Third Place - Angst

"Tell me why."

Harry looked up from his position. He was quite happily wrapped in strong arms, with his head on Draco's chest. The blonde had pulled him into this position the moment he had recovered and Harry had spent silent minutes drowsily listening to the steady and reassuring beat of the heart underneath him.

"Just... just explain to me why you are doing this," Draco said. He continued to stare up at the ceiling, his face completely calm.

"Because it's comfortable and fun," Harry answered cheekily. "Why do you shag and cuddle?"

Draco didn't move. "You know what I'm asking, Potter," he said in a voice with no inflection.

Harry sighed and reached up to scratch his eyebrow. "You know why. I told you."

Draco finally looked down at Harry. The silver eyes had never been so serious without anger or contempt in them. "Tell me again," he said quietly.

"Why? So you can yell at me again? Call me names? Tell me I'm stupid and being Gryffindorish?" Harry sat up as he spoke and reversed their positions until it was he staring down at the blonde. The silver eyes never left him, nor did they change in their calmness or seriousness.

"All of that is a given. But I want you to tell me anyway."

Harry sighed again in frustration. "I don't see why we have to talk about it. Why don't we do something else?"

Draco sat up and the anger he had been banking finally began spilling over. "You're not afraid of doing it but afraid of talking about it? That's rich. Just blind faith, is that it? Typical, Potter, very typical." He flung the covers off and stood up angrily. Harry turned to watch him.

"I'm not going to change my mind, Draco. So why be sore at me for it? We could spend our time doing other things, like play a game of chess or raid the kitchen or-,"

"Pick out the funeral robe that will bring out the highlights in your hair?" Draco said scathingly.

"It's not a done deal, you know," Harry said firmly, his face hardening in determination. "Hermione says that-,"

"Like I care what that twat has to say!"

"She says," Harry continued doggedly, "that there is a fifty-fifty chance that it will be immune."

"Wonderful, perfect, just brilliant," Draco muttered as he began pacing about the room. Harry didn't even feel bad when he allowed himself the pleasure of watching the unclothed muscles at work.

"And do you even know what happens if the odds are against you?" Draco snapped bringing Harry's attention back to the present situation.

"No." Harry shrugged. "Does it really matter? If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I don't need to know the gory details."

Draco snarled as he turned on Harry who leaned back instinctually from the blonde's anger. "Oh no," Draco sneered. "Let me inform you of those little gory details." He began to stalk Harry as he spoke in a low voice. "When the moon rises, that thing will start to change. As it won't be able to survive inside you in that state, it will die. It will die clawing at your insides. The natural magic inside you will begin fighting against the Lycanthrope laced carcass. Your immunity will fight with the virus, your blood will be poisoned and you will begin to attempt to transform yourself to adapt. But guess what? You won't change. Inside, your organs will begin to liquefy and you will die. All of this will take place within a matter of minutes."

Harry stared up into those silver eyes. "You're just making that up, Malfoy. Nobody's insides liquefy because of Lycanthrope," Harry whispered.

Draco's brow rose and he cocked his head to the side in faux surprise. "Oh? Someone should have been paying better attention in History of Magic. 1942, Potter. It was discovered that Grindelwald was trying to create even more armies of dangerous creatures. He was purposely infecting pregnant women, muggle and witch alike so that he could raise were-wolves to his command. When the women transformed he found that they would instantly miscarry. But then he got the brilliant idea to infect only the fetus within hours of the full moon. The fetus would change, die and the woman would melt from the inside as her body tried to adjust to the poison but could not reform into a wolf. It was an awful way to go." Draco leaned in closer and whispered, "Except, of course, those women who were in their last month. Those babies literally tore themselves out of the womb and began gnawing on their own dead mother's flesh."

Harry's face showed his horror at the images Draco had skillfully placed in his mind. "You're just trying to frighten me."

"You should be scared, Potter. What? Did you think we would all cluster around your bedside as you bravely faced the last moments of life, listen as you mutter your riveting last words? Then as the pale light of the moon graced your body you would softly take your last breath and you would trip off into the hereafter?" Draco said sarcastically. He pulled Harry up until he was kneeling on the bed. "Not bloody likely. You'll die screaming and in agony and we will have to watch that our toes don't step in the goo that are your remains!"

"Stop," Harry gulped.

"No, I won't stop. You need to know what you're facing, oh brave hero!"

"It doesn't matter," Harry said quietly, his eyes warily watching Draco's.

"Of course it matters, you ass! You... are going... to die," Draco said slowly and forcefully. "No parade will await you, no life will have been saved. Just you, dead."

