Chapter four: a bit of fun?

"Draco!" Blaise Zambini called after the blonde as he made his way through the dungeon corridors. Draco turned to meet the black-haired boy.

"Blaise," He greeted when the other boy stopped in front of him.

"What the hell was that with Potter?" Blaise said. Draco smiled serenely.

"Blaise, darling, I know you like to think you're my father but your really not. And though we work together, you are not my husband or in any position at all to tell me what to do." Draco said coolly.

Blaise's chocolate brown eyes hardened.

"I once held some sway with your decisions." The boy said softly.

"You still do, Blaise. You know that." The blonde crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Look, it's just a game. A bit of fun."

"It won't be so fun when your father finds out." Blaise said his voice harsh. Draco narrowed his eyes.

"He won't find out, will he?" He said his voice low and dangerous letting Blaise know that if he even thought-

"I wouldn't tell. You know I wouldn't." Blaise said softly. "I didn't track you down to fight with you. I just think this whole thing is folly. But obviously you are going to do it no matter what I say."

"Obviously," Draco agreed with an incline of his head.

"Look, Draco, I know you have a thing for Potter-"Blaise started.

"A thing? I do not have a thing for Potter," Draco sputtered indignantly. Blaise nodded solemnly, not believing a word.

"Just be careful. War is coming and things have changed."

"No one knows that better than I, Blaise." Draco replied softly, his eyes showing that he appreciated the other boy's concern. Blaise nodded in acknowledgement.

"Alright then." He said and headed off down the corridor.

Draco sighed and continued on his way down the corridor after Blaise. It was time for class.

XxXxX

Harry rubbed the feather of his quill under his chin and across his jaw. He was suffering from writer's block. Well, actually that wasn't true. There was a lot he could write and wanted to write he just didn't know if it was…appropriate. Not to say what he was thinking was dirty. No, the problem was that what he wanted to say was too…intimate. Once again, not dirty, just not something he was sure one would write to his enemy about.

Deciding that all this thought was making his head hurt, not to mention that one wouldn't be writing to their enemy in the first place, Harry grabbed a piece of parchment and proceed to write.

XxXxX

It was at dinner that a snowy white owl swooped down and landed on Draco's plate. The owl looked at him as if she'd like nothing more than to shit on him. Draco quickly untied the letter from its leg and gestured to the plate.

"Help yourself," He said. The owl still looked wary of him but flew off with a piece of chicken in its beak. Draco didn't notice, he was much more concerned with opening the letter. Besides, he hadn't been eating anyway. The food on his plate was only to appease Blaise, though he really only been pushing it around and making castles out of his mashed potatoes. How uncivilized.

Malfoy,

What, no cutesy nickname?

So when you say that there are no girls at the moment except for Pansy, what's that mean? Are you dating Pansy? Or just shagging her? Acquiring minds want to know.

I have trouble thinking you're dating her, or anyone. Have you ever dated anyone? You are much too much of a rouge to ever limit yourself to just one girl. You, with your naturally good looks, could not be bothered to be tied down.

Is that why you have such a cynical outlook on love? What does that mean anyway, 'Love is always over in the morning'?

As for all my 'exploits', all lies I assure you. I look for something more meaningful from my partners than a quickie in a dank classroom.

Well, Sprout is coming this way and I have not even touched my brutto albero, which just sounds naughty, anyway must go.

H. Potter

Draco had no trouble not laughing during this letter. Actually, it was taking all his willpower not to crumble to letter into a ball and chuck it at Harry Potter's Big Fat Stupid Head!

How dare he say such things about me! He knows nothing of my life, who is he to judge me! Draco thought. Without a word Draco stood up and stormed out of the Great Hall, ignoring Blaise's questions.

Draco stomped his way through the corridors to the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room. He shouted the password and marched to the sixth year boy's dorm.

Once in his room, Draco immediately pulled out parchment, ink, a quill and his portable writing desk. He wrote furiously for a few minutes before waving the parchment around and blowing on it so that the ink would dry faster.

Draco, than gave a short, shrill whistle and within minutes the piece of parchment was tied around his eagle owl, Ares's leg and the owl was on his way to the Great Hall.

XxXxX

Harry had watched Malfoy storm out of the Great Hall and was a bit surprised. He wondered what had happened to cause the boy to just leave. If it had been a year ago, Harry would've sought out the culprit to congratulate him. But now, with Malfoy's normal melancholy attitude, to see him all worked up left Harry feeling…strange.

Harry shrugged off the feeling and returned to his food. He took a bite of his sandwich, forgetting the theft of his (1) meat. As he chewed the mayo-coated bread, Malfoy's owl once again swooped into the Hall and headed toward Harry.

Harry quickly grabbed his goblet out of the way so the owl couldn't knock it over. When it landed the owl seemed a bit miffed by this but stuck out its leg, just the same. Harry took the letter from the owl that nipped viciously at his finger before taking off.

"Stupid blighter," He mumbled nursing his injured finger. Harry opened the letter and began to read.

Potter,

I know that I have been a right prat over the years. I am not denying that nor am I apologizing, but as I sit here and run through all the things I have done or said, nothing comes to mind that warrants such slurs against my character.

What, exactly, do you think gives you the right to say such things. Who do you think you are? You do not know me. You do not know anything about me or my life. My outlook on love is my business. And my activity outside of the classroom is none of yours. You have no right to say such things. I do not know what this is between us but I think it should end.

