A/N: I'm so sorry that this took so long! I've had severe writer's block with this story and have been focusing on some of my others to get rid of it. Hopefully this one won't be too short, but it is a temporary bandaid until I can really start to work on this again on a regular basis. That should be soon, since I'll be finishing one of my anime fics soon. REMINDER: READ, REVIEW, AND REPEAT (WITH MY OTHER STORIES).

Peace.

Chapter 12: Encounter in the Owlry

Some time after midnight, Draco and Harry snuck into the Slytherin dorms. The protective Veela wasn't about to let his mate around anyone he didn't fully trust, even if they had been Harry's friends for years. He just couldn't after what had been divulged to him earlier that night.

Curled up in bed together, the two boys didn't speak or sleep. They lay content and safe, the curtains of Draco's bed pulled closed and locked with a charm. When Draco's roommates started to stir the following morning, the pair of mates waited in silence, listening to the other boys grumble sleepily at each other. Harry had to hold back a laugh when he heard Blaise Zambini slip on a sock that had been carelessly tossed on the floor and fell with a hard bang.

When they were finally gone, Draco sat up, pulling Harry into his lap. The smaller boy snuggled into his mate's side, his eyes finally fluttering closed. Having both been excused from classes for the entire rest of the day by Snape with the excuse of needing "a long detention in which to reflect on their actions", Draco watched his mate sleep, a book propped open against one leg.

Harry finally woke around one in the afternoon, groggy and rubbing at his eyes. Draco was finishing homework beside him, his attention only diverting away from his work when he felt his mate move. Setting aside the open bottle of ink, the quill, and parchment, Draco crawled over his the small Gryffindor, settling beside him.

"You were asleep for about seven hours," Draco said as Harry sat up. "Hungry?"

"Not really," Harry sighed. "My appetite is still small, no matter if I tell people about the starvation or not."

Draco sighed sadly. "I wish it wasn't so."

"Well, there isn't much to be done except time," Harry said. "By the time I have to go back, I can eat about three quarters of what a normal person can."

"That's not nearly enough," Draco snarled.

"Calm down, Draco. No one's going to die," the Gryffindor laughed.

"Those pathetic wastes called your aunt and uncle will be soon if I have my way," Draco spat.

Harry grinned. "Spoiled brat," he teased. "Just don't go after my cousin, alright? He helped me a lot the past few years."

"I won't hurt anyone who has helped you, my mate," Draco agreed.

"Good," Harry said as he pulled back the covers, slipping out from under them.

Crossing his legs, he glanced over at the blond, nervousness suddenly creeping in. He had taken to the idea of being Draco's mate quite easily. It didn't help that the other boy was beautiful, but Harry himself was even surprised at how easily he accepted it. Pushing the thought away, Harry met Draco's unwavering gaze. They both blushed a little, eyes dropping to the bed spread around them.

"So, did you sleep well?" Draco mumbled.

"Yeah," Harry quietly replied. "Thank you for asking."

"You're welcome."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Harry asked, "What are we going to do today?"

"I don't know really. It's rare for Uncle Sev to give anyone a day off, even among his Slytherins," Draco mused.

"I find it funny that you call 'Uncle Sev,'" Harry laughed.

"Well he is my Godfather."

"But I didn't call Sirius by the title of Uncle."

Draco rolled his eyes at the mention of the dog animagus. "Either way, we should probably think of something to do. Most of my roommates return to the dorms for a short while after lunch and we don't want them to find you here."

"No," Harry said softly. Suddenly, a bright idea popped into his mind. "Hey, do you want to see something really cool?"

Draco ran after Harry, panting as they dashed through the halls. Harry was out in front, grinning widely. Noticing that they were heading to the Owlry, Draco picked up speed, keeping pace with his mate. They raced up the stairs, stopping only when they'd come to the tower at the top.

Harry walked over to one of the open windows, petting his white familiar along the way. Leaning slightly out the window, he whistled loudly. Draco frowned and walked over to stand behind his mate. Harry listened closely for a reply and his grin grew larger as a loud caw came from far off in the distance.

Draco's mouth dropped open as a bright red bird came streaking towards them, its vermillion feathering shining in the light. The giant bird settled on the ledge of the window, glancing up at Harry.

"This is Fawkes," Harry said. "Fawkes, this is Draco, my mate."

"But Harry, isn't this Dumbledore's familiar?" Draco asked.

