All of the sudden, the connections were made. Harry realized everything. He froze. Time stopped.

Eric was looking at him.

He knew. He knew all along.

Harry knew Eric couldn't see him, but he met his eyes anyway. Green. His eyes were incredibly…green.

He suddenly looked familiar, very familiar. Of course, Harry saw him in class all of the time. But more familiar. It was like…looking in a mirror. Eric looked almost exactly like him.

All right, the world was officially screwing with him. Harry wanted to shout at it to cut it out. But he couldn't. Eric had told him to be quiet and he didn't need him to tell Draco where he had been.

The world began to move again. Eric began talking to Draco again. "Draco. You will remember none of this. Instead, remember a night like the last time. Potter, stay under that cloak." He began muttering under his breath. Last time? Draco came back to himself.

"Mmm…"

"Yes?" Eric immediately fell into conversation with him.

"Can I take the blindfold off?"

"Yes, you can. I have to get back to the tower."

Draco undid the blindfold, handing it back to Eric. Then, as before, he quickly dressed, making excuses all of the way out the door.

Eric began to pull on his shirt. "Don't come out from under the cloak. Just stay where you are." There was a pause as Eric sat back down on the bed, looking suddenly weary. "Well, did I tell you you were going to learn something?"

Harry's mouth moved, but for a moment nothing came out. Then he found his voice. "Yes, you did. But how did you -"

"Know? Potter, it is not your place to pry into my life, but I will answer that." Eric breathed deeply. "I have done that once before. Draco and I have been meeting like this for almost a year. It always goes the same way. We both need this, but for different reasons. Draco's needs were being satisfied with less than you might think. He never gave his all. I knew it."

Eric hadn't looked at Harry through all of this. "And your…reason?"

"My reason is not your problem." His voice was sharp. "Either way, I knew that Draco wasn't giving me his all, but I also knew that there had to be someone he would give it to. So, one night, I blindfolded him, I put him under a mesmer. I told him I was whoever her wanted. Then I just let him go. I hate to say, it was probably the best night of my life." He looked up at Harry, something akin to guilt in his eyes.

"But I couldn't leave well enough alone. I couldn't just take amazing sex and be happy. I had to know who was this special, who deserved this more than I did. So, I asked. I made him tell me, as hard as he tried not to. You can guess what he said."

Eric looked down again. "It's one thing to know you're a replacement. It's another to know who you're replacing. I made up a night to place in his memory and got out as fast as possible. I never told him I knew. Only you…" he trailed off.

"But, why?"

Eric's face hardened. He laughed sharply. "Mostly to watch you squirm."

"Mostly? Why else?"

The face softened again. "Almost a year. I think maybe I have actually grown to like him. Just maybe."

Harry's head spun. He felt sick and dizzy. There was just so much to think about. He stumbled to the door and left, still under the cloak, without another word to Eric.

"Hermione!" Harry burst into the library, his cloak trailing in his hand behind him.

"Shh!" Madam Pince glared at him warningly. He looked frantically around the shelves and tables. He had to find her. She was the only one who could know what to do.

"Hermione!" He skidded around the end of yet another shelf.

"Mr. Potter, if you insist on shouting, I shall ask you to leave." Madam Pince's voice was deadly quiet even though she was on the other side of the library, speaking through at least a dozen shelves.

But there she was. Hermione was sitting at a table, almost entirely hidden by books. He ran up to the table, knocking over a pile of volumes.

"Hey -" Hermione looked up.

"Hermione." Harry managed to keep his voice quiet. "I've got to talk to you."

"But Harry, I'm studying."

"Screw the studying! This is a matter of life and…well, my life!" His voice was rising again. Hermione put a finger to her mouth to quiet him.

"What is it Harry?"

He glanced around; he couldn't see anyone nearby. "I…I don't even know where to start. First there's Draco…" Hermione's eyes perked up. "…and me…and -"

She interrupted him. "Oh, Harry. You don't have to keep going. I already know."

He stopped abruptly. "You do?"

"Yes!" She grabbed Harry's hands. "It's all right. I don't care if you like Draco Malfoy. Being gay is just as natu -"

"What?" Harry nearly fell into the seat next to her. "Who said anything about liking him? I'm talking about having to watch some Ravenclaw screw him and him saying my name!" His voice, once again, surpassed a 'library' volume.

"Shh…Oh, Harry. Come on, let's go somewhere else."

She took him to a small room he had never seen before. That explained why she and Ron disappeared so much. All it contained was a couch and a bookshelf. She sat him down on the couch. "All right. I suggest you start at the beginning and I won't jump to conclusions."

He sighed and began with the dare. She looked disapproving, but kept her mouth shut. He told her briefly about the different people on the list. She nodded a lot, though she seemed surprised by some of his list choices, commenting particularly when he reached her. "Like me? Malfoy? I think you were a bit misguided, Harry."

"I know." He continued and finally reached Audrey. He awkwardly recounted the general events of his evening in the bureau.

She made a face. "Audrey Earenheart, really?"

"Yes, but don't tell."

"I know."

He then moved on to that first night in the Room of Requirement. "Eric Nalemen? I always though he looked like you." When he finished with the night's awkward recollection, she stopped him. "Is this going to be a review of Draco's sordid sex life? Because there is no point to that."

"No, we're up to tonight. Eric made me come back, because he caught me. And Draco came too. He made me hide and he used a mesmer on Draco…he blindfolded him too. He told Draco to pretend he was the person he most wanted. Then he…well, you know. Only he kept asking what his name was. He asked over and over, then Draco…he said my name. It was so loud. Me?"

Harry lapsed into silence. Hermione let him have it for a few moments; then she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Harry? What is there for me to say? It's, well, obvious that he…likes you. The question left for you is: Do you like him?"

Given the question directly, Harry looked back up at her. Did he like Draco? The blonde face flashed in his mind. First, sneering as he so often was; then suddenly smiling, like he had in that classroom when they were talking about quidditch. He thought about their time on the pitch and how, even when they were playing against each other, he felt a connection to the other seeker, one that didn't exist in his other games. He thought of the hospital wing and waiting to see Draco emerge from behind the curtain. Finally, his mind flashed to the dream from Binns' class and he saw, almost felt, himself kiss Draco. "I…you know what? I think I do."

"I knew it!" Hermione threw her arms around his neck. "You two are going to be so cute together!"