A/N: To Redkitty; I'm sure I would love to check out this friend of yours' writing, but that penname did not come up in a search on ff net. Sure you got the right penname? (I know I say I like constructive criticism, but the words "I have this friend that is better then u" are just a might harsh, ya?) Thanks for the rest of the wonderful reviews though. :)

And to everybody else, so sorry for the wait! But I told you I'd be back. Also, I'm not sure how much I like this chapter…I ran across a bit of mild writer's block several times, and so much just seems choppy…I don't know. Hope it's up to par after such a long wait. (It is longer than usual at least…)

And also a quick thanks for all your well-wishes for my exams. They made me happy. Let's just hope they helped. No matter now though, because I'm finally on winter break! Yay!


Chapter 7: And the Plot Thickens (a.k.a I couldn't think of a title)


The first day of classes was definitely a different experience for Harry. As was tradition, first thing in the morning he had double potions with Slytherin. The only plus side to that was the fact that Snape was not there to screw him over. However, Slughorn's doting wasn't quite desirable either.

Draco sat next to his chair, head held high and playing the proud familiar of Harry Potter, and Harry coughed to cover up a laugh when he realized how very much that made him look like his human self (and also hoped that no one else picked up on that fact). When the class was made to spread out to work on individual potions, Draco leaped onto the chair beside him, watching him carefully. It made Harry just a little bit nervous; not quite in the same way Snape did, but the fact remained that he was being observed.

The potion itself was easy enough, considering it was a seventh year course, since it was their first day. Harry found himself missing Prince's book, but soon found a source that was even better. As he reached for one of the ingredients to add, a paw batted his hand, and Harry looked at Draco curiously. In response, the fox picked up a vial of liquid in his mouth, and held it towards Harry. Harry blushed and grabbed the vial, the look in Draco's eyes making him remember what he had told him a couple months back. 'Right…potions is precise, I can't think of it like cooking….' And so with this thought in mind, he started paying more attention to what he was doing, earning a nod of approval from Draco. In the end, his potion turned out almost perfectly, and he smiled as he thanked Draco quietly.

The rest of his classes went smoothly enough. In charms, Flitwick gushed over Draco for a bit before starting his class. In transfiguration, McGonagall had to tell Draco to behave when he started chasing the teacups they were told to turn into mice as a review. Harry was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe as Draco ran from one mouse to the other, causing several girls to shriek and jump into their chairs. The look Draco gave Harry after he finally took his place beside him again was of obvious amusement. The prat had done it just to cause a scene! And in the one class where the teacher knew who he was, no less. Harry rolled his eyes, but his reprimanding look lost its effect because of the obvious mirth twinkling behind the emerald gaze.

Care of Magical Creatures was the one class that was most different from the rest. Hagrid stood in front of the class, and told them he had a lesson plan change, and would be talking about familiars that day. Of course, Harry didn't really know anything about familiars, and had no idea what he was supposed to be doing.

"Now, 'arry, would yer like to tell the class what makes a wizard's familiar different than a normal magical creature?" Hagrid asked after he had asked Harry to stand with him in front of the rest of the class.

Harry swallowed a bit nervously, and with a glance at the expectant class, turned back to Hagrid and said, "But Hagrid, er…shouldn't you explain it? You're the teacher…and I don't know everything about them. I'm sure you could teach it much better." Harry was suddenly very glad they had this class with the Hufflepuffs this year, instead of the Slytherins, as he heard a couple of giggles from the class, but nothing more.

Hagrid looked thrown for a moment, before clearing his throat and saying, "Oh, er, yes. Right, O' course, sorry Harry." And then he went on to telling the class all about the more evolved magic found in a wizard or witch's familiar that led them to the humans, while Harry went back to his own spot, and flopped down with a heavy sigh of relief. He didn't want to look at Draco and see the 'Potter I can't believe you were stupid enough to not look up anything about familiars' look he knew would be in the grey-blue eyes.


"I'm just saying, I don't understand why they had to give us so much work on the first day!" Ron exclaimed, waving his hands as if to add extra emphasis to his statement.

Hermione sighed, exhibiting the patience of one teaching something to a very slow learner. "Because, Ronald, this is our N.E.W.T. year, as well as our last. They're trying to prepare us as much as possible before we leave school."

By the time dinner had rolled around, it seemed the novelty of Harry's new 'pet' was already starting to wear off and Harry, though quite glad for this, couldn't help but be amused at the pace that Hogwarts students' minds ran at. News traveled faster than sound, and while some events lingered in the air for months, others were old news within a day. Harry was sure he would never understand it, but he neither questioned nor complained, as he was glad he and Draco weren't being put in the spotlight quite as much as the first day.

The conversations around Harry continued on, and while Ron and Hermione bickered about when they should start their homework given that day, and why it was they were given it, Harry ate in a pensive silence, thinking about what he and Draco should start training with that evening.

Just before Harry had reached the Great Hall, Draco nudged his leg, and jerked his head the way they'd come, asking for silent permission to wander off. Harry raised his eyebrows in response, and knelt down next to the fox. "Since when do you ask me for permission for anything?" he muttered in an amused tone, and Draco glared back. Harry chuckled, and scratched the animal's ears, to which Draco looked reluctantly pleased. "Yeah, you can wander around; go have yourself a grand old time. You should know the castle well enough by now. Meet me at the room of requirement later, okay? We can start on some of those new spells." He grinned, and then stood up, shooing Draco away with a wave of his hand. Draco trotted off to do Merlin knows what, and Harry walked into the Great Hall, which is where he found himself now, still staring absently into space.

