A/N: Hiya guys! Your response to the last chapter was sort of overwhelming to me. I didn't expect to have any readers at all, haha. There were more reviews than I could've ever hoped for, plus, there were a few of you guys who added this story to your favorites and story alert. It's kind of awesome, actually! I never expected any of this. At all. It's only the first chapter, and I already have over 350 views. '

About the reviews: I will ALWAYS try to answer all of them with a personal message, since I believe that if someone takes the time to read and review my story and let me know what they think about what I have written, it's only fair if I answer them personally.

There was one reviewer who didn't have a user on , so I will just take the opportunity to thank you here. So thank you very much, and you should know that I greatly appreciate your review!

Other than that, here comes a few facts (and a scarily long rant) that you need to know about the story and its complex relationship to the books , which I failed to write before the first chapter:

1. Dumbledore is not dead, though the whole situation with the vanishing cabinets and Death Eaters at Hogwarts all happened. Dumbledore just didn't die. Why? Because I doubt that this story would ever work without him.

2. Voldemort is dead, but since it's their seventh year it obviously didn't happen like it happened in the seventh book , right? It happened the same way, sort of, that Voldemort died at his own hand, and wand, overestimating himself as usual. Though there was NOT a great battle at Hogwarts. That just wouldn't work, since the whole school would be in ruins by now, sort of. The horcruxes exists in this story too, and Harry found them all with Dumbledore's help last year. Voldemort died during summer, when Harry left Privet Drive number 4 at his seventeenth birthday. Why? Because this story is all about Harry and Draco's relationship, and will not tell very much about Voldemort or the horcruxes or any of that. The threat of Voldemort just wouldn't fit in, and I couldn't "delete" the seventh book and all that happened in it. Therefore: Voldemort is dead.

3. There are a few characters that died in the later books, but are not dead in this story. Who they are, you'll find out as the story continues.

4. And Draco is actually studying Muggle studies in my story, even though I know he's actually not, but I don't care. HA HA!

These are the most important things you should know. NOTE this, though: this story will (again) NOT be about the war, the whole Voldemort-thing, or an adventure more than being stuck with your worst enemy against your own will (I doubt that there's anyone who would put themselves in that situation willingly though, hehe), and that's some sort of adventure on its own.

And of course, a disclaimer: I do not own the world, the characters or anything that belongs to JK (well, that's sort of obvious). I think it's kind of unnecessary to tell you guys, since you're obviously here for a reason (HP-fanfiction, duh), and surely know a whole lot about the world, the characters, .etc. already.

AND AGAIN: Thank you for the great response! Please leave a review when you've finished reading this chapter. It would make me and this story the chance to get better and try to please you all as good as I possibly can. And now, this rant is over, and the chapter may begin.

And an extra HUGE thank you to my awesome BETA Jerry (Lotten here on ) who just simply awesome. Read all of her stories! NOW!

And btw, I'm sorry about this chapter taking so long to publish. My computer broke down and I forgot to bring the document with me when I went home during Christmas.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 2 - STUCK

Draco felt the skin on his hand burn from the boiling concoction and moaned quietly, not completely sure about where he was. Yeah, and there was Potter's hand tightly around his wrist. For the first time, or so he told himself at least, Draco was thankful for Potter's hero complex. If Golden Boy hadn't dragged him aside - even though he surely did it less carefully than he probably would have with anyone he actually liked only to cause Draco some bruises - his whole body would probably be a pile of smoking goo covering the floor by now.

Maybe it was the Gryffindor complex, Draco wasn't sure.

He hadn't realized that the dungeon had been completely silent, with people holding their breaths in fear of accomplishing something even worse if they exhaled. And then, as if someone had pressed a button, everyone started to react. There was a sudden scraping from chairs moving over the floor, voices buzzing with worried undertones and a shocked sound that escaped Slughorn when he realized what had just happened in his class.

His eyes fluttered open just in time to see Potter grimace in agony, unconsciously tightening his grip around Draco's wrist before he, too, opened his eyes and stared blankly into the air for a few seconds before his gaze focused.

