Chapter 10- The Pendant

Draco had decided not to go ahead with his original plan to make Harry think twice about pushing him away. Not only was it really awful and would probably make things worse, but he was a coward as well.

That was difficult enough to come to terms with without Harry then flatly refusing him a second time if he ever plucked up enough courage. That was one thing Slytherins lacked...the Gyriffindor courage.

So Draco went back to the drawing board, trying to think of a plan where he didn't have to do much but it was so terribly romantic that Harry couldn't refuse. Trouble was everything that was terribly romantic followed a similar pattern: he had to be present at them all!

He was beginning to think that sometimes Granger and the Weasel could be useful and he was considering getting them involved if he could just convince them he was serious. But then he realized it was probably a far fetched dream to think Ron of all people would take THAT news well. And then if Weasley did all the romantic stuff Harry was likely to fall for Ron and not 't have that. No...that was just wrong.

Draco was lying face down on his bed, breathing in the warm scent of his pillows. Harry hadn't come back to the dorm until Draco was asleep for nearly 3 weeks now, so Draco didn't expect him anytime soon. He never showed up and Draco only ever knew he DID come back was when he woke up during the night to see him sleeping soundly over the other side of the room. Draco noted Harry's friends drawn faces, pale complexions and the bags under their eyes: Harry was driving his old dorm mates potty.

And it was all because Harry was probably scared shitless of Draco pouncing on him, which Draco definitely would NOT do...he was a Malfoy! He had SOME dignity!

Draco pulled himself off the bed and decided to walk around the dorm, maybe he would find his inspiration. He stood and cracked his neck and back loudly before wandering over to Harry's bed and taking in the amount of junk piled on top of it.

"Messy Bastard" Draco thought, as he rummaged through it trying to find something of interest.

Draco threw everything down onto the bed again once he saw there was nothing but what it seemed at first glance: a pile of crap. He made a mental note to himself to make sure Harry was better at staying tidy if they ever got together. Draco certainly had high hopes of thinking of a plan.

When nothing took his interest in their room, he moved into Alex and Willows room.

"Muggles are very romantic beings" Draco mused as he scanned the darkened room, waiting for something to catch his eye "Maybe they have something I can borrow"

When nothing jumped out at him from his position in the doorway he strode confidently into the room, straight over to their table between their beds.

He pulled open a drawer and began to rifle through the belongings they had left behind. Now usually someone would feel guilty about going through someone else's things when they weren't there but Draco only acknowledged the feeling for a second before continuing to nose around.

He was about to give up and go back to asking his pillow for advice when something finally made him stop.

Draped over the head of the bed was a pendant, exactly the same as the one Alex had been wearing the day he and Harry had found them wandering Hogwarts alone. Draco hadn't really paid much attention then, assuming it was just a bit of jewelry but now, for some reason, it was drawing him to it.

Slowly, he unwound it from the bed post and held it up to the light from the window, studying the pattern in detail. It was a symbol of some kind, possibly Japanese but it was a weird kind of Japanese symbol if it was. It didn't really seem Muggle like, which was part of the reason it interested him so much.

It was silver, and glistened in the light streaming in from the window. Draco frowned slightly when he thought he saw it glow blue, but he chuckled to himself and discarded it as another Muggle object with no special qualities.

"Must be Willows" he sighed placing it back on the bed post "a family thing"

He stared at it hanging there for a while, unmoving. He just stared, until finally he gave in and took it back off the bedpost and held it tightly in his palm.

HE would take care of it for her till she came back, they may both be annoying brats but he missed them and he hoped to Merlin they were safe. So he held into the pendant with all his strength, till the sharp edges cut into his palm and made an indent in the skin. Draco shut his eyes tightly, silently praying they would be found soon and he held on tighter still as if he wanted the Pendant firmly wedged into his palm, cut deep into his skin, implanted there forever.

He stood like this for a few moments, until he could have sworn something felt different. Slowly, Draco opened his hand and held out the pendant in front of him.

