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The next morning, Harry awoke to the sun streaming in through the blinds covering the window. Swinging his legs off the bed, Harry ran a hand through his unruly black hair and yawned. He felt a lot better today. Stretching his arms in the air, Harry stood up and searched the cupboard in the bedside cabinet for his robes. After finding them he slipped them over his head and groaned inwardly at the tight fit. He'd gotten rather broader over the Holidays, not too much but enough to leave his robes feeling tighter then normal. His height, however, hadn't increased much and he was still rather short, but he wasn't too worried about that. Being small and somewhat slight were good qualities in a seeker.

Smiling and whistling to himself, as he got ready for the day, Harry was just about to leave when he remembered the familiar, pale, blonde boy who had been sleeping in the bed next to him. Walking over to Draco's bed, Harry saw that his eyes were still closed. Deciding to himself, that Draco didn't deserve the luxury of staying in bed if he had to get up he shook him.

Draco groaned as he was disturbed and eventually opened his eyes, and found himself looking at a grinning Harry.

"What do you want, Potter?" He aid groggily, still half asleep.

"It's time to get up, come on we have lessons in five minutes."

Groaning some more, Draco finally managed to force himself to get up out of bed, when the realization that he only had five minutes dawned on him. Flinging open the cabinet door, he pulled out his robes and just pulled them on not caring what they looked like and pulled a comb out of his pocket and proceeded to try and comb his hair back. Much to his disappointment it didn't work. It seemed only gel would get it to go back and seen as he didn't have any of the stuff with him, he'd have to make do. Muttering frustrated about his hair, Draco was annoyed to hear laughter coming from Harry.

"Find something funny?" He asked.

"I've never seen anyone fuss with their hair as much as you." Harry answered, a smile on his face.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, Potter, You could do with more time spent on your hair. Would you like to borrow my comb?"

This was a typical Malfoy comment, and Harry had expected nothing less, but it was said with not a trace of malice only mild amusement.

"As much as I'd love to play hairdresser Malfoy, we don't have time." Harry answered.

"Your getting better with the comebacks, Potter. Not bad if I say so myself." Draco said, a slight grin on his face as he followed Harry out of the infirmary.

"I suppose that's the result of being around you for too long." Harry told him.

"True, true. So where are we heading?"

"Divination."

Draco groaned for the third time that morning.

"I hate that old bag, with her magnified eyes. She's an old fraud. I don't know why you bothered getting me up for her lesson and I certainly don't see why you got up. She'd probably have delighted in telling the class that you were in the infirmary after a near death experience, and knowing the way her tales go, I'd probably be the one who'd attempted to kill you."

Harry laughed. "I can't give her the satisfaction. Plus she'd be disappointed if I didn't turn up, who else is she going to look at with pity and predict their death every ten minutes?"

They both laughed at that and continued to make their way to divination, receiving some amazed and disbelieving looks from people along the way as they chatted happily, laughing and joking.

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When Harry entered the divination class, followed by Draco, the first thing he noticed was that most of the class was staring, captivated at the Professor as if she was telling a highly interesting tale. Harry guessed it was probably about him and how he was almost dieing in the hospital wing and whatever was wrong with him would probably prove fatal. Seeing that no one was taking any notice of them, Harry heard Draco cough slightly behind him to gain attention. The class all turned to see who had coughed and gaped when they saw who was standing there. Harry guessed that his suspicions were probably right and was even more convinced when Professor Trelawney turned around, and even though Harry didn't think it was possible, her eyes went even bigger behind her magnified glasses.

After the initial shock of seeing Harry was over the class broke into whispers.

"I didn't think you would be joining us today my dears." Was all Professor Trelawney could say, as the pair walked towards an empty table and sat down.

"I bet she didn't. She probably had her story all planned out and then we walked in and spoiled it. What a shame." Draco whispered to Harry, who grinned.

"Anyway my dears, we shall continue today's lesson by studying the cards. Like most other things in this subject the cards can read your future and prepare you for what is to come."

Harry purposely turned away from her at this moment not wanting to see the pitying look that she was probably giving him. Some things never seemed to change.

When the packs of cards had been given out Professor Trelawney continued with the instructions, her strangely mystical voice echoing around the classroom.

"Now my dears, all you have to do is shuffle the cards and deal yourself three cards which will reveal what your future holds."

Draco opened his pack of cards reluctantly. He didn't really want to see what his future held; he could see it quite plainly for himself. His father would probably go out of his way to get him home for the holidays after questioning every Slytherin about what he'd done this year and after finding out the truth Draco would probably never see the light of day again. Something along those lines anyway Draco was guessing.

