January 14 - January 15
Nothing. Almost four days of searching and they had come up with nothing. Saturday and Sunday were expected to not have yielded anything considering they never really saw Slytherins on those days unless there were Quidditch matches. Apparently, Slytherins don't hang out much and when they do it's in groups of snipping hissing snakes. They hadn't so much as caught a whiff of the scent over the weekend anyway. Monday they had only caught it for a second and lost it in the next. Now, Tuesday they had only come across it at breakfast and none of the Slytherin sixth and seventh years they got close enough to smell were the target. To take a break from searching around Harry and Seamus went for a walk outside on the castle grounds in the evening and returned to the castle a few minutes before curfew.
"I'm beginning to wonder if we're missing something important." Seamus said softly into the quiet of the empty corridors as they entered the castle. They were walking slowly and as quietly as possible to avoid being caught.
"What?" Harry asked just as softly as they walked across the entrance hall to the stairs.
"Are we missing something? Are we looking in the wrong place? Did we get the wrong house?" Seamus asked part way up the stairs and Harry shrugged. He had no clue what they were doing wrong. They had been searching for days.
"I really have no idea what we're—" Harry was saying but stopped abruptly when he suddenly found the scent and it was stronger than it was ever before. Without waiting for Seamus he shot up the rest of the stairs with a quick "Got it!" over his shoulder.
He just had time enough to hear Seamus ask "Got what?" Before he was running down the corridor and disappearing down another. He came to a silent but quick stop in front of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and stated at it quizzically. If someone was in there he ought to knock considering it is a girl's bathroom. Did this mean his Neko was a girl? Just when he was about to do just that he heard a soft sob from the other side of the door. Changing his mind, he slowly pushed the door open. The sound of the sobbing was joined by just as soft sniffling. Peeking around the door he saw a person who was decidedly not a girl standing by the sinks leaned over and wiping at his eyes. The long fluffy white tail that hung from under the untucked shirt seemed to be shaking along with the rest of his body. Harry slipped in closing the door quietly behind him. He stepped forwards until he could see the person's head being reflected in the mirror above the sink. Instantly he knew who it was. Only one person in the entire school had hair like that. The one person he really expected never to find crying in a girl's bathroom.
"Malfoy?" Harry said quietly hoping not to startle him too much. The blond head shot up to look in the mirror while reaching for his wand. Harry raised his hands in surrender instantly hoping Malfoy wouldn't fire on an unarmed man.
"Potter?!" Malfoy exclaimed when he recognised him and spun around. His large oval shaped white ears twitched back and forth.
"I swear I'm not doing anything!" Harry said letting his ears and tail show to match Malfoy. He's learned the hard way with Seamus; show before trying to explain or you might not get to. In this case it probably meant the difference between being hexed and not being hexed. "I'm like you."
Malfoy stared at him still trembling from crying with his wand pointed right at him. Harry stepped forward slowly and carefully while Malfoy seemed to struggle with hexing or just giving up and crying. Harry decided that whatever it was that was bothering Malfoy had to be big, even if Harry didn't particularly like him. Harry took another step and Malfoy dropped his arm as another wave of tears welled in his eyes. Without thinking Harry covered the rest of the distance to Malfoy and pulled him into a hug as Malfoy broke down again. The blond leaned into him and Harry slowly lowered them to the floor moving to the walls so that he could lean on them. He kept his arms around Malfoy's shaking form using one hand to rest his head against his chest. He hushed him rocking slowly, not knowing what else to do.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly running his fingers slowly through Malfoy's soft hair as he held him close. He would never have thought he'd be holding Malfoy of all people like this. Goodness, he was comforting Malfoy.
"Everything is wrong." Malfoy said against his chest through the hitching breaths of his crying. Harry glanced up when he saw the door open and Seamus step in with a frown. Seamus raised a brow in question as he closed the door quietly behind him and approached them. When he had figured out that Harry had found the scent he hadn't expected to find him holding onto a sobbing blond git, especially not this particular blond git. "My father has completely lost his mind, gone off to do crazy things that he really shouldn't be doing. I don't have a family anymore. Everyone hates me. My own house hates me. The minute my Father went mad everyone turned against me."
