A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Wow, five reviews in only one day, that's amazing to me. And look, before I posted this up, I got even more!
Thanks PsychoticDeath for the support. Your review was motivating and reassuring! Oh, and thank you for putting me on your favorite's lists, this chapter's for you!
Sadiew, thank you as well! (same reasons as above) oh, and the answer to your question will be answered, just keep reading!
Oh you're too kind, sylver, but please, worshipping fics is just not healthy.
Oracale, thanks for the signed review!
Eliza, thanks for the advice! I'll tone it down!
Darkgal, Sheree, everybody, I'll update as much as I can!
NOTES: /---/ thoughts
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, you all know that. But if you do, could you share? Pretty please wit sprinkles on top? Fine, be that way. I'll just write my fic and twiddle my thumbs as I wait for reviews.
(2)......
The sun came in through the window, the curtains drawn back earlier for the light's access. It was nearly noon now, and the street below, Diagon Alley, was alive with activity. People gossiped and talked and laughed, some discussing the Daily Prophet. It was still brimming with information on Death Eater Attacks, and of course on the trails of the five caught in the Department of Mysteries (A/N: please refer to 5th book for more info). But, since nearly all of the dementors had left Azkaban, it was futile to keep them there, they would escape.
Harry groaned, feeling the pain in his thighs and buttocks and his joints. Though it was not as evident as usual, it was there. Harry sat up, rubbing his back gingerly as he rose. He yawned, and looked at his reflection. Satisfied that he was still the same physically, Harry went to take a shower. He then went to get dressed, opening his trunk and laying his clothing out. Over the few weeks, Harry had managed to sneak out, convert his wizarding money into Muggle pounds, and had completely revamped his wardrobe. Now, he put on a pair of dark blue jeans, kept them to his almost femininely small waste with a black belt, then put on a black tank.
He then put on a silver dragon on a chain, the dragon having real ruby eyes. It had been a gift from Dumbledore, but Harry had removed the shielding charm. He welcomed death, it would be a blessing to be caught in the crossfire or fall off a high place.
Harry then put on random black bracelets, and inserted his ear piercing. He had gotten it a few days after coming home, which had earned him a beating. But Harry didn't care. Harry then took out a small green cord, and pulled his hair back with it. He put it into a pony tail, but his bangs and the hair along them still framed his face. /Oh well/ he thought /At least I can do something with it now/. Sighing, Harry then got his money bag, stuffed it into his pocket, took his black shoulder bag, then headed from his room, the door opening and closing magically for him. Harry turned and watched the door, then shrugged it off and walked down the stairs.
The pub below was filled with the lunch crowd, but no one paid Harry any mind. He was almost unrecognizable because of his changes, and Harry was glad for it. He didn't want attention, and he was glad to walk out onto the street and not get held back.
But a few witches outside of Flourish and Blotts stopped they chatter as Harry walked by. He felt their gazes and could hear what they were saying, though faintly.
"That can't be him!"
"Well, he did run from home, they say. I work for the Ministry in the Department of Wizard Services. He's listed under our watch, you know..."
"Still, what might have happened to the poor dear if that was him?"
"Who knows, we were only told to keep an eye on his wear-abouts. Those who tracked him through and through wouldn't say a word."
"Go figure," Harry muttered darkly as he entered Gringotts Bank.
The commotion from the goblins and wizards stopped when Harry entered the front room. It always seemed to slow whenever someone new came in, and soon the activity picked up again, and Harry sighed. No one bothered him as he walked up to the front desk, but froze midway when he saw a tall boy with fiery red hair. As Harry continued and walked up to the desk, the redhead turned around. It was Fred, or maybe George, well one of the twins.
"Excuse me," Harry said, stepping around the twin.
The Weasley eyed him, then gasped in shock; "Harry?" he asked; "Blimey, mate, have you changed!" yep, it was Fred, the truthful extrovert of the two.
Harry just nodded and turned to the desk, but Fred turned him around; "Look at you!" he exclaimed, but was taken aback when Harry jerked his arm away. Harry glared at him, but a small voice in his head told him he doesn't know, he doesn't know... at this, Harry's gaze softened
"Harry?" Fred asked worriedly; "What's wrong with you, mate? Look like you've just seen the living dead or something. Oh, sorry," he said almost immediately after; "Didn't mean anything."
"I uh, just had a bad holiday," Harry said, "Look, I'm pretty busy um, Fred."
"Oh yeah, us too," Fred said, "Well, George and I, with the shop, you know," he suddenly began to see the changes in Harry, one being he seemed darker; "Well I... I've got to go. Err, nice to see you, Harry."
Harry nodded as the twin hurried off, and sighed. He turned and faced the goblin, who was already ushering two guards for him. Harry sighed as two goblins with two-headed bulldogs approached, the dogs themselves sniffing at Harry's feet before whining in turn. Harry inwardly sighed, and went to his vault. He collected more money, and the hurriedly left the bank.
Harry went back to Flourish and Blotts. It was packed with a few students of Hogwarts eager to get their shopping completed early, and he recognized some, though they didn't notice him. To them, he was just another kid shopping for books. Harry quickly went up to the second floor, and randomly walked down an aisle. Harry was going through some books, most of which were dark themed and fairly long, when he heard an all-too familiar voice not so far down in the aisles. Harry thanked his keen senses as he listened to the seemingly melodic voice of Draco Malfoy.
"...You know, Blaise," Draco was saying; "It's too confusing..."
"Whatever, Draco," Blaise replied; "Point is, you know you've got to tell him soon..."
Him? Harry thought. He peered around the outer walkway, and saw Blaise and Draco leaning against the railing as they watched people below. Occasionally, they would duck back, then return to their former positions.
Harry stared at Draco. His hair was un-gelled, and hung around his face elegantly. He had a slight tan, and his eyes were now more blue than silvery-grey. He was wearing a nice white dress shirt and fitting black pants, along with boots. He was a little thin, but Harry wagered it was depression from losing his father. Still, he seemed different, and Harry found himself gazing at him in a way he never thought. Blinking and shaking his head, Harry continued to listen.
"But how?" Draco asked; "I can't believe I volunteered at all... well, I can, but," he shook his head; "It's too confusing..."
"What's so wrong about it?" Blaise said; "We know about those reports from the Ministry thanks to Pansy and your mother. The Ministry's afraid he's gone dark...!"
"We know he's gone dark," Draco said; "The Council can tell..."
"You vampires and your bloody ways..."
"SHH! Not so loud!" Draco hissed; "That's between us, okay? No one else knows, Blaise, not even my own mother!"
"Really?" Blaise asked quirkily; "Hmm, I didn't know that..."
"Stop acting like this is some bloody joke, you git!" Draco hissed.
Harry set the book down, got his bag, and walked over to them. His feet were silent as air as he walked, and only when he stopped did Draco turn.
"Who are you...?" he drawled, looking Harry up and down.
"Who's who?" Blaise asked, looking at Harry as well; "Hello," he said uneasily.
