A/N: You can't even imagine how unbelievably sorry I am for the delay. I can't really say that it's because I've been too busy… I mean, I have… but even when I wasn't doing anything, I just didn't feel like writing. I'm so sorry, and please forgive me.

Honestly, I have been trying to get this up for a few days now, but my bloody floppy disk is utter crap and it wouldn't let me upload this onto my computer… but if you are reading this I got it all figured out.

A really special thanks to all of my lovely reviewers!

Reviewers:
MakFelton: Thank you! Sorry for the delay.
synicalporphyra: You really think so? Thanks. I thought that it made sense.
Princesspepper: Thanks so much for the long review! I'll make you my Beta if you want... but I couldn't wait because it has been FOREVER since I updated and I /really/ wanted to update /now/. Soz.
skimmie: Thanks!

So, without further addue…

Chapter 3: Potion Fun and Warning

"You had better have a good fucking explanation for 'outing' me in front of the entire school like that Zabini," Draco yelled to Blaise, who was currently barricaded in their boys dorm room, with various locking charms separating the two boys.

"I do," replied Blaise. He was trying to keep his fear out of his voice, but had a feeling that it wasn't working.

"Stop being such a coward, Zabini, and face me like a Slytherin."

Blaise thought a moment, and decided that as bad as Draco could do, taking it like a chicken was worse. "Only if you'll listen to me, instead of hexing me into next week."

"All right Blaise," Draco agreed after a while, saying his name with mild disgust. "But, if I find your excuse is not worthy, I feel that I have the right to see to you as I see fit."

After taking off the numerous locking spells, Blaise slowly opened the door. Draco rushed in quickly, sweeping passed him and onto Blaise's bed. "So tell me, Blaise…"

"Well… you were practically calling me an idiot," he replied. Then, in seeing Draco's less than convinced expression, he added, "Besides, knowing you, you could use this to your advantage."

Draco tried not to sound too curious. "Oh, and what pray tell would that be," he asked with a tried note of sarcasm in his voice.

"You could use this to make Potter yours," Blaise answered, pleased with himself for catching Draco's attention.

"How… I do not-"

"Don't even bother, Draco. I've seen the looks you give him… how you follow him in the shadows."

"That's all I will ever be to him, Blaise. Only a shadow nothing more," Draco muttered inaudibly, so that Blaise couldn't hear.

"What?" he questioned.

Draco just shook his head. "What makes you so sure that Potter is a poof anyways?"

"Well, for one he, along with Granger, were just about the only students who didn't find it funny. He supposedly hates your guts, but didn't bother to laugh when you were humiliated like that…"

"Perhaps you are right, just perhaps," replied Draco, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, that didn't go unnoticed by Blaise.

"You really like him, don't you?"

"I…I don't know. At first I thought it was a phase but… I just can't get him out of my head, you know? It's like his existence supports my life…" He glanced at Blaise, and, as though he just remembered he was a Malfoy, said, "So, why would you not go out with me anyways? Too intimidated by what you see."

Back to the Malfoy we all love, thought Blaise. "Well, I'm sort of, you know, 'involved'… "

"With who?" demanded Draco.

"Seamus Finnigan."

"Not that bloody Gryffindor who practically waves his gayness on flag, parading around the school?"

"That's the one," answered Blaise proudly. "Besides, your man is a 'bloody Gryffindor' as well."

Draco laughed. "I suppose your right. C'mon, we best get to potions soon. We're cutting it close with this fashionably late thing," he added with a smirk.

Blaise punched him playfully. "Sure. This should be interesting. You and Potter are partners, remember?"

This could be very interesting indeed.

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Ron was still laughing with a few others as he stumbled into Potions, with only minutes to spare. Once he caught sight of Harry and Hermione's slightly red puffy eyes, he looked at them curiously. "Oi, what happened to you?"

"We…er…" Harry said, thinking frantically for an idea.

"Oh I see," Ron replied, making both Harry and Hermione a little anxious. "You both left and came here early, so you could laugh without anyone noticing. You must have laughed so hard you were reduced to tears. Am I right?"

Hermione glanced at Harry quickly, before saying, "Oh aren't you clever." She then embraced him, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, just as Professor Snape walked in.

"It's bad enough to see such acts of affections with most students, but that is simply appalling! Ten points from Gryffindor, for making me want to throw up." Snape did seem to be in an even worse mood than usual. "Now sit down all of you, and take your spots."

It was then that Draco and Blaise made their entrance. Everyone fell instantly silent, all eyes on the pair, including a glaring Snape. Draco, being the person that he is, decided to make them squirm a bit. "Oh, please excuse the lateness, Professor. It was a little hard to keep my hands off Blaise, here."

