Wow, sorry for the major delay there. Uhhh... I also don't think that it showed when I posted the last chapter, so if you missed it, go back and read! Because I had that post saying I wouldn't be able to update until after Christmas, and then when I replaced it with Chapter 14, I don't think it ever changed the date. Anyway. This is my longest chapter yet. Hurrah! REVIEWS!
Immortal Tears of - Well thank you! I still don't like the last chapter that much, but I think I'm slipping into my old mode of "Wow, I hate EVERYTHING I write!" ...You'll have that. ;)
Lindsey - Psh. I know what I'm talking about, "Shuffle"puff. HAHAHA. HILARIOUS AS USUAL. (siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh)
Angel-Wings6 - Thank you! I try my best, haha :)
botherx3 - ? haha :)
blusorami - Surely, you can use it :) And I'll definitely have to check out your fic! HAHA, and we didn't do anything too bad with the Remus doll. Just showed it off to our friends and told them how cool we were to have a Remus doll. Thanks for your review :D
Carrie Anderson - Awesome! I looove it. I'm making two of my friends come over tomorrow to watch it (although I guess it's today, since it's now 5 AM). One of them is obsessed with David and Jason, and she hasn't seen it in years, so I was like "YOU, COME OVER NOW!" Hehe.
Lani-David - Aw, thank you so much! Oh, Ron will definitely be far more anti-Malfoy in this chapter. Poor Harry :( And thank you! My New Year was a lot of fun, I hope yours was too! :)
YamakitoMatsukari - HAHA, it's... going to be very interesting! ;)
Waha!
Enjoy this chapter. Again, it's my longest one yet (for this
story, anyway). Look forward to lots of eye-rolling and "omg shut
up". Also, you find out what Ron does for a living (and
yes, it's the same as what he does in just about EVERY OTHER FIC.
Because I just have no room for originality anymore :P)
Chapter 15
I got too much love
Running through my veins to go to
waste
Harry stood outside of Draco's bedroom, pounding on the door. One story below him, he heard a similar knocking on his front door. Harry sighed and shouted, "Draco, hurry up! They don't care what you look like!"
The door swung open and there stood Draco, who promptly rolled his eyes. "I know that," he said. "But how do I look anyway?" He was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a tight, black turtleneck.
"A bit Muggle," Harry replied with a grin. Draco shut the door and walked past Harry, brushing him roughly with his shoulder.
"Thanks," said Draco snidely.
"You look great, okay? You didn't need me to tell you that." Harry began to walk down the hall to the stairs, Draco following close behind.
"I know. But there's nothing wrong with a bit of ego-stroking." They reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed to the doorway.
"Just behave, please?" Harry asked, his hand on the doorknob.
"I will if they do," Draco said stiffly. Harry groaned, a giant knot growing in his stomach. He opened the door and plastered a smile on his face.
"Harry!" Hermione greeted him. She threw her arms around him instantly, causing Harry to laugh. He looked over at Ron, who seemed about as uncomfortable as Draco was.
"All right, Ron?" asked Harry. Ron offered a small smile.
"All right." Hermione let go of Harry, grabbing hold of Ron's hand. Harry moved from the doorway so that they could come inside, but Ron and Hermione stopped in their tracks when they saw Draco standing in front of them. Draco and Ron glared daggers at each other, neither saying anything, while Hermione glanced nervously around at the floor. Harry cleared his throat and bounced on his heels.
"Off to a fantastic start," he mumbled. Hermione looked up at Draco and forced a smile.
"Hello, Draco," she said. She glared at Ron and kicked him lightly.
"Er, hi," Ron muttered. Draco raised his eyebrows.
"Hello," he said arduously. With that, he turned and walked back into the living room and sat on one of the couches. Ron rolled his eyes quickly and crossed his arms over his chest. Harry let out a deep breath and shrugged.
"Well, come in," he said dejectedly. He could tell already that his efforts were going to be destroyed.
Ron and Hermione came inside, and Harry shut the door behind them. The three of them crossed the room and sat down on the couches, Harry beside Draco and Ron and Hermione on the other.
"So," Harry said, folding his hands on his lap. "How, um—How are you two?"
"Very well, thanks," Hermione said with a small smile. "And you . . . two?" Draco snorted softly, causing their guests to glare at him awkwardly.
"We're fine," Harry replied hesitantly. "Um, can I get anyone a drink?" Everyone mumbled a negative response, and the uncomfortable silence began again. Harry was sure that he had never been so nervous about anything. He wondered if it was too late to use a memory charm on his friends to make them forget why they were there, and just send them home.
