Chapter 5

Where was Dumbledore?

Harry found that this question kept circling around in his head, after he had asked Snape during breakfast and received no answer. With every day that passed it weighed heavier on his mind, especially when Professor Snape refused to answer him. In fact the Potions Master was found back to his sarcastic self and barked at Harry every time they met.

Just like in old times.

It drove Harry crazy, and he began to worry a lot about the Headmaster and the other teachers. Where could they be?

Why had Dumbledore ordered Harry to come to Hogwarts, when he himself wasn't there?

Harry's only wish was that the holidays would be over soon and Ron and Hermione were back with him. He missed them and with every day he strolled alone through the hallways, he missed them more.
And on his fifth day, as he woke up in the middle of the night with a muffled scream on the lips, he missed them the most.

Panting, Harry set up and stared at the darkness surrounding him. His heart was beating so loud, that he could hear it in his ears, so fast that he feared for a moment it would just stop.

With a trembling hand he brushed some sweat damp strands of his hair out of his eyes and swung his legs out of the bed. His whole body was trembling.

/Merlin, I thought I left the nightmares at the Dursleys./

He swallowed a sob. His heart made a painful movement, as he remembered his time by his family. Except from the pain in his scar, the nightmares where the second reason why he hadn't slept well. Every night like clockwork they kept coming and always the same.

Cedric Diggory, dead, hit by that green light.

Dead eyes staring expressionless up in the sky.

And all because of him.

Carefully Harry wandered to the door, glancing just shortly at the second bed and its sleeping owner. He couldn't stand it anymore. He must get out. He had the feeling the walls kept coming nearer and nearer with every step he took.

Harry had just passed the second bed as he saw it. In the corner by Malfoy's bed stood a dark hooded person, just barely visible, clad in its black robe. And if Harry hadn't been able to see better in the dark than others, he wouldn't have seen.

Harry stood still. With wide eyes he watched the hooded person. In the back of his mind he knew that he should wake Malfoy or go to get Snape, but he couldn't. All he could do was stand and watch as the person left the corner in a swift motion, getting nearer to the bed and Malfoy.

Nearer to him.

Harry opened his mouth as the hooded person went pass the bed, ignoring it completely and came to him.

He couldn't move.

/This must be a dream. Please, let it be a dream./

His whole body trembling Harry tried to back away from the advancing stranger, but it was as if his feet were nailed to the ground. This must be a dream. Just in dreams, in nightmares one wasn't able to move.

The hooded person came to a hold just a few meters before Harry. But still the boy couldn't see who it was. The cowl had been pulled so wide over the head, that the only thing he saw was the mouth and the chin. Though he noticed that the stranger was taller than him, and was roughly the height of Malfoy.

A hand rose and Harry flinched and whimpered a little as the cold leather of the glove touched his face.

"W-who are you?" Harry managed to ask, his voice dragging and weak. He felt as if he was speaking through water. "Are you one of Voldemort's Deatheaters?"

The stranger stayed silent. Slowly he let his hand glide up Harry's cheek, just barely touching the skin. He brushed some strands of black hair out of Harry's forehead, exposing the lightning bolt scar. There he stopped, just holding the hair back.

Harry felt the look, even if he wasn't able to see the eyes. He felt uneasy. For some reason he didn't like this.

Harry snorted in his head. /Of course you don't like it. There is a stranger in the bedroom in the middle of the night. How did he get in here /

He wasn't an expert with the safety of Hogwarts, like Hermione was, but he knew that Dumbledore had cast a lot of new powerful spells to protect the school from any attack Voldemort may start. So, how did this stranger manage to enter the best-protected place that existed?

His hair fell back into place, but before Harry could sigh in relief, the stranger caught his chin and forced his head roughly up, causing the boy to yelp in pain.

And then he spoke.

"I'm not one of Voldemort's lower rats."

Harry shuddered. The voice was cold like ice, without any kind of feeling in it. Just like the voice Harry had imagined a lifeless computer would have. It was even creepier than that of Voldemort. His voice at least had feelings in it, even when it was just hate.

