Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. * sighs * I wish it was mine, all mine, my precioussssssssss.... okay, now I'm just scary...
Thank you: "E"- you are the only person who reviewed, so I love you to death and this chapter is dedicated to you!!!
Chpt 5: Welcome back
[And you're so young and proud]
Draco surveyed the scene around him. 40, maybe 50, Death Eaters were in a circle, their black hoods swaying in the wind, and he was one of them. Oh, what he would do to be someone else and not be there at that moment, to be as far away from that place, and them. But he was not someone else or anywhere else. He was Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy name and all that came with it, and he was in the middle of nowhere.
He was glad that Snape was with him, no matter how overbearing he could be as a professor, he was still the only real father that Draco had ever had. He had looked up to him since before he had started at Hogwarts, and feared for his life. Everyone knew that Snape was a traitor, which Voldemort never gave true information when he was around. Draco thought that Snape himself knew, but wondered why he didn't fear for his own life. Ah, to be as brave as him, to risk his life for good. Draco knew that he could never do anything like that. That was Harry's job.
Draco frowned, remembering the small fight that he had with Harry before he left. Potter could be so dense sometimes; not realizing what Voldemort did to his Death Eaters that did not show up when they were called. Well, then again Draco realized that Harry had never been a Death Eater, though he was sure that he had been surrounded by them numerous times before. Lucius had told him about the end of fourth year, when they killed Cedric infront of Harry. Potter had seemed so withdrawn during 5th year, but Draco had never ceased to harass him, even though he knew what was truly on him mind.
"Severus," Voldemort's voice rang clear in the cold night air, sounding like nails on a chalk board, "what has that old fool been doing up at the school?"
"He has instated a few ministry aurors around the school," Snape answered; his voice was neutral, almost flat. "They patrol the halls at night and in-between classes." He paused. "He's in London, at the ministry being evaluated."
"Is this true," Voldemort hissed at another Death Eater who was standing next to Draco's father.
"Yes, my lord," the man answered, his voice wavering.
"Very well Severus," Voldemort sneered at the potions master. "You have redeemed yourself for now. But, be weary, I have eyes everywhere and in everything. You, or any of you," as he turned and addressed them all, "will do good to remember that."
The black hoods bobbed up and down in the moonlight as the Death Eaters shook their heads.
"Young Malfoy." Draco's blood froze as he heard Voldemort address him. "Have you any news of that boy, Harry Potter."
"He is well my lord," Draco said softly, not wanting to sound bold. "He is the same as usual."
"And how might that be?'
"Over confident, unaware of the outside wizarding world. Scared that you might show up at anytime."
"Ah yes, he is a cowardly little boy, isn't he?" Draco wanted to curse Voldemort sky high, for everything he was saying. Draco had come to protect Harry, but all he had gotten was a few doses of the unforgivables and an earful of Death Eater gossip.
'Oh Harry, please forgive me for anything that I betray to he-who-must-not-be-named,' Draco thought to himself. 'I don't mean to do it.'
He saw his father's hood snap in his direction, although he could hear everything that Draco was thinking. 'I'll be watching you' floated through his head, a threat from Lucius was definitely not an empty one. Draco knew that he could not betray any feels towards Harry except for hate in this circle, or his father would not stop at revealing their relationship. From there, Voldemort would either put Draco under Imperious to get to Harry and kill him, or else just kill Draco to hurt Harry even more.
"Answer me boy!" Voldemort snapped at him.
Draco winced, he hadn't been listening to what Lord Voldemort had been saying. It was a bad habit of his to block the outside world out when he was thinking. That's how he had hurt his arm in 3rd year.
'He asked who Harry's friends were,' the words floated into Draco's head, coming from Snape's direction.
"Umm..." Draco hesitated. "I don't know who his friends are. I don't see him except for in classes."
"You wouldn't be lying to me, would you young Malfoy?" Voldemort regarded him with his snake-like eyes, he shuddered under the gaze. "Well, let's try another approach. Imperio!"
A warm feeling had spread over Draco as Voldemort cast the unforgivable. He felt like he was floating, inside one of his dreams with Harry. The cold was gone, but he still could feel the haunting chill of the evil deeds surrounding him.
"Who are Potter's friends?" Voldemort hissed, a rage coming over him, as Draco still did not answer straight away. "Tell me boy, or I'll start dismembering your hand."
"Weasley ... all of them," Draco heard himself say, he struggled to shut his mouth, but found that he couldn't. "Hermione Granger. All of the Gryffindor in his class."
Distantly he heard a high, cold laugh, before his skin felt like it was burning, and he fell into darkness yet again.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harry left Hagrid's before Hagrid had time to recruit him to clean some sort of new magical creature. He returned to the castle before the sun had begun to set (otherwise he would have had a detention and house points deducted if he was caught). He was bounding up the steps of the great staircase when he heard a shout behind him.
"Harry!"
He turned and saw a mound of bushy hair flying towards him. Hermione had been in the library, researching who-knows-what (A/N: what does she do in there all the time?), and had steadily been waiting for Harry to walk by (A/N: STALKER!!!).
"Hello Hermione," Harry said, as he slowed down to wait for her to catch up, her prefect button was shinning brightly, and Harry had suspected that she had been polishing it again.
