Chapter 6: The Dragon's Heart

It was happening again.

Eriol turned in his bed in time to see Draco's wrestles attempt at sleeping. The boy had been awakened again to the whimpers from the other bed. This time Eriol fought back the urge to put a sleeping spell on him, since he planned to discuss the nature of his nightmares in the morning, and doing so would cause Draco to forget his dream entirely. He turned again trying to bury his head in his pillow and just drown out the other boy's cries.

It worked at first, for what seemed like seconds, because no sooner had he found peace than Draco uttered a shrill cry. Eriol immediately shot up, first looking around fervently to see if anyone had jerked awake, and then to stare frantically at his writhing friend. Satisfied with the fact everyone was still asleep, if not stirring, Eriol pounced on Draco's bed. He took the boys shoulder's firmly and shook him. When that didn't work he slapped his cheek lightly, tapping at him in synch with his desperate whispers to wake up. It was under this relentless assault that Draco's eyes flung open only to see Eriol hovering over him. As if realizing his situation, Draco threw the other boy off of him as he sat up quickly bringing his hands to his forehead in aftershock. He shuddered slightly as if shaking the cold sweat off himself as well as the memory of whatever was plaguing him. Eriol corrected his posture from off the floor and sat quietly at the edge of the bed until Draco was calm enough to say something. Instead Draco's wild eyes searched Eriol's face in horror as if silently asking if he had heard the whole thing.

Eriol only fixed his eyes on his shivering friend, and this was enough answer for Draco.

"Oh..oh god.." Draco stuttered and quickly slid off his bed, stumbling towards the washroom.

Eriol followed after him determined to get some answers, if not at least some confirmation that everything was ok. He doubted the latter since this had been the second time he heard such strange and ominous mumbles from his friend.

Draco washed his face quickly as if the water could erase his thoughts. Eriol handed him a towel and crossed his arms, waiting. Draco patted as his face and dropped his hands slowly as he realized the other boy was still waiting patiently.

"Well..go on. No use hanging around here for. One of us might as well get some sleep." Draco commanded trying to sound as assertive as possible.

Eriol wasn't buying it. Instead he took a hold of Draco's arm and led him out of the washroom and surprisingly, past their beds.

"E-Eriol!" Draco protested, "What do you think you are doing? Unhand-hand me this instant!"

The other boy only turned to him angrily pressing a finger to his lips in a silencing gesture.

Together the two stormed out the dormitories and down the stairs to the common room. Almost angrily Eriol sat the pale boy roughly onto a long couch while he crossed the room to the fireplace. With only a point of his finger the wood burst into flames. Draco was rather impressed, as this action momentarily snapped him out of shock and caused him to tip his head to get a better view. Eriol turned to his captive walking up to him slowly with his arms crossed. A rather menacing sight with the light of the fireplace glowing behind him casting long shadows at Draco and enveloping the other boy in a silhouette that only allowed his eyes to shine. Draco nearly flinched as Eriol spoke.

"Well? What was that all about?" Eriol questioned.

"I haven't the slightest.." Draco mocked shrugging his shoulders as if his act would convince the other boy that he knew nothing.

Eriol was far too keen for that.

"I wont leave till I've got some answers. You know very well what I am talking about and this is the second time that you have gone into some unconscious fit. And of course that would be fine with me..if it didn't keep me up at ungodly hours and force me to nearly slap you awake that is. So..out with it!"

Draco looked as subdued as a Malfoy possibly could, "I..I don't know." he feigned, testing his limits and hoping Eriol would just drop the subject and let them both return to their beds.

Eriol tapped his foot impatiently, "Is that so? Would you like me to remind you exactly what it was you were so audibly shrieking to half the school?"

Draco blanched then quickly turned his head as if looking at his interrogator was hurting his eyes.

Eriol, seeing that the subject was difficult for Draco to admit, became softer in his approach. He sighed sitting next to the other boy. Placing a gentle hand to his shoulder he gave it a firm reassuring squeeze as if lending the other boy some measure of his own strength.

"You might feel better..if you told me. I only want to help." Eriol whispered.

Draco smirked lifting his head to lock their eyes, "You're such a Gryffindor, you know that? You almost remind me too much of Potter sometimes. It's no wonder you two get along."

"Does this have to do with him?"

"No.." Draco uttered turning his gaze to the crackling fire.

"Then it has to do with that letter you were reading earlier.."

Draco nodded in response.

"Who was it from?" Eriol asked.

"My father.." Draco replied, amazed that he was inclined at this moment to tell the truth.

Eriol nearly flinched as the conversation with his Gryffindor friends flashed through his mind. Everything they had said about Lucius hadn't really prepared him for the type of things Draco had uttered in his sleep and how they could relate to that letter. He decided to probe into the letter's meaning first.

