When Draco had stumped his toe on the third chair leg in a matter of minutes, Blaise finally decided to go and see what he was up to. Draco never usually wandered about in the dark late at night, and if he did no one usually cared. But tonight Draco was making more noise than an unfed Weasley at breakfast and was in danger of waking the entire dorm if he wasn't careful. So, Blaise took pity on him and decided to save him from an unnecessary pummeling for disturbing the other Slytherins slumber.
"Draco what ARE you doing?" he asked, flicking on the light in the common room to find Draco on the floor, whimpering in pain and clutching his toe.
"Trying to get my toes to talk back, what does it look like?" Draco let his foot free and stood up with the help of the offending chair.
"You're all dressed, where were you planning on running off to at..." he checked his watch "3am?"
"No where special Zabini" Draco replied, replacing his shoe and straightening his robes "Just for a walk"
"Well make sure you walk more quietly through the corridors than you do in your own common room, Malfoy. Filch may be old but he certainly isn't deaf"
"I'm quite capable of looking after myself thanks" Draco replied huffily, and he turned to leave the common room.
"Your-uh- shoes are on the wrong feet Draco"
"GOOD NIGHT BLAISE!"
Draco slammed the dungeon door and stormed down the corridor, heading towards the front entrance. He needed some air and some time to think over what Dumbledore had said that evening.
Draco stormed out of the doors and out into the cool night breeze, thinking as he went, letting his feet carry him to his destination. He wasn't sure of what to make of all the information that had been thrown at him and so he decided to sit by the lake and think until breakfast, maybe that way he could come up with some idea as to how he was going to fool his father into believing he was just itching to destroy something.
He also needed to get out of the dorm to stop him dropping off to sleep. The dreams he'd been having lately were rather disturbing to say the least. He had decided he needed a distraction when he'd dreamt about Potter in the shower doing-
Yeah...definitely needed a distraction.
The autumn air was cold and damp with early morning dew. Draco had bought his cloak but the frozen air sliced through the fabric easily causing Draco to shiver slightly as the wind blew gently, encircling him in the cold.
He wrapped his cloak tighter around his body and dipped his head into the wind, making his way slowly over to the bank of the lake. Once there he pulled his cloak under him as he slumped down to the ground using a tree trunk as a resting place and the rest of the tree to shelter him from the icy wind. He let his head fall back onto the trunk of the tree and his eyes flickered shut, helping him to picture all the seriously cool things he would do when he found out how to use and control his strength.
The first thing he would definitely do is show that Weasley who was boss, he could turn his hair blue but that would clash awfully with his eyebrows and it wouldn't be him who had to look at it. He could stick him to the ceiling and leave him there, or if he was so powerful that he could read minds he would find out all his deepest darkest secrets and...
There was a quiet noise from behind him that snapped him back to reality. Draco opened his eyes and shuffled away from the tree, wand in hand, ready to strike.
Draco frantically surveyed his surroundings, not daring to move until he was certain he was imagining things. Slowly, cautiously, he moved back to the tree and let his head rest back in the position it was it before.
"God, I'm paranoid" He thought to himself just before he looked down and noticed the grass next to him was indented slightly, forming the invisible shape of a person lying down on their back using the blades of grass.
Draco yelped and flung himself away from the tree in his desperation to get away from the phantom grass. He thrust his wand in the right general direction and began to talk to thin air.
"I know someone's there!" he called out into the night "When I find you, whoever you are you're going to regret following me-"
"I didn't follow you Malfoy" Harry had watched Draco's reaction with great amusement, it wasn't often he got to scare him so when he got the chance, he took it!
So when he saw Malfoy walk from the castle and settle down not far from where he himself sat he decided to use the opportunity he had been given.
He thought he had better give himself up when he noticed how heavily Draco was breathing, he didn't want him to start hyperventilating on him or anything, he was scared he'd have a very strong urge to just walk away which wouldn't do much for his Hero image.
Reluctantly Harry tugged the cloak over his head and when his skin made sudden contact with the chilly wind outside the protection of the invisibility cloak, he took a sharp intake of breath before fixing Draco with a cold stare.
Draco relaxed slightly when he saw who was with him, not because it was Harry,(well...kinda) but because it wasn't someone who wanted to chop him into hundreds of tiny pieces and serve him to the Ministry for lunch because of his fathers actions. At least, not NOW anyway. Who knew what ways Harry had in mind to do away with Draco before he decided to switch sides.
