"Now, wait!" Harry pulled her off him. She looked at him questioningly. "Even if I do like him, I am not jumping to 'together.' We've hated each other for so long…"
"Maybe you've both been hiding." Hermione could always be so calm and reasoning.
"The school would never accept us."
"It won't be a problem, trust me."
"But his father won't ever…"
"Maybe he needs support for that exact reason."
A lead ball of dread fell into his stomach. "And the Dursleys…"
"And you do too."
He was running out of 'good' excuses. "The Slytherins?"
"I'm sure he'll deal with it."
"And the Gryffindors?"
"Want you to be happy. They'll get it."
"Ron?"
"Percy's gay, and Ron wants you to be happy too, he'll be fine."
Harry cast around for anything else. "But, he's afraid of the dark!"
"We're all afraid of something. Maybe you can be his light."
Ew, she was starting to sound like a greeting card. He was out of excuses. He thought for a moment, then his mouth blurted what he was trying not to say. "But he sleeps around!"
"Oh, Harry." Hermione took his hands yet again. "Harry." She sighed. "I can't make you accept that, no one can. It is something you will have to make your own decision about. All I can say is, try to remember where he's coming from."
"What, sex every other night?"
"No, his family, his house, his background. Harry, I think you two need each other."
Harry was so confused. He didn't know what to think or do. He felt tears pricking at the backs of his eyes. His sarcasm broke through. "He needs me to what? Save him from an STD?" Hermione looked at him disapprovingly.
"Harry, why don't you go to bed. Don't think too much about it tonight. You'll have time to work it out."
He wandered back to the tower in a complete daze. Hermione had returned to the library. He climbed into his four poster, ignoring his slumbering roommates. He pulled the curtains shut and laid back, but he couldn't sleep. How could he not think about it? He was gay. Or bi? Let's say bi.
Great, now Draco was bi and liked Harry. And Harry was bi and liked Draco. It seemed so simple. Boy likes boy; they should be together. There was that word again, 'together.' And there was so much in between.
He tossed and turned. There would be little sleep for him tonight. Wait. Did he even have to tell Draco? Did he have to admit things had changed? Couldn't he just pretend everything was the same? That's what he would do. Only Eric and Hermione knew. He could just ignore it. He rolled over.
He was almost asleep when he sat up suddenly. The dare! He had to finish the dare, and now he knew all of the information. Draco's deepest secret was some cross between being bi and liking Harry. Who didn't he want to tell? Harry. So now Harry had to make the blonde tell him. There was no avoiding it.
Harry slept miserably.
"Two more weeks. Time's up."
He blinked and saw the boys gathered around his bed. Seamus had spoken. Ron interrupted him.
"Harry, you had his secret, do you know who he has to tell?"
He sat up, suddenly remembering what they were talking about. He considered a moment. He couldn't lie, he did know. He nodded.
"Good!" Seamus stepped back in. "Then all you have left to do is make him tell them. Now, you'll have to be able to prove you did it."
It was Dean's turn to interrupt. "How do you expect him to do that?"
Seamus looked at him. "Er…well…you have to…make him do it in the Great Hall. So we can see."
Harry looked up sharply. "I can't do that to him!"
"What, are you going to forfeit your dare?"
He slumped back in his bed. "No. I'll do it."
"You have until dinner."
He opened his mouth to protest, but the boys had all left for breakfast. He stood up and went to the mirror. He looked like shit. Funny, he felt like shit too. He dropped his head in his hands.
"I am so screwed."
His reflection laughed quietly. "No pun intended."