Title: Flip Side
Author: CuriousDreamWeaver
E-mail:
Summary: Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter are one of a kind. Maybe. Alternate worlds are meant to stay separate but not everything turns out the way they're supposed to. How much trouble can two Draco Malfoys and two Harry Potters get into? Especially when someone decides to up the ante and make things a whole lot worse for them all. Slash, het. HP/DM, HP/DM, RW/HG and more.
Warnings: There will be slash, mostly from the HP/DM department, um, violence in later chapters, and maybe a few lime scenes (very mild though). There's swearing in this chapter!
Pairings: HP/DM, RW/HG, JP/LE, LM/NM, SB/RL/SS
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters in it. J. K. Rowling does and she's more the richer for it.
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Flip Side
Chapter Eleven: Patience is a virtue"For the last time, go away!" Draco yelled at the boy trailing after him. He'd spent the last half hour trying to make the brunette go away but he wouldn't leave his side. It kept stirring up memories of the kiss and feelings he'd thought he'd finally gotten rid of. Whenever Harry was near, everything seemed to melt away, he felt as though he was floating and, Merlin, completely out of control.
"But Draco, I don't think you should be out of the infirmary yet," Harry replied, trying to cajole him to go back. "Come on, just wait until the pain goes away at least."
"No, leave me alone. And stop calling me Draco," Draco snapped as he whirled around, wincing when his arm pressed up against his healing ribs. He swayed slightly and went pale.
"Draco!" Harry caught his elbow and held onto him. "Here, come on. You're in no condition to-"
"Why won't you just go away?" Draco cried, his eyes bright with tears of frustration. "Don't you get it? I don't want you near me!" He struggled away from Harry and leant against the wall, closing his eyes tightly. "You're always there, can't you leave me alone?"
"Draco..." Harry whispered. He dropped his hands and watched as the other boy dropped his head, his long bangs hiding his face from view.
"Just leave me alone." Draco muttered as he pushed off the wall and started towards the dungeons.
"No, I'm taking you back to the-" Harry yelped as he was shoved up against a wall, the cold tip of a wand pressed against his throat. He looked down into burning silver eyes and swallowed.
"Don't you get it, Potter? I don't want you near me!" Draco hissed. "Why don't you just go back to your little Gryffindork buddies and go waste air with them? Stop being a hero, you can't save my soul."
Harry opened his mouth and closed it when no answer came to mind. He heard a tremor in Draco's voice and watched as those silver eyes became suspiciously bright. There was a rawness about his face that made his heart ache. His hands moved of their own accord to Draco's waist and Harry felt him jerk in surprise.
"What are you-" Draco tried to step back but Harry wouldn't let go of him.
"Draco, aren't you tired of always being angry?" Harry asked gently.
"What's that supposed to mean? And let go of me now!"
Harry slid his hands around Draco's back and pulled him flush up against him. "No, not until you listen to reason."
"What reason? Why are you touching me?" Draco could feel his resolve breaking down and frustration building. God, why couldn't the idiot just learn to leave things well alone? He started to struggle, punching out and wriggling desperately.
"God, is it so hard for you to accept that someone cares about you?" Harry snapped when Draco's knuckles cracked against his chin.
"Yes!" Draco yelled back.
Harry drew back in surprise. The sheer honesty in Draco's answer was not something he had expected. His grip loosened and Draco took the opportunity to break away from him and run.
Draco could feel the tears burning his eyes as he skidded around a corner. He blinked them away furiously. His footsteps slowed down until he was just walking and all he could hear was the soft patter of his shoes hitting the stone floor. He grimaced as the adrenaline ebbed away and he was left with aching ribs.
"Merlin, why can't he just leave me alone?" Draco hissed through clenched teeth as he wandered further into the dungeons. "Always has to be the hero."
'Isn't this the sort of thing that you wanted from him?' A voice murmured in his head.
'Shut up.' He thought back angrily. 'I haven't wanted that in years.'
'But you have wanted it.' It replied back. 'Why not take advantage of it now? He seems more than willing'
'I don't want him near me. Nothing good will come of it.'
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.'
'I ventured once, and he turned me down. I will not humiliate myself again.'
