Rivaling Affections

Authors Note: Many thanks to my beta for this chapter, Shannon. Also, I've started a yahoo group for anyone who wishes to join which I will be using for various things related to my fiction including update alerts, story/chapter discussion and other things. If you're interested you can join at groups dot yahoo dot com/group/Digitallace/. For everyone who thought that Draco was getting the short end of the stick, things begin turning around for him here.

Chapter 9 Slytherin Tendencies

After greeting the other staff members, Harry was assigned to show Draco around the school. It had been rebuilt after the war, and even though it was almost identical in every way, Minerva insisted Draco be given the grand tour.

Harry pretended to mind, but in all honestly he thoroughly enjoyed every minute he got to spend with Draco. He was sarcastic and rude and had a very dry sense of humor, but Harry found him vastly more entertaining than any of his other friends.

Hermione and Ron rarely visited, and when they did all their talk centered on their children, which was fine in small doses, but not consistently for hours. He didn’t know what about having a baby made it suddenly okay to talk openly and descriptively about bodily functions, but he was glad to have skipped over all of that with Teddy.

“And this is your office,” he said with a flourish, effectively ending the tour with the room that was once Slughorn’s and Snape’s before that.

“Thanks for showing me around a place that I grew up in and know like the back of my hand,” Draco replied sarcastically.

Harry smiled and shrugged. “You could have told me to sod off at any moment,” he offered.

“And you would have?” Draco asked, his face coated in doubt.

“Sure. I wouldn’t want to do anything to ruin your first day,” Harry replied with a shrug. “Do you want me to leave now?”

“So, did you guys even change this place at all?” Draco asked instead of answering Harry’s question. Harry smiled to himself at the very Slytherin approach, getting what you want without giving anything up. He would have called Draco on it, but he was content just to know that Draco didn’t want him to go.

“We expanded the pitch,” Harry responded.

“The Quidditch pitch wasn’t affected by the war,” Draco scoffed.

“No, but it was a perfect excuse to make it larger while we rebuilt everything else,” Harry replied with a grin.

Draco shook his head in mock disgust, but smiled in spite of it. “Do you ever go out there?”

Harry nodded with enthusiasm. He often spent his free periods flying around the pitch; it was a great stress reliever when he was stuck at the school and a bad day. “Quite a bit.”

“Care for a duel over the snitch?” Draco asked, leaning smugly against the doorframe.

“Care for a kiss?” Harry countered.

Draco blinked at the sudden change of subject, but leaned in and nodded.

“Well, both will have to wait,” Harry said with a chuckle, “because the students are arriving.”

Draco narrowed his eyes and growled, but Harry just smiled and started walking briskly toward the front of the school. It didn’t take long for Draco to catch up with him. “You’re an evil tease. If I didn’t know any better I would have pegged you for a Slytherin.”

Harry laughed. “I almost was.”

“What?” Draco asked, staring at him with confused silver eyes.

“Long story. Suffice it to say, I may be Gryffindor, but I have a few Slytherin tendencies,” Harry replied with a chuckle.

“I have no idea what any of that meant, are you channeling Dumbledore?” Draco asked, rolling his eyes.

Harry chuckled and kept walking. “Anyhow, you know it’s against the rules to snog in the corridors, right?” he asked, picking up their previous conversation. It was his goal to keep Draco thinking about him, and maybe one day he might actually want Harry for more than just a quick shag and a goodbye kiss.

That was what it would be if Harry kissed Draco now and he knew it. Draco was already looking for excuses not to get too intimate; Harry could see it in his arctic eyes.

“Clearly that rule pertains to students,” Draco argued.

“Only because it should be implied that professors not snog in front of students,” Harry corrected.

“We could go to your office then,” Draco suggested.

“Because you fantasize about Snape watching us kiss?” Harry replied with a laugh.

Draco huffed and kept pace with Potter’s quick stride. “Isn’t it unsafe having the floo network tied to your office?” Draco asked out of the blue.

“It’s not hooked up to the office. My office is hooked directly into my study and the house has the same wards around it that Hogwarts does,” Harry replied. “It’s the same connection they use to connect the Headmistress’s office with the Minister’s.”

“Fancy,” Draco commented and Harry shrugged.

“It beats walking back and forth everyday.” And it did, it would be quite the jaunt to make each day if he didn’t have another way of traveling. Even brooms had their drawbacks in weather like they had experienced that morning.

“Maybe I’ll ask for the same connection when my house is finished,” Draco mused and Harry frowned. He didn’t like the idea of Draco moving out, even though he knew it was inevitable.

“I think Minerva will make you walk,” Harry teased.

“You might be right,” Draco scoffed. “She always did give you special privileges.”

“That’s not true,” Harry defended and Draco shot him a skeptical look. “Okay, maybe a little, but it’s not as though I didn’t earn it,” he added.

“Right, right. Ridding the world of the evil Voldemort,” Draco mused and Harry was impressed to hear the blonde use the name, not many people did, even this long afterward. “How could I forget?”

“You don’t seem as impressed by that as most people who want to sleep with me,” Harry teased.

