He was on the steps in the great hall, heading for dinner a little early as an excuse to flee Fay and the Gryffindor common room in general after that… enlightening conversation.
Damn it Ron!
He cursed inside his head but on the landing too a deep breath and tried to swallow it.
It wasn't me he was after, it was Draco. I need Draco's opinion first because Montague was one thing but destroying one of my own housemates on his behalf might be a bit trickier.
First year Gryffindor vs third year Slytherin was just impressive, since the hierarchy the snake house operated off of implied it was not strictly excepted that Draco had a shot at someone two years older than him, but less as a baby snake. First year Gryffindor vs first year Gryffindor and Slytherin duo was way more questionable… that was encroaching into the territory of Harry fighting Draco's fights for him which would actively hurt his reputation in-house, not help anything.
It all depended on if people had picked up the nuance of the firecracker really being aimed at Draco instead of him. Most of Gryffindor would 100% assume since Harry was the one who got hurt that he was the target, but Slytherin…
Well.
The Weasley vs. Malfoy feud was literally the embodiment of lion vs snake and about as public as humanly possible. Blaise had been the one standing behind them that day in potions. The pieces were a little too obvious if Harry turned heel and went after Ron too harshly right now—despite them already clearly being enemies the more clever of their year would absolutely figure out he'd only gotten so angry because it was on Draco's behalf, which wouldn't help the reputations they'd been fighting so hard to obtain.
Draco hadn't really confided in him the full plan he was working on either, so he did not want to blindly charge in and mess things up for him.
But that meant he had to step back. He was absolutely going to tell Draco what he just learned, but it'd be up to the Slytherin then to handle it himself. Harry wanted him to involve him in the vengeance somehow but also knew the chances of that were very, very low.
He did NOT like the little voice in the back of his head that reminded him there was a pretty decent chance that Draco wasn't just going to not involve him, but was also probably just going to ignore the entire thing completely, as that made him want to literally bite someone like a rabid animal from apoplectic frustration. But alas, there wasn't exactly anything he could do about it.
The annoyed resignation made the urge to bite something all the stronger though.
"Uh oh… what happened."
He blinked, realizing he'd been standing on the step landing too long and people were filtering in for dinner—Dean and Seamus catching sight of his expression and clearly realizing something was off. By Dean's voice though he clearly knew someone was about to get bitten and was already wishing them luck.
He twisted his face childishly and plopped down at the top of the steps with his arms crossed.
"I must have a really bad poker face."
"Actually I think you have a pretty good one… unless you're angry. Then all bets are off." Dean snorted and Harry sighed a bit in defeat as they climbed up to sit with him on various step levels.
He wanted to tell them it was nothing but… they were both doing wonders by fielding against Ron so he didn't have to, so to cut them out seemed unfair to the support they'd shown. He really only hesitated because he was coming to terms with the fact that they probably had no idea how bad that potion incident had even been to know why he was so upset right now.
Except, well… maybe it wasn't really the potion. Maybe it wasn't even really Ron. Honestly, looking back it had not even been that bad, it was just when it happened he'd been having a really bad week at that point.
Or month.
Or year… whatever.
"You don't want to know." He finally decided, slumping down and just looping his arms around his knees tiredly instead of pouting. "I'm trying to be the bigger person or whatever and let it go."
"Good for you… also good luck with that."
"Oi," He ignored Dean's teasing but the joking around did help him calm down some more. "In better news I got Fay to talk to me finally. Honestly she and Hannah would get along great."
"I still don't get why you have this obsession with being friends with everyone. Fay maybe, but just so you know don't even try to talk to Lavender or the two of you will burn the school down."
"I resent the implication, but actually yeah… after talking with Fay I'm picking up on that." He made a face. "Why is it my own house is the one I'm having the most trouble with?"
"Well you're never here, for one." Dean shrugged.
"Aren't Slytherins supposed to be the isolationists? So Gryffindor will only like me if I only talk exclusively to other Gryffindors?"
They both paused and tilted heads at each other as if the thought just occurred to them, but by the way Seamus scratched back of neck and Dean looked a bit wry, there was a marble of truth in that.
