[you have been added to a conversation]

by lyn7

Summary:

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
Harry! Good you're here
we think it started as a conversation about Quidditch
and then someone added someone and then someone added someone else
and now

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
there are 17 people

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
now that you're here ;)

(In which the whole chat room and the cat all conspire for Draco and Harry to finally get together)

Chapter 1

The first indication that something had gone wrong was the sound.

Harry Potter had been eating toast when his laptop made a noise, rather like a lively tune— ding ding ding, unfamiliar enough that he looked at it sideways, he recognised it as the messaging software that Hermione and Ginny had insisted he install on his computer since he refused to get a mobile phone.

The second indication was the flashing window that popped up.

Conversation (17 participants)
─ □ ✕

[you have been added to a conversation]

[current participants: 17]

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
sorry who added me

weasel.king.69 is typing...

grass_is_greener says:
oh brilliant he's here

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
HARRY

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
GINNY???

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
yes hello welcome to the thing

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
what thing what IS this

weasel.king.69 says:
mate I've been trying to figure that out for TWO WEEKS

you're finally online to be added

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
Harry! Good you're here

we think it started as a conversation about Quidditch

and then someone added someone and then someone added someone else

and now

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
there are 17 people

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
now that you're here ;)

nev.er.give.up says:
hi harry!! :)

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
NEVILLE hi mate

moon.lover_good says:
Hello Harry. I had a feeling you'd arrive today.

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
hi luna

moon.lover_good says:
Your aura is very orange right now.

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
is that good

moon.lover_good says:
It's quite peaceful, but you anticipate change.

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
okay

weasel.king.69 says:
scroll up mate

scroll up and DESPAIR

Type a message...

Harry scrolled up.

There were 200 messages above him.
He scrolled for what felt like a long time. At some point he passed an argument about whether a Cleansweep Seven could theoretically outpace a Nimbus 2000 in a crosswind. Then he passed what appeared to be Hermione, Ernie Macmillan and Pansy Parkinson having a genuine and detailed debate about Wizengamot reform. Further up, he passed seventeen consecutive messages that were just Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan sending each other the 8-) emoticon.

He stopped scrolling. He looked at his toast. He looked back at the screen.

He put down his toast.

Conversation (17 participants)
─ □ ✕

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
okay I have questions

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
1. xX_dark.lord_Xx???

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
HARRY it's me

YOUR EX-GIRLFRIEND GINNY WEASLEY

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
I knew it was you gin I meant the NAME

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
I thought it was funny

fred would approve

weasel.king.69 says:
stop defending it

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
then stop telling me to change it and I won't have to defend it

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ is typing...

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
2. who added zacharias smith

8 people are typing...

weasel.king.69 says:
NOBODY KNOWS

z.smith says:
I can see all of this

weasel.king.69 says:
we know zacharias

z.smith says:
I was INVITED

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
by WHOM

z.smith says:
... someone

moon.lover_good says:
The Nargles are responsible for a great many things.

z.smith says:
Again, I can see all of this

Type a message...

Harry briefly looked at the list of names on the right side of the screen. Sixteen people aside from him. He was trying to go down the list to work out the ones he didn't recognise when another window opened — a private chat window with Hermione.

know-it-all-and-PROUD — Conversation
─ □ ✕

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
before you ask

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
yes the Slytherins are in there

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
Pansy, Daphne, Theodore Nott, Millicent Bulstrode

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
and

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
Harry

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
Draco Malfoy is in the chat

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
WHAT

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
he's been in it since day three apparently Pansy added him

he was VERY resistant at first and then he got into an argument about Quidditch aerodynamics

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
hermione

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
yes

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
which one is he

know-it-all-and-PROUD says:
...you'll know when you see it

Type a message...

Harry went back to the main chat room. He looked at the names again, skimming over each one until his eyes landed on the last one.

Conversation (17 participants)
─ □ ✕

draconian.measures — Away

currently doing something significantly more important than this. (this is a lie. I am doing nothing. save me from this boredom)

Type a message...

Harry stared for a long moment.

Then, against his better judgement, he laughed.

Conversation (17 participants)
─ □ ✕

[draconian.measures is now online]

draconian.measures says:
Pansy the cat knocked the laptop off the desk I was gone eleven minutes there are 47 messages what is WRONG with all of you

~~queen.of.MEAN~~ says:
welcome back darling

draconian.measures says:
Nott did you actually just spend six messages arguing that peppermint toads are superior to every other Honeydukes product

nott.today says:
I stand by it

draconian.measures says:
you are so wrong it's almost impressive

nott.today says:
you've sent three messages and you're already being insufferable

draconian.measures says:
it's a gift

lavender.brown.wow says:
omg Draco tell us what Copernicus knocked off first was it something expensive

draconian.measures says:
my dignity but that's been gone since I joined this chat room

weasel.king.69 says:
lmaooo

draconian.measures says:
...

