Harry Potter was a right down idiot. He was an unfailing inadequate version of a hero with the odd possession of annoying though prevailing charm and an un-witty amount of sheer luck. In fact, it was Draco Malfoy's opinion that Harry Potter was nothing but an unfortunate sneeze on the tip of fate's handkerchief. The fact that he was currently walking through the freezing December air biting at his frigid skin watching Harry Potter walk towards the frozen lake did nothing to help his opinion of a member of the human race who personified the appendix, a badly crafted forgotten limb that surfaced rarely as a helpful tool and more often than not as a pain in your side. The thing about Potter was, as annoying and unbelievably dumb as he acted, he still possessed something that inevitably obsessed Draco; it was like he was a bone at the end of Draco's hypothetical collar, one which Draco was stuck chasing out of stubbornness and habit.
It was precisely out of habit, in fact, that he was rooted in front of the Owelry Tower watching Potter with a firm frown set on his mouth. The air was blowing the falling snow in dizzying patterns making it hard to make out for what exactly Potter was searching. He was staring intently at the frozen water's edge and turned back to look at the castle once before casting a spell on himself and sucking in a deep breath. Out of sheer shock, Draco cried out in alarm, unwilling to believe that even someone like Potter was stupid enough to jump into, literally, a freezing lake. It was insane, fascinating, but insane. It was also frightening, increasingly so as the seconds turned into two minutes with still no sign of Potter resurfacing. Draco was no expert but there was no charm of which he had heard that once cast could simply allow for an individual to survive underwater in a lake below zero degrees Celsius. Such magic took much longer to conjure than whatever spell Potter had muttered.
Cold anxiety began to build under the surface, and Draco turned his head from the lake's surface to the castle's towers, calculating whether or not he had time enoughto get a professor's help before the great idiot Gryffindor, synonyms really, drowned himself or ended frozen to death. Fact was, Harry would begin suffering from hypothermia within the next couple of minutes which really wouldn't matter considering the fact that he was probably drowning at the moment. If Draco didn't act quickly, Harry was dead, not to mention the consequences watching a fellow student die without attempting a rescue would bring. As it was, if there was one thing Draco was good at, it was compartmentalizing. So, he got to work. Obviously, his panic was going to do him no good, so he pushed it to the back recess of his mind, focusing instead on getting rid of his heavy cloak and shoes. Thinking quickly, he cast a ten minute underwater breathing spell he had recently learned and cast a warming charm on his already cold skin.
He took off at a dead run, knowing in the back of his mind he looked nothing short of a maniac, and inhaled one last breath before jumping into the freezing water. Even with the warming spell, it felt like someone had taken thousands of needles and pricked his skin; it was painful and took his breath away, which thankfully did not matter with the spell he had cast but which still scared the living lights out of him. His body fought against the lack of oxygen, unused to being able to inhale water. It was excruciating to feel his lungs being filled with liquid but a look below halted him. Potter was dangling like a ragged doll, being pulled down by two creatures which looked oddly familiar, like overgrown Gryndilows. He blasted a spell at them and Accio-ed Harry to him before the creatures had time to attack. Harry's heavy clothes weighed them down and the few seconds it took to get above water felt like ages with his lungs and quickly dropping body temperature screaming at him to get moving.
In the end, he didn't know how he did it. Minutes later, through Hogwart's halls, Draco's shivering body crashed to the ground, an unconscious Harry Potter next to him. It was relatively strange to see and hear what felt like far off commotion. He turned his head sluggishly to his side and felt mild surprise at Potter's pallid face and blue lips. He didn't even know if he was breathing; attempting to reach him, Draco pulled his arm up before letting it drop heavily on the stone floor. It was too much suddenly. His eyesight was getting spotty around the edges and the only sound he heard was his chattering teeth crashing together so hard it literally hurt. His lower back felt like it was on fire, but he could feel nothing else, not the tips of his fingers, not his legs or feet. The last things he noted before he lost consciousness was the sound of running steps and the way it was suddenly much, much harder to breathe.
"Do you know what this means, Dumbledore?"
"Yes, Severus, I'm afraid so."
"If he were to set foot outside of these halls at any moment, he-"
"Do you think the news has spread already?"
"Yes, Minerva, there is no doubt. With something like this, the children could not have held their excitement. It is most unfortunate."