'He was young, he didn't know what he meant by it.'
'He knew well enough.' Draco's lips twisted into a loathing sneer. 'He chose that fucking weasel over me! Me!'
'But that never stopped you from wanting him, did it?'
"Shut up!" Draco yelled, the sound of ripping fabric echoed around the room as huge wings exploded out of his back. He staggered backwards, his left hand scraping against the wall as he fought for balance. Huge ebony shadows arched behind him, touching the ceiling above him and folding against the walls on either side of him, moving restlessly in response to his inner turmoil. Small ivory claws on the tip and joint of each bat-like wing glittered in what little light there was1.
'I didn't ask for this, I didn't ask to fall in love with someone who always hurts me!' He choked back a sob. 'I didn't want to, but it's so hard not to. He's just so easy to love.'
The voice stayed silent this time and Draco slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor. He drew his knees up to his chest and buried his face against them. His wings folded around him in a soft embrace and he blocked out what little light the torches gave off. He reached into his pocket and closed his hand around the ivory feather he kept there. It was Dee's feather, the same one he had pocketed in the infirmary. He could feel the traces of emotion that it held, the warmth that it gave him. But even that wasn't enough to chase away the pain.
'God, all I wanted was for someone to pay attention to me, to make me feel real.' He was mumbling to himself now, but he didn't really care. He was deep down in the dungeons where hardly anyone, if you counted the ghosts, ever came. He shivered as a cool draft whispered around him and pulled his wings closer to himself. 'He'd look at me and only me.'
'Is that why you always made fun of him? To make him notice you?'
'It was better than nothing. His eyes would burn like fire when he looked at me, and it meant that at least someone knew I was alive. That I was more than just a pretty face.' He paused. 'His eyes are the same colour as the Killing curse, did you know that? They shine with the same intensity and desire.' His lips twitched in morbid amusement. 'It's like every time he would glare at me, he was casting it, wishing I'd die.'
'He seems to want something else now, something more personal from you.'
'He doesn't want me, he wants to save me, save me from myself like the good Gryffindor that he is.'
'Would it be so bad if he did?'
'I want someone to love me, not someone who wants to save me.'
'Then why not let him love you? What are you afraid of?'
'Are you kidding? Everyone I've ever loved has hurt me. He'll be no different. He'll realise what a fuck up I am and leave me like everyone else,' Draco sneered back and tightened his arms around his knees.
'You don't know that.'
'Severus loved that Lupin character and look where it got him. That Black left him with a fear of werewolves and now he can't even look at the man he's loved since he was a kid. I don't want to end up like that.'
'Would it be so bad to love him?'
'Yes, it would.' Draco closed his eyes as he felt them burn. 'Because in the end, he'll choose them over me, he's a Gryffindor, he'll fold to the disapproval of his Housemates and he'll leave me with nothing.'
This time, the voice didn't reply back.
Harry ran a frustrated hand through his hair and growled at himself. "Now what do I do?"
"Harry!"
Startled, Harry turned to see Ginny looking at him curiously. "Oh, hey Ginny."
"What are you doing out here? Don't you have class?"
Harry gave her a sheepish smile and rubbed his neck. "Ah, yeah. I had Care, but there was an accident and I had to go to the infirmary."
Ginny frowned, her eyes moving over him worriedly. "Are you all right? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"
"Nah," Harry shook his head. "Actually, it was Dr-er, Malfoy and Dee who had to go."
"But why did you have to go?"
"Uh," Harry wasn't quite sure how to answer that. He opted for the truth. "Well, I took Malfoy."
"Why did you take him? Doesn't he have cronies or something for that?" That piqued Ginny's curiosity. She smothered a knowing smile.
"Because they were all holed up in Hagrid's hut," Harry replied defensively.
"Really? That's interesting. What happened?" Ginny prodded him.
"Er, the pandrakes attacked him and Dee."
"Oh, Dee. She's seems really nice," Ginny said. "And she looks just like Draco would if he was a girl." She giggled and smiled. "It's not that different from what he is now," she said, baiting Harry. She was rewarded with a mild frown and bit her lip to keep from smiling widely.
