Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. I know it's sad, but nothing belongs to me. If by chance you would like to sue me, the only things you will receive are my extensive Lord of the Rings collection, Harry Potter books, and X-files tapes. Not to mention some Orlando Bloom pictures, of which there are many. Hmm... I suppose we could make my brother be a slave, but I wouldn't recommend it, he's a little lazy.

Warnings: Beware of giant, flying, purple elephants who could shit at any moment and then you would be covered in a very large mess. Other then that, watch out for SLASH!!! Yeah, it's a weird day.

Thank you: To Lisa-Ann who is now my beta reader * tear drops * I couldn't write without her help. Also to Malfoyslave, ETBRS, and Charlie who were the only people who reviewed the last chapter. Thank you, it really means a lot to me.

Now, without further ado, I give you chapter 9 of young and proud.

Chapter 9: Fights, chair

[Anyway, anyway you do it wrong

I'm giving you my love, no it's never for sale]

Ron stormed out of the classroom, seething in anger at the realization that his best friend was indeed more than a little friendly with the only student that he had ever hated more then Voldemort. It was funny how time could change things so quickly. He stomped up the great staircase, down a few halls, and finally up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. He was about to open his mouth to say the password, when someone yelled his name from down the hall. He turned to see Hermione flying towards him, her enormous bag of books slowing her down.

"Ron," she exclaimed, taking in a few huge breaths of air, "where's Harry?"

"I don't know, why don't you go and ask the ferret," Ron snapped back, as he glared at Hermione. "I'm sure you've been in on this the entire time, isn't that right Hermione?" Tears welled up in her eyes as Ron continued to yell at her. "Isn't it funny that you both never mentioned it to me that my so-called best friend is screwing around with a Death Eater's son? Thanks for clueing me in!"

"Do not use that tone of voice with me, Ronald Weasley," Hermione commanded, straightening up. A formidable steel glare came into her teary eyes as her voice rose. "You self-absorbed git! Do you ever wonder why Harry never thought of telling you?" Tears were now falling freely down her face. "Well, if you haven't, I can tell you! It's because you're so thick that you can't see past your own ignorance!"

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be so ignorant if you would clue me in once and a while!"

"You wouldn't be so ignorant if you had a clue in the first place!"

Ron turned even redder then he had been before and stormed into the common room as Hermione turned on her heel and left the hall. She walked out of the corridor down towards the kitchen, her feet pounded the stones underfoot. She heard noises from behind a portrait where the Hufflepuff common room was located as she hurried faster towards the kitchens. She was a few feet past the Hufflepuff portrait, when it swung open quickly, and knocked her face forward into the floor. Her unwitting assailant quickly shut the portrait and hurried to assist the fallen prefect.

"Hermione? Oh, I'm so sorry. I've always been a bit clumsy, and well, you know," said the definitely female voice.

Hermione looked up into the clear blue eyes of Luna Lovegood, a fifth year Ravenclaw, current issue of the Quibbler in her right hand. She stood up quickly and brushed herself off, straightening her clothes.

"Oh, hello Luna, no harm done," Hermione said quickly, she wasn't a very big fan of Luna and her crazy theories. "I'll just be going."

She had gone a few steps before something clicked in her mind and she turned back to the humming blonde.

"Luna, what were you doing in the Hufflepuff common room? Aren't you a Ravenclaw?" she asked haltingly. "You're not supposed to be in other houses' common rooms."

"I know," Luna said brightly, "but I was helping one of the younger students with their Herbology homework, it's my best subject."

"Okay then, I'll just-"

"Is something wrong Hermione? You look as though you've seen a Fire Eating Smokeshifter."

Hermione opened her mouth to tell Luna that there wasn't such thing as a Fire Eating Smokeshifter, but then thought against it. Not much influenced Luna when her heart was set on believing something.

"Nothing's wrong Luna." She finally said. "Listen, you haven't happened to see Draco Malfoy, have you?"

"Malfoy?" Luna wrinkled her nose in disgust, a very odd look for the normally spacey girl. "No, I haven't seen him all weekend now that you mention it. He's probably in hibernation in his coffin, I have a feeling he's a vampire."

"Thank you Luna, I'll see you later." Hermione rolled her eyes as she turned away from the girl and headed back towards the kitchens. Maybe Dobby would know where Harry or Draco was. It wouldn't be the first time.

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

"I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."

Harry look at the shaking boy, who was huddled into his chest, apologizing for something Harry had no knowledge of. He steered Draco over towards a desk, and sat the boy down on the edge, still holding him in his arms. He looked sicker then he had been earlier, his skin had taken on a green undertone.

"Draco, you need to calm down." Harry told the blond.

"I can't calm down," Draco said. "Too important, I'm sorry."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"The Dark Lord, put me under the Imperious," Draco was mumbling and still panting hard from his long sprint. "I didn't mean to Harry, I tried to fight it."

Harry pulled up a chair, and sat backwards in it, his elbows settled on the back portion. He held one of Draco's thin hands in his own as he tried to calm him.

"What didn't you mean to do?" Harry asked again, trying not to become impatient with the trembling blond. "What did Voldemort make you say?"

"Granger, all the Weasleys, I didn't mean to tell him! You have to believe me Harry. I would rather die then hurt you or any of them."