"What I want to know is what the great idiot-"
"Severus, I would thank you not to speak in that manner about one of my students."
"I wouldn't have to speak of him at all if he had an ounce of common sense."
"Severus Snape, he is nothing but a-"
"Stop, both of you. I think Mr. Malfoy is awake," Dumbledore interrupted coming forward slowly.
Draco's head felt vaguely like an ogre had hit him with a club; it felt hollow, as if the blood rushing inside was nothing but an echo, a very painful echo, "Professor-" he began but quickly stopped, his voice coming out ragged and his breathing heavy.
"No, no, Mr. Malfoy. I think it would be best if you lay down. Madame Pomfrey will be here shortly with some potions for you to take. You did a very brave thing today," Dumbledore said kindly laying his hand gently on Draco's arm.
Then it hit him, Potter. The great, fantastic moron was the reason he was here, in the infirmary, feeling like complete and utter shit. If he wasn't dead already, Draco was going to kill him, painfully and slowly. What type of idiot jumped into a freezing lake and was stupid enough to lose his wand in creature infested waters? A Gryffindor, of course, an idiot Gryffindor with zero sense of self and no room in his tiny brain for survivalist instinct.
Merlin, he had better be alive, Draco thought. If I wasted my time and risked my life only so he could die, I swear that I will- I will do something extremely threatening to his person. It was a testament to how horrible he felt that he could think of no single threat good enough to suit the situation.
Turning his head, Draco saw Harry's limp, pale body lying unconscious, "Is Potter-"
"Mr. Potter is going to be fine, Mr. Malfoy. Of course he will lose Gryffindor no less than fifty points but he will ultimately be okay," Professor McGonagall assured him and Draco couldn't help but smile a little. If it took near self inflicted death for the faculty to see Potter's infuriating idiocy than Draco was no one to complain. It went without saying, of course, that Slytherin would gain Gryffindor's fifty lost points in recompense.
"Ah, here comes Madame Pomfrey now. We will leave you to be taken care of for the night. Be advised, however, Mr. Malfoy, that tomorrow we shall all have to have a very serious discussion about today's events," Professor Dumbledore spoke already moving away towards the doors where Madame Pomfrey was pushing a cart full of vials.
Draco watched them leave curiously, no small amount of dread making his stomach drop as Professor Snape focused his gaze on him on his way out. It was completely obvious that it wasn't just about Potter's potential suicidal sprint that they would be speaking. It had something to do with him, not Potter, if Snape's look was anything to go by. He could not figure how they would blame him for Potter's trip down to crazy town, however. Of course he didn't think for a second that Potter was trying to drown himself; he more likely than not had a stupid reason that sounded legitimate enough in his head to cause him to do what he did. Draco was sure it had to do with his tremendous fixation on being a hero not to mention a not so small dosage of the dumb pill Potter took every day by virtue of being friends with Weasley.
He was by far too tired, though, to use his brain. Come tomorrow, he would do his Slytherin best to get out of whatever situation they tried to cage him in. For once in his life, he actually was not guilty of whatever they might accuse him. He had saved Potter's life. No one could deny that and he was sure that once they got a dose of his persuasive charm, everyone would be apologizing for making some nonsensical claim about Draco's responsibility in Potter's monster size mishap. Maybe when they all calmed down and agreed with him, he could insinuate vaguely that perhaps Potter huffed his broom's wood stain too long taking him higher than his broom ever could. Or, better yet, he could put forth as a possible reason Potter suddenly growing tired of his pigmy puff hair and hideous glasses. For once, he could propose, Potter decided to be unselfish enough to save everyone the distinct displeasure of seeing his ugly mug every day and decided to go smoke some sea weed and drink some bubbles with the merpeople. With these pleasant thoughts floating through his head, Draco gratefully took the mediwitch's medicine and fell into a peaceful sleep buoyed by a pepper-up draught and a warming spell.
The next morning, Draco woke blearily through what could have easily been a cloud of smog in his head. He felt exhausted, the very idea of simply sitting up at once incredibly difficult and increasingly impossible. His tongue fell heavily against the bottom of his mouth and it was with difficulty that he swallowed only to wince in pain. Pulling a hand to his chest, Draco pushed past the discomfort and sat up against the propped pillows at that back of his bed. He was no doubt running a fever if the accumulating perspirations was anything to go by and he had a headache the size of overgrown dragon. He felt so tired that it was with ease that he allowed his eyes to close, praying that when he next woke he would no longer feel as if he had pursued battle with a rabid badger.
