Chapter 16: Books, letters and 'Michael'?

Smoke slipped beneath the closed door to Shadow's room and slowly formed into Alyssum herself. She leaned against the closed door her body trembling slightly. Sliding down the door she sat on the cold stone floor and drew her knees to her chest wrapping her arms around them. She couldn't believe that had just happened. Sure she had thought the Potions' Professor was hot, had even entertained the idea of seducing him, but thinking it and actually being molested by him were two different things. She didn't know quite how to deal with it. A part of her was thrilled by the events that had taken place, while the rest of her trembled in terror. It was the first time anyone had ever gotten through her defenses and the end result left her feeling like a defenseless child, something that she swore she'd never feel like again.

Looking down at trembling hands she decided that she needed to do something to calm herself down. She'd never be able to make a potion like this; she'd end up blowing something up. Standing up she moved across the sitting room to the bedroom emptying the potion ingredients from her cloak pockets and placing them on the table next to the potion book as she went. Entering the bedroom she slipped off the cloak and flung it on to one of the armchairs in the room. She stripped off the rest of her clothes as she made her way to the bathroom. The lights flicked on as she entered and she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror as she moved to turn on the water for the shower. Stopping all movement she stared at her reflection, something she hardly ever did because she never liked what she saw in the reflective surface.

The woman that stared back at her had wide haunted violet eyes, a stunning face and long smoky black hair that fell to her knees in a long braid. The body that was always hidden from view was put together nice enough even if it was a little on the thin side. Sleekly muscled with slightly bony hips, a too narrow waist and high firm breasts, but that was where the beauty ended. Alyssum raised one of her hands and traced one of the scars that marred the pale flesh. The scar that she traced was just one of many that covered her small body. There were scars along her arms, chest, stomach, hips, thighs, and down her back. There was also puncture wounds on her right shoulder and forearm. Her body looked like a wild animal had gotten a hold of it and decided to use it as scratching post. And that analogy wouldn't be to far from the truth.

She closed her eyes for a moment to block out the memories of how she had gotten the scars, but no matter how she tried to ignore them they were always there. They were just part of who she was. Opening her eyes she tilted her head to the side as she gazed at the mirror letting her hand fall to her side. She couldn't stop the thoughts that entered her head; would he want her if he saw her like this? Would he be as horrified as everyone else was that had seen even a portion of the scarred flesh? Finding no answers to her unspoken thoughts she turned away from the mirror and the painful memories. She entered the shower and allowed the hot water to wash away everything.

The only solution Alyssum found was to avoid Severus Snape at all cost and do what she was sent here to do.


After dinner Hermione found herself pacing the common room. She had already torn her room apart looking for a book that she could have sworn she had. And she needed to find that book as quickly as possible to confirm her suspicion about Malfoy. She didn't know what Malfoy was, not even an educated guess in that department, but she knew that he and Harry were connected. She had the vague feeling that the two were bonded. And if they were bonded then what kind of bond, she knew there was a variety of types. If they were bonded, it would explain why she felt safe around Malfoy when Harry was there. It would also probably explain why Harry saw the glow around Malfoy and no one else did. But that still left the eyes. She didn't remember reading anything about the eyes changing or even looking the way Malfoy's had when he stormed out of Herbology.

She racked her hands through her hair in frustration. She needed to find that book. She had to know if she was on the right track or just throwing things out of proportion. Growling softly she fell gracefully on to the sofa in front of the fireplace that she had been pacing in front of.

"'Mione?" Ginny questioned from the stairway that lead to the girls' dorms. "Is everything okay?" she asked coming to sit next to Hermione.

Hermione opened honey-gold eyes and looked tiredly at the younger girl. She gave a frustrated sigh and sunk deeper into the sofa. "No," was all she said as she gazed up at the ceiling.

"Well whatever it is that has you so worried, just let it go. You're obviously thinking about it too hard," Ginny said. "And we need to go to the library. Luna's meeting us there to do our research, remember?"

"That's tonight, isn't it?" Hermione muttered, more to herself than to Ginny. She stood up grabbed her bag and left the room with Ginny.

All the way to the library Hermione was distracted. She kept going over and over the information that she knew; that scene in the greenhouse, Harry telling her that Malfoy was glowing, the absolute fear Malfoy stirred in her and the serene even playful atmosphere when Harry and Malfoy were together. Damnit, everything was connected, she just needed to figure out the 'how' and 'why' of it.

"You're thinking about it," Ginny said breaking the silence.

Hermione sighed. "I can't help it, Gin. This is important. I need to remember," Hermione stressed.

Ginny stopped walking and turned away from the library doors to look at the taller girl. "It has to do with Harry, doesn't it?"

Hermione nodded. Everyone knew that Hermione was obsessive about needing to know the correct answer to anything. But, when it came to needing the information to help Harry she was like a woman possessed. She couldn't move on or concentrate on anything else until after she had found out everything that she could.

"Look 'Mione, you always remember important information when it's needed. So when the time comes you'll remember," Ginny stated.

Hermione gave Ginny a soft smile. "You're probably right. I'm just thinking too hard. Now, come on, let's go do some research."

The two girls entered the library and were surprised that it was actually crowded. It was seven o'clock in the evening and only the second day of school. But as they looked around they noticed that the majority of the students were Ravenclaws.

"Ravenclaws," Hermione muttered in disgust. "Head towards the back, it's usually empty," she whispered to Ginny.

Ginny nodded and the two girls strolled to the back of the library. The back of the library only had three tables. One of the tables was taken by a group of Hufflepuffs. A lone Ravenclaw took up the other and a Slytherin occupied the last table. The two were about to turn back towards the front to find a table when Ginny realized that she recognized the Slytherin.

"Wait. Isn't that Nisha? Let's see if we can sit with her," Ginny said and moved towards the table before Hermione could say anything.

"Hi, can we sit with you?" Ginny asked standing in front of Nisha's table.

