Goldfish682: What kind of a review was that? Just kidding, thanks.
Jess the Pirate: Thanks for the review! evil cliffie! That's the first cliffie I've made, so woo hoo!
Sinilu Silverspell: Well, if you insist…I liked your review….
Dione Shadow: I know I know it's evil-ness….but that just makes you even happier when the next chapter comes out, am I right? You ever made a cliffie?
draco8448: I totally loved your review! Thanks for saying it was well-written, that made me happy… and you're safe, 'cause I probably won't make another cliffie, at least for a while…
Bloody Corsets: Uh-oh…I didn't know I could get taken off for that…oh, I see how I spelled his knife one way, and then the other… I write these on Word so I don't lose them, and I think it changed it for me; I meant to put "Askalade", 'cause I made it up…thanks for pointing that out. Erm…what should I do about those lyrics? Tell me in your review?
bloodyXsilverXrose: Your review made me smile!
rockndramaqueen: Thanks! That makes me so giddy! Your review was one of my favorites!
A/N: Awesome! I got positive feedback on this story…I left for Kentucky the day after posting that last chapter…so sue me! I started writing the next chapter as soon as I updated last time! I'm dedicated, so…just enjoy. Don't you LOVE me for giving you a cliffie?
Disclaimer: I own nada. Nothing. Blah.
"M-Malfoy?"
Draco POV
I looked at up at him, my heart pounding.
"Potter! Wh-wha-what ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!" I shouted with all the strength left in me.
Since I used my minimal energy on screaming at Potter for intruding, I was left utterly fatigued. I noticed that I was hungry as my knees buckled, and I crashed to the ground.
Har—grr—Potter's shocked face came running over to me, and he picked me up so I wasn't laying spread-eagled on the floor, and was sitting upright. A tear leaked out of my eye; I was thinking of how sweet my mom used to seem. She always would help me up when I fell…
He sat behind me, his chest a few inches from my back, and was supporting me with his arms, which he propped up against the wall.
"What happened?" Harry asked, his voice, surprisingly, filled with utmost concern. I was sure, however, that he was more curious than distressed; this was Potter, after all. We had had too many arguments for me to believe that he could possibly care.
I debated over whether telling him was the right decision. I mean, he HAD seen me cry a bit, maybe if I told him he wouldn't think I was some sort of wuss, because maybe, maybe he would understand…
On the other hand, maybe he didn't think I was a wuss. He hadn't said anything, after all. And if I told him, he might then think I was a wuss for putting up with it, and he would know something about me that not even my "friends" knew! Of course, what's the point of telling them anything, but still! And this was Harry Potter! No way he could understand what…what happened.
But what if he hadn't said I was a wuss only because he was afraid I would go into some sort of crying rampage?
"Malfoy?" Harry repeated. Oh. I had zoned out.
"Erm…" I said shakily.
My urge to tell someone about my…issues…was threatening to overpower me. But I remembered my dream catcher, and I at least knew I wouldn't have to deal with them in my dreams, so why should I tell Potter if these memories weren't going to disturb me?
Thinking of my dream catcher, I said, "I'm not telling you what happened, Potter. You're lucky I don't turn you in for barging into my room like this!" wincing at the pain it caused my body to have to muster up all this emotion. (A/N: I wonder how many people thought he would just immediately give in to him…)
In response, (don't say Harry, don't think Harry, he's your enemy, use his last name…don't say Harry…)Potter (score!) grabbed a damp towel off the sink and proceeded to place it over my eyes. It felt good, and I thought vaguely about just falling asleep right then and there…
I sighed, in what I hoped was in an inaudible way, and leaned back slightly, not really wanting to touch Potter (thinking of that…er…thing that happened in the closet) but I was thoroughly exhausted, and leaned back a little too far.
Harry (grr, I just can't help myself-glum expression-) tensed up slightly, then leaned himself back into the wall of the bathtub, relaxing slightly. Behind me, I could feel him run his hand through his chaotic hair, and when he sighed exasperatedly, I shivered as his hot breath traveled over my vulnerable neck.
"You know I have every right to be here, don't you, Malfoy?" Harry said tiredly, as though this really was not his cup of tea. I thought angrily, "Like it's MY cup of tea either!"
"And why's that?" I asked, not knowing what to expect. I pulled off my towel and glanced at his face to see his expression. It was indifferent.
"'Cause we have detention with McGonagall, remember?" Harry replied, and I could see him looking at my face as I stared determinedly at the floor under the sink, trying to see what effect this had on me.
Oh hell. Bloody hell! What was I going to do? If I went down there, she would see all of the bruises! If I didn't go down there, either Potter would tell her what he saw, or she would come and check up on me!
"Oh…please don't tell her!" I said desperately.
"Hmm…sure, I'll cover for you. But…what's in it for me?" Harry asked slyly.
I turned around and stared at him. What's in it for him? What! "Not getting your ass kicked!" I hissed, my blood pressure rising.
"Oh ri-ight. It seems to me that you're not really in any position to beat the shit out of me." Harry said, eyeing my cuts and bruises.
"Just please don't! What do you want? Why are you being so difficult?" I asked.
