notes: when the singing finally begins, Harry's back up vocals are in italics.

The following events take place on New Years Eve in the Hufflepuff common room. Everyone's favourite badgers found it their turn this year to throw the seventh year New Years party and for a seemingly pure and innocent house they really knew how to party. It did of course help that everyone's spirits were at an all time high after Voldemort was conveniently defeated a few months earlier besides, house rivalries are easily dissolved with twenty-four crates of various alcoholic beverages, both wizarding and muggle. There are two people, however, that sit at practically opposite ends of the room looking just as miserable as each other.

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Harry Potter stared vacantly down into his glass of a rather conspicuous looking blue substance, what was it ? He wasn't exactly sure. What he did know was that it was very strong and seemed to be having the desired effect. In keeping with the festive season, and of course the happiness at no longer being threatened by a murderous, raving lunatic, around ninety percent of the seventh years had found themselves in couples. They all sat glued together by various body parts, not noticing anyone or anything around them. Certainly not the glares that Harry was sending their way. Not that he was bitter or anything. Not in the slightest. In fact as he got up to move from the unpleasant slurping noises coming from two thirds of the Golden Trio, there was no chance that he mumbled something like 'bloody couples'. No chance at all.

At the other end of the room Draco Malfoy also stared into his drink. If anyone were to pull themselves away from their snogging partner for long enough to ask what he was drinking, Draco would have lied. The cocktail glass he was holding contained a deep pink liquid, more precisely a mix of Citron Vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice and a stirrer that Draco felt looked decidedly like a violet, phallic symbol. A Cosmopolitan: the Slytherin Princes only weakness from the muggle world ...'well not my only,' he thought to himself 'but terrible, bouncy, pop music is rather unlikely here ...I hope.' He was about to take another sip, or rather large gulp, of his drink when a tangle of Blaise Zabini and Seamus Finnegan tumbled onto his lap. With quite an unmanly yelp Draco leapt from his position, knocking the boys to the floor and stalked off across the room.

Harry found his way to the drinks table (actually, tables) after pushing two couples and a threesome out the way. He downed the last of his drink and set about making another one as he muttered 'bloody couples' once more for effect.

Draco knocked what looked to be the beginnings of a Hufflepuff orgy out the way, drinking the rest of his cocktail before he reached salvation: the bottles of booze. Yet another couple got in his way and took most of his self-control not to fire some sort of unforgivable curse at them. He audibly said 'bloody couples' as he clearly did not have Harry's subtlety.

Harry looked round to see who echoed his sentiments and stared. Draco was too self-absorbed (or should that be alcohol-absorbed) to notice and began mixing at least half a bottle of vodka with around three millilitres of orange juice. He had to admit that it was really just Vodka that was his vice, not only Cosmopolitans. Then he felt someone staring, which was indeed very strange when everyone in the room was pretty much occupied. Draco looked up to see it was Harry that was staring. Draco stared back. And so they stood for an indefinite length of time, if anyone was looking at them at that particular moment in time they would have sworn they saw a large, neon sign flashing the word 'Fate' in at least six different colours.

"Thirsty Malfoy ?" Harry finally said, in reference to the large glass of orange coloured vodka that Draco was holding.
"Not really, just trying to block out all the bloody couples ...and it also saves me moving again when I find a safe position to pass out drunk in." Harry pondered over Draco's answer, the blond wondered if the Gryffindor would hurt himself thinking that hard. Instead he snatched Draco's drink
"That's my drink Scarhead, give it back !" He whined like a petulant child, he'd have seventeen years of practice after all. Harry took a long gulp, face screwing up at the drinks strength.
"Merlin," he spluttered "that is bloody strong Malfoy." Draco smirked as Harry handed the glass back. He took his own mouthful and only flinched a little as the near-straight spirit burnt his throat
"Well that is the point Potter ...would you care for one ?" Harry mulled it over, for around a second
"Absolutely." He took the vodka bottle and poured the half that Draco hadn't got his hands on yet into a tall glass. Out of drunken courtesy Draco passed him the orange juice. Harry held out the glass of vodka leaving Draco to pour for him.
"Now if you don't mind I have plans for a threesome with a dark corner and this orange vodka." With that Draco turned on his heel and headed back through the swarming mass of drunk hormones. Harry watched the Slytherin walk away, eyes lingering longer than normal on his ass. He then muttered a quiet 'oh dear' and followed that with a much needed gulp of alcohol.

