Harry paced the floor in Gryffindor Tower feeling to anxious to sleep for some reason. He pulled out the Marauder's Map and looked at it again. There was no one out in the castle except for the usual ghosts and Mrs. Norris.
Suddenly a little dot appeared next to a wall on the lower floor and Harry looked closely at it. It was Draco Malfoy. Harry glared at the little dot and wondered what he was up to at this time of night. Recklessly hoping to catch Malfoy at something that would get him detention, Harry ran up the stairs to his dorm and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak, and the carefully crept out of the portrait hole, heading toward the Entrance Hall.
Every once in a while he would stop and see where Malfoy was heading. When he was on the landing of the sixth floor he stopped and looked again. Malfoy had stopped at the fifth floor so Harry hurried down the next flight to try and catch him.
He reached the last step and stopped seeing Malfoy standing near the bottom of the stairs, looking up them. Harry crept off the stairs and stood by the statue of Boris the Bewildered, hoping that now where ever Malfoy went he would be able to tail him.
Instead, with one last glance up the stairs, Malfoy started to walk towards him. After Malfoy had passed, Harry stepped out from behind the statue and surprised not only Malfoy, but himself, by taking off his cloak and saying, "My, aren't we wandering around the castle at a late hour?"
Malfoy spun around and glared at Harry.
"And alone?" Harry asked. "Don't you think that's dangerous? Daddy would be none to pleased to hear about that."
"And I expect you have a perfectly good reason to be out in the halls at night?" Malfoy sneered.
They stared each other down for some time before Harry suddenly blurted out, "Why do you hate me?"
Malfoy's face lacked an expression as he looked at Harry in shock. "Do I have to tell you the reason I hate you?" Malfoy asked.
Harry was stunned to not hear the usual hatred or contempt in the question, but he barreled on. "Why?" he asked again. "I never even did anything to you."
"Never did anything?" Malfoy repeated, contempt beginning to creep back into his voice. "Who said you had to do anything-"
"WHY?" Harry yelled, tired of Malfoy's evasion of the question. He wasn't even sure why he wanted to know, he just felt he deserved to.
Something in Malfoy seemed to snap. "Because I'm not supposed to like you!" he shouted back.
Harry's eyes widened as he saw not only anger, but fear on Malfoy's face.
Harry heard a meow behind him and both of the boy's heads snapped to Mrs. Norris who was sitting calmly by Boris and watching them.
"Shit," Malfoy muttered and then surprised Harry by grabbing his nightshirt and dragging him down the corridor. His first reaction was to resist, Malfoy must be up to something, but when he stopped outside of a door Harry remembered where he was.
"Moonsbane," Malfoy said and then pushed Harry through the now open door and snapped "Hide."
Harry threw on his Cloak and headed for the corner while Malfoy began to turn on taps at random to fill the pool in the middle of the room. Harry's eyes widened and then shut in the space of half a second when he realized what Malfoy was about to do. He had them shut so tight that he began to see little white lights, and feel light headed. Finally the taps were turned off, but still Harry didn't open his eyes.
However, when he heard a creak he opened his eyes and looked at the door that Malfoy had left partially open, and was only half way surprised to see Filch standing there.
"What are you doing?" Malfoy drawled, glaring at Filch.
"You're out of bed late," Filch said eyeing Malfoy, who sank slightly into the bubbles.
"I have every right to be here," Malfoy snapped. "I am a prefect after all."
Filch bristled and glared back at Malfoy. "Fine but if I catch you at anything it'll be detention for sure," he threatened and walked out, closing the door.
"Git," Malfoy muttered and for once Harry found himself agreeing with Malfoy. Malfoy let out the water and Harry covered his face with his hands and faced the wall. At least this time he wasn't feeling dizzy.
Malfoy stood dressed and looked around the bathroom. He hadn't noticed where Harry had gone to hide. "Potter?" asked questioningly, then mentally kicked himself for sounding even remotely concerned.
Harry waited until Malfoy's back was turned before slipping off the cloak. "Yeah?" he asked.
Malfoy jumped slightly and spun around. The silence hung in the air as heavy as the perfume from the bubbles, which had made Harry slightly lightheaded. Finally Harry muttered, "Thanks."
"For what?" Malfoy asked, surprised to hear Harry thanking him.
"You could have left me in the hall for Filch to find me," Harry answered, not wanting to say anything about his Invisibility Cloak. "Why did you though?" He asked curiously.
Malfoy looked uncomfortable. "I dunno," he said and then moved to put up the towel he used.
Harry started to the door when he remembered he left his cloak on the floor. He turned around, only to find himself looking right at Malfoy, who had been following him to leave.
Malfoy looked to be arguing with himself in his head, and before Harry could move, or even think about moving, Malfoy had muttered, "I'm sorry Harry," kissed him, and ran out the door.
Harry's legs almost gave out from shock. Whatever he had expected from Malfoy, it definitely hadn't been that. Since his first day at Hogwarts Malfoy had hated him. Thinking back to what he said in the hall, Harry felt puzzle pieces come together in his mind. 'Because I'm not supposed to like you' he had shouted.
