When Harry and Theo returned to their dormitory after the Welcoming Feast, Draco was waiting. Or, more exactly, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were waiting. But they weren't waiting for Harry—they were waiting for Theo.

"How was dinner, Nott?" Draco called out. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped. Crabbe and Goyle were standing at the end of the bed with identical expectant looks on their faces. Harry knew the expression well, because he had seen it many times in the past when either he or Draco was speaking. Crabbe and Goyle expected something funny, and probably mean-spirited, to be said, and their nasty laughter was waiting to burst forth from their fat faces.

"Same as always," Theo said. A non-committal response, trying to avoid engaging Draco in conversation.

"How'd you like eating down the table? I bet the conversation with the second years was absolutely enthralling."

"About as enthralling as this one," Nott said. Slightly more aggressive, but still only a subtle jab. By the look on Draco's face, however, Harry was certain that Draco had noticed.

Nott and Harry moved toward their respective beds, and Harry opened his trunk and began to unpack. Harry's movements were slow, because his attention was focused on Draco and Nott. Harry had expected some sort of early showdown with Draco, but this wasn't playing out as he had imagined it. Draco should be heckling Harry, not Theo.

Draco wiped the scowl from his face. "It isn't the sort of company I'd want to keep," the blonde boy said. He turned to Crabbe and Goyle. "Right, guys?"

Crabbe and Goyle began nodding enthusiastically. "No, no, wouldn't want to hang with them."

Theo sighed. "Get to the point, Draco."

"I'm just saying that the people at that end of the table… that's not where the power lies in Slytherin." Draco unclasped his hands and held them out at his sides, palms up. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

And there it was. Draco was making a play for Nott's allegiance. Shame Nott to start the year, then offer him a return to popularity and power. Not a bad tactic, actually. And Harry had to admit that Draco made his point well—the statement about power in Slytherin was obviously applicable to the second year students, but Draco was also suggesting that Harry's power had waned.

Theo gestured toward Crabbe and Goyle, who were nodding enthusiastically. "If those two noticed, then it must be obvious."

Harry looked down at his trunk to hide his smile. Theo wasn't giving Draco anything to work with. Draco could take a cross word or a testy comment from Theo and flip it around, manipulating Theo's own words to seem as if Theo was already agreeing with Draco's point. But Theo had recognized Draco's game and was keeping his cool. Theo's short, declarative statements prevented Draco from twisting Theo's words into knots. If Draco had something to say, Draco was going to have to be the one to say it—Nott wouldn't be tricked into saying it for him.

"You know," Draco said slowly, "You don't have to eat down there for the whole year."

"Oh, I know," Theo said.

"You come from a good family. Good parents." Draco placed his hands on his knees. "My father has always had good things to say about your father."

"That's one difference between us, I guess." Theo said. He, too, had opened his trunk and was beginning to unpack. As he moved his clothes from his trunk to his dresser, he turned his back on Draco. The symbolic nature of the gesture was not lost on Draco, who scowled once again. "I don't have anything good to say about my father," Theo said.

"You're a smart guy, Nott," Draco said, again forcing the scowl from his face. "I like you. I always have. You have potential. It would be a shame to waste all that."

Theo continued to unpack his trunk, but said nothing. Harry grinned again—this had gone from worrisome to amusing.

"Come on, Nott," Draco said. "You can see the direction the wind is blowing. There's a storm coming in, and you don't want to be caught outside."

"I bet you've been waiting to say that all week," Theo replied. "Did you write that, or did your father write it for you?"

Draco's composure shattered. "Do you really think that Potter is going to do anything for you?" he shouted. "Dumbledore is decrepit, Potter's a fool, and they're both being skewered by The Prophet. If you stick by Potter then you might as well commit suicide right now, because you're going nowhere in life."

Theo finally looked at Draco again. "If it's such an obvious decision, then why are you having such a hard time convincing me?"

Draco stood and pointed at Theo. "I have powerful people on my side. If you stand by Potter, you'll regret it."

Harry could take it no longer. "Oh, just say it," Harry snapped. "You have Voldemort on your side."

"Do not say his name," Draco said, rounding on Harry.

"He's your Dark Lord," Harry shot back. "Why are you afraid to say his name?"

"Power deserves respect."

"Says the man who just called Dumbledore decrepit."

Draco laughed. "Dumbledore is feeble-minded and feeble-bodied."

"I don't think Voldemort was ever afraid of Dumbledore's chess game or boxing skills," Harry said sarcastically.

Draco made a noise at the back of his throat and turned back to Theo. "You won't get many more chances, Nott. What's Potter got to offer? Is it Davis? Are they bribing you with her body?"

Theo's hands clenched into fists, and he was suddenly red in the face. "Don't talk about Tracey that way."

"She's fine to look at, I'll give you that," Draco said. "And if she's keeping you on Potter's side, she must be a force of nature between the sheets."

