Chapter 2. October The faults and reactions of the game
Word Count: 3691
A/N: If the first chapter seemed a bit short and with no clear story line, you might start to see it now. This story will be based on month-to-month-writing. Again, City and Colour is the soundtrack for this chapter, and his song will be important for the following chapters, along with another guitar duo, which I dearly love.
The placement of the Slytherin quarters are made according with the Hogwarts in the first film, where it's on a rocky hill, right above the lake. The lake surroundings looks just like it does in PoA.
City & Colour – Sensible Heart
The Slytherin dungeons had many similarities to Malfoy Manor. But the way it made Draco feel was nothing like the one his parents house gave him. He was often surrounded by classmates and friends, always someone who considered his opinion and interests, and even though it was underground, dark, and close to the lake, it was always warm and felt like it somehow was alive.
This morning, late October, he woke up to the sun light reflecting on the lake surface before shining through the windows in the seventh year boys' dormitory. No one else was awake yet, and he took this opportunity to get out of bed and go over to the window, looking out on the mountains dropping into the still water. He hummed a little in content, splaying his fingers on the window sill. He could see owls coming home from their nightly hunt disappearing into the owlery.
Turning away from the window he noticed the time, and he still had more than half an hour to spend before he had to get ready, before the others woke up, so he sat down on his bed, hangings pulled half closed, with some his potions assignment, intending to make some finishing touches on it before he had to hand it in the next day. He was a hard worker, as his father expected him to be.
As Draco scribbled on his parchment, his classmates started waking up, and before they all began the chaotic routine that took place every morning as they tried to get ready for class, he got dressed and went to sit in the common room with his book.
It was hard keeping up with classes, qiudditch and still getting enough free time, but Harry didn't mind. There where actually few things that troubled Harry nowadays. He could see the end of the tunnel, his graduation, being free from studies and the Dursleys, being able to spend his time doing all the things he was curious of. Even though he worried he'd miss his classmates, he didn't have to think about that right now. He was just going to enjoy this year.
Walking with Hermione and Ron to Transfigurations, they started talking about what they wanted to do next summer. The subject had been brought up before of course, but they had always felt like it was to early to start talking about it, but now in their seventh year, it was an important thing for their classmates and themselves.
The three of them had agreed to make plans for the summer together. Hermione suggested France as their first destination. Ron mumbled something about Veela's and the two of them where lost in an argument Harry didn't want to get caught up in. Even though they were a couple now, Ron didn't always now how to be delicate enough and keep quiet about other girls. He slowed down to walk behind them, grinning to himself as he listened Ron's poor explanation. He held his gaze down to watch his step as they past a false step in the stairs when he accidentally bumped into somebody and turned around to see who it was. It was Malfoy, but it seemed like he hadn't noticed, he just kept on walking, a few steps behind his friends, looking straight forward at nothing, looking like he couldn't be bothered. It was strange how Malfoy wasn't the centre of attention, the one the Slytherins followed. And this wasn't the first time he had seen the Slytherins like this. Malfoy, who was some sort of natural leader, seemed to have taken a step back and was never the one to dictate at the slytherin table at lunch or dinner, and in potions, he didn't sneer and laugh as Snape punished the Gryffindors.
Hermione decided to give Ron the silent treatment, though Ron kept repeating he was sorry. Hermione snickered at him and didn't answer, but Harry could see her smiling when she turned away from Ron. She finally turned to him after ten minutes of Ron sighing loudly every ten seconds, and said "Fine Ron. Apology excepted. But think before you speak next time, for everybody's sake." She shook her head and kissed him on the cheek. Ron just smiled foolishly.
After lunch, Harry decided to go to the library. The halls where almost empty, since the weather was still pleasant and warm,and most students tried to get as much out of it before the cold fall and winter. Harry on the other hand, already had a lot of homework he wouldn't be able to do after classes, he had quidditch practice four times a week. He turned around a corner and who was walking towards him if not Malfoy, staring into space at a spot far behind Harry, carrying the same book he'd read on the train. Harry was just twenty feet from him, and it seemed as if Malfoy was just looking through him. Harry stopped and said loudly " Malfoy! What is going on?"
