20 Feet { Blarry }

chapter 7

Blaise, Harry, and Draco were sitting in the Room of Requirement much more comfortably as they settled in to answer Draco's remaining questions. Unwittingly, they'd fought through their final class of the day, so they decided to remain in the room to iron out the last minor details. Harry asked Dobby for tea and sandwiches an hour ago. After their short repast, they all relaxed a little. "We can't tell you everything because it would ruin the surprise of our charms project, but suffice it to say that due to some of our experimentation we're stuck together," Harry explained adroitly in response to Draco's most recent question.

He blushed when Blaise winked at him and draped his arm on the couch behind Harry's head. "You're kidding right?" Draco asked, one eyebrow lifting high on his head. At their twin negative shakes, Malfoy stood up and walked over the couch they were sharing to stand before them. Harry frowned a little as Draco removed Blaise's arm from the back of the couch and worked his way in between himself and Blaise.

"Well you're not so stuck now, and you weren't stuck together while we were dueling," Draco pointed out skeptically. "Not literally stuck together," Blaise decided to explain further.

"We must remain within twenty feet of each other, or we will experience debilitating pain. We do not know what will happen if we remain separated for an extended amount of time as we have yet to test that. The pain really is quite unbearable." Harry nodded, "We had no inclination to push the boundaries of the spell further."

"What spell," Draco asked, intrigued now.

It was unusual for Blaise to admit any sort of weakness especially 'debilitating pain.' The spell must be something serious if he was experiencing pain that couldn't be hidden. On the other hand, it spoke to his trust in Draco that he'd admitted that much in the first place, and Draco instantly felt more secure in their friendship by the lack of hesitation in his confession. Harry sighed and that sweet pout adorned his face again, "That's just it. We don't know; we sort of created it by accident, and we haven't had the time to try to create a counter-curse. Honestly, I don't even know where to start. Being stuck together is starting to become difficult as well. Because we have to remain near each other, we've had to share each other's dormitories at night, alternating between the tower and the dungeons, and you can see by your fit it is becoming unfeasible."

"Fit," Draco snorted.

"Malfoys do not have fits." Blaise chuckled and Harry merely rolled his eyes. "In any case," Blaise sobered, "we cannot remain as we are, so we are going to ask Professor Snape for help." Draco really laughed then, "You're going to ask my godfather to help you with this?" "This, among other things yes," Blaise answered,

"Why is that funny?"

"Because Uncle Sev hates Potter, for one, and you should have known better," Draco answered his friend swiftly, still snickering. Harry frowned,

"Well, he'll just have to get over it because we don't have anyone else to ask at the moment." Sobering, Draco looked at Potter, relaxing between the two and showing that he wasn't planning on moving anytime soon. Harry noted his behavior and couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. He and Draco, despite their new truce, couldn't be considered friends by any stretch of the imagination, and the Slytherin was practically sitting on his thigh. Harry shifting slightly to his left and eyed Malfoy critically.

Draco smirked at his unease and broke the silence,

"What are you trying to pull Potter? We know you're the Headmaster's golden boy. You could easily ask him, and I think you'd be better for it."

"Harry and Dumbledore are at odds at the moment," Blaise interjected lightly, drawing Draco's attention with a smirk. "And beyond that, we need a little help with another project of ours for which Professor Snape's expertise is critical." Draco knew immediately that Blaise wasn't referring to their charm's project and as a result was instantly curious, but, glancing between Blaise and Potter, he realized that neither was inclined to elaborate further. So much for deep trust, Draco thought. He sighed heavily and leaned back into the couch cushions for a second. An expression of deep contemplation crossed his face; he reckoned that Potter wouldn't be completely open and honest with him until he did the same in return. Moreover, the secrets Blaise was guarding were more than likely Potter's, and Draco knew from experience that Blaise never broke anyone's confidence lightly. The silence between them was becoming very tense before Malfoy spoke, standing to face both boys at once.