Doppelganger
Part X: Sleepless
By Krystiana
insanebunnypeoplepc.com
Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. (aka HP and all other characters belong to JKR and whole bunch of other people, blah, blah, blah...)
Warnings: This is slash. If you don't know what that means, don't read this or I'll set you on fire. Unless you're open-minded, have at it. Maybe I'll convert yet another person to the wonders of slash. (WOO BABY.)
Archive: My site (http:vichan.delete.org), FanFiction.net, Noire Sensus (if they should somehow get a hold of this), Schnoogle (eventually). Anywhere else, please e-mail me first.
Thanks: To Emma Grant, who has been my beta and dealt with my ramblings, which quite often make their way into my fics. She's got no idea how great she is. I'm a lazy bum, and Emma is a goddess.
Notes: I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG. RL issues, etc, etc - the usual excuses. However, to make up for it, this chapter is over twice as long as the rest of the chapters. Parts of this chapter were rewritten over ten times, so I'd really appreciate comments on this one.
Quite a few people have asked me if I'm going to be writing a back-story to Harry James and Draco Lucius (what's happened to them, in their world, up until the point when Doppelganger began). I'm sorry guys, but the answer is no. I know exactly what's happened to them, but there have been enough AU "What-if-Harry-was-in-Slytherin" stories, and I really don't have the interest in drawing out their story that long.
I upload the chapter everywhere at once, but you can usually find it on my livejournal first. If you friend me, I'll most likely friend ya back. I don't have nearly enough friends yet. :) size=1 width=100%>The Slytherins who hadn't made it to breakfast yet were staring in awe at the door leading to Draco Malfoy's room. For nearly ten minutes, they'd been hearing loud crashes, glass breaking, and Draco himself cursing up a storm. His door was ajar, but no one dared to approach it.
Draco let out another string of curses as he knocked over nearly all the potions in his cabinet. His coordination wasn't quite up to speed - it had been nearly seventy hours since he'd last gotten some sleep. He was searching for a pepper-up potion so he would at least be able to function for the day. He finally found one buried in the back of the cabinet. It had a thin layer of dust on the bottle, but otherwise looked fine.
Knocking back the potion, Draco turned to face his mirror, grimacing at his reflection. A few days ago, his hair had merely been 'as bad as Potter's.' Today, however, his hair was definitely worse than Potter's had ever been. Tossing and turning while sweating profusely all night had resulted in what appeared to be dreadlocks forming in Draco's hair.
Draco shoved down the urge to shriek as he grabbed his comb and attacked the knots in his hair. Combing seemed to be making it worse, so he stopped and looked for his hair gel, hoping to salvage a style that wouldn't look like a rat's nest.
A few minutes later, the few Slytherins still in the common jumped when Draco's door slammed open, and the blonde stood in the doorway with a murderous expression on his face.
"Draco, your hair-" The seventh year cut himself off when Draco turned that look on him.
Draco stormed through the common room and out into the dungeons. As the door slammed shut, the Slytherins looked at each other, all knowing what the others were thinking.
Draco Malfoy had definitely gone insane.
I know who you really are.
Harry stared down at the parchment in his hands. It was unsigned, and he didn't recognize the handwriting. Biting the inside of his cheek, he turned the parchment over, searching for some clue to lead him to who had sent it.
A clatter from the other side of the hall made Harry jerk his gaze up. His mouth dropped open at what he saw. Across the hall, Draco was standing in the open doors with his hair in disarray, dark circles under his eyes, and his teeth bared in a snarl.
Pansy let out a gasp, leaping to her feet as Draco marched up to the Slytherin table. He stopped right beside Harry James, who looked up at him with innocent eyes.
"You... you-" Draco growled loudly, his fingers turning into claws, reaching for Harry James's neck.
Draco Lucius reached across Harry James and slapped Draco's hands away. Draco turned his glare on his double, his eyes narrowing. "Stay out of this, imposter. Your boyfriend stole my hair gel."
Draco Lucius raised an eyebrow, but couldn't help a smirk spreading across his face. "The bedhead look suits you. I hear it's quite popular among the muggles."
Draco growled again, louder this time, his eyes turning back to face Harry James once more. "Give it back, or I WILL find a way to kill you, whether I can touch you or not."