Nisha looked up from the potion book she was reading and her cool blue eyes met warm hazel. Dark red hair tumbled down around an oval face to narrow shoulders. Softly pinked lips were curved into a gentle smile and hazel eyes sparkled with mischief. It was the girl from M.A. class, Ginny, if Nisha remembered correctly.

Nisha's dark blue eyes shifted and took in Hermione's taller curvier form. She knew that her brother had a thing for the bookworm and looking at the older girl Nisha could see why. Hermione was beautiful with that mass of dark honey gold hair and eyes that seemed to glow in even the dimmest of light. Her body was tall and slim with curves in all the right places, a body that most women would kill for and men drooled over.

Nisha shrugged and her detached gaze drifted back to Ginny. "If you wish," she said softly before returning to her book.

"Thanks," Ginny chirped sitting down across from Nisha. Hermione sat down next to Ginny and pulled a sheet of paper from her bag.

"I'm going to grab the books we need. Wait here and keep an eye out for Luna," Hermione said. Standing up she left Ginny alone with Nisha.

Ginny sat quietly for a few minutes and gazed about the library, but her gaze always returned to Nisha. The Slytherin girl fascinated Ginny. At first it was the girl's looks that had caught Ginny's attention. Ginny found Nisha beautiful even with her withdrawn attitude. Nisha's long black hair was soft and shiny looking. Her eyes had an exotic slant to them and were an amazing deep blue, like the deepest part of an ocean that could drowned even the strongest swimmers. Her face had a pixyish quality to it with slashing cheekbones and a button nose. She had full lips and Ginny noticed that Nisha's bottom lip was fuller then her top and that when she read she nibbled on her bottom lip.

Ginny knew Nisha was taller than her by a good three inches. Being only 5'3", Ginny was used to people being taller then her. Nisha was thin, but in a lean muscular way and she still had a feminine figure. High full breasts a narrow waist and nicely flared hips. It was the kind of body that Ginny envied.

"Nisha, right?" Ginny asked.

Dark blue eyes shifted from the book and looked up through the curtain of black hair, otherwise she didn't move.

Ginny gave a sweet smile. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Ginny," she said holding out her hand.

Nisha looked at the slim hand held out to her and raised an eyebrow. She remembered what happened the last time she took the redhead's hand.

Ginny laughed softly. "Relax; there isn't a trace of water anywhere around here."

Nisha slowly reached out to take Ginny's hand. "Nisha," she whispered. Their hands met, smooth against slightly callused. The warmth of Ginny's hand seeped into Nisha's and sent a pleasant thrill up her arm. Reluctantly Nisha withdrew her hand and immediately missed the other girl's warmth.

Nisha sighed and withdrew even more into herself. The girl across from her was a living breathing person, full of warmth and joy, hopes and dreams. The very things Nisha had lost a long time ago, the day her parents had turned her into the Ministry. She had ceased living then. Now, she felt nothing. The only emotion she felt was sadness. She knew all about sadness and betrayal. Every now and then she felt slight amusement. But most of the time she was numb. Some times she didn't think that she belonged in this world of the living. She'd feel the warmth of bodies around her, see other's joy and knew that she was so far removed from it all. But despite the way she felt, she continued to live. She continued on because she loved her brother more than anything. She lived for him. He was one of the few people in her life that loved her unconditionally and didn't look at her with fear, who didn't want something from her.

"Ginny," the soft dreamy voice of Luna broke Nisha from her depressing thoughts. The older girl sat down next to Nisha with the same absentminded manner. Her waist length dark blond hair hung freely around her lanky boyish figure. She had hardly any breasts, no hips; to put it nicely she was a stick, but still beautiful. The dreamy impression she held made her appear ethereal.

"Where's Hermione?" Luna asked.

No sooner had the words come out of her mouth then Hermione appeared with a huge stack of books, which she promptly dropped on to the table with a loud bang. The noise caused many to jump and then shoot angry glares at the Prefect, but they said nothing not wanting to get on Hermione's bad side.

"Let's get to work, girls," Hermione said sitting down and pulling out paper and quill.

"Bonds, Seals, and Barriers," Ginny read, puzzled at the title of the book.

"That one's mine," Hermione said taking the book from Ginny.

Nisha's eyes jerked from her book to stare at Hermione. What did the bookworm need with a book like that? What was she up to? Her penetrating gazed went unnoticed by all at the table and she made a swift decision to keep a close watch on the bookworm.

Ginny simply shrugged and picked up another book. "What exactly are we looking for?" she asked as she leafed through the spell book.

"Anything that we could use to make Ron's life miserable," Hermione answered her nose already buried in the book she had taken from Ginny.

Silence fell upon the table. Ginny and Luna talked quietly to each other every now and then. Hermione was oblivious to everything going on around the table. Nisha pretended to read her potion's book while listening to the conversation.

"I need to talk to Harry," Hermione blurted out an hour later. She pushed her chair back slamming the book shut and clutched it to her chest. She grabbed her bag and turned to leave the library.

"But Harry's still in Astronomy," Ginny called after the retreating Prefect, which earned her quite a few angry 'shhh' from the Ravenclaws that she ignored. Luna and her exchanged looks before Ginny shrugged and went back to her book.

Nisha gathered up her things a few minutes later.

"Leaving?" Ginny questioned looking up at Nisha. "We're not bothering you, are we?"

Nisha shook her head 'no'. "Finished the Potions' homework," she whispered.

Hazel eyes widened as they looked at dark blue. "You finished the Potions' homework already? But it's not due till Friday."

Nisha looked away from those sparkling hazel eyes and shrugged. "Here," she whispered handing the redhead a piece of parchment. "To help with your little game." With that she walked away.

Frowning thoughtfully Ginny unfolded the paper. On the green tinted parchment in small neat black ink was a spell to bring inanimate objects to life. Ginny's small frown deepened, why would Nisha give her this? Was it just because the girl was a Slytherin and enjoyed causing trouble? Or was there more to it?

Quickly Ginny gathered her things to follow Nisha, to find out why the Slytherin girl was helping. She said goodnight to Luna and told the Ravenclaw that there was another 'Payback' meeting set for Friday. She hurried from the library and dashed down the hall. But the dark haired Slytherin was nowhere to be seen.


