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Chapter 3When Draco woke up the following morning, the first thing he heard was a bunch of obnoxious birds outside twittering like mad.
What is this nonsense? He thought. There aren't any birds down here.
Then, Draco opened his eyes and realized he was still in the Gryffindor dormitory, where he had fallen asleep last night as Harry Potter.
Draco groaned loudly. He had fell into a dreamless stupor, wishing the effect of the Devejuice Potion was just a bad nightmare. Yet, as he got out of bed and surveyed his reflection in the nearby mirror, he was assured otherwise. His usual beautifully groomed silvery blonde hair was replaced by a black untidy mess. I look like hell, he thought.
Draco had fallen asleep with his glasses on. He fixed them straight on his nice round nose and glanced at the clock, which read 9:00. It was Saturday, but everybody was already gone. Draco's stomach rumbled. Remembering that he had skipped dinner the previous night, he descended the winding staircase to leave his dormitory, hoping against hope that Ron or Hermione or anybody else would not bother him.
* * * * *
In the Great Hall, Harry had already taken Malfoy's usual place at the Slytherin table. Crabbe and Goyle had followed him there and were once again putting loads of food in their mouths.
Harry chewed his toast quietly and stared at the entrance. He was waiting for Ron and Hermione. They would walk in soon, and Harry would tell them exactly what happened. After all, they were his friends. They would understand.
" Mr. Malfoy," a drawling voice called behind him so suddenly that Harry jumped. He turned around and saw Snape's ugly face protruding from his black hair. "I booked the pitch for tonight at 7:00. Best be training if you want to catch the snitch before Potter does." He said Harry's name in a very disliking tone.
Harry was puzzled for a moment, but then it hit him. Snape was talking about the Quidditch. Harry was also reminded horribly of something else: Malfoy was captain of the Slytherin team.
Harry nodded and swallowed his pumpkin juice with a loud gulp.
When Harry turned around, he saw Hermione, Ron, and… the fake Harry come into the Great Hall. Harry was not used to seeing himself from outside, yet there he was, looking very glum and walking alongside Hermione and Ron. Harry was briefly reminded of the time in his third year when he and Hermione used the time turner and Harry had seen himself from the outside. This experience was similar to that one..
Very abruptly, Harry stood up. Crabbe gaped at him with his mouth open. Chewed up bacon was visible as he sputtered, " What's wrong?"
Harry didn't answer Crabbe. Without thinking, he approached the three of them.
" Go away, Malfoy. I don't want to start my day nauseous," Ron said. Hermione scowled and looked resolute. She glared angrily at Harry, who felt a little hurt. He was compelled to shout " But I'm Harry!" he didn't want anybody else to hear him.
Draco spoke up. " If this is about the Potions assignment, we'll talk later." Hermione's face softened as she glanced from one figure to the other. " Meet me in the library tonight a 6:00," Draco said quickly. Hermione and Ron were walking away and a loud noise indicated that the mail had arrived.
Harry returned to the Slytherin table, but could not bear to swallow his food as he gazed achingly at his friends, who were talking to Draco animatedly; Hedwig was perched upon the table, nibbling on toast.
* * * * *
At 5:55, Harry had to physically pry himself away from Pansy Parkinson's grasp. She insisted that she wanted to show him something in her dormitory and kept contorting her pug-like face into a sly smile.
At 6:10, he reached the library. It was very inconvenient, he thought, to live in the dungeons so far away from the rest of the school and his classes. He wished for the millionth time that he were the real Harry again.
Draco showed up ten minutes later with a very harassed look on his (Harry's) face.
" You're late," Harry said, crossing his arms. He imagined his pointed face to have a very smug look at that moment.
" Your girlfriend," Draco said as though this settled the matter.
" I haven't got a girlfriend," Harry said. " Who are you talking about?"
Draco smirked. " Weasley. She kept asking me to help her with homework, 'cause Granger was busy or something… I wasn't paying attention anyway."
" Ginny's talking to me now?" Harry thought aloud.
" And that damn mudblood won't shut up either, telling me to not come and see you and a whole bunch of other crap. You should just get rid of her. One good Avada Kedavra curse should do the trick…"
Fury radiated in Harry's stomach and instinctively, he reached into his pocket to grab his wand. He was unpleasantly surprised to see there was nothing there.