"Let me through, let me through!" Slughorn hurried through the rows of benches and his students moved out of his way to let him through, but too curious not to sneak closer the same second Slughorn had passed them.

"Boys, boys, what happened here?" Slughorn was out of breath (not very surprising considering his overweight) and small drops of sweat were clinging to his dangerously red forehead as he bent over them, oozing with heat from going through the room at double speed.

Neither of them answered. It would be more embarrassing to admit their mistake, than to keep quiet and hope that their classmates thought they were in too much pain to speak.

Slughorn didn't wait for an answer and started to examine them with his wand at the ready. He obviously didn't get that their flaming red hands were the source to their pain before Potter moved their still linked hand and wrist a few inches (causing an enormous amount of pain) and got Slughorn's attention.

"Boys, boys", Slughorn muttered to himself and started circling his wand over their hands, concentrating hard on whatever spell he was pronouncing in his head.

A minute passed and Draco felt like shouting something rude about their teacher not even being able to produce the right spell, and still calling himself qualified to teach NEWT-students in potions. Then, suddenly, he felt a soothing, cool sensation rush over his skin. The pain vanished within a few seconds and the comforting feeling lingered like a cooling protection around his hand.

"There, there, boys. Feeling better now?" Slughorn sat up, wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his robe and let out a deep breath. "Harry my boy, you can let go now."

Draco realized that Potter was practically holding his hand in the same second as the rest of the class did, and he heard them giggle and whisper, pointing and nodding to their linked hands.

"Yes, let me go, Potter." Draco tried to snatch his hand out of Potter's grasp, but failed miserably since the hand around his wrist only followed his move, causing more giggles in the crowd. He started to feel a bit panicked, not quite understanding why Potter just wouldn't let go. There were surely better ways to humiliate Draco, without humiliating himself like this.

"Harry, it was very brave of you to save mr Malfoy, but you two should make you way to the hospital wing, so let go." Slughorn beamed over Potter's Heroic Deed of the Day, but at the same time puzzled over why Potter persisted on holding on to Draco.

The giggles grew louder, turning into laughs and people started to point openly now. Anger started to rumble inside Draco, rushing through his veins along with the hate he felt for Potter, and washed away the small traces of gratitude he had felt for Golden Boy only seconds ago.

"GET YOUR HAND OFF ME, POTTER, BEFORE I RIP IT OFF!" He felt his voice break in an embarrassing way, giving their crowd only one more thing to find hilarious – Draco Malfoy panicking over Harry Potter's touch.

Potter stared at him, looking even more terrified than Draco felt, wide-eyed and red-faced with embarrassment.

"WHAT?!" Anger and panic were fighting each other inside his chest, confusing him enough to keep him both from carefully wringing his wrist out of Potter's grasp as well as kicking him away with as much force as he could manage at the same time.

"I can't", Potter said quietly, meeting Draco's gaze for the first time since forever. Looking more stupid than ever, acting more stupid than ever too, when he thought that Draco actually would buy that explanation.

"What do you mean 'I can't'?!" He tried to snatch his hand out of Potter's grasp again. Failing. Again.

"I mean that I can't! What part of that five word sentence won't get in your thick head, Malfoy?!" Potter's jaw was clenched and his voice strangled as he tried to control his temper.

"Of course you can", Draco spat and grabbed Potter's fingers somewhat unwillingly, and tried to force them to let go of his wrist. And surely they moved. But so did his skin, stretching painfully as he tried to pull Potter's hand open, still attached to his fingers and fingertips, as if he actually couldn't let go.

This. Is. Not. Happening.

"I told you so", Potter muttered, unable to keep some of the triumph from his voice.

They turned to Slughorn, waiting for reassurance, a few words that would tell them that everything was going to be alright. The puffy face looked worried and not at all reassuring, and no words came out of his mouth for a few, painfully long moments.

