Life, As Experienced Through Your Fingers
Gold-Snitcher

Chapter Two: Crush

By the end of November, Draco had settled into a comfortable schedule, balancing the work (of which there was quite a bit) with play (which Draco really preferred). He had also figured-out his section-mates' time-tables so that he knew when each boy would be where, which was helpful when he wanted solitude to think or when he absolutely couldn't stand the notion of class and needed to know who would be available when. He and Seamus had fled their history class several times in the interest of preserving sanity, unable to face the slow, constant lull of Professor Binn's hypnotic voice.

By the time the long-weekend drew nearer, there wasn't a single boy in section 2A that wasn't absolutely ready to go into town and get fabulously, rip-roaringly drunk. Draco had been informed in his first class on Monday, (science) that there would be a test to ascertain the class's progress on the Thursday before the break.

Oddly enough, tests had become a pattern for the days prior to the vacation. He had received information about upcoming tests in every one of his classes, including his music classes. Even Snape, in Draco's private session, had quirked his lip at Draco's complaint and responded with: "Why not? I'll expect a piece for our Wednesday session."

Apparently Draco had inspired his piano professor, because Neville returned from his group piano class white as a sheet and shaking, mumbling something about a recital next week. He had locked himself in his room and refused to come-out until Harry and Ron had picked the lock on the door and Harry had disappeared into the room for several hours.

Seamus had been working on an innumerable amount of projects and had yet to finish memorizing the script for the play, which he was presenting on Tuesday after the break. Dean, who had spent most of the month working on a really interesting clay sculpture, had found-out on Wednesday that it had blown-up in the kiln, and the teacher would be deducting marks accordingly. Dean was still utterly depressed, he had wanted to give it to his grandfather, and he had specifically informed his professor that it was not supposed to be kilned.

Blaise had gotten in a really horrible fight with his parents when they rang him up, and had been fuming since. No one really understood what had happened. Ron had snapped his drumsticks and refused to tell anyone how, except to mumble something about 'stupid bloody detention' and 'lousy gits'. Draco had guessed correctly; he and Peter had a fight.

And Harry?

Well, Harry was just Harry ...

Draco shot wide-awake and blinked.

He had no idea why he was awake. He could not remember if he had had a nightmare, but he didn't seem in a particularly bad-state, except for the small fact that he could not get back to sleep. He groaned and rubbed his eyes before surrendering and getting out of his bed.

Throwing on his marvellous, silk housecoat, Draco slipped out of his room, shutting the door quietly behind him and wandering through the short hall to the the common room. The sight that met him prompted a short gasp, and he stood, staring.

Harry turned from where he sat on the window sill and flashed a small smile. "Sorry, couldn't sleep. Did I wake you?"

Draco wondered how the boy could wake anybody when he was sitting perched on the windowsill and not moving, but settled instead for a shake of the head. "I couldn't sleep, either."

Harry nodded, then picked-up a mug that was sitting by his feet, taking a sip. He looked down at the mug then back at Draco. "Would you like some cocoa?" Draco thought about this and nodded once more. Harry slid off the window sill and walked over to the long table that was supposedly a study area, but that they had been turned into a small kitchenette.

Draco collapsed onto the couch, yawning and stretching a little before settling into a comfortable position. He sighed and let his eyes droop closed.

Harry returned holding the cup close to Draco's face and smiling a crooked smile, and when Draco opened his eyes he jolted then smirked. "Bastard," he mumbled and Harry snorted in laughter before looking around guiltily.

Shuffling to the end of the sofa, Harry shoved at Draco's feet before settling into the corner of the couch and sipping contentedly at his cocoa. Draco shifted a bit so he was sitting more upright and sipped at his mug. "What were you thinking about?"

"You first."

Draco smirked. "I asked first."

Harry yawned. "I was just ... drifting."

Draco smiled thoughtfully at Harry, and he bit his lip.

"Can I ask you a question?" Draco queried and Harry shifted nervously before nodding his head slightly. "I've heard you referred to as a 'special case' more than once. And I was wondering why that was?" Harry gave a short laugh and looked away. Draco began to wonder if he would look back and speak when Harry sighed.

"You probably heard in the paper that my parents and brother died in a car accident two summers ago." It was a statement, but Draco racked his brain and found that he did have some vague memory of his father mentioning that to his mother.