Harry James simply shrugged. "I don't have it."
"But you DID take it. Where is it?" Draco demanded.
"Draco, you look like you haven't slept in days!" Pansy took a step forward, putting a hand on Draco's arm instead, interrupting the confrontation.
"That's because I haven't!" Draco snapped, not taking his eyes off Harry James.
"You should go to the hospital wing, Draco!" Pansy said, ignoring Draco's anger.
"You should take her advice, Draco," Harry James said, his grin spreading.
"I'm going to KILL YOU!" Draco lunged at Harry James, knocking him off the bench. The two fell to the floor and a faint trace of surprise filtered over Draco's face. "You're... there. I can touch you." Surprise fell away to cunning, and Draco smirked evilly. "I'm going to hurt you now."
"Don't be stupid." Draco Lucius said. Draco turned to look at his double, only to find a wand pointed directly in between his eyes. "If you hurt him, I will MAIM you. And then we will both kill you."
Draco snarled, but backed away from Harry James, allowing him to get to his feet. "Where is it?" he demanded of Harry James once more.
"I'm not telling." Harry James glanced at Draco's hair again, the corners of his mouth twitching. "If you can go for the entire day looking like you do right now, I'll give it back."
"That's blackmail!"
"Obviously," Draco Lucius replied dryly.
"Honestly, I expected you to at least take a shower," Harry James said.
"Draco shouldn't have to go through the whole day!" Pansy blurted, cutting off Harry James. She turned to Draco, her eyes wide with concern. "You haven't slept, and you look horrible - you need to go to the hospital wing and get a sleeping potion, Draco!"
"No. I will after Quidditch practice."
"That's not until TONIGHT, Draco!"
Across the hall, Harry could no longer hear the conversation between the Slytherins, so he turned his attention back to the note in his hand. Puzzling at it for only a moment more, he shoved it into his pocket, keeping it to study later.
"Let me take a look at your Potions essay, Harry," Hermione said as the trio stood to leave for their first class. "I know you said your genius twin helped you with, but I'll believe it when I read it."
Harry set his books on the table, flipping through his Potions text. Glancing up, he saw Ron and Hermione leaving already. "Hey!" Harry shouted angrily. "If you're going to make me dig out the essay, at least WAIT for me!" Harry gathered his books and sprinted to catch up with this friends. He started shuffling his books in his arms, attempting to free his Potions essay from the text. He'd been counting on Ron and Hermione to stop him before he ran into anything, but soon realized that was a mistake as he walked straight into something. Dropping his books, Harry fell to the floor.
"Nice one, Potter." Draco's voice reached Harry's ears, and he winced. He fought down the urge to blush, remembering his dreams of the past few nights.
"Watch where you're going, Potter!" Pansy snapped as Harry lifted his head. "You could have hurt Draco - he's fragile right now!"
"I'm sleep-deprived and gel-deprived, Pansy," Draco said, his eyes rolling upwards. "I'm not made of glass." Draco glanced down at Harry, who was starting to gather up his books.
Harry looked up to see a pale hand being offered to him. "Not bruised too badly, Potter?" Draco said, smirking.
"Um..." Harry stared at the hand for a moment before taking it. "Aside from my ego, no. I'm fine."
Draco pulled Harry to his feet, ignoring the small audience that was watching the two well-known rivals talk civilly. "You really should ride a broomstick everywhere you go, Potter," Draco said. "That way you might actually stay upright."
"No, I'd run into just as much stuff. I'd just get seriously injured all the time instead of only half the time." Harry realized he was still grasping Draco's hand, and quickly released it, bending over to pick up his fallen books. Draco crouched next to him, picking up his Potions text. They stood, and Draco passed the text over to Harry, a small smile playing on his lips. "Thanks, Malfoy." Harry nodded to Draco and gave a hesitant nod to Pansy, who was staring at Harry with wide eyes. He jogged off to catch up with Hermione and Ron.
If Harry's back hadn't been turned as he exited the hall, he would have seen Draco's eyes trailing after him, and their two doppelgangers giving each other knowing looks.
At first, Harry was surprised to see Remus Lupin sitting on a stool in the front of the classroom, but then remembered that the werewolf had told him he would be helping out with their class that day. Harry moved to greet Remus, but immediately turned towards his seat when Snape gave him a scalding look.
