Title: Dungeons and Distractions v2.0
Author: Mizzy
E-mail: mizzy_2k@yahoo.co.uk
Rating: PG-13
Homepage:
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: "Grab my wrist!" Midnight martial arts, invisible kissing at midnight, and Professor Dumbledore trying to smuggle in illegal immigrants? What's a boy to do in a mixed-up muddle of a mixed-up world?
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Part Three - "A Predilection of Half-Truths"
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Predilection
predi-lek-shen
n. favourable prepossession of mind, preference
"What the hell just happened?"
That seemed to be the general summation for the last few minutes in the hall. Draco stumbled to his feet, holding his head as stars danced across his vision and he blinked around blurredly – only slightly aware when Professor McGonagall grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the hall – leaving the students to deal with the events and their own explanations. Draco winced as the forthright teacher yanked him into the nearest classroom and performed a quick silencing charm on the walls.
"What on earth do you think you were doing? In all my time… I've never seen everything so frankly stupid in my entire life! Professor Snape is unconscious, I wouldn't be surprised if he'll want you both excluded after this stunt, I have no idea what it was about, but –"
Draco held up a hand to quickly interrupt the raving transfiguration teacher, wincing as he realised he must have been hurt more than he thought he had from the scuffle in the hall. Professor McGonagall's eyes narrowed at the interruption.
"It was for Professor Dumbledore," the blond said quietly, holding his hand to his head, sure that a new crimson bruise was blossoming across his cheek again. Professor McGonagall's mouth snapped shut and her eyes widened.
"Oh," she said quietly. "I had no idea they'd got in."
Draco grinned cheekily. "Then the distraction worked perfectly. Can I go now then?"
"I…" The frank admission had completely startled Professor McGonagall and her mouth snapped shut. "You do realise the rest of the school will be informed of your punishment…" At Draco's horrified stare she smiled softly. "Relax, Mr. Malfoy, you will only have to turn up at the appointed place, not do any work." She paused reflectively. "I should have known Albus would pull something like this. Anyway, I advise you to catch Mr Potter, get yourselves back to the infirmary – my, you two seem to spending an awful lot of time there recently – and inform him the detention will take place at eight o' clock in my office." Professor McGonagall turned away and flicked her wand, dispelling the silence charm. "You may go now."
Draco nodded, briskly turning and walking away. Minerva watched him go, a soft smile playing on her lips. She should have guessed Albus had something to do with the stunt in the hall… As usual, it had worked. She hadn't even known that the order of Cantial had successfully entered Hogwarts. Quickly forcing her lips into a stern line, she swept out of the room, trying to look suitably stern – just as she would be if what had happened in the hall had been any normal fight. She figured she'd better be there when Severus woke up, else all hell would literally break loose.
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Outside, Draco stormed past a group of giggling Ravenclaws without taking a second glance at him. Seeming to know instinctively where he was going, he turned up the stairway on the left, took a right and found himself on the corridor leading outside to Hagrid's hut. Sighing, he moved forwards – guessing Harry had gone to see Hagrid – and was completely shocked when a hand shot out and grabbed his arm.
Yelping in surprise, Draco flushed uncomfortably when he realised who it was. "Harry – wait, I can explain," he said softly, without looking at the person who had hold of him. Harry released his arm gently and moved so he was next to Draco. Mechanically, they began walking along the corridor, gazes fixed straight ahead.
"What did McGonagall say?" Harry asked, his tone flat and free of emotion.
Draco swallowed, unused to the devoid nature of the slender Gryffindor walking noiselessly beside him. "She… We have detention, eight o' clock in her office."
Harry let out an almost inaudible sigh. "Typical. That's the last time I try and help anyone."
Silence fell as they continued along the corridors, following twists and turns that as usual in Hogwarts changed so that the entire place was a myriad maze of corridors, staircases and rooms that were only found in certain phases of the moon. Draco felt a blush rising of its own accord and he stopped suddenly, looking down at his feet. He was quietly aware that the other had stopped and was now looking at him. Draco raised his eyes defiantly, ash-grey eyes clashing with bright green in a battle of wills in which Draco lost almost immediately. He looked away, fighting the burning in his cheeks and eyes.
"Why did you lie?" Harry asked finally, his voice hushed and doubtful.
Draco shrugged mutely before realising that answer would never be accepted, not by the firebrand that was asking the question. He raised his eyes again, noticing the intense bottle-green eyes trained on his own and he held down the burning desire to flee or drown in them forever. "I was scared."
Harry closed his eyes at the brusque whispered admission, letting the words float over him. Opening them again he stared flatly at the blond, a sudden spark lighting his eyes – whether it was disgust, recognition or some other mysterious emotion Draco wasn't sure. "Thank you," Harry said simply, abruptly turning and wordlessly leading the too-familiar way to the infirmary.
