"Where were you yesterday?" Draco asked, dodging aside as Hermione flipped her wet hair upside down and wrapped a towel around her head, littering the bathroom floor with droplets of water in the process.

"I was visiting my parents, then Ernie and I did Harry and Cody's patrolling shift since they weren't around."

Draco set his comb back down on the counter next to his extensive collection of styling products. "Find anything interesting?"

"No, it was pretty quiet."

"Hmm..." Draco used his fingers to carefully place the blond strands of hair hanging down over his forehead just so.

"What did Laszlo have to say?" Hermione asked, squeezing some toothpaste onto her brush.

"Just the usual; he suspects Voldemort of planning some kind of secret attack behind his back."

"Poor guy."

"Yeah, he's due for a stroke any day now."

"So, how was it with Harry?" Hermione asked around a mouthful of foam.

Draco stopped fiddling with his hair and smiled at his reflection. "Good, we got a few things off of our chests and kind of made up. We even talked about Cody."

Hermione paused to spit into the sink. "You did?" she said in surprise. "So he actually told you that they were going out?"

"Yep."

"That must've been hard."

Draco shrugged. "I've been through worse."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "You're taking this awfully well..." she said suspiciously. "You're even smiling."

"Am not."

"Yes, you are." Her eyes widened. "You're hoping that they'll break up, aren't you?"

"Is that a crime?" Draco smirked.

"That's a new level of pathetic, even for you," Hermione said in disgust, wiping her mouth on a nearby towel.

"What?"

"You're either really pathetic, sitting around moping while clinging to one tiny scrap of hope, or you're just really cruel waiting for Harry to get his heart broken after everything he's been through."

"Or, he's the cruel one and I'm willing to forgive him when he finally comes to his senses."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook out her hair, leaving the towel draped around her shoulders as she began to brush out her damp locks. "What if this is it? What if Cody is the one?"

Draco snorted. "I doubt it."

"It's possible."

He suddenly remembered the conversation he'd overheard yesterday. "Have you talked to Ron lately?"

"What about?"

"He didn't say anything important about Harry....or Cody?"

"No, why?"

"Never-mind, it's not important." Draco gave his reflection one final glance then edged past Hermione and exited the cramped bathroom that they shared.

"Hey!" she called after him. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

Draco smiled mysteriously and kept walking.

Hermione growled in frustration and stuck her tongue out at his back.

"Good morning, Harry," Draco greeted pleasantly, flashing Harry a smile as he entered the kitchen.

Harry's face lit up. "Hi, Draco," he replied, mouth full of cereal.

"Still talking with your mouth full?" Draco teased, sniffing the coffee simmering in the pot.

"Cody doesn't care," Harry shot back with a smile, smacking his lips loudly.

"What don't I care about?" Cody asked, coming in from the backyard, out of breath and sweaty from a brisk morning jog.

"I was just telling Draco how you don't care that I talk with my mouth full."

"I think it's sexy." Cody grinned, giving Harry a wink.

Harry burst out laughing and choked on his cereal.

"Am I missing something?" Draco frowned.

"Sorry, mate." Cody smiled at Draco, wrapping his arms around Harry's shoulders and resting his chin on the top of his head. "I guess it's kind of an inside joke. Isn't it, baby?"

Harry closed his eyes as his body shook with silent laughter. "I think I'm gonna be sick," he managed to gasp, eyes beginning to water.

Draco clenched his teeth together and filled a mug with hot coffee.

"Mmm...that smells great." Cody released the still giggling Harry and walked over to get some coffee himself.

Draco immediately took the opportunity to grab the chair beside Harry and sat down.

Harry tried to regain his composure and began to eat his breakfast again, eyes still twinkling in amusement.

Cody sat down across from Draco as Hermione, Ron, and Ernie entered the sun-filled room and moved around taking various things out of the cupboards for breakfast.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Ernie asked, sitting down with half a grapefruit and a spoon.

"Not much," Draco answered. "Who's volunteering for patrol duty tonight?"

"We'll do it," Harry offered, glancing at Cody, "since we missed our turn last night."

"Great, it's settled then. Everyone else has a free day." Draco smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "And Harry you don't need to go until it gets dark, you can do whatever you want until then."

"Excellent." Harry smiled. "Cody and I have some practising to do."

"Are you going to practice here?" Hermione asked, joining the table with a plate full of toast and peanut butter.

"Yeah, I guess." Harry turned to look over his shoulder at the expanse of private land stretching out behind Moony House. "I think it'll be safe."

"Should be fine," Cody agreed.

"Mind if we watch?" Ron asked, while tending to a pan of scrambled eggs on the stove.

"I don't see why not." Cody shrugged, looking to Harry.

Harry returned the shrug. "Sure, if you want."

Ernie smiled. "Brilliant! I've been dying to see what you guys can do."

Harry laughed. "It's really not all that exciting."

"Aw, don't be modest, Sparky." Cody grinned, then turned to the others. "You should see him levitate."

They all turned wide-eyed towards Harry.

"You can levitate?" Hermione asked in astonishment.

"Yeah," Harry mumbled, glaring at Cody.

