Everything that Glitters isn’t Gold

by Sanguied

Good and Evil have gone too far, Dumb and Vort have to be put in their place, it just so happens 4 boys are the means to do it Slash: HxD,BxR,Mfor mature,abuse, Full Summary inside

2. But don't we hate each other?

Everything that Glitters isn't Gold.

Important Information:

Summary: "Only Harry would fall for someone completely nutters." Ron mumbled. "Draco's not crazy," Hermione replied, "he's confused." "You mean nutters."

Dumbledore hatches his most daring plan yet; he will attempt to use the Orb of Balance. Voldemort is eagerly waiting for him to do so. No one gets exactly what they hoped for; Hermione losses Ron to destiny, Dumbledore and Voldemort find themselves on the same side. Slash: HxD, BxR, M- for mature.

Note 1: This story was started before Sirius fell into the veil. Hence he remains as written, in one case alive in the other male.

Note 2: I do not have a beta for this fandom, and my adventures in the English language are not always top notch, hence if there is errors please inform me, so changes maybe made.

Note 3: Like everyone reviews spur me on in my efforts.

Note4: Rating: Adult but not inappropriate for this site.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Note 5: The Harry and Draco and other characters, are described to what I see in my head and really do not look very much like the actors portraying them on screen. I see Harry with the same unruly black hair, thin, rather short, with large emerald eyes. Draco with longer silvery blonde, also thin, and rather short, with large silver eyes, I'm a rather big fan of anime and it shows in my descriptions of character at times.

Note 6: I do not write MPREG, none will be found here.

Note 7: This is SLASH, I only write Het as background.

Thank you. Sang

Part 2: "But don't we hate each other?"

Blaise looked down at the book in front of him. It was his free hour after lunch and he was spending it alone, in the library, like a loser. Draco had wandered off midway through lunch, like he was prone to do, leaving him alone. The other Slytherin's ignored him, and Draco was so lost in his own world that Blaise didn't feel right intruding.

Besides telling his thoughts to Draco would ruin the only thing he felt like he could do, which was watch after Draco. Making sure Draco, ate, bathed, and came out of his daze at least every once and awhile, was a full time job and one he enjoyed throwing himself into, as not to think. Bringing his problems into it would just wreck it.

There was nothing romantic about it, even through he had to admit Draco was beautiful. Beautiful and tragic, a lost little figure, who sometimes let him come close enough to take care of, and would sometimes bite him for his trouble, just to prove he still could.

Blaise sighed, but even if he wanted to tame a dragon, he glanced at the table a little ways from his own. That dragon wasn't for him, he knew that and maybe Granger knew it too. She was the only person he figured smart enough to it see it. He eyed the girl, who was studying Potter, as he copied her paper. That particular dragon belonged to Harry Potter and as much as he enjoyed caring for him, he wished Potter would just come and claim him.

He turned to the third figure; who was hurrying Harry along, yep as much as he thought the dragon was beautiful, his taste happened to blue-eyed redheads. Not that he would ever tell a soul. Even if he was on the side of the light, he wasn't exactly welcome to become friends with the others. Besides anyone could see Ron liked Hermione, it broke his heart, but it was true.

Normally it won't have bothered him so much, as Hermione was a muggle born and so no marriage could come of it, but the Weasley's seemed to be liberal enough to bless such a union, and that made him ache. He could believe that in time they would get married, have kids, little redheaded ones and he would just be a face they attended school with.

He couldn't remember a time he hadn't had at least a small crush on Ron Weasley. He was just so cute with his flaming red hair, big blue eyes and quidditch built body, tall too, which was the one thing he wished he could change. The boy must be 6'3" if he was an inch, and so was, at least, 3 inches taller than himself. He wanted to be able to hold Ron and cuddle, not that it would ever happen, but still, in his fantasies it worked better when Ron was smaller.

He sighed again and after years of practice was able to look away from Ron's face even if all he wanted to do was stare, but he had long ago memorized that face. He had to look away before one of the three noticed his staring. He looked back to his book, but the words were blurred, he blinked until the urge to cry passed. He rolled his head until his neck cracked, maybe he should go find Draco and make sure he remembered to go to afternoon classes.

