DICLAIMER: No disclaimer today, if you haven't got the message by now, well.......
a/n sooooooooooo. Not much to say. Thank you for all your reviews. If I think of something worth saying, I'll try and remember to tell you next time. Err… yeah.
Now, just got to thank some lovely people.
Mystic Angel-Devil Queen, I don't try to torture them… it just happens that way. Heh. I think I'm going to try and make them a bit happier though. Hopefully.
SilverPrincess3 Harry/Draco ROCKS.
~Anti Adam (AM83220@aol.com) Wow. *hands you the longest review ever crown*
The Anti Social Squirrel Slash is loooooovely!
sunshine Joke?! I will FORCE Harry and Draco together with my bare hands if they refuse to go out! Erm… yeah.
Layce74 Am I anything BUT freaky?
KraziKrysti You're names at the top again! I hope my email helped.
Sisamaria Thanks for reviewing my stuff! Reviews NEVER bug me!
Bye, I'm off to the Rent-a-plot shop.
Chapter three, Cards and Cats ***
The rain had started pounding the thick glass windows long ago, drowning out the country side around them.
If, indeed, it was still countryside. Hmm… who knew?
Harry turned to face Malfoy was sitting over the other end of the seats. He was reading a book and then pausing to write in it. Harry didn't ask.
The journey had past by agonisingly slowly - but, he supposed it was just because he was with Malfoy who made no effort to speak to him whatsoever, though it left a clear trail for his thoughts.
Like about Parvati. Harry had not really had a girlfriend for all his life, though Cho did come close. He had never really felt the need to, so why did he start now? In fact, Harry was starting to think everything would be easier if he didn't step off the train.
'Malfoy?'
'What, Potter?'
'How come Hedwig's still my owl?'
He looked up irritably having been disturbed for an owl.
'Why do I care?'
Harry glared at him. 'It was a simple question, Malfoy.'
'Simple indeed.' Malfoy's good-looking facial features relaxed and he rubbed his tired eyes. He made quite a long show of slipping the book away before answering. 'I suppose there are something's we can't change. Like you,' he added distastefully.
'But I have changed!' he insisted. 'I'm just Harry, now. Just Harry.'
'Well, just Harry. I am Draco fucking Dursely, so excuse me if I don't give a fermented rat's spleen.'
Harry glared at the blonde who had arranged his face as innocently as possible. The train made slight bumps in the silence. Though he spoke calmly, Malfoy's voice was still bitter. He seemed to resent Harry all the more.
Instead of retorting Harry fell once again into his own world. His confused thoughts were also those of gratitude that he had been able to meet his parents, and had been completely surprised. Neither were like their younger selves, each older, wiser and much happier.
It felt like hot liquid slid through his stomach as he thought that. Maybe everything will be okay after all…
After stepping off the crimson steam engine together, (and Harry was quite relieved because when they had been trying to decipher whatever they could in their lives, Malfoy had purposely been making up ridiculous facts about Harry, seemingly enjoying it so; because having a relationship with Ron seemed to be incorporated in many of them, that Harry had to admire his creative skills) they were met with a furious wind and howling rain.
Harry felt a jolt in his stomach as Malfoy turned towards him, soaking wet and delicate in the dim light. He shook his head and made a mental note to ask Madame Pomfrey for some stomach ache medicine.
Under the inky black sky they made their way into the carriages when Harry noticed the thoughtful and almost slightly worried look on Malfoy's face.
'What is it?' Harry asked as Malfoy climbed in the Thestral drawn carriage behind him.
Malfoy looked almost defensive. 'Nothing,' he muttered.
Harry shrugged it off and another student joined them. 'You don't mind, do you?' the blonde Ravenclaw asked dreamily. 'Only my friend managed to claw her way into Neville Longbottom's carriage, and even without me it's rather full…'
And Luna floated into a spare seat.
'No shit!' Malfoy cackled. 'You actually have friends in this reality?! No way!' Then he realised he was actually talking to the Ravenclaw and turned away (not forgetting the snort of disgust).
Harry blushed for Malfoy. 'Sorry, Luna.'
She turned to face him with a pensive look across her soft features. 'I know you… daddy wrote an article about your Godfather, didn't he?'
Harry's blood almost ran could before he realised it must have been the one where Sirius Black was thought to be a muggle. He exhaled sharply. But before he could brush the hair out of his eyes, another cloaked figure had entered the carriage.
'There you are!' it shouted to Harry in surprise. Or rather Ron did. He threw himself down next to Luna and his face was contrasted between relief and annoyance. 'Parvati had been out of her head with WORRY! Fuck! Why the bloody hell is Dursley in here?! He's such a fucking cry baby we'll drown!'
