Harry leaned over the broad stone that formed the window sill to get a better look. "Well, now. Here's an interesting situation. My greatest rival at my mercy. Do I rescue or let perish? Decisions, decisions!" Harry's grin broadened as Malfoy's scowl grew darker. "I can see the front page of the Prophet now: Malfoy Heir Missing, Gryffindor Tower Gains New Gargoyle!"

"You're a real comedian, Potter, now BRING ME IN!"

Harry pulled away, mumbling something that Draco couldn't quite hear, but the words 'grouchy' and 'Slytherin' were involved. Moments later, he was floating through the window and being dumped unceremoniously on the floor. Picking himself up, he shot Potter a dirty look as he dusted of the snow and ice that had clung to his cloak. Looking around the small room, Draco found that the sole chair was taken, so he closed the window and sat on the sill instead.

Harry broke the silence, "So, to what do I owe the displeasure of this intrusion?"

Draco grimaced, "Straight to the point, eh Potter? Typical bloody Gryff, no tact whatsoever." He took a deep breath and glanced heavenward, as if fortifying himself for what was to come. "I need a favour from you. A big one."

Harry stared at him a moment, incredulous. Then he burst out laughing, "Yeah, right. I'm the last person you'd ask for a favour. Pull the other one, Malfoy." The Boy Who Lived found himself on the end of a very distinct look that told him exactly how much Draco was not joking. He stopped laughing. "Go on, then."

Suddenly uncertain as to where to begin, Draco glanced around Potter's room. It was the typical seventh year's room: a single four poster bed dominated the floor space leaving a narrow wardrobe and desk to compete for space with the substantial bookcases that lined the rest of the wall space. Harry's broom lay was suspended from ornate hooks above the desk. The only decoration was a small tapestry hanging on the back of the door showing the foundation of Hogwarts, Godric Gryffindor naturally prominent while Salazar Slytherin was almost a shadow in the background. At the base of this tapestry unicorns played in a glade, complete with waterfall.

The perfect place to start: the beginning. "Potter, how much of the Forbidden Forest have you explored? And don't try to tell me that you've been no further than we went in First Year."

Harry shrugged, "Some, but mostly the main trails and around the edges. The deeper you go the darker and more dangerous it gets."

"Heh. You never went far enough then. It's always darkest before the dawn. I've never heard anything that describes that forest better. About half a day in you find yourself in the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I think in spring the Unicorns give birth there, I've seen them there from time to time." Draco was quiet for a moment, absorbed in his memories. When he began speaking again, it was almost as if he'd forgotten Harry was in the room. "I go there when things around here get to be too much. The pool by the waterfall just draws the tension right out of you."

"At the beginning of the year, I was under a lot of pressure from Father. He'd been on my back all summer about the glory of the Dark Lord, and I thought I'd have a reprieve once I got here. I would bury myself in my studies and forget that Tom Riddle had ever existed." Draco snorted derisively, "I should've known better."

Suddenly, he was staring Harry straight in the eye, an intense look in his own grey ones. "There are three types of people in Slytherin, these days, Potter, and none of them are your friends. You can tell them apart by their faces. The worried haven't joined up. Yet. The terrified joined to please someone else, and the rest..." Draco shuddered, "The rest like what they've become. And they all want something from me. Protection, or leadership, or... to tell you the truth I don't actually know what the fence-sitters want." He shook his head. "I think they worry me the most."

Harry looked at his rival in what he hoped was an encouraging manner, "Because you know that they're waiting for you to show them the way. And if guiding them to him is troubling you, then your decision is already made."

Draco suddenly stood away from his seat at the window, and started pacing furiously. "Damn, you Potter. Damn your bloody Gryffindor mentality. You just had to go and make this harder, didn't you. Don't you think I don't know how many lives are resting on my choices? Damn you!" He shot Harry a murderous glare and went back to stare outside at the raging storm.

Harry was shocked, to say the least. That was not the response he'd been hoping for. There was something more going on here...