"I have asked you the same questions for the last five years, Draco, but you never answered, Mr. Prissy-face." Harry said, then looked away. No wonder. That was a really lame name to come up with.
I stared at him once again, and he must have sensed this, for he pushed me away from him, much to my dislike, and stood up.
"Whatever, Malfoy. I'll make up some lie, but I'm not going soft." Harry said as he strode out of the room. As he left, I muttered, "Sure. Covering for your number 2 enemy when you could turn him in and make him the laughingstock of the school isn't going soft," though I was thankful he was not going to say anything. I heard him slam the door to the dormitory, and his footsteps died away.
I sat there for an hour at the least, tending to my wounds so that when I placed the charm on them to make them invisible the spell would not go haywire. It usually did that when the thing I was covering up was still bleeding.
I looked at the mini-grandfather clock—10:58. I sighed and pulled myself off the floor. I put my ear to the door, and heard loud voices. They were somehow distant, so I figured that there were still people in the Common Room, and nobody would interrogate me if I went outside.
I opened the door and it creaked; I paused for a moment, to see if anyone heard. No one did.
I walked over to my bed. After pulling the drawings around my four-poster and getting a drink, I crawled in. For a while, I stared at my dream catcher. I watched as it moved with the wind coming in from the open window.
Harry POV
Why was I so angry? Draco was just being Draco! But, he hadn't really done anything…Jeez, I was just feeling…angry.
I ignored the Slytherin students as I stormed out of the room.
I sulked all the way down to Professor McGonagall's room.
"Where's Mr. Malfoy?" was the first thing she said.
"He…couldn't come. I'll just do our detention and he can make it up later, okay?" I asked, still wondering why I had decided to cover for him after all the torment he had put me through. This could have been the perfect opportunity to get back at him. But I couldn't help but feel that I was happy to cover for him, down under my grudge.
I walked past her and picked up a book called The Wondrous Field of Magical Plumbing.
"Hmph. Five points off Slytherin for failing to attend an assigned detention. No, Mr. Potter, this detention was assigned to both of you, so I'm afraid we're going to have to wait 'till Mr. Malfoy decides to go to his detention," she said sternly, as if I was just itching to get started mucking out toilets. "Poor Filch…" she muttered as she ushered me out of the room.
I fumed all the way back to the Gryffindor Tower. I didn't even know why I was so furious, and that just incensed me more.
I was about to give the Fat Lady the password ("bejangles"), when Hagrid came up to me.
Draco POV
I don't know exactly when, but I fell asleep. I woke up feeling restless. I looked over at the dream catcher and saw that it was glowing brightly.
Phew, I thought happily. The dream catcher is a success! I pulled back the curtains and peered at the clock. 7:15.
"Fuck!" I whispered. I looked around me, and saw that all of my roommates were still sleeping.
We were missing breakfast!
I shoved and pinched and shook all of my dorm-mates awake, saying "7:15! Breakfast! We're gonna miss class!" to each of them.
I received angry grunts from each of them. Then Jake Baum, a 5th year, said to me "To-to-today iiiiiis Sat-turday" through his yawn.
I smiled sheepishly at them. Most of them went fell back on their beds with a "plop". A few of them, like Blaise and I, just went down to breakfast.
Fall was upon the school, and when I looked out an open window, I was rewarded with bitter, cold air, and a face-full of misplaced leaves.
"Hey Drake. DRACO!" Blaise shouted.
"Yeah?" I asked tiredly. "Maybe I should have just gone back to bed…" I murmured as he beckoned me forward. He grabbed me by the elbow and started pulling me down the hall that led to the Gryffindor Tower.
"Oh no, Drake, you're not gonna wanna miss this!" Blaise said excitedly, an evil grin plastered on his face.
We turned the corner, and there, sitting with his knees up to his chest, his head leaning against the wall, was Harry Potter. Asleep. In the middle of a corridor.
Blaise gave in to a fit of giggles, but I just gaped, my eyes flicking between the laughing Blaise to the oblivious Harry.
Blaise stopped laughing, and for his sake, I chuckled. He clapped me on the shoulder, and turned around.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"The Great Hall, duh. Come on!" he replied.
"I'll be there in a few. Hold on." I responded.
"'kay. Whatever." Blaise said back.
As soon as I was sure Blaise was in the Great Hall, I rushed over to Harry.
I crouched next to him and shook him roughly. He jerked awake, and looked wildly around for what had aroused him, when his eyes fell on me.
Panic flashed over his vivid green eyes, then confusion. "Wha?" he asked.
"That sounded stupid," I retorted. "You were just sleeping in the middle of this hallway, by the way."
He looked around at his surroundings, and understanding washed over him. He nodded, then got up, ruffled his hair, and walked away, leaving me squatting on the floor.
"Hey, wait! Wait, POTTER!" I barked at him.
He turned around and walked to me a bit, but said nothing.
"Well?" I said. "Well, aren't you going to tell me what happened? Why you were just sleeping in the corridor, not your room?"
"Why should I?" he asked tiredly.
This was probably about last night. I didn't tell HIM why, so he won't tell ME why….