"What did he say to you in the letter?"

Draco turned to him suddenly agitated, he flashed perfectly white clenched teeth at him as he violently stood up from his place on the couch.

"Forget it Eriol!" he nearly yelled, "Just stay out of it! You wouldn't understand!"

"Try me." Eriol suggested, "I want to.."

Draco blinked a few times, he had not expected such a calm answer. Eriol did not remove his gaze from the dragon's stricken face.

Defeated, Draco slumped back down to the couch, shoulders hunched, and buried his face in his hands. His body quivered as if silently sobbing. But Draco Malfoy would never do such a thing. He threw his hands into the air, a false smile on his face.

"You win.." he drawled, his voice bordering at cracking any second.

Eriol waited for Draco to explain himself when he felt right.

Draco sighed, "I'm just warning you right now..if what I say ends up disturbing you in some way, realize that you brought it upon yourself; because at this point I really don't care anymore."

Eriol nodded as if accepting some suicide mission.

"Fine.." Draco nearly hissed, "You want to know so much about me? Very well..I suppose you have already heard about my father from your nosy friends true?"

Eriol nodded in reply.

"Well..what they know is only half the story."

"I figured as much." Eriol managed to say.

Draco hesitated.

"My father, much to everyone's suspicions is still in the game."

"Game?" Eriol questioned.

"It's to say..Voldemort is definitely alive and ticking. My father is still loyal to him. He is a death eater you know. Well to everyone's knowledge, he WAS a supporter, but supposedly came back to the 'good' side." Draco nearly stifled a cruel chuckle at the last few words.

"No..that's just a facade. He is very much involved in Voldemort's revival..and as his son..so am I."

At this point the once proud and witty Slytherin shook with emotion as if the mere recollection of his role in everything hurt too much to say.

"I..I don't want to..to do the things he has planned out for me. That letter I received today outlined some of his most recent plans for me when I get back home this summer, and some of the recent developments happening in the movement. I have NO choice..no choice in anything. And now..I have to live with the silent knowledge of what's to come in my future. What destiny holds for me. It's all been decided." Draco mumbled weakly, his voice growing a few decibels higher with each word.

He swallowed thickly composing himself and continued.

"I will end up serving the Dark Lord, Eriol. It's been declared, I am the successor to his legacy. The heir of Salazaar Slytherin. I will bear the Dark Mark before the beginning of the next school year probably."

Eriol could only look at his friend, speechless, as the intensity of his words sank into his brain.

"And..I can't bear the thought, the thought of returning home this summer. Back to his training, back to the plans he mentioned in the letter. All the while knowing the consequence of disobedience."

He shuddered again involuntarily, his silver eyes grown dark and his voice almost emotionless by now.

"Consequence?" Eriol asked as if the word struck some kind of chord, "Does this have to do with your violent nightmares?"

"Yes."

Eriol suddenly understood. Draco didn't have to say anything further to explain without words what sort of punishments and abuse Lucius had dealt his son. He could only stare in disbelief at the strength Draco had to endure so much pain and torture..all this time..with no one to confide in.

Draco turned to him suddenly, a dry smirk on his cold face, "Well? What do you think of the great Draco Malfoy now huh? Are you satisfied? Did you get enough information or was there not enough detail? I could elaborate if you like. I could tell you what leather against skin tastes like, whenever I lose a Quidditch match! Or the nasty things my father whispers in my ear while his hands abuse me, just because I got lower marks than Potter. And that's on a good day as usually he isn't even around to exact punishment on me, it's usually left up to the elves and ghosts."

"Draco."

"Oh yeah..hell I could probably show you pictures even! He has an extensive collection you know. He likes to make sure I have learned my lesson for the day, with proof. Or maybe I can give you a tour of the dungeon under the mansion and explain how all the neat contraptions work. Even more fun, I could sing for you all the curses-for-lullaby's I was taught as a child..ooh fun!"

"Stop!" Eriol demanded horrified at the boys vulgar frenzy.

"Why, what ever is the matter Eriol? I warned you from the start didn't I? You wanted to know. So now you know." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm and free of shame.

"Draco.." Eriol whispered, pain in his voice.

"Oh save it, Eriol. I don't need your pity. After all, I am destined for glory one way or another. I mean, being the heir of someone who will conquer the world is a coveted position isn't it? Damn, lucky me even! I should be envied." he sneered on the verge of a breakdown although showing no trace of it in his expression.

"That's not true..it's not what you really want. You just told me..." Eriol assured himself.

