Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Dignosco Perturbatio	By : KianaD Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 1771 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Same warnings/disclaimer as from chapter one. Carry on, brave soul.

Expression now blank, Draco refilled his glass and passed the bottle to Potter. "Being the last male in the Malfoy line was enough to convince Lucius I couldn�t enter Voldemort�s ranks - at least not yet. So, with Dumbledore�s wily � I never thought you Gryffindors had it in you � I convinced Lucius and in turn Voldemort that to secure �our� place in the coming world," here Draco paused to snort, "that it was prudent for me to marry and produce an heir.
"I married Birget right after we left school, and took her a Manor my mother�s family owns in France. We were far enough away that I was mostly forgotten about, but close enough not to raise much suspicion and I was able to pass on information to Dumbledore still.
"Within a month, she was pregnant. My family and hers were both ecstatic, and Voldemort most of all. A male would have meant an heir to the Malfoy name, and a successful promise. We ended up with neither.
"Birget gave birth to a little girl. Voldemort and my father were both furious, although they both know as well as I that even conception potions are not entirely reliable. The baby was to become a means of power, of sacrifice for Voldemort. Birget heard of this before I was told, and she tried to flee with the baby. She managed to get the baby to her family in Norway before my father had Birget killed."
Harry was dumbfounded. He simply had no idea what to say, and certainly didn't want to make things worse by saying the wrong thing, as he had something of a talent for doing.
Running a hand down his face, Harry brought it to his mouth, covering it as he shook his head, forcing himself to meet Malfoy's gaze. He tried to gauge the others man's expression; trying desperately hard to see what was going on behind those steely grey eyes, but his efforts were in vain.
"God, Malfoy�" he finally managed to utter, his voice barely more than a whisper of breath as it passed his lips. "I'd no idea�" Which of course was an entirely stupid thing to say because of course he wouldn't have known.
He wanted to know more, wanted to know about the child, whether or not he saw it, why Dumbledore hadn't done more to protect them all, but somehow it seemed wrong to ask. It was intrusive, and Malfoy had already shared far more than Harry would have ever expected him to. Far more than Harry had any right to know at all.
Draco kept Potter�s gaze for a moment longer before nodding, as though to himself. "She was small and pink. I thought it was rather fitting, for a girl. I suppose a boy would have been the same... but I like to think not."
Smiling gently, Harry nodded still unsure of what to say. He wasn't good in situations like this. Hermione? Well, had she been here she'd know exactly the right thing to say; what to do. Harry however was very much like a fish out of water, and the only thing he could think of was to pour them both another drink and ignore the fact that his own hands were trembling slightly.
"Does she have a name?" he asked quietly. Not really wanting to push but not wanting to appear disinterested either.
"Morrigan," Draco answered with a small, slightly proud smirk. He had no idea why he was saying all that he was with Potter, he had not talked about it to anyone since his report to Dumbledore and the night he told Severus and Remus, and never before had he mentioned her by name. Still, the words had started coming out on their own, and Draco admitted that it actually felt good to share it. "And� well," Draco sighed before shooting a scowl in Potter�s direction. "Her hair was� is still, I suppose, sort of� red."
Harry bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing at that comment. The fact that the Weasley's hair colour had been the focus of many a scathing comment from Malfoy in the past made the news quite ironic, and more than a little amusing.
"It's a pretty name," Harry replied eventually, once he felt able to speak again without chuckling. "Much like herself, I'd imagine and rather fitting too really being named after a Goddess of power, strife and fertility of all things. Your idea I take it?"
"Laugh if you must," Draco said, raising his chin slightly. "I assure you, I am not without a sense of humour and levity can be a good thing, even for a bastard like me." He paused to refill his glass before continuing. "Yes, the name was of my choosing."
Harry allowed a grin to break out over his face then and shook his head. "I wouldn't call you that; a few other things maybe, but not that." Taking a sip, as opposed to the long swallows that he had been taking previously from this glass, Harry pressed his lips together as he sighed.