"Not everyone. There has to be someone who likes you." Harry said trying to comfort him. He looked at Seamus for help who shrugged and sat down quietly near to them but out of Malfoy's line of sight. Neither of them knew what to do with this.
Malfoy shook his head against Harry's chest. "She's dead. He killed her."
"Who?" Harry asked worried about the answer he might get. Who killed who?
"My mother. She's dead." Malfoy answered shaking as grief over took him. Harry's arms tightened around him pulling him closer.
"What happened?" Harry asked softly. This was worse than he had originally thought it would be. There was only one 'he' that they had talked about so far and if he was the one who killed her it was no wonder Malfoy was breaking down like this. He didn't care much for Malfoy but losing a parent was hard, he couldn't imagine what it would like when the other one was 'crazy'. Especially if it was who he thought it was that killed her. No one would be fine after that.
"I went home for Christmas—went through the floo—Saw him pass by in the hall— went to look for Mother. I found her —she—she was dead—in a pool of her own blood— she was cut so badly—there was so much blood." Malfoy said between sobs. Harry looked away from the blond hair to Seamus who looked troubled and a little green. Not only did he lose his mother he had seen her lifeless body not minutes after she was killed. There was no way Malfoy could be fine. It was no wonder the blond was breaking down in the bathroom.
"Have you talked to anyone?" Harry asked not letting go of Malfoy. "One of your friends?"
"No one talks to me— I have— I have no friends."
"No one?" Harry asked. This wasn't something he could ignore even with the history that he and Malfoy had. No one deserved to be left alone to deal with this mess Malfoy had found himself in.
"They hate me— they don't talk to me— they don't look at me."
"Alright. Look at me." Harry said loosening his arms so that Malfoy could move but the blond didn't move. "Draco, look at me."
Malfoy drew in a deep breath and looked up at him. His eyes were wide and red and full of tears. His lips were trembling from wanting to cry and his entire face was red. He looked wrecked.
"I'm looking at you, I'm talking to you and I'm going to be your friend." Harry said and Malfoy stared at him hard. Obviously questioning what Harry would want to do that for. Harry could also spot Seamus' raised brows over the blond's head.
"Why?" Malfoy asked and Harry knew he had good reason to ask that. They had never got on. Their history was probably approaching legendary. Never had they gotten along in all the years they had known each other.
"Because we are the same and we should stick together." Harry answered as Seamus crawled closer to them and rested a hand on Malfoy's shoulder. Malfoy spun his head to look at him and Harry held him tight so that he wouldn't lash out. Seamus' golden cat ears and tails were exposed so that the blond could see them "We'll both be your friend."
"Why would you?" Draco asked clearly confused. They couldn't blame him.
"Because we should stick together and you need it. You don't deserve to be alone." Seamus answered gently rubbing his shoulder. He couldn't believe that what he had heard could happen and he was willing to at least try to help this boy who was their potential mate despite his past. "You don't have a family now but you should have friends. If you want, you can have family later when you're ready for it."
Harry shot him a look that the blond in his arms missed since it literally went over his head. "For now let's just stay like this for a while and tomorrow we can start a new day."
"I don't-" Malfoy started but didn't continue. He didn't have the energy to argue. Seamus moved over to sit beside Harry and lean into his shoulder but kept an arm around Draco as well. They sat there for quite a while until Draco was almost asleep and Harry's legs were beginning to feel numb.
"Tomorrow or rather later today come sit with us. Stay with us." Harry said moving Draco who looked at him with sleepy eyes. Harry smiled sadly as Seamus stood up from beside him. "We should go back to our common rooms."
"We'll walk you to your common room." Seamus said helping both Harry and Draco up.
