High Stakes
CW for alcohol and gambling
The room is too hot with all the windows shut, curtains drawn. Beads of sweat drip down the back Harry’s neck, but he keeps his face cool. Everything depends on this. He raises an eyebrow, then his hand.
“Ten thousand.”
The air is still, no movement around the table. Sharp somehow. Faces glint in the dim light, affecting calm, but he can see behind the masks. Always could. It was his special gift, if you’d like, his secret weapon. Magic helped too. And now, all he has to do is wait: the long game finally reaching its climax. It should happen any second now. Any second.
To his left, a thin man grinds his teeth. “Out.”
Mr. moustache adds a huff to it. “I’m out.”
Across the table, the flashy tosser with the smile and the name winks. “Sorry, lads. Out this round.”
Which leaves only them at it; the hunter and his prey. One narrow eyebrow arches infinitely high.
“All right, then. All in.”
There’s challenge in his tone. The only man Harry’s never been able to read. Of the shields he uses Harry knows, both magical and not, unbreakable. He bites his lip, the false tell he spent all night ascertaining: it won’t help, not here, not with him. But maybe courage will.
The pile on the table is stacked high enough to make you dizzy. Harry sucks in a groan.
“All in.”
The collective intake of breath is rank in the air, overwhelming the whiskey, firey scent. A crooked smile unveils sharp teeth. He lays the cards down, and Harry’s heart skips a beat—not because he won, but due to the cards themselves: ace of spades, ace of clubs, ace of hearts.
Ace of hearts. He did it.
Relief is heady, thick like fog, spreading through his entire body. His hands clutch the edge of his seat like he might fall in. He might, fall or fall apart, only time will tell. Around the table the commotion resumes, grimaces fixed into dark smiles, shuffles intensify into near-threats. They’ll deal with all that when they have to. There are more important things, now. Things like grey eyes and the promise they hold, of cooperation, of assent. Of trust.
He corners Malfoy after the next round, a glass of Patron in his hand, smile far more dangerous. More intoxicating. Even pushed against the wall he seems immaculate—must have drank, what, twice as much as Harry. In the dank room, damp with expectations and high stakes, not a single hair out of place. Harry wants to devour him. Instead he grins.
“Knew they’ll change your mind in the end.”
Malfoy shakes his head. “Not for them. For you.”
“For me.” It feels tight in his throat. “Are we going back in? I can’t leave without Rosier.”
“Yes, yes.” Malfoy rolls his eyes, but then leans forward to plant a surprise kiss on Harry’s lips. “Here. For luck.”
Harry dives in. Not for luck, but for this, for him.
(Day 21 of @flufftober! Find all previous ficlets here, or on AO3)
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