"Would you like to see her again?" he asked somewhat tentatively.
"You have before," Draco pointed out. "And� I do not know. I haven�t thought much about it." An obvious lie, but the best that Draco could come up with.
"I've said and done a lot of things before that I really shouldn't have," Harry shrugged. "People change. They grow up." Really, Harry couldn't have been any more honest than he had been at that point. Alcohol induced or not, he was seeing Malfoy in a completely different light. Almost as though he was getting to know Draco rather than the heir to the family that he was born into; and truthfully, he liked it.
Deciding not to push the issue, Harry merely nodded. Whether or not Malfoy wanted to be reunited with his daughter was entirely his affair, and even should he want to be then with Lucius around that may prove problematic. Not that there weren't ways around that of course, something could be worked out Harry was sure; he just didn't want to make things any more difficult for the other man than they needed to be; a thought that rather took Harry by surprise.
After a few more moments of silence, Harry spoke again. "Do you have a picture?"
"Yes," Draco answered, rising to stand on surprisingly steady legs. "Coming?" he asked over his shoulder as he walked down the hallway to the master bedroom.
Harry, pushed himself to his feet, frowning slightly at his obvious lack of balance and thinking that really he shouldn't drink anymore; by the looks of things he'd already had more than enough.
Walking slowly and carefully in the direction that Malfoy had disappeared in, he peeked his head around the doorframe at the end of the hall, figuring that seeing how it was the only door open that might be where he was supposed to go; and he was right.
"I didn't mean�" he began, leaning against the doorframe for support. "I mean, I'd like to see, but only if you don't mind. It's up to you, either way is fine." Smiling sheepishly, Harry allowed his head to fall against the side of the door closing his eyes briefly and willing his legs to steady so he could stand straight again and not look like the truly pathetic drunk that he actually was.
"You are drunk, Potter," Draco said in obvious amusement as he watched the other man leaning against the door. He was fairly certain if Potter did not have the support, he would fall.
Harry nodded slowly and grinned. "Yeah, I think I rather am. It's all your fault, of course. I told you this would happen."
"It is my fault you cannot hold your liquor? Hardly, Potter," Draco chuckled. He really was a sight to behold: hair askew worse than normal, shirt half un-tucked, cheeks coloured from either the drink or the fire, probably both, lips pulled gentle upward in a half-smile and partly just barely...
Draco cut that line of thought off as quickly as possible, turning to face the bookshelf. "Sit down. I would hate to think of what Dumbledore would do to me if you fell over and broke your neck while here."
Harry laughed as he gently pushed himself off of the door frame, walking slowly on rather unstable legs towards the bed, where he fell down on it with a soft thud before leaning back again, allowing himself a sigh of relief.
"Well," he began, stretching his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles, "can't have that then. Besides, I rather like my neck. Being in one piece, that is."
Draco laughed quietly in reply before taking a picture frame off the shelf and bringing it to Potter. He sat down as far away from the other man as he could, handing over the frame as he did so. "Underneath the top picture," he informed Potter.
Harry kept his eyes fixed on Malfoy for a few moments, watching the other man carefully and still being unable to gauge the expression on his pale features.
Taking the frame from him, Harry carefully removed the top picture to find the second concealed beneath it, and smiled. It struck him as rather odd that the picture was hidden in such a way, rather than in full view as Harry supposed he would have done himself if the situations has been reversed, but Malfoy tended to have a reason for everything that he did. This was undoubtedly no exception. He thought about asking, and had it been anyone else then perhaps he would have; but this was Malfoy and Harry still wasn't certain how to react to the things that he said and did. The barbs, the jibes, the sniping; all those Harry was used to and could handle. This�whatever it was, was different however. He wanted to learn more, but at the same time was afraid of overstepping the very thin line that seemed to be present between what was acceptable and what Malfoy may find objectionable.