"Harry?"

Harry blinked, bringing himself back to the moment, before turning to face the person gently tugging on his arm. It was Ginny. "Yeah?" he responded, wondering at the look of slight adoration in her eyes as she leaned towards him. It was a look that instantly made him wary, because he realized that he had given her similar looks last year, when he thought she was what, or who, he wanted. After the events of last year, though, and after a summer to think about it, (not to mention the influence of Draco on his mind) he realized that he loved her…as a sister. But in light of this new discovery, he had forgotten that she might not feel the same. So it was with slight trepidation and a nervous swallow that he listened to what she had to say.

"I missed you over the summer. So sorry we couldn't talk to you…I bet you were terribly lonely."

A mix of emotions crossed Harry's mind at those words. Lonely? Of course he'd been lonely! Not to mention abused, starved, and hated as always! But then…then Draco had come along and somehow turned everything around. After that, he hadn't been lonely. No, that had been the best summer of his life, and yet Ginny just assumed that without her, he was miserable. Taking a deep breath, Harry forcefully calmed himself. He was getting so indignant with his friends lately, and he really needed to stop that. What's done is done, and they had given their explanation for lack of communication over the summer. There was no point whining about it now. Besides, he would always have Draco…and the thought of the animagus brought a small smile to his face; a smile that Ginny seemed to misinterpret.

"Of course, you're here with us now, so everything's better, right?"

Was she really so naïve?

"And I was wondering, well…maybe you would like to…" A blush was spreading across her freckled face as she directed her gaze to her lap.

'Please say she isn't going to do what I think she is…' But she didn't know otherwise.

"Would you want to…go on a date with me?"

It felt so wrong, Harry mused, and he was acutely aware that everyone around them had heard.

Ron's face immediately brightened, while Hermione looked perplexed as she watched Harry's face closely. Harry was sure he probably had a 'deer-in-the-headlights' expression, and a thought passed somewhere in the back of his mind how maybe that made him look like a mini prongs. It was an irrational thought and he quickly pulled himself back to the present.

"That's wonderful, mate!" Ron exclaimed, not realizing that Harry had not yet given an answer.

Harry blinked at this, and looked down at the girl staring up at him with pleading eyes. He didn't want to hurt her, but how could he avoid it when his heart – was it really his heart? – was set on someone else?

"Ginny, I–"

"I just knew you two were perfect for each other!" Ron continued, not catching the trapped expression on Harry's face. "She's liked you for years, you know, and now you really will be like my brother!"

"Ron!" Ginny said fiercely, embarrassed about him revealing just how long she'd had this crush. But she soon forgot about it, and turned back to Harry with a smile. "So, Harry? Do you want to go with me?"

Harry paused, and glanced between the two Weasley siblings and the very similar hopeful expressions. Did she have to ask in front of everyone? "I…yeah…" he said with a sigh, wondering why he couldn't simply say no. Hermione was looking between the three of them with a curious and thoughtful expression.


It was strange, the difference between Hogwarts as a human, and Hogwarts as a fox, Draco thought as he trotted happily through the hallways as if he owned the place, much like he had as a human. Only this time the girls, instead of ogling him like an idol, were now cooing at him, much to his chagrin. He passed a group of Hufflepuffs, and one of them made an odd sort of squeal, and they all walked towards him. Draco pressed his ears against his head, and bared his teeth as he skirted around the group, turning into another corridor that led towards the dungeons. He felt like paying a visit to his home of six years. As he walked down there, though, a bit of a different mission came to mind in the form of four students heading towards the Great Hall.

"Stupid Potter," Blaise grumbled as he led the Slytherin group through the darkened hallways. "Thinks he's so great with his new pet." Draco dodged behind a conveniently placed suite of armor, and darted from nook to nook in the hallway after the posse of students he used to lead.

"I think we should teach him and that stupid animal of his a lesson," Pansy added, folding her arms across her chest. "Teach him what happens when he takes my Drakey away."

Draco shuddered at the nickname, and then glared at the girl's back. When the hell was she going to learn that he was not hers? He turned from his mental yelling when Goyle spoke. "What did you have in mind?"

Pansy's eyes narrowed, and she tapped her chin in thought. "Something embarrassing, I should think. No less than he deserves. I'm tired of him acting like he's been named king of the wizarding world!"

'He doesn't act like that at all…' Draco thought idly to himself, inwardly cringing as he remembered a time where he once thought the same thing. That was before he really sat down and talked to Harry. Now he still had trouble believing how blind he had been to Harry's attitude about his duty to the world.

Draco was abruptly pulled from his thoughts when Blaise next spoke. "Can you use imperio on a familiar?" he asked thoughtfully.

Pansy's eyes widened as she picked up on Blaise's idea. "Put the fox under imperius?" A wicked grin spread across her face. "A wonderful idea! What better form of humiliation than to have his own lap-dog turn on him?"