Madame Pomfrey wasn't too overjoyed to see the two young men hovering at the doorway. In fact, she looked entirely displeased at seeing Draco but brightened on seeing Harry.
"You two again," she sighed, taking in the surface injuries and shaking her head. "Come on in. You'll be pleased to know I've already treated Professor Snape. He'll be just fine. You may be equally pleased to know he doesn't remember how he got knocked out. Professor McGonagall said simply it was an accident." Her eyes narrowed. "However, I know with you two, nothing is ever an accident. I swear Professor Dumbledore is a bad example on his students, but no-one listens to reason nowadays." She regarded them with a stern glance. "Well? Go and sit down then so I can treat you!"
Startled, both Harry and Draco quickly sat down on the seats and watched as the nurse bustled around, finally picking up a couple of small blue tubes. She handed them over and Draco looked at the tube, noticing only the lettering on the side 'Savalon.'
"Savalon?" Draco frowned at the words. "Is this some new kind of medicinal thing?"
"It's kind of a muggle medicine," Harry cut in. "You rub it on any cuts and it acts as an Antiseptic to stop your blood getting poisoned. It's perfectly safe and works well."
Madame Pomfrey nodded. "Sometimes the physical, muggle remedies work better than magic ever could. Now go on, get out of here before I have to throw you out."
Harry smiled charmingly at the nurse. "Thanks for this, Madame Pomfrey."
Madame Pomfrey blushed and looked at her feet before lifting her gaze and flatly staring at them. "Out."
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Harry stared at the tube of Savalon in his hands, remembering the time that he cut his head open when he was seven and his Aunt Petunia had literally covered his head in the white, smelly antiseptic cream. Dudley wouldn't go near him for a few days, claiming he stunk out the house. Harry let himself smile briefly. He had rather stunk out the cramped space of 4 Privet Drive. Mind you, the smell had also not left his cupboard for a good couple of months later. He suspected Dudley might have had something to do with that, but without appropriate evidence it couldn't be proved.
"What's so funny?" Draco asked. Harry figured out he must have seen the sudden smile on his face.
"I was just remembering something about this stuff," Harry said shortly, frowning. "Hey, aren't you going to be all offended because you have to use something that's made by muggles?"
"Martial arts were made up by muggles, if I recall, and I do that without complaining." Draco cocked his head. "Well, without complaining much."
Harry laughed but had to agree with the small distinction. "If you hadn't have added that much I was going to firmly remind you of the first time Professor Trelawney told us that's what we were going to learn." He paused and put on a high, mocking voice. "'That, I can't do that sort of muggle thing!'"
"Oh shut up," Draco remarked, giving Harry a playful shove. Harry laughed and let the shove pass, noticing that in this last fight that Draco had sustained most of the injuries. "You know what," the Slytherin added.
"What?" Harry asked, frowning as he turned to regard the blonde.
"No, I was asking if you know what what is," Draco said, grinning toothily. Harry groaned and made to deck him around the head until Draco ducked. "No, seriously… I've forgotten what I was going to say." Draco stopped in the middle of the corridor and managed to look pretty distraught. "I'm never like that! I never forget what I'm going to say!" He leveled a glare at Harry. "It's all your fault!"
Harry took one exasperated look at Draco and vehemently pretended to smack his head on the wall. "Argh! Why do you always say that!"
"Because it's the truth?" Draco tried, then something flashed across his face which he covered up quickly again. Harry started to be a bit frightened of the sudden transition and he swallowed. Draco looked at Harry pensively. "It is your fault –" Draco repeated firmly, his throat going dry. Harry raised an eyebrow and waited for at least a rational response. "I mean –" Draco closed his eyes, trying to put it all into words. He opened them again finally, dull grey eyes silently settling on the view out one of the windows. "I mean – I can't think straight when I'm around you."
Harry blinked at the startlingly frank confession and he nodded slowly.
"Well?" Draco protested.
Harry's wrenched his gaze up off the floor to look at Draco perplexedly. "Well what?" He asked, not trusting himself to say anything more.
"Are you going to apologise or what?"
Harry just blinked at the blond before shaking his head in vexation before a sudden thought struck him. "Are we really going to have to do detention tonight?" Harry pulled a face. "Because that would suck," he added plaintively.
Draco nodded. "Yes." At Harry's slow incredulous look he laughed. "OK, OK, we have to pretend we are, but we don't have to do anything."
Harry let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I hate being punished for doing the right thing."
