DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I also do not make any money from this.
WARNINGS: Yaoi (male x male), adult topics and violence
PAIRINGS I know of so far: (pairings will be added as they are mentioned in chapters)
This has not yet been Beta'd.
A/N: AU! This is set before the great battle. The incident with the tower did happen, yet it was not Snape that killed Dumbledore, but Bellatrix, so he is still allowed in the order. Draco and Snape stay in Grimmauld place as Sanctuary and have effectively switched sides. Of course, the dark lord does not know where they are, nor does he know Snape is a spy. He does, however, know that Draco failed in his task and is missing since.
'text' is thought
"text" talking
Creatures of the Night
Chapter 1
It had been unexpected, everything moving so fast he could almost think it had all been a blur. However, he could still remember every last detail that brought them up to this point, every turning point, every reason offered and every action made.
He had been stunned, confused at first, and unable to do anything as a secretly cherished voice rose above the ruckus seemingly echoed through the stony walls of the castle. He could not remember how it began, but just like that, noise seemed to fill the sleeping castle, as if the mute button on a speaker had suddenly been removed.
Thinking back now, he should probably have deciphered what was happening long before the thudding up the stairs that followed.
He remembered feeling sick at not only the fact that Professor Dumbledore had been held by wand point before his very eyes, but the thought that it had been Draco of all people that held the wand.
He had doubted the blonde, had cursed himself a thousand times over when he saw that wand drawn shaking from his robe pocket. The blonde had acted nicer this year, had thrown no serious insult, nor mentioned any derogatory names. He was calmer and in a sense, friendlier.
After much surveillance, (he had been a mixture of curious and suspicious) had found he had distanced himself from the other Slytherins as well. In a certain sense, he couldn't help but start to think that perhaps the blonde wasn't such a bad person after all.
No matter, Draco never uttered a word of a spell, the only soft whispers escaping his lips being of a family he hoped to save from a manic man who had threatened them without their knowing. He had never before heard Draco speak in such a voice as this before, nor heard him speak with such emotion. It had blown all thoughts of Draco being evil out the window.
Sanctuary, that was what had been offered. For him and his family. At least, that had been until Bellatrix had raged in from the stairway with a maniacal glint in her eyes, exceedingly happy that 'the old coot' was still alive and took her chance to utter the magic words when 'cousin, dear' failed to move from his position.
"Avada Kadavra"
Although the task had been Dracos to complete, the honour of the Dark Lords good graces would now fall upon the LeStranges. Their names would become elevated in the ranks, whilst the Malfoy name, now tarnished by the blondes cowardly actions, slipped back a few notches from Voldemorts right hand side.
The old mans instantly lifeless body went tumbling over the clock towers railing. The merry glint of friendship and knowledge dying out with a knowing flicker long before he hit the ground.
Professor Snape had rushed in from the corridor, the desperate look in his eyes taking a blank gleam before grabbing a hold of Dracos pale wrist still enclosed around his wand, and had dragging him off towards where the other death eaters departed.
He would only run for dear life when he was certain the other death eaters had apparated and thought them close behind. There were a million and one places racing through his head as he went down the stone steps of the grassy hill the others had gone down, glancing back every once and a while to be certain Snape was dragging the reluctant boy behind.
Dumbledores stun Harry had been under came undone with the death of the headmaster, but set it to the back of his mind for later grief. There was something about this situation that made him angry.
The thought that someone he had thought he'd known, was vulnerable, and loyal to family, and couldn't kill even if said family depended on it, meant something to him. Not that Dumbledores death didn't warrant anger in itself.
After all Draco had shown of his meek nature within, after all the effort of possibly endangering his family to save another mans life, Draco would still be dragged after them to receive whatever punishment for not doing his task. Harry was certain the punishment would not be a pleasant one.
He rushed after them, down the echoing halls and across the dewy grass across from Hagrids cabin. There was only one thing in his mind.
Must not lose Draco.
