Chapter 4- Home Sweet Bloody Home

Harry was not usually a vengeful person but considering the circumstances he decided to be one. He refused to speak to Ron or Hermione for several days but in the end had to out of boredom. Him and Draco stopped fighting and became kind of silent allies, but Harry was lonely. Now that they were convinced he was okay Ron and Hermione were caught up in their own obvious "secret" relationship. Lupin was always out on business so Harry never got a chance to talk to him. Ginny was just as bored as he was so she went to stay with a friend of hers the day she came back from Diagon Alley. Fred and George had rented an apartment near their shop and rarely stopped by. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were hardly interesting and Molly kept treating him like a bomb that would explode any minute. So Harry was left to wallow in his boredom. He knew that Draco felt the same but they made a truce not a 'friends for life' pact, so they basically ignored each other. No matter how bored he was he was not going to be friendly with Draco. No certainly not.

So, boring........ Harry thought and went into his room to take a look at some of his schoolbooks. They were just as boring as ever. He glanced at Ron's trunk, which was open. On top of a pile of clothes was his chessboard. Well there's nothing else to do. Harry had no idea where Ron and Hermione were, probably in a closet somewhere, so he tried playing against himself. He wondered if he would just die of boredom. Maybe he could set the house on fire just for some entertainment. Why don't wizards have television? He thought remembering the Dursley's TV. He longed to go outside but that of course was not permitted. The chessmen were getting bored and began beating on each other and running around. Harry watched them unenthusiastically for awhile before trying to round them up before they smashed each other to smithereens. But he never had the talent Ron had for ordering them about. They just continued with their little battle, it looked like the white knight was in charge, and most of the pawns were smashed. Harry tried once more to round them up but couldn't. He sighed out loud and fell back onto the dusty, hard floorboards. He closed his eyes, and tried not to think; but the moment his eyes were closed he began thinking about Voldemort.

How the hell am I ever going to defeat the most powerful dark lord on earth? No, I will not think of it, I will not think of it, I will not...

He sat up, there was no way he was going to even think about Voldemort or his evil plans. He was going to sit here and play chess, but all the pieces were smashed. He put them all back into their box, knowing that they'd repair themselves eventually. Kreacher walked by the door mumbling and muttering, dragging an old, small photo frame behind him. Now that Sirius was gone Kreacher listened to no one but at least he couldn't leave the house.

Harry got up, and sat on his bed between his pillow and the wall. He concentrated on not thinking about Voldemort. He just couldn't face it yet. He felt like a mouse hiding from a cat. But honestly who could ever imagine that a sixteen year old boy could defeat the most powerful wizard in the world!?! It's preposterous! So he tried not to think. Somehow his thoughts slipped to Draco. He was glad to be able to think about something other than Voldemort, but Draco? Despite how different Harry had thought they were they were actually very much the same. He actually wasn't as inhuman as Harry had always thought him to be. And he did have a nice butt.... Eeew! NO! I did not just think that Draco has a nice butt! No I will NOT think of Draco that way, I won't think about him at all! As soon as he had stopped thinking about Draco he started thinking about Voldemort.

Harry shook his and decided to go for a walk to clear his mind. He went to the attic but Buck-Beak was in a crummy mood too, so Harry left him alone. He wandered back down into the study, but it was dank, bland, and boring just like everywhere else in this horrible house. He left that room and headed toward the staircase. Molly must have polished the banister because it was shiny, and sparkling compared to the now well worn steps. Harry longed to slide it all the way down instead of taking the stairs. But that would be childish... Still... So shiny and slick... Go on Harry, you know you want to. It is silly and childish. I will not slide down a banister out of boredom! I will not!

"Shut up mind," Harry muttered quietly gazing longingly at the shiny, slick banister. He put one hand on it, and then the other. And before he new it he had his leg hoisted up and prepared to let go. He let go. Whoosh. This is so awesome! Harry thought as the wind rushed through his hair. Crash. Uh oh!

"Ow!"

Smash!

"Oof!" Harry grunted he landed on something that definitely was NOT the floor.

"Potter what the hell are you doing?" Yelled a very surprised Draco struggling to get out from under Harry. Harry was stunned for a moment and didn't move. He kind of liked being on top of Draco.... No! NO! Stop it! Stop it now! Dirty thoughts... No. I will not think of Draco that way, I will not think of Draco that way, I will not think of...

"POTTER GET OFF!" Draco yelled trying to push the larger boy off. Harry snapped back to his sense and hastily got off. Draco got up, brushed off his clothes and smirking. Oh that ever-famous smirk!

"The famous Harry Potter sliding down banisters like a 5-year-old?" He sneered looking at Harry with an amused expression on. Harry decided to stay cool.

"Yes, Malfoy. I was sliding down a banister like a 5-year-old. Do you have a problem with that?" Harry said wondering what had come over him. All this living with Draco stuff must be going to my head, he thought. What the hell enticed me to do that? I really have to get out more... But of course I can't because I'm bloody Harry Potter and I have to stay alive long enough to save the bloody world. Stupid world why can't it save itself?

"Hello? Earth to Potter?" Malfoy said looking very ticked off.

"Huh? Were you saying something?" Harry asked still half-lost in thought.

"Pay attention Potter, I swear that lately you've been walking around in some kind of trance! I just asked if you wanted to play exploding snap with me," Malfoy said in a very Snape-ish manner. He quickly added, "Only because there's absolutely nothing to do in this dump of a place". Harry was a bit surprised at the invitation but nodded.

