The Bet
Chapter V - Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Harry/Draco, Harry/OMC, Harry/OFC, Draco/OFC, Seamus/Ginny, Ron/Hermione, Neville/Luna
R/NC-17 | 3,221 words | 2004-present
Beta: Eva
Summary:AU. Post-war. It all started with a little bet. Draco Malfoy has never been one to back down from a perfectly do-able bet. But when that bet involves Harry Potter? Draco is realising that this bet is not as cut and dry as it seems, nor as easy...
Notes: Written before HBP and DH.
***
Harry nearly slammed the door to his room the second
he got in there. What's their problem? Am I not allowed to talk
to who I want to anymore? God, if they knew about Malfoy...they'd
think I'd gone insane. I can hear Ron now: 'Going out to the middle
of the woods in the middle of the night with Malfoy? Harry,
have you gone mad? He could have killed you!' Although Seamus knows...about
the first time, anyway. I wonder why he hasn't told anyone...
Setting his glass of milk and box of cookies down
on his desk, he flopped back onto his bed, sighing. He realised idly
that he had never taken his denim jacket off. Oh well. Then his mind
wandered back to his original thoughts. Why haven't I told
anyone? Well, except Raven of course, although she already knew part
of it. Which is good enough for me right now. At least I'm not worried
about her blowing the whole thing out of proportion. Sitting back
up, he grabbed his afternoon snack and dug in, making sure his cookies
were sufficiently dunked in the milk before popping them into his
mouth.
I suppose I just want a secret of my own. A happy
secret. Not like the one about my nightmares and demons. Although
Raven and Malfoy sort of know about that too. Even the only happy
thing I've heard today, Malfoy knows about. Someone out there likes
me. Wants me. And thinks I'll make someone else really happy. Harry
sighed. She's really nice. And pretty.
And she loves Malfoy. Its
too bad it can't be her I make happy.
Harry suppressed a slight shudder. I mean, I understand
that they're really close, but why Malfoy? He's such an arse.
Even after that little trip through the woods
last night? Taunted Harry's 'other' mental voice.
Shut up, he told it back.
Harry was finishing off his biscuits when he heard
Ron and Hermione's laughter coming up the stairs, into the hallway
and then into Ron's (and Neville's) room, where it was muffled by
the door closing. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out what they
were about to do. Feeling even more depressed, Harry went downstairs,
threw away his trash and washed out his glass, then proceeded to go
back outside.
Am I not allowed to be happy? It really seems
like everyone else is...so why can't I? What am I missing? Harry
thought hard for a minute, looking at the differences between everyone
he knew that seemed happy. The most definitive factor was that most
of everyone he thought of...had someone. And he didn't.
Ron and Hermione, Luna and Neville, Seamus and Ginny, Susan and Owen...Raven
and...Malfoy. They all had each other. Besides the fact that I'm
still dealing with the effect the war's had on me, there should be
nothing in my way. But who can help me be happy? I thought for a minute
that I could maybe be happy with Raven, but she's dead set on marrying
Malfoy. But she still wants me, she said. What does that mean? Does
she want to keep me as a lover or something? Could I live with that?
Just to get laid? Maybe. Can I be second to Malfoy? It
didn't take long to answer that last question. No. I need something
for myself. That is all my own.
Harry finally arrived at the place his feet automatically
took him when he needed to think. It was where he'd gone to after
giving Malfoy that death threat Friday morning. The beach. Down past
the school, and at the bottom of the cliff, there was a long, narrow
strip of sand, surrounded by sharp rocks. Not many came down here,
for fear of being trapped between the rocks and the water when the
tide went up. And no one went into the water; it was freezing even
in the middle of the summer. But Harry had naturally worked out a
little path down there ever since he had arrived in Rookwood. It was
his special place to think, kind of like Malfoy's place at the cove.
When the tide was high, there was a little out cropping of rock that
Harry sat on, otherwise, he would shuck off his socks and shoes and
go either sit or walk in the sand, like he was doing today. The crashing
of the waves further around the bend was soothing, as was the cool
water on his feet. Walking down the beach, he let memories from earlier
that day come back to him.
