Disclaimer: Not mine.

Phoenix stands

Chapter Six

By Felflowne aka Espion

'What are you looking at?'

Malfoy turned.

'I was just seeing if you can still see Dox from here.'

'You can't… can you?'

Harry walked so he was next to the taller boy.

'Yes, I think so,' Malfoy said, squinting, 'you just have to be a bit further along. Curious?'

Harry admitted that he was, and they walked off.

**

'Where are they going?' said Ron suspiciously, eyeing the two as they disappeared from view.

'Leave them,' said Hermione primly.

'I don't care what anyone says about Malfoy,' Ron muttered, 'I still don't like him.'

'Yes,' Hermione said, sighing, 'you've told me about a hundred times.'

'I'm not leaving Harry alone with him,' Ron decided suddenly, and before Hermione could stop him he had dashed out of the door.

**

'Almost,' said Malfoy, peering across the valley. Harry trotted along behind him, wondering if he should say anything. He decided to keep quiet.

'Yes,' Malfoy said, 'there.' He pointed. A faint red glow could be seen. Harry gazed at it. Far from Phoenix's reassuring scarlet-gold haze, this glow was deep crimson, and…

'Harry?' said Malfoy, suddenly turning towards him, a shocked expression on his face.

Harry clutched his face, pain ripping along the familiar path.

He can see you! HE CAN SEE YOU! THE DARK LORD ALWAYS KNOWS!'

Harry fell forwards, groaning, the words echoing horribly. He vaguely felt Malfoy grab for his arm, and then he was on the ground, and the world was spinning.

'Harry?' Malfoy cried, 'what happened?'

'I knew it!'

Harry couldn't lift his head, so he only heard Ron's voice cry 'Incendio Somnus!' and then smelt the smell of burning.

Ron's hand on his shoulder pulled him up.

'Are you OK?'

'Yeah… I just…' Harry's gaze drifted to the right.

'Oh no… Ron, what did you do?'

Malfoy was lying on the ground. A hole was burned through his shirt, and Harry could see that the skin underneath was burned as well.

'Harry! He attacked you! I saw you fall…'

Harry bit his lip. Yes, it must have looked that way. He forced himself to keep calm.

'Ron, please help me carry him.'

'WHAT?'

'Ron, do it now or I'll hurt you.'

'Huh?' But then Harry glared at him so venomously that he hurried to obey.

**

Malfoy opened his eyes and sighed.

'My entire life seems to have become a series of occasions when I wake up and don't know where I am,' he said aloud.

'You're in my room,' came Harry's voice. Malfoy turned his head. Harry was holding a jar and looking pale.

'What happened?' Malfoy asked, and went to sit up, 'although I'm sure I've had this conversation about a million… oh SHIT!'

He fell back down, panting slightly.

'OK, I reiterate, what happened?'

'Ron got you with an incendiary spell,' Harry said.

'Why?'

'He thought you attacked me.'

Malfoy remembered.

'Geez, what happened to you?'

'It must have been seeing Dox,' Harry said quietly, 'I wasn't ready for it.'

'Sorry,' said Malfoy, 'I should have realised.'

'No worries,' Harry said, 'I'm used to it.'

He opened the jar.

'I got this from Madam Pomfrey,' he explained, seeing Malfoy's look, 'she said she didn't want me to move you all the way over there with your burns.'

'Are they bad? I can't feel them if I lie still.'

'Yeah, that's because I used a Numbing charm,' Harry said, 'they're on your chest, mostly. There're a few on your neck. Honestly though, don't move, Malfoy.'

'Y'know, you are allowed to call me Draco,' the boy said. Harry pretended to be busy reading the jar's instructions.

'Umm,' Draco said, 'if I can't move, how am I supposed to put the stuff on my burns?'

Harry turned briskly.

'I'll do it.'

'What?'

'Well, you can't move, and there isn't anyone else here right now.'

Draco just stared at him, then laid back and let his eyes fall shut.

'All right. Wait!'

Harry jumped.

'Could you… take the Numbing charm off?'

Harry hesitated.

'But then it'll hurt more. I don't want…' He trailed off.

Malfoy looked at him steadily for a few seconds, and then said, 'I can handle it. Please?'

Harry complied, unhappily. He looked on in dismay as Draco's face twisted slightly in pain. He dipped his hand in the jar.

