Chapter 16

Harry woke up and felt a soft silk pressed against his cheek. Smiling, he patted the silkiness and was happily, not to mention sleepily, surprised to hear a soft humming. Opening his eyes he blearily looked about him as he reached for his glasses. As he sat up he felt the silkiness move from his cheek to his lap.

Putting his glasses on, he lit a candle to better see what had awoken him. Turning back he felt a startled smile pop into place.

'Well. Good morning sweetness. Who do you belong to? And why are you in my bed?'

Letting out a soft chuckle as the small silver, fox-like pet put its paws on his chest and let out another hum.

'Sorry, but I don't think you belong to me, as much as I would love to own you.'

Picking it up between his two hands, he lifted it so he could look into its eyes. In their depths he saw sorrow, knowledge, and something else that puzzled, and frightened him. Putting it back on the bed he looked to his side to see the clock and said sarcastically, 'Thanks, I really wanted to get up at 8:00 on a Saturday.'

Jumping from his bed, the silver creature darted under his bed. Standing up, Harry knelt to reach for it, not having to explain the reason of why he had someone else's pet under his bed. Reaching out his fingers, he felt them connect with something, he knew it wasn't the small animal, but he pulled it out none the less.

In the picture frame was a smiling family. A tall elegant woman who beamed lovingly up at her aristocratic husband, to the couple's front was a pair of small children. A young boy hugged his younger sister. The girl's smile was missing teeth, and the boy's hair was mussed slightly, but the picture in whole, was one of loving warmth.

Hearing a shuffling behind him Harry didn't turn around, but when he felt that someone was looking over his shoulder he decided it was time to stand up. Turning around he was surprised to see Malfoy looking at him slightly angry. Taking the picture from Harry's hands he said, 'What were you doing in my trunk?'

Harry looked at him surprised and said, 'Malfoy, I wasn't in your trunk, honest. Someone's pet woke me up and then ran under my bed, so when I went to retrieve it I found the picture instead. Are they your cousins or something?'

Malfoy looked at him considering for a moment before he said, 'I guess you could say or something.'

Harry nodded his head and said, 'Don't worry, I wouldn't tell anyone about something you don't want told. It's bad enough when you don't want to remember something, let alone, have others remembering around you.'

Draco opened his mouth as if to say something and then nodded his head, 'You're right. So don't tell. Otherwise there is no way I can even talk to you. You understand.'

Harry nodded his head, he did understand. It was like his summers. He didn't tell people about them, because he didn't want anyone to remember them.

'Well, I think I'm going to go down to breakfast before I wake everyone else up by showering.'

Draco nodded his head, 'I'll join you; and I couldn't get back to sleep if I tried.'

Then smirking, Draco continued, 'Just promise not to push my face into any oatmeal.'

xxxxXXXXXXXxxxx

'I can't wait until the next Hogsmeade visit. I need to restock on some things.' Draco said before taking a drink of coffee.

Harry laughed and said, 'Join the club. I ran out of everything I bought last year, that is, except for my never erasing eraser. It does nothing, so I never need a new one.'

The two boys laughed and Harry then took a drink of his pumpkin juice while Draco took a bite of bacon.

'So what is your favorite part of Hogsmeade?'

Draco watched Harry to see his facial reaction, along with his worded answer, 'I guess I would have to say….The Three Broomsticks. Rosemerta is always so nice, and I always thought it would be nice to, now don't laugh, just get up and sing on her stage set up she has.'

Draco beamed at Harry and said, 'I'd never laugh at that. But instead of singing at The Three Broomsticks, I'd want to sing someplace where not so many people would know me.'

Harry thought it over and then said slowly, as if still thinking it over, 'I suppose…but it would be great to show those around you that you do have talent, whether or not it is something they'd want.'

Now it was Draco's turn to ponder what Harry had said, 'I guess your right, but I think I'd personally like to be someone else than what people expect me to be.'

Harry smiled in agreement and added, 'That way you can do things that are normally out of character of what people have come to expect from you. Like not giving a fuck about Voldemort, or not worrying about which house a person is in.'

Draco smiled and then added eagerly, 'Getting shit faced in a bar and then making a total ass of yourself.'

Laughing, Harry said, 'Getting shit faced and then kissing Snape!'

The two boys stopped for a moment to shudder and then both broke out into waves of laughter, which were only to be interrupted by a soft feminine voice.

'M-morning.'

Harry managed to calm himself down enough to get out, 'Morning Elizzabeth.'

Waving her hand dismissively Elizzabeth said, 'Please, just call me Lizz. Elizzabeth is for teachers and parents to call a person, not her friends.'

Smiling, Draco said, 'Morning Lizz. How did you sleep last night?'

Elizzabeth moaned good naturedly and said with a smile, 'Lavender Brown was up till 1:00 worrying over whether or not she should wear magenta ribbons in her hair with a hot pink, cashmere sweater. Honestly, the girl has fluff for brains.'

Harry and Draco started laughing again and Draco said, 'Well, in the boys' dormitory, our little milestone was Ronald Weasley's snoring. I swear, I thought it was a train at first.'

Harry laughed and continued on, 'Last night wasn't bad, you should hear when the poor bloke-'

'When the poor bloke what? What were you going to say Harry? Something cutting and witty like, 'you should hear when the poor bloke talks?' or 'you should hear when the poor bloke sings in the shower?' Well. What were you going to say Harry? Spit it out.'

