Chapter Seven
Never befriend the oppressed unless you are prepared to take on the oppressor-Ogden Nash
Harry sat next to Seamus sipping at his butterbeer. They'd all agreed to meet at the three broomsticks at 3:00. It was now 3:15 and one of their company was not there.
"He's probably admiring himself in a mirror," Seamus said with disgust.
"Well his mother's name is Narcissa ,so I suppose he comes by it honestly," Harry said with a chuckle.
"Why Harry," said a dry voice from behind him, "you said something almost witty. That's really my forte, you should stick to what you
know. After all if you didn't keep saving us all from Voldemort, then I wouldn't be able to brighten everyone's life with my witty comments. Voldemort has no sense of humor, along with a terrible fashion sense, baggy black robes are nobody's friend," he added as an after thought.
"Where'd you come from Malfoy?" Seamus asked accusingly.
"Well I don't know if I'm the right one to tell you this, but when a man and a women love each other, or are attracted to each other, or are just bored with nothing to do..."
Seamus interrupted him before he could finish. "Very funny Malfoy, I don't even know why I asked, you probably came in the back door, your just that sort."
"Although I do prefer back doors, front one's are so common you know, I actually came from the room I rented upstairs," he said with a straight face. Oh you don't like that do you my Irish boy, he thought, as he saw Seamus's face turn red. Sometimes it was just too easy to push people's buttons, but he never got tired of it.
"Honestly you've been here all of two seconds and you and Seamus are already fighting, what is it with you two," Harry asked shooting an irritated look at them both.
"Oh it's all in good fun Harry my boy," Draco said as he sat down beside Dean and across from Harry. "We don't really mean it. I'm sure that Seamus likes me just as much as I like him." Draco raised an eyebrow and looked at Seamus to see what his reply to this might be.
A small twinkle lit in Seamus's eye. "That's true that's very true.'
"So..," Draco said looking around, "who do you have to kill to get a butterbeer in this place?"
The date had gone remarkably well, considering. They were all enjoying themselves and were preparing to leave when Ron came up to the table. Harry watched apprehensively as he approached the table. He knew that Ron had said he'd be civil, as had Draco, but he wasn't sure that it would hold out in reality.
"Hey Harry what's up," he said sliding in beside Harry.
"Nothing much really we were just about to split up. Seamus and Dean are going back to the castle and Draco and I are going to go to look at some quidditch supplies." Harry paused. "Do you want to come along?"
Ron smiled. "No thanks mate, Hermione is getting a table. I just stopped by to ask you if you wanted to play a game of chess later tonight."
"Sure it keeps me humble." Harry said with a mock serious face.
"That it does. That it does. It's a hard job but somebody's got to do it."
Ron turned and looked Malfoy squarely in the eye. "So Malfoy, how are you enjoying the day, it's pretty unusual for you to be around four Gryffindors and not a Slytherin in sight."
Harry held his breath.
"Well I haven't had the urge to fight the good fight, or run haphazardly into a hopeless situation wand blazing." He paused assuming an expression of thoughtfulness. "But I have to confess I believe that exposure to all this Gryffindor goodness has lessened considerably my Immediate Evil Plans. Here I was planning to tell Voldemort some
vitally important strategy information, that I had secretly obtained from spying on you good ole boys, possibly kicking some puppies on the way there. But now all I think I could possibly manage is telling him that I think Mcgonnagall dies her hair, and as for the puppies I'm sure that a swat on the rump with a newspaper is the best I could do right now. Why I hardly think my fellow Slytherins will recognize me."
Harry had of course stopped holding his breath around Immediate Evil Plans lest he faint from lack of air. Draco really did tend to speak in either a few words or a paragraph.
Ron looked to be trying to fight a smile, disturbed that he found Malfoy funny. Which resulted in a half smiling half disgruntled face which was a very interesting sight indeed.
"Yeah well I better go, see you later Harry," he said as he got up and made his way swiftly across the room.
"Well that was interesting, anyone for another butter beer before we go," Draco asked.
"Yeah, Seamus said, "I could definitely use a drink."
The group parted just out side the three broomsticks. Seamus leaned over and gave Harry a smacking kiss on the lips. He was in a very good mood. The joy he felt at taking Dean back to the castle clearly outweighed any apprehensions that he might have had about Harry being alone with Draco. He was quite glad to see that Dean wouldn't be visiting Malfoy's room after all. Draco and Dean also exchanged a kiss. It seems a little soon for kissing considering it's their first date, Harry and Seamus both thought at the same time.