"Vaguely," he said, wanting to hear as much about Harry from him as was possible.

Harry licked his lips. Draco wished he wouldn't do that. "Well ..." Draco noticed that the boy was rubbing at his forehead, and for the first time, Draco noticed a funny scar there. In the back of his mind, Draco had always noticed it, but it had always just seemed like a part of Harry, like Ron's red-hair and freckles, or Neville's slightly rabbit-like front teeth, or Seamus' incessant flirting. Harry had his scar, only now it was like sudden realization.

"You were there. You were with them." Harry blinked, startled, before chewing on his lip and nodding. "Jesus," Draco whispered, sitting up completely and looking with concern at the boy. "What happened?"

To this Harry flashed him a desperate smile. "Now I'm confused. Which question do you want me to answer?"

Draco shook his head, shifting closer to the dark-haired boy. "What happened?"

Harry sighed. "We were driving out to visit my uncle, who lives here. It wasn't even that late or anything, but, there was an oncoming car. The car swerving really badly, it was really obvious that the driver was drunk. I don't really remember much about it. I know my dad tried to avoid the car, but I remember being slammed against the window when we swerved, fighting for a grip on something. I didn't wear a seatbelt and I remember thinking that I was really stupid for not bothering, but then the next thing I knew I was on the pavement, watching as the cars continued skidding. And then I passed-out."

Draco had shifted over, and pulled Harry into a hug, not knowing what else he could do. Harry paused for a moment before taking a breath and starting again. "The police figured that my door was unlocked, and when I was slammed back, after hitting the window, my hand had gripped the door-handle. Since I wasn't wearing a seatbelt, I fell onto the pavement, which saved my life. But I was still injured from the crash and when I fell I cracked my head against the road, that's why I passed out." By the end, Harry's voice had dropped to a hushed whisper. Draco rocked him back-and-forth, stroking his hair in an attempt to comfort him. He smiled slightly as Harry's arms encircled his waste, and he shifted his head to rest more against Draco.

They sat there for a while, and then Harry sighed. "Sorry," he muttered and started to pull away.

Draco rolled his eyes and pulled him back against his chest, shifting to lean more against the couch. "Stop apologizing. I asked, and I pulled you into this hug so you don't have to feel sorry about it."

There was a contented sigh, and Harry shifted closer. "Thank-you."

"Don't worry about it." They sat for a few moments longer. "Is that why you're a special case?"

"No. Not exactly. I mean, there are plenty of people here who don't have parents. Neville, for one, he lives with his grandmother. But after the accident, I didn't have anyone left, just my uncle. And my uncle works here, and ... well, he lives here basically. So I'm pretty much considered a ward of the school. All the professors act as a joint parental unit. It's rather amusing, really."

Draco remembered the twinkle in Professor McGonagall's eyes when he had first arrived in October, when the professor had heard Harry playing.

"Some of the teacher's spend their summer here, or around here, and they often give me extra lessons. I've completed my sciences and math credits already. I worked over the summer on my classes, and because of that, I was able to skip several grades. So pretty much for three years I've been taking history and drama and art and music."

Draco was surprised. "Geez. You really are a prodigy, aren't you." He felt Harry squirm and the boy lifted his head up, glaring at Draco until he noticed the smirk on the boy's face, then he rolled his eyes and returned to his prior position.

Draco was lying flat on the couch now, hands still encircling Harry who was sprawled on his chest, situated between his legs. Draco closed his eyes tightly when Harry readjusted his position, but then the boy sighed, and Draco had to admit that he had never been happier. Ever.

"This is nice," Harry murmured, and Draco brushed a strand of hair out of the boy's face and realized that Harry had fallen asleep.


He opened his eyes and blinked several times before the face and the familiar smirk found a match with his memory, and the memory produced a name. "Blaise."

Blaise smirked and then grinned. "I won't ask how your night was. I can guess." Draco frowned before realization dawned. Harry was still curled on him, and he was still holding the boy, one leg propped against the back of the couch, the other entangled with Harry's. He flushed, and Blaise chuckled, before sighing. "I have to say, Draco, it took you long enough to make a move."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I didn't make a move. We were talking and then we fell asleep." Blaise nodded with a sarcastic expression and then looked up as Seamus stumbled out of his room, and stopped dead.

"Draco? Harry?" He rubbed his eyes, and then grinned. "Man alive!" He walked closer and grinned wider.

