Chapter 18

Harry considered himself to be a reasonably intelligent guy, one who wasn't all that thicker than the next guy. Well, normally he didn't. Frankly he was starting to have some real doubts about his level of smarts because damned if he hadn't just gone and done the one thing he'd spent the last year and a half avoiding.

He scratched his head, still staring up the staircase to the girls' dorms where Ginny had disappeared. He wasn't quite sure how he'd gotten to where he was with her, but he had a sneaking suspicion it had been a carefully laid plan. He dropped his hand and started for his own dorm room. Thank God Ron hadn't been waiting for them, at least.

Harry quietly snuck into the dorm room and glancing at the still, dark beds, grabbed his pajamas without looking off the foot of his bed and headed for the bathroom. He changed, brushed his teeth and splashed a little water on his face before tiptoeing back out into the dark room. He chucked his clothes in the direction of his trunk and slipped in through the curtains of his bed. He was reaching over to yank down the covers when a voice stopped him and made him jump.

"So," came from the end of the bed.

Harry reacted first and thought after, whirling and snarling something under his breath as he shoved magic at whoever it was. And, of course, with his luck it was Ron, now out cold but still managing to glare at him even while unconscious. Harry heaved a sigh. Oh great. Apparently they WERE going to have this talk tonight.

"Dammit," he mumbled before flicking a finger Ron's direction. "Finite incatatem." He waited until Ron had sat up, looking seriously pissed off. "Maybe I should have warned you, it's a bad idea to sneak up on me."

"No shit, Potter," Ron said in a heated whisper. "Crikey, I think you dislodged something around my spleen." He was treated to another if-looks-could-kill glare. "I'll pound the daylights out of you if it sets me back in Quidditch."

Harry rolled his eyes and tugged at the covers, shoving them to one side and propping the pillows behind him against the headboard. "I'm pretty sure the captain will understand," he said dryly.

Ron snapped his fingers at him, pointing and Harry tossed him a pillow. Ron jammed it behind his own back, against one of the bedposts. His friend leaned back and crossed his arms against his chest, legs stretching out and taking up half the bed. Harry briefly wondered if Ron's own bed was charmed to fit him better, then focused back in on the dark look on his best friend's face.

"So," Ron said again. "Want to tell me anything?"

Harry had the distinct feeling that it wasn't a request. His not-so-unfamiliar nightmare about six Weasley brothers flashed before his eyes, and he had to resist the urge to swallow. He tried shrugging. "Do you really want to know that much?"

Ron looked horrified. "Holy hell, Harry, what the fuck did you do to my sister?" he said, siting bolt upright. "She's a year younger than you, and if you've gone and taken advantage of her, friendship or not I'm going to have to beat the living daylights out of you and then owl everyone else and let them have at and then tell Mum, and you REALLY don't want to be around for when she finds about what you've done to her little girl, and"

"Ron," Harry interrupted. "Shut up." It worked but he was back to being glared at. Harry sighed and raked his hands through his hair. Dammit, that stupid "I'll tell you everything I can" crap was getting annoying. "Ginny and I are together," he finally decided. "And before you blow your top, yes, your sister's still a virgin." And of course he promptly blushed, because that meant so was he.

"Oh god oh god oh god, I did not just hear that," Ron moaned, rubbing his face. "Look, Potter, we're close and all, but you keep your hands above her neck, you hear? I don't want you doing anything to my sister. Hold her hand, that's a good thing. You can do that."

Harry coughed. "Only if that's the only thing you ever do with Hermione," he said. There was dead silence.

"Hermione's not together with me," came the mumble. And then clearer, "So that doesn't count."

Harry snorted. "Please. Your sister, my sister." They glared at each other for a long moment before there was a loud sigh from each of them. "How about this?" Harry offered. "I don't tell you, you don't tell me, and we don't do anything they don't want. Period."

Ron seemed to consider. "Deal," he said and then sighed again. "Not that it does me much fucking good," he muttered.