"I mean if you listen to people like Ron or Lavender—or any of the upper years actually—then uh… yeah, kind of." Seamus admitted.
"I mean I already knew that but it's demoralizing to realize everyone knows it too but doesn't care? How lame." He complained half-heartedly. It was old news in any case, he was just complaining to complain.
"Lions have our pride and such," Dean rolled his eyes, at least also seeming fed up with the general attitude even if he wasn't overly concerned by it.
He had a point though: only snakes and lions ever claimed their houses were the 'best house', while eagles and badgers loved their houses in a more genuine, calm way. They were just happy to be Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, but Gryffindors and Slytherins were the ones who ever went about saying shit like 'we're the best out of everyone'. Slytherins got a lot of shit for it as it came off sounding very asshole-like and pompous from them, but never let it be said that Gryffindors didn't have a house-pride that meant anything not Gryffindor was automatically seen as 'other'. Not 'lesser' as a Slytherin might, but alien and different.
Unwelcome, even. No one said 'lesser' but unwelcome was probably a great way to phrase it.
"Seriously, what's with the face?" Dean swatted at his ankle and he gave in with a groan.
"Do you remember when that potion blew up in my face?"
"Yeah, I think… Malfoy never would've fucked up a potion like that so obviously we commented." But in true lion fashion had clearly picked up that Harry was upset over it hadn't brought it up. Good old Gryffindors.
"It was a firecracker someone threw." He admitted with a bone-weary sigh. "I just found out who did it."
"Who!?" Seamus' automatic righteous anger on his behalf was appreciated, even if he also clearly did not understand the gravity of it all. Like a dog picking up on Harry's distress he matched energy immediately and was clearly ready for some payback.
Which, you know, felt great honestly. You wouldn't catch that blind, reckless loyalty from a Slytherin.
Or from Dean apparently, who raised a brow at him and had a much calmer reaction, knowing enough that if Harry hadn't phrased it like 'I know who did it and we're going after them', then there was more to the story he should be questioning.
"Was it more than just a bad prank? You have a lot of friends but I can only imagine just as many enemies—particularly in Gryffindor and Slytherin." He shot a snarky look at Seamus, "You've thrown a firecracker or two in your day idiot, haven't you?"
The Irishman tilted his head back, pressing his lips in a way that made it clear he'd been caught.
"I mean as a distraction maybe a time or two…" He admitted. "Never to hurt someone though!"
Harry just closed his eyes a moment at that reaction, knowing it was the final nail in the coffin… he really couldn't fight back about this now.
Seamus had full confidence that he would never hurt someone on purpose, in the same breath confessing he did not consider throwing a firecracker malicious or dangerous. And you know what, Harry believed him.
Just because he didn't like Ron didn't mean the two of them were any less Gryffindor-like, which meant if Harry could easily believe Seamus wouldn't mean to truly hurt anyone, neither did Ron. The Weasley probably no idea, nor did he care, what throwing a firecracker into a potion cauldron actually did to someone who got hit with the aftermath. There was… more than a decent chance he hadn't done it to kill or maim anyone, but, as Seamus implied, as a distraction or 'harmless' prank or literally anything benign.
Ron wasn't brave nor smart enough to have done it as a murder attempt, but probably for some petty, frivolous reason that he didn't think twice about the severity of, all because he just didn't like Draco much. He most likely did not intend to kill him.
He very nearly had, through sheer ignorance and recklessness, but he hadn't. Draco was alive and unaffected by that firecracker so in the end, Ron had done nothing truly wrong.
Classic Gryffindor mindset.
And the lions decide what is 'right'. I'm not going to win any favors by doing more damage than I already have with Fay.
Which meant this was the end of where he could take this. He'd just have to swallow the frustration and tell Draco about it, but there was no way to actually get vengeance over this now.
Which frankly sucked.
"Who was it?" Dean was still curious, but Harry knew from Seamus' expression he was ready to go fight someone, and despite how much he appreciated the ride-or-die attitude he knew he couldn't let this go farther than his graveyard.