Hermione watched Blaise Zabini leave, her expression thoughtful and concerned. She couldn't help but feel for the boy. She always saw him alone, even when he was in the company of his only friend Draco Malfoy. As far as she could tell it seemed Blaise was Malfoy's keeper, as Malfoy didn't seem to really care about too much these days.

Both Malfoy and Zabini were on their side now and she thought they should work together, but she wasn't sure on how bridge the wide gap.

Harry shouldn't have been a problem, he adored, excuse her that was a girly term, loved Malfoy. Though Harry was a problem, because of his feelings he ran whenever he saw Malfoy. Never did it enter the fools mind to tell Malfoy. Rather, it was stare, dream, and drive her and Ron plain mad, but run and avoidance whenever there might be the opportunity to actually talk to Malfoy.

Ron was an even bigger problem. He had nothing against Zabini really, but Malfoy that was another tale. Ron couldn't see past, well, the past. Ron was rather bullheaded that way and it was going to take time, time they really didn't have, for Ron to get over it.

Then she had her own problems, which she was aware of, even if she tried hard to move beyond them. Malfoy had teased her unmercifully since day one and while the reasonable part of her said it was an act and to move past it, another part of her didn't want to be anywhere near the other boy. Her feelings about Zabini were less tangible but just as felt, on one hand she felt concern and sympathy, on the other, he stared at Ron. She and Ron weren't together, but it was bound to happen and a base part of her got angry thinking about someone else staring at her soon to be boyfriend.

Yet despite all this, she realized she had to be the bigger person and try and work with the little Slytherin bastards, why didn't the rest of them?

Blaise found Draco in the owlery, petting a snowy white owl, while his own owl preened next to him.

"Draco, time to go to transfiguration." Blaise spoke softly, in case Draco hadn't noticed his arrival, but the other boy just sighed.

"Alright Blaise." Draco petted his owl, which hooted and returned to his perch. Then turned and petted the snowy owl, which cooed. "I wonder who this owl belongs to, she's so sweet and beautiful."

Blaise turned back to the blonde. "Don't know Draco, we can find out, if you really want to know."

Draco shook his head. "No, I like her and there aren't too many people who'd want me touching their owl. It'd just cause trouble."

Blaise knew it was true, so didn't say anything else, but held the door open for the other boy. They walked towards the school in silence, and Blaise used the moment to run an eye over the smaller boy. He looked clean, his hair wasn't perfect, perhaps a little disarrayed, but it was clean and shined, freely falling around his face. Blaise thought Draco looked a little too thin, downright skinny, and the dark shadows beneath his eyes were still very visible. Despite all that, Draco was still pretty, it wasn't fair if he let himself look like this he'd be a wreck.

He shook off the thought and led Draco to a seat far back in the class and likely to be away from both Slytherin's and Gryffindor's. He pulled out his own books and Draco's. He'd taken to holding onto Draco's books, slightly afraid if he let Draco hang onto them, they'd never be able to find them wherever Draco would leave them.

Draco flipped through the book Blaise handed him. He had briefly wondered where his books had gotten to, seems Blaise had taken to holding onto them. He wasn't that absentminded. He thought maybe he should address the issue, but then really couldn't find the will or the reason.

Blaise leaned over into his personal space and whispered, as McGonagall swept into the room. "Just act like you're paying attention Draco."

Draco nodded with a sigh. Acting was something he could do. He'd done it for his whole life. So while Professor McGonagall was discussing theory and wouldn't, if questioned, find fault with Draco's attention he was far away. In his father's study, at Malfoy manor, roughly a year ago.

Draco pushed himself further into his chair and didn't look up at his father, as his tears gathered. "Why does it have to be us, why can't another family spy on him?" 'Him' was said with bitterness.

His father knelt by his side and lifted his chin. "If your mum and I had known we would ever have you, we would have made very different choices. I'm sorry my son that you have to suffer for our choices. Malfoy's are great actor's my son, we show nothing but what we wish and no one can see through us. It is our gift to what is right and our curse."

Draco sniffed, having heard this before. "I know. I'm good at it Da. They all hate me."

His father dropped his head. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I promise when this is all over you'll never have to act again. I'll personally go around and apologize and explain. I'll invite the Weasley's to dinner, if it will make you happy, and that my son is a sacrifice I'd only make for you."

Draco smiled and chuckled lightly. "I don't think we need to go that far Da."