"Oh for Merlin's sake," Harry said, rolling his eyes and reaching around to punch his pillow up, "if you don't get off your ass and put Hermione out of her misery, I'm going to lock the two of you in a closet and put a charm on it that won't let you out until you've kissed." He shuddered. "Not that I want to think about that."

Ron snorted. "Cara says that Hermione talks about how I look in my Quidditch uniform," he said, sounding just a tad bit smug.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Never would have figured her for liking sweaty, dirty, ugly gits in ripped robes." Ron kicked him lightly and Harry obligingly grunted.

"Shut it," Ron ordered. Now he could hear the smile in the Head Boy's voice.

Harry smirked. "Make me."

There was a snicker. "Two words. Bill' and Charlie'." There was another snicker. "Even better. Gred' and Forge'."

Harry groaned. "Good point," he said. "Not that I couldn't take them."

"You're a bloody arrogant bloke now, aren't you?" Ron said, voice definitely amused. "You just keep thinking that. After all, you've never seen a combined force of Weasleys."

Harry shuddered. "I don't want to think about it," he said. And then decided to turn the tables. "And of course, you realize that I'll turn you inside out, pull off all your toenails and then shred you into bite-size pieces for the giant squid if you fuck around on Hermione?"

"Let's call it even," Ron said grudgingly. Harry had a feeling he still liked the idea of calling the rest of the Weasleys in on him. He decided he'd be very careful not to give Ron a reason to rethink that decision. Either that, or tell Ginny on him.

"So," he said, sliding a bit lower and shoving Ron's legs over with his own. "What's the deal with you, then?"

He could almost see Ron light up the bed with what had to be one colossal blush. "Cara caught me trying to make daisies," his friend muttered.

Harry grinned. "Daisies?" he said.

"Girls like flowers, right?" Ron said, defensively. "Cara said so."

Harry coughed. "Dunno. Since I've never given any." Briefly he considered the fact that he'd probably have to start figuring those things out. Girls expected it. Great, just great.

"Anyway. So I made daisies and Cara put them on Hermione's bed for me," Ron grumbled.

"What'd she think?" Harry asked.

Ron mumbled something, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. Harry gave a little ahem' of expectation. "I pretended I was in bed, ok? Crikey, what'd you expect me to do, wait around for her to tell me that it did the charm all wrong?" his friend said, sounding sour.

"Hermione said that?" Harry said, surprised. That didn't sound like her, especially not since she'd started randomly kissing Ron. He'd rather thought she's go all mushy and burst into tears and Ron would have ended up having an evening rather like his. Which he did NOT want to think about.

"I don't know what she said," Ron fired back, impatiently. "I pretended I was in bed."

Harry smirked. "So Cara put the flowers on her bed, Hermione's gotten them, and you've been hiding in here ever since." He snickered. "Way to go, loverboy."

"Shut up," Ron groused. "You didn't have to do this stuff. I do. It sucks."

Harry shrugged, still grinning. "Seems to me, you need to take some of your own advice," he said. Ron just looked blank. He rolled his eyes. "Hello? Does talking' sound familiar?"

"Yeah, but Ginny's had a thing for you for forever," Ron protested. Albeit weakly. "Hermione's Head Girl. And way smarter than me. Not to mention she could probably have any guy she wants right now"

Harry couldn't take it anymore. He jerked his pillow out from under him and smashed it over his face, giving a scream of frustration. Then he tucked it back under his head. "Look, Ron," he said as reasonably as he could. "I'm glad you're owned up to the truth and all, but you're going to make me stark raving nutters if you don't get off your pansy ass and get with the girl. And if I have to listen to you whine about how you're not worthy one more time, I'll throw you out the window without your broom."

"I'd like to see you try," Ron muttered.

Harry smirked. "I bet your brothers would help me."

There was silence. "Good point."

Draco had settled into a nice, calm Potions class, and had started amusing himself by reading some notes Professor Snape had given him that morning on her latest research when his name was muttered.

"Malfoy," Potter said next to him in a low voice. Snape was up at the front of the room, and he looked their way, scowling, just waiting for the Golden Boy to do something. Anything. Not that his wife was letting him get away with much, much to Draco's private amusement. It was pretty damn funny to watch Snape grumble under his wife's oh-so-gentle thumb.

