AN: Happy Valentine's Day. This chapter is dedicated to my wife, Celtic Kitsune, and it has now been 1 month since we got married and I couldn't be happier. I love you so much, sweetheart.
Incidentally, this is why there have been so few updates in the last year, as I have been rather busy getting engaged, and getting married, and figuring out my future with my new wife. But things will hopefully settle a bit now, and I have been working on several projects, even if they aren't ready to be posted just yet, I hope that at least some of them will be at some point this year. But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this story's annual update.
Summary: After a successful date in Hogsmeade, Blaise is determined to prove that he can be everything that Draco needs, even in the face of Malfoy family expectations.
The Value of Determination
Draco could admit, to himself at least, that he had enjoyed his date with Blaise in Hogsmeade. Though it had been hard to ignore the smirks he had seen Pansy giving them on several occasions when the two of them had passed their fellow Slytherins. The sun was setting now though and as the temperature started to drop, the other students were beginning to make their way back up to the school.
"Anything else you want to do today, handsome?" Blaise asked with a grin, looping his arm through Draco's as they left the bookshop.
Draco smirked at him, unfazed by Blaise's familiarity; Blaise had always been tactile with him, even before they had started exploring whatever was between them.
"I think I am appeased for the moment," he told him.
Blaise had a bag in his other hand, full of items that had caught Draco's eye, or that Blaise had otherwise decided the blond needed to own. Draco was pleased to let the other boy carry their purchases, even if the bag was lightened with a feather-weight Charm.
"Then I suppose we should head back up to the castle," Blaise said, even as they already started to follow the crowds of other students heading in that direction. "We could rejoin the others," he added, nodding his head toward a small crowd up the road.
"I suppose," Draco agreed, glancing in the same direction, and spotting Pansy, Tracey and Theo; however, he made no attempt to detach Blaise from his arm. "We should probably walk back without them though."
"Oh, really?" Blaise questioned smugly. "Wanting to keep me to yourself a little longer?"
"More that I wish to postpone Pansy's interrogation," Draco corrected sternly, not wanting to boost Blaise's ego any further. "Besides, the girls are clearly enjoying torturing Theo," he added, gesturing to them once more, as the frowning Theo was handed yet another bag to hold when Daphne joined them. "I would hate to spoil their fun so soon."
"You're such a malicious little shit," Blaise declared joyfully, with obvious amusement. "I did always enjoy that about you."
Draco chuckled deeply, unable to keep from smirking happily. Despite Blaise's inelegant phrasing, it was oddly comforting to know that the other boy didn't have unreasonable expectations, wasn't looking for Draco to change into someone he wasn't. So this time when he caught the smug expression Pansy was shooting their way, he simply smiled false sweetness right back, as he and Blaise wandered past.
-#-
"Does Theo need to find a different room to sleep in tonight?" Pansy asked bluntly, across the dinner table, eagerly watching for both Blaise and Draco's reactions; smirking victoriously when they both looked up to glare at her.
"Must you be so crude?" Daphne asked huffily, putting her fork down and pushing her half-full plate away slightly.
"Pansy always has struggled with the nuances of polite conversation," Draco sneered before taking a sip of his juice. "She is easily the least subtle Slytherin I've ever met."
"I dunno," Theo said pensively. "Blaise isn't always subtle either."
"How dare you?" Blaise gasped in mock outrage, turning to Theo. "I'll have you know I am always precisely as subtle as a situation calls for. I won't be slighted just because I go after what I want."
"One might question the quality of the things you want," Theo remarked, smirking past Blaise to the blond next to him. "But seriously, guys, just give me a little notice if you want some alone time," he told his dorm mates, "I don't need to see or hear any of that."
"I wouldn't mind," Pansy piped up with a broad grin.
"You are a disgraceful human being," Draco stated dryly, before dabbing a napkin at the corner of his mouth. "And I think I'll leave now before you say something I can't unhear," he told them, placing the napkin back on the table and getting up from his seat.
"I'll come with you," Blaise said, hastily spooning the last bite of cottage pie into his mouth as he got up too. "Don't say it," he added when Pansy opened her mouth to make the obvious vulgar joke.