He had been offered sanctuary. Had not killed the headmaster. Wanted only to protect, and sullenly he remembered the blondes crying face over the basin edge before his fragility turned to angry curses. In his eyes, the only fault this boy had was an insistent fear that made him forcefully change persona. Were he in his shoes, he most likely would have done the same to protect his own parents.
Of course, no matter how he tried, he couldn't succeed in making Professor Snape release his tight grip on Draco.
It had made him cry, even more so than losing the headmaster.
He was sure, that if he had rescued the blonde, he could have changed him, comforted him, given him the protection he needed. He grieved for the loss of another friend he'd lost to the war, before the friendship could even start.
In the safe confines of Grimmauld 12, Hermoine and Ron sat silently, a hand on each shoulder, unsure of what to do. There had only been two other incidences where Harry had cried before, at least, of what they knew of; the death of his godfather, and the realisation that he could hear his parents scream with the presence of a dementor.
Ron chalked it up to Dumbledore dying. After all, he had been somewhat like family to Harry in the years that had passed. He himself felt a sudden grief at his being dead. Although he withheld significant information that could have saved you half the time and effort of finding them yourself, he had cared. He had genuinely cared for the lives within the castle walls. Wanted the best for them.
Most of all, he had cared for Harry, for Harry, and not the-boy-who-lived. Something few people consciously did.
Yet he was stuck in his own misery for what had happened to Bill that night, and could think of no better reason to cry than just 'because'. Why couldn't Harry feel the same?
Hermoine had her own thoughts about his blotchy face and leaky eyes. He felt as if he couldn't save anyone anymore. Yet although the loss of Dumbledore would have effected the raven head, it was the lost blonde that would have triggered this reaction in him. It was startlingly easy to pick out his love for the young Malfoy amongst their fights and tantrums.
Love and hate walked the same thin line, it was easy to cross without you having ever known it. Of course, the way he talked about the blonde all the time, was more than one would talk about a rival. After all, he talked more about Malfoy than he ever did about Voldemort, and Voldemort was even higher on his list of enemies.
It was only a week later when Harrys fate finally seemed to throw him some sympathy.
Snape had come flooing into orders HQ with a heavy sigh of relief, still lagging a weary Draco behind him.
They had hidden in fright that if they apparated to Grimmauld that very same day, death eaters still roaming both the streets of Hogsmeade and corridors of Hogwarts, that death eaters would follow them to this exact sight. They could not allow Harrys position to be jeopardised and after all, they would now be after Draco as much as the boy-who-lived.
The dark Lord did not take well to traitors.
Through the months that passed, a bond had steadily formed between Harry and Draco. It had started off strenuous, both tip toeing around one another in fear of causing anger or grief, yet once it leaked out and they had a proper talk about the past, it had seemed to smooth out the rough edges between the two.
Instead, however, what had began to take place instead of rivalry was something that neither seemed capable of admitting to. There was no point. Draco knew that Harry Potter liked him in more than a friendly way, and Harry knew that Draco Malfoy had crossed the line past the point of no return.
It was on display for all. They sat together, talked for what seemed like ages about everything and nothing, did their chores together, all they did was in close proximity of each other. It was hard to imagine that the two did not know what was happening between them, neither of the two was that dense.
The members of the house rolled their eyes and wondered when both boys would finally come clean.
Draco was much too scared that what he felt from Harry was just be the need for companionship as he'd lost so much. Harry was afraid the Malfoy mask would creep back in and disastrous words would flow from those beautiful lips without even meaning to.
Their love grew, both knowing it, both acknowledging it, yet too scared to voice it out in the open.
It came to the point where they held hands, hugged for long periods of time, even sometimes slept in the same bed. Harry was even sure he'd stumbled across a smile that was specially reserved for him. Yet the relationship never went beyond that.
Beyond the walls of the safe house, a war was brewing, and though the light side was confident in the outcome of the battle, the dark side was nowhere close to rounding up its final allies.