In fact, when he next woke, he was greeted by the welcome sight of Madame Pomfrey offering him vial after vial of medicinal potions which, though disgusting in taste, offered almost instantaneous relief. Thankfully, his throat no longer felt as if he had swallowed a large helping of jagged glass and his headache was nothing more than a vague annoyance compared to what it had been. He relished the strength in his body as he stood up, caught in surprise at the way his muscles stretched without any form of pain compared to yesterday. That idea halted his movements; he turned to his left willing Potter to be in a worst state than he simply so he could gain some sense of petty vengeance at seeing his nemesis, the very reason why he was here in the first place, thrashing in fever's prickly embrace. Of course, as always, Potter robbed him of even that particular happiness, his bed already empty and made.
"Mr. Potter left about an hour ago, Mr. Malfoy. You would be happy to know, no doubt, that he was not restored to full health thanks to Professor Snape's hasty possession of my patient. I was told to tell you that as soon as you woke, you should make your way to Professor Dumbledore's office. The password is 'licorice wands.' Mr. Malfoy, you will do well to speak to no one before you speak with the Headmaster. It is of the utmost importance," Madame Pomfrey regarded him kindly with a wary gaze.
"Why can I not speak with anyone?" Draco asked suspiciously, dread pooling at the bottom of his stomach remembering Snape's look from the previous night.
"That is not for me to say, I'm afraid. Hurry along now. Everything will be fine as long as you follow Professor Dumbledore's instructions. If you feel any discomfort later on, you should come back here, and I will see what I can do for you, dear."
Draco nodded and turned to walk away. That was strange to say the least. Though Madame Pomfrey was a nice woman, she was not one to fully sympathize with her patients, more likely than not because of the silly nature of their injuries, so perhaps her behavior towards him could be explained due to the seriousness of the situation. The thing was, the woman didn't like him. It was a fact that he could neither deny nor fault her for considering the derisive manner in which he engaged with her every time that he came into her infirmary. Draco was more than aware about the annoying way in which he complained when he was hurt; it was a fact of his very nature that he hated to be hurt, so that although it irritated him to have that particular trait, it was not something he felt he could help in a situation when personal harm was done to him. So, as he moved through the nearly empty halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Draco felt dread turn into worry as he met the hostile eyes of some of his fellow Slytherins.
He hurried his gait until he stood affront the gargoyle statue and uttered the password quickly, taking shelter in the winding staircase as it carried him towards Dumbledore's office. He knocked twice, his thoughts a jumble of half formed thoughts, trying to understand the looks in his cohorts' eyes, and walked in after Dumbledore invited him in. The Headmaster was seated behind his desk facing Potter on a seat across from him. Next to him, Professor Snape stood with his back to the door staring into the fire.
"Hello, Draco. How are you feeling?" Professor Dumbledore asked from his seat, pushing forward a candy dish full of lemon drops. "Would you care for one?"
"No, thank you. I'm feeling alright, a little sore, but I imagine that is to be expected when one jumps into a freezing lake," Draco said with a bite looking at Harry for a moment before focusing on Dumbledore once again, "Professor, what exactly am I doing here?"
Dumbledore took in a deep breath and exhaled, looking at Snape for a second before standing. He walked to Snape and set his hand on his shoulder, making him face the two students before he began speaking, "Draco, what you did yesterday was a very brave thing. You saved a student's life and risked your own in the process. I, the entire staff, and Harry here than you and hold you in deep regard." Draco cast Harry a look of pure incredulity but nodded anyway. "As it is, Mr. Malfoy, I am afraid that not everyone feels this way."
"What do you mean? How could anyone be angry at me for saving Potter from an incredibly dumb set of actions?" Draco asked scathingly.
"Malfoy, no one asked you to jump into the bloody lake after me," Harry said glaring at him from his seat.
"Oh, yes, perfect way to address me, Potter. I saved your life, so excuse me for asking, boy wonder, just where the bloody hell would you be if I hadn't jumped in after you and saved you from a sodding set of creatures which were going to take you for themselves and probably eat you after your flesh started rotting."
