Authors Note: This has been edited from the way it was five years ago. Take note that book five was probably the last book that was released during this time so it's not really up to date or anything like that.
I'm in a stage in my life where I want to finish anything and everything I started so this is my lame effort. I hope you'll enjoy.
P.S. The new confuses me. Schmeh.
Chapter 1: To kiss a dragon
Ron Weasley was getting irritated.
Actually irritated wasn't the word. Aggravated, was probably it. After all sitting on a broomstick a hundred feet from the ground in freezing temperatures would've made anyone irritated. To make one aggravated was to have Draco Malfoy within hearing range.
But he was going to be the better man in this situation. Oh yes, he wasn't about to be the one to get suspended and cost Gryffindor the Quidditch cup- no, of course not. He was going to be the responsible one. Nothing was going to get him down from his post. Nope. Nothing.
So he just sat there, pretending to be deaf. Below him the Slytherin Quidditch team was making catcalls. They were so loud that it was a wonder why there were no teachers coming out to tell them off.
"Nice broom Weasleys" Malfoy shouted. "What did you have to sell for that? Your house?"
Ron's knuckles turned white as he gripped the broom harder.
"Oh wait, that still wouldn't be enough now would it?"
Laughter resounded through the whole field.
Don't mind them. Don't pay any attention concentrate on the game.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team was practicing for the upcoming game with Ravenclaw. Harry Potter had not surprisingly become the new captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Aside from Harry, Ron and Ginny, the rest of the team were new.
The other two chasers were Antoinette Klaus and Michael Reeves. They were both fourth years and both very nervous. The beaters who replaced Fred and George were twin girls James and Alex. They were prettier than their names would suggest.
Ginny Weasley was one of the best chasers Hogwarts has ever seen. Of course Ron wouldn't admit that her younger sister was better than him.
Ginny caught Ron's eye and gave him a smirk as she stole the Quaffle from Antoinette and stopped right in front of Harry who was playing chaser for now. They looked at each other as if reading each others thoughts. She swerved left, then right, then when she was just about to go past him someone from below screamed "Weasel." She lost concentration and Harry was able to steal the Quaffle away from her. He looked at her disapprovingly.
"But they-" she started
"Don't let them get to you" he replied "concentrate Gin."
He threw the Quaffle back to her and continued the game.
Ron combed his hair back with his hand as he always did when he was about to put his mind on something. He licked his lips and watched as his sister, Quaffle in hand, dodge a bludger and swerve past Antoinette. She then passed it to Michael Reeves who looked at it as if it were a ticking time bomb and tossed it pitifully toward the hoops Ron was guarding. Ron squinted and leaned closer; preparing to swerve in the direction it went.
It didn't even reach a foot from Ron when it started to fall to the ground.
The Slytherins burst into laughter.
"He makes throwing look so hard!" A Slytherin girl cajoled.
Michael turned a bright shade of red.
"I didn't think they were watching, seeing that they were busy acting like children," Antoinette hissed
"Don't mind them." Ginny reassured Michael. "It's cold out here the wind probably knocked it off course."
"Hey guys, look."
They all turned to where Michael was pointing, and there, flying down with incredible speed and trying to catch up with the falling Quaffle, was Harry Potter. Just before it touched the ground he reached out swiped the Quaffle and pulled back at the last minute. He executed a perfect Wronski faint.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team cheered madly. Malfoy looked as if he had just received a rather ghastly pair of socks for his birthday. Harry flew back up, made a mock bow and grinned.
"Way to go Har!"
"Yeah!"
"Wicked!"
"You the man!"
"Bloody show off!"
Obviously, that came from the Slytherins.
"Scarhead!"
It went on and on, but Harry paid no mind and continued grinning.
Ron was getting furious.
"Quit it Malfoy or I'll chuck you so hard-"
"What? You'll fuck me so hard? Sorry, I don't do animals Weasel, but if you want I could do your sister. She's a fox."
That was it. That was the final straw. Ron dived down at top speed. He was tearing through the air like a hawk on its prey. Ginny followed closely behind.
He couldn't remember when he had been this mad. Not that he really thought about it. The only two words on his mind: "kill" and "Malfoy."
