DISCLAIMER: If you've ever heard of it before, I don't own it, so don't sue me.
A/N Ok, so I would apologize for the wait, but you already know I'm sorry… Yeah, as some of you noticed, this is going to be slash. I changed my mind about a minute after saying that it wouldn't be, and I even asked if it was ok with you guys, and you said it was! Sorry if it offends you…(and to RiRiana, he's not really gay, it's just that he's bonded with Malfoy, he doesn't like all boys, just Draco…) Updates will be quicker from now on, seeing as the school years almost over and thing of all the time during the summer I'll have to write! Yay! So, with out further ado, here's chapter 14!
"Damn it," Ron said coldly at the breakfast table the next morning, "We've got potions first class."
Harry did his best to disguise his glee at this, potions was the only class he had with the Slytherins, and Slytherins meant Malfoy.
"I still can't believe both of you tested into NEWT potions. I mean, you barley studied at all last year!" Hermione said.
"Harry mate, are you alright? You look sort of pale," Ron commented in an offhand manner.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired," Harry said. In truth, he wasn't ok. He felt more and more power draining out of him and down the bond with Draco by the second, and it was starting to take a toll on him. Harry was banking on being near to Draco during potions to pull him through.
"Ok then. Well, we'd better get going; Snape will murder us if we're late for his first class of the year…"
Spying proved easier than Malfoy could have ever hoped. Admittedly, it had taken some skill to explain his departure from the Manor, but with a little sweet talk, the Slytherins were in an enthusiastic discussion about the attack that was supposedly going to take place that night.
As if that'll happen… Dumbledore's probably stopped it already… Draco thought cheerfully to himself. And that was all because of him. Somehow, it was a good sort of feeling to know that lives were being saved, and he was responsible. It was a very different feeling from being the one taking the lives.
Draco glanced down at his schedule, potions. He smiled slyly to himself, taking a bite of his toast.
(Draco?) Came a question inside his head.
(Yes. I can talk now; everybody else is far to wrapped up in their food to pay any attention to me…)
(Ha! Same over here. How're you doing?) Harry's voice was slightly weaker than Draco was used to, but he figured it was just the distance between them.
(I'm doing fine. Stupid Slytherins are sucking in every word I say. It's almost too easy.)
(I'm glad you're doing alright. Listen, there's something I've gotta tell you before first class. You know this bond we have? Well, I think that when we're apart from each other, it saps my power in order to keep working.) It kept iron control to keep Draco's face from showing any expression. Sapping his energy? Somehow that just didn't sound good.
Draco was about to question further, when the bell rang for first class and the students who were left quickly departed from the great hall.
Harry was in the middle of explaining his situation to Draco when the bell rang for first class. He, Ron and Hermione made their way down into the dungeons and to the potions classroom. Snape looked as foreboding as ever, glaring at the incoming students one by one as then entered the classroom. As soon as everyone was seated, Snape began his expected beginning of the year "welcome" speech.
"Congratulations to all of you, for out of luck," here he shot a dark look at Harry, "or skill," his gaze this time centered on Malfoy, who was seated at the front of the class, "you have made it to my NEWT class… This year will be difficult, never think otherwise, you must be prepared to work hard and study hard. Fame won't be able to pull you through this class… Potter!" Snape's voice was sharp, and Harry braced himself for a barrage of impossible questions he had no chance of getting right.
"In a cheering potion, which would you use, the eye of newt or armadillo bile?" Snape sneered, knowing perfectly well that Harry had no idea.
(Eye of newt.) Harry's eyes widened as Draco's voice spoke in his head.
"Umm, eye of newt, sir?" Snape's eyes narrowed.
"That is correct, Potter. Lucky guess work." Snape smirked, a nasty look glinting in his eye.
"Now, tell me Potter, since we seem to be so smart today, what would you use as the key ingredient in a potion to stop excessive bleeding?" Harry honestly had no idea, and sincerely hoped that Malfoy did.
(You'd be lost with out me… crushed snake scales, Harry.)
"Crushed snake scales," Harry said surly.
"That is correct," Snape said, as if the words took all the will he possessed. And knowing him, they probably did.
Needless to say, Harry's success early in class did nothing to improve snapes disposition, and by the end Harry was sincerely regretting passing the potions OWL's. Snape had made them all brew a potion that was supposed to increase the growth of magical plants, though Harry had a suspicion that his own concoction would kill anything that it touched.
The only thing that made the class even slightly enjoyable was the feeling of his strength being renewed as he and Draco talked. Ron kept giving him odd looks as poor Harry would keep snorting to withhold laughter whenever Draco said anything clever. This would then be followed in quick succession with guilt, and the feeling that he probably ought to tell Ron about his and Draco's alternative means of communication. He'd have to talk to the other boy about that.
