Disclaimer: Don't even think about it.
We lie in the grass, ressurect the past and
spend time, in perfect conversation
She smiles, and turns to get,
her lip gloss and cigarettes
and of course she checks her cellphone.
I laugh, cuz nothing's changed
although our lives went seperate ways
we'll always have that somethin'.
She grows tired soon,
she's half asleep when I make my move but she
wakes up very quickly, and says to me,
"When you're down and feeling blue
I'll be the one hand that guides you.
And when you're so drunk you can't stand,
you can crash at my place, my mom, will understand.
-Pop Love- LOONSDALE
Swimming In The Current Of Strife
issalee
Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room now, curled up in one of the chairs and watching the flames in the fireplace.
His head ached, and although it must have been almost four in the morning, he couldn't sleep. Everyone else was, he was sure, because no matter how worried they were about Draco, he had noticed the sleeping draught Snape had slipped into their drinks when they had stuffed down a small meal. He hadn't taken anything.
Dumbledore had assured them they'd look for Draco all through the night, but the students could do so the next morning, even if it meant missing their classes. Harry bit his lower lip, with that now familiar twinge of guilt hitting him again in waves. Why had he said what he said? Why had he acted that way?
Sure the rivalry between the two boys was fiery, and very much so hateful. But sometime during their—what, fifth year? The fighting had become nothing more than a force of habit; just a quick insult flung at each other, designed perfectly to ignite a temper, force a response, a harsh retaliation. Quite a bit of life ruining was done by both of the boys on either part.
And then there were the minions; Harry's friends, Draco's friends. All of them, so deeply indebted to their leader, all of them so deeply concerned. Harry shivered inwardly. He didn't know where he was, so feverish and ill he was that night he had woken up. And with most of his blood drained, who could blame him? It was all he could do to make sure Ginny had gone to fetch Ron and Hermione before he accepted a calming draught from Madame Pomfrey. And when Dumbledore had come to him, earlier that day after he'd sent everyone off to their dorms, sealing their rooms to make sure no more escapes could be made that night, the Headmaster had explained to him why he wasn't dead.
"You have very powerful blood in you, Harry."
"I know."
"It didn't want you to die, and neither did Master Malfoy."
Silence.
"He has a heart, hard as it is to believe, Harry. I'm not sure if he realized it or not, but as he quenched his thirst, he sent some of his blood to you. Some of his own, Urian and wizard and Vampire mixed blood."
Silence.
"Do you know what this means, Harry Potter? Your blood is never ending, in a way. Should Draco choose to drink, he may do so, and you would never be empty, although the effects of such a thing I have no idea of."
He was a goblet. That was how it sounded to him; a never empty, constantly refilling goblet that Draco Malfoy could come and sip from as he chose, never once realizing that every time he did, he set this golden goblet closer and closer to the edge of an imaginary table, closer and closer to the edge of the imaginary sanity holding Harry together.
Harry swore softly as he hit the arm of the chair. He didn't even like Malfoy. Was it just his "damned Gryffindor courage", in the words of the blond, or was it something more that was sending him on this downward spiral.
The rain outside was getting worse, if possible. Before he'd gone to bed, Ginny, slightly sleep-dazed, had uttered, "I swear, I just saw a thestral drowning just now."
Harry almost tripped over his own feet when he remembered she could see them.
The fire went out quite suddenly, startling Harry not to the fact that it was now very dark, but that he hadn't noticed it was down to embers and a few spurts of flame. Harry sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He needed time to think, actually. And being here in the common room didn't count; all he'd gotten so far was that Malfoy's friends thought he was scum, his life was screwed, and he was being controlled by his worst enemy while the guy didn't even know it.
Harry rolled his eyes at himself. What kind of person didn't exercise control over another? Malfoy certainly had…the old anger flared again, and Harry had to take several calming breaths before he came up with a solution.
He'd think like Hermione.
Sure, it sounded slightly silly now, but as he closed his eyes and started to think about the bright and yet logical side of things, it began to make sense.
He remembered the time he'd been hiding in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom because he was mad at Ron. Stupid, he knew, but the redhead had gone too far, being so upset with everyone and everything that he'd actually accused Harry of working for Voldemort. Of course, it was an empty threat, but it had been in the middle of the war, and Harry wasn't one to let things get off lightly. So while Hermione explained things to Ron, he sat in the bathroom, waiting until Myrtle had slipped down the U-bend before letting his head drop in his lap.
He hadn't heard the door open, so when someone asked him what he was doing, he scrambled to his feet as quickly as possible. Draco was standing over him, the usual superior smirk gone, to be replaced by a woefully miserable expression. The Slytherin hadn't said a word, giving him only a nod before walking back out, glistening dragon-hide boots never touching the puddles on the ground, never getting as sopping wet as Harry's sneakers had been.