Harry smirked when Draco was struck with the staff of realization; "Ha — Harry?" he asked, eyeing Harry critically; "I mean — Potter? What the hell happened to you?"
"Bad holiday, Malfoy, can't you tell?" Harry retorted; "So, who's this mysterious guy you were talking about?"
"Why would you care?" Draco asked as both Slytherins stiffened.
Harry shrugged; "Dunno," he said apathetically; "Don't really care about anything anymore. I'm actually just curious."
/Something's wrong with this picture/ Draco thought, /besides the fact that I know about him/ "Well, it's you, actually," Draco replied with his usual drawl; "Care to join us for a quick chat, or do lions refuse to be around snakes?"
"Screw house rivalries," Harry said, seething for a moment; "We're just vampires here. Besides, I don't care about the damn snake and lion bull."
"Oh, must have been a very bad summer," Blaise commented under his breath, smoothing out his shirt; "Well, I'm just a wizard, but I know. So, how about we discuss this in the Cauldron, eh? I've got a meeting to attend, you know."
Draco rolled his eyes; "Then go," he said, "If it's so important."
Harry was sensing that the two were a couple, honestly he was, but when Blaise shrugged and said; "Okay, I've got to tell Pansy I'll meet her at the wardrobe place anyway. See you two," he said, "Oh, and no killing, okay? Can't have that plastered all over the Prophet, can we?"
Draco shot him a glare that would kill if it could, and Blaise laughed uneasily; "Oh, I get it. Cheerio, then!" and with that, he bounded down the staircase and out the door.
/Mental, that one/ Harry thought.
But, for the first time to his memory, Harry laughed an almost pure laugh. Draco eyed him, noting the coldness and depression in it; "What happened?" he asked again, drawl lost for worry.
Harry grew silent, and shifted from foot to foot; "Nothing," he said finally, looking at Draco; "What did you want to tell me about, Malfoy?"
"Well, we can't talk here," Draco said, peering over the edge; "Come on, we're going."
As Draco headed for the staircase, Harry turned and eyed him; "I'm not your bitch," he said curtly.
Draco chuckled; "Oh, so sorry," he said, smirking at Harry; "Would you please accompany me for our rendezvous? It's an urgent get together, you see, and—"
"Alright, I get it," Harry said, walking past him and down the steps.
Huffing, Draco followed.
---
the two found a private booth at the Cauldron in the back, so they weren't overheard. Butterbeers were ordered, and Draco began the conversation.
"First off, congratulations," Draco said, "On becoming one of us."
Harry eyed him before swigging the butterbeer, then wiped his mouth before saying; "So? That still doesn't give me a clear picture as to why you're here."
Draco rolled his eyes and sneered, and Harry snorted; "Cut the bull, Draco," he said, "Just tell me what's going on."
"Hmm, not sure you could handle it, to be honest," Draco mused, watching him as if looking at a piece of artwork. Harry was now façade-less, he wore no mask. Was this the real Potter? /I could get used to this new Harry,/Draco thought.
"Do you know what shit I've been through?" Harry asked quietly; "I could handle almost anything."
Draco sighed; "There's a Council, of us," he said, looking around; "We meet about every three months, and when you were Called—"
"What?" Harry asked, eyeing him quizzically; "Council? Called? What the—?"
Draco sighed, and lowered his voice so quietly that Harry almost had trouble hearing it; "The Council is just a group formed for all of the upper Vampires. Last night, we met, and your name came around. Elder Sabet said you had answered your Calling, and that one of us should go find you and then tell you about it all."
"But, what I don't understand is that... you have to be bitten, right?" Harry asked.
Draco shook his head; "It can also be hereditary," he replied, his voice rising to normal level; "Your grandfather, on your mother's side, was one of us. But, the Ministry killed him off;" he snorted as he leaned back in his seat; "Said it was a bloody potion gone wrong, the cowards. They're afraid that now, since we do have a sort of free-range government, they think we'll try and take over."
Harry had since fallen back into his seat and sighed; "This is too much..." he moaned.
"I told you it wouldn't be good," Draco said, "What happened to the 'Golden Boy' image, anyway? Come on, at least tell me that much."
Harry looked away darkly, crossing his arms and leaning on the table; "All summer, I was tortured with having to live with the Dursleys. My 'friends' never owled, and I was never rescued;" he looked at Draco; "Dumbledore doesn't care, so long as I save everyone and play martyr. I hate the old coot..." he looked away darkly again.
Draco nodded, leaning against the table; "Why were you put in Gryffindor?" he asked, or rather stated, shaking his head.
Harry sighed; "That hat gave me a choice, lions or snakes. I chose lions because I thought I had a friend there," he glared at his butterbeer glass darkly, and Draco could have sworn that it began to bubble and fizz and send steam into the air. But it stopped when Harry looked away.
"Harry," Draco began, but for once, he was at a loss for words.
"So," Harry said, looking back at Draco. His eyes are so sad, Draco thought, but he was snapped back to reality when Harry continued; "How's life without your father, anyway?"
"You know, I wanted to thank you for that," Draco said; "I have never been more at ease. I think I might actually be able to have a life now."
Harry chuckled dryly; "I'm serious as hell, Potter," Draco said; "My father was a bastard, I was miserable. Now that he's gone, I am free. I can, I dunno, be me, I guess you could say."
"No more Malfoy mask?" Harry suggested.
"Burned it," Draco smirked.
Harry smirked as well; "Yes well, after feeding off of my fat pig of a cousin, I ran. They won't care, either, my aunt and uncle. They might throw a party..."
"And here I thought you were safe there," Draco said.
Harry stared at him; "Dumbledore's put on this impression that your safe and happy at that Muggle house," Draco said, grimacing; "Honestly, how do you survive? I heard they were dreadful people."
Harry nodded as memories again became fresh on his mind. Draco watched as Harry zoned out and sank into a deep recession, and clapped his hands; "Potter, snap out of it!" he said loudly, and Harry blinked several times before staring at Draco.
"Sorry," he said, "I... do that sometimes..."
"Didn't look like it was a happy place you went to," Draco said, "Come on, Harry, we called a truce, and you can tell I could relate to certain things..."
Harry looked at him, and slowly rose; "Thanks for the information, Draco," he said in a drawl, and gathering his things, he got up from the booth.
"Now wait, hang on a second!" Draco called, rising and following him.
Harry stopped out at the bottom of the stairs, and faced Draco; "Just leave me alone now," he said; "Go find some other vampire to hunt down."
"You're lucky we're alone," Draco said, walking over to him; "Keep it quiet, okay?" he asked quietly, looking around; "Look, you need to have some relaxation time," he said, looking at Draco; "And trust me on this. Look at you, Harry, bags under your eyes, ear piercing, ooh, a tattoo," he mused, seeing a mark on Harry's right arm.
"It's a dragon," Harry said, turning his arm away; "Why are you suddenly so interested in my well being, Malfoy? And in case you haven't heard, my mother died a long time ago."
"Sorry, but Harry, honestly," Draco said; "You need to lighten up."
"I have no reason to celebrate," Harry muttered, turning; "I'm going to rest. See you, I guess..."