Harry shuffled into the common room late in the evening. Shoulders slumped; feet dragging, he tiredly walked to the stairs that led up to the boy's dorm. As tired as he was he didn't notice Hermione sitting on the sofa waiting for him.

"Harry, can I talk to you?" she said standing up from the couch still clutching the book.

Sleepy green-eyes blinked at Hermione like they had never seen her before. "'Mione? Can it wait?"

Hermione sighed. "Sure, but first thing in the morning. Okay?" she insisted. Little did she know that they wouldn't have time the next morning to talk.

Harry nodded sleepily and continued his way to his dorm. He was beat. Astronomy had lasted way too long and now he just wanted to sleep for a few days. His book bag hit the floor with a soft thud and he fell face first on to the bed. He wiggled his way completely on to the bed and with a sluggish wave of his wand he closed the curtains and put up his protective spells before letting his arm fall limply to the bed. He relaxed fully once that was accomplished and yawned.

A soft meow caught his drifting attention and he blinked open tired green eyes to find himself staring into the curious violet eyes of Amethyst. As he shifted to get more comfortable and make room for Amethyst to lie against his chest he heard a faint crinkling sound. He blinked in confusion. Crinkling? His robes weren't supposed to sound like crinkling paper. He laid there for quite a while trying to figure out why his robes were crinkling. It proved how tired he was that he simple didn't just search his robes for the source of the noise.

Amethyst didn't wait to be invited into Harry's arms but delicately leaped on to Harry's chest where she circled a few times before curling into a tiny ball of fluff. Her tails flickered back and forth and a purr vibrated her chest as she announced her contentment. Harry petted the tiny fur ball while he thought.

"The letter," Harry whispered into the dark. With renewed energy he sat up cradling Amethyst in his hand. He laid her in his lap and reached into his robes for the forgotten letter.

"Lumos," Harry whispered and his wand lit up. A soft pale glow illuminated the area around Harry. He held the letter in one hand and turned it this way and that. The letter was in a plain envelope with no distinguishable markings of any kind. Now that he held the letter he was hesitant to open it. But slowly he did. Carefully ripping open the envelope and pulling out the single sheet of parchment. Unfolding the paper Harry found himself staring at elegant script. Slowly he began to read the letter. His eyes widened as he read and by the time he reached the end he was just staring at it with his mouth open in shock. Quickly he reread it, just to make sure that he had read it correctly the first time.

After rereading the letter, Harry let his hand drop to his side, still clutching the plain parchment. "Holy hell," Harry muttered. Amethyst stirred and sat up with a soft meow. She looked up at Harry with wide violet eyes and her head tilted to the side as though inquiring what was wrong. Harry smiled at the tiny kitten and couldn't resist petting the silken fur while he told her about the letter. "This person…Lofn," Harry started after looking at the letter for a name, "This Lofn wants me to do a commission piece, said he'd pay for all the expenses. He only ask two things; that the piece is done in oil paints and that it portrays two men, one dark of coloring and one light. Everything else would be strictly up to me."

Amethyst purred and nuzzled Harry's hand to offer comfort and to let her favorite human know that she was with him all the way, no matter what he chose to do.

Quickly, before Harry could loose his nerve he dismantled the protection spells and snagged his book bag from the floor. He replaced the spells before reaching into his bag for parchment, a quill and an ink bottle. His hand encountered the packaged he had received from the twins. He pulled it out of the bag and placed it to the side to be opened later. Then he wrote a short letter to Lofn, telling him that he would do the piece, and made sure that Lofn knew that he had never done an oil painting before and that it would take some time. Then he folded the letter and placed it in an envelope to be sent out in the morning.

Having finished that Harry reached for the package and carefully opened it. When the box was opened he cringed, waiting for something horrible to happen, but when nothing did he peeked inside the box. What he found was another box that reminded him of a chocolate box. He removed it from the package delicately and slowly opened it. Inside the chocolate box was about a dozen potion bottles, each one about an inch and a half tall and each one filled with a different color liquid. No two bottles were the same.

Frowning he looked around for a letter and thankfully found one. After reading the letter he couldn't help but grin. The twins had given him a goody box. "This is going to be fun," he whispered to Amethyst. Then he carefully closed the box and put a locking spell on it that could only be removed by him before placing the box aside. Once that was accomplished Harry laid down with Amethyst curled on his chest and fell asleep.

The next morning Harry was up bright and early. He showered and dressed quietly in the gloom of the silent dorm. Opening his trunk that sat at the foot of his bed he pulled out an old sketchbook that had been hidden beneath the school books of the years past. He tore out some of his older drawings that he figured Starr would like. One of the drawings portrayed a griffin with his head resting in the lap of a young woman who vaguely resembled Luna. The other drawing was of a phoenix in flight its wings spread and its tail long and beautiful, almost peacock-like. The last drawing was of a jackal, clearly done in the Egyptian style. After placing a simple shrinking charm on them he put them into an envelope along with a short note to Starr telling her that she could sell the first drawing that he had given her and that the drawings enclosed had a shrinking charm on them.

After addressing the letter he picked up the one he wrote last night to Lofn and placed both letters into his robe pocket. Grabbing his Firebolt he left the dorm through one of the window, completely forgetting that Hermione had wanted to talk to him.

By the time Hermione would be able to talk to Harry in private she would decide against telling him about the bond that she believed to be manifesting between Malfoy and him.


The week flew by in a whirlwind of classes, droning teachers and piles of homework. But there were two classes that Harry enjoyed. M.A. was one of them. Now, granted M.A. was a tough class physically. Shadow was one demanding teacher. That first day where she had them run halfway around the lake was nothing compared to what she had them doing now. She had them running all the way around the lake followed by the obstacle course where they had to climb walls, jump hurdles, swing from ropes, dodge flying objects and crawl through the mud. Hell, she even had them swim the lake a couple of times. It was through all this that Michael dropped out. Michael just stopped coming halfway through the week, and Shadow hadn't seemed surprised by it. But Harry loved it. He loved the way he felt afterwards. Sure, his body was sore in places he didn't even know he had, but he felt better and had more energy. Of course seeing his favorite Slytherin all hot and sweaty was an added bonus.