Harry stonily stared off to the left of Draco, refusing to meet the heated eyes. They stayed like that for a silent moment. Only the sound of their harsh breathing filled the air.

"Now," Draco said calmly as he lowered Harry back down on the bed. "I want you to tell me why you are doing this."

Harry sat on his legs, his hands in his lap and watched as Draco sat down beside him on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees. Both of them stared at their hands.

"I just can't choose my life over another," Harry muttered. He didn't look at Draco as he spoke. Draco did the same.

"Even a life that isn't?"

"It has a chance," Harry argued. "It has a chance and that's enough to give it the opportunity to live."

"No, Harry, it does not have a chance," Draco said still in a calm voice. "And if it did, the risk is still too high. Why does it matter that it be given this chance? Do not tell me you have become attached to something you have only been aware of for a few short weeks." Draco finally looked at him.

Harry met those eyes. "I don't know." He said simply. "I can't say that I'm attached to it. I'm still not even sure how I feel about the whole thing. It's not that I don't want it, but I..." Harry trailed off. Then his voice rose in conviction. "But I do know that I can't decide that my life is more important."

Draco made a sound of frustration. "Okay, fine, so say you are blindly lucky as usual and you and the child survive. Then what? Have you thought about that?"

Harry looked down at his hands. He shook his head. "No, not really. But, I'll think of something." He looked back up at Draco. "Do you want... I mean, would you want anything to do with it?"

"Don't be stupid, Potter!" Draco snapped. "It would be exceedingly difficult, don't you think, not to trip over it all the time." Draco sneered at Harry's look of confusion. "Oh no, Harry. You will not be getting away from me. I had quite enough of your absence and that will not happen again."

"You actually missed me?" Harry asked in incredulity.

"Well, of course!" Draco stood up and began pacing again. "It was most convenient to have your arse in my bed."

Harry simply watched him. Draco looked at him and stopped and posed in his most arrogant pose, arms crossed over his chest and hip stuck out.

"What are you staring at?" he snapped.

"A liar," Harry said. "A naked liar, but a liar all the same."

"How dare you call me a liar?" Draco blustered. And Harry knew that it was bluster. "And what exactly am I to have lied about?"

"You missed me, Draco. Not just the convenience, but me." Harry gave a perfect rendition of Draco's best smirk. The blonde's eyebrow rose.

"My, I am impressed. I do believe I have created a monster," he drawled.

"And I do believe you are not arguing my statement."

Draco's eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. Harry stood up and walked to the Slytherin. His bare chest just brushed against Draco's crossed arms and he looked up into the silver eyes.

"Don't worry, Draco. I won't tell anyone your secret," Harry whispered. Draco's mouth began to open and Harry smiled and said, "I missed you too."

Draco's mouth closed and he sneered in Harry's face before grabbing him roughly and kissing him. When they broke apart Harry carefully pulled Draco's hands off his arm where it had inadvertently touched a bandaged area. Draco glared at the bandage and then casually ran his hand through Harry's hair. Harry took it as the apology it had been.

Draco's eyes became serious and speared Harry where he stood. Harry knew what was going to come out of his mouth and sighed and turned away. A hand grabbed his arm, carefully not touching the wounded areas and spun him back around.

"Oh no, wonder boy, we are not done with this."

"Yes, we are, Draco. Please, I don't want to talk about it anymore. There is nothing you can say that will change my mind. You are going to have to trust me on this. The baby is an Indago, it will survive and you will just have to live tripping over him or her."

"You can not be sure about this!" Draco snapped.

"It's my body, isn't it?" Harry snapped back. "Don't you think I would know if it were sick or not?"

"That idiot woman couldn't tell if it was hurt with all her medical scans. And there is no way to determine if a child is Indago until birth because we are too similar to full humans. So, no, I don't think you would know at all!"

"Well, you think wrong!"

Draco's eyes widened and then he smirked. "That wasn't even proper English, Potter."

Harry relaxed and gave Draco a withering look. "You have an amazing ability to drive a person insane, Malfoy."

"Thank you."

Harry shook his head with a half smile. "It wasn't a compliment, prat," he muttered.

"I would have to disagree with you."

Harry laughed. "Well that's nothing new." The crease near Draco's eye formed and Harry knew Draco was amused. He moved a bit closer and wrapped his hands around the blonde's shoulders.

"What do you say we find something fun to do," Harry said smoothly. He looked down at them. "We are certainly dressed for it."

"Yes, it has been confirmed," Draco drawled. "I have created a monster. Or were you not just practicing your new found wiles on me and attempting to seduce me into bed?"

