The Courting Games
Chapter Two: Leap of Faith
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
WARNING: The story you are about to enjoy contains some material that may not be suitable for all audiences (SLASH!) viewer discretion is advised.
Author's Note: A bit of clarification before we move on to the next chapter since some readers have indicated a bit of confusion over why Harry is responding to a note Malfoy DID NOT send. The idea behind it is that Draco would never initiate the game by sending the note and without the note Harry would never have considered Draco courting material. It's all to do with tricking Harry's brain into believing he has a chance with actual Draco. Hope this little blurb and the chapter to follow clears things up a bit! Now on with the story!
"What's that Draco, love?" asked Pansy groggily, stretching and checking her make up in her little folding mirror.
Draco glanced down at the desk. There perched on the left corner as if it had always been there was a little paper box.
"Nothing, I was just bored," he replied tucking the box casually into one of his robe's pockets.
"I don't know why you don't just sleep like the rest of us."
"Bed head is not a look I enjoy, darling, as you well know."
Pansy smirked wickedly, "I don't seem to recall you minding it on me."
His affair with Pansy had been as heated as it had been brief. It was a pity they'd both decided they wouldn't suit because their parents would have dearly loved to make an alliance match, but their friendship hadn't suffered and for that Draco would be eternally grateful.
Their closeness was why he kept the box from Pansy. She was far too perceptive when it came to him then she had any right to be and in this he did not want her prying and prodding. He knew the little origami box was from Potter, because Potter was the only one with whom he exchanged origami. Well, truth be told, mostly he just sent his little paper cranes Potter's way with insulting messages or enchanted doodles when he was bored and was endlessly amused when Potter glared at him for the rest of class. Potter had never sent anything in return, until now.
The little paper box was all but burning a hole in his pocket. He wanted to know what Potter had written but he didn't want Pansy to know that as of now he and Potter were exchanging notes. It was one thing for Draco to bombard Potter with insults it was another thing entirely to strike up a correspondence. Still, if Potter was sending him a note it meant that the Gryffindor Golden Boy had something that, for once, he didn't feel he could say to his face or in front of the Weasel and Granger. Draco was desperate to know what it was.
"Pansy, don't wait up alright? I want to go ask Professor Snape a question before Charms,"
"Say hello for me."
She waved him off still fussing with her mirror, not that any amount of cosmetics would soften the squashed quality of her upturned nose. In fact he'd often remarked that she looked ten times more attractive without make up, but he wasn't complaining today as her vanity left Draco free to slip into the crowd of students in the hall and rush down to the fourth floor.
"Watch where you're going!" he snarled briefly at some little firstie 'Puff as he bowled the smaller boy over sending his Potions text flying.
The cheery yellow midgets were constantly getting in his way clogging up the flow of traffic in the halls with their large slow moving chattering groups, so Draco made a point of reminding them of just where they stood in the whole scheme of things when he could get them alone.
Finally he reached the corridor he wanted and ducked into one of the unused classrooms.
With a muttered word he locked the door and a wave of his wand ensured that the desk he was leaning on was free of dust. He was after all a Malfoy, Malfoys did not gather dust. Since there was no one to witness his unseemly eagerness, Malfoys also never acted with undue haste, Draco unfolded the origami box with fumbling fingers to find a note scribbled on the inside of the paper used to make the box in Potter's cramped scrawl, and a second piece of folded paper.
After a moment's debate Draco decided to read the note on the inside of the box first.
You know you should really stop pissing people off, not everyone would be as forgiving in my situation.
The game is 'The Question Game'. We ask each other questions and agree to answer truthfully if you refuse to answer the question posed you have to offer two pieces of information about yourself. The challenge is keep it a secret, no friends, no teachers, no parents or guardians. The only people who know are you and I.
It wasn't signed, it didn't need to be after all but Draco's eyebrows lifted well into his hairline when he saw the Gryffindor courting shield.
"Is this some kind of sick prank?" he muttered to himself opening the second note.
The paper was crinkled from being fiddled with but the message was clear enough. Someone had, on behalf of him, made Potter a courting offer. Potter had of course correctly deduced that the note was not actually from Draco but rather was intended to embarrass him. A quick study of the handwriting gave him a good idea of who had sent the note. Yet, Potter wanted to be courted by him?