He landed with a loud thud on the ground and walked furiously toward Malfoy. Ginny landed next to him and tried rather vainly to hold him back.
"Ron, no-ngh," she said with great difficulty. "It's not-nngh-worth it."
"Oh bloody hell it aint!" he growled through gritted teeth. Ginny's efforts were next to useless. He was mad, really mad.
Antoinette landed a second later and helped Ginny. The rest of the team was flying down to help. The Slytherins were laughing like hyenas. Malfoy had a smirk on his face.
"Ooh. I'm so scared." He looked at his friends for approval, "did I make ickle Weasel angry?"
More laughter. Angrier Ron.
Amidst all the chaos and the hassle of trying to contain Ron, no one noticed Harry land quietly. No one noticed him walk past his team mates and the struggling Ron. No one noticed him walk up to Malfoy. But everyone seemed to have noticed him punching him hard on the cheek.
Malfoy fell to the ground. His lower lip was cut and his cheek had a purplish color. Everyone was stunned. Ginny and Antoinette's grip loosened. It didn't matter though since Ron wasn't struggling anymore. He was as shocked as they were. Even the Slytherins were too stunned. No one moved.
The only thing one could hear was Harry's slow and shallow breath and grass rustling as Malfoy tried to get up. Before he could even stagger to his feet Harry was on top of him, punching like mad.
Ginny and Antoinette let go of Ron and ran to control Harry. James and Alex came down to help. The Slytherin girl that ridiculed Michael was screaming. Crabbe and Goyle were running towards the pile. Ron continued to stare.
"Stupid. Little. Cunt" Harry said with each punch.
"Harry stop!"
"Harry!"
They finally got him off Malfoy with much difficulty. He was still trying to come at him. Crabbe was about to punch Ron in the stomach when Ron took out his wand and pointed it at him. Crabbe backed off a little and took out his.
That started a chain reaction and everyone started taking out their wands. They stared at each other threateningly, daring each other to make a move and promising that they'll be sorry if they did.
One of them pointed his wand on the struggling Harry. Ginny and Antoinette saw this and let go of Harry just in time to get away before a jelly legs curse hit him.
He took out his wand and pointed it menacingly at the Slytherins, and then at Malfoy.
"You say that again Ferret and I'll break your face, I swear." Why was he was so mad? He did not understand himself. They had ridiculed and teased him much, much worse than this. The Quidditch games, which was the one thing that was stopping him from getting into any trouble, seemed distant and unimportant. All he wanted was to make beat Malfoy into a bloody pulp.
"Expelliarmus!" The Slytherin girl shouted. Antoinette's wand flew through the air. The force was so hard that she herself flew backward and landed on her elbow. She broke her arm. Michael ran to her side and tried to help her up.
Wands were out. Everybody was threatening everyone. But before anyone could attack someone yelled "STOP!"
All eyes fell on the figure on the ground trying to get up. His mouth and nose were bloody and his cheeks were bruised. His hair, which was once always slicked back, fell in disarray all over his face. In his eyes was a look of pure hatred.
It almost scared Harry. He looked as if he was ready to kill someone, and that probably wasn't far from the truth.
He wiped the blood from his nose and mouth as he tried, with great difficulty, to stand up straight. Even when he was in shambles, Malfoy always wanted to look high and mighty. At that time, he actually did.
"Go ahead Potter, cast that spell" he sneered "and I'll be cheering and laughing when Hufflepuff takes the gold! You wouldn't want to mess up at your first year being captain do you Potty?"
He didn't say anything he just looked back. He then lowered his wand. Ron let out a sigh of relief. He didn't even realize that he was holding his breath.
"Thought so," Malfoy smiled as he eyed the Gryffindors "Now if you don't want to be disqualified-not that it matters you're going to lose anyway-you're not going to say anything about that arm." He was looking at Antoinette who was clutching her arm and wincing in pain "and I won't talk about this," he said indicating himself.
He staggered rather pathetically toward Harry, but he still managed to look threatening. He stopped a few inches from him his nose almost touching his.
