Chapter 2: Denial
The feast could not have been better. Even Dumbledore came down from his table to greet Harry and congratulate him on his last year at Hogwarts.
"I'm gonna really miss everyone here." Harry said sadly as he took another chicken leg.
"Harry, I know you will see everyone here again." Dumbledore said, comforting him.
"Some more than others, eh?" Dumbledore said, winking and walking away.
Harry had the strange feeling that everyone knew something that he obviously didn't.
First Sirius, then Dumbledore. He needed to tell someone that he knew would be just as clueless as him.
"Ron! I need to talk to you!" Harry said later that night, dragging Ron up to their dorm while everyone was still in the common room.
They sat down on Harry's four poster and talked about how Harry thought that something was going to happen soon.
"You know what?" Ron said, looking at Harry with interest.
"I think you've finally snapped!" He said, laughing.
"Maybe, but still...I just have that feeling, that's all." Harry said.
"Cheer up! It's our last year!" Ron said, walking over to the door and waving a hand, motioning for Harry to follow.
"Come on!" Ron said, and Harry got up and they went down to the common room, the thoughts still on his mind.
The next day didn't start out as they expected.
"Potions FIRST?" Ron yelled, making his schedule drop right into his cereal.
"I can't take this! This is an outrage!"
"What? That you've finally realized you'd make a better cardboard box than a wizard?" Drawled Malfoy, coming over and sitting in the chair next to Harry.
"Shut up, Malfoy! You know as well as I do that I wouldn't dare be anything you are!" Said Ron in his feeble attempt of a good comeback.
It took a second, but Malfoy finally worked out what Ron meant.
"Are you implying," He said, taking Ron by the collar, "that I am a cardboard box?"
"Get off of him right now!" Harry yelled. Malfoy backed off, probably figuring that Harry was better competition than Ron.
"Ok, you had your fun! Now leave!" Harry said, pointing at the door.
"What if I want to stay a while?" Malfoy said smirking.
He walked within inches of Harry, and was in a position that he could just punch Harry in the stomach without anyone noticing.
"You heard me, Draco!" Harry yelled, but clasped both hands to his mouth.
Heads turned so suddenly to look at them.
"What did you call me?" Malfoy said subtly.
"What's your name then? I thought it was Draco!" Harry said, trying to cover it up.
"But I thought you only knew me as Malfoy! Maybe you had to say Draco. You know you love my name!"
Harry blushed as everyone laughed and started yelling things like "EWWW!" and "That's just not right!" and of course, from Ron, "Slug him!"
Malfoy smirked one last smirk and walked away.
That didn't stop the whole hall from staring at him. Harry hadn't called Malfoy Draco in his entire life. Harry had no clue why he suddenly started calling him that now, but it really bothered him. He needed to talk to Sirius about it...he was the only one who took him completely serious. Only one thing bothered Harry, only one single thought came to mind. Maybe, just maybe, he was...maybe he really truly...
"NO!" Harry screamed loudly, abolishing the thought.
The whole of the Great Hall just started more as he walked out of the room and down to where Sirius stayed. He didn't care about missing potions at all, even the harsh treatment he knew that Snape would give him.
He knocked on the door.
"Who's there?" Sirius asked.
"Harry!" Harry yelled through the door. The door then flew open immediately, Sirius holding his wand up.
"Sit down, Harry."
Harry had no idea whatsoever how to tell Sirius, but he had to.
"Sirius, something is going on...it's driving me crazy! It's even making me be nice to my worst enemy!" Harry said quickly in one breath.
Sirius smiled.
"Oh? What do you mean? What did you do to Draco?" He asked.
"Well, I called him Draco!" Harry yelled, acting like this was the worst sin ever.
"That's his name, isn't it?" Sirius asked, still smiling.
"Well, yeah, but I never call him that!" Harry said, outraged.
"Seems to me that you're actually starting to grow up!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You don't have a clue to what I'm saying, do you?"
"No!" Harry said, truthfully.
Sirius looked intently at Harry for a minute, then pointed at the door.
"You better go now, Harry...Snape will have your head for this!" Sirius said.
Harry nodded in agreement, left the room, and headed to the potions dungeon.
When he got there, he would have never expected anything that came next.
He walked slowly into the room, hoping to be quiet enough so that Snape wouldn't hear him. He was wrong.
Through gritted teeth, Snape said slowly, "Sit!" and he obeyed immediately and waited for his punishment. It never came.
"Now can anyone tell me, no not you, Granger! Can anyone else..." Snape started, but was interrupted by Harry's hand that shot into the air.
"What is it, Potter?" He said.
"Ummm...sir...I was late, and I didn't get detention?" Harry had no clue why he had the nerve to ask that, but still, he waited with bated breath for the response.
"Do you want punishment?" Snape said.
"No!" Harry said quickly.
"Then I suggest," Snape said, raising his voice slightly, "that you be quiet and accept my gift to you...although I have no idea why he would care about you."
Who, Harry thought. As his bright green eyes searched the room, they met briefly with his rival's, who seemed unusual.
He smiled at Harry and winked.
Harry blinked, rubbed his eyes furiously, and when his eyes returned to Malfoy, he was staring at Snape. Harry was probably just imagining things.
"Why would I imagine something like that?" He said out loud on his way out of the dungeon with Ron and Hermione after class.
"What?" Rom and Hermione said at the same time.
"Nothing..." Harry said, deciding that it was best not to tell them about what he felt.