As it was, Harry hadn't meant his question as a request to see a picture, thinking that perhaps it was rather too personal and he still had no desire to intrude, and surprisingly, cause the other man any further unnecessary grief of discomfort. However, the fact that Malfoy presented it to him, and willingly at that, was as much a reason for the smile that spread over his lips as the beautiful baby that was looking back at him from the photograph.
After a few moments, Harry found himself suddenly stuck by the oddest sensation. The features and the face that he knew so well seemed�different somehow, almost as though he were truly seeing him for the first time. Of course, that could be the alcohol, but Harry didn't really believe that. It was probably as open and as unguarded as he had ever seen the other man, even though there was still a level of closure on his face. However, there was something else; something almost like�well�trust really, and the thought made Harry's breath hitch slightly.
"She looks like you," Harry replied eventually. "Only, with redder hair," he added with a slight grin.
"Indeed," Draco said, his eyes drawn away from Potter�s face to the picture that he was holding, as a wave of uncertainty passed over him. "I suppose so," he said after a moment. "Not the hair though. Perhaps I should have named her Karma," he added with a wry grin.
Harry chuckled and shook his head, frowning as he did so when the room began to spin a little. "Could be worse," he replied, trying to create an air of levity with his tone. "Colour you can always do something about. She could have been cursed with hair that sticks up all over the place and has a mind of its own. As it is, reddish hair or not, she's beautiful." Pausing for a moment, Harry raised his eyes to meet Malfoy's, his face becoming serious once again. "Definitely her father's daughter."
Draco knew that although the bloody whisky made him maudlin, he was still in control of his capacities. And if Potter wasn�t saying things like that, or looking at him like that, then he would be fine. Draco spared one more look at the picture before he turned away. "Make sure to cover it back up. It would not do if it was to be found."
Harry looked at Malfoy quizzically before replacing the other photo carefully back over the top, the infant concealed beneath it once again. Handing the frame back to the other man, Harry hesitated a moment before he spoke again. "Why would it being found a pose a problem?"
"To show a caring or even desire, emotion at all," he said with a slightly raised brow in Potter�s direction as he stood, "would place her in danger."
"Oh." It was useless, and pathetic but it was also the only thing that Harry could think of to say. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Malfoy; to know that you had a daughter that you couldn't even acknowledge for fear that harm would come to her. To never be able to see her no matter how much you may want to�
Removing his glasses, Harry, rubbed his eyes gently before chewing on his bottom lip, brow furrowed in thought. The gravity of the situation was not lost on him, even in his current state, and the fact that Malfoy was providing so much information voluntarily left Harry rather speechless.
Sighing, he replaced his glasses and slowly got to his feet, wobbling a little before he finally managed to steady himself. Whisky, he decided, was definitely a beverage to avoid in the future.
Tilting his head to one side, Harry arched a brow at Malfoy as he fixed him with a questioning glance. "How drunk are you?"
Surprise at the question etched in his face, Draco placed the frame back and turned to fact Potter. "Not nearly as bad off as you," he said with a smirk.
Resisting the rather childish urge to pout, Harry frowned instead. "Yeah, well I don't usually drink whisky but that's not the point." Taking a couple of steps closer to the other man, for no other reason than the fact that it seemed like the right thing to do, and plus he wanted to make sure that he actually could walk, Harry paused at Malfoy's feet. "Thanks."
Between the whisky that was slightly affecting him and the closeness of the other man, it took Draco�s imbibed senses a few minutes to realise what Potter was thanking him for, and that it was not a �thanks for getting me drunk� thanks, either. He nodded once as an idea came to him, and he was grateful for the ability to change the subject.
He reached out and jabbed Potter once in the shoulder, laughing loudly as the other man staggered back. "You�re going to force me to put up with you overnight, aren�t you."
"Well�" Harry began, steadying himself again and glaring at the other man. "I can try and get home, and there's every likelihood I'd get there�eventually. On the other hand should anything actually go wrong it'd be your fault for letting me leave after getting me drunk, which is also your fault. So really it's up to you."
