Theo knows this is a bad idea. After all, everyone in Slytherin knows not to make deals with The Harry Potter.

In fact, they learned this in first year, when a third year Harry Potter, with braided raven hair, emerald eyes, and a seemingly innocent smile, introduced poker to them and proceeded to bleed the common room dry. In his following years, Potter had Slytherin house by the balls, and didn't even have to use outside politics to do so. His beauty, cunning, and subtlety, combined with The Weasley Demons' charisma, brilliance, and gryffindor ease of life, made for a force of nature that destroyed and remade everything in their path.

Yes... everyone knows deals made with Harry Potter should not be taken lightly. But he's standing behind his friend anyway, because no matter how unnerving Potter's emerald-but sometimes-avada eyes are, how too sharpshiny his smile is, he can't abandon the person who his world revolves around.

Unfortunately, the one who Theo thinks he loves, thinks he loves with so much of his soul that anything that damages his little light might just damage him too, is an utter idiot who loses himself to impulse and impatience like a Gryffindor. His little light is exactly the type of person to take a deal with Harry Potter for granted in the heat of the moment.

"I need access to a warded room in exactly one month from now," Draco continues, back straight and head high, but if one knew where to look, they'd notice the slight nervous tells-a twitch of a finger, face possibly a little too blank- "for a night, under the radar of the headmaster."

Here, Potter interrupts, and no matter how many times he hears the man speak, it will always make him uncomfortable. Of course, he'd never show it, because then he'd get eaten alive.

"One night? Hm. I can get that done." He seems to bounce back on his heels a bit, and tilts his head to the side inquisitively. One would liken the motion to that of a puppy's, if they didn't spot the growing dark smirk on lips that seem a little too red. "It'll cost you, of course, especially if you're getting up to the activities I think you're getting up to."

That's another thing. Potter always knows. No one has ever felt a push on their mental shields, never spotted him listening in on their conversations, but there are no secrets from the man. Draco's cheeks burn slightly, and Theo can't help but want to cover his face with his hand. He tried warning Draco against asking the man, but tried convincing him it was better to ask his father about it, but Draco always thinks he knows best.

"Of course," Draco says, a bit too quickly, "How much?" and Potter has such a condescendingly smug smile on his face that Theo automatically assumes the worst.

"A small favor. Nothing involving harm to a living being, no illegal products or ingredients. To be fulfilled before the new school year."

That's... surprisingly clean, but also ambiguous in the worst way. Theo is immediately suspicious, but knows better than to interrupt. Draco, the fool, looks immediately relieved, and when Potter's smile grows, Theo can't help the shiver that runs down his spine. "Thank you, Potter. I believe dinner will be served soon, and we are meeting with dorm mates." he says, and barely waits for an amused "My pleasure" before dragging Draco down the hall. They hear an "I recommend silk!" That makes Draco's face burn brighter, and this time, Theo allows himself to groan.


Yule is fast approaching, and Theo knows the fact that Potter deigning to check in his favor at a later date is getting to Draco. Not many would, of course, except for maybe Pansy. Obsessive bitch. She doesn't know about The Deal, though, and he swears he'll never let her find out.

Now though, when he looks up from Popular Transfiguration Accidents in the 1800s that he had decided to read before bed, he catches sight of a cream colored envelope appearing on Draco's pillow.

"Draco!" He calls, waiting for his little light to finish grooming himself in the bathroom. Once Draco steps out, he says "a letter appeared on your pillow. I recommend you preform detection charms on it first."

Draco stops, a hand's length away from picking up the letter. "I was going to." Ignoring Theo's scoff of "mhm, you were, were you?" He casts multiple detection spells, and when they come up empty, tears open the envelope and letter with the grace of a hippogriff.

The envelope reveals a faded yellow parchment stamped with a flower design, and an elegant black border. The kind your grandma would use to invite someone over for tea. It has the sentence "I hope you're in a favorable mood... see you at the Yule Ball!" And below it, a stick figure that smiles, winks, waves, and fades away on a timed enchantment, repeating itself.

Draco looks up at Theo with an incredibly bewildered, incredulous and slightly frightened expression. "First of all, what kind of person sends a note in an rendition of a tea invite?! Second of all, the subtext of this message is incredibly concerning. What would he have me do at my parents' ball?? What would the purpose be? Social humiliation? He's already at the top of the food chain! There's no political benefit here!"

Theo, gazing reproachingly at Draco, absently thinks that he looks pretty hot all worked up like this. "I told you what you were getting into. You won't find any motive until it's already been revealed. Most likely, he just wants to use you as a conduit for chaos. If he were any more organized I think he might become a dark lord, so I think we should be grateful he's content being a potions professor."

Draco starts to say something, but then, making a show of giving up, throws his hands up and falls back into Theo's bed. Theo just smiles fondly, kisses the top of his head, and turns off the light. "Goodnight, my little light."


