Harry sat high above the pitch looking down on the action below him. Malfoy sat not far away, but slightly lower. The match had been going now for nearly an hour and Harry was getting restless, he had seen the snitch only once and a badly aimed bludger hit it just as Harry reached out to catch it. Draco had been close on his tail.
Slytherin were winning, but only by 20 points and it looked as if Gryffindor were about to score again. A great cheer rang out through the stadium as Ginny Weasely, Gryffindors new chaser, smashed the Quaffle through the hoop.
Harry knew Quidditch like the back of his hand. He could predict exactly what would happen seconds before it did just by watching the movements of the other players, he knew how the Snitch flew, how it dived just before veering up suddenly making a poor Seeker crash to the ground, how it liked to tease the Seekers by flying past them every now and again...Harry lived for Quidditch.
Harry lived to play Slytherin.
One thing had changed about Slytherin matches however. He had noticed it five minutes into the match. Draco wasn't trying to distract him with insults, which was strange. Usually Draco would be hovering next to him, spitting insults with every intake of breath. But now he sat away from Harry, not too far that he couldn't keep watch on him, but as far away as he could get without forfeiting the game.
Then he spotted it. The small flicker of gold that whizzed past the Slytherin stands, and he wasn't going to lose it this time.
By the time Draco had noticed what he was doing, Harry was hot on the Snitch's tail, weaving through the air in time with it, slowly gaining on it. It was almost hypnotic.
Draco shot towards him, concentrating only on the tiny blip of gold that zoomed around the pitch, holding the entire crowds attention. Draco drew level with Harry who was bent low on his broom, his eyes transfixed on the snitch in front.
The snitch dipped down slightly but neither seeker followed, they both knew that the Snitch was feinting and they followed it as it shot round the Slytherin hoop and continued in the opposite direction.
Harry closed in and began to reach out slowly for the Snitch. Draco frowned and watched as Harry, brow furrowed, leant forward to snatch it out of the air, and in doing so, snatching the game away from Draco again.
Draco HAD to beat Harry, at least once, only once. After that he didn't care how many times Harry beat him to the snitch as long as he had ONE win over him. Just one.
That's why, in desperation, Draco shook off his common sense what was left of his conscience and kicked out viciously at the end of Harry's broom. Harry yelped as his broom flung him sideways in the air and he batted the Snitch towards Draco. Just as Draco attempted to catch the snitch, Harry toppled off his broom and stuck out his hand to grab the first thing it came into contact with. That just so happened to be Draco's foot.
Harry's weight pulled Draco sideways with him and they both began to plummet to the ground, the snitch forgotten – lost in the chaos that erupted when Harry and Draco fell.
It wasn't a long fall, they had both fallen further in their time at Hogwarts but with someone landing on top of you it hurt a hell of a lot more. Draco fell on top of Harry just after he made contact with the ground which winded him anyway, now Harry could barely see, black dots swimming in front of his eyes, just on the edge of consciousness.
Harry's top half was suddenly pulled upwards by his collar. Draco had hold of him and was hissing at him
"You complete idiot Potter! I nearly had it, for once I nearly had it and you RUINED it" Draco shook Harry slightly which made the dots swim faster in front of his face. Harry rolled his eyes back in his head and shut them trying to close his mind off from his surroundings but Draco shook him more violently and his eyes shot back open.
"What's the matter with you Potter? Cant take a small fall like that? I would have thought you'd have more strength in you. Obviously you're losing your touch"
"Not...with a great...oaf like...you falling on me." Harry wheezed, slowly regaining the air that was knocked so forcefully from him.
"You're the bloody oaf Potter. Honestly, did you HAVE to take me with you? Or cant you do anything by yourself?"
"Get....off me...Malfoy"
"Always got to have someone to help you do everything. Now you need me to help you wind yourself so everyone will come crawling over, crying about how your beautiful shell has been damaged by that evil Slytherin."
"I'm...warning you Malfoy!"
"Sorry Potter but I cant take credit this time. You'll have to get someone else to bloody you up for attention"
Harry struck then, finding his energy he swung his fist at Draco connecting with the side of his face with a loud crack. Draco fell beside Harry and he was able to pull himself up and grab Draco by the front of his Quiddich robes. Lifting him to his feet Harry swung again but Draco was too quick and ducked and Harry punched thin air. Draco tackled Harry back to the floor and fought back causing his head to hit the floor beneath him. Harry groaned and brought his foot up to Draco's chest. Harry kicked him off and stood up once more, only to be restrained from lashing out again by Madam Hooch.