"You are asking me to chose between allowing you to stay, or to splinch yourself into Merlin knows how many pieces in a drunken attempt to make it back to Hogwarts? Oh, Potter," Draco said, still laughing. "Apparently you have quite the masochistic streak yourself."
It was nice to see Malfoy laugh, Harry decided. At one point he might have grown suspicious by the amusement, perhaps even annoyed at the fact that he was the one being laughed it but like so many things that day, this was just different.
"Yeah, sure seems that way doesn't it?" Harry grinned in reply. "So what's it to be? Wouldn't want to out stay my welcome."
"I am most surprised that an innocent Gryffindor like yourself would have such a kink," Draco mused. "Far be it for me to not be indulgent. Please, stay and drink yourself to sleep."
"Yeah, well I'm full of surprises," Harry smirked. "Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do." A brow arching in questioning amusement, Harry couldn't help but challenge the other man. Force of habit he supposed.
"Think you can manage to behave yourself?" he continued airily. "I mean I know you like getting one up on me, but really, where's the fun in taking advantage of someone who's sleeping? Would think that'd be far too easy for you."
A platinum brow curved up in amusement as Draco mentally calculated how far and fast Potter�s reflexes were given his state of completely and utterly pissed. Slipping his hands into his pockets, he rocked back on his heel some and smiled at the other man. "I could have sworn I said I would curse you the next time you presumed you knew anything about me," he said casually, drawing his wand in a single, fluid motion and pointing it at Potter�s chest.
"Although," he continued, alluding to contemplation as he lowered his wand some. "I wonder, Potter. Am I the type of man that would hex someone who is obviously drunken beyond their capacity?"
Potter answered with a single, amused, "No."
"Fucking Gryffindor," Draco replied, barely able to keep from laughing again, letting his wand drop just a bit more. "Rictusempra."
Harry only had a moment to register what Malfoy had done, his eyes growing wide as he doubled over, falling to the floor on his knees.
Body twitching and jerking, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks as the tickling spell tortured every part of his body, Harry rolled over onto his side, pulling his knees into his chest, breaths heaving as he tried to speak through laughter choked sobs.
"You�going�get you�Malfoooooooy!"
The charm itself probably hadn't been particularly powerful, but when combined with his drunkenness, Harry found himself quite unable to fight the effects. Really there was little he could do other than submit to it and wait for it either to wear off, or for Malfoy to end it; at which point Harry could think of a number of things he would rather like to do to get the other man back. A few of which seemed to be disturbingly inappropriate, but he wasted little time thinking of those, deciding instead that his efforts would be better directed at actually trying to breathe.

Draco walked around Potter, making a show out of carefully avoiding him, before he retook his seat on the bed, unable to contain the laughter born of pure amusement. He was unable to leave Potter as long as he meant to, but he was chuckling too hard to wait as he fingered his wand. "Finite Incantatem."
Little by little, Harry felt the jerks and tingles lessen as the spell effects left his body, until finally only heaving of his chest, and his tear stained cheeks flushed with laughter served as any reminder of what had just occurred.
Rolling over onto his back, he cushioned his head with his hands before closing his eyes and waited for the room to stop spinning violently.
"Going to make you pay for that, you know," he grumbled despite the fact the corners of his mouth continued to twitch in an attempt to break into the grin that they wanted to form.
"I would be disappointed if you didn�t try," Draco countered. "Not that you didn�t deserve it, of course."
Opening one eye cautiously, Harry peered at Malfoy, simultaneously assessing whether or not it was safe to open the other one. Upon deciding it was, looked up at the other man forcing his face into a hard glare; an expression that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Prat." He mumbled, still fighting the nausea that the sudden movements had caused, and fearing to even so much as lift his head let alone do anything by way of retaliation.
"Your painful insults wound me so," Draco said with a smirk. "Admit it, you deserved what you got and you know it as well as I do."