"It's not about that," Theo said, gritting his teeth together.

"Oh, do you love her?" Draco said. "That's too bad. Everybody knows that Davis is just keeping you around because Potter hasn't made a move on her. If Potter even hints that he's interested, Davis will toss you in the bin like a piece of trash."

"Tracey wouldn't do that," Theo said angrily.

"If you think she wouldn't, then you're a bigger fool than I thought. It certainly explains why your father is so disappointed in you." Draco chuckled. "It's pathetic, but maybe Davis really is the best you can get."

Theo moved quickly, stepping around the bed and advancing on Draco, fist raised in the air. Harry moved faster, though, and placed himself between Theo and Draco. Harry put a hand on Theo's chest, holding him back.

"Get out of the way," Theo said. "I'm going to wipe that smirk off his face."

"That's what he wants you to do," Harry said. "He's a prefect. Punching him isn't worth a month of detention."

"Yes it is," Theo said.

"No, it isn't," Harry insisted. He lowered his voice so that Draco couldn't hear. "You'll get your shot at Draco before the end of the year. You know you will. Make sure it's on your terms, and not his."

"We have witches on our side, too, Nott," Draco called out. "You want a pretty little witch to polish your wand? That can be arranged. You don't have to settle for Potter's slut."

Harry spun around to face Draco. "You want to talk about sluts? How does it feel to date my leftovers?"

Draco's eyes narrowed and his lip rose slightly in a hateful sneer.

"Has Pansy told you how much she enjoyed dating me?" Harry said. "If she doesn't describe me by moaning and groaning, you know she's lying."

"Shut your mouth," Draco hissed. He was shaking with rage, now.

"Sure thing," Harry said. He gave Draco a cocky wink. Harry only needed to say it once, and both of them knew it. From now on, Draco would never be free of the nagging doubt about his girlfriend and Harry. Harry also knew that, unfortunately, the same could be said of Theo.

Harry turned away from Draco. "Come on," he said to Theo. Harry grabbed the other boy's arm and pulled him back toward his bed. "We have to get ready to go to sleep."

Theo allowed himself to be led away from the confrontation. "You're going to be able to sleep with them in the room?" Theo asked, jerking his head back toward Draco, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Yes, and so are you," Harry said. When Harry arrived at the side of his bed, he reached deep within his trunk and began to rummage around beneath his winter quidditch robes. "I've been working on this side project all summer, and I think you're going to be happy with the results." Harry's hand finally closed around the object of his search. "Ah, here we go."

Harry removed a large, leather-bound book from his trunk. Its pages were yellowed with age, and the gilded title was worn away from the cover. Harry opened the book and turned to a marked page about a third of the way through.

"What's that?" Theo asked.

"A book of runes and charms," Harry said. "Among other things." Harry drew his wand and began to wave it over his bed, mumbling an incantation as he did so. When he completed the incantation, a blue light appeared in the air. The light sank slowly onto the bed, and then into the mattress. The whole bed glowed blue for a moment, then faded.

"What are you doing?" Draco yelled from across the room.

"Making sure I can sleep," Harry said.

"What spell are you casting?" Draco's eyes had narrowed suspiciously.

"Come over here and you'll find out," Harry said. "I wouldn't recommend it, though. Results might be messy." Harry moved on to the next incantation, which resulted in a green light sinking into this mattress.

"You can get a detention for spells that aren't class related," Draco said.

Harry was now circling his bed and muttering. A bright white circle appeared on the floor around his bed and flashed three times before fading. "Why don't you come over here and give me that detention?" Harry said. He pointed at the ground, indicating a spot that was just on the other side of the now-invisible line. "Stand right there when you say it."

"Maybe I should just send you to Snape," Draco replied.

Harry walked across the dormitory and began casting the spells again, this time over Theo's bed. "Why don't you do that?" Harry suggested, once he had finished the first spell. He knew that the rule against non-class related spells was never enforced, not even by Percy Weasley in his time as Head Boy. "It's our first night at Hogwarts. I'm sure that Snape wants to be bothered with something like this. He's probably sitting in his office right now, just hoping that one of his rookie prefects will send him this sort of bullshit." When Harry completed the second spell, he spoke again. "In fact, I'll tell Snape exactly what spells I'm casting, and I guarantee that I won't get a detention."

Harry began to walk around Theo's bed, mumbling the incantation that created the glowing white line. Once he had finished and the line had faded away, Harry turned to Draco a final time. "So, should I go to Snape's office now?"

Draco flopped onto his bed. He put his hands behind his head and crossed his feet at the ankles. "Whatever." Draco was doing his best to affect a lack of interest, but Harry knew that Draco was seething inside.