"Forget what I told you..it doesn't matter. Besides I am a pure bred Slytherin, how do you know I even told you the truth in the first place? I could be lying..all in a clever scheme to throw you off and make you pity the poor wingless dragon, with the terrible home life and no friends and always second best to that damn Potter, and the helpless little puppet and.." he continued on absently without really thinking of the impact of his words.

Eriol couldn't take any more of it and he rushed up on his friend taking his face into his hands and staring him straight in the eyes.

"You give yourself too much credit, Draco! Because you are vulnerable when you are truthful, and you disguise it quickly with witty and even vulgar remarks in an attempt to mask your weakness, your kindness, your true self. The self you never really knew you had, or had simply forgotten. I know you're not what you appear to be!"

"That's a lie..I am the way I am, there is no changing or hiding it. And anything that happens to me is rightfully deserved. It's some kind of punishment for all the nasty and mean things I've done, and will continue to do.. or maybe because I'm just not good enough at anything..can't even please my father, make him proud of me. I deserve it." Draco continued, his voice shaky but his face hollow.

Eriol shook the boy slightly in his hands and tightened his grip as if asserting his statement and making himself clearly understood. "NOBODY!...Nobody deserves that! You are too good for all that Draco and you know it!"

"Shut up! I'm tired of your mouth!"

With this Draco lunged himself on Eriol closing the distance between their bodies and crashing his lips fervently over the others. To his surprise Eriol found himself kissing him back, surrendering to the thin boy's strong advances. He had always admired Draco's beauty, from the first day on the train, the way he had been captivated by his mere presence; and now in a blaze of insanity and the heated passion of confrontation..his fleeting desires came true. All inhibitions melted away in this act and Draco released all the fury and frustration he had ever experienced under the frenzy of his wild kisses.

All of a sudden, as if his conscious got the better of him he broke the intense lip-lock, allowing their eyes to meet. Draco now held Eriol's face in his hands and was gazing at him as his heavy breathing calmed. But Eriol noticed, as Draco's glazed-over eyes stared, that he was not looking at him as he was, he was looking at him as something else and it became apparent what it was. The dark haired boy chuckled slightly shaking his head slowly, breaking his eye contact while doing so. Draco seemed to snap back to reality as he realized what just happened. As if touching a burning stove, the dragon pulled back with lightning speed, retreating to the far corner of the couch. Eriol, still chuckling approached him, while Draco heaved clutching his heart and shaking like a scared animal.

"No no no.. Draco Malfoy." Eriol spoke with a reprimanding ring, "That wasn't me you were kissing just now, was it."

Draco scrunched his face as if suddenly appalled by the notion. "I..I don't know what you mean..it was a mistake, a short lapse of insanity. I-I never meant to.." he squeaked.

Eriol gave him a patronizing look as if saying he was in denial. "Draco..we both know you meant it. REALLY..meant it..it was one of those kisses that's been harbored inside you for ages. I know..I've felt that sort of desire too in the past..still do actually. Though it's really odd someone as young as you could experience such emotions, I'd think you'd have to have my years of wisdom to know what that's like.."

"Huh?"

"Ehh..Never mind.."

Draco swallowed hard.

"I'm just sad to realize it wasn't me you were aiming for." Eriol mock sighed and shrugged in defeat.

Then he smirked, a sly twinkle to his eye, "I look A LOT like Harry Potter don't I?"

Draco paled, a sharp contrast to his already pale skin, and grasped his heart again as if it was failing him. "S-so so what if you do?" he stammered.

Eriol smiled again, as if this was another one of Snape's pop quizzes to which he knew all the answers to. "So do you know just how many times you mentioned Harry's name in your confession?"

"What does THAT prove? Of course I would say his name a few times. I hate him! He is the cause of a lot of my stress.." Draco said defiantly trying to defend himself.

"Yeah I wonder exactly what KIND of stress.." Eriol teased through his wiry smile.

Draco frowned incredulously, "Oh God! What are you insinuating!?"

"Do I really have to say it?"

"That I'm in love with Harry Potter!?!?!"

"So it's love now, is it? Boy, that was a little more than I expected, but sure..since you said it yourself just now. I suppose that's what it is." Eriol remarked coyly.

"You are gravely mistaken sir! Why Harry has been nothing but trouble for me. Always taking the spotlight from where it truly belongs..on me! And kissing up to prissy Mcgonagall, and that old fool Dumbledore. He is everyone's favorite little pet, except for Snape who is the only one not blinded by his adorable smile and ..and..uh..Did I just say adorable? I meant charming..no wait.. umm.."

"On a first name basis with him already are we?" Eriol prodded on.

"N-no! That was a slip of the tongue!" Draco nearly shrieked.