"Well, if it worked, then yes. If not, you're just a self involved prat who thinks everyone wants him."

Draco chuckled. "Hmm, well, seeing as I am not at all self involved, I suppose you have succeeded in your seduction." He leaned down and pressed his lips to Harry's mouth, then drew back with hard eyes. "But not in your distraction," he said firmly.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. His arms slid down and he walked a few paces away.

"Draco, please, just drop it."

"Drop it? Very well, I shall use that then."

Harry looked at Draco suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

"You are clearly mad if you want me to just 'drop it'. Therefore you are too incompetent to make such a decision. As your significant other I shall make the decision for you," Draco said firmly.

"I am not mad!" Harry said heatedly. "And what do you mean 'significant other'?"

"Well, I assure you that I will not be referred to as a 'boyfriend'," Draco said the word as if it was vile. "And until we are married, I can not rightly hold the title of 'husband', therefore 'significant other' will do nicely. And will grant me the power to sign the appropriate papers."

Harry thought Draco was right because he definitely felt as if he had just gone crazy. "What?"

"I said, the term 'significant-,"

"I heard you," Harry snapped. "What do you mean about getting married?"

Draco walked toward the bed and casually lounged on it, hands behind his head, ankles crossed. Harry could only describe the look on Draco's face as arrogant. Which was a very common look for the blonde.

"I am almost sure that muggles, low as they are, do commit in the state of matrimony. Surely you are familiar with this?"

Harry looked at Draco nonplussed. He put his hands on his hips and glared. "Draco, was that just your arrogant and high handed way of asking to marry me, you bastard?"

"I am quite sure, Potter, that there was no question at all," Draco drawled. "Now that you have come to your simple senses and returned to where you belong, we will of course be joined and you will carry the Malfoy name."

Harry's eyes could have spit fire. "You are... How can you... Argh!" Harry stomped to the other side of the room and back. "First of all," he ranted, "any decisions of marriage will be a joint decision, you prick! Second, I didn't 'return to where I belong'," Harry said those words nastily. "Just because I missed you, you bastard, doesn't mean I forgive you! You chucked me down a flight of stairs, you ass! And you punched Hermione and you choked Ron! In fact, now that I think about it, I have no idea why I missed you at all!" Harry paused to take a deep breath to continue his shouting.

"I'm sorry."

Harry blinked and closed his mouth with a snap. He looked at the still sprawled man on the bed.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me."

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't think I did."

Draco paused for a moment and then drew a deep breath. "Fine, I said I was sorry. I apologize for my behavior. I was ill-informed of the facts and I jumped to ill-conceived conclusions. My reaction was wrong and violent and I have regretted it since the moment my head cleared of its delusions. I apologize for the mistreatment of you and your friends. If there was a way I could undo the hurt and pain that I caused, I would. But all I can offer is my eternal apologies."

Harry stared wide-eyed. "Wow," he breathed. "For someone who never does it, you sure know how to say you're sorry."

Draco's face never faltered in its sincerity. "I meant what I said." Then he smirked. "Besides, a Malfoy never does anything by halves. Even apologies."

Harry shook his head. "Well, it's good to see you have some standards."

There was silence for a moment and then Draco spoke. "Harry, I am asking you to change your mind. It is a fool's crusade. You are not saving anyone's life, just ending your own."

Eyes closing in pain, Harry whispered, "I can't Draco. I can't. Look at it from a selfish point of view. I'd never be able to live a happy life knowing that the baby could have survived."

Harry opened his eyes and crawled up on the bed. He knelt next to Draco and put his hand on the blonde's chest. Silver eyes watched solemnly.

"You have to trust me on this. You have to know that I am making the right decision," Harry said quietly.

Draco sighed. "No, I don't. But," he put his hand on top of Harry's, "I will trust in your incredibly serendipitous luck. It has delighted in proving me wrong in the past, I'll trust it will do so again."

Harry smiled. "It always got your goat, did it?"

Draco used the hand to tug Harry down on top of him. "Always. I just can't seem to get you out from under my skin, Harry Potter," he breathed and then he was kissing Harry passionately.

As Harry lay within Draco's arms, his skin cooling from their passionate exertions, he thought over their argument and he realized he hadn't finished bawling Draco out for his insulting proposal. Harry decided that he would do so in the morning when he wasn't so boneless and exhausted.

Draco pressed a kiss under Harry's ear and whispered, "I'll never hurt you again, Harry. I promise you."

Harry smiled and decided that maybe Draco hadn't been all that insulting.

Indago - Chapter 56

Back to Chapter 54

Back to Results