The alcohol began to take hold of Harry rather quickly as he stumbled past people to find his own spot to kill his liver and brain cells in. Then, ten minutes later, he spotted it. Over the heads of the people in the room he saw a corner that looked to be empty and attempted to make his way swiftly to it. There was a black, two-seater couch that was in fact not unoccupied. With vodka in hand, Draco sat cross legged, eyes glancing over the inhabitants of the room finally coming to rest of the Gryffindor Golden Boy who was staggering his way over to him.

Harry unceremoniously flopped down beside Draco, his green eyes looking suspiciously glassy
"Something tells me you have problems holding your drink Potter." The blond drawled.
"That's so not true Draco," he said offended "look I'm holding it right now." He waved the glass in his hand in front of Draco's face. The Slytherin rolled his eyes and took four large gulps of his drink, rationalising that he may as well be as drunk as the Gryffindor who was currently trying to finish the drink as quick as possible.
"Tell you what Potter, since you are so eager to finish that drink I suggest a contest." Harry raised an eyebrow "who can finish theirs fastest, we've already got equal amounts in our glasses." Harry wasn't convinced, his head was spinning and he'd already once nearly lost his inhibitions around the blond and his defences were slowly lowering.
"Scared Potter ?" That did it. Harry was also vaguely sure he'd heard that somewhere before.
"You wish." He was wondering where he'd heard it '...perhaps a wet dream..." He pondered.
"Right after three." Harry nodded as they both placed their glasses at their mouths "three ...two ...one."

Draco drank.

Harry drank.

Draco drank.

Harry drank.

Draco was winning.

Harry was falling over.

"Finally," Draco said in triumph "I finally beat you at something." Harry didn't seem to notice as his whole upper body began to slide across the back of the couch until his head came to rest on Draco's shoulder. The Slytherin was about to make some smart-arsed comment about Gryffindorks but whatever he was going to say was lost as the vodka kicked in and his head began to feel very heavy indeed.

"Git." Harry said, speech a little thick.
"Tosser." Replied Draco, not sounding much better.
"Ferret."
"Scarhead." Harry took his time thinking of something else and clearly came up with nothing.
"Malfoy."
"Potter."
"Draco." He said dreamily.
"Harry." Draco said, getting caught up in the pattern. Harry's grip on his glass faltered and it fell to the floor and rolled away to parts unknown. Draco tried to reach over to place his on a nearby table but found his movements considerably hampered by the weight of the Gryffindor on his left side so instead he too let it fall to the floor.
"Draco ?"
"Yes Harry ?"
"How come you're not one of those people getting in the way 'cause they won't remove their lips from someone else ?" Harry was starting to sound exceedingly tired and his head was slowly sliding down Draco's shoulder.
"Well I don't see people lining up ...anyway there's someone I have in mind." Harry's cheek was now pressed against Draco's chest.
"Your hearts beating..."
"I should bloody well hope so."
"So how does this person feel about you then ?" Unconsciously Harry ran a finger leisurely up and down Draco's chest. The blonde's back stiffened at Harry's administrations.
"Oh I don't know ...it's hard to tell these things sometimes." Out of no where Draco's face split into a rather manic grin and he began to giggle in a most undignified manor. Harry's head jolted up and he slid away from Draco a little.
"What's so funny ?" Draco, however, was completely incapable of answering. Eventually he composed himself, wiping tears from his silver eyes as he turned to Harry with a smirk in place.
"Do you know Cher, Harry ?" For the countless time that night, Harry just stared at the Slytherin
"What in Godric's name are you on about ?" He suddenly seemed significantly less tired. Draco fought with the pocket of his black trousers in an attempt to get to his wand.

