Lying in the glow of their day, Severus and Bridget were roused from their comfortable silence by a knock at the door. Neither of them wanted to move or be interrupted. "What?" Bridget called to the door in annoyance.
"You wanted us to come in for detention," Harry's voice carried to them from the other side.
Bridget looked to Severus in shock before shooting to her feet to get dressed. She had completely forgotten the boys and the time. Really, this was no way for them to find their professors. She had no doubts they would surmise what was going on with the door being locked. "Just a moment," she called to them as she and Severus finished dressing.
Once they were both presentable, as well as the room, she made her way to the door. "Boys," she greeted as she opened it, looking the two over. Neither of them looked pleased with being there. Harry, however, wore a distinctive smirk. He was well aware of what he and Draco had interrupted, or at least what had happened during the day.
"Have a seat," Bridget instructed them. She made her way to the front of the room as Draco headed straight for a seat without a word. Harry followed suit, sitting some distance from the Slytherin boy. She leaned back on her desk arms crossed just watching them. Finally, she spoke, "Gentlemen, I believe we need to find a way to resolve this problem."
"There is no problem," Harry spoke up. "He's a git."
"Negative attitudes like that will not allow you to move on. You, perhaps, are the problem?" She fixed her gaze square on Harry, reminding him of her mother. He did not move. As far as he was concerned, there was no problem. He and Draco could not get along. Maybe there was more to it, but he did not see the point of looking into it.
Her gaze moved to Draco. "Or the way you are snide and malicious for no reason?" Draco did not move either. Nor did he meet her gaze. He looked straight ahead. He was not going to get into any more trouble than he had to. A solution needed found so he would not fail.
As if reading his mind, Bridget continued on. "You will do this project or fail the entire year." She glared at both of them. Everyone in the room noticed Draco squirm at her words.
"What happens if we fail the year? We have to retake it?" Harry, always the clueless one, asked.
"And part of your OWLs, if you are not expelled. You must remember, Mr. Potter, it is not just your life you mess with."
Harry followed her eyes to Draco, who was not looking at anything but the table top in front of him. Something was up. This was not the Draco he had seen for years. "Meet me in the library after dinner and we'll get this thing done."
Draco nodded. "I'll see you then." He did not look up or move. His main objective was to get the project completed so his father would not see fit to harm him.
"You can go now for detention and again after dinner." Bridget informed them. She watched both boys stand and make their way for the door and out. She hoped she was right that there was more than hate between them. They had potential to be friends. She just knew it.
Harry followed Draco to the library in silence. Neither boy had anything to say to the other that did not pertain to the assignment. Draco quickly gathered books they would need upon arriving in the library. They both then started looking through them. They had to compare and contrast werewolves and vampires.
"It would go faster if we each took one and wrote it up then put it together. I'll take the werewolf." Harry felt a pang for Remus. They had still yet to locate him.
"Good choice. I have a vampire in my family history." Only a measure of the usual family pride entered his voice as he spoke. Draco's quill started going across his parchment quickly as he thoroughly wrote about vampires.
"One of my best friends . . ." Harry found it hard to talk about Remus with him missing, possibly dead. He also figured Draco would only be snide about it and not want bothered.
"What?" Draco asked with a casual tone, glancing up at Harry. He was well aware of Remus.
"Is a werewolf . . ." A hurt shown deep in Harry's eyes.
"I know." Draco shut the book he was looking through and moved to the next. "I heard he is missing, that Severus is looking for him. He will find him." Draco had no doubt. If Snape set out to do something he did it no matter what.
"Yeah, I guess." Harry shrugged. He started working on the werewolf half of the project. The two worked on for some time in silence, a surprisingly comfortable silence. "Here," Harry finally spoke, "finished my part. As soon as you're done we can compare and contrast."
Draco made a few final notes then looked his over. "Alright."
"So, how are we suppose to do that? I mean, do I write and you dictate or vice versa or what?" Harry had no idea how to talk with Draco let alone go about doing this project without one of them getting mad at the other over something.
Draco looked at the parchments. "Tell you what, Potter. I'll take yours and you mine. We'll write down what we remember is the same and different then go over them more thoroughly." He held his parchment out to Harry.
"That works." Harry handed his over to Draco.