Harry's legs did give out this time and as he sank to his knees his mind reeled. Draco hated him because he liked him!
Suddenly a little dot appeared next to a wall on the lower floor and Harry looked closely at it. It was Draco Malfoy. Harry glared at the little dot and wondered what he was up to at this time of night. Recklessly hoping to catch Malfoy at something that would get him detention, Harry ran up the stairs to his dorm and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak, and the carefully crept out of the portrait hole, heading toward the Entrance Hall.
Every once in a while he would stop and see where Malfoy was heading. When he was on the landing of the sixth floor he stopped and looked again. Malfoy had stopped at the fifth floor so Harry hurried down the next flight to try and catch him.
He reached the last step and stopped seeing Malfoy standing near the bottom of the stairs, looking up them. Harry crept off the stairs and stood by the statue of Boris the Bewildered, hoping that now where ever Malfoy went he would be able to tail him.
Instead, with one last glance up the stairs, Malfoy started to walk towards him. After Malfoy had passed, Harry stepped out from behind the statue and surprised not only Malfoy, but himself, by taking off his cloak and saying, "My, aren't we wandering around the castle at a late hour?"
Malfoy spun around and glared at Harry.
"And alone?" Harry asked. "Don't you think that's dangerous? Daddy would be none to pleased to hear about that."
"And I expect you have a perfectly good reason to be out in the halls at night?" Malfoy sneered.
They stared each other down for some time before Harry suddenly blurted out, "Why do you hate me?"
Malfoy's face lacked an expression as he looked at Harry in shock. "Do I have to tell you the reason I hate you?" Malfoy asked.
Harry was stunned to not hear the usual hatred or contempt in the question, but he barreled on. "Why?" he asked again. "I never even did anything to you."
"Never did anything?" Malfoy repeated, contempt beginning to creep back into his voice. "Who said you had to do anything-"
"WHY?" Harry yelled, tired of Malfoy's evasion of the question. He wasn't even sure why he wanted to know, he just felt he deserved to.
Something in Malfoy seemed to snap. "Because I'm not supposed to like you!" he shouted back.
Harry's eyes widened as he saw not only anger, but fear on Malfoy's face.
Harry heard a meow behind him and both of the boy's heads snapped to Mrs. Norris who was sitting calmly by Boris and watching them.
"Shit," Malfoy muttered and then surprised Harry by grabbing his nightshirt and dragging him down the corridor. His first reaction was to resist, Malfoy must be up to something, but when he stopped outside of a door Harry remembered where he was.
"Moonsbane," Malfoy said and then pushed Harry through the now open door and snapped "Hide."
Harry threw on his Cloak and headed for the corner while Malfoy began to turn on taps at random to fill the pool in the middle of the room. Harry's eyes widened and then shut in the space of half a second when he realized what Malfoy was about to do. He had them shut so tight that he began to see little white lights, and feel light headed. Finally the taps were turned off, but still Harry didn't open his eyes.
However, when he heard a creak he opened his eyes and looked at the door that Malfoy had left partially open, and was only half way surprised to see Filch standing there.
"What are you doing?" Malfoy drawled, glaring at Filch.
"You're out of bed late," Filch said eyeing Malfoy, who sank slightly into the bubbles.
"I have every right to be here," Malfoy snapped. "I am a prefect after all."
Filch bristled and glared back at Malfoy. "Fine but if I catch you at anything it'll be detention for sure," he threatened and walked out, closing the door.
"Git," Malfoy muttered and for once Harry found himself agreeing with Malfoy. Malfoy let out the water and Harry covered his face with his hands and faced the wall. At least this time he wasn't feeling dizzy.
Malfoy stood dressed and looked around the bathroom. He hadn't noticed where Harry had gone to hide. "Potter?" asked questioningly, then mentally kicked himself for sounding even remotely concerned.
Harry waited until Malfoy's back was turned before slipping off the cloak. "Yeah?" he asked.
Malfoy jumped slightly and spun around. The silence hung in the air as heavy as the perfume from the bubbles, which had made Harry slightly lightheaded. Finally Harry muttered, "Thanks."
"For what?" Malfoy asked, surprised to hear Harry thanking him.
"You could have left me in the hall for Filch to find me," Harry answered, not wanting to say anything about his Invisibility Cloak. "Why did you though?" He asked curiously.
Malfoy looked uncomfortable. "I dunno," he said and then moved to put up the towel he used.
Harry started to the door when he remembered he left his cloak on the floor. He turned around, only to find himself looking right at Malfoy, who had been following him to leave.
Malfoy looked to be arguing with himself in his head, and before Harry could move, or even think about moving, Malfoy had muttered, "I'm sorry Harry," kissed him, and ran out the door.
Harry's legs almost gave out from shock. Whatever he had expected from Malfoy, it definitely hadn't been that. Since his first day at Hogwarts Malfoy had hated him. Thinking back to what he said in the hall, Harry felt puzzle pieces come together in his mind. 'Because I'm not supposed to like you' he had shouted.
Harry's legs did give out this time and as he sank to his knees his mind reeled. Draco hated him because he liked him!