"You're not tired," Draco called as Harry got past the first landing. Harry stopped, and Draco continued; "You won't be for another week or so. Forget it, Harry, no use hiding from one of your own. Come on, Blaise, Pansy and I will show you around."
Harry looked at him; "Why should I?" he asked, walking halfway back down.
Draco crossed his arms, and raised one eyebrow; "Well, you would fit right in," he said, face changing to a smirk, "Being part snake, after all. Besides, we're not all evil. Dark, maybe, but not evil."
Harry shrugged as he came down to Draco's side; "Why not, like I would care if you killed me," he said; "So, where are you planning on taking me?"
Draco smirked; "Just come on."
Harry watched as the blond turned, and heaved a sigh. He followed, and found Draco already locating the other two Slytherins across the street. Harry crossed quickly, coming up behind Blaise and tapping him on the shoulder. Blaise let out a shout of fright and jumped, turning on Harry. But Harry had already dodged behind Pansy, smirking.
"I'll never get used to it," Blaise muttered darkly; "First Draco, now you, Potter. I'll be dead at this rate..."
"Oh, it's alright, Blaise!" Pansy cooed, wrapping her arms around his left arm. Blaise looked at her, but smiled slightly. Harry rolled his eyes and walked over to stand beside Draco.
"I know," Draco muttered, rubbing his eyes; "They're engaged, though, you know. I suppose they have the right."
"Let me guess, pureblood fanatical parents?" Harry asked, raising and eyebrow.
Draco nodded, then turning to the couple; "Ahem, you are not alone!" he said, and Blaise and Pansy looked at him, stopping their fondling of each other.
"So," Blaise said, coughing while Pansy giggled; "Where should we take the wretched soul?" he motioned to Harry.
"Oh, thanks," Harry said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and glaring at Blaise.
Draco smirked; "Oh, I don't know," he said, crossing his arms; "Let's see... my house isn't exactly safe... neither is yours, Blaise," he looked up from his thinking and looked at Pansy, his eyes sending off the "Ah, of course" glow.
"What? Oh no, not my home!" Pansy exclaimed; "What do you think my mother would think if I brought three boys with me?"
"Well, that's your own doing now, isn't it?" Blaise commented suavely. Pansy cuffed him.
"Well, since I'm gay," Draco said, and Harry looked at him in surprise; "What, you didn't know?" Draco asked, looking at him as well.
"It crossed my mind," Harry said, shrugging; "You are pretty girlish looking anyway, so," he shrugged again.
"Oh," Draco said sullenly, "Anyway," he said, mood perking up again; "Yes Pansy, your home is the only option at this point."
Pansy chewed her bottom lip in thought; "Fine," she said, "I guess. We can floo there. Come on, then, we won't be using any of these fire places."
As Blaise and Pansy turned to go, Harry hung back. Draco turned and faced him. Harry was in thought; it was obvious by his brooding look. He blinked several times, and lifted his head to see Draco staring at him.
"What?" he asked, beginning to walk after Pansy and Blaise. Draco matched pace with him as they went.
"You must brood a lot, don't you?" Draco asked, more concerned than curious.
"Don't try getting close, Malfoy," Harry warned; "You might die, too." And with that, he picked up his pace, quickly closing the gap between him and the Slytherin couple.
Fuming at being left behind, Draco caught up as well.
Pansy and Blaise led the group into Knockturn Alley, and they went into a small pub-looking place. It was dark and almost empty, the few witches an wizards there not giving them any notice. The four went a back room, seeing a fireplace blazing and a jar of floo powder on a table by it.
"Okay," Pansy said, opening the jar; "Everyone just meet at my house," she through her powder in saying; "Parkinson's Residence!" before going into the green flames.
Harry watched the fires; "That's not—" he began, but Blaise went through the flames, saying the same.
"Just think of it as the evil way of getting to places," Draco said with a smirk, "Well, see you there," and so saying, he repeated; "Parkinson's Residence," and went through the flames.
Harry watched the fire. /What the hell/ he thought, sighing as he through his powder in, said what he needed to, and stepped into the fire. He automatically came out the other side, in a drawing room of sorts. Blaise and Pansy were busy talking to Pansy's mother, while Draco was dusting himself off.
"Pansy, as much as I enjoy having your company over—" Pansy's mother was saying, but she cut off when Harry began dusting himself off and looked up; "Is this him?" she asked Pansy, motioning to Harry.
"Yes," Pansy said, "Michael, this is my mother," she said, turning to Harry and smiling; "Michael, this is my mother, Angela." [A/N: I don't know the real name of her mother, sorry!]
"Mrs. Parkinson to you," Angela Parkinson said curtly, her eyes looking Harry up and down; "How do you know my daughter?"
"Through Draco," Harry replied simply; "I'm new to London. They were showing me around."
"We were coming here for a while," Pansy said; "It's alright, right, mother?"
Angela softened at her daughter's pleading look; "Fine," she said flatly; "But nothing odd, understood?" she looked back over to Harry, eyeing him in silence; "You are familiar," she said blatantly; "Too familiar."
"I get that a lot," Harry plainly replied. The lies rolled off his tongue like water; "A few say I look like that wonder boy Potter;" he snorted; "The git, I might get a new face if everybody keeps it up."
"Oh, no need for such drastic resorts," Angela said, softening to him as well; "Pansy, I'll send tea for you and your guests. Would you like to take it here, or somewhere else?"
"Oh, no thank you, mother," Pansy said; "We'll be going by the pond."
Angela nodded; "Well, I'll leave you now. Nice meeting you, Michael;" she looked Harry up and down one more time, then departed.
Harry smirked to her back, turned, and faced three very stunned Slytherins; "What?" he asked.
"Oh my god," Blaise exclaimed, "You were placed in the wrong house."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Harry said, glancing at Draco.
"Well, you should just get resorted," Pansy said; "Come on, let's go."
---
The pond was actually a small lake, located in the back property of the Parkinson's estate. Harry promptly dropped down to the ground, and laid on his back as he stared up at he sky. Draco, Blaise, and Pansy did the same, and for a moment, no one spoke.
Finally, Blaise broke the silence; "So, anybody get the Prophet today?"
Draco and Pansy both snorted, while Harry rolled over, facing Draco. He was staring at the grass sullenly. Draco watched him, before finally replying; "Of course we got that damn paper."
Blaise nodded; "Can you believe that Weasley fellow became the new Minister of Magic after they sacked Fudge?"
"They did?" Harry asked, looking up at Blaise. He hadn't heard about that.
"Yes," Draco said, leaning back. He stretched, making sure he exposed his muscled stomach. Harry rolled his eyes as he laid on his back again, but couldn't resist glancing over.
"Oh, Fudge went mad, they say," Blaise said, oblivious to it all as he watched the clouds; "It's quite funny really. You'd think that old coot Dumbledore would take the job..."
"He has," Harry said, "Author Weasley's wrapped around his finger," he said scornfully, glaring up at the sky; "Only a matter of time before Ministry Officials track me down and drag me off to their house;" he rolled back over onto his side, facing the other three; "But, I won't go without a fight and a word."