"What about Hermione and the Weasleys? What does Voldemort want with them?" Harry stood up suddenly and his chair clattered to the ground. "Oh Draco," he said with a sigh, "what did you do?"

"He asked me who your friends were, who your weaknesses were." Draco looked as if he was on the verge of tears. "I didn't want to tell him, but when he put me under the unforgivable, I just couldn't keep my mouth shut."

Harry stood with his mouth open, staring blankly at Draco's shaken form. He tried to speak, and then shut his mouth. He tried again, and not being able to think of anything to say, he shut his mouth once more. His complexion, tanned from long Quidditch practices, seemed to have paled quickly, and his skin felt clammy. He dropped to his knees and buried his face in his hands.

"Voldemort's looking into my weaknesses, is he?" Harry finally said, his voice was overly loud, covering up the tremble. "He's such a coward! He can't even face me anymore, he had to try for my friends." He swiftly stood up, a swayed a bit as the blood rushed down his body.

"Harry?" Draco said his name cautiously, as though he was afraid the raven-haired boy would explode at any given moment.

"Well I hate him!" Harry snarled, kicking the chair that he had knocked over earlier. "I hate him more then anything in this world! I wish he would just die, and do us all a favor."

"You should never wish death on anyone Harry," said a voice from the doorway. "No matter how much they deserve it, wishing death on someone is a strong wish, not to be taken lightly."

Once again, the headmaster of the school had managed to appear unseen or unheard to both of the boys. His twinkling blue eyes seemed to have dulled over the words Harry had snarled over the Dark Lord, and he seemed even older then he ever had before. He slowly walked into the room, and sat on a chair he had summoned up from the tip of his wand.

"I do wish he were dead, then none of this would have ever happened," Harry raged at Dumbledore, wanting the old man to walk out of the room. "Then I wouldn't have to always look over my shoulder, wondering when he's going to show up to finish me or one of my friends off."

To this, the headmaster of Hogwarts had nothing to say. He looked down from where he was twiddling his thumbs, and back up again at Harry.

"Yes, you do continually have to look over your shoulder, but you shouldn't have to while you're here," Dumbledore told Harry, summoning up another chair for the furious boy to sit on. "Lord Voldemort has a gift for spreading fear, so it is only natural that you must fear him." He paused as Harry slowly sat in the chair. "But to let that fear turn into hate is something that you must never do."

"But I do hate him, and everything he's done to the world," Harry stated sharply, causing Draco to flinch at the sound of his voice. "And now I don't even know if the Weasleys are going to be fine, or if Hermione will ever be safe. I just hate him."

"Ah yes, the Weasleys," Dumbledore said, the twinkle coming back into his eyes. "I came here, Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy," he added after glancing in Draco's way, "to tell you that we have been previously informed that the Weasleys were exposed to Voldemort's mind, and we have moved them into a safe house."

"And what about when they're at work, or out of the house, can you guarantee their safety then?"

"Harry, you know that when they took certain vows, they knew what they were getting themselves into," Dumbledore said with a sigh, standing up and turning from the room. "But rest assure, we will protect as much as we can." With the last words of reassurance, Dumbledore left the room, his muffled footsteps fading from the halls.

Harry sighed, and once again buried his face in his hands. This was not going to plan. He had always known that he was a walking target while outside of Hogwarts, but now he had done the unthinkable, and turned his best friends into targets too. How was he going to explain to them that Voldemort was not only after him, but now after them as well? The sheer pointlessness of it all made him want to drown himself in the lake or feed himself to a Blast-Ended Skrewt.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Draco, who had been silent the entire time, had walked over, and sat on the ground next to Harry's chair. "I'm really sorry."

"Do I look like I'm okay?" Harry muttered, his hands blocking his mouth.

"That's why I'm asking," Draco said, impatience was unmasked in his voice. "I'm not a bloody mind reader."

"Oh yes, I'm fine!" Harry snapped, standing up. "I'm just fucking great Malfoy, never been better! I mean, it's not every day that I find out that Voldemort wants to know who my friends are. Maybe he'll invite them over for tea and buddy up to them or something! God knows that he would never try to hurt or kill them!"

"I didn't come here to be yelled at Potter!"

"Then why did you come here?"

"To let you know that Voldemort has something in store for you friends so that you can be on your guard and not unprepared if he tries something!"

"Well, I doubt that I would have to be on my guard and worry about my friends if you hadn't been there at Voldy's feet just spouting off the names of my friends! I trusted you, and then you go and pull something like this! If that's all I mean to you, then I hate you Draco Malfoy!"

"I didn't go and risk my neck to try and save you so that when I got back, you could yell at me! I mean, what's having you yell at me after a few rounds of the Unforgivables?"

"I don't need you risking your life for me! I can watch my own back!"

"Fine, you do that! I hate you Harry Potter! Good bye!"

With that final shout, Draco turned on his heel and fled down the hall, far away from Harry. Harry gave a frustrated scream, and kicked the chair he had been sitting on. He continued to kick it until the sun had long since set, and the chair was no more then a broken pile of wood and cloth.

TBC....

What's going to happen next? I don't know (okay, that's a lie, I do know) but if you want to know, then press the pretty button and review ^_^