"I am saying nothing," she told him with an unrepentant grin.
Blaise and Draco pointedly ignored her, and the rest of their chuckling and giggling friends, and headed for the large doors of the Great Hall. None of the other students paid them the slightest bit of attention. Though the two of them remained silent, even as they left the room and made their way toward the Slytherin common room.
"Today doesn't change anything," Draco lied as they took the stairs down to the dungeon levels.
"Are you quite sure it doesn't?" Blaise asked, a smug and knowing expression on his face. "You enjoyed yourself today," he stated with complete confidence.
"You bought me things," Draco pointed out. "I like things."
"I had noticed that," Blaise remarked with amusement. "Though it seemed obvious that our purchases were not all you liked."
Draco couldn't bring himself to deny that, he had enjoyed Blaise's company far more than he had expected, even having known the other boy for years. But it still wasn't enough. His attraction to Blaise wasn't the problem, it was the family obligations he had to uphold.
"Hellebore," Draco said as they reached a stretch of stone wall, and the entrance to the common room revealed itself.
"I know you have doubts," Blaise went on, as they headed down the passageway, "but you should definitely give me a chance."
"There are things that even you could never provide me with, Blaise," Draco told him, voice full of regret as they made their way across the common room together.
"Like what, Draco?" Blaise asked stubbornly. "Give me specifics here, give me an opportunity to address your concerns, before you dismiss any chance we might have."
"Blaise…" Draco all but sighed, as they stepped into the dormitory they shared.
Give me a list," Blaise suggested enthusiastically, his expression as determined as Draco had ever seen it.
Draco hesitated then, knowing that Blaise was not going to give this up, unless presented with an unsurpassable obstacle.
"Okay, a list," Draco conceded, removing his robe and hanging it on the hook next to his bed. When he turned back to Blaise, the other teen was watching him expectantly. "I'm not going to just give it to you now. I want time to fully consider all my obligations, ensure that nothing is forgotten."
"Very well," Blaise huffed, though he still seemed pleased. "But, if I can provide a solution to every problem you can think of, then you'll give us a chance. A real chance."
"Of course," Draco agreed easily; if Blaise really could meet every one of his needs, then he would have no reason to resist.
"Then I shall leave you to it," Blaise told him, even as he took several steps closer to Draco, encroaching on his personal space. "Until tomorrow, Draco," he said softly, before leaning in and pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips. "Goodnight, handsome."
Draco watched, with a dazed expression as Blaise turned and left the room. He raised his hand, his fingers brushing over the spot where Blaise had kissed him. It had been more than a week since they had shared the kiss in Snape's office, and the small affectionate gesture was making his body cry out for more; not that he would be telling anyone that, least of all, Blaise.
Mentally shaking himself from his revere, Draco fetched parchment, ink and a quill from his trunk. Hoping he had at least a little while before any of his housemates showed up, he settled himself at the small desk next to his bed and set to work on his list.
-#-
Having had an early night, Draco awoke just before dawn. The rest of his housemates were still fast asleep, as evidenced by the rumbling snores coming from both Vince and Greg's beds, and the silence coming from Blaise and Theo's.
Yawning widely, he sat up in bed, drew back the hangings, and retrieved the small sheet of parchment from his bedside table. He took his time to carefully read through the list once more. He nodded his approval to himself, placed it safely back on the table and slid out of bed, but even as he dressed for the day, the list played on his mind.
Despite the several hours he had spent composing it, it was almost disappointingly short, but, for the life of him, he couldn't think of anything else to add. He supposed though, that the final issue on the list was problematic enough on its own. However, that left him feeling torn. Part of him felt smug, in that he was obviously right; there was no way that he and Blaise could be together, it simply wasn't an option. But there was also disappointment.
Draco glanced over toward Blaise's bed, imagining the teen behind his own bed-hangings, dressed only is loose pyjama bottoms, bed sheets tangled around his waist, bare chest and arms exposed. He knew now that it had been foolish to allow himself a taste of what Blaise was offering.
