"Harry, you've been really quiet today." Draco sounded concerned. "What's up?"

Harry knew this was the opening he had been waiting for. Still, he didn't look up from his contemplation of his shoes. While the parchment was being reduced to ashes, it was easy to tell himself that he needed to push his relationship with Draco and bring up some of those forbidden topics. Now that he had his opening, he was scared to take it. Scared because he knew that asking Draco questions about his childhood would mean he would have to be equally open about his own. Scared because part of him still didn't quite trust that Draco wasn't gathering information to bring back to his father or Voldemort. But mostly, he was scared that Draco would reject his offer of a deeper relationship. Well, he thought to himself, the hat had no intention of putting you in Hufflepuff. If Ron can get up the courage to ask Hermione out, you can ask Draco a simple question about his childhood. Get it over with.

"Draco, tell me about the hawk."

"??"

"The day you made your Patronus, you said there was a hawk near the manor that you used to watch as a child."

"I did?"

"Yeah, you did. But if you don't want to talk about it, that's OK." Harry hunted about for a safe topic. He supposed that answered that question. It was hard to come up with something safe to talk about when his stomach was tied in knots.

"No, that's fine. I was just surprised you remembered."

"Course I remember. It was only a few weeks ago. But, well, that was all you said. I was just wondering what it would be like to see a real hawk. That Patronus of yours is the closest I've ever come."

"The Manor is quite isolated, so I would see all kinds of wildlife when I could walk beyond the park. But I could see the hawk from my bedroom window. It was reddish with white patches near the edges of its wings, and it was simply enormous when it flew."

"Sounds impressive."

"Mmm. I would see it wheeling around in the air and looking for prey. Sometimes, there would be two of them, and they would fly at each other. It looked like they were fighting, but it was actually a mating thing. Mostly, I would see the one while he was hunting for food. I would think about how much time he spent hunting to bring back enough food for his mate and their chicks. It always sort of amazed me."

"What were you doing in your bedroom watching the hawk? I mean, you said there was lots of other wildlife beyond the park."

Draco paused for a moment. "I wasn't allowed to wander freely. Father made sure the tutors kept a strict eye, or they were fired."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to … um." Harry trailed off as he realized this was exactly what he did mean to do. Getting closer to Draco and learning to trust him meant talking about uncomfortable childhoods. "I didn't have a lot of freedom either. The Dursleys always made sure I couldn't get out and meet other people."

"The Dursleys?"

"My aunt and uncle raised me."

"Oh. Where?"

"Surrey." Harry chewed his lip as he tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound pathetic. "I guess the closest we came to wildlife was Mrs. Figgs' cats. My cousin, Dudley, used to like to throw stones at them."

"He sounds like a real charmer."

"Definitely. He's a real joy to live with. I couldn't even get away from him at school because he and his friends would get together and pick on me there, too. You would think I would have realized something was strange about me when I ended up on the roof that time they were chasing me."

"You did what?"

"I really don't know what I did. Dudley and his friends were chasing me. I was always much littler than they were, so they were gaining on me. I vaguely remember wishing I could get somewhere far away and safe. The next thing I knew, I was on the roof. I didn't know magic existed, so I just assumed I didn't remember climbing up. I guess it was unintentional magic."

"That's some pretty intense unintentional magic. You really didn't know that magic existed? I knew that you were brought up by Muggles, but I didn't realize you didn't know."

"Oh, yeah. No idea until I got my letter."

"How'd they explain the scar?"

Harry felt his jaw tighten. Somehow, this one lie still had the ability to enrage him. "They told me I got it in the car crash when my parents died."

"That's really lame. I mean, it's obviously a very wonky scar. Surely even Muggles could see that."

"Oh, they knew my parents didn't die in a car crash. But, that's all they would say, and I certainly didn't know better."

"I don't get it."

"Well, they couldn't tell me the truth, could they? Not if they wanted to continue to pretend magic wasn't real in the hopes that they could beat it out of me."

"Wow, I thought my father was crazy. Of course, if magic didn't exist, you probably weren't practicing spells and making potions when you were underage and punished if you couldn't do them correctly."

"True. But they usually found reasons to punish me in any case."

Draco looked assessingly at Harry. "I guess we have more in common that we thought."

"I guess so."

The bird Draco is describing is a red kite. For more information about them and some pictures, visit /redkite.html.

#

Before they knew it, it was time to head back in for dinner. As they were descending the stairs of the Quidditch stands, Harry was looking forward to getting inside. Warming charms were useful, but he was still starting to feel the chill.

