Author's Note: Soon shall come the start of the new term, where Ron and Hermione come in…mind, you might not like what I'm planning for them. Not death, but still. Oh well…REVIEW!
Oh! By the way, I've started a mailing list now…either e-mail me or leave your e-mail address in a review, and I'll make sure to contact you when a new chapter is up! ^-^
Please give me new fic, "Catch Me" a shot and read it!
deceiving
dreams
Harry couldn't help but smile at Sirius, even though he was bound to a chair that had toppled to the floor a while ago. "Hi!"
"Need help?" Sirius asked, eyeing the broken door.
"Yes, please," Harry replied. Sirius took out his wand and flicked it at the ropes. As soon as they could, both Draco and Harry had gotten up. While Harry rubbed his right wrist, which had gone numb from the weight that had been on it earlier, Draco was halfway through a temper-tantrum; ranting about the injustice of having Moody for a teacher.
When Draco had finished, Sirius grinned quickly, and started walking back down the hall. "We're going to see Dumbledore."
That was enough to keep both boys quiet as they walked the familiar path to the stone gargoyle.
Once they were inside and seated in Dumbledore's office, with Harry sitting between Sirius and Draco, who was closer to the door. Harry couldn't help but feel nervous as they waited in silence for Dumbledore.
Dumbledore entered his office from a side room; Harry had been paying little attention, so hadn't really noticed where the entrance was. Dumbledore's face spread into a smile, as he said, "Hello, Draco, Harry."
The two boys mumbled their greetings quietly. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Now, then, boys…we're going to arrange your schedules and such now, as to make things easier for you to adjust to when term begins."
Harry and Draco nodded.
Dumbledore continued smoothly. "I suppose that seating and classes will be quite troublesome…. Draco, although you will not stay in the same dorm as the Slytherins, you will still be part of that House and be responsible for those students. As the same goes for you, Harry.
"For your classes…you will be taking Transfiguration with Gryffindor, History of Magic and Charms with Slytherin, Defense and Astronomy with the Ravenclaws, and Divination with Hufflepuff. You'll have Potions with Slytherin and Gryffindor, Herbology with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, and Care of Magical Creatures with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff…. I presume this is all right with both of you?"
"I suppose," Harry replied, shrugging. He looked to Draco for confirmation, and the blond boy shrugged.
Dumbledore shook his head. He laughed softly. "Sirius, would you care to explain the surprise we have in store for them?"
Sirius nodded eagerly, and he turned to them, mostly looking at Harry. "In light of what's happening, we need a way to cheer students up. And since the fights between Gryffindor and Slytherin will be sure to escalate, we need a way to put an end to the rivalry and unify the students. So, we're declaring Hogwarts' first ever…."
He paused for dramatic effect.
"Prank War!"
Harry was stunned, but before he could say anything, Sirius continued.
"Now, if you two agree, it'll be a great cover. You have to agree, really. For example, we will tell the school that the teachers have chosen people from all four houses to represent their House and year; of which two of you will be. Now, what will happen is that on one day, Gryffindor gets to attack, but on the next, it's Slytherins turn, and then Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff. Only representatives will be able to execute the pranks, and only representatives will get the pranks played on."
Harry could almost feel the smirk spreading up Malfoy's face.
"You will have to be prepared for some major humiliation every other day, from any house, either from your year, any year, or all years. It will make you immune to everyone but each other and the two others chosen for your year. You can only perform one prank a day, and when you do, it can't be something dangerous. Make sure you can perform the spell and counter-spell before actually using it on one another.
"Meanwhile, you will have to spend all your classes together, do all your work together. Our excuse will be that while promoting competition and strategy, we want to prove that you can still be friends as rivals. You will, eventually, have to be friends.
"No one else will be allowed to do pranks, or else they will get their representatives disqualified. But they will be allowed to help their representatives with coming up with a prank."
"So there are going to be fourteen people picked for each House, two for each year, and a total of fifty-six students as representatives?" Harry asked.