"I'm being the bigger person or whatever. It probably was just a mean-spirited prank so I'm letting it go."
"Do you think it's a mean-spirited prank?" Seamus called his bluff immediately with a dubious expression.
And just because he couldn't fight back didn't mean he couldn't vent about it, so he leap at the chance.
"For the first couple weeks I was under the impression someone was literally trying to kill me or Draco, yeah, but then again it wouldn't have been the first murder attempt on my life at this school. That it was coming from a classmate was new." He was blunt about it, and their eyebrows shot up their faces at the take. "I've since come to realize it was probably just a stupid prank by someone who had no idea how potions actually work."
"So a Gryffindor." Dean put it together wryly.
"Wait a second: trying to kill you?" Seamus was just aghast as if this was completely new information to him. Which… it was, actually.
Harry shrugged. "If Snape had been a second slower I could've died from the burns. If I hadn't grabbed Draco to get his head away from the cauldron opening when I saw the firecracker, he would've had his lungs roasted. He's an asshole and a terrible teacher but Snape is dead-on when he says Potions is the most dangerous subject, Transfiguration coming in second." He explained blankly, anger finally fading as he was just… tired at needing to explain the harsh experience to his friends.
He felt like this was old news to a point, but it was old news that still felt a bit sore to his pride and his skin at the mere memory.
"Bloody hell…"
"Just because it really fucking hurt doesn't mean someone was trying to kill me though. Pretty sure, like you said Seamus, someone threw it at the Slytherin side of the room for shits and giggles and didn't understand or maybe just didn't care how serious it was." He allowed.
"You're probably right… but I mean, we can't fault you for thinking someone was after you since historically that was probably the case a time or two."
"Thanks for the endorsement." He sighed, slouching forward on the steps.
It only took a beat for Dean to be annoyingly good at piecing things together again.
"…are you about to tell us it was Ron?"
"I wasn't about to tell you shit—I'm being the bigger person, remember?" he sassed back, but since it wasn't that hard to figure out he didn't really have a defense planned.
"There aren't a ton of options since you just confirmed it wasn't a Slytherin. Which meant it had to be either him or one of the girls, but they're more likely to spread bad rumors about you than chuck a firecracker." Truer words had never been spoken, given the conversation with Fay he'd just had.
"I'm confirming nothing. It was just a stupid prank." He dropped his chin onto his knees tiredly. "Gryffindor will hate me even more if I try to hold one of us accountable to anything."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's just something I noticed… you're supposed to believe your own housemates before someone from another house, that's just how it works or you're considered disloyal. I've hated the house system from day one but I'm not oblivious to how it works—just because I don't like it doesn't mean if I get mad at someone in Gryffindor for what amounts to a small prank then I'm never gonna get another moment's peace."
He could tell they were not really understanding that, but also not about to fight him on it either.
"So you're just gonna let him get away with it?" Seamus clearly did not for a second thing that was actually going to happen.
"I will not forgive nor forget someone almost killing me. That potion really bloody hurt." He grumbled. "But I've got too many other things going on right now to worry about this one specifically so I'm letting it go. Just this once."
"Hm… maybe you really are being the bigger person."
"I hate you both."
"What did I do!? He said it!" Dean complained.
"You were thinking it."
"You can't hold what I never said against me," he scoffed jokingly, and it managed to pulled a weak smile from Harry.
"You do it to me all the time though!"
"Because I know you. And more importantly I know not to trust you."
"Oi." He huffed, but was smiling for real now. It was a nice reminder to know he had his roommates in times like this, and that they'd have his back without knowing the full picture too. Sometimes he forgot that not everyone over-thought things to hell and back like he did, that some people could just be your friend without needing to know everything.
He felt guilty for not telling Neville things, even if he knew the blond would never judge him for it. He'd never really told Dean or Seamus much to begin with, but they still seemed to be chill with knowing him as they did, on a less serious level but also somehow no less genuine. They were easier friends to have—friends that didn't require much to be real. Friends that had proven to be friends for no good reason other than that they were, in fact, friends.
