A/n- Thanks to all my reviewers! You guys are awesome!!
Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter- gerrrrrr….
Summary: Lots of little scenes. Kind of. By the way, info on Horcruxes are kind of mismatched to fit my story line.
The Other Side of Fate
"I can't believe they'd do that."
Draco let his head fall back against the Owlry's stone side, eyes closed. He felt Hermione next to him, her fingers in his hair; he could feel the disbelief in her voice. Draco grimaced.
"They're destroying me, Blaise knows it and I know it." Despite the warming charm around them, his breath appeared in a white plume when he spoke. "I think he's trying to show me that I have no one left."
Hermione smiled and tightened her grip on his arm. "You have me."
Draco gave a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes, and he knew Hermione saw this. Instead, he pulled at her cheek, closing the gap between them.
"Don't tell anyone- about the quiddich."
"It's nothing to be ashamed-" She trailed off at the look on his face and sighed. "Alright."
Draco moved his hand down to her neckline, where it flitted over her collarbone. "I just don't want the Weasel or Potter to know."
"Mmm."
Hermione wasn't listening anymore. Malfoy sat up a fraction and glowered, not really at anything. Hermione sat back next to him and entwined her hand within his.
Malfoy let out a long breath, his mind working over what he was going to send to his mother- he might as well do it tonight before she had a fit or something. Malfoy ran a hand through his hair as it hung down over his eyes.
He glanced over to Hermione, who looked a tad dejected, and felt a twinge of shame. He was ignoring her- not try to- but ignoring her all the same.
In a quick motion he bent his head and captured her lips with his own.
.o.o.o.o.
Dearest Mother,
I am Owling you in regards to your ever present concern over my wellbeing. It's only the first night at Hogwarts and I already sure you are fretting over the Dark Lord's, and my father's, wishes. I implore you to give me just a little more time, mother. Wait for my answer, for I have not made up my mind as of late.
Be patient. For your son, be patient.
You have my love,
Draco
.o.o.o.o.
It was early November when the chill of winter first clung with claws of ice to the stone of Hogwarts. Snow was late, however, and the chill became unbearably cold without the comforting blanket of snowfall.
Draco had pulled out his fur lined cloak, the one his father had sent to him years before, only to have it nicked by Hermione only hours after it had left his trunk.
Sitting down at the Gryffindor table one Saturday morning, Draco let out a bark of a laugh as he saw Hermione and Ginny huddled under the emerald green cloak. The Slytherin crest stuck under Ginny's chin and the gray fur mingling with Hermione's hair, both looking utterly ridiculous.
"If I knew it was going to be infected by the Weasleys, I would have kept the thing for myself." Draco grinned, eyeing the girls. "I am freezing, you know." He drawled. Ginny stuck up her nose.
"We're just trying to ignore the awful Slytherin smell, aren't we Hermione? It's all I can do not to wretch."
"Yes, well, you'll deal with it, won't you?" Malfoy pulled a croissant to him along with the marmalade. Hermione pulled a flyer out of her new suede school bag- a birthday present from the boy now forking a sausage onto his plate.
She handed the paper over the table. "Look, they're giving Apparition tests, have you signed up yet?" Draco looked blankly at her, his mouth full of breakfast. He narrowed his eyes as if trying to remember. "No? Well, I signed both of us up just incase." Ginny rolled her eyes but said nothing.
Malfoy swallowed a gulp of orange juice. "When are they?"
"Every Saturday this month, staring today" Draco groaned at this.
"My Saturdays…"
Hermione pursed her lips. "A thank you for signing you up?"
"Thank you."
"Hello Harry!" Ginny quipped. Draco swiveled around to see Potter and the Weasel walking up, no books under their arms, but Apparition flyers in their hands. Harry waved and Draco held up his paper. Harry grinned.
"You going too, Malfoy?" Harry seated himself next to the boy as Ron went around to sit next to Ginny; one look from her brother and the red head shrugged off Draco's cloak. Hermione pulled it down low over her shoulders.
