Open Secrets by Turn and Walk
Summary: The effects of a love potion gone horribly wrong haunt Harry and he hopes that for once his secret won't spread throughout the school. Meanwhile, Draco struggles with a secret of his own…
Pairings: Harry/Draco, one-sided Ginny/Harry.
Warnings: Slash, sexual themes, Book 7 disregarded, Book 6 partially disregarded (you'll see what I mean).
Disclaimer: Turner still doesn't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.

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"I've got to get Draco Malfoy to fall for me."

Ugh. The idea disgusted Harry. Not to mention the fact that he had no idea how he was supposed to get the Malfoy heir to fall in love with him. Well, knowing he had to was a start. As morbid as it sounded, he knew he was going to end up madly in love with the Slytherin, so much so that no other options would be remotely accurate. It was as if there were no other options to begin with.

Well, there was one other option: a miserable life. Once everything was said and done, once the war was over, Harry wanted to live on happily, like he would have without this damned potion nonsense. Hermione never would have lied about something this serious, and Harry had the dream to back it up. She had indicated that he would never be happy without Malfoy's returned affection. So win his affection it was.

It all seemed so… so strange to Harry. What else could explain his dream, though? He had never looked at any males in that way, and yet… the thought made him blush despite the fact that no one was around.

Should I make some Nos Xevelos Sesibo? Harry wondered as he lay in his four-poster bed, afraid to fall asleep. He hadn't seen Malfoy at all that day, not even at meal times. Perhaps he was ill? Harry cared, as much as he didn't want to.

No, Harry's thoughts answered. You should genuinely win him. It's more honourable. And not as likely to fail. Psh, yeah right. Winning Malfoy's affection – such a strange thought! – was just about as fail-proof as trying to lift an elephant with one finger.

It was difficult for Harry to imagine trying to make Malfoy of all people fall in love with him. Harry hated Malfoy, and Malfoy hated Harry. That's just how it worked. Could a sip of potion really change things that drastically?

Hermione had discreetly loaned him the book in which she had found her information, a short passage on a potion the book didn't even name.

Of all the love potions in the world, Harry had read, the most dangerous is thankfully also the rarest. Only thrice has its use been known, the most well-known (but still quite obscure) of which having occurred in 1442. The drinker, Cristoph the Confused, made eye contact with his pursuer's father after drinking the potion, resulting in a quadruple suicide.

One who drinks the potion will experience its effects in three stages. The first stage, which begins at midnight after ingestion, is characterized by unconscious thoughts and dreams of a sexual nature. The second, which occurs soon after the first begins, is conscious obsession. The third is genuine, unconditional love, which takes place at varying rates depending on the drinker's initial affection for the subject.

Harry knew he was experiencing the potion's first effects, and perhaps some of the second; he had begun thinking about Malfoy at odd intervals. So the answer was yes, a potion can change things that much. Why me, though?

Harry's eyes burned as he struggled to remain awake. Finally he placed his glasses on his bedside table and succumbed to a Malfoy-infested sleep.

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Draco Malfoy was wide awake, replaying the morning's conversation inside his head once again.

"Nothing's fun anymore," Draco sighed. Blaise nodded. "You haven't been yourself lately," he observed. "Why are you so depressed?"

Draco sat up. "You cannot tell anyone, you understand? If it gets around to my father, he'll kill me."

"Not a word, I swear to it."

Draco smiled weakly. Blaise was the only person he felt he could trust with this. His dark expression returned and he inhaled deeply.

"I… I think I'm gay." That's it. There was no turning back now.

Blaise was silent for a moment, then a wide grin spread across his face. "Draco…" he began. "What rock have you been living under? Of course you're gay!" Draco flinched. "Is it that obvious? How many people know?"

"Everyone but Slytherin's thickest," Blaise answered, still grinning broadly. It was infectious; Draco couldn't help but smile back.

"But… how do they know?"

"Come on, how is it not obvious?" came Blaise's response. "That girl from Beauxbatons in fourth year…" he trailed off when he saw the look of mingled humiliation and disgust on Draco's face. "I mean, seriously. You'd have to be bloody blind to not see how miserable you were."

"Bloody hell…" Draco muttered. "How has my father not heard about this yet?"

"No one really talks about it." Blaise shrugged. "It's just kind of… there. I don't think that'll change much unless it turns out that you're shagging Harry Potter or something."

"Well, as long as my father doesn't find out," Draco replied, smirking at the Harry Potter comment. "You know how he is. Pure pureblood. 'You must produce an heir,'" he imitated his father in a mocking tone. "'Carry on the Malfoy name,' you know…"

"Yeah," Blaise answered. "My dad's like that too."

There was a long pause, and then Blaise stood up. "I'm going to breakfast. Coming?" Draco shook his head.

Draco's mind returned to reality, and then drifted to the subject of Harry Potter.

Looking back, Draco realised that all those years ago, back before first year, he may have had a slight, miniscule crush on the Potter boy. That dissipated almost immediately though, as soon as Potter had rejected his hand on the Hogwarts Express. Draco smirked. He probably thinks, he's too good for me, he thought. Precious Potter, friend to Mudbloods and blood traitors. If he wanted me, he would've taken my offer all those years ago.

How wrong Draco was.

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See? Posting more, posting more! Please review, I had a pathetic number of reviews for chapter two! Hopefully this chappie clears things up a bit, I know a lot of people were wondering what was up with Draco.

Might be a while before my next post, I'm writing about twenty things at once and none of them will probably get published :P

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. -grovels- Reviews please!