"Mark my words Potter" he threatened "you will pay for this, and you will be sorry, oh so sorry that you ever met me. I will hurt you so bad that you wouldn't even know what hit you."
0_0_0
They told everyone that a bludger had hit her. No one questioned this and a few students even nodded in approval. "Happens all the time in Quidditch," they say smugly, "That won't be your last injury while on the field."
Harry couldn't shake of the feeling that something was out to get him. It seemed silly when he thought about it but he somehow knew that something was up. He was sure that he did not have the gift of prophecy but even Muggles had these kinds of feelings and most of the time they were right.
Hermione could tell that something was wrong as Harry and Ron were not talking as animatedly as they used to after practicing Quidditch. Usually they would talk about game plays and other boring things that she didn't understand.
"So," Hermione started. "How was practice?"
"It was okay," Harry said.
"Just okay?" Hermione probed. "No bragging? No I-Am-The-Greatest-Quidditch-Player-That-Has-Ever-Walked-The-Earth-Since-Salamander-McBoogieballs? Nothing like that?"
"First of all," Ron replied "It's not Salamander McBoogieballs it's Salamandous McBogger the greatest keeper Ireland has ever seen. Second, however great we were in the field we do not feel like imparting such knowledge to you as it would be wasted on your ignorance."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was talking to Harry, Ronald."
"Practice was great," Harry said sarcastically. "One of my chasers got injured, one of them can't throw a quaffle and my keeper started a fight. Time of my life," he walked up to his dormitory after that leaving Hermione and Ron staring dumbfounded as he went.
"I didn't start the fight! He did!" Ron said defending his honor.
"Harry started a fight?"
Ron immediately regretted his outburst.
"Did I say fight? I didn't say fight." He tried to look as puzzled as he could.
She squinted and gave him a "do I look stupid?" look.
He sighed, "Bloody hell."
9 9 9
"That's not like him."
It was 10:30 in the evening Ron had just finished telling her the story. He told her that they had to wait until it was a little late so that no one would overhear them. He didn't want anyone to hear about what happened lest someone spread rumors.
"I know. I didn't think that Harry would lose it either."
"I don't mean him," Hermione said waving her hand in front of her as if the idea was absurd. "Harry does lose his temper when it comes to the people he loves."
Ron blushed. He rubbed on his nose to try and hide it. She pretended not to notice.
"I mean Malfoy."
"Huh?"
"Don't you see? Malfoy let it go too easily; no fuss, no whines, no teachers, nothing." She looked at Ron seriously. "He left Harry with only a threat. And knowing him he wouldn't just do that after being beaten senseless by no less than Harry Potter."
He never thought of that. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. It was rather strange that he just walked off like that. All he was thinking of was how Harry must've felt or how he must've reacted. He never once thought of how strange it was that Malfoy did nothing. He suddenly remembered the look in Malfoy's eyes. A shudder ran up his spine. It scared him. She was right. Something was up.
"Well maybe he was just scared that his team would get disqualified." he tried to reason.
"Hardly." she replied knowingly. "Remember when we were in the 3rd year, when Buckbeak pecked his arm? Our whole class saw what happened and he was still able to get his way. Ron, he almost killed Buckbeak and there was a whole class of witnesses who could've easily testified against him. He could've said that Harry attacked him-which is true-and that what happened to Antoinette was self defense-which is sort of true. He could've gotten away with it."
"But his dad's in Azkaban" He tried to disprove her speculations again "that's the only reason why that case got so far because of his old man. But he's locked up now."
"Ron, it was Harry's fault that his mom and dad are in Azkaban. I think that just gives him another reason to take revenge."
"So what are you saying" he asked unconvinced "that something bad is going to happen to Harry"
"I'm saying that whatever Malfoy is up to" she said looking serious "it's going to be big."
9 9 9
"You're exaggerating" Harry said after hearing Hermione's theory. The three of them were walking through the halls leading to their charms lessons.
"That's what I said" Ron interjected with a nod of approval trying to catch up with them while carrying his and Hermione's books. He had lost a bet with her about elephants being real. "Honestly Hermione, I thought you were smart."
"Oh don't be such an idiot Ron" she said slapping his arm causing him to almost drop their books.