Lucius smiled and then tugged on the end of Draco's long hair. "Come on, let's go see what your mum has gotten up to."

Draco nodded and let his father lead him from the room. Draco felt safe under his father's arm, as they climbed the stairs, his father softly said. "I know it's hard to always present yourself to be made of ice. I know what it is to be cruel and to lose yourself in the role, but it won't be forever Draco. That I promise."

Draco nodded.

Draco blinked and looked around. Everyone was practicing wand flicks and it had been Blaise's elbow to his side, which had brought him from his father's side back to this hell.

He didn't want to do this today. He put his wand on the table in front of him and stood up, leaving his books behind, and walked towards the door.

Blaise looked up as Draco walked away, what was he up to now?

"Mr. Malfoy." Professor McGonagall watched the white haired boy walk towards the door, he didn't turn, or stop at her voice. She tried again with a sterner tone. "Mr. Malfoy, where are you going?" The boy just walked out the door, without a word, or look, and if that was Draco's wand, Blaise now held along with his own. Draco was without a wand to defend himself.

"He can't hear you, Professor." Blaise called out. "I'll get him."

McGonagall waved the boy back to his seat. "I'll return in a moment." She turned an unyielding eye over the room. "Class, practice that wand movement and attempt nothing. Ms. Granger, if you'd please."

The girl quickly nodded and McGonagall moved swiftly out of her classroom, not to see Draco, but a bemused Albus and confused Remus. McGonagall looked around. "Where is he?"

Dumbledore's bemusement upped a notch, she was not amused and to top it he said. "Just walked out, did he, boring lesson?"

"He just walked out? Why? He just walked right pass us without saying a word." Remus said baffled.

McGonagall frowned till her lips were white. "It is not amusing Albus. He doesn't have his wand, or even, from what I can see, his common sense."

Albus sighed. "Common sense is overrated, dear woman." At the sign of her possibly becoming angrier, Dumbledore shook his head. "Do not worry, he's not alone and he is being cared for."

McGonagall shook her head. "I should give him detention and take points."

"For worrying you, or leaving your class?" Dumbledore asked, still smiling.

She sighed in disgust. "I'm returning to my class." She turned away from them with a twist of her robes and regally reentered her classroom.

Remus looked to the headmaster. "I guess Malfoy's braver than I once thought."

Dumbledore outright laughed.

Draco glanced down at the presence nudging against him. "Oh, when did you show up?" He gave a small smile to the large black dog walking next to him. "Professor Lupin must be around, I didn't see him." He patted his pockets and pulled out a slightly smashed bisque. "Blaise was trying to feed me again. I swear it's sad when I have to resort to hiding food on my person. I was going to give it the owls, but I can get more. Here you go." He fed the bisque to the dog, which ate it all in one bite.

Draco sighed. "I think I left my wand in class and I can't go back for it now, if McGonagall didn't get me, Blaise would. Besides it would serve me right if I got hexed for being so stupid." Draco wandered to the rocks above the lake and overlooking the school, before sitting down.

Draco didn't notice the cold, but absently noticed the dogs' warmth as it sat close to him. Draco ran his fingers through the dogs fur, as he let his thoughts tumble out his mouth. Somehow it didn't seem as stupid to talk to a dog as it did to talk to the empty halls of the school, so he felt a little more at ease voicing his thoughts. "You know the worst thing about this is that no one will ever know my parents. All people will think, for as long as they're thought of, past the brave death, is of Lucius the bastard and Narcissa the bitch."

He sniffed. "I know that's what people really think. They'll never know my parents. They'll just remember the act. They'll never know that my mum loved movies and my da had a thing for pizza. Or that once we got in a food fight that went everywhere and that my da started it, by throwing mashed potatoes at my mum, because she turned his hair purple."

Draco looked out into the gray sky, which was as stormy as his eyes and rambled. "My parents taught me how to act in public. How to never give anything away because we couldn't afford to be anything but vicious and cruel. They said it wouldn't last forever and that one day I could be the real me, but they never taught me who that was. Without my mask, my act, I'm empty. I don't know who I am. It became so real that sometimes I didn't remember that it wasn't. Without the act, I'm this blank slate and I don't know how to fill it. I don't know if I really like coffee or if the character I played did."