"OK, that's not supposed to happen" he thought as watched a blue light leak from the pendant, steadily growing in brightness. Draco shut his hand again, willing the light to go away, be part of his imagination. The pendant became hot, but still he didn't let go, not even when the blue light filled the entire room and the metal encased in his hand became so hot it was melting the skin beneath it. He couldn't let go, his hand was frozen around the pendant.

Suddenly, Draco was thrown from his feet against the far wall, sliding down it as he collided with the stone. The light was fading now but still he couldn't unclasp his fingers, which stung and were disfigured with burns.

Draco passed out from the pain in his hand and the fogginess that was filling his head, everything was fading to black, the last thing he noticed before he fainted was the lack of something running through his being and the loss of the magical tingle in the tips of his fingers.

Draco Malfoy was a Wizard no more.

Harry had worked out that Draco couldn't stay awake past 2 in the morning, so that's what time he usually crept from Gyriffindor territory, down to his private dorm. Harry had figured this out from the many nights he had spent watching the marauders map, waiting for when Draco would move towards his bed and cease to move for a few hours.

Ron was beginning to ignore Harry if he didn't leave before midnight as he was desperate for sleep, as were the rest of the dorm. Harry didn't mind though, he found it quite peaceful sitting on his bed of a night listening to the rest of them snore while watching Draco go about his business on the map.

This night however something began to change. Draco had been in Alex and Willows room, milling around and Harry guessed he was being his usual nosey prattish self. But as he watched he saw Draco stood still in the room, and he wondered why he had stopped. It was only when the point that was Draco began to fade, did he really start to wonder what Draco was up to. The point on the map flickered continually while Draco stood stock still in the center of the room, and when Draco's point was thrown across the other side of the room into the wall Harry had really begun to think Draco was up to no good.

Harry decided to go and spy on whatever game Draco was playing and stop him if it was anything stupid, but as he climbed off the bed and donned the Invisibility Cloak to leave, he checked the map and saw that Draco's point had disappeared completely off the map. Harry scanned the entire map but he was no where in the castle.

"Draco wouldn't leave" he told himself "He couldn't leave!"

Harry stopped thinking sensibly at this point, he stopped thinking anything at all as he raced down to the dorm as fast as he could go, nearly squashing Mrs. Norris in his attempts to get there as quickly as was humanly possible.

He burst into the dorm when he arrived, forgetting his original plan of spying on Draco's mischief but the room was empty anyway. It was empty and dark and a breeze blew in from the partly open window. Harry snapped out of his trance and flung open Alex and Willows dorm door, remembering Draco had been in here when he had just disappeared. Harry scanned the room and saw nothing...but he heard a quiet groan from the floor. Looking down Harry saw Draco slouched against the wall by the door, bleeding from the hand and barely conscious. His breathing was shallow and slow and Harry could only stare at the withered form struggling to keep awake. Another groan from Draco was enough to snap Harry into action however and he leant over him to keep him awake.

"Draco?" Harry whispered gently, trying to keep the panic out of his voice "Draco?"

There was no reply. Harry held back tears as he looked over Draco's body for a sign of attack or anything to tell him how this had happened. When his eyes fell on Draco's hand that was lying in a pool of blood on the floor he brought his own hand to it and unclenched the fist that Draco had formed around the pendant. It was embedded in his skin, and was still glowing a lightish blue. Harry took the pendant and carefully put in his pocket. He then cast a spell to lighten Draco's form so he could be carried to the Hospital Wing.

Whatever had happened, it was something big.

Draco thought he must have woken up several times while he was in the hospital wing but they all seemed like short wonderful dreams because every time he awoke slightly, even though he was still groggy and in pain, he could feel a hand holding his own tightly and he could hear a familiar voice whispering to him to sleep some more and that he would stay right by him until he was better.

"I'll look after you Draco" he heard the voice whisper.