It was a relief.
Even if the entire basis of their friendship was the fact they'd been sorted into the lion house together.
He was thankful to have it… and self-aware enough to know he'd been blessed to get their friendship, while Ron had the same exact chance as him and had somehow missed it all.
"I really do appreciate all you guys have done with getting Ron off my back though. I know I don't talk about it much because talking about him gives me hives, but I really, really appreciate it."
"Oh stop, obviously we would," Seamus waved him off. "He's mostly all bark and no bite, or he was before this at least. I'm not sure I can just get over a murder-attempt and I'm still only half sure you should either."
"Well," Harry bit his lip, trying to find a way to phrase it. "I don't want this to come off wrong but just because I think he's an idiot and was carless with his pranks, doesn't mean I think he's evil or anything. I'm annoyed to shit he almost killed me but I also know he didn't mean it. And while being near him makes me want to gag I also sort of like… pity him? He doesn't exactly have a lot of other friends so him acting crazy isn't unexpected either."
Both of them gave him highly judgmental looks.
"Do you even know some of the heinous shit he'd been saying?" Dean deadpanned.
"Yeah actually, but it doesn't matter to me. If he cuts my hair in my sleep I have potions that can grow it out again in a minute, if he destroys my stuff I'll buy more. I really appreciate you running interference Seamus, but I'm not really afraid of him."
Seamus almost fell off the step he was sitting on from rolling his eyes. "Not to call you out or anything, but you're a bit of a liar my friend,"
"Eh!?" Harry sat up straight, indignant. Because, well, it was true but also where did that come from!?
Dean smacked his ankle gently again to grab his attention. "I saw how upset you were when you overheard him in the common room last term. I can count on one hand the times I've seen you that close to tears, so don't tell me it doesn't matter. So what if we all know he probably won't do anything, the words still matter."
Harry was momentarily speechless before he closed his open mouth and swallowed his shock.
"I was… upset for other reasons that day, and Ron just pushed me over the edge is all." He admitted that much but was mainly intent on deflecting. "I'm not saying I enjoy it but what he does still doesn't make me want to get back at him or anything. I know the real culprits are a couple of upper years and Ron doesn't really have anyone to talk to but them. I can't find the second-year a threat when he'd literally just being used by a bunch of way meaner sixth-years."
"Harry," Dean joined the eye rolling.
"What!?"
"Way to never answer the question. You can admit you don't like him you know."
"I never hid that," He defended himself in a pout.
"You also don't have to give us the diplomatic shit of saying you pity him or that you're not bothered. We know you're not that nice."
"I do pity him and fuck you guys I AM nice!" He cried out, but couldn't help the smile pulling at his lips. It felt… really nice that they didn't expect him to be 'right' or the 'Gryffindor golden boy' and… were still choosing to be on his side.
"Yeah right," they laughed at him, Seamus wagging a finger pointedly. "You knew him two weeks and broke a broom over his head, remember that?"
"I blame my temper for that and I've been making progress on Occlumency to get better at that!"
"Occlumency?"
"It's the books Hermoine gave me on managing emotions—it's a whole branch of magic apparently not just therapy," He roughly explained for Dean, Seamus seeming to already recognize it and not minding that brief explanation, instead bopping the bottom of his fist onto his open palm.
"Ah! So that's what you're up to! Is this being merciful shit part of a ten-step program or…?"
"I actually came to this conclusion all on my own, thankyouverymuch—although if the Occlumency helped me be rational enough to make this call then I won't deny that," He crossed his arms, playfully sticking his nose in the air.
"See, that's exactly what I'm saying, the rational choice doesn't mean you don't have a ton of irrational feelings behind it, right?" Dean jabbed a finger at him and he made a face.
"…maybe."
"It's fine if you want to pretend you don't but just know that we know you're full of shit."
