Okay, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the crazy updates that follow no
pattern because even though I have like four chapters done, I can't seem to
want to update. Anyway, I want to thank my reviewers who have been really
kind and to ask all of those who don't review to please do. Also, I want
to thank my beta Powergirl for being such a big help. Well, that's all -
enjoy!
Oh, by the way, all things thought telepathically between two people that are not their own personal thoughts will be done like this: //blah//
********
He was free. Harry felt a falling sensation as he glanced around at the velvety darkness that engulfed the area. Spreading his arms out he twirled in circles like a kid catching rain on his tongue, and laughed happily at the freedom he felt. The noise was barely heard before it was absorbed into the dark.
He sat down after he grew dizzy and stretched his arms out behind him. He opened his mouth to speak but when he had nothing to say, he closed it. His eyes closed for a moment, feeling peace that when he opened them again, nothing would change. That the scene would still be black as far as the eye could see.
//"Harry."//
Greens eyes snapped open as he scanned the area for where the voice came from, but the shadows revealed none of their secrets. After a few moments he convinced himself he imagined it and closed his eyes again.
//"Harry."// It was louder this time, telling him to pay attention.
"Yes?" It was barely a whisper as Harry scrambled to his feet cautiously. "Hello?" He called out when no one answered. Then the tiniest sound of padding across the dark floor had him straining his eyes to find its source.
//"Hello Harry."// A man stepped out of the shadows, his dark cloak blending in with the darkness behind him. His long white hair fell in fine strands to his lower back; the image was repeated with the beard that fell to his navel. His black eyes shone like obsidian and gave off the impression that he contained knowledge and, most of all, pure power.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, feeling he already knew the answer if he thought hard enough.
He smiled sadly and shook his head as if Harry should have known who he was the moment he laid eyes on him.
Then, without moving his lips, the elderly man's voice seeped through his head.
//The Keeper of the Keys//
And then the voice left. Harry's eyes widened as he stared at the 'Keeper of the Keys'.
"The what?"
Once again, the name or title was repeated in his head again. An image of Hagrid filtered into his mind's eyes, he banished it and concentrated on the man standing in front of him. A small smile appeared on the Keeper's face but it vanished as quickly as it had arrived.
Trying to communicate the same way, Harry focused on pushing his thoughts out of his head and directing them towards the 'Keeper of the Keys.'
//What's a Keeper of the Keys? //
Giving a wry smile, he mind-whispered //I'm the one who will unbind your powers.//
Eyes widening at this statement, Harry opened his mouth to say something but what ever he was going to say was swallowed by a bold voice, which began chanting.
//Exonero Dicio//
Harry looked around wildly for the chorus of voices that echoed off the man in front of him.
//Dono Agnitio//
A staff appeared in the old man's crinkled hands and a clear orb at the top of it began to glow a warm amber.
//Echibeo Dicio!//
With that said, the Keeper of the Keys slammed the dark wooden staff down and the yellowish light shot out of the orb and entered Harry's mouth, which had dropped when he saw the staff appear.
All of a sudden, he felt a tingly sensation inside him that passed quickly, leaving him with a feeling of contentment that made him feel like he was home, like he was enveloped in the loving arms of a parent and just for a second, he could swear that he heard several voices whispering his name gently.
He finally turned his attention back to the Keeper who was leaning on his staff and smiling kindly.
"Wh-What did you do?" Harry's voice was rough from the emotions passing through him.
//I made you who you are, who you're supposed to be. I opened the doors to your destiny.//
As he turned to go, Harry opened him mouth and blurted out his next sentence.
"Hey! You can't just reveal something like that and walk away."
The man only turned around and smiled again.
//You're different from the others. What would you like to know?//
"Well, for starters, what did that chant mean? What keys are you the Keeper of? What powers did you give me and why?"
//Is that all?//
Managing to look sheepish, Harry nodded. "Well, for the moment at least."
//To answer, the chant was a Latin releasing spell that unbinds your powers.// At Harry's blank look he added, //It means: Release the power Grant the knowledge Show the power.//
"You have centuries to make that up and it doesn't even rhyme. You Keepers are slacking." At the man's widened eyes, Harry continued, "The Sorting Hat only has a year to create those lyrics and they all rhyme."
The Keeper's face twisted into a sneer and for the first time, he spoke aloud instead of using a mind link.
"Oh yes! How can we forget the Sorting Hat! The great Gryffindor pulls a hat off his head and animates it. Fifth year material! It can sing and rhyme, let's all praise the mighty Godric." By now, he was pacing furiously and Harry watched silently, amused by the whole display. "I, on the other hand, create a whole secret chamber that no one knew about. I put up all the wards, created secret passages, and helped Rowena develop the staircases that change. Where's my recognition? I ask you that. But what does that matter? Nothing! All because he made a singing HAT!!!!!" With this, he ripped off his hat and shredded it into pieces in such fury that there were still pieces falling around him a minute later.
Harry took no notice of the mess and instead let his jaw hang open for the second time since he had gotten there.
"You-You're Salazar Slytherin!"
The man nodded and then sighed as he muttered a repairing spell that stitched his hat back together again. He placed it gently on his head before continuing.
//To continue with the questions the keys that I keep are the keys that unlock your destiny. Your life is already pre-planned; I'm just opening the doors. As for your powers, you will get the powers of your grandfather and father.//
"Which are?"
//For me to know and to be revealed to you.//
Rolling his eyes, Harry simply nodded his head. "Did my mother have any powers?"
//You already have her powers.// Harry looked shocked and Salazar turned to leave. //Her wandless magic and, of course, being a parsel-tongue. Now, I must go Harry Potter. Take care my son.//
With that, he walked backwards into the darkness, or maybe the darkness was moving forward.
"Wait! I have more questions!" Harry yelled into the black. He tried calling again mentally but the question just echoed in his head. The darkness began to creep up on him too, and the next thing he felt was a flying sensation, infinitely better than any broom, taking him back into the light. He wouldn't remember his dream when he awoke.
***********
Half an hour had passed in the waiting room; all remaining visitors anxiously awaited the return of their family and friends.
At an hour and fifteen minutes, the hospital doors burst open, distracting everybody from the stone basin that rested on a chair.
They had just enough time to see a gurney being wheeled in and surrounded with doctors all talking furiously, mediwitches and wizards, and a young girl with black hair running after the crowd. When they turned a corner, the visitors could see a lock of platinum hair floating is a sea of red. No one noticed Snape's eyes widen in recognition and then soften at a member in the crowd.