"But don't think I'm your friend, just because I'm Voldemort's enemy." The stranger continued and tightened his grip around Harry's chin. "There is no thing like friendship. It's worse less. You're my enemy just like the Dark Lord, Boy-who-lives."

Harry flinched in pain. The leather of the gloves was digging painfully in his skin, the grip so strong that he could hear the bones of his jaw crack slightly. Just a bit more pressure and he was sure they would break.

"Painful, isn't it? Do you enjoy the pain?" The stranger whispered and Harry felt sick as he heard the sudden lust in the voice.

Fear rose in him. This man was insane. He tried again to move, but what ever was holding him, it was to strong.

"Let him go!"

Both the stranger and Harry flinched in surprise. Slowly the hooded man turned his head and Harry rolled his eyes to look past him.

"I said, let him go!" Malfoy repeated, his wand pointing straight on at the stranger. Slowly he got up from his bed and even in his situation Harry couldn't help to moan in frustration as he saw that the blond Slytherin had again slept naked.

A slight twitch of Malfoy's mouth showed that he had heard Harry, but his silver eyes were staying on the intruder, who hadn't moved yet, and in their coldness they were noting better than the strangers voice.

"Why should I do that?" The stranger asked after a few seconds of silence. "I do not fear you. You will not.."

"I will." Malfoy interrupted. "Even to you. Especially to you."

Harry eyebrows shot up. /Does Malfoy know this man /

"I will to anything to protect him." Malfoy continued. "And you can look for yourself why. Maybe then you will know that I'm not kidding." A low growl escaped the hooded stranger. And before Harry could do anything but to stare at Malfoy, the man grabbed his pyjama jacket on the front and tore it open, so that the buttons flew to the ground.

Harry yelped in surprise and tried again to break free from the man, but again it was useless. Helpless he had to allow that his pyjama top to fall in a heap on the ground, leaving his upper body exposed.

Malfoy smirked and pointed his wand shortly at Harry's stomach. "Now look. It's very obvious."

Harry glared at the Slytherin. Why didn't he do anything? And for what should the stranger look?

He flinched at bit his teeth together as the stranger brushed his hand roughly over the sensitive skin of his abdomen, the leather still cold on his flesh.

And then Harry was free. All of a sudden the stranger pulled his hand away from Harry's chin, as when the skin had become to hot to touch and the small boy fell to the ground, his legs not able to hold him up.

"So, you finally have done what you always wanted. But that will not help him." The stranger said, his voice for the first time with a hint of feelings: pure hate. "And you will not..."

"Save your words. I don't want to hear them." Malfoy interrupted coldly. Carefully he walked around the hooded man until he stood beside Harry, who struggled to get to his feet. "Because all words from you are nothing but lies."

Harry winced. So much hate in Malfoy's voice. Just like in the train when he talked about Voldemort. He shivered. Such coldness...he didn't like that.

"Malfoy.." His whole body was trembling and too weak to allow him to stand. He swallowed a curse. He felt so helpless. And he hated to be helpless.

"Go." Malfoy had his silver eyes still on the stranger, watching every move he made, but Harry felt his leg brushing against his side. He turned his head to gaze at the stranger-and let out a loud gasp.

He was gone.

"Where………where is he?"

Malfoy dropped to his knees and helped Harry to sit up. "Don't think about it. He's not worth it. But, how are you? Can you move again?"

Harry shuddered and fell back against the taller boy. He felt dizzy. Everything around him seemed to move in a circle.

"Not really. I don't understand this. He hadn't spoken any curse and still I wasn't able to move. What…….."

Harry stopped. Soft fingers were making their way slowly and gently from his back, over his sides to his stomach, barely touching the skin, but enough to send pleasant shivers through Harry, and the touch was so warm..

A sigh escaped Harry's mouth. As he turned his head he found warm silver eyes looking at him.

"I'm so glad that he didn't do anything to you. I was so shocked when I woke up and saw you in his grasp." Malfoy mumbled, lifting a hand to stroke the black hair of the boy. "I don't want to think about what he could have done to you."

Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head on Malfoy's shoulder. He, too, didn't want to think about what the stranger could have done to him. This voice, bare of any emotions and those hands, cold even through the leather gloves. He shuddered again and buried his face in Malfoy's neck, breathing the comforting smell of the Slytherin.

When Malfoy...

Harry's eyes shot open. When he thought about it. Malfoy hadn't done anything except threaten the stranger. Why had the hooded man disappeared?

/Malfoy had told him to look at my stomach./

Slowly Harry lifted his head from the shoulder of the blond Slytherin, letting his eyes roam down his own body. One of Malfoy's hands lay on his stomach, warm and with slightly spread fingers, over his belly button. As Harry lowered his own hand, Malfoy's fingers entwined tenderly with his, raising it to his face, touching it with his lips.

Though Harry didn't feel the kiss on the back of his hand. All he saw was the magic Tattoo on his stomach.

A silver-green snake with ruby red eyes curled around his belly button and……it was moving. Just slightly, but enough for Harry to see the moves of its slender body.

"What…...what's this?" Harry forced his eyes away from the tattoo to Malfoy. "Why is there a snake on my belly?"

Malfoy smirked, his lips still on Harry's hand. His silver eyes danced with satisfaction. "Don't you like it, Love?"

Harry felt his face warm up with anger. " No, I don't like it. This is your doing, isn't it! That's what the pain was about, wasn't it! You.." Harry stopped. What did he say? " Lo..ve ?" he stuttered.

"Of course." Malfoy's smirk widened as Harry blushed. "You wanted to know the reason why I act like I do now, didn't you ?" The blond raised his hand that holds Harry's, stretching his arm, before he let his lips trail down, savouring the taste of the shorter Boy. "It's a very easy reason, also when it's only a part of it. And it has just three words. I." Malfoy reached Harry's shoulder and the Gryffindor gasped as he felt teeth softly nipping at his skin, "love." Malfoy used his other hand to turn Harry's face to him and looked deeply into his green eyes, "you. I love you, Harry Potter."

Harry goggled at him. What...

/This…can't be…this is Malfoy…Draco Malfoy…how could he love me…that….how…/

Before he could voice a single word, Malfoy leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips. A short, tender kiss, that sent a shiver through Harry.

Malfoy smiled at his puzzled expression and gave him another kiss. "You are so sweet when you're confused, Love."

Harry opened and closed his mouth, but he wasn't able to get more out than a quiet "Why?"

"That's a silly question, Harry. Nobody can tell why he falls in Love with another person. It just happens. " Malfoy shrugged. "I just love you and that is the truth. Do I need a reason?" He smirked.

Harry closed his mouth. With more than a little confusion he looked in Malfoy's silver eyes. Surely this was a joke.

Draco Malfoy couldn't love him. Not in that way.

Nobody would ever love him that way.

He shook his head and let his eyes roam over Malfoy's pale features, searching for a hint that he was joking.

But the silver eyes were returning his gaze calmly-and were showing nothing but the truth.

"This cannot be. I'm...You're.."

Malfoy stayed silent for a moment, his eyes still locked with Harry's. Then he shifted so that he kneeled before Harry.

Harry yelped and buried his face in his hands. He had totally forgotten that Malfoy was naked.

The blond snickered slightly and Harry let out another yelp, as Malfoy placed his warm hands on his belly.

"You don't really have a chance to complain, Love." Malfoy murmured in his ear, sending a shiver through Harry's body. "Because it's already too late. This tattoo." Slowly Malfoy traced a finger over the tattoo. "It is magical, it's the old family sign of the Malfoys. A very old sign indeed, so old that is only used when somebody gets bound to a member of the family. To show the world who belongs to the Malfoys."

Harry stiffened. To get bound to a member of the family? What….

Slowly he looked over the barrier of his hands. "What do you mean?" He whispered.

Malfoy smirked and before Harry could react, his wrist was caught in the slender hands of the Slytherin and he was gently pushed down on the ground.

"That means you're belong to me." He said in Harry's ear as he leaned down over Harry. "You're mine, Harry Potter."