"Maybe," Harry conceded, one corner of his mouth quirking upwards as he closed his eyes, forcing himself to take a few deep, slow breaths. "Your amusement was just an added bonus I suppose."
"But of course," Draco agreed. "Besides, I even went out of my way to warn you. Cannot get any less Slytherin than that. Well, I can�t," he added with another chuckle.
Blaming the alcohol for the soft curl of warmth in his stomach brought on by the sound of Malfoy's laughter, Harry mentally rolled his eyes at himself. Perhaps it was the fact that they had been thrown together, in a manner of speaking, as a result of extreme circumstances; or perhaps the fact that this just felt so familiar, but in a new and better sort of way, Harry wasn't sure. All he knew was that he may have been sprawled on his rival's bedroom floor, in a rather undignified and vulnerable state, but he didn't care. In fact, he was hard pressed not to give in and join Malfoy in his laughter.
The world had gone mad; or it was just starting to make sense, one of the two. Harry just couldn't decide which.
"No, I suppose not," he replied eventually as he eased himself up into a sitting position, resting his arms atop his knees. "I suppose I should be impressed, or grateful, or something."
"Repented will suffice for now," Draco said loftily. He studied Potter for a minute before adding, "you look like you�re about to fall over."
"I hope not. I only just managed to sit back up." Frowning, Harry mussed his hair as he slowly rose to his feet, wobbling slightly before his balance stabilised and he turned to grin at Malfoy. "So long as I don't move, I should be okay."
"So you say as you stand," Draco replied, rolling his eyes. "And is no small wonder your hair always looks as though a crup as been chewing on it, when you do things like that to it all the time. Quite honestly Potter, you are impossible."
"It looks like that anyway, regardless of what I do to it. Besides," Harry added sounding somewhat disgruntled. "I had to stand. I can't spend the night sprawled over your bedroom floor. I believe the deal was the living room floor in front of the fire. Least it's warm there."
"You�re cold again?" Draco asked in surprise. "I thought that you would be warm, what with all the rolling around on the floor you were doing," he said, grinning as he stood. "Come on, take the bed. I won�t be using it anyway, and really don�t want to hear from Snape about how Remus whined at him that I mistreated everyone�s Golden Boy."
"I never said I was cold, just that it would be warm there. It's bound to get colder during the night." Shrugging, Harry shook his head slightly, wondering where Malfoy was planning on sleeping if not in his room. He certainly didn't want to put him out on his account, after all a few more glasses of whisky (which he wasn't going to have, he reminded himself) and he could have fallen asleep anywhere, it wouldn't have really mattered.
"Well, that's one way to get me into bed I suppose," Harry grinned as he continued. "But I'm not tired, least not yet. But don't worry, I've no plans on telling anyone about any mistreatment I suffered under your hands. Mind you, it's a little late to be worrying about that now isn't it? Torture by tickling - an effective weapon; it's a wonder it wasn't used in the war more."
After blinking in alarm, Draco reassured himself that Potter was no Legilimens and that he and his less than chaste thoughts were indeed safe. He leaned over and tugged on Potter�s sleeve; that tiny bit of pull being all Potter needed before he tumbled arse first onto the bed. "Stay," he said, as he stood and left the room.
He checked the wards as he made his way back to the living room to pick up the bottle of whisky and the glasses before returning to the bedroom. He was amused to find Potter hadn�t moved and he retook his seat again on the far end of the bed from Potter.
Draco lit the fireplace in the room before refilling their glasses and handing Potter�s to him with a challenging smirk.
"Because it isn't as though I'm drunk enough as it is," Harry snorted, as much at himself as Malfoy, his hand reaching out and taking the glass against his better judgment.
It was only then, as he had to lean forward slightly in order to catch the glass in his hand, that he realised exactly how far away Malfoy had sat from him. "What's the matter?" he asked with an amused smirk. "Worried I might bite you or something?"

