Warnings and notes: This is a slash fic, which means that it involves two guys having strong feelings for one another. This is your only warning; so if you do not like reading about two men in love, then don't read. Go read some other fic. Do not harass the author, please. And there is some strong language in here!
Old Notes that this is my first Harry Potter story. I am not new to the Yaoi/slash concept, and I have written many fics for the Gundam Wing universe (and been writing GW fics for over two years!). So hopefully I will do a pretty decent story telling job for this universe.
Contents: This fic will contain Slash, sap, drama, angst, etc etc…
Pairings: Draco/Harry, Ron/Hermione
Year: 6th
Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of these characters! J.K. Rowlings is the wonderful person who does, and I wish her luck with her next book.
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Making his way back to the dungeons, Draco was muttering about the way Trelawny was acting with him. He shook his silvery-blond head and sighed. "I can't believe that witch, telling me of all people to be careful of the 'dark times', as she put it. Damn it, I'm a Slytherin! I don't need to worry about that!"
Draco stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked through a window at a sudden wandering figure outside. He peered closer, pressing his hands against the glass, taking note that the person was headed for Professor Sprout's conservatories. He recognized the person almost instantly.
"Potter? What the hell is he up to?"
He had a choice to make. Either go down there and see what he was doing, or forget about it and continue going to his room downstairs. After a few strange arguments inside of his head, he decided to find the quickest way out of the castle and down to the greenhouse.
~*~
Harry raced down the stairs as fast as he could trying not to look too suspicious. He just made it to the right greenhouse when he heard a small whoosh of air. He looked up and sure enough, it was Malfoy on his broomstick. Harry sighed in aggravation, taking his hand off of the door, and put his hands on his hips as he watched the Slytherin make a landing.
"Now what do you want, Malfoy?"
Draco put a hand on his chest like he was horrified by the way Harry addressed him. "I'm hurt, Harry. I really am."
"Good. Now fly away and leave me alone."
"And not be around to watch you get into trouble? Yeah, right!" Harry scoffed at his antics and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you doing, by the way?"
"None of your business, Malfoy. Please go."
"Oh, it's 'please' now, is it? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not leaving."
Harry sighed, "If I throw a stick, will you go away?"
"Ooo. . . nice one, Potter. Try not to let your mind wander, it's much too small to be outside by itself."
Harry glared. "Well, I can only please one person per day. Today isn't your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either."
Draco laughed. These sharp little remarks were clearly entertaining. "Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again?"
"I see that you wanna be a kid when you grow up." Harry sneered. "Now be off before someone drops a house on you!"
"Hilarious, Potter. Simply hilarious. But I'm not going anywhere." Draco set his broom down and walked toward the greenhouse door. "I'm coming in with you. Whatever you're doing must be supervised."
"In your dreams, Malfoy."
"No, in my nightmares." Draco grinned, pushing past Harry to enter the hothouse. "Of course, you do have a point. Doing any kind of work, especially next to you, sounds disastrous."
"It wouldn't kill you to work once in a while, Malfoy."
"How do you know? Hard work must have killed *someone*."
Harry sighed in irritation as he followed Draco into the greenhouse, hoping that this didn't become a *real* nightmare for him. "Just stay out of my way."
"As long as you do the same." Draco growled. They both walked in between rows of different types of plants and flowers. "Just what are you planning on doing anyways? As if I really care."
"Oh? It seems like you do, otherwise why would you be here?"
"To watch you get into trouble, like I said. But curiosity has gotten the better of me. I really must know."
"You like prying into my business or something? Do you get a strange perverse pleasure from doing so?"
"Something like that." Draco smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. He looked over at an orange colored rose that looked normal to the naked eye. He thought about it, but then decided not to touch it just in case. "So, what are we looking for?" Malfoy said, crossing his arms.
"We? There is no WE here, Malfoy. You're just a painful thorn in my side right now. And speaking of which, what was the deal with not cutting the thorns off of that rose you gave me?"
"Oh, well, I think that a rose just isn't one unless it has its thorns. That's what makes it so beautiful, you know."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Right."
After a few more moments of silence, Draco finally asked, "Did you like it?"
"Like what?" Harry grumbled, looking at each plant row by row.
"The rose, what else?"
"Oh, yeah, the rose." Harry continued to look down the rows of flowers and shrubbery before turning his head to look at Draco, arcing one eyebrow. "It was… very courteous of you. Was it supposed to be an apology for putting this Protection charm on me?"
"Not exactly. I was just, uh, just trying to get you to trust me more. Basically."