"There ya go, Harry," Pansy said; "Wow, you sure aren't the golden boy we all thought you were. What happened to the Gryffindor 'Fight for the Light' attitude, huh?"
"It died and went to hell," Harry replied simply, looking at her with slightly raised eyebrows and hooded eyes; "Like nearly everything else I thought I knew..." He looked back up at he sky and sighed; "I hate having to go back to school..." he mused.
"Oh, I can agree," Blaise said; "How many do you think we'll have to nick this year, Drake?"
"Oh, probably fifty," Draco replied.
Harry eyed them curiously; "Oh, he doesn't know," Pansy said slowly as she curled up in Blaise's lap.
Blaise nodded after a moment of thought, and Draco looked at Harry, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow; "You see;" he said; "We Slytherins must keep up our guises of being dark, cold, malicious Death- Eaters-To-Be, therefore, we are under a lot of scrutiny. So much so, that certain people have to be quieted to insure our sanity;" he looked at Blaise; "How many was it last year, Blaise?"
Blaise looked up in thought; "Only about fifteen," he replied finally; "But then, no one knows what happened during the actual Tournament's final leg, only a few, anyway," his gaze drifted to Harry, who had rolled over and looked away at the subject.
/Why am I even here? / Harry asked himself, pulling at the grass as he suddenly became awash with anger. /They have no idea... They don't know...! / He gritted his teeth as he sat up and threw the grass, which coincidently disintegrated upon leaving his palm. Harry, as well as the silent Slytherins, watched the ashes fall to the ground. Harry shook what landed on his leg, and then looked up at them with an emotionless, yet innocent gaze.
"What?" Harry asked, looking at them all. His gaze landed on Draco, who was smirking as he stared at him.
"Wandless magic, guys," Draco assured the other two, who were watching Harry uneasily. Silently, they nodded.
Harry began to feel uneasy when their gazes lifted, and Blaise and pansy animatedly talked, but soon it escalated to fondling and kisses. Draco and Harry both got up and left, leaving the couple.
"It's fascinating, really," Harry said as he and Draco were walking back to the house; "How they can be so shameless, not caring what people think..."
"Well, they're going to be married, might as well get used to it," Draco scoffed; "Why, aren't you ever flamboyant? I know you have no regard for the rules..."
"Are you ever not a prat?" Harry retorted, then he sighed; "Sorry," he said sullenly, "it's just... when you're under the damn light, you don't want to drag others into it," he sighed again, looking forward regretfully; "No one would want this, trust me..."
Draco stared at Harry in silence, the honesty and harsh reality of Harry's statement stunning him. They walked the rest of the way in that manner, both engrossed in thoughts, at times wavering on each other. Harry still couldn't fathom why Draco was being so... pleasant. He was good company, under the circumstances. Harry knew that now, he couldn't be enemies with Draco, since they were both vampires.
Vampire... it still awed Harry at what he now was. He had amazing power, well, add it to what he already possessed. He truly could be his own army now; he had a back-up plan to not follow Dumbledore. Harry was determined to find the old man out. Now, no one would deter him from living his own life. Something he'd always wanted.
Draco cast glances at Harry. The teen beside him was absolutely astounding. The Calling Transformation had really done a number on Harry, and in a very good way. Draco knew it probably was the last thing Harry had expected. /Poor guy. I didn't know it was so hard/ Draco thought. /Wait, Malfoys don't say that. Well, dad's gone, I don't have to follow his rules anymore... I can live my own life.../
"It's funny," Harry suddenly said, just as the manor's back side was coming into view; "How Fate can be like this..."
"What do you mean?" Draco asked, eyeing Harry.
"Well," Harry said, smirking slightly as he looked at Draco; "Look, two sworn enemies can now only be friends, I'm a vampire, and hell, I'm friends with Slytherins..."
"Think you'll fit in with the Gryffindorks now?" Draco asked.
"Not likely," Harry said, half-laughing sullenly; "They might throw me out for the piercing and tattoo alone..."
"You know, you could get re-sorted," Draco said as they walked up to the porch and sat down.
"Wasn't that mentioned earlier?" Harry asked, walking around the deck and peering into a window.
Draco watched him; "Yes," he said finally, looking away when Harry turned around; "If you're so depressed, and thinking on going back ot that lot makes you even worse, then just ask to be resorted. Or, just sneak in at night with your things and you could take my spare bed."
At this, Harry eyed him oddly; "I'm a prefect, I get my own chambers," Draco explained, rolling his eyes afterward; "Honestly," he mused, shaking his head as he stared at the sky.
"Sorry I'm so complicated," Harry sneered; "Bit of a fucking life I've had, if you can understand that."
"Ooh," Draco said, looking at Harry through hooded eyes; "Sorry, 'Wonder Boy', I'll be careful next time around."
Before Draco could react, Harry had lunged for him, knocked him out of his chair, and pinned him to the ground; "Don't call me that," Harry whispered, anger filling his eyes; "You don't know me, that's a damn guise the world made for me. If you knew," he said, eyes changing from madness to horror and angst as the raven-haired teen rose off a startled Draco. "No one does," Harry muttered, walking over to the wall and leaning against it. He fell to the ground, drawing his knees up to his chin and wrapping his arms around them as he bowed his head and sighed.
Draco slowly rose, and stared at the crumbling form before his eyes. /Oh no, don't you dare cry in front of me/ he thought as he walked over to Harry. Once again, Harry had zoned out. Sighing, Draco dropped to his side, trying to ignore the slight pain in his shoulders and head.
"Potter, snap out of it," Draco said, tapping Harry on the temple. Harry flinched and stiffened, and Draco watched him. Stiffened? Flinched? what...
"What the hell has happened to you?" Draco asked calmly, brushing the hair from Harry's face to get a better view.
Harry glanced over at him, and muttered something that Draco could barely hear. It sounded vaguely like "bloody fucking family" and "so much". Draco also caught "alone", and "no way out".
"My hearing's good but not that good," Draco said, smirking; "Care that we talk elsewhere?"
Harry made no move to rise, so Draco sighed again as he rose. He slowly reached out had touched Harry's arm, and when the young vampire didn't stiffen again, Draco gently lifted him up. Harry's eyes were vacant and void, and only when Draco slapped him lightly did he wake from the trance- like state.
"Dr-Draco?" Harry mumbled, staring at him groggily; "Wha... what just happened?"
"Are you drunk?" Draco asked; "You zoned out - again!" he groaned; "Oh, that's it, you're going back to that inn and resting..."
Taking Harry gently by the arm, Draco walked into the house, past a questioning Angela Parkinson, and to the fireplace. Taking some floo powder, Draco stepped into the fireplace and said; "Leaky Cauldron room eleven!" before he and Harry were taken away by the green flames.
---To be continued---
A/N: chapter two and Drake's already protective. Ah well, maybe not as slow. I think the dragon's patience will run thin next chapter, Draco will have trouble dealing with Harry and his depressed mind. Or he might not, it depends on reviews. Let's aim for around 10, okay? Or at least 13. 13 is a lucky number.