He looked down at the dog, which was looking up at him with, he would swear, sympathetic eyes. He rubbed the dogs' ears. "People think I'm crazy, but I'm not," he shook his head at the dog, "I'm trying to figure out who the real me is. He's been buried so long that I don't know him. My parents were supposed to be here to help me. They said once this was over, I could go to muggle rock concerts and my da promised to teach me how to drive an auto."

Draco wiped his eyes violently. "I wanted people to see the real them, to know they were people to. That they did just what they had to, to help the side of the light. I wanted everyone to know that my parents really did love me and that they were good people. I wanted to see them laugh, or even smile in public, just once. I wanted people to know we weren't the plague of death and pain that people thought we were."

Draco took a deep breath and as it shuttered out, he pulled himself and his emotions together. Two more breaths and he was in control, five later and his face was calm. "I had a good life with them as long as it lasted, I should be grateful for that. Some people never had that kind of love it all," he tilted his head thoughtfully, "like Potter. I hear he had it rough, poor bloke. No one deserves what he had to live with, if the rumors are true. If he can be strong, I can at least do the same." Draco stood and arranged his hair. His eyes sharp and clear of its recent fog. "After all I am a Malfoy, and we can do anything."

Draco stood. "I've kept you out here too long. I should find professor Lupin, I'm sure he's worried."

The large black dog, also known as Sirius Black thought that perhaps this had been the break through they had been waiting for with Draco. And now the boy would come back to himself, all Draco had needed was a willing non-human ear.

If Blaise had been there he would have told Sirius that he was deluding himself.

Sirius realized it himself, as the minutes and distance to the school twiddled away. By the time they reached the doors, Draco's eyes were as far away and haunted as ever. Draco had retreated back into his own thoughts. The dog by his side had been all but forgotten. All Sirius could do was watch the boy wander off. He thought about following, but he saw that Zabini boy grab him and knew he was in good hands. He went to find Remus, and Snape.

Zabini shook Draco's arm until the boy looked up at him. He was furious with fear and worry, anything could have happen to Draco. He held out Draco's wand. "Never-ever, Draconis Nicolae Alexander Lucius Malfoy go anywhere without your wand again!" He hissed at the blond, who just blinked at him and took the offered wand.

"I'm sorry Blaise." Draco mumbled, through didn't know why he was apologizing.

Blaise sighed and released the arm he had grabbed with a pat. "Just thank Merlin you're alright. You are alright, aren't you?"

Draco nodded. "Fine."

Blaise took a couple of deep breaths and quickly looked around to see no one was staring. Perhaps no one had noticed his scene, he could only hope, he turned back around to see Draco had already wandered away. He huffed angrily and went through the students wandering the hall looking for the blonde. Draco was not going to skip out on dinner again.

A few feet away, facing each other, like they hadn't been looking anywhere else, the golden trio stood.

Ron smirked. "I thought Blaise was going to lose it."

Hermione frown and clutched her books tighter. "Do you blame him? Malfoy wandered off without his wand even, for someone un-liked by a lot of people that was very stupid."

Harry had looked the blonde over closer than even Blaise had. Draco had looked okay, but still Hermione was right he could've been serious hurt, or even killed. He didn't even glance at Hermione and Ron, as he skimmed the halls for Draco. "Do you think he wanders off like that a lot?"

Hermione looked to Harry, as Ron rolled his eyes.

"Here we go again." Ron mumbled.

Hermione nudged the redhead and said. "I think so.

Harry pushed off from the wall. "I'm going to help Blaise find him."

Hermione's eyes widened, this was the first step Harry had ever taken towards Draco. Ron opened his mouth, but jerked it shut, as Hermione elbowed him. She nodded with a smile. "Okay, we'll hold a seat at dinner for you."

Harry nodded as he walked away. He wasn't sure which way Draco had disappeared to, as he had looked down when Zabini had looked their way, so he picked the first hallway that was clear of students.

He wandered until he was pretty sure Draco couldn't have gotten that far ahead of him. He was going to turn around when he turned a corner and saw white blonde hair round another corner ahead of him. There was only one person with that color of hair. He sped up until he was in touching distance, since Draco hadn't even noticed his running up, or his calls.

He reached out and touched Draco's arm, then crossed his eyes looking at the wand pointed at his nose. "Draco?" Harry blinked; for someone supposedly completely mad, Draco sure was fast.

