disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belong to J.K. Rowling, I am not her. The song Crawling belongs to Linkin Park, I am not anyone of them. Neither does the Muffin Man belong to me.

warnings: Well. Take a chance, will you? Nothing shocking, I promise. I think.

A/N: Well, I'm back. Some of you may be glad, some may not. Deal with it. Thank you.

Crawling in my skin
These wounds they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing what is real

"Harry?" Hermione asked carefully. The boy in question looked up. "It's 8.30. Shouldn't you go get your trunk?"

"Yeah, um, I should." Harry mumbled and stood up.

"Need help?" Ron asked mouth full of eggs and bacon.

"No, thanks. Meet me in the Entrance Hall, okay?" Ron and Hermione nodded and Harry left. His mind was a total mess. He was really leaving. He was finally leaving this rotten piece of stone. With Malfoy. Yes, that spoiled the pleasure a bit. But only a bit. Harry climbed into the sixth year boys' dorm and checked for the tenth time that he didn't leave anything behind. He even double-checked his cocaine stash. It was empty, of course. Then he took his trunk and Hedwig's cage and started going back down.

In the Entrance Hall were Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville Longbottom waiting for him. Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Neville stepped forward. "Um, Harry? I just wanted to say goodbye. Well, goodbye. And good luck."

Harry cracked him a small smile. "Bye, Neville. Keep this place going while I'm gone." He was on a good mood for a change. Neville smiled and stepped back.

Ginny first gave Harry a cold look, but then she threw herself in his arms. "I'm really gonna miss you." She whispered before pulling away. "Bye, Harry."

"See ya, Gin." Harry muttered and then was Hermione's turn to hug him.

"I hate goodbyes. But you're coming back, this is only temporary. Be good, okay? And don't let Malfoy get to you."

Ron carefully stepped forward. "So, um… See ya?"

Harry smiled. "Yeah." Ron smiled back. Hermione rolled her eyes. She asked Ginny if that was it. Ginny nodded and muttered something about Harry and Ron being boys. Harry saw Dean and Seamus standing in one corner, excused himself and went to them.

"Aren't you even gonna say goodbye?" He asked. The boys jumped. For a second Harry thought he saw how Dean's hand was in Seamus's. But then it was gone.

"Of course." Dean managed to mumble.

"Yeah, take care of yourself." Seamus told. "Be a man."

"Exactly. If Malfoy's an ass, turn him into a ferret."

"If Malfoy's an ass?" Seamus raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, when Malfoy's and ass." Dean corrected himself. "Anyway, take care. And don't forget us."

"I won't. So, tell me something before I go?"

Seamus blushed and Dean coughed. "Yeah?"

"Are you guys like… Together?"

Seamus blushed even more if possible and Dean coughed more. "Um… What you mean?"

"I mean, are you two dating?" Seamus was now redder than a tomato and blush was starting to creep on Dean's cheeks, too. "So you are."

"Please don't tell anyone. They'd kill us." Dean begged.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface
Consuming, confusing
This lack of self control I fear is never ending
Controlling, I can't seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
Without a sense of confidence
I'm convinced that it's too much pressure to take
I've felt this way before
So insecure

All three boys smiled and said goodbye and Harry returned to his trunk. Malfoy was now there too, and Pansy Parkinson was crying on his shoulder. Harry rolled his eyes and sat on his trunk. Five minutes till 9.

After three minutes Harry and Malfoy were alone in the Entrance Hall. The blonde dragged his trunk next to the raven haired one's. He too had an empty cage with him.

When it was five past 9, Dumbledore finally arrived with professor McGonagall. "Oh good, you're both here." Dumbledore smiled, but neither of the teens returned the smile. "Professor McGonagall will escort you to the place where you will be staying. During your way there, she will explain how you'll live. Now, off you go. The train leaves at 9.30. Goodbye, Mr. Potter. Goodbye, Mr. Malfoy. We will see each other after New Year."

"What?" Malfoy spat. "After New Year? I thought we were gonna come back before Christmas!"

"Minerva will answer to all of your questions before you get there. Have a nice trip."

Have a nice trip, Harry repeated in his mind as he started dragging his trunk to the Hogsmeade Station. Nice trip my ass!

"Where are we going?" Malfoy asked McGonagall when they stepped in the train. McGonagall just muttered something about telling later. The blonde turned to Harry. "You know anything?"

"Do I look like I'd care?"

"You should. You got us into this mess."

"As long as there's other human beings and I don't have to share a room with you, I'm happy."

"It's a muggle town." Malfoy said as he sat down beside the window. Harry sat opposite of him.

"Don't you know how to keep your mouth shut? I really don't care where are we going or is it a muggle town. You really should get over that mugglephobia of yours." Harry told and started staring out of the window. After ten minutes of silence the train started moving. Harry smiled. Finally, he was leaving that place. That prison.

Crawling in my skin
These wounds they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing what is real

McGonagall came to the compartment. "Okay, I think it's time to tell you where we are going." Both boys looked up. "The town where you will be living is a small town in the east coast and it is called Vilinburg."

"It is called what?" Malfoy asked amazed.

"Never heard." Harry muttered.

"Good. That is one of the reasons you are put there. It is small and unknown. And the population is all muggle. In Vilinburg, you will be living in a small house near the town border. I assume neither of you knows how to drive a car?"

Harry shook his head and Malfoy looked like a question mark. He didn't even know what a car was.

"So I thought." McGonagall continued. "You will go to school by buss then."

"What school?" Malfoy asked.

