A/N: This story is inspired by the revolutionary manifesto by Jessica,
"Why Harry & Draco - As if it wasn't perfectly, painfully, poisonously
obvious." http://zoisite84.tripod.com/harrydraco/whyhd.html
Certainly required reading for any H/D writers. Enjoy!
The Final Cut
Chapter One:
As the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station, Harry sat back in his seat and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Leaving the station was always a wonderful feeling, as it signaled the end of his horrible summer with the Dursleys and the beginning of a new school year.
Ron was showing his pictures of his summer internship as "broom wrangler" for the Chudley Cannons to Hermione. He had applied to intern with them and had spent the entire summer travelling with them. Harry smiled to himself. He had a feeling Ron would be hard pressed to talk about anything about that for several weeks, but he was glad for his friend. Being in the middle of a large family, Ron rarely had anything this good happen to him. He needed it.
He had already seen all the photos (twice) while waiting at the station, so he watched his two friends instead. But even though the train had just left the station, he was feeling hungry. Even after four years of his schooling at Hogwarts, the Dursleys still treated him like an ungrateful little boy. He absolutely could not wait until next year, when he turned eighteen, so he could strike out on his own.
"Oh, Harry!" Ron said suddenly, breaking into his thoughts. "I almost forgot to tell you what I saw at the station before you'd arrived. It was too good… Draco Malfoy was getting the ear lashing of his life from Daddy Dearest.
"I'd never seen Malfoy cringe like that before. 'If your grades do not improve,'" Ron continued, his mid-pitched voice forcing into a low gruff, " 'you will not be coming home during mid-term.' It was great."
They laughed about it, although Harry felt an odd twinge of sympathy for his old enemy. He'd suffered through a lot of hellish reprimands from Uncle Vernon… and as nasty as Uncle Vernon could be, he couldn't imagine getting the same from Lucius Malfoy.
"Hey, I'm going to run down to the trolley and grab us some food," he said to Ron and Hermione. "I'm starving… be right back."
He opened the compartment door and walked into the corridor, closing it behind him. He heard the loud clickity-clack of the train wheels upon steel, much louder than usual. Looking down the corridor, he saw the emergency door was wide open and there was a cloaked figure standing in the doorway. The figure's hood was over his head, but a great gust of wind blew through the corridor and whipped it back.
Harry wasn't sure what his brain registered first… that the figure's hands were clenched tightly on either side of the doorway, or that the figure himself was recognizable by that shock of blond hair. It took him at least two more heartbeats to realize that the grip on the doorway was beginning to relax.
He ran and grabbed the hood of the cloak, pulling back with such a force that he and the figure fell back against the floor. The clacking of the train wheels seemed even louder, like the clattering of skeleton teeth in a nightmare. Harry pulled himself to his feet and pushed the emergency door shut. When he turned back, he saw an angry Draco Malfoy standing just inches away from him.
"What the fuck did you do that for?" he said, his face seeming paler than Harry had remembered.
"What the fuck were you doing?" Harry exclaimed, both angry and bewildered.
Draco's eyes were bloodshot, looking as if he had not slept well for years. He had always been less stocky than his bulky, knuckle-dragging friends, but Harry was surprised to see that he was fairly gaunt. His cheekbones stood out against a porcelain face more fiercely, making Draco look pretty damn haggard.
"What do you care, Potter." Draco said after a moment's pause, seeming to make a great show of brushing his robes free of imaginary dust.
Harry was astonished. He knew he had seen what he had seen. It had looked as if Draco was about to jump out of the emergency doorway. But Draco's casual demeanor made it look like Harry had merely tripped him in the hallway.
"You're right, I don't," Harry retorted, turning on his heel and striding in a way that he hoped look arrogant as he went back down the hall. He half expected a snide comment to follow him, but it didn't. When he reached the door to go into the next train car, he turned back briefly. Draco was gone.
Certainly required reading for any H/D writers. Enjoy!
The Final Cut
Chapter One:
As the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station, Harry sat back in his seat and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Leaving the station was always a wonderful feeling, as it signaled the end of his horrible summer with the Dursleys and the beginning of a new school year.
Ron was showing his pictures of his summer internship as "broom wrangler" for the Chudley Cannons to Hermione. He had applied to intern with them and had spent the entire summer travelling with them. Harry smiled to himself. He had a feeling Ron would be hard pressed to talk about anything about that for several weeks, but he was glad for his friend. Being in the middle of a large family, Ron rarely had anything this good happen to him. He needed it.
He had already seen all the photos (twice) while waiting at the station, so he watched his two friends instead. But even though the train had just left the station, he was feeling hungry. Even after four years of his schooling at Hogwarts, the Dursleys still treated him like an ungrateful little boy. He absolutely could not wait until next year, when he turned eighteen, so he could strike out on his own.
"Oh, Harry!" Ron said suddenly, breaking into his thoughts. "I almost forgot to tell you what I saw at the station before you'd arrived. It was too good… Draco Malfoy was getting the ear lashing of his life from Daddy Dearest.
"I'd never seen Malfoy cringe like that before. 'If your grades do not improve,'" Ron continued, his mid-pitched voice forcing into a low gruff, " 'you will not be coming home during mid-term.' It was great."
They laughed about it, although Harry felt an odd twinge of sympathy for his old enemy. He'd suffered through a lot of hellish reprimands from Uncle Vernon… and as nasty as Uncle Vernon could be, he couldn't imagine getting the same from Lucius Malfoy.
"Hey, I'm going to run down to the trolley and grab us some food," he said to Ron and Hermione. "I'm starving… be right back."
He opened the compartment door and walked into the corridor, closing it behind him. He heard the loud clickity-clack of the train wheels upon steel, much louder than usual. Looking down the corridor, he saw the emergency door was wide open and there was a cloaked figure standing in the doorway. The figure's hood was over his head, but a great gust of wind blew through the corridor and whipped it back.
Harry wasn't sure what his brain registered first… that the figure's hands were clenched tightly on either side of the doorway, or that the figure himself was recognizable by that shock of blond hair. It took him at least two more heartbeats to realize that the grip on the doorway was beginning to relax.
He ran and grabbed the hood of the cloak, pulling back with such a force that he and the figure fell back against the floor. The clacking of the train wheels seemed even louder, like the clattering of skeleton teeth in a nightmare. Harry pulled himself to his feet and pushed the emergency door shut. When he turned back, he saw an angry Draco Malfoy standing just inches away from him.
"What the fuck did you do that for?" he said, his face seeming paler than Harry had remembered.
"What the fuck were you doing?" Harry exclaimed, both angry and bewildered.
Draco's eyes were bloodshot, looking as if he had not slept well for years. He had always been less stocky than his bulky, knuckle-dragging friends, but Harry was surprised to see that he was fairly gaunt. His cheekbones stood out against a porcelain face more fiercely, making Draco look pretty damn haggard.
"What do you care, Potter." Draco said after a moment's pause, seeming to make a great show of brushing his robes free of imaginary dust.
Harry was astonished. He knew he had seen what he had seen. It had looked as if Draco was about to jump out of the emergency doorway. But Draco's casual demeanor made it look like Harry had merely tripped him in the hallway.
"You're right, I don't," Harry retorted, turning on his heel and striding in a way that he hoped look arrogant as he went back down the hall. He half expected a snide comment to follow him, but it didn't. When he reached the door to go into the next train car, he turned back briefly. Draco was gone.