Eriol's eyebrow arched rather amused, "It sure was, just a moment ago on this couch was it not?"

Draco's face flushed with embarrassment at the mental image.

"You can faint any moment now." Eriol suggested.

"Yes, thank you that sounds like a marvelous idea, please excuse me.." Draco gasped teetering unsteadily.

Eriol chuckled and reach out a hand to his shoulder to comfort him. "No seriously Draco. It's O.K, I know what falling in love with a rival is like. Especially when it happens at the worst inopportune time in your life."

Draco righted himself on the couch, "You do?"

Eriol nodded then sighed dreamily looking off to his side sheepishly, "I still am..after all this time. He always saw me as his rival, hated me with a passion, probably still does."

Draco sat pensively for a moment absorbing Eriol's own confession.

"Harry told me.." Eriol continued cautiously.

"About?"

"About when you first met, how you extended a hand of friendship and he declined."

Draco frowned at the memory.

"That started everything! It's not easy for me..you know, to stoop down to a level where I actually go 'looking' to make a friend. I mean, I am a very respected, if not feared, figure in society and Potter should have been more than flattered and obliged to have someone like me want to be his friend. I don't go doing that for just anyone. People crawl to me, I NEVER crawl to them and yet he chose his two lower class friends over me! He made me look beneath him and his little group. I was subjected to Potter praises all my life. How he was the great Boy Who Lived..don't you think I know what it's like to be inferior to someone like that? And to have him throw it in my face by rejecting me..in front of that peasant weasel boy and Mud-Blood Granger! No one but NO ONE degrades a Malfoy and gets away with it. The offer of friendship flew out the window of that train and it was on..from that day forth and I swore Harry AND his little entourage would pay dearly..no matter how cute he is!"

Draco pounded his fists together angrily, lost in his own rantings.

"Well it couldn't have helped that you were obnoxious the first time you met getting your robes. And then you went on to insult his friends, friends he had just met, and might I add, Harry had NO friends previously." Eriol rebuked.

"Well how was I supposed to know that!? He being the great Potter and all, who would have known he was such a dolt and didn't even know the first thing about wizardry and all that. I was merely trying to protect him from mixing up with the wrong sort. Obviously the boy couldn't tell quality, I was standing right in front of him for goodness sakes! I had to open his eyes to it and he still refused to see."

Eriol gave him a subjective look.

"Besides! That Weasel boy started it! He made fun of my name..he was ASKING for it!" Draco nearly pouted, huffing in retort.

Eriol smiled warmly, "It hurt didn't it?"

"Come again!?"

"Being rejected.."

"What? No!" came the quick reply.

Eriol was not fooled. Draco sighed dejectedly.

"Yes..it did. I had never experienced that before. Rejection. Well from my father, yes, but that's commonplace and almost expected by now. I respect him no matter what..but from others it's just nearly unforgivable. It was an unheard of thing! Until Harry happened. He was my first humiliation, my first obsession, infatuation, my first love. All the while I hated him. I hated him before I met him and I think I always will to some degree..just for being perfect Harry Potter."

He had averted his gaze by the end of his sentence, too ashamed to admit such previously hidden feelings.

Eriol hummed for a moment bringing a pensive hand up to his chin and stroking lightly as he stared off into space. Draco stared at him confused and wary of the other boys thoughts.

"I'm not liking this lack of conversation Eriol.." Draco warned.

"I! Have an idea.." Eriol declared.

"I don't like the sound of that. I REALLY don't like the sound of that! I swear Hiiragizawa, if you tell a SOUL about my sordid little fantasies.."

"That's rich, coming from someone like you who hasn't got one.." Eriol teased.

"Not too original there.." Draco remarked dryly.

Eriol's face brightened, "What KIND of sordid little fantasies are we talking about anyway?"

"I'm this close to throttling you.." Draco signed, demonstrating his measured anger with his hand.

"I might like that..just call me Harry." Said the other with a wink.

"Oh God..why did I ever tell you? It must have been another one of your spells magician."

"If it helps you sleep at night..sure."

"Augh!" Draco growled throwing his hands up in frustration.

Eriol snaked his arm around his flustered friend and helped the boy to a stand.

"Don't worry I wont compromise your dignity, unless you want me to.." Eriol said with the last part a barely audible whisper, "Pretty soon all your problems will be solved..the only one now is getting some sleep."

The boy began pulling Draco towards the dorms, but stopped at the base of the stairs. He turned to the stunned Slytherin and let a gentle hand caress the side of his cheek. "..and Draco.."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks.."

"For what?"

"For telling me..everything."

It looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder and his eyes brightened with a glitter they lacked before. Then Draco did the unimaginable. He gave Eriol a genuine smile.