After exchanging a few more words the boys headed off in separate directions.
"So what are you going to get at the quidditch shop," Harry asked as they made their way down the street.
"Well I was actually going to get a new snitch they have. It has different levels of difficulty. I need the practice, you see, there's this annoying little prat that always beats me. Well, almost always," Draco amended thinking of his recent victory with a smile.
Harry grinned. "Really, well maybe we could practice together, none of the people I play against are challenging at all. It really gets boring after awhile. Although someone did beat me recently, but it was just a lucky catch."
Draco rolled his eyes as they turned and walked down an alley. "Come on I know a shortcut."
"Listen, I should have said it before, but, congratulations on the game."
"Of course you should have, but you've no manners. It's always been one of your weak points."
"Well all things considered I think poor manners are an excellent weak point. It beats having say, a poor ability at casting spells, or an inability to think on my feet. Somehow I doubt that my having poor manners is going to effect my fight with Voldemort at all." Harry creased his eyebrows a thoughtful expression on his face. "Unless he asks me to a dinner party."
Draco smiled slightly. "So you take it for granted that your going to fight Voldemort."
"Well I've already fought him three times. Not counting when I was a baby, I think inability to speak or walk or do anything but poop and drool is proof that I wasn't making any stratigized decisions, but you can't convince any one else of that."
"I'm convinced,"Draco said with a smile. "If it were me I'd be saying, hey I'm seventeen years old, I think I'll let someone out of adolescence save the world by defeating the most powerful dark wizard of the century. But then I'm a sensible person, which is not an active quality in your average hero."
Harry merely frowned.
"Ah I've got you trapped. You're insulted that I said you're not sensible, but if you confront me about it then you'd be admitting that you think your a hero. Which as we know, is not something a hero would ever do, they're ridiculously modest along with not being sensible, and having a tendency to deflower maidens, or in your case young men.
Harry turned red. "I haven't deflowered any men, young or not."
"Oh so Seamus was already a connoisseur of the love that dare not speak it's name?"
"I don't know if he's ever..but he and I have never," Harry suddenly realized what he was talking about, "well it's really none of your business."
Draco stopped walking and put a hand on Harry's arm to stop him. "You and he have never what," Draco asked eyes narrowed.
"Honestly Draco... ," Harry stopped abruptly and clutched his head.
"Oh don't even think your getting out of this by claiming a headache," Draco drawled.
"No it's Voldemort..," Harry whispered clutching his head.
"Voldemort sends you headaches?" Draco asked skeptically.
"No you idiot," Harry said through gritted teeth. "It means he's feeling a strong emotion about me, something bad usually happens when I get them."
"Bad like what?" Draco asked, but his question was answered when he saw his father standing at the other end of the alley.
"Well well well. It must be my lucky day," Lucius said with a chuckle. "I can kill two birds with one stone, or with one wand anyway."
Both boys had already whipped out their wands and were standing to attention.
"You won't be killing anything Lucius. All alone are we? If ten death eaters and Voldemort can't kill me then what makes you think you stand a chance all on your own?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised.
Lucius just smiled. "That was always our problem we sent to many people and we never just killed you right away, it's a mistake I intend to fix."
Lucius pointed his wand at him and shouted "Avada kedevra." Harry was used to the people trying to kill him giving him plenty of time to think of an escape, or be rescued, while they exchanged some unfriendly banter. He was so startled by this direct attack that he didn't even move.
At the last second Draco stepped in front of him.
Everyone froze for an instant. Then Draco slowly slumped back against Harry's chest eyes fluttering closed. Harry sank to the ground holding Draco's limp body in his arms.
"How could you," Harry shouted, "he was your own son!" Was, Harry thought. Whoever would have thought that the most painful thing in my
life would be speaking about Draco in the past tense. Harry sat there, his chest hurting as he stared at Draco's pale pointed face.
Lucius stood there a moment, clearly shocked. "Foolish boy," he muttered and then he raised his wand up and pointed it at Harry. Harry had abandoned his wand when he caught Draco in his arms and he would never reach it in time. Just as Lucius's mouth started to form the words, a voice shouted "crucio" and Lucius bent over in pain. He looked up in shock to see who had cursed him and promptly disapparated.