"Apparently I am, yes." Draco murmured as he handed the paper back to Hermione.
"Well good…" Harry trailed off, looking over his shoulder. Everyone was silent for a tick. Harry suddenly leaned in. "Listen, Malfoy, we wanted to talk about the Order tonight- Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and I. We thought since Dumbledore trusts you we should invite you along."
Draco looked hard at his glass as he set it back onto the table. He kept his face carefully blank.
This was a little sudden; he had to think about this. Didn't he say he was going to stay away from Potter and his rabble little gang for as long as humanly possible?
An inexplicable urge swelled within Draco's chest.
He could feel Potter next to him, feel his anticipation. He was waiting for Draco to speak.
"When?" He paused. "Where?"
"Gryffindor Common Room, about midnight- most will be in bed by then- we'll have our privacy."
Draco glanced at Ron who was staring at him. The two locked gazes.
"You're Common Room. You think that's best… Potter?" Draco tried hard not to smirk, not to take his eyes off the Weasel.
"Yes." Potter's voice was crisp and curt. Weasley didn't even blink.
Hermione looked slightly stricken as she leaned over the table. "No, it's too dangerous. How will he get there without being seen?"
Glancing at Hermione, Draco felt the unidentified feeling combat with another. Love. And by placing the second feeling, Draco was able to name the first.
Testosterone.
For as much as his love for Hermione ran deep, there were some things she could never replace- and being ostracized from one's own people put into sharp relief what Draco was lacking.
Male bonding.
He was getting giddy from the thought of actually talking to boys his age. Draco shuttered.
Harry smiled and Malfoy rounded his gaze upon him. "Not be seen? The Invisibility cloak, of course."
Malfoy's mouth dropped open.
"You have an- an invisibility cloak?" His voice was incredulously excited, his eyes clear and wide. He didn't even have one of those, and up until the end of last year did he think he had everything- obviously not.
"Shhh." Ginny put a finger to her lips. Draco's mouth snapped shut as he felt something press into his side. Looking down he saw Potter slide the cloak out of his school bag.
The fabric, like water, was cool to the touch, and Malfoy was silent for a good long moment as he ran his hand over the invisible stitch.
"Where did you get this?" He breathed, truly in awe.
"My father."
"Your- oh." Malfoy folded the material with an extra once of care. Harry clasped him on the shoulder.
"Midnight." He murmured. "You're going to be there, right?" Draco felt an odd little sensation in the pit of his stomach as he glanced up to look at Hermione. Her gaze went from Harry's beaming smile to Draco, and she lit up like a torch, grinning ear to ear.
From that gaze did Draco tack another little name to that feeling he had.
Acceptance.
"Yes, Potter."
"Right, now, you know where the Gryffindor Tower is, knock three times and we'll swing the portrait hole open."
Malfoy nodded mutely.
It was kind of frightening, the look on the Potter boy's face. It was a beaming smile that seemed to transcend any kind of friendly, good-natured humor. It was as if he was proud of the way his little troop was forming, as if he, much like Dumbledore, was forming his own little Order.
Truly a Dumbledore's Army.
After all, who better to head the next group of young wizards then the Wonder Boy himself?
Draco, shifting in his seat, admitted to himself that he still didn't wholeheartedly believe what Dumbledore had said about Harry not being the focus of the Dark Lord's downfall.
Besides, if they were suppose to work together, they're couldn't be any dissension in the 'ranks of Potter'. There had to be trust built. Draco looked up at Weasley, the boy casting a blank look down the table.
Malfoy wasn't sure that was ever going to happen.
.o.o.o.o.
The castle felt like, quite literally, a frozen popsicle around midnight that Saturday evening as Draco steeled himself by the Slytherin fire. Yet, the snow had yet to fall.
Malfoy shook his head, stretching his arms out like a cat. His joints and muscles whined in an aching protest. He'd nearly splinched himself during apparition lessons- almost- but he had recovered just in time to make it into the metal ring.