Draco turned to Harry. "Wait a minute. If you didn't know about magic and your relatives were Muggles, where'd you learn to fly?"

"What do you mean? You were there."

"Huh?"

"My first time on a broom, I was chasing you for Neville's Remembrall. I would think you would remember that since you got me on the team first year."

"That was your first time on a broom?"

"Of course. People don't generally fly brooms around Surrey."

"But you had to have learned before that. There's no way you could have picked it up so fast."

"It's the only part of magic that's ever came naturally to me. Plus, I was so pissed at you. I just had to get that Remembrall back. I didn't stop to think that I shouldn't be able to."

"Un-bloody-believable."

Harry smirked.

#

That conversation proved to be the start of a new phase in Harry and Draco's relationship. Now that Harry had let Draco know that the previously forbidden topics were open game, he talked and asked about everything. They compared notes on their families, friends, teachers, and classes; they spoke of the differences between Gryffindor and Slytherin, dark and light magic, and even wizards and Muggles. In a very short time, they learned a great deal about each other.

Harry had learned how the Malfoys spent their Christmas holidays skiing in Switzerland; Draco learned how Harry got his first real Christmas presents after getting to Hogwarts. Harry learned how Lucius Malfoy managed every aspect of Draco's upbringing because of his goal of raising his idea of the perfect heir. Draco learned how the Dursleys ignored Harry unless they had a job for him. They both learned about each other's desire for more time spent with their mothers. Draco's mother wasn't dead; she had simply been absent for most of his life — shopping, visiting friends, or closeted in her rooms at the Manor.

Weeks passed, and Harry felt closer to Draco than he had thought possible. Halloween gave way to the hint of coming winter in November grey skies. However, the little voice in Harry's head screaming "no" whenever he got too close to Draco was certainly not silenced. Instead, the reason it was screaming changed. Now, Harry would have been happy to be dating Draco. However, he assumed that Draco wasn't interested. Harry supposed that Draco was straight since all of the Slytherin girls were always hanging off of him. He didn't want Draco to learn of his feelings because he didn't want Draco to feel uncomfortable hanging out with him. Despite Ron's and Hermione's assurances, Harry was sure he was one of the few with homosexual feelings. If it was so common, how come he had never met a gay Wizard couple? As a consequence, Harry was on his guard against too much touching and standing or sitting too close. However, he still found himself breaking his own rules on a regular basis.

The pressure was getting to him. He would find himself jumpy and emotional at the end of an hour. Afterwards, he would sit in the Gryffindor common room and stare at his schoolbooks without being able to read them. His infatuation with Draco was starting to affect his studies. He knew something had to give and decided it was time he asked for help. However, this was something that Ron and Hermione couldn't help him with.

#

"Professor Snape, do you have some time to talk?" Harry and Snape had just completed one of their private lessons. Harry was a bit sore since this session had been dedicated to practical defense lessons. But, his mind was clear and still all his own. He'd rather dive hexes than block Snape's mind attacks any day.

"I have about an hour before I need to be anywhere in particular. What can I help you with?" Snape had unbent a little in the weeks of lessons as Harry continued to show him respect and apply himself to his teaching. But his idea of relaxed was still considerably more formal that Harry was used to.

"Well, do you remember when I mentioned that Draco and I might be getting friendly?" Snape nodded, and Harry continued. "You had said you would be available to offer advice since you knew the Malfoys pretty well."

"Indeed. I assume you find yourself needing my insight?"

"Yes, sir." He paused as he tried to think how to phrase his question. Discussing something bordering on his sex life with one of his professors was not high on his list of favorite things. "You know that I was raised by Muggles and pretty isolated even from other Muggles." Again, Snape nodded, and Harry continued. "I was hoping you could give me some insight into how wizards, especially purebloods, felt about dating other wizards." Harry could feel his face redden as he realized how easy it would be for Snape to figure out what he was really asking about.

Snape raised one eyebrow. "You came to me for advice on your sex life?"

He should have known that Snape wouldn't beat around the bush. "Well, I know that you won't sugarcoat the truth, sir."

"Ah."

How did he manage to pack so much meaning into one syllable? "Look, I'm sure that you can guess why I'm asking. I just want to know whether he's likely to still be willing to be my friend when he finds out I'm not entirely heterosexual."

"So, you aren't, for instance, hoping he shares your preferences?"

