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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 Four�Prince�s
Mighty Attempt

�� So Jugson
and Avery were arrested?� Rodolphus
gave a pathetic little gulp immediately afterwards, and then flinched, as if he
thought Aurors would break down the door any moment and drag his arse away to
Azkaban.

�� Yes,�
Draco confirmed, and shifted in annoyance. Today had been oddly hot, and there
was sweat rolling down behind his mask and collecting in the corners of his
dark robe. He wished, not for the first time, that the Death Eaters hadn�t kept
up the costume choices the Dark Lord introduced. They all knew each other�s
names and faces anyway, so why should it matter what they wore? �I was there. I
saw it.�

�� Why were
you there, when our Lord told you to keep away?� Dolohov leaned triumphantly
forwards, fingers twitching over his wand as if he were having a stroke, his
voice eager as a hound�s.

�� Draco
rolled his eyes, not caring if that was visible or not. �Because Potter
pressured me into going along,� he snapped. �I thought that I might be able to
aid Jugson and Avery if I were there. Stupid me. I had forgotten how well
Potter fought.�

�� Yes, even drunk, said a small and
suspicious voice in the back of his head, which Draco had been listening to
more and more often since he watched Potter carried triumphantly into the
Ministry on the shoulders of his drinking buddies. He had tried to insist that
Draco should be honored, too, but Draco had been content to trail behind and
observe. Potter certainly flushed and burbled as if he was drunk, but his words
didn�t slur, and his actions in the pub, everything from the kiss to sending
the chain into Avery�s chest, seemed too precise.

�� On the
other hand, Draco had not the slightest idea what he would gain from the
pretense. It was not as though so many enemies were lurking to attack Potter
that he would regularly pretend to be inebriated, just to fool them.

�� I believe
Mr. Malfoy�s story.�

�� Draco
turned with a start, for a moment thinking that Prince must be Scrimgeour, so
similar was the way he said Draco�s name to the way the Minister did. But
Prince walked to the front of the room with an air of calm command Draco had
never seen in the Minister, and folded his hands, staring down his nose at the
Death Eaters, who scrambled into place.

�� Two of our
number are gone,� Prince said. �They sacrificed themselves bravely for the duty
of taking down a man all of us have reason to hate. I have another plan, one
that will result in fewer sacrifices.�

�� Really,�
Draco muttered, not thinking anyone could hear him. Prince cast him a swift glance,
but didn�t draw attention to Draco�s slip, if he had ever intended to. He just
shrugged and turned to face Rodolphus and Dolohov.

�� This plan calls for some more initiative
and strength,� he said. �Malfoy will remain in place as our spy at the
Ministry, and pass along information on the next time that Potter can be found
alone. When that time comes, no matter where you are or what you�re doing at
the time, I want you to Apparate to him and kill him.�

�� But how
will we do that?� Rodolphus asked. He could be cautious, even cunning, where
his own skin was concerned. �What if he�s in a location protected by
anti-Apparition wards or surrounded by his bodyguards? My lord,� he added
hastily, when Prince gave him a remote, cool gaze through the eyeholes in his
mask.

�� I have the
solution to that,� said Prince, and pulled something out of his robe pocket.
Draco squinted, but he could see only brilliant, sparkling chips, painful to
look at, like glass windows flashing on a sunny day. �Do you actually think
that I would send you into battle unprepared?�

�� Yes, Draco thought, and then hoped again
the bastard wasn�t a Legilimens. He watched carefully as Prince held out the
objects to Rodolphus and Dolohov. Potter�s life would probably depend on what
Draco learned now, since he didn�t have the sense to protect himself, and his enormous
tribe of bodyguards didn�t go into his bedroom with him or on missions where he
and Draco partnered.

�� These are
rings enchanted to focus on Potter�s body heat,� Prince explained. �Each is
twined with a single strand of his hair��

�� How did
you get these, my lord?� Draco interrupted. It would probably sound petulant,
and it was reckless in that Prince could punish him for speaking out of turn,
but he had to know. Prince had some
contact close to Potter, that was obvious, to know his plans for going to the
pub and now getting this.