"We still don't know if it was the right thing," Draco said suddenly, strangely thoughtful. Harry fell silent, not meeting the others gaze. Draco grinned impishly and Harry was scared for a moment. "So? Where's my apology?"
Harry groaned and started to stalk off. The blond had not changed one bit at all.
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"I don't know what's happening to me." The words were frank and spoken with complete sincerity. "I mean, one minute we're the worst enemies, I mean we can't stop fighting, but the next moment we're talking like we've been friends forever."
Hermione and Ron looked at Harry flatly as the raven-haired boy looked up at the sky. The three were outside, lying on the grass and cloud-watching.
"Well, you have to admit, he is a complete moron," Ron offered. "Mind you, I think that very possibly you're the one person in this world you could calm him down and make him into some sort of rational human being."
"There's one that looks like Pig," Hermione offered quickly. Ron and Harry quickly stared up in the direction she was pointing, noticing the small round-ish shaped cloud.
"That doesn't look like a pig," Harry said, squinting at it. Hermione decked him in the stomach.
"Pig… As in Pigwigeon…" Hermione explained slowly, rolling her eyes. Ron laughed and Harry scowled at him.
"It's the lack of glasses. It's affecting his brain," Ron offered sagely.
"Or all the bludgers to the head," Hermione added.
"Or all the times Pig's clouted him in the head," Ron suggested.
"Or all these fights you're getting into with Malfoy," Hermione said, shrugging.
"Draco," Harry corrected automatically, then he flushed. "This could only happen to me, couldn't it!"
Ron patted his friend's shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry. We're already saving up so we can afford the funeral."
"Ha, ha," Harry said flatly, scowling and turning back to the sky. "Hey, there's a cloud that looks like Seamus," he exclaimed brightly as the sandy-haired boy clouded his vision. Seamus looked down at Harry, perplexed, before sitting down cross-legged next to the three Gryffindors on their backs gazing at the sky. Harry frowned as Seamus waved his hands over his eyes.
"Grab my wri-ist," Seamus sang quietly and Harry suddenly got to his feet, rolling his eyes when Hermione and Ron didn't even notice his departure.
"What's this about?" Harry asked, looking at Seamus as they quickly crossed the lawn.
"Professor Dumbledore wants to see you," the sandy haired boy explained. "Something about that fight you had with Malfoy?" Seamus gave a little frown. "What was with that fight yesterday, then?"
Harry gave a small shrug as they dodged a crowd of chattering first years that stopped chattering instantly as they recognised the tall, serious looking sixth year that had brushed past them. Seamus snorted derisively.
"Seamus…" Harry warned gently, rolling his eyes to the sky.
Seamus stifled a laugh and quickly continued under Harry's quailing stare. "He told me to tell you he'll meet you outside the entrance to his office. I'm going to presume you know where that is."
Harry nodded. "I've been there more than enough times," he said morosely.
"Oy, Seamus!"
Both Harry and Seamus looked up to see Dean and Neville waving to the Irish wizard and Seamus tipped Harry a wink before starting to run off.
"And this is where I leave you," Seamus called softly, leaving Harry to chuckle and re-enter the main building.
"Thanks Seamus," Harry muttered fiercely to himself as he jogged up the stairs and padded along the corridors to where Professor Dumbledore's office was situated. His breath caught in his throat when he saw a familiar nonchalant figure lounging against the wall, examining his fingernails and looking extremely bored. He unconsciously slowed and took a deep breath, quietly approaching the gargoyle.
"Harry," Draco greeted quietly, without looking up.
"Draco," Harry returned, trying to keep his tone level as his treacherous brain started to run away with him… The kiss had been so nice… He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like in daylight… Shaking his head furiously Harry tried to get his thoughts back in complete order as he lounged against the wall a little distance away from the smirking Slytherin.
"Did you know we're not the only one to have been getting different tuition?" Draco asked suddenly. Harry blinked, not knowing how to answer the question as he didn't get the question in the first place.
"Well, you know, we have General Studies on Saturday afternoons… And according to the general rumours in the common room, in the lessons we have on Saturday Afternoons, another sort of skill is taught," Draco said, still lazily examining his fingernails.
"Really?" Harry thought this over, thinking that that was something that the Hogwarts professors would do… "Have you any idea what those classes are?"
"Apparantly the Arithmancy students are learning how to cook muggle style, I really don't see the point in that. Potions students are learning war strategies. Transfiguration, logic problems. Study of ancient runes, they're learning fisticuffs or something like that. Mind you, as far as I know, they're all only getting one lesson a week while we're getting like five… Totally not fair, of course," Draco drawled, now inspecting the floor.
Harry raised his eyebrows as he thought it over. "Well, what we do requires more training… Does anyone know what we do?"