The, acting as one, they turned their heads back to the pensieve only to turn back towards the door when the Grangers rushed into the waiting room.
"Where's Hermione?" Kate Granger said quickly, hands on her hips and unconsciously mimicking her daughter's determined stance. Her husband put his arm around her shoulder and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Kate putting up a hand and glaring. "Don't start with me Greg." Turning back to the group of people staring at her she started speaking once more, voice bordering on the edge of becoming hysterical. "I get this owl telling me that my daughter has disappeared. Now, where is she? What happened?"
"It seems your daughter has foolishly decided to fall into a pensieve." Snape replied with the air of indifference. He distastefully eyed the Grangers before turning back to said object, watching the surface for any disturbance in the bowl's contents.
Meekly looking around, Greg Granger quietly asked what that was.
"A pensieve is place to store memories." Molly Weasley began. Then, gesturing to the basin, she continued. "These are Harry's memories."
Picking up where his mother left off, Percy elaborated with the definition. "Placing memories in a pensieve make it easier to collect thoughts and string them together. Plus, they can be viewed with punctilious detail to the memory holder or to another viewer. All a wizard of witch has to do is tap the surface of the pensieve and they become drawn in until the memory is over, they use magic to leave, or the owner or another magic person pulls them out." When he finished, he turned to frown at Fred and George who were making faces behind his back.
"Fascinating. So how do these.?" Greg began, but was cut off by the rippling of the pensieve. The mist spread up and around the area for a moment and then began to recede. In its place were six individuals, all clutching each other with tears running down their ashen faces.
************
Harry awoke to a dark hospital room. Alone. He tried to get up but felt thick bands dig into his torso, forcing him to lie back down. Harry wanted to scream for help but his throat felt like sandpaper and it hurt to force air through his trachea. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened.
Sirius had been by to visit. He remembered being angry with him.for some reason.what was it? Oh, abandonment. Even though everything in his head had been telling him that Sirius was in no way to blame for the events that took place this summer, his heart still ached with the fact that when he needed Sirius the most his godfather had left him to be with Ari. These thoughts weren't getting him anywhere and couldn't explain why he was strapped to the bed like Neville's mother. The notion of him cracking so much that he ended up in the mental ward was quickly dismissed; even in the dim light, he could still gather that this was his room. Racking his brain for a moment, he only remembered emotions of anger, hate, and finally release. The only other time this odd gathering of feelings had ever happened was.back in the Figg house. He sighed, or attempted to but ended up convulsively swallowing in an effort to moisten his desiccated throat.
His mind branched off into another line of questioning. What happened to his throat? He thought he might possibly be sick with laryngitis or something but strongly doubted it. It felt like he had been over using it and then silently cursed to himself for not remembering anything.
He smartly decided not to risk another sigh and instead closed his eyes, resigning to the fact that he would have to wait until the replacement doctor for Joe came in or another hospital staff member.
He didn't have to wait long.
The door creaked open and a pale sliver of light shone briefly before the door was closed once again. Harry turned his head to the side and saw a small figure approach his bed and kneel on the floor next to it.
"Harry?" The voice whispered meekly. It was Andrea.
"Yes?" He rasped, cursing himself for forgetting about his abused throat.
He heard the soft 'pop' of a cork being pulled from a bottle and opened his mouth willing. He felt the Throat Soothing Potion trickle down his throat, becoming an icy shield of protection and, at the same time, providing a mild burn as it healed the damaged tissue. He swallowed loudly, pleased with the lubrication that was once again in his throat.
Turning his head towards the volunteer, he quietly spoke. "What happened?"
She sighed before answering and dragged her fingers through her hair. Even in the darkened room, he could tell by her expression that it wasn't the first time she had done this gesture in frustration.
"You went a little crazy. They had to restrain you before you hurt anyone, you're magic kind of went wonky. I heard your friend Ron describe it as 'Hurricane Harry.'" She stood up to grab a chair that she collapsed weakly.
Harry closed his eyes tightly before whispering back a response. "And did I? Hurt anybody, that is." She looked up in consternation and he felt tears well up into his eyes at the thought of what he had done. "What did I do?"
"Don't worry." She reassured him gently. "You just threw Sirius across the room and into the hallway and then knocked out a witch with all of your struggling. They'll be fine but they'll have a nasty headache."
"That's good." They lapsed into silence for a while and Harry took the time to study Andrea's face. She was looking at the ceiling with her palms pressed into the hollows of her eyes attempting to push away sleep. Her mouth was set in a frown. Overall, she was the epitome of exhaustion, physical and emotional. He skimmed over her clothes and saw the arm lightly streaked with a brown stain. He hoped it wasn't blood.
Since Harry had entered the magical world, there seemed to be no blood anywhere. Death had an absence of it leaving the corpses unblemished. Hospitals were sickening white with no trace of the red life force in it or on it. Dozens of potions existed to evaporate it; Harry knew this as he himself had used quite a few. That's why Voldemort's torture techniques had surprised him at first; it was such a.muggle.way to kill someone with knifes. Considering every person he had every seen died, Quirrell being burned to death and turned to ashes, Dorothy with blood pouring out of the dozens of holes in her body, Cedric and his spread-eagle form on the boundaries of the graveyard, the Killing Curse seemed almost civilized. He drew himself from his thoughts and focused on his visitor once again.
"What's wrong?"
Andrea removed her palms from her eyes to reveal a tear-streaked face that glistened from the shard of light that filtered through the door.
"What?"
Harry repeated his question and waited for an answer.
"A friend of mine." She trailed off and Harry waited patiently for her to continue. ".got hurt very badly." She finished weakly, before turning her head to the door and staring at it as if was transparent. "He's in this hospital now. I guess I'm just worried. They said he's going to be fine, but." She trailed off and returned her gaze to Harry who nodded his head with understanding and held commiseration in his darkened eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Harry lowered his head back onto his pillow and closed his eyes tiredly. "You don't have to stay. Go to him if you're worried."
"I'm also worried about you." She said, smiling sadly.
"I'm fine. From the looks of it, he needs your company more than I do."
Andrea opened her mouth to argue that statement but closed it as her eyes shone devilishly. "Come with me." She whispered softly.
"Huh?"
"Come with me." She repeated more boldly. "We can see him together. I can tell you're itching to get out of those restraints."
True enough, Harry had been fiddling with the silver buckles and had been twisting under the belts to escape the chaffing that his uncovered upper arms were now victims of.