Thanks PsychoticDeath for the support. Your review was motivating and reassuring! Oh, and thank you for putting me on your favorite's lists, this chapter's for you!
Sadiew, thank you as well! (same reasons as above) oh, and the answer to your question will be answered, just keep reading!
Oh you're too kind, sylver, but please, worshipping fics is just not healthy.
Oracale, thanks for the signed review!
Eliza, thanks for the advice! I'll tone it down!
Darkgal, Sheree, everybody, I'll update as much as I can!
NOTES: /---/ thoughts
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, you all know that. But if you do, could you share? Pretty please wit sprinkles on top? Fine, be that way. I'll just write my fic and twiddle my thumbs as I wait for reviews.
(2)......
The sun came in through the window, the curtains drawn back earlier for the light's access. It was nearly noon now, and the street below, Diagon Alley, was alive with activity. People gossiped and talked and laughed, some discussing the Daily Prophet. It was still brimming with information on Death Eater Attacks, and of course on the trails of the five caught in the Department of Mysteries (A/N: please refer to 5th book for more info). But, since nearly all of the dementors had left Azkaban, it was futile to keep them there, they would escape.
Harry groaned, feeling the pain in his thighs and buttocks and his joints. Though it was not as evident as usual, it was there. Harry sat up, rubbing his back gingerly as he rose. He yawned, and looked at his reflection. Satisfied that he was still the same physically, Harry went to take a shower. He then went to get dressed, opening his trunk and laying his clothing out. Over the few weeks, Harry had managed to sneak out, convert his wizarding money into Muggle pounds, and had completely revamped his wardrobe. Now, he put on a pair of dark blue jeans, kept them to his almost femininely small waste with a black belt, then put on a black tank.
He then put on a silver dragon on a chain, the dragon having real ruby eyes. It had been a gift from Dumbledore, but Harry had removed the shielding charm. He welcomed death, it would be a blessing to be caught in the crossfire or fall off a high place.
Harry then put on random black bracelets, and inserted his ear piercing. He had gotten it a few days after coming home, which had earned him a beating. But Harry didn't care. Harry then took out a small green cord, and pulled his hair back with it. He put it into a pony tail, but his bangs and the hair along them still framed his face. /Oh well/ he thought /At least I can do something with it now/. Sighing, Harry then got his money bag, stuffed it into his pocket, took his black shoulder bag, then headed from his room, the door opening and closing magically for him. Harry turned and watched the door, then shrugged it off and walked down the stairs.
The pub below was filled with the lunch crowd, but no one paid Harry any mind. He was almost unrecognizable because of his changes, and Harry was glad for it. He didn't want attention, and he was glad to walk out onto the street and not get held back.
But a few witches outside of Flourish and Blotts stopped they chatter as Harry walked by. He felt their gazes and could hear what they were saying, though faintly.
"That can't be him!"
"Well, he did run from home, they say. I work for the Ministry in the Department of Wizard Services. He's listed under our watch, you know..."
"Still, what might have happened to the poor dear if that was him?"
"Who knows, we were only told to keep an eye on his wear-abouts. Those who tracked him through and through wouldn't say a word."
"Go figure," Harry muttered darkly as he entered Gringotts Bank.
The commotion from the goblins and wizards stopped when Harry entered the front room. It always seemed to slow whenever someone new came in, and soon the activity picked up again, and Harry sighed. No one bothered him as he walked up to the front desk, but froze midway when he saw a tall boy with fiery red hair. As Harry continued and walked up to the desk, the redhead turned around. It was Fred, or maybe George, well one of the twins.
"Excuse me," Harry said, stepping around the twin.
The Weasley eyed him, then gasped in shock; "Harry?" he asked; "Blimey, mate, have you changed!" yep, it was Fred, the truthful extrovert of the two.
Harry just nodded and turned to the desk, but Fred turned him around; "Look at you!" he exclaimed, but was taken aback when Harry jerked his arm away. Harry glared at him, but a small voice in his head told him he doesn't know, he doesn't know... at this, Harry's gaze softened
"Harry?" Fred asked worriedly; "What's wrong with you, mate? Look like you've just seen the living dead or something. Oh, sorry," he said almost immediately after; "Didn't mean anything."
"I uh, just had a bad holiday," Harry said, "Look, I'm pretty busy um, Fred."
"Oh yeah, us too," Fred said, "Well, George and I, with the shop, you know," he suddenly began to see the changes in Harry, one being he seemed darker; "Well I... I've got to go. Err, nice to see you, Harry."
Harry nodded as the twin hurried off, and sighed. He turned and faced the goblin, who was already ushering two guards for him. Harry sighed as two goblins with two-headed bulldogs approached, the dogs themselves sniffing at Harry's feet before whining in turn. Harry inwardly sighed, and went to his vault. He collected more money, and the hurriedly left the bank.
Harry went back to Flourish and Blotts. It was packed with a few students of Hogwarts eager to get their shopping completed early, and he recognized some, though they didn't notice him. To them, he was just another kid shopping for books. Harry quickly went up to the second floor, and randomly walked down an aisle. Harry was going through some books, most of which were dark themed and fairly long, when he heard an all-too familiar voice not so far down in the aisles. Harry thanked his keen senses as he listened to the seemingly melodic voice of Draco Malfoy.
"...You know, Blaise," Draco was saying; "It's too confusing..."
"Whatever, Draco," Blaise replied; "Point is, you know you've got to tell him soon..."
Him? Harry thought. He peered around the outer walkway, and saw Blaise and Draco leaning against the railing as they watched people below. Occasionally, they would duck back, then return to their former positions.
Harry stared at Draco. His hair was un-gelled, and hung around his face elegantly. He had a slight tan, and his eyes were now more blue than silvery-grey. He was wearing a nice white dress shirt and fitting black pants, along with boots. He was a little thin, but Harry wagered it was depression from losing his father. Still, he seemed different, and Harry found himself gazing at him in a way he never thought. Blinking and shaking his head, Harry continued to listen.
"But how?" Draco asked; "I can't believe I volunteered at all... well, I can, but," he shook his head; "It's too confusing..."
"What's so wrong about it?" Blaise said; "We know about those reports from the Ministry thanks to Pansy and your mother. The Ministry's afraid he's gone dark...!"
"We know he's gone dark," Draco said; "The Council can tell..."
"You vampires and your bloody ways..."
"SHH! Not so loud!" Draco hissed; "That's between us, okay? No one else knows, Blaise, not even my own mother!"
"Really?" Blaise asked quirkily; "Hmm, I didn't know that..."
"Stop acting like this is some bloody joke, you git!" Draco hissed.
Harry set the book down, got his bag, and walked over to them. His feet were silent as air as he walked, and only when he stopped did Draco turn.
"Who are you...?" he drawled, looking Harry up and down.
"Who's who?" Blaise asked, looking at Harry as well; "Hello," he said uneasily.
Harry smirked when Draco was struck with the staff of realization; "Ha — Harry?" he asked, eyeing Harry critically; "I mean — Potter? What the hell happened to you?"