Harry too, was looking in shock at the person who had cast the curse. He watched dumbfounded as Draco looked up at him from his position in his lap. "What are you gawking at Potter?"
"You were dead, he killed you," he said.
"Of course I wasn't dead, I'm not dead now am I? I don't think it's something that you bounce back from."
"But how..."
"It's a spell I've been working on for years. It makes me immune to his wand. Honestly you didn't think that I would die for you did you?" Draco asked voice full of disbelief.
"No of course not but... but your alive," he smiled and then frowned. "How did you do it? I mean I could use it on Voldemort that would be...that would be fantastic."
"Sorry no can do," Draco said.
"What do you mean? You're not going to teach it to me?" he asked in an angry voice.
"I can't. It takes years of being subjected to use by the wand almost every day. Somehow I don't think you'd be able to convince Voldemort to use his wand on you that frequently and not kill you."
"Probably not," Harry said dejectedly. He looked at Malfoy with a curious expression on his face. "How exactly does it work?"
"I had to do a very complicated spell on myself and his wand. It wasn't easy to get to the wand and not get caught, that part alone took me two years. But after I did the spell every time magic from the wand was directed at me an amount so small it couldn't be detected would be blocked and cling to the outside of my body, eventually it covers your entire body kind of like armor. His magic can't get through his own magic. His magic was trying to hurt me and protect me at the same time and they canceled each other out." Draco suddenly broke into a smile. "Oh the look on his face. I'll never forget it."
"Well, " Harry said looking down at Draco, "you should probably get up we need to tell Dumbledore what happened."
Draco seemed to realize for the first time that his head was in Harry's lap. He quickly got up brushing the dirt off his robes.
"I don't see why we have to tell Dumbledore."
Harry looked at him and said in a dry voice. "Well we made a deal that every time a death eater tries to kill me, I should tell him about it."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Come on then lets go."
As they walked back towards the school Harry turned to Draco.
"It's a good thing that the spell was complete, how long has it been working for?"
Draco wasn't about to tell him that he hadn't known it was working until today. "It's been working since after he broke my ribs that was the last bit
it needed to be completed. Afterwards I glowed blue for a second, that's how you know it's complete," he lied.
"Well lucky for me I guess," Harry said with a smile.
"Yes, very lucky."
Never befriend the oppressed unless you are prepared to take on the oppressor-Ogden Nash
Harry sat next to Seamus sipping at his butterbeer. They'd all agreed to meet at the three broomsticks at 3:00. It was now 3:15 and one of their company was not there.
"He's probably admiring himself in a mirror," Seamus said with disgust.
"Well his mother's name is Narcissa ,so I suppose he comes by it honestly," Harry said with a chuckle.
"Why Harry," said a dry voice from behind him, "you said something almost witty. That's really my forte, you should stick to what you
know. After all if you didn't keep saving us all from Voldemort, then I wouldn't be able to brighten everyone's life with my witty comments. Voldemort has no sense of humor, along with a terrible fashion sense, baggy black robes are nobody's friend," he added as an after thought.
"Where'd you come from Malfoy?" Seamus asked accusingly.
"Well I don't know if I'm the right one to tell you this, but when a man and a women love each other, or are attracted to each other, or are just bored with nothing to do..."
Seamus interrupted him before he could finish. "Very funny Malfoy, I don't even know why I asked, you probably came in the back door, your just that sort."
"Although I do prefer back doors, front one's are so common you know, I actually came from the room I rented upstairs," he said with a straight face. Oh you don't like that do you my Irish boy, he thought, as he saw Seamus's face turn red. Sometimes it was just too easy to push people's buttons, but he never got tired of it.
"Honestly you've been here all of two seconds and you and Seamus are already fighting, what is it with you two," Harry asked shooting an irritated look at them both.
"Oh it's all in good fun Harry my boy," Draco said as he sat down beside Dean and across from Harry. "We don't really mean it. I'm sure that Seamus likes me just as much as I like him." Draco raised an eyebrow and looked at Seamus to see what his reply to this might be.
A small twinkle lit in Seamus's eye. "That's true that's very true.'
"So..," Draco said looking around, "who do you have to kill to get a butterbeer in this place?"
The date had gone remarkably well, considering. They were all enjoying themselves and were preparing to leave when Ron came up to the table. Harry watched apprehensively as he approached the table. He knew that Ron had said he'd be civil, as had Draco, but he wasn't sure that it would hold out in reality.