Hermione finally spoke up, thwarting Harry's sinister thoughts. I've definitely been influenced by a Slytherin mind.
"I don't know how much Quidditch you got to watch last season, Harry, but the Chudley Cannons were reported to have sold the most merchandise out of all the other teams in the region," she said proudly. "And Ron was voted as the region's most popular keeper in Quidditch Monthly."
"Hermione," Ron whined.
"Really, Ron? That's great," Harry said with a smile. Draco looked between the three of them.
"You play for the Chudley Cannons, Weasley?" he asked.
"Yes," Ron said defensively.
"I see. I haven't kept up with Quidditch since graduation," explained Draco. "I can imagine you're a much better player now than during school." Ron opened his mouth to retort, but Hermione cut him off.
"You know what they shout at the games?" she asked. Harry and Draco both raised their eyebrows questioningly. She grinned and said, "'Weasley Is Our King.'" At this, Harry and Draco started to crack up laughing, while Ron's face turned as red as his hair.
"I don't really know how the fans found out about it," Ron mumbled.
"That's brilliant," Draco said. "And you all thought that Slytherins were worthless. Looks like we came up with a perfect slogan for you."
"Even if you didn't mean it in a positive way at the time," Harry reminded him.
"True," Draco replied thoughtfully. Ron still looked positively annoyed that the discussion had begun with him and Quidditch.
"So," Hermione said to Draco, eager to try and block the silence as long as she could, "How have you been since school ended?"
"I've been fantastic," he said curtly. Ron perked up at this. Harry, however, did not want to talk about Draco, for fear of what might come out of the blonde's mouth. Luckily, Draco didn't seem keen on continuing the conversation. Think quickly, change the subject.
"Really?" asked Ron condescendingly, a hint of wickedness in his voice. Damn it. "And what do you do for a career?" Draco stared at him as if he wasn't even going to answer at all.
"Actually," Draco began, "I was a prostitute, but now I'm unemployed." The eyes of the other three widened, and Harry reflexively punched Draco in the arm. That was exactly what he did not want Draco to say. Draco gasped and clutched at his arm, giving Harry a murderous glare. "Ow, Potter!"
"Sorry," Harry said uneasily. "Don't joke like that, er, Malfoy."
"Bloody Merlin, all right." He turned back to Ron and Hermione, and said robotically, "I actually do nothing. I'm disgustingly rich, so I spent a few years in Paris and only moved back because I grew bored with all the upscale French clubs. After all, you can only spend so much money in one city before you run out of new and exciting things to do." Ron and Harry both rolled their eyes. Harry quickly stood, deciding they'd had far enough time to talk.
"All right, I think it's time to eat," he said urgently, ushering everyone into the dining room. He walked in front of Ron and Hermione with Draco at his side. Hermione seemed to be scolding Ron about something, so Harry took the opportunity to hiss angrily in Draco's ear, "If Ron doesn't kill you, then I will."
"You didn't tell me that they were going to be so fucking meddlesome," Draco spat back in a hushed voice.
"She was just being courteous."
"I don't care. And I didn't mean her any—"
"Shut up," Harry ordered once they were in the dining room. Draco hastily sat in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. Ron sat diagonal to him in much the same manner. Harry flicked his wand into the kitchen, bidding four plates and goblets to float into the room. He and Hermione took their seats.
"It smells wonderful," Hermione complimented, once the plates landed gently onto the table.
"Malfoy made it, actually," Harry said. Draco coughed irritably, as Ron had done when Hermione mentioned the Chudley Cannons.
"It's Greek lasagna," Draco said. Ron poked around at his plate, his head resting on his hand. Draco smirked, and added, "Don't worry, Weasley. I haven't poisoned it." Ron responded with a nasty glare while taking a swift bite of his food.
"I didn't know you cooked," Hermione said after swallowing a mouthful.
"There are a lot of things you've yet to find out," Draco said with a devilish grin. Ron glanced around nervously, while Hermione pretended to pay no mind to his comment. Harry kicked Draco's knee from underneath the table.
"What?" Draco growled. Harry glowered at him.
"Sorry. My foot slipped," Harry replied through clenched teeth.
With a smirk, Draco said, "Oh, don't worry, Potter. My knees are indestructible. Found that out just today actually."
"Wow," Harry said loudly, abruptly changing the subject, "This meal is fantastic."
"Very good," Hermione concurred. She elbowed Ron, and he grumbled an agreement.
"Thank you," Draco said impassively. He said to Hermione, "Oh, and congratulations on your wedding, by the way."