�� Prince
snorted at him. �Not all his bodyguards are incorruptible, Mr. Malfoy. One of
them is infatuated with me and provided me access to Potter�s home and
hairbrush.�

�� Then why
not kill him right then?� Draco demanded. �Sir, we have the opportunity to rid
ourselves of Potter, finally. Why are
we playing games?�

�� Because it
must be a public death!�

�� Draco
flinched back from Prince�s shout, realizing that he not known how much the man
hated Potter before now. Prince was gripping the sides of the table, the
outline of the ring under one glove standing out visibly, his breath gusting
hot and slightly sour across Draco�s face as he ranted.

�� He
engineered my public downfall and
humiliation! He laughed at me when I came to him for help, saying that I should
have thought of the consequences of my actions before I performed them! He
deserves nothing more than to suffer the same himself, and dying in his bed
privately is not enough! I want the
whole wizarding world to see the fear and the humiliation on his face before we
destroy him!�

�� Draco
winced. There were trickles of spittle on his face to join with the sweat now,
and he wasn�t sure which was more disgusting.

�� You should
understand, Draco,� Bellatrix joined in, her croaking voice a surprise. �After
all, you have almost as much reason to hate Potter as our lord does. He was
your enemy throughout your schooling, and you admitted that he�s been
embarrassing you more and more often at work.�

�� Draco
glared at her. She was giving him a lopsided smile, not seeing to realize what
she had just done: given Prince something to be suspicious about.

�� Yes,� said
Prince, his voice slow and thoughtful. �Why are you arguing and whinging about
destroying Potter, Mr. Malfoy? I thought you would rejoice at anything that
would kill him without requiring you to get in the way and risk your own hide.�

�� Draco had
to act very fast, now. He allowed his eyes to fall, and studied the pattern of
carvings and glamours on the tabletop until Prince shifted impatiently and took
a deep breath. Then he began to speak, rendering his voice so small that all
the others had to lean in and listen hard if they wanted to hear it.

�� I�I reckon
that�that I never realized how much of my life revolves around him,� he whispered. �He�s always been there. He was
always taunting me, always defeating me in Quidditch, always showing that he was
better than me. He even made an attempt to rescue me when I didn�t need rescuing.�
Draco didn�t need to feign the venom in his voice this time. Potter had rescued
him during the war with the same careless ease that he had done everything.
Draco�s half-nurtured daydreams that this would become something more had faded
when he realized he was nothing more or less than another charity case for
Potter, certainly not someone who stood out in his mind. �When I went into the
Ministry, there he was. I had expected him, even though I didn�t know for certain
he would become an Auror. It just�won�t be the same without him, I reckon. And I
want to be there when he dies.� So I can save his life, the ungrateful prat.
�So that I can reconcile myself to knowing he�s really gone.�

�� There was a
long, thoughtful silence when that was done. Draco scowled at his hands like
the child he had just portrayed and didn�t dare lift his eyes to Prince�s face
yet. He had to make his act seem real.

�� And never
betray how much of it was real, of
course. Never show how much the yearning ran through him like blood when Potter
glanced in his direction. Never show how disappointing it was that Potter had
turned out the way he had, the idiot hero reveling in his heroism instead of the
man that Draco would have been proud to call friend.

�� And lover, even.

�� Draco
shoved at the thought, but it was big and solid and didn�t seem to be going
anywhere, so, reluctantly, he let it stay. Potter was attractive, there was no
denying that. And Draco had felt the almost magnetic pull behind the kiss the
other night. It was almost a pity that Potter�s personality was too obnoxious
to ever let it happen.

�� Well,�
said Prince at last, his voice so soft and thoughtful that Draco glanced up at
him warily from beneath his fringe. But the man was staring at the two rings in
his hand, not at Draco. He gave a slight nod, as though listening to someone
else�s voice, and then took out his wand and waved it over the rings. Draco
squinted, but the room was too dim�damn Jugson and his torches, anyway�to make
out what kind of wood the wand was made of. He could only see that it was dark.