"What were you doing then Potter? Admiring the view?" Draco had regained his cockiness with his nerves and had to redeem himself quickly "I know I'm frighteningly handsome but really...stalking isn't a wise hobby to take up now is it?"
"Oh shove a stick in your ear Malfoy and deflate your head a bit, you'll float away if it gets any bigger"
"Not denying my prettiness though are we?"
"Not denying the size of your ego either"
Draco opened his mouth to retaliate but Harry cut him off quickly, he couldn't argue with him, not after what Dumbledore had told him.
"Be civil, Harry" he reminded himself "He's your equal, not your enemy"
"So what are you doing out so late Malfoy? Needed to clear your head as well?"
Draco narrowed his eyes at the interruption but answered anyway, even though he decided telling him the truth would be embarrassing, so what he said was a total lie.
"The dungeons are always freezing in the winter, I can never sleep if its too cold. I needed to uh- oh- warm up a little"
"And so I came out here. What an idiot! Could I GET any stupider?"Harry just nodded and continued to stare out into the lake. The water rippled with the breeze causing the first few stray leaves from the trees to glide silently across the lakes surface.
Draco, instead of sitting back where he was a few moments ago, bent to pick up some stones and he had begun skimming them on the water. Harry watched silently for a minute or so before speaking again.
"I used to do that a lot as a kid, my Uncle and Aunt used to take us up to the national parks once in a while and I got quite good until my cousin told me I was holding them up and he started throwing the stones at me instead to get me to keep walking"
Draco sneered, anyone who threw rocks at Potter had to be in his good books.
"My cousin was a nasty piece of work though. He used to sneak into my room at night and write FREAK across my forehead in permanent marker because he saw magic as an abnormality, a genetic disorder if you will."
Draco's sneer faltered. Maybe he didn't like this cousin so much...
"Why are you being nice to me Potter?" Draco didn't like to admit it, but Potter and Civil Conversation never went together in any book of his, and this unnerved him a little.
"I thought we had better take Dumbledore's advice and try and get on while we're training. But if it makes you feel better I can say I'm trying to bore you to death with the story of my terrible childhood" Harry smiled up at Draco but he didn't return the gesture.
"We're not friends, just because you told me one little thing about yourself doesn't mean I'm going to join in with the Show And Tell session and share the secrets of my life. We have to be civil, nothing more" Draco replied calmly, dropping the rest of the stones onto the grass and turning to leave.
"I didn't ask to be your friend Draco, if I remember correctly it was the other way around" Harry stood and walked over to face Draco, if he wanted to argue, he'd do it to his face.
"That was a long time ago Potter, things change. We hate each other remember? I'm not about to break the habit of a lifetime because its more convenient for Dumbledore."
"Don't just ASSUME I hate you Draco, I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of hating you. As far as I'm concerned you're still a obnoxious git but I'm willing to give the "Civil" thing a go for the Orders sake. Why cant you?" Harry was starting to get irritated
"You should know by now I like to do things MY way"
"Stop being a selfish prat and be co operative for once in your sodding life-"
"Piss off Potter, I don't need a lecture from you as well" and with that Draco swung round and disappeared into the darkness, his silvery blonde hair being the last thing to fade from view before all was lost in the swirling misty morning.
Harry decided to stay outside for a while longer, despite the cold. He needed to think of ways to control his temper when Draco was around, he couldn't and wouldn't let him stop him from learning everything he needed to for the final battle. It was just another thing for Harry to worry about but he was determined to make the training work for everyone's sake.
What was even more worrying was he actually was enjoying Malfoy's company when they hadn't been arguing and he had found pleasure in watching Draco skim the stones across the lake, watching him frown in concentration and then flicking his wrist to make the stone bounce effortlessly across the surface, the way his hair brushed across his face when he made the sudden movement.
That, was a VERY big problem.
Little did he know Draco was having the same kind of thoughts. He mentally kicked himself for feeling anything other than pure hatred for Harry and that was why he had snapped at him when he tried to be nice. He wasn't used to it, and when he found himself liking it he attacked it.
Potter is Potter, a no good Gryffindor. Obsessed with saving everyone and always getting on his case, noble, brave and above all adored by everyone for being so...so...NICE! NOT something to be desired or wanted by ANY Malfoy.
Then a thought struck him, could he really call himself a Malfoy? Did he have the right to call himself that when he had betrayed his father and the rest of the Malfoy line by joining sides with the Old Coot and The-Boy-Who-Lived.