"Harry, I want to talk with you," she said, trying not to sound serious and scare him off.
"About what Hermione?" He asked, trying to avoid whatever she was going to ask about. "Quidditch, life in general, school work, if Trelawney is still an old hag, the answer is yes by the way."
"Harry, you told us that you were dating some one this morning."
"I'm glad that your ears still work."
"Harold James Potter, don't you dare become sassy with me." Her glare had turned steel cold, Harry shrunk back. Hermione could stop a charging bull in its tracks when she got truly angry. "Like I was saying," she continued on in a normal tone, "when you said that you were dating Malfoy, Ron thought it was a joke. I believe you Harry. Are you dating Malfoy?"
Harry visibly paled, and stopped walking. He could feel sweat starting to form on his brow and his hands. The wish to be able to apparate was coming in full force.
"Oh Harry! It is true, isn't it!" Hermione wailed when he didn't say anything. "I didn't want to believe it, but it all makes sense now! The way you two look sunk from reality, how you rarely insult each other any more. Harry, why didn't you tell us?"
Harry still didn't say anything. He turned paler and paler by the minutes, and he could feel beads of sweat starting to roll down his face. Hermione was still talking, though Harry wasn't listening to what she had to say. If Hermione knew, how many others did?
"Hermione, does anyone else know?" he asked quietly.
"No, no one knows except me, you, him, and anyone that you would have told," she responded just as quietly seeing as to how they had entered a hallway with a few portraits on the wall which were always listening. "Harry, why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't even know about it until a few days ago," he responded monotonously. "He's not my boyfriend, we don't stand anywhere right now." He paused. "Don't tell Ron."
"Do you honestly think that I'm that stupid?" she chided him. "Unless you want your new found... love affair for the lack of a better word, dead I wouldn't tell Ron or even think about mentioning it."
"Thank you Hermione," Harry thanked his most levelheaded friend. "Umm... you don't have a problem with it?"
"No, why would I. I mean, yes I know that he's potentially dangerous, and he hasn't really been that nice to me, but you look so improved over the last few days that.." she trailed off.
"That I've what?" Harry questioned almost eagerly.
"Let's just say welcome back to the real world Harry. I've missed you a lot, I think we all have."
"Have I really been that spaced out?"
"Harry, you haven't been eating right and you walk around with a haunted look on your face. You've left Cedric behind you, so I can only assume that something else was bugging you."
Harry visibly flinched at the mention of Cedric Diggory's name. That was part of the past that he wished to forget, and all the demons that came along with it. He had given up everything during the months that followed Cedric's death, Cho Chang among the things, and had almost become trapped in his own world.
"Harry, I was so scared that you were falling away from Ron and I again that I almost went to Dumbledore with this again. Of course, he's not around too much anymore, but I know that he's truly concerned for you too."
"Don't worry Hermione, I think that I'm back," he responded, mentally he added, 'For now anyways.'
"It's good to have you back," she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, bursting out into tears. "I don't think you know what it's like having only Ron to study with. It was so horrible."
Harry laughed, hugging the sobbing girl just as tightly. Always finding a way to draw parallels with studying. He handed her a tissue (A/N: don't ask me where he got it from. It's magic!) so that they could return to the common room without looking like they had just gotten into a huge argument.
"Come now, 'Mione, you don't want Ron to see you like that," Harry teased her. "He might kiss you in front of everyone, and you would lose your respect as a prefect."
She gasped, and quickly blotted her tears away and muttered an anti-redness spell to make her eyes appear as normal. She smiled, and they continued on their way to the common room.
"You know, I think we're going to need a cover story for where you keep on going," she said as they approached the Fat Lady's portrait. "Can you think of anyone that you can claim that you're dating and actually have them go along with it for a while?"
"No, but I think that we can figure it out later." He answered as they gave the Fat Lady the password (one two three four) and the door swung open.
The sound level was deafening, a roar had started up as soon as they had walked in the door. People were crowded everywhere, craning their necks to see him.
"Oh is it true?" someone yelled.
"Is what true," Harry yelled over the roar.
"That you're an item with Blaise Zambini?" Seamus asked, a grin on his Irish face (Go Irish-people!).
Harry gaped with his mouth wide open at all the people staring at him, waiting for an answer to pop out of his mouth. The boys had grins on their faces (except Ron who was sick to his stomach about the fact that Harry would even consider going out with a Slytherin) and all the girls had either starry looks on their faces, or down right pouts that someone other then themselves would get to be Harry's girlfriend.
"So much for a cover story," he muttered to Hermione, who tried hard not to laugh at the multitudes of people gaping at her best friend.
He was trying to come up with a reasonable answer, but Professor McGonagall, who had come into the room with a worried look on her face, saved him just in time.
"Harry Potter," she said, the reminiscent Scottish accent in her voice, "Professor Snape has just arrive back and requests to see you." She paused. "Alone. The rest of you go back to your school work."
"Awww," the common room was filled with an audible sigh as she left the room with Harry in tow.
TBC...
Draco blacked out, Snape wants to see Harry, the gryffindors think Harry's an item with Blaise, Ron is throwing up in the bathroom. Want to know what happens next? Give me some reviews people!!!! At least 2 this time, pleassssssssseeeeeee!!!! I beg you! Starving writer needs reviews to eat!!!!