�� I�ve
altered the rings,� Prince said, and then handed one to Dolohov and one to
Rodolphus with a solemn expression. �They�ll bring you to Potter�s side when he�s
alone or when only Mr. Malfoy is with
him.� He gave Draco a little nod. �Hearing that speech, almost as strong as my
own, has convinced me that we should let Mr. Malfoy be present to watch Potter
die, and realize that he doesn�t control his life. He can never control anyone�s life, unless the fool is stupid
enough to believe him a �good� person, as so many of those he saved in the war
do.�

�� Draco bowed
his head. It was the most he could get, he knew.

�� And, in the
meantime, he might have a little extra time to search through records at the
Ministry and discover strong enemies Potter had overthrown but who currently
weren�t in Azkaban. There had to be a clue to Prince�s identity somewhere.

*

�� Draco!�

�� Potter
burst into his office so suddenly that Draco started and dropped the inkwell he
was holding on the floor. He cursed as it broke and black liquid leaked
everywhere. Someone else would probably follow Potter into the office in a
moment and comment snidely, later, on how Malfoy couldn�t even keep his own
space clean.

�� What do
you want, Potter?� he asked, striving for a tone of bored disdain as he
Vanished the ink and repaired the bottle. Then he glanced back at his list of
possible names for Prince, and shook his head a little. From the grip Potter
had taken on his arm, he wasn�t going to get back to it any time soon.

�� There�s
been Death Eater activity noted in Wiltshire, and��

�� Potter
stopped speaking. Draco glanced at him, curious, and not because he wanted to
look at those green eyes and that messy dark hair. Of course not. Potter was
likely to ruin the portrait that he made by being obnoxious in a moment,
anyway.

�� You�re
looking up the bastards I pulled down after the war?� Potter asked, his voice
softer than Draco had ever heard it. �Why?�

�� Draco felt
a sudden surge of hope. Potter had recognized the names, and just from one
quick glimpse. Maybe he was smarter than he acted, or just in a serious mood
right now. Maybe Draco could tell him about Prince, and he would listen, and
then give Draco a clue that would enable him to track down and stop Prince in
time.

�� You�re
studying them,� said Potter, before Draco could get a word in edgewise. �You�re
studying me.�

�� And he
turned around with a growing smile and smoldering eyes, and lifted a hand to
cup Draco�s cheek. �If you ever want to hear about those battles,� he purred, �you
can hear them in all the detail you�d
like. But none of them was ever half so grand as the battle to win your heart,
you know.� He leaned nearer, his stubble and his breath combining to make Draco
shut his eyes for a moment before he remembered where they were.

�� He shoved
Potter away from him. �This is serious, you prat!� he snapped. �The new leader
of the Death Eaters��

�� Yes, there
was Death Eater activity in Wiltshire,� Potter said, as if Draco was answering a
question. �And we must away, my gallant and faithful companion.� He seized
Draco�s arm and dragged him effortlessly out of the office. �Or, at least,
indescribably gallant. I don�t know about faithful. Have you been whoring
yourself out to office sluts, Draco?�

�� Potter, I
swear to God�� Draco yanked hard, but
his arm remained imprisoned in Potter�s grasp. �Let me go!�

�� No need to
be so dramatic, Draco, honestly,� Potter said. �It was just a question about
how clean you were. I like to know how many protective charms I�m going to have
to cast before I have sex with someone, that�s all.� He paused thoughtfully, at
least in words; he hadn�t ceased to haul Draco along. �But on the other hand,
you�re so cold to me that I�m certain
you can�t have slept with many people.�

��

Draco decided he didn�t care that
they were in the Ministry, or how many people were watching. He was going to hex Potter. As soon as he
could get his right hand out of his grasp and on his wand, at least.

He cursed himself a moment later, because
he hadn�t paid attention to their progress, and now Potter stuffed him
head-first into a Floo connection. Draco struggled, shouting, thinking that he
might at least manage to get back to the Ministry if he called out the right
destination, but Potter stepped in beside him and wrapped his arms around his
waist, and they were whirled away.

*

�� Draco came
out of the fireplace as angry as a wet cat, and whipped about, his hand on his
wand. Potter popped out beside him, beaming, and then drew his own wand.