Now, Potions was the other class that didn't follow the usual routine. Shocker of all shockers, Harry found himself actually liking the class. And it had nothing to do with Draco being in the class, although it was a plus. No, the main reason that Harry found himself liking the class was because he and Snape had come to an unspoken agreement. Harry put effort into the class and Snape went easy on the insults and didn't hover menacingly behind him. That and Snape had been surprisingly more lenient on most of the students, it was kind of strange actually.

It was Friday morning and Harry was bursting with renewed energy. He sat grinning into his tea. Hermione had three days left to guess who he had a crush on. She would never be able to guess and Harry was going to make her go on a date with Blaise. He and Blaise had become good friends over the week and he couldn't think of anyone else he'd want his 'little sister' to go out with. Harry's grin turned into a wicked smirk as he thought about the look of shock on 'Mione's face when she guessed wrong. And she would guess wrong. Honestly, there was no way that she would guess that it was Draco. None.

"What are you grinning about?" Hermione asked as she sat next to Harry at the Gryffindor table.

"That you have three days 'til the bet ends," Harry laughed. "There's just no way you're going to guess."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Never gonna guess, never, never, never," Harry continued in a sing-song voice grinning madly at her.

'Mione sighed. The only thing that was never going to happen was her surviving through the day let alone the next three if it continued on like this. She'd end up strangling the green eyed boy. She had wanted to wait until dinner on Monday but it looked like breakfast this morning was going to have to do. And thinking about it, it might actually workout better this way, since it was casual Friday and they didn't have to wear their school uniforms. Casual Fridays was something new that had been established at the beginning of this year, probably as a way to help relax the students. People always felt better in their own clothes.

"Nope, never gonna guess," Harry said smugly.

"That's it!" Hermione screamed causing the few people in the Great Hall to turn and look at her. Even Harry's eyes widened at her sudden outburst. "You think I'm not going to get it right? Well, let's find out," she growled. She leaned towards Harry's ear and whispered two words; Draco Malfoy.

Harry's jaw dropped as he stared at a smug Hermione. "But…How…You…that's not fair."

"I win. And now it's time to fulfill your the end of the bargain," Hermione said arrogantly.

Harry's eyes widened even more if that were possible. "Now?"

"Yup, right here on this very table," Hermione said patting the tabletop for emphasis.

"Table?" Harry squeaked. She had to be joking, she just had to be.

Hermione nodded with a superior smile.

"But…but there's people in here," he said stating the obvious.

"So…that didn't stop you from standing on this very table and announcing your sexuality to the entire school. Honestly, this should be a piece of cake," remarked 'Mione.

Harry pouted. "You're never going to let me live that down are you?"

"Nope."

He sighed. "I really dislike you right about now," he muttered dryly.

Hermione chuckled. "I love you too." She paused for a moment, thinking, before smiling innocently at Harry. "Now, you can get on the table and finish your end of the bet with about thirty people as an audience. Or, you can continue stalling for the next ten minutes until the rest of the school shows up and do it then."

"Oh how I loathe you," Harry growled standing up and climbing up on to the table.

Everyone in the hall turned to look at Harry, who grew nervous under their gaze. The hall fell silent as everyone looked on; each person wondered what Harry was up to this time. After all, the last time Harry had stood up on a table he had told the entire school his sexual preference which had been enlightening and vastly entertaining.

Blaise turned to Draco, who was calmly sipping a cup of tea. "What do you think he's up to this time?" he asked.

"Why are you asking me?" Draco asked.

"Because you're the one that likes him," answered Blaise.

Draco sighed and sat his teacup down before turning to look at Blaise. "So I have a crush on the boy; that doesn't make me a mind reader," he said dryly before he turned to look across the hall at Harry. What was he doing?

"What is Harry doing?" Neville asked as he sat down at the table having just entered the Great Hall.

"Filling his end of the bet, he lost," Hermione gloated smiling brightly at Neville and Ginny who had come in with Neville. She turned her smile on Harry who stood motionless on the table. "What are you waiting for Harry?"

Harry shifted nervously. "I can't think of anything…" he said drifting off.

Hermione gave another one of her innocent smiles that meant she was up to something that wouldn't be liked and Harry cringed in fear. "How about 'Michael'?"

"I'm not doing Michael!" Harry shouted. Then he smacked a hand to his forehead as he realized what he had just said. Great, now everyone was going to take it the wrong way. Just what he needed more rumors.

Sure enough everyone in the hall was whispering amongst themselves trying to figure out which Michael Harry was talking about.

Blaise smirked at Draco. "Sounds like you have some competition."

Draco raised an eyebrow and gave a delicate snort. "Competition? Please. No one could compete with me," he said arrogantly.

Blaise shook his head and muttered something about Draco's ego.

"Besides, he didn't mean 'Michael' as a person," Draco said nodding towards Harry, who was nearly beating his head against the table.

Hermione reached out and grabbed the sleeve of Harry's robe and tugged him towards her. Taking pity on him she whispered a better suggestion than 'Michael'.

"Okay, that one will work," Harry agreed.

"Good," Hermione said and with a flick of her wand stacked all the dishes to the far end of the table, the end closest to the Head's table. "Now give me your robe and get started," commanded Hermione.

"But what about the…" started Harry only to be cut off by Hermione.

"I've go it all taken care of. Now hand over the robe."

Harry shrugged and slipped off the black school robe handing it meekly to Hermione. He remained kneeling on the table with his head down in embarrassment. He couldn't believe he was doing this. This was the last time he ever made a bet with Hermione. The every last.

Softly the strains of a guitar drifted through the Great Hall. The sound was almost eerie in the silence. Harry kept his head down as he quietly began to sing. "Sweet dreams are made of these. Who am I to disagree…" He could feel his face flush with embarrassment and his voice was barely audible above the music. "…Travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something."