Draco had to keep himself from growling at that. 'I am no one's lap-dog!' he thought indignantly. Then what they were suggesting caught up with him. 'Imperius…? Shit, I have to warn Harry!'


Harry wasn't able to escape the company of his friends until around ten o'clock, when everybody went off to bed. He heaved a heavy sigh of relief when he was finally able to leave what had become a very stifling common room. Ginny had sat next to him on the couch, and far too close for his comfort, and Ron wouldn't stop expressing his excitement over the prospective couple.

When he had expressed that he was tired, and wished to go to bed, Ron followed him up, and Harry had to wait for him to fall asleep before he was able to grab his invisibility cloak and escape Gryffindor tower. After he stepped through the portrait hole, Harry breathed in deeply the open air of the deserted hallways. Night had always been his favorite time to walk around, and tonight was no different as he stepped silently through the corridors.

It only took a few minutes to reach the room, and when he did he found he only had to walk by once before the door appeared. He grabbed the handle and stepped inside, hoping Draco wouldn't be too mad at him for being so late. All thoughts flew from his mind, however, when a silver blur launched through the air, and knocked him flat on his back. Air escaped him in one big whoosh as it was knocked from his lungs, and his glasses were knocked askew. He blinked a couple of times, before focusing on the fast-changing fox pinning him to the floor. "Draco…?" he questioned.

Draco Malfoy, now changed back to a human, sat atop Harry's stomach, and his hands pinned the Gryffindor's shoulders to the ground. "Harry you have to stop them!"

It took a moment for Harry to get over his shock of seeing Draco look so…panicked. He lifted his own hands to Draco's shoulders, squeezing lightly in hopes of calming the blonde. "Calm down, Draco. Stop who? What's going on?"

"The other Slytherins!" he cried. "They're going to- to put the imperius on me!" And suddenly he dropped his upper body and wrapped his arms tight around Harry's chest, once again catching the dark-haired boy off guard.

Harry furrowed his brow as he slowly lifted his hand to Draco's back, running it up and down the boy's spine, noting with a slight frown how tensed he was. After a moment, he said slowly, "Okay, what's the story?"

Draco tensed just a bit more, and it seemed he even stopped breathing for a moment. "Wh-what story?"

Harry rolled his eyes slightly. "Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you. You wouldn't be this afraid of a curse for no reason. Now why does it bother you so much?"

Draco sighed heavily, and when he lifted his head there was a small smile on his face. "Didn't I tell you to stop doing that?" Then he shook his head, and flushed suddenly as he noticed the position he had Harry in. He quickly stood up, and offered Harry a hand up as well before leading them both to the couch. Two cups of tea appeared on the table before them, and Draco took one appreciatively.

Sipping his own tea, Harry waited patiently for Draco to begin, watching as the boy seemed to get lost in his own thoughts.

"I've always been a bit too free-spirited for my father, you know," Draco began lightly, conversationally, as if they were simply talking about the weather, and Harry wondered just how much emotion he was repressing within that calm expression. "When I was little, I was curious about simply everything." He paused, and chuckled at a memory. "One time I irritated father so much with my questions he actually cried out and tugged his hair in frustration in public! First – and last – time he ever lost his composure like that." A frown then overtook Draco's features, and his eyes seemed to darken with his mood. "I was punished for it, of course. I believe I was nine at the time."

"My mother, for the longest time, held father back from doing anything. She told him it was just a stage, that all little boys are curious about their world, and that I would learn the importance of obedience, and our family name." A small, sardonic smile worked its way to Draco's lips. "Do recall that I said father was kindly when I was younger. But it was about this time that the rumors began."

Harry couldn't help himself as he cut in. "Rumors?"

Draco's eyes snapped to him, as if just noticing his presence. He nodded before turning away again, sipping absently from his tea. "Yes, rumors of the Dark Lord's return. Of course it would still be many years, as we now know, but that was when it all started. Father, he- well, he panicked I guess. He wanted to make sure that our family would be put right back into the bastard's top-most ranks, and he wanted to be absolutely certain that I would follow in his footsteps."

There was a long pause as Draco stopped, and seemed to be gathering his thoughts. When he spoke again, it sounded to Harry as if the tone had become self-loathing. "Merlin, I was so naïve. I always wanted to please my father, I mean, who doesn't want their parents to love them? So I tried, I really did, but I tried in my own way. Unfortunately, this wasn't the way father wanted. He became impatient with me, and my apparent lack of the ability to follow the family's traditions and values to his standard. That was when I first learned what the imperius curse was."

Harry gasped, and stared wide-eyed at Draco. "He didn't…"

"He did."

"On his own son?"

"You'd be surprised what is done in the name of reputation, Potter. Your relatives were like this in a way, were they not? It's obvious, their desire to impress others, and keep a reputable social standing."

Slowly, Harry nodded, realizing this was very much true. "So what…what did Lucius do…?" The question was hesitant, as he was afraid to bring up the subject the wrong way.

"It wasn't anything terrible, really. He simply…made me act as he expected me to act. I believe he called it 'force training.'"

Harry's eyes narrowed at that. "Any manipulation like that is terrible," he argued, not quite able to believe a man would cast an unforgivable on his own son just to project an image.

