A/N: This is only the second fanfiction that I've ever started, so I'm
asking for as many suggestions and comments as you have. There'll be a
little Harry/Draco slash. (I'm all of 15 years old, so it won't be too
intense. Should I say "sorry" or "don't worry"?) Now that I've totally put
you off this story... I will assure you that, in my opinion, it's quite
good, and bid you a happy reading.
You know the disclaimer stuff already: Plot is mine, everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling. Steal it and I will set the dementors on you.
~~~
Harry struggled to keep his ragged breathing quiet. Even Seeker-trained as he was, a flat out run from the edge of the Forbidden Forest to the school library was enough to leave him painfully breathless. He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans, and gathered himself, letting his heartbeat slow and his breath come more easily.
The library was very dark, save for the moonlight flowing through the wide windows to one side of the room. Harry drew his wand, glad that it had stayed safely in his pocket through his mad dash. Lumos! he whispered, and a dim globe of cool white flame appeared, drifting with him as he walked toward the Restricted Section. He was breaking several school rules, and he didn't care in the least. Filch could give him a hundred detentions later. It was more important that he find out what he had seen in the Forest. Unfortunately, he knew just where to look.
Harry had done a good deal of reading over the past two months. He was sixteen, and Dumbledore had given him permission to study many tomes of dark magic, as long as he kept them safe in the library and kept his newfound knowledge secret. The idea was to give Harry as much knowledge as possible about Voldemort's dark ways and how to fight them. Both Harry and Dumbledore knew that another confrontation could not be far away, and that Harry had to be ready.
He pushed aside his chivalrous Gryfindorian thoughts, and concentrated on the task at hand. Dumbledore need never know that his most trusted student was betraying that trust. Harry reached up and drew a slender black book from one of the highest shelves. He sat down and propped his wand upright against his knee. Taking a deep breath, he let the book fall open in his hand. In the way of many powerful books, the page it opened to was the page he wanted. Harry Potter began to read.
Nearly an hour passed, and when Harry at last looked up, he winced at the tightness in his neck and shoulders. Surprisingly enough, Filch had not found him. In fact, the library was unusually silent. Even the night outside was still and windless. He replaced the dark book, and snuffed the light from his wand. Then he froze. He heard footsteps behind him. A very familiar voice whispered, "Harry? What are you doing here?"
"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, whirling to face his friend. She was barefoot and dressed in a long white nightgown. "I could ask you the same question."
"I was looking for you," she said, sounding concerned. "Ron said you hadn't come back from Hagrid's with him, and I started to worry..."
Harry sighed and pushed his glasses farther up his nose. "I'm fine, Hermione. Just doing a little late-night research. I'm sure you understand, of all people."
She frowned at him. "Exactly what sort of research, may I ask?"
"Listen," Harry said. "This isn't the best place to have this conversation. Filch will be around any moment. Double the points from Gryfindor, since there's two of us now."
"We'll go to the common room then. I'm not going to let you evade my questions, Filch or no Filch."
~~~
"Well?" Hermione demanded, as soon as they had made it safely to the common room. "What's in the Restricted Section that you had to know about right away? And don't pretend it's something unimportant, because that could have waited until morning, at least."
Harry looked at his friend for a long moment. She had always been trustworthy in the past, even when she didn't approve of his actions.
"I saw ... someone," he told her, "by the Forbidden Forest. I hid in Hagrid's garden, and I heard him doing something illegal. Dark magic. I ran back here as soon as it was safe, to look up what I heard, to find out if it was what I thought it was."
"Was it?"
"I don't know," Harry lied. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. Go to bed, Hermione; it's late."
Hermione looked like she was about to protest, but nodded instead. "We'll talk about it when you're less tired then. Ron'll want to know, of course." She smiled a good-night to Harry, and left for the girl's dormitory.
Harry lingered a while longer. He was glad that he had told someone. He hated knowing terrible secrets and being unable to share them with his closest friends. The details, though... Why hadn't he told Hermione everything? He knew quite well who he had seen by the Forest, and who had come out of the shadows to meet him. It seemed that Voldemort had found a shape of sorts, hunched and battered, but solid. And the other...
...it seemed that Draco Malfoy had moved beyond general nastiness, and thoroughly into the Dark.
~~~
Harry was unusually distracted during breakfast. He had thought a lot about Malfoy the night before. Much as he hated the Slytherine boy, he was worried. Voldemort had placed a rare type of Imperious curse on him. The book in the library said that it was far more subtle than Imperious proper. Most likely, Malfoy had no idea what was happening to him, which made him all the more vulnerable to the Dark Lord's evil intentions. He couldn't even fight the curse, as Professor Moody had taught them all two years before.
Harry looked up as Ron waved a hand in front of his face. "Still catching up on lost sleep from last night, eh?" the redhead teased. "Hand me that platter of eggs, will you?"
Harry gave Ron the eggs and prodded his own cold breakfast with his fork. There was a counter-spell for the curse. A fairly simple one at that, requiring only the swish of a wand and a few words. But... if Harry unraveled Voldemort's spell, he would only be drawing attention to himself. Was it worth the danger?
'Save Malfoy?' part of his mind asked incredulously. 'Better to let him die in the service of the Dark Lord. Save you the trouble of doing him in later.' He shook his head to shake those thoughts loose, horrified. Harry was a Gryfindor, and he took pride in that. No true Gryfindor would leave a fellow student under an illegal curse. 'Even if that student is your worst enemy?'
"Voldemort is far worse than Malfoy," Harry said out loud. Hermione winced at the name and Ron gave him a very odd look, but neither of them commented. Harry guessed that Hermione had told Ron what Harry had told her.
