A/N: Yay! I've finally updated! About time, too! I'll try to start speeding things along soon. Enjoy!
Chapter Four
That night, Harry was rudely pulled awake by a pounding on his door and muffled cursing.
"Mmm?" Harry blearily sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Wha? 'S there?"
"Damn it, Potter, wake up!" Draco shouted from the other side of the charmed door.
Harry stumbled out of bed, groping for his glasses as he tried to think clearly. His clock read that it was barely past two-thirty in the morning. Meaning, after finishing all his grading from yesterday, he'd only been asleep an hour.
He was going to kill Draco for this.
Jerking open the door, Harry glowered at the man. "Do you have any idea what time it is, Malfoy?" He demanded.
"Get over it, Potter," Draco snapped. "You have one of my books."
Harry stood there for a long minute, staring at Draco incredulously. "Let me get this straight. You woke me up at this godforsaken hour because of a book?"
"I need that book to finish something tonight," Draco said impatiently, extending a hand. "Give it back."
"I don't have your bloody book," Harry grumbled, moving to shut the door. "Sod off."
Draco stopped the door with an arm, moving bodily into the doorway. "You do have it," he insisted. "Shove out of the way and I'll find it."
Harry scowled, but stepped back, allowing Draco in. He was waking up now. Slowly, but it was happening. He dimly remembered after his run-in with Draco yesterday that his stack of books had seemed…different. Heavier, maybe.
"Actually, I think I did notice an odd book somewhere around here," Harry conceded reluctantly.
Draco stepped inside, only to stop and gape at the mess around him. "What…is all this?"
Harry followed his horrified look around his room. Piles of dirty and clean clothes ran together with old plates of food that he'd managed to convince Dobby to bring up for him during late-night grading periods. Blankets were thrown and crumpled across the room, and Quiddich magazines and various papers were lying around, more than half crumpled.
Harry flushed. "Shut up, Malfoy. I haven't had much free time to clean."
Looking disgusted, Draco gingerly picked his way across the room to the mound of books in one of the slightly cleaner areas.
"Don't worry," Harry grumbled, "nothing bites." He eyed a mound of trash that shifted suspiciously. "At least, I don't think it does."
"I swear, Potter, if that book is damaged, there'll be hell to pay!" Draco growled, wincing as he touched an old pair of dirty socks.
"Oh, for crying out loud," Harry sighed. He stormed over and shoved Draco out of the way. "Go sit on the bed," he said, "and I'll toss the books to you."
Draco looked relieved and he quickly went to sit on the bed. "Nice," he approved, actually tucking himself in and propping his back up against the headboard.
"Hey!" Harry yelped.
Draco regarded him innocently. "I'm only keeping the bed warm, Potter. Best hurry, though. Before I get too comfortable and decide to stay."
Harry returned to the pile, grumbling as he tossed the books carelessly over his shoulder in the general direction of the bed. As he dug, he found the oddest things trapped underneath them. More old socks, a letter or two of Hermione's old letters, a practice snitch, pieces of his alarm clock he'd been missing for a while, part of a chocolate muffin slightly molded, even a blackened banana peel, although he was almost certain he'd never eaten one here.
"Got it!" Draco called just as Harry launched another book. "Ow! Damn it, Potter!"
Harry turned sheepishly and waded over to the bed. "Sorry, Draco."
He climbed up next to the man and started to throw the books back.
"Stop!" Draco cried, grabbing Harry's arm. "Some of those are near-priceless books!"
Harry shrugged. "They'll be fine."
"Here, just…don't touch them," Draco said, getting angry.
He waved his wand at the pile on the bed and then at the pile on the floor and muttered a word under his breath. Instantly the books flew off the bed and towards the pile on the floor that was sorting itself out. By the time all the books were situated, they actually looked neat and orderly.
"Wow, cool," Harry said, grinning at his now-organized personal library.
Draco smirked. "Still impressed by the little things, Potter?"
Harry turned to Draco and frowned. "Yeah, so? It was neat!"
Draco's smirk widened a little, enough that Harry almost called it a grin.
"Shove over," Harry complained, wiggling under the covers and pushing Draco out of his spot.