Harry glanced around the room, seeing everyone in their usual seats, but seeing Harry James deliberately sit in the front of the room unnerved him. However, it was worth it to see Snape's face when he saw Harry James take his seat.
Snape made another classic face when Draco entered the room, his hair still sticking out in every direction. Apparently, Snape had missed the Slytherin poster-boy's entrance in the Great Hall that morning.
Class began, and Snape moved around the room, collecting their essays. Harry felt oddly proud when Snape snatched his essay out of his hand and moved on. His professor was in for a surprise.
The Potions professor set the essays on his desk, swirling around to face the class. "We're going to be making the Lychansite potion today. Who would like to tell me what it is?"
Harry James was the only one in the room to raise his hand. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Hermione raise an eyebrow.
Snape, too, peered at Harry James in curiosity. "Mr... Potter."
"The Lycansite potion is used to detect werewolves, vampires, or veela, which sometimes disguise themselves as humans."
"And how does it work?"
"The person suspected must drink the potion, and their eyes will glow if they are a dark creature. They will glow red if they are a vampire, green in they are a veela, and blue if they are a werewolf. If someone who is not a dark creature takes it, there will be no effect." Harry James was staring levelly at Snape as he spoke, and he tilted his head to the side as he finished, as if asking for a more challenging question.
"Anything else you'd like to add?"
"Alcon Cardo, the inventor, was a werewolf who lived during the reign of Grindelwald, and he formed the alliance of werewolves, vampires, and veela that were to fight with Grindelwald. He made the potion to make sure there were no spies in his ranks." Harry James stopped, smirking. "I can tell you how it's made, as well, but I'm sure that you're about to show us."
Snape stared at Harry James for a few moments. "Where did you learn this?"
"You." Harry James said simply. "Well, the you that I know."
The corners of Snape's lips twitched, obviously trying to decide whether to smile or yell. Finally, he smirked right back at Harry James. "Twenty points to Slytherin." He turned back towards the class. "I'm sure you all remember Remus Lupin, who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts in your third year. I'm also sure all of you know that he's a werewolf, and he's agreed to test your potions. However..." Snape said, his upper lip curling back, "You will be testing these potions on YOURSELF first, to make sure that there are no ill effects. It would be pointless to get the guinea pig sick before everyone has had a chance to test their potion." Harry could see Remus rolling his eyes, but keeping silent.
Snape swirled around and began furiously writing down the ingredients in the front of the room. "Copy these down." He turned again, keeping a sharp eye on all of his students. "After you've copied the instructions, split into these pairs." He read the names off the sheet, glaring at anyone who dared to groan about who they were grouped with.
That day, it seemed that Snape made the groups with the idea to start a riot. He made sure to pair each Gryffindor with a Slytherin, especially now that the addition of two more Slytherins evened out the class. Hermione was placed with Goyle, Draco Lucius with Dean, Harry with Draco, and Harry James was placed with Ron.
As the class moved to their places, Harry snuck a concerned look at his red-haired friend. His eyes widened when he saw Ron glaring at him, not Harry James. Harry's face fell as he took his seat beside Draco, who spared him a quick nod before turning his attention back to Snape.
"You will share a grade based on the final outcome of your potion, and you will each be graded individually based on how much work I observe you doing," Snape said. "Do not forget that the potions will be tested at the end of class by yourselves, and then by Lupin. Begin."
Harry and Draco worked mostly in silence. Oddly enough, so did Ron and Harry James. Although Ron made it obvious that he did not like Harry's double, he also knew that Harry James knew this potion already. Ron was more interested in testing a safe potion on himself, rather than something that could potentially give him fur.
"You should all be finishing up by now," Snape said towards the end of the period. "Bottle your potion and let it cool for two minutes." Harry was staring in horror at his potion. According to the instructions, the liquid should have been crystal clear. His and Draco's however, was currently a dark murky brown.
"Mr. Potter, would you care to tell me what you did wrong?" Snape had snuck up on him, and was now staring at the cauldron in distaste. Harry opened and closed his mouth, but could not find an answer. He had done his half of the work exactly as it stated in the instructions.