"I don't understand. This is highly unusual; actually I cannot even recall that I have ever experienced anything similar to this before. I have read about these situations, but never actually experienced anything like this…" Slughorn spoke quietly. Mostly to himself, Draco thought; just typical for that bloody nutter. The thick fingers traced unconsciously the silver rose patterns on the velvet vest, as his mind obviously travelled somewhere else. "Yes, yes, I have no other choice." Slughorn rose suddenly to his feet, causing both Draco and Potter to jerk back and stare at him out of surprise.

"No other choice than what?" Potter asked, looking alarmed and uncomfortable with the attention from the students around them and Slughorn towering over them.

"On your feet boys! We need to see the Headmaster. He will know what to do." Slughorn hurried through the dungeon, still more in his own world than right there and then. "Come on, boys! We need to hurry!"

Potter scrambled to his feet, causing Draco's arm to jerk upwards painfully when he forgot and/or didn't care about their attached body parts. Golden Boy gave him an impatient glare as he got to his feet and grabbed his bag from the floor. They half ran, half stumbled after Slughorn as they tried to catch up with him.

There was a strange feeling inside his chest. Uncomfortable and frightening in a way that he had never felt since he had been trying to fix the vanishing cabinets a year ago; he had been sure that he would never feel like that ever again. Dumbledore had almost died that time, and now he found himself in another situation in which he didn't know what would happen, or what he would have to do to make everything right. Being attached to Potter wasn't exactly a situation he would want to find himself in for too many minutes. Thankfully things like this must have happened before, despite what Slughorn had said earlier. It couldn't be so hard to just cut them loose from each other, or give them some potion that would make everything right again.

Snape would at least know what to do, even if Slughorn didn't. Slughorn had always been an incompetent overweight bubblehead with too much responsibility. And Dumbledore… well, even though Draco had grown up hearing all sorts of things about the muggle-loving Headmaster, he had realized from the very first time he met that piercing blue gaze that Dumbledore was somewhat of an extraordinary wizard. They would be free from each other in less than half an hour, he was sure of it.

The moving spiral staircase to the headmaster's office almost made him feel nauseous, even though he had been taking the same route several times before without feeling anything. It had to be because of Potter, or even more likely the dead fish-smell from the potion that still clung to their clothes.

"I can't believe you misread the instructions, Malfoy. They could've been written for a five year-old", Potter muttered angrily and shot him a poisonous look. Golden Boy's robes were all messy from the potion and his hair was even more embarrassingly untidy than before. Draco had asked himself too many times if Potter even owned a comb, or if he just got up from bed, put on his silly glasses and considered himself ready for the day. On the other hand, Golden Boy had never seemed to care much about his looks. No one else did either, for that matter. All they were interested in was his fame, and honestly; did Potter even have that much of a personality? He always seemed so angry, or just quiet, keeping to himself and his two best friends.

"I didn't misread them. It was probably you, as always." Draco stared straight ahead, trying to stop himself from punching Potter to the ground, or hex the brains – what little he had - out of him. As soon as Golden Boy opened his mouth, irritation crawled under his skin like hot-tempered ants.

The stairs to the Headmaster's office seemed too long, and moving too slow. Draco felt his pulse speed up slightly when his mind slowly began to show him unpleasant movies of various ways in which they could be cut loose from each other. He would prefer if neither of them came true, since he didn't fancy losing his left arm. If they were in fact to be cut loose from each other, Draco was sure that his body parts weren't the ones to be spared if someone had to make a decision about who's arm to sacrifice. Golden Boy's limbs were way too precious to be hanging off Draco's body for the rest of their existence.

Slughorn glanced over his shoulder at them, as if he suspected that Draco would try to kill Harry behind his back. But as much as he hated Potter, he wasn't that stupid. Not only would it be impossible to pretend that he didn't do it, since Slughorn were two feet ahead of them and everyone knew they were enemies, but also because he would be running around with Potter's dead body hanging from his wrist. Which, on its own, probably would make him look slightly guilty.

