Secrets

Chapter Nine

"Ron?" Harry asked his best friend cautiously, unsure whether he was angry or not.

"Yes, Harry?" Ron answered without looking at him.

Seamus, Dean, and Neville, all seeming slightly uncomfortable, were surrounding Ron's bed, looking between the two friends.

"Is something the matter?" Harry asked.

"Whatever could be the matter?" the redhead replied sarcastically. He looked up at Harry.

"Look, Ron," Harry said, walking to the foot of Ron's bed, "Dumbledore told us to wait for him."

"And there was nowhere else you could have gone?"

"He said to wait in the common room," Harry mumbled, feeling guilty for lying. He had, in fact, been told he could wait in a common room or in the Great Hall.

Ron frowned. "Fine."

Harry stared into his best friend's face for a moment. "Ron," he began, "why can't-"

"He's your friend, not mine. It's not going to happen, Harry. Give it up."

"All right," Harry said, sighing. He turned and started walking out of the room.

"Hey, Harry?" Ron called out, halting the boy's movements.

"Yeah?"

"You up for a game of Exploding Snap?"

Harry grinned and crossed back over to his best friend.

"Sure. Prepare to lose."

"What was that, Harry? You were going to beat me? Was that what you said?" Ron gloated.

"Sure, rub it in," Harry muttered under his breath.

"That's all right. I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. How about it?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed, jumping up.

"You're such a sore loser," Ron turned to the others. "All right, who wants to go up against me?"

"I will," Dean replied, taking Harry's place on Ron's bed.

Harry walked over to his own bed and sat down. He grabbed a piece of parchment and quickly jotted a note to Draco, asking him if he wanted to study later for potions.

"See you in a bit," Harry said, leaving for the owlery to send his letter.

"No, you've got it all wrong!" Draco exclaimed, a note of frustration entering his voice.

"What's wrong with it?" Harry asked, pulling a book toward himself to look closely at the writing. "I have all the ingredients listed."

"Yes, but look," Draco said, pointing to Harry's parchment. "You said that you add the Scurvy-grass before the Sneezewort. And that's just the start of it. None of these are in the correct order."

"What does it matter?" Harry grumbled. "They're all going to the same place anyway."

Draco gave Harry an incredulous look, much like the look one would give a person if asked what the point of breathing was.

"Harry, mixing up the ingredients can be detrimental to your health. It could cause-"

"Hanging out with you is detrimental to my health," Harry mumbled.

"Fine. See if I care. But don't come crying to me when you get yourself killed. All I was trying to do was help you out."

Harry glanced at Draco and tilted his head, studying the other boy. After a moment he nodded his head as if coming to a conclusion.

"What?" Draco asked, looking confused.

"You remind me of someone."

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"You won't like it," Harry replied in a sing-song voice.

"Just tell me, would you?"

Harry grinned. "Hermione."

"What?! That know-it-all?" he cried, jumping up from the couch.

Harry coughed and just stared at Draco, trying his hardest to keep a straight face.

"How dare you compare me to that filthy little mu-" Draco cut his rant off as soon as he noticed the other boy's expression harden.

"Sorry," he muttered barely audibly as he sat back down.

"I don't ever, ever want to hear those words come out of your mouth."

Draco raised one of his perfectly groomed eyebrows.

"Are you threatening me, Potter?"

"Do you want to try me and find out?"

Draco smirked.

"Well, well, well. Didn't think you had it in you to be a bad ass." He held out his hand, as if he was inspecting his nails. "You have, however, learned from the best. So I suppose that it shouldn't come as a shock."

Harry frowned at him, and went back to studying the book in front of him. After a moment he glanced at Draco out of the corner of his eye, giving him a sly look.

"You're not very original, you know," he stated.

Draco's head snapped up at the accusation.

"How do you figure?"

"I suppose I'm not surprised. This is you after all..." he continued, egging him on.

"Would you just bloody tell me what you're talking about before I get really pissed off? You don't want to see me when I get angry."

Harry gave Draco an amused glance.

"Or what? You'll turn all mean and green on me?"

Draco stared at him, genuinely confused. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing. Muggle thing."