Harry blinked. It had taken quite a lot of thinking to drag up that memory…he blushed, and his head drooped at the same time. He really was tired…but he still had quite a lot to think about. Without making a noise, he slid off the chair and padded slowly across the room.
When he opened the portrait hole the Fat Lady merely gave him a sleepy 'harrumph!' before dozing off again. Harry walked down the halls, letting his legs carry him wherever they wanted to go. His mind was on other things, now.
Why was it Draco hadn't pressed further, both in the bathroom and before he'd jumped out of the window? He was Draco Malfoy, for Merlin's sake, he didn't ask for things. And yet he hadn't even bothered trying when Harry had refused him. What was it he had done? What sort of power did he have over the blond?
Grinning childishly to himself, Harry pictured Draco bowing down to him, then frowned. Nice as the picture was, it didn't seem right. Harry knew himself well, and because of it knew he wouldn't be able to enslave Draco. Maybe he could release them both from the bond? But no, then Malfoy would die, he would die…everybody dies, dies…
Harry grimaced as he walked down another random staircase. Great, now he was starting to sound like a pop star on crack. Everybody dies, dies? Squinting thoughtfully, Harry decided he could do better than that just as he walked past a tapestry. He stopped, however, as something caught in the corner of his eye.
He walked back and checked it over. Everything seemed perfect, with the edges tucked in neatly and—wait. Harry reached up a hand and lifted up the lower edge, stepping underneath the cloth and onto the other side without thinking. He blinked as he saw the window seat and large, oval window with the rain mocking him from outside. Harry sneered at the rain, reprimanding himself mentally for acting like a Malfoy before settling himself onto the window seat.
The last thing he thought before he dozed off was that maybe, just maybe, he could get used to the whole idea of being Draco's mate if only the blond would explain a few of these mysteries to him.
When Harry woke up, he immediately shaded his eyes as a sliver of sunlight streamed through the window. He sat up and rubbed at his face, peering out of the window in the process. It was small, and unnoticeable from the outside, especially in the rain. Harry suspected a Disillusionment Charm, because as he looked outside he saw Ginny and Blaise talking to Hagrid, and all three glanced back at the castle, directly at the window, and none of them waved before trooping off into the Forbidden Forest.
Yawning, Harry almost leaned back to relax when the reason why exactly he had been there hit him. Feeling slightly panicked, Harry checked the magicked watch he had been given along with his school uniform, and nearly had a hear attack when he saw that it was four in the afternoon.
How long had he been conked out? Had that sleeping draught found its way into something he'd had after all? Ignoring the questions, Harry scrambled off the seat, pushing the tapestry aside quickly as he started running down the hallway, one thought and one thought only running through his mind.
Gods, Malfoy…I'm so sorry…
Draco shivered as he awoke, brushing the rain from his eyes. It really wasn't such a good idea, he decided, to have determined to let himself die in this sort of weather. Maybe if it had been sunny out…
A cynical smile made its way onto his face as he realized he was plotting his own glorious death. What a morbid sense of humor he had. Keeping as quiet as he possibly could in his severely weakened state; Draco dragged himself farther into the cover provided by the trees.
He stopped and leaned against a tree trunk as a thought struck him.
By the time Harry found him, if he ever did, he would probably be dead.
Potter wouldn't forget near seven years of torment in a day, unless he had been doing the same thing as Draco had for the past two years or so; pretending, and going along with the flow of the current.
Draco ended up sniffling in a very unmanly way as what he was doing hit him hard and fast. He was going to die. He wasn't even seventeen yet! The rain intensified again, and the sun disappeared once more behind storm clouds.
Draco sneezed thrice in quick succession, feeling miserable as well as terrified. When he'd hopped out of the window, everything had made perfect sense. His Urian side was asking—eff that, DEMANDING that he apologize to Harry this minute. Every raw emotion he felt was magnified times ten thousand, and it was killing him. So he resolved to give Harry a choice; it would be over quickly, and everyone would get over the snobby, pretentious brat that was Draco Malfoy soon right?
But he hadn't even had time to explain. Potter had made it quite clear to him from the moment that he stepped into the room that nothing short of lying prostrate on the ground and declaring his undying love for him—in hot red lingerie, of course—would ever have him even consider delaying his rejection, and if he actually did the former it would only be because he'd be in St. Mungo's.
Draco had to crack a smile at the image he'd just conjured up, but it was ruined by another four sneezes. Shivering wretchedly, he wrapped his wings about himself, marveling in the green color that made him feel so much like he was home.
It was six o'clock, and the search had become frantic. Draco had looked Harry in the eyes at six forty-five of the previous day. Dumbledore had sent out every available teacher and anyone who could be spared to go out and search. Harry had worked himself up enough to go to Seamus, Neville and Dean for help. The three boys had seemed slightly perturbed before Seamus (who was just impossibly too happy) clapped a hand on his back and said they'd be happy to help.