The trip back from the cove with Raven had been
made in silence, which suited Harry just fine. He realised that it
was really nice, just walking around with someone, not feeling the
need to fill the silence. He had never been all that confident around
girls, but Raven made him feel really at ease, even though he knew
she liked him in that way. He really liked just being able
to hold hands and have companionship. Companionship wasn't something
he felt all that often anymore. He had changed too much.
But again, ultimately, it was elusive. He wasn't
meant to keep Raven's feelings or her companionship to himself, and
that not only made him feel quite lonely again, but it made him angry.
If it wasn't dark lords, it was something simple like love that got
in the way of him having a normal life. Harry realised that love wasn't
really all that simple, but it seemed so easy for everyone
else to find, so why couldn't he? Even Malfoy of all people
found love. So Harry came up with the only conclusion he could in
his current state of mind:
Life sucked. And he was never getting
laid.
***
Draco walked up the porch steps and straight through
the door, not bothering to knock. He was a man on a mission. Stalking
up the stairs, he reached the landing, scaring a towel-clad Tracy
Davis, who had just come out of the bathroom after her evening shower.
"Draco!" she shrieked. "You can't
just come barging up here! This is the girls' dorm."
"Shove off, Tracy. I need to see Raven."
The door next to Draco opened up, and the girl in
question appeared. "Hey Dray, baby. What's up?"
"Don't you 'baby' me, you little slut. What
the fuck do you think you're doing?" Draco spat, his grey eyes
flashing silver.
"Excuse me?" Raven looked rather startled.
"What was that with you and Potter?" Draco
repeated.
Understanding sparked in Raven's eyes. "Draco,"
she said calmly. "Let's go over to your place to talk about this.
Daphne's trying to study, and it'd be better if we were alone. I'll
go get my shoes." Draco only scowled menacingly at her.
"Fine. But hurry it up." And he turned
around and stalked back down the stairs.
Raven shot Tracy an apologetic look. "Sorry,
Trace. I'll try to make sure he doesn't do it again, but you know
how he is."
"Just keep your lover's quarrels away from me,
alright, Rae? You two get right nasty when you fight."
"Sorry. Look, I'll be back in a bit, hopefully.
If I'm not, I'll see you in class tomorrow." With Tracy's nod,
Raven ducked back into her room and grabbed a pair of clogs. "See
you later, Daph," Raven called as she quickly went down the stairs
to a still-fuming Draco, who was waiting in the foyer.
Silently, she followed him out the door and over
to the next dormitory, Number Three. The two quickly walked up stairs
and into his private bedroom, where he slammed the door behind her,
locked it, and placed a silencing charm on the room. Whirling on her,
he opened his mouth to re-start his interrogation, but was cut off
by the warm hug that enveloped him.
"What are you doing?" he asked, annoyance
and anger in his tone.
"Hugging you," came the reply from somewhere
in his neck.
"I can see that, but you do realise that
you are in a ridiculous amount of trouble, and that hugging me is
not going to help you?"
"Yeah, I know."
Draco sighed. "What happened, Raven? Someone
told me they saw you holding hands with Potter earlier today. Are
you taking matters into your own hands? Did I not seduce him
fast enough for you?" He said the last rather sarcastically.
Raven finally pulled back and looked up into Draco's
grey eyes. "I'm not going to say I'm sorry, Dray. Because I'm
not."
"But what happened?"
"Potter came to me today, to talk about you."
"About me?"
"Yes."
"And what did you tell him?"
"I told him that the reason you were acting
so strangely is because of me. Because I like him, and you want me
to be happy."
"You lied?"
"No. I didn't lie. You know I like him. That
I want both of you. I told you so. You want me to be happy. You've
told me that, many times. So no, I didn't lie." She paused, and
went to go sit down on Draco's black-draped bed. "And you are
talking to him, and taking him out in the middle of the night,"
this was said with tone that implied that he'd be explaining that
one in the near future, "because of me. You never would have
done those things otherwise if I hadn't made the bet with you."
