7. The Two Guardians

Harry trotted down the Slytherin staircase in a relatively good mood. The previous day felt like a distant dream to him. Now, it was a new day, the sun was shining brightly after the nightly coldness, and everything seemed less depressing. Oh! The optimistic state of a freshly awakened mind!

Harry arrived at the Slytherin common room entrance. The walls around him were seeping with moisture, since he had invaded now the very lowest of the dungeons that were situated under the lake. He remembered the password from the previous night, when the blonde Veela had shouted it to him.

"Hot Demon."

Personally, Harry thought the password was ridiculous. No doubt it was Pansy Parkinson's doing. Yet the password worked, and the portrait swung open, creaking silently in its hinges. In front of Harry opened now a whole new sight. Well, not so new when it came to the extensive common room and its decor –but the atmosphere and the amount of black and green robes and smiling faces was overwhelmingly stunning.

Harry swore he had never seen so many Slytherins at the same time –he quite forgot that he was sharing his daily meals in the Great Hall sitting just two tables away from this very same noisy lot. But, admittedly, he never had seen them all smiling before.

"Hey, that's Potter!" one of the third years noticed, and everybody fell silent, turning their faces towards Harry who was taking the steps down in the common room.

"Well, he's here to escort Draco, I guess," scowled Tracey Davies, sitting in Theodore Nott's lap. "But how did he get in?"

"Draco told him the password yesterday," Millicent sneered, but fell awkwardly silent after Blaise Zabini jostled her in the back rather harshly.

"Um… I'll just be going, then," Harry grimaced, and hastened through the large room towards the dormitories and the seventh year boys' room.

Harry opened the door carefully, but it still wailed quietly. Taking a glance around, he saw that the room was lit with five torches, and it looked now considerably cosier than the previous night. Crabbe and Goyle were sitting on their beds, obviously waiting for their 'boss' to wake up.

"Hey guys," Harry greeted, but received only two venomous scowls and grunts as an answer. He decided to ignore the two idiots, and proceeded towards Draco's bed. "Finite Incantatum."

The very second the wards were down two strong arms reached out from between the bed hangings, and grabbed Harry's collar. Harry yelped as he was pulled downwards, through the aforementioned hangings, and onto the bed. There, in the shadowy darkness, he met with a pair of glowing, and very angry-looking grey eyes.

"Where the hell have you been, Potter?" Draco demanded. "I've been waiting for, like, ages! Look at the time, you dipwit! Half past eight! And I need to shower, get dressed, do my hair, pack up my school books, brush my teeth, take out Riddle, write a letter to my investors at Gringotts, and get some fucking breakfast! Now tell me, Mr. Hero of the World, how I can do all that without being late from class?!"

"Who's Riddle?" Harry frowned.

Draco groaned. "Potter! Can't you see my point here?"

"Is it your pet?"

"Hello? I'm going to be late from Sexual Behaviour of Magical Creatures, and that's all your fault!"

"Where is it?"

"Aargh!" Draco shook Harry from the shoulders. "Do you even listen to me, scarface?"

"Yeah, I do listen to you," Harry grinned. "Now, I've already visited the kitchens, so we can eat our breakfast while in the class."

"Oh… that's good. Did you take some coffee?" Draco looked worried.

"Yeah."

"And milk?"

"No."

"What's wrong with you? I can't drink my coffee without…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just kidding, I've got your milk alright." Harry chuckled. He really enjoyed riling up the Slytherin git. "Now would you please get your clothes ready, we need to head for the showers straight away! And you don't need to worry about your hair –nobody ever notices how it looks like anyway."

Draco gasped, very annoyed, but Harry continued his tirade.

"And when you're taking your shower, I can see what I can do with Riddle, whatever that is, then. Just get up now, we're wasting time. I'll get your school bag. You just hurry on and grab some clothes and your shower things."

"What about the letter to my…?"

"We'll deal with that later! Now get moving, you lazy ass!" Harry commanded, pointing at the half-open hangings.

Draco was about to say something more, but Harry gave him such an authoritative glare that he could not do anything but obey. After all –Harry was his mate, damn him for that, and therefore he had the maddening, but luckily still secret power to canalize Draco's sayings and doings. Draco only hoped Harry would not find it out on his own and start using that against him.

"Riddle's in there," he pointed at his trunk, while passing it by. "Pick him along."

Curiously Harry stood up and went to open the trunk. "Does it bite?" he joked.

