Disclaimer: I don't really have to write this all over again do I? –Points at previous 5 chapters- I'm sure you get the idea.
AN: I've reached 20 reviews. Woohoo! Thanks to all of you, especially those who take the time to review each chapter, it's great to know what you all think of the different parts. This chapter gave me some trouble, especially the ending, but on the plus side it's a lot longer.Anyway read on and let me know what you think.
Chapter 5: Wrapped in flames
"Malfoy?" Harry was rooted to the spot in fear, what if Malfoy had been burnt alive, trapped suddenly as the flames closed in on him? Not even Malfoy deserved that fate. "Malfoy?" He repeated, this time more loudly as his feet finally co-operated and he ran towards the flames. The heat was incredible, Malfoy hadn't been exaggerating before and now he was trapped inside with no means of escape. Or possibly he was already beyond any wish of escaping.
"Malfoy where are you? Malfoy? Malfoy!" Harry was beginning to panic now as thoughts of what might have happened filled him with horror. What had he done? Why had he allowed Malfoy to just walk into the flames like that? He'd let his pride get in the way of his common sense, one silly little remark from Malfoy and now Harry had gone and let him get himself killed.
With no way into the flames Harry was at a loss as to what to do. He had half thought of flying overhead to see if he could see where Draco was; if he was there at all, but instead found himself pulling out his wand and sending a stream of water at the flames that now burned where the archway had been. As before the water hissed away into nothing as soon as it touched the fire, having no effect on them whatsoever.
"Malfoy are you in there? Can you hear me?" Harry's voice was now a panicked shout "Malfoy answer me! Draco!"
To Harry's great relief the archway suddenly opened again and a very hot, rather grumpy looking Draco emerged.
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"It's like being roasted alive in there" Draco moaned as he stepped away from the archway, feeling distinctly sweaty and uncomfortable. "Pretty good defence, just make sure anyone who tries to get through ends up cooked." For the first time he noticed the look on Harry's face, who was standing there looking both concerned and confused at the same time. "What's up Potter? Don't tell me you were worried about me?"
"You… you disappeared!" Harry desperately tried to collect his thoughts. He wasn't about to give Malfoy the pleasure of knowing that he had been worried about him. "What happened? Where did you go?"
"When you get a certain distance in, the flames start to close in behind you as you move forwards. When I realised I came back." He gave his characteristic smirk before continuing, "After all I wouldn't want you to start worrying about me."
Draco wasn't about to admit that when the flames started closing in behind him he had been terrified and had come back because he couldn't stand being alone surrounded by nothing but the heat and noise of the fire. When the flames had opened up just in time for him to hear Harry's panicked shout of his name, he had never been so pleased to see him in his life.
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"I wasn't worried about you" Harry lied "I was just concerned that the path had closed and I wouldn't be able to get through to the horcrux." Actually the thought of getting to the horcrux had never crossed his mind, and when the flames had opened and Draco had stepped out, he had never been so pleased to see him in his life.
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"Whatever Potter" Draco shrugged, he knew that Harry had actually for a fleeting instant been worried about his safety and had even called him by his first name. It made him feel good inside in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. Someone had actually been worried about him, not for selfish reasons of their own, but simply because they did not want to see him hurt. Suddenly his past seemed a very long way away.
Not that he was about to let Potter in on any of that. He pushed his damp hair back from his forehead and motioned towards the archway.
"So I guess we should both go in together this time. I'll go first, you follow." He hadn't liked feeling of the flames closing in behind his back, if Harry went last it would be his back the flames closed in on.
Harry opened his mouth to make an objection; Malfoy should stay behind, or at least allow him to go in front. After all this wasn't Malfoy's quest, it was supposed to have been something Harry had to do alone, and now Malfoy had randomly turned up and was taking over. Before he could say anything Malfoy had already strode into the archway and was looking over his shoulder, waiting for Harry to join him. Deciding not to waste time on an argument Harry quickly trotted over.
"Ready?" asked Draco, Harry nodded and Draco began to walk slowly forwards. The rate the flames opened up meant that they both had to take small shuffling steps and as they made their slow progress inwards Harry began to feel a strange sense of foreboding.
It was horrible inside the archway; the flames leapt eight feet high on either side and met overhead forming a strange tunnel of fire. All Harry could see was flames, unless he twisted his neck round to see the way they had come: a thin strip of black outlined by the brightness of the fire. Any moment now he knew that darkness would disappear.