Draco raised a cool eyebrow and looked over at Potter over the top of his notes. "Yes?" he said. Annoying git.

Potter gave him a quick, serious look. "I need a word after class," he said briefly.

"Potter!" came from the front. Oops, looks like the Boy-Who-Lived hadn't been quite quiet enough. "Ten points for talking in class and disturbing your peers."

He could hear the small sigh from the other boy, and it was enough to soothe his irritation at the request. What on earth did he want to talk about? It wasn't like they were some sort of friends or anything. He resisted the urge to shudder. One Gryffindor was about all he could handle on a regular basis. Well, two, counting Professor Snape.

Draco pushed the thoughts aside. It made no matter, there was still a good hour of class left, and he had notes to read.

It was at the end of class, as he finished packing up his materials and had exchanged nods with Snape, that he nearly ran into Potter outside the classroom. Draco drew himself up and scowled. "What?" he snapped. He didn't want to talk, he wanted lunch and Cara. Not necessarily in that order.

Potter jerked his head. "I need a word," he said again. Grudgingly, Draco stepped to the far side of the empty hall and obliged. He was only doing this so Cara wouldn't come back and yell at him later, he thought.

He gave the Gryffindor a cold look. "Make it fast," he ordered.

Potter's face was blank, his hands shoved in his pockets. "There's going to be open war in a few months," he said, just out of the blue. Draco resisted the urge to gape. Well, whatever he was expecting, it hadn't been that. Intent green eyes were being trained on him. "I need to know you're on our side."

Draco drew himself up straight. "All you need to know is I'm not on his side," he snapped, and made to turn away. Pissed off and not entirely sure why.

"That's not going to work," his voice stopped him. He swung back around to find that same intent gaze. "Not in this war." Frankly, the certainty and finality of the other's voice was rather unnerving. "There'll be no room for middle ground, for neutrality. It's going to be death and destruction and the survival of only one."

Briefly a memory surfaced from last year, from a drunken night in the Astronomy Tower in the company of his formerly worst enemy. Something about only one

"I need to know you're on my side. Cara says you are. But I need to hear you say it." There was that intent look again, and now his head was starting to ache just a touch.

Draco abruptly remembered that part of the night as well. "Get out of my head," he snarled and tried to remember what he'd read of Occlumency, working to shove Potter away. The ache receded, but he had the feeling it was only because the other wanted it to.

Potter was giving him a bland look. "Sorry," he said. Not sounding it at all. "I do it to nearly everyone."

"What about your precious sidekicks?" Draco snapped, still pissed. "How do they like you breaking into their minds?"

Potter shook his head. "I haven't done them," he said. "Just people I'm not sure of." Then he shrugged. "Anyway. Are you with me?"

Draco wanted to hex him, but he'd definitely hear about that from Cara, and frankly, he just wanted to end this conversation. Before he hexed the prat anyway, Cara be damned. "Yes," he said shortly, and made to go again.

"Wait," he was interrupted again. Draco gritted his teeth. I'm doing this for you, Cara, he thought silently. And boy, are you going to owe me tonight.

"Now what?" he demanded.

"The DA is re-forming," the other boys said in a low voice, back to looking blank. "People are going to need all the weapons they can get." Draco remembered the fallout after Umbridge had found out about their little club in fifth year. Some Ravenclaw had skulked around the castle covered with crude words for the rest of the year. That, at least, had been amusing.

"I need you," Potter went on. This time he managed to surprise Draco. "You've got a background that the rest of us don't. I need you to come and help me teach the rest of them how to survive."

Draco bared his teeth. "Dying is easy," he growled. "You have to want to survive." And he'd wanted to do so, if only to spite dear old dad and his lovely cousin Bella.

Potter nodded. "Yeah," the other boy said. "We can't be easy on them. There's too little time, and what's coming" For a moment, the blank look disappeared and instead Draco was treated to a face that was grim, hard, haunted. "What's coming isn't going to pull any punches."