Draco was the one who spotted Potter first, at the Yule ball. Not to say anything against Theo's observational skills, but Theo had been Affected by the way Draco looks in his dress robes, and hadn't noticed yet that the bane of their existence was having a dashing time.

Potter was speaking with Professor Snape, and Draco bemoans the day he first laid eyes on the man. For all his beauty, he wears the most frustrating things.

He has elegant white dress robes on, which would've been just fine and dandy, but they've been ruined by streaks of reds and pink-purples, shades to match the radish earring set that Luna Lovegood, a sixth year, had given him one morning this year.

She had just walked up to the head table with them in her hands, said "I'm glad you don't have many nargles this time around. You deserve it." Placed the earrings on the table, and walked away. Draco remembers this not because of Loony herself, but because that was the first time he could recall Potter ever genuinely smiling. Not a 'I'm getting up to something that you don't know' smile, or a 'you've walked into my trap' smirk, but a smile radiating such pure joy that he thought he had imagined it until Theo pointed it out as well. Potter had joyfully put the earrings on, laughed at something the Headmaster had said, and never took them off since.

Why the man had decided to design a whole outfit around those earrings, Draco couldn't pretend to know. But after watching the guests' reactions to Potter's robes, he deduced that chaos just had to be a deciding factor. Guests were either politely ignoring his outfit, looking absolutely scandalized, or had confused but intrigued -possibly aroused?- expressions.

"Theo, look at- oh shit, oh shit he's coming this way!" Draco, as casually as he could do without looking like he was running away, turned around and started walking to the other side of the room, but he wasn't quick enough.

"Little Malfoy! I am pleased to have caught you at an opportune time." Potter didn't even have the grace to look out of breath with the effort it had to have taken to reach him, the bastard. Theo seemed to barely mask his facial expression, but Draco had the strange insight that if he wasn't able to, he would have had the most appalled face Draco would have ever seen on Theo.

"My absence will, in fact, be missed, so I shall get to the point. When the ball is nearing its end, I'd like you to step on that stage over there-" Potter points to the stage, where the harpist is playing "- and sing us a song. Doesn't matter which." He then gives Draco and Theo one of the most honest smiles they've seen him direct to anyone, and starts walking away. He stops for a second, looks back, and says "I'll find you in a bit!" Then continues on his way, meeting back up with Professor Snape.

Draco watches him leave, then turns to Theo, panic growing in his face. "Theo! I can't sing in front of all these people! You know I get too anxious. What am I supposed to do?" And Theo leads him to a more private place, then hugs him.

"Calm down, little light. Think of it this way. You're only singing for Potter and I, not all those other people. You're fulfilling your favor to Potter, and I am your audience. Pretend they don't exist." Theo kisses the top of his head, and smiles that slight shade of a smile, but the real brilliance lies in his eyes, eyes that say Theo loves him, and is proud of him.

"All right... alright, I can do this. It'll be fine." Draco nuzzles into Theo's chest for a moment, then steps away. "I guess I need to prepare then, huh?"


Potter approaches them, as promised, and smirks. "You ready, little Malfoy?" And Draco, more nervous than he's been in his whole life, just nods silently and walks onto the stage. Potter doesn't announce anything, but people start paying attention, especially when he starts singing.

"Of all the money that e'er I had

I spent it in good company

And all the harm that e'er I did

Alas it was to none but me

And all I've done for want of wit

To mem'ry now I can't recall

So fill to me the parting glass

Good night and joy be with you all"

Draco started off a bit shakily, but after making eye contact with his steadfast Theo, and stupid Potter with his stupid muggle thumbs up, grows more confident, and soon, everyone in the room is paying attention.

"Of all the comrades that e'er I had

They are sorry for my going away

And all the sweethearts that e'er I had

They would wish me one more day to stay"

Theo looked like he had stars in his eyes, and somewhere in the room, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were standing proudly, for they get to see their son finally sing in front of a crowd, with a voice that was born to do so.

"But since it fell unto my lot

That I should rise and you should not

I will gently rise and softly call

Good night and joy be with you all

I will gently rise and softly call

Good night and joy be with you all"


Longer after the ball had ended, and all guests had gone to rest in their beds, Harry Potter and Lucius Malfoy were in Lucius' study, discussing current events.

"Before you leave, Harry, I wanted to thank you. No matter how many times I've tried to help him, my son has never broken out of his cocoon. If I may ask, how did you get him to go on stage?"

Harry smirked slightly, remembering exactly what the man's son had done with the warded room. "He owed me a favor. Not matter how bratty I may think him, you know I'll always hold your family's interests at heart. I wouldn't hold something like that over his head. Goodnight, Lucius. Shall I come by next weekend for tea with your wife?"

After pleasant goodbyes had been exchanged and plans made, Harry had flooed back to Hogwarts. In the comfort of his own study, Lucius allowed himself a small shiver. What kind of deal had his son made to owe a favor to Harry Potter? He knew just how vicious the young adult could be. He was the one who taught Harry how to be that vicious, after all.