"He's not that bad," Harry said in the blonde's defence. "He's just a little, er, delicate."
Ginny smiled at Harry in amusement. "No, he's not bad. Not bad at all."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing really," Ginny replied with an innocent smile. "Well, would you look at the time?" she said, making an exaggerated gesture as she pretended to look at her non-existent watch. "I'd best be off." She left hurriedly, her hand covering her mouth as she practically skipped down the hall.
Harry watched her go in bemusement. "That was... odd." He shook himself. "I'd better go find Draco before he passes out somewhere." He rubbed his neck. "But where would he be?" He brightened and made his way towards Gryffindor Tower. It wasn't long before he was running back down to the dungeons with the Maruaders Map clutched in his hand and his invisibility cloak swirling around his ankles.
'He's around here, somewhere." Harry thought to himself as he walked quickly through the twisting hallways and seemingly endless corridors. 'Jeez, why do they have to have so many twists and turns down here? It's like they want people to get lost.' He looked down at his map and his lips pressed together in annoyance.
He glanced down at the map and was relieved to see that Draco was just around the corner and a few meters down the hall. Or he should have been. Harry frowned uncomprehendingly when he turned around the corner and was met with nothing but shadows and stone. He looked down at his map and then back up.
"Draco?" He asked tentatively. He flushed when he was met with stony silence. "I know you're here." Harry continued confidently as he stuffed the Marauders Map into his pocket. "There's no use hiding." More silence. "Come on, stop being childish. You're hurt, you shouldn't be down here by yourself." When no answer was forthcoming, Harry steeled himself and began to move his hands around in the air in front of him. As he stepped into a particularly large shadow, his fingers brushed against something soft and silken and his fingers closed around whatever it was instinctively.
"Ouch! Let go!"
Harry grinned triumphantly and pulled. "I knew you were here!" His mouth dropped open when he realised just what he was holding. The bones he could feel under the inky black skin were delicate, the muscles flexing as the wings moved restlessly as he stared at them in awe.
"Don't you know when to leave things well alone?" Draco hissed dangerously, his eyes narrowed into slits as he stumbled to his feet. His ebony wings stretched out and he shoved Harry away from him with a single flex of his left wing. He turned away from him and folded them back into his body. Harry watched in fascination, as they seemed to literally melt as they slid into that milky white skin. Harry wondered briefly if Draco's skin felt as soft and smooth as those wings had.
Draco stiffened as he felt Harry's gaze on his back. "Get lost, Potter." He started to walk away but Harry snapped back to his senses and caught Draco's shoulder and spun him around.
"No Draco, I won't let you walk away again," Harry said calmly. His eyes darkened as he took in the tell tale redness around Draco's eyes and he reached up to touch his face.
Draco sneered and slapped his hand away, taking a careful step back. "Leave me alone, Potter. You've been doing it for years, why break tradition?"
"I'm tired of fighting," Harry admitted. "Aren't you?"
"Fighting is something I quite enjoy," Draco snapped in reply.
"Do you really?" Harry asked. "Is that why you're always picking fights with me? With anyone?"
"Because I want to. Now fuck off," Draco hissed. Again, he tried to walk away, but Harry, frustrated with Draco's answers, grabbed his wrists and shoved him up against the wall.
"Why do you always have to be such a bastard?" Harry growled. "Why do you always have to push people away from you? What are you so afraid of?"
Draco recoiled at the very question that he'd been asking himself. His hands curled into fists and he looked away from those brilliant green eyes. He idly remembered the conversation he'd had with himself and marvelled at just how hypnotic those eyes were. Is that why people couldn't dodge the Killing Curse? Because that light made them watch as their own deaths approached?
Silence stretched between them as Draco refused to answer.
Harry bowed his head, closing his eyes briefly as he wondered how long it would take to get through to Draco. "Draco, it's not that hard to let someone care about you," he whispered finally. "Why can't you believe that I can care about you? Are you afraid of it? Of me?" He looked down at Draco and reached up to catch his chin. Draco jerked away from the contact but Harry frowned and caught his chin firmly and forced him to look at him. Or tried to. Draco's eyes slid away from his. "Draco, just look at me."