"Deal."
She rose and moved closer to the bed and began to unbuckle one strap at a time until all four bands were gone and Harry could stretch his stiff muscles, trying to accommodate them to their new freedom.
"Thanks. Let's go." He stood to leave but stopped when he noticed Andrea wasn't following.
"You might want to put on some pants." She said lightly, trying to hold back a giggle.
Sure enough, the clothes he was wearing before were now gone and in their place was the breezy hospital gown. Before he could reply, the image of Archie at the World Cup came to mind.
*I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks.*
Harry bit back a laugh and proceeded to get dressed, pulling on the same clothes he had worn earlier that day.
"Okay, now let's go." Harry whispered as Andrea pulled open the door.
They crept stealthily through the hall, going in the opposite direction of the mental ward. Andrea led the way and then stopped at two heavy metal doors, which she pushed open for both of them and let it close quietly behind them.
The corridor was dimly lit and Harry wondered briefly where the light was coming from if not from electricity. They walked briskly down the hall before stopping at a door near the end of the hallway.
Once they were inside, Harry could see it was similar to his room. There was a bed in the middle, a chair off to the side with a table but instead of the large window, there was a solid wall lined with machines; from the looks of it and the rhythmical hums and beeps, the equipment seemed to be muggle.
Harry focused his eyes on the small figure shrouded in crisp white sheets that were covering his forearms. There was no movement besides the labored rising and falling off the torso. His eyes, for it was apparent it was a male, were shut peacefully and bold red lips were defined strongly, partly from the boy's pale complexion and partly from the ordeal that he had been through that probably came with a great loss of blood.
It had only taken Harry an instance to recognize the boy as Draco Malfoy, his fair skin and white blonde hair served as an easy identification. He turned his head questionably to Andrea but she had already moved across the room and grabbed the blue chair over towards the bed.
As quiet as she tried to be, the scrapping alerted the bedridden patient whose eyes shot open and revealed misty silver eyes that glanced around the room for the source of the noise.
"Hello?" His voice cut through the silence, making both of the visitors jump in alarm. "Andrea?" His voice rasped quietly as he struggled to breathe.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" She asked gently as she perched herself on the edge of his bed and pushed the pale locks that had fallen across his face behind his ear. The dim light from the hall illuminated his hair and created a halo effect around his head. Harry felt his breath catch. The noise alerted the two on the bed and simultaneously they looked towards him.
"Potter?" He asked tentatively as he tried to make out his shape.
"Malfoy." Harry spoke more calmly and dragged his eyes away from his hair to look into the other boy's dark eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Draco managed to choke out before being consumed by a coughing fit that rattled his body. Harry noticed that there was a thick white band wrapped around Malfoy's neck and he quietly pondered what it was.
"In the hospital?" Harry asked, replying to his question.
"No. My room."
"Visiting, I guess."
Andrea flitted her eyes between the two and was about to reply but instead looked at her watch that was glowing a red color that it hadn't in Harry's room.
"Oh, I need to go. I'll be back in a moment. Don't move you two." With that, she rushed out the door.
Harry looked around, wondering what to do with himself. Draco sighed and waved his hand in a motion, indicating him to sit down. Harry walked the few steps and lowered himself inelegantly into the chair and leaded back against it.
"So.what happened to you?" Harry asked, trying to make conversation until their mutual friend returned.
The blonde boy snorted humorlessly before dully answering. "I got hurt. What about you?"
"Same." They lapsed in silence for another moment. "How long have you been here?"
"What's with the small talk, Potter? We're not friends and simply because we know the same person does not make me glad to see you. Now, bugger off." With that, he rolled over onto his side, away from Harry.
"Ungrateful git." Harry mumbled angrily as he folded his arms across his chest and stared into Draco's back.
"Stop staring at me." Draco replied a minute later, still not turning around.
"I'm not staring at you."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not. You're delusional, they must have put you on pain medication."
"I can feel your eyes on me, Potter." This time, he flipped around and was now scowling at Harry.
"Yeah, well, now I'm looking at you." Harry rolled his eyes, not noticing Draco doing the same.
"Then stop it, Boy-Who-Can't-Keep-His-Eyes-To-Himself."
"That was the longest 'Boy-who-something' I have ever heard. I think you're loosing your touch, Ferret Boy."
His scowl deepened. "What are you doing here anyways?"
"In the hospital?" Harry replied innocently, purposely parroting their earlier words.
"Aurgh. I hate you." He grabbed a pillow and attempted to throw it, but, because of his weakened state, it flew two feet before plopping to the ground at Harry's feet.
"Nice throw." He scoffed as he picked up the pillow and placed it back behind Draco's head.
His eyes narrowed at that gesture. "I don't need your help, Potter." He spat before going into another coughing fit. Secretly, Harry was surprised he had lasted this long without the violent coughing. "Oh, just kill me now." He muttered weakly as he flopped back on his bed, drained of all of his energy.
"Oh? Like this?" Harry asked naively. Harry quickly grabbed the pillow from behind Malfoy's back and placed it over his head in one fluid motion. Draco sputtered and thrashed his legs wildly, trying to get free. After about ten seconds, Harry removed the pillow and placed it back behind his head. He looked down to see a pink-faced Draco who was panting heavily.
"You." Wheeze. "Are the." Cough. "Devil, Potter." He closed his eyes again, trying to block out Harry's smiling face.
"You did say to kill you now."
"I didn't think you'd do it!" Draco sputtered indignantly.
"Oops. You should be careful what you ask for then."
At that moment, Andrea came bursting into the room again.
"I'm so sorry. They needed help on the Third Floor." She looked at both of them and smiled brightly. "You know, from the way that everybody talks about you guys, I half expected to find one of you dead." She missed Draco's pained look and continued. "I'm glad you can be civilized."
"Like Potter could ever do anything civilized." Draco snorted, "Look at the company he chooses to socialize with: the Mudblood and the pack of Weasels."
Harry jumped to his feet at the last statement but was pushed back into his chair by Andrea who was staring at Draco sternly.
"Cut it out Draco. I know you don't believe half the stuff that comes out of your mouth." She scolded him and perched herself back on his bed again.
"I might respect Granger," Draco spit out the name and held a look of distaste on his face before continuing. "She is at least intelligent, even for a Mud-" He stopped and scowled when Andrea nudged him in the ribs. "Fine, Muggle-born. But Weasley has no redeeming qualities. No talent, no brains, not even any looks. He's nothing more than a penniless lackey with a large staff jammed up his-"
"Watch it." Harry growled.