Harry stood up, "Look here, ferret face, I would have managed to-"
"Managed to what, Potter, blow the last of you oxygen in their faces? Scare them away with your hideous glasses and badly-in-need-of-garden-shears hair? Maybe you could have thrown your cloak at them. I mean seriously, Potter, what kind of an idiot doesn't think about the weight of clothes when you're going to go for a little swim in a freezing fucking lake?" Draco let out, irrationally angry that Potter couldn't see beyond the measure of his own stupid bubble to realize that without him, he would be at the bottom of the lake playing the part of a soaked rag doll.
"Shut up, you ugly-"
"That is enough, Potter," Snape halted him with a cold voice threaded with lead.
"Did you honestly not hear what he just said-"
Snape halted him with a raised hand, "I did in fact just hear what my snake just said, Mr. Potter, and I am more than apt to agree with everything that just came out of his mouth. If it had not been for your obvious lack of judgment, he would not have been forced to jump in at the risk of his own life to save yours. If I may be so bold, Potter, you should be thanking Mr. Malfoy rather than acting like an immature child unwilling to admit his own weakness."
"I believe Mr. Potter gets the point, Severus," Dumbledore stopped the head of Slytherin with a disapproving look. "I think that it is best if we all keep our cool for the next hour and did not allow our mouths to get away from our minds. That is not a suggestion, gentlemen. Now, I believe it is time to get past this petty argument to the heart of why we are here."
"What exactly is that, Professor?" Draco asked though his eyes were still glaring at Harry.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and pointed at the chair next to Harry and moved once again to sit behind his desk, "I think it best for you to sit down while we discuss this." He waited for Draco to take his seat before he continued. "Like I was saying, though every person in this room thanks you for what you have done, not everyone in this school, or I'm afraid, outside of these walls feels that way."
"Alright, so some people out there also feel offense at having to see Potter's ugly mug, what does that have to do with me?"
"Five points from Slytherin and five points from Gryffindor," Dumbledore stated casting a warning glance at Harry's already open mouth. "Gentlemen, behave or I will put silencing charms of both of you. This is serious business and pertains to your very well being."
Draco sat up straight casting a questioning glance at his head of house, "What do you mean my very well being?"
"Mr. Malfoy, I say this not as a means to insult you or provoke an argument but instead as a means to further this discussion. It is clear to everyone in this room what your father's political views are and where his deep seated allegiances lie."
"What does my father have anything to do with this?" Draco asked putting up mental blocks, willing them to be strong enough to withstand the world's greatest legilimens.
Dumbledore put up a placating hand and continued, "Your father has nothing more to do with this than where his actions have brought him. Mr. Malfoy, can you think of no one who would desire above all else Harry's demise?"
"The Dark Lord, what-" Draco began with a furrowed brow.
"You have saved Potter's life, Draco," Snape said, seating him with a steely gaze, willing him to comprehend.
"No," Draco let out, the breath in his chest suddenly missing.
"I'm afraid, Mr. Malfoy, that news around these walls spread far more quickly than I was able to stop."
Draco turned his horrified gaze upon Snape, "He wants me dead?"
"I'm afraid, Draco, that would be an infinite understatement."
"Was my father punished, Professor? Is he okay? Where is mother?" Draco cried out in full out panic, his mind going to the worst possible scenarios, vision of his dead, tortured parents swimming in front of his eyes.
Dumbledore stopped him quickly and answered, "Your family is safe for the moment. The Dark Lord was very displeased with your father, but did nothing more than what he has done before. Your mother is in your home in Malfoy Manor, not being allowed contact with anyone outside said walls. If your mother's life is threatened, Mr. Malfoy, we are ready to seek her out and offer her safety."
Draco swallowed, "My mother, but of course not my father, am I correct?"
"Draco, would you offer your father allegiance were he anybody else?" Snape asked his student with no form of pity in his voice.
Draco nodded, thankful that there was someone here who he could understand. Cold logic he could deal with; it was a rock that solidified and weighed down his thoughts which were quickly reeling out of control. He did not need to look in Potter's direction to know what he would find there, unwanted sympathy and gallons of guilt there enough to flood the entire continent, "What does that mean for me, Professor?"