Draco frowned, feeling anger building inside of him
again. "I'm not seeing where the hand holding is coming in. Did
you guys kiss too?"
"What? No, of course not. The hand holding thing
came in when he had stopped walking with me. So I turned around and
offered my hand, to get him to continue. And he took it. And we just
kept holding hands. I really don't think it meant anything like that."
"Raven, this is Potter we're talking about.
He's probably sexually repressed enough as it is, and holding hands
with him is probably like swearing your undying love for each other."
"Oh, Draco, stop being so melodramatic. It didn't
feel that way at all between us. I think he was just happy to learn
that someone cared about him. It was comfortable. Like we were old
friends, or something."
"So your sure? Nothing weird is going on?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
Draco sighed heavily, falling down on his back next
to the girl. "What else did you guys talk about? I'm assuming
you didn't talk about the bet."
"Then your assumption would be correct. We talked
about my paintings, and a little about my feelings for him, but I'm
not sure how he feels about it. He also thinks that although you love
me, that because I like him, you've been trying to patch things
up with him for my sake."
"Well, isn't that part of what I'm doing? I
mean, I'm doing this for you. So you'll be happy. It's not like I'm
doing this for kicks. It's fucking Potter, for Merlin's sake."
"And you don't think you'll become happy in
the process?"
"Not with Potter, no."
Raven shook her head in resignation. "Draco...stop
jumping in, just watch."
"What the bloody hell does that mean?"
"That you need to observe your prey, instead
of just going in there without planning."
"What?" He sounded affronted. "I
have been planning. Everything I've done has had a plan to
go with it."
"Perhaps. But you don't think I started liking
Potter overnight did you? It's not just physical attraction, Dray.
Regardless of my sexual desires towards the Gryffindor, I've actually
been watching him too. Trying to figure him out, watching his mannerisms,
learning all I can about him."
"But why?" Draco sounded slightly
disgusted and disturbed.
"Because I was curious. I never really paid
much attention to him when we were at Hogwarts, in our later years,
I mean; and you two were two years ahead of me anyway. I wanted to
know about the boy who saved the world. So I watched."
"You're obsessed. Why didn't I see it before?"
he mumbled to himself.
"Maybe I am. But Potter's not the only thing
I'm obsessed about." Her tone was slightly suggestive.
Draco lifted his head off of the bed slightly. "What
else is there I should know about?"
"Why, Dray, you're not up to your usual narcissistic
self lately."
"What does that mean?"
Raven kicked off her clogs and turned around on the
bed, climbing on top of Draco and straddling his hips. "I'm obsessed
with you, of course." She said lightly, kissing him on the nose.
Draco's breath hitched when Raven had climbed on
top of him, and his eyes widened as she spoke. After the quick peck
on the nose, the air suddenly had a heavy quality to it as the two
enamoured Slytherins looked at each other. Slowly, Draco lifted a
hand and brushed her cheek with his fingertips.
"I love you, Raven. I really do."
She smiled softly at him. "I love you too, Draco."
With an unspoken agreement, and after all their years
of bantering, they were finally going to take the next step in their
relationship.
Raven dipped her head down, just as Draco tilted
his up, and their lips met halfway. It was soft and tentative, just
as unsure as twelve-year-olds, but so full of love and passion that
it seemed like all those years spent waiting for each other was worth
it. Their kissing quickly escalated, becoming hungry and feverous,
testimony to their repressed sexual drives, and soon they were clutching
at clothing, trying to rid themselves of the offensive material. Both
of their shirts were gone, and Draco was working on Raven's bra when
she pulled back, stopping him and moving to sit beside him.
"No...not yet. We need to stop." Her lips
were swollen red and her cheeks were just as flushed as Draco's, who
was trying to ignore his sudden raging hard-on at seeing her so debauched.
Draco sat up. "What?" He was breathlessly
confused. "Why?"
"Because...it's not the right time."
"What do you mean? It's not like you're about
to lose your virginity. I believe Malcolm Baddock already had that
privilege." Draco was getting annoyed. What is going on?
Raven almost smiled at Draco's guess of the problem,
but quickly sobered. "No," she said. "The bet."