"Bad holiday, Malfoy, can't you tell?" Harry retorted; "So, who's this mysterious guy you were talking about?"
"Why would you care?" Draco asked as both Slytherins stiffened.
Harry shrugged; "Dunno," he said apathetically; "Don't really care about anything anymore. I'm actually just curious."
/Something's wrong with this picture/ Draco thought, /besides the fact that I know about him/ "Well, it's you, actually," Draco replied with his usual drawl; "Care to join us for a quick chat, or do lions refuse to be around snakes?"
"Screw house rivalries," Harry said, seething for a moment; "We're just vampires here. Besides, I don't care about the damn snake and lion bull."
"Oh, must have been a very bad summer," Blaise commented under his breath, smoothing out his shirt; "Well, I'm just a wizard, but I know. So, how about we discuss this in the Cauldron, eh? I've got a meeting to attend, you know."
Draco rolled his eyes; "Then go," he said, "If it's so important."
Harry was sensing that the two were a couple, honestly he was, but when Blaise shrugged and said; "Okay, I've got to tell Pansy I'll meet her at the wardrobe place anyway. See you two," he said, "Oh, and no killing, okay? Can't have that plastered all over the Prophet, can we?"
Draco shot him a glare that would kill if it could, and Blaise laughed uneasily; "Oh, I get it. Cheerio, then!" and with that, he bounded down the staircase and out the door.
/Mental, that one/ Harry thought.
But, for the first time to his memory, Harry laughed an almost pure laugh. Draco eyed him, noting the coldness and depression in it; "What happened?" he asked again, drawl lost for worry.
Harry grew silent, and shifted from foot to foot; "Nothing," he said finally, looking at Draco; "What did you want to tell me about, Malfoy?"
"Well, we can't talk here," Draco said, peering over the edge; "Come on, we're going."
As Draco headed for the staircase, Harry turned and eyed him; "I'm not your bitch," he said curtly.
Draco chuckled; "Oh, so sorry," he said, smirking at Harry; "Would you please accompany me for our rendezvous? It's an urgent get together, you see, and—"
"Alright, I get it," Harry said, walking past him and down the steps.
Huffing, Draco followed.
---
the two found a private booth at the Cauldron in the back, so they weren't overheard. Butterbeers were ordered, and Draco began the conversation.
"First off, congratulations," Draco said, "On becoming one of us."
Harry eyed him before swigging the butterbeer, then wiped his mouth before saying; "So? That still doesn't give me a clear picture as to why you're here."
Draco rolled his eyes and sneered, and Harry snorted; "Cut the bull, Draco," he said, "Just tell me what's going on."
"Hmm, not sure you could handle it, to be honest," Draco mused, watching him as if looking at a piece of artwork. Harry was now façade-less, he wore no mask. Was this the real Potter? /I could get used to this new Harry,/Draco thought.
"Do you know what shit I've been through?" Harry asked quietly; "I could handle almost anything."
Draco sighed; "There's a Council, of us," he said, looking around; "We meet about every three months, and when you were Called—"
"What?" Harry asked, eyeing him quizzically; "Council? Called? What the—?"
Draco sighed, and lowered his voice so quietly that Harry almost had trouble hearing it; "The Council is just a group formed for all of the upper Vampires. Last night, we met, and your name came around. Elder Sabet said you had answered your Calling, and that one of us should go find you and then tell you about it all."
"But, what I don't understand is that... you have to be bitten, right?" Harry asked.
Draco shook his head; "It can also be hereditary," he replied, his voice rising to normal level; "Your grandfather, on your mother's side, was one of us. But, the Ministry killed him off;" he snorted as he leaned back in his seat; "Said it was a bloody potion gone wrong, the cowards. They're afraid that now, since we do have a sort of free-range government, they think we'll try and take over."
Harry had since fallen back into his seat and sighed; "This is too much..." he moaned.
"I told you it wouldn't be good," Draco said, "What happened to the 'Golden Boy' image, anyway? Come on, at least tell me that much."
Harry looked away darkly, crossing his arms and leaning on the table; "All summer, I was tortured with having to live with the Dursleys. My 'friends' never owled, and I was never rescued;" he looked at Draco; "Dumbledore doesn't care, so long as I save everyone and play martyr. I hate the old coot..." he looked away darkly again.
Draco nodded, leaning against the table; "Why were you put in Gryffindor?" he asked, or rather stated, shaking his head.
Harry sighed; "That hat gave me a choice, lions or snakes. I chose lions because I thought I had a friend there," he glared at his butterbeer glass darkly, and Draco could have sworn that it began to bubble and fizz and send steam into the air. But it stopped when Harry looked away.
"Harry," Draco began, but for once, he was at a loss for words.
"So," Harry said, looking back at Draco. His eyes are so sad, Draco thought, but he was snapped back to reality when Harry continued; "How's life without your father, anyway?"
"You know, I wanted to thank you for that," Draco said; "I have never been more at ease. I think I might actually be able to have a life now."
Harry chuckled dryly; "I'm serious as hell, Potter," Draco said; "My father was a bastard, I was miserable. Now that he's gone, I am free. I can, I dunno, be me, I guess you could say."
"No more Malfoy mask?" Harry suggested.
"Burned it," Draco smirked.
Harry smirked as well; "Yes well, after feeding off of my fat pig of a cousin, I ran. They won't care, either, my aunt and uncle. They might throw a party..."
"And here I thought you were safe there," Draco said.
Harry stared at him; "Dumbledore's put on this impression that your safe and happy at that Muggle house," Draco said, grimacing; "Honestly, how do you survive? I heard they were dreadful people."
Harry nodded as memories again became fresh on his mind. Draco watched as Harry zoned out and sank into a deep recession, and clapped his hands; "Potter, snap out of it!" he said loudly, and Harry blinked several times before staring at Draco.
"Sorry," he said, "I... do that sometimes..."
"Didn't look like it was a happy place you went to," Draco said, "Come on, Harry, we called a truce, and you can tell I could relate to certain things..."
Harry looked at him, and slowly rose; "Thanks for the information, Draco," he said in a drawl, and gathering his things, he got up from the booth.
"Now wait, hang on a second!" Draco called, rising and following him.
Harry stopped out at the bottom of the stairs, and faced Draco; "Just leave me alone now," he said; "Go find some other vampire to hunt down."
"You're lucky we're alone," Draco said, walking over to him; "Keep it quiet, okay?" he asked quietly, looking around; "Look, you need to have some relaxation time," he said, looking at Draco; "And trust me on this. Look at you, Harry, bags under your eyes, ear piercing, ooh, a tattoo," he mused, seeing a mark on Harry's right arm.
"It's a dragon," Harry said, turning his arm away; "Why are you suddenly so interested in my well being, Malfoy? And in case you haven't heard, my mother died a long time ago."
"Sorry, but Harry, honestly," Draco said; "You need to lighten up."
"I have no reason to celebrate," Harry muttered, turning; "I'm going to rest. See you, I guess..."