"I can walk." Draco said in a cracked voice but he wasn't protesting.
"We'll walk you to at least the Entrance Hall." Harry said his tone booking no argument. Draco didn't seem to want to argue anyway. They both walked with him to the stairs that lead down to the dungeons and watched him walk away slowly until he was gone before turning back to go to their own common room.
"That was not anything I expected." Seamus finally commented after they had travelled a few floors in silence. He hadn't expected to find Draco Malfoy curled into his enemy's chest crying his eyes out. Nobody would have expected that. Not from Draco Malfoy.
"It's a lot to take in. It kinda explains why we haven't really seen him either." Harry said tiredly.
"If I was in his shoes I wouldn't want to talk to anyone. Plus no one was talking to him either." Seamus commented sighing.
"I guess it finally got to him and he broke down. I don't think his parents would have been pleased to know he's a Neko either. They believe in all the pure blood stuff, blood purity, creatures-are-beneath-us and all that." Harry said with a sigh. "I think that's why he told us anything. We were Neko too so we would listen. Plus seeing another Neko probably shocked him enough to break all the barriers he was trying to keep up down."
"We were serious when we said we'd be his friend right?" Seamus asked looking at Harry with a serious expression.
"Of course, he needs us. You're not having second thoughts are you?" Harry asked eying him critically.
"No. He needs a friend or two." Seamus agreed with him. He had never seen someone who seemed so sure of themself breakdown like that.
"It's not going to be easy." Harry stated already thinking about the problems they might face.
"Did you expect it to? For one, he's from Slytherin. Our houses do not get along. People will question why we're doing this. Two, you both have a history of being at each other's throats. Hopefully he won't be a jerk and you won't kick off one of your many fights." Seamus said ticking each point off his fingers.
"I don't think he can be a jerk." Harry said sadly.
"You can explain that when I'm finished." Seamus stated as they approached the Fat Lady before counting a third finger and continuing his rant. "Three, he's Draco Malfoy. His name alone causes problems, everyone in our house hates him. The school hates him. There is stigma attached to him and it's not good stigma."
"There's good stigma?" Harry asked but Seamus ignored the question. He said the password for them to get in.
"My point is: this will not be easy." Seamus stated as they stepped into the Gryffindor common room. "What were you saying about not being able to be a jerk?"
"I think he's lost his will to do anything really. He's not like he used to be. He's not a proud, arrogant, stick-up-arse prick anymore. He's a broken person with nothing and no one. I think he's been humbled. The method was tragic, very tragic but it is what it is." Harry answered and they came to a stop in the empty common room. Seamus eyed him critically for a moment.
"You feel sorry for him." he observed.
"Of course I do. I didn't know my parents when they died and I didn't find my mother's cold lifeless body, nor did my own father kill my mother but what did happen affects me, so I can only imagine how much it affects him." Harry said and Seamus stepped forward a wrapped his arms around him. Harry leaned into him. "This only happened this Christmas, just a few weeks ago. It's still fresh in his mind and he's alone. He's been traumatized by this."
"Then we will be the friends he needs." Seamus said into Harry's hair. Harry nodded against him. "We'll need help."
XXXXX
"So you're telling me we have to be nice to the ferret?!" Ron hissed after a shocked silence. The group of them, Harry, Ron, Seamus and Dean, were the first ones down in the common room still in their pyjamas. Harry and Seamus had woken the other two up early to so that they could talk them about Draco.
"Yes." Seamus answered carefully.
"Why!?" Ron asked clearly not seeing the need for this.
"We just told you." Harry stated flatly.
"No. You told me he's been through a lot and you're going to be his friend." Ron said. Dean stood to the side nodding.
"He's not the same." Harry said trying to get them to understand at least that much.
"I don't like this." Dean stated folding his arms with a frown.
"Look. He's been through hell especially this Christmas." Seamus said looking at both of them. "We can't tell you what happened but it was horrible."
