Third Place - Angst

"I'm okay. I promise."

Harry pushed out of the embrace a bit fearfully. Hermione understood and stepped back.

"I'm sorry, Harry. His pupils had gone vertical and he had those silver splotches, just like the book described. And the things he was saying and threatening you with� We were just so afraid that he was going to do something awful to you," she said. Harry sat down in his seat in History of Magic. Hermione and Ron returned to their seats as well after having jumped up to greet him when he came in.

"He did, Hermione," Ron insisted. "Harry had to eat with the Slytherins. Was it bad, Harry?" Harry shook his head.

"No, not really. I was afraid that he would make me sit on the floor. In fact, I think a lot of the Slytherins were as shocked as I was when he didn't. But he wasn't angry anymore after I, um, apologized and he left me pretty much alone."

"Well, that's good." Hermione said.

"Yeah, but how are you ever going to face Snape again?" Ron asked.

"Ron!"

"It's okay, Hermione." Harry turned to Ron. "Snape doesn't like what is happening. He doesn't like being out of control like that, so actually, I think I'll have it the easiest in Potions this term." Harry smiled mischievously.

"Yeah, only cause your polishing his wand for him!"

"Shut it, Seamus!" Ron yelled. Just then Professor Binns floated in and called the class to order, cutting off anymore words and the few giggles that had accompanied Seamus's remark. Harry hunched his shoulders and began copying down word for word what Binns was rambling on about. He had no idea what the words meant strung together in a sentence, just that he needed something to concentrate on. Hermione put her hand on his back in a comforting gesture. Harry ignored it and the whispers around him. But he couldn't help but hear them.

"�on his knees�"

"�to a Slytherin!"

"�think he likes it�"

"�did you see his smile when he came out of there�"

"� Ministry would never make Harry do anything he didn't want to�"

Ron's hands were trembling fists as he no doubt had heard it as well. The Ravenclaws were the worst. They were cold blooded intellectuals who rarely took into account emotions. Which was odd because the most emotional person he ever met had been a Ravenclaw.

The whispers seemed to follow him for the rest of the day. Ron got into several scuffles resulting in both Hermione and Harry breaking it up. Harry assured both of them that it didn't bother him. But it did. He didn't know if he would understand the compulsion he was under if he wasn't experiencing it. So it was unfair of him to expect his schoolmates to understand. But the whispers and looks still hurt.

It was a very subdued Harry who came in to dinner. When Draco imperiously gestured him over to the Slytherin table, Harry was almost relieved. At least at Slytherin he was expecting and able to handle the derision they threw his way.

Walking up to where Draco was sitting, he waited, feeling the rush of attention to Draco as the high kicked in. The Slytherins were shooting him disgusted looks and making nasty comments which he ignored.

"What are you doing?"

Harry started to answer Draco's question when he realized the blonde wasn't speaking to him.

"I'm eating," Blaise Zabini said. "What does it look like?"

"Move over," Draco ordered. Blaise and several others looked at Draco as if he had lost his mind.

"What?" Blaise asked, shocked.

"When were you struck deaf, Zabini? I said, move." Draco stood up and over Blaise. "Or do I need to make you."

"No need to go all animal," Blaise muttered and begrudgingly slid over, taking his plate with him. Turning to Harry, Draco pointed to the empty spot on his left.

"Sit," he ordered, doing the same himself and returning to his meal. Harry quickly slipped over the bench and sat down. A new plate appeared before him and he reached over and snagged a roll. The next instant he was on his back on the ground, his chest hurting. The roll was snatched out of his hand and he was wrenched back up into a semi-reclined position. His robes were clenched in Draco's fist as the Supero straddled the bench.

"Did I say you could eat?" Draco asked in a half growl that could just be heard over the table's laughter.

"No, Draco," Harry said quietly.

"You seem to be having a difficult time figuring this out, Potter."

"Yes, Draco. I'm sorry."

"Maybe we should go back to 'master'," Draco mused. Harry really didn't want that. He had to struggle against the urge to please Draco with the title. The voice was telling him that that would be a tremendously stupid mistake to commit in front of the Slytherins.

"I'm sorry�Draco. I promise to� think before I act." Draco laughed.

"You? Think before you act?" He laughed again, the other Slytherins joining him. "Mr. I'll-rush-in-to-anything Gryffindor? Yeah, right. Now you're just lying to me."

"Oh no, Draco. I'm not lying," Harry rushed out. Draco pursed his lips in thought. Then he let go of Harry's robes, letting the Gryffindor flop back onto the floor.

"Get up."

Harry quickly got to his feet.

"Sit down." Draco pointed again to the vacant seat on his left. Harry sat, folding his hands in his lap. Draco smirked at him and resumed eating and talking around Harry to Blaise and the other seventh year Slytherins. Harry glanced up from under his fringe at the Gryffindor table and saw his friends watching him in obvious concern. He gave them a small half smile, which was returned with worried looks. A movement caught his eye and he looked over and saw one of the Ravenclaw girls pointing at him and whispering. Her friend turned to look at Harry. She shook her head, her face a mask of disgusted pity. Then she turned away dismissively.

Harry dropped his eyes back down to his empty plate. They thought he wanted this, that since he did such a wonderful service that the Ministry would let him do anything he wanted. He knew Ron was telling everyone differently, but since no one else was at that meeting, and the fact that Harry had capitulated so quickly, no one really believed him. They all just assumed that Harry would fight everything and everyone and no one would be able to stop him. And Harry knew they were right. But, how could he fight himself? His own nature? That kind of battle was futile. That was what they didn't get and Harry would forever be looked upon as a disappointment. They would all assume that he had become attracted to the Dark after being touched by it for so long. That he had given up. That he was weak.

"You're making me lose my appetite!"

Harry looked up towards Draco. "I'm sorry, Draco."

"I didn't know waiting to eat made you cry." He threw his fork down. "And this is the boy wonder who took down the big bad dark wizard of our age?" The Slytherins all chuckled. "You're maudlin because I am teaching you patience?"

"No, Draco."

"Then what is your problem?"

Harry didn't know what to say. Apparently, he had been leaking emotions. The books had said that Indago are able to smell any strong emotions. Draco must have picked up on his sadness at once again being a pariah. He couldn't not answer the question, but he was afraid of the derisive actions Draco may take.

"I� The school thinks, they think that�" Draco raised an annoyed eyebrow. The voice told him to get a backbone and Harry blurted out, "The rest of the school thinks that I want to be here, doing this, and they don't like me for it."

"Oh no, Potter isn't liked by everybody," Pansy Parkinson said in faux distress. "Somebody notify the press." More mocking ensued and Harry endured it.

"Do you think I care what the school thinks?" Draco said, bringing the noise level down to near silence at the table around him. "I could beat you bloody right here on this table and no one could stop me, not even that daft old man." Draco nodded his chin in contempt at the head table where Dumbledore sat. "No one can do anything at all, they are completely impotent. So what do you care that they haven't got a clue? It's not the first time. The majority of the people in this school are thickheaded simpletons who follow like sheep to whoever's horn is loudest. In a few months they will be the meaningless background noise of life. Now suck it up and eat." Draco picked up his fork and resumed eating. The rest of Slytherin followed suit and the noise level came back up to normal.

Harry immediately began filling his plate and eating as ordered, but the entire time he chewed on Draco's words. And somehow, they actually made him feel better.

Indago - Chapter 18

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