"Yeah," Draco said, pulling out fresh robes from his wardrobe.

Harry swallowed, although unnoticeably, and peered inside the dark chest.

"It's a Doxy," provided Crabbe, and Goyle chuckled, "A biting fairy."

Indeed, there was a small creature curling in the corner of the box. It was ink black, furry and winged. Tentatively, Harry poked it with his index, and it yawned.

"His name's Riddle," Goyle said.

"…I know!" Harry gave him a look.

"Oh."

"Well, can I just take it in my hand?" Harry asked.

"No, only Draco can take him," Crabbe smirked. "He bites everyone else."

"He does not," Draco scowled, throwing his shampoo and shower gel into a small bag. "It doesn't bite Snape."

Immediately, when hearing Draco's voice, Crabbe and Goyle's attention returned back to the Veela. Their faces fell into a dream-like state, and they leaned against each other's shoulder, eating their leader with their gaze. Harry rolled his eyes, and reached out his hand towards the Doxy, ignoring the two stupid lard-heaps. As long as it they were just staring, he wouldn't hex them.

"Potter, get Riddle and let's go," Draco said, clearly annoyed about the staring contest of Crabbe and Goyle more than what Harry was.

"But will it bite me?" Harry scowled.

Draco sighed. "I promise you, Potter, that if it doesn't, then I will!"

Harry bit his lip as a weird mental image of Draco biting his fingers intruded his brain. Then he shook it off, and pushed his hand in the trunk. Carefully, he lifted the Doxy up and placed it on his soft palm. It was only two inches tall, and was now intriguingly staring up at Harry with its ember eyes.

It didn't bite him.

"Come on," Draco whined, and yanked Harry's sleeve. "We're already late!"

Harry was sitting in front of the Slytherin bathroom entrance. He was leaning against the locked, wooden door, playing with the weird magical creature in his hand.

"Riddle me this, Riddle me that…" he smiled at the four-legged and four-armed fairy-like Doxy.

The Doxy spread its beetle-like, shining wings and started to curry them clean.

"Do you always bathe at the same time than your owner?" Harry asked the creature, even though he knew the little pixie could not understand. 

The Doxy smiled, however, revealing a dangerous-looking line of razor-sharp teeth. Harry tried to look unaffected.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" a voice asked, and a pair of shoes emerged in Harry's vision. "Why are you sitting in front of that door?"

"I'm watching over Malfoy's shower," Harry replied, meeting the contemptuous face of Theodore Nott.

"Well, you can't just stay there, because I must shower, too. Let me pass."

"Uh, no can do, Nott," Harry straightened up, placing the Doxy on his shoulder. "Nobody's going to shower there now, except for Dra… Malfoy."

"That is a common shower room, Potter, you can't just block somebody out of there!" Theodore was getting angry.

Harry chewed his lip; Theodore was kind of right there. But still…What would follow if Harry let the Slytherin enter?

"Um… Can't you just … well…. wait another fifteen minutes or so? I'm sure the shower's free after that," he suggested.

"No I can't, you stupid Gryffindor twat! In case you haven't noticed, I'm already skipping the breakfast to get myself showered and clean before the classes start, so no, I don't think I have the extra fifteen minutes!"

They glared at each other for a few seconds, both wanting to keep their stand; but Harry knew that Theodore had every reason and right to have his way. He was a Slytherin student, and these were common Slytherin showers.

"Okay… Let's go in. But I'm coming with you," Harry finally gave up.

"Ooh, I never knew the Boy Who Lived was a voyeur," Theodore smirked.

Harry gave Theodore a look but didn't say anything. Then he knocked on the door. "Drac… er… Malfoy?"

"What now?" the blonde boy snapped.

"Um… Nott wants to have a shower, too. So we're coming in, now."

"Can't he bloody shower someplace else?"

"He doesn't want to. And he doesn't have much time to find another place, either."

"Alright, fine," Draco growled, after a few silent moments. "Just don't get all too excited about me, then."

Harry snorted, "As if that could ever happen, you stuck-up moron."

"Insolent cretin," Draco muttered, as Harry pushed the door open.

"Always so cheerful to be around you two," Theodore grinned, and started to undress. "I'm surprised you're both still alive."

"That would be because we aren't allowed to kill each other," Draco snarled from the shower cubicle. "If something happens to me, Potter's responsible for it straight to Dumbledore, and on my part, I am not allowed to use my… er… persuasive skills to any extent where they could cause physical harm to someone."

