Here is the next chapter folks! I have a cold and I guess the meds put me in a loopy state because this chapter just came out of me! And also I realized that I never said so specifically but this story will have some slight slash...just giving some fair warning. Anyway enjoy and Happy Reading!
Chapter Eleven
The feeling of besting Malfoy quickly wore off because as he stepped foot in the Forbidden Forest at exactly eight o'clock, he noticed an ominous tension in the air. He looked around the area for any signs of the Professor but everything was still, not even the sounds of insects could be heard. Harry decided to take a quick sweep of the area; he kept his wand out and his eyes sharp. It would be just the thing Snape would do; testing him before the lessons even began. But as the time stretched and the tension became less with familiarity, he unfortunately let his guard drop and his mind wonder….and of course that was when the attack came. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a red gleam shoot towards him from the left and instinctively dropped to the ground and rolled before finding the proper footing to return the spells.
Harry didn't know how long this exchange lasted before he was hit with a body bind and fell to the ground. As he lay there paralyzed, which was the worse feeling; he couldn't help but admire his attacker. He had never seen his aggressor. He didn't know if it was male or female, young or old. When Harry heard footsteps approaching, he closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious.
"Open your eyes Potter, I know you can."
Harry deciding that it was hopeless to continue his ruse opened his eyes and stared at his attacker.
"I will admit that I went into this training session thinking that you were a half wit, good for nothing boy who is a hopeless case…..and now I know that you are. Under no circumstances are you to ever drop your guard. I don't care if you have to stand there for two hours, you must always be alert. I made enough noise leading up to that first curse that you should have spotted me and decided on a covert attack instead of standing there with your head in the clouds thinking about Merlin knows what. If I am to continue using my own time on your sorry arse then you had better shape up and prove that you are worthy."
And with that last sentence, the footsteps retreated. Harry was sure that he was going to be stuck in the forest with who knows what creatures, but as soon as he heard the footsteps disappear, the hold on the body bind was released and he was allowed to stand.
As Harry made his way from the Forbidden Forest to the castle, he thought about everything that Snape had said to him. He honestly didn't think that he did that bad, but considering that he was on the defense the whole time and he, admittedly, let his mind wander in the beginning led him to agree with Snape the longer he thought about it. If he had truly been attacked by someone who wished him harm, that first shot is crucial; Death Eaters aren't going to wait for him to notice them or shoot harmless spells at him to get his attention. He needed to be on his guard at all times. Even as he thought this, he took his wand from the holder and made actual note of his surroundings. He was now coming up to the green houses, not a very beneficial area for him, the castle still being a ways away and his back to the forest. He decided that he needed to hurry, Snape's talk making him extra paranoid. As he lengthened his stride to walk faster, he noticed a slight movement off to his left. Instead of turning to see what the movement was, he continued walking to try and see if he was actually being followed or if it was just a random occurrence. But as he continued his walk he noticed that he was definitely being followed and spun quickly around shooting a stunner at his stalker. As the light faded from his eyes, he saw a figure on the ground and moved closer to see who it was. When he was close enough, he looked down, gasped, and quickly disabled his stunner.
"Whatcha do that for mate?" Asked Ron loudly as he stumbled up from the ground.
"What are you doing out here? Spying on me? You should know better than to follow me at night, especially making as much noise as you were." Harry replied.
"I wasn't following you….I was taking a stroll and was just headed back up to the castle….just as you were."
"Sure, if you say so."
"So what were you doing with Snape in the Forbidden Forest anyway?" Ron asked as they both continued on to the castle.
"So you were spying on me!" Harry asked incredulously.
"Well maybe a little bit" Ron replied scratching the back of his neck.
"It's just some Dumbledore stuff that I'm not really allowed to tell anyone about." Harry knew that if he alluded to Dumbledore giving him an assignment then Ron would back off and hopefully they could stop their endless fighting. Harry knew that he was lying to his friends….again but if the end justifies the means then who's to say he is a bad person? As expected, Ron's face immediately expresses guilt.
"Blimey, look mate I've been an arse for the past couple of days and I'm…..you know…sorry and stuff. It's just that we hardly see you anymore and then you were hanging with those Slytherines…I guess I let my anger get out of hand."
Harry patted Ron on the back, said no problem, and motioned for them to continue to the castle.
Harry was thankful for Ron's apology but knew that when the weight didn't lift off his shoulders, that their relationship had changed for good. He was happy that he wouldn't have to fight with his friend but knew that this truce would be short lived. Every day he felt himself changing, his attitude, his outlook on things, and they were all changing into the views that Ron and people like him wouldn't like.
After Ron and he had split up in the Entrance Hall, Harry made his way to his rooms. Lately, it had become easier and easier for him to call those rooms his own. Growing up he had never had a room that was truly his own and granted he had to share the common areas with Malfoy, the bedroom was his. He had kept the green as the main color for his room but added items to the walls and displayed his sacred pieces, like his photo album or a snitch from one of the games that he won, on his dresser. At the Dursley's they were kept under the loose floorboard and even in the Gryffindor dorms, he kept them in his school trunk.
When Harry was preparing for bed, he heard slight movement coming from the common room and decided to see what was going on. When he opened his door, he saw Malfoy sitting at the table he designated his, shuffling papers around. Harry made a sound to announce his presence and Malfoy looked up.
"Ah so I see you are back from you tryst with Professor Snape" Malfoy said
"Don't say tryst, it sounds disturbing." Harry replied leaning against the door with his arms folded.
"So you were with Snape" Malfoy said making a point to look anywhere but at Harry.
Harry unfolded his arms and stepped slowly into the room.
"If I said I was, how would that make you feel….a little…jealous?"
"Hardly, I was just curious" Malfoy scoffed.
During this exchange, Harry had continued walking until he was right in front of the table Malfoy was working on. Harry put both hands on the table and leaned in towards Malfoy
"Did you never learn how the cat was killed?"
"The…cat?" Malfoy asked hesitantly.
Harry looked into Malfoy's eyes and was ecstatic to see them glazed over just a bit but kept his cool. He leaned in a little further, putting his face inches away from the other boys, and when he heard an almost inaudible gulp he said "It pays to be too curious sometimes" and turned and walked back into his room.
I liked this chapter, tell me if you did to! Review!
