Conception of Dreams (Chapter Five)

[freakingcrups]

Chapter Five

It was Saturday and Harry hadn’t seen Malfoy since Thursday. He hadn’t even been at any of the meals, which worried him. He was supposed to meet Malfoy tonight, but he didn’t even know if that was going to happen.

“Have you seen him?” Hermione asked next to him. She looked at the Slytherin table, where Harry was pointedly staring. Zabini and Nott sat at the end of the table where they usually sat, but beside them was a very vacant seat.

“No,” Harry grumbled, shoving food into his mouth. He hated to admit just how much it depressed him. In a matter of two days, he had somehow latched on to Malfoy in some way, creating a connection that he couldn’t understand.

“Why don’t you go ask Nott where he is?” Hermione enquired, watching Harry shove more food in his already overfull mouth. “Nott is quite civil towards other houses. He isn’t your typical Slytherin.”

Harry swallowed the food in his mouth and glared. “Don’t stereotype Slytherins, Hermione; they aren’t what you expect them to be.”

Hermione was surprised by his reply. She glanced at Ron, who shrugged, a frown on his face.

“You okay, mate?” Ron reached for Harry, but he slapped his hand away.

“Do you think I’m okay? The git knocks me up and then doesn’t stick around!” He whispered angrily. He glowered at Ginny, who was watching them carefully. She glared back. “Got a problem, Ginny?” He asked loudly.

“You’re the only one with a problem, Harry. What’s wrong with you lately?” She snapped back.

“Oh really? You’re the one who keeps looking at me.”

“Oh honestly, enough!” Hermione slammed her books on the table, quietening them both. “Harry, this is childish. Go and see them outside the hall. Now!”

Harry knew it wasn’t wise to argue. He stood hurriedly and scurried out of the Great Hall. He wasn’t quite sure where to wait because soon students would be exiting the hall, walking straight to whatever they had planned for the day. He needed somewhere where he could grab Nott and talk in private. In the end, he chose to stand behind a statue. As expected, students started filing out. When he finally saw Nott, he grabbed him by the robe and pulled him behind the stone figure. Nott looked surprised, but when he saw Harry, he raised an eyebrow.

“Potter, are you trying to find a spot to snog me?”

Harry felt his face flush and he glared. “No!”

Nott laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I know you’re Draco’s.”

“I am not,” Harry protested, his glare intensifying. “I don’t belong to anyone, Nott.”

“You tell that to him. He’s already warned us off you; said if we touch you, he’d hex off our bollocks.”

Harry frowned. He looked Nott up and down. He had never really noticed Nott in much detail before. Usually, the Slytherin was quiet and he was never part of Malfoy’s group. He had been told before that Nott never believed in joining groups, so Harry didn’t really have a reason to worry about him. He couldn’t even remember him ever laughing at Malfoy’s insults about Harry.

“Are you friends with Malfoy?”

“I call us acquaintances. Any reason why you ask?” Nott leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. He didn’t really seem to care about the students that hurried past them. A couple of them looked at the two men, but they seemed in too much of a rush to care about what was happening.

“Where is he?” Harry enquired.

“Worried?” Nott smirked.

“No!” Harry exclaimed. He realized that he had said it far too quickly.

Nott chuckled. It wasn’t a mocking laughter, but a genuinely amused one. “You don’t have to lie to me, Potter. If you must know, Draco has been visiting his parents; something about him receiving permission to go home to the Manor to discuss something with his mother and father.”

“Why? When will he be back?” Harry rested a hand on his stomach and sighed. He had actually been looking forward to seeing Malfoy tonight, if only to explain what he had been trying to say the other night. He still hated the git, always would in a certain way, but he felt guilty for how Malfoy took his words.

“I’m not his secret keeper, Potter,” Nott shrugged his shoulders loosely. “I told you we were acquaintances, not friends. We eat meals together; sleep in the same dormitory and the only decent conversation we had was him warning me off you.”

“But he said...”