Got it in one, Harry. "Potter, if I am worried about anything of the sort, it would be that you would try and your drunken state would cause your natural grace to be worse off than you already are, and the resulting chaos would probably end up with me dead."
Harry chuckled to himself, really far too drunk to care about the mention of his clumsiness. Besides, it was true so what was there to argue about?
"Don't worry," he laughed as he took a sip from his glass, scooting up the bed some and turning so his back was rested against the footboard while his legs stretched comfortably out in front of him. It really was a very comfortable bed, he thought with a satisfied nod to himself.
"I've absolutely no desire to be hexed again so you're safe enough."
"You mean you really don�t want that tail that you suggested? Easy Potter, I am not certain I can take much more disappointment tonight."
"Well, only if you promise to give me a pair of ears to match?" The mental image alone that brought reminded Harry of the time Ron, Hermione and himself had taken the Polyjuice Potion, and the rather disastrous results of Hermione's own transformation.
Laughing into his glass, he took another sip and gazed up at Malfoy. "Anything so long as it isn't a pig. Hagrid gave my cousin Dudley a pig's tail once. Not really supposed to tell anyone about it because he isn't supposed to do magic; don't think Duds ever really recovered."
"Hagrid did that? Good Lord, Potter. You keep this up and I will not have any convictions left. Tell me more."
So Harry explained how Hagrid had come to collect him to take him to Hogwarts that first year, the argument between him and Uncle Vernon and how he had really meant to turn Dudley into a pig, but the spell didn't work properly.
"I owe Hagrid a lot," Harry nodded solemnly. "Doubt I would have ever made it to Hogwarts if it weren't for him. Or Dumbledore of course."
"Remind me to send the man a �thank you cactus� next week. I would say a �man-eating animal� but that would completely ruin the sarcasm," Draco teased as he poured himself another drink.
"And here I was thinking you were actually beginning to like me," Harry grinned. "I'm crushed. Truly."
"I�m certain," Draco replied dryly.
Harry eyed Malfoy carefully then, head falling to one side slightly. He knew that had he been sober he wouldn't have even considered saying what he was about to; he still couldn't quite believe it himself if he were being honest but then you could get away with a lot when you were drunk.
"Maybe not crushed then, but I do prefer this to what we were like before."
He allowed his eyes to remain on Malfoy's for a moment or two longer, before finally dropping them and peering into his glass, swirling the contents around the bottom a couple of times before tilting his head back and swallowing the remains.
"Quite frankly Potter, I am genuinely surprised you prefer anything at all," Draco replied. And it was the truth. "For the past several years, you couldn�t be bothered with me at all. Even tonight, you pointed that out. And!" he interjected when Potter made to interrupt. "I swear if you say one thing about Lucius or anything else of it ilk, I will hex you again, and I will mean it this time."
To say that Harry was gob smacked would have been an understatement. He didn't have the foggiest idea what on earth Malfoy was talking about, but he was fairly certain that he would make good on his promise to hex him if he pushed it, so all Harry could do was stare at him, mouth hanging open slightly and wondering where the hell that had come from.
After a few moments of stunned silence, Harry shook his head and blinked several times, trying to get his brain in motion again.
"I wasn't going to say anything about Lucius actually, but seeing how you aren't interested in what I was going to say, I'll just shut up then shall I?" Honestly, this was slightly more than his brain was able to process at the moment and to say he was confused would have been putting things very mildly indeed.
"I don�t believe you have it in you to shut up," Draco countered, vexed. "Unless of course you happen to pass out from the drink and even then I bet you�ll carry on in your sleep if for nothing else than to exasperate me."
Snorting, Harry glared at Malfoy, crossing his arms over his chest and making a very large point not to say another word, if for no other reason that to make a point. Plus, he was rather stubborn, and when Malfoy said he couldn't do something for some unknown reason Harry just had to prove that he could.