Draco laughed humourlessly. "The rumour about the Divinations students is needlework. I'm not about to correct them, though, I kind of get the impression what we do is supposed to be kept quiet."
Harry nodded, his eyes distant as he tapped his toes against the floor. "So do I… But cooking muggle style? Why would that be useful unless…" Harry stopped as a hideous thought suddenly struck him, clouding his brain and make his entire world stop for a second. He put out one hand to steady himself and was aware of Draco now hovering somewhere near his elbow - looking very concerned.
"Unless?" Draco prompted.
Harry's brow creased and his eyes darkened as he thought about the prospect, the idea gaining for validity with every passing second. "Unless Professor Dumbledore thinks that, some time in the future, Hogwarts may be without the use of magic."
The whispered words didn't have quite the effect that Harry had almost hoped. Draco stared at him, bewildered.
"But Hogwarts could never be without magic, how could that –"
Harry sighed in frustration and leaned backwards. Trust Malfoy to be this dim about it all. "I don't know, perhaps there's some way to block magic or something…"
Draco suddenly gasped, his mouth dropping open.
"See, that would be a bad thing," Harry said very slowly. Draco nodded.
"I heard my father mention something like that once," Draco said softly, his tone troubled. His gaze fixed somewhere beyond Harry and the black-haired Gryffindor suspected he was finding it hard to remember what had exactly been said. "Something about… an object that can suppress all magic in a limited compact area, and trap everyone inside it… But the thing about it is that it stops all magic, meaning that once it is used even the caster can't use magic." Draco's gaze slid to Harry's, he was obviously horrified. "Harry, that could be completely drastic, I mean Hogwarts would be completely unprotected…"
"Not completely," Harry broke in, his steadfast gaze disturbed. "But he must know Professor Dumbledore would go to some means to protect Hogwarts from within just in case it happened, so he must have found something that would work without magic to attack us too…"
"Well that settles it then," Draco said firmly. "We have to increase our efforts… We can't let him win."
Harry nodded and drummed his fingertips against his palm, looking pensieve before twisting around. "Where is he?"
Draco looked flabbergasted for a second. "I don't know! If I knew then it would all be a lot easier!"
"Huh?" Harry frowned, then his eyes widened and he laughed. "I meant where's Professor Dumbledore?"
Ruffled, Draco pouted. "That's what I was talking about too," he said quickly, before looking away. Harry stared at him in bewilderment.
"But if you –"
"Ah, Harry, Draco, sorry to have taken so long. I had a quite interesting chat with Professor Trelawney and couldn't get out earlier. I'm so glad you got my messages," Professor Dumbledore said, beaming at the two boys. He turned to the gargoyle and frowned for a second.
"Please don't tell me you've forgotten your password, sir," Draco said, rolling his eyes to the ceiling and looking impatient. "Honestly." Professor Dumbledore managed to look quite abashed.
"Oh… Uh… Fizzing Whizbees," the absent-minded Professor suddenly declared. Draco and Harry stumbled back as the gargoyle sprung into life and swung by to let them in. As they quickly followed the Professor up the narrow passages and stairs to his office, Draco winced as the gargoyle sprung shut behind them.
"What did you want us for?" Harry asked conversationally as they made their way up the winding passage.
Professor Dumbledore smiled. "I thought you wouldn't mind meeting some of the people you helped in the hall. Especially one of them, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco looked completely perplexed and as they stood outside of the office Harry looked at hi questioningly. Draco shrugged, confounded. As the door opened, though, and they stepped inside Draco's heart leapt into his mouth and he spun on his feet as one of the vampires rose to her feet, fair hair shining and skin as pale and as white as milk.
"Rebecca!" Draco said softly, looking complete staggered.
The fair haired vampire curtseyed. Harry noticed that she couldn't have been more than six years old and watched in astonishment as she crossed the soft carpeted floor and hugged Draco firmly, whispering a greeting in his ear which everyone heard none-the-less.
"Hello brother." She cocked her head to one side and stared up at him. "It's been a while."
"Indeed," Draco responded, his voice guarded and eyes widened with shock. Then he turned to Professor Dumbledore and Harry with a strange look on his face. Harry noticed that the blond's fists were clenched and that he was finding it hard to speak. "Somebody," he said slowly, his tone low as he hissed at them, "better explain things to me. And fast."
Professor Dumbledore nodded slowly. "And an explanation will come," he said slowly. "Soon."
"Better be soon," Draco hissed, his arms folded and his face an expressionless mask. "I want to know what the hell is going on, or… or… or…" He looked desperate, as if the tiniest little thing would send him spinning off into chaos. "Or else I may end up doing something I will later regret," he said finally, his voice sounding small in the tiny office.