Every single edge of Hogwarts and even Hogsmeade had been searched. The Forbidden Forest, which stretched on for miles and miles even beyond Hogwarts was being scoured thoroughly by the professors, who had taken along Blaise, Theodore and the Ernestine twins.
Harry held up his wand, crying out "Lumos!" as his watch beeped six-thirty. A series of other lights went up, letting him know where everyone else was. The closest person was actually closer to Hagrid's hut, as were most people.
Harry was near to the point of crying as he ran through the wind and biting rain, fighting his way to the lake's edge. As expected, there was no one there, but a cold idea rushed to him along with a wave of water swept onshore.
Draco…in the lake?
But no, he wouldn't. With a new terror in his heart, Harry took off sprinting again, determined on circling the whole lake by the time he finished.
Draco woke to a stabbing, blinding pain running up and down his whole body. He whimpered, and a sudden command overtook his thoughts.
'Right here, right now!'
Shielding his eyes against the rain with a wing tip, Draco licked his fangs as he crawled closer to what seemed to be a light in the distance. Right in front of it was a waving tentacle, beckoning him to go under. He followed it, still unsure of what time it was, only wanting in his feverish mind to sleep away the pain racking his body.
He hesitated as the cold water lapped around his body, at first, but then it was all a matter of following the light…
Besides, with his sharpened eyesight (Thank you, Urian) the figure below it looked so much like Harry it was uncanny.
Harry ran into the cloak at exactly six-forty, cursing loudly as it swept into his face from its position on a tree branch. He stepped back to hex it before he remembered it as the cloak Draco had been wearing as he left. Totally forgetting about his retribution, Harry nearly decapitated himself running towards the Forbidden Forest. He was about to plunge into the leafy undergrowth when a noise stopped him.
Splish…splash…plash…
Whirling around, the green-eyed boy caught a glimpse of green submerging, with a tentacle following soon after.
It was all he needed.
Harry shouted out a random spell and hurled his wand out over the lake, ignoring the red sparks raining from the tip of the wood as he took a running leap and dived into the water.
The time was six forty-three.
(A/N: …Y'all are such lucky ducks. I decided not to end it here for you.)
Underwater, Harry lost his glasses quickly, and as he looked desperately about he realized he couldn't see anything in the murky darkness. Nothing but—the huge bulbous eyes of the giant squid, staring unblinkingly back as though reassuring itself he was there before disappearing into the water. Harry opened his mouth to shout a very sarcastic "YEAH, THANKS A LOT!" before he remembered he was underwater, a bit too late. He was forced to go up for air, and when he went down again he dove as deep as he possibly could.
Harry was starting to feel a bit lightheaded from holding his breath when he saw the flash of green down below.
My favorite color…
He grabbed without a second thought, pulling at the wings as though they were ropes until he felt Draco's shoulders. He quickly went a bit lower until he was able to wrap his arms around the other boy's waist, and then he swam for his life.
He broke surface and immediately felt himself being dragged down again by the added weight of Draco's wet wings. Frantically Harry treaded water in an attempt to stay afloat, but it seemed that he was losing, fast.
That is, until he felt something push up and forward on his feet and his back, nearly shooting him and his charge out of the water. Harry hit the ground hard, automatically taking the brunt of the force himself, and in the process knocking all the water from Draco's stomach. Evidence enough was the fact that Draco spit it out all over Harry's shirt.
But the green-eyed boy didn't have time for that now. He glanced back over his shoulder and realized the lights must have been really far away, as no one was even close to him yet. He glanced at his watch and his eyes widened.
The time was six forty-four and twenty seconds.
Harry glanced down at the boy underneath him, still feeling dizzy, and found the golden lashes fluttering open. Mercury orbs pierced his own jade ones, and he smiled faintly.
"Alive, Malfoy? You don't look for a perfect world underwater, idiot."
Draco tried to smirk, but failed miserably. "Sorry, then, Harry."
Fifteen…
Harry leaned his head down close enough to peer at Draco's face. "Do you want to be saved, Draco?"
The blonde's breath hitched, although weather it was from the cold or the close proximity he and Harry were in, it was hard to tell.
Ten…
"Yes," he said softly, eyes slightly unfocused. Harry hesitated for the merest of moments, before he lowered his head slowly.
Five…
"I'm sorry…" the Gryffindor murmured.
Four…
Draco stared at him. "What for?"
Three…
"I just am."
Two…
Draco smiled, before the raven-haired boy captured the other's lips in his own. Harry was surprised to find he didn't mind the kiss so much, especially when he was absolutely melting into the other. Draco opened his mouth a bit wider, and his fangs scraped Harry's lips slightly, before being skillfully used to nibble gently at the other's lips.