Still, his body ached from the strain it was unaccustomed to and it wasn't as if the cold was helping him any.
His knee popped a tad painfully as he got up from his sitting position.
Stopping before the stone snake, Draco slid the invisibility cloak out from under his warm pullover. The material made his breath catch, the way the dying fire shown through the cloth.
From somewhere in the back of the Common Room, a door swung shut with a bang.
Malfoy froze momentarily before enveloping himself within the cloak. It fell upon him like gauze. Underneath the shroud, he flattened himself against the wall next to the snake and waited.
Nearly four whole minutes had ticked by without another sound, yet Draco stool still, just breathing, just listening, waiting. He couldn't afford any mistakes now.
Five minutes.
Should he move? Draco's hand twitched. He took in a shaky breath and moved his knee a fraction.
Nothing happened.
He moved again, this time away from the wall and over to the door.
Still nothing.
Tentatively, he touched the stone snake and it slid silently away, the darkness of the hall beyond oozing into the dimly lit Common Room. Draco glanced back only once before he stepped into the cold dungeon corridor beyond.
Just as the light faded, he stopped, looking back. Nothing moved. Draco turned to leave.
He got all the way up the dungeon stairs without incident- and this surprised Draco- considering he was nearly sprinting up the stairs two at a time. Only once did he have to lay on the ground, stomach flat, as Peeves swooped up and down one of the side halls.
But, as he climbed the steps near the Entrance Hall, to cross over to the main staircases, Draco stopped, his footfalls fading.
Someone else's shoes were making hollow smacking sounds on the stone behind him. They were uneven, like the person was speeding up and slowing down constantly- as if they were searching for something. Someone. Him.
Draco felt a fleeting pang of fear before he dove behind a stone statue lining the corridor walls. But as soon as he did so, Malfoy cursed himself. The stone statue was too large and bulky- he couldn't see his pursuer, only their feet if they walked by. He tried to move to get a better angle, but as soon as he leaned forward a degree, the figure rounded the corner.
His pursuer's feet whirled around on the spot as the stopped mere inches away from where Draco was hidden under the cloak. The figure paused, looking around, then sprinted off down towards the Great Hall, the opposite direction.
As the footfalls quieted, the echoes fading away, Draco let out a long sigh, his hands running through his hair. Getting to his feet once again, he stepped onto the closest moving staircase, his heart still beating wildly.
.o.o.o.o.
Creaking, the portrait hole swung open.
"Hello Potter." Draco pulled back the hood of his cloak. Although adrenalin still pumped within his veins, Malfoy threw a sneer in the boy's direction. Harry swung the picture out a little more.
"Hurry up, get in."
Draco placed both his hands on either side of the frame and hauled himself up. Harry moved back to let him pass, the Fat Lady swinging shut.
As the pair walked into the Common Room, Draco slid off the cloak and handed it back to its rightful owner. As he did so, the heat from the room hit him in the chest and it was suddenly too warm. Malfoy took off his Slytherin pullover, revealing a simple black shirt underneath.
"It's warm here." He said, mostly to himself. "And… red." Draco had never seen the inside of the Gryffindor Common Room, but it was smaller then the Slytherins'. Yet, that didn't seem to matter, for it felt more homely and certainly warmer. In front of the raging fire, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione sat, the two girls smiling at him.
For a moment, Malfoy didn't move, unsure of what to do. The utter normalcy of the scene in front of him clashed violently with the absurdity of it- he didn't know how to react.
Hermione saw the hesitation flash over his features. He looked pale, back and white against the red and gold hues around him. It was almost if his absence of Technicolor would bleed into his surroundings rather then the other way around.
She tried to look encouraging.
"Right, everyone." Harry moved past the boy to sit in one of the armchairs. Draco moved to the couch with Hermione, surprised at the softness of its cushions. "We have to discuss business."