"Well, that quite sums it up," Theodore's eyes twinkled. Harry felt very disturbed when the Slytherin started to kick off his trousers. "But I'll have you know, this whole situation is just ridiculous. It's so weird to see you two hanging around each other so… compatibly."

"Is that so?" Harry sounded bored, and petted the Doxy.

"Potter's just secretly happy to share my civilized and witty company," Draco said, poking his head out from the shower. "He's trying to improve his character."

"The hell I am," Harry scowled. "It is more than regrettable if I get any influence from you."

Draco shook his head, water spattering all over from his soaking locks, and also on Harry's face.

"Eww, Malfoy!" Harry wiped the water out of his eyeglasses.

Draco laughed. Harry shot him a glare, but soon found himself strangely enchanted by the Veela's laughter. Actually, he was now unable to take his eyes off Draco's face. The wet, purely white hair was falling over the blonde's eyes and cheeks, making him look so much different from his usual, arrogant self, and the grey eyes were bright and profound, sending shivers down Harry's spine. But how was that possible? Wasn't Harry supposed to be immune towards Draco's charms?

"Earth calling Potter," Draco smirked.

"Oh," Harry woke up from his trance. "I… I was just wondering what that white substance on your jaw is. Did we… er… interrupt you on a bad moment, perhaps?"

Draco's hand shot upwards to touch his chin. This, however, led to the fact that the shower curtain he'd been holding to cover his lower body parts, unceremoniously fell aside, revealing more than what Harry had expected to see when entering the bathroom.

"It's just shampoo, Potter," Draco said, rubbing out the white essence from his face. "Therefore, no, I was not having a wank here, you pervert!"

"Uh… I'm… just… going to… er… yeah," Theodore coughed, his eyes bulging out from their sockets with the sight of a naked Draco Malfoy, and disappeared into his own shower booth.

Harry turned his eyes quickly away from Draco, too, and blushed.
"What? I'm not that ugly!" Draco pouted and disappeared behind the shower curtain once again, to rinse his hair.

"No, not ugly at all…" Harry swallowed, quietly. Then he turned around to stare at his own eyes through the mirror. "What the fuck is happening to me?" he whispered.

"Potter?" it was Theodore.

"Yeah?" Harry answered, squeezing the rim of the sink with white knuckles. He sincerely hoped that Nott hadn't heard his silent words.

The Slytherin boy twined a towel around his waist and advanced towards Harry. "Hey… I accidentally overheard those friends of yours, Weasel and Granger, last night," he spoke with soft tones, so that Draco wasn't able to hear.

"Weasley," Harry corrected, frowning.

"Whatever," Theodore waved his hand impatiently. "What I wanted to ask you… Is it true that you're trying to find the right mate for Draco?"

Harry looked surprised. "Um… I guess…"

"Great!" Theodore grinned. "I mean… I just…" the Slytherin fidgeted his fingers. "Could you give me a chance with him?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "A chance?"

"Yeah," Theodore gained back his self-control, and straightened his back. "I'd like to know if I could be a match for him."

"Well…" Harry leaned against the sink and looked at Theodore in an evaluating way, crossing his arms. "But you're a boy!"

"So what?" Theodore scowled.

"We don't know if Malfoy's even gay!" Harry exclaimed, in a hushed tone.

"Well why don't we find out, hmm?" Theodore smirked. "Please, Potter."

Harry looked in the deep blue eyes of the Slytherin, and sighed. "Alright, fine."

Theodore gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you."

"I will go outside for a couple of minutes," Harry stepped forwards. "But don't get too excited, okay? I promise you that I will hex you so bad if…"

"Don't worry," Theodore laid a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'll be good."

Harry only nodded, and slowly walked out of the bathroom, closing the door silently behind him.

Draco leaned against the green wall in the shower. He closed his eyes, and let out a long exhale. Okay, so he had 'accidentally' dropped the shower curtain aside, right in front of Potter. Damn his damned Veela hormones! Potter must now think that he's completely mad. Oh, wait –nothing new there. Anyway… That had been completely out of line.

"Did we interrupt you on a bad moment?" Draco mimicked Potter, with a squeaky voice, and stuck his tongue out. "His so-called jokes are getting more and more stupid," he muttered, and directed the hot water against his face. "Bloody Gryffindor prat…"

"Draco?" somebody asked, and Draco heard his shower curtain being pushed aside.

