Disclaimer: The story and the characters aren't mine. Just the obvious.
A/N : HMM, chapter 13. Well, I hope you will like it. What I should think of it I do not really know. In
the last weeks I'm not so sure about my writing anymore but that is just me. I have these feelings every once in a while. Ignore me--but not my story.
Ah, something else. This chapter is not betaed. I let the Window program watch out for mistakes, but I didn't want to wait any longer. I send the chapter nearly three weeks ago. But if my beta reads this--please don't be mad. Maybe you're in holidays or too busy. I will contact you when the next chapter is ready. Or you can contact me. Maybe you don't want to be my beta anymore.
Well, my readers, have fun with this chapter and please leave me reviews. I have the feeling the last few chapters have been ignored by the most.
Chapter 13
With a loud moan Ron fell on his bed, face first.
"It' s so good to be here again."
Harry snickered, joined in by their other roommates, Seasmus, Dean and Neville.
"What is wrong, Ronny-boy? Finally found out the joys of being a teenager?" Seasmus asked, slumping down beside Ron, a leering grin on his face.
Without looking up Ron raised one arm and pushed the other boy out of his bed.
Dean shook his head and walked to his own bed ignoring Seasmus on the floor. Then his eyes fell on another bed beside his own, a bed that hadn't been there before the summer.
"What's this?"
Harry looked up. "What do you mean?"
Dean nodded to the new bed. "Here is one bed to much."
Harry frowned. A bed?
"Maybe…."
"Haven't you heard?" Seasmus interrupted. He stood up, using Harry as a hold. "There will be four more students with us this year."
That brought him the attention of all four boys.
"New students?"
"From where?"
"Boys or girls?"
"Who told you that?"
Seasmus grinned, enjoying the attention. "I have good ears. I eavesdropped a little when the new Head boy-someone from Hufflepuff-told Hermione about them." He raised one finger and started to speak in a lecturing voice. "Four students from Germany will join or school for one year and every house will have the pleasure of accommodate one of them. So, all the prefects have the duty to take care of them."
"What?" Dean looked shocked, eyes wide. "I'm prefect this year. Why don't I know a thing about it?"
Seasmus grinned mischievously. "Well, when I remember right, the Head boy said something about an unreliable prefect from Gryffindor." He gazed at Dean with a mock questioned look. "That was you?"
Dean shot him a murderous glare and hurried out of the room, probably in search of the Head boy.
Laughing Seasmus fell back on Ron's bed.
Harry tried to hide his own smile and sat on the other side of the bed. Ron turned onto his back.
"I didn't know that Dean was the prefect of our year. Hermione was predictable, but Dean…."
"I know what you mean." Seasmus said. He rolled around so that he could see Harry. "I thought Harry would be the one, with him being the Boy-who-lived and all that."
"Yeah."
Silent Harry stared at his hands.
The Boy-who-lived.
Golden Boy.
He was so sick of these names. Couldn't all understand that he hated it to be called that way?
Draco was the only one who treated him not in a special way.
He smirked and raised a finger to his lips. Of course, it wasn't normal either, how he treated him.
Special in his own way.
"How do you think the boys from Germany will be?" Neville suddenly asked, changing the subject.
Harry threw him a grateful look, before he shrugged. "I don't know. But I hope we will get along well with the one that will share our room. It would be terrible for all of us if we wouldn't get along."
Ron nodded. "I just hope we don't get a second Malfoy."
A new grin appeared on Seasmus face. "Oh, I don't know. If they look just a bit like Malfoy, I won't protest." He let out a savouring sound. "I really enjoyed looking at him at the diner."
"Well, than I hope I don't disappoint you." A new voice said, amusement clearly to hear.
All four boys jumped in surprise, turning to the door at the same time.
The boy leaning at the doorway flashed a grin and stepped into the room.
Harry was the first who found his voice again. Slowly he rose, eyeing the unknown boy who had to be at the same age as him and his friends. Strangely he seemed familiar to him. Had he seen him before?
"Who are you?"
The boy smiled and tugged some strands of his red blond hair behind an ear. "Sorry when I disturbed you. My name is Alexander Lange-but you can call me Alex. I'm one of the students from Germany and a prefect has told me I should go up here, because I now belong to Gryffindor."
He held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."
Harry took the offered hand-and sighed inwardly as the light green eyes of the boy looked at the scar under black bangs. It was always the same.