"Mr. Potter what DO you think you're doing?" she had him by the back of his robes and was flinging him backwards and forwards. Harry suddenly felt very lightheaded and stumbled forwards onto his knees.
"Mr. Malfoy as well, you two, honestly. You're both going straight to the headmaster. Your fighting MUST be controlled."
"I think Harry needs to see Madam Pomfrey, he looks a little green" Ginny said as she landed next to the scene.
"That's envy that is" Draco replied, standing up and brushing himself off "Cant stand the fact I nearly beat him for once"
"Only because you cheated Malfoy!"
"You will both go to the hospital wing and then straight up to Dumbledore. If you cant stop fighting we may have to stop one or both of you from participating in matches against each other"
Madam Hooch stood Harry up and supported his weight while Ginny took the other side. They carted him off to the hospital wing with Draco limping closely behind, his nose bloody and his pride severely dented.
Draco came out worse than Harry after all that with a bloody nose, a sprained left wrist and right ankle. Harry had a bad case of concussion but other than that he was unharmed. Draco's punches had been feeble, usually he would have put all his remaining energy into trying to crack Harry's face, but this time he had barely made a mark.
Harry of course, hadn't held back and he had begun to feel guilty when he saw the state he had left Malfoy in when they both sat in silence in Dumbledore's office nearly an hour later.
Madam Pomfrey refused to heal Draco's face with magic, she had healed his wrist and ankle perfectly but decided it was best to let Draco suffer the less painful wounds for his behavior out on the pitch. His eye was turning a nasty shade of purple and his nose was still bleeding a little, Harry had just got off with a slight headache.
Dumbledore sat in front of them looking at them with amusement written all over his features. Both boys were never expecting him to yell and throw detention at them but they never expected him to find this FUNNY!
"Now Mr. Malfoy, what did we say at the beginning of the year?"
"I know Professor, sorry"
"I never expected you to last this long, if you want to know the truth" he chuckled making Draco scowl at him. Harry was just confused, what were they talking about? He rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"Its not my fault Potter is an insufferable-"
"Now, now Mr. Malfoy, you will have to try and control your temper better. Especially since you will be working with Harry a lot closer as of Monday"
Both boys snapped their heads up and gave Dumbledore a look which meant 'My arse I'm going to work closely with him!' only Draco was stupid enough to voice his opinion.
"Draco! We agreed that if you were helping the Order in the battle against Voldemort you would be co operative and not try and do what YOU thought was best. Especially not for yourself!"
"What? Malfoy and the Order in the same sentence? You CANT be on OUR side!" Harry was completely astounded. He had always assumed Draco was pure evil and that he would follow his father in becoming a Death Eater. Everyone had thought that was the way things went.
"What is it Potter? Cant have a Slytherin like me muscling in on your little club?" Draco spat, clearly irritated at Harry's surprise.
"No! Of course not!" Harry replied turning to him "We just always assumed that...that..."
"That what? That I'd do what my daddy told me and bow down to some crack pot in an expensive robe? Please Potter, I thought you knew me better than that!"
"Does your father know?"
"Don't be an idiot Potter" Draco sighed turning back to face Dumbledore, a look of annoyance on his face.
"Mr. Malfoy still thinks Draco will join the ranks of Death Eaters, and just this morning sent Professor Snape an owl with instructions to train him for such an event, behind my back of course" Dumbledore never showed much of his dislike for anyone and this time was no different. He just smiled and unfolded the parchment with Lucius' italic script on it and handed it over to Draco.
Severus,
It is time for Draco to begin his training as we were instructed to do at our last gathering. I trust I do not need to remind you of what I am writing about.
There will be a great use of this training if it is satisfactory. All will be explained at our next meeting.
Yours,
Lucius Malfoy"Training? But my father already taught me all the unforgivables-"Draco was cut off when Dumbledore raised his hand.
"I'm sorry to say I haven't been very honest with you Draco, but you must understand why. Telling you the truth would have endangered our chances at winning this war and I was never about to do that."
Harry watched this exchange with interest. He had a feeling he was about to learn exactly who Draco was, who he had always been.
"Now I feel, as you have decided to join the Order, I have an obligation to tell you the truth"
"Is this one of those meetings where you tell me about some magical power I have that's really special and I never knew about it and now that I'm old enough I have to learn how to use it?"
Harry couldn't help but smile. He had enough experience of meetings like that to know how it felt.
"Not A magical power Draco." Dumbledore seemed just as amused "but magical powers far greater than the ones you already knowingly possess. A power so great that it may be some of the most powerful magic I have ever come across."
Draco's jaw dropped, followed quickly by Harry's.
