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Keep It Simple, Stupid	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 8388 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Chapter Three�Prince Plots
and Plans

�� Settle
down.�

�� The Death
Eaters stopped their chattering the moment that Prince strode into the room,
and turned eager faces towards him. Draco gritted his teeth behind his mask. It
disturbed him that someone like Bellatrix, who had never shown obedience to
anyone but the Dark Lord, could follow this man so automatically. It probably
helped that he never showed his face and had obviously changed his voice and
concealed his movements by magic�or else Draco couldn�t have failed to recognize him, could he?�which allowed for
the build-up of worship.

�� But still.
Prince had tamed the Death Eaters to his hand with hardly a gesture. Draco
shuddered to think of what he could do if he had an army behind him.

�� Come to think of it, did he really choose
the Death Eaters just because he thought they hated Potter almost as much as he
did? He could have a competent army
if he bothered to spend a little time building it up.

�� Jugson�s
diffident voice distracted him from the puzzle. �Did you cast the Dark Mark the
other day, my lord?�

�� Draco
gagged, glad that his stomach was stronger than to allow him to vomit at that. My lord, indeed! I sincerely hope the Dark
Lord demanded the title and then enforced the punishment with Cruciatus until
Jugson�s mind broke. He sounds like a bloody Muggle drooling over an
aristocrat.

�� Prince
seemed to accept the title as his due, though, if the pleased way he pulled on
his gloves was any indication. �Yes, I did,� he said. �I chose a house that I
knew was uninhabited, because I do not think we should kill. Yet.�

�� He hissed
out the last word, and all the Death Eaters leaned forwards, enthralled. Draco
leaned with them, even though he felt like hitting his forehead very hard
against the table until he blacked out. For
God�s sake. It�s just simple actor�s tricks. Bellatrix has used enough of them
in her time, she ought to recognize them.

�� Then again,
his aunt seemed to have a weakness for them when they were used by powerful
wizards who dressed all in black.

�� Why
shouldn�t we?� Avery asked, because he was thick like that.

�� Prince gave
him a haughty look. All right, so his mask shut off most of his expression, but
Draco recognized that particular tilt of the head from having used it himself,
and it would have its effect on the uneducated plebeians surrounding them. �Because
we wish to build up terror slowly,� he explained, as though to a child. �They
are unsure of what we will do at the moment. I want to panic them. When wolves
run after a flock, they do not simply show themselves and then charge. They skirt
about, flaunting their strength, sending the sheep into different dodges.
Inevitably, the weakest members are exposed when that happens.�

�� Those are my sheep, Draco thought. Potter
in particular might be annoying, but you don�t have the right to slaughter
them.

�� Uncannily,
Prince seemed to sense his thoughts and turned to look straight at him. �Mr.
Malfoy, did you have something to add?�

�� I don�t,
my lord,� Draco said, and promised himself a good Firewhiskey later for being
forced to speak the title now. �Just that I think it risky to show our strength
before we�re ready to move. I enjoyed the terror in the Ministry, but I must admit,
was the danger worth the gain?�

�� That made
Rodolphus cluck his tongue anxiously, and Dolohov turn around, his suspicious gaze
settling on Prince. Draco waited for a moment to see how Prince would respond.
If he believed his own rhetoric, then maybe�

�� Prince only
laughed, his voice rich with scorn. Draco felt his hands clenching beneath the
table. He�s damn smart, whoever he is. I
could wish that he weren�t so smart, or at least that fate hadn�t taken my
amusement with the Death Eaters as a challenge.

�� There was
another part of my strategy, which I did not intend to explain yet,� said
Prince. �But as young Mr. Malfoy has divined it, I shall. Never let it be said
that I will treat my fellows as lesser than me when they have proven to be my
equals in cleverness.�

�� That made Bellatrix
preen and Draco fight to keep from baring his teeth. Prince�s eyes were on his
face. He was certain the gesture, slight as it was, would be noticed.

�� They think
us mostly harmless, now that they have recovered from their terror,� said
Prince softly. �They will have another few days before they begin fearing
again. To hasten that time, I suggest we kill Potter, now, and take their symbol of hope away from them. Their terror of
us will increase tenfold.�

�� It seemed
that only Draco noticed this was actually a contradiction with the strategy
that Prince had been proposing before. Pleased nods came from all around the
table. Draco, for his part, had to picture those annoying green eyes closed
forever, those talented hands limp. He shook his head.