And so Draco did exactly as the voice had told him to. When he finally woke up, feeling much better than he previously did he knew it was because he could feel someone else lying on the bed with him. He knew exactly who it was as well. Harry was pressed up against Draco on his bed, still holding his hand and his head was gently resting on Draco's shoulder. He could feel Harry's breath on his neck and it was making him shiver just knowing he was there with him, keeping him safe.

"If I could wake up like this every morning for the rest of my life I would die a happy, and content man" Draco mused aloud, snuggling further into Harry's arms and sighing.

"You're awake then" Harry mumbled into Draco's neck. Draco felt him smile and he couldn't help but smile as well.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Draco asked, turning to face Harry. He didn't realized quite how close they would be, but neither moved and stayed laying wrapped in each others arms face to face.

"No, I was just resting my eyes" Harry replied, smiling and repositioning his arm to drape over Draco's upper back so he could play with his hair "I was waiting for you to wake up"

"You should sleep, you look exhausted"

"That's coming from you is it?" Harry said raising an eyebrow. Draco just smiled and shut his eyes again, savoring this moment as the most wonderful time of his life. Draco wanted nothing more than to kiss Harry, he needed it, wanted it so badly. But he kept himself in control, he didn't want to chase Harry away again.

After a few minutes of silence Harry spoke again:

"Dumbledore said he would come in to see you if you woke up today. He...he-"

"He what?" Draco asked, eyeing Harry

"He wants to know what happened Draco. But if you don't want to talk about it yet that's fine. I can tell him you're still asleep" Harry was still playing with Draco's blonde locks and this was causing him some distraction. He sighed and smiled

"Its fine Harry, really. I cant remember much, but I'll tell him all I know"

Harry brightened at his statement and made a move to get up. Draco wouldn't let him however and kept his grip around his waist tight.

"Draco, come on! Dumbledore wanted me to get him as soon as you were awake!" Harry laughed, fidgeting.

"Please, Harry. Stay just a little longer, you're keeping me warm." Draco asked, looking at him with pleading puppy dog eyes until Harry gave in and settled back down.

"Do you know how worried you had me Drake?" Harry said looking into Draco's eyes, his own full of concern.

"I know, I'm sorry. I promise I wont throw myself against a wall again and pass out" Draco chucked. Harry was serious however

"Draco, this isn't funny. You didn't just 'pass out', you nearly stopped breathing at one point, I was going crazy" Harry replied sternly

"Oh..." was all he could say in reply "I- Oh Harry why the hell...stop bloody crying!"

Harry had begun to sniffle slightly, and a lone tear traveled down his cheek. Draco wiped it away with his thumb and pulled Harry in for a hug.

"Im ok now though Har, I'm fine. I mean, I feel slightly weird but other than that I'm great!"

"You stupid twat!" Harry said sniffing and punching Draco in the arm "That's for nearly dying and making ME nearly die of worry"

Draco laughed and let Harry go. He wiped away a few more stray tears and wiped them on Harry's sleeve.

"Thank you for worrying about me" Draco whispered into Harry's ear and as he moved away he placed a light kiss on his cheek. He then touched foreheads with Harry and looked into his bright emerald green eyes.

What happened next was the last thing either of them expected, but it happened none the less. Harry leant forward and kissed Draco. It started off as a gentle peck as Draco's had been seconds before but now Draco had got what he wanted he wasn't about to let go. He deepened the kiss, tasting Harry as he had done the first time they had kissed and it wasn't long before their tongues were finding each other again.

Harry had no intention of pulling away this time, he had nearly lost Draco and he couldn't bear the thought of him dying without telling him how he really felt. He had decided while Draco was still unconscious that if he ever woke up, he would be with Draco no matter what. That's why this time, instead of pushing away he was pulling him closer, running his hands through his hair just like Draco was running is good hand through his own.

Due to circumstances this kiss was more desperate, wanton than the last, but both decided it was definitely their best.

They pulled away only to catch their breath but before Draco had a chance to go back for more Harry took the chance to say what he needed to.

"Im sorry I pushed you away before"

Draco just smiled and kissed Harry lightly again, more gently than before.

