Winter 1998
"Are you sure it's safe?" Ron glanced at the dank walls that held so many painful memories for him, his brow furrowed as he gripped tightly his wand.
"Why don't you ask Draco?" Harry stuck his hands in the pockets of his robes. "After all, this is his domain."
"I can't believe I'm standing in front of the Chamber of Secrets," Draco said reverently, reaching out his hand so his fingers brushed against the ornate serpents that appeared to writhe by the dim light of the sconces.
"Open up," Harry said in Parseltongue, the sibilant sounds affecting his companions in different ways. Ron shuddered in revulsion while Draco shivered, turning his head to shoot Harry a lustful glance.
As the slabs slid open, Harry made the mental note that Parseltongue appeared to have an aphrodisiac effect on Draco. Then again, it stood to reason that the weakness of the Prince of Slytherin would lie in Salazar's tongue.
"Do you have it?" Ron glanced at Draco before stepping into the cavernous Chamber, looking down at his shoes which were coated with dust, probably the debris from the last time they visited.
"Don't worry. It's here." Draco heaved the Slytherin Chalice as he stepped gingerly into the fabled Chamber of Secrets.
The three wizards ventured into the gloomy darkness that was occasionally pierced by their spells which lit sconces along their way.
"By the way, Weasley. I'm glad you had our backs against those Hufflepuff prats," Draco said.
"No problem. Those gits deserved a good pounding." Ron nodded. He navigated a huge chunk of stone left behind when he and Harry were here. Peering into the darkness, he tried to lighten the mood and nudged Malfoy's shoulder. "I can't believe you thought Harry was the Heir of Slytherin!"
"How did you know?" Draco growled and then shook his head. "Oh, you and Harry used Polyjuice in your little Second Year escapade."
"And Harry thought you were the Heir of Slytherin. You two were so obsessed with each other even then!" Ron snickered.
"We weren't." Harry protested as he raised his wand to cast Lumos.
"We were just observant children." Draco concurred.
"Of course."
"Indeed."
"Great minds think alike." Harry nodded, shivering at the sight of basilisk skin in front of him.
"Rather, snog alike," Ron mumbled, his hand splayed against the humid stones of the wall for support as he stepped onto a shallow depression on the floor. "I saw what you two were doing in detention when I came back from the bathroom."
Ron pointed at a spot ten yards ahead. "That's the lowest point of the Chamber, I believe. Hermione and I found it when we came here during the Battle."
"This ought to do." Harry nodded. "Hermione said she needed the Slytherin Chalice at the lowest point of Hogwarts to anchor her new ward design." He was walking along Ron, the light from his wand lending his black hair an ethereal sheen that made Draco's heart beat faster. He had to admit Harry cut a dashing figure even in this subterranean domain.
Having reached the spot, Draco knelt and placed the Chalice in the middle of a shallow dip in the stony floor, tilting up his chin to look around as he gauged the risk of stones tumbling down and knocking the Chalice from its position.
Just to be sure, the three of them cast spells to permanently fix the Slytherin relic in that spot.
oOoOo
"Are you ready?" Hermione said, the wind ruffling her locks as she snuggled into her winter coat and raised her wand southwards.
Ron fished out his wand from his pocket and lifted his arm towards the East while Draco did likewise in the opposite direction. Harry stood behind Hermione, his wand at the ready as he pointed at the North.
"I believe we are," Harry said.
"Fine. We are going to cast the wards." Hermione frowned. "The layered protection ought to strengthen the already existing wards considerably, especially taking into account the magic is interwoven with that coming from the relics of the Founders."
"I had to go to the Hufflepuff Basement," Draco growled. "Those prats were glaring at me the whole time. Luckily they had to go to detention and I seized the moment to hide that relic the Grey Lady told us about."
"The people in Ravenclaw Tower didn't pay attention to me." Ron said. "Too engrossed with early revising to notice me."
"Seamus and Dean were playing Exploding Snap." Hermione shrugged. "I just shoved the Gryffindor relic onto a crack on the wall."
"So we have all the anchors you mentioned in place," Harry said. "What do we do now?"
"Cast the incantation I had you memorize," Hermione said. "And swish your wand just so." She demonstrated the exact motions, and then she glanced at Harry. "You should do it in Parseltongue, it will add another magical layer to the ward design."
Harry nodded and squared his shoulders. "Whenever you're ready, Hermione."
"On the count of three," Hermione said in a low voice. "One, two, three!"
The four students murmured the incantation, Draco shivering at the oddly sensual Parseltongue sounds bathing his body in pleasure, just like the sky was covered with an eerie glow that crept downward from a point right above them until it reached the horizon, limning it in shades of red, blue, yellow, and silver which lasted but a few seconds each.
Once the wards settled, Draco pointed at the sky. "The students are bound to notice that."
"The teachers will explain it as Northern lights," Hermione said.
"Good idea, Mione."
"It wasn't mine but McGonagall's." Hermione blushed. "She came up with it when I asked her permission to cast the wards."
oOoOo
"So once more you drag me into the Forbidden Forest," Draco drawled, trudging through the fine layer of snow that lent the Forest a Christmas atmosphere.
"It's not my fault Hermione wants us to test the scope of the new wards," grumbled Harry, his green eyes narrowing at the gloomy copse of trees. "She thinks it important that centaurs and the creatures here should be protected from Muggle probes when they develop them later." He glanced sideways at Draco. "Besides, we came here two months ago to gather those herbs."
"Ah, the potion I brewed for the Halloween prank!" Draco smirked in satisfaction, splaying his gloved fingers against the rough bark of an oak as he gazed at the tiny snowflakes falling from the grey sky.
"Do you think there are Acromantulas?" Ron said tentatively, his scarf a dash of wild colors against his black coat.
"I don't think so," Draco said. "It's too cold for them. Merlin, I'm freezing even after casting a Warming spell on myself!"
"Don't worry; I'll heat you up properly once we return." Harry turned his head to flash Draco a naughty leer.
"Promises, promises," Draco growled.
"Cut it, you two! Should've brought ear muffins," grumbled Ron as he leaned down to peer at the space between two trees. "Hey, come here! You've got to see this!" He motioned at the two Seekers.
"What is it, a tiny baby Acromantula?" Draco taunted him.
"What is it, Ron?" Harry reached his best friend and looked towards the clearing Ron pointed out to him.
There were two magnificent wolves side by side, one with white fur and the other black. The two wolves pricked up their ears and glanced at their direction before dashing towards a thicker portion of the Forest.
"That's what your Animagi would look like. Those two are surely a mated pair." Ron nodded as he recalled a conversation with his brother. "Charlie once told me wolves mate for life."
Harry blushed and turned his gaze from Draco. Were the wolves an omen which pointed at the bond that had sprung between him and the Slytherin?