Title: In The Interests Of …

Author: I_nv_u50

Pairings: DracoXHarry

Disclaimer: The strange knight belongs to me, the rest to Squaresoft or J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Rating: PG13, Harry gets his gut almost ripped out. (clouts Harry) Silly boy.

Harry: Who, me? It's your fault, you write deaths so nicely.

I_nv_u50: (blinks) Was that meant to be a compliment?

Harry: (sweetly) It is if you want it to be.

I_nv_u50: Um …

Author's Notes: I guess this is a spoiler for the chapter … But anyway; you get to learn Rinoa's knights in this one. (as if you really didn't know) …  Also, a note on the pairings. It takes very little, usually, to convince me of a pairing that works well. Thus, I believe in Squall/Zell, Squall/Rinoa and Squall/Laguna, just to list a random example. They all have very good reasons, and all have good things going for them. I also get influenced very well, which is the main reason for the Squall/Laguna pairing, but anyway. So basically, you'll find a Squall/Zell/Rinoa in here, so I'm just warning all you Rinoa haters. She isn't the most important character in this fic, that's Draco and Harry. But she is a character, and she's not going to be ditzy, or stupid, or anything like that … Did I just put most of my readers off? I'm sorry ^^;; If it helps, she doesn't get most of the limelight, that goes to Draco and Harry, and Squall and Zell… Anyway, enjoy, and please review!! ^^

Harry gasped out loud, a gurgling sound breaking free as he exhaled. The soldier who had thrown the spear rushed forward and wrenched the pike out of Harry's gut while the others were still staring in shocked horror at the first real serious injury any of them had received on this mission yet.

Harry choked, coughing up blood with a wet sound, and his teammates sprung into action; Dean calling up Ifrit, Seamus sprayed the remaining soldiers with bullets, peppering their bodies to make them spasm, and Neville started rooting around in his magic inventory for a spell strong enough to help Harry.

Harry was staring curiously, if a little distantly, at the blood soaking through the front of his uniform, making his hand wet and sticky as he instinctively applied pressure to the gaping wound to ease the pain.

Stopping the blood flow seemed to be increasingly irrelevant, and he coughed up some more, idly watching it pool around him, a red puddle staining the worn bricks of the road.

Even as Neville carefully unrolled him, making him whimper painfully, Harry felt his entire body go cold and clammy with shock; with no little surprise, it felt like it wasn't him that Neville was bending over busily.

He heard Seamus swear; long, low, creatively, and form a distance.

Neville's hands were hot with the curing magic as they pressed gently, but insistently, on Harry's stomach, and as the magic flowed through him, warming him to the core, he forced himself to relax; to unclench tight muscles, keeping his breathing light and shallow to aid the magic.

Eventually Neville drew back, straightening a little to ease his back. His hands had blood on them, sticky and almost dry, and he tried in vain to wipe them clean on his pants.

"Are you ok, Harry?" Seamus spoke quietly; almost hesitant to disturb the breathing procedures Harry was doing to calm down.

"Yea … I'll be fine." Harry breathed, and slowly clambered up, helped by Dean and Neville as Seamus went around, checking for items they could use from the corpses, kicking the spear-bearer's bloody head in a warped revenge.

"C'mon … let's carry on." Harry bit back a painful gasp, as he straightened, his abdomen still feeling stiff and sore.

They set off again, slowly making their way to the city center, back in the role of candidates, and not so much as soft word was spoken.

Opening his eyes slowly, Draco knew there was a knight close by, but he was painfully aware that it wasn't the knight he needed, and until that one knight was safe in his presence again, Draco would feel increasingly uneasy. He closed his eyes again in a feebly helpless attempt to stave off the worry.

At first he didn't remember what had happened, other than the fact that his knight had left him, but then he felt the presence of another knight close by. But the bond didn't seem to be working, and he opened his eyes to see blonde hair instead of black, blue eyes instead of green, and he remembered.

He sat up suddenly, and Zell had to jerk back to avoid bumping their heads together.

Draco turned desperately to Seifer. "How's Harry?"

Seifer sighed through his nose, and shook his head sympathetically, and Draco gave a low growl of frustration.