The feast could not have been better. Even Dumbledore came down from his table to greet Harry and congratulate him on his last year at Hogwarts.
"I'm gonna really miss everyone here." Harry said sadly as he took another chicken leg.
"Harry, I know you will see everyone here again." Dumbledore said, comforting him.
"Some more than others, eh?" Dumbledore said, winking and walking away.
Harry had the strange feeling that everyone knew something that he obviously didn't.
First Sirius, then Dumbledore. He needed to tell someone that he knew would be just as clueless as him.
"Ron! I need to talk to you!" Harry said later that night, dragging Ron up to their dorm while everyone was still in the common room.
They sat down on Harry's four poster and talked about how Harry thought that something was going to happen soon.
"You know what?" Ron said, looking at Harry with interest.
"I think you've finally snapped!" He said, laughing.
"Maybe, but still...I just have that feeling, that's all." Harry said.
"Cheer up! It's our last year!" Ron said, walking over to the door and waving a hand, motioning for Harry to follow.
"Come on!" Ron said, and Harry got up and they went down to the common room, the thoughts still on his mind.
The next day didn't start out as they expected.
"Potions FIRST?" Ron yelled, making his schedule drop right into his cereal.
"I can't take this! This is an outrage!"
"What? That you've finally realized you'd make a better cardboard box than a wizard?" Drawled Malfoy, coming over and sitting in the chair next to Harry.
"Shut up, Malfoy! You know as well as I do that I wouldn't dare be anything you are!" Said Ron in his feeble attempt of a good comeback.
It took a second, but Malfoy finally worked out what Ron meant.
"Are you implying," He said, taking Ron by the collar, "that I am a cardboard box?"
"Get off of him right now!" Harry yelled. Malfoy backed off, probably figuring that Harry was better competition than Ron.
"Ok, you had your fun! Now leave!" Harry said, pointing at the door.
"What if I want to stay a while?" Malfoy said smirking.
He walked within inches of Harry, and was in a position that he could just punch Harry in the stomach without anyone noticing.
"You heard me, Draco!" Harry yelled, but clasped both hands to his mouth.
Heads turned so suddenly to look at them.
"What did you call me?" Malfoy said subtly.
"What's your name then? I thought it was Draco!" Harry said, trying to cover it up.
"But I thought you only knew me as Malfoy! Maybe you had to say Draco. You know you love my name!"
Harry blushed as everyone laughed and started yelling things like "EWWW!" and "That's just not right!" and of course, from Ron, "Slug him!"
Malfoy smirked one last smirk and walked away.
That didn't stop the whole hall from staring at him. Harry hadn't called Malfoy Draco in his entire life. Harry had no clue why he suddenly started calling him that now, but it really bothered him. He needed to talk to Sirius about it...he was the only one who took him completely serious. Only one thing bothered Harry, only one single thought came to mind. Maybe, just maybe, he was...maybe he really truly...
"NO!" Harry screamed loudly, abolishing the thought.
The whole of the Great Hall just started more as he walked out of the room and down to where Sirius stayed. He didn't care about missing potions at all, even the harsh treatment he knew that Snape would give him.
He knocked on the door.
"Who's there?" Sirius asked.
"Harry!" Harry yelled through the door. The door then flew open immediately, Sirius holding his wand up.
"Sit down, Harry."
Harry had no idea whatsoever how to tell Sirius, but he had to.
"Sirius, something is going on...it's driving me crazy! It's even making me be nice to my worst enemy!" Harry said quickly in one breath.
Sirius smiled.
"Oh? What do you mean? What did you do to Draco?" He asked.
"Well, I called him Draco!" Harry yelled, acting like this was the worst sin ever.
"That's his name, isn't it?" Sirius asked, still smiling.
"Well, yeah, but I never call him that!" Harry said, outraged.
"Seems to me that you're actually starting to grow up!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You don't have a clue to what I'm saying, do you?"
"No!" Harry said, truthfully.
Sirius looked intently at Harry for a minute, then pointed at the door.
"You better go now, Harry...Snape will have your head for this!" Sirius said.
Harry nodded in agreement, left the room, and headed to the potions dungeon.
When he got there, he would have never expected anything that came next.
He walked slowly into the room, hoping to be quiet enough so that Snape wouldn't hear him. He was wrong.
Through gritted teeth, Snape said slowly, "Sit!" and he obeyed immediately and waited for his punishment. It never came.
"Now can anyone tell me, no not you, Granger! Can anyone else..." Snape started, but was interrupted by Harry's hand that shot into the air.
"What is it, Potter?" He said.
"Ummm...sir...I was late, and I didn't get detention?" Harry had no clue why he had the nerve to ask that, but still, he waited with bated breath for the response.
"Do you want punishment?" Snape said.
"No!" Harry said quickly.
"Then I suggest," Snape said, raising his voice slightly, "that you be quiet and accept my gift to you...although I have no idea why he would care about you."
Who, Harry thought. As his bright green eyes searched the room, they met briefly with his rival's, who seemed unusual.
He smiled at Harry and winked.
Harry blinked, rubbed his eyes furiously, and when his eyes returned to Malfoy, he was staring at Snape. Harry was probably just imagining things.
"Why would I imagine something like that?" He said out loud on his way out of the dungeon with Ron and Hermione after class.
"What?" Rom and Hermione said at the same time.
"Nothing..." Harry said, deciding that it was best not to tell them about what he felt.