Draco laughed lightly. " Stupid Potter. I'm left-handed. Check the other pocket." He then added, " and you can't attack me with it either. A wizard's wand never works against its owner, no matter what they look like."
Frustrated, Harry simply grabbed the front of Draco's robes, twisting the Gryffindor patch between his long fingers. " If you ever hurt my friends, I won't wait one second after to you take that antidote to curse you," he growled.
Draco shoved Harry's hand off and gave him a piercing look through his glasses. " Whatever," he said. " Anyway, I thought we should lay some ground rules."
" Alright," said Harry instantly. " Leave my friends alone and I'll leave your – er – friends alone."
"As you know, Potter, I have quite a reputation." Draco started, ignoring Harry. He leaned against the chair and smiled, his green eyes twinkling.
" Yeah, for being such a ----"
" My reputation," Draco interrupted, his eyes now cold. " Exceeds yours a great deal. You may be famous Harry Potter and all that crap but I am a Malfoy. I am a pure-blood wizard, very wealthy, and," he smirked, " extremely good- looking."
Harry burst out laughing. " Arrogant, self-obsessed, and stupid git is more like it," he said through gasps. " How can you think so highly of yourself?"
Draco's cheeks turned slightly pink. " It's all very true, Potter. I mean, you are very lucky to get such an exchange."
Harry stopped laughing. " Lucky?" he said, outraged. " You've got to be kidding. Everything I had in my old life, I miss already. I haven't found one thing in your life that I like! This was the stupidest idea ever."
" Well the same goes for me," Draco said. His mind, however, immediately averted to Harry's invisibility cloak in his dormitory, and he realized he wasn't exactly telling the truth.
" Well, maybe we can just spend the next two weeks in the hospital wing or something. We'll have Dumbledore tell everyone we were knocked unconscious in a fight," Harry said.
" We can't," Draco said quietly.
" Why the hell not!"
" Quidditch."
Both boys stayed very silent. Harry had forgotten about Quidditch since it was mentioned that morning. It had also slipped his mind that the Quidditch final was to be held in a week and half.
" I'll still be you then!" Harry said after reminding Draco about this.
Draco rolled his eyes sardonically. " Yes that's right Professor Obvious. What are we going to do?" he asked. " I can't lead Gryffindor to victory… not that they would win anyway…"
" Shut it Malfoy. Let's not argue about that now. We'll both just play as if you're me and I'm you. I mean, we're both the seekers, so whoever catches the snitch catches the snitch," Harry said.
" Fine," said Malfoy. " Since you're now captain of the Slytherin team, you'd better not take advantage."
" Snape booked the pitch tonight. I have practice with Slytherin at 7:00," Harry said. " I'll just pretend I'm you and act like I don't know what's going on and the only reason I was made captain was because my father had loads of money going into the 'kiss Marcus Flint's ass' account."
Draco scowled and was about the deliver a snappy comeback when Madam Pince screamed, " We're closing for the night! Everybody out! Everybody out!"
The boys gathered up their books and silently left the library.
* * * * *
Quidditch was Harry's favorite sport, but not the way the Slytherins played it.
Everybody was extremely unorganized. The beaters, Crabbe and Goyle, were beating each other with their clubs, ignoring the dangerous bludgers that sped toward the players. When Harry tossed the quaffle in the air, the three chasers sped toward it at the same time and slammed into each other. They proceeded to bicker about who it belonged to.
" Baddock," Harry screamed at a third year chaser. " You take it. Hand it over to Pritchard after you swing around the goalpost. Alderby, stay below him and when Pritchard feigns a toss at the goal while really dropping it to you, catch it and score while the keeper isn't looking."
" Huh?" was all he got from the three of them.
Harry gave an exasperated sigh as a bludger pelted toward him. Using his seeker skills, Harry narrowly missed it as it tousled his neatly gelled silvery hair.
" Crabbe! Goyle!" he shouted loudly, and was surprised at sounding so much like Malfoy. " Take control of that bludger. You three," he said, pointing to the chasers. " We're going to work something out."
* * * * *
Draco returned to the common room and to his relief, Harry's friends were not there. Ron had told him at breakfast that morning that he had found in the dungeons a love note addressed to Pansy Parkinson by Draco Malfoy. Draco, obviously having never had written such a thing, fought the great urge to punch Ron in the face for laughing about it.
