Expensive Disaster

Authors Note: Many thanks to my lovely beta Alexandra. So I'm leaving for Philly today, and probably won't get a chance to post again until middle of next week. I hope you are all enjoying the stories and the cliffhangers wink. I hope I have lots of reviews when I get back!! I'm also working on another story (I know, I know) called Rivaling Affections, which is of course another Harry/Draco. I will most likely start posting it when I get back, so look for it mid-next week.

Chapter 8 Fear and Forgiveness

Harry sat alone at dinner. Tristan and Theo were in the far corner chatting animatedly, having apparently gotten past their differences. It seemed Tristan was a suitable replacement for both Harry and Draco and Theo was all over the other boy.

Ron and Hermione had left earlier and Tristan decided to stay for the weekend. He had originally asked to bunk with Harry, but he was quick to decline. He was sick of people who treated him like an object instead of a person.

“So, that didn’t last huh?” Griffin said as he slid into place beside Harry.

Harry looked up and grinned, happy that his friend seemed to be over his grudge. “Who could have known?” he said mockingly.

Griffin laughed. “There was a rumor that you did it to get Malfoy,” he said, his chocolate brown eyes filled with curiosity.

“Nott wanted him back. I wanted him to leave me alone,” Harry said.

“What happened between you two?” Griffin asked.

Harry sighed and pushed his vegetables around on his tray. “It’s sort of a long messy story. Ron and Hermione said it might just be best for me to try and call a truce though. It couldn’t turn out worse than the Nott situation did,” he huffed.

“Do you love him?” Griffin asked.

“Malfoy? No way… I… no. I don’t think so,” Harry said at last.

Griffin laughed. “That’s tremendously convincing.”

Harry groaned. “I don’t know. I feel conflicted.”

“Then you should talk to him,” he said.

“I feel like I have the same song stuck on repeat, only in several different voices,” Harry said with a laugh.

Griffin shrugged. “Well, either we are all wrong and you’re right, which is highly unlikely I might point out, or we’re all right and you’re wrong, which is the much more plausible scenario.”

Harry laughed. “Yeah well, I’ve been told my decision making skills are questionable, at best.”

“Hermione said that didn’t she?” Griffin asked. “I like her.”

“Oh?” Harry asked with a smirk, noticing Griffins blush. “I thought you liked me?”

“I do, I mean I did, but we’re best as friends I think. Hermione however, she’s a fox,” Griffin said wistfully.

Harry tried to contain his chuckle. “I don’t think anyone has ever called her that.”

“She’s coming to the dance with me,” he said.

“Yeah? Well then I’ll go too. I just need to find a costume,” he mused.

“Brilliant. We’ll have so much fun!” Griffin exclaimed and Harry agreed.

--

“Faster, Potter,” Draco shouted. “You’re almost there.”

“We’ve been at this for hours. I’m tired,” Harry groaned.

“I’m not letting you quit until you perfect your form,” Draco spat.

Harry was panting, trying to catch his breath. “I can’t go any faster, and before you ask I can’t thrust any harder either.”

Draco raised an elegant blonde eyebrow, but his mouth was formed into a distasteful sneer. “Tristan must have been very displeased then. It’s a wonder he still wants you.”

Harry felt a blush creeping up his cheeks but tried to ignore it. Draco had been goading him into talking about Tristan through the entire fencing lesson. “It’s funny how people who really care about me stick around,” Harry shot back.

Draco winced. “Touché.”

Harry threw down his foil and flopped down onto the mat. “Look, Malfoy. I’m getting tired of this animosity between us. The fact of the matter is I can’t trust you, and you know why, but can’t we just have a truce or something?”

Taking a deep breath and then letting it out slowly, Draco finally nodded. “I’d like that. Though… I can’t be your friend.”

Harry’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“I like you too much,” Draco began.

Harry groaned and ripped at his uniform jacket. “Malfoy,” he started, but Draco cut him off.

“You know that day we were caught together, I was so scared,” Draco said.

“I’m sure you were, your father’s a very… ominous figure,” Harry muttered.

Draco laughed. “Well yes, there is that, but I wasn’t afraid of him.”

“Then what?” Harry asked, genuinely perplexed.

“Well first I was afraid of you, and what you would think of me when I kissed you that first time,” Malfoy said quietly.

Harry shook his head. “I wanted it just as much as you did.”