Most people looked on in horror, with the exception of Harry, Hermione, and a certain Slytherin's Gryffindor boyfriend, who looked a little put out.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. Now if you would kindly take your seat, we can get along with this lesson," Snape said. "Now, today you will be concocting a truth potion, very much like the Veritaserum. Notes are on the board," he said with the wave of his hand. "This will take one weeks lessons to brew. At the end of one week's time, one person out from each pair shall test their potion. Understood? Good. Begin."

Harry picked up his bag and headed for Draco's desk, on the Slytherin side of the classroom, knowing full well that Draco wouldn't drag himself to his desk. "Potter, make yourself useful and get the ingredients. I'll deal with the potion making."

Harry, not wanting a reason to get into a fight today, did as he was told. He got up silently and picked up the ingredients, taking them back to his desk.

As Draco reached for an ingredient, his arm brushed against Harry's. The sensation sent waves of electricity through Harry's body. He was so out of it, that he didn't realize what he was doing, until he moved his whole arm and the back of his hand against Draco's.

Draco then, pretending to be reaching for another item, whispered into Harry's ear, in a very husky tone, "Why Potter, I had no clue that you swung on my side." He smirked as he saw Harry's cheeks becoming highlighted with rouge.

"I-I do not, Malfoy," Harry replied, spitting out his name as though it were something vile, "you caught me off guard is all."

Sighing, Draco said, "Whatever you say Potter. If you refuse to believe the truth, then it'll only be your guy-fuckingless time."

Merlin, he's right. Maybe I should just come out… even if I can't have Siri, I can still have someone… but who would be able to accept that the sodding Boy-Who-Lived was gay? Ron would shit his pants if he knew that I was a poof like Malfoy… but is a friendship with a person like that worth it?

"Potter," called Draco, while waving his hand in front of Harry's eyes. "Earth to Potter. Good," he said when Harry snapped back to reality, "now that you have decided to join the rest of us, you can assist me with our potion."

Harry gave him a strange look. "I thought I wasn't clever enough to take part in the potion making. That's the impression I got from you, anyways."

"Yes, well I've still yet to change my mind. I just want you to chop up these roots and ground them into powder. Can you do that without fucking it up?"

Harry didn't bother to reply, and merely did as he was told.

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The rest of the potions class had gone by in silence between the two, as they were both off in their own worlds. When the bell rang, Harry was still so out of it that it wasn't until he heard Draco that he broke out of his trance.

"Potter. Potter!" Draco said impatiently when Harry didn't respond at first. "Damn-it Potter, get out of my sodding way. I have places to go, guys to do, etcetera… etcetera."

"Oh, sorry Draco," Harry replied, grabbing his books and stuffing them into his bag as he hurried off.

Draco? What the bloody hell was that? Draco thought as he watched Harry hurry out of the dungeons. Damn. Quidditch has done wonders for Potters ass…

Snapping out of it, Draco gathered his things and was about to exit when he heard Snape call his name. He turned around and walking back over to his desk.

"Mr. Malfoy, I trust you are clever enough to know what this is about, even if your actions earlier this morning seem to say something different."

Ouch. Not only did Snape, his godfather, just insult his best friend, but he had also called him Mr. Malfoy, instead of Draco.

"Easy, Sev." Draco was, oddly, in a good mood after hearing Harry first-name him. "You know my intelligence has nothing to do with it. And, it wasn't my fault Zabini outted me in front of the whole bloody school. Not really the way I saw it happening."

Snape sighed. "That's not the problem. Do you realize how your father is going to react when he hears of this?"

Tears welled up in Draco's eyes as he remembered last summer's incident. He quickly blinked them away, as he didn't want his godfather to see the weakness in him. "I say to hell with him."

"Draco, I fear it is not that simple. Your father, apart from being terribly close with the Dark Lord, is a highly powerful man and it would not do to get on his bad side," Snape said with notable concern in his eyes.

"Well, not much we can do now, eh Sev?"

"Well, I realize that. It's just that I feel that perhaps you should try to keep your love life on hold for a while; or, at least quiet. I would hate for your father to come here and make a huge scene in front of everyone… or worse."

"Fine," Draco replied dully.

"Good. I'll also have a chat with him and see if I can persuade him to go easy on you."

Draco nodded and made to leave. Just as he was about to exit he turn and smiled. "Thanks, Sev." With that he strode off to join the rest of his classmates.