His housemates were still asleep when he left the dormitory half-an-hour later, though the sun was definitely up now. He made his way upstairs to the Great Hall, and was glad to find the large doors open-wide and food lining the tables beyond; a few students had even arrived before him, though only a couple of young Ravenclaws and an older Hufflepuff girl, none of whom he recognised.
Silently, Draco found himself a seat about halfway along the Slytherin table, facing the rest of the room. Placing his book bag on the bench next to him, he pulled out his Transfiguration homework and poured himself a cup of tea.
The time passed quickly as he sipped his tea and nibbled on several pieces of toast. He barely noticed more and more students filing into the hall, as he read over his essay on the regulation of Conjuration, correcting the few minor issues he found. On the whole though, he was satisfied with the quality of his work.
"It's not even seven-thirty yet, on a Sunday, and you're doing homework?" Tracey asked incredulously, as she, Pansy and Daphne joined him at the table, taking the three seats across from him.
"Not anymore," Draco said. He hadn't quite finished reading through the whole thing, but still hastily rolled up the parchment, before any of the girls could spill anything on it, accidentally or otherwise.
"We weren't going to copy you," Daphne told him, huffing in offence as he stashed the parchment safely back in his bag.
"Anyone would think you didn't trust us, Draco," Pansy simpered, a teasing grin plastered on her face.
Draco scoffed but said nothing more as moved his bag to down by his feet, pulled his plate back in front of him and served himself a proper breakfast of bacon and eggs, before pouring another cup of tea. He paid attention to the three girls while they were talking about the anti-copying spells that could be used to prevent cheating, but once the conversation moved on to whatever supposedly scandalous thing Georgina Smythwick had done this week, Draco let the specifics wash over him.
He was almost at the point of giving up waiting for Blaise when he spotted Greg and Vince heading toward him, with Theo and Blaise only a few paces behind. He deliberately calmed himself, despite the conflicting emotions he felt.
"Morning, handsome," Blaise remarked as he squashed himself in close to Draco's side, the length of their thighs pressed together, leaving Draco no elbow room to speak of. "You look rather pleased to see me. Been waiting for me long?" he asked smugly.
Draco huffed, still somehow impressed by the sheer scale of Blaise's ego, and instead of answering the other teen, he simply withdrew the parchment list he had tucked into his robes.
"Just waiting to give you this," Draco stated, pressing it into Blaise's hand, before getting to his feet. "Good luck," he said as he picked up his bag and swung it over his shoulder. "You'll need it," he added, before turning and sweeping from the room, chin held high as he willed himself not to panic.
-#-
Draco spent the morning in the library, finishing off reading through his homework, and making sure everything was up to standard and though he half expected Blaise to come find him, he was left undisturbed. He had lunch in the Great Hall with his friends, but Blaise was oddly absent. He spent the afternoon out in the grounds but by the time dinner rolled around, Draco hadn't seen the other boy all day.
"Have you seen Blaise?" he asked Theo quietly as they all made their way back up to the castle.
"Not since breakfast," Theo said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Why? Are you missing him?"
"What? No, of course not," Draco insisted. "I was just worried about what trouble he might be getting himself caught up in now."
"Draco, no one or nothing could be more trouble than you," Theo assured him, "and he is plenty caught up on you. Disgustingly so at times."
"That's not…" Draco started to argue, but when Theo's taunting smirk grew wider, he realised he was just making matters worse. "Whatever," he huffed dismissively, trying not to think too hard on why the other teen might have disappeared since being given the list that morning.
But when they reached the Great Hall, Blaise was right there, sat at the Slytherin table, his nose buried in a book.
"See, told you you had nothing to worry about," Theo said, heading over to join their friend.
Draco frowned. He didn't know why he felt so impatient to get a response from Blaise, but despite his urge to rush to his fellow Slytherin and shake answers from him, he followed calmly after Theo and they sat across from the other teen. Blaise was already shutting the book as he did so, and Draco failed to make out the title embossed on the cover before Blaise had slid the tomb into his bag and out of sight.
"Draco was fretting about where you were all day," Theo said as he helped himself to a large slice of beef and onion pie, with a generous side of mash and carrots.
