Authors' note – This fic has been made for entertainment purposes only, and the authors, yes both of them, are not making any profit in any way. All characters (with exception to any original ones spawned of our own twisted imaginations) and the Harry Potter series belongs to J.K.Rowling and all those other people and corporations. Not us, unfortunately.
This fic is dedicated to ourselves and each other. We know who we are, you just enjoy the fic!
Dylan's note - Hey, we really want to thank everyone who has read the fic and even more so to those that have reviewed it. You're all awesome. If not for you, this chapter probably would have started a few days later than it did. So, thanks for pumping me up to start this sooner! Anyways stay cool people.
…um, scratch the starting early bit… My computer broke down, for like a month, so I couldn't work on it. But thanks to my wonderful co-writer, you have the end of this chapter!! Enjoy!
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Shedding Skins – Chapter Four
The Beast Within, Truth in Misconceptions
Draco's boots echoed ominously inside the empty corridors leading to the infirmary. The rhythm matched his thoughts, steady and calculated.
He knew for certain that this school was going to Hell under Dumbledore's rule, when he found out he'd screwed up a sorting.
As if being a lover of mud-bloods wasn't bad enough.
But why would this new Slytherin be in the infirmary? Did Dumbledore now have to subdue students in order to accomplish a re-sorting?
If so, he wouldn't mind having another feisty individual alongside him… The thought made Draco smile inwardly.
It would make life would be a little more interesting, at least while he chose to live it.
Then there was that other niggling question, whose answer could not be discerned by himself – Why had Dumbledore sent Draco?
Slowly, almost carefully, Draco swung open the medical wing's door to reveal a near empty room. Madam Pomfrey was sitting quietly thumbing through some documents in an absent-minded sort of way, so Draco just sauntered on in.
Immediately he locked eyes on a small first year girl nursing a bloody knee.
Draco covered the distance between them in a few large strides. He crouched, bringing himself to eye-level with the startled young Ravenclaw.
'I've come to take you away with me.' Draco stated, simply offering his hand.
Nile damn near shrieked with delight. A fifth year, and a handsome one at that, giving such a direction made the girl blush heavily.
And it was Draco Malfoy of all people!
That charming good looking boy that half her friends had crushes on!
Nile thought she had died and gone to a very very nice place. At a complete loss for words, she tentatively grabbed his hand.
'Well well well… Malfoy, just when I thought you couldn't get any lower. Hitting on first years, didn't know you were that desperate.'
It was as though someone had shot him through the chest with an ice-cold heart-sized bullet, but worse.
Draco whirled around to face the familiar voice of Harry Potter.
'As a matter of fact Potter, I'm not hitting on this girl at all. I'll leave such questionable acts to yourself.'
'Oh I wouldn't dare. Not when you're so good at it,' Harry motioned to Nile, still flustered, blushing prettily and still holding determinedly onto Draco's hand.
A look, almost like fear, flashed like lightning through Draco's eyes.
Beautiful, powerful, but gone in an instant.
He turned quickly to the swooning first-year hanging off his arm.
'You mean… you're not…' Draco started quietly.
'Oh! Mr Malfoy! I didn't see you come in,' intruded Madam Pomfrey's sharp voice, 'you're here for…'
It was as if time slowed, just enough for Draco to grasp the situation in its horrible entirety. Not him, it can't be, he thought desperately.
'You're here for Harry.'
'Oh, just kill me now…' Draco muttered under his breath, sighing. But the resident nurse was not finished yet.
'His things are in the corner, you are to help him move his belongings,' with that Madam Pomfrey pointed to the stack of cases, Hedwig's cage and the rest of Harry's items. After these instructions were passed on, she moved to tend to Nile, who had been rudely snapped back to reality by the jabbing pains in her leg.
As if Draco forgetting about her wasn't bad enough.
Reluctantly Draco approached the new Slytherin – The Boy Who Lived, Twice.
'If it isn't our worst nightmare come true, eh Potter? Funny how things are always that much worse than you think they could ever be.'
It's not exactly easy for me either, Harry thought bitterly.
He was still feeling a little overwhelmed, now that the adrenalin-rush of the initial encounter with Malfoy was long gone.
When Harry looked up, he saw Draco lift up two of the larger cases. Feeling the weight and getting ready to move.
'You should hurry. They can't move themselves.'
Harry sat still, stunned.
'Malfoy!! Wait damn you!!!'
Harry raced after Draco, who was striding away at a quick pace, clutching tightly onto Harry's cases and Hedwig's cage.
As Harry finally caught up to Draco, he quickly muttered a mobiliarbus charm, watching Draco stop in confusion as the objects he was carrying suddenly jerked themselves free of his grasp and began hovering a few inches below eye-level.
Draco muttered an oath under his breath, the luggage could move itself, he should have known...
Harry Potter had made him look the fool.
But never again.
'No need to show off Potter. A bit of manual work never killed anyone but Muggles.'
'I wasn't showing off! If it weren't for you I'd be carrying them myself! I mean…' Harry trailed off, realizing he had said too much.
Draco being so forward and helpful had unknowingly made his guard slip.
Harry could now imagine just how Hagrid had felt, accidentally letting information slip back when he was in first year about the Philosopher's Stone.
'Hmph,' so the genius has a muse, thought Draco sourly. Pausing briefly to charm the cargo into following him.