Draco stubbornly refused to acknowledge him and made an impressive attempt of shoving Harry away, but considering how much more delicately built the Slytherin was than the Gryffindor, Draco didn't stand much of a chance and remained where he was.
"Will you just look at me?" Harry asked in exasperation. On the upside, he supposed, Draco hadn't started screaming at him and was just standing there. On the downside, he was refusing to look at him and seemed to rather upset about something.
"If I do, will you go away?" Draco asked sarcastically.
"Well, no," Harry admitted.
"Then why should I?"
"Argh! You're so damn frustrating!" Harry snapped, letting go of Draco's wrists in favour of throwing his hands into the air in frustration. He belatedly realised that it was not such a good idea as Draco darted around him and down the corridor. For a moment, Harry watched dumbly as Draco disappeared from sight yet again. "Hey, wait!" Harry yelped as he tried to follow after Draco.
"There are better places to wander around in the dark, Potter," A smooth, familiar drawl murmured from behind him.
Harry let out another yelp and whirled around, his wand whipping out in front of him. Large silver eyes regarded him with amusement from the shadows and he relaxed. "Uh, Dee, hey." Harry raised a hand in greeting. He hadn't really talked with her, not since The Thing and he wasn't quite sure how to act around her. She seemed nice enough but the sharp intelligence in her eyes reminded him too much of his own elusive and somewhat aggressive blonde.
"Where's J.P.?"
"He's around somewhere." Dee waved her hand and Harry saw that it as lightly bandaged.
"Oh, how's your wrist?"
"It was just a small break, nothing too horrendous. Madam Pomfrey's fixed it, though it is a little sore."
"That's good." Harry paused awkwardly under her even stare. It felt as thought she was looking into his mind but he shook his head, he would have felt it if she did. He pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Er, what's wrong?"
"You should try not to be so obvious in your affections, Potter." Dee replied without preamble.
"What?"
"Draco. He won't appreciate you being so forward, especially in public." She paused and tilted her head thoughtfully. "At least, not until you make him more comfortable with you. Right now, I think he's more likely to hex you into oblivion."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. Had J.P. said something to her?
"You want Draco to notice you beyond your rivalry, am I correct?"
Harry nodded silently.
"Given that Draco's spent a fair amount of time being rather resentful towards you, I suggest you try and be a little more subtle. Can you imagine how awkward and difficult it would be for him if you made it known to everyone that you wanted him? Especially to his Housemates?"
Harry hadn't really thought about it and it was evident from the guilty expression on his face. "
"I see." Dee murmured. She walked forward and tucked her hand into his elbow and began to lead him in the opposite direction of where Draco had run.
"Wait, I have to-"
"He'll be fine, Draco is more resilient than you think." Dee replied firmly, and I don't think he wants to talk to you right now. "You and I have much to discuss."
Harry looked back down the corridor and sighed as he let the girl lead him away. "What do you want to talk about?"
"For one, I need you to explain to me this link you have with Voldemort," Dee said.
Harry balked. "What?"
A sideways glance tilted up at him. "I need you to tell me what exactly is the link you share with Voldemort." Her lips thinned into a line. "And as of a fortnight ago, myself."
Harry's eyes flew to her forehead. He remembered watching her as she'd brushed her hair away from it before she'd disappeared into Dumbledore's office to talk about what had happened. Her scar was the same as his, but against her pale skin the red looked so angry and hateful.
"I know you saw my memories." She turned them around a corner. Harry nodded guiltily. "It's all right, I suppose it couldn't be helped. I trust you won't tell anyone what you saw. I haven't told J.P."
"Oh," Harry said in surprise. "I won't tell, don't worry."
"Good. Now, back to the matter at hand. I see things, sometimes, at night. I see hazy images of a madman laughing as he tortures others and the sound of screams." Her fingers tightened slightly and Harry covered her hand with his in sympathy.
"It's hard to get used to," he said quietly. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She shrugged. "Maybe later. Right now, I'm more concerned with trying to understand what exactly is going on." She finally pulled him up the stairs out of the dungeons and they made their way down another hallway.