Draco snorted derisively. "Who knew, Potter? You can add."
"Yes," Sirius answered Harry, ignoring Draco's comment. "There will be Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw competitors, as well as Slytherin and Gryffindor competitors."
"Who is it from our year?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Ah, a Justin Finch-Fletchley from Hufflepuff, and a Terry Boot from Ravenclaw," Sirius replied cheerfully, looking over a piece of parchment that had a long, scribbled chart. "And there are four people picked from each year to compete against the other house, so it won't only draw attention to the fifth years. Look, the houses will get extremely competitive, and that's why we made the rule—any skirmish of any sort reaching our ears, and that House will be disqualified. All ghosts, portraits, and other magical surveillance items will be on the lookout. This system will replace the point system for only this year. And although Quidditch will be played, instead of points, it will count towards that house's successful pranks."
"But will anyone else have to share dorms?" Harry asked.
"No," Sirius admitted. "But that's because they always get along anyway, from their records and such. The excuse for you two having to do everything together is because you seriously don't get along. On Mondays, Slytherins prank, on Tuesdays, Ravenclaws, on Wednesdays, Hufflepuffs prank, and on Thursdays, it's the Gryffindors. Fridays are free-for-alls, and Saturday and Sunday are days set aside for either peace treaties or meetings. You have the opportunity to prank any of the Houses opposing, but only one prank per day. You and the other opponents can, although, set up a peace treaty between the houses to team up. The Prefects are all advisors. The Head Boy and Girl will be supervising the treaties and peace talks. So, although you fifty-six will be the only ones actually doing the pranks, everyone participates in how it's going to go."
"So," Professor Dumbledore picked up, "you have your cover. The next thing we should tell you now. All of the Order will be in Hogwarts, most of them, at least, unless they are on missions. You will know them, but they will all be in disguise. Revealing their true identities could quickly lead to their deaths, so you must pretend as though you know of them only in their disguise. They will stay in their disguises at all times.
"As you may or may not have noticed, quite a few of the people that were there during your initiations were not, in fact, initiated into the Order of the Phoenix. This is because they are either not qualified or do not wish to join. Yes, they are trusted, and that is why they witnessed the initiation, so they too can know who to trust or go to for help, but there are many complications with them becoming members. They will not attend any more meetings, and they cannot remember any conversations that took place in the Phoenix Room, unless they are in it, which hampers Voldemort from getting any information out of them.
"You will receive training from all of the Order, and will have a schedule given to you when the term begins. Until then, you must meet with Alastor Moody at five in the afternoon for basic training."
Dumbledore smiled serenely at them. "Draco, why don't you go on ahead? Professor Moody wants both of you to write a six-inch essay on the meaning of today's lesson. Harry's godfather has some issues concerning him." Draco stood with a nod, and left.
Harry turned to Sirius and Dumbledore, both who were looking unusually serious. "I will leave you two in privacy," Dumbledore said, standing up and following after Draco.
"So, Harry," Sirius started awkwardly, breaking the silence. Harry fixed his gaze on Sirius, wondering what he had to talk about.
"Look, Harry," Sirius tried again. "About what happened in the Third Task…." Sirius watched in dismay as his godson's face seemed to close down on him, shutting his emotions behind doors. His eyes seemed to glaze over, a darker shade of the brilliant green they usually were. Sirius tread softly, and spoke in a gentle tone. "Cedric's death was not your fault, Harry. You have to understand that, and accept it. You did something very noble for him, something that he would have been very thankful for, had he lived. You couldn't know what would happen."
Harry didn't speak for a few seconds, but said it a very small, distant voice, "I should have known, though. Everyone was warning me—you, Hermione—even Ron was worried…I should have realized that the end of the task would be it."
Sirius leaned forward, reached to hold Harry's arms tightly. "No, Harry, you couldn't have realized it, you shouldn't believe that you had to have. It was a well-thought out and executed plan, Harry, and there was nothing you could have done."
"It still doesn't change the fact that he died because of me," Harry whispered.