Draco snapped out of his thoughts and came to a stop, realizing just now that Harry was in front of him. "What are you talking about?" he said, mostly irritated that he had been disturbed in his thoughts.
"You haven't said a word to me since school started. Did the cat get your tongue or something?"
Even if just slightly, Draco could feel his old instincts come to life. A lopsided smile growing on his lips, he asked "Why have you been missing me Potter?"
"Dream on Malfoy. But you can imagine the confusion when someone who's always taken every chance to be as annoying as you've been decides to pretend like they don't know you. But thank for doing so, it's been very nice." Potter retorted.
"Well maybe I've realized that it was a waste of my time. I have better things to do." His eyes trailed away on that last sentence. "Now if you excuse me."
He didn't look at Potter when he walked past him. He didn't want to see his expression, whether it was confusion, satisfaction or content. He really did think that years of being on Potter case all the time had been a foolish way to spend his time, a waste of time, but now Potter knew he thought that. Soon his Gryffindor friends would know, and if he wasn't careful, his own friends would start to think he had gone soft. Why did Potter have to be one to make such a big thing of everything? He wished that the other boy would just accept it and be happy about it.
He was tired of this attitude he was supposed to have, like he was superior to everyone else. Over the last years and especially this last summer he'd grown more and more irritated at his father for telling him over and over that he had certain ideals to follow, a certain kind of manner to have, and most important, a duty towards his family. Draco knew all of this already. He had been told so all of his life and he was sick of it. Not that he was about to start being friendly to every damn person he talked to. He just felt like it wasn't worth the effort. The solitude he felt at home was a product of his father's 'duties'. Of course, they had guest, but they were all invited because his father would gain something from it. He didn't want that.
The fact that Potter had actually bothered to ask what was up with him,even if the tone was ironic, it felt strange. That somebody could stop and see the change in him. But why Potter?
Was Harry bothered about Malfoy not being the irritating ass he'd always been? Of course he was. He'd thought it was a natural thing, constantly having arguments with the other boy. But apparently not for Malfoy, any more. On the bright side, Harry could use all the energy he would have spent on Malfoy on homework and quidditch practice instead. It wasn't like he was going to pick a fight with the other boy just to have things as they were.
He decided to stop thinking about it. Until he was forced to face the other boy again, just like many times before, but this time it would have a completely different outcome.
It was during the first quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The sky was clear, and there was just the slightest breeze coming down the mountains. In ever way, this was the perfect day for a game. The bleachers where packed with students, all cheering loudly as the game began. Gryffindor took the lead right from the start. Harry screamed and cheered with the crowd every time one of the Gryffindor chasers scored a goal, as he soared above the game, searching the field for the snitch.
But as one hour past and no one had seen the snitch, Harry started to fly higher, Malfoy doing the same. They were soon so high above the stadium that the sounds were muffled and distant, and the wind was stronger on this altitude. Flying with low speed, they kept up the search. When the silence grew bigger and they both let their thoughts run away with them, the snitch decided to show up.
It was Draco who saw it first. It was right between the two of them. Standing still in the middle of the air, it teased them as Harry finally realized it was there. The two boys looked at each other. They both knew they had to accelerate fast to be the first one to catch the snitch, but the risk of crashing in to each other was almost too big, especially at this altitude. Harry considered his chances. He had the wind in his back, giving him at least a little extra speed. And he was statistically the better searcher. He decided to take the risk. Draco was not far behind, accelerating so fast that his eyes teared up, racing towards the golden ball. He kept his eye on it, determined to catch it first. But Harry had set his mind on the same thing, and when they where a few feet apart, he had to make a manoeuvre to stop from flying into the other boy at full speed. He cursed under his breath, thinking that Malfoy had caught the snitch, but when he turned around, he saw the Slytherin still flying with haste. He was not one to hesitate and hurried after.