"If you would allow me to, I think that it would be best for me to answer that," Dumbledore interceded. "Whether you would have chosen this path or not, Mr. Malfoy, you have joined the light by virtue of being excluded from the dark. I would advise you be aware of the imminent death you would face were you to try to reach the Dark Lord. He is not a man of forgiveness as I am sure you know. Though only sixteen, I must now treat you like a man Draco, because you have no choice but to deal with what will occur as a man. For this, I apologize. Before we continue, however, I must ask from you to partake in an Unbreakable Vow."
Draco stood pushing his chair back, "I haven't agreed to anything."
"Draco, if you don't agree to this, you're dead. Take your pick," Snape said.
"Draco-"
"No, Potter. I'm still Malfoy to you. This changes nothing," he answered fiercely but grabbed Dumbledore's outstretched hand and nodded to Snape who pulled out his wand and completed the process. It was as if he heard nothing of what Dumbledore said and said nothing in return as his vow. His mind was blank, unsure of what the hell to think if to think at all.
"Thank you, Draco. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, why don't you take a seat. I think this is going to take a while," Dumbledore paused while Draco sat. "Alright, we are going to be feeding you a lot of information very quickly, but I believe that it is only for your benefit. I would like to just remind you that if any of this information were to leave your lips for any reason whatsoever, you would forfeit your life."
"Professor, you said you would treat me as a man not but two minutes ago. If you cannot do that, then please at least treat me like a pureblood and a Slytherin. I am not stupid. I know what I have just done, so please spare me the warning, and know that whatever you think you have to tell me, I already know," Draco said coldly very much aware of the poison weighed into his voice.
Dumbledore regarded him for a moment and was gracious enough to mask his pity, "Of course, Draco. I apologize. To begin, Professor Snape is a spy for us, us being the Order of the Phoenix, a group dedicated to protecting humanity from the Dark Lord's vastly growing threat, and one which you will become intimately involved with as we work to secure your safety. I tell you this so that you may have some confidence that there will be at least one person you know to guide you through the first few months as you become accustomed to what is to come. Professor Snape will also be able to bring you news of your father whenever you choose to ask, though I must warn you to be wise. If the Dark Lord were to see you too often in Professor Snape's thoughts, it could mean disaster not only for the Order and Professor Snape but also your father."
Draco masked his utter surprise at this new information, saved it until he had time to mentally digest it, and nodded pulling his mouth into a thin line, "I understand."
"Good," Snape said, "Then I trust you comprehend what this will mean for the rest of your House."
"I can no longer live with them," Draco stated, not as a question but a statement.
"Exactly."
"Am I to be removed from Hogwarts?" Draco turned his attention to the Headmaster.
Dumbledore looked down sadly but smiled, "No, no, my dear boy. We would not dream to do that to you. What you have done is noble, and you will not be punished for it. At least, we will do our utmost for that to be your reality."
"No, Draco, you will remain at Hogwarts but your rooms will be removed to a remote and magically hidden part of the castle. You know that as of now you can trust no one, and I will be looking to you to show a certain sense of maturity when dealing with your peers. You know exactly what this means, so I will not waste my breath but to tell you that you are alone. You will no longer be able to act as a petty prince, because your servants will turn on you. Am I understood?" Snape asked coming forward to speak directly into Draco's face.
"Perfectly."
"We do not know what lengths the Dark Lord is willing to go to reach you, Draco. So, we have no way of knowing which Death Eaters will be assigned to the task of getting you nor how far any of them would be willing to go to reach higher in his ranks," said Dumbledore.
"That means that you also don't know which Slytherins will be after me," Draco said looking down.
"What? You mean that some of the students would try to hurt you?" Harry asked suddenly, quiet until this point.
Draco shook his head and let out a dry bark of laughter, "Hurt me? Oh, you have got to be kidding. Of course they will attempt to hurt me. What lies in question is which family is going to try to murder me first."
"Murder?" Harry said breathlessly. "But surely none of them would attempt something like that within Hogwarts' walls."
Snape snorted and opened his mouth, "Potter, keep up. How many of the Slytherins are somehow involved with the Dark Lord? Let me answer that for your infinitely tiny brain, the majority. Out of those, I would approximate a handful already to carry the Dark Mark with at least half of them waiting for permission to join the ranks. Killing Malfoy would mean gaining stature in the Dark Lord's eyes, almost as much as killing you."
"But no one has tried to kill me yet," said Harry.