Draco quickly skimmed and finished going over Harry's. "Alright. I'm done."
"Just a minute." Harry made a few more notes then handed the parchment back to Draco as he took back his own. "You were very thorough by the way," Harry commented.
"I have to be." Draco did not look up at Harry as he looked over the notes. There was never a time in his life he could remember not having to be very thorough, perfect.
"Surely not always!" Harry looked at him in shock. The way Draco said it was like doing so was law.
Draco pointed to something on the parchment. "Vampires aren't allergic to silver in all legends." He continued to look over the work. "My father accepts nothing less." He had no idea why he was telling Potter about this, but oddly it felt relieving to tell someone.
"Well he's kind of a jerk . . ." Harry trailed off. He did not want to make Draco mad and had spoken before thinking.
"Yes, he is," Draco agreed. He felt rather than saw the startled look Harry gave him. "I know what a prick my father is." He pointed to the parchment again. "Vampires are rumored to control some werewolves."
Harry made notes of everything Draco said. He was amazed at the way the boy worked and talked as though doing both things singularly. "Why try to be like him?" He had to know.
"If I don't, he may kill me," Draco answered simply. He pointed to yet another thing on the parchment. "Holy water doesn't work on werewolves."
"Get away from him. I'm sure that someone would help you." He watched Draco. The boy acted like it was no big deal the way his father treated him.
Draco finally looked at Harry. His eyes held a small glimmer of hope and a lot of doubt. "I don't think anyone can keep him away from me. No one wants to stand up to Lucius Malfoy."
"Dumbledore can. I have." Harry informed him.
"I'm scared of him," Draco admitted so softly Harry almost missed the words completely. He could not believe he was telling Harry Potter of all people this. The only one he had ever remotely talked to about it was Severus.
"You . . . You don't have to be anymore. We'll go to Dumbledore. Tonight if you want." Harry felt he had to protect Draco. The boy looked so lost, so different than he had ever seen him. Was this what the more was? Was this what he was ignoring just to make things easier on himself?
Draco looked at him in confusion. "Why do you care?" His voice was normal. Harry had never heard the tone until this evening.
"I may understand what it's like to be treated unfairly by the people who are suppose to love you." Granted, the Dursleys were likely not as bad as Lucius Malfoy, but he was still ill treated.
"No one should know that feeling." Draco looked at the table, speaking softly.
"No. No one should but some do. Those that do need to stick up for each other." Harry hesitantly placed his hand on Draco's arm. He wondered if he had shook his hand all those years ago if things would have been different for either of them. He then decided not to think about it.
Draco looked up at Harry again. "Maybe we can talk to the Headmaster." Harry had given him a glimmer of hope that had not been handed to him. He was giving him a hand up, a shoulder to lean on. Draco was amazed that it was the boy-who-lived that was helping him but he really did not care. He just wanted the help.
"Good. We'll go after dinner." Harry squeezed his arm and gave him a small smile.
Draco nodded. "Let's finish this and knock her socks off."
"Works for me." He turned back to their project. "What else you got? Though, I think Snape has been knocking her socks off all afternoon." He gave him a devilish smile.
Draco nodded again. "He needs something like that." Severus was so alone and bitter because of it.
"Yeah. I always did think he needed to get laid."
"I think she may have been his first." Draco was not certain but he had surmised by subtle things he had picked up over the years of being around Severus. He turned slightly red as he said it.
"No offense, but I kind of always thought that. No one could be wound that tight and not be a little sexually frustrated." Harry gave him a lopsided grin. Draco chuckled, the first true laugh Harry had ever heard from him. Harry felt like he had accomplished something. He gave him a shy smile. "Would you like to have dinner at my table?"
"With the Gryffindors? I . . . I don't think they'll accept that." He did not want the fighting and the controversy of it all.
"Doesn't matter. You're my guest. I just wouldn't call Mione a mudblood. You may get more than just a bloody nose."
Draco nodded. "Alright, but if they start in on me . . ."
"I'll protect you with my life," Harry vowed in true Gryffindor form. Draco looked at him in shock. Harry rolled his eyes. "Shall we go put this on her desk and shock the hell out of her?"
"She'll want an oral representation next week," he answered, happy for the change in topic. "But yeah, let's." He smirked at him with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Well, we can still put it on her desk. Maybe with all the sex she's getting, she'll drop it." He grinned.