�� It�s hard to breathe. I never noticed how
close this room was before.

�� We�ll do it
with a simple plan,� Prince was saying. �I happen to know that Mr. Potter is
planning to attend a private birthday celebration at a small pub tomorrow,
without his bodyguard of Aurors. I need people who won�t be recognized on
sight, who can safely blend into the crowd at the pub and attack him when the time
seems right.�

�� What about
me, my lord?� Draco asked, striving for the right mixture of pride and humility
in his words. �I�m sure that he won�t mistrust me. I�m a fellow Auror, and he�s
been throwing himself at me rather hard.�

�� A good
suggestion, Mr. Malfoy, but no.�

�� Damn.

�� We need
you to stay in the Ministry and play at being loyal, still, so that we can use
you later.� Prince�s eyes traveled around the room. �Similarly, you�re out,
Bellatrix, because you�re too recognizable.� He paused for a thoughtful
movement, and Draco could almost feel him rejecting Dolohov, for the same
reason that Draco would have: the old Death Eater was too jumpy to actually
fire curses at only his designated target.

�� I hate that he thinks like me. I mean, I
have to admire him if I don�t want to despise myself, and this is
uncomfortable.

�� Jugson and
Avery,� said Prince at last. �I still hear rumors that you weren�t actually
Death Eaters. I think you won�t be recognized until it�s too late.�

�� Jugson and
Avery both beamed. Draco narrowed his eyes. It was true that Avery wasn�t the
brightest charm in the wand, but he was unknown,
and sending Jugson with him would guarantee that he did as well as he could in
the circumstances.

�� It seems as though he�s making the best he
can of poor tools. But I don�t know why he should have to make use of poor
tools at all. He could easily enough find other people to follow him. Why�

�� Malfoy.�

�� He looked
up at Prince, aware that this was the first time he had been addressed by his
last name alone. He thought he could see the eyes narrowed behind the white
mask. He blinked and did his best to look innocent, while meeting the gaze and
hoping that Prince wasn�t a Legilimens like Severus had been.

�� Do you
have any objections to this?� Prince asked coolly. �Since you said that you
wanted to be in at the kill, I would be sure.�

�� With a chance to expose my disloyalty in
front of everyone if I object. Draco simply shrugged, though. He wasn�t
really worried about being exposed, or not any more than he had been during the
years he attended the meetings. �I�ll do what you command, my lord,� he said. �And
Potter�s been flirting with me like a madman. At least his death will relieve
me of that distraction.�

�� From the
way the corners of Prince�s mouth moved, Draco was sure he was smirking. He
nodded and turned away, to answer Bellatrix�s question.

�� And after
we kill Potter,� she asked, with a breathlessness in the back of her voice, �what
then?�

�� Prince
began spinning another of his tales about how they would achieve fame and
wealth and glory and, yes, even immortality. He sounded saner than the Dark
Lord, but possessed of the same ambitions. Draco folded his hands behind his
head and listened with half an ear, to make sure that Prince said nothing truly
dangerous.

�� He might
not have been worried ordinarily. But Potter refused to prepare himself for the
threat, and he would be in the pub without trained bodyguards. So there was
still the chance that he might die, or that someone else near him might be
injured.

�� So. The
only possible choice was for Draco to
take advantage of the goods blatantly on offer and ensure that he�d be at the
pub, too, though with his objections noted.

�� He
grimaced. Potter is never going to let me
hear the end of this.

*

�� From the
look of things, he would be too delighted to let it rest.

�� You want to go on a date with me?� he cooed
at Draco, his eyelashes practically fluttering. �I knew I would wear you down. Come, tell me. Was it my dashing good
looks that won you over? Or my casual touches, perfectly timed to make you long
without fulfilling the longing? Or my prowess with a wand?�

�� He winked
so lewdly at that last insinuation that Draco was surprised his hair didn�t
catch fire from the sheer amount of lust he probably had in his body. Not that
Draco�s own face wasn�t flushed, but that was because he had a sense of shame.

