~Daisy Chains~
~Fraternizing With the Enemy~
Draco Malfoy sneered. He had heard the rumors, of course: the Great Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was the victim of an experimental potion of Weasley's and had been transformed into a mere kid. Practically a baby. But of course Draco hadn't really believed it. Until he saw Weasley strolling down the stone corridor towards Potions like it was nothing, one large hand holding onto Potter's smaller, darker one.
"Leave it to the Weasel to screw a simple potion up," he murmured just loud enough for Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle to hear. His two "friends"-- mutual aquaintences, more like--snickered rather dumbly.
The Gryffindors and Slytherins had double Potions today, it just so happened, and Draco was curious as to what effect a mini-Harry would have on Professor Snape. It was an interesting prospect, and he allowed himself to dwell on it as he entered the classroom and took his seat, his eyes never really leaving the tiny figure of Harry Potter.
Throughout the lesson, Professor Snape admonished Weasley sixteen times and glowered at Potter continuously. This amused Draco to no end, and he watched with glee as Weasley was chewed out for letting Potter play with a pile of beetle eyes.
At the end of the class, everyone barring Harry turned in their Potions project. Draco knew he would get full marks.
The rest of Draco's day was relatively uneventful. He teased Weasley and Granger loudly (though he couldn't bring himself to torment this new, sweeter version of Potter, for some reason) and made Crabbe and Goyle fetch and carry for him. He also had a nice dinner. He sent Crabbe and Goyle ahead to their dormitory, disentangled himself from Parkinson (she was hitting on him again, much to his displeasure), and took an unfrequently used corridor in the direction of the dungeons.
It was here that he found Harry, wandering around on his own, his tear- streaked face lit by torches in the walls. "Well, what a surprise. It's Harry Potter, superstar," Draco said mockingly. Usually that particular tone of voice would get Potter on his case immediately, but now the green eyes behind huge lenses only widened. "What're you doing out here all alone, anyway?" Draco asked nastily. "Have Weasley and Granger abandoned you? I don't blame them."
"Lost," Harry said.
Draco gave him a retorical look. "Oh, come now, Potter. Surely you know the way back to your precious Gryffindor common room."
"Got lost."
"Don't look at me like that. I certainly can't help you. I'm Slytherin, remember?"
At this, Harry starting wailing at the top of his lungs, and Draco resisted the urge to clap his hands over his ears. He instead regarded Harry with what might have been dislike but was actually interest. "You really are a kid, aren't you. Heh. I could take advantage of this little situation, Potter. I want you to be aware of that."
Sniffles from Harry, whose nose was dripping.
"Luckily for you, I'm feeling generous today. And--and for God's sake, wipe your nose."
Harry wiped away snot and tears with the sleeve of his slightly-too-big robes. Draco wrinkled his own nose in distaste. "That is incredibly disgusting. You know, I should take you straight to a professor. Let one know exactly how responsible Weasley is being. Professor Snape, perhaps?"
He pondered this for a moment, absently pushing Harry's glasses up for him. There was a loud boom--thunder, apparently a storm was brewing--and Harry clutched his leg, wimpering. Draco rolled his eyes. "Then again, Professor Snape--while admirable--is not my favorite person at the moment." This because Snape was actively working against the Dark Lord now--Draco knew this from a conversation he'd happened to overhear the day before--and his mood dampened considerably. Draco's father was, of course, a Death Eater--Draco respected his father above all other adults, even if he thought the Dark Lord's methods a bit cliche and, well, boring.
There was another crash of thunder, and Draco tried to pry Harry off of him before the circulation to his legs was cut off. "Potter--damnit, leggo of me!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Look, fine. Fine. I'll take you wherever you want to go. Just--please-- take your hands away from me before I'm contaminated with your Muggle- loving germs."
Harry, however, had no intention of letting go of Draco. Apparently, his older self's loathing for Draco Malfoy had not transferred to his younger self. He had no qualms with clinging to Draco for all he was worth--after all, mini-Harry had never seen a thunderstorm before.
Draco was ready to tear his hair out with frustration. At last, he simply swept Harry off his feet, saying, "You're such a pussy, Potter."
"What pussy is?"
"Er..." Draco shook his head in disbelief. "Nothing. It's nothing. I guess...I can take you to the Staff Room, at least. Someone's bound to be there."
"No! Go bed."
"Come again?" Draco frowned, tightening his grip on Harry. The kid wasn't exactly light, and he was afraid of dropping him--not because he didn't want to hurt Harry, mind you, but because he wanted to keep his legs to himself.