"Hey, watch it!" he said getting back on balance and shooting her a look of irritation. "What was that for?"
She rolled her eyes and continued talking to Harry. "You couldn't have possibly missed it I mean, it's totally understandable that he did," she said indicating to Ron in a not so friendly way "but you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied innocently.
"Oh sure you don't."
"No really, I don't."
"Yeah Hermione, what part about 'No I don't' don't you get?"
"You boys are so naïve" she said as they arrived to their class "you don't know when things are starting to get serious"
"And you girls don't seem to know when a guy is bluffing or not," Harry replied more harshly than he would've liked "Honestly, what could possibly make me more sorry that I met him? You of all people should know that I already am! And what do you know anyway? You weren't even there. So just drop it alright".
She was silent for a moment. He regretted every word he said.
"Look Hermione I-"
"No. You're right Harry, I wasn't there" she said letting the subject drop for a while, but she obviously wasn't going to let it go "But from the look on Ron's face when he was telling it to me, and the way you're reacting now, I think I know enough."
The game with Ravenclaw came and went. Gryffindor won by a thread with 140-170 points. Clearly they won because Harry caught the Snitch. Everything was starting to go back to normal and soon they started to forget about Malfoy's threats.
It became evident that on top of the need to make his teammates practice more, Harry had to start studying for their N.E.W.T.S. - the most important exam they'll ever have in their lives. Some of them even started studying as early as the 6th year. Suddenly it seemed like their classes were becoming tougher and tougher. At Transfigurations for example, they had to turn a parrot into a baby dragon. Ron was particularly irritated at the fact that they weren't even the same species.
Right now the Gryffindor and Slytherin students were finally adding the final touches to the Ibanavoses potion they had been working on for a month now. It was a very complicated potion that could change the drinkers' voice to into anything he would like; with the condition that he has already heard it. Some of the Muggle borns delighted in this potion and would go through a lot of effort just to imitate muggle pop stars while they were in the shower.
They were stirring a purple solution (last week it was red, and the week before that it was blue) Three times clockwise and two times counterclockwise. If it was stirred in any other way, the potion would not work.
Snape went over to the big dark cabinets on the side that contained the herbal ingredients for the mixture. He took out a jar that had about three leaves inside. He cleared his throat to catch the students' attention.
"Unfortunately we are short of Ceridwen herbs," he said. "May I ask for a volunteer to get some from Professor Sprout?"
The Greenhouses were, of course, outside the school while the dungeons were underneath it. It doesn't take a mathematician to tell you that it was quite far from where they were. No one wanted to take the long walk.
"Hmmm... No one. Fine. Potter, you go," he didn't even look at Harry when he said this.
Harry looked up from his cauldron. He wasn't really paying attention as he was still reliving the moment when he caught the Snitch and beat Ravenclaw.
"But professor—" he started.
"Now Potter," Snape said with a satisfied smirk on his lips. He wrote a note to the Herbology professor and shoved it into his hands.
"And don't you dare come back without it."
8 8 8
Harry walked back from the Greenhouses with a jarful of the requested herbs. He was whistling a tune and was actually enjoying the long walk back. It was getting quite stuffy inside the dungeons. The smell of the latest concoction they were making was absolutely horrendous. The sweet smell of the outdoors was good for him and was just the right thing to put him in a light in cheery mood for the first time in weeks.
While he was passing through the corridor where Filch's room was located he felt a tingly sensation run down his spine and pass through his body. The corridor started to fill with smoke and it felt as if every last bit of happiness was slipping away from him. The familiar voice of his mother was faint but there.
He knew it was a dementor, but that was impossible. How could a dementor get into Hogwarts? He took out his wand, put down the jar, and started to walk with caution. He spotted the dementor in between a knights' armor and some shields that hung on the wall. It slowly crept out and reached out a knobby hand toward Harry.
He started flooding himself with happy thoughts.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry yelled and exactly on cue a silvery mist-like stag appeared from his wand and started to chase the dementor. It looked around in confusion, and started to hurry away. The stag started to chase it around the hallway. The dementor in its haste toppled over the knight's armor. A loud crack was then heard and then the dementor turned into a dead Ron.