Rinoa stepped forward, intending to soothe and comfort, but Draco snarled in warning, his eyes started glowing silver, and he raised a hand with the intent to injure the well-meaning sorceress.

He didn't get a chance however, because immediately the quiet knight was in front of her, in defensive mode, his eyes sharp and merciless. Seifer was in front of Draco, holding his whole arm down forcefully, and the other blonde knight was pushing at him to make him lie down.

Draco howled at the unfairness, the need to hurt someone like someone was hurting his knight overwhelmed him, and leant him strength to struggle harder.

Zell looked past Squall to Rinoa. "Sleep?"
Rinoa nodded in agreement and started casting sleep spells as fast as she was able.

Draco resisted as long as he could, pushing all his magic to deny and defy the fake sleepiness that was starting to envelope him.

His eyes fell shut, only to see piercing, emerald green eyes in his mind.

"Harry…" he gasped, and his eyes flew open again, renewing the struggling with fervor, making both Seifer and Zell fall back, helpless to hold the anguished sorceress down any longer.

Fortunately though, all Draco did was sit up to stare blindly out the window, in the direction of Harry, feeling along the bond with all the desperation he had in a feverish attempt to know if his knight was alright.

Squall kept up his defensive position, and Rinoa kept behind him, weary and ready to fight back, if only for the protection of her knights. They had tried to get her to lose that stupid determination to no avail. She would fight to protect them if she had to, even if she died in doing it, which was what none of them wanted.

No one in the room was surprised when a wail ripped its way from the pale young sorceress, and Draco fell back against the cushions, all but exhausted, and incredibly worried that he couldn't probe along the bond at this distance.

Seifer and Zell stepped tentatively closer, keeping in mind how unstable the sorceress was at the moment.

Draco didn't open his eyes. "You know, there's no point in preaching what you don't know."

Rinoa cautiously walked around Squall, but kept her distance. "No. You're right. But I do know that it feels like your soul is being ripped out."

Draco's eyes slid half open. "And you feel helpless."

Rinoa nodded. "Yes."
Draco looked towards her, as calm as he was going to get under the circumstances. "Can you put me to sleep?"

Rinoa smiled understandingly. "You can't fight it this time."

"No." Draco agreed, and turned onto his side, feeling the forced sleep overpower his welcoming senses, and he dropped off quietly into the painless, dreamless sleep.

Rinoa regarded him with some concern. "It's hard."

Squall snorted with skepticism, but didn't say anything.

Zell grinned at the typical reaction. "So what do we do with him?"

Seifer shrugged in answer. "There's nothing we can do. Understandably, he's worried about Harry, so we can't help until Harry comes back, safe, sound, and with Draco."

"He'd better be able to handle him." Squall jerked his head in the direction of the sleeping teenager. "Because if he threatens Rinoa again, I will kill him."

No one doubted him.

"Give him some slack, Squall."

"Yes, we can't know what happened back there, and he can't know much more unless he's had more time to explore and understand the bond. It must be maddening."

Squall gave a half shrug. "Whatever."

Rinoa stifled a giggle, and Zell shook his head smilingly, it was obvious Squall agreed.

Seifer just smirked. "So Rin, what are we going about your sister?"
Rinoa's smile faded. "I don't know. She's really trying hard to get what she wants. Last I heard, her knight was seen in Balamb about a week ago."

Seifer's eyes widened, and he cursed. "Balamb? That's not good."

Zell rolled his eyes. "No shit, Seifer."

"Stuff it, chickenwuss."

Rinoa giggled again, and whispered something to Squall, who gave a small half smile obligingly.

"Oi. No secrets." Zell bounced up behind Squall, and put his arms around Squall's shoulders, his chin resting on Squall's head. Squall looked resigned, as Zell started giggling.

Seifer just shook his head despairingly. "Alright. We'll decide how to fight them later. You guys want something to eat?"

Zell looked up from the floor, where Squall had deposited him, blue eyes still sparkling with mirth. "Yo, you got any hot dogs in this backwards mansion?"

When Harry got to the city center, he received a big shock.