�� Face stiff,
he answered, �Why do you want to know? So that you can go and flirt with
someone else while I�m there?� With an effort, he managed to sound jealous.

�� Potter
sidled nearer to him, which made Draco lock his muscles in an effort to keep
from flinching away. They were in the center of a fairly public corridor in the
Ministry, and�well, such things just weren�t done with the manners Draco was used to. Potter�s fingers slid
along Draco�s shoulder and down towards his wrist. How he managed to keep from
swatting them away, Draco didn�t know.

�� And yes,
they raised gooseflesh in their wake. Of course they did. That didn�t mean he
had to admit he enjoyed the touch, it was just a natural physical reaction.

�� Once I
have you, Draco,� Potter said, when he had Draco�s attention absolutely focused
on him, �I�ll have everything, and everyone,
I want.� His eyes rose and locked Draco�s in a gaze of such intensity that he
began shivering convulsively. �I don�t intend to flirt with anyone else. You�ll
be the only one I show my looks to, the only one I touch, the only one who
receives any benefit from my prowess with a wand.�

�� His voice was
strong and sensual. Draco felt his mouth dry out with want, and swiftly jerked
his head so that he looked away, disgusted with himself for having fallen for
Potter�s ploy even momentarily.

�� This is a game, remember? The only reason
why he chased you so hard is that you showed you were concerned about something
other than him. Watch him tonight; he won�t touch you because you�re there, and
he�ll flirt with someone else who seems unattainable.

�� You�re too
much of a playboy to keep to one bed, Potter,� he said. �I�ve heard stories
about you.�

�� You might
consider paying attention to the sexual aspects of those stories, you know,�
Potter said in his normal tone, leaning away from Draco. �Just because it might
not be forever doesn�t mean we can�t have a good time.�

�� Draco found
himself considering it, for one devastating moment�

�� And then he
shoved the notion away from himself hard enough that he hoped it would break
apart entirely.

�� This is necessary to get me close to Potter
for the evening, but it won�t be forever. It can�t. Even he says it can�t. See?

�� You wish,
Potter,� he said, and managed to give the other man a melting look. �Because,
if you had paid attention to the stories about me, you would know exactly how far you have to go to compete.�

�� Really,
Potter�s dropped jaw was very gratifying. Draco wished this was a regular part
of his job�

�� And then he
told himself, firmly, that no, he didn�t.

*

�� So there he
was, in a noisy, smelly, disgusting pub that seemed to be frequented mostly by
retired Quidditch players, nursing a drink and with a plausible story to tell
Prince if he asked: that Potter had badgered and hounded him to attend this
party until Draco had said yes just to get some peace.

�� And it
would have been simple enough to keep an eye out for Avery and Jugson and
compose the story he would tell Prince in his head, if only Potter had behaved
as Draco had been certain he would. He should have flirted with other people
and laughed in Draco�s face if he pouted about it.

�� Instead, he
was paying attention to Draco�so much so that Draco was worried Jugson and
Avery could stroll up to them and he wouldn�t notice.

�� Potter was
talking softly to Draco, though he would turn around and address one of his
other friends vaguely if they asked, including the acquaintance whose birthday
they were nominally here to celebrate. But he would always turn back to Draco,
and his hand would reach out and land on his elbow, as though he needed to be
reassured that Draco hadn�t vanished in the meantime. The fingers would rub in
small, caressing circles, while his eyes grew darker and deeper, and Draco�s
breath caught in his lungs.

�� And then he
would say something inane, usually to talk about how clever and admirable and
wonderful he was, and Draco would wonder whether Potter had two personalities
taking over from each other at unpredictable moments.

�� The �highlight�
of the evening, if one could call it that, arrived when Potter had just become
tipsy and the friend called for him to make a toast. Draco imagined the man had
some praise of himself and his old Quidditch victories in mind, but instead
Potter rose to his feet and hauled Draco right up along with him.

�� Draco
flushed at the eyes that focused on him. He hadn�t realized how many tables the
pub had, or how his hair would flash and shine in the light of the torches. He
stared at his hands, until Potter caught his chin and tilted his face up. His
smile was unexpectedly sweet, even as he called out in a loud, drunken voice, �To
my date, Draco Malfoy, who�s finally seen the good sense of preferring me
before anyone else!�

�� A loud
laugh exploded from all corners of the pub, and then Potter leaned closer, and
his lips fastened on Draco�s.

