(A/N at the end of the chapter. Enjoy! ^_^)
"Sleeping With the Enemy"
Chapter 9: Secrets Revealed
~I~
Harry Potter was relaxing under a tree in the early predawn light before breakfast. No one else was there and it was cool and peaceful. He sighed softly and closed his eyes.
Footsteps pounded on the ground behind him. Jolted out of his doze, Harry twisted around to see who it was, and something skidded into him.
"Draco!" he gasped as he was bowled over. The Slytherin held him tightly.
"Shit." he sighed, inspecting Harry with somber gray eyes. His chest rose and fell quickly, as if he had run the whole length of the school to get there.
"What?" Harry asked, confused. "What's the matter?" Draco released Harry and sprawled onto the wet grass, closing his eyes. Gradually, his breathing slowed down. Harry waited patiently by tearing up grass and sprinkling it onto his boyfriend's pale face.
Eventually Draco sat up, and a shower of murdered foliage fluttered into his lap. Out of the fold's of his robe he produced a scrap of parchment and tossed it to Harry, who caught it and inspected it.
"It's got my name on it." he noted.
"Your powers of observation are brilliant." Draco deadpanned. Harry punched his arm lightly. "Shut up. What does this mean?" he asked, looking around furtively then snuggling next to him.
Draco hesitated. "Last night.. well, they found Longbottom about half an hour ago. He was a mess. And he had this." he took the paper back from Harry and crushed it with an angry fist. "Thomas came and found me a few minutes ago."
Harry swallowed heavily. "You think maybe-"
"You're their next victim, Harry." Draco said grimly. "I'm sure of it. They know... they want to hurt me, *and* damage the Boy-Who-Lived." Harry buried his face into Draco's shoulder. Draco pushed Harry's forehead up, snagged off his glasses and then let go. Harry's head fell back into place with a soft *thud*. "Your glasses were digging into me," he said absently, folding them up and slipping them into his pocket. "I'm *not* going to let-"
"Shh." said Harry, raising his head. "I know. Don't worry, okay?" Draco sighed and leaned back against the tree. They watched the sun rise. Harry playfully nipped at Draco's neck, trying to draw him into a happier mood. Draco just shifted away from him.
"Oh, come on," said Harry. Grinning, he climbed into Draco's lap
"Potter..." he warned.
"Malfoy..." he purred into Draco's ear.
To his surprise, Draco shoved him off and he tumbled backwards onto the ground. "Hey!" he said exasperatedly. The Slytherin stood up.
"Don't you get it, Harry?" he asked, his voice brimming with fiery contempt. "They're directly targeting *you* to spite me. Which means what I did doesn't even matter, I haven't saved you from anything, I've only made it worse!" Harry stared up at him.
"But... then I wouldn't know you..."
"God, Harry." Draco mumbled, dropping to his knees and kissing him fiercely. Sometimes his Gryffindor just said the sweetest things.
~II~
Severus Snape abruptly sat up, shoulders tense and eyes warily surveying his surroundings He took them in and relaxed- he was in the Infirmary, at Hogwarts- there was Madam Pomfrey bustling about, and a small huddled figure in the bed across from him. He blinked. Why was he in the Infirmary? Clearing his throat, he called, "Poppy," The witch looked up.
"Severus!" she said. "You're awake. Good. Now here is some medicine that should-"
He cut her off. "Why am I here? I don't remember..." his brow furrowed. The last thing he remembered was coming back from another harrowing mission, this time *He* had been present. Snape shivered unconsciously. "I collapsed, didn't I?" he asked, his tone flat.
"Well, yes, you were very tired." she told him. "But this should help your nerves. It's a relaxant. She held out a small bundle of cloth, but the Potions Master swatted her hand away.
"I don't need anything," he growled, and stood up. Dizziness assailed him and he swayed and slumped onto the opposite bed. His head cleared a little, and he waved the worried nurse away, "I'm fine!" he snapped. "I just need to... sit." Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly and turned away. Severus pressed long fingers to his temples and... sat.
Then the bed shifted, and Snape suddenly remembered that someone was currently occupying it. He twisted around, his eyes narrowing, //It better not be that blasted Potter again//, he thought, then paused when he realized who is was.
Longbottom was curled up in the center of the bed, breathing raggedly. His eyes were shut tight and a muffled whimpering noise, like that of a frightened animal, floated up from the sheets. Snape's expression softened to one of puzzlement.
"Poppy..." he said, "what is Longbottom doing here?"
The jolly nurse's face fell. She beckoned him to the hall, away from the sleeping boy. He unsteadily rose to his feet and was able to meet her without toppling over. "He was found this morning," she whispered, "Minerva's already been notified."
"But what happened?" Snape asked impatiently. Madam Pomfrey looked at him incredulously.
"Surely you know?"
"Know what?" he snapped, feeling rather foolish, "I've been rather *preoccupied* lately, so I may have mis-"
"There are students." she told him. "They're doing terrible things..."
~III~
It was lunchtime at Hogwarts, and Hermione, Kaleb, Seamus and Dean were clustered into a small storage room. A *fully supplied* storage room. Hermione, perched atop a box of cleaning rags, shifted uncomfortably.
