A/N: I am quite glad you all seem to be enjoying this thus far! Many thanks to Arithmancy Master for your brilliant editing skills! Don't know where this fic would be without you! ^_^ Please, enjoy and review!
Chapter Three
"Give me my wand back this instant!"
Harry woke to the sound of a heated argument. He winced as he pried his eyes open at the bright lights surrounding him. He was in the hospital wing, again, the curtains drawn about his bed. "I certainly will not! You were about to hex Harry!" Hermione's voice chided.
"For good reason, too!" Malfoy growled, his heavy footsteps falling on the floor just outside of Harry's curtains. Harry adjusted himself in bed, noticing that the roaring pain in his head he had felt before fainting at the bottom of McGonagall's office stairs was gone.
"And what exactly is that good reason, hrm? You haven't even explained why the two of you ended up here-"
"That is our business. Kindly sod off, Mudblood!"
Harry started to swing his legs out of bed, grabbing his wand from his bedside table at that remark. His blood boiled hearing that word come from Malfoy's mouth. Did he really go through the trouble of vouching for him at the Death Eater trials only to have him return to the completely ungrateful prat he had always been? But he stopped as he heard Professor McGonagall's voice carry from the entrance of the Hospital Wing. "Mr Malfoy!" She called shrilly. "Twenty-five points from Slytherin for foul language! Honestly, I thought better of you. Now, please, Miss Granger, I need a word with Mr Malfoy and Mr Potter in private."
"But, Professor, Harry's still-"
Harry clambered out of bed, realising his glasses weren't on as he tripped through the curtains. He fell onto the opposite bed, bracing on it before righting himself. He flushed, pulling his cloak which Madame Pomfrey had seemingly left on, closer to him. "Er, I'm awake now."
"Clearly," Draco scoffed, crossing his arms and turning his back to Harry.
Hermione was at Harry's side now, hugging him lightly as he shrugged her off. "Harry, how are you feeling?" she asked gently.
"Fine, really. Pretty hungry, though," he admitted, turning back towards the bedside table to retrieve his glasses.
"Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall urged softly. Hermione reluctantly left the Hospital Wing as the Headmistress addressed the two remaining boys, her mouth drawn into a thin, unamused frown "Professor, what happened yesterday? One moment I was walking down the stairs from your office and there was this blinding pain and then nothing. What could have caused that? Is it because of the curse?" Harry asked evenly, trying his best to ignore the blond who was visible from the corner of his eye.
"Brilliant deduction Potter, really," Malfoy sarcastically bit out.
"Mr Malfoy, please," McGonagall said softly. "Yes, it seems to be the result of the curse. I have my assumptions, as does Madame Pomfrey and Professor Slughorn, but you seem to have understood the connection already, isn't that right, Mr Malfoy?"
Harry shot a dwindling look at Malfoy who uncrossed his arms, sighing. "Last year my Father came home fro-" the Slyterin abruptly stopped himself before continuing. "Father had a curse put on himself and his…friend. It only lasted half a day at most but during that time whenever one of them would leave the room both of them felt a blinding pain to the point of passing out. It was some kind of binding curse."
The blood drained from Harry's face. "Are you trying to tell me somebody bound us together?" He spluttered out.
McGonagall looked between the two boys, wholly unimpressed by the situation. "It would seem that way. There is not much in the way of knowledge of binding spells or curses, unfortunately, but we have gathered what we can and Professor Slughorn is working alongside Professor Alcona trying to figure out the parameters of the curse, time limit being an example. We think it best the two of you report any changes, physical, mental or emotional, to Madam Pomfrey immediately as the nature of this binding curse is unknown we wish to keep an eye on it. As it stands, the two of you are lucky the Eighth Years all have corresponding classes."
"Lucky? What are you saying, Professor?" Harry found his voice was quiet and shaking. 'Bound to Malfoy? Bound. What does that even mean?!'
Malfoy rolled his eyes exasperatedly, running a hand through his hair – a tell Harry had observed over the years was somethinghe did when he was nervous. "To put it into words a Squib would understand," Draco grumbled, "We are, as it seems, bound at themoment. Some sick, twisted little fu-"
McGonagall cleared her throat, raising her eyebrow at Malfoy who merely continued. "Somebody thought it would be all amusing to see Boy Wonder bound to me. The only thing we know about the bond so far is that it, like the one my Father had, forces us to remain in close proximity to one another."
Harry blinked a few times. He didn't particularly want to wrap his head around the thought of being by Malfoy all day long. "Why would somebody want to do that?"
Professor McGonagall shook her head. "As earlier stated, you boys have to begin to act like the men you are becoming. The nonsense between the two of you must be brought to an end and the entire school agrees. This bond shall prove either fatal to or the ultimate blessing upon the two of you this year."
'Sounds like McGonagall bloody well did this to us.' Harry was startled. He had heard that. It was his thought but not quite his thought. He was thinking along the same lines but had not constructed the thought as of the time he heard it. He shook his head, he really just needed to get some food in his system.
"What do you propose can be done about this now?"