I have nothing to say to you and will not stand for your judgmental attacks.

Sincerely,

D. Malfoy

P.S Only you, Potter, could find a brutto albero naughty. The words are Italian for ugly tree. Pervert.

Harry read the letter and was stunned. He hadn't thought that he was insulting Malfoy with his questions but he supposed he could see how that would seem likely. He had felt a bit…bitter and snarky, as he penned the words, especially those about Pansy. Why he had felt that way…he wasn't going to even try to sort out why. But now he felt horrible. Malfoy was right; he didn't know him or what was going on in his life. And he had no right to act as if he did.

It seemed that Malfoy was going through enough and Harry just couldn't kick him when he was down. He wasn't a Slytherin, after all. Harry didn't know what to do.

"Hermione?" He asked rather sheepishly.

"Yes, Harry?" She said looking up from her textbook that seemed to be attached to her hand.

Harry than proceeded to tell Hermione about everything that had happened since the prank letter he wrote. He told her about the detention, about his letter to Malfoy and the blonde's reply. He told her about his response and he let her read the letter he had just received from Malfoy.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said in a voice that told the black-haired boy that he had screwed up.

"What?" Harry asked totally oblivious. Hermione gave him a look that told him he was pathetic.

"You basically called the boy a slut, and judged him without any grounds to do so." She said. Harry opened his mouth to reply but Hermione held up a hand and silenced him. "Harry, I don't know what is going on with you and Malfoy. But if your serious about being friends with him or whatever than you have some serious apologizing to do." Harry looked at her miserably.

"Yeah, alright," he said before getting up from the table.

"Where you going, mate?" Ron asked. Harry was a bit startled to find him there. He hadn't noticed but it would seem that his friend was completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

"I'm not feeling well; I'm going to lie down." Harry mumbled. Ron nodded. If Harry had been in his right mind he would've noticed Ron's oddly compliant behaviour and the mischievous gleam in his blue eyes. But Harry wasn't in his right mind and didn't think he had been since he wrote that damned prank love letter.

Once in his dorm, Harry sat down on his bed with a piece of parchment and a book to write on. He had no idea what to write. He sat there in contemplative silence before he began to write slowly.

Once he was done he re-read it before he rolled it up and tied it with a ribbon. Placing it on his bedside table along with his wand and glasses, Harry decided to send it off tomorrow morning. He was suddenly overcome with exhaustion, even though it was only a quarter till eight. Harry rolled over and was instantly asleep.

XxXxX

Draco Malfoy was livid. Or at least he wanted to be. After he sent his letter to Potter, Draco suddenly felt very weak. He slumped back against his pillows.

"What have I done?" He wondered aloud before he buried his head in his hands. Draco, for the first time in a long time, hadn't felt empty or dead. There was always something about Potter that made him feel alive. Whether it was the fights or…something more.

But when he came back for his sixth year at Hogwarts, Draco didn't feel alive, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. He felt cold and empty inside and a small voice in the back of his head told him that, that was what he deserved.

He had succumbed to his horrid yet inevitable fate. That was until Potter wrote that letter. It wasn't so much that Draco found it horribly amusing, it was just that, as corny as it sounds, Draco hadn't been forgotten.

Most in his house, save Blaise, hadn't noticed his behaviour or didn't care. Draco had felt himself drifting away from reality. He felt like an outsider looking in. And he was sure that he had been forgotten.

But the letter, even if it was a prank on him and made him out to be some Potter-head, sent a clear message to Draco. Straight to his heart. And it said 'I haven't forgotten you.' Draco had been so relieved that he let himself get caught up in…whatever it is that they had been doing.

He felt more like his old self in the last couple days than he had since the end of last year. And, as was Draco's way, he ruined it all by his temper.

Draco groaned and flung himself on his bed. Why, oh, why did he have to send that letter? Why did he do something so rash and emotional? Malfoys were never rash or emotional. Potter was sure to never want to speak to him again. Then what was Draco going to do? Now that he looked back at his life for the last several months, he didn't want to go back to that and he didn't know if he could.

Draco didn't want to continue to live in self-induced exile, where only Blaise seemed to notice something was up and/or cared. Pansy was too fixated on what Draco's bum looked like and was upset that he wasn't in the mood to shag. Crabbe and Goyle were too stupid to notice anything. Nott just plain didn't care and the other Slytherins, older or younger, thought it was none of their business, which it wasn't.

The only person the seemed to care other than Blaise was Potter. But Draco had gone and screwed that up.

"Hell and Damnation!" He shouted, angry at himself. Why did he have to have such a temper? Why did he have to get all hurt over what Potter wrote?

Maybe it's for the best. Draco thought to himself. He knew that this thing with Potter would lead to danger. But damn it all, Draco didn't want it to end.

Draco tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. He was worried and confused and his brain was working in overdrive.

Maybe it will all be better tomorrow he conceded as he succumbed to a light sleep near dawn.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(An: (1) that sound dirty. I love the Blaise/Draco bff relationship. I got the whole 'love is always over in the morning' from another fic, who in turn got it from another so...yeah. I also love Draco's owl being a jerk to Harry. And I got Draco's curse 'hell and damnation' from a book and I like it and thing it's sophisticated like Draco and is like medivally time period and I ways think of Draco as a medieval aristocrat type of upbringing and person.)