My sincerest… apologies… to anyone who was misled by the fact that my summary did not say m/m, or slash, or something of that sort and wasted their time reading the first two chapters needlessly… (even though in the a/n at the beginning of the first chapter it specifically said that it would be.)

I have rectified my own error, so hopefully that will appease.

As for the rest of you lovely, lovely people that actually enjoy this story so far, I am happy to bring you yet another chapter of dark, dangerous, mysterious (future gay) Harry Potter.

The Scent of Fear

It was Halloween.

The date itself should mean something to Harry, he knew, but he honestly couldn't bring up the energy any longer to even attempt to act as if it bothered him. If anyone asked him if he was feeling particularly morose or down on October thirty first of every year he could respond honestly that No, he didn't get upset about it and No, he didn't need time to himself. He got time by himself either way.

He hadn't made any friends; he considered Kotes more of an acquaintance and he truly didn't need or want any more than that anyways. He was pretty sure that the Zabini boy had tried but he was easily deterred by a long, steady hooded gaze over the top of a book that Harry had took to reading in the Common Room… helped along stunningly well by a furiously whispering Draco Malfoy that the Italian boy defiantly didn't want anything to do with Harry Potter.

He amused himself from time to time by walking by the Malfoy prince a little too closely, almost touching shoulder to shoulder, just to see the fair headed boy shy away from him as if he had some sort of incurable disease.

Well… he mused to himself as he stretched out his legs and rolled off of the couch that he had been hogging in front of the fire. ..technically…

He chuckled as the fine hairs on his arms rose up with a chill and the right side of his mouth quirked up in a wry smirk. The book that had been in his hand snapped shut and caused many of the others in the common room to look his way but he was uninterested, his eyes flickering to the clock. Dinner time, he purred to himself as he tucked the shrunken book into his pocket to move towards the exit, Kotes falling in beside him without prompting and seemingly appearing from nowhere.

When the entered the Great Hall there were already plenty of students packed in, being as the feast had already started, and they took their seats at the end of the table like they did every day with Harry pointedly ignoring the fact that he was getting sympathetic glances from most of the professors at the front of the room.

"They are rather interested in you today, Harry," Kotes remarked in his normal dry voice and Harry didn't bother to answer. He had learned quickly enough that Kotes said what he wanted when he desired, even if the comments were redundant or if they stated the obvious.

Instead he merely hummed and plucked a biscuit from one of the many platters lined along the table before him, spreading some marmalade over the top and making the brown break glisten. With a happy little twitch of his head he brought the biscuit up and bit into it, reveling in the sweetness of it.

He was on his third sweetened bread treat when the Great Hall's doors burst open to reveal a disheveled and ghost white Professor Quirrell, whom Harry had studiously been avoiding and ignoring as best as possible since he first laid eyes on the man. The normally stuttering man took a deep breath and in a high pitched shrill like voice he squeaked out, "TROLL! THERE's A TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" before passing out.

Harry sighed as tingles erupted out over his shoulders and filtered down his spine, the feel of them flushing out over his entire back making him shut his eyes in exasperation.

Ok, alright, he thought to himself in resignation, alright.

He barely heard the Headmaster telling everyone that they needed to follow their Prefects back to their houses in an orderly manner and to try and stay calm. He finished off his last biscuit before standing up, falling in at the very back of all of the Slytherin students that were filing out of the double doors. He wanted to go back and curl up in his bed with a perfectly good book, perhaps join in on some meaningless conversation with Kotes, but instead he found himself slipping easily away from the rest of his house mates and down a corridor that was dark and rather depressing looking.

Though all corridors in the dungeon looked dark and depressing.

He stood there for a second with his eyes closed, as if getting his bearings, until he gave a heavy sigh and trudged forward, hands stuffing into his pants pocket as he went.

….

"Excuse me, Miss Granger, but will you repeat that again?"

Harry was off to the side and leaning his shoulder against a wall, seemingly uninterested in the proceedings. He examined his nails in a nonchalant manner, eyes hooded as a warmth spread further and further throughout his body.

He saw the bushy haired girl shift from his peripherals and he gathered that she was probably giving him a nervous glance. Her voice was small and hesitant when she spoke.

"I… I was here in the bathroom when the.. . the troll… came through the wall and started trying to attack me…" She paused, shifted again, and looked at the floor before continuing. "I th-think maybe something hit me in the head when I was crawling away from it because.. because suddenly I just woke up and H-Harry was standing beside me and the troll was.. knocked out over there." She motioned vaguely towards the large body of the still comatose troll but she did not look up from the floor.

The headmaster and the other professors that had made their way down to the dungeons in search of said troll turned their questioning eyes towards Harry. He, however, only raised his right shoulder in a sort of half shrug as he continued to examine his hand. "It was like that when I came," he said airily, falsely; they would never be able to prove otherwise.

There was an extended silence between the occupants of the room until Harry, tired of the day, looked up and canted his head to the side as he pushed away from the wall with a quiet sigh.

"Are we finished here, Headmaster? Professors? I am sure that both Miss Granger and I would love to be able to go back to our dormitories and rest after our experience today."

He watched amusedly as the bushy haired girls' shoulders tightened but he commended her for not looking up or saying anything. He would have to keep an eye on her for sure. After what she had seen and what she had been through… not to mention her intelligence; well, she had a lot to watch out for.

"I suppose that is fine, Mr. Potter," McGonagall's voice rang out, cutting through the silence easily. Harry nodded and walked up to Granger to wrap his arm through her own even though by her face she would rather him be someplace else entirely and gave a small nod of his head.

"We appreciate that, Ma'am. I hope you all have a pleasant evening… considering." He motioned vaguely towards the still unconscious troll and pulled on the Granger girls' arm in order to get her to exit the bathroom with him and led her down the hallway in the direction of the Gryffindor dorms.

It wasn't until they reached the portrait hole that he brought her closer, his chest pressed against her back as he breathed his words into her ear before she was able to escape into her dorm room.

"Unbreakable vows are serious, I am sure you know. Make sure not to break yours. I would hate to see such talent wasted away on a Squib."

And then he was gone, leaving her trembling and hugging her own torso.

…..

Short, but end. Hope you all liked it. Reviews are loved, flames will be read (criticized, rejected, understood, or over all ignored) and then used for creating my own personally little dragon hatchling nest that will soon be formed beside my bed. Just saying.