Nott sighed. He rubbed the side of his face in exasperation. “I know what he told you, he told us about the argument. And what he said was the truth; we are more loyal to each other than students in other houses think. But that doesn’t mean we are best buddies. If Draco was to tell anyone anything about what was happening, it would be Blaise. They share a lot more than Draco and I do. They even shagged a couple of times. Hell, I think Blaise was Draco’s first.”

“What?” The thought of Malfoy with someone else made him physically ill. His stomach churned and he grabbed at it, feeling the illness rising upwards. He felt like he was going to vomit again. “Zabini and Malfoy shagged? When?”

“Potter, I…Potter!” Nott frowned. He reached out to grasp Harry’s shoulder as Harry bent over, groaning in pain. He would have fallen on his knees if Nott hadn’t caught him. His stomach ached and his head spun, even in Nott’s tight hold, he collapsed. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to reduce the aching feeling, but it only grew more intense. So intense, that he blacked out.

***

Harry didn’t open his eyes. He could hear the snarling of harsh words around him. There were arguments, but he wasn’t quite sure what was being said. He felt drowsy and the words were just a small buzzing sound in his ears. The pain had gone, but he felt numb from his chest down. He could wiggle his toes, he realized as he did it, but he couldn’t feel his stomach. He moved his hand, only slightly, and wiggled his fingers. When he could move it properly, he raised a hand to his belly to feel. Before he could reach it though, a hand grabbed his to stop him.

“Potter?”

Harry opened his eyes gradually. His vision was swimming and he couldn’t see without his glasses. Everyone around him was just a blur. Someone must have realized because his glasses was settled on his nose and tucked behind his ears. He blinked, analysing the concerned faces that surrounded him. Malfoy was there, standing very close to him on his right. He must have been the one who put his glasses on his face.

He glanced around at the other faces. Hermione and Ron stood to his left, their faces full of worry as they stared at him carefully, while Nott and Zabini stood at the end of the bed. They seemed to be keeping their distance. Further away from the bed, Mr Malfoy and McGonagall stood, watching the scene unfold.

“What happened?” Harry asked quietly, choking a little. Malfoy handed him a glass of water and he took it gratefully. He took small sips; he had learnt last time not to drink too much.

“You fainted because someone decided to say something that worried you unnecessarily,” Malfoy growled, glaring at Nott.

Nott took a step back, not meeting Malfoy’s eyes. Harry didn’t blame him. He had taken on that scary appearance again.

“What do you mean worried me unnecessarily?” He smiled apologetically at Nott. He didn’t mean to get the Slytherin into trouble.

“Nott mentioned my former interactions with Zabini,” Malfoy explained, he still held Harry’s wrist - the one that he had apparently caught when Harry reached for his belly - and his grasp tightened. It wasn’t painful though. “Just because you’re the human mate, that doesn’t mean that you don’t feel some of the feelings I do. If I had heard you were with someone else, I would have attacked them, due to your lack of Incubi instincts, you fainted instead.”

“What Draco means, Mr. Potter, is that because you heard that Draco had former sexual encounters with Mr. Zabini, you’re body reacted the way it did because it thought that Draco was going to leave you. Basically, it shut down.” Mr. Malfoy took a couple of steps forwards and smiled at him.

“If Granger hadn’t been there and if hadn’t been for her fast thinking, your body would have killed our children out of revenge on me.”

“Oh.” Harry peered down at his stomach. It was then that he realized that he was shirtless and some sort of salve was slathered onto his stomach.

“What is that?” Harry asked. He wanted to reach for it, but Malfoy was still held his wrist tightly.

“It’s a salve that is protecting the babies. Your body is still trying to flush them out and Madame Pomfrey is purifying them again, so your body recognizes them as live foetuses once more.” Hermione reached out, and with a glance to Malfoy (he nodded at her), she grabbed his other hand and squeezed. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. “Why do you always do this to yourself? You’re a worry, Harry Potter.”

Harry snorted. If anyone knew that, it was him. “But they’re okay, right? I’m not going to kill them?” The thought of what could have happened made him sick.

Malfoy studied him carefully. He looked like he was about to answer, but it was Ron who responded. “They are fine, mate, just fine.”

Harry nodded. Good.