His voice rose as he began to relax. He lifted his head and moved, sliding his hands forward to rest on the table as drums were added to the guitar. "Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused." With every beat of the music Harry crawled down the length of the table with a sensual prowl. The muscles in his arms and back moved like liquid silk under the semi-tight black t-shirt he wore. The black and silver pants he wore clung low to his hips and framed his ass and thighs nicely. The chains on the back of his pants clinked softly as he prowled like a sleek black panther down the table.

As the beat of the music picked up he followed it, going back on to his knees with his back arched and his arms raised up to the enchanted ceiling as though offering himself as some sort of sacrifice. Following the beat of the music he rose to his feet swaying in rhythm to the pulse pounding beat. His eyes were heavy lid as he forgot all about his audience and lost himself in the music. It seeped into him, called to some buried part of him and he had no choice but to answer it, to give in, to let it take him over.

Everyone in the hall gasped and stared in shock as they watched Harry. Quite a few jaws hit the tables and even more found themselves drooling. Never had anyone in the Great Hall seen anything so innocently sexual.

Draco found himself having to remember how to breathe. His mercury colored eyes followed every movement of the dark haired boy. There was innocence in every gesture of Harry's lithe body, but beneath that childlike joy there was a well of sexuality that was just waiting to be tapped into. That hidden passion called to every fiber of Draco's being. When Harry repeated the first verse of the song in that husky purring voice it took all of Draco's self-control to keep from lunging across the hall and pouncing on the unsuspecting green eyed Gryffindor and having his wicked way with him.

Harry teased his way down the length of the table singing the chorus. He reached the end of the table just as the music reached its peak. He spun around and headed back down the table in a way that would have made a super model proud. His body followed the beat of the music; the chains on his pants swayed with his every action and glittered sinisterly under the enchanted candles that float above. As the music slowed so did Harry's movements. He looked across the hall and his eyes clashed with darkened mercury. A wicked smirk curved his lips as he softly purred out the last verse of the song keeping his eyes on the blonde Slytherin the whole time. "I'm gonna use you and abuse you. I'm gonna know what's inside. Gonna use you and abuse you. I'm gonna know what's inside."

The hall was deathly silent as the music faded into nothing. Harry tore his eyes from the blonde Slytherin and turned towards Hermione, hopping off the table. The hall erupted in cheers and whistles.

The bookworm stood clutching his robe and fanning her face. "Damn, Harry never knew you had it in you. That was hot," she said.

Harry blushed. "I'm never making bets with you again," he said shaking his head as he reached out to take his robe. Though he was massively embarrassed he felt strangely exhilarated and pumped full of energy. He sat down in his usual seat but didn't remain seated for long before hopping back up.

"I'm going to burn off this extra energy before class," he said to Hermione as he left the Great Hall that was just now starting to fill up.

As Harry left the hall no one noticed Draco get up and follow him out. No one that is except for Blaise, Nisha, and Millicent, who all shared knowing looks, and Shadow who's sole attention was on the retreating Harry.

Her eyes narrowed; there was power, raw and untapped in the air of the Great Hall. This power had been searching for something within the confines of the hall and had found it. For a moment, Shadow had almost feared that Draco's seal had broken. But that didn't make sense because she had given him the sealing potion and the static charge that still lingered in the air would have been far more powerful, more violent. That left the source of the power being Harry. There was more to the green eyed boy than anyone knew, than even Harry himself knew. For beneath the beat of the music, in the husky pitch of his voice, within the innocent sensual sway of his body there had been power, more then just the power of a wizard, she now realized. But where that power came from she didn't know.

Harry quickly made his way outside and headed directly to the Quidditch pitch, it was one of the only places he ever felt calm, at home, and right now he figured he needed that. He jogged his way to the pitch needing to get rid of the extra energy. He stood in the middle of the playing field with his head tilted up to the sky and his eyes closed as he tried to compose himself. But the energy remained and he couldn't stay still for long. Heaving a frustrated sigh he whipped out his wand and summoned his Firebolt to him. He needed to fly, to feel the wind tugging at his clothes, to feel free.

He flew around the pitch with a reckless speed hardly noticing that he was no longer alone. Draco kept pace alongside Harry, mimicking Harry's movements. It wasn't until the main edge of his restlessness eased that he realized Draco was there and with that knowledge a deep calm washed over him. He gave Draco a soft smile and continued flying. The two of them may have shared almost every class together but they never talked to each other in those classes, hardly even acknowledged each others presences. Over the week though they had moments alone and it was that time alone that Harry craved. They didn't talk much during these times but they didn't need to, they shared some kind of understanding that Harry couldn't even begin to explain. All Harry knew was that everything seemed to shift and settle into place. Everything just fit.

Without a word Harry landed with Draco not too far behind. He gave Draco another soft smile completely unaware of the turmoil he was causing in the other boy. He didn't know that when he smiled like that his green eyes went soft, and dreamy. Or that his lips curved in such an enticing manner that just begged to be kissed, licked, nibbled at, but Draco knew and he had to look away to keep himself for doing exactly that.

The two sat down in unison in the middle of the pitch and placed their brooms next to them. Harry once again looked towards the sky. "I lost a bet," Harry said in way of breaking the silence and explaining what the scene in the Great Hall had been about. "Against Hermione," he finished.

Draco gave Harry a dry look that sent Harry laughing.

"Yeah, that was pretty stupid," Harry said laughing, "But at least I can say I learned from it. No more making bets with 'Mione." He stood up and stretched. Classes were going to start soon and they should be heading back.

"What was the bet?" Draco asked in his usual unruffled voice as he too stood up.

Harry felt a blush stain his cheeks and he reached down to pick up his broom so it couldn't be seen. "I lost. Let's just leave it at that," he muttered in embarrassment.

Draco gave Harry a cool look before shrugging and letting it go. They walked silently back to the school and as they walked up the stairs leading to the main foyer Draco broke the silence. "What would have happened if you had won?"