"No, but that only makes sense," Dumbledore said. "Think about it, Harry, while within Hogwarts' walls, you are protected by every member of the staff, myself included, as well as Hogwarts' very walls. Have you not ever felt it? Has the castle never done certain things for you that it will not do for any of your peers, created a hidden corridor for you or opportunely changed staircase directions when you were running late? For whatever reason, the castle knows that you are important and has used its own magic to protect you. As for your food, no member outside of Gryffindor can get close enough to your plate without seeming suspicious and you being alerted, so they have not been able to poison you."
"But that doesn't stand in their way with Malfoy, correct?" asked Harry turning to look at the pallid Slytherin.
"No it will not, which is why Professor Dumbledore and I have decided that up until a time that we can somehow guarantee the absolute safety of your meals and your person, you will have to eat in your personal quarters," Snape addressed Draco.
"What about my classes?" asked Draco.
"We haven't gotten that far yet, Draco. We thought it best to wait for you to decide. I wanted to hear your thoughts before we moved in any direction regarding your education," said Dumbledore.
Draco shook his head, "If you leave me in a room full of Slytherins, something will happen, inevitably. They will band together, find a way to distract the person monitoring the class and get to me. The older students especially, my class members and the seventh years, will feel increasing pressure from their parents to produce some results which means that though they may begin carefully, they will get more and more dangerous at time goes on. No, if I am in class with them, I am as a good as dead."
"Alright," Dumbledore nodded. "I will ask Professor McGonagall to switch your time tables, so that we may avoid such a situation as you have described."
"Professor, you would do well to cast spells which alert you to the use of Polyjuice Potion. Also, I would think it best if you were especially careful of the younger children. They will be pawns in all of this, and I imagine the Dark Lord will have no regrets in using them to pursue his cause. I do not know how, but I can almost guarantee that they will somehow be used. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will no doubt not expect you to think that he would sink so far as to use innocent children against me," Draco told Dumbledore sinking into his chair.
Alarm overtook Dumbledore's face and he turned to look at Snape to support the validity of Draco's words. When Snape nodded, Dumbledore fixed Draco with his gaze, "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. I'm actually quite sure that I would not have thought of that until it was too late. It seems that you are already invaluable to us."
"Please, don't-"
"Professor, is there any way that I can be of use?" asked Harry hesitantly from his spot.
Dumbledore looked at him with a smile and nodded, "As a matter of fact, Harry, I have a great favor to ask of you, one which I beg you to see the wisdom of. No matter how hard we may try, there will be moments when Mr. Malfoy will be left alone, moments which will be instrumental for the plans of any member within these walls wishing him harm. It is in these moments that Draco will need a friend, at least one friend who will be there to watch his back."
"No way," said Draco immediately.
"Draco, do not be an idiot," Snape stopped him. "Think about it, and I mean seriously use your head. Everything Professor Dumbledore has said is true, and you know it, so keep your stubbornness at bay and use at least a little bit of cunning. Who will be there to support you when a surprise attack is issued into effect? No one, if not someone from the light. I cannot be there with you every single minute of the day, nor can any of the faculty, no matter how hard we strive to never let you out of our sights. If we hypothetically leave out every member of the faculty, who do you expect to come to your aid? You have no friends in any of the other houses. There is no one."
"That's not it, at least not all of it. Sure I would hate to see Potter's demonic hair-do every day, but that is the least of my worries. If word gets to the Dark Lord that Lucius Malfoy's son is gallivanting with his greatest enemy, what do you think that will mean for Father? I will not be the reason for his demise."
"Your father, Draco, took four hours of torture at the hands of Death Eaters for you, for you, without complain and without apology to anyone but the Dark Lord when he was seconds away from killing him. You are his son and he loves you. He was willing to die for you, is willing to die for you if it means that you will be safe, so do not be an idiot about this. He would not thank you for rushing head long into death's grasp if you can prevent it. He would expect much better of you," Snape told him with no room for argument I his voice.
"He would also not thank me for giving the Dark Lord continued reason to torture him. I have no doubt already destroyed his reputation and took away his advantage amongst the other Death Eaters. I cannot-"
"You will do everything in your power to keep alive," Snape rang out with such authority that everyone in the room stood immobilized. "Am I understood? I spoke with your father before coming here, and he made me promise to do everything in my power to keep you safe, so you will stop this idiocy and act like the Malfoy that you are." He lowered his voice and bit out persuasively, "Think about it, Draco? Think of your father. He is no mere pawn in the Dark Lord's game. He is instrumental, because of his connections. You know this, your father knows it, and so does the Dark Lord. Your father will exploit that fact and take care of himself. If anything were to happen to your mother, members of the Order would be ready to get her within seconds. Your father will play his part, and no one can know how it will all come out in the end, but he will do what is best for now. He expects you to play yours."
