8

Draco flew into the room, slammed the door loudly, threw off the stuffy robe, and collapsed like a stone on the bed. Anger bubbled up inside him, mingling with a grim sense of shame. He hadn't been laughed at like that since Gruma had turned him into a ferret! His ears glowed like two beacons, shining through his blond hair.

"That's a shame to embarrass yourself like that! God forbid Merlin should my father find out! And then there's Potter..."

- Draco! - Blaise squeezed through the door.

"He's here! My tormentor."

- Do you realize this story will go down in the annals of Hogwarts?! You should be running a business! How on earth did you conjure up two wooden dildos at once?!

- Piss off.

Malfoy's ears flushed even more when he imagined the possible purpose of the wooden dildos, and he shamefully hid his head under his pillow.

- Come on, tell me, come on!

In response, the pillow muttered something furious and hurtful, but Zabini only grinned.

- You don't want to tell me. I'll take a guess, then!

The pillow hummed this time, clearly acknowledging the idea as untenable and ultimately unworkable. "Yeah, he'll figure it out, all right.

- So, fact one: you're both late, and I'm sure it wasn't an accident. Fact two: Draco Lucius Malfoy transfigured a piece of metal into a wooden gimmick. It was definitely unintentional, and twice, too! - Blaise paced the room, curling his fingers on his hand as he reasoned. - Fact three: that part of the man's body was on your mind. Fact four: I'm not blind, and I saw the look on Potter's face when he saw THIS! From all of the above, the logical conclusion is that somehow you managed to see Potter without his trousers on, and what you saw," Blaise smiled widely and plopped down on his bed, "you loved it so much!

Draco, pounding harder and harder with each word Zabini said, jumped sharply out of bed, nearly falling over on inertia. The unfortunate pillow flew under his feet, and his face twisted angrily. Malfoy staggered toward Blaise, clearly intent on maiming him, if not strangling him at once. The usually stacked strands of his blond hair were sticking out in different directions, and his eyes were shooting lightning bolts of no less than a hundred thousand volts each.

Anyone seeing Draco Malfoy like that would instantly shit their trousers, thinking the Slytherin had gone mad or contracted rabies. Anyone, but not Blaze. Not a muscle flinched on his face.

- And there's nothing to hover over," he said calmly when Malfoy's hands were practically clasped around his neck. - You'll be scaring the freshmen with your crazy looks, not me.

Draco paused for only a second, but that was enough for Blaise to replace the cocky smirk with an expression of genuine compassion and concern:

- I'm right, aren't I? - he asked sympathetically.

As expected, such a change worked, and Malfoy's anger kicked in - his tense shoulders relaxed, his hands dropped impotently, and he sat down on the floor directly in front of Blaise and covered his face with his hands.

"Fucking detective... I can't believe he stopped laughing. I can't even believe it."

- I was on my way back from lunch when I happened to see him in the hallway," Draco blurted out. - I decided to follow him, completely unaware that he was... well... Anyway, he started jerking off, and I... I watched. Fucking stood there and watched and...

- Couldn't help himself," Blaise said sympathetically, struggling to keep a serious expression on his face. If he laughed now, Draco would stop talking to him altogether. But the scene was awfully reminiscent of some medieval tapestry depicting a kneeling confession. Still, instead of the village peasant before him, Draco Malfoy was kneeling before him precisely the same way, penitent as if he were a great sinner for his hand-wringing. He was tempted to place his hands on Malfoy's head and proclaim, "You are forgiven, my son!"

The creak of the door caused Draco to quickly get to his feet and Blaise to sigh in relief. Crabbe, Goyle and Nott piled into the room, laughing, and immediately ran into the cold stare of grey eyes.

- If you want to live - so I don't hear a word about what happened in class today," Malfoy said slowly.

The three boys nodded obediently, but when Draco returned to his bed, Nott still dared to raise his voice:

- Draco, can I make a request... Just one!

Malfoy raised his eyebrows questioningly. Why would Nott ask him for anything?

- Show me!

- Who?

- Who? The cock!

Instead of asking why Theo needed to look at THIS, Draco almost wondered why he only asked about one cock, but was quick to react.

Seeing Malfoy's face contort and mistaking the expression for anger, the classmate folded his hands in a prayerful gesture:

- Draco, please! This is the first time I've seen something like this! I'm not asking... about anything!