"You're Harry Potter, aren't you?" Alex asked. "I already saw you in Diagon Alley, but there you were busy with your…"
Harry's eyes widened and with the reflexes that let him catch nearly every snitch, his foot landed on Alex's foot, causing the other boy double over in pain, unable to end his sentence.
Seasmus jumped up. "Harry? What are you doing?"
He hurried to Alex side and helped him to the bed. Harry ignored the puzzled looks from his friends. He was just glad that he had stopped the Boy from saying anything about Draco. He needn't a stranger that told his friends about his relationship. Then Ron surely would explode.
"It's okay." Alex reassured Seasmus. He looked at Harry and raised one eyebrow. Harry returned the look slightly confused. No anger in his gaze?
"I would get angry, too, when I had a scar just like Harry, and everybody would stare at it."
//What…?// Harry thought puzzled.
He held his hand out again. "I'm sorry for staring."
For a time Harry stared into the light green eyes of the German boy, but all he saw was honesty and truth. With an inward sigh he grabbed the offered hand just like before.
"It's okay. Welcome in Gryffindor."
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"This is your bed."
Harald eyed the bed--a huge monstrous thing out of dark wood with thick curtains from green silk--before his gaze returned to Draco standing beside him.
Draco raised one fine brow as he noticed the dislike in the eyes of the German boy.
"What is it?"
Harald looked away again, to the bully figures of Crabbe and Goyle sitting on Crabbe's bed, sharing their loot of sweets, and ignoring the staring boy.
This time it was more than dislike Draco noticed in the brown eyes.
"I have to share my room with these guys?" He asked, disgust clearly to hear in his voice.
Draco fought down the urge to snarl at him. Who did this guy thought that he was?
"Is something the matter?" He asked instead, reminding himself of his new status as a prefect.
Harald's eyes swept over the other three beds besides his own, ignoring the question. "Three beds. Is the other one yours?"
Draco grinned. //Gladly not.//
"No. This was my room for the past four years, but now I have private rooms."
//For me and Harry.//
Harald frowned. "Your own rooms? But isn't it so that just Headboys and Headgirls are having their own rooms, beside the teachers?"
//So, you informed yourself.//
"That is right. But there are other circumstances, too, were rooms are given to students." Draco crossed his gaze with Harald's. "But why I get my own rooms has you not to interest." He added in a cold voice. He smirked as Harald flinched under the gaze of his silver eyes.
"That is what you will have to learn here. Stuck your nose in the secrets of the other houses, but leave your own housemates secret s to themselves. Understood?"
Harald swallowed and nodded.
Satisfied Draco strolled past him to the bed he had shown to the German.
"Here you can put your things into."
Casually he opened the trunk at the foot end of the bed.
//I must remember to ask for an extra room for the clothes.// He thought as he looked into the trunk. //I never liked this cramped things.//
He added it to his already long list of things to get for a happy life with Harry, before he turned to Harald again. He wanted to get over this as fast as possible. He never had thought he had to baby-sit a student when he had received the message that he would be prefect of Slytherin.
"As you can see the house elves already took care of your things."
Harald hurried to his side and peered into the trunk, seeing his things neatly lying side by side.
"House elves?" He asked puzzled, touching one shirt that lie on top and that he had seen in Germany the last time, wonderingly.
Draco crossed his arms before the chest. "Of course. I forgot. In Germany you have this little creatures that never show themselves, haven't you? What are they called?"
"Mainzelmaennchen."
"Yes." Draco fought the urge to let out a snort. "I heard from them, but I don't think they are any good, compared to our house elves. Whatever."
He turned away. "That is unimportant. Have you any more questions, before I go?"
"Do you go to you boyfriend, now?"
Draco stopped. Slowly he faced Harald, seeing from the corner of his eyes that Crabbe and Goyle had raised their heads, forgetting the pile of sweets.
In Harald's face was just friendly curiosity to read, but Draco had learned to look behind the fake masks, and the satisfaction he saw behind Harald's he didn't like.
Just in time he could stop a smirk that wanted to break out.
„My boyfriend? You mean my bonded I think." Silver eyes held brown ones. „I wish I could go to Harry, but I can't. But this is not you concern. Remember what I told you earlier."
He stepped nearer, so that only Harald could hear his next words. "I know what you tried to do. You wanted to yell out the secret that the once rivals are now a couple, so that all the Slytherin's would be getting mad and would try to separate us. But I have bad news for you."
His breath brushed against Harald's ear as he leaned forward and he felt a shudder running through the boy.
"All in Slytherin who have to know about Harry and me know it. And the ones who don't know aren't important and will not say anything against me. So, did you get it?"
