Expensive Disaster

Authors Note: Let me get out my thanks to Alexandra for her mad beta skills. I really hope you absorbed as much of the warm gooey fluffiness as possible with the last couple of chapters. When you're reading this, keep in mind that I love you all, and I don't do these things to hurt you... just to make a good story. ;) (Also, if anyone is interested in which order I update my stories, I have the list posted on my profile)

Chapter 11 Last Dance

It was the day of the dance and Harry was nervous. Dressing up in ridiculous costumes and dancing to horrendous music made for a stressful situation in and of itself, but that wasn’t the true cause of Harry’s nerves.

He and Draco were going to have sex tonight.

They had talked it over and decided that it would be perfect. They would get all dressed up and make an appearance at the ball and then slip away together. No one would even notice they were missing.

It was going to be perfect.

Harry shivered at the thought of slowly removing the golden buttons on Draco’s costume and seeing him in all his pale glory lying naked on his bed.

He was nervous to be Draco’s first and nervous to be with Draco at all. What if the blonde found him to be a poor lover? What if all his feelings changed afterward? He couldn’t take the thought of losing Draco again, not after discovering how blissful being in a real relationship with him was.

They had been inseparable since the night of their first kiss. Students were calling them Drarry, much to Draco’s dismay and Harry’s amusement. Even Griffin and Neville accepted Draco into their little group and they all took their meals together, laughing and mock arguing and Harry had never been happier in all his life.

Draco made Harry forget about anything terrible that had ever happened to him and Harry loved him so deeply. He knew that even his parents would be pleased and he could hardly wait to introduce Draco to Sirius and Remus as his boyfriend.

He felt giddy as he made his way to lunch and his whole body was thrumming to see Draco again.

--

Draco took a shortcut from his biology class as he headed toward the cafeteria to see Harry. He had been wound tighter than a bowstring all morning and yearned to touch and be near his Harry.

Things had been going unpredictably well the past few weeks, and since his recent accosting by Tristan, he hadn’t had a run in with either him or Theo. It was refreshing that the boys seemed to be grown up enough to realize Harry was meant for Draco.

That’s how Draco saw it too. They were meant to be. Soul Mates.

As if cursing himself by thinking his name, Tristan stepped up beside him. His parents had transferred him to the academy a couple weeks after his first visit and it irked Draco to have to see him every day.

He was that little reminder that Harry wasn’t purely his.

“Malfoy,” he said politely, or at least it sounded polite.

“Holbrook,” Draco replied in a similar manner.

“I think we should have a chat,” he said quietly, motioning to a small alcove out of immediate view of the other students.

Draco eyed the alcove warily but nodded and followed Tristan into it. “So, what is it you want?” Draco asked impatiently.

“I want to apologize,” he began and laughed at Draco’s surprised expression. “I see how happy Harry is with you, and that’s all I ever wanted for him.”

“Er… so what does that mean?” Draco asked hesitantly.

“It means I would like it if we could all be friends. I love Harry and I miss his friendship. He refuses to speak to me because he doesn’t want to offend you,” he said.

Draco sighed and leaned against the wall. If Harry really wanted to be friends with Tristan, Draco felt bad standing in his way. He felt secure enough in his relationship to let them be friends.

“Okay,” he said nodding. “I’m on my way to see him now. Care to join me?”

Tristan grinned and nodded, following Draco to the cafeteria.

Harry was already sitting across from Colin when Draco arrived and Griffin was whispering in his ear on the other side. They both looked up when Draco entered but Griffin’s eyes narrowed when he saw Tristan trailing behind him.

“I told you,” he said to Harry as Draco approached.

Harry stood up and kissed Draco languidly and ignored Griffin’s groan behind them. “Love,” he whispered. “Griffin tells me you were snogging Tristan in the corridor,” he snickered.

“I didn’t say you were snogging,” Griffin corrected Harry. “I said Melvin Greengrass said it looked like you were snogging.”

“Well I wasn’t,” Draco said, sounding suitably offended. “Tristan wanted to make amends with me, so that he could be friends with Harry again.”

“I told you there had to be some reasonable explanation,” Harry told Griffin. “My Draco isn’t a cheater.”

“I didn’t say he was, I’m just looking out for you,” Griffin grumbled.

Harry squeezed his shoulder gently and smiled. “I know.”

“So, do you mind if I join you lot for lunch?” Tristan asked.

Harry shrugged lightly and Griffin scowled, but Tristan sat down anyway.

They chatted amicably all through lunch, Harry and Draco stealing glances and holding hands. Draco loved the way it felt when Harry rubbed his thumb in circles over his palm, and it made him feel even better that he never even looked once at Tristan throughout the entire lunch period.

--

Draco couldn’t sit still, he felt like a two-year-old that had been given too much sugar.

He had just finished straightening his hair and applying the thick black eyeliner around his eyes that would shadow around his mask when there was a knock at the door.

Draco jumped up to answer it and was surprised to see Griffin in the doorway. He was dressed as a knight and his armor was certainly shiny. Behind him in the corridor was Hermione, looking lovely in a sapphire blue renaissance gown. Her hair was pulled up with matching blue ribbons and she was blushing ever so slightly.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Draco asked casually. Griffin was a friend, but he never just dropped in on him this way.