"What the?!" Harry was taken aback and for a second. But finally realized what it was he was actually up against.
"A boggart," he said to himself. He aimed his wand.
"Riddikulus!" he shouted as he thought of what Ron's face looked like covered in chocolate instead of the blood that covered it.
CRACK!
"Riddikulus!"
CRACK!
"Riddikulus!"
Finally the boggart disappeared in a small puff of smoke. Harry took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. He got the jar of Ceridwen herbs from the floor and walked hurriedly out of the scene. Being in front of Filch's office with that mess was any student's worst nightmare.
He looked back at the mess his encounter made as he walked. He was thankful that he wouldn't be there when Filch came back. He turned away and stopped dead in his tracks. Filch was in front of him with his mouth agape.
"Potter, you good for nothing troublemaker!"
8 8 8
He wished it was another boggart.
Filch grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to his office. He muttered curses to Harry as he did.
"I can explain..." he started, though he knew it was a futile effort. Filch's motto after all was 'to see is to believe.'
"Sure you can, Potter. Explain why you're out here during school hours." If he didn't know any better he was sure he saw a faint smile on his lips "Oh, I got you now Potter. You can't possibly weasel your way out of this."
"But-"
"You will not speak until you are spoken to, Potter," he said shoving him down a chair and taking his wand and herbs.
Nothing much has changed since he was last here. The large file cabinets and a bookshelf filled with artifacts confiscated from student's ages ago were still there. The items ranged from a pack of exploding snaps to what strangely looked like dynamite. And of course, there were Filch's most prized possessions: the so-called punishing tools he used for the students who disobeyed the rules some years back. Some of them looked like it came straight out of a horror movie.
Mrs. Norris lay on a rug at the far corner. The cat was old but she still went out to spy on students and to accompany Filch when he asked her to.
He sat down on the chair behind the table opposite from where Harry was sitting. He took out a quill and a piece of parchment and started to write.
"Name: Harry Potter. Crime: damaging school property and cutting classes"
"I wasn't cutting classes I was just getting some Ceridwen-"
"Shhhhhh. I'm not talking to you Potter"
"Well at least let me explain, I can show you the note," he said searching his pockets but before he could find it a loud crash was heard from the floor above them.
Filch and Harry looked up at the exact same time.
"Peeves! That no good..." Filch got up and started for the door. He stopped himself right before he touched the doorknob.
"Wait," he said grabbing a pair of handcuffs from his drawer and grabbing Harry by the arm.
"Hey! What the heck are you doing!" he asked as Filch cuffed his left hand to one of the pipes by the wall.
"I'm not going to make the same mistake again, if that's what you're thinking."
"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded pulling at the leather cuffs in vain. "Isn't this against the law?"
"Well, so is invading people's privacy. But you seemed pretty comfortable about it, especially when you found out that I was a squib" he retorted, setting down Harry's wand just a few inches out of arms reach.
Harry immediately stopped struggling. Indeed this was like a carbon copy of what happened almost five years ago in this very office. He had found a letter containing a sort of advertisement for learning how to cast spells. Apparently, Filch didn't want him snooping around his things again.
"I'll be back, and don't try anything funny," he said as he beckoned for Mrs. Norris to come with him. He slammed the door behind him.
Harry immediately tried to jerk free of the handcuffs. He wriggled his wrist and tried vainly to insert a finger in between the leather and his skin but it was too tight. His only hope was his wand.
He tried to reach out for it but he was an inch short. He stretched as far as he could go.
Just a little further… Come on...
The door opened and in came the last person he wanted to be with his hand tied around his back. Well okay, second, with Voldemort placing first.
"Well hello there Potter," Draco Malfoy said with a grin. He looked like Christmas had come early. "Aren't you a little late for Potions?"
"What are you doing here?" he asked trying to hide his surprise and keep his composure despite his current situation.
"What do you think I'm doing here?" Draco asked walking towards his direction. Crabbe and Goyle suddenly appeared behind him.
"You're not supposed to answer a question with a question Malfoy," he said. "Shouldn't you and your boyfriends be in potions?"