"What?" Draco whinged wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep holding Harry. He knew it probably didn't mean anything, and that was why he was anxious to savour the moment. "What's the big deal?" he grumbled, eyes already drifting shut.

"The big deal? Draco, tell me you noticed!" This was Seamus again, and Draco fixed a glare at him. "Man alive!" Then he sighed and took on a patient expression as if he were speaking to a small child. "Harry is really weird when it comes to contact."

Blaise snorted. "And with good reason," he muttered, Draco turned his head quickly.

"Why?" he asked Blaise, but Blaise only shook his head.

"Not now, Draco. Right now you've got to move before Ron comes out. He'll throw a fit."

"Are they together?" Draco asked, feeling more than a little disappointed.

Seamus snorted with laughter at this comment. "No way. He's like Harry's brother, they've known each other forever. Which means Ron's flippin' protective, so I suggest you move before all hell breaks loose." Draco whinged in complaint and then froze when he realized [he wasn't the only one who was shifting on the couch. Harry, too, was moving.

Draco became suddenly aware of one thing.

And that was that Harry stretched like a cat.

This would be an incredibly seductive thing to watch. The boy, arching his back, sitting on his bent knees, hands stretching forward. But, when this was going on directly on top of you, and your body was already painfully aware of the stretching boy's body, and when the movement was deliciously slow, it was really quite ... distracting.

Another fit of laughter, and Harry blinked open his eyes and came face to face with Draco, both of them blushing again.

"Draco! You should have seen your face!" Blaise hooted, Draco and Harry were sitting there, blushing at each other.

"Hi," Draco managed, and Harry flashed him a relieved look, followed by a crooked grin.

"Sorry."

Draco huffed. "Oh, for the love of ... Don't be. Just ... don't be," he said, and Harry's crooked grin widened a bit more. Draco realized he really liked waking-up like this. Harry shifted and got-up. Draco felt the loss immediately but was relieved when, moments later, Ron came out and spotted Harry. The red head squinted at him suspiciously.

"What's wrong?"

Harry rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Nothing. I'm tired. Nothing happened. I'm going to go shower now." He left, and Ron blinked, taking-in the string of statements that Harry had made all in one breath.

"What the hell?" Ron asked, and Seamus and Blaise could not contain their laughter. Draco rolled his eyes and went to shower in the other bathroom. All things considered, he was feeling rather good.


Hermione Granger had not changed much in the time since Draco had last seen her. She stood a few inches shorter than Draco and her hair, which was tamer than usual, was pulled-back in a braid. She was smiling.

Draco gave her a hug and smirked at her. "No imaginary friends?" she asked, returning the look and he rolled his eyes.

"Not today. We need to catch-up. Don't you think?"

"Of course I do!" She smiled and hugged him again. "I've missed you. Somehow lurking in the library has lost its sinister feeling without you."

"I'm not sinister! And I've never ... lurked ..."

"Everything about you screams sinister! Especially when you were trying to devise ways of getting revenge on those jerks without actually making it appear as if you were looking for trouble."

He shrugged flippantly. "Well. I try."

"Of course you do. You even succeed sometimes." She quirked an eyebrow and Draco wondered if he had taught her that, or if he had picked it up from her.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, if you're just going to insult me then I'll just leave you here." He turned around and took a few steps towards the courtyard entrance before spinning around and walking back. "Unless, of course, there's a reason why I should stay."

Hermione Granger huffed herself up to her full height (though she was still shorter than he was) and tossed him a haughty look. "Draco Malfoy, I am your best friend and if you think for a moment that I won't just follow you around and pester you for the rest of the weekend you'd be dead wrong."

He smiled. "Well okay then." He turned as if to go and then glanced back, as if on an after-thought. "Good to have you back." She smiled a little and he led her through the halls, through the courtyard towards his residence.

"So we ARE meeting your imaginary friends."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Granger, we're meeting my imaginary friends. And we're going to have imaginary tea with my imaginary friends and then we're all going to get together and have one large imaginary ..."

"If you're going to say we're going to have a large imaginary orgy you can just stop it because I've been living quite contentedly without your little innuendos." He smirked, because that had been exactly what he was going to say. But, if he knew his roommates, and he liked to think that he did, he would still get the last laugh. So he bit his tongue and instead he winked at her and muttered. "Be prepared." When he opened the door to the common room, and she rolled her eyes, stepping forward, before bursting into shocked laughter.