"Has he gone mental?" Draco demanded of the empty air.
He and Potter didn't like each other; they got under each other's skin, pushed sensitive buttons, threw insults and occasionally hexes or punches. They couldn't have a conversation of more than five words without coming to blows. Not that they'd really ever attempted it, to be fair.
Draco stared at the note until the words blurred. He could not believe he was even considering replying to Potter's overture. It was St. Potter! Scarhead! The Bloody Gryffindor Golden Boy-Who-Lived!
Perhaps that was why Draco was considering. Potter was...interesting. Draco never got bored of taunting him, confronting him, challenging him. And Potter gave as good as he got, challenging in return, in fact in the privacy of his own mind he acknowledged that he and Potter were equals. Potter had been the first to match him in anything. He was also the only person to whom Malfoy superiority meant nothing. He acknowledged it and dismissed it, it was infuriating. And yet...
This game that Potter proposed, the Question Game, he could learn about Potter, get the answers to the questions that had always plagued him. But they would be Courting.
It wasn't that Potter was a guy, a Malfoy appreciated beauty in all its forms, and Potter was, Draco grudgingly admitted, attractive in his own Potter sort of way. His eyes were phenomenal and underneath his abominable wardrobe despite the fact he was short and slender Draco knew he possessed plenty of ropy muscle. No, the problem with the courting would not be that they were un-attracted to each other. The problem would be that neither of them could be sure the other wasn't stringing him along to be publicly humiliated at some later date closely followed by the five years of built up enmity between them.
A sudden increase in noise in the corridor told Draco that he'd been chasing the idea in circles for a good half hour. He flicked his wand and Potter's note and the false courting proposal were reduced to ash. Let Astoria wonder how he'd slipped through the embarrassing little trap she'd tried to engineer. After all it wasn't his fault the Greengrasses were pushing for a betrothal contract and it wasn't as if he intended to agree to one. As for Potter...they were both too deeply involved in this now, any attempt to drag this into the light of day would incriminate and humiliate the both of them and Potter was no idiot, he could ill afford bad press these days.
Quickly Draco penned his reply and folded it into his traditional paper crane. This note though he wouldn't blow across a crowded classroom, no, this note would find its destination with discretion. He tucked the crane into the pocket he'd had sewn into his sleeve slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for Charms before he could chase the idea in yet another circle.
He made it into his usual seat beside Theo and in front of Crabbe and Goyle with only two minutes to spare. Potter, he noted, slid into the empty seat beside Longbottom and barely avoided being late. As Draco listened with half an ear to Flitwick's lecture on Slickening Charms he watched Potter for any sign of suspicious activity.
There was none. Draco knew all of the signs of Potter Agitation of which there were two types, Potter Rule-Breaking Agitation and Potter Heroic-Deeds-to-Follow Agitation. He was showing some Potter Suspicion and Potter Embarrassment, but that was more encouraging than if he'd been unaffected by this ridiculous spur of the moment proposal. It was spur of the moment, Draco was sure of that much at least. He'd been observing Potter and his methodology for five years, given the chance to think things through Potter often erred on the side of caution, any bold manoeuvre was done on a whim or because it was the heroic thing to do.
If Potter had wanted to be heroic he would have knuckled down and sent his courting proposal to the Weaslette. Merlin knew that red-head had it bad for St. Potter.
Draco nodded fractionally to himself. Potter's proposal was sincere, if impulsive, it would be safe enough to slip him the note and see what became of this Courting Game.
The opportunity to deposit the note without being seen as doing such came when Flitwick had them all practicing.
Theo had made a wider swath of slippery floor than he'd intended and Draco simply slid himself into Potter's desk put a hand down to 'steady himself' and slipped the crane in the middle of the reading they had to do for homework. It was a risk considering the recipient in question, but Potter did well in charms which meant he had to do his Charms homework eventually.
Now came the more difficult part, waiting for Potter's response. The ball was in the Gryffindor's court now.
AN: And there you have it, folks, hope you enjoyed! I would also like to thank the many people who reviewed, alerted, and favourited. It's always encouraging to get such an enthusiastic response and I appreciate you all taking the time to tell me what you feel be it good or bad. So on that note, please review and let me know what you think!