Chapter One (1st September, Sunday)

I slid the door open to the last compartment in the Slytherin dominated carriages of the Hogwarts Express. I felt like an intruder in this part of the train, but Draco had asked to meet me here. It didn't stop me from the locking the door behind me though; just because I knew these people didn't mean I trusted them. I focused my attention on the scenery, bravely putting my back to the door. My head was throbbing and I ran both hands through my hair, my jaw clenched. The hills and valleys were alight with autumn and I mentally congratulated myself for making it through another summer. The house elves had taken to keeping me company near the end, their squeaky voices filling in the silences. It had been only them and I occupying the manor for the majority of the break, except for the occasional visit from my father's business associates, who collected what they were owed by taking anything I hadn't hidden from them and left without saying a word.

The door rattled behind me and I turned to unlock it. Draco frowned at me through the glass and I fumbled with the lock, sliding the door open and pressing my lips into a thin line. He didn't step inside straight away, but appraised me instead with cool, grey eyes. I stepped aside, out of range of his calculating look.

"You look terrible," he said as he locked the door behind him. I gave a wry laugh and glanced in his direction. He was dressed in all black, his normally angled features sharpened by the contrast of his shirt and pale skin. I'd never seen him look as sick as he did now. I resumed my contemplation of the countryside, my mind on the way Draco's pewter eyes had lost their shine.

"How was your holiday?" Draco asked; it sounded forced. I narrowed my eyes at my reflection.

"I went to London a couple of times. Did you really bring me here to discuss how miserable my holidays were? Would you like to compare?"

There was a strained silence, interrupted briefly by the muffled rasp of skin on starched cotton as Draco turned his head to scowl at me.

"We had a lot of…guests at the manor. I just wanted to see if you had had anybody call on you."

"Well, you'll be pleased to know that I was basically left alone by man, beast and Deatheater."

I had added the last part as a joke, but was surprised to see Draco visibly baulk at the word. I took in his appearance once more and finally it clicked into place. The Deatheaters had come for him.

"What do you mean by 'basically'?"

I ignored his question.

"Is that why you called me here, Draco? To see if the Deatheaters had come after the shambles at the Ministry?"

He didn't answer; any of the remaining colour in his cheeks had drained and I thought he would fade into the walls. I placed a gentle hand on his arm and he stepped back.

"What did they do to you, Draco?"

"I don't think it's any of your business," he replied, his voice clipped and cool. I snorted.

"You seem to have no problem poking your nose into my business! I went to London to try and question the Ministry as to why I couldn't visit my father; turns out you had my rights of visitation revoked! God knows how! What exactly did you think it would achieve?"

"I was trying to protect you! From them! Your father is a monster; I don't see why you'd want to visit him anyway. What did he do when he escaped from Azkaban, exactly?"

"You said you wouldn't bring that up again, Draco," I snapped. Draco hissed through his teeth, slamming his hand against the window. I flinched and turned my body towards him, fists clenched.

"What's going on?" I implored, trying to keep my voice level. Draco shook his head, running his tongue over his teeth and his hand through his hair. I sighed, sinking into a seat and staring at the floor.

"I can't tell you," he whispered as he sat opposite me, his long legs stretched across the small space between us, his knees brushing mine.

"You're bullshitting me, right?"

Draco merely offered me a scathing look. I rolled my eyes before frowning back at him.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Worse."

"Did they threaten you, Draco? Is it about your father?"

A muscle in Draco's jaw jumped and he swept to his feet, his shoulders tense. I stood, reaching out a hand. My fingers barely grazed his shoulder before he brushed me off. I closed my eyes, trying to hold my tongue.

"Merlin, Draco. If you aren't going to tell me anything, why did you ask to meet me?"

"I don't know," he bit back, "maybe you should leave."

His words hit me like a slap and I took a swift step back, smacking into the wall. Draco didn't even bat an eyelid. We stared at each other for a long moment, his grey eyes remaining cold and distant. I bit my lip and grabbed my trunk from the luggage rack. I made sure to keep my eyes on the ground as I left the compartment, slamming the door shut behind me. I blinked back tears, anger bubbling in my stomach like acid. I was so caught up in my frustration that I almost kept walking when I smacked straight into something, until I noticed that there was nothing there at all. My hand went straight to my pocket, reaching for my wand and with a hastened ruffle Harry yanked his invisibility cloak over his head.