The phoenix chirped loudly, nipping at Draco in anger. Harry laughed.

"Fawkes has been with the old bastard for a long time, it is true, but Fawkes has grown distant from him in the past few years," the Gryffindor explained, petting the bird's long vermillion feathers.

"So trusting, but how can you be sure? Familiars are usually very attached to their masters."

As if to prove his point, Hedwig floated down onto Harry's shoulder, her talons gripping the boy carefully. The white owl eyed Fawkes with interest, nipping playfully at him as the phoenix did the same.

"What do you know of the incident during Second Year?" Harry asked.

"There's a rumor that you killed the beast that was petrifying everyone," Draco said slowly. "Why do you ask?"

"It was Fawkes that brought me the Sorting Hat and the Sword of Gryffindor so I could defeat the monster," Harry replied.

Draco stared at his mate in shock. He really killed the beast that was stalking the halls of Hogwarts in their second year? It was surprising until he really thought about it. Trouble followed his little mate everywhere, after all.

Huffing, he lazily scratched the back of his head. "Only you would be able to draw a phoenix familiar away from its master."

Chuckling softly, Harry gently petted Fawkes's head, the bird cawing softly. Hearing footsteps coming from the stairs, the Gryffindor shooed the phoenix away, watching for a moment as it flew. He and Draco both turned to face the stairs, frowning when they saw whom it was.

"Ah, Harry! Just the person I was looking for," Dumbledore cried, an odd shine to his eye as he stepped into the Owlry.

"Oh, hello Professor," Harry said quietly, a small shiver running up his spine.

"I hope that your day is going well," the Headmaster said.

"Yes it is, Sir," Draco replied sharply.

Ignoring the Malfoy, the Headmaster stared at Harry. "May I have a word with you, my boy?"

"You can just talk to me here, Sir," Harry said, starting to feel nervous.

"Nonsense, I'm sure that Mr. Malfoy here wouldn't be interested. It's a mere check up to make sure that you're doing well."

Harry gritted his teeth. "I'm fine, Sir. If you have something to ask me, I don't see why Draco can't be here."

Dumbledore's eyes hardened for a moment before the look disappeared behind the familiar twinkle again.

"If you so wish it, my boy. As I said, I just merely wanted to check on you. With the whole mess at the Ministry, I felt it was duty to make you that you were alright."

"I'm fine, Sir. If you'll please excuse us, Sir, we're going to be late for Potions," Harry ground out.

"Ah, yes. Go! Go! We don't want Professor Snape to get too angry, do we?"

Harry grabbed Draco's hand, dragging him away as they fled from the tower. Hard, gray eyes followed them as they retreated, narrowing in a mixture of anger and suspicion.

"What the hell was that?" Draco asked as they finally skidded to a stop outside the entrance to the dungeons.

"Dumbledore has been avoiding me most of the time ever since the Triwizard Tournament. Why would he just randomly ask me to his office now? Think Draco!" Harry hissed.

"He wants to get you alone," Draco murmured, eyes widening.

Harry nodded. "He's trying to do something. I swear, I can feel it in my bones. He's seems so… slimy and gross now."

Walking over to his mate, Draco embraced him, pulling Harry against his chest. "Just ignore it. We'll find a way to keep Dumbledore away from you. He won't suspect anything is wrong."

Having returned to his tower, Dumbledore calmly closed the door of his office behind him. He studied the room surrounding him: the ornate chairs, the Persian rugs, the books, and the portraits containing past Headmasters. He sneered at it all, his wealth, his power. Without Potter, it was all for naught.

He picked up a heavy book that lay on the edge of his desk, hurling it at the globe model that sat in the far room. The fragile ancient object smashed as the wind in the room started to pick up, signaling his raging anger. Bottles of potions, magical objects, and books flew around him in a tempest, raging like a hurricane. The portraits on the walls protested, but Dumbledore didn't hear them.

Clenching his teeth, he finally regained a hold on his magic, snapping it back under his control. Everything fell instantly to the ground, landing in a chorus of hard thuds. Panting from exertion, Dumbledore grabbed his wand and flicked it. The books, the magical objects, and the bottles of potions returned to their correct place as the portraits finally quieted.

Throwing himself in the chair behind his desk, the Headmaster took a deep breath to study himself.

"Damn boy. He should have just come with me. It would have made things so much easier," he muttered to himself.