"Would you stop evading the question and tell me how I'm unoriginal?" Draco said, stomping his foot in the same manner as a five year old throwing a tantrum.

"Aw, Malfoy, are you pouting?" Harry teased.

"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous. Malfoys do not pout. Now answer the question before I curse you into next year, goddamnit!"

"Pouting and whining? Not your best attributes. But if you must know," Harry continued, glad that looks could not in fact kill. "What you were about to say about Hermione. That is so old. I've heard you use that numerous times, yet you never tire of it. And that is why you are unoriginal."

Draco was quiet for a moment.

"Well...you're just jealous."

Harry snorted, which caused him to fall into a fit of laughter. Draco sat back with his arms crossed over his chest. Harry could almost see the little storm cloud hovering over his head.

"Of what? Your amazing insulting abilities?" For some reason this struck Harry as hilarious and he began rocking back and forth in his moment of hysteria.

After a moment he glanced at Draco. He coughed a couple times, calming his laughter. He gave the other boy a falsely somber look.

"Oh, would you quit brooding?"

"I'm not brooding," Draco snapped.

"You are too!"

"At least I'm not giggling like a school girl."

Harry instantly lost all traces of laughter.

"I am NOT giggling!"

"Oh? Don't like it when it's been turned against you?"

Harry glared at Draco for spoiling his mood.

"I thought I came over here to study for potions. Not that I need it."

"Yeah. Well, I'm over it," Harry grumbled, pushing the books on the table away from him.

"No wonder you're so horrible in potions," Draco said, watching a few books fall off the other end of the table.

"I'm not that bad. Snape is just out to get me," Harry mumbled. He crossed his arms across his chest, looking not too different from the way Draco looked only moments before.

"Oh, don't even try to blame this on him."

"Why not? Maybe if he was fair, I wouldn't hate that class so much."

"Snape is completely fair," Draco ignored the look Harry was giving him, "I don't blame him for acknowledging the greatness of Slytherin students."

"Snape? Fair?" Harry asked, disbelief filling his face.

Draco grinned. "Well, so what if he lacks faith in the Gryffindors' potion brewing abilities? Can't say I blame him. You all are Gryffindors, after all."

"Hey! Hermione is one-"

Draco cut Harry off with an arrogant wave of his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was only joking. No need to get all pissy."

Harry sat quietly for a moment, trying to decide if what he was about to say was going to aggravate Draco. Taking his chances, he cautiously began speaking.

"You know, you're going to have to get used to my friends, right?"

As expected, Draco's carefree mood drastically darkened.

"No, I don't."

"Malf-"

"Look, I don't like them and they're not my friends. That means I don't have to talk to them, look at them, or even acknowledge their existence. Just because we are now civil, doesn't mean I wish to be the same with them. Got it?"

"And you'll never have to worry about seeing them in the Gryffindor common room," Harry muttered sarcastically.

"You're right. How silly of me," Draco growled as he began gathering his books. Standing up, he began to cross to the portrait hole.

"Draco-"

The boy froze. Without turning around, he asked, "What did you just call me?"

He turned to face Harry when he didn't get an answer. He found the other boy frowning, wondering the same thing.

"I called you Draco. I mean, that is your name isn't it?" Harry replied lightly.

Draco's eyebrows came together in a look of confusion.

"Yes, well...you've never called me that before. Why did you?" he questioned.

"I don't know," Harry replied honestly.

"Don't. It's weird."

Harry smirked. "I'll try not to."

"Good," Draco said firmly, giving a quick nod. "Well, I've got to get back anyway."

"All right," Harry stood up, looking unsure of whether to walk Draco out or say bye from there.

He followed Draco to the portrait.

"Well, see you later," Draco began walking down the hallway toward the other side of the castle.

"Yeah, see you later," Harry muttered as he turned back to the common room and reclaimed his place on the couch.

"Um, Harry?" Dean asked, appearing at the top of the stairs with Seamus and Neville behind him.

"Yes?" he asked, looking up.

"Is Malfoy gone?"

Harry nodded, wondering if they had been waiting for him to leave.

"Could we talk?" Seamus asked as the three began walking downstairs.

"About what?" Harry asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, it's about Malfoy actually," Dean replied, sitting down on the couch across from him, the other two boys following his action.