They gained altitude. The snitch was rapidly changing direction, and the two boys ended up flying close to each other, trying to block the other, leaning forward on their brooms as much as humanly possible. They hadn't noticed, but they were flying closer and closer to the school, and realized it just as they suddenly flew close to one of the towers. Draco, trying to cut the turn round the roof as short as possible, flew too close to it, and with a loud bang, he hit the roof tiles, falling of his broom.
"Potter!" Harry saw the other boy scrambling to find something to hold on to as he was sliding down the roof on his back. The snitch was long gone, and he turned around and hurried down towards Malfoy. The slytherin seeker was just about to fall over the edge of the roof when he got hold of the roof pans. With an awful sound Harry could here Malfoys left shoulder dislocating from the bad angle and the force of him coming to a full stop. He screamed in pain, trying to get a hold of the roof with his right hand.
"You need to grab my hand." Harry told him, trying to fly close enough for Malfoy to easily climb onto his broom. Malfoy looked at him with panic.
"Come on!" Harry saw how Malfoy was starting to loose his grip on the edge. Draco was looking down to the ground, almost as if he was considering how bad the fall would be.
"Malfoy, you idiot, trust me! Come on!" He finally got a good reaction, and the other boy reached out his injured arm and let Harry put it around his own shoulder, so that he could easily get on the broom.
"Will you be able to fly all the way back, Malfoy?" Harry asked.
"Just get me out of here and off of this broom." was the answer.
They flew to the Quidditch field, landing in the grass as the audiences confused murmurs grew louder. The fact that the competing searchers arrived on the same broom and without the snitch was not a scenario anyone would have placed a bet on, and then there was the fact that it was Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, who'd always showed each other such content.
As they got of the broom, Malfoy with a great hurry, their team mates landed around them. Madam Hooch was far behind, and asked them, "What happened here boys? Mr. Malfoy, you look like you've seen the dead."
"We followed the snitch of to the castle, and Malfoy accidentally flew into the roof of the south tower." harry answered. He glanced at Malfoy, but the slytherin wouldn't look at him, he just looked down on the ground, looking like he was going to be sick.
"I think his broom is broken too. It fell of the tower, and it's a pretty high fall."
"Do you have any damages?" Hooch said, looking at Malfoy, who murmured an answer to low to hear, swaying a little. "You need to speak up boy, I didn't catch that." she said.
"I said, 'My shoulder is dislocated Madam Hooch', and I need to get out of here now. I'm going to be sick.'" Malfoy grumbled quickly, turning around and almost running of the field.
Everyone stared after him for a few seconds, and then Madam Hooch turned to Madam Pomfrey, who was sitting in a special booth,close to the field. "Go after him, make him calm down and do something about his dislocated shoulder." Then she turned to Harry again. "Your hand looks like it could use some medical help too Potter, you should follow Madam Pomfrey and have her patching that up after she's done with poor Mr. Malfoy." Harry didn't understand what she was talking about at first, but then he looked down on his hands, seeing his left hand badly scratched, probably from the roof tiles. He could feel it starting to pulse, and he followed the school nurse out towards the changing rooms.
Up on the bleachers, people were asking them selves what just had happened, and if the game was to continue, and if not, did anyone win? Hermione had been looking through her binocularsthe whole time, and as far as she could tell, Malfoy was hurt and feeling really bad, hence him running of the field, and Harry's hand looked like it needed some bandages. Neville was asking her what was going on, and she told him, but she left out the awkward looks the boys were giving each other.
His shoulder hurt like fuck. There was no other way to describe the pain pulsing through it. He sat down on a bench in the slytherin changing room, breathing deeply and trying not move his arm. He heard someone entering through the door and looked up to see Madam Pomfrey. Closely followed by Potter. He turned away, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, leaning his head against the wall. Pomfrey asked for permission to look at his shoulder, and he nodded curtly. He probably wouldn't manage to answer without crying out in pain, it was better to stay quiet.
