Harry stayed to bid goodbye to the Weasleys after dinner, he and Hermione sat there for a moment, she was staying at the Cauldron as well. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the Slytherins had gone while he was fuming. He sighed and caught Hermione's eye on accident.
"What is it you want from them?"
"What?"
"You were watching them, the Slytherins, all of dinner and I saw your conversation with Malfoy earlier. Is it Malfoy?- do you want something from him?"
"I…" Harry sighed and took her hand, he led her upstairs to his room and sat her down on the bed. "It sounds twisted and weird and you're going to think I'm nutters but…I want to be like them 'Mione."
"What?"
"They're perfect."
"I-"
"No, listen, they're all gorgeous, rich, smarter than any other house collectively, and they're popular. Did you see how many of them there were tonight? A group that large that can trust each other enough to dress like muggles when they're all children of Death Eaters? That's a sign of really close friendship Hermione, something like that doesn't come too often. They're famous, the lot of them, for being the leaders of tomorrow in the Wizarding World. Heirs to incredible things. It's mind-boggling how privileged they are. But they take it in stride and they're human enough to go out to a concert and dance." It wasn't everything he wanted. He wanted the upbringing where he learnt to hide his feelings, where he had masks that fell so effortlessly into place it was like breathing. He could hide himself and his pain, if he were one of them. He wouldn't have to worry about screaming in the night or crying in his sleep, if he were like them. He would be untouchable and no one would be able to tell him how he felt.
"Harry, that may be true but it's a skewed version of their world, they've got it a lot harder than you realize."
"How so?"
"You've met Lucius Malfoy."
"Yeah, but I saw him earlier today, he really does care about his son, gives him anything, lets him do whatever."
"In private." Hermione countered. "In public he treats his son and everyone else like shit."
"So, at least he's there and when the doors close he loves his son."
There was a silence. "Harry…are you sure it's their lifestyle you're after?"
"Yeah, why?"
"It seems to me it's more the fact that they have families, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters. That's what you want."
Another silence followed. "I think you're on to something."
Harry fell into a fidgeting sleep that night, and he didn't want to dream but he did.
There was a street around him, in muggle London, street lamps cast circles of light on the sidewalk, perfectly spaced to leave not but a few feet of mediocre shadows between them. Down a ways he saw a pub front and he walked towards it. He sensed something a miss about the establishment but went inside. It was empty and silent though the lights were on, a fire crackled merrily in the hearth and even a few drinks sat out half-way finished.
Frowning Harry saw a stair case that didn't seem quite right, he went to it and ran right into a wall. Confused, he pushed out towards the steps but hit the barrier again. He put his face up close to it and saw it was paint on the wooden wall of the pub, a painting. He sighed and was about to step away when a little knot in the wood caught his eye, it seemed to have a worn away spot just the size of a thumb. He reached slowly towards it and pressed.
The painted wall shifted and fell back to create a downward facing staircase and he heard dulled cheering. Walking slowly down he saw the walls of this passage were painted and marked. Names, hearts, slogans, phrases and insults surrounded him in vibrant neon paints.
"Jesse and Layna 4ever"
"Piss in boots"
"Vampires suck better."
Then he saw a huge block letter style sign. "SUNLIGHT CLUB" it read and beneath it he saw "Vampires Love the Sunlight". He knew immediately he was in the club he'd heard Malfoy talking about earlier.
He walked down and through a heavy steal door and saw a huge swarm of people, bars wrapped around two walls of the room and a stage took over the wall opposite the entrance. He saw the dance floor was packed and cages hung a few feet over head with half naked dancers in them. Men and women. He saw someone climb on a bar and start dancing with a vampire already up there, it was Zabini. Harry saw the band on the stage and they looked ethereal in all white and silver while the clubbers were mostly in blacks and reds.
"There's something, babe."
Harry looked around and spotted Malfoy in the mosh pit at the front.
"Something, darling."
He started moving through the crowd and found that since he was a dream he only had to walk through people.
"I think you should die."
As he neared Malfoy the boy stopped and pulled himself out of the crowd, he came face to face with dream-Harry but turned and went to the bar.
"But I'd be lonely with you gone."
Harry was startled by their close encounter. The silver in his eyes was so incredibly alive, it was glittering in the dark and moving like a pool of liquid. He sighed and turned to leave. He rushed out and up the stairs again, barely registering a large signature near the exit "Blondes aren't Bitches. –Draco "Darling" Malfoy"
He awoke to sun in the room and saw a pair of perfect, living silver eyes in the air above him, surrounded by a barely visible outline of the owner. The ghost form of Draco was laying over him, just staring. In the instant the vision was gone.
Harry sat up quickly and breathed out, scared and confused by this vision. "What the hell?"
"HOLY CRAP!" Draco was awakened by the scream.
"What? What's happening?" He sat up and looked around, immediately regretting sitting up, his head throbbed loudly and painfully at him. Blaise was standing there, completely naked, staring at his left thigh. On it was a tattoo, of a black Imp sitting on a white rose with the words "Opposites Attract" written in scrawling pen.
"I HAVE A TATTOO!" Blaise screamed, making a whimpering noise. He looked up and for a second it looked like he had emerald green eyes and a pair of thick round spectacles. Draco blinked and frowned at him, but it was gone, just Blaise remained.
"-Wha?" Draco shook his head, mind muddled from a hangover and definite confusion.
"Tattoo, Draco, tattoo," Blaise pointed at it again and gave his friend a look.
"So?" Draco shrugged, but then the significance of it set upon him. Purebloods didn't do anything muggle, tattoos were muggle, very muggle. "Holy crap, Blaise, you have a tattoo."
"I KNOW!" Blaise whimpered and he breathed heavily for a second. "How can we cover this up?"
"Wait, I-I have a charm or something, somewhere to hide those sorts of things." Draco stood and went to a shelf of books. "Uhm." Taking one book he flipped through to a charm. "Here, okay marcuro incognius." He pointed his wand at it. In a moment it had faded away to be nothing but normal tan skin.
"Oh, thank-god." Blaise sighed and hugged his friend.
"Blaise, I love you and your hugs, but not when we're both naked."
"Right," Blaise stepped back and with a smile, went to his bed and pulled out some pants from the suitcase at the foot.
Draco turned to look at his own bed and for a second he saw the ghostly form of Harry Potter sprawled out on the bed and tangled in the sheets. Frowning, Draco walked to the bed and seated himself on it, as he did the form disappeared.
Sighing, the Malfoy heir stood and dressed himself. What a strange day already.
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XOXO-Firestorm.