Cody laughed. "Hey, remember the time you fell into that river?"

Harry snorted. "How could I forget? It was bloody freezing."

Draco scowled into his mug, hating it when Harry and Cody reminisced about things that happened that he wasn't a part of.

"You fell into a river?" Ron laughed. "What were trying to do?"

"Julian sent us on this trip into the woods and we had to survive there for a month on our own, and I was attempting to levitate across this river without getting my clothes wet, only I sort of lost it halfway across and fell in."

"I got him warm again pretty fast, though," Cody added, mischievously. "Didn't even have to use magic."

Harry snorted into his cereal for the second time that morning.

Draco set down his empty mug. "Hey, Harry, remember the time you tried to convince me to take a midnight swim in the lake with you and then the squid ended up stealing your bathing suit and I was sitting on the shore laughing my ass off?"

Harry threw back his head and laughed. "Oh my god, I almost forgot about that! And you wouldn't help me, you stupid prat. You just kept laughing!"

Draco smiled, shooting a glance at Cody. "I couldn't help it, you looked so funny, especially when you tried to hide yourself behind that piece of moss."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. Draco smiled, pleased with himself.

"When did that happen?" Ron asked, hopping up on the counter to eat, his plate of eggs balanced precariously on his lap.

"Over the summer," Harry answered.

Cody raised a brow at Draco then turned to Harry. "Do you remember the time we had to spend the entire night up that tree and we just sat there all night and talked, then the next morning that giant bird started attacking your red sweater and you had to take it off and throw it away to get rid of him?"

"Yeah." Harry smiled in remembrance.

Draco raised a brow at Cody's triumphant glance and took up the unspoken challenge. "Hey, Harry, remember the time we snuck into Hogsmeade through the cellar in Honeydukes and you got the sleeve of your jumper caught in the cotton candy machine and you had to leave it behind?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, not missing a thing between the two rivals.

"Geez, Harry, do you end up naked in every story?" Ron asked.

"Just in the ones worth telling." Draco smirked.

"Hey, remember the time Julian made you go to practice with only those tiny, tight, black shorts on?" Cody asked, innocently.

"I'm leaving," Hermione announced with another roll of her eyes. "Ron, you can have my chair."

"What about it?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Oh, nothing." Cody smiled. "Just thought it was worth mentioning."

"Harry, remember the time I accidentally walked in on you in the prefect's bathroom?" Draco spoke up.

"Yeah sure, an accident." Harry laughed.

"Subtle," Cody observed with a roll of his eyes in Draco's direction. "Hey, remember the time you accidentally set my pants on fire?"

"Ha!" Draco exclaimed. "You already told that one! Harry, remember the time we went to that karaoke bar?"

"What?!" Harry cried.

"Oh, wait, that wasn't you..."

"Ha!" Cody pointed at him triumphantly.

Harry frowned, looking between the two with sudden comprehension.

"Hey, remember the time we went to that club and that guy paid you to do a strip-tease on the bar?"

"What?!" Harry exclaimed in horror, staring at Cody. "That did not happen," he hurriedly assured Ron and Ernie, who were looking beyond stunned.

"Is that all you got, then?" Draco taunted.

"You wish."

"Oh, for god's sake!" Harry cried in exasperation.

Draco stood up and leaned across the table. "Then show me what you've got."

Cody pushed back his chair.

"Stop it!" Harry demanded, caught between amusement and annoyance.

Ron and Ernie glanced between Draco and Cody with their mouths open, heads swivelling back and forth as if they were at a tennis match.

"Don't push me, Malfoy," Cody warned.

Draco sneered. "What's the matter, did a dingo eat your baby?"

Ernie let out a snort of laughter.

"Draco!" Harry said, sharply.

"At least I'm not a fucking ratbag!"

"Cody, that's enough!" Harry shoved back his chair and stood up. The mug in front of Cody suddenly exploded into a hundred pieces.

Cody took a step back, his fists unclenching. "Sorry, Harry. I'll stop." He waved a hand and the broken pieces of ceramic flew back together and the mug stood as good as new on the table once more.

Draco exhaled and sat down, still eyeing Cody.

Harry frowned and closed his eyes, wearily pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

Ron and Ernie glanced at each other and mutually decided to go back to eating their breakfast, pretending that there wasn't a tense and awkward silence filling the room.

Draco glanced at Harry's tired expression and immediately felt sorry for causing a scene. "Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to – ow!"

Harry's eyes flew open as everyone turned to stare at Draco.

"Shit," Draco swore, clutching his arm.

"Voldemort?" Harry asked, voice wavering slightly.

"Yeah..." Draco stood up. "Someone needs to send word to Dumbledore for me."

"I'll do it," Ernie promised.

"I have to go." Draco glanced at Harry before walking out.

Harry followed him to the front door. "Wait!"

Draco opened the door and paused. "What is it?"

Harry swallowed anxiously. "Be careful."

Draco smiled. "I'm always careful."

"Just...don't do anything stupid."

Draco chuckled softly. "See ya later, Harry."

Harry nervously watched as Draco turned and walked away.