"Oh ha-ha Potter," he said taking Harry's wand from where it sat on a nearby table. "It's amazing how you still have a sense of humor considering your predicament."
"It's amazing how spineless you really are" he retorted glaring at Malfoy. "Imagine, cornering a person with his hand literally tied behind his back, wandless and despite the odds against me you still find it necessary to bring them."
Malfoy inched dangerously close to Harry considering he still had one arm free. He raised Harry's chin with the tip of his wand and looked at him straight in the eye. He had to stand on his toes to manage this considering that he was taller than him.
"What did you call me Potter?" he asked threateningly.
"Actually I didn't call you anything. But if I did I would've called you a spineless git."
Malfoy punched Harry on the cheek, exactly on the spot where he had hit him first that Saturday morning on the field. He didn't realize that he could hit so hard.
The punch was so hard that Harry's glasses flew from its place and hit the floor. The pain that erupted made him think for a split second that he was back at the Dursley's and that Dudley had just got him square on the jaw.
Laughter erupted from the room. He opened his eyes and looked around but all he saw was a bunch of blurry blobs, two of which he took to be Crabbe and Goyle. Of course Malfoy was in front him breathing in harsh breaths.
"Crabbe. Goyle. Out." he heard him say. He then saw the blurry blob that was Malfoy stand up straight.
"Huh? What do you mean? The fun just started" He knew that it was Goyle talking.
"Yeah," Crabbe responded "The fun just started, let me take a whack at him"
"No. You two out." Malfoy said sounding like a mother ordering her children to eat broccoli. "Watch out for Filch"
"But-"
"NOW! Just knock on the door when you see him coming"
Harry squint his eyes in confusion. He tried to catch a glimpse of what was happening. He caught sight of was two giant blobs walking away.
He heard the sound of a door shutting. He found himself alone with Draco Malfoy. He heard footsteps approaching him once again. He tried to see what he was going to do next. He was getting closer and he distinctly saw his fuzzy looking arm rise up. He tried to catch it with his free hand, but since he could hardly see, he missed. And instead of Harry catching Malfoy's hand, Mallfoy caught his and held it tight.
Harry tried to jerk free. He jerked even harder when he felt Malfoy's other arm wrap around his neck. He shut his eyes preparing for the worst. Never in a million years could Harry have guessed what happened next.
Soft lips brushed his in what was unmistakably a kiss. His eyes flew open at the sudden tingly sensation on his lips. Only Malfoy was able to see the look on his eyes, and he was glad that he was the only one. It was a look of pure shock and confusion. Delicious.
What the hell is he doing?
The kiss started to deepen, when Malfoy started to press harder. A moan had accidentally escaped from his lips.
Wasn't he supposed to be taking his long awaited revenge?
Harry didn't know what he was going to do. He had to push him away, didn't he?
Why the hell is he kissing me?
Harry felt a hand run through his hair.
He was kissing me.
He thought about biting him so that he would pull away. But he couldn't do it. He just couldn't. He wanted this, wanted this so badly, he wanted to kiss him back.
Oh my gosh. He was kissing me.
It was intoxicating. He had been kissed only three times before by different girls. His first was from Cho, his second was from Ginny and his third was from Luna. All of them caught him by surprise and all of them were sudden. But none of them prepared him for this. And certainly none of them was ever this good.
He did not know what came over him. All he knew was that he had to do it or he would go insane.
He started to kiss him back.
It was Malfoy's turn to be surprised and for a second he didn't respond to Harry's advances. He shut his eyes again and continued on. He closed his eyes and allowed Harry's tongue to come in. His emotions made him let go of Harry's hand in order to push his head closer. He ran his hands through his hair.
Harry's free hand snaked its way to Malfoy's back and pulled him closer. It started to creep down. But before it can go any farther frantic knocking was heard and they immediately broke apart.
Harry's eyes remained shut when Draco moved away he let out a groan and opened his eyes just to make sure it was him he was kissing.
He saw Malfoy the blob apparently straightening up his hair and his robes before running to the door. Before he went out he chanced a look back.
"See ya later, Potter"
Harry was left stunned alone when the gravity of what just happened finally hit him.
"What the hell was that?"