draconian.measures says:
who is weasel.king.69

weasel.king.69 says:
WHY DO YOU ASK EVERYDAY

weasel.king.69 says:
THE 69 IS FOR MY DAD'S

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
RON

weasel.king.69 says:
BIRTH YEAR

draconian.measures says:
Just needed my daily reminder that Weasley is here and embarrassing himself glad some things are constant

weasel.king.69 says:
oi

draconian.measures says:
anything I should know about since eleven minutes ago or is this the complete catastrophe it was when I left

~~queen.of.MEAN~~ says:
actually

draconian.measures says:
Pansy

~~queen.of.MEAN~~ says:
yes?

draconian.measures says:
when you say actually in that tone

~~queen.of.MEAN~~s says:
this is a messaging software darling there's no tone

draconian.measures says:
okay continue

~~queen.of.MEAN~~ says:
Actually! just actually! as in there may have been one small addition while you were away

draconian.measures says:
who

grass_is_greener says:
okay so

draconian.measures says:
Daphne

grass_is_greener says:
so you know how this whole chat room is sort of a post-war reconciliation thing

draconian.measures says:
that's not what this is this is a Quidditch argument that spiralled out of control

grass_is_greener says:
sure but the SPIRIT of it is reconciliation and expansion and building bridges

draconian.measures says:
Daphne Grace Greengrass who did you add

grass_is_greener says:
it was actually Ginny

xX_dark.lord_Xx says:
it was a GROUP decision

draconian.measures says:
GROUP decision to add WHOM

nott.today says:
Draco Malfoy why the hell did you charm the bathroom door to not close properly.

~~queen.of.MEAN~~ says:
Harry Potter's in the chat room

draconian.measures says:
Because he scratches the door if I close it and I've told him to stop but he's a CAT so naturally he doesn't listen and

draconian.measures says:
.

draconian.measures says:
sorry

draconian.measures says:
what did you just say

draconian.measures says:
Potter is in this chat room

~~queen.of.MEAN~~ says:
yes :)

draconian.measures says:
I've just been going on about my cat and nobody NOBODY thought to

nott.today says:
we thought it would be more interesting this way

draconian.measures says:
Theodore

nott.today says:
you said, and I quote, "Potter always ruins everything he walks into just by existing" last Tuesday

draconian.measures says:
that was PRIVATE

nott.today says:
it was in this chat room Draco you sent it on here you were trying to open a private window with Pansy and hit the wrong button

lavender.brown.wow is typing...

lavender.brown.wow is typing...

lavender.brown.wow is typing...

lavender.brown.wow says:
WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT HOW DID I MISS THIS?? Potter always RUINS EVERYTHING he walks into JUST BY EXISTING???

Draco that is literally the most dramatic thing anyone has ever said about someone they claim to hate that is a CONFESSION that is POETRY

draconian.measures says:
it is NOT a confession it means he's annoying and disruptive and his mere PRESENCE causes chaos which is objectively true and NOT a confession of anything

~~queen.of.MEAN~~ says:
of course not darling

draconian.measures says:
Pansy I can hear your face

~~queen.of.MEAN~~ says:
I'm not making a face I'm just sitting here

draconian.measures says:
you are absolutely making a face

~~queen.of.MEAN~~ says:
:)

draconian.measures says:
I hate this chat room I hate all of you Potter if you're reading this which you are because you're IN HERE apparently this is being taken out of context

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
.

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
hi Malfoy

draconian.measures says:
*&#*^%$%#^(*&

draconian.measures says:
that was the cat walking across my keyboard

draconian.measures says:
Potter

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
so I ruin everything just by existing

draconian.measures says:
I want it to be on record that I typed that a week ago and it was supposed to be a PRIVATE message that went to the wrong window

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
right

draconian.measures says:
and it means you're chaotic and disruptive not that I think about your existence specifically

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
right

draconian.measures says:
stop saying right

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
what should I say instead

draconian.measures says:
nothing you should say nothing and we should all move on immediately and never discuss this again

weasel.king.69 says:
yeah that's not happening mate

finnigan.begin.again says:
this is the most interesting thing that's happened all week and I accidentally set fire to my kitchen yesterday

dean.the.dream says:
OUR kitchen you mean

moon.lover_good says:
Harry your aura has gone very pink.

~*~seeker4lyfe~*~ says:
luna we are using TEXT you can't see my aura

moon.lover_good says:
I don't need to see it.

draconian.measures — Away

not here. not reading this. gone forever. (I am still here but I blame Copernicus for everything.)

Type a message...

Notes:

The messaging client is something inspired by MSN and AOL though the UI was very hard to recreate in AO3's limited css support so I had to make do
MSN (Which was what I used back in the day) and pretty sure AOL also, did not support a "group chat" function where it saved the chat, if there was a group chat it would disappear when everyone logged off, but for the sake of the fic let's just say this client supports a normal group chat function which stays.

EDIT: I literally just realised there's no way Arthur's birth year can be 69 as Ron is born in 1980, oh well, let's just say it's Ron being Ron.