Part II- The Glass Key


Harry walked stealthily down a dimly lit corridor. He recognised this part of the school from the other midnight excursion he had taken yesterday, when he had come across Draco.

Draco had been causing Harry a few problems. Firstly, this was the second late night Harry had devoted to him, and secondly the strange occurrences last night were causing him some confusion.

He glanced around furtively and turned the corner.

If this was some trick....

No, it couldn't be a trick. Those tears could not have been fake, and who can influence their own dreams in that way? Draco, it turned out, was not as cool and calm as he seemed. He had fear like everyone else...but fear should not have that effect on him. What was it that made him shiver and cling to Harry in his sleep? What had he been taking? Harry remembered the small bottle of pills.

Harry expected to feel some kind of satisfaction in this new knowledge, but all it brought him was an unexplained feeling of dread. Perhaps he didn't want to know. He shouldn't have anything more to do with the boy who had hated him passionately from the first time they met. Draco was trouble, and there should be no more consorting with him.

Harry turned on his heel, relieved that he had come to a decision about the meeting. He did not want to see Draco anymore than was necessary.

"Potter!"

Harry froze.

"...Harry, I think we need to talk."

He looked at Draco's silhouetted figure. "This better not be a trick"

"Does it look like a trick, numb-skull?"

Draco motioned for Harry to follow him, which he hesitantly complied with. The soft muffle of their light footsteps echoed lightly behind them, as they made their way though the castle.

Draco stopped outside an old discarded classroom. He turned to look at Harry while pushing the door lightly. With a flourish of his wand, the torches flared, and settled into a dim, flickering pattern. The desks were mouldy from lack of use and the damp conditions.

They looked at each other for a second, neither of them knowing how to begin.

Harry shuffled his feet a little and Draco spontaneously decided to leap, cat-like onto the nearest desk. He sat there, his legs dangling, and peering at Harry through his silver lashes.

"Tell me what we did last night"

Harry swung himself onto the adjacent desk, replying with. "You don't remember?"

Draco looked a little distant "It's a bit fuzzy really. I only remember climbing into bed, and you... tucking me in- so to speak."

He looked slightly put out.

"Well...I was walking down the corridor last night, and I saw you standing at the window." Harry paused. "You...kept falling and looked quite drowsy and ill, so I lead you back to your commonroom."

"How did you know where my commonroom was?" Draco looked suspicious.

"And then you asked me to... put you into bed." Harry continued, avoiding Draco's question.

"I didn't!" Draco said indignantly, knowing that he probably had done just that. "Why did you agree anyway. You could have just left me in the commonroom. I would have been quite safe there!"

"I don't know! It was just freezing cold, and you would have caught pneumonia." Harry said, looking slightly offended.

Draco glanced at the other boy and felt a rush of guilt sweep over him. Shouldn't he be grateful?- pleased?

He studied the dark-haired boy, who was staring into his lap. Draco was glad of this. One glimpse of those deep eyes and he felt that he would collapse. Another late night session- what was he thinking? This kind of thing wasn't safe, especially not with Harry. Draco's pills were still on the bedside table.

Resignedly, Draco hopped off the desk and walked round it, to sit on the chair. He sighed. "Yeah...sorry."

Harry looked up sharply. This was Draco- he wasn't drunk or drugged in any way, yet he was apologising?

Draco on the other hand, immediately buried his head into his arms, stretched onto the dust-covered table. He couldn't face looking at the eyes. Not yet.

"What did I say to you? I can't recall it- it's much too blurry."

Harry snapped. "Of-course it was blurry- with those pills you've been taking!"

Draco's colour drained- more than usual.

He looked up. What a mistake.

The green eyes were angry- concerned?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that crap Draco! I saw them, on your bed-side table."

"I don't know what you mean!" Draco stood abruptly, letting the chair crash to the floor.

"Just tell me what they are...you don't have to take them...it's not worth it."

Draco sighed again. There was no point in denying it. A part of him wanted to share it, anyway. A part of him needed this boy- with a large beating heart, to know about him- the real Draco- who could suffer like everyone else. He was not a stone heart.

Maybe leaving them out on the table had been a subconscious cry for help. They were usually kept tucked away in secret compartment behind his trunk. Or maybe, he was just not thinking straight when he had taken them. How could he have been- to leave a bottle of pills out in the open for all to see.

He pulled the chair upright, sat down heavily and admitted. "Ok, they *are* mine. But tell me what I said to you first. What did I do?"

Harry hesitated. "You weren't making much sense. I took you into your dorm, and you asked me to stay with you. You were shivering and looked scared...more than you do now."

Indeed, Draco was looking frightened. His eyes were opened wide.

"What else did I do?" Draco whispered. Would Harry find out? How could he tell his story? Not after all the pain of keeping it bottled in his 'stone' encased heart. And now, it looked as if Harry would make his own deductions. Draco had let it slip. In one moment- he has let his guard down, and his secret was threatened.