"Probably not" Draco thought to himself with a sigh. It had occurred to him as he walked away from Harry that he had planned on staying by the lake until breakfast. Well he couldn't very well go back after he'd stormed off like that so he made for the castle and decided to go back to him common room. It was warmer there anyway (even if it was cold in winter) and didn't have the new object of his affection there either.
No, NO! HE. DID. NOT. LIKE. HARRY! HARRY. IS. BAD.
Draco repeated this to himself the whole way down to Slytherin common room and to really make sure it stuck in his brain, when he had settled himself by the fire, he grabbed a bit of parchment and began to write it over and over and over.
HARRY IS BAD
HARRY IS BAD
HAR-
"No..."
POTTER IS BAD
POTTER IS BAD
POTTER IS BAD
Harry meanwhile was still by the lake, watching the sun slowly rise from the tops of the furthest trees. When 7am finally rolled around Harry felt he had done enough thinking to last him the rest of his life. Especially about Draco! The amount of times he had run the image of Draco skimming the stones or sitting peacefully by the lake over in his brain, he felt like he would never ever forget his face. It felt as if it was imprinted there forever. Of course...he WOULD look at Draco again...just to remind himself of the more intricate details. Like the way his eyes weren't quite grey and looked more silvery in the moonlight than any other time, and the way one single lock of hair liked to slide its way over his eye and the way he'd flick it back with two fingers.
Oh god.
Getting along with Malfoy was going to be VERY, VERY hard indeed.
"Harry you look awfully tired" Hermione noted as Harry finally joined his house mates in the Great Hall after sloping back to the castle and standing in his dorm shower for nearly 40 minutes.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night" he replied, piling food onto his plate and distinctly avoiding looking over to the Slytherins table.
"You came back really late last night, what did Dumbledore make you do?" Ron watched as Harry kept his head close to his plate and began to shovel food into his mouth without looking up once.
"Harry stop that! Its disgusting!"
Harry scowled but did as he was told and looked directly at Ron to answer his question.
"Oh, he just wanted to talk to me and-"
Mentioning Draco may not be such a fantastic idea right now, especially since Ron was still fuming about the Quidditch match and Harry was afraid if he started talking about him he wouldn't be able to stop and he'd go on for hours and hours and hours and hours...
"Harry?"
Harry snapped his attention back to Ron.
"He wanted to tell me something is all" Harry continued as if nothing had happened, still keeping his eyes trained fully on Ron. Never straying once. Well...maybe once...
"Are you going to tell us what that something is?" Hermione said softly as if she were speaking to a child
Harry's mind began to tick over the ways of telling them most of the truth without mentioning Draco's involvement...oh god, Draco now? Malfoy, his name is MALFOY!
Harry frowned at this thought and began subconsciously tapping his fork against his plate.
"Are you SURE you're OK Harry?" Hermione asked again, becoming increasingly concerned. If Harry's tapping was nothing to go by then his constant lack of attention and straying imagination sure was!
"I'm fine Mione, really. Dumbledore wanted to talk to me about training is all"
"Training? What the hell for?" Ron yelled a bit too loudly. This sudden outburst made Malfoy's head snap up instantly and when he saw who had made the noise he glared across the room at Harry.
Harry shut his eyes against the glare willing himself not to lose his temper OR his self restraint.
"I-no-Ron" he took a deep breath and looked back at Ron "He thinks it would be a good idea for me to be learning some more useful stuff, for...you know" Harry flicked his head in no particular direction, indicating to Ron he should know what he was talking about.
"Well that seems sensible to me" Hermione nodded seeming satisfied.
Harry looked back at his plate.
DON'T look at Malfoy
DON'T look
DON'T
"You're finding your plate awfully interesting today Harry" Seamus chuckled from next to Ron, watching him carefully to make sure he didn't try and bury his face in his food or something.
Was there NO WHERE he couldn't look without being interrogated?
"So who's gunna be doing your training then Harry?" Ron asked with a mouthful of toast
"Uh-Snape and Lupin"
"Why do you need two teachers?" Ron replied spitting crumbs all over the table. Seamus glared at him.
Harry had to get out of the hall. He needed to compose himself, what with all the awkward questions and Malfoy glaring at him from across the room. He began tapping his fork much more furiously before throwing it onto the table startling the people around him.
"Harry-"
"IM FINE MIONE! I just have to uh- go- somewhere" Harry stood to leave but she grabbed his sleeve before he could rush anywhere.
