In the days that followed, it was a common sight to see the trio around the school. The other students had stopped asking Harry if he was sick or not and the staff, with the exception of MacGonagal, seemed to accept that they'd become something less than enemies- possibly even (they all shuddered at the thought) friends.

Excepting a short disappearance that Harry had made the morning after Christmas, the pair of Slytherins and the Gryffindor spent almost no time apart.

They'd even taken to spending the nights either in one dorm or the other, something that was met on Draco's part with mixed delight (those nights they spent in the soothing comfort of the dungeons) and horror (on the nights they spent in that horrid sea of red and gold). Harry fit into the Slytherin dorms far more easily than his companions fit into the towers and Draco saw fit to inform the smaller boy of that at dinner one night.

"You know, Harry, I think that instead of switching dorms each night, we should just stay in the dungeons for the rest of the hols."

Pushing messy hair up away from his eyes, Harry looked across the table at Draco with a bemused look. "Really? Why is that?" He picked up his goblet.

"Well, isn't it obvious?"

His shorter dinner companion merely raised his brows and sent him a look over the rim of the goblet as he took a swallow- clearly stating that obvious to Draco was usually obscure to everyone else.

"You fit it in ever so much better in the dungeons than we do up in the tower."

The Gryffindor promptly spit his pumpkin juice out all over the table and onto a first year who'd have the misfortune of daring to sit next to him. He leaned over, dropping his forehead into the mess he'd just made and began making a choking sound that had several people- Draco and Greg included- leaning over him, concerned.

Worried that he might have accidentally killed the Boy-Who-Lived, Draco slid over the table- carefully avoiding getting any of the spilt juice on his impeccable robes- and gently patted the curved spine. "Harry, are you okay? Say something please. You're scaring the first years."

Grimacing, he used his other hand to smooth back the now soaked locks of raven, trying to see his new friends face.

Finally Harry lifted his head, and Draco couldn't resist the urge to slap him on the back of the head when he realized that the other boy had been laughing, not choking. The object of his ire only chuckled a bit more as he adjusted his glasses with one hand and rubbed the back of his head with the other. "Why, thank you for the thought, Draco."

He smiled as the blonde once again slid carefully across the table, completely ignoring the admonishment sent to him from MacGonagal. Now that the apparent crisis was over, all the students and teachers had gone back to their meals.

"So.. What was so funny anyways? All I said was that I thought you fit in our dorms."

The smile being directed his way deepened and took on a secretive cast. "Oh, it was nothing. Just something someone said to me once. That's all."

Now if there was one thing the blonde Slytherin hated, it was a secret that he didn't know. And it was pretty obvious that Harry had one.

"So, what was it? You can't go around scaring the bejeesus out of everyone and then keep the joke to yourself. That's not polite."

Chuckling, Harry used his napkin to wipe off his face. "As you've frequently seen fit to tell me, I was raised improperly and not taught about manners." Draco was momentarily distracted as glasses came off and naked green eyes were exposed to his view as Harry tried to get the sticky pumpkin juice off.

"He's got you there, Draco. You are always saying that." He was jerked back from the overly sappy thoughts that had been swirling in his head about Harry's eyes when a large elbow planted itself in his ribcage.

"Oof." Turning a scowl on his long time friend, he returned his attention to more important matters. "How many times must I tell you not to do that. I swear, one day you're going to break my ribs! As it is, I'm going to have a huge bruise tomorrow!"

"You know, Greg," across from them, their companion had given up on trying to clean up his spectacles and was watching them with a greatly amused look. "I always thought that prissy whining about injuries was just to get us Gryffindors into trouble. I never would have imagined that it was just an honest to goodness part of his personality. How in Godric's name have you Slytherins dealt with it for the last six years?"

Draco rounded on him, intending to deliver a stinging reprimand for the insult when Goyle began laughing. "Practice. Most of us have known him since we were very young. And after a while you learn to ignore it out of self-defense."

The banter left him sputtering and red faced as his gaze swung from one to the other in indignation. How dare they?! He was Draco Malfoy! He wasn't even aware he'd said the last bit out loud until another round of laughter started around him.

"Yes, Draco. We're all very aware of who you are." Greg's voice was definitely on the patronizing side as he reached over and patted Draco's shoulder in a commiserating sort of way.

He finally just through his hands up when the first year that Harry had spit on chose that moment to chirp up. "You certainly make sure to tell everyone often enough! Will you tell your father to try and have them expelled?!" The little twit, a Hufflepuff, was looking at the trio with big round eyes and it was painfully obvious that someone had been spreading tales again.

"I'll have you know that I do not run to my father with every little problem that I have."

"Really? When did that start?"