Harry only pretended to pout for a moment… before being unable to help the very genuine smile that bloomed from deep inside him. "I love you guys,"
"Buy me more cinnamon candy." Dean instantly demanded payment and dodged the kick that came his way with a triumphant cackle, Harry making a show of being annoyed but mentally adding a task to do just that. The joke cut the tension well but he also knew candy never hurt anyone and he liked spoiling his friends when he could.
"If you really love us then you'll agree to be a team captain in the first football game this year," Seamus' eyes glinted and Harry sighed. He had waved it off saying he would play but was too busy to be captain, but Dean and Seamus had this new plan that meant they wanted to be on the same team and no one else had agreed to be the other captain yet.
"I'll consider it," he deflected, but they all knew he'd probably end up agreeing.
"You weren't at the last club meeting we had, things are really heating up you know. We might not have a ton of upper years playing but there's a lot of interest in attending so we'll have quite the crowd it sounds like," Seamus excitedly informed him, and Harry was happy to hear this initiative he'd started last year no longer needed his presence to keep growing. Sports fanatics were a league of their own after all, he shouldn't be shocked given the chance they'd be all over it.
Before he could open his mouth to respond, a new voice cut in.
"Oooh, tell me someone died!"
They all looked down to the base of the stairs, Harry feeling his temple twitch to see Blaise beaming up at them. Clearly he'd also been heading to dinner, and seeing Harry's long face and roommates attempting to comfort him, got excited instead of concerned.
Psychopath.
It literally only took meeting their eyes before the Slytherin grinned even wider.
"Oh? Or someone is about to die then? Who are you after this time dear?"
Harry groaned, slapping his hands on his lap in defiance. "No one, I'm being the bigger person!"
Blaise blinked.
Before bursting out into laughter—and just walking away rather than dignifying that with a response.
Harry felt the urge to throw something at his retreating back but resorted to kicking the stairs in annoyance with a shout. "That bastard, how does he do that? I know he can't read minds!" He complained.
"Why don't you go bother him tonight," Dean offered, and Harry did a wild double take at the two of them when Seamus nodded like this was a good idea. Like it wasn't ground breaking that they'd just casually admitted he should have dinner with a bunch of Slytherins tonight like it was no big deal. He explained, "High road or whatever it is you're on about, Ron will probably end up turned into a flower or something if you get forced to sit too close to him at dinner, so maybe it's for the best you're with the Slytherins tonight."
"I'm not that bad!"
"No but Neville will be late and Draco's the only other person who can really calm you down, so off you go," Seamus snickered, standing pointedly and shooing him down the stairs.
Harry did so half out of confusion but… also because it also made him kind of warm that they acknowledged that.
"I don't like the implication that I need to be managed or whatever, but I'll let it slide for now. Bigger person and whatnot."
"Sure, sure," He was ignored as they said their farewells and Harry readjusted his mindset from lions to snakes as he realized this was a good opportunity to tell Draco too.
It wasn't until he was almost at the Slytherin table that it occurred to him though, and he glanced back to see Seamus telling Otto and couple other Gryffindors already eating something very intently. While he hadn't seen it coming, he realized it probably wasn't just them fully accepting his table-switching habits, but that they might've just gotten rid of him for an ulterior motive.
And… uneasy as it was to his paranoia, he decided to trust them for once and keep out of it. It felt nice, like they really did have his back, although he was concerned what they were telling people.
He'd leave it be for now. They'd been in charge of handling Ron thus far and he'd never questioned it, so there was no reason to start now.
He stopped acting weird and walked more confidently towards the Sltyherin table os they wouldn't sense his mood, plopping down beside Draco who was already half done with his meal somehow, mind clearly far aware as he jumped nearly out of his skin at the sudden presence leaning bodily into his side.
"Hey," He greeted, Draco catching his awareness again and looking relieved it was just him.
"Hey—what's with the face?"
"Am I that easy to read!?"
"Only when you're angry." He admitted, pushing a cup of tea closer to him as if to imply he should calm down and he gave up entirely, taking it and acknowledging he wasn't half the liar he thought he was.
"I found out who tried to kill you." He announced, Draco almost picking up his own tea before needing to do a dramatic double take in surprise.
"Kill me? When did that happen?"
