Chapter 3

Harry Potter sighed and watched as the train left the station with a bit loneliness, until he couldn't even see the backlights anymore. He felt alone and he was alone. He stood here at the station, with his trunk and Hedwig beside him and nobody was there to bring him up to Hogwarts. He couldn't even see the horseless carriage, which was usually there to bring the students to the school.

How was he supposed to get up there?

He couldn't carry Hedwig and the trunk all the way up to the school.

When at least Hagrid had been here. But it seemed that he wasn't back.

"Just great." With another sigh Harry turned and looked up the hill where Hogwarts towers rose into the sky. It was nothing more than a darker shape in front of the dark night, with just a few lights shining out in the night, but for Harry it was home. Even when it was a home that was a bit difficult to arrive at the moment.

"There is no other choice for us, Hedwig." Harry said tiredly to his snow owl. "I must carry you and my trunk up to Hogwarts. I don't want to stand here all night."

Hedwig blinked at him with her big golden eyes and hooted slightly. Harry smiled and bowed down to grip her cage. It wouldn't get better if he waited to long.

"A bit lost, Potter?" A warm hand suddenly slipped under Harry's shirt, touching his back.

Harry squeaked startled and whirled around. But in his turn he forgot about the trunk and with a slight cry he tumbled to the ground, landing painfully on his butt.

"Ouch."

Malfoy grinned and leaned down to him, a big grin on his face. "Are we a bit jumpy, Potter?"

Harry threw him an angry look. This day was getting better and better. "That was your fault. You startled me."

He climbed to his feet, ignoring Malfoy's outstretched hand. He had had enough touches with Malfoy for the day. A bit more then just touches, but that he tried to forget.

"Not just jumpy, but also moody." Malfoy shook his head. "And I had thought I had cured you're bad mood."

Harry blushed and avoided to look in Malfoy's eyes. /Why me/ He thought, desperately trying to keep the memories of their kiss out of his head. But that was a bit difficult with Malfoy standing before him. Every second he felt his betraying eyes move to Malfoy's face, to his lips. And his wild pounding heart wasn't helping a bit, either.

/Arrgghhh! This couldn't happen/

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Harry asked, bowing down to Hedwig to hide his blush. "Why aren't you on the way up to Hogwarts? Surely your Dad has arranged a ride to the school for you."

Malfoy's eyebrows shot up and Harry blushed, as he figured that the Slytherin must have heard the tad bit of jealousy in his voice. He hadn't meant to let him hear, but he was jealous. Of Draco having a family that cared for him, of his great home, of his talent in potions and on top of it that he mustn't walk the whole way up to Hogwarts, carrying his luggage. That he was sure of.

/Damn./

Where were his friends when he needed them?

Harry felt tears building up in his eyes and he closed them. That would be the height of this day, when he would cry before Malfoy. Another joke he could share with his fellow Slytherin students.

"Harry?"

Harry shuddered. There it was again. Malfoy speaking his first name, just like in the train. And in the same gentle tone.

"Harry, I'm not here to make jokes. I'm here to bring you to Hogwarts. You're right that my father arranged a carriage, because he knew that there would be no one to get me when the train arrives. But it's not only for me, but for you, too. Come on, now."

Harry felt his heart fluttering wildly in his chest. "You must be joking, Malfoy." He choked out. "Are you trying to tell me that Lucius Malfoy knew that there would nobody be here and that he even thought about me, when he arranged the carriage!"

Lucius Malfoy, of all people. The man who gave Ginny Voldemort's old diary in the second year, who threatened him when he, Harry, had given it back to him, who had been there when Voldemort came back to live...

This man worrying about him?

What a bad joke.

But Malfoy nodded and before Harry could react, he bowed down and slung his arms around Harry, lifting the smaller and lighter boy easily to his feet.

Harry thought he would faint, as he felt himself pressed against Malfoy's body. In fact, he was so near the Slytherin, that he could feel his heartbeat against his upper body.