Draco smiled widely and was about to retort when he broke out coughing yet again. Andrea looked as if she just remembered something and reached into her pocket to pull out a small vile, which she offered to Draco who accepted it gratefully.
"Thanks." His voice had returned to its silky hiss and lost the coarse sound it held moments ago.
"Welcome. Now, how are you feeling?"
"Better. Now I only feel like I've been run over by hippogriffs instead of dragons." He said, scowling at Potter for seeing him in his weakened condition. "What's Potter doing here anyway?" He said this to Andrea, hoping to get a straight answer from her.
"In the hospital?" She questioned distractedly as she checked his pulse and stared at one of the machine's screens.
Draco's eyes widened and Harry bit back a laugh. "What is this, a conspiracy?" The blonde boy asked as he stared at Andrea.
"Hmm. What?" Draco gesticulated for her to ignore the last remark as she finished whatever she was checking him for.
"So, how do you two know each other anyways?" Harry asked, once he noticed he was being left out.
The two on the bed exchanged glances before looking back at Harry. "Cousins." Andrea said at last.
Draco rolled his eyes and in an almost sociable way added, "Not really. We just pretend we are." At Harry's odd look, Draco looked to Andrea who sighed and began to tell the small story.
"Our mother's were friends in school and our fathers became friends through our mothers." She didn't notice Draco flinch at one of the words in her previous sentence, but Harry did and he planned to file it away for later uses.
"I don't have any real cousins so since I was little, her and her brother and sister have become my cousins."
"Do any of your siblings go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, secretly pleased at how friendly the conversation was.
"My brother went for about two years but transferred to Salem's Magic Academy in America. He graduated two years ago. My twin sister goes to Beauxbatons."
"Oh, so are you going to stay there or transfer to Hogwarts?" Draco's eyes took on a curious look when Harry posed the question.
"Stay." She replied sadly. "I don't think I could ever leave my sister. Twins always have a stronger connection, it'd be too hard to leave her."
"I don't think the school could handle you anyway." Draco replied with a laugh, "We already have the Weasley twins and add you to the mix.I think Snape would go into cardiac arrest." Both of them laughed and Harry suddenly felt a longing for his own friends.
"You're a prankster like the twins?" Harry asked suddenly, not picturing her laying Dung Bombs along the corridors of her school like the red headed mischief-makers did at Hogwarts.
"Of course." She replied with her eyes sparkling. "My sister excels in charms while I am the youngest Potion Master alive. We make a good team. If only Draco was there." She said with a sigh, "He's the master at hexes and curses. We'd have been unstoppable."
They all laughed lightly at the thought of the French school being terrorized by three teens.
"Do you think you'll come to Hogwarts this year?" Draco asked hopefully.
"Only if I get suspended again. Seriously, teachers have no sense of humor."
As the two bickered happily, Harry took the time to think about Ron and Hermione. Andrea seemed to be as bright as Herm was but she was much more mischievous than his fellow Gryffindor. And Draco was just the opposite of Ron; the Slytherin was rich, intelligent, aristocratic, polished and an only child compared to Ron with the over crowded house, the empty vault and the general chaos that was found in the Burrow. Still, his redheaded friend was much warmer and more loud and open than Draco Malfoy was. If you stuck the four in the room together, there would probably be no survivors.
"Sure." Draco drawled, startling Harry from his trance.
"I could so out do the Weasley twins!" Andrea countered.
"I don't know." Harry said, rejoining the conversation. "I mean, Fred and George created all of their pranks, which were so successful that they're going to start selling them."
"Sometimes the best pranks don't involve magic." Draco countered, looking very mischievous for a few seconds before adding almost wickedly, "Remember last summer at the Farewell Dinner up at the Manor?"
"Oh yes." Andrea was now smiling broadly and the two broke out into gales of laughter about some prank.
"What happened?" Harry asked curiously.
"Well," Draco began, rubbing his hands together evilly, "Right after school let out, Andrea, myself and Allison. her twin sister...." He added at Harry's blank look. "We floo-ed to London and stopped at some shop and purchased this huge fake pearl."
Andrea picked up right where he ended. "So, right before the Farewell feast, we snuck into the kitchen and planted the pearl into one of the oysters that they were serving for dinner, not only to our families, but half the ministry."
"At the dinner," Draco continued, "The three of us."
"And my brother Randolph." She added.
"Right. The four of us are just sitting there waiting to see who got the pearl.oh; we couldn't have planned it better. It was in that imbecile Fudge's oyster." At this point, all three burst into laughter. "And.w-we watched my p-parents and Fudge figh-fighting over the oyster until they were about ready to hex each other!" He managed to say through his laughter as tears began streaming down Draco's face as he clutched his stomach, laughing so hard that it looked like he might fall off the bed.
"A-and then R-randy stands up and s-says that it was just a p-prank. Everyone's face was so red!" Now Andrea couldn't contain her laughter and she collapsed on the bed, giggling furiously.
"No one talked for the rest of the night!" Draco said as he got his laughter under control, only to burst out laughing again at the mental picture.
Harry felt his face turn red as he rolled around in his chair laughing so hard he thought his spleen might burst.
[A/N: I didn't create this prank, Dr. Seuss actually did it. The man's my idol.]
"Oh my God.what did your parents say?" Harry managed to gasp out between laughs.
"My father didn't do anything. He hates Fudge as much as I do." Andrea said.
"I was given a stern reprimand by Father, but I think they all were more amused than anything else."
They stayed up taking a bit more but Andrea eventually shuffled Harry off to bed at a quarter to one.
"Bye, Drake. We'll visit you tomorrow." Andrea said and kissed his cheek. "Come on Harry."
"I'll be right there." She shrugged her shoulders but waited for him outside the door. "Look, I know you said you don't like me, but after tonight, maybe we could be friends?" Harry finished a little unsurely and stared at his shoes.
Draco frowned before answering. "This won't mean I'll become a Muggle lover like your friend Weasley." He warned Harry who stopped looking at his shoes and looked at Draco gleefully.
"'Course not." He held out a hand nervously. "Friends?" He held his breath as he waited for Draco to grab the offered hand.
"Maybe in the future." Draco added with a small smile as he shook Harry hand decisively.
"That's all I'm asking. I'll see you later, I guess." Harry turned to leave but suddenly wished he could have kissed him good-bye like Andrea had. The thought stopped him briefly, but he dismissed it with a shake of his head and continued walking. ***************
So ends another chapter. Please, I ask you again to review whether you decide to flame it or not.