Harry's face pictured the all the defensive, all the outraged, and all the shocked feelings all in one with nothing to spare.
'Ron!'
And in a flash of orange light Ron had been slammed off his chair and into the wall. Harry had barely realised the carriage had been moving, and his leg's wobbled as he rushed over the small space.
Malfoy spat on Ron. The redhead's eyes were unfocused but clearly furious. The normal Ron reaction, of course, was to jump on Malfoy and pound the life out of him. But his woozy condition did not permit him to.
'Bloody WEASLEY!' he sneered. 'What did you expect? Why are you fucking surprised?'
Obviously this was a rhetorical question, and Malfoy pulled the book once again from his robes and began reading and writing again.
*-*-*
The living room door burst open and Lilly was framed in the doorway her eyes narrowed and a suppressed smile on her heart-shaped lips.
'Sirius. Why is there Spaghetti sauce on the inside of your robes!?'
'Spaghetti? - Oh fuck… I - er… only - I-'
'Furthermore why are your robes in my wash basket?! You have a perfectly good wand!'
'Because - I - meatballs - I-'
Remus snickered. 'Don't complain Lilly. There were several potatoes he had stolen and no doubt forgotten about in the pockets of his last set.'
'THREE!'
Lilly almost couldn't hold in the laugh that was about to escape her. 'You were stealing food again?!'
'NO!'
Remus twisted the arm of his glasses between his fingers and turned his head away inconspicuously. 'Not much…' he muttered.
'Prongs stole them first!'
James who had been hiding behind the sofa popped up suddenly. 'Only because Moony took them off Wormtail!'
This stopped Remus laughing and he almost feel off his chair. 'You saw that?!'
'Oh,' said Lilly. 'Is that why Peter was crying?'
Sirius cocked his head to the side as if not telling something. Only James noticed and he grinned evilly.
'Really? I thought it was because Sirius hexed him…'
'PRONGS!'
'You were hexing at the dinner table!'
It was only after Harry had avoided Parvati countless times and was sitting over the other end of the Gryffindor table and the sorting had finished that he realised the majority of the students had been sorted into Slytherin.
A fact that had not gone unnoticed to Malfoy, and he was looking more than slightly put-out as his sneering cold face looked on with disgust at the 'cry-baby' first years.
But what else Harry hadn't seen, but Malfoy had, was the disgusted glares Malfoy on his own was receiving from the whole of Slytherin house.
Draco almost fell off his chair (if it had not been an undignified thing) when Ernie Macmillan seemed to be the main conductor of the dirty looks. Why weren't people afraid of him?!
There was a scraping of chairs that interrupted both boys train of thoughts and familiar 'Hem, hem.' [a/n DUN DUN DUN!]
The girlish yet vulgar voice spoke up. 'Presenting Minister for Magic and Head of Hogwarts, Cornelius Fudge!' And then a tittering girly laugh.
Fudge coughed and stood up himself, taking his bowler had of his head and loosening the collar of his pin-stripped suit and looked with over-heartiness at the students around him.
Harry and Draco glanced apprehensively at each other from each table and an uneasy feeling was hitting the walls of Harry's stomach. He didn't like it at all. Nor did he understand the reason for this completely pointless and shocking change. None whatsoever!
'Those who are new to this school perhaps do not know the code of conduct very well. The Forbidden forest is forbidden, and so is wondering anywhere except your dormitories after six pm -'
Harry and Draco exchanged looks once more -
'There is no magic, games, food, conversing or anything other than walking in the hallways. A full list of this can be found in Mr Macnair's office. Lastly, any ghost sightings should be reported directly to your head of house immediately, or you might land yourselves in trouble too. But on a much more pleasurable notes, there are opening spots on the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin teams for second years and above. With all that said and heeded. Food is served.'
Harry exhaled loudly and the churning in his stomach loosened a bit. He pushed himself forward and rolled up his sleeves.
'At least I have a chance of getting on the Quidditch team,' he said to no one in particular. Seamus gave him a funny look, shook his sandy locks and said nothing.
A moment later he couldn't contain himself. 'What are you on, Harry?'
'Huh?'
'Getting on the Quidditch team! We're not going to kick you off no matter how much of a sorry case you are.'
He managed a weak grin and glanced over to Malfoy. He wasn't looking, thought. In fact, he looked about, if not more, murderous than he had when Ron had insulted him. Malfoy's hands, thought reluctant, were itching to hex one of his house mates. He and Blaise Zabini were not getting along too well.
It was in a second that Blaise Zabini was curled up on the floor hissing in agony without any known cause. And if it wasn't for Harry's sharp seeker abilities he might not have seen Malfoy pocket his wand once again.