Taking a deep breath, Malfoy rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly and picked up his robe from the bed. "Let them look. They don't know whose it is anyway." To the touch, by the varnish, Draco identified item number two in his pocket and reluctantly pulled it out into the light.

Nott instantly grabbed the wooden cock and examined it enviously.

- Damn, what a thing... I wish I had one of those in my trousers! Only a real one! - Theo turned around and held out his dignity to Crabbe. Goyle, silent and obviously wary of Malfoy, declined the intimate acquaintance with the object of transfiguration.

For two whole minutes, Draco heroically endured the fact that Harry Potter's perfect cock was walking on his hands, but in the end, the Slytherin heart could not withstand such stress, and, taking the precious "device" again from Nott, he hid it in his bedside table. It didn't even occur to Malfoy to simply dispose of such evidence.

A couple of minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

- Blaise, be a friend and open up," Draco asked and, taking advantage of the lull, discreetly slipped his other cock into the drawer.

- Afternoon.

That painfully familiar voice made my blood run cold.

Professor Snape floated into the room and, with his usual stern gaze around the room, fixed his gaze on Draco. Malfoy, in turn, focused his gaze on Snape's nose, remembering this morning's scene. With all of today's worries, he'd forgotten about the prospect of a big scolding from his godfather after what they'd done in class. Apparently, the rest of the Slytherins were thinking the same thing because, somehow, they all turned pale and huddled together.

- Sev... Professor Snape..." Draco began, but Snape interrupted him.

- Mr. Malfoy, would you like to coach the Quidditch team a little later? - he suddenly asked. - It was Gryffindor time today, but they'd cancelled practice for some reason.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief - the death penalty was postponed. Draco and Blaise looked at each other understandingly - they knew exactly the reason for the red-gold's decision. It was hard for poor Potter to walk, and what it would be like to fly on a broomstick in his condition was frightening! And the team must have decided not to take to the pitch without their captain.

- Yes, it would be nice to fly today, wouldn't it?

The Slytherins nodded in unison to support their captain's decision, particularly as Crabbe and Goyle, who'd never even played Quidditch and had no idea the difference between a musketeer and a hunter, looked on with conviction.

Admitting the idea was excellent, Blaise held up a thumb and then suddenly sneezed, making everyone flinch, but immediately excused himself:

- Oh, sorry, I got something in my nose.

The mention of the nose, clearly intentional, instantly obliterated the seriousness of the situation. Remembering Snape's matchless face the moment Potter gave him his opinion of that part of his body, the Slytherins coughed in unison. Draco was slowly getting the feeling that if their Dean didn't want to be ridiculed again, he'd better leave as quickly as possible.

- 'Then I say to McGonagall that we take their time,' Snape said with a stony face. - 'You should be on the field in forty minutes.

- Alright, we'll be there, gh-gh-gh-gh, thank you," Malfoy replied.

The Potter looked at Draco suspiciously and blurted out:

- Do you have a cold?

Nott had a nasty cough after those words and even sat on the bed, covering his mouth with his hands.

- I... No, but Theo has bronchitis," Malfoy replied gravely, furrowing his brow.

However, judging by the stifled collective coughing behind him, it looked like they were at least having an epidemic.

The Slytherins had never been as close to failure as they are now.

- He'd already gone to Madam Pomfrey. It was no big deal.

Even if that answer didn't satisfy the Dean, he didn't show it and nodded demurely as he left the dormitory. As the door closed on the other side, there was laughter.

- Fuck, Blaise, you're a monster," Nott said through his laughter. - Something went up his nose! What if we hadn't held back? He would have skinned us for sure! Mr. Sexy Nose!

- Come on... I just didn't have the energy to look at your sour faces.

- Draco, good for you, too, for mentioning bronchitis. - Theo went on, wiping his eyes from tears. - It's going to be chronic now, especially in Potions!

Draco smiled as he felt all the worry about Potter slowly goes away. He would still think about his feelings for him, but not now.

Malfoy threw on his robe and headed out the door. Another time he would have sent one of the lads out to warn the fifth-years about Quidditch, but there was absolutely no sitting still. He found the Slytherins in the living room. As expected, the boys didn't mind the extra practice, and the game against Ravenclaw was coming up, so they went to get ready.

