Hey everyone, Stephanie from One and a Half Slytherins here with a new chapter in Taking Chances. sorry about the delay on this chapter, i had a serious case of writers block and couldn't seem to break out of it until just this morning. I finally finished the chapter and am hoping you all like it as much as i do. Enjoy. R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP.

Chapter 2

"Hey Harry wait up! Where are you going?" I shouted as I ran down the hall toward him. He stopped and turned to face me, waiting until I caught up to him to explain.

"Madame Hooch asked me to come by tonight for a flying assessment. She says if I'm anything like my dad was I'll have a shot at making the team next year." His tone was hopeful but I could tell he was nervous. I put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his bright, emerald green eyes.

"You'll do great Harry, I know it. In fact, why don't I come with you? Even if I can't stay, I'll just walk with you and keep you company," I suggested, removing my hand from his shoulder and shifting my bag back up onto my shoulder. He smiled sweetly and nodded; turning back in the direction he'd been previously traveling and beginning to walk. I quickly caught up and matched his pace, my mind at ease in the comfortable silence that had settled between us.

"So how do you like Hogwarts so far?" he asked quietly, obviously not as comfortable with the silence as I'd been. I shrugged and replied,

"School is school I suppose, but it's a pretty great place. What about you? I suspect it's been great for you coming from a Muggle city to this and not having to deal with all the ridicule from your cousin Dudley." Harry looked at me in shock and I could've sworn I saw relief flash through his eyes. This made me curious as I waited for his answer, watching him as we walked.

"Well, it's been a really interesting experience to say the least. I don't feel so... left out I guess. I was always the odd kid out when I went to Muggle primary school because I was different. Being famous is really weird too, but I guess I'll get used to that." I watched in fascination as he walked, a small bit of the pride that welled in him from his words making him stand taller. As the silence that followed settled between us, he slouched back to his normal stance and smiled over at me timidly.

We walked in silence the rest of the way there; only breaking the silence myself once to direct us toward the Quidditch pitch after Harry took us on a wrong turn.

"Here we are! I'm going to go sit up in the stands and watch now. Good luck Harry, I know you'll do great," I told him once we got to the change rooms. He smiled at me and nodded before walking out onto the field. I jogged up the stairs and took a seat in the Gryffindor stands. Harry looked up and gave me a strange look before smiling and waving. As I waved back I realized why he'd given me the funny look. I was sitting in the wrong house stands, but I didn't care. I'd much rather be in Gryffindor anyways; the Slytherins aren't the nicest bunch. Shaking my head to clear it, I watched down onto the field and thought back to my first time flying a broom. Back in my first life when I was an arrogant toe-rag. I stole Neville's rememberall and threw it after taunting Harry about it. Thinking about it now, had I not done so, he wouldn't have known he was such a good flyer and he wouldn't have gotten Seeker in his first year. This time around I'd befriended him and things turned out differently, as I had expected.

"He's still the same Harry he was before so there's no way in hell he won't get Seeker, even now. He's too good not to" I said to myself, knowing there was no one here to listen to me rant. I watched him mount his broom and take off carefully, going slow at first but gaining more speed as he flew around the pitch. Madame Hooch let him fly around a bit more before pulling a practice snitch out of her pocket and releasing it. The little streak of gold was gone and before I knew it, Harry was flying around the pitch chasing after it.

"He found it already! I can't believe this!" a new voice shouted from behind me. I looked around and saw a flash of red hair ducking behind the seats. More whispers came from behind me and I soon realized I wasn't alone. I looked beneath the rows and finally found three pairs of feet crouched down behind the bench. I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat before loudly saying,

"I know you're up there, there's no point in hiding." Three heads poked out from behind the bench and Hermione stood up, jumping down to sit next to me, Ron and Neville following slowly behind.