This was said quietly, but it rang in Draco's ears as if she had shouted
it.
His look darkened. "The bet? The bet?
You're worried about..." he trailed off. Suddenly, he exploded
in anger, his eyes flaring. "FUCK THE BET, Raven! I don't want
to finish what I've started with Potter. I don't fucking care! I love
you! I want to be with you! Is that so much to ask?" He stood
and walked over to his door, standing there for a minute before punching
it in another sudden rage.
Whirling back around he said, "I think it's
apparent that that's not what you want though. It's gotta fuckin'
involve Potter. Well, fuck Potter. He's not good enough for
you. He's not worth it." Draco went back to Raven and took a
hold of her upper arms. "Forget him. Please. Just be with me."
He was now looking at her pleadingly.
But Raven just shook her head, and Draco's heart
fell. Placing a hand on his cheek and giving him a kiss she said,
"I love you, Dray. So much. But...it's more complicated than
that. I can't just forget Potter. It's too important. Please, continue
what you've started. It's really important that you do. It's not just
about me. It's about him. He needs it, Dray. He does. And you'll realise
that too, soon enough."
Draco was more confused than ever. "Raven, love,
I don't understand. Why does he need it? Can't you tell me?"
Raven looked like she was about to explain, then
seemed to think better of it. "No. I'm sorry, Dray. But I think
it would be better for you, for all three of us, if you figured it
out on your own."
But Draco still wasn't giving up so easily. "So
why did you start something? Why kiss me? If you knew it wasn't going
to go where I know we both want it to go, why bother? We've
both known that we've wanted something more for a while now, but if
you still wanted to wait..." his voice was about to break and
so he trailed off, looking away.
"I..." Raven took a deep breath. "I'm
sorry, Dray, really. I guess...I let my hormones take over for a second."
The hurt on Draco's face and in his eyes was absolutely unbearable
for Raven to see. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him. "Draco,"
she said, as she lifted his chin to look directly in his eyes. "I'm
not afraid of taking our relationship to the next level. I just don't
think now is a good time to have sex. I'm happy just being closer
to you."
Draco sighed and pulled Raven into a hug. "So
am I. I've wanted to kiss you for so long...I just...I think we had
both let it take over. We've both waited..."
"...So let's not screw it up, by rushing it."
Raven finished. "We have our whole lifetimes together."
She pulled back out of his embrace. "We've been given a second
chance, Dray. A second chance to explore life and have fun. Let's
experience as much as we can." She smiled and received one back,
although his was more of a smirk at the end.
"And I suppose stealing Potter's virginity will
be part of those experiences?"
Raven grinned mischievously. "Ah...I see your
perceptivity about my motivations is reaching new heights. I'll have
to remember to be more careful in the future. And yes, Potter is one
of those experiences. But like I said, there are other factors that
came into play too."
"And you're really not going to tell me?"
"Nope, sorry. It's one of those things that
would be better for you to discover on your own about our lovely little
Gryffindor, rather than having me tell you. But really, you've already
started realising it. You just need to keep watching."
Draco blew out some air. "Fine. I'll continue
with our little game. But blimey, you are an elusive little bitch,
aren't you?"
"I try my best."
"I'm sure you do. So," he said with a smirk
on his face, "would you like to stay over tonight?"
Raven raised an eyebrow. "As long as all we're
doing is sleeping."
"No snogging?" Draco said with a pout.
"Of course we'll be snogging. I'm not
a complete prude."
"So you're just saying that if it weren't for
Potter, we'd be shagging like bunnies right now?"
"Draco!"
"What? It's true, isn't it?"
Raven sighed. "Yes, sort of. I just don't want
to rush things either. I thought we already went over this, you tit."
"We did, we did. Sorry. Just had to double check."
They giggled softly and without words, decided to finish getting undressed,
a bit more calmly this time and keeping
their underwear on. Getting under the covers and snuggling in, their
kissing continued, with a little bit of tentative touching, but soon
exhaustion took over and they were content and peaceful to drift off
into Morpheus.
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