“I’m sorry, Potter,” Nott finally spoke up, grimacing when Malfoy turned to growl at him. “I really didn’t realize you would react that way.”

“Are you a bumbling imbecile?” Malfoy snapped before Harry could respond. “You of all people should have known how he’d react, Nott. You have been taught about Incubi and their mates, just like every other Pureblood.”

“I didn’t - ”

“Stop!” Harry snapped. He rubbed his eyes impatiently and sighed. “It’s done with. It happened, Hermione saved the day and Madame Pomfrey is currently making me better. Theo,” he sent Nott a look, asking for permission. Theo nodded with a smile, “made a mistake. He’s human.”

“You don’t understand, Potter. If you would have lost those babies, I would have lost control and gone on a rampage,” Malfoy tried to explain.

“If you hadn’t stormed off like a petulant child, we wouldn’t have been in that situation, would we, Malfoy?” Harry knew it was harsh and he knew it would have been like a punch to the stomach, but his anger was pointed at no one but the blond standing next to him.

Like he expected, Malfoy sneered, releasing Harry’s hand to take a step back. “If you hadn’t insulted me - ”

“Oh get off it, Malfoy, you always insult me. How is that any different?”

Malfoy’s jaw snapped closed and he clenched it. His hands fell to his side, scrunching up in fists so tightly that they turned a pale white.

“Draco…” Mrs. Malfoy didn’t take a step forward, but she stared at her son intently. It was almost as if she was trying to send him a wordless message.

His fist unclenched and he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” The anger drained from Harry’s body, leaving only shock. There it was again, an apology.

“Don’t make me say it again, Potter,” Malfoy strode to the bed and grabbed each side of Harry’s face. He stared deeply into Harry’s eyes. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have left. I was angry and I took the opportunity to visit my parents. There’s something you need to know…”

Harry felt like he was in a trance. He couldn’t break eye contact with Malfoy, even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t. Malfoy leaned forward and warm lips pressed against his own. It wasn’t a passionate kiss like the last kiss they shared, but a soft, delicate one. His lips were almost only brushing against Harry’s. It didn’t last long either, before he pulled away completely, letting go of Harry’s face.

“Potter, you’re in danger.”

That broke him out of the reverie he was. It was only then did he notice that everyone else had disappeared. They must have walked out of the room when Malfoy kissed him. Harry snorted. “I don’t know if you noticed, Malfoy, but danger is my middle name.”

Malfoy didn’t laugh or smirk like he expected him to. Instead, he grunted angrily. “Potter, you don’t seem to understand. You are no longer thinking about yourself, you have children to take care of as well: my children.”

Harry frowned. He nodded, Malfoy had a point. “How?”

“Death Eaters,” Malfoy answered immediately. He crossed his arms. “Mother has heard about plans being made in your capture and murder.”

“Malfoy, any Death Eaters that are still on the run aren’t going to try and touch me. Not when the Aurors and everyone else are keeping an eye out for them,” Harry argued.

Malfoy leant over the bed, digging his knuckles in the soft mattress. His nostrils flared. “Don’t be stupid, Potter!”

Harry sighed. He didn’t want to argue with Malfoy, especially not today. “Okay, Malfoy, I’ll be careful.”

“Not just careful, Potter, I don’t want you going to Hogsmeade without me, yeah? I don’t want you to leave Hogwarts without me. I want to keep you safe and I want to keep my children safe. They are the heirs of the Malfoy line.”

“Malfoy, woah!” Harry held up his hands to stop the other man from talking. He shook his head. “I feel like you should be adding a collar and chain to my neck or something. I’m not going to bloody stand around and let you treat me like a possession.”

Malfoy pushed himself off his knuckles and crossed his arms again. He sniffed indignantly. “Potter, you don’t seem to understand the situation here. Don’t you feel the pull? You can’t fight it forever, Potter, and as an Incubus’ mate, you will belong to me, in every way possible.”

“Oh piss off, Malfoy.”

Then Malfoy was there again, his face looming over Harry’s. He leaned closer, as though he was going to kiss him, but stopped. “Don’t be an imbecile, Potter.”

“Malfoy, I’d like you to leave now.”