"I feel like I'm cooking!" he yelled to Draco, turning back round to face the front. Already only a few moments into their journey he could feel the sweat trickling down his face.
"I told you it was hot." was Draco's only answer. Harry could barely hear him above the noise from the fire, especially since he was trying to keep a respectable gap between him and Malfoy, being so narrow the tunnel was claustrophobic enough without making things worse. Besides he had no wish to get any closer to Malfoy than he already was.
A sudden crackling noise made them both stop and turn round. The entrance had begun to close and the flames came together so fast Harry had to step backwards to avoid them. When they stopped Draco and Harry were left standing in a space barely wide enough to let them pass and not even a metre long, surrounded by orange and red flames so bright it made their eyes hurt, so loud they could barely hear each other and so hot Harry felt he was about to pass out.
"Come on, we better keep going." Draco's voice made him turn round ready to start their journey again. As they shuffled forwards this time, Harry kept checking over his shoulders at the flames behind, he was sure they were getting closer on his heels and began to shuffle a bit faster to keep ahead of them, almost bumping into Malfoy in his haste. Soon Harry was tripping over Malfoy's heels with nearly every step.
"Move a bit faster" he snapped impatiently.
"I can only move as fast as the flames open up." Draco snapped back, as Harry craned his neck to check the progress of the flames behind. They were still creeping closer and Harry shuffled forwards again. The flames continued to get closer. Harry shuffled forwards some more, but was stopped as his body hit something solid in front of him. Panicking about the flames, which were still creeping closer, Harry pressed himself into the obstruction, not even thinking about what it might be. The flames stopped, mere inches from his back and Harry turned round in relief, almost knocking heads with Malfoy.
"I know I'm gorgeous Potter, but do you think you could resist whatever urges you may be having until we get out of this." Malfoy drawled sarcastically, a wicked gleam in his eye as he looked over his shoulder at Harry.
"Shut up Malfoy" Harry snapped back angrily, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he realised his chest was pressed against Malfoy's back. "In case you hadn't noticed the flames are right behind me, I can't move any further back. Why did you stop?"
"In case you hadn't noticed, the flames in front stopped opening, I had to stop." came the scathing reply "You were the one who kept going, I'd have thought you'd rather be burned alive than get so close to me."
"Well I'd have thought you would rather be burned alive than end up in a position like this as well." Harry retorted.
"Whatever Potter." Draco sighed, turning back to face the front. "How about we actually try to get out of this position rather than arguing about what we think of it."
Harry was surprised; Malfoy had not only failed to argue back, but had also been the voice of reason that reminded him that this wasn't getting them anywhere. He actually felt vaguely ashamed for a moment, but then the remembrance that it was Malfoy who had started the argument stopped that feeling in its tracks. Most likely the only reason Malfoy had stopped the argument was that he hadn't been able to think of a cutting reply.
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Draco turned back round hoping that his ending of the argument wouldn't seem too suspect. The truth was he didn't want to argue with Harry right now. Sure he wasn't going to stop winding him up, after all that was half the fun of being around Harry, he was easy to wind up, but Draco wasn't looking for a full blown argument. Besides there was something else as well, something Draco could barely even admit to himself. He was actually enjoying having Harry pressed up against him.
Well actually maybe not Harry in particular, maybe it didn't matter that it was Harry, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that it had been a long time, too long since he had been this close to another human being. He told himself he didn't need contact, emotional or physical with anyone else, and until now he had believed it himself, but now he was beginning to think that he might. Despite the fact that they were both hot and sweaty, and no matter how many layers of clothes were between them, Draco still felt a slight tingle run through his body at the feeling of closeness.
He shook his head to clear the thoughts, the feel of Harry's breath on the side of his face told him that Harry was looking over his shoulder and he too directed his gaze to the flames ahead, squinting against their brightness.
Suddenly he saw it. Just for a second it was there in the flames, he heard Harry's sharp intake of breath and knew he had seen it too.
"The Dark Mark" Harry whispered. He didn't need to say it any louder for Draco to hear, the noise of the fire now seemed to him only like a dull drone in the background. There was just him and Harry and the awful knowledge of what he had to do next.
"What do we do now?" Harry's voice sounded unnaturally loud to Draco's ears and he didn't know whether to be relieved or more worried that Harry hadn't worked it out yet. If he didn't know now, he certainly would in a moment and then what would he think of Draco? It was a reminder Draco certainly didn't want to give him, a reminder of something that just moments ago had seemed so far away.