Oh, by the way, all things thought telepathically between two people that are not their own personal thoughts will be done like this: //blah//
********
He was free. Harry felt a falling sensation as he glanced around at the velvety darkness that engulfed the area. Spreading his arms out he twirled in circles like a kid catching rain on his tongue, and laughed happily at the freedom he felt. The noise was barely heard before it was absorbed into the dark.
He sat down after he grew dizzy and stretched his arms out behind him. He opened his mouth to speak but when he had nothing to say, he closed it. His eyes closed for a moment, feeling peace that when he opened them again, nothing would change. That the scene would still be black as far as the eye could see.
//"Harry."//
Greens eyes snapped open as he scanned the area for where the voice came from, but the shadows revealed none of their secrets. After a few moments he convinced himself he imagined it and closed his eyes again.
//"Harry."// It was louder this time, telling him to pay attention.
"Yes?" It was barely a whisper as Harry scrambled to his feet cautiously. "Hello?" He called out when no one answered. Then the tiniest sound of padding across the dark floor had him straining his eyes to find its source.
//"Hello Harry."// A man stepped out of the shadows, his dark cloak blending in with the darkness behind him. His long white hair fell in fine strands to his lower back; the image was repeated with the beard that fell to his navel. His black eyes shone like obsidian and gave off the impression that he contained knowledge and, most of all, pure power.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, feeling he already knew the answer if he thought hard enough.
He smiled sadly and shook his head as if Harry should have known who he was the moment he laid eyes on him.
Then, without moving his lips, the elderly man's voice seeped through his head.
//The Keeper of the Keys//
And then the voice left. Harry's eyes widened as he stared at the 'Keeper of the Keys'.
"The what?"
Once again, the name or title was repeated in his head again. An image of Hagrid filtered into his mind's eyes, he banished it and concentrated on the man standing in front of him. A small smile appeared on the Keeper's face but it vanished as quickly as it had arrived.
Trying to communicate the same way, Harry focused on pushing his thoughts out of his head and directing them towards the 'Keeper of the Keys.'
//What's a Keeper of the Keys? //
Giving a wry smile, he mind-whispered //I'm the one who will unbind your powers.//
Eyes widening at this statement, Harry opened his mouth to say something but what ever he was going to say was swallowed by a bold voice, which began chanting.
//Exonero Dicio//
Harry looked around wildly for the chorus of voices that echoed off the man in front of him.
//Dono Agnitio//
A staff appeared in the old man's crinkled hands and a clear orb at the top of it began to glow a warm amber.
//Echibeo Dicio!//
With that said, the Keeper of the Keys slammed the dark wooden staff down and the yellowish light shot out of the orb and entered Harry's mouth, which had dropped when he saw the staff appear.
All of a sudden, he felt a tingly sensation inside him that passed quickly, leaving him with a feeling of contentment that made him feel like he was home, like he was enveloped in the loving arms of a parent and just for a second, he could swear that he heard several voices whispering his name gently.
He finally turned his attention back to the Keeper who was leaning on his staff and smiling kindly.
"Wh-What did you do?" Harry's voice was rough from the emotions passing through him.
//I made you who you are, who you're supposed to be. I opened the doors to your destiny.//
As he turned to go, Harry opened him mouth and blurted out his next sentence.
"Hey! You can't just reveal something like that and walk away."
The man only turned around and smiled again.
//You're different from the others. What would you like to know?//
"Well, for starters, what did that chant mean? What keys are you the Keeper of? What powers did you give me and why?"
//Is that all?//
Managing to look sheepish, Harry nodded. "Well, for the moment at least."
//To answer, the chant was a Latin releasing spell that unbinds your powers.// At Harry's blank look he added, //It means: Release the power Grant the knowledge Show the power.//
"You have centuries to make that up and it doesn't even rhyme. You Keepers are slacking." At the man's widened eyes, Harry continued, "The Sorting Hat only has a year to create those lyrics and they all rhyme."
The Keeper's face twisted into a sneer and for the first time, he spoke aloud instead of using a mind link.
"Oh yes! How can we forget the Sorting Hat! The great Gryffindor pulls a hat off his head and animates it. Fifth year material! It can sing and rhyme, let's all praise the mighty Godric." By now, he was pacing furiously and Harry watched silently, amused by the whole display. "I, on the other hand, create a whole secret chamber that no one knew about. I put up all the wards, created secret passages, and helped Rowena develop the staircases that change. Where's my recognition? I ask you that. But what does that matter? Nothing! All because he made a singing HAT!!!!!" With this, he ripped off his hat and shredded it into pieces in such fury that there were still pieces falling around him a minute later.
Harry took no notice of the mess and instead let his jaw hang open for the second time since he had gotten there.
"You-You're Salazar Slytherin!"
The man nodded and then sighed as he muttered a repairing spell that stitched his hat back together again. He placed it gently on his head before continuing.
//To continue with the questions the keys that I keep are the keys that unlock your destiny. Your life is already pre-planned; I'm just opening the doors. As for your powers, you will get the powers of your grandfather and father.//
"Which are?"
//For me to know and to be revealed to you.//
Rolling his eyes, Harry simply nodded his head. "Did my mother have any powers?"
//You already have her powers.// Harry looked shocked and Salazar turned to leave. //Her wandless magic and, of course, being a parsel-tongue. Now, I must go Harry Potter. Take care my son.//
With that, he walked backwards into the darkness, or maybe the darkness was moving forward.
"Wait! I have more questions!" Harry yelled into the black. He tried calling again mentally but the question just echoed in his head. The darkness began to creep up on him too, and the next thing he felt was a flying sensation, infinitely better than any broom, taking him back into the light. He wouldn't remember his dream when he awoke.
***********
Half an hour had passed in the waiting room; all remaining visitors anxiously awaited the return of their family and friends.
At an hour and fifteen minutes, the hospital doors burst open, distracting everybody from the stone basin that rested on a chair.
They had just enough time to see a gurney being wheeled in and surrounded with doctors all talking furiously, mediwitches and wizards, and a young girl with black hair running after the crowd. When they turned a corner, the visitors could see a lock of platinum hair floating is a sea of red. No one noticed Snape's eyes widen in recognition and then soften at a member in the crowd.
The, acting as one, they turned their heads back to the pensieve only to turn back towards the door when the Grangers rushed into the waiting room.