Sirius' grip tightened still. It wrenched his insides when he heard the anguish in Harry's voice…he knew James would roll over in his grave if he knew how hard this had hit Harry, and that Sirius wasn't there for him enough. Giving Harry a little shake, he snarled in sudden anger. "It was not your fault. It is Voldemort's fault, not yours. Do you understand?"
Harry didn't answer for a long while, and Sirius started getting nervous. He watched his godson, who's expression never betrayed his thoughts or emotions. After about five minutes, Harry's voice peeped up again.
"Er, Sirius," Harry said, somewhat nervously, "your hands…."
Sirius looked down to find his knuckles white from gripping Harry so hard, and shocked, pulled away quickly. "I'm sorry, are you all right?"
Harry nodded, gulping visibly, and he rubbed his left arm softly. That's where Wormtail had cut him, stolen his blood….
"Chin up, Harry, all right?" Sirius said, using his gentle tone again. He wasn't sure if it worked—he was never talented with kids, and although he fell in love with Harry when he was born, he wasn't sure if he could handle ever raising him. He knew that he still would've given anything to raise Harry, and hoped that he would be able to fulfill his position as Harry's godfather well. "You'll do fine, and no one will let Voldemort get to you, okay?"
Harry nodded mutely. Sirius was mildly panicked—what was he supposed to do now? Usually when James was upset, Sirius would talk with him, tell him it'd all be okay, or do something funny to cheer him up—
Hey.
Sirius stood. "Harry," he said eagerly, willing to do anything to see Harry's face brighten again, "let's play a prank on Snape."
Harry looked up in surprise. He was about to say something, stopped, and after a moment's hesitation, asked with a glint in his eyes, "What d'you have in mind?"
***
All of the people in Hogwarts—basically the Order and a few of the Hogwarts teachers, all of whom were informed of Sirius' innocence—gathered in the Great Hall for dinner that night.
Harry and Sirius had entered together, and Harry found that Draco was already there, standing in a shadowy area conversing with Snape. For a moment, Sirius pondered whether or not he should continue with the prank on Snape. Many a times did he remember McGonagall getting angry with him, her mouth folded into the thinnest of lines. Then again, she might not mind this prank, Sirius grinned inwardly.
Sirius turned his gaze on Harry, who, after sitting down with the rest of them, picked at his food. "Don't like it?" Sirius asked softly, knowingly.
Harry looked up, startled, and gave Sirius a smile. "No, it tastes fine. In fact, it's wonderful. Much better than what the Dursleys would give me."
"I'm not talking about the food, Harry," Sirius said. "You don't like the arrangements we've made for you."
For the first time, Harry felt like voicing his troubles. Before he could give it a second thought, the words were pouring out of his mouth. He put down his fork with a soft clang, and after reassuring himself that no one was watching or listening in, he spoke. "I don't know what's going on in the outside world, Sirius, I don't know anything about—about—anything in this war except that Voldemort is back and he is evil, in every sense of the word, and that people are going to die. I'm not even a good student, Sirius! How can I possibly be any help? And what will I do without Ron and Hermione? I can't do anything without them!"
Sirius didn't reply, but rather stuffed a large spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. Chewing slowly, more than he really needed to, he replied casually. "Harry, you've defeated Voldemort in combat four times already—once when you were a baby, once in your first year, his sixteen-year-old self in your second year, and after the Third Task in your fourth. You've survived Harry, and that takes more than you think it does."
"It was luck, Sirius," Harry said, his frustration going up a few notches. No one seemed to understand! "When I was a baby, I survived from my mother's charm, in my first year…the charm again and Dumbledore. My second year, Fawkes saved me, and in my fourth I only survived Avada Kedavra because of my wand. None of that happened because of me—it was pure luck that got me this far, Sirius."
Sirius bit his lip. "Harry, you know that's not true. It takes an immense amount of courage and skill to do what you've done—you just refuse to see it that way. You—"
Sirius was interrupted by a loud, shocked, and angry yell. "POTTER!"