When Malfoy returned to the bedroom, Crabbe and Goyle were playing cards, Theo was reading something, and Blaise was scribbling some kind of message at the table.

- Who was it for? - Draco asked, peering over his mate's shoulder.

He only made out part of the phrase "Everything goes by..." before Blaze quickly covered his note with his elbow.

- Secret," Zabini winked.

- 'Another girlfriend?

- 'Exactly. Maybe some cute Gryffindor chick will find her happiness soon.

- Gryffindor?! Are you out of your mind? - Draco exclaimed.

- Hey! You're allowed, and I'm not?! - Zabini protested, instantly receiving a slap from Malfoy.

- What are you talking about? - Theo interjected, setting the book aside. - Draco has a girlfriend in Gryffindor?

- Nott, you've been reading, keep reading," Malfoy chided him. - And don't stick your non-sexy nose in other people's business!

- Malfoy, you're too nervous, and it's because you haven't had sex in a long time," Theo said sympathetically, and Draco almost choked on his breath in indignation.

- "That's okay," Blaise replied ahead of Malfoy. - The situation will change soon enough.

Boiling with anger and embarrassment, Draco threw up his hands:

- And why am I surrounded by such despicable people?!

But his rhetorical question went unanswered.

****

Half an hour later, the Slytherin team left for practice in full gear. But it was as if, in his gut, Draco sensed that they wouldn't make it to the field that easily. Of course... He couldn't be wrong.

They met with the Gryffindor trio on the way out of the castle.

- Malfoy," Potter spat out angrily.

Draco looked into the Gryffindor's eyes with great difficulty, feeling a new wave of embarrassment and even (hell!) a little bit of excitement. "What to do, what to do, what to do?!" Gotta say something! He's got the whole Quidditch team behind him. He mustn't fall flat on his face! He wouldn't have been afraid to start an altercation any other time, but now Potter had a weapon against him as well. On the other hand, even if Potter did crack about Malfoy watching him jerk off, no one would believe him. And it's unlikely this virgin-duvet boy would dare to make such a move.

- Potter, how are you doing? - Smirking, Draco asked, deliberately blocking the way. - No desire to stick it to anyone?

The green eyes flashed back with an achingly familiar fury, and Malfoy couldn't help but think how very different this Potter was from his smiling glass-ball doppelganger.

- I will punch YOU in the face if you don't get out of my way this minute! - The Hope of the magical world bellowed, blushing thickly simultaneously, either from embarrassment or anger.

Damn, why did he have to say that! The imagination reacted vividly to the remark, quickly drawing a series of intimate images in the mind that vividly illustrated the threat being voiced. Malfoy's body reacted to the pictures, responding tightly in his tight Quidditch trousers. "That's all we need!"

Hooting and whistling could be heard from the Slytherins standing behind them.

Draco gathered his will into a fist with great difficulty and held out as sarcastically as possible:

- Wow, Potty! Do you even know how to do that? Or are you practising with Weasley?

- Ugly slug! - Weasley lunged at the attack with lightning speed, but Potter reacted even faster, grabbing him by the shoulders.

- Don't, Ron!

But Weasley had already lost all interest in Malfoy and, frozen like a statue, turned his horrified gaze to Harry, waiting for something... a word, a phrase, an action, anything that anyone near a Gryffindor under such vital magical substance would now expect. Potter, however, remained silent, clearly not understanding what his redheaded mate was so afraid of.

When Draco, Blaise and the others realized what had, or instead had not, happened, they laughed in unison.

- You see, Weasley, you're such a degenerate that not even a magical aphrodisiac reacted to you! - Draco said through laughter.

- Stop it! - Hermione interjected, attempting to push her friends aside, but Potter apparently had other plans. Either way, he didn't budge.

- You will answer for this, weasel! - said, Potter. - Later! - Clearly, he was now struggling with the magic of the Dragon Flame, afraid of saying too much, closing his eyes tightly and clenching his fists.

- We shall see! - Draco replied, then continued at once before Potter could say a word:

- You know, you're full of surprises, Potty! I wonder what the magical community will say when they discover our brave Gryffindor hero likes boys! - Draco realized he was going crazy but couldn't stop himself. - And as for your threat, Potter, I have to disappoint you - I'll never get a hard-on for you anyway! - The blond man gave a theatrical flutter of his arms, and his comrades laughed.