"Where are we going?" Harry asked curiously as he looked around. He hadn't been down this way before.
"To our quarters."
Harry blinked. "Our?"
"The rooms I share with J.P.," Dee explained. "I would have thought you would have noticed that we don't stay in the dorms." Again, there was amusement in her voice and Harry smiled sheepishly.
"I hadn't thought of that."
They stopped in front of a large portrait and the pretty nymph smiled shyly at Harry and beamed at Dee.
"Ah, good afternoon Kiera. Forest green." The nymph spun around on her toes and waved as the portrait opened quietly.
"Wow," Harry murmured as he looked around the lavish room, his eyes taking in the view with awe.
"Yes, very pretty, n'est pas?" She settled herself in one of the chairs and waved a hand towards the one opposite her. "Please, sit."
Harry sat down gingerly and barely kept himself from jumping when a plate of biscuits and a set of mugs appeared on the small coffee table in front of him.
"I hope you like hot chocolate. J.P. adores it." She handed him a mug.
"Thanks." Harry accepted the cup with both hands, more to keep his hands from fidgeting rather than anything else.
They sat in silence and Harry shifted in his seat, sipping distractedly.
"You know, I'm not going to kill you and hide your body somewhere," Dee said dryly as she watched him moving restlessly.
Harry flushed guiltily. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was just that she reminded him too much of Draco and he didn't want to find himself getting too close. Especially not when she had a possessive boyfriend. "It's not that." Harry began hesitantly. "Um, it's just that, well, you remind me of Draco." He glanced up at her and gave her a crooked smile. "A little too much for comfort."
"I've heard that before. But rest assured, Potter, Draco and I are not as alike as people think. Perhaps, in the way we speak, move and maybe even in the way we think, but in essence, we are different people." She paused and then sat up as she set her mug down on the table. "Give me your hand."
Harry blinked in surprise at her request. "What?"
"Your hand, give it to me."
He hesitantly stretched out his hand.
Rolling her eyes, she took it in hers. "I won't cut it off, Potter. That would be too messy." At Harry's startled expression she slapped the back of his hand. "It was a joke. Merlin, you really are a bit of a stiff, aren't you?"
"Hey!" Harry said indignantly.
"Oh, quiet. Now, hold still."
Harry pouted but complied. He was suddenly struck how warm her hands were and the stark contrast between the milky white of her skin against the tan of his. He wondered if when he held Draco's hand if it would look the same. She began to stroke his palm lightly, her eyes wandering over it. He watched as she blinked rapidly and nodded to herself.
"What do you see?"
"Mm? Oh, nothing in particular." She lied smoothly, her eyes wandering over the magical energy patterns. She discerned both their auras, not surprised in the least to note that Harry and J.P. had the same auras, and filtered them away. She frowned, as all she was left with was the sight of three strings of magical energy coming away from the both of them. Two strong and clear looking strings came away from her left wrist and Harry's right. They waved in the air for several feet away from them before fading away, where they led to she couldn't tell. Another single string, though much less clear, connected the both of them together. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "How interesting."
"What?" Harry looked down at his own hand as though he was trying to see what she could.
"We are connected." She let go of his hand and sat back, folding her hands in her lap. "We are both connected to someone who I can only assume is Voldemort as well as each other."
"What do you mean connected?" Harry asked in alarm. Sure, he had a vague inkling of something similar, but she looked quite unhappy.
"There is a magical bond between all three of us, though admittedly, the one between us two is far less solid than the ones we share with Voldemort." She toyed with the button of her cuff. "From what I can tell, Voldemort's eyes open to us when he's feeling his... best." Her lips curled slightly in distaste. "The enjoyment he gains from his 'sessions' is disgusting and vulgar."
Harry nodded in agreement as he grimaced, rubbing at his scar. "He's quite sick." He looked down and watched the steam rise from his mug. "I can feel him," he said quietly. He nodded at her. "And you can too now. You'll feel him, whenever he feels strongly about something, whether he's happy or angry or even if he wants something badly."
Dee's expression became decidedly sourer. "Isn't that just dandy," she muttered. "Why do people follow him?"