"You're here now" was all he got to say before the infirmary door was pushed open and Harry jumped off the bed away from Draco's embrace. Even though he knew they couldn't be found out Draco still pouted at the loss of contact and turned to scowl at whoever had interrupted them.

"I came to see if Mr. Malfoy had woken up. I guessed he had when you didn't return" Dumbledore smiled fondly at the boys and sat on the chair by the bed.

"What on earth is the matter Harry?" he asked then "Sit down!"

Harry smiled to himself and sat on the edge of Draco's bed waiting to hear what was said.

"How are you feeling Draco? Better I hope?" Dumbledore fished a small bag from his robes and took a lemon Drop from it, before offering it to Harry and Draco. Both refused, mainly because Harry would have probably thrown it up as he was still in shock and Draco always refused.

"Im feeling pretty much OK Professor" he replied and thought it best to tell the absolute truth no matter how much he wanted him to go away and leave him and Harry alone "Just...I don't really know. I feel...god this is going to sound stupid...I feel empty."

Dumbledore sucked thoughtfully on his lemon drop and took the pendant from inside his robes.

"Do you think this has anything to do with it?" he asked, setting it down beside Draco. He stared at it with a strong urge to snatch it and throw it as far away from him as he could.

"Im certain of it. I don't know what its done to me, but it did something"

"That it has Draco. Could you tell me what happened? Or is it too early for these kind of questions?"

Draco shook his head "I don't really know. I was holding it in my hand and this blue light came out of it. It was like it was forcing me to clutch onto it and my grip just kept getting tighter the more I wanted to let go and then everything just exploded inside my head and went black. That's when I started feeling like something was missing"

Dumbledore nodded and stood up. He placed a firm hand on Draco's shoulder and looked right into his eyes.

"This isn't any normal pendant Draco" he said "This is what we call an Anima-Calculo. It means Soul Keeper in Latin"

Draco pulled a face "Soul Keeper? What so its got my soul?"

Dumbledore let out a hearty laugh and sat back down.

"Not at all Draco. No, not you're soul but what could be considered as part of your soul, part of who you are"

When Draco made no indication that he understood he continued in a deeply grave tone of voice "Its taken your magic Draco"

Draco could only stare back at his elderly headmaster, totally immobile. He felt his throat constrict tightly and his hand found its way to his mouth trying to stuff in the air that was escaping his gaping mouth. He regained his composure and took a deep breath before replying:

"What the bloody hell? What do you MEAN its got my magic?"

Harry placed a hand gently on Draco's arm to calm him, yelling at Dumbledore would get them no where.

"I understand what you must be feeling Draco but don't let this deter you. There is always a way of getting it back. That is actually one of the main reasons why I am here" he explained

Draco blinked and let him carry on

"There is an incantation I can perform that will return your magic to you. But before I do that I must ask you. Where did you find this pendant? Do you know whose it is"

Draco smiled and shook his head "I found it in Alex and Willows room. I saw Alex had one on too when we found them so I assumed they both had one as like a family kinda thing. Alex must have found it when they were sneaking around and left it here when he left" Draco shrugged and looked apologetically at the headmaster but Dumbledore's face was resolute.

"You were right to assume it was theirs Draco, because it is. And you were also right to assume they both have one"

"But...It cant be theirs-"Harry began, his face twisted in confusion

"Im afraid they aren't what they seem to be" Dumbledore interrupted "I should have remembered them when I first saw them, unfortunately I didn't otherwise we would have been spared all this mess. But it is as it is" he sighed then and rubbed his forehead.

"What? So...you know them?" Harry asked. Draco was just trying to process all this new information.