"Actually, I'm up already, and for the second time today." - A sarcastic inner voice immediately buzzed in his head, but Draco quickly silenced it. "God, what have I said... I don't care! The important thing is that Potter never said anything about..."

However, the sinister smirk on Gryffindor's face somehow made Draco lose some confidence in his thoughts. He gave the impression that he was already facing a completely different person.

- You know, Malfoy, I'm in such a state that I'm afraid I won't be interested in your opinion on this," he murmured, causing the Slytherin to whistle again.

Draco didn't have time to respond when Potter suddenly stepped almost close to him, forcing him to step back slightly. His pupils dilated almost to the limit again.

- Don't play with fire, Malfoy. You might burn yourself," he smiled again, but this time quite lewdly. "The Dragon Flame was slowly gaining the upper hand over the modest boy's mind.

Draco wanted to shout something back, insult, taunt, whatever, but the world around him suddenly narrowed to those green eyes with dilated pupils that were unacceptably close to his own. The blood pounded louder and louder in his temples, his breathing was treacherous, and his tongue stuck to his palate. His gaze slid to Potter's parted lips, which (God...) were gradually drawing closer to him... "Does he really want to...?" Those present held their breath, waiting for something utterly impossible to happen now, but when Malfoy had already felt hot breath touch his lips, there was a shriek nearby:

- Harry!

With a shudder, Draco opened his eyes ("When did I close them?!"), watching with bated breath, Potter, having regained consciousness, scurried away from him like the devil from the incense. The Gryffindor looked at Hermione in horror, then, to the amusement of the Slytherins, rolled his eyes and settled unconsciously on the floor.

Only Malfoy wasn't laughing, once again buried under a barrage of emotions ranging from frustration, embarrassment, and panic to hatred for himself, Potter, and the unfortunate Granger, that got in the way!

- Potter has a crush on you, Draco," Nott grinned, patting him on the shoulder. - 'Be careful!

Giggling, the Slytherins headed onward, skirting both sides of Granger and Weasley, trying to bring their Hero to their senses.

Draco kept turning around as they walked through the long corridor, keeping an eye on the Gryffindors. Noticing these thrashings, Blaise leaned over to him and whispered encouragingly in his ear:

- "Don't worry, your chick will be fine.

Draco scowled, elbowing Blaise in the side with his usual motion, but as if to confirm Zabini's words, Potter moved in Weasley's arms and stood up, gripping his head. A sigh of relief nearly escaped Draco's lips, but he held himself back, cursing himself to hell. "He's someone to worry about! I mean, he almost kissed me and I didn't even do anything to prevent it!"

"And I didn't want to prevent it..." - the same nasty inner voice interjected. "No, I'm definitely losing my mind!"

Once outside, Slytherin breathed in the fresh autumn air with his full chest, feeling the thoughts in his head come into relative order almost instantly and the inadvertent excitement that had arisen gradually pass.

After all, it was no big deal!

- Draco," Blaise called, causing him to slow down a little. - Would you make up your mind after all?

- About what?

- About Potter, of course! Just think! What have you got to lose?

- Can't you use human language? Or I'll tell you exactly what you're missing!

- The Dragonflame property, have you forgotten? Potter won't remember anything!

- Wait," Malfoy was finally getting the hang of it. - You want me to...

- Exactly! - Zabini nodded enthusiastically, stopping Draco and placing his hands on his shoulders. - You like him. Stop denying the obvious! Don't you want to take advantage of the situation?! You could fuck him senselessly and, more importantly, without consequences!

Draco indignantly shook Blaise's hands off his shoulders, hissing like a snake:

- Zabini, you're going to get an Avada tonight for sure! I don't like him! And I'm not touching him!

Eyes glinting angrily, Draco sped up to overtake the rest of the team.

- Do you even believe in what you're saying, you stubborn bastard? - Blaise scolded him grudgingly and staggered off after him.

If they had looked back a moment later, they would have seen a shadowy shape emerge from the tree where they had just stopped and, without looking behind them, head quickly in the opposite direction, toward the castle.

Dusk was gathering over Hogwarts.