Draco's lips quirked slightly, as if he was going to smile, but changed his mind. "I say it wasn't terrible, because it's what happened after that's the worst part."

Suddenly Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know, and watched Draco attentively as he spoke.

The blonde sank a bit into the cushions of the couch, staring into the fireplace before them. "It was worse, because I became that projected image. I learned what was expected of me, and fell into that role. After a year, he let up on the curse, but I was punished dearly if I deviated from his forced behavior. Once he even locked me in the dungeons for a day for disrespecting a guest at one of his exalted parties." He hesitated for a moment, and locked gazes with Harry. "That was the me that you met. The image of perfection in my father's eyes. It wasn't until a few years later that I began to see just how wrong everything in my life was."

Harry shook his head slowly, as if not quite believing the other boy's words. "That's terrible," he muttered finally. "But, you know you're going to have to face it again. If the other Slytherins really do intend to cast the curse on you, then we have to teach you how to resist it."

Draco gulped, and looked a little nervous at the prospect. He took a deep breath, and admitted something he was sure he never would have said out loud before he befriended Harry. "And…what if I can't? That very curse changed who I was! I'm…scared…" he trailed off, hating himself for even saying it, and yet knowing it was true. He hadn't been able to resist before, so how would he be able to now?

"Draco," Harry whispered, and Draco jumped when he realized Harry had scooted closer. He took the blonde's face into his hands, and ran his thumbs lightly over the smooth, pale cheeks. "You're not the same child you were. You've grown up now, you know who you are, and you know what it is that you want. No one's going to take that away from you now. When that happened before, you just wanted to please your father, so in a way you subconsciously allowed yourself to be controlled, since you knew that was what your father wanted. But now," He paused, patted Draco's cheeks lightly, and sat back with a smile, "But now you're here to please yourself."

"Besides," Harry turned his face away, obscuring the blush spreading over his cheeks. "You know I'm not going to hurt you."

Draco smiled a bit at that, and, trying to get rid of the atmosphere that had settled around them, said, "Oh no, you're far too noble for that."

Harry rolled his eyes and wrinkled his nose a bit at the comment. "Yeah, whatever. At least this will make it sort of a fair trade. You teach me occlumency, and I teach you to resist imperious."

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Draco made a sound of surprised amusement. "Funny when you think about it, the two are practically the same, and yet each of us can only do one."

"I guess they're just different enough, then." Finishing the last of his tea, Harry stood up and stretched before walking behind the couch. "Come on, let's get started, so we can go to bed at a somewhat decent hour." And then he disappeared into the training room, with Draco not far behind.


The start of resisting the imperius training definitely did not work out so well for Draco. After they deemed it safe to cast the curse, (as Harry was doing it wandlessly, under the protection of the room of requirement) they started the training, and Harry was a bit disappointed at how easy it was to control the Slytherin through the spell. He cast it three times, never making the blonde do anything worse than a back flip, before he stopped and sighed, removing the spell. "Draco, you're not even trying."

The frustration in the gray eyes was evident when Draco turned to glare at him. "I am!" he countered, wrapping his arms around his stomach in a slightly defensive gesture as he turned around. "I just…can't."

Harry smiled a bit sadly. "I didn't know it was like you to show such weakness."

Draco's eyes narrowed and he looked at Harry over his shoulder. "You said I had nothing to prove to you."

Harry blinked in surprise, and it took him a moment to gather a response. He didn't know Draco had taken those words to heart like that. Did his opinions really mean that much? "Of course you don't. I wasn't telling you to do this for me. Resisting this curse is for your own safety, and I know you're capable, Draco. It's just…you're letting your memories get in the way. They're taking over your mind and making you powerless to resist. You have to look past that. It takes sheer power of will to throw off this curse. You have to want it to go away." And then Harry got an idea, and grinned slightly as he said firmly, "Imperio!"

Almost immediately, Draco's eyes glazed over, and his mind fell into the gentle haze of the imperius curse. And then the words of Harry's command echoed into his mind. 'Kill me.' If Draco had had control over his body at the moment, his eyes would've been wide as saucers. What?

'Go on,' Harry's voice continued. 'Strangle me.'

Draco took a step towards Harry. But I…

'Do it, Draco.'

A few more steps and now Draco stood right in front of Harry. Harry looked up determinedly into Draco's misted eyes, and raised an eyebrow as a challenge.

'What are you waiting for, Dragon? Kill me.'

Draco's hands moved, and wrapped lightly around Harry's neck. I don't want to…

'Now, Draco!'

"NO!" Draco suddenly shouted, and released Harry's neck, only to throw his arms around the smaller boy's shoulders. He was trembling slightly, and Harry smiled as he wrapped his arms around Draco's waist.

"See? I told you you could do it."

Draco took a deep breath, and Harry smiled as it tickled his neck when he let it back out. "You are fucked up, Potter," he finally whispered.

"I was hoping that would be strong enough."

Draco pulled away, and took a step back, looking at Harry curiously. "What do you mean?"

Harry shrugged, and rubbed the back of his neck absently. "Well, you weren't fighting it at all. I needed something that would make you want to fight it."

Slowly, Draco shook his head. "And if I hadn't stopped?"

"Then I would know you didn't really care." He smiled at Draco then, and the blonde looked away as he felt a small blush trying to work its way to his cheeks. Then his brow furrowed slightly.