A sudden clap of thunder caused the two to draw apart. Draco felt a sort of warmth slide down his back, and he shuddered involuntarily. A similar movement from Harry told him the other boy felt the same way. Both boys, however, now felt strangely sleepy.
Harry rolled off Draco, yawning as the rain softened to normal, I'll-Flood-Your-Home raindrops instead of the Die!-It's-Armageddon ones they had been getting for the past two days.
Draco curled up into a ball, sneezing again and again as soon as the warmth trickled away. Harry groggily wrapped an arm around his waist, his mind too befuddled to make anything of it. He drifted off to sleep, saying, "Bless you," for the nth time and still clutching the also sleeping Draco to him almost protectively.
It was how a grinning Seamus and Ginny found them a few moments later, and although many exclamations were shouted, neither of them awoke.
The students who were still around Hogwarts and had seen the sparks gathered around the lake's edge, waiting for the first of the professors to return. A particularly emotional Pansy and Hermione threw their arms around each other and wailed something about their "psychopathic friends!"
McGonagall was the first to arrive, and as she levitated the two boys to the school with the students chattering and laughing behind her, there was absolutely no tension in the air. It was as though all of the house rivalry had just disappeared.
In his sleep, Harry smiled and tightened his grip.
Gods. I found myself, after the Bat Mitzvah, sitting knee-deep in homework. Five hours later, I am nearly finished with everything. I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BUSY TODAY! But NOOOOOO today everyone has to do homework! Sigh. Well, it's good for you, eh? It means I can send this out early. I spent about an hour typing this (and alternately chewing out Nikki-chan on a cell-phone for missing the damn service. I don't understand Hebrew, for Godric's sake!) so I hope it proves pleasing.
Nyah...so very sad and such. Why is everything so sentimental? I put this under Humor didn't I? What is wrong with me, can I read or what?
And I am a genius, certified prankster, and for some umknown reason my teachers don't like me. I must stop referring to them as Frau and Oberfuher, it tends to slip into my actual speaking. Calling the principal a Nazi Sadist when you think you're writing it down isn't nearly as funny as it could be. It also means this week will be spent in lunch detention...nyah...
Can I tell you all a secret? I was going to kill Draco off, because I was in a bad mood from the whole detention thing. And now, I have not. Why?
Nikki-chan: Because, stupid, you called me and told me of your dilemma. That is why, at seven o'clock, I am sitting in your basement eating Doritos and beta-ing this for you. We all love you, Fluffly, don't we?
Thanks and such...ah, there's still tomorrow, eh?
Bonzai and luff to: Danish Pastry 28 (Methinks Harry's fun without his brain. Thy words, though, strike a cord. Sorry, studying Shakespeare now.) xxaishiteru (Ah, don't worry, Draco wasn't sure about what he was doing. Mayhaps he has lost his brain along with Draco? Cheezewizz (Yeah, Idiot!Harry takes a devil of a time writing. But he will be Smart!Harry soon!) Shania Maxwell, acr
(I LUFF U! No, sorry for the outburst, but the critiscm was sorely
needed! I was getting v.v. upset that I hated my chapters, and I
couldn't figure out why. But you told it to me! And now I hope I
answered more of your questions in this chapter, along with giving you
an insight into the seperate, riddling minds of Harry and Draco. With
only Nikki-chan to and Eelie to beta me, it gets sort of hard,
especially seeing as Eelie is constantly shuffling about the planet and
Nikki-chan hates sitting still long enough to correct this. And before
you say anything, I realize Harry was a bit OOC, and maybe even Draco
too, but all will be explained...) Griffonfether0, Yana5, SerenityMelody, Destiny Entwinements (Yo,
where's ma cookie, homedog? (loud SMACK!) Thanks, Nikki-chan. Anyways,
I understand how you feel about the rain. It was raining here a couple
of days ago, but I skipped down the hill to school and got reprimanded
for dripping in homeroom. ?) Abi2 (Heh, interesting stories...I seem to have a lot of those...not all of them am I particularly proud of) firefairy42 (Do you want MPREG? You seem a bit ecstatic...tell you what, I'll ask you peoples next chapter, after discussing it with a few friends...) yea, Anonymous Ferret of DOOM (Is that how you spell anona-whatever? Gods, I hate that word.) Master Elora Dannan
((Smiles Sheepishly) Yeah, thanks for catching that. Thing is, my
friends and I were also stuck belieivng that in every common room you
had to climb a set of stairs to reach the common room and then another
for the dormortories. Besides, doesn't it seem like just The Dungeons
for the Slyths is a bit predictable?) Dreaming-Sensations, MidnightsRose, Hoshiko-Malfoy.