Harry snorted derisively. Draco was a coward—Harry had been bluffing when he said that he would tell Snape about the spells he had been casting. Harry was fairly certain that at least one of the spells was illegal, and there was no doubt in his mind that the spellbook would be confiscated if a professor discovered it.

Harry tossed the book into his trunk and closed it tightly. He dropped the latch into place, locked it shut, and then drew his wand once again. He muttered a few words and drew a rune onto the lock with the tip of his wand. The rune glowed red, then faded, leaving behind a black mark in the metal. Harry repeated the spell and scorched the same rune onto his trunk.

"You want me to get your lock and trunk, too?" Harry asked Theo.

"Sure," Theo said. Harry walked over and quickly repeated the incantation. "What do these spells really do?" Theo asked.

Harry shrugged. "I'm only sure about a couple of them. This rune is for invulnerability—the lock and trunk would have to be thrown into the sun before they would melt, break or burn." The rune could be compromised, as well, but nobody in fifth year had the skill to do it. Probably nobody in sixth year or seventh, either.

Theo whistled. "I'm impressed."

"The lock still opens with your key, though, so don't lose it."

"Got it," Theo said with a nod. "What about the spells for the beds?"

"The white line is an alarm spell," Harry said. "It goes off if anybody other than me or you crosses the line. The other three are protective spells, but I don't know exactly what they'll do."

"Other three?" Theo asked. "I only saw you cast two."

"That was the point," Harry said, smiling mischievously. "I draped a shielding ward over my bed while you were having your row with Draco." Harry whispered an incantation, and a tiny orange dot of light shot from the tip of his wand, so small that it was nearly impossible to see. The speck of light struck the ceiling above Theo's bed and faded immediately.

"Why the secrecy about this one?" Theo asked. "You didn't hide any of the others.

"Wait until tonight," Harry said. "You'll see."

Harry's prediction came true much sooner than he expected. After lights out, Harry laid in bed with his eyes open just a tiny sliver, pretending to sleep. In the bed opposite Harry's, Theo was doing the same. It had only been an hour since lights out, and Harry expected that he would be awake for several more before he would get to see his wards in action. Goyle, however, was not a patient person.

At the end of the dormitory farthest from the door, there was a rustle of movement. In the faint moonlight Harry could see that Goyle was sitting up in bed and extending his arm. Once again, Harry was forced to acknowledge that Draco was a coward; instead of hexing Harry himself, Draco had delegated the task to Goyle.

There was a whispered word, and then the bright light of a spell flashed across the room. Goyle's spell shot directly toward Harry, but stopped at the edge of Harry's bed. A translucent orange shield had flickered into existence, draped from the ceiling to the floor like a magical mosquito net. Goyle's spell crackled against the shield for just a moment.

Goyle leaned back in his bed, surprised. "What the-"

Harry's shield pulsed bright orange, and Goyle's hex rocketed backwards. It struck Goyle firmly in the chest and lifted him off his bed. He began to spin in mid-air, and as he did so his blanket and sheets wrapped themselves tightly around his body, binding his arms to his sides. When the hex finally released Goyle, he dropped back onto the bed. Goyle's bulk resulted in a massive bounce when he struck the bed, and, lacking the use of his arms and legs to control his body, Goyle plummeted to the floor. The large boy managed one surprised yelp before he crashed to the ground.

Draco sprang up from his bed. A moment later, Crabbe did the same. It was obvious that they, too, had been feigning sleep and waiting to see the results of Goyle's spell.

"Goyle, what happened?" Draco shouted.

Harry rose slowly from his bed and pretended to rub his eyes. "It looks like Goyle was being an idiot," Harry said.

Crabbe was now out of bed, trying to unwrap Goyle. Goyle was squirming on the floor and shouting, which did not assist Crabbe in his efforts.

"What was that spell?" Crabbe demanded, looking over his shoulder at Harry.

"I don't know," Harry said. "Ask Goyle. He's the one who cast it."

Goyle had begun to shout. "Get me out! Get me out!" He repeated the phrase, over and over.

"What's the counterjinx?" Crabbe asked.

"I don't know!" Goyle yelled. "Get me out!"

Only a fool would jinx someone without knowing the counterjinx. Harry rolled his eyes. "Silencio!" Harry's spell struck Goyle in the chest, and although his mouth continued to move, no sound came out.

Crabbe stood and raised his wand. Harry waggled a finger at him. "Ah ah ah," Harry said. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

With a frown, Crabbe slowly lowered his wand.

"Just cut him out of the blankets," Harry said. "And be quiet about it. I've got sleeping to do." Harry lay back in his bed and turned away from Crabbe. He pulled his blankets up to his neck and snuggled down in his bed, pleased that his wards had been so effective. As Harry drifted off to sleep, he could hear Draco and Crabbe whispering to one another, trying to figure out how to remove Goyle from his prison of blankets.

For the first time in months, Harry fell asleep with a smile on his face.