Beyond Appearances

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I am not the owner of Harry Potter or anything related to him. I can wish all I want but the fact of the matter is that he already belongs to J.K Rowling...despite how ticked off I am at her for the direction that she's currently taking my two favourite characters!

A/N: I know I really should be starting another story when I currently have six to finish but this was a really good idea and if I didn't write it down I was going to forget it! Hope you like this one as much as you've like my other ones. And Yes, there is SLASH involved!


A New Player in the Game!

“I can't believe they left me with you,” Harry muttered, slumping down in one of the armchairs that littered the living room. “Just up and left. No sorry about your luck. Nothing!”

“Oh, stop being so melodramatic,” Draco scoffed. “I'm sure being in my presence won't kill you. If you're lucky my intelligence might rub off on you.”

“You won't be rubbing on me anywhere!” Harry snapped, immediately.

“”Oh Harry!” Draco smirked. “Didn't you like sleeping next to me?”

“No, you arrogant sod!” Harry fumed, standing up and facing Malfoy. He's spent most of last night making sure that Draco didn't try anything while he pretended to sleep. He'd finally given up in the early hours of the morning when exhaustion over came his suspicion of Draco. “I don't want you in my room, let alone in my bed.”

“If you'd give me a chance I'm sure I could change your mind,” Draco smirked, stepping closer.

“I wouldn't touch you if you paid me.”

Draco glared, rapidly becoming annoyed. “Admit it, Potter! You want me!”

“In your dreams!” Harry scoffed. “You can take your prissy attitude and your bottle blond hair-do and stick it up your poncey arse!”

Draco gapped for a moment before shoving Harry roughly. “Excuse me?” he glared, approaching Harry again. “Say it again, Scarhead. I dare you!”

“You have a prissy attitude and your hair colour comes from a bottle!”

“That is it, Potter,” Draco shouted, grabbing Harry by the front of his shirt. “You think that punch out front hurt, you're in for a big surprise.”

“As if I'm afraid of you!” Harry snapped, mere inches away from Draco.

“You should be!”

“Um...excuse me?”

Both Harry and Draco glanced to their left, their eyes falling on a rather attractive looking young man. He was roughly the same height as Draco, but had the same sun-kissed tan that Harry was famous for acquiring. His hair fell past his shoulder blades and had been tied up in a deep red elastic, which happened to match the deep red of the t-shirt he was wearing.

“I'm sorry to interrupt...but I was looking for a Harry Potter. My name is Michail. I'm Professor Dumbledore's nephew.”

They stared at each other before the fighting started all over again.

“Way to go, Malfoy!” Harry stormed. “You made such a bloody first impression, you great Wanker.”

“You're the idiot who started the whole thing, with your 'woe is me' crap!” Draco yelled back, pushing Harry away from him. “It's not my fault that you are a bloody ponce, Potter!”

“Excuse me? If I'm a ponce, what does that make you?”

“Superior!”

Harry growled and took out his wand, brandishing it at Malfoy. “You are not my superior!”

Draco smirked and drew his own wand. “I wouldn't do that if I were you. I recall your dueling skills and they weren't anything to brag about.”

“What the bloody hell is going on in here?” Sirius exclaimed from the doorway, glancing between the two boys with their wands out. “Expelliarmus!”

“It wasn't my fault,” Harry responded, petulantly. “Malfoy's the one who started it.”

“Oh, sod off, Potter!” Draco snapped. “You're the one who couldn't stop bitching!”

“Enough!” Sirius responded, rolling his eyes. “The two of you have been picking at each other all day. If you want to spend so much time together you can clean up the garden. Without magic!”

“But Sirius-”

“Now!”

Sirius stepped aside as the two boys sulked from the room.

“Sorry about that,” Sirius responded, turning back to the newcomer. “I'm Sirius. I believe we were expecting you.”

Michail smiled, offering his hand. “Hi! I'm Michail and I have to admit I wasn't expecting such an amusing welcoming committee.”

Sirius groaned and helped Michail with his bags. “Believe me, after a couple days you won't find it so amusing.”

Michail chuckled and followed him through the house. He watched as Sirius placed his bags by the staircase.

“The house elves will get your things in the right room for you,” Sirius explained, heading into the kitchen. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, thank you. I'm quite alright,” Michail responded, moving to the window to watch Draco and Harry in the garden. “If you don't mind me asking, what's between those two? I mean usually you don't start hexing people without a reason.”

Sirius grinned. “Over 6 years of pent up sexual tension.”

Michail winced. “That would do it for me. I'd be hexing people left and right.”

Sirius chuckled. “Unfortunately for the rest of us, they are the only two who can't see it. Harry refuses to acknowledge any of it and while Draco can see Harry's attraction to him, he refuses to admit his attraction to Harry. It's all rather a pain in the arse, if you ask me.”

“It sounds as though they need a push in the right direction.”

I think I like this kid! Sirius thought, raising an eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?”

Michail grinned. “I think I have a plan, but I'm going to need your help.”

center>* * *

“Way to go Potter,” Draco snorted. “Once again your level of intelligence has astounded me!”