While the healer was very careful, his shoulder was hurting too much, and he had to look away from how the awkward looking joint. His eyes flickered around the room, and by accident, he locked eyes with Potter. He had no expression in his eyes, and he stared right into Dracos eyes. Draco stared back. Suddenly Potter opened his mouth, as if to say something, but he didn't get the time when Draco felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, causing him to scream and writhe, closing his eyes hard. "There there, Mr. Malfoy, I told you it would hurt, but it is the fastest way to heal a dislocated shoulder. It will be over in a few seconds." Madam Pomfrey told him. He must have missed her saying it the first time. Madam Pomfrey turned to Potter.
"Now Mr. Potter, do you have any more injuries than those scratch marks you showed me?"
The other boy answered that he didn't, and the healer took out a healing potion and dropped some on his hands, which almost immediately started to heal. Pomfrey told him that if he noticed anything new, he should go up to the hospital wing and let her have a look at it.
"That goes for you too Mr. Malfoy." She added, as she walked out of the changing room.
The silence fell between the two of them. They could here the student body walking past on the other side of the door, making their way up to the castle. Draco, who's shoulder still was pounding a little, opened and closed his eyes with every wave of pain.
"You really don't trust me to save you from falling to your death? Are you that paranoid Malfoy?"
"I have told you, I nothing you. I don't want anything to do with you." He breathed slowly.
"Even if it got you killed?" Potter shifted his weight on his feet, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Just shut up Potter. You got to save me. Can't you just be satisfied with that?"
"Oh come on, I'm not looking out to be the hero! And this isn't even about that, you know that!"
Draco sighed and stood, only a few feet away from Potter now. The stupid Gryffindor wanted an explanation, and he would get one.
"What do you think it's about then, Potter?" He mirrored the other boys position and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning on his right leg. The other boy hesitated, started to say something but changed his mind.
"Well is it about me, not giving you any attention any more? Or is it that I'd rather take that fall than letting you save me? Is it to strange for you? Because I think it is. I have wasted to much time and thought and hate on you Potter. Don't you think?" His words wasn't very aggressive, but his heavy breathing made them sound much harder than they were, and he thought that maybe that was just as good. He continued without letting the startled boy in front of him have a word.
"You know just as well as I do, that what we were doing was just the small scale what's going on above us. And it doesn't even matter. It doesn't matter." He looked sternly at Potter for several seconds, and then turned to the door and walked out without looking back.
"You need to relax Harry. You've been quiet all afternoon. It's not your fault that Malfoy made an fool out of himself ruining the game! He's never been as good as you at flying, he should have known he wouldn't make that turn. Even you had the same accident in the triwizard tournament fourth year! But that wasn't the same thing of course, you had a dragon to fight of you know" Ron was trying to make him feel a little better by insulting Malfoy over and over again, but he wasn't succeeding. Mostly because he didn't know the reason of Harry's mood, but also because he wouldn't stop talking and it was very distracting when all Harry wanted and needed was to process the incident in the changing room.
" Ron please be quiet, Harry clearly doesn't want to talk about it. Just give it a rest. You could try working on the assignment you have for Charms class." Hermione closed her book and looked at her boyfriend. Ron sighed and took up his scroll and pen, not really wanting to do it.
"I'm going to bed, I need to have this day over with" Harry said, rising up from his chair, "or find something I can punch." he added as he climbed up the stairs to the 7th year boys dormitory.
He sat down on his bed. He took a heavy breath, rubbing his eyes. Harry wasn't sure what to believe. Did Malfoy mean everything he had said the past few weeks? He had never ever guessed that Malfoy had that side to him, that he wouldn't be interested in the invisible war going on. Harry moved to the window, sitting down and looking for nothing in particular. Malfoy hadn't said anything about wanting to switch sides, but he guessed it wasn't about Malfoys moral, when it came to it, he was probably just unsure of which side would come out as the winner in the end. He always wanted the best for himself. He had probably just changed his tactics halfway through the game.
'He's right.' Harry thought to himself, 'It doesn't matter.'