Harry turned his head to find everyone in the Order staring from Snape to him. Professor Snape's usually sallow skin had turned a brilliant, scarlet red, and his hair had gone from a greasy black to a spiky, golden color. He looked much better.
Harry couldn't help stopping the grin that spread on his face, as Snape's face got redder and redder. Stifling a laugh, Harry turned back to his plate, snorting into his food, not wanting Snape to see. Unfortunately, he did.
"YOU FOOLISH BOY!" Snape bellowed, stomping towards Harry furiously. "THREE HUNDERED POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR! DETENTION!"
"Uh-uh, Snape," Sirius said, looking at Snape with glittering eyes, subtly getting in-between Harry and Snape, just in case Snape went berserk. "Term hasn't started, so you can't take points from Gryffindor or give him detention."
"You put him up to this, didn't you, Black?" Snape said, looking malicious. His hands were clenched so tightly that although his skin should've been a deep red all over, his knuckles were white.
Sirius merely grinned at his former classmate.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, his eyes twinkling. "Severus, please calm down. I'm sure Poppy can perform a charm to return you to your normal state." He fixed his gaze on Sirius. "I don't want this coming from you again, Sirius. Understood?"
"Okay," Sirius said agreeably. "I'll just tell Harry what to do next time." He gave Snape a particularly evil smirk.
Dumbledore didn't reply with words, but gestured for Snape to be seated once more. With a final glare, Snape sat and started to eat once more.
As normalcy resided once again, Draco looked over towards Harry, whom he was sitting diagonally from. "Potter."
Harry glanced up. "What?"
"How'd you do that?"
Harry raised a dark eyebrow. "I'm not telling you. You're going to use it against me during the Prank War."
As Harry quietly turned back to his food, Draco fought down his frustration—was he that easy to see through? How had Potter known that? Then again, I would do that, wouldn't I? It's not like my long—time hatred of him isn't obvious….
Throughout dinner, he noticed that Black would glance worriedly at his godson every few minutes. Draco paused, observing the man discreetly. He decided that Sirius Black didn't seem remotely like a murderer at all; what with that great sappy expression.
***
Harry left the group after finishing his food, quietly excusing himself. He wished he had his Invisibility Cloak so no one could see him. It was unnerving to have so many people watching you, giving him such a caged feeling he never had before. Oh, no—Harry wasn't claustrophobic at all, with living in the tiny cupboard at Privet Drive for eleven years of his life, but this was the closest thing he'd ever felt to it. Everything—everyone—was closing in on him from all sides, and he didn't know how he would take it when school started…all those students.
As he made his way to his new dorm, Harry's mind went back to what Malfoy had said. '…I'd believe you did kill Diggory….' He shuddered unconsciously. Malfoy admitted him to be the murderer he was, and although he knew that Sirius cared, he was wrong. Cedric would have been a happy young man, just starting his career and life.
No, Sirius was biased. Blinded by how much he cared for Harry. It touched him how much Sirius did love him, but still, he was simply wrong. There was no denying it…if it hadn't been for him, Cedric would have still been alive and well.
He had reached the portrait without realizing it and when he looked up, it was into the smiling image of James Potter. James, who had been sprawled out on the grass reading through a textbook of some sort, looked up and saw Harry watching him.
"Hey, kiddo," he said cheerfully, closing the book and sitting up. "Your mother is having tea with the Fat Lady…. What're you so down about?"
Harry smiled vaguely, still not used to the portrait. "Nothing to worry about."
James gave him a suspicious look, but didn't press for information. "Where's that other boy? Draco?"
"Still at dinner," Harry replied. "I wanted to write a letter to my friends."
James smiled at him, and the portrait swung open. Harry went up the spiral staircase, and upon entering the common room, walked swiftly past it to the hall leading to his room. Walking in, he went to his desk, on which he had already laid out all of his belongings. Taking out two fresh pieces of parchment, a ink bottle, and a quill, he sat and started to write.