Draco frowned and his eyes focused on him. "Oh it's you." He lowered his wand and seemed to dismiss him.

Harry didn't know whether to be upset or happy that Draco didn't think of him as a threat. Harry bit his lip, he had found the blond, but now had no idea what to say. "Blaise's looking for you." It was lame but better than nothing.

Draco sighed. "Yes, he usually is," Draco's eyes narrowed, "and he sent you?"

Harry shrugged. "I volunteered," well he had, he just hadn't told Blaise. "I think you should go to dinner."

Draco's eyebrows crinkled. "It's dinner time already?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I'll walk you there."

Draco turned back the way they had come. "I suppose I could use more food. I've got nothing for the owls after feeding the dog."

Now Harry's eyebrows rose in confusion. "The owls? And what dog?" He had a sneaking idea to who the dog was. "What about you?" Draco was skin and bones and Harry was half afraid Draco wouldn't even make to the great hall. Harry measured Draco with his eyes, Draco was his height so there was no way he was going to carry him.

Draco shrugged. "Not that hungry and I take food to the owls, they like it. The dog is Professor Lupin's, he walks with me sometimes."

Harry suspicion about the dog had been right, but what was Sirius doing with Draco? He and his godfather were going to have a talk. He glanced over at Draco; the blond was being almost pleasant, too pleasant, almost like he didn't care whom he was talking to. So Harry figured he'd try to keep up the conversation. "Do you spend a lot of time with the owls?"

Draco nodded. "I like owls." He suddenly frowned. "I hope Dumbledore hasn't been tampering with the drinks again. It puts one off of eating."

Harry paused. Surely Draco didn't think Dumbledore was poisoning the food. Bloody hell his Draco had lost it. "Dumbledore wouldn't do that. He's not going to poison the students."

Draco frowned. "It wasn't poison," then a small smirk appeared, "through that would've been interesting."

Harry down played the shiver the thought gave him.

Suddenly Draco froze and glared over at Harry. "Potter, what are you doing here?"

Harry didn't even have time to wonder about the change it happened so fast. Draco sounded alert unlike the half-here boy he had first walked up to. "Uh," he faltered at the glare. "Walking you to dinner."

Draco shook his head. "Blaise didn't send you, he wouldn't. Why were you looking for me?"

Harry was careful to keep his look neutral. "I didn't want you to miss dinner."

Draco seemed to think about his answer for a minute. "Why? You hate me."

Harry rolled his shoulders and looked ahead, down the hallway. "Not really."

"Oh." Draco answered, sounding slightly confused, "but don't we hate each other?"

"We did, but I don't think we should anymore." Harry replied, hoping Draco would agree. They had reached the doors of the great hall. Harry didn't reach for the door yet. Instead he turned to Draco, "so," he wasn't sure if he should repeat himself or try again, but as he thought, Draco shrugged.

"Okay." Draco answered, but there was little inflection in his voice.

Harry wasn't sure if Draco really meant it or not, but before he could ask, the other boy opened the hall door and went through. Harry took a couple of deep breaths and leaned against the wall. That had to have been the weirdest conversation he'd ever had with anyone, and that included Dumbledore. He didn't know what the heck Draco had agreed with, but he had spent time with Draco and it had been completely bizarre, but grand.

He grinned and barely stopped himself from dancing. They hadn't fought and Draco had responded to him. His Draco, his Dragon, it was a long time in coming and he had just barely begun, but it was a start.

Harry walked into the great hall with a smile and a happy bounce in his step. He glanced over to the Slytherin table. Draco wasn't looking at him, but at Blaise, who looked to be lecturing him. He sat with his friends.

Hermione grinned as he sat next to her, Ron across from them. She chuckled. "I see you found him and something went right."

Ron sighed. "Don't tell me, you asked him to marry you and the crazy git said yes." Then he smiled to show he was just joking.

Harry didn't care, he was too happy to even respond. Well past the kick under the table. Ron yelped, as Harry turned to Hermione. "We had a conversation, it was the strangest talk ever, but we didn't fight and I think he agreed to be my friend."

Hermione's grinned widened, until her face turned curious. "You think, he agreed."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, he kind of just says whatever he's thinking, and sometimes it doesn't make to much sense."

Ron rubbed his leg under the table. "Only you mate."