"You're not tired," Draco called as Harry got past the first landing. Harry stopped, and Draco continued; "You won't be for another week or so. Forget it, Harry, no use hiding from one of your own. Come on, Blaise, Pansy and I will show you around."
Harry looked at him; "Why should I?" he asked, walking halfway back down.
Draco crossed his arms, and raised one eyebrow; "Well, you would fit right in," he said, face changing to a smirk, "Being part snake, after all. Besides, we're not all evil. Dark, maybe, but not evil."
Harry shrugged as he came down to Draco's side; "Why not, like I would care if you killed me," he said; "So, where are you planning on taking me?"
Draco smirked; "Just come on."
Harry watched as the blond turned, and heaved a sigh. He followed, and found Draco already locating the other two Slytherins across the street. Harry crossed quickly, coming up behind Blaise and tapping him on the shoulder. Blaise let out a shout of fright and jumped, turning on Harry. But Harry had already dodged behind Pansy, smirking.
"I'll never get used to it," Blaise muttered darkly; "First Draco, now you, Potter. I'll be dead at this rate..."
"Oh, it's alright, Blaise!" Pansy cooed, wrapping her arms around his left arm. Blaise looked at her, but smiled slightly. Harry rolled his eyes and walked over to stand beside Draco.
"I know," Draco muttered, rubbing his eyes; "They're engaged, though, you know. I suppose they have the right."
"Let me guess, pureblood fanatical parents?" Harry asked, raising and eyebrow.
Draco nodded, then turning to the couple; "Ahem, you are not alone!" he said, and Blaise and Pansy looked at him, stopping their fondling of each other.
"So," Blaise said, coughing while Pansy giggled; "Where should we take the wretched soul?" he motioned to Harry.
"Oh, thanks," Harry said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and glaring at Blaise.
Draco smirked; "Oh, I don't know," he said, crossing his arms; "Let's see... my house isn't exactly safe... neither is yours, Blaise," he looked up from his thinking and looked at Pansy, his eyes sending off the "Ah, of course" glow.
"What? Oh no, not my home!" Pansy exclaimed; "What do you think my mother would think if I brought three boys with me?"
"Well, that's your own doing now, isn't it?" Blaise commented suavely. Pansy cuffed him.
"Well, since I'm gay," Draco said, and Harry looked at him in surprise; "What, you didn't know?" Draco asked, looking at him as well.
"It crossed my mind," Harry said, shrugging; "You are pretty girlish looking anyway, so," he shrugged again.
"Oh," Draco said sullenly, "Anyway," he said, mood perking up again; "Yes Pansy, your home is the only option at this point."
Pansy chewed her bottom lip in thought; "Fine," she said, "I guess. We can floo there. Come on, then, we won't be using any of these fire places."
As Blaise and Pansy turned to go, Harry hung back. Draco turned and faced him. Harry was in thought; it was obvious by his brooding look. He blinked several times, and lifted his head to see Draco staring at him.
"What?" he asked, beginning to walk after Pansy and Blaise. Draco matched pace with him as they went.
"You must brood a lot, don't you?" Draco asked, more concerned than curious.
"Don't try getting close, Malfoy," Harry warned; "You might die, too." And with that, he picked up his pace, quickly closing the gap between him and the Slytherin couple.
Fuming at being left behind, Draco caught up as well.
Pansy and Blaise led the group into Knockturn Alley, and they went into a small pub-looking place. It was dark and almost empty, the few witches an wizards there not giving them any notice. The four went a back room, seeing a fireplace blazing and a jar of floo powder on a table by it.
"Okay," Pansy said, opening the jar; "Everyone just meet at my house," she through her powder in saying; "Parkinson's Residence!" before going into the green flames.
Harry watched the fires; "That's not—" he began, but Blaise went through the flames, saying the same.
"Just think of it as the evil way of getting to places," Draco said with a smirk, "Well, see you there," and so saying, he repeated; "Parkinson's Residence," and went through the flames.
Harry watched the fire. /What the hell/ he thought, sighing as he through his powder in, said what he needed to, and stepped into the fire. He automatically came out the other side, in a drawing room of sorts. Blaise and Pansy were busy talking to Pansy's mother, while Draco was dusting himself off.
"Pansy, as much as I enjoy having your company over—" Pansy's mother was saying, but she cut off when Harry began dusting himself off and looked up; "Is this him?" she asked Pansy, motioning to Harry.
"Yes," Pansy said, "Michael, this is my mother," she said, turning to Harry and smiling; "Michael, this is my mother, Angela." [A/N: I don't know the real name of her mother, sorry!]
"Mrs. Parkinson to you," Angela Parkinson said curtly, her eyes looking Harry up and down; "How do you know my daughter?"
"Through Draco," Harry replied simply; "I'm new to London. They were showing me around."
"We were coming here for a while," Pansy said; "It's alright, right, mother?"
Angela softened at her daughter's pleading look; "Fine," she said flatly; "But nothing odd, understood?" she looked back over to Harry, eyeing him in silence; "You are familiar," she said blatantly; "Too familiar."
"I get that a lot," Harry plainly replied. The lies rolled off his tongue like water; "A few say I look like that wonder boy Potter;" he snorted; "The git, I might get a new face if everybody keeps it up."
"Oh, no need for such drastic resorts," Angela said, softening to him as well; "Pansy, I'll send tea for you and your guests. Would you like to take it here, or somewhere else?"
"Oh, no thank you, mother," Pansy said; "We'll be going by the pond."
Angela nodded; "Well, I'll leave you now. Nice meeting you, Michael;" she looked Harry up and down one more time, then departed.
Harry smirked to her back, turned, and faced three very stunned Slytherins; "What?" he asked.
"Oh my god," Blaise exclaimed, "You were placed in the wrong house."
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Harry said, glancing at Draco.
"Well, you should just get resorted," Pansy said; "Come on, let's go."
---
The pond was actually a small lake, located in the back property of the Parkinson's estate. Harry promptly dropped down to the ground, and laid on his back as he stared up at he sky. Draco, Blaise, and Pansy did the same, and for a moment, no one spoke.
Finally, Blaise broke the silence; "So, anybody get the Prophet today?"
Draco and Pansy both snorted, while Harry rolled over, facing Draco. He was staring at the grass sullenly. Draco watched him, before finally replying; "Of course we got that damn paper."
Blaise nodded; "Can you believe that Weasley fellow became the new Minister of Magic after they sacked Fudge?"
"They did?" Harry asked, looking up at Blaise. He hadn't heard about that.
"Yes," Draco said, leaning back. He stretched, making sure he exposed his muscled stomach. Harry rolled his eyes as he laid on his back again, but couldn't resist glancing over.
"Oh, Fudge went mad, they say," Blaise said, oblivious to it all as he watched the clouds; "It's quite funny really. You'd think that old coot Dumbledore would take the job..."
"He has," Harry said, "Author Weasley's wrapped around his finger," he said scornfully, glaring up at the sky; "Only a matter of time before Ministry Officials track me down and drag me off to their house;" he rolled back over onto his side, facing the other three; "But, I won't go without a fight and a word."