"Hey Harry what's up," he said sliding in beside Harry.
"Nothing much really we were just about to split up. Seamus and Dean are going back to the castle and Draco and I are going to go to look at some quidditch supplies." Harry paused. "Do you want to come along?"
Ron smiled. "No thanks mate, Hermione is getting a table. I just stopped by to ask you if you wanted to play a game of chess later tonight."
"Sure it keeps me humble." Harry said with a mock serious face.
"That it does. That it does. It's a hard job but somebody's got to do it."
Ron turned and looked Malfoy squarely in the eye. "So Malfoy, how are you enjoying the day, it's pretty unusual for you to be around four Gryffindors and not a Slytherin in sight."
Harry held his breath.
"Well I haven't had the urge to fight the good fight, or run haphazardly into a hopeless situation wand blazing." He paused assuming an expression of thoughtfulness. "But I have to confess I believe that exposure to all this Gryffindor goodness has lessened considerably my Immediate Evil Plans. Here I was planning to tell Voldemort some
vitally important strategy information, that I had secretly obtained from spying on you good ole boys, possibly kicking some puppies on the way there. But now all I think I could possibly manage is telling him that I think Mcgonnagall dies her hair, and as for the puppies I'm sure that a swat on the rump with a newspaper is the best I could do right now. Why I hardly think my fellow Slytherins will recognize me."
Harry had of course stopped holding his breath around Immediate Evil Plans lest he faint from lack of air. Draco really did tend to speak in either a few words or a paragraph.
Ron looked to be trying to fight a smile, disturbed that he found Malfoy funny. Which resulted in a half smiling half disgruntled face which was a very interesting sight indeed.
"Yeah well I better go, see you later Harry," he said as he got up and made his way swiftly across the room.
"Well that was interesting, anyone for another butter beer before we go," Draco asked.
"Yeah, Seamus said, "I could definitely use a drink."
The group parted just out side the three broomsticks. Seamus leaned over and gave Harry a smacking kiss on the lips. He was in a very good mood. The joy he felt at taking Dean back to the castle clearly outweighed any apprehensions that he might have had about Harry being alone with Draco. He was quite glad to see that Dean wouldn't be visiting Malfoy's room after all. Draco and Dean also exchanged a kiss. It seems a little soon for kissing considering it's their first date, Harry and Seamus both thought at the same time.
After exchanging a few more words the boys headed off in separate directions.
"So what are you going to get at the quidditch shop," Harry asked as they made their way down the street.
"Well I was actually going to get a new snitch they have. It has different levels of difficulty. I need the practice, you see, there's this annoying little prat that always beats me. Well, almost always," Draco amended thinking of his recent victory with a smile.
Harry grinned. "Really, well maybe we could practice together, none of the people I play against are challenging at all. It really gets boring after awhile. Although someone did beat me recently, but it was just a lucky catch."
Draco rolled his eyes as they turned and walked down an alley. "Come on I know a shortcut."
"Listen, I should have said it before, but, congratulations on the game."
"Of course you should have, but you've no manners. It's always been one of your weak points."
"Well all things considered I think poor manners are an excellent weak point. It beats having say, a poor ability at casting spells, or an inability to think on my feet. Somehow I doubt that my having poor manners is going to effect my fight with Voldemort at all." Harry creased his eyebrows a thoughtful expression on his face. "Unless he asks me to a dinner party."
Draco smiled slightly. "So you take it for granted that your going to fight Voldemort."
"Well I've already fought him three times. Not counting when I was a baby, I think inability to speak or walk or do anything but poop and drool is proof that I wasn't making any stratigized decisions, but you can't convince any one else of that."
"I'm convinced,"Draco said with a smile. "If it were me I'd be saying, hey I'm seventeen years old, I think I'll let someone out of adolescence save the world by defeating the most powerful dark wizard of the century. But then I'm a sensible person, which is not an active quality in your average hero."
Harry merely frowned.
"Ah I've got you trapped. You're insulted that I said you're not sensible, but if you confront me about it then you'd be admitting that you think your a hero. Which as we know, is not something a hero would ever do, they're ridiculously modest along with not being sensible, and having a tendency to deflower maidens, or in your case young men.
Harry turned red. "I haven't deflowered any men, young or not."
"Oh so Seamus was already a connoisseur of the love that dare not speak it's name?"
"I don't know if he's ever..but he and I have never," Harry suddenly realized what he was talking about, "well it's really none of your business."