�� Oh, I see,�
he said. �A little dueling as foreplay first. You do seem to be fond of that,
even though you ran away from me after that Death Eater attack before I could
persuade you to come to bed.�

�� I won�t have it,� Draco snarled. He knew his
face was dangerously near to purple, and he was aware that they were standing
in a dusty, badly-furnished room that no Malfoy should be seen in. But at the
moment, nothing mattered so much as impressing Potter with the seriousness of
his hatred. Prince had the right idea, after all. �You�ve treated me like your
own personal whore for weeks now, Potter, and I hate it.�

�� Potter
grinned. �You�re so cute when you�re angry. All you need is for your hair to
stand on end and you�d look exactly like a kitten confronting a big dog.�

�� Draco
screamed and launched a hex at him. He could never remember later which one he
chose�something to do with large, bleeding sores on the groin, perhaps. But
Potter countered it, and then they were moving opposite each other, raging
around the room, Draco hurling jinxes and curses just on the edge of Dark Arts,
Potter deflecting them easily and laughing merrily all the while, as if this
were a game.

�� To him, it is, Draco remembered
bitterly. He wondered how he could end the contest and walk away, gathering up
the tattered scraps of his dignity, without having Potter hex him in return.

�� Then he
realized Potter hadn�t fired one single spell at him. He�d used Shield Charms and Finite Incantantem and a variety of complicated protections Draco
had never seen before, but he seemed content to watch Draco react to him.

�� Draco
dropped his wand to test his theory. Potter stopped moving to watch him, his
eyes bright and his breath rapid. The flush in his cheeks and the mussed hair only
rendered him more handsome, but Draco turned his back before that could affect
him.

�� I don�t
want what you�re offering me,� Draco told him plainly. �You�ll never bed me.
You�ll never make me love you.�

�� Oh,� said
Potter, and his voice turned soft, �I knew that.�

�� Draco
stared at him in silence. The green eyes watched him calmly now, with laughter
burned out in them. And then Potter shook his head and slipped his wand back up
his sleeve, turning away from Draco.

�� That was never
what this was about,� he added over his shoulder.

�� Draco
started forwards, intent on getting some answers
this time. If he had been able to make Potter stop tormenting him for one
moment, then he ought to be able to force him to provide some answers, too.

�� And then
two loud pops sounded from across the
room, and Draco was reminded of what Prince had said the rings he had given
Rodolphus and Dolohov would do, the moment Potter was alone�or alone with
Draco.

�� He swung around,
his wand already in position, and then checked himself sharply as he remembered
that fighting the Death Eaters would make him look suspicious to them. Dolohov
was already covering him, anyway. Rodolphus had started forwards, his body
quivering with eagerness. Potter had been responsible for the death of his brother,
Draco remembered. Or at least he�d done something that meant Rabastan didn�t
survive to go to trial.

�� Good work,
Malfoy,� Rodolphus said. �We have him just where we want him, now.�

�� Draco took
another quick look around the room. Potter had brought him into what looked
like a deserted house, except what deserted house would have a bowl of Floo
powder on the mantle? The furniture was broken, the walls were heavy with dust,
the door that led outside was shut and barred and too far away for them to dash
through in any case�

�� And Potter
was facing his two enemies with a calm, resolute expression, his hand on his
wand. But he hadn�t lifted it yet, and he didn�t seem inclined to dodge, as if
he believed this would be as simple as winning a staring contest.

�� Potter,�
Draco hissed, and hoped the others would take it for an exclamation of hatred
and not the warning it was.

�� Potter�s
mouth quirked into a smile, but he didn�t reply. Dolohov had apparently given
up suspecting Draco of treachery in favor of stalking Potter. He walked
straight past Draco, drawing in great rasping breaths. A cloud of dark purple
light that promised no one any good had formed at the end of his wand.

�� Potter,�
Draco said again. The other wizard still didn�t respond, other than a slight
tilt of the head to show he was listening.

�� The moment
was perfect, hanging, balanced. Rodolphus or Dolohov, or both of them at once,
would grow tired of the silence at any moment and strike. And Potter just stood
there as if he were already wounded or dying and couldn�t stop them.

�� Draco
ground his teeth together. It seemed that it was his responsibility, after all,
to defend Potter. And he had to do it in such a way that neither Death Eater
could escape, because then Draco�s life would be worth less than nothing to
Prince.