"You were thrashing around and sweating during the night. You called out in your sleep, asking for someone not to hurt you."

At this Draco looked close to tears, and Harry looked deeply worried.

Harry was standing now. "What is it Malfoy? What are you scared of?...I know you don't like me...but, this is serious. If someone is hurting you...well...I wouldn't even wish that on you, Draco"

Draco had looked doubtful through his teary eyes. But at the sound of his name on Harry's lips- gentle and sobering, there was a glint of something- faith?- belief?

Could he trust this boy. Trust wasn't, couldn't be simply given out. It had to be earned. Had Harry earned it? He hadn't told anyone else about Draco's nightmares. He hadn't teased him, or scorned him. He was such a Griffindor- sickening. But why would he anyway? If he did, then he would be threatened too. They had slept in the same bed for God's sake!

Draco instead turned to something else. He could not go straight for the heart of the problem. Instead...

"Have you heard of the Mirror of Erised?"

Harry nodded lightly, looking bewildered.

Draco looked surprised. "You have?"

Harry nodded again, more vigorously this time.

"I found it some time ago in an empty classroom- although it is gone now."

He paused.

"Go on" Harry urged, strangely pleased that Draco was opening up- sharing something.

"Um...Do you know what it shows?"

"I saw my family in it" Harry said timidly as he walked over to Draco's desk and pulled up a chair to sit opposite him. "It shows your deepest darkest desires."

"Yes...and no. You see, for me, I saw nothing."

Harry looked astonished. "You know that means that you're completely satisfied with your life."

"No Harry, you don't understand...I didn't see my reflection as a normal mirror...I saw a dark...a dark...hole- where the image should have been."

At these emotional words, Draco stood up and walked over to the window. He did not bother to open it. The cracked pane let in the cold breeze, drying up the tears that Harry had not noticed.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know." Draco replied, really knowing in his heart the meaning of that terrifying picture. He knew that his future was a meaningless blur. He had no desire, no wish, and no happiness.

He turned to face Harry, who swallowed slightly at the sight. There was Draco, yet again bathed in deceptively warm moonlight. His hair swept slightly from the breeze and red tearstains on his cheeks- remnants of the secret feeling that he did not want Harry to witness.

He was beautiful. But a battered and broken inside, enveloped by a delicately chiselled exterior. But you could see the hurt through his eyes. Not usually, but now, as Harry stared at Draco's form at the window, he could see deep into the other boys cheerless soul.

"I have to go." Draco's voice lacked its usual sneering tone.

Harry watched him walk across the classroom, past him, and open the creaking door. His footsteps made a slightly echoing, dramatic sound on the stone floor.

"Wait"

Draco looked round at Harry.

"You haven't...we need to talk."

"We don't need to do anything." Draco said simply. "Just forget about the whole thing." He walked out the door and continued down the silent corridor.

Harry dawdled for a second, then hurried after the retreating figure.

"Draco."

"Leave it, Potter."

"Draco, this is serious."

"Potter! I said go away. Leave me alone."

"No!" Harry grabbed Draco's wrist and turned him around, mid step.

"Don't you understand. I said leave me be."

"I *don't* understand, that's the thing. You need help Draco. You need guidance- counselling."

"Ha!- What do you know! Get out of my sight." He spat angrily.

"I'm not letting go until you explain to me." Harry said sternly.

Draco paused and looked, unabashedly into the green eyes. They stared at each other. Then Draco's anger subsided and he smiled- a little insanely- but still a smile.

"You really want to know."

Harry smiled with him. And before they could stop themselves, they had both realised the awkwardness of the situation and had burst out laughing.

"Shhh" Harry hissed between choking laughter. He pointed to the Slytherin door. "We'll wake them."

Draco quietened a bit, still a smile playing at his lips.

"This is so mad" He stated.

Harry nodded. "Yeah...I'll see you tomorrow." He added, as he walked back in the direction they had come from.

Draco stepped into the chilly air of his commonroom. 'I'll see you tomorrow' What did that mean? Was it a- I'll see you at breakfast type thing? Or was it- I'll see you for a meeting type thing?

He was too tired to think straight at the moment. He stepped quietly into his dorm and pulled on his pyjamas, sinking into his bed. He shivered slightly.

Sheesh. You could catch pneumonia in this cold.



A/N Thank you so much to all of you out there who reviewed my other fics.
You make me very happy :)

Big hugs all round.
Special thanks to: BTSF, Cali, Unicorn Chic and MoonDancer.

Also, I have recently written 'Ferrets and Such' (if you haven't read it...shoo- go away and do so ^_^)...anyway, I would just like to say that the ending was meant to be like that, and Ron, Hermione and the rest of the school got it wrong.

Just to clear that up.

~finite