Or a jelly donut, if the donut part was a bit tougher than soft chewy pastry. The point was – he had his caring side. Sure, it was mostly for himself. But he cared. Sometimes even about other people.
Besides, he couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for Harry's inexplicable vanishing act. After all, from what he gathered, Harry had run out of Potions like a bat from hell, and had not been seen since. So, being the last person that Harry had had…ahem, contact with, it was a rather safe assumption that he had been at least part of the reason for Harry's Olympic-worthy sprint from the dungeons. And since there was nothing to prove otherwise, it was likely that he was also the reason for his sudden estrangement from the rest of the student body.
At first, Draco hadn't been too concerned, as was his way. After all, Harry was the Golden Boy, and surely all of Gryffindor, especially his two best friends, would rise up to the occasion and conduct a castle-wide manhunt for the Boy-Who-Lived. Couldn't have him go missing, after all, what with him still being top of Voldemort's People To Kill List. The teachers, surely, must have been panicking and combing the school for sign of Harry.
Except that at lunch, McGonagall was sitting at the staff table, chatting away happily with Sprout and Flitwick. Professor Snape, of course, couldn't seem to care less; he seemed more concerned about glaring threateningly over the Hall, as if to reinforce his Most Terrifying Teacher position. But even Dumbledore seemed fairly carefree, laughing at something that half-giant oaf Hagrid was telling him.
The Gryffindor table was no different – he saw just about the entire sodding House at their table, except for Harry, of course, who was still MIA. And none of the bloody 'House of the Brave' seemed particularly concerned about their missing hero, which was irking Draco greatly.
Not that Draco was concerned about Harry, of course. That would be preposterous. He didn't really give a damn about the leader of the Golden Trio.
Which was why he was marching over to the other two members, the sidekicks, who were currently talking quietly to each other, all small smiles and blushes – it was making Draco ill. Flirting when their supposed best friend was missing.
But as he got closer and could hear their conversation, he realized that they had finally decided that maybe Harry was taking a little too long to return to the rest of the world.
"I don't know, Hermione," the red-headed weasel was saying. "Maybe we should look for him…"
"Nonsense, Ron," the bushy-haired Granger girl replied dismissively. "You know how Harry gets. He just disappears for hours then shows up again, right as rain."
"But Harry's not usually gone for this long. Its not normal, even for him." Weasley insisted. Draco paused thoughtfully. So apparently, this vanishing act of Harry's was a rather common one. That would explain everyone's reactions, he mused.
Granger let out a sigh. "I know, but I really think he just wants time and space to himself, I don't think he'd do anything rash. The Room wouldn't let him." Weasley was looking disconcerted still, so Granger conceded, "We'll look for him after last period, okay?"
Draco nearly spat at them. Some friends they were, leaving Harry to rot in that…room, whichever one they were referring to.
Granger was still speaking. "…up to old Barnabas later, alright?"
Oh, so it was that room. The Room of Requirement. Well.
Not that he cared, of course, but since Harry's friends seemed nonplussed about what was possibly happening to him, Draco decided to take it upon himself to find out. It would be…uh, good blackmail material. Yes, that's it. Blackmail. Not out of any goodness of his heart, or anything.
He resisted the urge to start a confrontation with the sidekicks; it would only waste precious time from his lunch hour. Instead he left the Great Hall and made his way up to that portrait of Barnabas the Barmy on the seventh floor. He found a door already there, and without bothering to knock, turned the knob and walked in.
And so, he found himself looking at one rather disoriented Harry Potter.
"Dr…way…co?" Harry slurred, blinking up at him. "Are you…real?"
Draco just stared.
Harry, Harry Potter, the savior of the Wizarding World, was slumped in a giant lump of a chair, a half-empty bottle of Butterbeer clutched in one hand and a almost-gone bar of chocolate grasped in the other. Around him, several empty bottles littered the ground, and his face was smeared with chocolate as well.
This was the boy who was supposed to defeat the most evil wizard of all time?
For once, words failed Draco.
Harry was peering up at him, apparently trying to focus on him, although his head kept bobbing slightly side-to-side. When Draco said nothing, Harry suddenly collapsed back into his chair with a hysterical giggle.
"Oh god, I'm imagining…don't tell me I'm starting to imagine he's here."
Draco was about to speak up and tell Harry that he was indeed there, because he was suddenly very afraid for Harry's sanity, when Harry suddenly continued.
"Bad enough I've been thinking about him all this time…I'm starting to see him too?"
Draco immediately snapped his mouth shut, his interest taking a sharp rise. Boy Wonder was thinking about him? Well. This could prove…educational.
So with a slightly wicked smile on his face, he shut the door behind him and faced Harry, entirely keen on hearing just what exactly he had been thinking about him. Harry was staring up at him with a little bit of wonder in his expression, and Draco remained as he was, smirking silently at Harry, waiting to hear him speak.
He didn't have to wait long.
"Damn it, stupid imaginary Draco…" Harry muttered, narrowing his eyes at Draco, who was vaguely disconcerted – although not unpleasantly – by Harry's use of his first name. "Don't stand there and…and…smirk at me!"
Harry was sure he hadn't drank all that much, and surely chocolate didn't make one hallucinate? But perhaps he had, or perhaps it did, because why – and how else was he suddenly seeing Draco Malfoy in front of him? He felt like snapping at the hallucination, except his head was spinning slightly. And damn it, it was smirking. Why was imaginary Draco smirking just like real Draco? Was it his stupid, treacherous self's way of punishing him for over-indulging? Make the one person I shouldn't be attracted to appear in front of me, wearing the expression that I ought to hate?
"Stop smirking," growled Harry, at whom, he didn't know. It could have been directed at imaginary-Draco, or himself for creating the imaginary-Draco in the first place. "I don't find it sexy! You hear me?" he half-yelled, half-slurred at it, or himself. "I don't! It's…not…sexy…not…Draco!"
Draco's smirk was stretched wide across his face as he listened to Harry, and observed as the Gryffindor ranted at no one in particular. So, this was Harry drunk, or high…or both… Apparently Harry was one of those people who spoke their minds when inebriated. So, this, all that Harry was saying…it was what Harry thought…
And Harry thought he was sexy.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Draco's smirk widened just that little bit more.
AN: So there you all go, no singing in this chapter - is that good or bad? - but its a slightly longer chapter and it was written just so that, besides using the word "pique" three times, getting to call Draco a caramel-filled chocolate egg and a jelly donut, I could have Harry completely sloshed and Draco witness it. I'm sadistic that way. Feel free to berate me, as long as you do it in a review. (big cheesy grin)
Speaking of, may love and lust befall all of you who have so graciously reviewed:
I like black stuff, Rose Petals, Prophetess of Hearts, AmethystxX, zina, wwwendy, Lilsi, Tigris T Draconis, Mac Black, musicgirl141, and elethoniel. Somnia Lustre (you absolutely rock as a reviewer, thanks so much!), and jelly-bean5 (Your review made my day!).
I have no socks now because you guys rocked 'em off. I love all that you guys have to say to me, even the death threats. I do apologize to any of you who were freaked out by either Snape's singing or the saucy dancing, but ya cant say I didnt warn you. (grin)
Two quick last notes. One, for all of you reading "Dessert", chapter two is on its way, and its rating will be R, for you smutty slash lovers. Two, I'm plugging my LJ, cause its lonely. Besides, over there you can bug me to write as much as you want. The link is in my bio. Now, I'm done.