"Okay, who chose this place for a meeting?" she demanded. Seamus sheepishly raised his hand.
Kaleb clapped and admonished him cheerfully. "Bravo, Seamus! What would happen if one of us were claustrophobic, huh? What if there are *spiders* in here? What if this is the bogeyman's house and he's two seconds away from eating us whole? What if this is a portal and we're actually in another dimension? What if you've altered time? What if-"
Hermione glared at him, cutting the other girl off neatly with a, "Why?!"
"It's a good place to sn-"
"Okay, anyway!" Dean interrupted brightly, and Kaleb giggled.
"A good place to *snog*, Seamus?" she asked innocently, gleefully watching Dean grow uncomfortable. "Click. File. Save." Hermione elbowed her.
"Come on, shush, they have something to tell us."
"Oh yeah," said Seamus. The fun left his face as he told the girls about Neville, and the note. They both gasped in horror. Seamus enjoyed this and was pausing for dramatic effect, but Dean interrupted.
"So we're thinking, just watch Harry. If he's not in the tower, go looking for him. We don't want this to happen again." They nodded in agreement.
"Poor Nev!" Hermione exclaimed as she and Kaleb left the snog closet, er, supply closet. Kaleb, nearly skipping down the hall, had made up her mind. Determined to keep the groups spirits up, she would be her bubbly, energetic self. And, really, if the world needed a spirit booster, where else would one look?
~IV~
In his dungeons, Snape was thinking about the small figure sleeping in the Infirmary. He felt somewhat guilty (a surprisingly depressing emotion) for the boy's condition. He'd been so busy lately working as a spy in the circle of Death Eaters-- he was sure there were Slytherins involved in this scandal. //The stupid boy was probably wandering around after hours, it was his own fault,// the nasty part of him said. But the other, smaller, tireder part thought about how hard it was to be alone in danger with no one to notice your absence, or care for you upon your return.
As the 6th year Slytherins and Gryffindors filed into his class, Severus couldn't get Neville Longbottom out of his mind. He was reminded much more dramatically when he spotted the empty seat at the far end of the room. //What is the matter with me? It's just some half-wit *child* who can't even walk straight!// and then, //a child, he's just a child// and then pity like never before washed over the Potions Master, sitting lost in thought at his desk whole his students wondered if their teacher had finally gone insane.
But just because he felt *bad* for Neville didn't mean he was going to baby the other students. His head snapped up, making the students jump in surprise.
"A 3 foot essay about the uses of Ginger root will be due in one week's time. Do not forget. Spelling *will* be graded. Today we will be making a difficult potion; you will please bring your water to a boil and then add these things-" and he rattled off a list of complicated ingredients, his dark eyes flashing as they scrambled for parchment and quill. *That* would teach them to nap in *his* class...
~V~
Day faded and blue and gray shadows descended onto the grounds of Hogwarts. Cool mists began to form in the dips and hollows of the Forest beyond. Twilight came as the sunset flickered out like an extinguished candle, pitching the world into a sudden, certain night.
~VI~
Draco was splayed out on a fluffy armchair, the best in the common room, doing his homework and waiting for the clock to turn to 10:45. Harry's invisibility cloak was folded neatly under the cushion of the armchair, ready to don in a moment's notice. It was unusually empty in the room, and Draco wondered briefly, in the middle of an Arithmancy problem, just where everyone was, before deciding that he really didn't care. Soon he was completely absorbed in his work and the minutes ticked by. Finally, at 10:30, he had finished all his homework and had written a foot of his Potions essay, a good start. He smiled, catlike, and glanced at the clock. His smile faded as he decided to leave a little early tonight. However, as he started to get up, a figure blocked his way.
"Draco-oo." it cooed, and he swallowed a groan. It was Pansy Parkinson. He had deduced that the female that had taunted him that night had not been Pansy (though Harry disliked her all they same), it had probably been Millicent, or someone else-- Pansy was simply too stupid to participate in something like that. "I've *missed* you. Let's chat." she said brightly. He glared at her distastefully.
"About what?" he immediately regretted asking. She smiled seductively and sat on his lap. He sputtered. "What the *hell* do you think you're doing?"
"Chatting," she said, and kissed him.
"Ugh!" he yelled, and pushed her away, but Pansy had a firm grip on the chair and wouldn't let him up.
"Okay, sweetie. Let's just talk," she soothed. Draco crossed his arms, seeing that there was no easy way to be rid of this annoyance.
"You have 15 minutes." he hissed. "Talk."
A bit poutily, Pansy told him about her latest fling, trying to make him jealous. He was unresponsive. She chattered on about all the male attention she had gotten recently. Draco soon grew impatient; Pansy smelled bad and she was heavy. At one point during the conversation, Draco's eyes wandered in boredom. Pansy mistook this as thirst and brought him a glass of pumpkin juice (a fresh jug was always kept in the common room).
The silver-haired Slytherin tried to use this opportunity to leave, but she caught him. He sat down with a barely stifled groan and dejectedly accepted the juice, sipping halfheartedly while she prattled on and on and on... his eyelids drooped and he couldn't stop yawning. In the middle of her speech about the wholesome traits of Slytherin males, Draco fell asleep. Pansy paused and laughed softly to herself.