"We saw you walking with Harry and wanted to come watch him too! We weren't spying on you or anything," Hermione explained to me as Ron and Neville sat down on the other side of her. I shrugged and directed my attention back to Harry, who was still chasing after the snitch. He flew in and out of the stands trying to catch it, making his way around the perimeter of the pitch and flying over our heads, smiling down at us quickly before sticking his hand out to grab the snitch and missing. His face fell for a second before it was once again filled with determination.

"He's so close! I wonder how much longer it will take before he catches it," Ron asked anxiously, watching Harry fly around the pitch. As if on cue, an idea burst into my head and I was on my feet and sprinting toward the stairwell. The three young Gryffindors all gawked at me in confusion as I disappeared, but none followed me which I was grateful for. I flew down the stairs two at a time, almost tripping down the last half, and sped toward the dressing rooms. The closet full of extra brooms used to teach first years how to fly was kept there and I needed to get myself a broom fast.

If there's anything that makes Harry more competitive it's having decent competition, and I know for a fact I can give that to him.

I grabbed the nicest looking broom from the closet and ran out onto the pitch, jumping on my broom and soaring up into the air with so much speed I nearly flew right past Harry. I pulled back and slowed down on my broom, taking up the rear and chasing after him. He looked over his shoulder and gave me a look, watching in shock as I flew up beside him and reached out my hand. He pushed forward and sped up, getting closer to the snitch than I had been previously and narrowly missing it in his attempt to grab it. I huffed and pressed on, chasing Harry around the pitch at blinding speed in our mad chase for the snitch.

I had the snitch in my sights and was reaching out to it when Harry flew up from beneath me and snagged it. I could hear my friends cheering in the stands as I slowed and followed Harry down to the ground. Madame Hooch walked up and took the snitch from Harry, patting him on the back and saying,

"That was outstanding Harry! Well done! I've never seen anyone show such talent at such a young age." Harry reddened and turned to me, throwing an arm over my shoulder.

"Draco did well too! I don't think I would've been as good had Draco not come and tried to beat me." I felt the heat creep up my neck but forced a cool, collected face as I spoke next.

"Oh, it was nothing. I was just trying to help out a friend. I had a feeling you would do better with a little competition and I turned out to be correct," I replied nonchalantly, shrugging.

"Well either way you both flew magnificently. I'm going to consult your heads of houses and the team captains, but I will have either myself or your heads let you know as soon as we reach a decision. Thank you boys," she informed us before picking up her things and leaving the field. Hermione, Ron and Neville raced out onto the field and tackled Harry, knocking them to the ground. Laughter erupted from the tangled trio of boys on the ground as well as from myself. Hermione laughed lightly and turned to me, straightening out her uniform precisely while saying,

"I thought you did wonderfully Draco. You're an amazing flyer."

"Uhm, thanks Hermione."

. . . .

Ever since the tryout, Harry and I had become the talk of the castle. It became hard to spend any time to myself because I was constantly crowded by fans and people who'd heard of my excellent flying skills. As much as I would've reveled in the attention before, I hated it now. It gave me less time to be with my friends or do my schoolwork. Hermione took special notice of this, which was something I was shocked to find out, and invited me to study with her in the quiet confines of the library. After many afternoons and evenings spent in the library, it had become like a second home to me. Even Harry and Ron would join us on the odd night while we studied, although they both seemed more interested in searching for something rather than doing their work. Although I had missed it, the incident on Halloween was a bit of a tossup for the trio's developing friendship.

After Quirrel burst into the Great Hall during the Halloween feast declaring the presence of a troll in the dungeons, we'd all been instructed to follow our prefects back to our common rooms. I'd been sitting with Harry and Ron that evening and was forced back into my own house as we shuffled out of the Great Hall frantically. Later that night I was informed by the house gossip that Harry and Ron had snuck off and saved Hermione from the troll. According to some of the other Slytherins, Hermione had spent the entire day crying in the bathrooms because of Ron's harsh words after charms that morning.