When it was finally retrieved he gave it a complicated wave and the song that had been playing changed. Draco then preceded to sing...

"Does he love me, I wanna know
How can I tell if he loves me so?"

The whole room went deathly silent, other than the sound of Cher. Harry, who for some reason that he wasn't quite sure of, knew the song and caught on right away, providing back-up for the blond next to him.

Is it in his eyes ?

No one in the room was quite sure what to in response to this duet by the newly bonded ex-rivals so they did what anyone would do in a similar situation: they watched.

"Oh no, you'll be deceived."
Is it in his sighs ?

Draco was beginning to use hand gestures, getting caught up in his and Harry's performance.

"Oh, no he'll make believe
If you wanna know If he loves you so It's in his kiss"

Harry added in the obligatory 'shoop shoop, shoop shoop' before continuing the song.

That's where it is, oh yeah
Or is it in his face ?
"Oh no that's just his charms" Or in his warm embrace ?

Harry demonstrated this point by throwing his arms around Draco. Whispers and murmurs began to ring through the watching crowd, wishing they had a clue as to what on Earth was going on.

"Oh no, that's just his arms
If you wanna know"
Shoop, shoop, shoop, shoop
"If he loves you so"
Shoop, shoop, shoop, shoop
"It's in his kiss"
That's where it is
"Oh, it's in his kiss"
That's where it is

Draco looked at Harry. Harry looked at Draco. The whole room held it's collective breath. Sadly Gloria Estefan was right, eventually the 'Rhythm is Gonna Get You'. Draco practically jumped from his seat and clambered onto the table that he had been unable to reach earlier.

"Whoa, Hug him and squeeze him tight
Find out what you wanna know
If it's love, if it really is
It's there in his kiss"

Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince, proud pure-blood and all round snarky bastard was so convincing as Cher that the onlookers were starting to suspect the world-renowned diva had been drinking some blond hair laced Polyjuice Potion. But no, Draco's best kept secret was that for hours on end in his bedroom at Malfoy Manor (under a Silencio charm of course) he had sung and danced to numerous Cher CDs. Actually his best kept secret was the fact that they were his fathers CDs. Lucius Malfoy: Cher fan, oh how people would laugh if they knew.

How 'bout the way he acts ?

Harry sang up to him, spectators marvelled at the wizarding saviours ability to look serious. Although, many of them mused, fight a Dark Lord and you can do anything, even duet on Cher with a Malfoy.

"Oh no, that's not the way
You're not listenin' to all I said
If you wanna know"
Shoop, shoop, shoop, shoop
"If he loves you so" Shoop, shoop, shoop, shoop

Draco jumped back down and landed, rather gracefully for one so wasted, on the couch.

"It's in his kiss"
That's where it is

Harry looked mystified as Draco cupped his hand round one of the Gryffindor's cheeks and said ever so quietly "that's where it is..." He pressed his lips in a test against Harry's at the same time some random Hufflepuff shouted that it was nearly new year. Draco was about to pull away when Harry frantically clambered on top of him and laced his fingers in his hair. With Harry straddling him, Draco never noticed the fading of the music and the count down that had begun.

Five

Draco nipped on Harry's bottom lip.

Four

Harry opened his mouth, tongue lapping over Draco's lips.

Three

Draco's tongue met Harry's. Both moaned and Draco's hands slid down the Gryffindor's back.

Two

The blond squeezed Harry's ass causing the Gryffindor to moan again and move his attentions to Draco's jaw line.

One

Harry kissed a path up to Draco's ear and nibbled affectionately on the lobe before whispering "Happy New Year you snarky Slytherin git." Draco pulled Harry's face to meet his, annoyance laced in his voice "Shut the bloody hell up and kiss me again Scarhead." Harry Potter, in spite of all his idiocy, did not need to be told twice.