“At lunch today,” Griffin began, but Draco cut him off.

“There’s no need to apologize. It was all a misunderstanding,” Draco said with a wave of his hand.

Griffin scowled and shook his head. “I didn’t come here to apologize.”

“Oh?”

“No, I came here to warn you,” Griffin corrected.

“Warn me? What’s going to happen to me?” he asked softly, looking up and down the corridor for danger.

“A whole heap of trouble if you hurt Harry,” he said.

Draco blanched and then immediately began laughing. “Why would I hurt Harry? I love that boy more than my own life,” he said honestly.

“I know what you two are planning tonight, and Harry’s… well he’s fragile. You’ve already broken him once, don’t do it again,” he said firmly.

Draco winced at his words and nodded slowly. “I know. I can’t take any of that back, but I can make up for it now,” he said softly and sighed. He placed a tentative hand on Griffin’s metal clad shoulder and looked him directly in his deep blue eyes. “I really love him,” he whispered. “I love him so much I can’t even find the words for it most of the time.”

Griffin eyed him speculatively and then nodded once. “That’s what I wanted to hear,” he said with a smile. “Have a good time tonight,” he added with a wink before disappearing down the hall with Hermione.

Draco took a deep breath and let it out slowly before gently closing the door and returning to his costume preparations.

--

Harry was shaking with anticipation as he made his way to his room. He had just left Neville, who needed help securing his pointed wizard’s hat to his head. The boy had picked up the red and gold Gryffindor robes Harry and Draco had seen in the costume shop a few weekends back.

Colin was in Neville’s room as well. He had decided to go as a photographer from the past, equipped with an ancient looking camera and a tweed suit and bowler cap. It amused Harry that it wasn’t so far off from his current uniform and position as yearbook photographer.

He tried leaving earlier in order to give himself plenty of time to get ready, but the boys kept sucking him into conversation and he felt rude just leaving them.

Now he only had twenty minutes or so before he was supposed to meet Draco at the dance and he had to hurry. He practically ran to his room and after a fast shower, started rummaging through his closet for his costume.

It wasn’t there.

In a panic Harry ripped apart the closet and his dresser, searching for the lost garment until a knock on his door startled him.

He ran to the door hoping it was Draco and that he had discovered his missing costume, but he was severely disappointed to find Tristan standing in his doorway.

“I’m having a bit of a crisis here, can we talk later?” Harry hissed.

“I just wanted to see if you cared to walk down to the dance together. What’s wrong?” Tristan asked.

“I can’t find my costume!” Harry shouted, leaving the door open and going back into his room to continue the search.

Tristan floated into the room wearing a long black cape over a tuxedo. His platinum hair was slicked back and he looked dashing. “What are you supposed to be?” Harry asked casually, pausing for only a moment in his search.

Tristan grinned and flashed a hint of fang.

“Ah. Vampire,” Harry said with a nod. “Nice.”

“Thanks. So what does yours look like and I can help you find it?” Tristan said

“It’s sort of Edwardian, and so not here,” he added, collapsing on his bed in a huff. “Where is it?” he groaned.

Tristan looked around the mess that was now Harry’s room and looked suddenly enlightened. “Maybe it’s in Draco’s room?”

“I doubt it. I don’t think I ever even had it there,” Harry said, sounding more and more frustrated by the minute.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt to check, right?” he offered.

Harry pulled himself up reluctantly and nodded. “No. It couldn’t hurt. Even if he doesn’t have it, maybe he knows where it is.”

“True,” Tristan agreed and they made their way down the hall.

The door to Draco’s room was cracked open slightly and Harry gently pushed it open. He saw his costume at once, though not the way he might have expected. Instead of hanging nicely in Draco’s closet, pieces of it were littered across the floor leading to the bed, where a masked Draco was balls deep inside another boy.

Someone who was certainly not Harry.

Tristan placed a gentle hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Harry, I’m so sorry.”

Harry’s eyes watered as the sight of Draco fucking someone else blurred his vision. A choked sob escaped his lips and Draco looked up at the sound.

“Har-“ he began.

The boy he had been pounding into grinned and removed his mask, revealing a smug Theo who wrapped his arms protectively around Draco.

Harry shook his head, feeling as though his heart might explode from the pain and turned away, running as fast as he could toward his own room.

“Harry,” Tristan called after him.

Harry just shook off the sound, barely hearing it in the first place. “Just leave me alone, Tristan,” he responded, his voice thick with anger and betrayal.

Tristan finally caught up and grabbed Harry by the arm, pulling him close and wrapping his arms around him. “Hush,” he cooed. “It’s okay. You have me, you’ll always have me.”

Harry sobbed and nodded into his chest. His entire life was crumbling around him, but Tristan was there, just as he had been before.

At least he had Tristan, and Tristan would never betray him as Draco had done twice now. Why he trusted the prat to begin with was beyond him. He should have listened to his instincts in the first place.

Harry was vaguely aware of Tristan leading him into his room, undressing him and laying him on the bed. He curled around Tristan’s warm body and sobbed himself to sleep.

--

Authors Note: Okay, let the hate mail poor in. I'm a big girl. I can take it.