Harry watched as Ron's ears continued to get redder and redder with anger.

'Ron, I was going to say that they should hear when you talk in your sleep. Some of your dreams are quite amusing. Even the next morning when you tell me about a dream I overheard you laugh about it.'

Ron stared at him stone faced and then turned and left the hall.

'That guy's gotta figure out if he's comin' or goin'.'

Although Lizz said it with sincerity and with compassion Harry snorted as he looked to his food and said, 'He needs to figure out whether or not he can trust those around him.'

xxxxXXXXXXXxxxx

'Look 'Mione, I don't know what happened between us that we aren't the couple everyone expected, but you have to believe me. Harry is dumping us for those Slytherins!'

Hermione looked up from her book and smiled sadly at Ron. Putting her book aside, she walked over to him and put a compassionate hand on his shoulder, 'Ron, Harry is trying to step away from what he is for a bit. He's exploring what it would be like to be someone different. Trust me, he's still our same Harry, he's just trying to make everyone even.'

Ron looked at her as if she'd just said she'd just said that Skrewts were cute, ''Mione, Harry isn't like us anymore. He's turning into another Slytherin. I think we should warn Dumbledore, Draco might have him under the Imperius curse or something.'

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes, 'Ron, Harry isn't under any curse, and Malfoy would never attempt something like that on a fellow student. After all, he, as well as everyone else, knows that Dumbledore would find out, and he would be history.'

Ron grumbled and sank down into a leather chair, 'I swear 'Mione. He isn't like us anymore, it's like he doesn't care about You-Know-Who anymore.'

Growling with frustration, Hermione threw her hands into the air and said, 'I give up! Someone else can deal with you; right now I need to talk to Ginny.'

At these words Hermione stalked from the seventh year common room and left through the portrait hole. Ron stared after her and said, 'And I don't have a thing for Harry either.'

Behind him Ron heard a choking sound. Whirling around quickly he seen Pansy, growling he strode towards her, his fists raised.

'If you ever, ever, tell anyone about what you just heard, I'll kill you.'

xxxxXXXXXXXxxxx

Harry, Draco and Elizzabeth made their way from their breakfasts in the Great Hall to the Seventh year dormitory.

'I can't believe you two once were worst enemies!'

Harry and Draco laughed easily, 'Yeah, one time Draco actually landed a good punch on me, Madame Pomfrey had to give me a potion to men my jaw bones back together.'

Draco blushed a bit and countered, 'That was only because you had insulted my mother.'

Harry laughed and said, 'That was Ron. But I had stood between you two.'

Elizzabeth laughed with them and then stopped to say the password to their dormitory, 'Unity.'

Walking through, Harry said, 'What is with that password? They think if we say it every time we come in we'll think of all the houses uniting or-'

But before Harry could finish his train of thought he was interrupted by Crabbe putting a meaty hand on his and Draco's arms.

'Look, you three need to come to the boy's dormitory immediately, no one else.'

Draco and Harry gave curt nods of their heads, showing they understood. Elizzabeth, with wide eyes, whispered, 'What happened?'

Crabbe merely walked forward and said in a tense voice, 'Can't talk about it out here. We have to get away from the rest of these people; we've locked them out of the boys' dormitory for the time being.'

Harry got to the door and said, 'Let us in.'

Blaise opened the door with worried eyes and said, 'Draco, its Panse-'

Before Blaise could finish whatever he had been about to say Draco had pushed past, Harry and Elizzabeth on his heels, Crabbe was closing the doors against anybody else.

Getting to Harry's bed they seen Pansy curled up into a ball, her face stained by tears. Draco was immediately at the bed pulling her to him, Harry rubbing her back.

Draco asked the question first, 'What happened sweetness? Tell me what happened.'

Harry looked on worriedly, Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, and Elizzabeth were standing around the bed, watching with sad eyes as they seen bruises forming on her body.

Pansy sniffled and clung to Draco's shirt, shuddering as she spoke, 'I-I heard R-Ron arguing with Hermione…sniffle…so I went over to s-see what was w-wrong. I h-heard him, he said that h-he didn't have a thing for H-Harry. He turned around and s-saw me, a-and then said h-he'd kill me if I e-ever told…sniffle…then h-he hit me…and…he w-was screaming…sob…and…'

As Pansy trailed off Harry felt a fury in him he'd felt few times before, and the scary part was, he didn't know how he could deal with the anger.

Draco snarled, 'I'll kill him.'

Harry shook his head as he looked over the bruises forming on Pansy's shoulders. They would be dark ones, she'd have to use a concealment charm, and he would do it for her, 'No, he was my friend. I get to kill him.'

Pansy turned her head to look at him and he noticed that one side of her face was all swollen and discolored, 'Harry, he's not worth it.'

Harry touched the unharmed side of her face and said, 'He's not worth it, but to do it for you, you're worth it.'

Smiling sadly up at him she gave Harry a hug, 'You truly are a great Slytherin.'

----------------------------------------------------------
Hi, thanks again to my fantabulous beta, she was working on this at 6:00 in the morning! Now that is dedication.
I have gotten so many reat reviews, but I still need some more to keep me inspired people! I'm working on chapter 17 and 18 right now, so it will take a bit of time to go through the process an get it up on here.
Love you always.