"Where's Hermione?" Kate Granger said quickly, hands on her hips and unconsciously mimicking her daughter's determined stance. Her husband put his arm around her shoulder and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Kate putting up a hand and glaring. "Don't start with me Greg." Turning back to the group of people staring at her she started speaking once more, voice bordering on the edge of becoming hysterical. "I get this owl telling me that my daughter has disappeared. Now, where is she? What happened?"
"It seems your daughter has foolishly decided to fall into a pensieve." Snape replied with the air of indifference. He distastefully eyed the Grangers before turning back to said object, watching the surface for any disturbance in the bowl's contents.
Meekly looking around, Greg Granger quietly asked what that was.
"A pensieve is place to store memories." Molly Weasley began. Then, gesturing to the basin, she continued. "These are Harry's memories."
Picking up where his mother left off, Percy elaborated with the definition. "Placing memories in a pensieve make it easier to collect thoughts and string them together. Plus, they can be viewed with punctilious detail to the memory holder or to another viewer. All a wizard of witch has to do is tap the surface of the pensieve and they become drawn in until the memory is over, they use magic to leave, or the owner or another magic person pulls them out." When he finished, he turned to frown at Fred and George who were making faces behind his back.
"Fascinating. So how do these.?" Greg began, but was cut off by the rippling of the pensieve. The mist spread up and around the area for a moment and then began to recede. In its place were six individuals, all clutching each other with tears running down their ashen faces.
************
Harry awoke to a dark hospital room. Alone. He tried to get up but felt thick bands dig into his torso, forcing him to lie back down. Harry wanted to scream for help but his throat felt like sandpaper and it hurt to force air through his trachea. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened.
Sirius had been by to visit. He remembered being angry with him.for some reason.what was it? Oh, abandonment. Even though everything in his head had been telling him that Sirius was in no way to blame for the events that took place this summer, his heart still ached with the fact that when he needed Sirius the most his godfather had left him to be with Ari. These thoughts weren't getting him anywhere and couldn't explain why he was strapped to the bed like Neville's mother. The notion of him cracking so much that he ended up in the mental ward was quickly dismissed; even in the dim light, he could still gather that this was his room. Racking his brain for a moment, he only remembered emotions of anger, hate, and finally release. The only other time this odd gathering of feelings had ever happened was.back in the Figg house. He sighed, or attempted to but ended up convulsively swallowing in an effort to moisten his desiccated throat.
His mind branched off into another line of questioning. What happened to his throat? He thought he might possibly be sick with laryngitis or something but strongly doubted it. It felt like he had been over using it and then silently cursed to himself for not remembering anything.
He smartly decided not to risk another sigh and instead closed his eyes, resigning to the fact that he would have to wait until the replacement doctor for Joe came in or another hospital staff member.
He didn't have to wait long.
The door creaked open and a pale sliver of light shone briefly before the door was closed once again. Harry turned his head to the side and saw a small figure approach his bed and kneel on the floor next to it.
"Harry?" The voice whispered meekly. It was Andrea.
"Yes?" He rasped, cursing himself for forgetting about his abused throat.
He heard the soft 'pop' of a cork being pulled from a bottle and opened his mouth willing. He felt the Throat Soothing Potion trickle down his throat, becoming an icy shield of protection and, at the same time, providing a mild burn as it healed the damaged tissue. He swallowed loudly, pleased with the lubrication that was once again in his throat.
Turning his head towards the volunteer, he quietly spoke. "What happened?"
She sighed before answering and dragged her fingers through her hair. Even in the darkened room, he could tell by her expression that it wasn't the first time she had done this gesture in frustration.
"You went a little crazy. They had to restrain you before you hurt anyone, you're magic kind of went wonky. I heard your friend Ron describe it as 'Hurricane Harry.'" She stood up to grab a chair that she collapsed weakly.
Harry closed his eyes tightly before whispering back a response. "And did I? Hurt anybody, that is." She looked up in consternation and he felt tears well up into his eyes at the thought of what he had done. "What did I do?"
"Don't worry." She reassured him gently. "You just threw Sirius across the room and into the hallway and then knocked out a witch with all of your struggling. They'll be fine but they'll have a nasty headache."
"That's good." They lapsed into silence for a while and Harry took the time to study Andrea's face. She was looking at the ceiling with her palms pressed into the hollows of her eyes attempting to push away sleep. Her mouth was set in a frown. Overall, she was the epitome of exhaustion, physical and emotional. He skimmed over her clothes and saw the arm lightly streaked with a brown stain. He hoped it wasn't blood.
Since Harry had entered the magical world, there seemed to be no blood anywhere. Death had an absence of it leaving the corpses unblemished. Hospitals were sickening white with no trace of the red life force in it or on it. Dozens of potions existed to evaporate it; Harry knew this as he himself had used quite a few. That's why Voldemort's torture techniques had surprised him at first; it was such a.muggle.way to kill someone with knifes. Considering every person he had every seen died, Quirrell being burned to death and turned to ashes, Dorothy with blood pouring out of the dozens of holes in her body, Cedric and his spread-eagle form on the boundaries of the graveyard, the Killing Curse seemed almost civilized. He drew himself from his thoughts and focused on his visitor once again.
"What's wrong?"
Andrea removed her palms from her eyes to reveal a tear-streaked face that glistened from the shard of light that filtered through the door.
"What?"
Harry repeated his question and waited for an answer.
"A friend of mine." She trailed off and Harry waited patiently for her to continue. ".got hurt very badly." She finished weakly, before turning her head to the door and staring at it as if was transparent. "He's in this hospital now. I guess I'm just worried. They said he's going to be fine, but." She trailed off and returned her gaze to Harry who nodded his head with understanding and held commiseration in his darkened eyes.
Taking a deep breath, Harry lowered his head back onto his pillow and closed his eyes tiredly. "You don't have to stay. Go to him if you're worried."
"I'm also worried about you." She said, smiling sadly.
"I'm fine. From the looks of it, he needs your company more than I do."
Andrea opened her mouth to argue that statement but closed it as her eyes shone devilishly. "Come with me." She whispered softly.
"Huh?"
"Come with me." She repeated more boldly. "We can see him together. I can tell you're itching to get out of those restraints."
True enough, Harry had been fiddling with the silver buckles and had been twisting under the belts to escape the chaffing that his uncovered upper arms were now victims of.
"Deal."
She rose and moved closer to the bed and began to unbuckle one strap at a time until all four bands were gone and Harry could stretch his stiff muscles, trying to accommodate them to their new freedom.