"Huh. Well," Harry went back to looking at the rows of exotic plants, "You don't need to worry about me anymore. Thanks anyways."
"Uh, yeah, I guess I should take that charm off of you, huh?"
Before Harry started to scan the last row of flowers, he looked up at Draco with one raised eyebrow and said, "Don't. Not yet."
"What?? But I thought you were mad that I…"
"I need this… power, so to speak. I'm looking for that strange plant that poisoned Professor Sprout and I want to use my 'electric' abilities to shock it."
Draco shrugged with a smug look on his face, "Why don't you just use the Petrifying spell on it?"
"Not sure if it would work. Plus, I think it would be best if it were 'unconscious' so to speak. That way, whoever tests it to see what it is and what the right cure for Pomfrey is, they can do an analysis spell on it. They could also do other tests to it and watch for a reaction from it…"
"All right! All right! I get it! God, I didn't ask for an entire lesson, Potter."
"Thought you could use one." Harry snapped. Just before Draco could comment on that, Harry gasped in surprise as he spotted what was likely the culprit. It was on the very last row in the far corner. He made sure that he was within a safe enough distance as he studied it. On the outside, it didn't look very dangerous, but he knew that those rolled up leaves held more than just a cocooned bug. "There it is."
"What? That?" Draco guffawed, "It doesn't look *that* dangerous!" He walked closer towards it.
"Draco, wait!" Harry grabbed him by the sleeve of his robe just as the strange plant shook in its black-soiled pot and then bared it's fangs; one was trying to strike out at its victim. "You idiot!" Harry hissed, "You could have been poisoned!"
"Why, I didn't know you cared, Potter." Draco batted his eyes.
"Same here." Harry held up a hand, reminding the Slytherin of what he had done to him, and then he took a step forward.
"Um, Potter. . ."
"What?"
"Are you sure that you won't get poisoned when you shock it? It could still bite you, couldn't it?"
"It'll get the shock of it's life before it could sink it's tiny teeth in me. Stand back. I think the sparks are going to fly."
Unfortunately, the pot that it was in, acted like an insulator. So, in order for Harry to shock it, he would have to touch one of the leaves or stems. But the leaves contained the deadly poisonous fangs, so Harry would have to use his quick Seeker reflexes, as it would be a touch and go.
When Harry moved a finger toward it, the plant brandished its teeth and lunged. Harry moved his hand away before any of the biting leaves could sink their little fangs into him. Once he moved, they settled down again, wrapping their teeth back into leaves.
"Any more bright ideas, Gryffindork?"
"Shut up, I'm thinking." It was about a minute, Draco realized, before Harry's head snapped up and a small smile formed on his face. "I got it! Malfoy, I need your help."
"Oh really? So, you DO need me here after all? What a surprise this is!"
"Can you knock it off for a minute and be serious? I need you to distract it so I can touch it."
"What?? Distract it? Are you off your rocker, Potter?? I'll get bit, and poisoned, and it would be your fault cause 'you needed my help'!"
Harry groaned, wishing Ron was the one with him instead of this snake. "Look, I just need you to get its teeth pointed in a different direction while I sneak behind it and touch it. You can do that, can't you?"
"I don't know. What do I get for helping you?"
"Half of the credit for it, of course. Your House might be given points for your courageous behavior."
Draco snickered, "Courageous behavior! Ha! That's a good one!"
"That's why you're not in Gryffindor." Harry grinned.
"Thank Merlin for that!"
"So will you help me or not?"
"I do want something in return, if you would be ever so kind." Draco smiled.
Harry sighed, "All right, fine. It better not be something stupid or… disgraceful."
"Don't worry about that, Potter. Nothing stupid."
"Good. What is it then?"
Draco gave Harry a wicked grin before stating, "Sleep with me."
Harry's eyes widened to large proportions. "Excuse me???"
"You heard me. Take it or leave it." Draco harrumphed, folding his arms.
"S-s-sleep with you? Malfoy, we don't even like each other! We can't stand each other!! We're not even friends! Why would I want to… do that??"
Draco sniffed exaltedly, "No, we're not friends. I don't take this kind of shit from friends." He paused dramatically before looking at Harry with lidded eyes. "Only from lovers." And then he winked.
Harry made a noise between a groan and a snort. "I should have guessed."
"You want my help or not?" Draco asked, tapping his foot on the floor with impatience.
"You're really pushing it, you know that?" Harry sighed.
Draco continued to stare, tapping his foot. "I can wait all day. But can you?" About a minute pasted, and then finally Draco said, "Ok, how about a kiss instead?" Harry gave him a 'you've got to be joking' look. "Um, a hickey? Maybe a hug? Er… cuddling? Ok, you've forced me to go as low as I'm going to allow. How about a date?"