Everyone was silent, waiting. Draco leaned back against the couch, an arm over Hermione's shoulder.
Harry cleared his throat. "I wanted to get everyone together to kind of hash out what's going to happen this year. As we know, Dumbledore and I are in the process of destroying the Horcruxes." Draco looked puzzled and Harry explained.
"The Dark Lord can be moral?" Malfoy breathed after Harry was finished.
The boy nodded."The goal is to have him mortal when I face him"
"The Dark Lord. You know," Ron grumbled. "I've only ever heard Death Eaters call him that."Ginny, Hermione, and Draco glared at him. Draco sighed.
Was he going to be like this all year?
"Sorry, Weasel, I've only ever grown up with one." He drawled. Ron sniffed stuffily.
Harry ignored the little spat and continued. "The Headmaster and I are also dealing in occlumency, something to help clear my mind from Voldemort."
"I can do that." Draco spat. "It's not that hard." The whole group turned to stare at him. Harry blinked. "I mean, I was taught how to do that, first year."
"Who taught you?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"Snape."
Ron's mouth fell open, but before he could dive into another 'Death Eater' accusation, Malfoy cut him off.
"My father set it up, said it was good practice for when I came into Voldemort's-" Ron scowled. "service." Malfoy let out a small, harsh laugh. "Said it would help against Dumbledore's people if I was ever captured. We didn't tell Snape why, my father just paid him."
Harry looked around nervously.
"No matter." Draco waved a hand. "Back to the topic at hand."
Harry nodded slowly. "When Voldemort killed my parents-" It surprised Draco how level his voice sounded. "Something happened with my scar, I can sometimes see Voldemort's thoughts, feel him if he's close."
Ginny leaned in to whisper. "His wand and Voldemort's have the same phoenix feather."
Malfoy blinked. "The same bird?" Harry nodded. "Well, Potter…" He couldn't think of any kind of witty remark. Everyone went oddly silent and Malfoy had the distinct impression that this meeting was less to inform the group and more to get him up to speed.
Lost in thought, Draco remembered.
"Someone was following me here." He blurted. Hermione looked round at him. "Gave them the slip though, but still… I think they came from the Dungeons."
"Oh that narrows it down, doesn't it?" Ron spat. "Nearly all the nutters come from the dungeons, don't they?" Ron shook his head in disbelief. Ginny shot him a dirty look.
"Listen, Weasel-"
Something made a noise at the top of the Dormitory staircase. The group whirled around, including Draco. A figure was halfway down the steps.
"Oiy, what's going on down here?" It was Katie Bell. "Hey, what's he doing here?" She pointed at Malfoy. Draco jumped up from the couch and rounded on the girl, his finger pointing.
"Not a word-" He was about to throw some dirty insult before Harry cut him off, throwing a small glare at the pale boy.
"Sorry Katie, you know, just- he wanted to see Hermione, that's all."
Katie narrowed her eyes. "Well, don't let me find him in here again." She glared at the Slytherin. "Watch yourself in here, Malfoy."
Draco sneered at her.
"Alright, that's enough; you should probably get back to your Common Room." Harry looked somewhat broken- as if he would have liked the conversation to continue, but with Katie still standing atop the stairs, arms folded.
"Right, Potter." Draco nodded his head in the boy's direction as he took the Invisibility cloak back. "Thanks." He whispered as he went to the Portrait Hole, Hermione on his heels.
Harry smiled.
"Don't mention it."
Ginny made a slight noise and everyone stared at her. The girl's face lit up. At the questioning stairs, she pointed.
"Look out the window!"
Everyone looked.
"It's snowing." Hermione whispered.
Draco pulled back on the invisibility cloak, watching her expression. He smiled.
A/n- sorry for the lateness, I really am!!!! Chapter 8 next Sunday! Promise!
Anyway, what did we learn from this chapter? Three big things. Try and guess! ( hint: one is coming in the next chapter and the other two not for a while, okay that's not really clue, but oh well)
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