Draco, who was halfway through dishing up his own helping, looked aghast. "I was not fretting!" he exclaimed indignantly. "I simply asked if you had seen Blaise," he added through gritted teeth, as he turned to glare furiously at Theo.
"Really?" Blaise asked jovially, seemingly delighted at this news. "Don't worry, handsome," he said as he turned to smile warmly at Draco, "I just had some research to take care of. I could never stay away from you for long."
"What are you researching?" Theo asked curiously.
"That you will just have to wait and see," Blaise told him.
Draco didn't know exactly what Blaise was looking up, but he had a strong suspicion that he knew why; and he hated the spark of hope that suspicion gave him. He didn't dare dream that Blaise might yet rise to the challenge his list had presented.
-#-
Draco was sprawled across one of the armchairs in the Slytherin common room, his legs over one arm, his back against the other. It was saturday, and around him there was the general bustle of his fellow Slytherins going about their business; he paid them no mind. He knew that Pansy and Theo were somewhere close by, working arduously on their Astronomy charts, which made him glad to have completed his the precious evening.
In fact, he had nothing to do but dwell on his ever growing concern. It had been six days since he had given Blaise the list and the other teen hadn't so much as mentioned it since. And the truth was, he didn't even know what he wanted Blaise to say anymore, he just wanted an answer, something to put an end to the torturous wait.
What he wanted to do was demand answers right now, but that was hard to do when Blaise kept disappearing off, with little or no explanation, sometimes for hours at a time. And Draco hadn't actually seen him since breakfast that morning. He was just contemplating going and hunting the other teen down when a loud thunk drew everyone's attention to the entrance to the common room.
"I have an announcement of utmost importance!" Blaise declared loudly, his voice carrying with an ease that could only mean use of the sonorus charm. The few people who hadn't already looked up, now gave him their attention, their curiosity getting the better of them.
Draco, however, was staring at the teen in bemusement. Blaise was dressed smartly in finest dark-grey robes, his hair freshly trimmed, and leaning on an elegant ebony cane, which Draco assumed was what had made the clunk to catch everyone's attention in the first place. Once again, he found himself struck by how attractive Blaise was, but he kept his face deceptively impassive.
"As many of you are aware," Blaise went on as he swaggered his way down the steps and further into the common room, "I have recently discovered that our own Draco Malfoy has excellent taste in men."
"That's questionable," Theo called out from across the room, earning several laughs, but Draco ignored the remark, smirking a little when he heard Pansy chastising Theo.
"Of course, I could never resist such a smart, handsome and enthrallingly vicious young man," Blaise went on, continuing across the room, his gaze fixed on the blond in question.
Draco swung his feet down to the floor, sitting upright as Blaise approached the chair where he was sat. He had a feeling that Blaise might actually have risen to the challenge, which was both exciting and terrifying; but what made him uncomfortable was that it seemed Blaise intended to discuss this publicly, leaving Draco with few options. It was annoyingly, endearingly, Slytherin.
"Perhaps we could go to our dormitory," Draco quietly suggested in vain.
Blaise met his eye as he chuckled deeply, smirked smugly and shook his head almost imperceptibly. "But would you believe it," he said loudly, turning to look around at the Slytherins watching on, "he worries I'll tarnish the Malfoy reputation. I should be offended!"
There were mutterings around the room, though Draco didn't take his eyes off Blaise long enough to identify who it was. But he felt justified in having added that point to the list. Blaise's reputation was certainly quite different from his own.
"But I ask, would you not all think less of Malfoy, if he is to deny himself what he wants?" Blaise asked, pausing for a moment to let them all think on that. "Does a true Slytherin not find a way to take what they truly want?"
This time the mutters were far more enthusiastic, and Draco realised how well Blaise was playing the room; if he rejected Blaise now, it would make Draco seem weak. But Blaise wasn't done yet.
"The Malfoy family reputation was not his only concern, however," Blaise told them, "so I think we should address his other concerns, don't you?" he asked.