Despite his fears, Draco like Harry began to shuffle his cards.

"She's probably fixed my pack full of grims." Harry said to Draco.

Draco nodded in agreement and found the required page for this task in his divination book. Oh, how he hated this lesson. He'd already predicted that he'd probably get the three worst cards on the page, well after Harry. Harry like himself was looking pretty bleak about dealing himself three cards but as the Professor was hovering about it appeared they had no choice.

Giving the pack an extra shuffle Draco dealt three cards out before him, Harry did the same.  The two boys stared down at the back of their cards each with his own mixed feelings about turning over the cards before them, despite both their opinions that divination was based on guesswork.

"After you, Potter." Malfoy said.

"No, after you, Malfoy." Harry replied a small grin forming on his face.

It was just their luck that Professor Trelawney decided to target their table next.

"Well, my dears, what cards do you have let's see." She said impatiently, peering over their shoulders.

Harry sighed inwardly, why did she have to come now? He knew the answer to that; she'd come to gloat about their misfortune more than likely. He looked up to find Draco staring at him, as if waiting for a signal. Harry nodded his head and him and Draco turned their cards over one by one at the same time. Harry wasn't shocked to see what his cards consisted of; a grim, and two cards he didn't know the meaning of, but he could tell they weren't good. Draco's cards were pretty similar, he also had the grim and another one that Harry had but his third card was different. Professor Trelawney gasped loudly in the background. Not wanting to give her the satisfaction of her knowing the meaning of his cards before him, Harry quickly began to skim the card page and found out the meanings of his cards; death, deadly enemy, complicated decision. Draco's cards were pretty similar and consisted of death, deadly enemy and the strange third card meant betrayal.

Harry sat there and waited for Trelawney to announce his death card to the class and rant and rave about his misfortune and how he was born under a bad planet. As predicted, she peered over Harry's shoulder and then stood up abruptly.

"You have the grim, my dear." Although this comment was directed at Harry, Professor Trelawney announced it loud enough to attract the whole classes attention. Most of the class clapped their hands over their mouths in shock. Harry, however, raised his eyes to the ceiling finding it hard to believe his class members could still react no matter how many times she predicted his death.

Her eyes flickered to Draco's cards and she shook her head in pity and settled herself into a chair muttering to herself. Harry caught 'so unfortunate' and other phrases filled with pity, and as always in her class felt his temper beginning to rise.

"Fixed these cards have you? I find it strange that I always manage to achieve death in every lesson. Enjoy gloating in my misfortune do you? Well this subject must be a load of rubbish because I still seem to be sitting here, even though I've been predicted dead about twelve times now." Harry said loudly.

Professor Trelawney looked at him scandalized. Harry just stared back at her defiantly as her face changed into a mask of pity.

"I know you find your fate hard to accept, dear."

"Hard to accept? That's not quite how I'd put it." Harry answered hastily.

"Well if you can't accept your future maybe you should leave until you can. After your experience yesterday I imagine you're confused and even more scared about the prospect of death." Professor Trelawney said her mouth set in a grim line as she pointed to the exit.

Standing up Harry turned to Draco. "You coming?"

"Yes." Draco said shooting an icy glare at Professor Trelawney, before following Harry out of the trap door, the rest of the class just stared after the pair for a minute then happily continued reading their own cards, while Professor Trelawney stayed where she was still staring at the two boys cards, muttering darkly to herself.

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Another member of the divination class hadn't even attended the lesson today. Sitting alone in the Slytherin common room, Pansy Parkinson was going to have to make a decision. Lucius Malfoy had written to her again asking for information on his son, as he hadn't replied to his letter. Pansy could tell from the tone of the letter that Lucius was furious and he'd more or less threatened her to get the information he required.

She had been keeping a careful watch on Draco lately and still felt guilty about somewhat betraying him. Pansy was also scared of Draco and his violent outburst, but she hadn't understood what he'd meant about what would happen to him, though she had her queries that it was directed at his father as she like most people had always seen him as a cold and calculated man. Pansy was the last person who wanted to see Draco get hurt but she didn't want to be on the wrong side of his father either, so she didn't really see herself as having much choice about what she was supposed to do. She knew though that if Lucius wrote another letter to his son, Draco would know that the information had come from her, but she knew that was a risk she would have to take.

Pulling out a piece of parchment, Pansy began her long letter to Lucius Malfoy telling him everything that had happened lately, particularly about Draco's new found friendship and his dramatic change in character. All the information his father had required to know was included. When it was done Pansy slipped it into an envelope and sighed. She didn't really want to do this. Taking the letter with her, Pansy left the common room and proceeded to make her way to the owlery.