Malfoy didn’t protest. He snorted and spun on his heel, striding straight out of the room.

***

By the time he was allowed to leave the hospital wing yet again, it was nightfall. Hermione and Ron had offered to meet him there, but he refused. He didn’t need charity and even though he knew his friends wanted to help, he had enough to feeling useless for one day. As soon as he walked out the wing though, he halted. Malfoy was leaning against the wall, an apple in his hand. His teeth punctured the green fruit, crunching down on tender skin of it. His eyes were closed as though he was in pure ecstasy at just the taste of it. Harry had never seen anyone eat an apple with such relish.

He swallowed and struggled to find words. They finally found their way to his throat. “Why are you here?”

Malfoy opened his eyes, chewing quietly as he peered at Harry. “It’s our date night.”

“Malfoy, I don’t exactly call you rutting against me a date night,” Harry snapped. He strode over to the blond and snatched the apple off him. He was going to throw it, but at the sudden rumble of his stomach, he hesitated. Instead, he brought it to his own mouth. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as elegant as Malfoy eating an apple and the juices slid down his chin. When he pulled the apple away from his mouth, he sighed. As he reached for it, a hand grabbed his.

Malfoy guided his hand away from his face and leaned forward. Harry jerked back a little, but he couldn’t move far. A tongue darted out to lick a trail of juice that ran down Harry’s chin. Harry didn’t move he just waited patiently. Another two trails of juice were licked clean, before Malfoy finally pulled back and smirked at Harry.

“There, much better. Really, Potter, weren’t you taught how to eat properly? I think some lessons are in order,” Malfoy drawled. His eyes darkened as they stared down at Harry. “But to answer your question, we are going on a date to Hogsmeade.”

Harry was jolted at the words. “What?”

“Do listen, Potter.” Malfoy glanced up and down his body and he sighed. “We are going to have to buy you a whole new wardrobe: clothes that not only fit, but are fashionable enough to go into public with. My family has a private tailor who will have to measure and make you some clothes, I think. Of course, you will need bigger ones, for when you start showing. Which is soon, I suspect. With twins, you will be larger than someone carrying one child.”

Harry grunted uncaringly. He liked his clothes and he certainly didn’t need reminding that he was going to get fat soon. “What did you say about the date, Malfoy?”

Malfoy’s smirk widened. “I said that I’m taking you to Hogsmeade. There is this very nice restaurant, fancy.”

“Why?” Harry asked curiously. “I didn’t think you’d ever actually ask me out. I mean, all you needed was a sexual release, right?”

“Yes, Potter, by the end of the night I will need to have come. But that doesn’t mean we can’t go out for a dinner, right?” Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

It made Harry suspicious. “Malfoy…”

“Fine. Mother says I’m not trying hard enough. She suggested that I take you out to dinner.” He shrugged.

Harry growled, pushing at Malfoy’s chest, causing him to stumble back a few steps. “Oh please, Malfoy, don’t do this on my account. Let’s just we pretend we went out. So rut against me or whatever you have to do so I can go back to my bloody bed and sleep.”

Malfoy sneered. “Potter, stop acting childish.”

Harry clenched his jaw. He wasn’t going to stand around to listen to anything he had to say. As he started to walk past Malfoy, he was stopped by a firm grip on his arm.

“Potter, stop. Okay. I lied. I want to take you out to dinner.”

Harry risked a glance at Malfoy. He actually sounded genuine.

“Are you serious?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No, I’m Draco Malfoy.” Malfoy smirked, but at the sadness that contorted on Harry’s face, the smirk disappeared, “Potter, I didn’t - ”

“Don’t!” Harry held up his hand to stop him from talking any more. He sighed and nodded, “Are we allowed to leave?”

Malfoy swallowed and nodded. “I’ve already asked for permission. How about you go get dressed and I’ll meet you in front of the doors of the Great Hall?”

Harry didn’t say much else. He shook his arm out of Malfoy’s hold and walked past him. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t have gone up to the common room at all. Some people glanced at him. There was whispering and Harry knew instantly that they knew he had fainted. Some of the younger years looked at him in sympathy and it annoyed him. He had to bite his lip to stop himself from snapping at them. His emotions were in chaos at the moment and he really didn’t want to give more people a reason to hate him.