"It's my fault, Professor Snape." Harry turned and gaped at Draco as he spoke. "I added the matarie before the crushed sloth beans. I may have not stirred it enough times, either."
Most of the class was silent, and Snape was staring at Draco. "Are you feeling all right, Draco? You don't seem to be... yourself today." His eyes flicked up to Draco's currently out of control hair. "Do you need to the hospital wi-"
"No, I don't need to go to the hospital wing," Draco said shortly. "It was just a mistake."
The class seemed even quieter than before. Everyone was staring at Draco, who had not only messed up in his best class, but taken the blame himself when he had the opportunity to pin it on Harry Potter.
Snape glanced between the two boys. Draco was staring straight ahead, and Harry was still staring at Draco. "Needless to say, you two will not be testing your potion today. Start cleaning up."
Harry began sweeping off the table, glancing at Draco every few moments. "Thanks," he said quietly.
"For what?" Draco said as he emptied the contents of the cauldron. "It was my fault in the first place."
"I know, but-" Harry cut himself off, and Draco looked at him, tilting his head to the side.
"Two days ago I would have blamed you," Draco finished for him. "I know. Things are different now, Ha... Potter."
Harry still wasn't quite sure why things were different between the two of them, as it had been Draco that had changed things, really. He didn't argue, but offered Draco a smile as they continued cleaning up.
"Feel like talking some more tonight, Potter?" Draco said as they finished up, sitting back in their seats.
"Um... sure."
"Meet me after the Slytherin Quidditch practice. Just come to the pitch."
Harry nodded. Draco smiled at him - that rare, genuine smile, and Harry smiled back.
Ron and Harry James had already tested their potion on themselves, and were ready to test it on Remus. Harry James handed the bottle to Remus while Snape watched closely over their shoulders.
Remus swallowed the potion, wincing from the taste as it rolled down his throat. "May I ask you a question, Harry James?" he asked after he had swallowed.
"Yes."
"Why did you learn of this potion so early? When Severus and I were in school, it wasn't even covered until seventh year."
Harry James glanced over at Draco Lucius, who was currently testing his own potion. "Draco and I thought someone was impersonating you, because you'd been acting strangely. Professor Snape taught me about the potion so we would be able to find out."
"Why not just use Veritaserum?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow.
Harry James looked away from Remus. "In our world, Remus isn't a fan of Veritaserum. We decided to use the Lycansite potion instead, in case it really was Remus just behaving strangely."
"Why doesn't he like-"
"I'd rather not talk about it," Harry James said, cutting Professor Snape off.
As expected, Remus' eyes had taken on a blue glow. Snape smirked. "How much of the work did you do, Harry James?"
"Not all of it."
"Most of it, though?"
Harry James glanced at Ron, whose eyes had already begun burning with hatred. "Yes."
Snape nodded, not waiting to hear any more, and he and Remus moved on to Draco Lucius and Dean's potion.
"That's a lie!" Ron spluttered. "I did half of the work, if not more, easy!"
"But you didn't know what you were doing. You had to wait for me to tell you exactly what to do. You didn't even know to cut the materie against the grain! That's just common sense, Weasel."
Ron's face was beat red by now. "You're not even real," he hissed. "You're just here to screw with Harry's head. I'm his best friend, and he hasn't spoken to me in days. He's talked to the ferret more than me!"
"Ferret?" Harry James said in confusion. "Who's that - your sister?"
Ron bared his teeth, ready to attack Harry James.
"RON!" Hermione burst forward, grabbing his arm. "This isn't the place," she whispered. "Class is over, and Harry wants to talk to both of us during our free period." She tilted her head towards the door, where Harry was waiting. "Let's go."
"I thought you wanted to talk to Remus," Draco Lucius said to Harry James as they headed down the hall to their next class.
"I did, but that was before I saw how sad he looked." Harry James glanced up at his lover. "Sirius is dead in this world, and it only happened a few months ago. I don't want to upset Remus even more by telling him that he's alive in our world."
Hermione, Ron, and Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room, pleased to find it empty. Harry sat in his seat, but kept shifting in it, obviously nervous.
The three Gryffindors merely stared at each other for nearly a minute before Harry finally broke the silence with a hesitant laugh. "Where to start?"