“I don’t want to sleep with you,” Draco corrected, stopping short and making Harry whirl around to look at him. Harry was stunned into silence, waiting with baited breath for Draco’s next words. He could feel Draco’s warm breath waft over his face as he slinked up next to Harry and whispered in his ear. “I want to fuck you, Potter. I want to see you writhe with pleasure under my touch and I want to hear you scream my name into the heavens. There will be no sleeping,” he said at last.

Harry shivered and smiled. “So then when would you like to go out to dinner?” he asked.

“What?” Draco replied, taken aback by the sudden change of topic.

“I thought I made it clear that I don’t do casual sex. So, if you want that so badly…” he began with a smile and Draco cut him off with a huff.

“Dammit, Potter. Why do you have to overcomplicate things?” Draco scoffed, renewing their walk toward the great hall.

Harry laughed and caught up quickly, grabbing Draco’s arm and halting him again. “You’re not one night stand material, Malfoy. At least not for me.”

Draco rolled his eyes and pulled from Harry’s grasp. “Stupid romantic Gryffindor,” he muttered and Harry grinned.

They were the last to join the other staff members in the Great Hall and Harry took his seat beside Minerva, and Draco sat next to him. They waited patiently for the older students to file in and then for Hagrid to lead the new group of first years inside. Usually this job fell to Harry, but Minerva told him to focus on Draco. As the newest and youngest staff member aside from Harry, she thought he might need special attention.

Harry had tried not to snicker at his definition of special attention.

The students were all in place and Harry relaxed for McGonagall’s speech and the sorting hat’s song. He resisted the urge to wave at Teddy, but winked when the boy met his gaze. All the while he watched Draco out of his peripheral, watching him as he sipped from his goblet, as he looked proudly at Teddy, and how his gaze kept flickering toward him when he didn’t think Harry was looking.

Suddenly it was Teddy’s turn to be sorted, and he stepped up to the chair on solid and unshaken legs. He sat and the sorting hat was placed upon his head. Harry couldn’t see his face, but he imagined it looked much like his own when the decision was called out.

“Slytherin,” the hat boomed and Harry’s mouth fell open.

Draco was cackling beside him and shooting his cousin triumphant grins. When Teddy finally turned around and met Harry’s green gaze, the boy looked stricken and surprised. They had all been certain Teddy would be sorted into Gryffindor. Both his parents were from that house, and Harry thought he had raised the boy with qualities any Gryffindor would prize.

“That’s my boy,” Draco whispered to himself, and Harry realized at once it was true. Draco would now be Teddy’s head of house, Draco would be the one Teddy went to with problems and questions from that point forward, the one he would seek advice and Quidditch tips.

Harry sighed and turned to see both Draco and Minerva beaming, but he only wanted to scream the injustice of it.

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Draco was ecstatic, and he didn’t care how upset Teddy and Harry were at the outcome of Teddy’s sorting. Eventually Draco would convince Teddy of the benefits to being in the Slytherin house, and Harry… well, he doubted there was much he could do about Harry’s bad mood, at least nothing Draco would allow him to do.

Still, the opportunity to mentor his young cousin was thrilling and he suspected Andromeda would be pleased.

“How, in Merlin’s name did that happen?” Harry muttered once the feast had commenced and the students and professors began chatting amongst themselves.

“He’s a Black,” Draco answered simply. It was true that the odds were in Gryffindor’s favor to get the boy, but pureblood won out in the end, no matter how tainted with werewolf and muggle it was.

“He’s the son of two Gryffindor’s,” Harry countered.

“The hat obviously saw the Black blood in his veins even through the Gryffindor musk that tried to mask it,” Draco replied with a laugh.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Minerva boasted, earning her a dirty look from Harry. “The houses need a bit of diversity and what could be better than the godson of Harry Potter in Slytherin.”

“I should have taught him more protection spells,” Harry muttered.

“The houses are not as bad as they were in your time, Harry. War separated the students more than it usually does. But still, try to see the benefit of this,” she coaxed.

“I’ll be there for him, Potter, not to worry,” Draco offered, feeling elated that it was true. He would be the boy’s guardian and mentor for the next seven years.

“That’s precisely what I am worried about,” Harry groaned.

“That’s hardly fair. Not everyone in Slytherin turns out evil,” Draco told him, offended at Harry’s lack of confidence in him. “Just look at me.”

Harry’s eyebrow rose in answer, a look on his face that clearly said that Draco’s argument wasn’t much of one.

Draco huffed and turned away, upset at himself for even caring what Harry thought. He had made it clear that he had no intentions of dating the Gryffindor, so why did he worry about how Harry saw him?

A warm hand covered his own and he looked over to see Harry smiling apologetically at him. “I’m sorry, you’re right, Malfoy,” he whispered.

“Wait, say that again,” Draco teased. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been apologized to by a hero.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I’ll say it again over dinner if you go out with me this weekend,” he replied with a sly grin.