"You called me Dragon."

Harry laughed at the perplexed tone in Draco's voice. "Yeah, sorry about that. Just sort of came out there."

Draco shook his head in amusement. "Right, well, I think that's enough of that for one night. Shall we try a bit of occlumency before we head off to bed?"

Harry agreed, still smiling at the pride in Draco's eyes at his accomplishment. He didn't say anything, but Harry could tell he was happy he'd made progress. Now if only he could do the same thing, it would be a very productive night.


Unfortunately, it ended up not quite as productive as Harry had hoped, but he still made more progress than he had with Snape. At first Harry hadn't been able to block anything at all, and he was forced to relive memories of his entire first and second year, as Draco saw them for the first time. When Draco finally let up on the legilimens spell, he only sat for a moment and stared at Harry with something akin to a begrudging awe. "No wonder you're never afraid. You've already faced such things…and so young…"

Harry smiled a bit at that. "That's not the worst of them."

Draco looked up sharply, and seemed to war with himself for a moment. He opened his mouth once, twice, then finally decided to speak. "Would you mind if I-…I mean, do you think I could-…" He stopped and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Never mind."

There was silence for a moment as Harry stared at Draco curiously. Then it dawned on him what the other boy was trying to ask. "You…want to see the rest of the memories?"

Draco quickly denied this. "No, it's intrusive, rude, I won't do that."

"It's not intrusive if I give you permission," Harry said with an amused smile playing at his lips.

Draco looked rather confused at that. "You would let me?"

Harry shrugged and looked off to the side. "What better way to understand me than to know what I've been through?" he asked rhetorically, knowing that offering this was a rather huge leap into their friendship. But, he couldn't help it really, not with that genuinely curious look in those grey eyes. Before he might have thought Draco would only want to see into his mind to tease him, but things were different now.

There was a slight shuffling sound as Draco moved closer. "You're sure?" he asked with slightly raised eyebrows.

Harry smiled, and nodded once. "Believe it or not, I trust you."

For a moment, Draco looked as if he didn't quite know how to handle that, and ended up just smiling and shaking his head. Then he lifted his hands, and rested his fingertips at Harry's temples. At the dark-haired teen's confused glance, he said, "It's a better connection this way." Harry nodded and locked gazes with Draco, allowing the searching grey eyes to look through his memories, from childhood up to this summer. He saw every year, every trial, and every bit of pain that Harry went through.

It took several minutes, but when Draco was finished, he sat back with a gasp, and Harry grunted and slumped forward. Draco quickly caught him, and they stayed in that position for a moment as each regained his bearings. Finally, Draco said quietly, "You seem to have a lot more bad memories than good ones…"

Harry laughed humorlessly in response. "You get used to it after a while."

Draco tightened his hold just a bit. "You shouldn't have to."

"It doesn't matter. You've got your own painful past to deal with; you don't have to pity me for mine."

Draco smiled at that, and ruffled the mussed black hair. "So I do, but it seems you've dealt with more than I have."

"Hn." Harry let his body relax completely so that his head rested in Draco's lap, and yawned widely.

"Sleepy?" Draco asked in amusement.

"You aren't?"

"I am."

"Then why aren't we asleep?"

Draco lifted an eyebrow. "Because you were supposed to be learning occlumency?"

"Oh yeah…" Harry groaned. "That didn't work too well, did it?"

Draco chuckled in response. "No, it didn't. We'll keep working at it though. You'll get it eventually." Harry nodded, and then went still, and Draco wondered if Harry was already falling asleep. "Come on, let's go back to your dorms."

Harry made a noise of agreement, then without moving his head, said pitifully, "Carry me?"

Draco blinked, then laughed out loud. "What are you, two? I can't carry you…I'm not supposed to be here, remember?"

Harry's brow furrowed for a second. "Oh yeah…then let's sleep here, I don't want to move."

Shaking his head, Draco sighed and stood up, dragging Harry with him by his upper arms. "Come on you lazy bum, the sooner we get back to the tower, the sooner you can get to sleep."

Harry sighed heavily, as if Draco was asking him to perform some excruciatingly tiresome task, and walked towards the door. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going." And when he opened the door to the room of requirement, a silver fox darted out in front of him, and trotted down the hallway, turning back as if to mock Harry for his slowness. Harry rolled his eyes and followed, sighing in contentment when he finally did reach his bed. Just before he fell asleep, he found himself wondering why it had been so easy to simply show Draco all of his memories. Usually he hated people entering his mind, but that hadn't been so bad. They really had become close lately, he mused, and fell asleep with a smile as Draco took up the spot next to him.


The next day the boys were forced to skip any sort of training when they were given a couple more assignments, so they decided to make every other day a study day, and to train on the days in between. The schedule got thrown off occasionally, though, as Harry's friends expressed worry about him, and he was made to sit and do homework with them. On those days Draco would take his assignments to the room of requirement and complete them on his own: something for which Harry felt extremely guilty.

The most persistent problem Harry found in the next few weeks though was, unfortunately, his best friend's sister. She had designated their date day to be on the first Hogsmeade weekend, which was only a month and a half into the year. As of now it had been one month since school started up again.