“Harry?” A tiny voice said behind him.

Harry halted and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he turned on his heel to look at Ginny.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I was rude to you.”

Harry shook his head. He smiled softly at her. “No, I had no reason to snap at you. I’m the one that should be sorry. I’m just moody lately, I guess. I’ve been sick.”

Ginny brushed some of her red hair out of her eyes and she smiled back at him. “Is that why you were in the Hospital Wing?”

“Yeah, something like that.” He looked down at his feet for a moment, before he stared up at her again. It had been awkward since their break up and he hated it. “Ginny, our break up…”

“No, you don’t have to explain, Harry.” Ginny reached out to rub his forearm comfortingly. “It just happens, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Harry glanced around the room. There were various eyes on him, including Hermione and Ron, who were smiling at both Ginny and Harry. “Listen, I’ve got to go. But we will talk later, okay?”

Ginny nodded and strode over to the sofa where she sat beside her brother. Harry smiled at his best friends, before continuing up the stairs and to his dorm room. He knew that his friends were aware that he had to go and see Malfoy, so they didn’t bother him while he went upstairs to get ready.

Much to Harry’s surprise though, as soon as he made it to his trunk and opened it, there was a package sitting inside. It was wrapped in simple brown paper. He frowned down at it and pulled out his wand. A simple hex detector told him that it was clean. He grabbed it and threw it on the soft bed. Harry opened the package and he couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of the contents.

The package contained a simple pair of black trousers and a plain white dress shirt. With them was a double-breasted black blazer with gold buttons and a red snake embroidered in the right side of it. A simple black belt was curled on top of the clothes. As Harry took the clothes out, he found black dress shoes on the bottom of the package. He could tell from the mere touch of the garments that they were made out of expensive materials. No note came with them, but Harry had an idea who they were from.

He picked up the shirt and ran the linen through his fingers. It was soft to touch. Smiling, Harry grabbed the clothes and made his way to the bathroom. After having a quick shower, he put on the clothes that Malfoy had gifted him and looked in the mirror. For once in his life, he actually looked stylish. Not only did the clothes fit, but the garments were perfect eveningwear. He had to commend Malfoy on his guessing when it came to the sizes he needed.

Harry attempted to tame his hair, but as usual, it refused to stay flat. He had even tried spells that Hermione had suggested, but his messy mane wasn’t going to stay tamed, so he just gave up. He didn’t know why it even mattered. Even though he wouldn’t admit it to himself, Harry wanted to look good. He wanted to walk up to Malfoy and impress him so much, that the Slytherin would be speechless.

Harry took a deep breath and ran his palms over his stomach. He nodded at himself, before taking to the stairs for the descending walk. As soon as he entered the common room, the loud chattering slowly quietened. Wide eyes stared at Harry and he couldn’t help but shuffle nervously. Even Hermione and Ron seemed to be in the state of shock at his attire. Hermione was the first one to smile and raise herself to her feet. She strode over to Harry and threw her arms around him, bringing him against her body.

“You look good, Harry,” she whispered very quietly.

“Thanks,” Harry replied, burrowing his head into her bushy hair to avoid seeing the stares,”Courtesy of Malfoy.”

“Don’t you think you should start calling him Draco?” Hermione suggested softly, “Why such special clothes?”

“He doesn’t deserve it yet,” Harry responded, “He asked me out on a date. He’s taking me out to dinner.”

“What?” Hermione threw herself back enough so she could stare at Harry’s face. “He did?” Excitement laced her voice and she bounced on the heels of her feet. When the stares around them intensified and she took note of it, she blushed. Hermione cleared her throat loudly and sent pointed looks at the students in the common room. They took the hint and went back to whatever they were doing before Harry had walked down the stairs. They knew she could still take points off them after all, even though she was no longer considered a Prefect.

“Yeah, he did,” Harry whispered.

“Who did what?” Ron sidled up next to Hermione and grinned at his girlfriend. “You’re brilliant, Hermione, scary as ever.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. Her blush deepened and she huffed at her boyfriend’s words.