Hey Ron,
How are you and your family doing? I'm at Hogwarts right now. They wanted me here for extra protection, and it turns out that my old "muggle" baby-sitter Mrs, Figg is really at witch—Professor Dumbledore's sister, to boot. Snuffles is here too; Dumbledore told the staff that he's innocent. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here, so you wouldn't worry.
-Harry
He stopped for a moment, longing to tell Ron about everything that was going on, but remembered Dumbledore's warning. If Ron or Hermione knew anything about the Order, they would be in danger. He couldn't risk losing them, just to selfishly relieve his own tension. The letter sounded oddly indifferent, and unfamiliar, but he shrugged it off.
He scribbled out a similar letter to Hermione, adding that he had finished his summer work and was going to start doing extra reading. Putting the quill away, he started walking down the hallway, back into the common room.
"Where are you going?"
Harry spun towards the fire, and realized that Draco was slumped into the couch, staring blankly into the fire. "Owlery."
"Writing to Weasel and the Mudblood, are we?" Draco asked. His voice wasn't taunting though, just soft.
Harry frowned and sat beside him. "I don't get it. You're working for our side, but you still call Hermione 'Mudblood'."
Draco snorted, his eyes still fixed on the fire. Harry could see the reflection of the flames flickering in Draco's silver eyes. "It's what she is, a mudblood."
Harry fought to control his anger. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he continued to try to get through to Draco. "If you believe the people you're protecting are inferior, then why are you putting your life on the line to save them?"
Draco didn't answer for a long while, but Harry kept his eyes trained on the other boy, watching calmly for any emotion to sweep across his face. Waiting to see what his answer was.
There was none.
Draco turned to face Harry. "I don't know, Potter," he replied softly. "I really don't."
Harry's face remained contemplative for an instant, then his face broke out into a small, private smile. He stood up again and left.
Draco frowned when he heard the portrait door shut. He squirmed, not feeling comfortable with how everything was going between him and Potter. He hated him, yes, but that hatred had waned a bit. He had thought that living with Potter would be hell, but quite the contrary, Harry seemed to understand that he wanted to be left alone.
He shifted his gaze back to the flames, his mind wandering back to what he had been thinking about before the interruption: his father.
Things had been very simple. He, during a conversation, had told his father that he refused to become a Death Eater—that his hatred wasn't enough to provoke him into killing another being. Lucius Malfoy had not taken to this news well, and in a silent fury, dismissed his son from his presence. Draco left the manor, after performing a not-very-well-known and complicated illusion charm, with the help of a few house elves who were forbidden to divulge anything, that basically duplicated him.
He supposed that if he found his duplicate, then it would have the Dark Mark burned into his arm.
And that was the beauty of the charm—his duplicate was exactly like him, was there—something you could touch and smell. Real. But not real.
You see, Draco Malfoy liked having options. There always had to be a back door of the house—a way to get out of something that he didn't want to do, a safe house of a sort. Options, in this case, were extremely useful….
Draco smiled lazily. He especially liked illusion charms—they messed with a person's head. Their nerves. If his father had touched his duplicate's arm, his nerves would have been stimulated by the illusion to trick his mind into believing that he was touching something. It was a very useful thing to know, as well, but should be treated with caution. If anyone of Voldemort's followers knew that there was also another Draco at Hogwarts, then he would be horribly murdered. Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore were the only ones who knew about what he had done to escape.
Draco shuddered, closing his eyes, and wrapping his arms tightly around himself. He liked the feel of the fire's heat against his skin, and soon enough, it lulled him to sleep.
***
Draco started when he heard a loud noise, and after looking around sharply, he realized he had fallen asleep in front of the fire. He slumped back for a moment, his muscles relaxing. Then he heard the sound again.
Standing, he tried to clear his cluttered and panicking mind. Where was Harry? His eyes widened, and without further contemplation, he sprinted to Harry's room.
Flicking his wand at the lamp he found Harry asleep in his bed. He was shaking his head, back and forth, yelling incoherently, and had his hand on his scar.