Hermione coughed, raising her eyebrows.
Harry bit his lip. "Ron, I'm sorry I haven't told you what's been going on. Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure what's going on myself."
"I can tell you that," Ron said bitterly. "Two imposters fell out of the sky, pretending to be you and Malfoy. They're tricking you into thinking that you two should be friends, and that you should have been in Slytherin."
"Ron, stop," Hermione said. "Let Harry talk." She turned to Harry, offering him a small smile. "Why don't you start with the sorting?"
"What about the sorting?" Ron asked, making it obvious he was unhappy with Hermione knowing things about Harry that he did not.
Harry closed his eyes. "Ron, I was very close to being in Slytherin." Squeezing his eyes shut even more, Harry counted backwards in his head. 3... 2... 1...
"WHAT?!"
"Ron, shush!" Hermione hissed.
"Nobody's here," Ron shot back. "I can be as loud as I want."
Hermione narrowed her eyes, glaring at Ron with venom. "Harry, continue," she said without looking away from Ron.
"The sorting hat told me that I would have done well in Slytherin. In fact, it didn't even mention another house until it finally shouted 'Gryffindor.'" Pausing, Harry took a deep breath. "In our second year, when I met Tom Riddle, he said that we were very similar. We were both half-blood orphans that were raised by muggles." He paused and cast a glance at Ron, who was staring back at him pensively, then Hermione, who simply gave him a nod of encouragement. Harry smiled weakly. "I didn't tell you guys because I knew how you felt about Slytherin." "
What did you expect me to do?" Ron said, his voice not quite as harsh as it was before. "You're my best friend, Harry. I wouldn't have dropped you over something like that. Before I even came to Hogwarts, I overheard Fred and George telling Mum and Dad that the hat said they would have been great in Slytherin."
Harry's eyes widened, and Hermione's mouth dropped open. "The hat wanted Fred and George in Slytherin?" Hermione said in disbelief.
Ron nodded. "Charlie, too, apparently. But Harry, what counts is that you WEREN'T sorted into Slytherin."
Harry closed his eyes again. "The thing is, Ron... after talking with Harry James, I think I was supposed to be."
"They're NOT REAL, Harry," Ron said firmly. "It's just some trick that Voldemort thought up to screw with your head."
Harry shook his head. "They are very real, Ron. Yes, they were brought here by Voldemort, but they are definitely who they say they are. Voldemort only knows the first part of the prophecy, while Harry James knows the whole thing."
Ron was silent for a moment. "The... prophecy? The one the Death Eaters wanted from the Ministry of Magic last year?"
Harry nodded, finding himself unable to speak.
"I thought it was smashed."
"The official record was, but Dumbledore was there to hear the prophecy when it was originally cast," Harry said, his voice suddenly becoming bitter. "He knew about it since before I was born, but he only bothered to tell me last year, after the fiasco at the Ministry. He kept it from me, even though the prophecy was about ME."
Hermione let out a breath. "That's why you don't trust him anymore."
"You don't trust Dumbledore?" Ron, who had long lost his anger, was now looking at Harry in confusion. "What did the prophecy say, Harry?"
Harry looked back and forth between his two friends, not being able to help but smile. They had stuck by his side through five years of madness and death, helped him deal with the fame that he didn't really want. It didn't seem fair to unload another secret onto them.
"Harry?" Hermione said softly.
"It said..." Harry closed his eyes, clearly picturing the ghostly image of Trelawney spinning in Dumbeldore's pensieve, the cold and raspy voice reciting the words that he hated. "It said that I was the one with the power to destroy Voldemort, and he would mark me as his equal." Harry's fingers unconsciously reached up to trace his scar. "I'm supposed to have some power that Voldemort doesn't know about..." Harry trailed off, unable to tell them the last, most horrifying part.
"Is... that it?" Ron's voice was scarcely above a whisper.
Harry shook his head. When he spoke, his voice could barely be heard. "And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives."
The three of them were silent for nearly a full minute before Ron finally said, "What does that mean, Harry?"
"It means I have to kill Voldemort."
Ron bit his lip. "I think the entire wizarding world is already expecting that, Harry, even without knowing the prophecy."