“Draco asked Harry on a proper date. Dinner and everything,” Hermione answered quickly, her voice low so nobody could hear them.

“Bloody hell, did you drive him bonkers, mate?” Ron laughed when Hermione slapped him lightly on the arm.

Harry chuckled at Ron’s words and shook his head. “I don’t know. He surprised me, too. But don’t forget that he still wants to frot against me.”

Hermione crossed her arms. “You know, Harry, I think it’s more than him wanting to have a sexual release with you. He obviously had to have strong feelings for you to have his Incubus blood recognize you as a mate. And if he hated you, would he really want to frot against you?”

Harry glanced at Ron and they both burst into laughter. They had never heard Hermione use the word frot and the way it came out of her mouth - it was as if she had something sour in her mouth - was amusing to listen to. That and just the thought of Malfoy feeling something for Harry was just as humorous.

“Hermione, I know you girls work on all your romance and that bollocks, but men are different. We just want a shag,” Ron explained through bouts of laughter.

“Oh really?” Hermione glared at Ron. “And what do you want, Ronald?”

As though he just realized what he said, Ron’s face paled and his laughter ceased. He stuttered, reaching out for Hermione, but she pulled back sharply and continued to glare at him. Harry knew that this was the perfect moment to leave.

“Bye guys,” he said with a wave before power walking out the common room. He just knew that Hermione was going to explode and he didn’t want to be around for that to happen.

He strode down the various staircases, avoiding the ones that looked as though they were ready to move. As he walked down one set of stairs, he turned the corner of a hallway and had to stop suddenly so he wouldn’t run into another person. When he looked up to apologize for their near collision, he frowned at the other man. Justin.

“Harry?” Justin grinned widely. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

Harry wanted to point out that it had only been about two weeks. They had seen each other, even passed each other in the hallways, but all that was exchanged was a nod of the head. Harry didn’t have much to say to Justin and he was mostly trying to avoid him on purpose. He could only imagine what would happen if Malfoy saw them in close range of each other. He didn’t want to piss the other man off. He didn’t know what Malfoy could do, exactly, but he didn’t want to risk it. He had a feeling that Justin was attached to his hands and didn’t want them ripped off.

“Justin, I’m late, we’ll talk later okay?” Harry said hurriedly, sidestepping the other man.

Justin grabbed his upper arm to stop him from moving. “Harry? Have I done something wrong?”

Justin was a good person; there was no doubt about it. He wouldn’t hurt a fly and now that all of this was happening with Malfoy, he felt bad for ever leading Justin on.

“No,” Harry sighed, “Justin, I really have to go.”

He tugged his arm out of Justin’s hold and continued walking. Justin chased after him until he was striding beside him.

“Is it because you’re seeing someone else? Is that where you were that night Hermione thought you were in my bed?” Justin continued as though he had not just been dismissed by Harry.

“Justin, stop! I haven’t got time to talk about this right now. I’m running late,” Harry stressed, sending Justin a piercing stare.

“Just bloody tell me, Harry, don’t leave me hanging!” It was the first time Harry had ever heard Justin raise his voice in anger.

Harry stopped walking and turned to face the Hufflepuff. His jaw and fists were both clenched angrily as he stared at Harry.

“Yes,” Harry admitted quietly, “I am seeing someone else.”

Justin seemed shocked that he finally admitted it. His fists slackened and he took a step back. His eyes were wide as he gaped at Harry. His gaze betrayed his hurt and Harry felt his heart ache at the thought of hurting Justin’s feelings. While Harry might not have felt something for Justin in the romantic way, he was still a good person, a person that Harry liked talking to.

“Justin…” Harry tried to think of a way to explain the whole situation.

“Don’t!” Justin shook his head. “I’m sorry for chasing you.” He sent Harry a small smile before spinning on his heel and striding away from him.

Harry didn’t chase him, he couldn’t bring himself too. Justin deserved to know the truth and there was no way of softening the blow. There was nothing Harry could do now. He sighed, knowing that he had to keep moving. Malfoy wouldn’t be happy if he was much later than he already was. He started walking towards the Great Hall once more.