"'S bedtime, stupid," Harry said, using one of the words Seamus had so kindly taught him. Draco was not amused.
"I told you, I don't know the way to your common room."
"Sleep with you, then," Harry said, dimpling.
Draco coughed. "Oh. Yeah right. I don't think so." He sighed. It was very dark in the corridor now, despite the torches. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to find his way to the Staff Room. But hell would freeze over before he let Harry Potter sleep in his bed.
"You no sleep?"
"Of course I sleep, you nimrod. I AM human, you know."
"What nimrod is?"
"Why d'you ask so many questions, huh?"
"'On say is only way t' get answers."
"Fascinating, gag me with a spoon, can we go ahead and get this over with? I hope none of the professors think I purposefully seperated you from the Weasel...I don't fancy a detention."
"That where 'On is."
"Eh?"
"Detention."
"Ah. That explains a lot. I suppose you got it in your head to go find him--perhaps lend an oh-so-experienced hand?"
"Yup! Got lost!"
"Yes, I'm aware of that," Draco said dryly.
"Well, bedtime."
"No. Find-a-professor time."
"No!"
"Yes."
"Noooo!"
"I am not arguing with you. And you're heavy, you know that?"
Harry pinched his cheeks and said, "Cuuuute!" Girls had been doing that to him all morning, and he wanted to try it on the strange boy who held him.
Draco sputtered for a moment. Then he said, "That's it. I think I'll just leave you where I found you--"
BOOM.
"Aaaaah!"
"Blimey, calm down!"
"Scaaaaary!"
"It's just a bit of bad weather."
Tiny arms wrapped around Draco's neck and a shaking body pressed itself to his chest. He felt his cold heart melting.
"Bedtime?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Ah. Hm." This was the same boy who'd tormented him for the past four years, Draco reminded himself. Well...almost the same. The glasses were much to large, and those huge eyes had certainly not been one of Harry Potter's predominant features--had they? Tears. The bloody kid was crying again? "...I guess it couldn't...hurt...too much," he said reluctantly. It was much too late to try finding the Staff Room, he reasoned, and anyway, he was tired.
"Yay!" Was Harry's enthusiastic reply.
~Fraternizing With the Enemy~
Draco Malfoy sneered. He had heard the rumors, of course: the Great Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was the victim of an experimental potion of Weasley's and had been transformed into a mere kid. Practically a baby. But of course Draco hadn't really believed it. Until he saw Weasley strolling down the stone corridor towards Potions like it was nothing, one large hand holding onto Potter's smaller, darker one.
"Leave it to the Weasel to screw a simple potion up," he murmured just loud enough for Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle to hear. His two "friends"-- mutual aquaintences, more like--snickered rather dumbly.
The Gryffindors and Slytherins had double Potions today, it just so happened, and Draco was curious as to what effect a mini-Harry would have on Professor Snape. It was an interesting prospect, and he allowed himself to dwell on it as he entered the classroom and took his seat, his eyes never really leaving the tiny figure of Harry Potter.
Throughout the lesson, Professor Snape admonished Weasley sixteen times and glowered at Potter continuously. This amused Draco to no end, and he watched with glee as Weasley was chewed out for letting Potter play with a pile of beetle eyes.
At the end of the class, everyone barring Harry turned in their Potions project. Draco knew he would get full marks.
The rest of Draco's day was relatively uneventful. He teased Weasley and Granger loudly (though he couldn't bring himself to torment this new, sweeter version of Potter, for some reason) and made Crabbe and Goyle fetch and carry for him. He also had a nice dinner. He sent Crabbe and Goyle ahead to their dormitory, disentangled himself from Parkinson (she was hitting on him again, much to his displeasure), and took an unfrequently used corridor in the direction of the dungeons.
It was here that he found Harry, wandering around on his own, his tear- streaked face lit by torches in the walls. "Well, what a surprise. It's Harry Potter, superstar," Draco said mockingly. Usually that particular tone of voice would get Potter on his case immediately, but now the green eyes behind huge lenses only widened. "What're you doing out here all alone, anyway?" Draco asked nastily. "Have Weasley and Granger abandoned you? I don't blame them."
"Lost," Harry said.
Draco gave him a retorical look. "Oh, come now, Potter. Surely you know the way back to your precious Gryffindor common room."
"Got lost."
"Don't look at me like that. I certainly can't help you. I'm Slytherin, remember?"