"Hey!" Draco flailed, dangerously close to falling off the edge. "Watch it, Potter!"
Harry grinned mischievously.
"Don't. You. Dare," Draco warned dangerously, glaring.
Harry laughed and gave Draco a hard shove, completely pushing him off the bed. What he hadn't expected was Draco's arm to wrap around his waist and take Harry with him. Harry yelped in surprise and suddenly found himself on the cold floor, Draco pinned underneath him.
"Potter, you git," Draco groaned, wincing slightly as he tried to shift off whatever blunted object was sticking in his back.
Harry braced one hand beside Draco's head and shifted his weight back, preparing to get up, when his door burst open and Minerva hurried in.
"Harry, we've got a…" She trailed off, eyes wide as she took in the sight before her.
For the first time, Harry realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt and that the blankets, which had fallen with them, were covering the rest of him and most of Draco. He blushed hotly, understanding the look on his old teacher's face.
"I…ah, I'll wait outside," she breathed, still wide-eyed. "There's an…emergency, gentlemen, so please hurry."
And with that she hurried out, closing the door firmly behind her.
"That…was embarrassing," Draco commented casually.
Harry looked down at the man, certain he'd obtained an extremely unpleasant shade of red. "Embarrassing?!" He yelled. "She thinks we're…we're…"
"Sleeping together?" Draco suggested mildly.
"This isn't a calm matter!" Harry ranted, still blushing.
Draco arched a thin eyebrow at him. "Never shagged a bloke before, Potter?"
"No!" Harry cried.
Draco sat up just enough to be nose-to-nose with Harry. "Ever been laid before at all?"
"N-That's none of your business!" Harry shouted, pulling away.
Draco laughed as they untangled themselves from the covers. "The Virgin Potter," he snickered. "Never would have guessed that one!"
Harry stood first, hands fisted at his side. "It's not funny, Draco!"
Draco laid there on the ground a full minute, staring up at Harry as the man yelled. He let his gaze travel up from his feet to his pants-covered legs, to the bare chest that was chiseled from years of playing Quiddich, to the broad shoulders and long, muscular arms, and finally up to Potter's flushed cheeks, delicate lips, and vibrant green eyes that still sparkled with anger.
Merlin, Draco thought as his smirk widened in just the way he knew would irk Hogwarts' Hero. When did Potter get so bloody hot?
As predicted, Harry only flushed further, snatching up a shirt from the floor. "What are you staring at?!" He demanded hotly, shrugging into the shirt first, then his outer robe.
Draco slid smoothly to his feet, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to bring it back to order. "Who knew you would have such a hot body, Potter?" Draco smirked, brushing past the red-faced man. He glanced over his shoulder with a wink as he pulled open the door. "Thanks for the…help…Potter. Let me know when you want me to repay you."
Harry scowled, storming out after Draco to find Minerva standing flush-faced by the doorway. Harry blushed hotly, but met her gaze evenly. It wasn't as if he'd done anything wrong. It was just an uncomfortable misunderstanding.
Besides, he told himself firmly as the three of them swept down the main hall, there was more important things happening right then.
"What happened?" Harry asked quietly as they left the castle, Minerva leading the way towards the Forbidden Forest. The fact that they were heading that way at all created a heavy, cold lump of dread in the pit of Harry's stomach.
"It seems that Merrick Montgomery and Eleanor Nova have gone into the Forbidden Forest," Minerva stated, frowning worriedly. "We must get them out of there. You, Harry, know more than some about the dangers of that forest."
Harry nodded, scowling. "What I don't understand is why Mr. Montgomery would not only endanger himself, but Ms. Nova as well." He shot a sly smirk at Draco. "Even if she is a Slytherin."
Draco scowled at him. "A sickle says that your precious Gryffindor, Mr. Montgomery, is only trying to follow in your legendary footsteps," he sneered.
"Impossible," Harry dismissed the thought shortly with a snort. "There is no part of my life I would wish on others." He paused before smirking at Draco. "Well, except for you, Malfoy."