"There, there boys. Just trot on in, he's probably expecting you anyway." Slughorn waved his hand as if to push them through the door, and Draco put himself purposely half a step behind Potter. Dumbledore and Golden Boy were friends anyway, and seeing the Headmaster in the eye so soon after his near death-experience after Draco had let some Death Eaters into the school didn't really tempt him all that much.

Potter would probably do all the talking anyways, and Draco would look like the moron and, surely, the one to blame, but he didn't really care. Just to get away from Potter and get free from that stupid hand around his wrist would be enough reward to put up with being the black sheep.

"Harry, Draco", Dumbledore greeted them as Potter opened the door and walked in with Draco close behind (like he had a choice). He avoided the blue gaze that always made him feel like his mind was read right under his nose, but noticed Dumbledores slightly raised eyebrows when he saw Potter's hand around Draco's wrist.

"We have a problem", Potter stated.

Sometimes, like now, Draco wondered how Potter actually succeeded with all of his adventures or if it was just pure luck (or maybe Granger did all the work and Potter did a Lockhart to steal the fame), since he stated such stupid things several times a day.

"A problem, Harry?" Dumbledore's gaze fell on their linked hand and wrist, and nodded slightly, like he understood.

"Yes. I don't know what happened, but the cauldron with our potion pretty much exploded and when professor Slughorn had cooled our hands we were stuck like this." Potter raised their hands suddenly to show Dumbledore what he meant. Because he clearly hadn't guessed already, since Potter and he always walked around hand in hand in school.Draco glared at Potter, pulling his hand down to his side violently. Golden Boy couldn't seriously think that Draco would accept having his hand and arm waved around as if he was a ragdoll, like that.

"I know what happened", Draco said and met Dumbledore's gaze cautiously, but still furious. "Potter here misread all the instructions on the potion."

"I did not." Draco could see how Potter clenched his jaw in an attempt to control his temper and refused to look at him when he replied.

"Did too", Draco mumbled, and felt slightly childish but satisfied.

"Calm down", Dumbledore interrupted them just as Potter probably was about to say "did not". "Are you absolutely sure that you don't know what happened?" He let his gaze wander between them, both shaking their heads.

"Horace, can you please tell me what has happened here?" He turned his head and looked at Slughorn, folding his hands in front of him on the desk and sat back slightly.

"Well, I believe it's a rare phenomenon called Coagmento. I have never seen it, not even once, during my years here, and I have only heard rumors about this state a couple of times when I travelled to Asia in my younger years. Something must have gone very wrong with the potion they were supposed to be brewing for this to happen."

Draco felt his heart stop for a second, and it suddenly felt like he couldn't get enough air to fill his lungs. This was a rare condition? Never happened here before? Did an antidote even exist? The nausea from the stairs came back, and he resisted the urge to vomit all over the Headmaster's desk.

"I, too, have heard of this phenomenon", Dumbledore said with the same, calm voice as always. "It has never happened at Hogwarts during my years either, but I know there is a way to detach these boys from each other."

"Of course, of course", Slughorn said, sounding slightly offended. "I will find out everything I can to…"

"That will not be necessary, professor." When Draco heard the cool voice of his Head of House, he felt calmer, safer. Snape always knew what to do. Always.

"Not-not necessary?" Slughorn repeated, looking confused and a little bit ashamed, being corrected by another teacher in his area of expertise.

"No, it won't be necessary, since I know exactly what we have to do." Snape avoided looking at Potter and stared straight at Dumbledore. "It will take months, Headmaster."

"Months?!" Draco heard himself squeak like a little girl who got her first pink pygmypuff, only rather than delighted, he was terrified.

Snape ignored him, and answered instead to Dumbledore's raised eyebrows and folded hands beneath his chin.

"The potion that will erase the link between them will have to brew beneath two full moons, and we had a full moon yesterday. This means that it is almost three months until Potter and Draco can be released from each other."