"What now, Potter?" he growled, not bothering to open his eyes. The water was humming nicely in his ears, and he even opened his mouth to taste some of it.

"Not Potter, but me," Theodore Nott stepped inside Draco's cubicle and closed the curtain behind him.

Draco's eyes snapped open instantly, and he slammed the water tap closed. "You! What the fuck are you doing in my shower? Get out! Potter!"

"Don't get so crazy about this," Theodore closed Draco's mouth with his hand, stepping even closer. "I don't want to hurt you. I just… I just wanted to test if there was any chemistry between us. You know… If I could be your mate, possibly?"

Draco bit Theodore's fingers and the boy yelped, taking away his hand. "There is not any chemistry. You're not my mate. Now get lost!"

"Aw, come on, Drake… Give me a chance, will you?" Theodore pleaded. "Or is it that you're not interested in boys?"

"Nott, for the information of your pathetic, puny brain, the Veela can't choose their mates. They can't choose if they're girls or boys, they can't choose if they're fucking vampires! But one thing is sure. They always know who their mate is, the very second they come across with them. So believe me when I say it. You are not my mate."

"Don't lie to yourself, Draco. You shouldn't suffocate your desires only because I happen to be a boy. I promise you, I can make it worthwhile…"

Only now Draco realised he was alone in the shower booth with a boy, who was five inches taller than him, and whose dripping erection was almost pressing into his abdomen. His eyes widened with shock.

"Potter! What the hell's wrong with you? Why did you let this madman into my… mmmffff!"

Theodore captured Draco's lips with his own, greedy ones, and thrust his hips against Draco. Draco growled angrily in his throat and tried to push the other Slytherin away, scraping and beating his arms. But it was useless –Theodore was the stronger one of them two. Besides, their bodies were still so wet that they were also slippery, which didn't help Draco's escape attempts at all –in fact, it got him even closer to Theodore, if possible.

"Don't you like it, Draco?" Theodore smiled gently down at the blonde boy, and started to rub Draco's lower back.

"POTTER! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!" Draco shouted at the top of his lungs.

Theodore grabbed Draco's jaw angrily, and pressed their noses together. "Potter's not here. He left me alone with you."

"W-w-what?" Draco's eyes dilated.

"Oh, yes…" Theodore was smirking now. "Potter wanted to give me the chance to find out if I was your mate or not."

"Fuck! I'll kill that fucking Gryffindor idiot!" Draco yelled, and kicked Theodore in the groin. "And you! Get off me, you slut! You're not my mate!"

Theodore hissed in pain and doubled over. Draco used this opportunity to escape the cubicle. He dashed out of the shower and plunged for his towel that was hanging on the wall. But when he was just about to reach his hand on the door handle, he was tripped by Theodore, and he fell on his stomach on the floor. Theodore swiftly went to sit on his legs and pressed his torso down with his strong hands. They were both still stark naked.

"Potter…" Draco tried to shout, but all the air had escaped his lungs at the downfall, and his voice came out only as a pitiable squeal.

"Mwhahaahaa," Theodore chuckled, and heaved himself a little bit more upwards, closer to Draco's buttocks. "This looks nice."

Draco's cheek and temple were pressed against the cold and wet shower floor, and he was trying to concentrate on breathing. Theodore's hands were roaming over his back, sending disgusting shivers all over his body.

"Potter…" he tried again, tears welling in his eyes.

"He can't hear you…" Theodore teased. "And even if he did… I've locked the bathroom door with the Colloportus charm. He won't be able to…!"

Wham! The bathroom door burst open, slamming harshly against the wall. Harry was standing in the doorway, his eyes flaming with anger and loathing. He was pointing his wand straight at Theodore.

"Nott… I should've known!"

"Hey, don't get hasty, I'm just giving a… um… massage to my new boyfriend?" Theodore tried to smile, and began to smooth Draco's shoulder blades.

"Potter…" Draco hissed, obviously gaining back his voice, now. "You fucking idiot…"

Both Theodore and Harry gasped in horror when suddenly something black started to sprout out of the very shoulder blades that the brown-haired Slytherin was massaging.

"I'm so angry that I could kill you Potter…" Draco breathed again, and lifted himself on his elbows. "Don't you have any brain cells in that ugly head of yours? How could you! How could you leave us here like this?"

Theodore screamed with fright when two pitch-black wings sprouted out of Draco's back, right in front of his face. The sharp ends of the bat-like extensions stabbed him in painfully in the chest when they spread in their magnificent width, and he stumbled away from the Veela. Blood was dripping down his abs.