Draco stood and considered for a long moment. Potter wasn't asking him to be friends, wasn't asking for him to do anything but draw on his worst memories and nightmares. And while he normally would have stalked away, sneering, that one look was what was keeping him in place. Perhaps Potter really did have some idea of what he was facing. Draco had never believed it before, not the way the Golden Boy was fussed over by ever other living person on earth. But that one look

He made a decision. "When?" he asked abruptly.

"Tonight. 8pm, in the Room of Requirement," was the reply. Draco gave a curt nod, and then swung on his heel and started to stride away. "Draco," was called after him.

"You're asking me to torture Gryffindors," he shot back over his shoulder, unable to resist. "I'll be there." As he headed up the stairs toward the Great Hall, he almost thought he heard laughter behind him. Bloody Potter.

AN: Ah, my dear, dear readers yes, it's been a while. And I will warn you, it may happen again, although I'll try my best to not. The school year has just started, and I've got a lot of teaching stuff to get rolling.

Sugarbaby - Ahem. Yes, well, I've finally gotten around to updating. And as for Harry/Ginny/Voldy my lips are sealed.

James and Lily 4eva – He is a rather attractive bloke, isn't he? Lol. I'm rather fond of my Harry moments myself

Ferggirl99 – You went to the home of Ghiradelli chocolate, and came back empty-handed? That's it. I'm writing you into the story as a rejected character who gets dissed by Ron as a stalker. (smirking)

Ravenmom – I'm just guessing, here, at what your favorite part of the last chapter was. Lol. As for chocolate strawberries lets just say blood has been shed over them.

Xayne – If there's one thing that 6 years with one man has taught me, it's that a man's brain is usually not the best part of him. Lol. (All you males reading: yes, yes, women make no sense, I know)

Crookshanx – No possibility of death? Not even a little one? Man, you don't ask for much, do you? And no mystery? Honey, there ain't enough chocolate in the world for THAT one. (big toothy grin) Not that you couldn't try.

Milygo – Glad to hear it! I try very hard to keep my characters as believable as possible, both in the world of canon and the world of lets-face-it-they're-teenagers. Lol.

Cherryblossom08 – (coughs lightly) What, I wasn't prompt enough? I have no idea where you'd get an idea like that

Shahrezad1 – See, now there's that dirty mind again. Innocence was NOT lost, not yet, anyway. (smirks) Don't worry, our favorite sets of lovers will get, um, busy' soon enough There IS a bad guy out there to take care of, you know. (grins)

Plateado – I admit that's one of my big curiosities in the real' stories. What will happen to Draco, to Snape? These are characters that we don't know nearly as much about, which of course makes them great to write! (grins sheepishly) I haven't made up my mind yet which way I think JKR's going to take them all. I guess we'll all have to wait for the "Half-Blood Prince" to come out. As for Ron and Hermione action, Ron's got to bumble around a bit more before Hermione takes pity on him and sets him straight. I mean, he's a boy. (shaking head sadly)

Obsessed87 – (gasp) No! I would never forget you! (frantically scanning previous reviews) Umm oops? (batting eyes and giving best smile) Have I told you lately what a great reviewer you are?

IceSugarHigh – Did you know that studies have proven that chocolate in women causes the same endorphins to be release as sex? Kinda makes you think, doesn't it (currently munching Hershey Kisses myself)

Remus' Girl – Not to worry, Ginny's not exactly a wilting flower in this story. Please note her threatening to feed Harry to the giant squid. Lol. Not that I'm going to give away any secrets, but I don't think you'll be disappointed when we get down to it.

Brokentoy19 - I like torture. That's why I'm a teacher. (BWAHAHAHAHA)

Barlelibou – I hope you like the timing here, I thought it was time to start getting a bit serious again

Cutemara, lillypotterfan, foxyginny, Moonglaze, Maddie, lluvatar, Siriuslover, kpxiceboi, Hermey, hplovah, Superkid, hawkeyessabre – Hmm. Judging from the amount of sweets I've consumed in the past week or so, you enjoyed the last chapter. (grins) Keep those bribes and especially those reviews coming! After all, that's what motivates me to get the next chapter up