***
"Lucius…"
The Death Eater approached Voldemort, kneeling to kiss the hem of his robes. "Yes, my Lord?"
"The Potter boy…where is he?"
"Last reported, he recently arrived at Hogwarts, but we do not have any sources there as of yet that know."
"What of Severus Snape, Lucius?"
"He says, my Lord," Lucius said, his mouth curling with disdain, "that the boy is in Hogwarts, under the protection of Dumbledore. However, I do not fully trust Severus Snape's word, as of yet."
"I anticipate that Dumbledore will have called upon the Order."
"My Lord, whom may I ask is in the Order?"
"That is the question, indeed…" Voldemort said darkly, his glowing red eyes fixated on the wand in his hand. He twirled it a few times in between his fingers, watching the green and silver sparks rush out at his face every few moments. When they touched his skin, he didn't seem to realize it. He stopped. "Draco Malfoy!"
Draco stepped forward this time, bending to his knees and kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes, just as his father had. Standing again, he asked, "My Lord?"
"When the new term begins," Voldemort said, "you will find out all you can about the Order. Go to Dumbledore and plead your innocence, ask for sanctuary, if you must—see if you can join the Order as well. Find the name of every Phoenix and give their names to me!"
"Yes, my Lord," Draco said, bowing his head. He stepped back into the circle of Death Eaters.
Voldemort resumed twirling his wand. "When the time comes—when Hogwarts is weakened, I shall take it into my own hands. The students will join me. I will destroy the Potter boy."
"My Lord," a voice peeped. It was Wormtail. "I-is Hogwarts not where the muggle-loving fool Dumbledore resides? The protection charms around the castle, my Lord!"
Voldemort froze and turned his gaze on the cowering man, piercing him. The Death Eaters were holding their breaths, knowing what was about to come, and were determined to keep their gazes fixed on their lord.
"You believe that the old, senile, muggle-loving fool can stop me?" Voldemort hissed in mock curiosity, sounding even more snake-like than he did before. He lazily lifted his wand at Wormtail, a glint of pleasure flickering in his eyes. "Crucio!"
***
"…er…Potter…Potter!"
Harry snapped awake, sitting straight up, breathing hard, the scar on his forehead throbbing with pain. He wriggled in the dark, and pushed at the person holding his shoulders.
"Calm down, Potter!"
Harry stopped, realizing it was only Draco.
Suddenly, the reality of the dream hit him. The room seemed to become a lot warmer.
Swinging wildly, blindly, his mind consumed by the outrage he felt, he threw a punch at the other boy, hitting him, amazingly, square on the jaw. "You—you—traitor!"
"What the bloody hell are you talking about, Potter?!" Draco reeled backwards and with a hand on his jaw (rubbing to make sure that it wasn't broken and trying to get some feeling back into it).
Harry leaped to his feet, trembling with his rage. He hadn't felt this way—this way—since his third year in the Shrieking Shack when he thought Sirius had betrayed his parents. His eyes were narrowed, jaw taut, hands in tight fists, and his voice shaky. "You traitor!"
"What are you talking about?" Draco yelled. "I'm not a traitor!"
"Don't you dare lie to me," Harry said, his voice going cold and icy—the room temperature dropped. "Don't you dare lie to me."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Draco said loudly, annoyed and bewildered, his anger beginning to rise at the offensive accusation. "And I am not a traitor."
Harry stared at him inscrutably. This had happened before—it felt vaguely like déjà vu—when Sirius was in the Shrieking Shack, trying to tell him that he was innocent. He had taken a lot of convincing, but Harry knew—he felt it—he was telling the truth. All he had to do was push his anger away…agree to hear the argument…he felt his breathing slow, calming, and grabbing his wand without turning his back on Draco, he flicked the light on and then pointed his wand at Draco. "Move."
Draco looked at Harry, exasperated, but decided that angering him further was not a smart idea, especially when he didn't have his wand.
Going down the corridor, Draco sat on one chair by the fire, and Harry sat on the opposite, his wand still firmly pointed at Draco. Draco was somewhat relieved to notice that Harry seemed much calmer. "What have you been rambling about?"