"A date, huh?"
"Yeah. So how about it? Otherwise I'm going to go to Sprout and tell her that you're in her greenhouse with that dangerous plant." Draco grinned.
"What? No, you wouldn't!" Harry frowned. The last thing he needed was for Sprout to know that he broke his promise.
"Oh, yes… I would." Draco grinned wickedly.
Harry couldn't stand the bastard, but there was something odd going on with him… especially since Draco placed a Protection Spell on him. "Fine!" He finally gave in. "Have it your way, you spoiled, selfish, uncaring, egotistic, little dink!"
"Such a sweet talker." Draco smiled mockingly as he strolled around to the other side of the plant. "I hope you keep that lovely vocabulary for our future pillow talk."
Harry groaned. "Are we done with the pleasantries now? Ok, use your reflexes to the max to distract it."
"What do you want me to do, dangle a hand or something over it to tease it like it's a school of piranhas?"
"Something like that. Just do what you can. I need to concentrate on my timing."
Draco rolled up his robe's sleeve and moved a hand slowly toward the weird plant. The thing's leaves began to quake again, and then, in unison, the leaves uncurled and stood straight up, snapping hungrily at Draco's bared skin.
All at once, when Draco got the thing's attention, Harry swiftly moved his hands to the base of the plant and wrapped them around it. Instantly there was blue lightning coming out of his hands as it surrounded the plant. Harry had a feeling that if there was any electrical things around, they would all be short-circuited from the sparks that flew.
Harry had overlooked one fact with his idea to stun the deadly plant. The electricity was more intense than Harry had anticipated (seeing that he put both hands around it), and a small spark ignited the entire plant. The weird plant let out a slight shriek as it began to burn to a crisp. Harry leapt back in horror as the fire engulfed the plant. Strangely, the room filled with an ungodly odor of burning flesh. He desperately took out his wand and pointed it at the burning weed.
"Imberbris!" [1] Harry enchanted, and a small cloud appeared above the burning plant and began to rain, putting it out almost immediately.
The once green plant was mostly gray, and sopping wet. The only bit of green that was left on it was the very bottom where Harry's hands hadn't touched. The electricity seemed to have gone only where his hands were, but the spark from it caught one of the leaves on fire.
Draco smirked. "I don't think that they'd appreciate the fact that you have burnt the 'patient' they were gonna analyze."
"Oh shut up."
Draco stretched, "Ah! That felt good. Well, I guess my work here is done. I will contact you later when I would like my reward. Later, Potty." He waved, and then walked out of the greenhouse.
Harry sighed forlornly as he looked at the charred plant. Hopefully it could still be tested to see what species it was and what kind of properties it held. If not, they were out of luck.
And then there was the fact that he had a date with the Slytherin.
Shit!
~*~
"There you are!" Draco heard Pansy say, running in the hallway at him. "I've been looking all over for you! Where were you?"
"I don't see why I have to tell anyone anything. It's my business!" He walked past her, hoping that she got the message.
Pansy trotted along beside him, "I heard something rather interesting from Crabbe and Goyle."
"Oh really? When have they ever said anything interesting?"
"I thought the same thing when they told me that they had something interesting to tell me. Do you want to know what it is?"
"I could care less." Draco sighed.
"Oh, I suppose it's because you were supposed to keep it a secret, but that's ok. I won't say anything."
Draco stopped abruptly, "Keep what a secret?"
"You know," she nudged him. "That thing you got me. But don't worry about the secret being ruined. I still appreciate the effort you put to keeping it from me."
Draco's eyes suddenly became as wide as saucers when he finally realized what she was talking about. 'Oh shit! Those idiots went and told her about the rose! I'll teach them to keep their noses to themselves!' He dashed off toward the Slytherin dungeons.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Pansy cried, running after him.
~*~
After Harry dropped the mostly-charred plant at Dumbledore's office, he immediately took off for Potions. He had two minutes to get there on time, but he knew that there was no way he'd be able to make it.
He got there a minute late, huffing the whole time to his seat next to Ron.
"It's about time you decided to show up, Mr. Potter." Professor Snape said dryly. "Please explain why you were late to my class so that I know how many points to take off."
Harry fumbled, totally shocked by Snape wanting to know the reason for his tardiness. He usually didn't care and just took away points from Gryffindor for no reason. "S-sir, I had some urgent business…"
"Was it urgent enough to justify being late to my class?"