"I- I-," Harry spluttered. He stopped to collect his thoughts. "I don't expect that, sir." Again, the eyebrow was raised. "OK, I wouldn't exactly be disappointed if he did. But I know it's not going to happen."

"What makes you so sure?"

"This isn't getting me the answer to my question."

"In a roundabout way, it will. So, tell me what makes you sure that Draco isn't also, as you say, 'entirely heterosexual.'"

"Well, there always seem to be plenty of girls hanging around him." Snape didn't say anything. Harry assumed this meant that didn't seem like convincing evidence to Snape. "Well, umm, he went to the Winter Ball with Pansy. Of course, I brought Padma, and we weren't dating, so I guess that doesn't really mean anything either." Harry thought about it. He supposed the main reason he assumed Draco liked girls was because he assumed everyone was straight. "I guess I don't have a good reason."

"Exactly. I think you will find that your opinions about Draco and other people say more about your own assumptions than about the real state of affairs. You are sure you are the only one who shares your orientation, so you make assumptions."

"OK. But how does that help me?"

"You assume Draco will be disgusted because you are still not comfortable with your own feelings."

"Maybe."

"I believe you will find that if you learn to accept your own orientation as normal, other people's opinions won't matter so much."

"But that won't stop them from having them."

"Also true. But other people are much more likely to see you as 'normal' if you see yourself as such."

"That's not telling me if being gay is likely to be acceptable in pureblooded Wizarding circles."

"No, it isn't. I think you will find that Wizarding culture is not easily simplified any more than Muggle culture is. There are wide varieties even within such a select group as pureblooded Wizards. After all, that group encompasses some very diverse people — Weasleys, Malfoys, and many points in between."

"Well, I was mostly curious about the Malfoy end of the spectrum."

"I can tell you that Lucius Malfoy was willing to accept such preferences in a friend but not in himself. It was important for him to continue the Malfoy line, so he could not accept anything that might interfere with that plan. It is likely that he has tried to pass those feelings on to his son. However, you might have recently come into possession of knowledge that might indicate that young Mr. Malfoy has started to question some of his father's teachings. So, I would say that how he feels about it is something that you might be more qualified to say at this point."

"So, all of that to say you don't know."

"Would you prefer I lie to you?"

"No, I suppose not." Harry looked down at his shoes and thought about what he had learned from Snape. "Thank you for trying to help, sir." He wondered if the friend Snape was referring to was himself, but he had learned his lesson about prying into Snape's private life the hard way and wasn't about to make that mistake again.

"Mr. Potter, no matter what Draco thinks, I think you will find that you are better off letting him tell you rather than trying to guess and torturing yourself with possibilities."

"Yes, sir."

#

Harry thought a lot about what Snape said. However, he couldn't work up the nerve to tell Draco he was gay or bisexual or whatever he was. He was afraid that if Draco knew that he liked boys, he might figure what boy he liked in particular. Every time he thought of that, Harry felt his cheeks redden in humiliation. He simply could not imagine a good ending to that conversation.

Harry and Draco spent time together after almost every DADA class. Now that the cold usually forced them to stay in the castle, they had to be more careful not to be seen by the other Slytherins. Their new Defense skills came in handy as they sometimes used Disillusionment Charms or other techniques to avoid being seen or heard. Occasionally, Harry longed to talk with Draco in the other classes they shared or to walk up to him in the Great Hall. But most of the time, he was too well aware of the danger he was putting Draco in to want anyone to know of their friendship. If he forgot briefly, something would remind him: news of Death Eater raids, lessons with Snape and Dumbledore, or a casual cruelty of one student towards another.

He didn't really think about the difficulties of no one knowing about their friendship until the day that Draco didn't show up in classes. Harry had no idea where Draco was, but he knew that it wasn't like him to skive off classes for no good reason. He couldn't ask Pansy or Goyle where Draco was without arousing suspicion. He told himself that he could wait until Potions and find a way to ask Snape, but he was distracted all through his other lessons. When he got to Potions, he realized he would have to wait until after class. Even then, he would have to be discreet because someone might be listening.

He spent so much of his class trying to think how to ask Snape where Draco was that his potion suffered. He put his phial on the desk to be graded with the others and noticed it was most definitely not the same color. Hermione's potion was a clear cerulean blue. The rest of the class' were various shades of the same color. Some were darker or lighter; others were cloudy. Harry's was a violent shade of purple. Obviously he had done something very wrong.

Harry shook off his concerns about his potion and saw Snape looking at him with an eyebrow raised. "Professor Snape, do you have a moment?"