'Are you OK?' he whispered, wondering what had happened to his voice. Draco nodded.

'All right,' Harry said, and pushed down the covers slightly with his hand that didn't have cream on it, wincing in sympathy as he saw the burns.

'They're bad,' he murmured, 'I'll be gentle.'

'I know.'

Harry screwed his eyes shut and smoothed the cream, which wasn't cold, but actually really warm, over the worst areas. The strange stuff seemed to absorb instantly. Harry blinked at the jar.

'D'you reckon she meant for me to use all of this?'

Draco opened his eyes and their gazes locked, then he said slowly, 'I don't know. Do they look better?'

Harry swallowed.

'Uhh…perhaps I… better use a bit more…'

Harry let his hand move up to Draco's neck, gently spreading the salve onto the ugly marks there, fighting to keep his breathing steady. He glanced at the other boy's face. Draco had his eyes shut still, but his face was no longer twisted in pain. On the contrary, his breathing seemed a little irregular, and when Harry moved his hand back to his neck, he could feel his pulse absolutely charging along.

'I was so worried about you,' Harry said suddenly, letting his hands slide down to deal with a burn on his side.

Draco's eyes flew open in surprise. 'Really?'

'Yeah,' Harry said, wiping the last of the cream into the main burn in the centre of Draco's chest.

Harry jumped as the boy below him hissed slightly.

'I'm sorry!' he squeaked, 'did I hurt you?!'

'No… It's all right… just…'

'What?'

Draco felt Harry's hand move gently to his shoulder, caressing it as he rubbed the cream in.

Unable to stop himself, he groaned.

'What is it?'

Harry was unable to do anything as Draco's hand suddenly gripped his wrist and pulled. The other boy pulled himself up onto one of his elbows. The empty jar slipped from Harry's hand and bounced on the floor.

What's happening…?

Harry realised that their faces were about four inches apart.

'Draco…' he said softly, and the boy moaned slightly, leaning closer until their lips were so close…

Harry let his eyes fall shut.

Yes… he thought …oh, please…

Suddenly, everything broke. Malfoy let him go and fell back.

Harry blinked.

Draco turned away from him.

Harry found his voice again.

'What… what was that?'

Draco didn't answer.

'Y-You were going to kiss me, weren't you?' Harry's voice was shaking.

Draco sighed.

'Yes, I was.'

Harry's heart was pounding.

'Then why didn't you?! I wanted you to!'

The boy on the bed turned and looked at him. His pale eyes bore a pained expression.

'I don't deserve it,' he said finally.

'Do I get a say at all?!' cried Harry angrily.

'Look, Harry,' Draco began, but he didn't get any further because Harry had leant over him and kissed him.

'No,' mumbled Draco, putting a hand on Harry's chest and trying to push him away, but it didn't work. Harry just kissed him more fervently. The hand fell limply by his side.

'Look me in the eye,' Harry said, 'and tell me you want to stop.'

For a horrible moment, he thought Draco would do it, but then, to his delight, the boy's arms came around him and pulled him down so they could kiss again.

Oh… Harry thought…I could never ever tire of this…

He found one of Draco's hands and grasped it as their kisses deepened.

'Ah!' Draco cried as Harry drew a hand over his chest, which was now completely free of burns. He reached up and tangled a hand in Harry's dark hair as they nuzzled gently.

Harry laid down next to the boy and drew him into his arms.

'Harry,' said Draco weakly, 'a-are you sure? I mean… It's me, y'know?'

Harry kissed him slowly, and felt him melt against him.

'I know,' he said.

*************************************************************************************

Felflowne: Hello! This is my first Harry Potter fic. *pats it* I haven't checked to see if I got any reviews for the first four chapters yet, I will in a minute.

I know some people are irritated by unmarked slash, so I took care to mention it in the summary. This'll probably have about two more chapters, and the rating may go up.

I also want to put in some RonxHermione stuff, because their relationship hasn't really been dwelt upon.

I know the setting is weird, but go with it, pleeeease?

What do you guys think of Elly? I just assumed that she went to Hogwarts under a pseudonym. And that whole things with the murders was after she escaped Azkaban. Oh, to be honest, it really doesn't make sense. As a character, she was sort of accidental, but she's totally different to anyone I've written about before. Ah, well, I like her.

Ja ne! Please review!

Fel

xx