Drarry - It Was All Just a Game (REWRITE - MATURE VERSION)

CHAPTER 31 - SUPERIOR RED

The awkwardness passed after a few interactions with each other in the hallways, nods, and sneers (per the usual ones). Draco invited Harry to a picnic the next Friday, but Harry declined, to Draco's surprise.

"I'm sorry. Dumbledore asked me to meet with him, I dunno what he wants." They spoke in a quiet alcove after dinner, after Draco gave a weighted sneer across the hall after reading the rejection letter Harry sent. "But it's probably important. It's Dumbledore, you know?"

"Fine." Draco rolled his eyes, trying his best not to freak out. Did Dumbledore know about him, and was he trying to warn Harry? Was he recruiting Harry?

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. What about Saturday?"

This was a way to test out the waters of Phase 2. "How do you know I don't already have plans?"

He was supposed to start working on the cabinet on Saturday. What an arse. Did Harry not understand that he was holding off working on murdering Dumbledore because of him?

"Thursday," Harry grimaced. "Please? I'm sorry."

Draco crossed his arms. Bloody hell, this is stupid. If he was his normal self, none of this would be a problem. He felt controlling and vindictive. "Why don't you ask Dumbledore to change it to Thursday?"

"Er... he's the headmaster," Harry said flatly.

"And I'm your boyfriend." Draco stared at him, and Harry stared back, realizing that Draco wasn't dropping this. They both knew this was out of character for him. Draco couldn't take the discomfort of neither of them backing down, so he finally caved. "Fine."

Then, Draco spun on his heel to leave, but Harry pulled his arm, reached up, and kissed his cheek. "Fewer days until I get to see you."

Draco grabbed Harry's hand and squeezed it, checking the corridor before returning to his dormitory for an uneasy sleep. His arm burned exponentially on cue. Plan DBR was already falling behind, thus putting him behind on the stupid cabinet, which he hadn't even located yet.

But this was more important.

Fun. They had to have fun.

Not normal fun. Calculated fun according to Plan DBR's steps.

So, when Draco arrived at their spot in the forest with a bottle of wine, Harry raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

Draco read the label, setting the basket down with his other hand. "Superior Red. Had my mum ship it, it's from the Malfoy cellar."

Harry looked amused. "Must be expensive, then."

"You deserve the best, don't you?" Draco didn't say it as genuinely as he would have, per Plan DBR. Harry looked at him for a few seconds, almost catching on to the subtle sarcasm in Draco's voice, but he didn't acknowledge it. "The Slytherins keep having parties, and I have no idea how to drink without grimacing. They keep laughing at me." Draco took a seat next to him on their shared blanket. "And I thought if we were going to have a lovely date, I wouldn't want to bring the cheap shit."

Harry read over the label and took the seat next to Draco. "That's nice of you. Your mum approves of you drinking?"

"My father would be happy to supply the parties if it means higher status for me. Mum just wants me to keep safe, and her way of doing so is shipping me the good stuff so I don't fill up on heavy liquor that they usually have."

"Ah, yes. I've heard the method of giving children alcohol to keep them from drinking alcohol works," Harry laughed, lying out on the blanket. His shirt pulled up a bit, revealing skin on his hip. Don't you dare look at it, Draco.