“Potter, no. How many times do I have to tell you,” Draco replied, frustrated. It was one of the most difficult things Draco did to refuse Harry, but it had to be done. He just wasn’t the relationship type and never once bothered with men who were. It was additionally important that Draco make this clear, because if he were to date Harry, things would inevitably blow up and Draco would end up having to leave Hogwarts and probably all of wizarding Europe to escape the gossip and constant reminders.

Draco was a ruiner.

It was something he came to terms with ages ago. Everything he touched eventually turned sour and that would eventually include Harry if he were to start something with the raven-haired hero. Though he had to admit, if anyone would be resistant to Draco’s ability ruin everything, it would be Harry.

He was strong willed and self sufficient, witty and charming and dead sexy. Draco noticed all those things at once, and was secretly thrilled to find out the Gryffindor golden boy was gay. Draco enjoyed being pursued by Harry more than he would have expected, but still, he couldn’t let himself give in.

They could never have the relationship that Harry sought.

“That was the last time,” Harry replied, bringing Draco from his thoughts. He crossed his fingers over his heart and smiled sadly. “I won’t ask again. I promise.”

Draco was shocked to find how disappointed he was by Harry’s words, but found himself nodding curtly. “Good. It’s for the best, Potter.”

“Whatever you say, Malfoy,” Harry said and turned back to his food, proceeding to ignore Draco for the rest of the evening.

It wasn’t that Harry ignored him exactly, more that he focused on other things aside from Draco. He would answer a question if Draco asked it, but there was no flirtatious undertone as there was before. He also noticed that Harry’s eyes never quite locked on his own as he would speak, and that the answers would be short and to the point.

The air between them grew heavy with the weight of it until finally the feast was over and the students filed out. Harry got up and followed the Gryffindor’s and Draco left with the Slytherin’s, Teddy walking briskly at his side.

“So how excited are you?” he asked Teddy when the other students were just out of earshot.

“On a scale of one to ten?” Teddy asked.

“Sure,” Draco replied with a shrug.

“Negative eight,” Teddy muttered.

Draco rolled his eyes but laughed in spite of himself. “It’s not so bad.”

“It’s not as good as being in Gryffindor,” Teddy replied. “How upset is Uncle Harry?”

“He’s happy for you. He knows how superior Slytherin’s are to any other house,” Draco lied.

“Right,” Teddy huffed. “I can’t believe I’m going to have to sleep in a dungeon.”

“The common room has a view of the underside of the lake. Sometimes you can even see merpeople swim by,” Draco offered.

Teddy seemed to mull that over and eventually smiled. “Well, I suppose that’s sort of cool.”

Draco felt a swell of pride at being able to cheer his little cousin. “I’ll teach you the warming charm that does the best when it’s too cold.”

“Cool, then I can sell the charm to the other students,” Teddy snickered.

“You’ll do just fine in Slytherin, Teddy. Just fine,” Draco mused happily.

After going over the house rules with the first years, he showed them all the directions to his office and left to find Harry. He hadn’t liked how their last talk ended but wasn’t sure what he could do about it. It wasn’t as if he could offer Harry what he really wanted.

Harry was in his office already looking over some paperwork when Draco peeked in. He hadn’t bothered knocking, and still wasn’t sure why, it spoke to the comfort level he felt with Potter and made him a bit uneasy.

The Gryffindor didn’t even look up when Draco entered and Draco had to clear his throat in order to get his attention. When he did finally look up, it was with a grimace. “Could you not do that?” Harry asked sounding annoyed.

“What?” Draco replied, baffled but this new entirely cold Harry.

“Clear your throat to get my attention, it reminds me of Umbridge,” he muttered distractedly.

“Sorry,” Draco murmured. It was then he spotted the large vase on Harry’s desk. He didn’t know how he missed the vast arrangement of flowers there, swimming just to the side of Harry’s lowered head.

“Merlin, Harry. Who sent you these?” Draco asked, his voice tinged with jealousy he hadn’t thought he was even capable of.

“I don’t know, there wasn’t a card,” Harry replied, still not looking up from his paperwork.

“So you have so many admirers that you don’t even know who sent you flowers?” he bit out, sounding ruder than planned.

Harry looked at him with a wary expression. “That’s just it, I have no admirers, so I don’t know who would send me flowers… unless it was you?” he asked, and Draco thought he sounded hopeful.

“It wasn’t me,” Draco replied grudgingly, almost wishing it had been.

“I thought not,” Harry said, getting up from his desk and lifting the flowers from their vase.

“Why is that? Am I not good enough to send you flowers?” Draco huffed.

Harry laughed. “Hardly. I just think you would have gotten me nicer ones,” he said with a halfhearted grin as he walked toward the fireplace, swinging the colorful bouquet behind him as if taunting Draco with it

“You ready?” Harry asked.

“For?” Draco replied, distracted by thoughts of who could have gotten Harry that fragrant bouquet.

“To go home?” Harry amended with a frown.

“Er, yeah sure, let’s go home,” he said, not certain he liked how right the word 'home' felt on his tongue.

Authors Note:This is one of my favorite stories at the moment. It's just so fun to write. I hope you are all enjoying it. Who sent the flowers I wonder?

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