The Challenges of Dogs
A/N: This is a response to a challenge written by Acjub. I absolutely could not resist writing a response. This is an edited version as I have decided I was not satisfied with the original. Nothing vital to the story has changed, I just felt a few things needed fixing.
As always, if you recognize it, it does not belong to me.
Chapter 1: The Waggling Posterior.
"Sod off, Malfoy," Harry said. "I'm not in the mood to play games with you today."
"Aw, is poor ickle Pot Head tired?"
Tired did not even begin to describe how Harry was feeling. It had been the Quidditch of the century, lasting 12 hours in a rainstorm unlike any seen in just as long. Drenched from head to toe, Harry was not only cold but exhausted. Malfoy was the last person he wanted to see at that particular point in time.
"Can't even handle a little game of Quidditch! Guess he isn't a hero after all, since he can't even overcome a children's game!"
"A LITTLE GAME?" Harry yelled. He had been on his way to the Gryffindor common room, taking one of the secret passages in an effort to outwit the Slytherin. It was a failed attempt seeing as how the blond boy was standing right behind him. "Twelve hours on a broom is not my idea of fun!"
"That's not what Wood was saying."
Harry turned and stormed up the staircase he knew led straight to the portrait of the Fat Lady. He was done trying to outmaneuver the git following behind him, and just wanted the comforts of his common room.
"In fact, he was telling me that you liked to ride-"
Harry stopped in his tracks, his face was turning bright red. "Malfoy, you dog! Finish that sentence and I'll-" He had turned and drawn his wand to point it at the obnoxious boy, but did not see him. "Lumos," Harry said illuminating the dimly lit passage. Draco was lying on the stairs.
"Aw, ickle little Malfoy is tired." But Draco did not move. "Oh boy, I've done it now. Wingardium Leviosa. Madam Pomfrey will know what to do." And Harry levitated Draco behind him all way up to the hospital wing.
"What have you been up to now Mr. Potter?" Madame Pomfrey asked as she noticed the presence of one of her more frequent visitors entering the wing. "Doesn't appear you have been playing with Polyjuice potion again. No broken bones that I can see. Oh!" She startled seeing Malfoy floating behind him in the hallway. "Bring him in!"
They settled Malfoy on a bed in the corner and pulled the draperies around. "Dueling again between classes, are we, Mr. Potter?"
"I didn't even have my wand out, Madam." Harry was only remotely worried about the other student.
"Harry. We all know your magic works in mysterious ways." She smiled knowingly. "Did he provoke you in any way?" She continued to examine the boy.
"He-" Harry paused and nodded, not wanting to go into detail.
"Well mysterious ways seem to stay that way for a while. We will let him sleep for now. I suggest sleep for you as well, Mr. Potter." Harry looked down at Malfoy before turning to leave the hospital wing.
As he neared the door there was a loud crash and a scream from the medi-witch. Harry ran back, pulling the curtain back to reveal Draco crouched on the bed growling fiercely at the woman who held a potion in one hand and a spoon in the other.
"Malfoy! What on earth are you doing?" Harry hollered. His wand was drawn aimed at the blond boy ready for… well he didn't even know what he was going to do with it.
The 17 year old boy, turned his head towards the sound and the growling ceased. Tilting his head to one side he just looked at Harry. With a yip, Draco hopped off the bed, landing on his hands and feet and scurried over to him.
Harry's mouth hung open and Malfoy, his nemesis and total git rubbed his head against his knee. "What the bloody hell are you doing!" He stepped back, only to be pursued.
"Mr. Potter. Perhaps you should come with me."
Madame Pomfrey conjured a patronus and sent it down to McGonagall and Dumbledore, and took Harry into her private office. Sooner than he had expected, headmaster and transfiguration teacher arrived and stopped in their tracks as Malfoy jumped into Harry's lap and began nuzzling his hand. Professor McGonagall's normally strict composure faded as he mouth hung open. Meanwhile, Harry was attempting to push the brute from his lap, though the attempt was in vain and he eventually had to concede to let Draco remain where he was.
"Now, Mr. Potter. Could you tell us exactly what happened?
Some time later, Harry sat under the stare of his professor. "I see," McGonagall said. "It sounds like Transfiguration gone astray. Mr. Potter-"
"I swear, Professor, I didn't even have my wand out." Harry cut her off.
"I think it best that we keep the young Malfoy here, under your care Madame Pomfrey." Dumbledore said. But even as he said that, the young man began growling, and went to bite the woman as she drew near. Once everyone had backed off, he went back to his attempts to get Harry to scratch his head. "As I was saying, he should stay in the care of Mr. Potter, until we have found a cure."
Harry was left in total shock for the second time that day. "Professor! You can't be serious!" He rose pushing the Draco-dog off onto the floor with a loud thud where he was content to chew his own shoe. "I can't have THAT following me around."
The teachers eyed one another and the two boys. McGonagall pierced her lips until they were nothing more than a thin line. "Mr. Potter, you are excused for the rest of the week from classes. The Room of Requirement would be a good place for the two of you to stay until we get this sorted out."
And that made three times. Alone, with Malfoy? There was no way, but Dumbledore seemed content and was already escorting McGonagall from the room discussing possible cures, and Madame Pomfrey had brought out some books to start browsing.
He looked down at the odd new pet he seemed to have acquired. Nothing looked out of place on the boy, unless one was to count the look of admiration, the tongue hanging from the left side of his mouth, the shoe which had been chewed on, and the fact his posterior was waggling from side to side.
"This is going to be an even longer day that I had thought, isn't it, Malfoy?" He said down to the boy looking up at him. "Ron would get a kick out of this." A grin worthy of his new Slytherin companion slid into place across his face as he left the hospital wing, Malfoy in tow.