The Slytherin's ate the rest of breakfast in silence then slowly departed one by one for their first class of the day. Some of the other seventh year students offered to show Ethan around and guide him to class.

Draco glared at Ethan's back as he walked towards the doors, most of the female population turning to watch his progress. Draco suddenly realized that Harry and Weasley were leaving too and would reach the door at the same time as Ethan. He balled his hands into fists, but couldn't do anything about it.

Ethan stopped at the door and grinned at Harry. "Hi."

"Hi." Harry smiled. "I'm Harry."

"I know," Ethan winked.

"Come on, Ethan," Vincent Balkwill said, looking at Harry disapprovingly.

"See ya around, Harry." Ethan smiled as he left with the group of Slytherin's.

"Bye."

"Uh oh," Ron said, watching Ethan walk away.

"What?"

"I think he likes you."

"Give me a break," Harry snorted. "He probably just recognized me, that's all."

"I don't think so," Ron said thoughtfully as they headed for class.

"He was just being friendly," Harry argued.

"He didn't say hello to me," Ron pointed out.

"Well..."

"Yes?" Ron smirked.

"Oh, just drop it will you?" Harry exclaimed as they made their way to the astronomy tower.

"Not interested?" Ron pressed with a smile.

"No!"

"Why not? Just because he's a guy-"

"It's not because he's a guy!" Harry shouted heatedly.

Ron looked at him in surprise. "I was just kidding....I....I didn't know you were...."

"Gay?"

"Yeah."

"Does that bother you?"

"No," Ron said hastily. "I'm just surprised that you didn't tell me before."

"Well, to be honest I didn't realize it until this past summer."

Ron glanced at him curiously as they stopped under the trap door. "What made you realize it?" he asked.

Luckily the ladder appeared then, interrupting their conversation. Ron and Harry sat near the back of the class and watched as Professor Trelawney made her usual grand entrance.

"Good morning." she smiled, her voice a little harder than usual.

Harry felt himself drifting off as Professor Trelawney once again started droning on and on about how she saw the signs of You-Know-Who returning long ago. She had gotten even stranger since her firing last year and Harry wondered why Dumbledore had let her teach again. He envied the students that were lucky enough to get Firenze this year, as the two teachers were sharing the Divination classes. Ron gave him a nudge in the ribs as his head began to droop.

"Harry, are you bleeding?" Ron whispered worriedly.

"What?" Harry answered, sitting up.

"There's blood behind your ear."

Harry reached his hand up and felt behind his ear carefully, his fingers touched something sticky. He quickly looked at his fingers in alarm and laughed out loud when he saw that it was strawberry jam.

Professor Trelawney gave him a reproving glare.

"Mr Potter, perhaps you could tell us of your experiences last year concerning You-Know-Who."

"No, I could not," Harry replied coolly, not wishing to even think about it let alone tell the entire class what had happened.

"Come now, Mr Potter," she pressed, her big eyes shining. "We have a right to know what You-Know-Who is up to."

"Then ask Dumbledore."

Professor Trelawney placed her hands on the table in front of Harry and leaned forward. "Why won't you tell us? I could help you with interpreting the signs that you have witnessed."

"I doubt it," Harry snorted, knowing full well that she had only made two real predictions in her entire career.

"Try me, Mr Potter."

"No."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid," Harry retorted angrily.

"What's keeping you from telling us? Is it too painful? Is it too hard to talk about?"

Harry looked away from her looming face and tried to keep the image of Sirius from appearing in his mind.

"That's it, isn't it?" she said excitedly.

"Leave him alone," Ron ordered angrily.

"What happened, Potter?" she probed, ignoring Ron.

Harry shook his head. Sirius was laughing and taunting the Death Eaters, he was falling....falling through the black veil....his eyes wide in surprise...

"I see it in your eyes, what horrors are you reliving?" she asked, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Harry closed his eyes as his scar began to prickle.

"Stop it!" Ron shouted, seeing the expression of pain on his best friend's face.

Professor Trelawney straightened up and glared in frustration at Harry, before walking back to the front of the classroom. "Very well, open your books to page thirty-nine," she said huffily.

"Harry?" Ron whispered.

Harry opened his eyes as his scar began to burn. "I have to go," he whispered faintly, knowing that the pain was about to get worse.

"Do you want me to come?"

"No, it's okay," Harry said, gathering his books together. He stood up and made his way to the trap door.

"Where are you going?" Professor Trelawney demanded.

"I don't feel well," Harry said, kicking the door open.

"You can wait until the end of class to see the nurse."

"No, I can't." Harry dropped his bag through and quickly climbed down without another glance at Professor Trelawney. He grabbed his bag and stumbled to the next corridor before falling to his knees, his hands pressed to his face. Tears leaked out between his fingers as he struggled to clear his mind.

A gentle hand suddenly pressed onto his shoulder. Startled, Harry looked up.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Ethan asked in concern.

"Yeah," Harry gasped.

"Liar." Ethan smiled. "Do you want to go to the nurse?"

"No - Dumbledore."

Ethan hoisted Harry to his feet and slipped an arm around his shoulders. Following Harry's directions, he carefully helped him all the way to the gargoyle entrance of Dumbledore's office.

"Ice mice," Harry whispered.

The gargoyle sprang aside and Ethan had to half carry Harry up the stairs as the pain increased in his scar, making him feel nauseous.

"Ethan..." Dumbledore stood up in surprise. "Put him in the chair."

Ethan gently laid Harry down in the armchair opposite Dumbledore's desk.

"Thank you, Ethan," Dumbledore said gratefully. "You may go back to class."

Ethan nodded and gave Harry one last look before leaving.

. . .

