Confidential Lover

Chapter 3

"He told you that?" Ron asked, wide eyed.

Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room with Ron and Hermione, and he had just told them about his conversation with Malfoy no more than twenty minutes ago in IRS.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone else. And don't mention it to Malfoy." Harry requested, not for the protection of his partner, but for the protection of himself, because he was quite sure that if Malfoy heard Ron talking about that he would surely kill Harry.

"Aw, come one, Harry. What's the point of knowing this if I can't even tease Malfoy about it?" Ron pouted.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just leave it alone, Ron. Do it for Harry at least, so that he doesn't end up in the hospital wing."

Harry would have loved to sit and listen to Hermione scold Ron, but his mind took him elsewhere, suddenly wondering what made Malfoy open up to him so quickly. He watched as the blonde stalked across the hall from the Slytherin table to the tall doors of the Great Hall, and exit. Harry got up swiftly and took off in the same direction as Malfoy.

He walked at a fast pace, trying as hard as he could to contain the sound of his shoes tapping against the cold, stone floor. He was about fifty feet away from Malfoy, trying to speed up to get closer, and Malfoy took a turn. Harry quickly flew around the bend, just in time to see Malfoy turn again into one of the prefects' bathrooms. 

Harry slowed down his pace, breathing deeply as he reached the door. He tugged on the handle, and it only took him one pull to realize that Malfoy locked the door from the inside. Letting curiosity take over (why would Malfoy lock the entry door to the bathroom?), he scrambled around his robes for his wand, and put the tip of it up to the door handle.

"Alohomora." he whispered. Harry jiggled the door handle once more, letting it slide open easily. He tucked his wand away in his robes and walked into the bathroom. To his dismay, however, the bathroom appeared to be completely empty. Malfoy was nowhere in sight. He wasn't at the sinks, there was no reflection in the mirrors...Harry even got down on his knees to check the stalls for a set of feet. Surely he wasn't going mad?

"Looking for someone?" 

Startled, Harry turned around so quickly that he was sure the movement gave him whiplash. Once he adjusted, though, he saw nobody there. He couldn't be hallucinating this right? Malfoy was definitely up to something...right?

The same invisible voice called out again, this time from the other side of the bathroom and with a small giggle. "Over here."

Harry turned, calmer this time, and looked to where the voice was coming from. He knew from the voice it wasn't Malfoy; in fact, it wasn't even technically a person.

"Myrtle? Why do I keep seeing you in the boys'  bathroom?" Harry asked.

"I was waiting for someone. Don't ask, I'm not gonna say anything." she replied in her usual melancholy tone.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I've known about your thing  with Malfoy since my sixth year, give it up already."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "How did you know it was him?"

"Well I wasn't completely sure until now. What do you even talk to him about?"

Myrtle swooped down swiftly from the top of a stall to right in front of Harry. "He talks about you...a lot. He is awfully bitter towards you, Harry. What did you do to him?"

She floated off to the side a bit, and Harry turned to watch her. "What does he say?" he asked, his heart starting to beat faster. Acknowledging the sudden change in his heart rate, Harry awkwardly looked down at his feet, as though that would hide his feelings from himself.