"Let's hope." He did not fancy having to talk in front of the class, even if he was usually the center of attention in the room. One little mishap and his father would hear all about it. He was just sick of all the attention garnered on himself.
"Yeah. Never liked speaking in front of everyone. Too much attention." Harry hated attention. He would gladly trade in all the attention he had received since coming to Hogwarts, since his parents had died.
Draco sighed. "I'm too use to attention. Been paraded around too much." He hated it as much as Harry hated attention.
The two silently put the books away and gathered their things before making their way to the DADA classroom. Knocking on the door, they got no answer. "She must have gone to supper," Draco said.
"Well, we can hand it over tomorrow. Let's go eat." He turned to go to his dorm then to dinner.
"Could give it to her in the Great Hall."
"Nah. Just wait til tomorrow." He wanted to eat then see to Draco's situation with his father. The project could wait until the next day.
"Alright," Draco agreed with a nod.
"Besides, they may not even be there." Harry grinned.
Draco snorted. "Very true. Let's go eat." He quickly made his way to the dungeons then back to the Great Hall. He met Harry at the doors.
Harry was the first Gryffindor to arrive for supper so the two easily made their way to the Gryffindor table and sat to eat. They shared small talk, ignoring everyone else in the room. Severus and Bridget both decided to share supper with the school and watched the two as they ate together.
"So, I'm pretty sure you won't have a problem beating Ravenclaw at your next game," Harry jabbered on about Quidditch. "But Hufflepuff may be a problem. They have a new seeker."
"Yeah, but I'm not too worried." Draco gave him a Draco smirk.
"I would be. I've seen her. She's fast and has a sharp eye." He stuck some potatoes in his mouth.
Draco finished a drink of pumpkin juice. "Haven't had the chance to see her. Hell, what's her name? I don't even know that."
"Sydney . . . something or other." He shrugged. He could not remember it.
"Well, is she faster than you?" Draco asked in interest. He was nearly as fast as Harry. As long as she was not faster than Harry, he should be good.
"Don't know. Haven't gone up against her yet. She should make things interesting." He continued to eat.
Draco nodded. "I have no intentions of losing to anyone, but if I have to it better only be you." He smirked at him.
"I'll take that as a compliment . . ."
"Backsided, but yes." He looked up to noticed the other Gryffindors staring at them, especially Harry, like they were aliens. "I think we've been found," he commented wryly.
"So?" Harry shrugged and continued to eat. Draco followed his lead. "What do you think our next assignment from Miss McGonagall will be?"
"Hard to say. She looks a little paler than normal. Maybe we won't get one for her being sick." He sounded almost hopeful. He could only imagine who he would be stuck with for the next assignment. Likely Weasley. He shuddered at the thought.
"She's probably just tired from her . . . activities." Harry looked around the table to make sure no one heard what they were talking about. Everyone was pretty far away from them. He did not like that Ron and Hermione were ignoring him because he was talking to Draco, but he was not going to turn on Draco because of it. They would just have to grow use to it.
Draco chuckled. "Yeah. And the fact that we are speaking hasn't shocked her at all, as well as everyone else."
"Figure she had us figured out, that we would end up talking."
"Yeah, probably. Be a teacher thing to do."
"Think there is more there? I mean other than . . ." He did not want to say it in front of everyone. He simply nodded to Snape and Bridget.
Draco did not seem inclined to be as cautious. "Sex?"
"Well, I wasn't trying to inform the whole table," he said wryly, "but yeah." He rolled his eyes at Draco.
Draco shrugged. "Yeah. Sev wouldn't go into something that wasn't deeper. Not after all this time." He was certain Severus intended to have Bridget for life.
"You're probably right. Just wondering is all." Harry shrugged.
"Look at Sev's eyes," Draco told him. "They've never looked like that." The man seemed alive in ways Draco had never seen.
"You're right. And . . . I think he may actually be smiling." Harry was shocked. The dark man was smiling. Wonders never ceased!
Draco finished his meal about then. "Well, I'm ready to talk to the old man when you are."
Harry, who had finished a bit prior, finished his pumpkin juice. "Let's go then." He stood to lead the way, Draco following. They both hoped Dumbledore had an answer for Draco.