At this, Harry starting wailing at the top of his lungs, and Draco resisted the urge to clap his hands over his ears. He instead regarded Harry with what might have been dislike but was actually interest. "You really are a kid, aren't you. Heh. I could take advantage of this little situation, Potter. I want you to be aware of that."
Sniffles from Harry, whose nose was dripping.
"Luckily for you, I'm feeling generous today. And--and for God's sake, wipe your nose."
Harry wiped away snot and tears with the sleeve of his slightly-too-big robes. Draco wrinkled his own nose in distaste. "That is incredibly disgusting. You know, I should take you straight to a professor. Let one know exactly how responsible Weasley is being. Professor Snape, perhaps?"
He pondered this for a moment, absently pushing Harry's glasses up for him. There was a loud boom--thunder, apparently a storm was brewing--and Harry clutched his leg, wimpering. Draco rolled his eyes. "Then again, Professor Snape--while admirable--is not my favorite person at the moment." This because Snape was actively working against the Dark Lord now--Draco knew this from a conversation he'd happened to overhear the day before--and his mood dampened considerably. Draco's father was, of course, a Death Eater--Draco respected his father above all other adults, even if he thought the Dark Lord's methods a bit cliche and, well, boring.
There was another crash of thunder, and Draco tried to pry Harry off of him before the circulation to his legs was cut off. "Potter--damnit, leggo of me!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Look, fine. Fine. I'll take you wherever you want to go. Just--please-- take your hands away from me before I'm contaminated with your Muggle- loving germs."
Harry, however, had no intention of letting go of Draco. Apparently, his older self's loathing for Draco Malfoy had not transferred to his younger self. He had no qualms with clinging to Draco for all he was worth--after all, mini-Harry had never seen a thunderstorm before.
Draco was ready to tear his hair out with frustration. At last, he simply swept Harry off his feet, saying, "You're such a pussy, Potter."
"What pussy is?"
"Er..." Draco shook his head in disbelief. "Nothing. It's nothing. I guess...I can take you to the Staff Room, at least. Someone's bound to be there."
"No! Go bed."
"Come again?" Draco frowned, tightening his grip on Harry. The kid wasn't exactly light, and he was afraid of dropping him--not because he didn't want to hurt Harry, mind you, but because he wanted to keep his legs to himself.
"'S bedtime, stupid," Harry said, using one of the words Seamus had so kindly taught him. Draco was not amused.
"I told you, I don't know the way to your common room."
"Sleep with you, then," Harry said, dimpling.
Draco coughed. "Oh. Yeah right. I don't think so." He sighed. It was very dark in the corridor now, despite the torches. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to find his way to the Staff Room. But hell would freeze over before he let Harry Potter sleep in his bed.
"You no sleep?"
"Of course I sleep, you nimrod. I AM human, you know."
"What nimrod is?"
"Why d'you ask so many questions, huh?"
"'On say is only way t' get answers."
"Fascinating, gag me with a spoon, can we go ahead and get this over with? I hope none of the professors think I purposefully seperated you from the Weasel...I don't fancy a detention."
"That where 'On is."
"Eh?"
"Detention."
"Ah. That explains a lot. I suppose you got it in your head to go find him--perhaps lend an oh-so-experienced hand?"
"Yup! Got lost!"
"Yes, I'm aware of that," Draco said dryly.
"Well, bedtime."
"No. Find-a-professor time."
"No!"
"Yes."
"Noooo!"
"I am not arguing with you. And you're heavy, you know that?"
Harry pinched his cheeks and said, "Cuuuute!" Girls had been doing that to him all morning, and he wanted to try it on the strange boy who held him.
Draco sputtered for a moment. Then he said, "That's it. I think I'll just leave you where I found you--"
BOOM.
"Aaaaah!"
"Blimey, calm down!"
"Scaaaaary!"
"It's just a bit of bad weather."
Tiny arms wrapped around Draco's neck and a shaking body pressed itself to his chest. He felt his cold heart melting.
"Bedtime?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Ah. Hm." This was the same boy who'd tormented him for the past four years, Draco reminded himself. Well...almost the same. The glasses were much to large, and those huge eyes had certainly not been one of Harry Potter's predominant features--had they? Tears. The bloody kid was crying again? "...I guess it couldn't...hurt...too much," he said reluctantly. It was much too late to try finding the Staff Room, he reasoned, and anyway, he was tired.
"Yay!" Was Harry's enthusiastic reply.
