Disclosure.
Draco felt quite proud of himself. Not that he wanted to brag or anything, but he had endured yet another day of watching Harry Potter. This time it had been harder, oh so much harder to resist… and yet he knew somehow that tomorrow would be even worse. Despite this small, insignificant triumph of his though, he still couldn't sleep.
He told himself to get a grip. Not that that helped.
He knew there was only one thing that might. He had to go see Myrtle.
For some reason, Draco and Myrtle were very good friends. He supposed it was rather strange that his only friend was a dead teenage girl, but then again, since when had things ever been normal for Draco? He had well and truly bonded with her in his 6th year, and they still had regular talks with each other every now and then, just to catch up, to have someone to talk to. The conversations were, at times, quite repetitive, but there was something strangely comforting about hearing Myrtle's unvarying stories about life in the u-bend.
He knew where to find her; she'd probably be in the Prefects' bathroom, spying on some unfortunate person. He spoke the password, and snuck in.
There she was, as expected, sitting on the edge of the huge bath, twiddling her thumbs. She turned at the sound of the door opening with a smile of delight lightening up her transparent face. "Draco!" she exclaimed, looking at him intently. Draco laughed at her reaction, and then sat down beside her on the side of the bath.
"So…" Myrtle began, "What's wrong this time? Is it that nasty Pansy girl again?"
"No, not this time." He sighed, "Myrtle…" Draco paused, "Have you ever been…in love?" he asked her, cautiously.
"Oh of course, many times," she answered, skipping along in mid-air.
If she were alive, Draco would've worried about whether her serenity was an after effect of too much Firewhisky. But she wasn't, so he didn't.
"Of course! I've been in love many times! I have a particular soft spot for prefects, you know. They never know when I'm watching them…" Draco suddenly felt rather uncomfortable, remembering the considerable amount of time he'd used to spend in that bath. "Yes Diggory was one of my favourites. Potter too. I never see them these days… I wonder where they've gone…"
Draco's stomach lurched at the sound of Harry's name, but he didn't have the heart to tell Myrtle that Diggory had been dead for nearly four years now.
"I must admit though, it's been very boring recently… it's just that Weasley boy all the time… and he's a huge disappointment if I'm honest."
Draco sniggered, he thought he heard a stifled giggle from behind him. He turned around, but there was no one there. He decided he must've imagined it.
Draco took a deep breath. He knew he could trust Myrtle.
"Myrtle, the fact is… I think I'm gay." He paused, thinking about Harry. "No, screw that I know I'm gay."
He awaited her reaction with barely suppressed anticipation. He didn't have to wait long. "Hallelujah!" she cried, "I've waited half a century for a gay friend! Well any friend really, but…"
Draco was relieved. That was a huge burden off his chest. He felt so much better now… Myrtle's voice broke into his reverie.
"So…" she gigged, "Since when have you known?" Typical of a girl to ask the one question that the answer, he himself was unsure of.
"A year…maybe more." he drifted off… thinking of Harry playing Quidditch on his Firebolt…
"Myrtle, you more than anyone know how much I despise the whole pureblood institution. Right?" He began, "You know how I've begun to… admire Harry Potter over the last year…"
Myrtle gasped, "I knew you liked him, Draco… but you don't like him, like him… Do you?"
Draco blushed – a sight Myrtle never thought she'd see. "Yes, I do." He admitted, looking up at the ceiling. He had to admit it was a relief to finally tell someone, a whole burden off his shoulders.
Then he heard something. And this time it certainly wasn't Myrtle. A gasp, and then an echoing clang of metal against a smooth, marble floor.
Then, very slowly, a cubicle door creaked open.
There, standing in front of him with a very shocked expression on her face, was a certain Hermione Granger.
"Woopsie!" Myrtle laughed, before disappearing up one of the bathroom's numerous taps, leaving him and the Granger girl alone.
The burden that he thought had gone forever was suddenly dumped back onto him, a hundred times heavier than it had ever been. The relief he had felt was gone. The near euphoric sensation he'd felt disappeared.
"How much did you hear?" Draco asked stonily, trying to keep his anger in check. Hermione looked nervously around the room, before squeaking "Everything."
Before he could explode, something in her voice made Draco stop and think. He saw that Hermione was scared of him, scared that he would take his anger out on some unfortunate, innocent girl who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He saw her vulnerability, and it reminded him of himself, behind his nasty, cold exterior.
He paused. And then smiled.
Hermione seemed even more shocked at his reaction. She didn't loosen up at all - Draco knew she was still scared he'd attack her or something. Which, he remembered, he nearly had done. She spoke, in the same squeaky voice that she'd used last time.
"Sorry Malfoy…you see…well I was brewing a potion but then I heard you come in, and I didn't want you to get mad, so I stayed put in there, and I tried not to listen I really did, but I couldn't help but notice what you were saying, and…well after the cauldron fell of the toilet I knew you'd find me, and…oh please don't get mad!"
Hermione hadn't yet paused for breath, and her face was getting increasingly red as her little speech progressed. Suddenly stopping she waited, keeping a distrustful eye on Draco, waiting for an answer.
He laughed. And if he thought Hermione had looked shocked before, it was nothing to compare with her expression now. "Don't worry, I'm not…y'know, mad or anything, really. I just wish that you hadn't heard…" Draco tried to sound calm and neutral. It was hard to do so while a million unanswered questions zoomed around his brain. Could Draco trust her? Would she tell anyone? Worst of all, would she tell Harry? Was she disgusted, angry, scared…?
A look of relief swept across her face; she seemed surprised that he hadn't attacked her. Yet he could see that she was still clutching her wand under her robes…just in case.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" he asked, his eyes pleading. She shook her head immediately.
"Not a soul" she whispered, barely audible across the large room. "I… I promise, but… Harry? Really? You hate Harry." Draco knew she'd be confused - he certainly was.
"People change… I've changed." She still seemed confused at this unexpected statement, but not as if she was ready to run off and tell anyone. Things weren't half as bad as he'd imagined. For some weird reason which was beyond him, he seemed to trust the girl.
"Out of interest," he ventured, "What are you doing in the middle of the night…in the prefects' bathroom?" She smiled, for the first time since she'd stepped out of the cubicle.
"Promise you won't tell?" she asked.
"Promise."
"I was brewing Amortentia, actually…" she blushed, "It's not exactly illegal to make it, but it is to use it and considering that I'm planning on doing exactly that, I figured it'd be best kept a secret."
Now it was his turn to be surprised. Hermione Granger, top of her class, top of her year, top of the school, admitting to using an illegal love potion?
"Who do you want to use it on then?" he asked her, playfully. She smiled again before answering.
"Ron Weasley, actually…" She blushed, and giggled.
Draco laughed. Ron Weasley? The Weasel King? He certainly did not see the attraction there.
"If you like… I can slip Harry some too." She said solemny.
Draco looked momentarily shocked, but then seeing her face he burst out laughing. Suddenly she was laughing too, and Draco wondered why he had hated her so much before.
Then he remembered it was because she was Muggleborn. He felt a sudden wave of remorse, remembering all the terrible things he used to say to her. He shuddered.
"Well, I better go… I need to get some sleep before tomorrow." Hermione straightened up, and walked towards the door.
"Hermione…" he began.
"Don't worry." She assured him, "My lips are sealed." and with that she walked out of the door.
And Draco was left alone again.
A/N - Thanks to Miyako Suou - y'know I think we all hate Lucius! He is well and truly the epitome of evil! And thanks again to the fabulous xoGinevraMalfoyox who has not only reviewed, but has added me to her favourites and signed up for alerts! PLUS she is my Beta!
Follow her lead, review!