"Is there any other way, Severus?" Dumbledore asked looking troubled. Probably realizing what Potter and Draco did: If they were to be attached to each other for three months, someone was about to die.

"No."

Draco should've known that Potter would freak out completely over this.

"There has to be away!" He almost shouted, looking like he was giving Snape an order.

"Unless you wish to lose your arm¸ Potter, this is the only way." Snape had turned around and glared coolly at Potter. They all knew that Snape wouldn't hesitate to cut Potter's arm off if Dumbledore gave him permission to do so. And they all knew that wouldn't happen.

"No one is going to lose their arm. I suggest Severus and Horace find the recipe for the potion we need and that Harry and Draco stay here to discuss how to make their new state as easy as possible for the next three months."

It was quite obvious to Draco that neither of his teachers wanted to be joined by the other, but that none of them actually wanted to question Dumbledore's order. They disappeared down the spiral stairs again and he was left in the round office with Potter's hand around his wrist. Dumbledore smiled warmly at them, twinkled his blue eyes and looked at them over his half moon-glasses.

"I don't think I understand", Potter said, slowly seating himself on the small bench that suddenly appeared right behind them instead of the chair that had been standing there just a few moments earlier. Draco refused sitting down, causing Potter's arm dangling somewhere between his lap and shoulder, looking ridiculous.

"This is a rare phenomenon, just as professor Slughorn said, Harry. It has never happened at Hogwarts for as long as I have been here, and between us three, I have been here for quite some time." He smiled fondly at them with his long fingers still folded under his chin. "You two will be attached to each other for almost three months and we have no other option than to wait for the cure of this state to be ready, since we will not allow anyone of you to get hurt, as you would be if we were to separate you from each other in any other way."

Draco slowly realized what this meant. Going to class with Potter. Eating with Potter. Doing homework with Potter. Sleeping with Potter. Taking a shower with Potter.

I'm going to die.

Potter seemed to have realized the same thing and his face was extremely pale. If Draco wouldn't have been in the exact same situation, he would've found it incredibly funny.

"No", Potter said and shook his head violently. "I refuse to."

"I'm not going to sleep in the Gryffindor Tower", Draco blurted out, thinking that if he said it first, Potter would have no other choice than to sleep in his dorm.

"I'm not going to sleep in the dungeons", Potter almost shrieked. What a pansy.

"Of course neither of you will have to change House because of this. We will have to find another solution, since there will be special circumstances with classes, and with food as well."

On some level, Draco was sure, Dumbledore found all of this somewhat funny. As if this situation made him want to laugh, but not in the same way Draco used to laugh when Potter ended up in weird situations.

"What solution?" Potter sounded skeptic and his eyes held a certain glint of panic. Draco would have laughed and mimicked him if it wasn't for that small fact that he himself was in the same situation.

"I believe we will have to find a private room for you, where you both will be served food if you wish so. When it comes to your classes we will have to discuss with your professors to find a way to solve this. For example, Draco, there will be no need for you to attend Muggle studies since Harry has grown up in a Muggle family and knows all about muggles. About your other classes, both of you read the same subjects with a few exceptions. For these exceptions we have to find a way to work with your teachers. Draco, your homework in Muggle studies will be delivered by owl and Harry, you will help him to the best of your ability."

Draco wanted to scream. Just a little. Did Dumbledore really think that Potter would help him without being threatened first? And did he really think that Draco would ask Potter for his expertise willingly? He hated Muggle studies more than any other subjects. Honestly, he would rather have kept going to that half-giant Hagrid's classes than to keep studying muggles. Who wanted to learn about stupid muggles and how they tried to create a working society without magic? But father had told him that he had to study the subject, since it now was required if he wanted a job at the ministry in the future. And he did.

"I will call professor McGonagall to my office and ask her to bring you both to your new room where you will find your belongings. Any questions?"

"Do you seriously mean…that I'm stuck with him?" Draco squeaked, feeling like he would faint any second.

"Yes, Draco, that is exactly what I mean."

Please R&R