McGonagall pursed her lips. "I have been speaking with the Heads of your Houses and for now we feel it in your best interest to stay within the guest chambers by my office. They have been warded to alert myself and Madame Pomfrey of any magical or non-magical violence that occurs within. This way the two of you can remain within close proximity of one another without causing a disturbance to your classmates. The waters will have to be tested on the distance that can separate you. Arrangements for now have been made that each of you are paired in your classes-"
Malfoy shrugged but Harry himself groaned at that. That was more of the Slytherin prat than he could handle. "I am very sorry for the circumstances, Mr Potter, it seems you are not able to catch a break. However, it may have been deserved this time around," McGonagall's mouth for the first time in days twitched slightly into a bemused grin.
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Sorry for him? Pfft. At least he has somebody who knows what the bloody hell they're doing to cheat from."
"Hey! I would never cheat!" Harry snapped defensively.
"Right, of course, the noble Gryffindor. But, I cannot fathom any other way you've made it this far at Hogwarts," Malfoy muttered under his breath which caused Harry to throw a glare in his direction.
"Your things have been brought to your new quarters as well as your dinner seeing as you have missed it. I still expect the two of you to arrive on time for each of your classes. Remember, you being here this year is a privilege, not a right," she warned and began out of the Hospital Wing, gesturing for them to follow.
They both did so in silence, avoiding looking at one another as they silently walked. A million questions ran through Harry's head. Who had bound them together? Why – for kicks? How long was this going to last? What's the specific binding curse? Is there a cure? Malfoy's father was cured so there was hope in that yet. What was he supposed to do about showering? He certainly wasn't going to let Malfoy see him starkers! Sure, he had let the other members of the Quidditch team see him in nothing but underpants but this was Malfoy, there was no chance he could live with himself after that!
"Shut up, Potter," Malfoy hissed as they came to a stop before a portrait. Harry startled and opened his mouth, had he said that all aloud?! "You're mumbling like a buffoon." He sighed with relief, it didn't seem like Malfoy had deciphered any of his words.
The portrait before them was of four knights in a circle, all in full military armour. There were only three horses in the picture, trotting gently in the background. The knights were leaning against a stone wall, which appeared to be the side of a fort. The knights turned to bring their attention to the three now standing before them. They stood, saluting McGonagall, and then put themselves at ease. "Those the miscreants that need tending to, ma'am?" the one on the far right asked in a deep, Scottish accent.
Malfoy raised his eyebrow softly, mouthing the word 'miscreant' at the knights. "This is Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. They are the only permitted persons allowed in these quarters other than faculty members-"
"But Professor! What about my friends?" Harry piped up immediately.
McGonagall sighed, "And of course whomever they permit as well."
"Understood, ma'am!" a slightly podgier knight in the back saluted her.
McGonagall turned towards the two boys, crossing her arms firmly. "Remember, every single inch of these rooms is warded, understood? The knights will also alert me of any foul play. I expect the two of you to behave like the men you are. You are expected to see Professor Slughorn tomorrow evening after dinner to discuss the parameters of the bond and Madame Pomfrey before curfew for her daily evaluation. The current password for the room is Galahad. Good evening, boys, do behave," she warned one last time before going off down the hall.
Before the two of them could address each other and the thick silence enveloping the corridor, the knights began to speak. "I am Sir Ferguson, of the brave," announced the fittest looking of them all.
"And I, Sir Albacour of the loyal," said the pudgiest.
"And I, Sir Cowper of the intelligent," said the leanest.
"And I, Sir Leland of the cunning."
"How fitting," Malfoy commented dryly.
The knights ignored his comment as Sir Ferguson continued to speak. "We have been charged with the duty of your containment and protection."
"It seems we have our work cut out for us, my brothers! We have only recently been moved to this solitary location, you see," Sir Leland explained.
"Before that we heard and saw of the two of you more than any other students in these halls," said Sir Cowper.
Harry was shifting uncomfortably. Couldn't they just say the password and get inside? It seemed Malfoy had the same idea. "Galahad," he snapped. The knights seemed to ignore him once more.
"You two have quite an extensive training to be had ahead of you," Sir Feruson crossed his arms the best he could against his heavy armour.
"Training?" Harry asked dumbly.
"Yes sir, training. Everybody trains to be a knight but not all knights are dressed in armour ready for battle. Some train for fields of healing, or investigating, or even knights of the written word," Sir Cowper went on.
"It'll be a cold day when I take advice from a bloody portrait," Malfoy snapped and repeated the password between his gritted teeth.
Sir Cowper walked forward to the forefront of the portrait, before all the other knights, his eyes burning into the boys before him. "We know you two well. You walk these halls like Kings and you still have yet to learn how to be a knight. With or without our assistance you must learn to one day grow, with or without one another." With that, Sir Cowper bowed his head slightly, the rest of the knights other than Sir Leland did as well and the portrait swung open.
When Harry stepped into the portrait hole, nodding his thanks to the knights who watched him carefully, he really had no idea just what exactly he was following Malfoy. Little did he know, it would be the room he thought would bring one of his greatest hells but instead his greatest prize.