Harald's mouth worked silently. Draco noticed his eyes darting to his lips.
This time he couldn't prevent a sneer.
He stepped back from the brown haired boy. "Listen, I don't like your behaviour and I'm not interested in you. Stay away from me, to you hear? Or else you will regret it."
With this he turned and left the room without looking back.
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Harry had always had a light sleep, for that he would hear Aunt Petunia's wake up call immediately. But he was sure that even a dead person would be awakening by the scream that echoed through the room this very morning.
Warily he opened his eyes--and was greeted by the sight of Ron standing on his bed, staring panicky at the black form of Azula, hissing at him from beside Harry's pillow.
Harry rolled his eyes and fell back. He had totally forgotten to tell his roommates about his new little friend and that she slept beside him every night.
„Harry!" Ron shouted, scanning for anything with which he could attack the snake. „Harry, don't move! There is a snake beside your head!"
Harry heaved a sigh. "I know, Ron."
Ron drew in a sharp breath. "What do you mean, You know?! Harry, this is no joke. There really is a snake and she looks mighty pissed. She will bite you! Where is my wand?"
Making more noises than he should Ron stumbled out of his bed in search for his wand to curse the snake.
\\ Thisss boy hasss woken me up.\\ Azula hissed crumply, uncurling herself slowly, her deep black
Harry yawned and stretched lazily. What a commotion at such an hour. He threw a short look to the other beds in the room. All were occupied with the still sleeping forms of his friends. Obviously he was the only one who had been awoken by Ron getting hysteric.
How he envied them.
Shortly Harry thought of falling back asleep--the pillow looked so inviting--but all thoughts like that fled his mind as Ron appeared before him again, with a desperate look in his eyes and his wand in hands.
„Okay, where is this beast?"
Azula hissed angrily and fled under Harry's cover. Harry let out a gasp, as her warm body slipped over his stomach.
"Hah!" Ron's hand pulled the cover away from Harry, desperate to find this living symbol of Slytherin, ignoring Harry's angry look.
"There you are!"
Harry was able to jump out of bed before Ron could land on him.
"RON!"
Annoyed Harry decided to get himself dressed.
The sleep-tousled head of Dean appeared over his blanket. "What is going on here?" He murmured, blinking irritated at Ron's figure, crawling over Harry's bed. "What is Ron doing with your bed, Harry?"
Harry just shrugged and fished fresh clothes out of his trunk, ignoring Ron's shouts behind him, sometimes underplayed with angry hisses from Azula.
"Ron's just met my new friend." Sending a short grin to confused Dean, he walked to the bathroom. On his way there he caught the gaze of his new roommate, sitting on the edge of his bed, grinning at Ron's behaviour.
"Morning," Alex greeted him.
Harry just nodded and continued walking, but he was sure he could feel the light-green eyes following him until the bathroom door closed with a low thud.
"Please, not another problem." Harry moaned, not liking what he thought had seen in the eyes of the German boy. "Draco will kill him."
Maybe he should have hitting Alex more strongly on his foot, to discourage him. Who would want to be near someone who used to step on the other ones foot.
A loud shout of pain reached his ears.
Harry sighed and started to undress. "That is until Ron isn't killing Draco first, for giving me Azula."
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Draco frowned and focused his eyes more intently on the little shadows at the horizon, barely to see in front of the thick rain clouds. But he didn't have to see what they where, because he knew. They were the owls of the school and of the students, bringing the post.
What he wanted to know was, if they carried what he was so anxious about. If Wenshore hadn't been able to accomplish what he had asked him to do, this breakfast would be a total disaster.
Especially for Harry.
A slight groan escaped Draco's lips as the owls were finally near enough to see the things they carried in their beaks and claws.
„"Harry, I hope you had been able to tell your friends." He murmured, feeling a slight ting of sadness for his love. No four days time for him, like he had promised him.
With a last look to the approaching owls Draco hurried to the Great Hall. Better when he was there before Harry.
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By the time Harry came out of the bathroom again, his hair still slightly damp, all of the boys were awake. He couldn't prevent a light grin at the sight of Ron sitting still on his bed, Dean beside him who examined his outstretched hand.
"There isn't a single scratch, Ron." Dean said as Harry approached them. "You're just imagining things."
"But I felt it. I felt her fangs."
"If this snake had bitten you for real you would be dead by now." Alex interrupted. He shook his head. "That was a Black Adder. Wasn't it, Harry?"
Harry looked at the other boy. Slowly he nodded, walking to his bed. Why did he knew so much about snakes?