"What makes you think it's even true?" Ron asked incredulously but no less angry.
"You don't breakdown like that if it's not true." Seamus answered flatly. The others saw the wisdom in that but still couldn't believe it especially without knowing what it was that Malfoy had told them.
"You don't have to say anything to him. Just don't start anything." Harry added as a compromise.
"And if he starts it?" Ron asked folding his arms defensively.
"Do whatever." Harry said inwardly hoping he was right and Draco wouldn't be a prick. Ron looked at him hard. His face was red with anger.
"Fine." Ron growled and walked away. He stomped up the stairs to prepare for school.
"I'm trusting you on this. He goes off on Ginny and he's done. I will hex him into the ground." Dean said seriously. Both Harry and Seamus nodded. Dean sighed. "You owe me one for explaining why Draco Malfoy will be sitting with us from now on to Ginny."
"Ouch." Harry sympathised. Ginny could be very hard headed especially when it cam to people who had hurt or insulted her family. "Good luck."
Dean went up the stairs leaving Harry and Seamus there. They followed him up seconds later and quickly packed and got dressed for school. By the time they were ready everyone else was up and getting ready as well. They quickly went down to wait outside the Great Hall. They stood talking idly away from the door as more and more people passed them. They kept their eyes on the stairs to the dungeons.
"I hope you know what you're doing. I can respect what you are doing but this is Malfoy, be careful." Hermione said when she and Ron came down for breakfast. Ron was a little calmer than he was before but it was obvious he didn't like the idea. Harry nodded and they walked away and into the Great Hall. Not long afterwards, Dean came down with Ginny. He nodded in their direction but Ginny ignored them.
"Prepared?" Seamus asked Harry when they finally saw Draco coming. Harry nodded. He was as ready as they could ever be.
"Put him between us." Harry told him as they approached the blond.
"Malfoy." Seamus greeted him with a nod and no malice but he didn't stick around. He had to warn the others and prepare them for Draco's arrival.
"Draco." Harry greeted instead while he watched Draco watch Seamus leave. "He's gone to save us a seat."
"You were serious then." Draco said and Harry nodded. The blond looked tired and sad and more than a little dried out. There was almost no light in his steely grey eyes now that Harry was looking at him properly with no crying involved. Draco was like a shadow of himself.
"Just be calm and don't pick a fight. You'll be fine. You don't have to try to be anything." Harry told him and motioned for them to start walking again. "Ready?"
"Ok." Was all Draco said. They entered the Great Hall. Draco just stared ahead of him with a tired look and followed Harry to the Gryffindor table. Harry slipped in between Seamus and Ron. Seamus moved over to make space for Draco between them.
"Good morning." Harry greeted them and gently nudged Draco with his elbow. There was silence across the entire table as the Gryffindors all gradually noticed the pair.
"'Morning." Draco said softly, just barely glancing at Hermione and Dean across the table. They were both looking at him with contemplative frowns but they echoed the greeting anyway.
"Eat something." Harry prompted when he noticed Draco just looking at the food before him. He looked at Harry, sighed, poured himself a cup of tea and picked up a slice of toast. "That's it?"
Draco shrugged.
"Please eat some more." Harry said as Seamus put two more slices of toast on Draco's plate. "And at least a slice of fruit."
Draco shrugged again. "Maybe. I'm not very hungry."
"Ok. What class do you have first today?" Harry asked changing the subject as he continued putting food on his plate.
"Arithmancy."
"Really?" Hermione asked surprised and interested. Draco looked over at her and nodded. "How have I've never seen you in class this year?"
"I sit at the back." Draco stated and shrugged again.
"What other subjects do you take?" Hermione asked taking an interest in the new Malfoy.
"Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Herbology, Magical Theory and Defence Against the Dark Arts." Draco answered staring across the table at her. She had no delusions that normal Malfoy would not have answered her and if he had it would have been nothing like that. The answer had been purely factual with almost no inflection in tone.