"Thanks. Let's go." He stood to leave but stopped when he noticed Andrea wasn't following.
"You might want to put on some pants." She said lightly, trying to hold back a giggle.
Sure enough, the clothes he was wearing before were now gone and in their place was the breezy hospital gown. Before he could reply, the image of Archie at the World Cup came to mind.
*I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks.*
Harry bit back a laugh and proceeded to get dressed, pulling on the same clothes he had worn earlier that day.
"Okay, now let's go." Harry whispered as Andrea pulled open the door.
They crept stealthily through the hall, going in the opposite direction of the mental ward. Andrea led the way and then stopped at two heavy metal doors, which she pushed open for both of them and let it close quietly behind them.
The corridor was dimly lit and Harry wondered briefly where the light was coming from if not from electricity. They walked briskly down the hall before stopping at a door near the end of the hallway.
Once they were inside, Harry could see it was similar to his room. There was a bed in the middle, a chair off to the side with a table but instead of the large window, there was a solid wall lined with machines; from the looks of it and the rhythmical hums and beeps, the equipment seemed to be muggle.
Harry focused his eyes on the small figure shrouded in crisp white sheets that were covering his forearms. There was no movement besides the labored rising and falling off the torso. His eyes, for it was apparent it was a male, were shut peacefully and bold red lips were defined strongly, partly from the boy's pale complexion and partly from the ordeal that he had been through that probably came with a great loss of blood.
It had only taken Harry an instance to recognize the boy as Draco Malfoy, his fair skin and white blonde hair served as an easy identification. He turned his head questionably to Andrea but she had already moved across the room and grabbed the blue chair over towards the bed.
As quiet as she tried to be, the scrapping alerted the bedridden patient whose eyes shot open and revealed misty silver eyes that glanced around the room for the source of the noise.
"Hello?" His voice cut through the silence, making both of the visitors jump in alarm. "Andrea?" His voice rasped quietly as he struggled to breathe.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" She asked gently as she perched herself on the edge of his bed and pushed the pale locks that had fallen across his face behind his ear. The dim light from the hall illuminated his hair and created a halo effect around his head. Harry felt his breath catch. The noise alerted the two on the bed and simultaneously they looked towards him.
"Potter?" He asked tentatively as he tried to make out his shape.
"Malfoy." Harry spoke more calmly and dragged his eyes away from his hair to look into the other boy's dark eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Draco managed to choke out before being consumed by a coughing fit that rattled his body. Harry noticed that there was a thick white band wrapped around Malfoy's neck and he quietly pondered what it was.
"In the hospital?" Harry asked, replying to his question.
"No. My room."
"Visiting, I guess."
Andrea flitted her eyes between the two and was about to reply but instead looked at her watch that was glowing a red color that it hadn't in Harry's room.
"Oh, I need to go. I'll be back in a moment. Don't move you two." With that, she rushed out the door.
Harry looked around, wondering what to do with himself. Draco sighed and waved his hand in a motion, indicating him to sit down. Harry walked the few steps and lowered himself inelegantly into the chair and leaded back against it.
"So.what happened to you?" Harry asked, trying to make conversation until their mutual friend returned.
The blonde boy snorted humorlessly before dully answering. "I got hurt. What about you?"
"Same." They lapsed in silence for another moment. "How long have you been here?"
"What's with the small talk, Potter? We're not friends and simply because we know the same person does not make me glad to see you. Now, bugger off." With that, he rolled over onto his side, away from Harry.
"Ungrateful git." Harry mumbled angrily as he folded his arms across his chest and stared into Draco's back.
"Stop staring at me." Draco replied a minute later, still not turning around.
"I'm not staring at you."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not. You're delusional, they must have put you on pain medication."
"I can feel your eyes on me, Potter." This time, he flipped around and was now scowling at Harry.
"Yeah, well, now I'm looking at you." Harry rolled his eyes, not noticing Draco doing the same.
"Then stop it, Boy-Who-Can't-Keep-His-Eyes-To-Himself."
"That was the longest 'Boy-who-something' I have ever heard. I think you're loosing your touch, Ferret Boy."
His scowl deepened. "What are you doing here anyways?"
"In the hospital?" Harry replied innocently, purposely parroting their earlier words.
"Aurgh. I hate you." He grabbed a pillow and attempted to throw it, but, because of his weakened state, it flew two feet before plopping to the ground at Harry's feet.
"Nice throw." He scoffed as he picked up the pillow and placed it back behind Draco's head.
His eyes narrowed at that gesture. "I don't need your help, Potter." He spat before going into another coughing fit. Secretly, Harry was surprised he had lasted this long without the violent coughing. "Oh, just kill me now." He muttered weakly as he flopped back on his bed, drained of all of his energy.
"Oh? Like this?" Harry asked naively. Harry quickly grabbed the pillow from behind Malfoy's back and placed it over his head in one fluid motion. Draco sputtered and thrashed his legs wildly, trying to get free. After about ten seconds, Harry removed the pillow and placed it back behind his head. He looked down to see a pink-faced Draco who was panting heavily.
"You." Wheeze. "Are the." Cough. "Devil, Potter." He closed his eyes again, trying to block out Harry's smiling face.
"You did say to kill you now."
"I didn't think you'd do it!" Draco sputtered indignantly.
"Oops. You should be careful what you ask for then."
At that moment, Andrea came bursting into the room again.
"I'm so sorry. They needed help on the Third Floor." She looked at both of them and smiled brightly. "You know, from the way that everybody talks about you guys, I half expected to find one of you dead." She missed Draco's pained look and continued. "I'm glad you can be civilized."
"Like Potter could ever do anything civilized." Draco snorted, "Look at the company he chooses to socialize with: the Mudblood and the pack of Weasels."
Harry jumped to his feet at the last statement but was pushed back into his chair by Andrea who was staring at Draco sternly.
"Cut it out Draco. I know you don't believe half the stuff that comes out of your mouth." She scolded him and perched herself back on his bed again.
"I might respect Granger," Draco spit out the name and held a look of distaste on his face before continuing. "She is at least intelligent, even for a Mud-" He stopped and scowled when Andrea nudged him in the ribs. "Fine, Muggle-born. But Weasley has no redeeming qualities. No talent, no brains, not even any looks. He's nothing more than a penniless lackey with a large staff jammed up his-"
"Watch it." Harry growled.
