He made sure is things were in the dorm. He had his snake wrapped around him when he entered the Great Hall. He made sure that he was one of the last people to arrive. He had to grin at the shocked faces of people in the hall. He wanted to burst out laughing; however, he maintained in control.
He took his seat at the Gryffindor table. He looked to Ginny. He informed her that her ploy would not work, and he only saw her as a sister and nothing more. He could see the sadness fill her eyes. Yet, he did not feel guilty in the least.
He waited for the first years to be sorted. He noticed that there were slightly few years than normal. He was not surprised without everyone knowing that the Voldemort was back. He began to fill his plate with a little bit of food. He still had to adjust even though he spent the last two weeks at The Borrow. He knew that he did not starve as much with the extra freedom he had. However, his aunt and uncle made sure that while he was in the house he got very little food.
He knew that people were staring at him. He truly did not care at the moment. The snake was his own little rebellion. He was a snake in the lion's den after all. He grinned with the thought. Only he and Dumbledore knew that he was supposed to be in Slytherin. To slam his point home, he glanced at Dumbledore and nodded while petting his snake.
Even though, he knew several people in the hall kept glancing at him. He knew that he did it deliberately, but he still had to fight the urge to go under the table. He took his time eating his favorite dessert. He began to fill angry. He was not sure why. Without saying a word, he rose to leave the hall. He glanced towards the Slytherin table and looked into angry eyes. Harry shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the dorm.
"What is he playing at this time?" Draco snarled.
"I am wondering what he is saying to the Weaslette. She and Ron do not look too happy." Blaise commented. He leaned further closer to Draco. "We have to talk to Snape."
"I said no." Draco snarled.
"I do not think you will get a choice. Snape is glaring at you." Blaise nodded in Snake's direction.
"Dammit Blaise. Stop he will think something is wrong. Just leave things alone."
"Something has been wrong for two years. You know it will get worse. How can we keep going in the background? Someone will notice. We do not know anything about him. I am telling you something has been wrong for a while. I think he is about to break."
Draco glared at Blaise. He knew what Blaise was talking about because he, too, started to pay closer attention to Harry after the incident. He remembers sending a note anonymously letting him know to rely on his strength of flying and allowed a wand. He remembers feeling less anxious. Harry's emotions always seemed to be over the place but constantly sad or angry.
The ending of the last two years were the worst. It was almost paralyzing because the quickness and fierceness of the emotions were staggering. It seemed to open him up to a whole new life. He grew up emotionless and was taught to live that way. He knew towards the end of last year that he was softening towards Harry. He realized that it was something more. He was always drawn to the Golden Boy. He knew the rejection cut him deep the first year, and no matter how he feels; he WILL not open for another rejection especially from someone that he was permanently bonded. He knew that Blaise does not know this information.
Draco looked from Blaise to Snape. He tried to get back into the conversation; however, he continued to struggle to pay attention. He finally gave up on conversation. He said good night. He walked back to his dorm alone. He walked to his bed and flopped down on it. He heard parchment crinkle. He sat up and there is a note.
How about a truce?
Draco just stared at it. He knew who wrote it. He just wondered how it got there. He wondered how often he had been in Slytherin rooms. He wondered if the same was happening to Harry. He felt a small flicker of hope. He tried to push it down but it would not die.
He walked out of the common room. He passed Blaise. He told his boyfriend that he wanted to take a walk alone. He claimed that he needed time to think. He found himself walking out of the castle. He breathed in the cool night air.
Draco ambled through the woods. He was completely lost in thought till he heard people talking. "What the hell has gotten into you?"
"I have grownup. I do not feel like I have to be gentle with anyone that will not take a hint. I have done something for myself. No one can be happy for me! They can only criticize me. It is not my problem. It is yours and theirs. I will not bow down to someone's bloody ideal of me. I have done it for five years already. I AM DONE! I am tired. Everyone wants me to listen to them and do what they expect. YET NO ONE WANTS TO LISTEN! NO ONE EVEN CARES TO LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT ME! NO ONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH!"
"Aren't you being dramatic, Harry. Ron only thought that you could have been more sensitive with Ginny. We understand what you have been through, remember, we have been with you through it all."
Draco continued to hide behind a tree. He continued to listen. He watched Harry stand. He was murder in the boy's eyes. He felt himself tense. He could feel the staggering emotions: sadness, disappointment, but over it all was anger. "Maybe you will listen this time. You HAVE NO idea about what I have been through. Now, please just leave me alone; before anyone says or does something we could regret later."