"And I'm tired of people EXPECTING me to be able to do everything," Harry said weakly. "I know everyone else was expecting me to, but do you realize what that means?" Ron shook his head. "It means I have to kill. I'm the secret weapon. Dumbledore has been 'protecting' me all these years because I have to live in order to kill Voldemort."
"I... I don't understand what this has to do with you thinking you should have been in Slytherin," Ron said.
"I need to be his equal. Voldemort... Tom Riddle. We're like each other, in every aspect, except he was in Slytherin, and I'm in Gryffindor."
"Harry, you can't take the prophecy THAT literally," Hermione said. "You don't need to be Voldemort in order to defeat him."
Harry winced, hearing Hermione echoing his own words to Harry James. "But Harry James is in Slytherin, and he has already carried out the prophecy in his world." Harry saw Ron opening his mouth to protest, and cut him off. "No, Ron. His life was like mine in every possible way until the sorting. Now he has a perfect life, and he killed Voldemort last year, when I was only just finding out about the prophecy."
"You think... his life is better than yours?" Ron said in disbelief. "He's not... he's not friends with..." He cut himself off, rethinking his words. "Aside from Voldemort being dead, what has he done that makes his life so great?"
Wincing, Harry swallowed, trying to force down the lump that was forming in his throat. "Sirius."
Ron stiffened. "He's... alive?" he asked softly.
"More than that," Harry said, leaning over and putting his head in his hands. "Harry James managed to catch Pettigrew the night I let him get away. Sirius has been proven innocent, and he and Draco Lucius live with Sirius and Remus."
"It's just... different circumstances, Harry," Ron said. "Besides, just because Harry James knows the prophecy still doesn't convince me he's real. Maybe he's a spell designed to draw what you want from your mind or something..."
Harry smiled wryly. "Then how do you explain Draco Lucius? Do you really think I ever considered falling in love with Draco Malfoy?"
Ron's face twisted into pure disgust. "They're IN LOVE? I thought they were just friends!"
Harry glanced at Hermione. "I didn't... tell him everything, Harry," she said, biting her lip. "Just the basics, with what you had been seeing in the mirror, and your memory loss."
"The memory loss when you were... becoming Harry James?" Ron said, his mouth dropping open. "So... that night... you were kissing Malfoy?" Harry nodded. "I did notice that you two were on nicer terms today. I hope you're not getting ideas... ," Ron said, his grimace not disappearing.
"No!" Harry exclaimed quickly, a blush rising to his cheeks.
Ron was shaking his head. "I don't know whether that makes me believe that they're definitely real, since no one in their right mind would ever picture you and that ferret as a couple... or if the sheer idea of it is just too out there to possibly be true."
"They're real, Ron," Hermione said. "I've talked to Draco Lucius. He's definitely a real person."
"Fine, I'll take your word on it," Ron said, throwing his hands up in the air. "But how did Voldemort bring them here?"
"We don't know exactly," Harry said. "But he somehow used Morgana's mirror. Hermione showed me an article about it, and then I saw the mirror in a vision."
"Why didn't you say anything?!" Hermione burst.
"I've had other things on my mind!" Harry shot back, his eyes narrowing.
"Don't you two start fighting, now," Ron said. "Look, Harry. I know you've had quite a week, and I understand your reasons for not telling us everything." Harry smiled gratefully at his friend, and Ron continued. "But you have to realize that we're your friends. You don't have to keep secrets from us."
"I know, Ron," Harry said. "But you have to realize that I can't always tell you everything. I need to keep some things to myself."
"No matter what happens, we're still going to be your friends, Harry," Hermione said.
"That said, isn't it time for lunch?" Ron said. Harry and Hermione laughed.
"Leave it to Ron to know when to end a conversation," Hermione said, standing up.
"I'm hungry!" Ron protested.
"As you always are."
Harry and Ron walked side by side from the Great Hall after dinner, smiles of both of their faces.
"Do you want to play a game of exploding snap after we finish up our history of magic essays?" Ron was asking.
Harry smiled, but it fell as he remembered his promise to meet Draco. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"I agreed to meet someone tonight."
"Who?"
Harry pursed his lips, not wanting to remind Ron of the fact that he was now on friendlier terms with Draco. "I'm sorry, Ron."
