Coercion and Confusion

*


'What did I just do?' Draco lay in his luxurious bed, trying to make sense of his actions in the closet. He had never meant to shag Harry. That had NOT been part of the plan. Now Harry would become clingly and want a relationship. Draco scoffed at the thought, but then his annoying inner voice made itself present.

You do want a relationship though.

'I do not!' Draco retorted.

Why would you string him along if you didn't want something more? Draco could hear the sarcasm laced into the statement. He scowled.

'Because I am a Malfoy,' he thought, as though that ended the discussion. He was not so lucky. His inner voice could be quite pushy at times.

That does not mean anything, and you know it!

'Don't patronize me! I control you!'

His inner voice laughed derisively If you control me, then how come I'm telling you that you're in love with Harry?

'Potter!' he corrected himself. 'You must de disfunctional.'

If I'm disfunctional, then you are too. You can tell yourself whatever you like, but you do want more.

"I do not!" Draco exclaimed.

"Talking to yourself again, Draco? People are going to think you're crazy." Blaise had somehow made it into the room. He walked casually over to the bed and sat down next to Draco.

Draco glared at Blaise, who wasn't bothered in the least. "I was not talking to myself, Blaise, and if you tell anyone, I swear to Merlin you will wake up with boils the size of Paris."

Blaise looked mildly amused. "Because that doesn't makes it sound like you talk to yourself," he said mildly. Draco growled at him, and Blaise took the hint and dropped his sarcastic manner. "Okay, Draco, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Draco said forcefully.

Blaise sighed exasperatedly. 'Couldn't he ever just admit he had a problem? That would make this so much easier.'

"Draco, what is going on?" Blaise asked. Draco sighed in resignment. Blaise was just as pushy as his inner voice.

"I don't know what's going on," he said in a defeated voice. "Potter is becoming a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Blaise pushed.

"We shagged."

"So?" Draco gave Blaise a withering look, and he understood. "Ohhh..."

"Yeah."

"Do you think he's going to get clingy?" Blaise asked. Draco didn't reply, and Blaise had a sudden suspicion. "Do you want him to be clingy?"

Draco's head turned sharply in his direction. "No! What the fuck is wrong with you?" he spat venemously.

Blaise shrugged his shoulders. "It was just a suggestion."

"A bad one."

"A true one."

"It is NOT true!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! No! I don't know!" Draco rubbed his forehead in frustration.

Blaise watched him pityingly but didn't dare say anything to that effect for fear of a number of curses that could be thrown his way. "Maybe you should talk to him," he suggested. Draco scowled at him, and he knew it was fruitless. "Fine, be that way. Good luck, Draco." Blaise then took his leave.

Draco glared after him. Who was he to tell him what to do? Granted, he was right, but that didn't make the sitiation any better. He relapsed into his previous thought. 'Do I really want to do anything? He is just a convenient fuck, right? I don't want anything more! No, I don't. Har--POTTER doesn't mean anything to me.' Draco contented himself with these thoughts for some time.

It wasn't until several hours later that he realized how wrong he was. He was still in his room, not daring to leave it for fear of seeing Potter. He'd been reliving some of the better moments they'd had when a thought struck him.

'Oh my God, I do want something more! Why didn't I see it? I knew this was going to happen, ever since that first kiss. What was I thinking, getting involved with him? He's Harry Fucking Potter, no one can resist him. But I am Draco Malfoy, no one can resist me either.' Draco took time out to stroke his ego. 'Argh! Why do these things happen to me? Now how am I supposed to do this without losing?'

Draco mused on that point for a while, but no stroke of genius came to him. It was late by that point and Draco decided he might do better in the morning, so he rolled over and fell to sleep.

***

Harry was a little worried. He hadn't seen Draco for several days. He was not at meals, and he wasn't out and about on the grounds. Harry began to think he'd ruined things. Terry and Michael didn't understand why Harry was so depressed.

On Christmas morning, Harry woke up to a pile of presents at the foot of his bed. He grinned at the sight and crawled to the end of his bed. He sat cross-legged and pulled presents into his lap. He unwrapped a new sweater from Mrs. Weasley along with a package of Christmas cookies. From Hermione he recieved another homework planner since he'd conveniently "dropped" his last one in the fire a year ago. Ron gave him a box of Chocolate Frogs. Hagrid gave him a package of rock cakes. Dobby had slipped in another painting he'd obviously done himself. It was supposedly Harry riding his firebolt, but it rather looked a little more vulgar than intended, Harry was sure. He hid that at the very bottom of his trunk and turned to the remaining present.

It was a small box wrapped in silver paper. Harry opened it carefully, not sure what it was, or who it was from. He slowly opened the little box. He gasped as a tiny lion figurine lept out of the box and prowled around on his comforter. The tiny lion was followed by a green serpent that came slithering out after it. They chased each other around on the bed playfully. Harry smiled at the pair of them then turned his attention back to the box.

The box had folded in on itself and turned into an oragami crane. It flew up to Harry's eye level and Harry caught it. He unfolded it and found a message on the inside.

"Courage and strength is what you are
I am neither, not by far.
I am cunning, wit, and mind
And together you might find
They bring to us completion, body, soul,
Together they will make us whole.
In the darkest hour you'll find me,
I'll be waiting. Come to me and you will see
If it is truely meant to be."

Harry turned to watch the snake and lion frolicking on his bed and his heart leapt. Midnight could not come soon enough.


~*~

A/N: End is coming soon! Please Review!