Draco allowed his face to sink into his hands, pushing the heels against his eyes, and took a deep breath, "Alright. What are we to do?"
"Harry, you too agree to this?" Dumbledore asked Harry more out of courtesy than anything else, already knowing his answer.
"Yes, Professor," Harry nodded though his eyes were focused on Draco.
"Very good. Like you heard, we cannot assure Draco's safety at every moment of every day. It is in this that I must ask for the help of you and your friends. I expect you to speak with them, reason with them, and ultimately get their help in assuring Draco's safety. You must make it clear to your group of close friends that if they were to say no to this request, a life of a member of their class would be put at mortal risk."
"Alright," said Harry. "Once I have done that, what are we to do?"
"You are to watch his back, Harry, every moment that you possibly can. Do not allow members of Slytherin to get too close to him, no matter what they say their intentions are. Draco, do you have anyone whom you think you can trust?" asked Dumbledore.
Draco's answer was immediate, "No."
"Very well, then. You heard him, Harry, allow no one from Slytherin to reach him when a staff member is not close enough to prevent anything from happening. I ask not for friendship at this inopportune moment but request only that you show civility towards one another. It cannot be said enough, Harry, Draco saved your life. Are you willing to save his?"
Harry's answer was as immediate as Draco's had previously been, "Yes."
"Thank you, Harry," said Dumbledore.
"Will we share the same classes, then?" Harry asked him.
Dumbledore looked to regard Professor Snape, "I think under the current conditions that would be best. Don't you, Severus?"
"That seems like a fair course of action."
"Great, it's settled then. We will try our best to match your schedules for all of the classes you do not share with Slytherin. The others you shall attend with Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs depending on your courses. During these, I will make personally accountable that you have a staff member with you at all times."
"So, I will have classes with the Ravenclaws," Draco considered. "That seems fair."
"Or the Hufflepuffs," said Harry.
Draco narrowed his eyes, "Potter, please use an ounce of intellect and get a better prescription, perhaps a better frame of glasses while you're at it, there are no classes which I take that a complete set of Hufflepuffs would take. All the classes I take are advanced, so please don't be an idiot."
"Malfoy, don't start, you great-"
"Oh shut up, you baboon. You have the intelligence of a twig, a particularly ugly and deformed one, so why don't you just-"
"That is enough," Dubledore stopped them. "How do you expect this to work if you cannot respect each other within the confines of my office let alone the real world? Severus, do desist," Dumbledore ordered, making Snape's smirk slowly leave his face.
Harry took a deep breath and nodded, "I'm sorry, Malfoy."
"Good," Draco said and frowned as Dubledore's steely gaze settled on him, "I also apologize."
Harry gave him a small smile and said, "No problem."
"Unbelievable," muttered Draco under his breath, unwilling to believe that someone would be so daft as to simply drop a good argument just like that.
"Great, now you two and I will wait here, and Professor Snape will go and prepare your new rooms for you, alright?" Dumbledore asked them settling further into his chair with a smile on his face.
"They're always like this," said Snape, moving towards the door. "Ridiculously optimistic and annoying beyond belief. You will do well to get used to it."
All three watched as the door close behind his back and sat in silence until Harry cleared his throat and hesitantly looked at Draco, "Thank you, Malfoy, for saving my life."
Malfoy could do nothing else but roll his eyes at the utter softness in Potter's voice. It was a heady sense of power that washed over him at hearing such vulnerability from his enemy, but he focused instead on cutting what was promising to be an embarrassing and irritating show of Gryffindor behavior, "Don't know why I did it. Now I am going to be driven slowly insane with want to take a bottle of pig grease and a carving pick at that terrible mess on your head."
Dumbledore smiled, "I am truly glad that you can make light of such a horrible situation, Mr. Malfoy."
For the first time since walking into the Headmaster's office, Draco's face lit up with something more than dread. He turned and made eye contact with Harry and smirked, "I was being serious."