Hermione was there, along with other top SeeDs, one or two of whom Harry recognized. They were all fighting one person, putting full effort in an offensive attack on what Harry's bond-enhanced senses told him was a knight.

His first reaction was confusion. What was a knight doing in Timber? When Hermione had heard he was one of the candidates going to see Draco the night before, she had researched as much as she could on the subject of knights and sorceresses. She had refused to tell him much, wearing that secret, knowing smile, calculated to infuriate Ron and frustrate Harry, all simply to make them research a few things for themselves, instead of asking her. They never did.

What she had told him, however, was that the closest sorceress other than Draco was on Centra, and incapable of choosing a knight due to her young age, an important choice that a 5 year old wouldn't understand or need yet.

The knight in the city square froze in mid stroke, prolonging the death of a young SeeD official who had ventured too close, as he stared at Harry, his eyes hazel and wild, his deep auburn hair whipping around his face in the sudden wind. He had obviously sensed Harry as Harry stepped further into the square.

Hermione screamed at Harry to get back, and he stumbled away in time to avoid a firaga that erupted from the worn bricks where he had been standing a few seconds before.

Harry gaped at the spot, and then at the heavily breathing knight, who was staring at him in hatred. "You!" he screamed, dodging weapons to get closer. "You are the knight who seeks to dethrone my Lady from Her rightful place! I will not allow you to steal Her dream!"

As he continued fighting his way towards a still stunned Harry, Hermione called him again, and her urgent tone broke through the hazy daze he was in, causing Harry to draw his sword.

Before Harry could make his move however, the strange knight froze; his eyes went dark red and hazy, with no visible eye white, iris or pupil.

When he spoke, it wasn't the angry, masculine voice; it had a more feminine ring to it, with mocking undertones.

"Listen to me, Draco Knight. I know you seek to dethrone Me and stop Me achieving My dream. I want you to deliver a message to Draco, which is the only reason I am calling My Knight away now. You will tell your sorceress, o Draco Knight, that I am coming for him. I will gather My twin with Me, and We will destroy your common world, and build a new one where I will rule supreme!"

The knight's eyes diluted back into human hazel again, and he staggered back, a little disorientated.

Then he grinned evilly. "You heard Her!" he spat at Harry. "Just wait, my Lady will kill all who get in Her way, especially you petty commoners."

Then, before the SeeDs could rush forward to stop him, he pushed past the shocked Harry and hopped onto a motorbike that was parked on the side of the road, revving the engine in a loud roar, and sped off.

Harry's legs gave out, and Hermione came forward to help him up. "The mission is over. Other participants in the test came across the knight and radioed for help. We're not equipped at the moment to take on a sorceress or her knight, so we called in the withdraw order and went to look for parties who hadn't received the message. You were the last lot. Ready to go back, Harry?"

Harry nodded, only half taking this in, as he was still busy digesting what the knight had said.

He had to get back and warn Draco!

Harry gripped Hermione's shoulders hurriedly, squeezing them tighter than he meant to in his urgency, not noticing Hermione's instinctive wince. "'Mione! I've got to get Draco ready for it!"

Hermione giggled a little at the wording, and Harry flushed suddenly.

"Not that! For the attack!"
Hermione just gave him an incredulous look and motioned towards the waiting jeep. "Relax, Harry. Headmaster Almasy radioed in, he says to let you know that Draco's recovered from whatever happened earlier, and that …"

She trailed off, staring in wonder at Harry's suddenly stricken face. "Sweet Hyne, Harry, didn't you know? Draco collapsed earlier today, a little under two hours ago."

"Two hours? That's when the spear –" Harry stopped, cutting himself off. "Oh Hyne, is he ok, Herm?"

She chuckled, but it was a kind sound. "Didn't I just tell you he was? They sent him to sleep; he was still sleeping when the headmaster called us. Don't worry Harry, we'll be there soon, and then you can check for yourself."

Harry started bouncing on the seat impatiently. "Hurry Herm, I need to go see if he's ok!"

Hermione gave him a worried look, but neglected to say anything, just driving towards the train station as fast as the jeep was able.