Ever since then, she'd been a bit hostile toward the pair but was trying her best to be their friend because they had saved her. On this particularly chilly November day I'd decided to take a trip to the library and try to finish up some charms homework, hoping to see Hermione there for some company. I walked in quietly, shutting the door behind me and smiling up at Madame Pince, who was reading a rather thick book at her desk, as I walked past. While making my way to our usual table in the far back corner of the library, I heard some hushed voices talking quickly about a subject I didn't catch. I stopped short of the shelf and peeked through an opening in the books, only to find my three Gryffindor friends conversing hurriedly and suspiciously about something.

"I saw it on his leg Hermione I swear it! He'd tried to get passed fluffy but got scratched. Whatever was in the vault back in September that Hagrid took out to give to Dumbledore has to be guarded by the thing," Harry whispered anxiously, looking over his shoulder.

"Harry that was two weeks ago. Maybe Snape had just tried to stop the troll and got knocked into something. There are plenty of things someone could cut themselves on in this castle. Besides, I have a hunch as to what the dog is guarding," Hermione retorted in her 'I'm right and you know it' voice. She leaned over and whispered into their ears, the sudden realization of whatever she'd told them plastering itself on their faces. She sat back with a triumphant look on her face and waited for them to speak.

"You don't really think that's what's in there, do you? I mean, I've never even heard of it before. I've only heard of Nicholas Flamel and we've searched for him everywhere in this library with no success. If Snape got his hands on it who knows what kind of havoc he could wreak on the school!" Harry exclaimed a bit louder than was necessary. Hermione smacked his arm and gave him a stern look before nervously saying,

"Harry if anyone finds out that we think it's... Well, you know who he is; we could be in a lot of trouble. We just have to keep it a secret until we know for sure what's down there."

Harry looked sullen for a moment before asking,

"I guess that means we can't tell Draco can we?" Hermione became stiff for a moment, her eyes filled with the decision she had to make that would decide whether I openly helped them or not. She finally shook her head and said,

"It's too risky Harry. He's in Slytherin and Snape is his Head of House. If we tell him anything and it accidentally slips out, we could all be expelled."

"But Hermione he wouldn't tell anyone! I know he wouldn't!" he argued, becoming slightly upset. Something panged deep in my heart at the compassion my raven haired friend showed for me, but I brushed it off and kept listening.

"Don't argue this Harry. We can't tell Draco about this, it's for the best. I'm sorry," she told him sternly, ending the argument then and there and leaving Harry disgruntled and upset in his seat. I noticed that Ron had said nothing the entire time I'd been listening. He looked rather complacent actually, like someone had given him a calming draught. He went along with whatever Hermione had said and didn't object or give any input on the matter.

"I'm going to go down to the Great Hall, it's almost dinner time. Are you going to come with me?" Hermione asked, standing up and collecting her work and carefully packing away her quills and ink. Harry shook his head but Ron stood and followed Hermione out of the library, neither of them noticing me standing in the aisle as they walked past. Harry frowned and sank down in his seat, folding his arms over his chest in defeat. I darted out from behind the shelf and walked calmly down the aisle toward Harry.

"Hey Harry, are you alright? You look a bit put out," I asked, sitting down across from him and setting my bag down on the floor. He looked down at the table and quietly muttered,

"I'm fine, nothing you need to know."

"Are you sure? There's nothing you wanted to tell me? Anything at all?" I pestered, hoping I could get something out of him regarding their secret plan. Harry shook his head and shrugged.

"I just found out something from Hermione that was a bit upsetting is all. I'll be fine."

"Ok, well I was going to head down to dinner. Would you like to walk with me?" I asked, picking up my bag. His eyes brightened up at the suggestion and he nodded, standing and slinging his bag over his shoulder. I was glad to see him smile; it really brought out the brightness of his emerald green eyes. We walked in a comfortable silence down to the Great Hall and took our seats at Gryffindor table.