"Yeah okay," he said not even bothering to tell Draco that this was not a dump of a place; because he was right, "Snape".

"What was that?" Draco asked turning around to glare at Harry.

"Oh nothing".

So, he and Draco played exploding snap, then they played chess, and then Harry taught Draco some muggle card games, which Draco was scornful of, but he soon found out they were not much different. They acted like they had been friends for years. Being friends with Draco when no one's around.... I can live with that Harry soon forgot that this was the same person who had made, well tried to make his life miserable for the last 5 years.

Once they had both reached for the same card and Draco's hand brushed his. Harry had expected him to jerk it back and keep playing, but he didn't. He left his hand linger over Harry's. Harry couldn't help it he smiled. He could feel his heart beating; he could even hear it. Draco suddenly realized what he was doing and pulled his hand back, muttering something about having homework to finish, and that Harry should watch where he was putting his hand. He got up and left, leaving Harry there thinking. What the hell was that!?! How can I actually..... Like..... Him. No, I don't like him. We're just two hormone crazed teenage boys with no one else around. Just because I maybe, may like him a teeny bit does not mean I am in love with him. No.

If only he knew how very wrong he was.

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

Harry spent the last few days at Grimmauld Place avoiding Draco, and teasing Hermione and Ron after catching them snogging in the living room; if you can call it a living room, it looked more like a dying room to Harry. But despite the fact that he teased them all the time, he was jealous. They had each other, and whom did he have? Nobody. And Draco does NOT count. At all, he thought lying on his bed. I'm going back to school tomorrow. I'll find somebody, and I'll forget all about Draco.

The next day everybody was in a hurry, as they seemed to be every year, except Draco who was calm and unaffected by all the rushing. Harry pulled on some muggle clothes and went on the traditional quest for pairs of socks to pack. He checked and re-checked his trunk over and over again to make sure he did not forget anything. When he was quite sure that he had everything he lugged his trunk down stairs, past rushing people with toast falling out of their mouths, and out into the front hall. It was almost empty, except for Draco who was sitting on his trunk looking exasperatedly at the others running around looking for things.

"At least one of you people has some bit of organization!" He said as Harry dropped his trunk and plunked down on top of it. "I mean how hard is to pack for going back to school?" Harry rolled his eyes, but Draco didn't see. Suddenly a thought came over him.

"Won't the Slytherins know you've switched? What if they're under secret orders from your dad to kill you?" Harry asked glancing around to make sure no one spotted him talking to Draco.

"Are you a complete imbecile?" Draco said angrily. If I'm being nice to you, then yes I am. "Do you think that all Slytherins are junior Death Eaters? We're not! In fact most of us are trying hard not to give in to our parents. That's why Greg and Vince refused the mark; but no one was suspicious of them. They just figured that they were too stupid anyway. At least their fathers aren't murdering bastards who belong in asylums! Pansy gave in; of course I always knew she was weak. And Blaise ran away from home too and is now living with his relatives in Wales", Draco finished listing off people.

Wow they're human, Harry though half sarcastically.

"Sorry, I didn't know," he muttered to his shoes.

"It's all right. I guess we did give that impression. I mean, you better be sorry Potter!" Draco said glaring furiously at Harry as if he had said something embarrassing.

"Anyway, so where are you going to go? After this school year I mean. You must have some relatives that aren't 'murdering bastards who belong in asylums'," Harry asked before Draco could go on with his list of Slytherin's saints.

"Yeah, I have cousins in France, from my mother's side, who are not involved in the war. Andromeda didn't seem too keen on having me and I don't blame her. But I'd rather go to France away from all this. I'll stay with my cousins next summer, I..." Draco told him but stopped and glared past Harry's shoulder.

"Whoa! Pinch me I must be dreaming... Ouch Ron. It's a figure of speech you moron." Hermione said looking amazed at Harry and Draco, while she was rubbing her left arm. She and Ron had just came down the stairs pulling their own trunks.

"You are actually having a civil conversation… That's great!" She said looking at them proudly. Harry thought that she had no reason to look proud and Draco gave them such a dirty look that would have made Snape jealous.

"From what I hear you and Weasel here slightly less than civil, er... 'conversations'," Draco said in his most sarcastic voice. Hermione blushed a shade of a beet, Ron went so red he looked rather purple. Harry tried very hard not to laugh, resulting in very painful ribs and teary eyes. Draco smiled smugly and turned around, ignoring them all.

Once Harry had recovered he decided that he was being to hard on Ron and Hermione. I should give them a break, he thought and promised himself he'd talk to them normally and try not to tease too much.

They all walked to King's Cross with the guard much the same as last year. Their luggage was charmed to the size and weight of a small backpack so they would blend into the crowd of muggles. Once they were on the platform, and their trunks were back to normal they boarded the train. Ron, Hermione, and Draco went straight to the prefect's compartments while Harry ran into Neville, Luna, Seamus, and Dean; he sat with them in their compartment and was followed by Ginny soon after. The train was off. Ron and Hermione joined them soon and they messed around, talking of plans for the upcoming year, new courses, and the next Quidditch season.

After a while, Harry went to the bathroom passing through Draco's compartment. Draco winked at him when no one was looking. Harry smiled back. Draco had guts to do that when any of those Slytherins could've been watching.

Harry went back to his own compartment forgetting about needing to go to the bathroom. In a while he could see the dim lights of Hogsmeade out of the window. Home sweet bloody home, Harry thought hoping that they'd have a better Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year.

~*~*~*~*~* To be continued....*~*~*~*~*~