Harry's material belongings.
Acting in such a subservient manner for his nemesis nearly had the effect of making him seriously ill.
But there were some things you had to do.
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They walked in silence through endless dank mildew-encrusted corridors.
Hot flames burned at various places along the stone walls, their wax burnt firmly onto the stone supposedly through centuries of their existence there. Harry supposed they were like eternal-burning candles they had in the Great Hall at nights.
Erratic shadows danced crazily over the walls and anyone passing through, giving the impression that reality itself wasn't solid, but was subject to the whims of some hidden unknown force that controlled what they shed light onto, and what they shied away from.
Harry could hear dripping water from somewhere he couldn't see, the sound amplified by the hollow emptiness of the place. He shivered a little.
The sound echoed through his head long after it had faded out of his range of hearing.
It was creepy down here, in the Slytherin domain.
Harry stumbled as Draco shot out an arm, bringing him to a stop. He turned to glare at him, but was stopped by the look in Malfoy's eyes.
'Now that we're here Potter', he said, fiercely, 'tell me, why the FUCK are you in Slytherin?'
Harry glared back at him, suddenly remembering just why he hated Malfoy so much.
'It wasn't my choice', he said bitterly, 'Dumbledore seemed to think I needed resorting.'
At Malfoy's arched eyebrow he continued, 'apparently SOME-ONE meddled with the sorting hat in first year, to make sure I didn't get put into a certain house…'
'What!' Draco said, amusement curling around his lips. 'Are you implying that it was ME, Potter?'
'Of course not Malfoy', Harry said coldly, 'I would never presume to believe that you possessed that kind of skill. I was referring to another, by the same name.'
Harry's head was beginning to pound with what he assumed was the start of a spectacular headache.
The day's events were catching up with him, and he was beyond caring that he was making a scene in front of the dungeons with Malfoy. It was not like there was anyone around to hear anyways.
Let Malfoy try to bring his wrath down upon him. Just let him try. Harry wasn't going to turn the other cheek anymore. He no longer had his Gryffindor honour to uphold.
At that thought, a stabbing pain of loss made itself felt in his chest.
He had lost his claim to Gryffindor…
What did that make him now? Harry Potter, the Hero of Slytherin?
Malfoy was looking outraged. 'You leave my Father out of this Potter. As if he would even waste his time on you, don't be preposterous.'
'Oh no, of course he wouldn't', Harry retaliated sarcastically, 'what with him being a Death Eater under Voldemort's control, and them trying to kill me all my life. No, I can really see how you came to that conclusion.'
'You have no idea what my Father is, Potter,' Draco said, eyes blazing with furious intensity.
'Don't talk about that which you do not understand, you'll only make your ignorance even more blatantly obvious.
And as for the Sorting Hat Potter, it can only be meddled with from the inside. Haven't you ever read Hogwarts: A History? It takes a very powerful witch or wizard to break its natural conviction. To impose their will over its'.
If it placed you in the wrong house Potter, then it is due to your own manipulations, not any member of my family, dead or living.'
Harry was staring at him very strangely, so Draco decided to continue while he had the upper hand.
'Quite a cunning stunt you pulled off, eh Potter? Perhaps you do belong in Slytherin more than I ever thought'.
Throughout Draco's spiel Harry had stood fuming, refusing to give any hint of the anxiety that was rising within him.
Were Malfoy's harsh words true?
After all, he had kind of coerced the Sorting Hat into putting him into Gryffindor hadn't he?
It had initially wanted to put him in Slytherin…
Until he had wished for Gryffindor with every bit of will power he had.
Chanted it over and over in his head.
Why had he been fighting so hard against what it had wanted?
Was it simply because the house had a reputation for turning out dark wizards, and the fact that Malfoy was already in it?
Or had he had a deeper reason for resisting the Sorting Hats decree…
Had he always known that he belonged in Slytherin?
Where did he really belong?
Gryffindor or Slytherin?
What was really inside him? Deep inside him…
Hatred, pain and despair… Hardly qualities befitting of a Gryffindor now were they?
He had had a dark childhood, he now realised that. One filled with neglect and abuse.
He had always felt so alone… So lost and unsure of his place in the world.
So unwanted…
And then there was the murderous rage that had been building up in him ever since Cedric's death the previous year.
He would like nothing more than to strangle Voldemort's scrawny neck with his bare hands, watch him gasp and splutter as he choked the life out of him.
That thought gave rise to a small chuckle.
The type which Harry normally never allowed to pass through his lips.
After all, it was hardly fitting for a Gryffindor to be laughing evilly over sadistic fantasies now was it?
Harry's mind snapped suddenly back to the present situation; visions of Voldemort writhing pathetically in his grasp fading. Now…
Now, he was a Slytherin.
Perhaps he always had been.
Well fuck them all.
Voldemort, Dumbledore… and everyone else who had expected him to be a certain person for so many years.
Expected everything of him, yet never given him anything…
So many years of trying his hardest to please everyone around him…
And where did it lead him? To higher expectations…
To Slytherin…
Well at least now, he could be what he wanted to be.
He glanced back up at Malfoy.
Draco was looking at Harry as if he had gone insane.
'Malfoy', Harry said calmly.
He gestured towards the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.
'Lead the way.'
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