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Chapter 2When I look at myself, I see an old and cranky man who no longer holds that charismatic charm to which people are attracted. No, this man that watches me back has done too many things for the people to either despite or hate him. And as I lift my hand to look at the boy I used to be in the photo, I wonder why I was foolish enough to open the Chamber of Secrets. That was the cause of my doom… The birth of Lord Voldemort…
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Sleepily Harry turned in his bed unwilling to get up until Ron came over and pulled with a swift movement the covers off him. He let out a protest cry, which Ron quieted again returning the covers to their owner in a bundle landing on Harry's face.
"Get up, or Hermione will have us lynched if we are late for class again." The red-haired boy said as he walked out heading for the bathroom.
A little grumpy Harry sat up and yawned. He and Draco had been late up talking again, and Ron had probably seen he wasn't in his bed, explaining the cold waking he had just gotten. Somehow he felt guilty that he didn't tell his friends, but for Draco's and his own safety it was better that no one knew about their family and their growing friendship.
His thoughts wandered back to the first weeks of their night-meetings. They had sat there glaring at each other for most of the time, until they had started slowly to open up to the other. Harry had been surprised to find out that they had much in common. Okay, they had shared Quidditch before their revelation, but now, they had also the same taste in music and books. And yet they had their differences, they could argue for hours about nothing and anything. Draco proved to be quite a good listener and he had just a quick wit, which probably proved his Slytherin side. Harry would bet anything that Draco, if given the chance, could probably get the same sharpness to his mind and mouth as Snape.
He chuckled at the though, Draco respected Snape, but his cousin would most likely kick him if he compared the two. The young Slytherin hungered for individuality that his father had denied him. He lusted for freedom of his soul and mind. He needed to be himself. That was the reason he confined in Harry, he didn't need to pretend to his cousin, there was no one forcing him to it, there was nothing that he needed to prove nor nothing but friendship to gain.
Snape on the other hand, had an aura that radiated a darkness kept at bay. Mystery rounded the tall figure that made him seem dangerous as well as attractive. There was such power and grace in his every move, which sometimes made Harry wonder if the man knew how much power and control he indeed had in the first place. Of course, there also was the use of that voice…
Harry frowned, when had his thoughts turned to Snape and stopped comparing him with his cousin to start admiring him?
"Are you still not ready?" Ron sighed as he came back in, his wet hair hanging around his face.
"I'm moving, I'm moving…"
*~*~*~*~*
It was Herbology class in which Harry almost fell asleep. Professor Sprout was explaining something about some big animal eating plant when his face hit the table with a heavy thud. Immediately he had leaned back only to gain some amused glances from his classmates, and loose five points for Gryffindor for sleeping in class. Ron glanced at him concerned. Once class ended he and Hermione cornered him.
"Where were you last night?" Asked Ron.
And there was the question he had been dreading all morning. "I couldn't sleep." He lied. He was getting awfully good at it.
"You could have woken me, you know? I was worried…"
Harry sighed. "Look guys, nothing happened, I didn't return earlier because I didn't feel tired so I sneaked up the Astronomy Tower to get some fresh air." He slapped himself mentally, that was just a lame excuse even to his own ears.
"Harry, Ron and I-"
"Well, if that isn't Potter and his sidekicks."
Harry rolled his eyes annoyed and turned to Draco Malfoy on his way to his next class.
"Malfoy, what do you want?" Harry narrowed his eyes for a moment.
Draco didn't seem to notice though. "Well, I was just asking Goyle if it was true that little orphan Potter had finally decided that he was going to bring the courage to jump on Weasel."
There followed laughter from the bypassing students.
"That, oh-so-famous Gryffindor courage."
Another wave of laughter erupted.
Harry thanked his cousin mentally, that comment would assure him a save escape from his friends questions for a while. "What Malfoy?" he exclaimed dramatically. "Are you jealous that Ron has higher chances than you in this game?!"
Draco's face filled with anger and he stalked pass them to the dungeon. Harry stuck his tongue at the blond like a little child.
"Annoying Slytherin." He muttered for his friends loud enough to register.
Ron laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't bother, he'll always be a brat."
Hermione nodded and they continued their way to Potion class, all the while Ron trying to bring him off the matter of Malfoy, in the belief that Harry had been upset. He was rather grateful for it, Harry had no intentions on explaining last night events. He followed his friend down the humid corridors of the castle down to the dungeon. He shuddered unwillingly. Every time he came down here he felt back in his dream on the beach, as though the darkness that bounded him to Voldemort would suck him up and he would be unable to fight back. And someday, he knew, he would be unable to resist the invitation that the Dark Lord was offering him. Harry had the feeling that with every passing night the next dream would be more intense and the urge that he could see in the red eyes was increasing with plea.
He shook his head trying to clear his thought as he walked into the classroom and sat down at his usual place. Ron was about to settle down beside him as Draco grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside before plopping down next to the Gryffindor who starred back at his cousin in disbelieve as they had planned.
"What the hell do you think your doing Malfoy?!" Ron grabbed Draco by the collar of his uniform and pulled him slightly up.
"Ron!" Harry and Hermione called out alarmed.
Just in that moment the door was slammed closed and Professor Snape glared icily at them. It was as though he had just taken every bit of warmth with him as he glided towards them. He raised an eyebrow at Ron who starred at him. Then the red-haired boy's eyes wandered to the direction Snape was looking. His hands were still around the Slytherin's shirt's collar. Immediately he let go like he had been burned.