�� Draco�s
gasp wasn�t audible to anyone else�at least, he fervently hoped not�but it didn�t
need to be audible to do damage. Potter�s tongue swept in, found his, and
collided with it. Draco was hit with a blast of heat that might only have been
Potter�s breath, but didn�t feel like anything so normal and natural. His gut
tightened. He heard himself make a helpless whimpering noise, and his left hand
rose to cup Potter�s cheek, wanting to draw him close and draw out the kiss at
the same time.

�� Then Potter
yanked back and yelled to the pub at large, hoisting his drink above his head, �Can
I kiss or can I kiss?�

�� Potter�s
friends laughed, and several people cheered. Draco, his cheeks burning,
reckoned that they must have seen him like this with men and women before�or maybe
they just thought he was pissed and were tolerant of him because of that.

�� He really
couldn�t be tolerant. He was caught between acidic jealousy of everyone else
Potter had kissed like that, and cold self-hatred that he�d allowed it to
happen.

�� He sat
down, drawing his drink towards him and burying his flushed face in his hands,
scrubbing fiercely at his cheeks as if that could take the red color away.
Potter flung himself into the chair across from him, and answered some burst of
rude talk with a loud laugh. His waved drink slopped liquid into his hair.

�� Draco
conjured up an image of Potter waking in the morning, his hair soaked and his
face running with dribbles of alcohol and spit. He�d get up, stagger over his
discarded clothes, and make his way into the loo to vomit.

�� There. That picture should kill any
inappropriate stirrings of lust that Draco felt. And if he had to feel even
worse for a while about being attracted to such a complete lout, well, everyone
did stupid things sometimes. He would recover.

�� Aw, come
on, Draco.�

�� He looked
up, startled, as Potter�s hand came to rest over his. The green eyes could
barely focus. Draco bared his teeth, not sure whether his disdain for Potter or
for himself was stronger at the moment.

�� Don�t be
like that,� Potter coaxed him. �It was just a kiss between friends, wasn�t it?
You don�t need to act like it�s the end of the world that I couldn�t give you a
perfect kiss, with my breath stinking and all.�

�� That�s not
why I�m upset,� Draco hissed. �I mean�I�m not upset. I just don�t want you to embarrass me in front of everyone else.�

�� You embarrassed
me, not the other way around,� Potter
muttered, and then took a long swill of his Firewhiskey.

�� Draco
narrowed his eyes in confusion. That had sounded almost like a compliment. But
then he translated it from Potter-speech into his own terms, and nodded grimly.
Potter had just said that Draco�s reaction wasn�t worthy of someone who had
been lucky enough to date the Savior of the Wizarding World.

�� Farewell,�
he said, and pushed his chair back. It was almost midnight. If Jugson and Avery
hadn�t shown, they had probably backed out, or maybe Prince had made some other
plan with them, out of Draco�s hearing. �I do
hope that you can find someone else who manages to Apparate you home without Splinching
you, since I�m not doing it.�

�� Draco,� Potter whinged pathetically, and
clutched at his arm with crawling fingers. Draco slapped his hand, trying to
detach it.

�� And, just
then, Jugson attacked.

�� Draco
nearly didn�t see him; he had come close with such a slow gait that it implied
patience, and patience had always been the one thing he was most incapable of.
Then he whipped his cloak off and drew his wand. Several people turned around
to stare, but no one had any reason to think he was attacking Potter. Some of
the idiots even clapped, as if they thought they were about to see a show.

�� Draco was
the one who had to move sideways and drop to a crouch, so he could be ready
when the first curse came in.

�� Oh, a
duel!� Potter shouted, sounding pleased.

�� Jugson�s
face was murderous when he screamed out the first Blasting Curse. Draco intended
to raise a Shield Charm that would deflect it. Then he could tie Jugson up,
scan the room for Avery�or just use his wand to point the way�and get rid of
him, too. All very nice, all very neat.