"We'll talk later" she growled eyeing him suspiciously. He nodded and began to half jog to the doors.
"Nearly there, Nearly out" he urged himself on, even more so as he past the Slytherins table, not even stopping to care about the insults being thrown at him like usual. Only one voice made him stop, and swivel round to stare open mouthed at the comments it was making."-Dumbledore even said I could be more powerful than You-Know-Who"
"Really Draco?" Pansy Parkinson was clinging to Draco's arm as if she'd melt if she didn't have contact with the tiniest inch of his body.
"No he DIDN'T Malfoy!"
Instantly he regretted that comment. Draco began shaking his head furiously at Harry, as if trying to tell him to shut the hell up. Nothing new then.
"How would YOU know Potter?" Pansy sneered sidling even closer to Draco as if to protect him.
Draco was now pulling a long pale finger across his throat in slicing motions and Harry watched it intently, suddenly wondering if Draco's hands were cold and what they would feel like-
No BAD thoughts Harry, BAD!
"I-I wouldn't" Harry gulped. It looked as if Draco hadn't told his friends the full picture either. Still watching Draco's finger which now rested on Pansy's shoulder lightly along with the rest of his pale skinned hand, he continued "I just know that Draco is a liar and that statement is quite obviously a lie. More powerful than Voldemort? Please!"
Draco's face twisted into a scowl but he didn't reply, he should have been expecting that. Instead, he nodded his thanks and kept Pansy from jumping him and trying to plant his face into the stone floor.
Harry glanced over at his own table. Ron, Hermione and Seamus were watching the exchange and it looked as if Ron was itching to jump up and help Harry, and was only held in place by Hermione.
"You can GO now Potter" Draco drawled, unmoved from Pansy's side
Harry turned back to face him and growled
"Don't go spouting any more lies Malfoy and I'll never have to bother you again"
"Oh heaven on earth, I shall make sure I don't Harry."
Everyone on the Slytherin table seemed to stiffen as Draco called him by his first name. Harry visibly stepped back and gulped loudly. Draco covered it well though and laughed
"What is everyone's problem? Its his NAME isn't it? Albeit an ugly one, but his name none the less. You really were quite unfortunate on the name front weren't you Potter?"
Harry clenched his fists at his side but tried to keep his feet firmly wedged to the floor.
"Malfoy isn't exactly the most desirable name either, is it? I'd be ashamed to have a name associated to a death eater myself but then I suppose that suits you doesn't it, DRACO?"
At that comment Draco stood up and leaned over the table to grab Harry by his collar and pull him forwards
"WHAT did you say Potter?" and again, his silver orbs sparkled with fury.
Maybe insinuating he was a Death Eater wasn't the best idea Harry had ever had. Rethinking that insult would be a better one.
"Fuck" Harry whispered, closing his eyes, mainly because he'd made an idiotic mistake, but also because Draco's face was inches from his own and all he would have to do was lean forward just a little and...
"MR. POTTER!"
Oh here we go, the Malfoy club begins to gather...
The instant Draco heard the word "Training" float from the other side of the room he instantly knew where it had come from.
Potter had told the Weasel and the Mudblood. Marvelous. That's all he needed, them two on his case for the rest of the year, AND after he'd tried so hard to blot them out. Not that he minded.
He glared at Harry.
"Well, if he's going to tell HIS friends...I'm going to tell mine" Draco thought icily, turning to Blaise. But then a thought struck him...
He couldn't tell them Harry was training as well, the news wouldn't be NEARLY as good. Damn Potter, ALWAYS butting in on Draco's time in the lime light. Plus there was the slight problem of the feelings...whatever they were...he had for Harry. He didn't want to think about them...AT ALL.
Draco thought that maybe if he ignored them he'd forget he ever had them and they would just disappear...POOF! Just like...
"Poof?...oh bollocks now I cant even say that without thinking about Harry. Why me?"Draco shook himself and turned to Pansy...she was thick enough not to notice how agitated he was and wouldn't ask him about it. And she would give Draco all the attention he'd need when he told her...MOST of what Dumbledore had said. He'd tell Pansy.
"Oh Pansy..."
"Yes Draco dear?"
Well Draco being Draco didn't plan on Harry actually HEARING him tell Pansy, so when he walked past and overheard Draco, he had to make sure Potter didn't blow his cover.
"No he DIDN'T Malfoy!"
"How would YOU know Potter?"
"Oh God. Oh please no. If she finds out Harry's going to be training with me, we're BOTH goners. She'll tell my father...Oh bollocking hell he'll KNOW I'm a spy!"