Seamus was taunting Blaise who had just gotten out of the shower. He wore a towel around his waiste and was trying to keep a hold of it as Seamus alternately tried to whack him with a damp dish towel and steal the one around the boy's waste. Dean and Neville had yet to wake-up, Ron was playing chess, and Harry was on the couch, reading a book as if this kind of thing happened all the time. Which, come to think of it, it did.

At the sound of her laughter, all action ceased, and she was fixed with four pairs of eyes. Draco stepped forward, throwing an arm around her shoulder and smirking. "Hermione, these are my imaginary friends. Imaginary friends, this is Hermione."

Hermione slapped his arm. "I was joking you giant prat. Now introduce me properly."

Draco gave a long-suffering sigh and stepped forward, winking at Blaise, who gestured towards Ron and mouthed 'best for last'. "Hermione, this is Harry." Harry dropped the book and stood, offering a hand, which Hermione accepted. She sent a meaningful glance towards Draco and he rolled his eyes and stepped towards Seamus."This is Seamus, and that's Blaise, keep your distance, we're not really certain if insanity is contagious but we're not taking chances. And this, is Ron."

Ron flushed and smiled. "Er. Hi," he said, shaking the offered hand. Hermione flushed a little as well, and Draco flashed the thumbs-up to Blaise, who did it back and had to pretend he was inspecting his nails when Hermione looked back around the room.

"Pleasure," she said. "Draco's spoken a lot about you." Blaise took the opportunity to make a silent exit and when he returned a bit later, he was fully clothed, much to everyone's relief.

"There's two more. And then there are the two louts who room across from me, but we won't be going anywhere near them so it should be fine." She shook her head and then turned to the task of finding as much about everyone as possible. When Dean and Neville stumbled out Draco introduced them.

"So, Draco. What did you have planned to do today?" Hermione asked, with an eyebrow raised.

Draco shrugged. "Well, I'm not entirely certain." He looked around, not knowing what his roommates had to do. Blaise caught the look and answered the unspoken question.

"Seamus and I are actually off to rehearse with our group. Small production next week, you know how it is. We should be back for four."

Seamus nodded and stood. "Lovely meeting you, Hermione. We'll see you later?" She nodded and watched the two boys go. Draco caught Blaise's eye and followed his gaze to where Ron still sat, looking awkward. Ron was staring at Hermione smiling lopsidedly as if he were musing to himself about something.

"I have a practice in ten minutes," Harry said, simultaneously attempting to stifle a yawn and grin at Hermione. "Which means I better get my violin."

"Little Mischief?" Draco asked. Harry spun around with a look of total and complete surprise on his face. "Dean told me. First day here, actually," Draco explained.

"Little Mischief?" Hermione inquired, sitting forward and looking at Harry closely. She was running through all the letters Draco had sent her thus far and mentally drawing a finger under each line where he had mentioned this dark-haired boy.

"My ..." Harry cleared his throat. "Sorry. My electric violin."

Hermione gaped. "Electric?" Harry nodded. "Violin?" Harry nodded again. "Do you - would you play?" Harry glanced around and Draco wondered if it was because he was uncomfortable or if it was because he didn't want to run late for his practice. He decided not to pressure the boy.

"Why do you have practice today, anyway? It's a long-weekend."

Harry shrugged. "Pereskew asked if I would mind, and I didn't. Everyone's pretty much busy, and I needed to have a make-up lesson since I'm missing one next week for the art trip."

Draco nodded, he remembered Harry mentioning that. "Are you, then?" he asked, eyebrow quirking.

"Am I what?" Harry asked, clearly confused.

"Playing Little Mischief?"

"Honestly, why do you all call it that? No, today is a lesson day."

Draco glanced at Hermione then back at Harry. "Would you mind if we sat in?" Harry had gone a bit red, and Draco was smirking. He wanted to hear Harry again. He had not heard the boy play solo in a long while, and he wanted to let Hermione know what he had been talking about.

"I'm in the conservatory today, so I guess ... if you sat at the back..." Draco couldn't believe it. He grinned because he really didn't think that letting out a triumphant yip and doing a dance (which was what he felt like doing) was quite appropriate.