"The firecracker last semester."
He got a grey-eyed stare for a moment, not in recognition exactly since clearly Draco had not forgotten either, but… all he did was give a small frown that didn't even crease the line between his brows.
"Do I want to know or…?" Clearly, he already suspected there was a reason Harry just didn't out and tell him who it was.
"Depends. Will you tell me not to kill them or will you help?"
He got an entirely unamused look back now.
"Depends." He repeated suspiciously.
"On?"
"How much of a hassle would it be compared to the amount of trouble it'd cause."
Harry looked away, examining his tea in a mock show of innocence. He already knew Draco was going to say this was not worth their time, but he really didn't want to hear it.
"Are you not mad about it at all? Am I the only one mad at them? Because if it's just me then I still need to think of something that'd be satisfying revenge, but if you wanted a piece I'd take your opinion into account." He tried to play innocent but literally no one at this table bought it, Draco least of all.
"How kind of you," He deadpanned. "Just do what you think is best." He dismissed the whole thing like Harry already knew he would, and it made him pout.
"You really don't care?"
"I think this is a conversation for later," He sipped his own tea finally, referencenig the fact they were having this conversation very publicly at the house table and he got the message.
"Fine. I don't have time for them right now anyway, maybe next year." He allowed.
"I do recall you mentioning you could hold a grudge. Planning that far out for something that happened months ago is a good look," Blaise commented in a pur, clearly having been eavesdropping the whole time from across the table.
Theo probably had too but he had his book literally on his plate right now not even pretending to eat and seeming more wrapped in it than usual. Harry thought he might actually be reading right now instead of multitasking like he normally did which was kind of funny—and he bit back the impulse to ask him what it was.
Theo would hate him for ripping him out of something he was clearly neck-deep in, and also he very pointedly always had covers on his book preventing people from seeing their titles, so he could take the hint that he wasn't going to get told the truth anyway.
Harry shrugged at him. "At this point the Occlumency is working enough that I can choose not to get mad sometimes, but only because I make a mental note to get revenge later. I'm not sure that's exactly healthy but it's sure as hell a lot more productive than what I was doing before." He explained, also slyly informing Theo that he'd figured his mindscape issue out.
It also proved Theo was multitasking just enough to catch that, blue eyes flickering up very briefly before dropping back down to his text, a small smile on his lips that disappeared as fast as it'd shown itself as he resumed his reading.
Blaise could give a shit about his Occlumency though, seeming more than thrilled about the coping mechanism itself.
"How wonderful! Who is on the list right now?"
"Classified, until further notice," Harry immediately shut that curiosity down. "All you need to know is that now that I'm not losing my temper all the time they'll never see it coming anymore."
"Am I on it?"
"Honestly, no." He admitted before wincing as he realized what a terrible idea being honest was. "That is not license for you to try and get on my list though!"
"Oh but what would you do to me if I were?"
That's was a good point, actually. Harry gave it some real thought as he filled up his plate with food, mulling it over.
He already knew Blaise was insane and had done things way worse than Ron Weasley ever could already, yet he'd never found it annoying or decided to get revenge on him for any of it. He already knew the crazy Slytherin would attempt to date some of his friends in the future and inevitably break their hearts, but somehow since he'd already known this fact about the Zabini he wasn't mad about it per say. Annoyed but also aware he was not at level with Blaise enough to stop it.
He was a hard nut to crack, because he already knew he was psychotic and lowkey quite evil, but not like death eater evil exactly… it was hard to explain, even to himself. It was hard to imagine what he could possibly do that Harry would, for one, not see coming, and two, be mad enough about to want to get revenge on him for. It was hard to think of the right kind of anger needed to muster up revenge if he couldn't barely wrap his head around what it would that would get him so angry.
As he munched on his chicken entrée he figured whatever it was would have to be really bad.
Like… really bad.
And in that case…
Oh no… that is definitely not a thought I should have.
He winced, knowing himself enough to know that even having a contingency plan that bad was not good for his mental health. Clearly he had no self-preservation at all because the idea had hit him, and he knew it was a terrible plan but… he did file it away safely in the back of his mind, just in case.