Pouting, he ignored the question- from Greg of all people, the traitor- and turned his full attention to his food. "What is this? Pick On Draco Day?"

"I'm sorry, Draco. You know we're just messing you about, right?"

Even behind the dirty glasses, it was impossible not to notice the pleading and worry in those impossibly large green eyes and he had to sigh. The Savior of the Wizarding World looked like he was afraid someone was going to take away his Firebolt- which really went a long way in soothing Draco's wounded ego. It wasn't every day he was placed in the same category as the coveted racing broom- which, even after three years on the market still hadn't been surpassed. "Yes, Harry. I'm well aware that I am tonight's main course in the Feast of Amusement." Then he smiled faintly. "Don't worry about it. I suppose I shouldn't have gotten so defensive."

"Well, now that that's settled, are you guys done? I really need to go clean up."

It was Draco's turn to snicker at the messy sight that Harry's hair presented. The pumpkin juice had dried causing the front fringe to stand straight up and the bits that had gotten hit on top were sticking out in every which direction. Instead of merely looking disheveled, it actually looked quite a fright. It was going to take a miracle to return it to any semblance of normalcy, or a really strong shampoo treatment.

Luckily, the 'prissy' Slytherin had just the thing. "Come on, Harry. You can borrow my shampoo. I doubt whatever you've been using will make a dent in that mess."

Harry blushed, but nodded as he murmured his thanks and the trio stood to go.

"Misters Potter, Malfoy, and Goyle? Could I perhaps see you in my office once you're all cleaned up?"

They turned to face Professor Dumbledore with some confusion, although Harry's face cleared as he shared a look with the Headmaster. It unnerved Draco a bit, the way they seemed to understand each other even when there were no words spoken. It told him that the dark-haired boy spent entirely too much time interacting with the old man- and not in completely favorable conditions. His father and Snape had that same kind of thing going and he knew it had been born of battles faced together back in the days of You-Know-Who's first reign.

He didn't like the idea of Harry needing to share that kind of silent communication with anyone.

The three boys gave their agreement before leaving.

"What's that all about?"

Harry simply shrugged. We'll find out when we get there, I guess."

The Slytherins shared a look over their shorter companion's head. Draco arched one brow in question and Greg nodded an affirmative. They'd both caught the look.

For a moment, Draco considered perusing it, but changed his mind. There wasn't any point in it. It wouldn't take long to get Harry cleaned up, and then they'd all be in on that particular secret.

~*~*~

Two hours later found the Slytherins following their Gryffindor cohort through the often-times confusing maze of hallways to Dumbledore's office. Neither of them had actually been to the Headmaster's office, but Harry seemed to have no difficulty at all in finding it.

Within minutes they were standing in front of a stone gargoyle that Draco had admired many times.

Harry walked right up to it. "Everlasting Gobstoppers."

The pair behind him startled a bit as the gargoyle grinded to a start, winding it's way up and exposing a staircase as it went. Draco gave a bark of laughter. "What the devil is 'everlasting gobstoppers' supposed to mean?"

There was a sheepish look on Harry's face as he shrugged. "It's a muggle candy. Dumbledore has a bit of a sweet tooth." With a hop up, he got on the steps and let them carry him up. Peering down, he gestured for them to follow. "Well, are you coming or aren't you?"

Draco snickered and bit his lip to keep from replying to the unintentional double entendre. Greg just rolled his eyes and elbowed him again as they followed. "Really, Draco. You've got such a dirty mind."

"Perhaps, but you knew what I was thinking, so that means your mind is just as bad. And stop elbowing me. My ribs still hurt from earlier." He looked up to see Harry grinning down at him. It was nice to see that the other boy was smiling more, but he'd have preferred that it happened less often at his own expense. "What?"

"Just listening to you, Your Prissiness."

That statement was followed by a soft chuckling by both of his friends as Draco responded by simply sticking his nose in the air and pretending to ignore them.

The old gargoyle rumbled to a halt and they followed Harry as he approached a door and knocked softly. Faintly, Draco could hear the Headmaster tell them to enter as the dark haired boy pushed open the door.

The first thing the aristocrat noticed was the Phoenix perched on the Headmaster's desk. He stared at it in near awe for a moment. After all, phoenixes were among some of the rarest creatures in all of the magical world. Even the entire Malfoy fortune couldn't purchase one.

It trilled softly before flapping it's wings and flying gently over to land on Harry's shoulder where it proceeded to nuzzle on his ear. "Hello, Fawkes." There was a great deal of warmth and affection in the Gryffindors voice and on his face and for a moment, Draco wondered what it would be like to have that look directed at him. Harry looked up at him and smiled, almost as if he'd heard the thought.