"Did you have a question that I didn't answer during my lecture?" Snape's tone was somewhat sarcastic but not as confrontational as it once would have been.

"Yes, sir." Harry got out his potions book and pointed at the reading for the next class. He pointed at the page where he had stuck in a note that simply read, 'Is Draco OK?' "I was wondering if you could explain what it is talking about here with the three methods of stirring."

"Are you reading ahead, Mr. Potter?"

"Just trying to keep on top of my assignments, sir."

"Well, I think you will find that there is an adequate explanation of the three methods and which methods work on which potions in this reading." He had leaned over his desk and started writing as he spoke to Harry. Now, Harry looked down at the parchment that was handed to him and read, 'Infirmary' and the name of a book on potions in Snape's clear hand.

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate your suggestion." Harry fled the Potions room and headed to the Great Hall on autopilot. What had happened? Why was Draco in the Infirmary? His mind raced as he tried to think of a decent excuse to leave lunch early and head up to the Infirmary before his afternoon classes.

"Harry, are you OK? You look kind of pale." Harry grasped at Hermione's concern like a lifeline.

"You know, I am feeling a bit off. I think I'll go see Madame Pomfrey."

Hermione's eyes widened at Harry's easy willingness to visit the school nurse. Ron looked up in surprise from the lunch he was wolfing down. "It's nothing big. Just a bit of a headache, but I really botched my potion because of it. I think I need to be a bit more attentive in Herbology this afternoon since we're working with the Tentacular Vines." He smiled at them both casually. He could tell they both knew something else was up, but now wasn't the time to explain. He quickly finished the sandwich he was eating and headed up to the Hospital Wing.

When he reached his destination, he searched the beds for Draco. He didn't see him or Madame Pomfrey, but he noticed partitions around one of the beds at the far end of the ward. He quietly snuck down until he was right outside the barrier. He could hear the quiet voices of Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore. Instantly, the concern that Harry had been feeling turned to panic as he realized that Draco must have been hurt pretty badly if Dumbledore was here. Without thinking, he pushed aside one of the partitions and stepped inside. He had to see for himself.

When he looked at the bed, Harry felt his knees weaken. Draco looked awful. He had bruises all over his face and one long cut over his left eye. The sheet covering him was only pulled to his waist, and his chest was bared to Madam Pomfrey's wand. His ribcage was a collage of bruises, bumps, and scrapes.

"Will he be OK?" The words were out of Harry mouth before he consciously thought them. Madame Pomfrey whirled in surprise, but Dumbledore only nodded to him.

"Harry Potter, what are you doing here?"

Harry didn't even acknowledge Madame Pomfrey's question. Instead, he turned to Dumbledore. "Yes?"

Again the quiet nod of assurance. "Yes, my boy, Mr. Malfoy will be fit as a fiddle in no time. However, I am not sure that we can prevent this from happening a second time."

"What happened?"

"It seems that some of Mr. Malfoy's classmates have come to view him as a traitor."

"Oh, shit."

"Language!" Madame Pomfrey still looked shocked to see him, but she had turned back to her patient. Harry knew from his plentiful time under her healing wand that she would deal with any internal or spell damage before moving on to the superficial cuts and bruises. That was actually what worried him. He knew that if she hadn't gotten to the cut above his eye that was still red and angry, his other, non-visible, injuries must be quite bad.

"Indeed, Mr. Potter. It seems that your new friendship has not gone unnoticed." He held up a hand to forestall Harry's protests. "I know you two have been careful, but it is difficult to keep secrets in a closed environment like Hogwarts."

"What did you mean when you said you weren't sure you could stop this from happening again?"

"Well, now that the secret is out, Mr. Malfoy is, more or less, sleeping with poisonous asps."

"Can he move out?"

"That is what I would like to arrange. But, I will need your assistance in convincing a few people to go along with my plans."

Harry and Dumbledore made an appointment to speak after classes that day. Harry was convinced to go to classes as usual to keep up appearances only after Madame Pomfrey assured him Draco wouldn't be waking up until after supper.

#

Thanks for all the supportive reviews. They definitely help motivate me to keep going. I was stuck for a bit on the part that I'm still writing (don't worry; there's still plenty already written) and knowing I've got readers waiting for the next installment helps keep me going.

I also wanted to thank everyone who reviewed or set an alert because I've been mining your favorite stories for fun new things to read for myself. After all, if you have the good taste to like my story, I might just like some other stuff you're reading ;)