"Wonderful. Get your violin then. Dean, Ron, what are you going to be doing with yourselves?" Dean and Ron both looked a bit startled, as if they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Ron, Draco knew, had good reason. The way he had been staring at Hermione was a little obvious, but Dean had just been drifting.

Dean shrugged. "I'm finishing my assignments today, because I plan to party the weekend away. How 'bout you, mate?" He clapped a hand on Ron's shoulder and Ron looked a little exasperated. Draco wondered if he should invite the red-head to join them or if that would be pushing it too fast. He wanted to speak with Hermione, after all, they were best-friends and hadn't seen each other in a while.

"Well, erm. Actually, I've got practice as well."

"Really?" He quirked an eyebrow. "For what?" Ron was in advanced percussion and that didn't involve any extra-schedules, especially not ones on the weekend.

"Well, I don't only play drums, you know." Draco perked up. He had never asked what Ron's second instrument was.

"What, then?"

"The ... erm. The cello actually."

Hermione was suddenly smiling broadly. "I've always loved the cello!" she said, and Ron flushed even more. Draco wondered if he would be able to convince the red-head to put on a little show for them later. Obviously he was quite good if he had solo classes.

"You'll have to play for us, Ron." Ron blushed even more and looked at the floor.

"Shite!" Came a cry, and Harry came flying out of his room. "Dammit, Ron! Is your sister in her room?" he asked, frantically.

"No. She's gone into town. What is it, Harry?" Ron seemed torn between confusion and concern.

"My music! She never gave it back! Shite! I'm going to be late! Gawd, this is a nightmare!" he cried, flying out of the dorm room, then racing back in. "Bloody violin!" he cried and snatched-up the case before flying back out again.

"Mental, that one," Ron muttered, and Hermione chuckled.

Draco urged her up. "We'd better go. It will be harder for us to waltz in mid-way through the lesson."

She nodded and extended a hand to Ron. "See you later?" she asked, and he flushed again when he grasped her hand and shook it.

"Er - yeah." Draco felt like laughing maniacally. He KNEW it! He felt like cheering, but instead he ushered Hermione back through the courtyard and into the conservatory where he had first seen Harry.

They took a seat at the back so they didn't disturb anyone and Draco smirked when Harry explained about his music to Madame Pereskew.

"Oh really, Harry. It's nothing to fuss over. We'll work on the songs you know." Madame Pereskew was a rather tall and shockingly slim woman. Draco thought she was an awful lot like a female counterpart of Snape, except that she was really quite nice, and she really played with a great deal of passion, and she was not at all slimy looking. Her black hair was pulled back in a twist and held with a pair of dark red chopsticks. Her black skirt was long and matched her black shirt.

Draco thought maybe Harry's tendency to wear black when he played came from her, but then, it might just be that he liked wearing formal performance attire. Today he was in black pants and a white shirt. He was frantically rolling the sleeves of his shirt and trying to unpack.

"I'm really sorry, Professor," he said, and Draco rolled his eyes.

"He's really quite sweet," Hermione muttered, and Draco swatted her arm. "It's a bit annoying, really," she added, and he chuckled. Harry had gotten out his violin and was tuning it, moving swiftly into a few warm-up scales. "How are you finding classes?" Hermione asked.

"You know how it is. Normal classes are really dull, but one must suffer through these things." He put on his favourite martyr expression and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes. No one suffers more than poor Draco Malfoy."

"Do shut up, Granger."

"No. I don't think I will," she said with her nose in the air and sniffed.

"Anyway, piano is interesting, only ..."

She caught his frown and tossed him a frustrated look. "What?"

"Well ... Professor Snape reminds me of my father."

"Oh dear."

"I know. So it's not terribly conducive to, well ..."

"You don't feel relaxed enough when you play."

"Something like that."

"Don't worry. We'll think of something."

"You always do. Wait, hold on," he said, turning his attention back to the stage where Pereskew was speaking to Harry. " Rimsky-Korsakov?" he muttered. "She's getting him to play the Flight of the fecking Bumblebee?"

Hermione was smirking at him. "Language, Draco. And anyway, you said he was good." She looked forward demurely and watched as Harry prepared to play.

"Deep breaths. Settle yourself. And then play," Pereskew was saying, and Draco watched as Harry became very still, poised perfectly prepared to play, and Draco wondered what the hell it was going to sound like.