Draco began slitting his throat with his finger, Harry looked at him oddly for what seemed like hours, just watching his finger which to Draco also seemed slightly odd.
Finally, Harry replied with
"I-I wouldn't. I just know that Draco is a liar and that statement is quite obviously a lie. More powerful than Voldemort? Please!"
"Hey, now wait just a min- Oh..."Draco was satisfied. And decided he'd get Harry back for the sarcastic comment later. Draco then decided thinking about Getting Harry Back was also not such a brilliant plan and concentrated his attention on Pansy's shoulder...lovely nice shoulder...innocent shoulder...
When Harry didn't move Draco started to get impatient. He wanted to remove his gaze from Pansy's shoulder, as lovely and bony as it was, and wanted to get back to thinking usual Malfoyish things. No thinking about anything Potter related today, nuh uh! Not here! Nooo way.
"You can GO now Potter"
"Don't go spouting any more lies Malfoy and I'll never have to bother you again"
Draco scowled and realized Harry was getting more insults in than he was! Well, he'd soon see to that!
"Oh heaven on earth, I shall make sure I don't Harry."
Pansy tensed under his hand and Draco instantly realized his mistake. Inwardly he cursed himself and put on the famous "I'm a Malfoy, I don't care" face.
"What is everyone's problem? Its his NAME isn't it? Albeit an ugly one, but his name none the less. You really were quite unfortunate on the name front weren't you Potter?"
"Heh, good one. Managed to insult him there too. Go me!"
Draco wasn't QUITE as cocky when Harry lost his temper...again...
And then Draco lost HIS temper...
And then Snape came in...
All in a days work for...WUPA! The Wind Up Potter Association!
"You two never listen do you?" Snape growled as he hauled them out of the great hall and into his office "You were TOLD to get along, and I know its HARD Draco..."
"I'll say, its starting to get uncomfortable" Draco shuffled in his seat
"But I THOUGHT I could trust you to just pretend he didn't exist!"
Neither boy said anything and just looked at the floor.
Harry was kicking himself for losing his temper again, but then he also had the image of kicking Draco just as hard for provoking him in the first place.
"And you...POTTER..."
Harry sighed and looked up, waiting for the inevitable point deduction
"...are just as bad!"
Eh? The didn't sound like "1 million points for hurting my poor Drakey Wakey woo"...ew!
Snape gave them a massively long lecture about fighting at breakfast, and then another about what they would have to bring to their first training session on Monday and where to go. That all lasted until they had to be in their second lesson of the day which just so happened to be potions.
Snape stormed out of the room before the boys and sped off towards the dungeons. Harry and Draco followed at their own pace which also gave Draco time to tell Harry not to mention training again...
"I didn't tell them I was training with you Potter" he began, ignoring the look Harry gave him as they made their way down.
"I didn't tell my friends either" Harry replied
Draco was surprised. Why had he done that? Draco thought Harry would have jumped at the chance to show that he had yet again managed to take something from him.
"So we agree not to mention it then?"
Harry nodded. He was definitely going to try and avoid the subject if possible with his friends. It got him thinking about things he shouldn't think about, and then the things he shouldn't think about became things he WANTED to think about but REALLY shouldn't think about.
Basically, he didn't want to acknowledge the fact he got little butterflies in his stomach every time anything remotely related to Draco happened or came up in conversation.
No he wanted to squish them down until they were mush and he didn't notice them anymore.
They made their way down the dungeons in silence, both thinking about the presence of the other and both denying they felt anything but hatred towards each other.
Well training was certainly going to be interesting!
AN: I know its not Saturday, but Slytherin Snakes is pestering me to update and I really did want to and so I took her good advice...
Again with any plot problems- I have excuses. And I realized that Draco doesn't really have any new POWERS as such, he just powerFUL! Makes sense no?
Hey if anyone wants to help me think up all the cool new things he can do I'd appreciate the help coz I am SO amazingly stuck.
Woo, more reviews. I like reviews I do. I mite give you candy if u review...
OK next chapter: Chapter 4: A bit of weird behaviour, a plan, training begins (at last), a plan in action, hehe the Speck makes an appearance (my fave character so far), we see a little of why Draco is different (someone tell me if this is too lame or is so amazingly wrong coz I'm not sure. And if it is give me ideas of what I can do instead)
Finally- a truce.
Kinda long I guess.
Gah shutting up, I accept that I'm lame. xxxx