Harry picked up his juice and remembered what else Draco had said. "He also said something about Dumbledore tampering with our food and drinks."

Hermione's spoon paused half way to her mouth, before she lowered it, and looked to Harry. "Why would he say that?"

Harry shrugged. "Don't know."

"That's a right odd thing to say." Ron added, but didn't pause his eating.

Hermione brushed back her hair. "I would be interested about why he said that. In his current condition,"

"You mean crazy." Ron interrupted and pulled his feet under the bench and out of kicking distance.

Hermione shook her head and with a disappointed sigh said. "We've had this talk Ron, he's not crazy."

Ron shrugged. "So say's you."

Harry tapped her arm. "What were you saying?"

Hermione looked away from Ron to him. "Sorry, as I was saying," she glared towards Ron, "sometimes people who are," she paused and looked for a word that wasn't crazy, "distant, sometimes notice things the rest of us don't. Did Draco say why the Headmaster would tamper with our food and drinks?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but he did say it wasn't a poison."

Hermione seemed to be thinking. "I would be interested on what Dumbledore would say if he was asked if he had added something to the food and drinks recently."

Ron frowned. "Hey. Dumbledore wouldn't do anything to us. He's the good guy, remember?"

Hermione sighed. "Malfoy didn't say it was something bad, he just said it was something."

Ron sputtered. "You are not seriously considering that Malfoy was right, are you?"

Hermione shrugged. "I just think he may see things the rest of us miss."

Harry turned a thoughtful eye towards Draco, who was eating, and feeding his pocket, just how many owls was Draco feeding? There had to be at least three biscuits in the boy's pockets. He smiled and glanced down at his own plate, obviously it was okay tonight if Draco was eating. Not to mention he knew where to find Draco later, he'd have to get rid of those biscuits tonight sometime.

Hours after dinner, Harry was aggravated and no closer to another conversation with Draco, due to the interference of his nearest and dearest. Harry made another grab for his invisibility cloak. "No, you can't come with me Ron."

Ron looked to Hermione then back to him and folded his arms around the cloak. "What part of 'I'm not letting you meet that crazy git in the owlery alone', are you not getting? Hermione tell him."

Hermione rolled her eyes and mumbled. "I could be doing some homework, instead I'm listening to you two." She turned to Ron, "Honestly Ron, you could trust Harry to know who he can trust and who he can't." Ron frowned as Harry smiled and nodded. Hermione shook her head and turned to Harry. "And Harry, Ron is your best friend he has a good right to worry when you sneak out in the middle of the night."

Ron nodded and grinned. "See mate, I won't make a peep. I'll just hide and make sure he's not going to kill you."

Harry crossed his arms. "He's on the side of the light Ron."

Ron's bite his lip then brightened. "Well he's crazy now, never know what they might do."

Harry turned pleading eyes onto his friend, the one that was not shortly to be an ex-friend. "Herm, he'll never be quite."

Hermione threw up her hands. "That's why I'm going too."

Harry frowned and hugged himself. "You don't trust him either."

"I didn't say that. I'm just trying to keep Ron out of trouble. He'll be quite." Hermione patted his arm. "It's this or you may never get out of here."

Ron hugged the cloak closer, with a determined glint in his eye.

Harry sighed. "Fine, but one word and I'll hex you both."

Ron rolled his eyes.

Getting to the owlery wasn't a problem, waiting was.

"Is he ever going to show up?" Ron whispered, from the corner he and Hermione were stationed, still covered by the invisibility cloak.

Harry shrugged, from where he sat on a crate, a small-lit lantern beside him and Hedwig cooing under his fingers. "He has to get here sooner or later."

"We've been waiting for an hour and a half mate. Maybe he forgot what he had the biscuits for and ate them."

Harry ignored Ron for the sound he picked up. "Shh, I think he's coming." At least he hoped it was Draco, if it was a professor he'd have a hard time explaining what he was doing here. He released a huge breath of relief when he saw the silvery white Malfoy hair.

Harry stood up so Malfoy would see him, he didn't want to start things off by scaring him. He ended up being surprised himself, as every owl in the place seemed to snap out the dozes or whatever they had been doing, even Hedwig started cooing louder. For nearly a whole minute the owlery was a buzz with activity. A regal eagle owl was the first to approach Draco, but soon after every owl in the place moved closer to the boy.