"You do Ancient Runes and Arithmancy?" Ron asked leaning past Harry to look at Malfoy who was just biting into his second slice of toast. He didn't think Malfoy would be doing hard subjects like the ones Hermione did especially not with so many other class.
The blond looked at him and nodded slowly with a frown. Was it so weird to be doing them together? Or was it just he (Draco) was doing them?
"How have I not seen you in classes?" Hermione asked searching through her memory trying to recall ever seeing or hearing mention of him in class. She couldn't remember anything. She could not remember one moment of seeing Malfoy or hearing him.
"I sit at the back?" Draco answered slowly. Why would it matter if she noticed him in class? No one noticed him. She wouldn't have said anything to him even if she did anyway. He was mostly invisible these days.
"Well, from now on you've got someone to sit beside." Harry said and Draco looked at him sceptically. He smiled at the blond while Seamus slipped a strip of bacon in between the remaining slices of toast on Draco's plate.
"Have you done the Arithmancy assignment that's due tomorrow?" Hermione asked watching how both Harry and Seamus dealt with Malfoy but not commenting on it. To be truthful she hadn't expected Malfoy to be so quiet or show his emotions so plainly on his face. He looked so sad and withdrawn she wondered if this was really Malfoy sitting across from her and not just some one that looked like him. He hadn't said one mean thing since he sat down. He'd hardly said anything except to answer questions and that was just with the plainest and surprisingly truthful answers.
"Yes." Draco answered.
"Um Harry?" a high voice asked from behind him. Harry looked turned to see Lavender Brown standing there. "What is he doing here?"
"Eating breakfast obviously." he answered. He already knew where this conversation was going and he didn't like it at all.
"I see that, but he's at the wrong table." Lavender said looking pointedly at the blond and back. Beside Harry, Draco kept his eyes on his plate. Seamus was watching Lavender with an annoyed look. He'd just got Draco to nibble some toast and now he had obviously lost what little appetite he had.
"No, he's not." Harry stated as blandly as possible.
"This is the Gryffindor table." Lavender says slowly as if trying to get a child to understand a point. That just served to annoy Harry.
"I know. I asked him to sit with us." Harry said evenly.
"Why?" she asked confused that he would ask the blond to sit anywhere near him. This confusion was to be expected.
"He's my friend." Harry answered and there was a collective gasp from all who could hear and were eavesdropping.
"What?! How?! Why?!" Lavender asked clearly shocked and disbelieving. "You're joking aren't you?"
"None of your business. He's my friend and that's it." Harry said stubbornly and turned back to his meal.
"But he's a Slytherin! He shouldn't be here." Lavender exclaimed and Hermione rose and walked around the table without the others noticing. She'd had just about enough of this.
"So what?" Harry asked standing up now. This was wearing on his nerves now. Hermione came around and nudged the girl out of the way.
"Come on Malfoy, we've got Arithmancy." She said tugging him up by the shoulder. Draco shot Harry a puzzled look before getting off the bench and taking his bag with him to follow her. Before he left Seamus gave him a wrapped napkin of muffins. He took it with the same puzzled look but Hermione was already pulling him away and chattering on about their shared class.
"Leave him alone Lavender. He's our friend now." Seamus said matter-of-factly. Across from him Dean nodded and they both got back to their food. Harry shot her a glare before grabbing his bag and leaving. The first morning and already there was a fuss. Ron caught up to him not long after he left.
"It's only going to get worse. Is he really worth it?" Ron asked watching him closely.
"Maybe." Harry answered quietly.
"There's more to this than you're telling us." Ron observed.
"It's complicated." Harry answered with a sigh. Ron frowned at him.
"Ok. Just know, if this, whatever this really is, blows up in your face I'll be there to comfort you and to tell you I told you so." Ron said and Harry laughed.
"I hope you won't have to." Harry said as the laugher slipped away.
"Good luck mate." Ron offered patting him on the shoulder.