�� Once more,
he snapped a quick glance around. Barred door. Single bowl of Floo powder,
which had to remain unharmed so he and Potter could leave. Broken furniture.
Dust on the walls.

�� Dust on the walls.

�� Procellae pulvis!� he roared.

�� A screaming
gale rose around him, a tight cone of traveling wind that whipped out like the seeking
tendrils of a carnivorous plant. In moments, the dust was off the walls and
being herded around Rodolphus and Dolohov in blinding spirals. They coughed and
choked and tried to cast, but dust was in their lungs. They aimed random nonverbal
curses, but Rodolphus cried out in pain a moment later, and Draco knew that
Dolohov must have hit him instead.

�� He moved
towards Potter, intent on dragging him out of the storm and to safety, only to
stop when he heard Potter�s voice calling out a spell to clear the air in front
of him, and then Expelliarmus, twice,
to disarm the Death Eaters. His words were strong and steady. When Draco could
catch a glimpse of him through the thick golden-brown air, he saw Potter moving
his wand as if he hadn�t ever frozen and let his enemies approach him for no
good reason.

�� Dolohov
tried to surge forwards and attack Potter. But he tripped over Rodolphus, and
then tried to pummel and kick him, apparently thinking that this was Potter, despite Rodolphus�s shouts
for him to stop. Potter gave a sigh that sounded almost bored to Draco and
Stupefied them both, then came forwards to stoop over them.

�� Draco ended
the storm, frowning. Potter had brown hair, now, from the thick coating of dust
it had received. His face was streaked with visible sweat trails. He glanced at
Draco, and Draco jerked his head and looked away. Merlin, how could Potter be
good-looking even through that?

�� Good
thinking,� Potter said, and then he launched himself at Draco.

�� Draco
lifted his wand, ready to fend off a curse or an attack, but Potter simply
wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed him soundly on the cheek.

�� My hero!�
he proclaimed loudly. �I froze and didn�t know what to do�terror takes me like
that sometimes�but you came up with a clever spell that saved us both! And you
were so heroic, wanting to rescue me instead of just taking the Floo powder and
running out of the room yourself! That ought to put paid to rumors of your
cowardice at the Ministry! Just wait until I tell them!� He pulled away, his
eyes dancing.

�� Potter��
Draco began, and then stopped. Now it seemed as if Potter had skipped to
outright lying about things other than his attraction to Draco, which was even
more inexplicable and infuriating. Draco shook his head and tried again. �You
didn�t freeze up. I saw you. You were waiting
for them to attack.�

�� I froze
up,� Potter disagreed, folding his arms and pouting at Draco like a petulant
child. �I�m not as much of a hero as everyone thinks I am. But you�re as much
of a hero as I always thought you were.�

�� No one is
going to believe you,� Draco said flatly.

�� Yes, they
will.� Potter floated both Dolohov and Rodolphus into the air and beamed
angelically at Draco. �Because that�s what happened.�

�� You and
your bloody games.�

�� Oh, yes,�
Potter said. �It is a game.� He
winked and went to throw more Floo powder on the small flames in the fireplace.

�� Wait,�
Draco said suddenly, remembering what had brought them here in the first place.
�Death Eater activity in Wiltshire��

�� Oh.�
Potter paused and looked back at him with large, innocent eyes. �There wasn�t
any, actually. I just wanted to get you here so we could kiss.�

�� Potter!�

�� But the
flames had turned green, and Potter shouted, �Auror Department, Ministry!�
before he vanished with their captives.

�� Draco tore
after him, grimly determined that he would get answers, this time.

*

�� Answers:
Unfortunately, Draco doesn�t seem to be making much impact on Draco�in any way
whatsoever.

�� Jakar: I can�t tell you anything about this until the last
chapter.

�� Dezra: There are just two more chapters after this one.

�� Mangacat: Draco would get his feelings straight if Harry would stop acting like an idiot argh.

�� McAbacus: Well, this chapter may have given you more clues.

�� Demikkusu: Thanks very much! I promise, there are more
moments like that coming up.

�� Darkshadowarchfiend, Thrnbrooke, redlightspin, audri, strwbrryshrtcake91:
Thanks for reviewing!
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