"Harry!" I exclaimed; however my chagrin was lost in the croak of my voice. He was unusually distracted as he mumbled his apologies and my anger faltered.

"Are you alright?" I ventured. Harry frowned and then flashed me an unconvincing smile. I fought the urge to scream; boys!

"I'm fine; I'm just looking for someone."

I gave him a doubtful nod. He went to say something but was interrupted unceremoniously by a squabble of shrieking girls as they collectively exited their compartment.

"It's him!"

Harry grabbed me by the arm and yanked me into the closest compartment. It was empty except for a lone student fast asleep in the corner. Harry ignored him completely, throwing the cloak back over his head.

"I can see why you're wearing that now. I don't see the big fuss really," I smiled wryly and I heard Harry snort beneath the cloak.

"Thanks, at least I know one girl won't be chasing me through Hogwarts, trying to tip Love Potion down my throat and screaming to have my children."

I pulled a face.

"I'd put the potion in your pumpkin juice."

"Remind me never to accept a drink from you," his voice floated back to me from beside the door as it slid open.

"There are plenty of others ways to get you to love me, Harry, if I was inclined to do so."

There was a long silence and I thought he might have slipped out while I was speaking. I frowned and turned to lift my trunk into the luggage rack. It began to slip from my hands and I gasped when a hand shot out from above me, steadying it and sliding the trunk into the rack effortlessly.

"I'm sure there are," Harry whispered in my ear and I lifted a hand to my cheek where his breath heated my skin. When I spun around the door had already clicked shut and I had been left alone in the compartment with the slumbering student. I sat opposite him, taking in his casual black robes and ruffled brown hair.

"This has certainly been an eventful train ride, hasn't it?" I directed at him. He heaved in a shuddering breath through his nose and I held in a chuckle.

"Yeah," I muttered to myself, "me too."

"Where's Harry?"

I looked up from my empty plate, wiping gravy from the corner of my mouth with the tip of my tongue. Ron shrugged and Hermione craned her neck up and down the table.

"You haven't seen him have you?" Hermione turned to me and I shrugged, dazed by my headache.

"I saw him on the train. Uhh, he had on his cloak. I think he said he was looking for someone."

Hermione paled and she ran her fingers through her hair, which bounced back around her shoulders as she shook her head. I watched her carefully as she muttered under her breath. What did she know?

"Hermione, if you-"

She waved her hand, cutting me off and I frowned. She turned to Ron, whispering urgently in his ear and the red head shook his head.

"Why would he do that without telling us?"

Hermione shushed him, flicking a nervous glance around the table. I sighed, fiddling with a thread on my cuff. Hermione reached across the table.

"Did he say anything else?"

"I really don't-"

I was interrupted as a young Hufflepuff girl screamed, hurtling from her seat as a large silver wolf burst from the wall and ran through her head. Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as students began to rise from their seats. Dumbledore stood, his voice echoing over the ascending panic.

"Sit!"

Everyone did as they were told, warily taking their seats. The whispers ensued as Hermione and I watched the Head table with calculating eyes. The wolf appeared to address the Headmaster, who waved his blackened hand in acknowledgment. The wolf disappeared into a wisp of silver smoke and my heart thudded in my chest.

"It was a Patronus," Hermione whispered, "a werewolf. Do you think it might have been-"

She stopped midsentence, her lips pursed.

"No," I disagreed, "if he was in serious trouble, someone would have come in person."

Hermione looked sceptical but she remained silent. I watched with anxious eyes as Dumbledore turned to Snape and the younger professor rose from his seat with grimace. Ron began to tap on his pudding bowl with his spoon and I glared at him. Hermione eventually snatched it off of him, hitting him sharply on the head with it.

"Ow!"

"Stop being a pest, Ronald," she snapped. I stifled a smile.

"Well sorry for worrying!"

Hermione sniffed, opening her mouth to snap back when the doors opened with a bang. Snape strode through with a stony expression on his face, followed by an equally stony faced Harry. Hermione gasped with relief, putting her face in her hands and shaking her head. Harry sat down heavily in the seat next to me, still in his Muggle clothing. He was covered in a crust of dried blood. I took up my napkin, dipping it into my goblet of water and rubbing at the blood on his cheek.