"You thought you wouldn't go to school at all? What do you think this is? A holiday? No, Mr. Malfoy. You will go to an ordinary muggle high school and you will go to work every day after school."

"Work! That I will not do." Malfoy announced.

"Oh, yes you will Mr. Malfoy. With what were you thinking on living? I'm afraid muggles don't accept galleons. You will be working in a coffee shop. Both of you. You better be there on time tomorrow. If you don't show up, I will hear about it." Malfoy started sulking. "And now, the whole idea of this is to make you two get along like civil human beings. You don't have to like each other. I don't expect you to be friendly. But I expect you to be civil towards each other and the muggles. We have done this before, about thirty years ago, and it went surprisingly well. The two boys were friends when I came to get after the time was full. They were the worst enemies, just like you now."

Harry rolled his eyes. He and Malfoy friends? If Dumbledore thought they were going to be friends, he was totally out of his mind. Harry gave Malfoy a quick look. By the look on his face, he was thinking the same.

McGonagall explained a few more details and basics, like if they got in trouble they couldn't handle, they'd send Hedwig or Lucifer, Draco's owl, to bring the message. Then the train started slowing down.

"We're here." She announced. The boys looked out of the window. It was pouring rain so you couldn't see anything clearly. They saw silhouettes of buildings and humans and lights. "Mr. Potter? Mr. Malfoy? Come on, now. You have to get your trunks."

They went to get their trunks and stepped out in the pouring rain. McGonagall led them into the station house. "Wait here." She said. "I'll go check if our ride is here." And so she left the two teens alone. Both of them sat on their trunks.

"I can't believe I'm actually here. Middle of muggles." Malfoy muttered and eyed on Harry as it was all his fault.

"No, Malfoy. You're in the middle of muggles with me." Harry corrected.

"Oh, how did I forget that?" Malfoy asked voice full of sarcasm.

Discomfort, endlessly has pulled itself upon me
Distracting, reacting
Against my will I stand beside my own reflection
It's haunting how I can't seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
Without a sense of confidence
I'm convinced that's it's too much pressure to take
I've felt this way before
So insecure

Harry looked around. The station house was, well, dead. There was an old lady behind the counter, talking in the phone, and on a bench near by sat a young man with a luggage, waiting for a train. The old lady put the phone away. "I'm sorry, William, but the train will be late for an hour."

The young man smiled sadly. "It was supposed to be here at 4 p.m."

"The rain is slowing it down. I'm sorry dear, but there's nothing I can do." After that there was silence. Soon McGonagall returned.

"Come on, boys, our ride is waiting. Come on now, we don't have all night." She told.

Harry sighed and got off his trunk. Malfoy did the same and they started towing the trunks after McGonagall. They went outside and there they saw a car. Next to it was standing a rather chubby man. "'Ello, lads. Gimme those, I'll put them in the trunk." The man took their trunks and owl cages and boys themselves went to sit on the backseat. McGonagall sat in front. "Okay, where to?"

"Drury Lane 13, please." McGonagall told and the car started.

Harry gave a short silent laugh. "Do you know the muffin man?"

"What?" Malfoy asked. Harry turned to face him.

"C'mon, Malfoy, you seriously saying that you don't know the muffin man?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" The blonde was clueless.

"You know, the muffin man. Oh, do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man. Oh, do you know the muffin man that lives on Drury Lane? Oh, yes, I know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man. Oh, yes, I know the muffin man that lives on Drury Lane."

"You're insane, Potter."

"You're the one here who's insane, Malfoy. You don't even know the muffin man!"

Malfoy was just about to answer when McGonagall interrupted them. "The first step in this, is to call each other by your real names. No more Malfoy and Potter. From now on, you two are Draco and Harry. Understood?"

The boys something like yes. That was good enough for McGonagall.

"You don't know the muffin man." Harry said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Oh will you give it about the muffin man?" Draco snapped.

"Well, sorry." Harry muttered and rolled his eyes.

"Here we are." The chubby man said. McGonagall asked him to wait for her to return and they got out of the car.

Crawling in my skin
These wounds they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing what is real

Drury Lane 13 was a very old house whit two floors. In the first floor, were entrance hall, kitchen, bathroom and living room. In the second floor were two bedrooms and a bathroom. McGonagall gave them a piece of parchment where were phone numbers of the school and the coffee shop and the addresses of the school, coffee shop, grocery store and the hospital.

"Okay, boys, this is it. I shall leave you now. I'll be back to get you on January 1st. Oh, and boys? I'd take your wands now." And then she was gone their wands with her.

"Welcome to Drury Lane, Draco."

Crawling in my skin
These wounds they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing, confusing what is real

There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface
Consuming, confusing what is real
This lack of self control I fear is never ending
Controlling, confusing what is real

A/N: Not a mind reader, luvs. Anything will do. Just tell me it sucks if that's what you think. Please.

reviews:

Chance Phoenix: My first reaction: It's gonna take the whole night for me to read this. After finally reading it: I'm never gonna write again.
Okay, firstly, thank you for spending your time in making me a better writer. Because that's what you did. At least I hope so.
Secondly, I never meant to make Harry emo. When I started writing this, I didn't know what the hell is emo. If you think he is that, fine. But I never wanted an Emo Harry.
Thirdly, I'm really tired now, so I'm not gonna make this as long as you did. But I appreciate that you did. (btw, I have a tongue piercing too)

THANK YOU:

Dreamer22, wackywally, kozie, Goldensong, Sagified Fire and XRazorblade KissesX