"Oh, thank you," Hermione replied brightly. Ron continued to grumble. Hermione sighed and turned to her husband. "Honestly, Ronald, you could be more appreciative."
"Come on, Hermione. You know the only reason he's saying that is because you," he turned to Harry, "probably told him to." Harry arched an eyebrow.
"I didn't tell him to say anything," Harry retorted. Draco cleared his throat.
"I'm still here, you know," he said. Ron ignored him and continued to argue.
"Obviously you didn't tell him to be honest, because I don't believe the load of bollocks that you two are feeding us." Hermione placed a hand on Ron's arm.
"Ron, please don't."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry snapped.
"Allow me to elaborate. 'Oh, hi. How are you? Well, Malfoy's here, and he's helping me with a case.' Are we really supposed to believe that? There's something going on."
Draco said softly, "Nothing gets past you, Weaselbee." Ron stood from his seat, bumping the table and knocking over a goblet. Without warning, he drew his wand and pointed it at Draco. Upon seeing this, everybody else stood.
"RON!" Hermione and Harry both yelled.
"Go ahead, Weasley," Draco challenged.
"Draco, shut up," Harry whispered. It only took a second for Ron to begin to shout a spell. Harry cut him off by retrieving his own wand and yelling, "Expelliarmus!" Ron's wand flew from his hand and landed across the room. Hermione and Ron both stared at Harry in awe. He turned to Draco and said, "Would you excuse the three of us?"
"What? You want me to leave?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"Please," Harry pleaded, although it came out as more of a command.
"I have just as right to be here as they do."
"Hardly," Ron commented snidely.
"Oh, sod off," Draco said disgustedly. Ron began to roll up his sleeves.
"I don't need my wand to kick your fucking arse, Malfoy."
"Ron!" Hermione scolded, smacking Ron's arm.
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Harry shouted to Ron and Draco. "You," he said, pointing to Draco, "Go somewhere else for now. And you," he turned to Ron, "Sit down and I'll explain everything."
Ron and Draco didn't divert their vicious gaze for a several moments. Draco turned to Harry, his glare softening slightly.
"Please," Harry whispered again.
Before Draco answered, he scowled fiercely, and then said, "Fine." As he turned to leave, Harry raised his eyebrows in question, wondering how much exactly Draco would allow him to tell. Would it be okay if he told them the whole story?
Draco hesitated before finally saying, "Go ahead." With that, he walked briskly from the room. The trio watched him leave before the three of them slowly sat back down in their seats. Ron then turned his glower to Harry.
"Why did you stick up for him?" he snapped. Harry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Because he doesn't have a wand, so it wouldn't have been fair," Harry explained impatiently.
"What? Why doesn't he have a wand?" Ron asked intolerantly. Harry faltered, wondering how he should word his explanation.
"Because . . . I didn't tell you the entire story over the phone," he said. Ron and Hermione gazed at him anxiously. Much like the last time Harry sat across from them at a table, he wished like mad that he could have a cigarette. Instead, he sighed and folded his arms onto the table.
"Um," he began, "Well, after I talked to you two at the Three Broomsticks, I spent the next couple of days working on a case. I had told Draco before about the case, and it just so happened that he knew which one I was working on . . . Anyway, um, he came to the Auror Headquarters requesting to see me. From there, he gave me a lot of information about both himself and the case. He, uh—Merlin, I really shouldn't be the one saying all of this. Er, the case was that of a murdered Death Eater, and Draco had come to tell me that he knew who the murderer was." Harry sighed and quickly took a sip of pumpkin juice from his goblet. He then glanced at the spilt juice on the table, and flicked his wand at it, mumbling "Scourgify."
"And?" Ron asked edgily.
"Right. And, um, he had told me that . . . He was the one who murdered the Death Eater." Ron and Hermione stared at him as if he had sprouted an extra head. Harry sighed, and said, "Okay, this is the easiest way I can put this. You know earlier when you asked him what he did for a living, and he gave you that dumb answer? About—Er, about being a prostitute, only now he's unemployed?"
His friends didn't respond, but their eyes widened and they appeared to be on the edge of their seats. Harry cleared his throat and continued, "Well, he wasn't lying. But he really did live in Paris for several years, which is why nobody had seen him around. He lost his inheritance when his manor was destroyed. So, that's what he resorted to, and that's how he ended up with the Death Eater. The Death Eater was going to kill him, so Draco just, um, struck first. When he came to tell me about this, he was convinced that he was going to Azkaban for life. Tonks suggested that maybe he stay with me, so I agreed to it. I brought him back here, and he's turned out to be okay. I mean, he's tolerable, you know?" Harry shrugged, and concluded with, "He's a lot more like me than I ever thought. I guess I've learned that we had a lot of misconceptions about him."