He swallowed. And every curve of his slim body. At least that was the sensation his racing mind send him.

He shuddered again. "You can let go of me now, Malfoy. I can stand alone."

Malfoy smirked and tried to look into his eyes, but Harry avoided his gaze. His smirk widened to a one-side smile and his tightened around Harry's waist, letting the shorter boy gasp.

"Why should I let you go, Harry?" Malfoy nearly purred. "I like it to hold you so near. And you like it to feel me, too, don't you?"

He leaned forward slightly. Harry paled.

/Merlin, he wants to kiss me again./

His heart began to beat like he had run a Marathon. He raised his eyes and looked at Malfoy's face, merely inches from his own. Not long and he would feel those lips again. He would feel their softness and their heat.

He moaned and closed his eyes. He was so confused. He shouldn't do this, especially not with Malfoy. He hated him; he hated him since the beginning of his first year in Hogwarts. He shouldn't let himself be kissed by his archenemy, not again.

But, it had felt so good.

It felt good to be held like that.

Secure.….liked…

Malfoy touched Harry's cheek softly with his lips, kissing away a single tear that Harry didn't know he had spilled.

Astonished he looked in Malfoy's eyes. The blond Slytherin smiled. "You're trembling. Do you fear me?"

Harry shook his head. "No," he whispered. "I'm just so confused."

Since Voldemort's awakening nothing seemed to be normal anymore.

"It's a bit confusing, that's true. But like I said," Malfoy placed another kiss on Harry's cheek, "I will gain your trust, fair and without cheating."

"But why ?"

Malfoy lifted one hand and moved it gently down Harry's cheek. "Must you always get the answer to everything, Harry ? Just give me a little trust to begin with and know that I mean what I said. Everything I told you since I entered your compartment is true. And now," he stepped back and Harry stumbled a bit at the sudden absence of his body, "we should go to 'our' carriage, so that we finally can reach Hogwarts."

Under Harry's surprised look Malfoy took his wand out of his robe and pointed it on Harry's trunk, mumbling a few words. The trunk glowed shortly and hovered then a few inches in the air.

"Follow me."

Malfoy grabbed the trunk and walked away, pulling it after him.

Harry sighed. What was so wrong to want to know the answers to important questions?

"Let's go, Hedwig." He lifted Hedwig's cage carefully and followed the other boy. Maybe he would get some answers when he gave Malfoy the little bit of trust he had asked for.

"That's so typical."

Draco smirked and lifted the trunk into the carriage, before he turned to face the smaller Gryffindor. He stood a few feet behind him and stared at the horseless coach with wide wonderful green eyes, the cage of his Snow Owl in his hands.

"What do you mean?" Draco took the cage and placed it beneath the trunk. The Owl -Hedwig, wasn't it? - watched him suspiciously and Draco hurried to put her down, before she decided to bite him a finger of. He needed his fingers.

"I mean this." Harry waved at the carriage. "I should've known that your father wouldn't organise a simple, normal transportation. What is it? One of yours?"

Draco looked at the carriage. He must admit that it was bigger than the ones of the school and beside that it was from a deep green, it had lots of golden decorations on it. "I think so. Though I'm not sure. I can't know every single one. Now, would you please get in, Potter. I don't want to stand here all night."

Harry snorted a bit, but followed the order and climbed into the carriage. Draco smiled as he watched how carefully the Gryffindor was to avoid touching the decorations. As if the gold would be damaged if he touched them.

And he couldn't hold back a snicker as Harry sat himself equally careful on the red velvet.

"You can relax, Harry." Draco jumped in and sat himself beside Harry. "There are spells on the carriage. You could stag it with a knife and it wouldn't get a scratch. So you flyweight will not anything to it."

Harry sent him another annoyed look. But Draco just grinned and let his eyes roam delighted over the shorter boy. Wrapped in his too wide Muggle clothes he seemed more vulnerable beside the wealth of the carriage than before.

And one side of the disgusting brown shirt was hanging down one shoulder, exposing a lot of pale skin.