"Come on Potter, why not?" I said, walking closer to him.
"You'll probably find out about it anyway." Harry said, backing away from me slightly.
"Oh," I said, walking up to him so that our chests were almost touching. "Then—," I said into his ear, "—why not just tell me now?" not really aware of what I was doing, but wrapping one hand around his waist and hooked one hand around his neck.
"Hmm?" Harry asked distractedly.
"Hmm…" I murmured soothingly as I pushed him against the wall and played with the back of his neck, staring into those beautiful universes that he calls eyes.
He sighed, and I registered just exactly what I was doing. However, I didn't stop. In fact, I was just about to lean in and plant kisses all along his neck, when he started speaking.
"F-fine," he said as I did indeed plant a kiss on his tender neck. I backed away slightly, but did not let go of him, not even afraid that anyone would see this scene.
------Flashback-----
Harry had been right in front of the entrance to his Common Room, when a very distressed Hagrid called to him.
"'ey 'arry! 'arry! I got ter take yeh ter Dumbledore's office!" he bellowed.
A confused Harry obliged, and they started walking down the halls.
"Why am I going there, Hagrid?" Harry asked, wondering what he had done wrong now.
Hagrid told him.
-----Flashback INSIDE a flashback-----
Hagrid had been in Snape's office (seeing if he could get a potion for Fang, who had a bit of a cold) when Dumbledore strode in, looking flustered.
"Hello Hagrid, Severus." Dumbledore said, nodding at each of them.
"Professor Snape, I request that you go to Harry Potter's room and bring him to me—I must speak with him…."Dumbledore said, his usually twinkling eyes dulled with sadness.
"Sorry, Albus, but I'm rather busy at the moment—," he indicated Hagrid, "—concocting a potion for his…dog." Snape said sneeringly.
"All right then. Rubeus?" Dumbledore said, turning to Hagrid.
"Sure, Professor!" Hagrid said, eager to help.
-----end of flashback inside flashback------
"I don' think 'e's got good news fer yeh, 'arry," said Hagrid sadly.
"Yeah, I know. Otherwise he wouldn't have to tell me it in the middle of the night," Harry said back, sort of zoned out, dreading the inevitably bad news. He felt as though this hypochondriac rain-cloud was following him around.
We got Dumbledore's office, Hargrid said the password ("Zonko's") and the gargoyles sprang to life. Hagrid left Harry to see Dumbledore by himself, but not before wishing him good luck.
When Harry got into his office, Fawkes greeted him with a hoot.
Dumbledore offered Harry some tea, and though he thought it was peculiar that he was offering him tea when he obviously had bad news, he took it in the hopes that it had caffeine.
"Well, Harry, I'm not going to make small talk. I'll get right to the point. Oh, there I go, going around the bush, like I said I—," Dumbledore said.
"Umm, Professor, you—," Harry began.
"Oh yes, Harry. Of course. Well, it's Tonks. She's been taken hostage by Voldemort."
Harry promptly spit out the sip of tea he had taken. "WHAT? HOW?" he yelled.
"She was out on a mission to try to convince a Death Eater who was reluctant to return to Voldemort to turn to our side just like Professor Snape. She wanted him to not be afraid of turning away from Voldemort. Unfortunately, there were other Death Eaters who spotted both of them. The Death Eater Tonks met with was killed right in front of her, and she is now a captive," Dumbledore said solemnly.
"Can we get her back?" Harry said urgently.
"Maybe Harry. But Voldemort set a ransom of the Ministry of Magic's submission to him, and we cannot afford that. Tonks is a great person, but she knew what she was getting into when she entered the Order, and we knew that many people were going to be lost before this war is over."
Harry stood up from his seat in Dumbledore's office, placed his still-full cup of tea on the desk, and said, "I have to go."
"Right," Dumbledore replied.
Harry hopped down the stairs three at a time, and set off toward the Tower at a run.
As he passed the Great Hall, he slowed himself to a walk. He remembered just how tired he was, and as he rounded a corner, he sat down for a moment. He shut his eyes and shuddered as his scar gave a particularly violent throb.
"Tonks..." he muttered. He fell into a trouble-filled sleep, in which he was falling, falling, falling, and he kept hearing this high-pitched, cold laughter. Flashes of Cedric dying, and Sirius falling through the veil, and Wormtail cutting off his hand were surrounding him, until he was roughly awoken.
-----End Flashback---
"Harry, I—," I started.
He cut me off by placing a finger over my lips. I looked up at him, and saw that his eyes were filled with tears. I guess he had been pretty close to "Tonks".
I leaned my head into the crook of his neck and he entangled himself with me and cried on my shoulder.
I had of course heard the phrase: "Lend a shoulder to cry on" but never before had actually been the shoulder to which someone was crying on.
I skipped breakfast that day.
A/N READ THIS!: Well, I'm leaving for camp on June 27, and I won't be coming back for another three weeks, so I'm really really sorry!
And since I started this fanfic BEFORE the 6th book came out, don't flame me about stuff that couldn't have happened, or what doesn't make sense according to the 6th book. I'll try to make stuff work with it, but it IS a fanfiction, after all.