Draco entered the Great Hall for lunch and glanced over at the Gryffindor table. Harry hadn't shown up for their meeting and Draco was worried. He saw that Harry's seat was vacant and Hermione and Ron were talking intently.

Draco sat down at the Slytherin table grumpily, he had been eager to see Harry again after seeing Ethan flirting with him this morning.

"You should've just left him there."

"But he was in a lot of pain."

Draco listened as Ethan and Vincent's voices drifted down the table.

"What was wrong with him?" Vincent asked.

"I don't know, I think it had something to do with that scar."

Draco dropped his fork with a clatter.

"That guy is messed up," Vincent said, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about?" Pansy asked as she sat down next to Draco.

"Ethan saved Potter this morning," Vincent smirked.

"Really? From what?"

"I just helped him," Ethan said, modestly. "I found him lying on the floor in the corridor, obviously in pain, and I helped him to Professor Dumbledore's office."

"You should've left him there," Pansy sneered.

"That's what I said," Vincent chuckled.

"He deserves - where are you going, Draco?" Pansy asked as Draco stood up suddenly.

"Just going for a walk."

He strode quickly towards the doors, wanting to find Harry and make sure he was okay. Harry always said that Draco helped the pain disappear when he had one of these attacks.

The rest of the Slytherin's continued to eat and talk unconcernedly, except for Ethan, who was watching Draco with a calculating gaze.


. . .

Draco quickly made his way up the headmaster's spiralling staircase. He knocked on the door and it swung open to allow him admittance into Dumbledore's office.

"Draco." Harry smiled over the rim of his teacup.

"Ah, Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore greeted, his eyes twinkling. "I wondered how long we would have to wait before you made an appearance. This school is synonymous for its gossiping."

Draco walked over to Harry, who was sitting comfortably in one of the headmaster's cozy chintz chairs, and knelt down in front of him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, grey eyes searching his face.

"I have some other business to attend to," Dumbledore said, standing. "I trust you'll be alright now, Harry?"

"Yeah, thanks." Harry nodded gratefully, glancing warmly at Draco.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm glad you two managed to put aside your differences and become friends during your stay here this past summer. I'm very proud of you both."

Draco smirked and raised a brow at Harry as the Gryffindor's face turned slightly pink.

"Goodbye, gentlemen. Don't be late for class."

Dumbledore hid a smile as he left the two alone in his office.

"Do you think he knows?" Harry asked, once the door had fallen shut behind the headmaster.

"Nah, or he wouldn't have left us alone." Draco stood up and squished himself into the chair next to Harry.

Harry smiled and shifted over so that he was sitting in Draco's lap. Draco gently took Harry's empty teacup and placed it on Dumbledore's desk, then wrapped his arms around the tired brunette.

Harry sighed and snuggled into the warm embrace.

"So what happened?" Draco asked, stroking his hair.

"Trelawney," Harry muttered darkly.

"What did that old bat do now?"

"She asked me to tell the class about everything that happened last year at the Department of Mysteries."

"What?" Draco exclaimed angrily.

"I refused, but I started thinking about Sirius and of course my scar started to hurt, so I ran out of there and came here."

Draco paused. "And how did you get here?"

"That new guy, Ethan Fiori, helped me."

"That was…nice of him."

Harry pulled his head back and looked up at Draco's face. "You're jealous." He smiled.

"I am not."

"Yes, you are."

Draco scowled. "Fine, maybe I am…a bit. But you would be too if you saw the way he looks at you."

"Kind of like how Pansy looks at you?"

"What?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Parkinson. She always looks at you like she just can't wait to sink her claws into you."

Draco broke into a smile. "I didn't know you were the jealous type. Well, don't worry, she's not my….uh, 'type'."

Harry laughed.

"What about you? Ethan's not a girl, nor is he exactly ugly. Should I be worried?"

"Of course not," Harry assured him, running his fingers through Draco's hair. "I prefer blondes."

Draco smirked and leaned in to kiss Harry's soft lips. Harry smiled into the kiss and gladly opened his mouth to Draco's possessive fierceness, moaning quietly at the sudden intensity.

"Ugh, that is disgusting!"

The two jumped apart so fast that Harry ended up falling hard onto the floor.

"A Slytherin and a Gryffindor – that's utterly disgraceful."

Draco wildly looked around, searching for the source of the voice.

Harry sighed and rubbed his smarting tailbone, recognizing that haughty sneer. "What do you want, Phineas?" he asked in irritation.

Draco followed Harry's gaze upwards to the cluttered office wall and saw one of the wizard portraits glaring disapprovingly at them. The plaque under him read: Phineas Nigellus.

"Would you please take that disturbing teenage groping outside?" Phineas asked, voice dripping with disdain.

"Mind your own business!" Harry snapped, getting to his feet and straightening his robes.

"Stop conducting your sordid little affair in front of us then."

"Us?" Draco repeated, his eyes taking in all the portraits lining the walls.

"Oh, bugger off." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Humph." Phineas turned aside and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Now, where were we?" Harry asked silkily, slinking towards Draco.

"W-what are you doing?" Draco stuttered, as Harry slung his arms about Draco's neck.

"What's wrong?"

"We'd better not," Draco said, eyeing the portraits.

"Who cares about them? They won't tell anyone," Harry said, dismissively.

Draco backed away. "I don't think we should right now."

Harry frowned and dropped his arms. "Fine."

"Harry-"

"No, forget it." Harry pushed past him and ran for the door.

"Harry, wait!"

Draco ran after him and quickly jogged down the stairs. He stopped short in the doorway and watched as Harry disappeared into the crowd of students on their way to class.

"Damn it." Draco cursed. He had to talk to Harry and apologize for freaking out. He started walking towards his dorm for his potions text books, working out a plan to talk to Harry during class.