"What's that face for?" Draco clocked on immediately to his change in expression, on red alert immediately.
Harry pressed his lips into a guilty line.
"I did think of something." He admitted.
"Which is?" Draco was officially worried now but… Harry couldn't exactly blame him.
"…insane." He admitted.
"Oh I am so in." Blaise cheered, resting his chin on his folded hands eagerly.
"Blaise, have you ever heard the term mutually assured destruction?"
"No, but I'm a big fan of the implication," he waved, unconcerned.
"Let's just say if you actually piss me off, like genuinely, then I have an idea. Neither of us are surviving it though, and I really hate that you made me think of this at all."
"Well now I'm curious," He grinned, instantly pouting when Harry refused to play.
"Well I'm not telling," He stuck his tongue out childishly.
"Oh come on!"
Harry blinked when someone leaned into his other shoulder, and he was suddenly pinned between two Slytherins as Daphne—where had she come from?— gave him wide eyes and leaned her head closer to him.
He figured it couldn't hurt and there was no way she'd ever tell a Zabini, so he accepted the silent request and whispered it quietly into her offered ear.
She choked on her tea and had to lean under table briefly to survive the coughing attack, Harry just patting her back to try and help in vain.
"What is it!?" Draco was beyond worried, closing in on alarmed now but Harry had no intention of telling him this, less he drag him to Madam Pomfrey to check his brain for sanity-eating parasites or something.
"Do not." Daphne caught her breathe enough to snap at him, her glare a thing of glory.
"I'm not, it's for emergencies only."
"Not even then! Harry do not, holy SHIT do not do that." He complained, but he could just shrug. He'd already had the thought, it was too late now.
"What counts as an emergency then?" Blaise was only ever more fascinated but Daphne's reaction, since she usually had more decorum than that.
But Harry knew he couldn't tell him that either, or he'd be too tempted to give it a shot one day and test the theory. Maybe it wouldn't be anytime soon but if Blaise got bored enough and wanted to see what mutually assured destruction truly looked like… Harry was completely certain he wouldn't think twice.
Because unfortunately the only thing Harry could think of right now that would make him actually go nuclear against Blaise at this point… was if he straight up murdered Draco or Neville.
He was self-aware enough to know that was an insanely selfish line to draw in the sand. Why not anyone else if he killed them, after all?
No, Harry knew he'd be beyond furious if (when) Blaise hurt one of his friends but… Draco and Neville were too closely tied to his (frankly rather unstable) mental health, for him to think twice about doing his absolute worst if someone touched them.
Daphne leaned in again so he informed her of this lowly. She nodded in approval that time though.
"Fine. He's not that stupid so it's unlikely."
"You're both lame! Tell meeeeee," he whined annoyingly.
"No." Harry shut it down, happy that Daphne chorused the sentiment immediately too. He was even happier at the implication that she believed Blaise was already aware of where the line was with him and wouldn't touch Draco or Neville needlessly then. It was… a relief to a concern he hadn't known he'd been harboring.
"Do I get to know ever?" Draco frowned, unamused but clearly already knowing the answer.
"No because you'd kill me yourself before I could. Don't give me that look, I said emergencies only."
He ignored the blond's half-hearted complaints as he resumed his dinner, finally relaxed enough to feel properly hungry after the eventful evening. He lowkey wondered if he could stop Blaise's grating whining if he provided him with any of the news he'd just learned about Ron but…
Put into the Slytherin perspective, nothing about the Ron situation would be of interest to Hogwarts' most prolific and sadistic gossip whore. It wasn't news exactly, and he was just being used by sixth years anyway, so he wasn't the mastermind or anything more important than a pawn. A predictable pawn at that as Blaise wouldn't give a shit if a Weasley were after a Malfoy… that was literally to be expected and he'd get laughed at for even trying to phrase it as something interesting to this table.
That conclusion, combined with Draco's shoulder pressed to his and the cold seeping into him calmingly, helped him finally put the matter to rest.
For now.