"Harry." Ron jumped up and threw his hand nearly into Harry's face. "Your beast had bitten me."
Dean let out a little cough. Ron blushed. "I mean, it nearly bit me. Dean says it is yours. Can you tell me why you have a snake in your bed?"
Harry frowned. There it was. This demanding tone in Ron's voice, which he hated so much.
He really loved his friend, the first one he ever had had, but sometimes his wish to know everything from him angered Harry. He needn't to defend what he was doing.
Suddenly Harry wanted to tell Ron everything, just to see him speechless for once.
"You really want to know?" He asked in a calm voice, which told lies about what really was going on in him. Faintly he heard a voice yelling inside of him to stay silent, but he couldn't. He felt like if he was under the Imperious spell.
He took a step forward. "First of all there is no beast. The snakes name is Azula. And I didn't get her myself. She was a present. Do you want to know from whom?"
Ron swallowed. He didn't like the sudden creepy calmness around his friend. And those green eyes behind the glasses. Were they glowing?
Somehow he didn't want to know anymore where the snake had come from, and a quick glance to his other friends showed him, that he wasn't the only one who had noticed Harry's behaviour.
Dean stood beside him, his eyes focused on the small boy, as where the eyes of Seasmus and Neville, who still sat on his bed, one shoe forgotten in his hands. The only one who didn't look confused was the German boy. In his eyes lay a slight amusement, which Ron couldn't understand.
He returned his gaze to Harry.
Harry smiled slightly as Ron's eyes met his once again. He could see the surprise in them quite clearly.
Soon he would be more than just slightly surprised.
"You know, Ron. While I was here at Hogwarts a lot happened. Especially to me. And getting Azula was just one of these things that occurred. But you wanted to know who gave her to me." Harry tilted his head slightly. The voice in his head screamed now, but it was like it came to him through a thick wall.
All of his thought of telling Ron and Hermione at a silent moment and alone had fled his mind. He needed to tell it right now.
He locked his gaze firmly with Ron's. "Draco Malfoy. He was the one who gave her to me, just a few days before. As a," he took a deep breath," gift to our betrothal."
Now it was out. This voice in him fell silent.
Ron's mouth fell open in shock.
"You have heard right." Harry continued hastily, before Ron could say anything. "Draco and I are a couple now. I'm bonded with him. I…."
Harry stopped. He couldn't continue. The secret was spilled and everything that would explain it further he didn't want to tell so that all his roommates could hear. That he should save for when he was alone, and when Hermione knew it too.
Rubbing his belly he turned around, ignoring the looks that followed him like burning marks as he fled the room.
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Later Harry couldn't tell how he got to the Great Hall. It was all a blur to him. He just suddenly stood before the entrance, the huge doors open. From within the familiar noises of the students were heard--talking and eating.
But somehow…..
Harry frowned. What he just imagining or was it louder than usually.
Carefully he stepped through the entrance--and froze as suddenly hundred of eyes fell on him, together with a silence, which was creepier because it had come from one heartbeat to the other.
Harry stood frozen. Suddenly he knew how a deer hit by the headlights of a car must feel.
What has happened?
His eyes swept over the hundreds of faces turned to him. What was wrong?
Helpless his eyes searched for soothing pair of silver eyes at the Slytherin table, but all he met were dark looks.
Where was Draco?
"Harry."
Harry flinched. He turned to the voice. Hermione was running towards him, her eyes large with worry and--disbelief?
Her hands held the familiar form of the Daily Prophet.
Suddenly Harry felt bitter tasting bile in his mouth. The Daily Prophet. Not again. Hadn't it been only yesterday when it had made his life a living hell with its writing.
A short gaze told him that nearly everyone in the Hall held a Prophet in his hands. That had to be it. That was why everyone looked at him. Somehow the Prophet had discovered something horrible again, like last year.
Harry glanced at the table in front of the hall, where the teachers sat and shortly his eyes met the pale blue ones of Dumbledore. And for the first time Harry saw anger in them. But not directed at him.
"Harry. Oh, Harry,"
Slightly breathless Hermione reached him. But before she could say a thing, Harry grabbed the Prophet out of her hands. He had to know what stood there. He had to.
At his eyes fell on the font page everything went still in him.
HARRY POTTER RESPONSIBLE FOR EXPLOSION IN DIAGON ALLEY--VOLDEMORTS HEIR FINALLY SHOWING HIS TRUE FACE
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Well, this was it. I hope you liked it. Press the little button below to show me just how much.
Your P.D-chan