There were calls of agreement, and Blaise leaned the cane against the side of the nearby sofa and pulled out a piece of parchment from the inside breast pocket of his robes. Draco wanted to sink into the chair, as Blaise unfolded the list, clearing his throat dramatically.
"These are the requirements he has challenged me to meet," Blaise explained, holding the parchment up for a few seconds. "Marry an approved Pure-blood," he read before pausing and looking back to Draco. "My blood is as pure as anyone's here, and I do not think even Lucius Malfoy would be able to deem me not worthy. And we both know that your mother already adores me," Blaise pointed out with a smirk. "More than you sometimes I believe."
Draco couldn't really deny that; Narcissa Malfoy had always thought Blaise charming, even when they had been nothing more than young children. And if Blaise really could talk his way around every item on the list, then even Lucius would have trouble refusing to accept their relationship. Blaise continued to smirk at him, knowing this was working.
"What's next on the list?" an impatient third year called out after several quiet moments, to many cries of agreement.
"Ah, for this I shall need a beautiful assistant," Blaise declared, making his way over to Pansy and Theo.
Draco glanced over toward their friends. Pansy was grinning broadly, and already getting to her feet, but as Blaise reached the two of them, he held his hand out towards Theo. Pansy's eyes narrowed and her lips pinched, in a clear attempt to hide how offended she was in that moment, but Draco was far more amused by the worried and bemused expression on Theo's face.
"May I have the honour of this dance?" Blaise asked, glancing over towards Tracey, who started the music.
Draco realised then just how carefully orchestrated this whole show was, and he found himself impressed; though Theo clearly hadn't been consulted, given his expression as Blaise all but tugged Theo to his feet. He wanted to hide his face in his hands, when the two of them started dancing to a familiar classical tune, which he knew from so many of the formal events he had been required to attend. He knew now the point Blaise was trying to make.
Blaise made sure to glance in Draco's direction on several occasions, ensuring he was watching closely, not missing a moment of Theo leading him around the common room in a formal dance they had all known since childhood.
After several minutes, Draco was starting to wonder if they actually intended to complete the entire dance, until the two of them suddenly stopped in the open space in front of Draco's chair, when Blaise leaned in close and whispered something.
"Nope," Theo said loudly, abruptly dropping Blaise to the floor, before heading back over to his previous seat without a backward glance, much to the laughs, cheers and applause of the Slytherin audience.
Draco suppressed his laugh down into an amused smirk. He would love to know what exactly Blaise had said to their dorm-mate, to warrant such a reaction.
"I think you can all agree I can dance," Blaise said, rolling over onto his side, propping his head up on his hand and grinning broadly up at Draco from the floor, as though he had always intended to land there.
"You fall spectacularly," someone called out from across the room.
"That too," Blaise agreed shamelessly, winking up at Draco. "Though I do not think Draco would be callous enough to simply drop his spouse, certainly not before the song finished. He is a Malfoy, not a Nott after all."
"Would that make you a Malfoy too?" Pansy asked loudly, a broad and teasing grin on her face.
"Of course," Blaise said, giving Draco what appeared to be a genuine smile. "I would be honoured."
"Really?" Draco questioned in surprise. It had never occurred to him that Blaise would so easily surrender such a piece of his own identity, but there was no hesitance to be seen.
"Zabini is just a name," Blaise said, pushing himself to his feet with surprising grace. He took several steps forward leaning each of his hands on the arms of Draco's chair, looking him in the eye. "Malfoy is a title."
"Fucking marry him already," Pansy shouted, earning cheers and applause from around the room. Draco wanted to, more than he had expected but there was one final question.
"The final point on the list?" he asked quietly, almost scared to bring it up, lest Blaise fail at the last hurdle.
But Blaise's responding smirk both calmed him and sent his heart racing. "I have found a solution. Not an easy one, granted, but one I believe you will approve of; though perhaps this should be discussed in private," he suggested, straightening up and holding out his hand. "Will you hear me out?"
"I'm listening," Draco told him earnestly, taking Blaise's hand, and allowing the other teen to lead him off toward their dormitory, hardly caring about the whistling, catcalls and applause that followed them.