"What did you think you were doing!" Draco now pushed himself up on his knees, and stared fiercely at Harry. His teeth were as sharp as his Doxy's teeth were, and he was ready to tear somebody –more precisely Potter –into itsy bitsy pieces.

Harry was so panic-stricken that he accidentally dropped his wand. "I… I… I'm sorry…" he stammered, and took a few steps backwards, when Draco started to crawl towards him. The Slytherin Veela now looked very wild, his alabaster white, glowing skin contrasting with the sinfully black wings.

"Damn right you should be sorry!" Draco hissed, and leapt forwards, capturing Harry's wand from the floor. "What makes you think I won't hurt you now real bad?"

The Doxy was having a feast on Harry's shoulder. It was dancing and giggling like mad. Obviously it had seen something like this before.

"Please, Malfoy… Draco?" Harry shuddered under the stare of the Veela's eyes. "I… I won't do it again… I promise… I was stupid, I know…"

"Just shut the fuck up!" Draco growled. "You're making a fool out of yourself."

Draco tossed the wand back at Harry, who caught it with his seeker reflexes. Then the Veela turned around, still kneeling on the floor, and faced Theodore. "And you… You're disgusting. Get out!"

Theodore could not do anything but nod frantically. Hastily, he grabbed his towel from the wall and his clothes from the bench, and ran out of the room, almost knocking Harry over as he went.

"And go see Pomfrey with those stabs!" Draco yelled after him, before collapsing down and starting to massage his temples.

A nightmare… His life was a nightmare. What bad had he ever done to deserve this? Oh, no… Not going there again. He knew exactly what all he'd done, and he didn't need a reminder just now.

"Potter, don't you ever again leave me like that!" he sizzled instead, his whole body shuddering with raw fury.

"Not ever, I promise," Harry gulped. "Never!"

"Not ever before I get my medicine, you idiot!" Draco yelled at the Gryffindor's face. "We're not getting married or anything!"

Harry looked astounded at Draco's outburst. "I… I didn't think we were."

"I know!" Draco shouted, now even more heatedly if possible. His body was getting hot… He felt like burning… And he knew that meant only one thing: he would soon be having the hardest erection of all time. Potter, the damned, green-eyed pretty mate of his… No! Draco grabbed his towel angrily and wrapped it around his waist.

Harry looked confused, and a little bit scared. "Draco?"

The Veela forced himself to calm down. He took several deep breaths and concentrated on his body. With the power of his will, he forced the terrifying wings to retreat back into his shoulder blades, and his teeth to become normal again.

"I'm just fine, Potter," he finally exhaled. Then he stood up, and grabbed Harry's robes. "But you're not," he smirked.

It was miserable, really, to stand there in the cool wind with wet clothes. Sexual Behaviour of Magical Creatures had just begun, and Harry was shivering all over.

"Serves you right," Draco had pointed out to him just moments before, and Harry knew the Slytherin was right. Therefore, he wasn't complaining out loud.

"We will be studyin' Medusas terday," Hagrid was explaining, frantically gesturing towards the odd, little shed in front of them. "Yeh better get in."

Harry heard Pansy Parkinson explain that the shed was transfigured as a humid swamp from the inside, to make the surroundings ideal for the Medusas. She was right, Harry noticed, when stepping inside and almost spraining his ankle on the suddenly soft-gone ground. Draco, however, naturally held his grace when entering, and was followed by twenty-three pairs of admiring eyes.

Harry and Draco settled on the mossy ground with the other students, Draco looking worried for his robes and Harry looking plain cold.

"Where's my breakfast?" Draco asked, poking Harry in the shoulder. "I'm starving."

Snuffing his red-gone nose, Harry reached in his pocket, and pulled out a small bag. "It's your own fault if it's all soaking wet, then," he huffed. "Engorgio!"

A vacuum bottle, a small milk carton and a bag of sandwiches emerged in real size from the bag. Draco immediately dove for the sandwiches.

"Mmm… Good, how did you know that I like tuna sandwiches the most?" he purred, when taking huge bites of the bread.

"Eh… I like them myself?" Harry grinned.

Draco raised his brows at this, but wasn't able to comment anything, because Hagrid then revealed the Medusas and started talking.