Ron narrowed his eyes. "I thought you weren't going to keep secrets anymore."
Harry sighed. "Sometimes you have to, Ron."
Under his invisibility cloak, Harry watched from the ground as Draco instructed the Slytherin Quidditch team to fly one last lap around the pitch, then turn in for the night. The Slytherins followed suit, and slowly filtered off the pitch, leaving Draco alone.
Harry watched as Draco dove down through the air at an incredible speed, pulling up at the last second into a loop. Harry raised an eyebrow at the sight of Draco maneuvering so easily - why was he never this good during their games?
Draco finally slowed down from his breakneck speed, surveying the pitch as if looking for the snitch. Even from the ground, Harry could see disappointment on his face. Harry quickly shrugged off his cloak, emerging from the shadows. "Hey!" he shouted, waving Draco over. The blonde turned towards Harry, and down, pulling up slow enough so he could simply hop off of his broom and walk over to Harry.
"You appeared out of nowhere, Potter. How do you do it?"
Harry smirked. "That's my little secret. Maybe I'll tell you someday."
Draco narrowed his eyes, but didn't push the subject.
"How was practice?"
"Miserable. I haven't slept in nearly eighty hours."
Harry's eyebrows shot into his hair, staring at Draco in awe. "The longest I've ever stayed awake is a day and a half, and I couldn't function. How did you make it through the day?"
"Pepper-up potion. Lots of it." Draco sat down on the field, falling onto his back. "I wouldn't really call it 'functioning,' though. I feel like I've been in a haze all day. I can barely form complete sentences."
"Sounds like you're doing okay," Harry said, sitting down beside Draco. He studied Draco's face, noting that even though he appeared exhausted, he looked somewhat content. "Why haven't you slept?"
Draco didn't answer, instead turning his gaze up to the quickly darkening sky.
"It sounds like you haven't slept since the day our twins fell out of the sky."
"That's exactly right."
"It's related to that, right? Your not being able to sleep?"
"Yes, but I don't want to talk about it, Potter. Not now. Maybe after I actually get some sleep. That way I won't say something I..." Draco cut himself with a loud yawn.
"You won't say something you... what?"
"Regret."
Harry reluctantly accepted that. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
"You."
"Again?" Harry sighed. "When do we get to talk about you?"
Draco sat up, smirking at Harry. The sunset cast shadows on Draco's face, making him appear even more pale and drawn. "I was raised by Lucius Malfoy. Do you really want to know what my childhood was like?"
"Yes."
Draco grinned now, and Harry tried not to laugh at the picture the Slytherin was creating. With his out of control hair, the dark circles under his eyes, the quidditch robe, and the crazy grin, Draco resembled Doctor Frankenstein. "I will definitely tell you tomorrow, if you still want to know. Tonight I want to talk about you."
"And you always get what you want."
"Not as often as you think."
Harry sighed again, leaning back on his elbows. "What do you want to know now?"
Draco didn't miss a beat. "How do you see yourself?"
Harry thought for a moment before answering. "Someone who has had a lot of luck. Both good luck and bad luck." Biting his bottom lip, he added, "Mostly bad."
"What do you want?"
Harry looked taken aback by that question, and he stared at Draco. "What I... want.... is to just be a normal kid. I... I want people to see that I am a normal kid. I'm not their savior." Harry's voice was bitter as he turned his eyes away from Draco and towards the ground.
"So... you want to be a normal wizard. What do you think 'normal' is?"
Harry blinked. "I don't think I know how to answer that question."
"I do," Draco said, his expression serious. "'Normal' is boring. 'Normal' is when someone lives and behaves exactly as they're expected to. You, Potter, are not a normal wizard."
Harry raised an eyebrow, thinking that the lack of sleep was definitely affecting Draco's behavior. "Should I... take that as a compliment?"
Draco ignored his question. "When I first met you, I expected you to be like me - after all, the Potter name was an important one even before the... accident."
"Accident?" Harry said sharply.
Again, Draco ignored him and continued, turning his eyes away from Harry. "You are an important person, and I expected you to act important. You should have known by then who the best families were, and to stick by them to better your reputation and your influence." Draco raised his eyes slightly to meet Harry's. "But you were raised as a muggle. You are one of the most important wizards of our time, and you didn't even know. You probably still don't know. You could use your name to get you places wizards our age can only dream of. But you never do."