"There ya go, Harry," Pansy said; "Wow, you sure aren't the golden boy we all thought you were. What happened to the Gryffindor 'Fight for the Light' attitude, huh?"
"It died and went to hell," Harry replied simply, looking at her with slightly raised eyebrows and hooded eyes; "Like nearly everything else I thought I knew..." He looked back up at he sky and sighed; "I hate having to go back to school..." he mused.
"Oh, I can agree," Blaise said; "How many do you think we'll have to nick this year, Drake?"
"Oh, probably fifty," Draco replied.
Harry eyed them curiously; "Oh, he doesn't know," Pansy said slowly as she curled up in Blaise's lap.
Blaise nodded after a moment of thought, and Draco looked at Harry, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow; "You see;" he said; "We Slytherins must keep up our guises of being dark, cold, malicious Death- Eaters-To-Be, therefore, we are under a lot of scrutiny. So much so, that certain people have to be quieted to insure our sanity;" he looked at Blaise; "How many was it last year, Blaise?"
Blaise looked up in thought; "Only about fifteen," he replied finally; "But then, no one knows what happened during the actual Tournament's final leg, only a few, anyway," his gaze drifted to Harry, who had rolled over and looked away at the subject.
/Why am I even here? / Harry asked himself, pulling at the grass as he suddenly became awash with anger. /They have no idea... They don't know...! / He gritted his teeth as he sat up and threw the grass, which coincidently disintegrated upon leaving his palm. Harry, as well as the silent Slytherins, watched the ashes fall to the ground. Harry shook what landed on his leg, and then looked up at them with an emotionless, yet innocent gaze.
"What?" Harry asked, looking at them all. His gaze landed on Draco, who was smirking as he stared at him.
"Wandless magic, guys," Draco assured the other two, who were watching Harry uneasily. Silently, they nodded.
Harry began to feel uneasy when their gazes lifted, and Blaise and pansy animatedly talked, but soon it escalated to fondling and kisses. Draco and Harry both got up and left, leaving the couple.
"It's fascinating, really," Harry said as he and Draco were walking back to the house; "How they can be so shameless, not caring what people think..."
"Well, they're going to be married, might as well get used to it," Draco scoffed; "Why, aren't you ever flamboyant? I know you have no regard for the rules..."
"Are you ever not a prat?" Harry retorted, then he sighed; "Sorry," he said sullenly, "it's just... when you're under the damn light, you don't want to drag others into it," he sighed again, looking forward regretfully; "No one would want this, trust me..."
Draco stared at Harry in silence, the honesty and harsh reality of Harry's statement stunning him. They walked the rest of the way in that manner, both engrossed in thoughts, at times wavering on each other. Harry still couldn't fathom why Draco was being so... pleasant. He was good company, under the circumstances. Harry knew that now, he couldn't be enemies with Draco, since they were both vampires.
Vampire... it still awed Harry at what he now was. He had amazing power, well, add it to what he already possessed. He truly could be his own army now; he had a back-up plan to not follow Dumbledore. Harry was determined to find the old man out. Now, no one would deter him from living his own life. Something he'd always wanted.
Draco cast glances at Harry. The teen beside him was absolutely astounding. The Calling Transformation had really done a number on Harry, and in a very good way. Draco knew it probably was the last thing Harry had expected. /Poor guy. I didn't know it was so hard/ Draco thought. /Wait, Malfoys don't say that. Well, dad's gone, I don't have to follow his rules anymore... I can live my own life.../
"It's funny," Harry suddenly said, just as the manor's back side was coming into view; "How Fate can be like this..."
"What do you mean?" Draco asked, eyeing Harry.
"Well," Harry said, smirking slightly as he looked at Draco; "Look, two sworn enemies can now only be friends, I'm a vampire, and hell, I'm friends with Slytherins..."
"Think you'll fit in with the Gryffindorks now?" Draco asked.
"Not likely," Harry said, half-laughing sullenly; "They might throw me out for the piercing and tattoo alone..."
"You know, you could get re-sorted," Draco said as they walked up to the porch and sat down.
"Wasn't that mentioned earlier?" Harry asked, walking around the deck and peering into a window.
Draco watched him; "Yes," he said finally, looking away when Harry turned around; "If you're so depressed, and thinking on going back ot that lot makes you even worse, then just ask to be resorted. Or, just sneak in at night with your things and you could take my spare bed."
At this, Harry eyed him oddly; "I'm a prefect, I get my own chambers," Draco explained, rolling his eyes afterward; "Honestly," he mused, shaking his head as he stared at the sky.
"Sorry I'm so complicated," Harry sneered; "Bit of a fucking life I've had, if you can understand that."
"Ooh," Draco said, looking at Harry through hooded eyes; "Sorry, 'Wonder Boy', I'll be careful next time around."
Before Draco could react, Harry had lunged for him, knocked him out of his chair, and pinned him to the ground; "Don't call me that," Harry whispered, anger filling his eyes; "You don't know me, that's a damn guise the world made for me. If you knew," he said, eyes changing from madness to horror and angst as the raven-haired teen rose off a startled Draco. "No one does," Harry muttered, walking over to the wall and leaning against it. He fell to the ground, drawing his knees up to his chin and wrapping his arms around them as he bowed his head and sighed.
Draco slowly rose, and stared at the crumbling form before his eyes. /Oh no, don't you dare cry in front of me/ he thought as he walked over to Harry. Once again, Harry had zoned out. Sighing, Draco dropped to his side, trying to ignore the slight pain in his shoulders and head.
"Potter, snap out of it," Draco said, tapping Harry on the temple. Harry flinched and stiffened, and Draco watched him. Stiffened? Flinched? what...
"What the hell has happened to you?" Draco asked calmly, brushing the hair from Harry's face to get a better view.
Harry glanced over at him, and muttered something that Draco could barely hear. It sounded vaguely like "bloody fucking family" and "so much". Draco also caught "alone", and "no way out".
"My hearing's good but not that good," Draco said, smirking; "Care that we talk elsewhere?"
Harry made no move to rise, so Draco sighed again as he rose. He slowly reached out had touched Harry's arm, and when the young vampire didn't stiffen again, Draco gently lifted him up. Harry's eyes were vacant and void, and only when Draco slapped him lightly did he wake from the trance- like state.
"Dr-Draco?" Harry mumbled, staring at him groggily; "Wha... what just happened?"
"Are you drunk?" Draco asked; "You zoned out - again!" he groaned; "Oh, that's it, you're going back to that inn and resting..."
Taking Harry gently by the arm, Draco walked into the house, past a questioning Angela Parkinson, and to the fireplace. Taking some floo powder, Draco stepped into the fireplace and said; "Leaky Cauldron room eleven!" before he and Harry were taken away by the green flames.
---To be continued---
A/N: chapter two and Drake's already protective. Ah well, maybe not as slow. I think the dragon's patience will run thin next chapter, Draco will have trouble dealing with Harry and his depressed mind. Or he might not, it depends on reviews. Let's aim for around 10, okay? Or at least 13. 13 is a lucky number.