He pushed back his chair and left the room, heading straight for the library. He knew what he was going to do. He also knew just how to catch Malfoy alone and unaware.
You know the disclaimer stuff already: Plot is mine, everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling. Steal it and I will set the dementors on you.
~~~
Harry struggled to keep his ragged breathing quiet. Even Seeker-trained as he was, a flat out run from the edge of the Forbidden Forest to the school library was enough to leave him painfully breathless. He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans, and gathered himself, letting his heartbeat slow and his breath come more easily.
The library was very dark, save for the moonlight flowing through the wide windows to one side of the room. Harry drew his wand, glad that it had stayed safely in his pocket through his mad dash. Lumos! he whispered, and a dim globe of cool white flame appeared, drifting with him as he walked toward the Restricted Section. He was breaking several school rules, and he didn't care in the least. Filch could give him a hundred detentions later. It was more important that he find out what he had seen in the Forest. Unfortunately, he knew just where to look.
Harry had done a good deal of reading over the past two months. He was sixteen, and Dumbledore had given him permission to study many tomes of dark magic, as long as he kept them safe in the library and kept his newfound knowledge secret. The idea was to give Harry as much knowledge as possible about Voldemort's dark ways and how to fight them. Both Harry and Dumbledore knew that another confrontation could not be far away, and that Harry had to be ready.
He pushed aside his chivalrous Gryfindorian thoughts, and concentrated on the task at hand. Dumbledore need never know that his most trusted student was betraying that trust. Harry reached up and drew a slender black book from one of the highest shelves. He sat down and propped his wand upright against his knee. Taking a deep breath, he let the book fall open in his hand. In the way of many powerful books, the page it opened to was the page he wanted. Harry Potter began to read.
Nearly an hour passed, and when Harry at last looked up, he winced at the tightness in his neck and shoulders. Surprisingly enough, Filch had not found him. In fact, the library was unusually silent. Even the night outside was still and windless. He replaced the dark book, and snuffed the light from his wand. Then he froze. He heard footsteps behind him. A very familiar voice whispered, "Harry? What are you doing here?"
"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, whirling to face his friend. She was barefoot and dressed in a long white nightgown. "I could ask you the same question."
"I was looking for you," she said, sounding concerned. "Ron said you hadn't come back from Hagrid's with him, and I started to worry..."
Harry sighed and pushed his glasses farther up his nose. "I'm fine, Hermione. Just doing a little late-night research. I'm sure you understand, of all people."
She frowned at him. "Exactly what sort of research, may I ask?"
"Listen," Harry said. "This isn't the best place to have this conversation. Filch will be around any moment. Double the points from Gryfindor, since there's two of us now."
"We'll go to the common room then. I'm not going to let you evade my questions, Filch or no Filch."
~~~
"Well?" Hermione demanded, as soon as they had made it safely to the common room. "What's in the Restricted Section that you had to know about right away? And don't pretend it's something unimportant, because that could have waited until morning, at least."
Harry looked at his friend for a long moment. She had always been trustworthy in the past, even when she didn't approve of his actions.
"I saw ... someone," he told her, "by the Forbidden Forest. I hid in Hagrid's garden, and I heard him doing something illegal. Dark magic. I ran back here as soon as it was safe, to look up what I heard, to find out if it was what I thought it was."
"Was it?"
"I don't know," Harry lied. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. Go to bed, Hermione; it's late."
Hermione looked like she was about to protest, but nodded instead. "We'll talk about it when you're less tired then. Ron'll want to know, of course." She smiled a good-night to Harry, and left for the girl's dormitory.
Harry lingered a while longer. He was glad that he had told someone. He hated knowing terrible secrets and being unable to share them with his closest friends. The details, though... Why hadn't he told Hermione everything? He knew quite well who he had seen by the Forest, and who had come out of the shadows to meet him. It seemed that Voldemort had found a shape of sorts, hunched and battered, but solid. And the other...
...it seemed that Draco Malfoy had moved beyond general nastiness, and thoroughly into the Dark.
~~~
Harry was unusually distracted during breakfast. He had thought a lot about Malfoy the night before. Much as he hated the Slytherine boy, he was worried. Voldemort had placed a rare type of Imperious curse on him. The book in the library said that it was far more subtle than Imperious proper. Most likely, Malfoy had no idea what was happening to him, which made him all the more vulnerable to the Dark Lord's evil intentions. He couldn't even fight the curse, as Professor Moody had taught them all two years before.
Harry looked up as Ron waved a hand in front of his face. "Still catching up on lost sleep from last night, eh?" the redhead teased. "Hand me that platter of eggs, will you?"
Harry gave Ron the eggs and prodded his own cold breakfast with his fork. There was a counter-spell for the curse. A fairly simple one at that, requiring only the swish of a wand and a few words. But... if Harry unraveled Voldemort's spell, he would only be drawing attention to himself. Was it worth the danger?
'Save Malfoy?' part of his mind asked incredulously. 'Better to let him die in the service of the Dark Lord. Save you the trouble of doing him in later.' He shook his head to shake those thoughts loose, horrified. Harry was a Gryfindor, and he took pride in that. No true Gryfindor would leave a fellow student under an illegal curse. 'Even if that student is your worst enemy?'
"Voldemort is far worse than Malfoy," Harry said out loud. Hermione winced at the name and Ron gave him a very odd look, but neither of them commented. Harry guessed that Hermione had told Ron what Harry had told her.
He pushed back his chair and left the room, heading straight for the library. He knew what he was going to do. He also knew just how to catch Malfoy alone and unaware.