The worst of it all though, to Harry, was Draco's reactions to Ginny's persistent closeness. Harry didn't like the looks Draco gave them both when Ginny sat close to him – sometimes even in his lap – or when she would play with his hair or bat her eyelashes at him. Draco had stopped snapping at Ginny, realizing Harry seemed to be accepting the behavior, and Harry wanted to ask him about it. He didn't want to hurt Ginny, but now he felt like he was straining what little relationship he had with Draco. He knew there was something there, but he didn't know how far it went, and he really had no idea what Draco felt for him, and whether he liked him or not. He wanted to find out, but now he only felt like he was pushing Draco away, and it amazed him just how much that thought hurt. Harry wished he could just push it all away, and ignore the issue completely, but unfortunately, that was just the topic that had come up tonight.

Draco had led them to, instead of the room of requirement, a secluded spot on the other side of the Great Lake from the castle, hidden in a small grove of trees. There were only a few clouds out in the now darkened sky, and the stars were starting to show one by one as both boys lay on their backs in the cool grass. The silence was suddenly broken though by Draco's resentful tone. "So you like the she-weasel?"

Harry's brow furrowed in slight annoyance. "Draco…" he admonished, but the bite was barely there.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine, you like her then?" He put a mocking emphasis on 'her' that made it almost as much of an insult as his first name for her.

Giving up the defense for the moment, Harry sighed. "Not the way she likes me…" He rolled over onto his side towards Draco, pillowing his head with his right arm, while picking at random blades of grass with the left. "I mean, I think I used to once, but now she's as much a sister to me as Ron is a brother, but she still loves me, and I don't want to hurt her!"

"Harry…you can't go through life without hurting anyone. I know it's in your nature to protect everyone around you, but the longer you let her live these delusions, the more it's going to hurt when you tell her the truth."

Harry blinked at the insightful words from the Slytherin, who seemed to be contemplating the stars in the sky, rather than the conversation at hand. "I feel like I've been pushing you away too," Harry whispered after a moment, and Draco looked at him with sharp eyes, giving Harry the strange feeling of being completely analyzed.

"And why would you think that, Harry?" Draco whispered. And then in a sudden movement, the blonde was pinning Harry's arms to the ground on each side of his head, and was sitting on folded knees beside Harry's waist. His head hovered about a foot above Harry's, and the Gryffindor swallowed with sudden nervousness, and his heart thudded quickly in his chest from the proximity.

"Draco…?"

"I think I know now why you haven't been doing as well with occlumency as you should be. You've been distracted with this issue with the Weaslette."

Harry gave up trying to correct the taller boy's insults. Besides, he was far too distracted at the moment to pay attention to such petty things. "But, I've gotten better!" he protested, but he saw Draco's point. With his current magic levels, he should have gotten the hang of it long ago.

Draco saw the recognition in Harry's green eyes, and decided not to press the fact that he was not up to par with that certain ability. "Sometimes…I think you care too much, Harry," Draco said with a slight smile. "You can't keep up this charade if your heart isn't in it. She's going to see the truth sooner or later, and I'm sure you don't want it to be later when you're off snogging someone else."

With a blush at Draco's words, Harry turned his head to the side, glaring slightly at the unoffending grass. He knew Draco could've chosen better words than that, but the git was obviously trying to make a point. Harry sighed and turned his face upwards again, surprised when Draco's was closer to his own than it had been a few seconds ago.

"Maybe I've been distant because I'm jealous." It was such a low whisper that Harry wasn't quite sure he heard it right.

"What?" he whispered back, eyes wide as they looked into Draco's suddenly intense gaze.

Draco inched closer, and a thrill traveled through his body as their breaths mingled in the cool night air. Harry's eyes slid shut as he anticipated the touch of Draco's lips on his own. The world around them faded from view…until it was forcefully brought to their attention again with the same force as the whomping willow on a bad day with a shouted "Harry!" and a curse that knocked Draco a full six feet away.

Harry suddenly sat bolt upright in surprise at Draco's shout of pain, and whirled on their attackers, casting a quick stunning spell before he even registered the fact that it was his two best friends and Ginny that were the assaulters. He took a moment to stare wide-eyed before the situation caught up with him. "What are you doing?" he shouted, quite forgetting for a moment that no one else knew of Draco's allegiances.

Hermione cast a quick counter-spell on Ron, who had been stunned by Harry's reflexive attack, and the redhead stood up, looking both surprised and furious at the same time. "We're saving you, what does it look like?" he asked in a voice a bit higher pitched than usual.

"Bloody hell, Weasel, did you have to use the fucking sectumsumptra?" Draco suddenly yelled from behind Harry, and the Gryffindor spun around in surprise.

"What?" He took in the sight of Draco, who was grasping his right shoulder tightly, and there was blood seeping from between his fingers. His jaw was clenched in an expression of pain, and his eyes flashed with anger. "Shit…" Harry muttered, and dashed over to him. "Move your hand," he whispered, and as Draco did so, Harry brought his own hands up to cover the wound.

"Harry…what are you doing?" Ginny asked from her spot slightly behind Ron. The youngest male Weasley was too shocked to move.