Truth be told, he medusas were rather bizarre creatures in Harry's opinion. They were half snakes and half women, their skin was greyish-green, warm and scaly, and their hair was formed of hundreds of little slim snakes. Their teeth were spiky and their eyes were intelligent and vivid, ready to petrify anybody who dared to insult them. Hagrid, needless to say, was charmed by them beyond any reason.

Harry, instead, was rather disinterested –after all, he already had one weird life species under his care, in the snobbish, aristocratic form of Draco Malfoy. And this, if nothing else, was sure to evoke enough excitement and awareness for the rest of his school year in itself. Even in the field of sexual behaviour, if anything from the morning's shower episode was to be concluded.

Harry looked at the blonde boy deep in thought. Yes, he would have to start finding Draco a mate, and fast. It was only the second day since his exposure, and already he was beginning to feel like an overly-heavy burden on Harry's shoulders. Well, actually that was nothing to wonder about –it was hardly a secret that Harry and Draco hated one another. It was generally acknowledged that they did not get along too well. And now, when they were both forced to cooperate, forced to act along the lines of civility in their behaviour towards each other… Harry sighed. It was not going well. It was merely beginning to remind a ridiculous farce, a pitiful act of two helpless marionettes whose actions were guided by both Dumbledore's strict orders and Draco's Veela instincts.

Harry looked at down at his robes. They were soaking wet. Draco had pushed him under a shower after the Nott-incident, as a little revenge. Harry felt unreal, thinking about the whole thing. The black wings and the glowing skin… And now, there were no traces of any inhuman additions to body parts. Instead, Harry could see nothing but a relatively pretty young man, in the verge of paranoia, glancing around him constantly, drinking coffee, and trying to keep watch that nobody attacked him. Harry narrowed his eyes. It was true, Draco was a coward and a wimp. But oddly enough, this feature in the most feared and adored Slytherin had not done any harm to his reputation –if possible, it had only added Draco Malfoy's charisma, so that they were now in the level incompatible by anybody else.

"What are you staring at, Potter?" Draco asked. "My charms are starting to affect you, finally?"

"No," a small smile lingered in Harry's lips as he looked at Draco. "I'm just enjoying your discomfort."

"Well, enjoy while you still can. But let me have you know, if Hagrid starts advancing me with something else than that lustful stare of his, I promise you it won't be a funny job for you to keep him away from me."

"Well maybe you should stop being such a common flirt," Harry interrupted, snorting. "You're barely helping yourself with those stunts of yours. Wings, for heaven's sake! Couldn't you have kept it in a more subdued level, you ponce?"

"Excuse me! I couldn't help it! Everything that happened was for self-protection only!" Draco snarled, in a half-whisper, so that they wouldn't have disturbed the class. "Self-protection, because you had left me alone! You better not do that again, by the way. Not during this class, anyway. We all know how Hagrid feels deeply attracted towards everything that even remotely reminds a magical beast!"

"So you admit you're a magical beast!" Harry laughed silently.

Draco sizzled. "I am NOT! I am as human as you are!"

"Er… No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not!"

"Am too!" Draco's hands curled into fists. "I am a human being. Perhaps a little distinguished version from one, but still a human being."

Harry knew not to argue anymore about the subject –Draco's teeth were already sharpening slightly. Clearly, this was a sore spot for Draco. Clearly, the Slytherin did not want to be classified as anything even slightly 'animal' or 'inhuman'. Harry looked at the pouting face of his arch enemy, and grinned.

"Did you know you have freckles?"

Draco's eyes widened with horror. "I do not have freckles!"

"Yes, you do," Harry chuckled.

"I do not!" Draco started to feel his face. "I do not have freckles!"

Harry laughed now right at Draco's face. "Don't worry, Malfoy, they make you look kind of softer… almost kind."

This, if anything, made Draco look even more horrified. In fact, he was so shocked that he couldn't get a word out of his mouth. Harry watched in amusement as the Slytherin pulled the hood of his cloak up and covered himself as deep as possible in the shadows of the canvas.

Then, out of nowhere, somebody came and grabbed Draco's arm, sitting right beside him. Harry was immediately alarmed, and he leapt closer to Draco in mere seconds.

"Zabini, what do you want?" Harry asked, drawing out his wand even before either of the Slytherins had had the chance to say a word.

"I would just like to have a word with Draco, if that is okay with you, Mr. Potter," Blaise Zabini drawled, bowing mockingly at Harry's direction. "Or are there some new rules that forbid Draco associating with his classmates?"