Draco smiled widely and was about to retort when he broke out coughing yet again. Andrea looked as if she just remembered something and reached into her pocket to pull out a small vile, which she offered to Draco who accepted it gratefully.
"Thanks." His voice had returned to its silky hiss and lost the coarse sound it held moments ago.
"Welcome. Now, how are you feeling?"
"Better. Now I only feel like I've been run over by hippogriffs instead of dragons." He said, scowling at Potter for seeing him in his weakened condition. "What's Potter doing here anyway?" He said this to Andrea, hoping to get a straight answer from her.
"In the hospital?" She questioned distractedly as she checked his pulse and stared at one of the machine's screens.
Draco's eyes widened and Harry bit back a laugh. "What is this, a conspiracy?" The blonde boy asked as he stared at Andrea.
"Hmm. What?" Draco gesticulated for her to ignore the last remark as she finished whatever she was checking him for.
"So, how do you two know each other anyways?" Harry asked, once he noticed he was being left out.
The two on the bed exchanged glances before looking back at Harry. "Cousins." Andrea said at last.
Draco rolled his eyes and in an almost sociable way added, "Not really. We just pretend we are." At Harry's odd look, Draco looked to Andrea who sighed and began to tell the small story.
"Our mother's were friends in school and our fathers became friends through our mothers." She didn't notice Draco flinch at one of the words in her previous sentence, but Harry did and he planned to file it away for later uses.
"I don't have any real cousins so since I was little, her and her brother and sister have become my cousins."
"Do any of your siblings go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, secretly pleased at how friendly the conversation was.
"My brother went for about two years but transferred to Salem's Magic Academy in America. He graduated two years ago. My twin sister goes to Beauxbatons."
"Oh, so are you going to stay there or transfer to Hogwarts?" Draco's eyes took on a curious look when Harry posed the question.
"Stay." She replied sadly. "I don't think I could ever leave my sister. Twins always have a stronger connection, it'd be too hard to leave her."
"I don't think the school could handle you anyway." Draco replied with a laugh, "We already have the Weasley twins and add you to the mix.I think Snape would go into cardiac arrest." Both of them laughed and Harry suddenly felt a longing for his own friends.
"You're a prankster like the twins?" Harry asked suddenly, not picturing her laying Dung Bombs along the corridors of her school like the red headed mischief-makers did at Hogwarts.
"Of course." She replied with her eyes sparkling. "My sister excels in charms while I am the youngest Potion Master alive. We make a good team. If only Draco was there." She said with a sigh, "He's the master at hexes and curses. We'd have been unstoppable."
They all laughed lightly at the thought of the French school being terrorized by three teens.
"Do you think you'll come to Hogwarts this year?" Draco asked hopefully.
"Only if I get suspended again. Seriously, teachers have no sense of humor."
As the two bickered happily, Harry took the time to think about Ron and Hermione. Andrea seemed to be as bright as Herm was but she was much more mischievous than his fellow Gryffindor. And Draco was just the opposite of Ron; the Slytherin was rich, intelligent, aristocratic, polished and an only child compared to Ron with the over crowded house, the empty vault and the general chaos that was found in the Burrow. Still, his redheaded friend was much warmer and more loud and open than Draco Malfoy was. If you stuck the four in the room together, there would probably be no survivors.
"Sure." Draco drawled, startling Harry from his trance.
"I could so out do the Weasley twins!" Andrea countered.
"I don't know." Harry said, rejoining the conversation. "I mean, Fred and George created all of their pranks, which were so successful that they're going to start selling them."
"Sometimes the best pranks don't involve magic." Draco countered, looking very mischievous for a few seconds before adding almost wickedly, "Remember last summer at the Farewell Dinner up at the Manor?"
"Oh yes." Andrea was now smiling broadly and the two broke out into gales of laughter about some prank.
"What happened?" Harry asked curiously.
"Well," Draco began, rubbing his hands together evilly, "Right after school let out, Andrea, myself and Allison. her twin sister...." He added at Harry's blank look. "We floo-ed to London and stopped at some shop and purchased this huge fake pearl."
Andrea picked up right where he ended. "So, right before the Farewell feast, we snuck into the kitchen and planted the pearl into one of the oysters that they were serving for dinner, not only to our families, but half the ministry."
"At the dinner," Draco continued, "The three of us."
"And my brother Randolph." She added.
"Right. The four of us are just sitting there waiting to see who got the pearl.oh; we couldn't have planned it better. It was in that imbecile Fudge's oyster." At this point, all three burst into laughter. "And.w-we watched my p-parents and Fudge figh-fighting over the oyster until they were about ready to hex each other!" He managed to say through his laughter as tears began streaming down Draco's face as he clutched his stomach, laughing so hard that it looked like he might fall off the bed.
"A-and then R-randy stands up and s-says that it was just a p-prank. Everyone's face was so red!" Now Andrea couldn't contain her laughter and she collapsed on the bed, giggling furiously.
"No one talked for the rest of the night!" Draco said as he got his laughter under control, only to burst out laughing again at the mental picture.
Harry felt his face turn red as he rolled around in his chair laughing so hard he thought his spleen might burst.
[A/N: I didn't create this prank, Dr. Seuss actually did it. The man's my idol.]
"Oh my God.what did your parents say?" Harry managed to gasp out between laughs.
"My father didn't do anything. He hates Fudge as much as I do." Andrea said.
"I was given a stern reprimand by Father, but I think they all were more amused than anything else."
They stayed up taking a bit more but Andrea eventually shuffled Harry off to bed at a quarter to one.
"Bye, Drake. We'll visit you tomorrow." Andrea said and kissed his cheek. "Come on Harry."
"I'll be right there." She shrugged her shoulders but waited for him outside the door. "Look, I know you said you don't like me, but after tonight, maybe we could be friends?" Harry finished a little unsurely and stared at his shoes.
Draco frowned before answering. "This won't mean I'll become a Muggle lover like your friend Weasley." He warned Harry who stopped looking at his shoes and looked at Draco gleefully.
"'Course not." He held out a hand nervously. "Friends?" He held his breath as he waited for Draco to grab the offered hand.
"Maybe in the future." Draco added with a small smile as he shook Harry hand decisively.
"That's all I'm asking. I'll see you later, I guess." Harry turned to leave but suddenly wished he could have kissed him good-bye like Andrea had. The thought stopped him briefly, but he dismissed it with a shake of his head and continued walking. ***************
So ends another chapter. Please, I ask you again to review whether you decide to flame it or not.