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The rest of the day went by uneventfully and it was now suppertime in the Great Hall. The usual chatting was going on, the only oddity was that there were even more stares a being thrown at Draco Malfoy; depressed looks from the girls, and a combination of disgust and lust from the boys.

"Why don't they just leave him alone," Hermione said after a while of observing this. "Who cares if he's gay? Seamus didn't get nearly as much attention."

"Well," Harry answered, "Draco is supposed to be this ultimate sex god with the ladies, right? And," he added in a hushed voice, "Draco is hotter than Seamus."

Hermione nodded and took out quill, just as Ron came up and hugged her from behind. "Whatcha up to, beautiful?"

"Oh nothing," Hermione said quickly, smiling sweetly. "Extra research and such. Nothing too exciting."

Ron shrugged and took a seat across from Hermione and beside Harry. Hermione continued her writing.

As Ron stuffed his face fuller that full, Harry stared at Draco, as he had been doing during the better part of supper. What is it about him that makes me feel so—Harry's thoughts were interrupted when Draco, sensing someone's eyes on him, looked to find Harry's gaze fixed intently upon him. Harry was surprised to see no look of malice in the boy's usually cold, gray eyes. Instead he found almost a kindness present in them. Those eyes! Those perfect silver orbs.

The two boys stared for what seemed like an eternity. It wasn't until Ron hit Harry in the arm that the two broke their gaze. "Oww," Harry said as he rubbed the spot Ron had just

"For not listening and being off in your own world, that's what," replied Ron.

"Oh. Right. Sorry about that," Harry stated. "Listen, I'm feeling a kinda tired, first day of classes and all. See you guys later."

Just as he was at the doors, Hermione ran up to him gave him a note. Then she leaned forward and whispered, "Read it when you get up to the common room. Don't worry," she added when Harry gave her a concerned look, "it's nothing serious or anything. See you."

As she walked back over to the table Ron gave her a quizzical look. "What?" she asked.

"Well, aren't you going to tell me what that was about?"

"Nope," she replied and smiled sweetly.

Neither noticed when a certain blonde Slytherin slipped out of the Great Hall like a shadow.

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Harry, after shoving the note in his robes pocket, continued on his way to the Gryffindor common room. He was just about to climb the stairs when he felt a hand stop him. He slowly turned as he said, "What is it this time Hermi-" He stopped speaking abruptly when he saw that the hand that was connected to him was Draco Malfoy's.

Draco, realizing that he was still holding onto Harry, quickly let him go and felt his cheeks colour slightly. His heart was beating rapidly; as he had no plan formulated and had absolutely no clue what he was doing.

"Er… is there a reason you've prevented me from getting to my common room, Draco?" Harry asked, his arm still tingling from where Draco's hand had touched it.

Draco didn't know what to say. Not only did Harry's voice contain no anger, as he feared it might, but he had just acknowledged him with his first name. "Since when have we been on a first-name basis?"

Oops. Harry thought as he recalled what he had just said. "Well, I think it's a shame we are still continuing with this whole enemy business. I mean, we don't even know each

other, right?"

"Yeah, you're right," replied Draco. His lips look soooo yummy. No, resist your temptations. But he is soooo cute! Must resist!

"So, was is there a reason you stopped me?" Harry asked, his eyebrows arched.

"Well," answered Draco as he started closing the space between them, "to be honest I don't really know. It's like I was compelled to after that little 'gaze' thing…" he trailed off as he closed the rest of the space between them and his lips met Harry's.

At first Harry's eyes grew wide with shock; but as the kiss deepened, he closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. He felt Draco slowly forcing him against the wall under the stairs. Then, he felt the other boy's tongue as he ran it across his bottom lip, begging for approval. Harry slowly opened his mouth, and used his own tongue to explore the blonde's.

Finally he pushed back Draco when he needed air. The two boys stared into each other's eyes, panting and catching their breath.

Suddenly Harry got a pained look, and his eyes began to water. It looked as though he were going to cry. Well, whether or not he cried Draco didn't know, as the next thing he knew Harry sprinted up the stairs, disappearing around the corner.

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A/N: Well, there you go. I hope you all enjoyed that. And again I am really sorry for the delay. It's odd really… right now is when I shouldn't be writing, as I have exams in a few days, and yet I am. Ah well.

I hope you guys enjoyed the Harry/Draco ness of it, brief though it was. I can't wait for either next chapter of the one after it; it is the whole reason of inspiration for this story and all, I'll just have to wait and see if it belongs in the next chappy or not.

A/N 2: I'm adding the next chapter right after this one D.

Luff you guys!

-Drag