As soon as Harry closed Severus' door, Draco dropped his guard.
"Control yourself. Keep your Occlumency strong. The Dark Lord will not notice anything if you stay calm." Severus squeezed Draco's shoulder. "We should find what is going on between you and Potter soon."
"Maybe Potter's spell did it? But that doesn't make sense! I could sense him already even before he attacked me that night." Draco was pacing in Severus' office, working on his brain for any clue or… just anything.
"Calm down! First, what brought you here?" Severus walked toward one of his two locked bookshelves, opened it after dispelled the security charms and scanning the content.
"I made a progress! The cabinet is almost ready," Draco told his godfather. His voice bore pride and relief. "I think it will be ready in few weeks."
"Let's just hope the Dark Lord extends his patience for you and willing to hold off for another few weeks." Severus' emphasize at the last two words was well noticed by Draco. The term would end in a month. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor pulled out a leather covered heavy book. "Now, elaborate how and since when did you notice you were able to sense Potter's magic?"
"I started to notice this few weeks after the school started. I don't know how it works. I just suddenly could sense a particular magic signature and Potter came in my mind."
"Did you make any particular interaction with Potter before this happened?"
"Yes. It was in summer." Draco stood still for two seconds, and then added, "I'm sorry I didn't inform you about summer."
"Better that way. The less I know, the safer you and your mother be." Severus dismissed Draco's words with his waving hand. "Though, I am curious of how you could manage to stay sane in the Black House."
"How did you know we were in the Black House?" Draco blinked.
"Dumbledore," Severus rolled his eyes. Draco blanched. "At ease, Draco. He didn't know you were there. I figured it out myself."
Draco nodded in relief.
"I was worried for Mother. I needed a safe place from the Dark Lord for her. Mother said the Black House was blood bonded. Only Black bloods could enter the house. Well, with an exception for Potter. So we decided to hide there. Mother helped Potter to claim and master the house so that no one else would be able to enter it. The mastering didn't work. So we improvised by adding and synching Potter's magic to the house instead, established him as the new master."
"'We'?" Severus blinked at Draco.
"Ah, I mean Mother and Potter. He was going to lose control in the middle of the ritual, though. So I assisted him. But I made a mistake by aiding him with my magic. The house immediately drew out my magic. Thank Merlin Potter came to his sense on time and stopped the house from draining all of my magic."
Draco saw the stricken face on Severus. "…Sir?"
"Get Potter now!" Severus closed his book hard and hushed Draco out of his office to fetch Harry Potter.
~o~
Draco found Harry before the Grand Staircase landing. He was talking with Dumbledore. Or rather Dumbledore was talking at Harry which the latter looked troubled. Draco was contemplating the situation. Should he interrupt –no matter how rude that would be— or he could wait, which was unlikely. Severus looked serious and urgent when he ordered him to get Harry. Harry looked like he wanted nothing to do with the headmaster anyway. So Draco walked ahead, approaching them.
"—afraid? You need your friends, Harry. Sirius would not have wanted you to shut yourself away." Dumbledore said to Harry. Harry said nothing. But as the headmaster opened his mouth, ready to talk more, Harry interrupted him.
"I am capable of taking care of myself. I don't want to trouble anyone, really, Professor…" Harry remarked in small voice.
Draco frowned at that. The Potter he knew was always courageous and confident…sharp voice…reserved…
Draco's steps faltered. Came to think of it, since the summer Harry had acted unlike himself. The Gryffindor teen had become timid, insecure, aversive, unbalanced, out of character.
Draco took the pause in their conversation as an opportunity and walked straight to them.
"Professor," Draco nodded, glancing at Dumbledore slightly then focused on Harry, ignoring completely the headmaster and the rudeness he committed. "Potter, I need to talk to you. When you finished."
Draco walked back toward the dungeon without waiting for Harry to follow him. Half the way, Draco turned his head slightly and saw from his peripheral vision that Harry was following not far behind him. He exhaled in relief.
"I know you don't like Dumbledore. But that was rude." Harry's voice sounded so close that Draco stopped abruptly and looked back to find they were indeed only three feet away from each other now.
"Oh, drop the pretense, Potter. I know you didn't want to talk with him. You should thank me for saving your behind back there," Draco replied.
At first, Draco saw denial on Harry's face. But he was dumbfounded when suddenly the denial gone and was replaced with confusion that immediately turned into amusement and a second later Harry burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Draco asked in unfriendly tone.
"'Your behind'," Harry managed to say between laughs.
Draco felt offended by that, thinking Harry was mocking him.
"What's so funny with that?" Draco honestly didn't know what was so funny about those words. Instead of an answer, Harry gave him a wide grin as a reply. Draco blinked at that. It was the first genuine smile he had ever received from Harry at Hogwarts without any mockery or cynicism applied. There must be something wrong with Potter's head, Draco concluded. Maybe that's why Severus wanted to see the Gryffindork. So, Draco ignored him and continued his walk through the cold passageway.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Harry was walking beside Draco now.
"Professor Snape wanted to talk to you," Draco answered. Harry stopped.
"What? But he just dismissed me a moment ago!" Harry protested.
"I think he found something about our situation." Draco motioned Harry to continue their walk.
Soon they arrived at Severus' office.
"Potter. You are going to take private training with me on Occlumency," Severus said to Harry with voice that demanded no argument.
"What? Why?" Harry perplexed. Then his face darkened. "Did Dumbledore order you to do it?"
"No," Severus replied, which made Harry relieved. Draco was curious of why Harry looked upset when the headmaster was mentioned. "You are aware that the Dark Lord can penetrate your mind. Now that you and Malfoy have developed…a particular connection, I do not wish for him to find it out. Not only it will endanger Malfoy and his mother, he will also take advantage from it to attack you and Hogwarts."
Severus, Draco acknowledged, showing genuine concern and worry in his voice. Wow.
Draco's eyes moved to Harry. The black-haired teen looked mortified. But what surprised Draco was the expression was directed toward him. What? Was it his fault now, Draco thought. He frowned.
"Training begins next Saturday, replacing your detention. Malfoy, since you have no plan to visit Hogsmeade this weekend, I want you to give Potter lesson on Occlumency theory tomorrow, or today even better. Discuss the time later yourselves. You can go back to whatever you were doing, Potter." Severus opened his office door with a spell, signaling Harry to leave his office.
After Harry left the office, Severus closed the door and without a pause, he told Draco,
"It appears that there has been an exchange of magic signatures between you two during the ritual in the Black House. When the house was absorbing your magic, Potter disturbed the process and somehow without his awareness, his own magic infused to you in initiation to take over your body for intruding his mastering on the house ward. And according to this book," Severus handed the book about warding rituals to Draco, "the ward transferred your magic signature to Potter and bonded yours with his to protect the house by keeping you in track for him."
"So, Potter can find me with the pull of his magic in me whenever he wishes? Bloody hell! Why should I be bonded to him!" Draco put the book unceremoniously on Severus' desk. "Salazar! Cut the bond off! I don't want to be his prisoner!"
"Language," Severus admonished. "And think! This bond might gain you benefit, Draco. Do not let Potter know about this until he has mastered the Occlumency."
"I doubt he will ever," Draco sneered. Seeing the difficult expression on Severus' face, however, Draco swallowed. His godfather was sincerely worried about him. "Fine. I'll fill in Potter on Occlumency tomorrow in the library."