Draco's smile became wistful. Slowly he reached a hand out..

"You should get new clothes," he said and pulled the shirt back to Harry's neck, brushing his fingertips tentatively over the soft skin. "These are a bit to tempting for my likes."

Harry's face took on a lovely shade of red and he leaned further back into the seat, away from Draco's hand.

Draco smiled and continued to watch Harry, while the carriage made its way up to Hogwarts.

Something was not as it was supposed to be.

He reached a bandaged hand out and touched the silver surface of the shimmering mirror carefully. Instantly the silver began to whirl around his fingers like mad, like it wanted to flee from the touch. Shades of red joined the silver like drops of blood in water, but he ignored it and concentrated his vision on the spot over his fingers.

And if he could calm the surface just with his gaze the whirl there began to fade away. Around it there where still the restlessness like a storm, but there where his eyes lay the mirror returned to its normal state and showed him what he wanted to see.

"How interesting ", he mumbled and leaned slightly forward to get a better look.

A better look on the two boys, sitting in there carriage. And instantly he knew what was wrong.

It was him. Again.

He watched as the black- haired boy blushed and leaned back away from the blond boy.

"You will not again ruin my plans," he hissed, feeling the hot essence of his heat rose in him.

And with it the pain.

He moaned deeply and stumbled away from the mirror.

The whirl washed over the picture of the boys and erased it.

The carriage stopped with a quiet noise of its wheels in front of the great gates of Hogwarts.

"We are there."

Harry rolled his eyes to Malfoy and opened the door. "I can see that myself. I'm not completely blind, you know."

Malfoy snickered and jumped out before Harry could. Then he turned around and held a hand out to Harry. "May I help you?"

Harry blushed and hurried to leave the carriage, ignoring Malfoy's offered hand. "I'm not crippled, either."

"I'm just trying to be helpful." Malfoy set on a pout, but Harry could quite clearly see the amused twinkle in his silver eyes.

Harry needed all his self-control to not punch it out of the Slytherin. Not that he even would stand a chance against the now taller boy. Life was such a mess.

"Don't make fun of me."

The twinkle vanished out of Malfoy's eyes, but before he could say a word another voice sounded around them.

"Mister Malfoy, I see you succeeded in bringing Mister Potter."

Harry cringed inwardly. This voice.

Slowly he turned his gaze from Malfoy to Hogwarts gates and to the tall figure descending the stairs, clad in a black robe.

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape." Malfoy said. "But it took a while to convince Harry to come with me."

The teacher of potions smiled a thin smile and came to a stop before the two boys. Harry fought against the urge to climb back into the carriage and avoid talking to the man.

Even when he knew now that Snape wasn't his enemy, that he was a spy on the side of Dumbledore, he couldn't get himself to trust him. Four years of hatred wasn't easy to overcome.

"I see." Snape nodded to Malfoy, but Harry felt his gaze still on him. "Mister Potter...in this times it's helpful to know the enemy, but it's also important to know the ones you can trust." He said suddenly and Harry raised his eyes, taken aback from the gentle tone he heard in his voice.

Was this really Snape?

These gentle words he would expect from Dumbledore, but not from Snape.

"S-Sir?"

Snape snorted and ignored the question in his stumbled word. Instead he turned his gaze back to Malfoy. "The rooms have been prepared, so your trunks will be delivered there." Harry noticed a sideway glance in his direction. "Have you told Mister Potter, yet?"

"Told me what?" Harry asked. This whole situation was really odd. First Malfoy and now Snape were acting strange, too.

Maybe thiswasa dream.

Malfoy turned to him and instantly Harry was suspicious, as he saw that twinkle again.

"I haven't told you yet, Potter, but for the next two weeks your only companions in Hogwarts will be me and Professor Snape. And", a bright grin spread over Malfoy's face, "we will share a room. Isn't that wonderful."

Harry felt all blood leave his face.

Alone with Malfoy?

Malfoy just snickered and took Harry's hand, pulling him into school.