"I've already sent out a locating spell," Minerva said, interrupting the beginnings of another fight between the two teachers. She pointed to the barely-visible pathway through the dense trees. "They are about half a mile south from here."
Harry looked at her sharply, his body tense. "Half a mile? You're certain of that, Minerva?"
"Of course," she said, looking at him worriedly now. "What…?"
Harry relaxed suddenly, a light, thoughtful smile lighting on his lips as he turned back to regard the forest.
"I say we leave the little bastards in there," Draco scoffed. "Let them get out of the mess they've made for themselves."
"Draco!" Minerva gasped.
"For once, Malfoy, it seems we are in agreement," Harry grinned, stretching lazily. He was still so tired from when Malfoy had barged in on him.
Minerva turned to her former student, shocked. "Harry, I never—!"
"Relax, Minerva," Harry soothed his ruffled co-worker. "I think it will be a good learning experience for them. Besides, if we shelter them from all the dangers, they'll grow up to be spoiled little cowards like Malfoy was."
"Potter!" Draco snarled furiously.
Harry cast a grin at his childhood enemy. "I used the past tense, Malfoy. Don't get your panties in a twist." He turned back to Minerva hurriedly, seeing Draco's eyes burn with banked fury. "We'll go in there under an invisibility spell and watch over them, Minerva," he said quickly. "I promise to pull them out if it gets too difficult for them."
Minerva narrowed her eyes at Harry suspiciously. "You know what's out there, don't you, Harry?"
"Sure," Harry replied, half his attention on the fact that Draco had suddenly vanished. The git was probably trying to get a head start on him! "Don't worry about a thing, Minerva," he called, muttering a spell beneath his breath. He knew that he had vanished from her sight abruptly by the small jump she gave. "Draco and I have got it handled!"
"Do be careful, Harry!" Minerva called after him.
"Always am!" Harry replied over his shoulder.
Harry headed towards where he knew his lost students would be. Minerva had said half a mile south. And, if his memory served him correctly, there was only one thing so close in that direction.
An invisible hand grabbed Harry's robe suddenly, jerking him off balance. Harry tensed, his wand out before he even thought of it. His gaze sharpened, and a swift scan around him showed no one.
"Scared much, Potter?" Malfoy snickered into his ear.
Harry hissed, his free hand going out to close around Malfoy's robes. "Don't do things like that! I could have cursed you!"
"You could try," Draco challenged. A sudden scream pierced the air, and both men tensed. "Another time, however," he added dryly.
Harry nodded shortly, forgetting that Draco couldn't see him, and they started towards the scream.
"You know what's out there, then?" Draco whispered as they crept closer to the clearing.
"Yeah. She's one of Hagrid's pets."
Harry barely caught the sarcastic snort from the silver-haired teacher. "Why am I not surprised?" There was a pause as they reached the edge of the tree line and came into a large, narrow clearing. Harry grinned when he felt Draco's grip on his robes tighten, and his ears caught something like a whimper.
He looked back towards the two students, who stood close together, their eyes riveted to the large, black shape before them. Harry couldn't help the sympathetic grin that came to him as he remembered how terrifying it was to stumble upon Enghahade.
"L-Lumos!" Merrick's voice rose shakily, but with command, and the tip of his outstretched wand burst into light.
"Wh-What is that thing?!" Draco hissed, revulsion obvious, even in a whisper.
Harry looked from the two kids to the creature before them. She looked smaller than he remembered, which made sense. But she was still dauntingly gigantic. She was still suspended between two large trees on a giant, complex weaving, her long legs stretching out towards them as she hissed hungrily.
Now that he was older, and not under her direct gaze, Harry could appreciate a bit of what Hagrid found so amazing about her. She had to be the oldest living mortal magical creature in this forest. Perhaps even the world. Truly the queen of arachnids.
"That's Aragog," Harry explained cheerfully, grinning. "Ron and I faced off with her our second year. Merrick and Eleanor are both third-years, so they should be able to handle this without a problem."
Draco snorted, turning his gaze to the shaking Gryffindor. "We'll see about that, Potter."
Sorry it's taken so long. Life has a way of screwing you over like that. ;) Please let me know what you think.
Ja ne!