“Shut up and get to work,” Harry grumbled, picking up the shovel. The had a long job of weeding the entire garden ahead of them and it wasn't exactly a small one to begin with.

“I am not working in this heat.”

“It's not even that hot out,” Harry scoffed, tossing him a pair of garden gloves.

“You don't actually expect me to wear these, do you?”

“You can either wear them or get dirt so far up under your manicured nails that you will never get it out,” Harry shrugged, heading to the back portion of the garden.

Draco glanced at the gloves and then at the dirt, before sliding the offending objects on. “What exactly are we suppose to be doing?”

“Weeding the garden and planting those plants, over there,” Harry responded, nodding vaguely in the direction of the small shrubs and flowers in the corner of the patio.

“And how are we suppose to do that?”

“Good lord, Malfoy,” Harry snapped, annoyed. “Grab a damn shovel and start digging up the dead plants and the weeds.”

Draco huffed and grabbed a shovel and moved to the opposite side of the garden.

After a good half an hour, Harry threw down his shovel. “You were right. It's too bloody hot for this.”

“That is why, I'm not doing it,” Draco responded, from where he sat leaning against the fence.

Harry rolled his eyes and pulled off his shirt. The material was damp from sweat and sticking to him. “This is disgusting,” he grumbled, throwing the shirt on the patio. “I'm going to need several very long cold showers.”

Draco's jaw had practically hit the floor when Harry had taken his shirt on. Holy bloody hell! Where the hell did he get that body? Catching himself, Draco shook his head and fixed the sneer onto his face. “God Potter, it's a garden not a whore house. Put your shirt back on!”

“I don't see anything wrong with it,” Michail commented, stepping out of the back door with lemonade. “It is hot, after all.”

Harry turned and grinned. “Hi! I'm Harry. Sorry about earlier. Didn't mean to ruin your welcome.”

Michail set the drinks down on the patio table and took Harry's hand in his. “Michail,” he greeted with a flirtatious smile, which didn't go unnoticed by a glowering blond, and took Harry hand in his. “I wouldn't worry about earlier. It gave me time to get to know your godfather.”

Moving back to the table he grabbed one of the drinks and handed it to Harry. “Here, you looked hot out here in the garden so I brought you some lemonade. I figured you could use it.”

Who the hell does this Yankee think he is? Draco fumed, glaring daggers at Michail before turning to Harry as well. And look at Potter, practically drooling. The dumb sod! I can't believe this!

Tuning back into the conversation, he found Harry animatedly telling Michail about some of the funnier moments with Sirius. They're ignoring me! The little shit is ignoring me! Draco continued to storm.

With a snort of disgust he pushed himself off the fence and tore off his gloves. When Harry glanced over to him with a curious look, he threw the gloves at him, hitting Harry in the chest with them. “If you need so much help with the garden ask Lover boy here to help you,” He sneered, shooting Michail a nasty look before storming into the house.

“What the hell is your problem now, Malfoy?” Harry called, watching him go.

“Sod off!”

Michail let a small smug smile to spread across his face as Harry's eyes remained fixed on the retreating Slytherin. Excellent! Step one, initiate jealousy! Check!

* * *

Harry had wanted to search the house for Draco, but Michail had managed to talk him out of it. Instead they found themselves sitting in the library where Harry was telling Michail all about Hogwarts, the teachers and the classes, while Michail listened carefully. If he had to push Malfoy further in the right direction he was going to have to know all the information he could get his hands on.

When the conversation began to lull, Michail carefully guided it toward romantic interest. He started with his own failed attempts at relationships and then switched to Harry's, asking all about Harry's past relationships.

Harry blushed spectacularly when asked about his own. “I uh...don't really have that much of a history. Being who I am, I tried to stay away from that sort of thing.”

“Don't tell me you've never dated anyone before.”

“No, I have...but it's only been...like two.”

Michail raised an eyebrow. “I practically have a virgin to dating sitting right in front of me,” he grinned, causing Harry to blush even more. “So, who were the two you dated? Was it Draco?”

“What? No!” Harry spluttered. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, you two seem close,” Michail answered easily. “You don't just fight like you two do, without being close.”

“Were not close. At all!” Harry assured him. “And we will never be...that close.”

“Why not?” Michail answered, managing to keep the laughter from his face. “He's hot. If I didn't think the two of you were an item, I would have been a lot more interested in him. So...are you two an item?”

“No.”

“Oh,” Michail grinned. “Then would you mind if I made a move on him. I know I'm only here for a year but I'd like to get to know him better too.”

Harry glared. “No.”

“No? So you guys are an item?”

“Uh..” Harry flushed. “No, I meant I don't mind.”

LIAR!

“Oh okay,” Michail smiled. “Dinner should be ready soon, want to go?”

“Yeah, sure,” Harry nodded distractedly and stood to follow him. Michail's gay? He likes Malfoy? But they can't start dating, Malfoy sleeps with me....well, in my room. Like hell I'm going to let them use my room.

Harry spent most of the afternoon, glowering to himself, which didn't go unnoticed by Sirius or Michail, who simply grinned at each other before moving on.