When Harry started, Draco almost wanted to laugh. The boy stubbornly refused to open his eyes, his fingers moving swiftly around the fingerboard, and his bow moving in short staccato strokes.

"No scrubbing, Potter! I want each note distinct!" Draco didn't think Harry was scrubbing, but he noticed that instead of a frown of concentration, Harry seemed to relax a bit more into the music, as if he were settling himself into it and trusting himself. Draco had never thought of music as an experience of trust. "Feel it! What does each note mean?" It was a rhetorical question, but somehow Harry answered it, and Draco felt dizzy with the music and with how quickly Harry's fingers found each placement so rapidly, not even stumbling or straying out of tune.

He turned to watch Hermione who was looking slightly stunned, and, when Harry finally stopped, laughing as he let his violin drop to his side and letting his bow dangle loosely from his fingers, listening to Pereskew's critique, Draco turned to her, an amused expression on his face, and with an 'I told you so' in his eyes he asked. "What did you think?"

"He's not bad," she mumbled, then turned and grinned.



"I want to get drunk," Seamus said on Saturday and everyone rolled their eyes.

"Seamus, you always want to get drunk," Neville pointed out, and everyone agreed.

"Yeah, but that's because we never do. I keep wishing, but my wish is never granted," he cried and flopped dramatically in an impression of a swoon. Dean took a step back, letting him land with a smack on the floor. "Bloody git," Seamus muttered, as he picked himself up.

"Well, Seamus might have a point," Blaise said, and winked at Draco. Draco smirked back. "I mean, there's a nice little club that plays Big Band and sometimes some swing as well. I found it in town. We could go there." Everyone seemed to think about this and no one objected.

"We could catch a movie first. You know. Make it an all-day thing," Ron suggested, and then flushed. Something he had been doing a lot of. Draco wished he would stop it, it wasn't helping him look attractive, though Hermione seemed to find it endearing. It was rather nauseating, really.

"Brilliant," Draco said. But Neville pointed to the window.

"In case you haven't noticed, it's snowing. I'm not walking in that," he mumbled. Draco was about to suggest a new plan of staying in and getting drunk illegally in their dorm room, perhaps playing naughty games, when Harry shrugged and continued to put on his coat.

"That's not a problem. We'll drive." Draco stared at the boy, Harry had never mentioned having a car before. Then Draco remembered what Harry said several weeks ago.

"Your uncle," Draco stated, and Harry grinned.

"My uncle."


Draco had never been to the Art room. Or rather, the Art floor. The classrooms on the floor were abundant, but this one was really quite nice It was mostly windows, and overlooked the woods. With the snow falling, Draco thought that even he felt inclined to sketch, and he really didn't have a penchant for it.

Harry had already walked into the room and was looking around expectantly. "Maybe he's not here," Draco ventured, but Harry rolled his eyes.

"No, he's here. He's probably in the pit." Draco didn't think that name sounded very comforting, he watched as Harry walked to a small door. That looked as if it led to a broom closet. To his surprise, when Harry opened it, it led into a nice-sized room that was cluttered with artwork. At the end of the room, there were glass doors, the only source of natural light, and they opened onto a nice balcony.

At first, Draco didn't see the man, but after he'd taken another step down the stairs a head popped out from behind a rather large wire sculpture of a strange creature that seemed like a cross between a bird, a dragon and a water serpent. The man had black hair, just like Harry's, and he grinned as soon as he saw the boy.

"Come for a visit?" he asked, and Harry rushed down the stairs and, ignoring the smock, which was covered in paint that may or may not have been wet, gave his uncle a hug.

"Actually, my motives are not exactly pure," Harry said with an impish grin, and Draco snorted when the man clapped him on the shoulder.

"That's my boy!" he cried and Harry laughed.

"I was wondering if I could get the keys to the car? A few friends and I were heading in to town for the day."

The man looked at Harry closely and then nodded. "Roads are slippery, drive safe."

"I will." And the man tossed a set of keys at Harry before looking up and noticing Draco for the first time. Harry followed his gaze and looked startled, as if he had forgotten Draco was there. "Oh, sorry. Draco, this is my uncle Sirius. Sirius, this is the new section-mate I mentioned, Draco Malfoy." Sirius wiped his hands on his smock, even though they were clean since he was working only with wire, and extended a hand to Draco. Draco stepped down the last few steps and shook it.