. . . .

Christmas Holidays came faster than I expected and on the day our heads came around to collect the names of the people who would be staying at the castle for the break, I was first in line. Snape however, handed me a sealed green envelope and told me to read it before coming back to him. Confused, I took the letter over to one of the cold leather couches and opened it, pulling out the crisp piece of folded parchment and reading it.

"Draco,

How long it has been since you last wrote us son. Your father and I have missed you very much. Now I'm hoping that you haven't been getting into too much trouble and that you're keeping up with your schoolwork.

I'm writing this to inquire about our return for Yule Tide. As you know, we will be hosting the Yule Tide Banquet for all of our visiting guests and as the son of the Host family you are required to be here. Please don't take it as a bad thing; your father is sorry about what happened at the beginning of the year. He was just a little short-tempered is all and you know how he gets when he's short-tempered. But anyways, it would mean a great deal to me if you would come home for the holidays.

All my love,

Your Mother."

Damn my mother and her sentimental guilt tripping. I suppose I'll be going home for the holidays. Harry will be really disappointed...

"I assume you've read the letter?" drawled a voice from behind me. I turned to see Snape standing just behind me with a roll of parchment in his hands. I nodded in confirmation and slumped into the couch. It wasn't that I didn't want to go home for the holidays, it's just I didn't want to see my father for two weeks and have to tolerate all of the annoyingly uptight Pureblood guests that would be at the Manor for Yule Tide. The yearly tradition was repetitive and became boring after the first five or six years.

"Yes sir, I read it. Looks like I won't be staying at the castle for the holidays," I replied stiffly, wanting to get out of the common room and find Harry.

"Pity, I'm sure Potter was greatly looking forward to having you around for the holidays. At any rate, I've got other students to speak with. Good day Mr. Malfoy," he answered sarcastically before turning on a heel and walking away. I shoved the note in my pocket and stormed out of the common room toward the library, hoping that I would find at least one of my friends there who could tell me where Harry was. Much to my frustration and dismay, none of my friends were there. I sat down at our table and pulled a piece of parchment from my bag along with my favorite quill and began to write my response to my mother. Once I had finally worded it correctly I folded it and packed up, making my way to the owlry.

. . . .

I'd had my trunk packed for two days and now it was finally time to drag it home with me for the torture that is my Christmas holidays. Many of the other students in the castle were dragging around their trunks happily awaiting their departure while I was dreading it. I drug my feet and walked slowly toward the Great Hall, where I'd seen Hermione disappearing and figured that Harry and Ron were in there. To my delight, they were there sitting at the furthest end of the Gryffindor table playing Wizards Chess. Hermione had just reached them as I walked in and I saw her lean forward to talk to them. As I drew nearer, a look of shock crossed Harry and Ron's faces. Hermione stood up straight, wished them a happy Christmas and turned around to find me standing there behind her.

"Merlin Draco, you scared me. How long have you been standing behind me?" she gasped, clutching her heart. I shrugged and replied,

"I just walked up. I came to say goodbye to Harry and Ron. I got a letter from my mother saying that I was to go home for Yule Tide. I was actually hoping to stay here at the castle but alas, no such luck for me." Harry's face fell with disappointment and I felt guilty all of a sudden. He would be staying here in the castle all by himself for the holidays.

"Oh well that's too bad. I'm staying at the castle for the holidays this year. My parents are going to Romania to visit my brother Charlie, so I'm staying here," Ron added cheerfully.

"Well we'd best be going if we want to make it to the carriages. Have a good holiday both of you, Happy Christmas!" Hermione told them with a smile.

"Happy Christmas Harry, Ron." I smiled and waved but my arm was caught and I got pulled backward into a hug by Harry.

"Promise you'll write?" he asked after letting me go. I nodded and turned to follow Hermione, who was already half way to the doors. I knew by the look on his face as I walked away that this was going to be one long holiday.