"I knew them when they were born, yes" Dumbledore said "I was close with their mother, she was a teacher at Baubaxtons and was married to a French man. He was, to put it lightly, very controlling. But she loved him none the less. Alex and Willow were born but she never named them while she was alive. That's why I didn't recognize them when they turned up"

"What happened to her?" Draco asked, finding his voice

"When the twins were born she moved to England with her husband. He didn't know what she was then, he only assumed she was a teacher at a normal boarding school but he found out. I don't know exactly how he took that, but I know he didn't take it all that well" Dumbledore stopped to think about his story, it was obviously difficult to recall "He killed her. He murdered her in front of her own children so you can guess what his thoughts are on wizards." Dumbledore sighed again

"That's...oh Merlin that's awful" Draco winced when he remembered Harry had seen his parents die as well. He snatched Harry's hand and squeezed it hoping Dumbledore either wouldn't notice or not mind and let it go. Harry smiled at him and squeezed back.

"Yes well, luckily he didn't kill the twins. He had never seen any evidence that the Twins were magical so he kept them. He named them himself, raised them with a new wife he told the twins was their mother and they don't know any differently."

"They don't know their mother is dead?" Harry exclaimed "That's evil. I thought I had it hard!"

"So, how come they aren't wizards?" Draco asked curiously "Are the squibs?"

"No, no. They are Wizards" Dumbledore replied, smiling cryptically "That's where these come in" and he held up the Anima-Calculo "Their mother knew their father would find out and take it badly, so in case she had to leave the Twins she kept them safe from him by storing their magic inside these. Very clever, if we think about it. Unfortunately her plan included her leaving for a while and coming back to claim her children, she never imagined he would kill her"

The three of them sat in silence for a while. Thinking of the twins and their lost mother, the one they never knew. Harry had a sudden thought

"If they were in the country how come they didn't get a Hogwarts letter?"

"Ah, their mother took care of that. She asked me not to send one unless she was in contact with me and I knew she had the twins. Obviously when she died, I knew they wouldn't be able to let their magic loose, so I didn't send the letter. To be honest I forgot all about them, there was no point dwelling on the situation. All that mattered was their safety, and they were safe as long as they were thought to be normal"

There was no more to be said about the twins, but their minds stayed with them.

"Can I have my magic back now?" Draco asked, suddenly impatient, he hated this feeling of emptiness.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry Draco. The situation is slightly more complicated than I first thought. When the pendant holds 2 peoples magic inside it both parties must be present for the spell to work. It would be fatal to you if I tried it with only you. There is such a thing as too much magic Draco" Dumbledore laughed then, trying to make the situation more light hearted but Draco's eyes were stormy grey and he was extremely pissed.

"We will cast the spell as soon as Willow and Alex return. For now do not worry yourself" and with that he stood, nodded his farewell and walked out of the hospital wing.

"So that's it? He's leaving me totally defenseless?" Draco choked this out, holding back a sob "He's just going to leave me-"

Harry had crawled over to Draco and was wrapping him in a tight hug. He was stroking his hair and whispering comforting words into his ear.

"Its OK Drake" he whispered "I'll look after you, I promise"

Draco hugged him tighter and relaxed against his body, trying to find some happiness in the moment because he knew as soon as they parted he'd be thinking about Alex and Willow, and his own situation again.

Harry pulled away from the hug slightly to look at Draco, his eyes were glistening with unshed tears. One trickled down his cheek but it didn't get very far as Harry kissed it away and left a trail of kisses down the side of his face, finishing at his lips.

Draco captured Harry in a deep and passionate kiss, and when it was over Draco looked up at Harry and ran a finger softly down his cheek and tipping his chin up slightly.

"I love you Harry" he breathed. It was barely audible, but Harry heard it and grinned broadly.

"And I love you too Draco" he replied before leaning down to kiss him again. He couldn't believe he'd waited so long...

"God I'm an arse" was the final thought before both of them were lost in each others touch.

Well hello! Is it longer? i think its longer! hehe, so fun.

Next chapter: A party in the dorm, pansy, Blaise and Ron and Hermione get suspicious, Hedwig brings some bad news and Hermione gets the surprise of her life.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Must dash, hands are cold and i need to go out.

Laterz dudes

From the super cool emo shiremanizu dude xxxxxxxxxxx