"Why would I want to?"
"Think of the influence you could have if you just threw your weight around. Now that the Daily Prophet isn't ridiculing you on a daily basis anymore, you could walk into any wizard establishment, get exactly what you wanted, and not have to pay a dime."
"But I have plenty of money," Harry said, thinking of the time when Lockhart had given him all of his books for nothing. "They should be giving their freebies to those who can't afford it."
"It's good publicity for them to have someone of such high standing 'shop' at their business," Draco said. "That's just an example, anyway. My point is that you never put yourself above others. That's why I hated you. You were everything I was raised to believe was wrong."
"You were raised to hate me? Then why did you want to be friends with me?"
Draco narrowed his eyes. "I didn't know that's what you were like. Truthfully, I wanted to make friends with you to impress and piss off my father."
Harry stared at Draco in confusion. "How do you make your father angry and proud at the same time?"
"He would be impressed because I managed to get on the good side of Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world. He would be pissed off because I managed to get on the good side of Harry Potter, the one who defeated his Lord Voldemort."
"I still don't understand what you're trying to say."
Draco sighed. "I suppose that it's my lack of sleep talking, then. What I mean is you aren't the person I thought you were, then or now."
"I'm not the person I thought I was, either," Harry said softly.
"How's that?"
"Never mind." Harry quickly changed the subject, not wanting to think of his fame or 'high standing.' "You think you'll do well in your next match? You're playing Ravenclaw next, right?"
Draco noticed Harry's swift turn from their topic, but smirked. "We're going to kill them. Chang has put on some weight this year, and she's not nearly as quick as she was before."
"Their chasers could use some work. Didn't Mark Trunper run into one of the hoops in their last match?"
Draco threw his head back in laughter. "That was priceless."
Their conversation quickly turned to Quidditch, covering everything from their school's teams to the world teams, and who they predicted would be playing for the Quidditch Cup the following summer. Harry found he was enjoying himself - the sleep-deprived Draco Malfoy seemed to be much easier to get along with than a well-rested one. As they talked, neither of them noticed the sun dropping down below the horizon and night falling over them.
As Harry shifted his weight, folding his legs underneath him, he noticed a dark shape on the other side of the pitch by the goal posts. He gestured at Draco, pointing at the figure.
"Madame Hooch!" Draco hissed quietly. "She always inspects the field after Slytherin practices to check for cheating spells!"
"Is it past curfew?" Harry whispered back, standing up, but still crouched low to avoid the light coming from the school.
"Definitely."
Harry grabbed Draco's arm, pulling him back towards the shadows where he'd left his invisibility cloak. "Potter, what -" Draco managed to sputter before Harry quieted him by putting his hand over the Slytherin's mouth, pulling the cloak up to cover both of them. He forced both of them to kneel to the ground - the cloak wasn't quite big enough to cover two 16-year-old boys. Harry's quick reaction came just in time - Madame Hooch had turned and was now approaching their side of the pitch. She had lit her wand to see better - evidently she had heard them.
The flying instructor came closer and closer to them, until she was only a few feet away from the two boys. She peered around with narrowed eyes. "Anyone here?" she called.
Finally satisfied, Madame Hooch turned around and left the pitch. Harry waited until she was out of sight before letting out his breath. He suddenly realized he has his arm wrapped around Draco, and Draco's head was resting on his shoulder. "Now you know the secret, Malfoy," Harry said quietly.
Draco did not respond.
Harry looked closer at the boy in his arms. Draco was breathing slowly, and although his eyes were closed, a small smile played on his lips.
Draco was definitely asleep. His body had apparently just given up after being awake for so long. Harry didn't have the heart to wake him up, so he gently moved Draco so he was lying on the soft grass beneath them. Even in his sleep, Draco refused to give up Harry's shoulder as his pillow, grabbing onto Harry's cloak. Not being able to move, Harry laid down beside him, still keeping the cloak covering both of them.
Harry looked up at the stars that were just beginning to appear in the sky, listening to Draco's rhythmic breathing. He soon found himself nodding off, and was soon fast asleep, as well.
For the first time in three days, Harry did not dream of Draco.
To be continued...