"Power. They want power and he gives it to them." Harry replied grimly. "His followers are people, Purebloods mostly and definitely no Muggleborn, who want the bloodlines of magic to stay pure and uncorrupted, not only that, they want to have power over other people like they used to a long time ago."
"They don't want to mix blood?" Dee asked. "That's just asking for trouble." She waved a hand in disgust. "Honestly, if Purebloods only married Purebloods, our blood would become tainted through inbreeding, something far worse that the perceived impurities of Muggles." She shrugged again. "Besides, who cares where magic is from? A Pureblood, a half blood or a Muggleborn? It doesn't matter. Magic is magic, no matter how you look at it. We should cherish it."
Harry nodded in agreement. "That's what I think." He blinked. "You're not prejudiced against Muggleborn?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Why should I care? It's not like they do anything to hurt me." She paused. "Of course, I can understand the fear of exposure to the Muggle world that many Purebloods have. Can you imagine what would happen if Muggle scientists found out about us? What kind of experiments they'd perform?" She shuddered.
"But still, there are so many people who don't want Muggleborn in magic schools."
"There's still fear that opening ourselves up to those who weren't born into our world will bring about our downfall. I have no desire to watch my relatives be put into concentration camps and die." Her expression softened. "But as long as they are discreet, that is no reason to deny them the chance to see what they could be if they wanted it."
Harry sipped at his hot chocolate thoughtfully. He'd never really thought about it the way that Dee presented it, and he could understand why there was trepidation about Muggleborn students. Maybe that was why Draco disliked them so much? His lips pulled down in an unhappy frown when he thought about it. Maybe Draco wasn't such an ass because he was prejudiced, but because he was scared that his world could be destroyed by a careless act or word from someone who had Muggle relatives.
"Are you serious about Draco?" Dee asked in the silence.
Blinking, Harry nodded. "Yeah."
"Can I ask why?" Her expression was serious and her eyes sharp as they roved over his face in a measuring manner.
"I-I don't know." Harry replied honestly. "I just want to be with him."
"Why now? After all these years?"
"Because I know he's not as tough as makes himself out to be. Because I know that beneath all that ice, he's kind and caring and he's generous."
"Kind?" Dee drawled with a quirk of her lips. "A Malfoy does not do kind."
Harry, childishly, stuck out his tongue. Dee laughed and he shook his head. "There's just something about him that makes me want to hold him and never let go."
"Is there a reason that you've picked now to make your feelings known?"
"I'm just tired of fighting. Fighting him. He's beautiful, not just on the outside, but on the inside as well but he doesn't let anyone in. He won't let me in."
"Maybe he has a reason," Dee replied. "After all, when he held out his hand to you, you did throw it back in his face."
He turned red at the reminder. "Yes, well, he insulted Ron."
She tilted her head to the side. "You know, Ron was the first to strike on that occasion."
"What? How do you know?"
"Draco said that Ron laughed at him when he introduced himself to you."
"Yeah, but then he insulted him!"
"Ah, but Draco was only retaliating," Dee pointed out reasonably.
"He didn't have to be so mean about it."
"Harry, has it ever occurred to you that if someone laughs at your family name, it can be very, very insulting? Especially to a Pureblood such as Draco and myself. Our last names are who we are defined as by society. And to one as proud as Draco, it was seen as a direct attack on him."
"I-" Harry stopped before he could say anything else, frowning in thought.
"Before you think of approaching him again, can I suggest that you try and understand why he is the way that he is?" Dee murmured. "Don't be so public."
"But how am I supposed to get his attention?" Harry asked.
"Draco is a naturally private person, he does not like people prying into his affairs. For you to publicly pursue him would push him further away from you, not to mention endanger him. You do realise he is the son of the right hand of Voldemort, don't you?"
"How do you know about that?"
"People talk, all you have to do is listen." She shrugged and continued. "But be that as it may, you are more likely to gain his interests through subtler means. And whatever you do, when he pushes you away, don't push back. Just be there."
"What makes you think you're right?"
"Because it's not in a Malfoy's nature to open up to someone else." She replied softly. "Don't be the Boy Who Lived to him, the Saviour of the Wizarding world, the hero, Harry Potter. Be Harry, the boy who wants him."