Harry turned to look over his shoulder with a snarl. "I'm healing him, so be quiet!" He then turned his attention forward again, and closed his eyes, concentrating his magic into his hands, and willing the fresh wound to close. Draco hissed as the magic passed over him, and repaired the damage to his shoulder, causing Harry to look up in surprise. "Does it hurt?" he whispered.

Draco responded with a glare. "No, it tickles. Of course it bloody hurts!" he cried, though he let out a sigh of relief as the pain finally subsided, and Harry squeezed his shoulder gently. "That's twice I've been subjected to this curse by you and your friends now," he muttered, though there was no malice in the words.

Harry looked down guiltily. "Draco I'm—"

Draco held up a hand, and gave Harry a quick smile. "Forgive and forget, remember?"

Harry smiled back, and nodded. "Yeah…" Then his face turned serious, and Harry turned around, standing up to face his friends.

"How did you find us?" he asked, standing between Draco and the Gryffindors, and Hermione was surprised to note the very defensive position Harry had taken.

Ron reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Marauder's map, and Harry's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing at the object. "Ron, why do you have my map?"

"What's a map got to do with anything?" Draco asked from behind Harry, but he was ignored for the moment, much to his annoyance.

It was Ginny that answered. "We were worried, Harry!"

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Worried? What for? I stay out every night!"

Hermione cut in for the first time, and her voice sounded almost afraid. "You were out later tonight, Harry, and, well…Ginny was, well you disappear every night and she…"

The bushy haired girl didn't seem to be able to finish, and it dawned on Harry what she was trying to say. "So that gives you permission to spy on me?" There was an edge to his tone that belied the rising of a temper Harry's friends knew all too well.

"Well what did you want us to think?" Ginny asked, stepping forward with her arms crossed.

"Nothing! Yet you accuse me some sort of midnight liaisons?" Harry countered. "I fail to see how it's any of your business anyway!"

"But Harry we have–!"

"–A date, Gin, just a date. I'm not your boyfriend, I'm not bound to you, and I wanted to break it to you better than this, but it seems I've been given no choice."

As everyone watched the argument between Harry and Ginny, Draco summoned the map from Ron's hands. The redhead let out a shout of protest that went ignored by the Slytherin, who was staring at the object with wide eyes. "Harry?"

"What?" Harry replied, far harsher than he'd intended.

Draco walked up, and smacked Harry in the back of the head, quite effectively derailing his temper. "What was that for?" Harry cried indignantly, clutching the back of his head on instinct.

"Idiot!" Draco replied as explanation. "You left a map that so obviously tells who and where we are to be found by anyone? Do you know nothing about being inconspicuous?" He brandished the map in front of him to emphasize his point.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny grew quiet in surprise as suddenly Harry was being chastised by, whom they knew to be, his archrival.

"I didn't leave it to be found by anyone, it was in a box at the bottom of my trunk!" At this Harry leveled an accusatory stare on his friends. "And some people seem to have no respect for their friend's privacy."

"Well what were we supposed to think, Harry?" Hermione chimed in, sounding a little distressed. "Especially when we saw you with Malfoy way out here by the lake. We thought he'd somehow captured you and was taking you away or something!"

"So what's he doing here, Harry?" Ron growled, again raising his wand, and pointing it at Draco.

Harry stepped sideways so that he was in the direct path of the offending wand instead, and crossed his arms. Behind him, Draco smirked at Ron, and rested his arm on Harry's shoulder. Harry rolled his eyes at Draco's behavior, but did nothing to stop it. "What he's doing here…is hiding," Harry answered Ron's question. "And not one of you," he stared at each of them pointedly, "Is going to say anything about seeing him here."

"But…he's a Death Eater!" Ron cried.

"By force." Was Harry's quick response.

"He killed Dumbledore!"

"Draco is innocent, Ron. There are a lot of complications to the situation I don't feel like explaining at the moment, but I promise Draco isn't here to harm anyone. Now put the wand down."

"Since when is he 'Draco'?" Ginny asked, looking quite put out, which Harry guessed was understandable considering he'd kind of just dumped her. Sort of.

"Since this summer, when he and I became friends."

Three jaws dropped in surprise, and Harry heard Draco snicker behind him at the gob-smacked expressions.

There was a long pause, in which Harry silently challenged his friends to say anything about his new friendship. It was Hermione who finally broke that silence. "He's been here all this time, hasn't he? That's Arabel's collar."

Draco tilted his head slightly back, and smirked. "Very astute, Granger. At least one of you can add two and two."

"Draco…" Harry warned quietly.

Ron's face took on an expression of vague disgust. "You mean all this time…every time he was in your lap, and he slept with you?" The male Weasley didn't seem to be able to even finish his own thoughts.

Harry blushed, but nodded anyway. "Yes, it was him."

"Yes, and you've all quite rudely interrupted me," Draco drawled, narrowing his eyes. "So if we're done here I think I'm going to go back inside now." He handed the map to Harry, and changed back into the fox form as he walked back towards the castle, snapping at Ron's ankles with a growl as he passed him. Ron kicked out as a reflex, but Draco easily dodged it, and trotted back to the school. None of those left outside spoke until Draco disappeared into the doors of the castle.

Harry sighed heavily, looking back longingly at the castle without even realizing it. Had Draco really been about to do what he thought he had? Had they really been about to kiss? Harry felt his cheeks heat up just thinking about it, and dearly wished his friends had not shown up when they had.