When he finally made it there, Malfoy was waiting, with his back against the wall and his arms crossed.

“About time, Potter,” Malfoy was gazing at his fingernails and when he finally looked up, the smirk on his face dropped, only to be replaced by a surprise ‘o’ shape on his lips. His stare started at Harry’s feet, which was encased in the black dress shoes, and made its way up until it reached Harry’s own stare. “Bloody hell.”

“Does it suit me?” Harry asked, holding out his arms and walking in a circle on the spot.

“Yes,” Malfoy’s voice sounded strangled, “it does.”

“You’re good with your fashion, Malfoy,” Harry admitted quietly, running a hand through his hair.

Malfoy took a moment to just stare at Harry, before he seemed to jolt back to reality. His smirk returned to his face. “Of course I am, Potter, I am a Malfoy after all. We only expect the best, which includes our mate’s appearance.”

“Aw, you think I look beautiful, Malfoy?” Harry teased, a smirk of his own adorning his face.

Malfoy grunted, “Whatever makes you sleep at night.”

Harry’s smirk transformed into a smile. He stared at Malfoy carefully, watching as his pale cheeks tinged with a light pink. His lips were pursed and he looked over Harry’s shoulder as though he didn’t want to look at the man in front of him. He appeared to be internally struggling with himself.

“Malfoy?”

Malfoy sighed dramatically. “Potter, I want to throw you over my shoulder and carry you back to my bed and shag you senseless.”

The sudden outburst shocked Harry. His eyes widened. “Malfoy?” This time, it was his voice that sounded strangled.

Malfoy chuckled darkly and held out his arm, gesturing towards the doors that led out onto Hogwarts grounds. “Shall we? There is a carriage waiting to take us to Hogsmeade.”

Harry glanced down at his blazer and ran his fingers over the red snake nervously. Other than with Cho, he hadn’t even been on a real date. It was strange to think that this date was going to be with Malfoy. A sick feeling settled in his stomach and he groaned, clutching it through his clothes.

Malfoy didn’t answer. He took a step forward and grabbed Harry’s arm to hold him steady as he swayed. “Are you okay?” He asked worriedly.

“Yeah,” Harry replied quietly, “just nervous, I guess.”

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to…” Malfoy’s grey eyes pierced into Harry.

“No!” Harry exclaimed quickly, “I want to go. Please.”

Malfoy looked surprised at the sudden exclamation, but he nodded. He looked at Harry’s bare hands and frowned. “Where are your gloves?”

“I...” Harry had forgotten all about getting his gloves. He was in such shock about the new clothes, he hadn’t thought about grabbing some gloves before he exited the common room. “I forgot them.”

Malfoy raised an eyebrow and the incoming insult that Harry expected didn’t come. Instead, he pulled out two sickles from his robe’s pocket and transfigured them into two red gloves. He handed them to Harry. “Put them on, we don’t want your hand to be cold.”

Harry did as he was told to do. As he slipped them on, he noted how warm they were. “Thanks, Malfoy.”

Malfoy nodded in acknowledgement. He reached out and touched the red snake. It moved slightly on the blazer, hissing. “I had a red snake embroidered on the blazer on purpose. It’s a sign of our union of sorts: Red in sign of a Gryffindor and a snake, in sign of a Slytherin.”

Harry cocked his head in astonishment. He didn’t know that the embroidery meant anything. He glanced down at the snake as it hissed “a joined union” over and over again.

“Yes, a joined union,” Harry spoke in reply to it. When he raised his eyes to look at Malfoy, the pink tinge was back on his cheeks. “You alright there, Malfoy?”

“I...” Malfoy cleared his throat.

“It doesn’t frighten you when I speak in Parseltongue, does it?” Harry looked at him in worry.

“No, no of course not.” Malfoy shrugged his shoulders, “It’s hot, actually.”

“Oh,” Harry felt his face flush. He laughed lightly, “Never heard that one before.”

The Slytherin nodded and acknowledged towards the door again. “Shall we?”

→→→ Chapter Six