Draco noticed that Harry's wand was in his hand, and his knuckles were white because of the tight grip. He could feel an overwhelming amount of power. He could not imagine carrying that much power. It was not his power but he is getting dizzy from just the feel of it flowing through the air and the bond. He slid down the tree and sat on the ground.
"Harry, it is almost curfew. You should come in as well. It would not do well to get into trouble your first night."
Harry laughed. "Please, the only one that treats me normally is Professor Snape, and you both know I have the means not be seen if I don't want to be. Now, leave me alone."
"Fine. Good night, Harry." Draco watched the two leave.
Draco leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. He willed the dizziness to go away. He took steadying breaths. He felt the power being pulled back. He heard the crunching of leaves. He turned to the right and watched Harry walk a several feet behind him.
After a few minutes, Draco rose to follow him. He moved slowly and carefully to not make a sound. He almost immediately realized that Harry is not in front of him. He stopped to listen and no sounds. "So, you are still spying. What did you hope to find out, or were you hoping for a good laugh? I am sorry to disappoint."
Draco turned around and Harry was behind him. Harry shrugged and frowned. He continued speaking. "I am sure you are not surprised. You were right about me after all these years. I admit defeat. You win. I am done."
Draco was stunned. He was not sure what to say. He watched as Harry turned and started walking in the opposite direction. "I was not trying to spy. I was lost in thoughts and not paying attention till I heard voices."
Harry paused for a moment. "That may be true, but the result is still the same. Now, I would like to be left alone."
"How do you handle all that power?"
"I don't. I still have bouts of accidental magic, because I can never use enough even at school, unless there is something going on like last year. Have a good night?"
Draco knew he had to ask, because he may not get another shot. "Is that way happened at the Triwizard selection?"
Harry turned around. "I was terrified. I did not want any more publicity. I did not want any more attention. My scar had been itching and aching for days. I was full of fear. They kept getting closer. I tried to pull it back; however, my emotions were too high. It burst from me. I saw the bolt in the bright hit the castle but ran towards and down to the goblet after that I remember nothing."
Draco just stared. "Blaise and I were hit with a bolt that were shot from the cup. It aimed specifically for us."
"What are you saying?"
"I am not sure. I have spent wo years trying to ignore it. Yet, I know it was something."
"Are you telling me that some of these changes I feel is the result of the Goblet of Fire? Damn, why can't something just be my own? I am so tired of people and magic interfering in my life always thinking they know better."
Draco noticed that Harry's voice shook and so did his when he asked the next question. "What changes?"
"It doesn't matter. It apparently is not real. I am not my own. I am nothing but whatever a person wants me to be or what they want from me. Now, please leave me alone. It is not safe out here with me. The centaurs know what to do. We have established a routine over the years. I still want the truce. Now go"
Draco watched with confusion as Harry walked further into the Forbidden Forest. It seemed that he just disappeared. He turned to head back towards the castle. He saw Blaise waiting for him near the entrance. "I could not let you have all the fun." He barely acknowledged his boyfriend.
Blaise looked closer at Draco. "What happened?"
"I need to talk to Snape." Draco frowned at Blaise's grin. "I know I was against it. I need answers, now."
Blaise looked closely at his boyfriend. "Something has changed. The question is what happened to cause it?"
"It is not something that I would be easy to explain. You would have to have been there to understand." Draco stalked into the castle towards the dungeon. "He does not know what happened. He only saw a single bolt that hit the castle that was then direct to the Goblet of Fire. He did not see anything after that. It is too many combinations, and two of them are ancient magic."
"I don't understand. What are you saying?"
"Potter has unbelievable power. I was dizzy with it. It spikes with rise of his emotions. He has better control now than he did two years ago." Draco kept walking without looking back but kept talking. "The castle is sentient, or believed to be. The Goblet of Fire is designed to select individuals to handle the tournament and best suit the information. Harry was angry and afraid that day. I was fearing the return of the Dark Lord that morning, because that is all my father talked about during that summer. I wanted no part of it. The person that entered Potter's name was a Death Eater. It is not a coincidence and means something more."
"You are saying that it is not Potter's fault. He triggered the massive bright light but something else did the rest."
"Exactly. The question is what bond did it form, and why? I know it is extremely powerful to interfere with the Dark Mark. However, unlike most bonds did not force direct contact. Yes, we are drawn to him, but it is not painful to be far apart."