"Good to meet you," Sirius said, and Draco nodded. "Well, have a good time," Sirius said. Harry nodded before thanking him for the keys.

"Do you want me to shut the door?" he asked, and Sirius waved a hand, already absorbed in his art again. Harry shut the door with a click.

"He's a little strange," Draco stated, not certain what it had been about the man. Harry shrugged.

"Yeah, I don't think he ever broke out of his teens. But he's really an excellent artist and he spoils me rotten so I really can't complain," Harry said with another impish grin. Draco laughed and they headed back to the front hall where the rest of the group was waiting.

They trudged out into the snow, bundled-up, talking and laughing wildly. Harry led them down a small path that Draco had never noticed before and they broke out into a small parking lot. "Which one?" he asked when he noticed the various vehicles, Harry grinned at him.

"That one." He pointed to a red Nissan truck that was parked beneath a tree.

"Your uncle drives an Xterra?" Draco asked, with a slightly amused grin."It doesn't really seem his style."

"That's because it's not. This is mine. I got it for my birthday last year when I finally completed my license," Harry said and unlocked the truck for them. It had black leather interior and Draco promptly called shot-gun, trusting Blaise to do some quick maneuvering and fix-it so Hermione and Ron had to sit together.

Harry slid in to the driver's seat and Draco noted that he put on his seatbelt. "Who brought music?" Draco asked, turning around and looking expectantly at everyone.

"I did. It's a good thing someone knows what they're doing," Seamus said, preening slightly. Dean and Blaise smacked him in the head.

"Well, fork-it-over you barmy leprechaun, before I am forced to gut you." Seamus passed the case up and Draco settled into his seat, flipping through. "Crap," he stated and flipped the page. "Crap," he said again and flipped to a different page.

"You, Draco Malfoy, are a bastard," Seamus whined, and Draco promptly called another page crap and flipped to a new one.

"No. I am just very honest. Crap. Don't you have anything other than this whimpy crap in here? I mean, this is terrible!" Seamus pouted and Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh. Thank the Lord!" Draco said, fishing a Cd from it's place. "This has potential." He flicked the volume up and grinned maniacally. "Bring on the clubbing spirit!"

They pulled out of the parking lot and were driving down a very nice deserted road. It was really quite picturesque out.

Harry glanced at Blaise in the rearview. "Directions?" he asked.

"I thought we were checking out a movie first!" Dean cried, and Harry nodded.

The trip was full of blaring music, singing and idiotic comments made purposely to provoke great laughter. Draco noticed, with a certain amount of glee, that Ron and Hermione did not join-in with most of it, opting to speak quietly to one another. He turned around in his seat to throw a sarcastic comment back and Dean and caught Blaise's triumphant smirk. When he turned back Harry looked over at him with an amused expression.

"You certainly are scheming."

"What?" Draco blinked innocently.

"You're setting them up."

"I am not," Draco said, feigning an affronted look. And then smiled. "Maybe a little. But come on! Look at them!" he whispered, and Harry glanced at them through the rear-view. Then he looked back at Draco with a serious look, though his eyes still shone with amusement.

"What's your goal?"

"My goal?" Draco blinked.

"Yeah, when she leaves, what do you want to have accomplished?"

"I want them to be a couple," Draco stated with certainty and watched as Harry glanced back into the rearview.

"It won't happen. There's not enough time and Ron is too shy," Harry said thoughtfully, and then a grin spread across his face. "Unless ..."

"What?" Draco asked, liking that look.

"Just a bit of something classic. Trust me," Harry said, and grinned in such a way that Draco couldn't help grinning back. He was reminded of what it felt like to have Harry stretching, cat-like, on-top of him and turned his head quickly towards the window to avoid his blush being caught.

"Okay," he said to his reflection, and knew that he did.

TBC
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I really hope everyone is enjoying the fic so far. I would really like more reviews! They make my day! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Thanks to Wonapalei for catching my mistake about the composer of Flight of the Bumblebee! I'm writing without my resources being caught out here without music. I actually started writing because I really REALLY miss my cello, and this sort of came-out from one of my "Lacrimosa" moments (yes, that's where that came from.) Thanks again!

This chapter is dedicated to Alle for helping me iron-out a few details that may have resulted in the early demise of this fic.


TEASER:

The gang goes to the club
The little green demon makes an appearance
Draco gets a clue

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