"What happened, Harry, we were so worried!" Hermione hissed at him, digging around in her robes as Harry tried to swat my hand away. I pressed down harder and he glanced at me reproachfully. His eyes flickered over to the Slytherin table briefly before he snatched himself a slice of treacle tart and shoved it pointedly into his mouth. Not here. Our eyes followed his glimpse regardless, just in time to see Draco give a wild demonstration of him stomping on someone's face. I gritted my teeth, my spine stiffening and I looked away quickly. How dare he? I pressed down harder than necessary on Harry's cheek and he flinched away.

"Sorry," I muttered through my teeth, rubbing a thumb over his reddened skin. He licked his bottom lip, biting down on it and nodding and I swallowed, putting my napkin down on the table and looking back over at Draco. He was staring back at me, his jaw clenched and a dark look on his face. I pursed my lips, drawing my wand and brushing it over the blood on Harry's collar.

"Turgeo," I whispered and the blood disappeared. I became acutely aware of the way the other students had begun to whisper and Harry ducked his head, suddenly intrigued by his pudding. My anger bubbled in my stomach like acid and I pushed my unfinished dessert away. How could he have been so idiotic? I spent the rest of dessert glancing between Draco and Harry, both of them with the same dark expression.

The dishes disappeared and Dumbledore dismissed us. I was left alone with Harry as Ron and Hermione left to take care of the first years. I took Harry's arm, pulling him aside, out of the steady flow of students.

"What the hell happened?"

"I can't-"

"-don't bullshit me, Harry. What did he do to you?"

Harry put a hand to his forehead, kneading between his eyes. He glasses were askew; broken at the nose. I pulled out my wand, repairing them. He mumbled a thank you, shuffling on his feet.

"Harry," I pleaded and he sighed.

"I went to the Slytherin carriage to spy on Malfoy. He found me though, so when everybody had left the train, he immobilised me and then broke my nose. I would be back in London if it wasn't for Tonks."

I turned away from him, throwing my hands into the air before spinning back to poke him in the chest.

"Are you serious, Harry?! Are you an idiot?" I snapped at him. Harry fisted a hand in his hair, clenching his eyes closed.

"I think Malfoy-"

I clamped my hands over my ears childishly. He stared at me, exasperated and I dropped my hands.

"Talk about him as much as you want with the others, but not to me. I don't want to hear it."

Harry's shoulders slumped and I softened. I stepped closer, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing my cheek to his heartbeat.

"I'm sorry he did that to you, Harry."

Harry squeezed me closer. His chest heaved with a sigh and he rested his chin on the crown of my head.

"You don't have to apologise for him, Katie."

I shrugged out of the hug and Harry took my hand in a gentle grasp. We walked in silence amongst the last trickle of students to ascend the stairs. Several fifth year Gryffindor girls cast a look at our clasped hands and began to whisper into each other's ears. A girl in the middle turned to look at me with an icy glare and I suddenly recognised them from the train.

"I think you've made your admirers jealous over nothing."

"Let them be jealous, at least it'll keep them off my back."

"Unless they rip me apart, limb by limb and feed me to one of Hagrid's pets."

Harry tried to look aghast but failed, dissolving into laughter. I chuckled along with him, earning another glare from the brunette in front of us. I poked my tongue out at her and she gasped, hissing furiously into her friend's ear; the friend turned to give me the finger. I returned it with a tight smile. Harry grabbed my other hand, fighting back his laughter.

"Don't provoke them!"

We both laughed again and he nudged me with his shoulder and I pushed back. He stumbled a bit, throwing his arm over my shoulder and pulling me to his side. I glanced at him sideways but he was looking straight ahead, fixated on the stairs. I didn't shrug him off, the warm weight of his arm across my shoulders eased my headache and I leant further into his side.

"You have all the moves don't you?" I giggled and he blushed.

The redness in his cheeks didn't fade until we were well inside the common room, where he dropped his arm from my shoulder and walked over to Hermione and Ron. Hermione leapt from her seat, yanking him over to the couch and pushing him into it. I smiled to myself, turning away and heading up the dormitory steps. My trunk was open, waiting for me but I ignored it, taking the time only to remove my robes before I buried myself under the covers. I fell into a half slumber, interrupted only when Hermione muttered a goodnight from the bed next to me, which I returned quietly before I fell into a restful sleep, the ghost of Harry's arm still warm on the back of my neck.