�� And then Potter,
the idiot, the bumbling oaf who evidently thought he was in a dueling class at
Hogwarts, leaped around Draco and in
front of Jugson�s Blasting Curse.

�� He was
laughing. His hand traveled so fast that Draco couldn�t even make out the spell
which both defeated the Blasting Curse and attacked Jugson; it only manifested
as a web of bluish-green light. Jugson�s eyes rolled back in his head and he
collapsed as vines grew out of the floor and wrapped around his legs and arms.
Potter laughed again and pranced lightly on his feet as he turned around.

�� What do
you think of that?� he yelled
cheerfully at Draco. �I told you that I had some prowess with a wand!�

�� Draco had
to force him flat to the floor as the red light of a Blood-Boiling Curse passed
overhead. Avery screamed in frustration, and Draco knew the git had revealed himself.
He just had to roll over, and�

�� And Potter
was lifting his hips towards Draco with an obvious bulge in his trousers, and a
moan of, �I want to, Draco, but I don�t
think this is really the time or place, do you?�

�� Draco
jerked back, feeling as though he�d been slapped, and Potter rose up and fired
a neat hex in Avery�s direction. Judging by the sound, it caught the edge of a
table instead of Avery. People were finally starting to scream and drag their
alcohol-sodden bodies out of the way. Draco fervently hoped they would be able
to keep the casualties to a minimum.

�� Avery had
ducked beneath the splintered table, and now came up in a charge, roaring like
a bear. His wand flashed out several nonverbal curses, any of which would kill
Potter if they hit.

�� All of
which he countered, laughing like a maniac all the while. He must think this
was something arranged for his personal entertainment, Draco thought. Red light
met smoke rings. Blue light met Shield Charms. A yellow blast Draco didn�t know
collided with a glassy charm he didn�t know and faded to nothingness.

�� And then
Potter conjured a long chain that he launched straight into the middle of Avery�s
chest, winding him. He went down heavily, and Potter bound him with vines like
he�d done with Jugson. Draco caught his breath and swallowed several times,
hardly daring to believe it was over and that no one but the Death Eaters had
been wounded.

�� Potter
turned around.

�� His face
was filled with a savage delight, and he stamped in the middle of the crowded
room and the cries of frightened people like some beautiful male animal�a stag
or a bull, Draco thought hazily, tossing his horns at the competition.

�� He averted
his gaze swiftly. The Firewhiskey had clouded his judgment, obviously. He waved
his wand, and Jugson rose in the air.

�� Don�t
think you can claim credit for all of this, Draco,� Potter said. �You did make the evening more enjoyable, but
I was the one who captured them.� He
came close enough to see Jugson�s face then, and whistled under his breath. �Former
Death Eaters, no less!�

�� Draco
nodded stiffly. He was wondering what Prince would say when he heard that two
of his people had been captured, but almost worse were his own unwanted
thoughts about and reactions to Potter.

�� And then a
hand rested on his back, burning through the cloth, and Potter stared at him,
eyes dark, challenging, beckoning.

�� Draco
jerked his head aside again. �The Minister will have a fit if we don�t get them
to him as soon as possible,� he said.

�� Potter
sighed. �So much for my night off.�

�� Good, Draco thought. Be the person I hate. Please. You confound
my expectations so much anyway, you could at least do this one small thing for
me.

�� The hand
left his back, and the darkened eyes turned away, and as Potter laughed again
and bowed to his admiring public, Draco was reminded that this was all just a
game, as he always said and Potter always agreed. Just a game.

�� One he did
not intend to let Potter win.

*

�� McAbacus:
Harry has a reason for acting as he does, but you don�t find it out until the
last chapter.

�� Paigeey07:
Yep, it�ll be six chapters long.

�� Christina
G.: As you can see, Harry�s not far from humping Draco�s leg at this point.

�� Lilith: You�ll
see the reason for Harry acting as he does eventually. He�s not deliberately
OOC (any more than the Death Eaters are, really; it�s just exaggerated).

�� Chrissy:
Draco will refuse to admit he is being affected. Refuse, I tell you.

�� WeasleyWench:
Thanks again for offering me a Skyehawke account!

�� Dezra,
Wertlis, drarrylover, Answers, Mangacat, thrnbrooke: Thanks for reviewing!
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