Draco didn't even look Harry's way as he distributed his biscuits, pats and soft scratches.

Harry didn't know what to do, so he stood and waited for Draco to notice him.

Hermione had cast a small silencing charm over the invisibility robe, as Draco had entered, just in case and was thankful she had, as both her and Ron gasped.

"I thought he bleeding hated animals." Ron said.

"I guess animals doesn't pertain to owls, he must be here a lot. The owls really seem to like him."

Ron groaned. "Not you to Pig."

Sure enough, when Hermione looked up Ron's owl Pig was cooing under Draco's nimble fingers.

Next to her, Ron mumbled. "Traitor."

Harry sat back down on his crate. It was like some odd episode from a fairy tale, all the woodland creatures surrounding the fair princess. He snorted, Draco a princess, not likely, but if Draco busted out in song. Harry was going to seriously think about meeting up with Draco at a later time.

"Hi Harry."

Harry jerked up, looked at Draco, who was looking at him. Harry swallowed thickly. "H-hi Draco."

Draco looked around the room. "Which ones yours?"

Harry blinked and Draco nodded towards the small group of owls still close to him.

"Oh, um her." He pointed Hedwig out.

Draco smiled at her softly and rubbed her feathers. "She's beautiful and smart. What's her name?"

"Hedwig." Harry said, as he stood and moved closer to Draco.

"Hedwig," Draco repeated and looked back to Harry. "I had wondered whose she was."

Harry shifted his weight between his feet. He wanted to talk to Draco, but wasn't sure what to say then remembered what Hermione had said earlier. "Hey Draco, did Dumbledore do something to the food and drinks tonight?"

Draco didn't look up from Pig whose feathers he was straightening. "No, he just did that once." Draco tilted his head. "I think he was looking for something." Draco shrugged, "You need to practice your landings little one."

Harry blinked and frowned in confusion until he realized Draco had been talking to Pig. Harry tried again to get Draco's attention. "So, um, I was wondering, are we friends now?"

Draco blinked at him. "I suppose so but it's different. We weren't friends before."

Harry shook his head. "No, I think it had something to do with you calling my friends names."

"I didn't mean it." Draco said softly then frowned. "Or maybe I did. I'm not really sure yet."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "What does that mean?"

Before Harry could get an answer the sound of a dog barking interrupted and Harry mentally cursed his godfather. He'd know that bark anywhere.

Draco perked up. "I guess he found me and is ready to walk." Draco looked around, "well he can't come in here." Draco patted the owls once more and moved towards the door.

Harry cursed Sirius again and reinforced his memory to talk to his godfather. Then noticed Draco was leaving without saying goodbye and called out to the blonde, before he made it out of the door. "Bye Draco, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Draco looked back at him. "Ok Harry, goodbye." He turned back towards the door, but said, before it closed completely. "Goodnight Granger, Weasley."

Then he was gone, leaving three people with gapping mouths.

Ron pulled off the cloak. "How in the bloody hell did he know we were here?"

Hermione sighed. "I told you Ron,"

Ron waved a hand at her. "I know crazy people see things the rest of us don't, but still that was just freaky." He shook his head. "What am I saying, the whole conversation was freaky. Who the hell was that?"

Hermione hit him on the arm. "Ron, you're talking about the boy Harry likes."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Mione, I think even Harry recognizes he's a little insane."

Harry crossed his arms. "He's just confused, he's not insane."

"Whatever you say mate-whatever you say." The whole time Ron was twirling his finger next to his head, in the international sign of crazy.

Harry huffed and narrowed his eyes. "I'm serious Ron. He's not crazy, he just says what's on his mind and he's confused." Harry dropped his head, shifting some the dirt on the ground with his shoe. "I don't think he knows how to be himself now that he doesn't have an act to hide behind."

Hermione nodded. "I think Harry's right. He didn't even know if he really hated us or not."

Ron threw up his hands. "Whatever, I don't care as long as he isn't hearing voices that tell him to kill us all."

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione yelled.

Harry just ignored them as they argued all the way to the tower. The topic jumping from Draco, to all number of things, they only stopped when they had to go to separate sides of the tower. Still Harry had to hear Ron's side until he faked being asleep.

TBC

Is anyone reading this? If you are just a 'Hi I'm reading this', would make my day.