Draco walked right past everyone in the common room. They watched him stalk straight to his dorm. He flopped on his bed. He frowned to the top of the bed. He wished he had a window that looked over the Forbidden Forest. He wished he had stayed. He wondered about Potter. He wondered if he was okay.
"Do you feel strange?" Draco looked out of the window into the Black Lake. He did not turn around but knew Blaise was there.
"What do you mean?" Blaise walked up behind Draco and wrapped his arms around the blonde.
"I am wondering if everything I feel is my emotions or Potter's."
"Could be that Potter and you share similar feelings, so they seem more intense? Below the surface, I feel doubt, loss, insecurity, anger, pain and deep sadness. I started noticing that Potter hides behind a constant glamour two years ago."
Blaise pulled Draco closer to his chest. He rested his head on Draco's shoulder. "I remember that day. I was upset, because no one seemed to notice his glamour. It is barely detectable, but I saw the shimmer of it. I remember feeling angry, because they pushed him towards the champions. I wanted to rush between him and the headmasters that were baring down on him. They could not see how terrified he was. He did not want the attention."
Draco closed his eyes and leaned against Blaise. He thought about Potter and the last five years. He reflected on all of his interactions and feelings. He suddenly realized that he was in love with the Golden Boy. He felt his breath catch in his chest. It was hidden by anger and jealousy. Pain hit him but was faint, and he turned and raced through the dungeons.
Meanwhile, Harry walked through the Forbidden Forest. He cried. He screamed. He stomped. His magic leaked through it all. He kept thinking about his life and feelings. He had nothing of his own. He released more power.
The pain hit. The scar burned. Harry screamed sending power coursing through the forest. He dropped to the forest floor. He no longer saw the forest. He was in a room. The anger filled the air. He was looking at several people.
The fear in their eyes were evident. It was the voice of Voldemort. "You lied. You stated that you had control of your son. You said your son would be willing. He is not. He entered into some kind of powerful soul bond. I am tired of your failure." Harry watched as Lucius and Narcissa were hit with the Cruciatus. It was held on them for several minutes.
Voldemort placed the wand to his forehead. He spoke to Harry. He sent the torture curse through the connection. Harry was in darkness but felt the pain threw him on to his back and began to convulse. It was how Draco found him.
Harry heard a voice through the darkness. The pain was still there but focused on the pain. He felt warm liquid being poured down his throat. He seemed to stop thrashing. "Potter, what happened? What did you see?" He heard the voice speak harshly.
"What do you mean? What can he see?" Draco tasted the anger.
"He has a connection to the Dark Lord. He can see things through his eyes and feel his emotions if they are heightened." Snape tersely spoke. "It is apparent that pain can be felt through the link, as well. The question is what it was. How did you know where to find him, and how did you know that he would be in pain?" Snape turned to Draco.
"I was out here talking with him earlier. I felt when the pain hit." Draco mumbled.
Snape ordered Draco to follow him. He carried Potter to the hospital wing. "Poppy!" Snape hollered entering the hospital wing. He placed Potter in his usual bed that he seems to occupy which now has his name on the frame of the bed, because he has spent much time in the wing.
"What happened!" Madame Pomfrey rushed into the room.
"I do not know. He was convulsing when I found him. I gave him a pain reducing potion. I do not know what happened."
Madame Poppy Pomfrey tried to do scan. "This is unusual something is blocking the diagnostic."
"Can you drop the glamour he has surrounding him?" Blaise spoke. "The glamour is stronger than previous years. I noticed two years ago. I know he is hiding something. He suffers from a deep sadness, constant pain and anger."
"He claims that no one understands him or knows what he has been through. He claims that he is tired of living up to everyone's expectations of him. He is angry that his life is not his own."
Snape glared at Potter and then towards the two Slytherins. "I wondered what there is not to understand about a pampered life; however, I want a full explanation. However, I feel that Dumbledore should be here to hear it as well. However, first we must find out what is completely wrong with the boy." Snape pointed his wand at Potter. "Finite Incantatum"
They watched as the glamour waivered. He quickly removed the boy's shirt. In the room, there were several gasps. There were several scars all over the boy's chest. Snape carefully rolled the boy over onto his stomach. There were more startled gasps as they saw the scars from being wiped repeatedly. Pomfrey moved to the other side of the bed. She ran her wand up and down the boy's body. It revealed a list of many things: Cruciatus, years of starvation, several broken bones that never healed properly, the list seemed very long. Pomfrey left to notify the headmaster.