Harry jerked as Dee's words brought back Draco's 'Stop being a hero, you can't save my soul'. He swallowed and his face set in determination. "For him, I can just be Harry."
'But would that be enough?'
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1 Obviously I'm not following JKR's Veela thing. I've always fancied Veelas as demons, at least, lower ranking demons. After all, they do the whole mind control thing (though that could just be hormones... LOL). I dunno. That's just me. Besides, I'm under the belief that someone/something that can have that sort of affect on people would be of a darker nature. coughs Besides, wouldn't Draco look so hot with demon wings?! LOL I've been watching too much Chrono Crusade... LOL Think of dragon wings but not as leathery, the same sort of texture as bat's wings.
A/N
Hiyas!
This chapter came out very nicely, thanks to my wonderful beta lucidity. She pointed out some really embarrassing flaws that were quickly fixed up. She's so cool! LOL
Thanks to all my reviewers, as usual!
Heart and Soul: I'm glad you liked the chapter! There will be a build up to H/D, I don't want to rush things and make it look kinda lame. LOL Hopefully, it won't look lame when it happens. LOL I'll get back to you with some ideas as soon as I can.
Andartha: LOL I'm glad you were happy with the last chapter. Hopefully, you'll be just as happy with this one.
NemKess: I'm glad you think it's interesting! I've tried hard to keep it from getting to cliched or boring. Hopefully, I'll continue to do so! I'm glad you liked it.
Depressed Gothic Raven: Glad you like the story! Hopefully, you like this chapter as much as you did the previous ones.
Anny Pervert Snape: I hope you liked this chapter!
pickle-kitten: I'm glad you like FS so much! It's always uplifting to hear such nice comments! LOL Thank you very much.
Sun's Fire: It's good to know you liked it! I will have more interaction between the four of them, but for now, it's mainly just Harry and Draco with their counterparts. The next few chapters will bring things more closer together and there will be fluff and stuff, not to worry. LOL The pandrakes were rather cute, I think. LOL I love pandas!
Pinglish: LOL Yeah, it is cute how Draco tries to deny things. He strikes me as one of those denial sorts of people. LOL I tried hard to make my characters work out. Admittedly, I do have a tendency to make Dee seem perfect by my beta picks it up and I fix it up. Hopefully, I'll continue to keep it simple without embellishing too much on her character. J.P.'s easy to write cuz he's like Harry but more self-confident. LOL Dee's a warmer version of Draco, as I'm sure you noticed, but I tried to keep a certain amount of Draco's aloofness and dignity in her. LOL I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as everything else! I update every month or so, at least, I hope to. LOL It's been okay so far. Cross your fingers! LOL
DemonRogue13: LOL Yeah, isn't Denial!Draco adorable? LOL Glad you liked the chapter! Hope you liked this one too.
Mara202: I'm glad you liked the H/D stuff. LOL Hopefully, I didn't botch it up too much in this chapter.
Lucidity: LOL I've always loved fics where Harry's the pursuer. I think it's cute. LOL Especially when Draco's in denial mode or completely oblivious to his attention. Yeah, pandas look adorable but they can be really aggressive if they feel threatened. I remember seeing one of those news thingies where a guy (kinda stupid if you ask me... LOL) climbed into a panda pen to take pics and it kinda mauled him. He was okay, just a lot of bruises and some scratches, but really, you'd think the warning signs would tell you to stay away, huh? LOL
Brenna8: LOL I thought Draco would be a whiner, he's so cute when he's bitching at people who are trying to help him. LOL Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Mon2: LOL Yeah, Snape'll have to keep himself from frothing at the mouth from shock. I've always fancied the thought that Harry would do better in potions if he had not only a competent partner, but also one who can help him. Ron's nice and all, but he's just as hopeless as Harry. LOL J.P.'s a very gung-ho sort of person. LOL He's all for the direct approach, but sometimes; being direct can make things worse. Poor Draco! LOL Don't worry, I'll be pleasing your H/D desires soon enough. It's got to build up!
Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter; it was fun to write. LOL
Until next time, take care, savvy?
DW