"That was horrible! I can't believe he made us do that on the first day!" Ron was complaining bitterly. "But Harry! It was all worth it for the look on Snapes face when you got those questions he asked right! By the way," Ron said a curious look on his face, "how'd you know all that stuff anyways?"
"Lucky guess. I must've read it somewhere." Ron seemed to accept that, and went back to his babbling about how horrible Snape was. Both Harry and Hermione nodded every once and a while, and were free to their own thoughts.
Though, at the moment, Harry didn't like his own thoughts. He could physically feel it as he went further and further away from Draco. Entered the classroom for charms, he felt his power being drained from him in huge globs.
"Harry, are you ok?" Hermione asked concernedly.
Harry shook himself. "Yeah, I'm fine." Hermione didn't look convinced, but was forced to withhold any further questions by the start of class.
"Welcome to NEWT charms!" Tiny professor flitwick was as cheerful as every. "Today I'd like you to just practice the basic summoning charm while I call you up one by one to discuss what your personal goals concerning charms should be this year. I'll start with Ernie, the rest of you, shoo!" The class all smiled, and then turned to the pile of pillows to begin summoning.
"Accio!" Ron said lazily, the pillow flying into his hands.
Harry pulled out his wand, about to perform the spell, but upon going to pull on his magic to send it out through the wand in a spell, there wasn't even half of the normal store of magic that was usually there. He twisted his vision to allow himself to see magic.
His eyes widened in surprise. Harry was used to looking at his supply of magic, and seeing a practically infinite supply of raw and pure writhing power. But now, he saw only a well… normal amount of magic. He wasn't used to having only that to pull from. Harry glanced around him, watching strings of magic flying around as students cast their summoning charms. There was one particular strand that stood out to him, though; the one that he knew from experience connected himself to Draco.
Magic was flowing freely from himself into that strand, then disappearing. This wasn't good.
Harry jerked himself out of his almost-trance. Hermione and Ron were happily summoning away.
"Accio!" Harry said, pulling on his now limited supply of magic. He felt magic being scraped out of himself and out the wand, just enough to make the spell work. Unfortunately, it took more than the normal amount of magic to make the spell work, and Harry's body was barley withstanding before that. His vision blurred, knees growing weak, and when the pillow that he'd summoned hit him, it was too much.
Harry's world went black just before he hit the floor.
Draco's head jerked up from the desk in transfiguration. He'd drifted off, but that was over now. A sharp pain was lancing through his head, but it wasn't a natural headache… some how, the pain felt like… Harry.
Draco sat bolt upright at put his hand up in the air.
"Yes Draco?" McGonagall inquired.
"I think I'm sick, may I go to the hospital wing?" Professor McGonagall looked slight askance, but granted him permission anyways. Draco thanked her and rushed out of the room.
He was about ten feet away from the hospital wing when he ran head-long into Ron and Hermione, who, to his horror, were escorting an unconscious Harry.
"W-What happened?" He stuttered, still catching his breath from running all the way from the transfiguration room.
"We don't know! He just collapsed during collapsed during charms!" Hermione answered.
They would have kept talking, but Madame Pomfery came bustling towards them, taking custody of Harry.
"Not again! How many times am I going to have to patch him up?" Madame Pomfery complained as she levitated Harry into a bed. "And I suppose you're the one who did it to him?" she sent an accusatory glare in Draco's direction, who opened his mouth to protest, but quickly thought better of it, "Well that's nothing new!"
It took Madame Pomfrey all of thirty seconds to revive Harry, but in those thirty seconds her expression turned from annoying, but not particularly concerned, to worried and more than a bit scared.
"Someone go get Dumbledore," She said quietly. Both Ron and Hermione nodded and left.
"Draco?" Harry's voice was weak.
"Right here."
(You know what happened, right?) Draco thought for a moment, then realized that he did indeed know what had happened.
(We're going to have to tell Dumbledore, you know.) By this time, Madame Pomfrey was staring curiously at the two boys, not only because they were in the same room and nothing was exploding, but because they were staring blankly at each other, their eyes fixed on the others. She had the sense not to comment.
(I know. We were going to have to tell him anyways, eventually.)
Then, Draco smirked slightly, (This is turning out to be a very interesting first day back.)
A/N Hope you like it, I know that it's short; I just wanted to get something up. And yes, I do know that there are grammatical errors, I just can't catch all of them on my own, and I have no beta. (I would ask some of my friends, but they're slightly prejudiced against slash.) In case you didn't notice, that is and un-unsubtle hint that I need a beta, so if you've got some spare time and nothing to do with it…