Disclaimer: I Own Nothing. Well, a couple of things, I suppose. But the closest I come to owning Harry Potter is owning the books, so find somebody else to sue.
~~~
Third-person POV
Several days later, Harry Potter sat at breakfast in the Great Hall with his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. After talking to Draco, he'd been feeling a little better. Talking to Draco, however, had brought on some new feelings for Harry. He couldn't figure out why they had come about, and he spent a lot of time thinking about those feelings, and about Draco Malfoy in general.
Suddenly a group of owls came through the Great Hall, dropping notes and gifts in front of students. Two owls came to Harry, one being a familiar black eagle owl. They both dropped rolled up pieces of parchment on the table in front of him, then flew off. Harry picked up one letter and unrolled it.
Harry,
Hey, kiddo, how are you? How's school going so far this year? I'm doing well. I've been talking to Dumbledore, and we're working on finding times when I can come visit you. He'll let you know as soon as we figure something out.
Your last letter seemed a little strange, Harry. Should I be worried? You know that whenever you need anything, you can owl me and I'll be there as soon as I possibly can.
Say hi to Ron and Hermione.
Love,
Snuffles
Harry sighed silently. His godfather, Sirius Black, was still hiding out from the Ministry of Magic. He was always on the run, though he tried to be there for Harry whenever he possibly could. One of these days, Harry knew, Sirius would be caught and given the Dementor's Kiss. And Harry knew that it would be his fault.
Pushing the thought from his head, Harry opened the next letter. In neat handwriting, it read:
H.,
I'll be there for you, if you're there for me. Hell, even if you aren't there for me, I'll be there for you. I'm sorry for the past four years. I really do care.
Meet me in the Astronomy Tower at 11:00 tonight.
D.
Harry's heart began to race as he read this note. He quickly rolled it back up before anyone else could read, then looked across the room to the Slytherin table. The silver-haired boy was sitting with his friends, who were laughing at some stupid joke or another. He looked completely bored, however, as he rested his chin in his hand, his elbow propped up on the table. He gave his friends what looked to be a forced smile, then glanced at Harry, who flinched at the sudden eye contact.
Merlin, he's gorgeous,
Harry and Draco thought to themselves at the exact same time.Draco smiled slightly at the blush that was rising in Harry's cheeks and winked. Then he rolled his eyes at the other boy, nodding towards his friends. Harry chuckled a little.
"What are you laughing at, Harry?" Ron wondered suddenly. Harry looked at him.
"Nothing, just...nothing." Ron shrugged his shoulders and went back to eating, and Harry heard Hermione mumble something under her breath.
"At least he's laughing at all."
At that, Harry's eyes saddened a little as he thought of what he must have been doing to his friends. He hadn't sent them a single owl all summer; but that wasn't his fault. He hadn't been allowed. And now he couldn't even tell them why, and what had happened to him.
Giving a soft sigh, Harry looked back at Draco. He was staring back at Harry, curiously. Harry just bit his lip and shook his head. At that time, Professor McGonagall came up behind Harry.
"Mr. Potter, the Headmaster would like to see you in his office before your first class. Come with me, please."
Harry gathered his books and supplies, then followed McGonagall up to Dumbledore's office. They stopped in front of a gargoyle statue, and McGonagall spoke the password. The gargoyle moved aside, allowing them to enter.
"Headmaster, Mr. Potter is here," McGonagall announced. Dumbledore came to greet Harry, and McGonagall left.
"Hello, Mr. Potter! How are you doing this morning? Would you like a lemon drop?"
"No, thank you, sir, and I'm doing fine, thanks." Dumbledore motioned for Harry to sit down in a chair, and then the headmaster sat behind his desk.
"As you may know, your godfather and I have been trying to work out a visitation schedule for him, until his name is cleared." Harry nodded. "He is very close to being proven innocent, with the help of Remus Lupin."
"Where is Sirius now?" Harry wondered. "I know that you know, sir." Dumbledore smiled, that ever-present twinkle showing in his eye.
"He is living with Remus right now, in a house right outside of Hogsmeade. He keeps himself well-hidden in that house, and he only goes outside in his Animagus form." He went back to the subject of visitation. "Sirius and I have decided that every other Sunday, you can go to Remus's house for a few hours to visit. If you would like to, that is." Harry's eyes lit up a little.
"Of course I'd like to!" he exclaimed. "That would be great!"
"All right, then. This Sunday, Remus will meet you at the Three Broomsticks and take you from there."
"Thank you, sir." Dumbledore's expression then became serious as he gazed at Harry.
"Harry, something has been troubling you since you arrived at school this year. Is it Cedric?" Sighing, Harry nodded.
"Part of it," he replied, truthfully.
"I won't push you to tell me the rest of it. But know this, dear boy: I don't like to see you so upset. If you need to get something off of your chest, feel free to come up here again." Harry nodded and stood up.
"Thank you, sir," he repeated. With that, he left and headed for his first class of the day, Potions. At least it wouldn't be nearly as bad as in past years. Draco was on his side now.
~~~
At ten to eleven that night, Harry got his invisibility cloak and sneaked up to the Astronomy Tower. He found Draco, sitting on the floor in a dark corner and waiting. Harry just watched the boy for a moment. He looked so serene, so peaceful that Harry didn't want to disturb him. Still, after a few minutes, he removed the cloak and went to sit next to Draco.
"What's up?" Harry asked. Draco glanced at him and gave him a small, half-hearted smile. "This can't be good."
"I...told Dumbledore some of the things my father's done to me. I told Snape, too; he's my godfather."
"Are they doing anything about it?" Harry wondered, softly. Draco nodded.
"They're getting me out of his custody. Severus is going to have custody of me." He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. "I lied, Harry, about not being scared of my father anymore. He's going to be so angry when finds out I told. Even if he's sent to Azkaban, his Death Eater friends will come after me, and I-I'm really scared."
"Understandable," Harry said, quietly. "But Dumbledore and Snape and all the other teachers... They'll keep you safe, won't they? They won't let anything happen to you."
"That doesn't stop me from being scared." Harry placed a hand on Draco's shoulder, and Draco looked up.
"I won't let anything happen to you, Draco," Harry told him, staring into Draco's eyes. Draco stared back for a moment, then blinked and looked down at his hands.
"Harry, when you're around me, do you¼feel things?" he asked in a strangely quiet voice. "Do you get strange feelings?"
"Yes, I do," Harry responded, just as quietly. "I think¼ I think I know what they mean¼ But I'm not sure."
"I think I know, too," Draco said, softly. Suddenly, he stood up. "Thanks for talking to me, Harry. I'll see you later." Harry stared at the silver-haired boy as he ran away.
After a few moments, Harry slipped the invisibility cloak over himself again. He slowly walked back to Gryffindor Tower and went to his dorm, climbing into bed. But he knew that sleep wouldn't be coming to him any time soon.