Harry stared at Draco, as if he didn't know. He reminded himself to calm down, and although he kept his wand trained on Draco—his dream was quite convincing—he breathed slowly. "Let me see your arm."
Draco raised an eyebrow but did as asked. Lifting the sleeve of his right arm, he showed the inside of his arm to Harry, tilting it towards the fire so that he could see it clearly.
Harry stared at the inside of Draco's arm, and after a few moments cleared his throat. He lowered his wand, and as if they shared the same thought, both leaned back into their chairs to reveal the details that brought the situation into fruition.
***
"I have dreams," Harry began, somewhat slowly, wondering how to exactly word it. "Because of my scar. It works like a link to Voldemort—through it, I have a part of Voldemort in me. It hurts when he's near, or when he has a strong feeling directed towards me. But at night, when I fall asleep, I can…sort of see through Voldemort's eyes…well, I'm there, where he is, in my own form, but I can see what he's seeing in the room. It's as if I'm really there."
Draco didn't know what to say to that, but he didn't have to, since Harry continued.
"This dream," Harry said, cocking his head to the side ever so slightly, "your father was there. They're pretty sure I'm here. They don't trust Snape." He paused, his gaze sharpening. "You were there."
Draco blinked. Cautiously, he asked, "What did I do?"
"You were a Death Eater. You agreed to spy on Dumbledore and the Order."
"I'm not."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Then who was it that I saw groveling to Voldemort, agreeing to what he was told to do?"
"Me." Draco looked especially calm and casual now, and there was a smirk tugging at his lips.
Harry stared at him a few moments, then seemed to shake himself out of the shock, lifting his wand back up again. "You're mental."
"No. I'm cunning." Draco allowed himself a small grin, as he watched a fury of emotion pass on Harry's face. Loudly, so as to get Harry's attention, he said, "I'll explain if you give me the chance."
Harry looked up at Draco—right into his cold, gray, eyes. Draco couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he kept his eyes trained on the emerald green of Harry's eyes. He would show that he was steadfast, unblinking…he would prove that he was not one of his.
"Make this quick, Malfoy," Harry snapped, leaning back and once again lowering his wand.
"Fine," Draco said. "You see, I used an illusion charm. I really do exist for the people who believe it to be me—real, live, breathing, talking. But if they know it's just an illusion, the illusion becomes totally unresponsive to them…they can't see it. The only one that can see it while knowing it's an illusion is the person who cast the charm…me."
Harry stared. "And this illusion…it can think for itself?"
Draco nodded. "Yes, but by the same token, it does what people expect to see it doing…to a certain extent. If I was a Death Eater, then they'd see me doing the things I would do as a Death Eater, such as bow to him and do as he says. They would see me retort to Crabbe or Goyle, because that's what I would do…not exactly what they see me doing. It's more like the illusion does everything the exact same way I would if I were in that situation."
Harry snorted softly. "And you told Dumbledore?"
"Yes. Dumbledore and Snape."
Harry stared hard at Draco, seeming to ponder something of the sort. Then, Harry dropped his gaze and sighed, placing his wand back in the pockets of his pajamas. "Well…sorry I doubted you."
Draco blinked. Was Potter actually…apologizing to him? Draco gaped a few more seconds, and drawled, "Oh…it's all right, I suppose it's good you know."
Harry looked up and grinned. "You know, you're actually okay sometimes…when you're not being a stuck-up prat."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Well, I haven't seen anything from you to change my mind. You're still an insufferable, righteous, and goody-goody Gryffindor."
Harry shrugged. "I've never been a goody-goody, Malfoy."
Draco glared maliciously. "Right, and I have a glass eye just like Moody. I'm going to beat the bloody stuffing out of you during the Prank War."
Harry grinned. Draco felt like slapping him—why wouldn't he get offended or anything? "Likewise."
They sat in silence a few minutes, watching the flames in the fire rise and fall.