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It just happened at that very moment in time Draco and Harry were both walking the corridors of Hogwarts with nothing else to do as neither of them had any idea where they could go until first lesson was over. They were both quite happily passing away the time, when footsteps echoed further down the corridor. Draco grabbed Harry and pulled him up against the wall.

"Be quiet, Potter." He whispered. Draco peeped down the corridor hoping that the person who was about to enter the corridor wasn't Filch. As the person came into closer view he knew who it was instantly, Pansy Parkinson. He wondered why she wasn't in class. He looked down at her hand and saw that she was holding a white envelope and seemed to be looking around her cautiously. The situation before Draco looked very suspicious. It wasn't long before he put two and two together, Pansy was writing to his father again.

"Follow me, Potter." Draco commanded as he hastily began to quickly follow Pansy, a predator stalking its prey. After all that had happened last time she was going to do it again, he couldn't believe it! If his father found out everything that had happened…Draco shuddered to think of the result. Harry fell in step with Draco concerned about the blonde; the look of menace that had crossed over his face after seeing the person in front was almost unbelievable. Harry didn't understand what was happening.

"Umm…Draco, what's going on?" Harry asked uncertainly.

Draco's eyes flickered to Harry's concerned face, and the anger left his face for a moment. Nobody had ever been concerned about him before, ever. He was just treated like he wasn't human, like a stone, a cold heartless stone with no feelings, but now the last person he'd ever expect to care about him, cared.

"I'll explain later, but first I have to sort out this little problem." Draco said flinging open the owlery door and following Pansy. Harry followed practically running to keep up. Upon entering, Draco leaned against the wall casually and watched the girl before him with narrowed eyes.

The door slammed after Harry entered and Pansy jumped and looked towards the doorway in shock. Her eyes fell on Draco Malfoy and her insides wrenched in fear at the glare he was shooting in her direction. She gasped out loud and the owl that she had been trying to attach the letter to flew away hooting madly.

"D-Draco, w-w-hat are you doing here?" Pansy stuttered.

"Oh, I don't know, Pansy. I was going to ask you the same question." Draco said walking forward so he was standing right in front of her. He plucked the letter out of her hand and seen his father's name scrawled neatly on the front.

"I see my suspicions were correct, Parkinson." He said quietly. Pansy just stood there not sure what to do. She could tell Draco was angry at the scene before him, angry that someone from his own house was betraying him to his father. She knew she couldn't betray Lucius though. Pansy found herself torn between what to do, though she knew she'd rather take the brunt of Draco's anger than have Lucius Malfoy on her back. Like a lot of people she was scared of Lucius Malfoy, scared of what lay behind his carefully groomed exterior.

While Pansy stood there a whirlwind of thoughts flying through her mind, Draco read the letter. Harry just stood in the background watching the scene revolve in front of him, trying to piece together what was happening. Draco's eyes widened after he had finished reading, he knew his father would not be pleased to read this, far from it. He would probably be dragging him home where he would receive a beating he would never forget and be told exactly what being a Malfoy consisted of. Well contrary to what his father thought, Draco had his own opinions about what being a person was, he couldn't care about being a Malfoy anymore. Before he had a chance to even contemplate what to do with the letter, Pansy seemed to recover herself.

"Accio letter!" She shouted.

The letter flew back into her hand and she quickly attached it to the leg of the owl in her hand. Draco made a lunge for the owl as she let it go, but he missed and went sliding onto the floor, as the owl soared out of the window. He scrambled to his feet and ran to the window staring out in horror as the owl flew further and further away from Hogwarts and ever closer to his father. Pansy had just sealed his fate. All the anger drained from his system and he turned away from the window and slid down the wall, his face pale and devoid of any emotion. Pansy stared at him for a moment unsure what to do and them whimpering she ran from the owlery leaving only Harry and Draco.

Harry looked at Draco's defeated form sitting on the floor his head in his hands. He never thought he'd ever see Draco Malfoy looking defeated. Harry sat down next to Draco, feeling sorry for the boy but didn't badger him with questions despite how much he wanted to know what was going on.

Draco knew Harry was sitting next to him and felt better knowing that someone was there for him, for once in his life someone was there. If he talked he knew there'd be someone to listen, but he couldn't talk right now. He didn't know what to do. He just wanted to be as far away from his father as possible, but he knew if his father wanted him home he'd go to any length to get what he wanted. Draco took one last fearsome glance out of the window and wondered what could possibly be in store for him…

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A/N – Sorry this chapter took a while, I've had a few personal problems lately. Thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I hope to have the next one finished by next Sunday.

Enjoy!