A wicked smile crossed Harry's face as he turned and gave Draco his full attention. "I would have made her go on a date with Blaise," he said as he turned to head up to the Gryffindor Tower to put away his Firebolt.

Draco watched as Harry climbed the stairs before swiftly turned away from the alluring image and headed for the dungeons to put his own broom away. He sighed softly as he walked through the cold corridors. Sometimes he wondered why he tormented himself this way. Then the image of Harry's soft dreamy smile entered his mind and he knew that's why he did it. It was to have that smile directed at him. He could always hear Harry's purring voice, or hear Harry's carefree laughter, or see Harry's emerald green eyes aglow with mischief and joy, because Harry bestowed those freely. But that smile, Draco had never seen that smile given to anyone else. That smile was just for him. Another sigh escaped. He knew he was lying to himself, but it made him feel closer to Harry by believing that that smile was for him and him only.


The day went by as all school days do, long and boring. Most of the students were talking about Harry's little song and dance number on the Gryffindor table that had occurred that morning. A lot of the students were bemoaning the fact that they had missed it, while the handful that had been in the Great Hall was bragging that they had seen it. One of the students who were nearly in tears because they had missed it was Colin Creevey. Harry gave a silent 'thanks' to whatever god was listening that the boy had missed it. The last thing Harry needed was for there to be pictures proving that he done that. It was bad enough that everyone was talking about it in great detail.

In fact a lot of people had come up to him asking for a repeat performance which Harry flat-out rejected. The majority of students looked a little bummed by his refusal but shrugged and let the matter drop. Creevey wasn't one of them and Harry was starting to get very pissed at the younger boy.

Harry finally lost his cool at dinner time when Creevey approached him again with the request. He slammed his hands on the table with such force that the dishes rattled as he pushed himself from his seat and spun around to face Colin. "For the last time, Creevey, no, I'm not doing it! Now stop harassing me!"

Harry's angry shout silenced the hall instantly and all eyes widened in surprise. Harry never yelled at a fellow Gryffindor like that. Usually when Harry was mad at a Gryffindor it was a cold righteous fury that made whoever wronged him feel like the lowest of live forms. But this was different, this wasn't Harry's I'm-disappointed-in-you tone that he used with all the Gryffindors, and Colin knew it at once. He quickly backed off trying to get as far from the Boy-Who-Lived as possible, because right then Harry frightened Colin. Harry's eyes had darkened to the point that they appeared black and the look in them was that of a caged tiger that had been poked with a stick one too many times and its tormentor was within easy reach.

"Ssssssoorrry," Colin stuttered, "Won't ask again."

Harry said nothing and Colin quickly turned and fled back to his seat.

"Mr. Potter, if you would follow me."

Harry sighed as he recognized Professor McGonagall's voice. Turning, he followed Professor McGonagall from the hall to her office. He sat when she gestured to one of the chairs that faced her desk.

"How many detentions am I going to have?" Harry asked breaking the silence.

"Detention?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Harry frowned. "Well, I'm in trouble aren't I?"

Minerva shook her head. "No, Mr. Potter you're not in trouble. We don't give detentions to students for telling off other students when that student clearly had it coming."

"Then why am I here?" Harry asked in confusion. Since he wasn't getting detention he couldn't think of any other reason for him to be in Professor McGonagall's office.

The professor gave Harry a stern look. "If you'll allow me Mr. Potter, I will get to that," she admonished.

Harry muttered an apology.

Minerva gave a nod to show that she accepted the apology and continued on. "Now, Mr. Potter, I called you here for your input on a subject. The Headmaster believes that you already have too many responsibilities, but you've been passed up on things just because of who you are before this and I believe in giving you the right to choose. So what I'm about to ask of you can be declined or accepted, it is strictly up to you."

She waited for Harry's nod before continuing on. "How would you like to be Quidditch Captain?"

Harry's eyes widened and his jaw went slacked. "Are…are you serious?" he asked his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," Minerva said with dignity as though offended that Harry would imply that she would even joke about something like this.

A huge smile broke over Harry's face and he jumped up from the chair. "Yes! Absolutely," he shouted like a little 5-year-old that had just been told that he could have a candy store. He quickly gained composure straightening his shoulders and giving McGonagall a firm nod, although he couldn't keep the happiness from his eyes. "I would be honored to be Quidditch Captain," he said maturely.

Minerva gave a firm nod of her own and hid her smile. She liked seeing Harry happy, really happy, it wasn't a sight she had seen often. "Then the position is yours."

"Thank you Professor," Harry said softly.

"You're very welcome, Mr. Potter. You're dismissed."

Harry quickly left McGonagall's office. Looking at his watch he noticed that he had twenty minutes before M.A. started. He hurried to the Tower to get changed and knew he'd find Hermione there. He couldn't wait to share his news with her and the rest of the gang. But she wasn't in the common room when he entered and she wasn't there after he got dressed. Ginny wasn't present either, so that meant that they had already left for M.A. class. With another glance at his watch he hurried from the common room and headed to the designated M.A. spot. He showed up at the large field that sat next to the Quidditch pitch seconds before Shadow did. The once empty field was now an obstacle course that would make the military proud. Not having the time to tell his friends his good news before class started he decided to wait until after class was over.

"Guess what," Harry said enthusiastically.

His friends didn't share his enthusiasm. They lay sprawled out on the grass like downed soldiers. Hermione had an arm flung over her eyes. Ginny had her head resting on Hermione stomach and she groaned at Harry's excitement. Luna laid on her stomach with her arms pillowing her head and appeared to be sleeping. Blaise laid on his back with his hands stacked behind his head. Nisha sat with her legs out in front of her massaging her thighs. Draco sat cross-legged and gave Harry a haughty look that said he did not play guessing games.

Harry shook his head and kept smiling. He wasn't offended by his friends' lack of excitement. He had even gotten use to Draco's arrogant attitude and it amused him now instead of annoying him like it use to. "I got Quidditch Captain," he blurted out in a rush unable to hold back anymore.