Draco sighed. "Well, I want to get some sleep. Tell Dumbledore about your dream in the morning."
"All right," Harry replied softly, as they both stood and crossed to the opposite sides of the common room. "'Night."
Draco didn't reply as he walked down the hall to his own room, but glanced as Harry yawned and turned back to go to his own room. Continuing, he shook his head. What a stupid, stupid person, Harry Potter was. Too trusting, way too trusting. Way too forgiving. Too naïve.
He didn't want Potter's kindness…or his friendship, for that matter. How could Harry trust him enough to tell him about his dreams? If Draco were really on Voldemort's side, Harry would have a door opened to so many more ways of being tortured….
Oh, well, Draco thought as he changed his clothes and slipped in the covers of his own bed, it's not my problem. At least I'm not like him. He's going to get himself killed one day, and I'll be the first to laugh.
Somehow, though, he thought that might change.
And he felt like slapping himself for it.
dreams
end
A/N: Argh! Twelve more pages typed and I still haven't gotten to Harry's birthday! Oh well…this is going to be a very long fic….
Okay, well, it's Harry's birthday next…hehe, what has Sirius got in store for him? (Don't worry, I don't know yet either…)
Oh! I'm going to need help with the Prank War ideas! I've got a couple, but so far it's odd. Very odd, but kinda funny—ooh, just came up with another one… You may say that you didn't like the Prank War idea, but it's a very essential part of what's going to happen…*insert evil laughter*
As always, please review, and tell me whether you want to be on the mailing list (leave your address!)! And I've started a new fic called "Catch Me" so please read and review that too!
~ Jedi Cosmos ~
Thank You's (From Chapters 6 & 7):
Luthien – I agree that slash wouldn't work here. Hehe, I like imaging James and Sirius and Remus and Lily like that ^-^
Holli – Hehe, hope you liked this chapter too ^.~
Seren – I had fun with the color war ^-^ The Prank War will be even BETTER! *insert evil laughter*
Jessica Black
Seadach
Lin-z
Katrina Skyfrost – well, if you like Ron and Herm left in the dark, you'll probably like this…^^()
starkitty – I wish!
Gemini
Gia
Super Saya-jin Gotan – I prefer detail over little detail. Actions coming your way—the prank war will deal with that ^^()
Christy – It wasn't sad!
Chaos Kid
Ayla Pascal – they're longer…I'm dying here, but they're longer…….
Lonely Dove – thank you!
Laura Potter
SEEKER_2000
Maddy
Starlight
vmr
Scarlet Phoenix
Unknown_Dude4
Lishel Fracrium
Gia
Ruka-chan
Unknown_Dude4 – He'll eventually tell…
Lil Phenix
Katrina Skyfrost
Star4ever – hehe ^^() I do that a lot with other fics…
Unknown_Dude4 – thank you for the three reviews! ^^()
Jessica Black
Lishel Fracrium
SEEKER_2000 – thank you very much! ^^()
Red_Rosettes –you're right bout the Order being more seclusive—I think this chapter touched up a bit more on the nature of the membership…
Krazy Kris – I like the little rant too, hehe ^-^ by the way, I loved the new chapter of Concealed!
Lishel Fracrium – thank you for the three reviews as well! ^-^
Mistwalker – thanks; I wasn't very sure about my insert characters at all, that's why I try to avoid making them…
Puddles – I'm glad you have fun reading!
Rosie – updates are about once a month…
Joel – lol, yeah, they can be the Alley Gang now or something ^.~
Ladyeclectic – thank you for the compliments ^-^ I'm glad you enjoy the characters and such!
bill weasly
Sleepy Soul – thank you very much!
jona – thank you! Hehe I get hyper a lot too ^^()
Juliana Black – here ya go…thanks for reviewing "Catch Me" so quickly!
Again, thanks everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you're not already on my e-mail list and would like to receive notification when I post a new chapter, either leave your e-mail address in a review or e-mail me at sailorstarcosmos@yahoo.com! Please read chapter 1 of "Catch Me"! Thanks!