“I know that now, but I was so afraid back then. I thought I would lose you as a friend over it and I was terrified.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Then, when you kissed me back I was elated. You know, I’ve compared every kiss I’ve ever gotten to the ones I had with you?” he added with a laugh.

Harry was torn as to whether or not he should divulge the same information, but decided that friends were honest with one another, and if he and Draco had any chance of being friends in the future, then he would need to start with honesty. “I do the same,” Harry mumbled.

Draco whipped his head around and looked curiously at the boy sitting beside him. “Really? How does it measure up?”

Harry groaned at his own previous decision for honesty. “You’re still the best,” he said grudgingly.

“Better than Tristan?” he asked, sounding slightly surprised.

“Yes,” Harry whispered, not daring to look up into Draco’s eyes while he thought of kissing him. He would be sucked into those perfect gray eyes in an instant.

“Well that’s something,” Draco said, sounding slightly sad. “Well, you’re still the best as well… by quite a large margin actually.”

Harry smiled and continued looking at his feet. “So what else were you afraid of?” he asked, trying to divert the conversation.

“I was afraid of what would happen next. I had you there, all to myself and I wanted you so bad, but I didn’t know what to do,” he laughed. “I felt so awkward and you were so hot and I felt like a dolt.”

Harry laughed. “I felt just as awkward. I had no idea what to do once I got you naked.”

“You figured it out eventually though I hear,” Draco muttered.

“That was… different. I was older, and Tristan and I had been together for a while… it was still awkward,” Harry added.

Draco gave him a sad smile. “I could have been your first,” he whispered. “I’m so mad at myself for missing that, for letting you go.”

“You did though. For all your fears, you still let me go,” Harry whispered, trying to blink away the tears that threatened to fall. “I would have been so much more fucked up if we had gone through with it. Your leaving… I might not have recovered at all.”

Draco nodded. “I wouldn’t make the same mistake again,” he said.

“That’s because I won’t let you get the chance,” Harry replied, wiping away a single tear that escaped.

“You know I never wanted to leave you – my father,” he started, but Harry cut him off.

“Don’t make excuses. You could have found a way to contact me at least. You shut me out completely, no call, no letter, no email and you wouldn’t even look at me in class, then everyone at school found out and I was made the laughing stock. Poor Harry Potter, tricked into falling for Draco,” he recalled while he shook his head in disgust.

“It wasn’t like that. I never told a soul,” he swore. “My father told the Dean to keep us separated and she insisted on knowing why. He told her exactly what he saw when he walked in on us and painted us both as delinquents. There were teacher’s aids in the office and they heard everything, not that Father was trying be keep it quite.” He shuddered slightly. “He was so angry, Harry. You have no idea what I had to deal with.”

That was the only thing Harry had been thankful for, he hadn’t needed to leave with Lucius. His parents had been more than accepting of the boy’s relationship, they adored Draco, and though they lectured Harry about his age and the appropriateness to wait for sex until he was older, they had been very supportive.

Lucius on the other hand would beat Draco for things as minor as leaving the milk out of the refrigerator. He could have only imagined the beatings he received that evening, having walked in on Draco and Harry sprawled naked on the floor and kissing.

“I’m sorry,” Harry whispered.

“Don’t be sorry,” Draco said. “Give me another chance.”

“But nothing has changed. Your father will still keep you away from me if he can,” Harry said.

“He can’t, nor would he want to. I’ve been throwing my affinity for boys in his face ever since you left. Mother has gotten pregnant again and father has decided to refocus his efforts on the new Malfoy. I’ve been practically disowned,” Draco scoffed.

Harry’s mouth dropped open a little at this news. “Draco, I’m so sorry, that’s awful.”

“You called me Draco,” the other boy replied with a smile.

Harry rolled his eyes and smiled. “I guess I did.”

“Does that mean you forgive me?” Draco asked.

He let himself fall back onto the mat so that he was lying flat and staring up at the ceiling. “Yeah, I guess it does,” he said at last.

He heard the sigh of relief from the other boy and smiled.

“Harry?” he asked tentatively.

“Yes, Draco?” he replied, looking up at him. His gray eyes were boring into his own green ones and he was leaning closer.

“Can I kiss you, Harry?” he asked, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips in anticipation.

Harry’s heart fluttered. “Yes,” he breathed in answer, just barely above a whisper.

Authors Note: Please review! I hope to come home to a full inbox!!