Ron looked like he wanted to say something, but decided it was best to keep his mouth shut. Harry sighed, averting his eyes and staring down at his Potions notebook. Finally, after a long pause, Harry finally nodded. He knew that Snape wouldn't leave him alone until he responded to his question.
"I see." Snape drawled and then wandered back to his desk. "Ten points from Gryffindor for tardiness and for thinking you had something more important to do than get to class on time. Now, although we won't have Double Potions until next week, you still need to take notes for future use. If you don't take these down, chances are you won't succeed." He was staring at Harry the whole time.
Harry opened his notebook quietly and lifted his new quill to dip into his inkbottle. He suddenly heard soft whispers around him and he could have sworn he heard the name 'Malfoy' come out of someone's mouth. Yes, he did make a new quill from Draco's owl's feather. So what? What was the big deal? He needed one anyways, and making one was better than having to always borrow Ron's or Hermione's, and it was faster than having to go to Hogsmeade to buy one.
"Mr. Potter," he heard Snape suddenly say. Harry looked up at the teacher immediately to see the stunned expression on his face. "Is that feather from Mr. Malfoy's owl?"
Draco looked over in shock, finally noticing the feather. Everyone did know about the feather that Harry had picked up that morning and kept, but they had no idea that he took it to use it for a quill.
"How…" Harry gulped. He wanted to ask how Snape knew, but he figured that Snape, as well as everyone else, might have recognized the pattern on the feather because Draco's owl was the only one with this patern of browns and blacks.
"Answer the question, Potter. Is that, or isn't that, a feather from Malfoy's owl?"
Harry nodded, "Yes it is, sir."
"So you couldn't afford to buy a new one? You just had to use Malfoy's?"
"That's not it sir."
"Then why, Mr. Potter?" Snape glared. "Why did you decide to make a quill from your rival's owl? Why?"
"It was convenient, sir." Harry said abruptly.
"Well, isn't that sweet. A Gryffindor cherishing a Slytherin's owl feather." All of the Slytherins sniggered at this. Snape smirked, and then he sat back down at his desk. "Five more points from Gryffindor for Potter's lack of House spirit."
Harry gaped, wanting to say something, but he shut his mouth quickly. He instantly started to write the rest of the notes down, not wishing to waste anymore time arguing over something stupid as why he was using Draco's owl's feather for a quill. Snape just seemed to enjoy making up reasons to take points away from Gryffindor this week. Harry didn't seem to think that having a quill made from Draco's owl was such a big deal. Harry idly wondered if maybe Snape was having a bad week with his other boss.
Draco shook his head, clearly showing everyone there that he was annoyed by Potter's wish to use his owl's feather. Deep down he was very flattered, but he didn't want to either defend or attack Harry. So instead, Draco settled for trying to confuse Harry by giving him different looks every time he caught the Gryffindor's eye.
~*~
The last class of the day for Harry was Transfigurations with McGonagall. He was more than glad to be there now, not having to deal with Snape or Malfoy. Through the main part of the time during Potions, he had noticed that Draco would be looking over his way. When their eyes met, either Draco would smile, snicker, or wink. Harry didn't know which was worse to see.
"Ok, class, time to take some notes on our new lesson. This time we will be turning an ordinary piece of parchment into a bat. As easy as it may sound, it is not. The closest anyone has gotten it the first time around has made the parchment into a pale tan colored bat. We need to look at some steps to make sure that the key color for the bat is done properly."
Professor McGonagall began to instruct on those key factors when Harry suddenly felt something touch his leg. He looked down but didn't see anything right away. He looked to the other side of his leg and saw a very tiny little man (or was it a goblin?) dressed in green and light brown. The small creature grinned before it pulled down one of its eyelids and stuck out his tongue.
Harry instantly raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Potter? Do you have a question?"
"Um, Professor, there's a… there's some kind of little man under the table…"
"A what?" Professor McGonagall looked like she had just been insulted. The whole class started to chuckle. Even Ron was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
"It's a little man… well, look!" Harry pointed as he looked down at his feet. But the weird man was no longer there. "Huh? Where'd it go?"
"Is there a reason why you believe that there's a little man at your feet, Mr. Potter?"
The soft snickering turned into laughter.
"But, Professor, I swear I saw him! He had a small pointed hat and his outfit was, um, green and brown. . ."
"That's quite enough now, Mr. Potter. I will not tolerate any more interruptions in my class."
Harry sighed in defeat. "Yes, professor."
As Professor McGonagall continued with her speech, Harry couldn't help but look back down at the floor again. There was no little man. He ran the soft tip of his new quill across his cheek. Was he seeing things?
~TBC~
[1] A shower or storm of rain; pelting rain