Draco decided to go to bed early again, but Ron, who appeared through the portrait hole, stopped him.
" Hey Harry," he called. " Wanna play chess?"
" Er ---- no," said Draco coldly.
" What's the matter?" said Ron the side of his mouth twitching as he approached who he thought was his best friend. " 'Fraid I'll beat you again?"
Draco clenched his fist. A furtively evil smile appeared on his (Harry's) face. He and his father played wizard chess all the time, and he had been able to beat much older people before he even came to Hogwarts. He was indeed very good at chess.
But Ron didn't know that.
" Sure," said Draco, as sweetly as he could. " Let's play."
* * * * *
An hour later, the common room was still packed and noisy. Both Ron and Draco were rubbing their chins in deep concentration.
" What happened to you Harry? How did you get so good?" He directed his rook to move a few spaces ahead.
Draco almost laughed with glee. He was beating Ron, but barely. He could feel the checkmate closer, but didn't know exactly what he had to do to get there.
" I'm usually finished with you by now!" said Ron. Draco widened his eyes. Finally, he thought. Something I'm good at that famous Harry Potter's not.
Draco cocked his head to the side. He would have to sacrifice his bishop. He would then be free to checkmate the king. Ron, obviously not spotting this, moved his battered rook to the bishop. The small piece jumped in the air and came crashing down upon the head of its opponent.
" Checkmate," Draco muttered, moving his piece to the desire square. He was surprisingly pleased with himself.
Ron gaped at the chessboard in horror for a moment. " You beat me!" said Ron.
Draco had to admit that it wasn't very easy, for Ron wasn't such a bad player himself. " I know," he said, trying not to sound too excited. It was just that it had been so long since he had a good challenge in chess. Playing with people like Crabbe and Goyle was hardly difficult.
Ron smiled proudly. " Nice Harry. Very nice."
Draco couldn't help smiling back. " So, what's my prize?"
Ron frowned slightly. " Prize?"
Draco stared at Ron. Perhaps poor boys like Weasley played chess differently. On the rare occasions that Draco beat his father at wizard chess, Lucius would award Draco with a few galleons or a new racing broom. When he played with other Slytherins (and won), he received prizes like a few sickles and knuts.
" I didn't know we were playing for anything," said Ron nervously. The smile had disappeared from his face. Draco sighed. He should have known that a Weasley wouldn't have enough in their bank account to even count for a single prize anyway. " I could give you this," Ron said. He pulled from his pocket a chocolate frog.
" Alright," Draco said and took it from Ron. It's not like I'll get anything better from a Weasley, he thought. He opened the box and took out the card. He saw who it was and a boiling hate erupted in his chest.
"Harry Potter."
" They made a card of you?" Ron approached Draco and looked at the picture of Harry in his Quidditch robes, his black hair tousled and his cheeks red from a rigorous match. The golden snitch was fluttering in his hand and it flew away from his grasp almost instantly.
" I suppose you could give that to Dennis Creevey," Ron said with a laugh. " Or my sister."
" I think I'll keep it," Draco said with a smirk, wondering if Harry had any darts in his trunk.
" I didn't know they made those," said a small voice next to Draco's chair that made his jump and look behind him. Ginny was looking at the card with a furtive smile on her face.
" No, you didn't. Or else you would have gone through all of them to look for it, right Gin?" Ron said, grinning.
Ginny's cheeks flushed red as she fidgeted next to Draco, who thought she looked quite cute doing it.
" I'm tired," stated Draco, although he really wasn't. He felt irritated with the Weasleys and with himself for even thinking for a second that one of them was cute.
" Good night," Ron called as he departed. Draco reached the dormitory and took off his shoes and robes and began removing his pants; he suddenly felt very uncomfortable. This was obviously a problem that he and Harry needed to discuss: changing and showering. Too uncomfortable now to even take off his socks, Draco crawled into the bed for the second night in a row in Harry's school clothes.
* * * * *
A/N: I apologize… this is moving a little slow. Be patient, for they need some time to adjust. Things will start happening in the next chapter, and I promise to upload those A/S/A/P…so stay tuned… and PLEASE REVIEW!!
- Gryffingirl