Ron had become very quiet during this story, his expression changing frequently from anger, to annoyance, to shock, to sadness, and back again. Hermione, however, remained fairly straight-faced the whole time. She was the first to comment, and asked exactly what Harry was avoiding.
"Is that all?" she asked. Harry nodded. She smirked softly and said, "I think there's more to your story."
"There's not," he said, trying his best to sound convincing. He had intended to tell them the full truth, but somewhere in the midst of his explanation, he lost his courage to do so.
"Harry," she persisted, "Are you in love with him?" Harry didn't respond, but his mind was racing, wondering how she figured it out so quickly. Am I really that obvious? he thought. Of course, I did stop calling him "Malfoy" at some point. Ron glanced back and forth between Harry and Hermione, before he scoffed loudly.
"Oh, come on! You can't be serious!" he asked incredulously.
"It's complicated," was all Harry could think to say.
"What's so complicated about it? He was your enemy for seven years, and the son of a Death Eater! His father supported the scum that killed your parents."
"Voldemort killed Draco's parents too," Harry said assertively. "Draco might be a lot of things that you don't like, but he is not his father."
"Harry, it's been two weeks since you started talking to him again. How can you possibly be in love?" Ron asked.
"Time has nothing to do with it. For Merlin's sake, I had a boyfriend for three years and I was never in love with him." His frustration was quickly turning to impulsion.
"WHAT?" Ron cried.
"When I was in Auror training, I met a bloke named Jeremy and we dated for three years. Still, I was never in love with him. We just never had a connection like this, one that went beyond petty arguments and thoughtless words."
"All you and Malfoy ever had were petty arguments and thoughtless words," Ron said. "So what makes things different now?"
"The fact that he's different now, and so am I. I'm learning to forgive the past. All of us were young and stupid and didn't know what we were doing. We only did what we were told to do—"
"And now you make excuses for him! You might forgive the past, but there's no forgetting what he did. Don't you remember all his insults and the countless times he tried to get us in trouble?" Ron argued.
"It's not like we never did any of that, either. Really, he didn't know better. That's just how he was raised."
"Look at how you were raised, and you're nothing like those Muggles."
"The Dursleys didn't raise me, they just gave me a place to stay," Harry said resentfully. Hermione sighed and interrupted.
"Obviously anything we say won't change your mind, Harry," she said, casting a disapproving glance at her husband. "We might not agree with it, but in time we'll learn to accept it. However, you have to also accept our skepticism with all of this, too. You can't expect us to understand right away."
"I don't. I just want you to try."
"And we will." She let a grin play on her lips, and added, "At least you're telling us about this one. How many more have there been?" Harry blushed furiously.
"Jeremy was the only one that was serious," he said faintly. "Um, and I didn't really plan on you both finding out about me and Draco today."
"Did you ever plan on us finding out?"
"Yes. Well . . . I suppose if it could be avoided, probably not. But I knew I'd have to tell you sooner or later. I just had hoped it would have been under better circumstances."
"Harry, I wish you wouldn't be afraid to tell us things. Although," she paused, throwing another glare at Ron, "I can understand why you were apprehensive." Ron rolled his eyes.
"Look, all I want to know is, why Malfoy?" Ron said abruptly. Harry shrugged slightly and sighed.
"Trust me, Ron. I had no idea that things would turn out this way. I didn't invite him here expecting that it would turn into love. Even when we did fall in love, I tried to deny it. But I can't do that forever. I've denied love far too many times, and I refuse to let it happen again. I'm going to take my chances on Draco."
Ron turned silent, as did everyone else. Finally, Hermione said, "Well, then invite him back in here and we'll take our chances, too. Ronald, get your wand, but don't even think about using it. Or your fists, for that matter."
Harry stood from his seat and nodded. "I'll—Erm, I'll tell Draco to be nicer, too." Although I already did. Several times. With that, he left the room, ascending up the stairs to find Draco.
Okay, really, I just wanted to make a reference to Weasley Is Our King. Anyway, I actually feel very badly for Harry. He seems to be terrible at predicting how other people will react. But he tries so hard :( Next chapter - Well... no friendships will be made, but nobody is going to be cursed to death either.
Wah! R/R pleeeeeeease!!
By the way... If any of you haven't seen Napoleon Dynamite... GO RENT IT. IT'S BRILLIANT. All I have to say is... Ligers are bred for their skills in magic!
