Gilded Soul

Chapter 13 Waylaid

Draco stood in front of Professor Snape’s desk for what felt like and eon before the sallow teacher finally acknowledged his existence. When he did finally look up, his eyes were not friendly.

“Why wasn’t Potter in my class today?” He asked bitterly.

“He broke his leg and he’s in the hospital wing.” Draco replied blandly.

Snape quirked an eyebrow at this, “Yesterday he did not attend my class and you insisted that you wouldn’t possibly know why. What happened between then and now?”

Draco didn’t know how to answer that without lying to his Head of House, and Draco knew that Snape was gifted at detecting lies. So instead he shrugged elegantly and pretended to be offended by the question.

“I see. Well then maybe you can explain why you arrived at breakfast this morning still in your night clothes?”

“I could,” Draco replied indignantly, “but I would rather not.”

Snape narrowed his eyes and growled, “Well you had better start explaining something. I am to give a report of your behavior to your mother and the Dark Lord tomorrow, and they will not be pleased with what I have to say as of late.” He stood, straightening his robes. “Gallivanting about with Potter will not endear you to the Dark Lord.”

Draco shrugged nonplussed, “Are you sure? Because the last note I received from Mother told me that it was exactly that type of behavior he expected to see.”

Snape blinked several times in shock, but didn’t argue. “So you would be comfortable with my relaying how close you and Potter are getting?”

Draco smirked. “I would be fine with you telling the Dark Lord that Harry and I are friends.”

Snape’s lip twitched in what Draco could only assume was his version of a smile. “Friends eh?” Draco nodded, and Snape spoke again. “Do you kiss all your friends?”

Draco paled, but then grew furious. “Get out of my head.” He shouted as he clamped his mind shut and pushed Snape out of it.

The Slytherin Professor just grinned smarmily. “You are dismissed.” Draco huffed and left the classroom, feeling exposed and angry.

--

Harry was feeling lost thinking over all the things Dumbledore told him, and yet didn’t tell him. Harry laughed at the thought. “That old man is going to be vague until he dies.” Harry whispered to himself.

The last bit was troublesome though. Dumbledore was practically telling Harry that he couldn’t trust Draco. Was he right? Would Draco betray him? Harry shook the thoughts away, not willing to give up on this new feeling he had with the Slytherin.

“Speak of the devil.” Harry muttered as Draco walked through the door with Hermione trailing behind him.

Draco looked around the room and then looked inquisitively toward Harry, “Who were you talking to about me?” not seeing anyone in the room but the three of them.

Harry laughed. “I was just thinking about you.”

Draco smirked. “Good things I hope.”

“Very.” Harry lied.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of Harry’s bed. “Would you two just make out already and get it over with?”

The boys looked at each other and grinned, both blushing slightly.

Hermione caught the look and gasped. “Oh no. You didn’t? Really?”

They both laughed but Harry was the first to nod. “This morning.”

Hermione looked incredulously at both boys. “You didn’t do… anything else did you?”

“No.” Draco replied immediately causing Harry to raise an eyebrow in confusion and Hermione to giggle.

“Do you plan to?” she asked next.

Draco rolled his eyes. “We hadn’t planned on kissing. It just… happened.”

Hermione smiled. “How was it?”

“It was nice.” Harry said, looking at Draco’s lips as he answered.

“It was brilliant.” Draco said with a grin.

Harry winked at him, completely relieved. Harry thought for a moment that Draco’s feelings had changed given his quick answers to Hermione.

Hermione opened her mouth to ask another question, but Draco held up a hand to stop her. “Granger, stop being nosey.”

Hermione blushed and they all started laughing. Hermione was the first to quiet down. “I was going to ask Harry how his leg was feeling.”

“Right. Of course you were.” Harry said still laughing. “My leg is loads better already. Madame Pomfrey says I should be out of here by dinner.”

“That’s great Harry!” Hermione said, and Draco nodded.

“I have a lot to tell you both though. Dumbledore came to see me this morning.” Harry whispered. Draco took a seat on Harry’s other side and they both leaned in to listen to Harry recount his conversation with the Headmaster. Harry told them everything, except the fact that Voldemort may want what was in the maze, and that Dumbledore didn’t trust Draco.