"I'm going to go back also," Ginny suddenly whispered. She refused to make eye contact with anyone as she turned around and trudged back, following the path Draco had taken not too long before.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you Harry?" Ron asked, his blue eyes narrowing into a glare at his best friend.

Harry flinched unnoticeably. He had told Draco that Ron would flip, but at this point he hadn't actually planned on telling him until much later. He wasn't ready to deal with this, not with the stress of his emotions running as high as they were. Now at least Ginny knew of his feelings, but definitely not the way he had intended. Draco had been right when he said that Harry should've just told her. "Nothing is wrong with me Ron," he finally answered.

"Friends with Malfoy?" he asked incredulously, to which Harry just shrugged. His thoughts had apparently gone back into the school with Draco.

"Please tell me there's a very good reason for this, Harry," Hermione said, and Harry looked up at her before smiling.

"Ah, Hermione, I can always count on you. Of course there's a good reason." He paused for a moment, and then said, "He needed help."

Hermione and Ron both waited for a moment for an explanation, but it soon became apparent that none was forthcoming. "With what?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Harry turned his gaze to the lake, and decided on what he should tell them, and what he shouldn't. Obviously some sort of explanation was needed; he supposed he did owe them one, after all. "I ran across him this summer, and…well, he was in no position to defend himself. He's…not the person I thought he was," Harry finally said.

Ron snorted in disbelief. "Looked like the same stuck up, poncy git to me."

Harry sighed, knowing that was true. After all, Draco said he wasn't going to change for anyone. "He is, but he's also more than that. I know you're not going to believe me if I try to explain, so I'm not going to. Just know that he's here because he's not safe out there, and I don't want to see either of you antagonizing him." He stared at Ron mostly as he said this, and the redhead seemed to puff up with annoyance.

"So what, you're just going to give up our friendship for him?"

"I don't intend to give up anything, Ron. We've gotten along just fine the past month, haven't we?"

"Well yeah, but I didn't know he was around!"

"Nothing has changed!" Harry cried, extending his hands outward as if to emphasize his words.

"He's the enemy!" Ron countered, obviously trying to make Harry see reason.

Harry paused for a moment, and his expression turned contemplative. "He's never been the enemy, Ron," he finally said softly, and both of his friends looked up in surprise. "His father is the enemy…Voldemort is the enemy…but not Draco." Thoughts of Draco's story passed through his mind, and how his behavior had been forced by imperius. No, the enemy was definitely not Draco.

Hermione decided to join in on the conversation as well. "I'd rather like to know the rest of this story," she said, true to her nature and looking at everything objectively.

Harry gave her a small smile before saying, "It's not my story to tell. Draco would probably kill me if he found out I went around blabbing his life story to anyone else," he chuckled.

Ron grunted his disagreement, and muttered, "He'll kill you anyway."

Harry's gaze turned sharply to his friend, and he said in a suddenly harsh, but assured voice, "He won't."

"What makes you so sure this isn't a trap, Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow at that in a good impression of Draco's own trademark expression. "A three month trap?" He shook his head. "No, it's no trap. Just…trust me?" he turned pleading eyes to the two in front of him, and both looked a little hesitant.

Hermione looked as if she were weighing the pros and cons of something, while Ron crossed his arms in defiance. "Harshly dumping my sister, taking Malfoy in and calling him a friend…not until I know you haven't been put under some sort of curse," he said, and whirled around to follow Draco and Ginny's path back to the castle.

Harry groaned and put his head in his hand. "That could've gone better…" he mumbled, and Hermione smiled sympathetically.

"Actually, given the circumstances, I'm not sure it could have." She walked up and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder, squeezing it once in reassurance. "I'm not going to pretend to like the fact that Malfoy has been hanging around Gryffindor tower, or that he's around us at all, but I will trust you to know what you're doing. And, well, you know how Ron is. He'll come around eventually."

With a nod and a smile, Harry thanked Hermione for her support, and decided to go back into the castle to make sure Ron and Ginny wouldn't tell anyone about Malfoy being there. Hermione followed behind, wondering about the scene her, Ron and Ginny had walked in on. She was sure the two Weasleys hadn't noticed, but to her it definitely had not looked as if the two boys were fighting.


Ginny walked through the hallways, desperately trying not to let the tears threatening behind her eyelids fall. She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, sniffling, and muttering under her breath. "So stupid…should've known. Stupid Malfoy, probably controlling Harry somehow…he has to be! Me and Harry were made for each other, he's just…just being controlled…" She continued muttering as she made her way to the tower, completely missing the narrowed eyes that followed her as she passed by unaware.

'Draco is here…?'


Yay, finally chapter 7! I'm evil aren't I? Hehe, left it as a cliffie…but I got a plot going in here I hadn't intended at all. I literally don't write this story…it totally writes itself. (I had these notes written at the top for what I wanted to happen, and it still didn't happen that way. I don't think I put any of the pre-planned events in, lol. That's what happens when I give myself time to actually think about it, I guess.)

Anyway, as usual, tell me what you thought. I read over this a few times, so there should be minimal grammar mistakes at least. Only a few chapters left, I should think, but I'll see how that works out as I go along.