"Wait hang on just a second" Draco found his voice and concentrated on keeping it level and at its normal pitch to hide his surprise. Unfortunately it was a little too late for that "are you saying, that I'm more powerful than...than...Voldemort?"
"Quite possibly yes, but we shall have to test it with-"
"So...if I were to be trained, and got really powerful...I could just waltz into wherever he is and kill him without batting an eyelid?" Draco's lips were turning up at the corners. Forget Quidditch, beating Harry at his one goal in life was a million times better!
"I'm the only one who can kill him" Harry whispered into his lap, shutting his eyes against his confusion and torment of being reminded so forcefully of the prophecy he had learnt only last year. Just after Sirius had...had...
"You cant do everything you know Potter, let someone else have a bit of the spotlight for a change" Draco sneered, he was really beginning to like this idea.
"Harry is right Draco"
OK, he wasn't supposed to AGREE with him...
"To cut a long story short, Harry is the only person alive that can defeat Voldemort. But luckily for us, Draco isn't the only powerful young wizard we have on our side" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled their usual twinkle at this statement.
"Oh I get it, this is one of THOSE meetings" Draco said flailing his arms in the air "The one where you break some great news to one person, get them all excited but then go and ruin it by breaking even better good news to the person he's sitting next to"
"I would say this news is more on a par with yours Draco" Dumbledore chuckled turning to Harry who had opened his eyes and was now staring blankly at the floor.
"I don't think I can take much more news about this war" Harry grumbled. Draco smirked at his discomfort.
"You just cant hack it that I'm more powerful than you, Potter"
"Actually Draco, it would appear that Harry is your match. And when I said you were more powerful than Voldemort, I meant that you would be only with years of training and experience. You are both still young, but together, the power you can both create will be much stronger than Voldemort knows and is willing to recognize" Dumbledore's tone turned grave "As is the power that you can create paired with Voldemort, and this is why he has sent the order for you to begin training"
"He wants to use me" Draco suddenly realized what this was all about. He had never thought that his decision about which side to chose would be so important, he was starting to really appreciate the fact he hadn't known.
"So what you're saying is, if we fight Voldemort together we can beat him easily" Harry summed up what Dumbledore was taking his time to explain.
"It will never be easy Harry" Dumbledore said gravely "But together you will be more likely to succeed"
"Voldemort must have a plan!" Draco suddenly stood up after a few minutes of silence between the three
"Oh isn't he quick?"
"Shut it Potter! I-"
"He does have a plan, yes." Dumbledore interrupted before it turned into another shouting match between the two. "And we will be needing to find out what this plan is"
"That's where I come in right?" Draco sighed, feeling the weight already placed on his shoulders beginning to weigh rather a lot more.
"I would not place you in unnecessary danger Draco. For the moment we shall begin to train you as we see fit for our own purpose, having your father think it is for HIS purpose. That is your part for now. We shall leave it up to Professor Snape to do the spying for the time being." Dumbledore stood from his relaxed position in his chair and walked round to the other side of his desk.
"And Potters part?"
"Harry will need to be trained as well! And that is why I have appointed Professors Snape and Lupin to be your tutors. Your first session will be on Monday evening after dinner."
Neither Draco OR Harry was happy about this arrangement. Not only would they have to train with their rivals but with their teacher rivals as well. Neither thought these training sessions would achieve much but no one said anything and Dumbledore offered them a Lemon drop each as a way of letting them know the meeting was over.
Draco exited the office first, and Dumbledore quietly called Harry back for one last word of advice
"Remember Harry, he is not your enemy any longer. Treat him as your equal, as he has been trying to do all year. I know it will be difficult, but this is the best way forward. We cant have our partners at each others throats can we?" and he smiled.
Harry smiled back and left his office with a lot on his mind.
When he reached his common room he found everyone was now in bed asleep, and he decided that this news could wait till morning. He needed sleep, and so as soon as his head hit the pillow he was dreaming peacefully.
As peacefully as The-Boy-Who-Lived could dream, anyway.
Right well, another chapter. Any one notice i changed the name? Long story behind that....you'll find out soon enough.
Anyone that finds something wrong you can tell me if you want but im always going to have some kind of excuse as to WHY so i dont have to change it. Unless its a spelling mistake...those i can change. Any Plot Problems...there IS a reason, trust me!
OK, Chapter 3... A little bit of wandering around after hours, ANOTHER arguement, a little bit of slashy thinking on both sides, oh god...MORE arguing, keeping secrets and WUPA! The Wind Up Potter Assossiation plays a little part during Breakfast.
OK and im all excited about my exam results so im going to tell everyone: 1 A, 4 As and 7 Bs. WOO HOO!