"What?" Hermione asked moving her arm so that she could look at Harry. "That's great! Way to go, Harry!"

"Yes!" Ginny shouted thrusting a fist in the air in triumph before groaning and muttering about that not being a good idea. "We're so going to kick Slytherin's ass. Oh, no offense," Ginny mutter when she remembered that there were three Slytherins with them and two of them were on the Quidditch team.

"None taken," muttered Blaise. "But I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Really? Congratulations," Draco said softly with a little smirk that sent Harry heart racing. "Now, I'll really have some competition."

"What do you mean? I'm always a challenge. And I do believe that I have won every game we've ever played against each other."

"True, as a Seeker, but now we'll see who's a better Captain."

"You're Slytherin's Quidditch Captain?" Harry asked in surprise and a little bit of hurt that Draco hadn't told him.

Draco gave a regal nodded. "Yes, Professor Snape told me this evening. I think he put off telling me until after he found out that you would become Gryffindor's Captain."

Harry felt a little flutter in his heart at the knowledge that Draco hadn't kept the news from him. "Well then, let the best captain win," he said.

"I intend to," Draco replied smugly.

"Well as entertaining as this is, I'm going to take a shower," Hermione said as she gentle pushed Ginny off of her. Standing up she stretched then gave Harry a big hug and whispered her congratulations. "Oh, are we having the meeting tonight Harry?"

"Yes, at 10 same place as last time," Harry answered.

"Alright, I'll remind the others. See you there."

Ginny also gave Harry a hug and a huge grin as she followed Hermione back to the school. Luna patted Harry on the shoulder as she walked by him and followed the other two girls.

Harry turned to the three Slytherins. "I have a favor to ask," Harry started.

The three Slytherins gave Harry their full attention and listened intently to what Harry wanted. When Harry finished the three Slytherins exchanged looks before turning back to him. Nisha expression was as emotionless as it usually was and she gave Harry a small nod. With a wicked grin Blaise also nodded to Harry. Draco gave Harry an evil smirk and murmured, "We're in."


Harry was the first to arrive in the Room of Requirement. It was set up the same way it was last time, one whole wall covered with book, a fireplace, a soft burgundy red carpet, and a low table with a multitude of comfy pillows. He sat at the head of the table as he had the last time and waited for everyone to arrive. Hermione was the first to arrive and she took her seat on Harry's left.

"I see you brought the fur ball," Hermione commented nodded towards the tiny black kitten that was curled up in Harry's lap. She had been so wrapped up in finding out about Malfoy that she had forgotten to do research on the tiny Night Creature.

"Yeah, I felt bad leaving her alone all day," Harry said.

Ginny, Luna and Neville were the next to arrive and they each took their seats, Ginny on Harry's right and Luna and Neville next to Hermione. Seamus and Dean were the next ones to arrive and took their seats next to Ginny. Hermione was about to start the meeting when the door opened and four new people entered.

"What are they doing here?" Seamus demand.

"Relax, I invited them," Harry said before turning to the four new arrivals. "Have a seat," he offered gesturing to the empty pillows at the other end of the low table.

"Why did you invite them?" Seamus asked.

"Because, we're going to need some extra help with this next little plan and they're perfect for the job," answered Harry. "Does anyone have a problem with that?"

Everyone shook their heads and Seamus held his hands up palms out in an I-meant-nothing-by-it gesture. Hermione was the only one to actually speak up. "We all trust your judgment Harry. Now, let's get this meeting started."

With that Harry leaned forward and began to describe in great detail what they were going to do next to Ron. By the time he was finished outlining his plan Ginny and Seamus were grinning madly. Then Seamus started laughing. "I can see why you invited them now. This is going to be perfect."

Harry gave a one shoulder shrug. "I have my moments," he said playfully.

After that the little bit of tension that had been in the air eased and everyone relaxed. The meeting went on as usual, intense but with an undercurrent of playfulness. Everyone offered suggestions, including the four new additions, helping to strengthen Harry's already brilliant plan.

When the meeting ended Harry looked across the table at the blonde Slytherin and gave a soft secret smile. Dean and Seamus were the first to leave, both in high spirits about the next prank. Luna and Neville were the next to leave waving good-bye to everyone. Yawning, Ginny was then next one to leave.

"Thanks for coming," Harry said to the four Slytherins at the other end of the table.

"It was enlightening," Draco stated.

Millicent snorted. "Enlightening doesn't even begin to cover it. Personally, I didn't think you Gryffindors had it in you. I'm glad you proved me wrong."

Blaise gave a laugh. "I guess this is what happens when you get a Gryffindor mad."

"We don't get mad, we get even," Harry and Hermione said at the same time, unknowingly quoting the Slytherin motto.

Millicent grinned. "That's good to know." She stood up and gestured for Nisha to follow. "Come on its past curfew."

Hermione finished up packing away all her notes of the meeting and stood to leave. "Where's Amethyst, Harry?" she asked when she noticed that the black kitten wasn't anywhere near Harry.

"Oh, you mean the traitor," Harry said pointing at Draco.

Hermione looked at Draco and found the black kitten purring like mad underneath Draco's hand.

Draco gave a nonchalant shrug. "The cat has good taste."

Hermione coughed to cover up her laughter. "I'm not going to say anything to that," she said she moved to the door.

"Wait up Hermione, I'll walk you," Blaise said unfolding himself from his position on the floor and unhurriedly moving towards her.

"I don't need you to walk me, I'm not a child. I am perfectly capable of walking down the hall and a couple flights of stairs all by myself," Hermione said condescendingly.

Blaise place a hand over his heart and looked wounded. "Oh my lady, you wound me with such words," he said dramatically.

Hermione's lips twitched but she squashed the temptation to smile; instead she sighed and rolled her eyes shaking her head. "You're hopeless," she muttered.

Blaise leaned down till his mouth was beside her ear and whispered, "You're just frightened to walk down a dark empty corridor with a Slytherin, admit it."