In fact he wasn't sure if he had seen Malfoy draw it. He made a mental note not to get on the bad side of him.
Harry watched the triumphant smirk slide over Malfoy's cold features and felt a twinge of pride. Harry could have slapped his own face. He should be running over and seeing if Zabini was okay! Not smiling! But he was. - But not much he insisted.
-*-*-*
Harry had spent most of the night being confused beyond belief, and most of the morning. He had been yelled at by Parvati before cowering in his dormitories, and then going down to breakfast still starving from the night before because all that had been served was some lumpy 'health food'.
Harry glanced anxiously around the tables, looking for changes as he nibbled on lumpy porridge that tasted as if that bowls hadn't been washed in months. Maybe Hermione had been successful with her SPEW campaign.
HERMIONE! Why was she sitting at the Ravenclaw table?!
But Harry's thought's came crashing down on his head when heavy gold goblets clanked to the floor. Malfoy stood nonchalantly face to face with Ernie Macmillan gazing at him coldly with hard grey eyes.
Harry had to admire his eyes. Wait… No, why would...? WHY!
'If being a pathetic excuse for a wizard wasn't enough, you have to block my way, too.' Harry watched Malfoy in amazement as he took on Ernie Macmillan - with a tough, stocky build - and Crabbe and Goyle as his henchmen.
This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder…
'Fuck you magic trash!' Ernie snarled. 'Even as a Mudblood you wouldn't be good enough to lick my boots!'
Malfoy's eyes narrowed dangerous. He stepped closer to Ernie and a flicker of uncertainty flitted across his face.
'Worried, Macmillan?' he said softly, moving evermore closer. Ernie swallowed but still he glared on defiantly. 'How is Blaise by the way?'
'You don't have enough magic to transfigure a TEABAG!'
Harry glared enviously as Malfoy stood so close to Ernie they were almost touching. Hey wait! I didn't -
'Did I say I cursed him?' Malfoy cocked his head to one side. 'I wanted to wish him well.'
'Like fuck you did, cry-baby!'
'I did,' he murmured, his eyes flashing. 'Before he was dead.'
Ernie's face screwed up with hate. 'Fuck you! Cry like you did last time! GO ON!'
It seemed Malfoy needed to more provocation that that. Ernie was thrown backwards against the Slytherin table with a force no one saw, and Malfoy had left the hall as silently as he came as if he was never there apart from the billow of his robes.
-*-*-*-*
It was after Harry too, flounced out in a bout of anger after being cornered bye Parvati and escaping by the skin of his teeth with a mumbled excuse that he met Draco again.
The nimble-fingered blonde caught his arm with cold hands and before Harry had spun him around, he could recognise the freezing touch.
'You're hands are really, cold, Malfoy.' Harry rubbed his arm and couldn't suppress the shivers down his spine. Instead he ignored them.
Her regarded him with quiet amusement for a moment.
Harry glanced over his shoulder in case anyone had come to find him. 'Is there anything you wanted.'
'You really have no clue, do you?'
Malfoy waited patiently, but Harry just shrugged.
'Owls, Potter! Owls!'
'Owls?' said Harry quizzically.
'The things that deliver POST! The owls that usually arrive over breakfast but DIDN'T! Please tell me you know what owls are!?'
'I know what owls are!' said Harry irritably. 'What about them?'
'I just told you,' he said flatly. 'Are you listening to me?'
'I don't see why…'
'And what about the witch who usually brings us all the sweets on the train, huh? Tell me you didn't not notice that!'
Before Harry could defend himselve, Malfoy was hissing again.
'Or perhaps you didn't notice the crackpot's gone? You'll be dead in a week with no one to save your skin!'
A flush rose to Harry's cheeks and he coiled his fingers around his wand. Malfoy cut across him again.
'Don't act as if it isn't true,' he snickered. 'You can't save your self for a magic carpet! Potter! Saving your life was on his to-do list between: writing out my Christmas Cards and feeding the cat!'
'I… - I - who - maybe - only…'
-*-*-*-*-*
a/n I'm sorry if you hated that. I'm sorry if you thought I took to long. I'm just sorry in general. The question about Neville still stands. I'm leaning towards the confident conceited talented type, because even though most of you chose both (GREEDYNESS!) I think that was the what you wanted... ahem… yes, well… yeah.
And any choice about couples? I mean, I was thinking of giving Ron a girlfriend. Pansy or something. No idea. I guess in AU it can be ANYTHING from Milicent Bulstrode to Justin Finch-Fletchy.
This really does have a sort-of plot you know. It is there. Barely.