Harry sighed. "What about him?"

None of them spoke for a moment. Seamus cleared his throat and broke the silence.

"We think you shouldn't talk to him anymore," he said bluntly.

"Oh really? And why, may I ask, is that?" Harry replied, his voice noticeably hardening.

"He's bad news," Dean answered, not looking directly at his newly-angered friend.

"How do you figure?"

"Harry, come on. I mean, he's Malfoy. And he's a Slytherin. One of the worst kinds, might I add. He hates all Gryffindors, remember? It's his mission in life to make us miserable."

"Yes, and I'm still a boy who lives in a cupboard and knows nothing of the wizarding world," came Harry's sarcastic reply.

Seamus frowned. "That's not the same. He-"

"Yes it is!" Harry argued, jumping up. He clenched and unclenched his fists in anger. "People change. Why am I the only one that sees this?"

"Not overnight, Harry."

"Have you been keeping such a close eye on Malfoy that you know he went from being a jackass to how he is now in one day?" he threw at them.

"No, but-"

"Then don't even try that," he growled, cutting off Dean's response.

Seamus sighed, almost in defeat. "We just don't think he can be trusted."

"You all feel like this?"

They nodded.

"How about you, Neville? You haven't said a word. You feel like this too?"

Neville gulped, looking as if he didn't know whether or not he should answer. Finally he mumbled his response.

"What was that?" Harry asked, leaning closer.

"Yes," he whimpered.

Coward, Harry thought.

"Well, you want to know what I think?" Harry asked, though it didn't entirely sound like a question.

The three boys stared at him with blank expressions, waiting for him to continue.

"I think that this is none of your business. It's mine. And I think you guys should stay the fuck out of it."

"It is our business," Seamus insisted.

"How so?"

"You bring him in here. Our common room. We have to see him all the time, so it is our business. If you have to hang out with him all the time, can't it be in his common room?"

Harry shook his head and smirked in disbelief.

"Fuck you."

"Harry-"

"Fuck you all. Bastards."

Before any of them could say anything, Harry stormed out of the common room.

Hours later, as Harry lay in his bed, he was still fuming over the day's events. Ever since his friends came up to him earlier, he'd found himself in a bad mood. He was snapping at everybody left and right. He even had one of the first year Gryffindors terrified of him now.

Who the hell do they think they are? It's not like Draco bothers them much anymore. For the most part, he just ignores them. Why can't they do the same? Damn them. They're going to hold the way he used to be against him. Can't they see he's changed?

"Is he awake?" Harry heard light whispering.

"I'm not sure," Seamus replied, almost inaudibly.

"Harry?" Ron asked, raising his voice slightly.

Should I answer? No, I think he's just trying to find out if I'm asleep for some reason.

"Harry?"

"He's asleep," Dean said quietly.

"Good. Come over here so I don't have to shout to you," Ron called lightly to the others.

Harry listened to the other three boys shuffle around as they climbed out of their beds and went over to Ron's.

"Did you talk to him?" Ron asked the others.

There was no heard response, so Harry took the silence as meaning one of them nodded.

"What did he say?"

"Well, at first his attitude kind of frosted over. He seemed very calm, but very angry at the same time," Dean answered.

"Yeah," Seamus threw in. "It was actually pretty scary. He was like a time bomb that we weren't sure was going to go off or not. And it did. And then he stormed off."

"Ginny told me he was in a really bad mood after he talked to us. She tried speaking to him and he nearly bit her head off," Neville added. "I think he's really mad at us."

You better fucking believe I'm mad at you, Harry thought as he rolled over in an attempt to hear them better.

"Shhh," Ron said. "Harry?"

Oh shit

"I think he's still asleep, but just to be on the safe side, we'll talk about this more tomorrow. Hopefully we can figure out what to do about this," Ron told the others.

As the three boys returned to their beds, Harry mulled over what Ron said.

What to do about it? What is that supposed to mean? Are they going to try to sabotage out friendship? What the fuck is wrong with them? This sucks. I'm going to have to talk to Draco tomorrow. Find out what he thinks about this.

Harry sighed quietly and then closed his eyes. A few minutes later, he fell into a troubled sleep.