Cody came up behind him. "Are we going to practice now?"

"Yeah," Harry answered heavily, eyes still on the departing Slytherin.

. . . .

Draco carefully kept his face neutral as he stood beside his father in the circle of black-robed Death Eaters. Voldemort had just thrown a Muggle child into the middle of the circle. She was cowering in the dirt, her watery brown eyes shifting from face to face as she looked around the group in terror.

Draco swallowed, forcing down the sickness he felt as he watched, knowing that this little girl was not going to escape whatever the Dark Lord had planned unscathed.

Voldemort himself stepped into the ring, Pettigrew at his side.

"Welcome, my loyal servants," he greeted with a cold smile.

Draco didn't miss the added emphasis on the word 'loyal.'

"I do not want you growing idle in this time of quiet, so as a treat I have brought you this Muggle to play with. I want you to practice on her for a few hours, I do not wish to see my Death Eaters growing rusty."

Draco immediately knew that this wasn't for their benefit, but was a test in loyalty. The Dark Lord was obviously still trying to work out who among them was spilling their secrets to the other side.

Voldemort's eyes swept the circle. "And at the end I shall choose one out of the group to brush up on their Avada Kedavra skills."

Draco's heart stopped as those red eyes came to rest on him.

"Young Malfoy, I do believe you have not had that pleasure thus far in your life."

"No, sir," Draco answered respectfully, trying to appear mildly excited at the prospect.

Voldemort nodded approvingly, that cold smile still in place. "Let us begin."

Draco slowly withdrew his wand, the other Death Eaters around him doing the same. His hand was steady but his insides were shaking violently.

Voldemort motioned for him to go first.

The little girl turned wide pleading eyes up at Draco as he stepped forward.

Draco took a deep breath, acutely aware of his father's eyes on him as he raised his wand.

"Crucio!"

. . . .

Draco sat hunched over the bar in the Leaky Cauldron, staring with haunted eyes into his drink.

Snape had left him alone to brood about an hour ago, leaving him with a warning against becoming inebriated to drown his sorrows. A double agent should never lose control of his actions, there was no telling what they might let slip to the wrong person. So Draco sat nursing a glass of butterbeer, the hood of his cloak hanging around his face to ward off any unwelcome conversation with venturing strangers.

He pushed his drink away with a weary sigh and was about to get up to leave when a voice amongst the chattering crowd caught his attention. He lifted the left side of his hood and looked around the gathered patrons of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Great," he thought sarcastically as he caught sight of Cody walking off to the hallway where the bathrooms were located. "Just what I need to see right now – Harry and that twat out on a date."

Draco dropped his hood back into place and stood up. He was halfway out the door when he realized that Harry and Cody were supposed to be patrolling right now, not using the time to go out and drink.

He turned right back around and stormed up to the dimly lit hallway. He walked in and froze in his tracks, the sight of Cody and Harry snogging stabbing him straight through the heart.

He ducked into the shadows and leaned back against the wall, one hand on his chest. He couldn't believe how much it hurt to see Harry kissing someone else. The boy he'd given his first kiss to was now kissing that...that...red-head?

Draco's eyes widened. There was no mistaking that bright red Weasley hair anywhere.

He felt his blood boil and took a step towards the preoccupied couple, then thought better of it and crept out of the hallway. He left the Leaky Cauldron behind him and headed for home.

This is Harry's business, I'll tell him what I saw and let him deal with it however he wants to on his own. Draco smirked as he apparated to the old church and stepped out onto the twilit road. And I'll be the friend that's there for him, the shoulder to cry on. He'll be mine again in no time.

"James Marsters." Draco gave the password and pushed open the front door.

"Cody?" Harry's head appeared around the corner of the kitchen expectantly. "Oh, Draco, it's you."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Draco called to him before Harry could turn away.

"Yeah, sure." Harry walked into the hallway questioningly.

"Uh...let's go in here," Draco suggested, motioning to the sitting room.

Harry had that trapped look in his eyes again as he nodded mutely and walked into the cozy room. He waved a hand at the fireplace and the logs burst into flame.

Draco put his hands on the back of the old chintz chair and licked his lips, wondering just how to start. Now that he was here with Harry standing across from him, he didn't really feel much like telling him what he had seen. He'd already seen that devastated look on Harry's face before and once was enough.

But Harry needed to know. The sooner the better.

"Harry," Draco began uncertainly. "There's something I have to tell you."

Harry tensed.

"I was at the Leaky Cauldron tonight and I saw Cody-"

"Shit."

"What?" Draco looked up.

Harry sighed. "You saw Cody and Ginny, right?"

Draco frowned. "Ginny? I thought...but..."

Harry ran a hand through his dark hair and closed his eyes. "I think you'd better sit down."

"I prefer standing, thanks," Draco answered apprehensively, eyes locked on Harry.

Harry took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "Cody isn't my boyfriend. He never was and he never will be. He's not even gay."

Draco quickly sat down.

A/N - In case anyone wants to know, there are going to be eight chapters to this story. (Smiles at the people who know who James Marsters is, you will enjoy chapter seven).