Breaking The Beast
Chapter 1
Fog rolled, a swirling white broken beast, parts of it creeping around the Herbology greenhouses that glittered ominously in the moonlight; otherwise, it draped itself across the grounds and hovered restlessly over the lake. A dark-robed figure could hardly be made out, noticed only when the fog shifted aimlessly. But Harry Potter, wrapped in his Invisibility Cloak and wandering the halls of Hogwarts after hours as usual, had noticed Draco Malfoy's dot on the Marauder's Map as he had crept out the front doors.
Whatever Malfoy's up to this time, I'm going to find out.
Harry pulled the cloak more tightly around himself and traced Draco's steps, quiet as the fog. He moved as quickly as he dared, almost catching up to Draco on the slight descent that denoted the giant hollow of the lake. Feeling slightly feverish as he tried to calm his breathing, Harry stopped behind a tree, willing his heart to slow down. Maybe Hermione was right; was he becoming obsessed with Draco?
Almost every waking moment was spent wondering where he went when his dot vanished from the Map; in his dreams, Draco haunted him, his slate-grey eyes large and glittering, that pale face dancing just out of the reach of Harry's fingers. And more often than not, those dreams left Harry aching, left him feeling vacant and wanting to…what? When he would wake, Harry could hardly breathe because it felt like his heart was breaking. Maybe he should just turn around and leave, take Hermione's advice and take a day or three off in the hospital wing, just rest and let his mind and body relax for a minute….But even as he thought about it, Harry knew the time alone would only magnify his desire to catch Malfoy at whatever it was he was doing so secretively.
Harry felt a trickle of sweat bead down his chest, itching under his shirt, hot under the cloak. But his body stilled almost peacefully as he watched Draco bend suddenly, dragging up a pile of pebbles. Harry could almost smell Draco's discomfort; did he know he was being followed? Harry's breath hitched in his throat and he warily watched as the paler boy threw a few pebbles into the lake. Suddenly, Harry wanted Draco to find him and he stood as still as possible, his body shivering in the warm night air. As long as it took, Harry could wait.