Black Truth [READ DESCRIPTION]

chapter seventeen

Chapter Seventeen: Lighting the Fuse

In the weeks that followed, as late November became early December, Harry found himself watching Draco more closely. He was… intrigued by Draco, that was it. He wasn't developing any feelings other than interest… or so he told himself. He wanted to figure out just how the blonde's mind worked. One minute Draco would be as horrible as he normally was, and then he'd turn around and actually be civil or worse, agreeable. And when he was either of those two things (civil or agreeable) Harry was forced to admit to himself that he enjoyed the blonde's company immensely.

So he took up Draco-watching. It therefore became… almost unfortunate, that he only shared three classes with Draco: Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Transfiguration. Although it did give him a wide base of subjects really: one of his better, one of Draco's worst – Care of Magical Creatures; one of Draco's best, his worst – Potions; and a class that was somewhere in-between - Transfiguration. As such, he'd been mildly and pleasantly surprised when, after a particularly nasty assignment from Transfiguration class, he'd begun ranting about it, not caring that Draco was in the room, Draco had joined him. About fifteen minutes later he realized that those were probably the most enjoyable fifteen minutes he'd shared with Draco for the entire amount of time that he'd known him.

Of course, his two best friends noticed his strange new habit, even though one tried his best to ignore it.

"Hermione, I'm telling you, nothing is going on between Harry and Malfoy," Ron muttered from his chair in the otherwise empty Gryffindor Common Room. "You're just imagining things."

"Ron, you are refusing to see the facts. Harry won't even start eating until he's watched Malfoy sit down on the other side of the Great Hall; that's not normal Harry-hates-Malfoy behavior. You caught them kissing once, you shouldn't be this blind."

"Why not?" It did, after all, sit perfectly well with Ron to be this blind.

"Ron, just think for a moment. Harry is our best friend. What if he's falling in love with Malfoy (Ron winced) and Malfoy doesn't get it? Harry could be seriously emotionally scarred if something doesn't happen."

"Hermione, are you sure you're not overreacting?" Ron asked, remembering how Hermione acted about the House Elves and seeing the same trend in her behavior now.

"You see how Harry acts too; you tell me if I'm overreacting."

"You're overreacting."

Hermione sighed. "Fine then. You just find out the password to Harry and Malfoy's room and I'll do the rest."

"What?"

"I'm serious."

"You're crazy."

"Ron-"

"Fine, fine. I'll get Harry to tell me so we can meet him there to study or something."

"Good."

Ron shook his head as he watched Hermione walk up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. "I tried to make her stay out of it…" he said weakly. "No one can say I didn't try."

Draco was not amused at this moment in time. No, he was not pleased at all. And every fibre of his being was directed at making this known to the being standing in his rooms not three feet away from him.

"And just what do you think you are doing in my rooms?" Draco hissed.

Hermione was rather impressed. No wings had sprouted yet. "Is Harry here?"