Draco stopped walking and put a hand on Harry's arm to stop him. "You and he have never what," Draco asked eyes narrowed.
"Honestly Draco... ," Harry stopped abruptly and clutched his head.
"Oh don't even think your getting out of this by claiming a headache," Draco drawled.
"No it's Voldemort..," Harry whispered clutching his head.
"Voldemort sends you headaches?" Draco asked skeptically.
"No you idiot," Harry said through gritted teeth. "It means he's feeling a strong emotion about me, something bad usually happens when I get them."
"Bad like what?" Draco asked, but his question was answered when he saw his father standing at the other end of the alley.
"Well well well. It must be my lucky day," Lucius said with a chuckle. "I can kill two birds with one stone, or with one wand anyway."
Both boys had already whipped out their wands and were standing to attention.
"You won't be killing anything Lucius. All alone are we? If ten death eaters and Voldemort can't kill me then what makes you think you stand a chance all on your own?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised.
Lucius just smiled. "That was always our problem we sent to many people and we never just killed you right away, it's a mistake I intend to fix."
Lucius pointed his wand at him and shouted "Avada kedevra." Harry was used to the people trying to kill him giving him plenty of time to think of an escape, or be rescued, while they exchanged some unfriendly banter. He was so startled by this direct attack that he didn't even move.
At the last second Draco stepped in front of him.
Everyone froze for an instant. Then Draco slowly slumped back against Harry's chest eyes fluttering closed. Harry sank to the ground holding Draco's limp body in his arms.
"How could you," Harry shouted, "he was your own son!" Was, Harry thought. Whoever would have thought that the most painful thing in my
life would be speaking about Draco in the past tense. Harry sat there, his chest hurting as he stared at Draco's pale pointed face.
Lucius stood there a moment, clearly shocked. "Foolish boy," he muttered and then he raised his wand up and pointed it at Harry. Harry had abandoned his wand when he caught Draco in his arms and he would never reach it in time. Just as Lucius's mouth started to form the words, a voice shouted "crucio" and Lucius bent over in pain. He looked up in shock to see who had cursed him and promptly disapparated.
Harry too, was looking in shock at the person who had cast the curse. He watched dumbfounded as Draco looked up at him from his position in his lap. "What are you gawking at Potter?"
"You were dead, he killed you," he said.
"Of course I wasn't dead, I'm not dead now am I? I don't think it's something that you bounce back from."
"But how..."
"It's a spell I've been working on for years. It makes me immune to his wand. Honestly you didn't think that I would die for you did you?" Draco asked voice full of disbelief.
"No of course not but... but your alive," he smiled and then frowned. "How did you do it? I mean I could use it on Voldemort that would be...that would be fantastic."
"Sorry no can do," Draco said.
"What do you mean? You're not going to teach it to me?" he asked in an angry voice.
"I can't. It takes years of being subjected to use by the wand almost every day. Somehow I don't think you'd be able to convince Voldemort to use his wand on you that frequently and not kill you."
"Probably not," Harry said dejectedly. He looked at Malfoy with a curious expression on his face. "How exactly does it work?"
"I had to do a very complicated spell on myself and his wand. It wasn't easy to get to the wand and not get caught, that part alone took me two years. But after I did the spell every time magic from the wand was directed at me an amount so small it couldn't be detected would be blocked and cling to the outside of my body, eventually it covers your entire body kind of like armor. His magic can't get through his own magic. His magic was trying to hurt me and protect me at the same time and they canceled each other out." Draco suddenly broke into a smile. "Oh the look on his face. I'll never forget it."
"Well, " Harry said looking down at Draco, "you should probably get up we need to tell Dumbledore what happened."
Draco seemed to realize for the first time that his head was in Harry's lap. He quickly got up brushing the dirt off his robes.
"I don't see why we have to tell Dumbledore."
Harry looked at him and said in a dry voice. "Well we made a deal that every time a death eater tries to kill me, I should tell him about it."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Come on then lets go."
As they walked back towards the school Harry turned to Draco.
"It's a good thing that the spell was complete, how long has it been working for?"
Draco wasn't about to tell him that he hadn't known it was working until today. "It's been working since after he broke my ribs that was the last bit
it needed to be completed. Afterwards I glowed blue for a second, that's how you know it's complete," he lied.
"Well lucky for me I guess," Harry said with a smile.
"Yes, very lucky."