He didn’t really know why he left out that information, and the more he thought about it, the worse he felt. Did he believe Dumbledore? Was he afraid deep down that Draco was going to turn on him?

Maybe.

--

Hermione left Draco alone with Harry for the last bit of their lunch break. He was agonizingly close to Harry, but knew it would be foolish to try and kiss him here in the hospital wing. He couldn’t stop staring at Harry’s lips, and how he would sometimes bite his bottom lip when he was thinking, causing it to turn white at first, but then it would be red and plump when he stopped. He also noticed that Harry’s lips were always shiny, and it was making it terribly hard to resist kissing him.

Then he started to think of other things Harry could do with his mouth and he had to shake his head to clear the thoughts, and realized that Harry had been talking to him.

“…eat dinner together.” Harry finished.

Draco smiled. “Sorry. I didn’t hear a word of that. I was a bit… distracted.”

Harry smiled. “I said,” He repeated, “I wonder if there would be a way we could eat dinner together.”

Draco thought about it for a moment. “We could go down to the kitchens and skip the Great Hall.”

Harry looked dejected. “You’re right. There really isn’t a way to be together out in public huh?”

“What, did you want me to go sit at the Gryffindor table with you or something?” He said, laughing slightly.

“Well, Gryffindor’s would be more accepting of you, than the Slytherin’s would be of me.” Harry said bitterly.

“Ha!” Draco laughed angrily. “Tell that to your friend Ron.”

Harry winced and looked away, not looking back until he felt warm fingertips caressing the exposed flesh on his arms.

“I don’t want to fight with you.” Draco said quietly. “Do you really want to whole school to know about… us?”

Harry looking into his silvery eyes and shrugged. He thought about all the people who could use the knowledge against him, and Voldemort was at the top of that list. “No, I guess not.”

“I’m not saying that no one will ever know,” Draco began, “but maybe we should just figure out what it is that’s happening between us for ourselves before we involve the whole school.”

Harry nodded. “After I kill Voldemort.”

Draco looked a little shaken. “That too.” He replied finally.

--

That night Draco made his way into the Great Hall and as he walked through the massive doors he spotted Harry right away. Harry gave him a quick glance and a smile and went back to chatting with Hermione and Neville.

It was hard for Draco to understand Harry’s choice in friends, though Hermione was growing on him more and more each day, she was still a pesky know-it-all. Only now he started to find the quality endearing. He almost laughed aloud but quickly remembered where he was, and that laughing was strictly prohibited from the Slytherin table, unless it was at someone else’s expense. Particularly a Gryffindor.

Draco ate quickly and then went straight for the library, where the trio had decided to meet to research more about the maze. He thought about that as he waited. Did I replace Ron in the Golden Trio? And for that matter, is it still Golden with me in it? He laughed out loud causing the librarian to shush him.

Harry and Hermione entered shortly after and took a seat across from him. Hermione laid several large volumes in front of them and after a few minutes of bickering over the density of the books versus the need to read them, they eventually set to work.

After a few hours of research and finding no new information the trio decided to stop for the night. As he and Draco got up to leave, Hermione’s hand on their arms stopped them both.

“Listen,” she started, “I’ll be in London with my parents for the next two weeks.”

Harry nodded. “We know this already.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I just mean that I won’t be around to help if you two get into trouble again, which you’re bound to do.” She glared at them both with a hint of a smile.

“We’ll be good.” Draco said with a sly grin.

“Promise me you won’t go into the maze until I get back.” She said quickly.

“What?” Harry and Draco both shouted at the same time, eliciting another shushing from the librarian.

Hermione started again, quieter this time. “Please. I don’t want you two getting hurt, when I’m in London completely useless.”

Harry looked over at Draco who shrugged. “We can’t control the dream. You know that, Mione. We have no control over whether or not we end up there.”

“I know. Just don’t do anything… boy like, while you’re there.” She frowned at the smirks on both her friends’ faces. “You know what I mean. Just… play cards or something.”

Harry laughed and patted her on the back. “We’ll be careful, Mione. Don’t worry. We’ll both still be here for you to worry about when you get back.”

Hermione burst into tears and pulled the boys into a giant hug, making them feel incredibly awkward as they looked at each other over her bushy head.