The Beginning of the End Pt. 1
Potter was back at Hogwarts, and Blaise couldn't say he was pleased. Everyone seemed to brush it off as typical Chosen One business and go on with their lives, and once, Blaise would have been with them, but that was before his fiancé had gone missing, and Potter had gone after him.
Blaise wanted to march up and make Potter tell him what happened, but that was a sure fire way to get every gryffindor in a ten kilometre radius on his back. So, he waited, and sure enough, one day, he was yanked into a random broom closet.
"Well Potter, I can't say I'm not flattered, but I'm a taken man-"
"Oh shut up," Potter hissed, casting a soft lumos and lighting up the cramped space, "What is this?" He yanked his shirt cuff up, revealing a thick black band.
Blaise grabbed hold of Potter's wrist, pulling it closer and shifting it further into the light, as he suspected there would be, there was a faint green shimmer to it, an after-image of the magic seeped into the skin.
"Merlin's saggy fucking earlobes, what did you agree to?" Blaise asked incredulously, he'd never seen a mark so dark. Not even when he and Draco were kids, and Blaise promised to bring him chocolates every day for a year in exchange for one of Draco's stuffed dragons.
Potter's face just screwed up, and he gestured furiously to his mouth. Blaise sighed in frustration. Never let it be said Draco couldn't cover his tracks. He rubbed at his temples, letting the irritation at both Potter and Draco wash over him.
It was always them, wasn't it? They dragged each other into trouble like nothing else, completely unable to resist poking and pulling until they were both neck deep in whatever scheme Potter had to participate in to save the fate of the world, or whatever the fuck he did nowadays. Blaise would be jealous if he didn't know for a fact Draco was unable to deny a challenge of any kind, not just Potter-specific ones.
"I don't see why I should tell you, whatever you let yourself be walked into is your own fault." He gritted out, more to see how Potter responded than anything else.
Draco was right, Potter was an idiot.
"You can't just leave me like this! I can't tell anyone about-" Potter was cut off with a strangled choke as presumably whatever condition Draco had set kicked in, "You're the only one who already knows." Potter forced out finally.
Blaise rolled his eyes, "That you actually found Draco and were dumb enough to make a deal with him? Still not my problem-" He held up a hand, "But, I do want information, so meet me in the room of requirement tonight." Without waiting for an answer, he stepped out of the broom closet, walking back to the dungeons.
Oh, Draco, what was he doing?
Blaise was mad, he could admit that to himself. He was mad at Draco for leaving, and even madder at Potter for being able to go after him. But above that, he was worried.
If Draco was hiding something, it meant he was doing something worth hiding, and though it sounded obvious, it heralded an entirely new set of problems. Draco was a fairly open book, if you knew what to ask and how to ask it. He might not tell you what he was doing, but if you asked the right question, he wouldn't lie about it. For him to put a blanket hold on any information about him or his whereabouts? It meant he was doing something dangerous, something he didn't want anyone to know about, especially Blaise.
Blaise wanted to think Draco was planning to fake his death and leave the country, but if he wanted absolute secrecy, it couldn't be so simple.
Draco would never take such an easy route, it was always all or nothing. It was in Draco's nature to be hungry, to commit himself fully to every part of his life in the hope it would finally be enough. And Blaise wasn't sure Draco realised it would never be enough, that no matter how big the next mountain was, there was still just open air on the other side.
So Blaise went back to the dungeons, and cancelled his plans with Theo to sneak out to Hogsmead. He went to dinner, and acted just the same as he always did, all while thinking about what Potter must have done, to earn a mark like that.
When he finally got to the Room of Requirement, Blaise had made peace with nearly any possibility. Walking past three times, thinking about a quiet place to talk, he faltered just outside of the door.
Potter wouldn't have been so insistent if Draco was dead, wouldn't he?
It didn't matter, either way, Blaise had to know.
So he pushed the door open, and resolved to have a civil conversation with Harry Potter.
"I don't have all night, nod or shake your head when I ask a question." Blaise said, sitting in the arm chair across from Potter's. If he was under strict instructions not to say anything, chances are Draco didn't put any rules about confirming anything. It was inefficient and time consuming, so Draco wouldn't have even considered it.
"You found Draco."
Potter nods.
"He's alive?"
Potter nods again, though this time his expression held an undeniable trace of guilt.
Blaise felt his shoulders simultaneously tense and relax, so Draco was alive, but something had happened. Something bad enough to give the Gryffindor golden boy a guilty conscience, "He was hurt?"
Potter nodded, avoiding Blaise's eyes.
His blood went cold, "You hurt him."
No nod this time, but Blaise didn't need it. He stood, leaning into Potter's space, "You understand that if you weren't the only person to have seen Draco in the past two months I would kill you?"
Potter opened his mouth, but Blaise interrupted whatever he was about to say, "Shut up. I said nod or shake your head, if I hear your voice, there's no guarantee I won't snap your neck and leave your body tied to the Whomping Willow." He tilted his head, looking Potter up and down, "I still might."
"Draco is alright, despite your best efforts." He stated, choosing to continue asking questions before he really did decide to kill Potter. He could feel his nails digging into his palms, and his teeth grinding, but he could be angry later.
Potter slumped into his chair, like a petulant child, but nodded.
"Draco is working against The Dark Lord."
Another nod.
Blaise closed his eyes, "He's found the Order of the Phoenix."
Potter choked out, "You can't tell-"
"What did I fucking say, Potter." Blaise's wand was out in an instant, pointed right between Potter's eyes. It's tip shook slightly, but not out of sadness, no.
Blaise was so angry he was going to light on fire. What right? What right did Potter have, to go out and chase dreams while the rest of them had to pick up the pieces?
What right did Potter have to be able to find Draco? To see him, alive and in front of him, and hurt him?
"You don't even get it." Blaise said, more to himself than anything, "You get all this power, all this freedom, and what do you do with it?"
"I didn't ask for this!" Potter spat back, "I never asked to be the chosen one!"
"And? Was that what I said? None of us asked for this Potter. Not a single fucking one of us. You don't get to whine and moan about it. You get all this freedom, and you spend your time running away and crying about it. The rest of us don't have that option, do you see me crying? Do you see Draco crying? No. We fucking deal with it. We do what we have to, and suck it up, and play our parts."
Blaise pushed away from the table, walking back to the door, "He spent so much time trying to be your villain, trying to fit himself into the role your lot cast for him, and what is he doing now? Playing the same role on a bigger stage. You have no clue how the world works, Potter."
"I have every idea how the world works." Potter said, causing Blaise to pause, "None of us asked for this, you're right, but what else can I do? No matter what you think, I'm just a kid to them! A figurehead they want for their stupid campaigns! So tell me, what am I supposed to do?"
Bliase turned around, an idea forming, "You need to be what they think you are. You need to find everything they're afraid of you being and become it."
He walked closer to Potter, sitting back down, "I hate you, more than I hate anyone, Potter, but I think we can help each other."