Honey-gold eyes narrowed dangerously. "You wish," she hissed as she stalked from the room. Blaise throw a smug smile over his shoulder at Draco and Harry before following her from the room.

Laughing Harry shook his head. "Do you think those two will ever get together?"

"If Blaise has his way, most definitely." Draco paused before asking a question of his own. "You really wouldn't mind Granger dating a Slytherin?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't mind, whoever makes her happy. But we're not just talking any Slytherin, we're talking about Blaise. And I think he's perfect for her."

"Why?"

"Well he's smart, probably just as intelligent as Hermione, and he can be serious when he needs to be, so they have common ground. But he's playful, teasing the majority of the time; he lives life as though every moment could be his last. I think Hermione needs that. She gets lost in her books and her research too much of the time and she forgets that there's a world beyond them. But Blaise shows her that books aren't everything by ruffling her feathers, knocking her off balance. He's just unpredictable enough to keep her guessing about his motives," Harry answered.

Draco nodded thoughtfully taking in what Harry said. "So the only thing that's keeping them apart is Granger herself."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "But he's already wearing her down. It's only a matter of time now before her walls crumble and she's all his."

"Then let's make a bet to when we think Granger will finally cave," suggested Draco.

"I'm probably going to hate myself for this, but let's do it," Harry agreed.

"Okay, I think Granger will give in by Halloween," Draco said.

Harry thought about it carefully, because he really wanted to win this bet. He knew Hermione; she could be pretty stubborn. He knew she would hold out past Halloween, but he didn't think she'd make it to Christmas, so that left somewhere in the middle of November. "Around the second week of November," he said. "Now, what happens if you win?"

Draco was silent for the moment not wanting to tell Harry what he wanted. "How about not knowing what the person wants until they win?" propose Draco.

Harry thought for a moment on what Draco was suggesting. It sounded good to him, he hadn't really thought about what he wanted. Oh, he had thought about stealing a kiss from Draco, in fact kissing Draco was the first and only thing that had popped into his head at the mention of a bet. But he knew he wouldn't ask for that, so this way would give him time to think of something else. "Okay, but we'll have to lay some ground rules. Whatever is asked cannot be dangerous or hurtful. It can't be anything that would get the other expelled. And no streaking," Harry added as an after thought. "Agreed?"

"Agreed," nodded Draco.


"Weasley," called a feminine voice.

Ron turned at his name and glowered at the two girls before him. "What do you want?"

"To help you, of course," one of the girls said.

Ron snorted, "And why would you do that?"

The girl smiled an evil vindictive smile and replied, "Because I don't like being ignored."

"And you?" Ron asked the other girl who hadn't said anything through the whole exchange.

The girl in questioned smirked. "I just don't like him."

"Good enough," Ron said. "You can help, but if either one of you fucks with me," he growled dangerously to the two girls, "You will regret it until your dying day."

The girls nodded in agreement and the three parted ways, each heading for a different wing of the school.


Lil' Sphinx: Hey minna-shan. Sorry this chapter took so long, I had to walk away from it for a little while 'cause I was suffering massive writers block, but I'm back. It was supposed to be longer but I lost the next scene and I'm having to rewrite it, it's not going so good. It was perfect the first time. :sniffs: But I'm on Winter break so hopefully it wont take me so long to update again. :Crosses fingers: And I did get my computer fixed. Oh and if anyone wants to know about 'Michael' look at my answer to SiriusWolf. Oh and the song Harry sings is the Marilyn Manson version of "Sweet Dreams."

First off Thanks to Shortstuff, Frozen Demon, and Mari for telling that asshole off. Lots of hugs to you three. And I would say something to the jerk but I am a better person then he is and I refuse to lower myself to his level of stupidity. Now, moving on...

Rtael- As you read the letter showed up in this chapter. But thanks for pointing it out, cause I have a horrible memory.

Fragile Dragon- I will continue writing this fic. I'm a little slow, but it will eventually be finished. Just bear with me.

Ceris- I'm trying to get Harry and Draco together as quickly as possible. The next scene, the one I'm have problems with will help in getting them together.

Ganymade- Yeah, Ginny should probably be in better shape then Hermione, but I wanted Hermione to be in good shape. Everyone thinks that bookworms are all weak and I wanted to portray a bookworm that wasn't. Being a bookworm myself I really hate that stereotype.

Skyla Gerdes- I didn't really mean to make Snape seem so perverted but by the time I was done writing that scene it just couldn't be helped. Plus, I figure everyone has a little bit of a pervert in them. Honestly, my mind is in the gutter 99.9 percent of the time.

SiriusWolf- The twist of wordplay on Michael...Well, Michael is a song by Franz Ferdinand (I think that's how you spell it) A friend of mine made me listen to it and as soon as I heard it I came up with the idea for the scene. So if I never would have heard the song that scene would have been completely different. Also, if you've never heard the song, I recommend that you listen to it. It's great.

Snake-Boi- If you still want to edit the first 2 chapters then go right ahead, knock yourself out. You can send the edited versions to the email address on my profile.

midnytestars34- Yes, you'll see more of Snape's power. The silver dragon tattoo is important and will come up later. Draco doesn't have a tattoo, but he will get one later. Amethyst and Volucris will meet in the next chapter and help the two boys get together. As for the slashy goodness, it's coming up, you just have to wait for it.

Shortstuff- :sigh: Some times I don't think I should answer your comments. :Laughs: Oh well. Yes, Draco is partially evil. And yes, Snape isn't normal but no he is not from the same place as Alyssum. But Shadow isn't the only one from her realm. I can't tell you who the three people Alyssum call are, it would give away too much, but they will be explained later when they reappear. Yes, Harry's not completely human. Yes, Atrum, Alyssum's viper is a Night Creature and yes they come from Shadow's realm.

:Sighs: Okay, I think that was it. Enjoy, and thanks for all comments. I love them. Also if you want to see a drawing of the characters for this story you can see it at; (and don't forget the . com , I can't put it in there cause this format obviously doesn't like links, it gets rid of them when you save.)