Draco realised his hands were shaking and hoped his entire body wasn't trembling too. He took a breath to steady his voice before speaking.
"My wand is in my back pocket. Pass it to me quickly."
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Harry was rather puzzled, both by Malfoy's request for his wand and by the fact that Malfoy seemed to be trembling slightly. It was a strange feeling to be pressed so close to a body that was shaking in that way, it made Harry want to put his arms around him and comfort him, even if it was Malfoy.
Instead though Harry attempted to extract Malfoy's wand with as little movement as possible, and was actually rather relieved to do so for it had been sticking uncomfortably into his stomach for the last few minutes. He managed to pass it to Malfoy by weaving his arm round Malfoy's waist, then without thinking Harry dropped his hand so it was resting on Malfoy's hip.
Slowly Malfoy raised the wand and muttered an incantation Harry could not hear. Something like black smoke shot out the end of the wand and into the fire in front of them. It took Harry's eyes a moment to adjust and realise that the smoke had twisted itself into the shape of the Dark Mark.
All at once Harry realised why Draco had been so nervous and suddenly found himself feeling quite sorry for him, he also realised where his hand was resting and snatched it away quickly hoping Draco hadn't noticed. The Dark Mark hung in the flames almost mockingly for a moment and then there was nothing but miles of deserted moor and a strange stone pedestal in front of them.
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Draco felt Harry's hand drop from where it had been resting comfortably on his hip as soon as the Dark Mark appeared. It was the reaction Draco had been expecting, after all the mark was a reminder that Draco was a Death Eater; that he had been trained in the ways of the Death Eaters; that he was marked.
Draco hardly noticed the flames had disappeared until he felt Harry step away from him, leaving him standing there feeling more than just the physical absence of Harry's warmth. It had been so easy, too easy to pretend the last year had never happened, to slip back into taunting Harry merely because that's what he did. Too easy to forget the past and slip into a strange sort of alliance with Harry, where they worked together towards the same goal. Too easy to feel he was trusted and think thoughts he had not thought for a long time. Too easy to shatter it all with one simple incantation.
"I thought I'd never have to do that again." He mumbled, rubbing his hand across his eyes. "I really didn't want… I mean… I…." He trailed off; unable to form a sentence that might make it all better, that might explain how he felt. Sorry was probably the word he was looking for, but he did not think to say sorry, sorry was a word Draco had been taught to use.
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Harry stood quietly as Draco struggled to find the words he wanted. Harry could see in his eyes what he was thinking; he thought that by creating the Dark Mark he had somehow broken Harry's trust. Even though it had been the only way out of the flames, even though Harry wouldn't have known how to do it and even though if Draco hadn't been there Harry would have been stuck wrapped in flames forever. The thought made Harry's blood run cold. Lucky for him Draco had been there really, so why did Draco not see it that way?
Draco was still looking at him silently waiting for him to say something and Harry wasn't sure what to say, this was a side of Malfoy he hadn't seen before, a side that was frightened of the consequences of his actions. Usually Malfoy seemed so confident and sure of himself, most of the time he was beyond arrogant! Malfoy's confidence wasn't just a front, Harry was sure it ran deeper than that, but it seemed even Malfoy had a side that wasn't so sure of himself. Then again maybe he had seen this before, after all hadn't he caught Malfoy crying in the bathroom last year? Harry still wasn't sure what he thought of that, but here and now he knew there was a simple way to make things better again.
"Well I might have been accused of it, but I can't really see me doing that spell." He laughed, mimicking Draco's smirk "Suppose we better look at this pedestal now."
"I told you it was a good job I turned up when I did." Draco drawled, after a short pause to let the meaning of Harry's words sink in. He pulled off a much better smirk than Harry's and Harry turned away to look at the pedestal, hiding his relieved smile as he did so.
Trust takes only a moment to shatter, but this was not that moment.
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Well what did you all think? I struggled over the ending becauseI didn't want Draco to sound all weak and vulnerable suddenly, but at the same time wanted to show that he is human somewhere underneath and that he realises his present position is very precarious. The fact that they are alone and are having to work together has sort of accelerated the idea trust between Harry and Draco but has not yet made it very strong. Anyway hope that makes sense. Next chapter Draco proves himself even more useful. Sort of. Whilst you're all wondering what that might mean, please review!
Love and lemons (because I've run out of lollipops)
Sivany