"You fool," she whispered, stroking his hair, "You beautiful fool."
~*~
Harry was getting worried. It was a little after 11, and Draco was almost always early. He stretched out on his stomach in his bed, willing the curtains to be opened and his lovely mate to appear. Nothing. Now thoroughly agitated, he rose up and walked purposefully downstairs and out of the tower. With all the terrible things that could happen playing in his head like a broken record, the Gryffindor began to trace the route his beloved would have taken. He squinted in the darkness. Draco had accidentally taken his glasses with him, and Harry had been basically blind all day. He continued searching.
"Draco." he hissed into the blanketing silence around him. He stuck to the shadows, trying to hide from any eyes that might be about.
Suddenly, a figure detached itself from the shadows and approached him. "Draco?" Harry questioned hopefully.
"You're as stupid as any Gryffindor, Potter."
//Hmmm... that's not Draco,// "Right, well if you'd mind telling me where Malfoy is, I'll be on my way." he said casually, though his heart was pounding. He quickly whisked out his wand and brandished it. "Where is he?" Harry demanded. The figure shrugged.
"Follow me." Harry walked behind the mysterious person through a confusing variation of passages. They stopped in front of a closed door-- Harry was now pretty much thoroughly lost but he maintained his courage. He peered at the hooded figure, trying to pierce the shadows to some bit of recognition. "In here," he opened the door.
Harry shook his head. "Uh uh, you first." He inclined his head and chuckled,
"Perhaps not quite as stupid-" Harry followed him through the door, which then shut with a decisive thud and three voices called out in unison, "Expelliarmus!" and Harry fell to the ground-- "A lot more stupid, Potter," Evan said maliciously. "You were more than a perfect accomplice in this little trap for your Slytherin sweetheart."
~VII~
With a jerk, Draco snapped awake. Pansy was *still* talking about men, she just never stopped! During a break in which the pug-faced girl took a breath, Draco said,
"Has it ever occurred to you that I might be seeing someone? You're *not* making me jealous." She gaped at him. He took this opportunity to try to leave; it must be nearly 11 by now. Pansy, her eyes shining with something that looked suspiciously like victory, slapped him hard across the face. "Ow!" Draco rubbed his jaw and glared at her, expecting any moment now to be inundated with sloppy, girly tears. But no-- she laughed. Laughed! A sickening feeling in his stomach, Draco got a look at the clock. 11:15! He was late! Harry had to be *frantic*, he probably went looking--
"Oh no." Pansy was still laughing. "You bitch!" he snarled, shoving her off him with bruising force. He spat at her. "*Fuck* you." and then he turned and sprinted out of the room.
"You'll never find him!" she yelled triumphantly at his back.
~*~
Draco pounded on the Slytherin Head's door. "Professor!" he called. "Professor Snape! Wake up!" In desperation he yanked the handle-- and the door opened. It hadn't been locked. He glanced around the darkened room. Snape wasn't there. Suppressing the urge to scream, Draco left and ran through the corridors heedlessly, and smashed smack into something.
"Mr. Filch!" Draco gasped in relief. "I can explain- need your help, have to find Har- er, Potter!" The caretaker brushed himself off and leaned against the wall, listening to Draco's story. He poured it out in a rush while Filch listened; he had never been more frantic in his life. Had he been more aware, he would have observed the caretaker's strange smile. When he finally did notice, it was far too late.
"Mr. Malfoy," the dry voice interrupted, "I've been waiting for Albus to leave for years now. He took away all my fun, so I've found new ways of torturing students who are out late. And my apprentices have decided that you are crucial to their enjoyment." he shrugged nonchalantly as Draco watched him with growing horror. "Who am I to deny them?"
Before Draco had a chance to speak, (or flee, as it were), the man blew a yellow powder into his face. Coughing wretchedly as he sank to the floor, Draco wondered why he had never questioned how they were able to move through the halls so freely... and the world went dark for Malfoy.
TBC soon ^_~
Hey everyone. first off lemme apologize for taking so long to update! Secondly, this isn't the whole chapter. The entire chapter would have been 6000 words long, a bit lengthily, and I'm still writing a few scenes of it; that's why there's been a hold up. It's going smoothly, finally, so hopefully since it's mostly written it should be up next week. Sorry again for the delay! Thirdly, no thank yous this chapter as I'm putting this up as a treat for you all, thank yous will be done next chapter. Fourthly, thanks to Klee who is an awesome beta and friend (Kaleb Okun is hers on loan) and my sister, mi mejor amiga cuz she's just so awesome. Fourthly, Evan Cognevoc is my own character and since I actually like him I'm um... "copyrighting" him. yeah ^_~ Methinks this is all except I think this chapter is sucky it wasn't flowing too well... Klee helped spice it up cuz she rocks. Oh! Check out my site, it's been updated with a little alternate scene that won't be posted on ff.n (remember, it's smearedsilver.8m.com) That is all, my loves! Thanks so much for your patience!
~RainShadow