"No," Harry grunted. "Just… keep your hands to yourself."

"Jealous?" Blaise raised a brow at Harry, then ignored him completely and turned to Draco. "How are you doing?"

Draco pulled the hood down again, looking a little surprised, but not anyhow displeased by the interruption. "Been better."

"I understand that Millicent tried something on you yesterday night," Blaise looked revolted. "Disgusting bitch. No manners at all."

Draco only shrugged. "Well… It wasn't really her fault, you know."

"The hell it wasn't!" Blaise huffed. "Look, I know the situation. I know that you are a half Veela. I know that you're radiating this… this weird charm that makes people go bloody wild. But still, it shouldn't mean that you should be threatened. It is the other people who should learn how to control themselves!"

"Thank you, Blaise, but I think you're quite missing the point, here," Draco looked frustrated. "They can't help themselves. Therefore, I don't blame Millicent. No, I only blame my ancestors… and Potter, of course."

Draco frowned at Harry's direction, and Harry frowned back. Blaise looked at them both with evil amusement.

"Draco… I'm worried about you. I'm your friend, and I want us to stay that way, even despite this new situation. It's driving me crazy, to have Crabbe and Goyle as my only company… You know how much Theodore spends his time with Tracey nowadays."

Both Harry and Draco snorted at the same time, which was quite comical, really.

"And, well…" Blaise continued, looking at them both suspiciously, "I just thought that you might like my company, too, when it's quite obvious that you have only the Saint Potter to entertain you now –and I am sure he's more like a burden than a good friend."

Draco looked at Blaise suspiciously, but a little gleam of hope in his eyes. "Well, Blaise, you're right in one thing, at least. I wouldn't mind to have some other company than Potter. But there is just one little problem."

"And what's that?"

"I don't want you to jump me."

"Draco… I promise you, I have no intentions to spoil our friendship by attacking you. I know how to control myself."

"So… You're saying that you don't feel at all like bouncing me?"

"Don't be stupid," Blaise huffed. "Of course I would love to bounce you and fuck your brains out. But there's just the difference –I won't force you to anything you don't like."

Draco seemed to contemplate Blaise's words. Surely it would not be bad if there was somebody to distract his thoughts from Potter? Draco shuddered, remembering the morning, when he'd almost… Not going there. 

"Welcome to our little group, Blaise." Draco said, sneering at Harry's direction. "It's just too bad we can't get rid of Har… Potter, because he's my guardian, but I think we'll get along with him, somehow."

Harry glared, but Draco ignored him. Blaise looked happy.

"We could always think he's your male servant… a slave, kind of," Blaise smirked. "Maybe we should get him a collar and a leash?"

Draco choked at the thought, and his cheeks flushed. He did not want to think about anything that brought images of Harry Potter, shadowy bedroom and heavy bondage sex in his mind. His Veela instincts kicked strongly in and he needed to close his eyes to get himself under control… to get his hands back into his pockets instead of nearly grabbing Harry's arse.

Harry, meanwhile, looked purely disgusted. "Zabini, in case you didn't know, I am not Malfoy's servant or anything, I am his protector."

"Protector, eh?" Blaise looked poisonous. "Well, in that case, there are two of us. Let's see which one of us Draco trusts the most!"

"You are challenging me?" Harry's eyes flashed.

"Yeah," Blaise looked confident and arrogant.

"Zabini, you're nuts," Harry looked bored. "I'm not interested in your childish games. All I want is that Malfoy gets his medicine from India as soon as possible, so that we can both be released from these stupid orders that bind us together."

Draco looked like ready to suffocate.

"Malfoy, are you alright?" Harry asked silently, furrowing his brows and grabbing his shoulder.

Draco's eyes flashed open, and both Harry and Blaise gasped when finding them sharply glowing. Draco hastily pulled the hood back up. "I am perfectly fine. Just… Fuck off, the both of you."

Harry and Blaise exchanged confused looks, but knew well enough not to take the Veela's orders literally. Especially when Hagrid was now advancing towards them.

After the morning classes, when sitting at the lunch table with the Slytherins, Harry received an owl from Professor Snape. The small and even scrawl told that Madame Pomfrey had succeeded to heal Theodore Nott's wounds just perfectly well, but, because Harry had let this incident to happen in the first place, twenty points would be taken from Gryffindor.

And what was more; Harry's belongings would be moved into the Slytherin dungeons –already tonight.

…TBC…