Draco shook it off as a fanciful notion, but treasured the smile none the less.

"Sit down, boys. It'll be just a moment more." The old man smiled at them benignly from his own perch behind the weighed down desk. "My other guest should be here in just a moment."

Just then, Snape came through the door at the same time as he knocked. The younger potions lover wrinkled his nose at his mentor. In his own opinion, coming through before you were called rather canceled out the whole point of being polite enough to knock in the first place. But of course, no one asked for his opinion.

"Now that we are all here, it's time to get down to business." Dumbledore shifted a few scrolls around his desk and picked up a crystal bowl. Holding it out he smiled. "Lemon drop?"

Both Snape and Draco declined. Harry took one with a polite thank you and Greg asked if he could have more than one.

After the whole candy business was taken care of, Dumbledore took on a more serious expression before continuing. "It's come to my attention that the Potions laboratory is lacking some very rare and expensive ingredients. Among them, those that can be taken from a basilisk corpse. It just so happens, that Mr. Potter knows where a basilisk corpse is." He paused a moment and all eyes went to Harry as he shuddered. "It's location is a secret, however, and we don't want just anyone going down there gathering the ingredients. Severus and I have talked it over and agree that the best solution to the most problems is for the four of you to go by yourselves."

"Professor..."

One wrinkled hand raised to halt Harry's uneasy protest. "I know that you'd rather not, Harry. And I do understand, especially in light of your recent..." he spared the Slytherins a calculating look before continuing, "illness. However, I feel that this is something that you need to do. And it would be of a great help to the school. You're the only one who can open the door."

Draco watched in a mute combination of fascination and horror as Harry Potter, the Wonderkid of the Wizarding World, let himself be bullied into doing something he obviously didn't want to do.

Sighing unhappily, Harry nodded his agreement. "Yes, sir."

"Thank you. Now, Professor Snape has some errands that will require his attention over the next couple of days, but I think he'll have it wrapped up by, the first Severus?" Dumbledore was looking over his glasses at the Potions professor who looked like he couldn't decide whether to be happy that he was finally getting some badly needed potions ingredients, cheaply at that, or pissed that he had his least favorite student to thank for it. His expression seemed to have settled somewhere between the two emotions and it produced a rather comical effect. Draco was sure that at any other time, he and Harry would have gotten a good laugh out of it.

As it was, the Gryffindor only looked miserable.

"If at all possible, I want to get it done before then. I'll let the three of you know when I'll be requiring your services." With that, he nodded briefly to the Headmaster before sweeping out of the office, his cape flapping behind him like giant bat wings.

"Harry?"

"Will there be anything else, Professor?"

With a tired sigh of his own, Dumbledore shook his head and gestured towards the door. "No, Harry. That will be all. Please continue to enjoy your holiday."

As the small group left the office, Draco and Greg exchanged another look but neither seemed to know what to do.

"Do you guys mind if we sleep in the Gryffindor dorms again tonight?" The small voice shook faintly and Draco hesitantly touched the slender arm closest to him.

"Are you all right, Harry?"

Harry took a deep breath before looking up at him from underneath a fringe of disorderly black bangs. "I'm fine, really."

Now Draco might not have been the smartest student at Hogwart's- he had to concede that title, however grudgingly, to Granger- but neither was he the dullest- that one went to his friend Vince- and he could tell that Harry was lying. Either way, it hardly took a braniac to notice the faint trembling in the arm under his hand or the tension in Potter's set jaw.

The Slytherin wanted to push, demand answers. He wanted to know about the secret joke at dinner. He wanted to know why Harry knew where a dead basilisk was and if it had anything to do with his distaste for the creatures. He wanted to know why a boy strong enough to stand up to the darkest wizard in recent years allowed himself to be pushed around by one senile old man. And above all else, he wanted to know about the mysterious illness that his friend had apparently suffered from.

But he didn't push. Because he wasn't sure if they're friendship was sound enough to allow it and he didn't want to push Harry away completely. He'd spent days before Christmas worrying himself into a near frenzy thinking he'd done that before. He didn't want to do it for real now.

So in a rare display of tact, he simply nodded and watched in silence as Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

Instead of clearing things up, the visit to the Headmaster's office had left him with even more questions than before.

He was still thinking it over later that night when he fell asleep in the Gryffindor Tower that night.

~*~*~

Author's Notes: Almost done, guys one more part and 'New Year's Resolutions' will be over and it'll be time to move on to the final part of the Trilogy and into Harry's P.O.V. Thanks for all the reviews and no worries, there will be a little more slash in the next part of this one. (not too much mind you, I'm a firm believer that any relationship of Harry's and Draco's would proceed slowly). N-e-ways, thanks again!