"Of course you would try otherwise, wouldn't you?" Draco smirked. "How long can you hold out, I wonder. I could pile you with gossip; I know more dark secrets than the fools who run The Quibbler. I could talk about Severus and Remus and what they are probably doing this second. Lucky bastard, Severus is - Remus is a very good looking man, and it wouldn't take a fool to see how animalistic he is in bed. No? Still not speaking, hmm? I could insult the Weasel, that always seemed to get you going. I always did believe you two were lovers."
Harry clenched his hands into fists, his fingernails digging into the palm of his hand, the lines of his mouth hard as he continued to glare. The mentioning of Ron had particularly smarted, Harry already feeling guilty over possibly suspecting his friend as being the one who was betraying him behind his back, but being unable to help thinking it. Of course the idea of their being anything more between them was ridiculous, and he knew that Malfoy was just trying to rile him; press whatever button he could to get him going again and Harry had to give him credit for knowing exactly which ones to press.
"Fine," he replied eventually, voice strained as he struggled to keep a handle on his temper. "You win."
Draco raised a brow in surprise, he had only meant to tease the other man but apparently, something he had said had struck a chord. "Did I happen upon a touchy subject?" he asked before turning away, trying to keep his face neutral. "I wonder which."
"Forget it," Harry replied evenly, forcing his body to relax as he took a few deep breaths. "I know you were winding me up, and I know I asked for it. It's just the not knowing who it is�it's doing my head in. Suspecting those who are supposed to be closest to me because really, when it comes down to it, it's bound to be someone like that isn't it? Could be Ron. Could be Hermione. I don't like thinking it, but I can't help it."
Sighing, Harry shook his head. "It's like history repeating itself really. In a way, at least."
Draco was still insanely interested in what had upset Potter the most, but he held it in check. "I see. I wish I could tell you I know already, but I do not yet. I can tell you I know it would not be Granger."
Eyes narrowing, Harry gazed at Malfoy. "Oh? How can you be so sure of that?"
The fact that Malfoy seemed so certain when even Harry himself wasn't did nothing to make him feel any better. In fact, it only made him feel worse for suspecting her in the first place.
"Because I know Lucius. His dislike of you is second in nature only to that of Muggles and Muggles borns. He has a strong dislike of Granger in particular."
Which really made a lot of sense to Harry, and he sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily although feeling significantly lighter somehow. "Course. I should have known that," he said eventually. "It's not like it wasn't one of the first things you ever said to me. Well, not that he thought it but it was obvious that's where you picked it up from."
Draco whipped his head around before he could help himself, glaring at the other man before he was able to call on experience and reign himself, schooling his face into blankness before turning away again and pouring himself another half-glass of whisky.
Harry was altogether far too sober for this, which was an odd thought when he considered that it wasn't all that long ago he could barely stand, but he shook his head and continued regardless.
"Malfoy, listen and listen good because I'm not altogether certain that either one of us are going to be in a position to say or hear what I'm about to say again so lets just get this over and done with the once okay?"
Stretching forward, he took the bottle from the other man, pouring himself another glass before promptly downing it and settling back against the footboard and wondering where on earth to start.
"I first met Lucius in second year. He didn't scare me as much as he probably should have, but then I didn't really understand fully the extent of what was going on then; what he was capable of. We locked horns, sort of, but then I was stupid, irresponsible, and foolhardy; really, I could go on and none of that is in the slightest bit surprising anyway." Harry paused, frowning as he rubbed his forehead absently.
"The point is," he continued. "I took one look at him and knew exactly why you acted the way you did; or at least I thought I did. For a long time now I've thought that if you took the Mark it would have been because of him not because it was what you wanted to do. Yeah, you acted like a prat at school, but we both did. My ignoring you towards the end, if that is what you thought I did, it wasn't intentional. Things just started getting progressively worse once Voldemort came back. I was tired of fighting. I still am. What I said earlier about not being bothered? I didn't mean that I couldn't be bothered with you, because if I did I wouldn't be sitting here now explaining all this to you, or trying at any rate. I just couldn't be bothered arguing. Not serious, really trying to upset the other person kind of arguing."