"That will be fifteen points from Gryffindor Weasley for attacking one of my students and a whole week of detention with Filch for doing so in my classroom." The professor hissed narrowing his eyes dangerously at them.
Draco snickered while Harry tried to look with compassion at his friend gaping at their Potion Master before he scrambled to sit next to Hermione in the front row. So to keep their act up Harry gave Draco an evil glare, which was received with an amused smile from the Slytherin.
During class, Snape glanced suspiciously at the pair. Harry felt a cold shudder run down his spin as he tried rigidly to maintain his mind focused on his work while Draco tried just as fiercely to sabotage his potion without catching their Professor's attention. So obviously by the end of class, Harry had to present two broken cauldron, 40 points from Gryffindor, a pity look from Neville who had managed to do his work correctly due the fact that the Potion Master was far more occupied trying to prevent Harry from killing his Slytherin than pestering the other Gryffindor, and to top that a week detention with Snape. The man had made it clear that making Harry and Ron do their detention together would probably end up in the result of a non-existing dungeon if Harry's talent for the subject left anything to say. Needless to mention that Harry was far from relieved as he was released from class and he could go strangle a grinning cousin the first chance he got. But then he thought otherwise and decided that he would spare Draco the joy of afterlife for a little while longer if he might as well pay it back in Transfiguration class after lunch.
*~*~*~*~*
Harry tried very hard to suppress the smile that was fighting its way to his lips. When he had earlier that day thought about getting back at his cousin, he certainly hadn't imagined he would end up turning Draco into a bunny-human thing. Class had ended a while back and the two of them and the professor were the only ones remaining in the room. The Slytherin's pale eyes glared furiously at him as Professor McGonagall tried amused to undo the white long ears that Harry had caused during class. Harry could see that his cousin was biting his tongue as not to burst out like a spoiled child.
"Well, Mr. Potter, I do not know for sure what exactly you did to your classmate, but whatever it was, it will take me some time to undo." The professor said her eyes twinkling like Dumbledore's when he offered his Lemon Drops.
"What?!" Draco shrieked alarmed. "You can't be serious! I can't go out of this room with those things on my head! Let alone with this fluffy white thing on my ass!!" he pointed indignantly at his tail.
Harry exploded into laughter. He couldn't control himself much longer. He grabbed for a table to maintain some balance while with his other hand he held to his stomach as he cringed in amusement.
"I'm going to kill you Potter!!" Draco growled as he trembled in fury and ran out of the classroom.
"I…" Harry tried hard to stop laughing but to no success. "I'm sorry." It was hard to sound convincing when he had a grin spread from ear to ear on his face.
McGonagall chuckled and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Harry. I'll tell Professor Snape to give Mr. Malfoy something to turn him back to his old self." She smiled. "And next time, you should really think of another animal, Mr. Potter. If I remember correctly, others already succeeded at a ferret for your Slytherin classmate."
If Harry had thought that the whole situation had been amusing, then now, with the image of Ferret-Bunny-Draco in his mind, it was hilariously insane. He cracked into more laughter, this time his Head of House joining in. He couldn't recall a time when he had laughed this hard at the moment.
The two of them were found like this two minutes later by the Potion Master who slammed the door open causing the Gryffindors to jump up alarmed.
"I don't think there is anything amusing in turning a capable classmate into some mutant creature." He hissed glaring at Harry who felt himself blush at the stare.
"Oh, Severus, accidents happen in class. You should know it better than anyone else." Minerva grinned. "Don't you always go around complaining about Mr. Longbottom's failures in your classroom?"
Obsidian eyes narrowed dangerously. "Potter is not Longbottom, Minerva! He's capable of doing things correctly."
Harry felt his check warm, had Snape just giving him a compliment?
"Therefore, I do not think this was a mere accident!"
Anger rose in the Gryffindor. How dared the man accuse him of wanting to harm Draco? Okay, he didn't know that they were family, but god, Harry never meant to do anything wrong to anyone. Okay, maybe to Voldemort every now and then, but that was completely understandable. Besides, who didn't think of kicking the Dark Lord's butt once in while?
"I didn't do it on purpose, sir!" he said trying to defend himself, but quieted the moment those black eyes turned to him. They burned somehow into Harry's skin making him uncomfortable and itchy all over. It was sort of … arousing? Harry wanted to hide somewhere in shame. He had NOT just thought that!
"Harry, leave us alone." McGonagall said hushing him out. "We'll talk later about this."
The door closed behind him and he hurried back to the Gryffindor Tower trying to forget the pounding of his heart and the longing he suddenly felt.
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Gently the wind caught in is hair ruffling it amiably as the sun settled at the horizon. The warmth of the sand on his skin as Harry watched tiredly the so familiar scene unfold before him. The waves of the water moved calmly reaching to his feet yet never touching him. Tentatively he passed a hand over the surface yet not making contact, sensing that it might be wrong.
The sweet exotic scents change into the nauseated smell of death.
He looked up at the ruffling of the cloak moving through the salty water. Fire like eyes looking pleadingly at him as a hand was out stretched. It waited, as Harry knew it would. The need to reach back was suffocating. How long would he be able to fight the desire to give in to the dark creature? How long…
