"It was a bit weird," Ernie piped up. "I kept expecting him to hex me, but he was surprisingly polite."
Harry's panic began to fade; Draco was just starting to lose his Lucius-Malfoy-clone persona. There were worse things to happen. He bit his lip, thinking; it wasn't his place to start sharing Draco's secrets, but… he could set the stage for things. "Maybe he's not as evil as we've always assumed."
Parvati laughed. "Nice one, Harry. As if you've not been fighting with him since the day you stepped foot in the castle."
"When was the last time you heard about me and Malfoy fighting? Actually fighting." They'd exchanged insults, but they hadn't raised wands at each other in weeks. He watched Parvati's face grow confused as she thought it over.
"I think we should trust Harry on this one, guys," Neville cut in supportively, his eyes knowing.
"What do you know that we don't?" Sullivan's tone was a mix of curious and suspicious, and Harry smirked.
"Daphne, Blaise, why don't you two bring Draco to our next meeting?" he suggested, noting the wide eyes when he used Draco's first name. "Parkinson and Bulstrode too, if you can convince them." Draco trusted the two girls, and insisted they didn't want to follow their parents' footsteps. They could probably do with knowing they weren't alone.
"You want us to bring three kids whose parents are Death Eaters to our top secret meeting on how to save the world once the Dark Lord is dead?" Blaise's voice was unimpressed. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, sounds about right. Not ever yone is the same as their parents. Look at Cassius. No offence," he added to the older boy, who snorted.
"None taken, my father was a stain on the family tree and the rest aren't much better," he agreed freely.
"Exactly. So give them a chance, you might be surprised," Harry said. Not everyone in the room looked convinced, muttering to each other. Eventually, Susan cleared her throat.
"Look, guys, Harry wouldn't suggest it if he thought it would jeopardise anything we have here," she said confidently, before turning her hazel eyes on Harry. "You trust Draco Malfoy?"
"I do," he said firmly, ignoring the way several sets of eyebrows rose incredulously. "And he trusts Bulstrode and Parkinson. That's three heirs we could really do with having on our side."
"I still think you've lost it," Blaise muttered. "But alright, we'll bring them. On your head be it." Harry grinned, even as his stomach churned at the prospect of bringing three more Slytherins into the fold. He was excited to connect Draco with the other heirs, but… the two girls might take a little convincing.
.-.-.-.
That night, when Harry snuck out to meet Draco, he told him about what he'd said to Blaise and the others. "So don't be surprised if you and Bulstrode and Parkinson get approached sometime next week," he finished, sitting back to let Draco process it all. The blond stared at him, his expression unreadable.
"You've never had a civil conversation with Pansy or Millie," Draco pointed out. Harry shrugged.
"I've done study group with Bulstrode a few times; she seems alright. And you trust them."
"That's good enough for you, is it?"
"Why shouldn't it be?"
Draco stared at Harry for a long moment, then leaned in to kiss him, lips curling in a reluctant smile. "Sodding Gryffindor," he muttered against Harry's mouth. "You're lucky I'm not taking advantage of you."
"Mm, feel free to take advantage of me whenever you like," Harry retorted cheekily. "I've a feeling I might enjoy it."
Draco rolled his eyes with a huff, nipping at Harry's lower lip. "Are we telling them about this, then?"
Harry leaned back, needing his head a little clearer for his next thought to form properly. "I think we can admit we're friends," he said slowly. "But not… anything more. I trust them, but they're keeping enough secrets for me as it is, and this is none of their business." He paused, wondering if he'd failed some sort of test. "Unless you want to tell them, of course?"
"I don't need a bunch of heirs nosing into my private life," Draco said haughtily. "It'll be bad enough if my father finds out I'm friends with you, let alone anything else." His expression softened. "Maybe in the future, when things are more dire. When I need to take a stand to be with you. But until then, we'll keep it quiet."
"I'd never make you take a stand to be with me," Harry insisted. "I just want you to be happy and safe."
"You really think I could be happy hiding in some safe-house while you get all the glory by facing the Dark Lord?" Draco retorted lightly, his silver eyes fixed intently on Harry, saying everything that wasn't coming out of his mouth. "I'm going to have to be open about my loyalties eventually. I'm not cut out to be a spy like Uncle Severus." He took Harry's hand in both of his, bringing it up to kiss the knuckles. "When the time comes, I will be by your side. Stopping your idiot Gryffindor arse from getting hexed to death before you can off the bastard."
Despite his derisive tone, his words took Harry's breath away. He almost responded by blurting out three little words it was definitely too soon for, but he held his tongue and just kissed him instead, trying to push everything he felt into the kiss. Draco groaned, pulling Harry closer and tangling his fingers in dark hair. Harry was pretty sure he got his point across.
Harry entered the next heir's meeting with trepidation, knowing they would have three extra members. The larger group of Slytherins were already there when he arrived, Parkinson and Bulstrode with their arms folded over their chests and wary expressions on their faces as they eyed the rest of the room. Draco had his hands in his pockets and was rocking back in his chair, every inch the effortlessly uncaring pureblood. It made Harry grin. "Sorry, Malfoy, have you got somewhere else to be? You look a bit bored."
Draco smirked at him. "As a matter of fact, I promised I'd help some idiot Gryffindor with a Potions essay. But he was late." His gaze turned pointed, and Harry rounded the table to claim the empty chair beside him.
"You try getting away from Hermione bloody Granger when she's in one of her moods," Harry retorted, elbowing Draco so that only a quick spell had his chair slamming back to rights rather than sending him flying backwards. "You shouldn't sit like that, y'know. You'll crack your head open." He pressed his knee to Draco's under the table in a show of silent support, knowing the blond was far more nervous than he let on.
"I appreciate your concern," Draco replied wryly. "Now, would you care to explain to the girls why you insisted Blaise drag us here?"
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