Sighing, he looked at his glass wistfully, wishing he had something in it just to give him something to do, with his hands.
"That being said, if you even so much as imply that there is anything going on between me and Ron again, I'll hex you so fast you'll be trying to figure out what happened for the next week. Ron's my friend and that's all he'll ever be. Aside from anything else he isn't my type. Don't go for red heads."
"That was entirely too much to have to hear half-sober," Draco replied finally, after several long minutes of silence. And it was true � Draco was more than a little hard-pressed to make sense out of everything he had heard. Shaking his head, he allowed for a small smile. "But if it is all the same to you, I would prefer not to speak of Lucius any more tonight. I rather enjoy the time away from there enough that I really don�t desire talking about him when I do not have to."
He refilled his glass before passing the half-full bottle to Potter. "I do, however, owe you an apology. The idea of the Weasel and anyone is a nasty picture to paint, although I can�t agree with you about the red-head thing. The longhaired Weasley � Bill? Good shag, that one."
Harry almost dropped the bottle onto the bed at Malfoy's confession, his mouth hanging open stupidly in surprise. Really, he wasn't certain what surprised him the most; the fact that Malfoy was gay despite having been married and fathering a child, or the fact that he'd been with Ron's brother.
Forcing his mouth closed, Harry blinked several times and shook his head. He tried to speak numerous times, but on every attempt the words just wouldn't pass his lips, his mouth forming odd shapes in the attempt but remaining silent; so in the end he gave up, pouring himself another drink instead and downing it, closely followed by another. He was definitely too sober for this.
"Bill Weasley�" Shaking his head, Harry laughed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Well� didn't see that coming."
Draco grinned broadly. "See why I told you not to assume anything about me? You would be wrong," he laughed as he raised his glass in mock salute. "There was Charlie too, thing for dragons that one. Rather creepy."
"Lesson well and truly learned I assure you," Harry nodded slowly. He wasn't even certain he wanted to hear about Charlie; in fact he was fairly certain he didn't so instead he just took another drink, closing his eyes and trying to block out the rather disturbing images of Charlie and Dragons.
"Are you certain? Because I wouldn�t mind hexing you again, just to make sure."
"Since when do you need a reason?" Harry snorted, the slight smile on his lips taking any harshness out of his words.
"True," Draco replied thoughtfully. "Although giving things a reason does make it more interesting. For me of course," he added with a smirk. "So tell me Potter, if red heads aren�t your thing, what is?"
What was indeed? It had been a little thought of fact, that for the past few years, ever since Harry discovered that he preferred the male persuasion, rather than female (Cho Chang always ranking among the top three reasons why Harry supposed he was turned off women for life), that he'd always been�well, attracted, he supposed to Malfoy. After all, who wouldn't be? He was confident, intelligent, had an arrogance, which frankly Harry found quite a turn on, and if anyone saw him in the showers following a Quidditch match and didn't feel some measure of attraction there, then frankly they must have been dead.
Despite this however, nothing had ever come of it. Harry had never pursued it, for reasons which he assumed would have been glaringly obvious, and really he hadn't given it much thought. Until now.
Once again, Harry found himself torn between wondering whether or not he had already had too much alcohol, thereby making him consider doing the blatantly stupid, or perhaps he hadn't had enough yet to help kill whatever remained of his dulled senses so that he wouldn't feel like a complete prat when it all blew up in his face.
Still, he was a Gryffindor. Or so he kept being told.
"Well," he replied eventually, allowing the word to linger on his lips longer than was really necessary. "I could tell you. Or I could show you."
He fixed his eyes on Malfoy then, one brow arched in question while the rest of him tried to ignore the fact that his stomach was doing flips like it was auditioning for the national gymnastics team.
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Dignosco Perturbatio