DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all other characters and locations belong to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter 17 – Meeting the Slytherins
There was a cool bite in the air this morning that had many students clutching cloaks and hats to their heads as they made the hike to Hogsmeade. Some of the trees around the school sported their first red leaves; reminding the students that winter was fast approaching. However Pansy didn't feel the chill against her skin, the liquor she had consumed bringing on a lovely warmth and chasing the chill away before it could settle upon her.
Pansy sat in the owlery, perched in one of the window alcoves waiting patiently for her fathers owl to show up. She sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, fingers wrapped loosely around the glass resting atop one of them. Her gaze crept over the students milling around below her, Ravenclaws cradling books in stiff fingers; Hufflepuffs gathered to talk amongst themselves; and the Gryffindors. She curled her lip as she watched the antics of the honourable house of Godric Gryffindor, running around like a bunch of children. Smiling evilly, she raised her glass in a silent toast before taking a sip of the liquor liberated from her father's study. The Firewhiskey traced a burning path down her throat as she sipped; valuing the liquor for what it was worth.
A flash of white had her straightening and setting her glass down on the ledge, fingers running over recently dried ink. Concentrating on folding the letter perfectly, she made sure it was ready to be sent before approaching the preening owl.
"Where have you been you stupid bird?" She hissed, stretching out a hand to grab the bird before it could flutter out of her reach. The bird blinked its amber eyes slowly as Pansy tied the folded letter to her leg. "Daddy is going to be so proud." She whispered, smiling as she tossed the white owl out the window and watching it circle once before flying over the school. Gliding gracefully back to the alcove, she reclaimed her glass and took a happy sip before tossing the glasses contents down her throat. Wincing at the sudden burn, she slid the empty glass into her pocket and headed for the stairs, hoping she made it to the bottom before the liquor found her.
The room was dark when Harry managed to pry his eyes open. Slowly freeing an arm, he rubbed his eyes, wincing at the tug of muscles. The warm puffs of breath against the back of his neck had him freezing but relaxing once he caught the lingering scent of vanilla. Turning carefully, he looked at the pale head resting on the pillow behind him. Silky hair fanned out over the black pillowcase, making Draco look paler then usual. Harry allowed himself to lean up on one of his elbows and brush the hair off of Draco's forehead, fingers carding through the pale locks gently. Frowning at the dark circles beneath the closed eyes, he growled unhappily at all that Hermione had put the pair of them through. Brushing a single finger over one of the black circles, he sat up slowly, resting his back against the headboard and looking down at his sleeping dragon. Sighing he decided it was time to get down to business and maneuvered himself out of the bed. Standing over Draco, Harry smiled and pulled the blankets tight around the other boy, making sure the pillow hadn't shifted while he was changing position.
It was slightly after nine on a Saturday morning, yet the Slytherin common room was crawling with students waiting for some sign of movement from Draco's room. Some students waited patiently, finishing homework and writing letters to parents while others paced and played loud games in hopes of waking the room's inhabitants. Blaise sat neatly in his chair, carefully buffing his nails while pretending disinterest in the conversations going on around him. Smirking at some of the whispers and chuckling at others, he wondered how long they would wait before heading off to Hogsmeade. Reaching out a slender hand, he smoothed the thick white fur on Nox's head, running his hand down the wolf's back. The wolf whimpered and wagged its tail, happy to be receiving some much welcomed attention.
"Good boy Nox." Blaise murmured, turning to pick up the teacup sitting on the table next to the abandoned chess board. Stopping in puzzlement, he looked carefully over the board before swearing softly, one more move and Draco had him beat. Grinning, he wrapped his fingers around the piece but froze at the slow creak of a door.
Harry peered around the edge of Draco's door, eyes widening at the number of Slytherins lounging about. Gathering himself, both physically and magically, he swung the door open softly and stepped into the common room, closing the door behind him.
"My aren't we looking good this morning?" Blaise stated, grinning at Harry who blushed slightly and ran his fingers through the unruly nest of black hair.
"Well, I certainly couldn't walk around like I was." He muttered dryly, tugging on the hem of the shirt he had borrowed from Draco's wardrobe. The emerald dress shirt went perfectly with his eyes and gave him a very formal and commanding look. Black slacks hung loose on his hips and pooled on the tops of his feet.
"That's too bad, I'm sure several individuals will be very disappointed that they won't get a second viewing." Blaise commented, watching as Harry approached him with a familiar swagger in his step. "You've been around Draco too long." He muttered, rolling his eyes as he shifted to better see Harry who was seating himself carelessly in Draco's chair. Snorting at the mumbled whisper, Harry allowed his eyes to crawl around the room, freezing on several individuals who stood out. Crabbe and Goyle separated themselves from a small group and moved towards him. Stopping directly before him, they glanced at each other before extending their hands.
"Vincent Crabbe."
"Gregory Goyle."
"It's a pleasure to meet you two." Harry murmured, shaking both proffered hands. Watching with some bemusement as the massive pair of Slytherins moved to stand behind his chair in the same fashion they did Draco. The room remained silent as all carefully took in the situation, before deciding how to act accordingly. A flash of movement had all eyes turning as a small witch moved forward. Standing directly in front of Harry she looked him straight in the eyes before, dipping a neat curtsy and grinning cheekily.
"My names Matilda Dershire, it's wonderful to meet you Harry Potter." Straightening, she withdrew a slender wand from the pocket of her robe. Holding it out on the flat of her hand, the whole room stood still at the sight of the wand. "This belongs to the mudb…Granger." She said, eyes looking away as she made the error. Harry stared at the wand, a wand that had protected and tested him for the last few years.
"Thank you, Matilda." Harry said grinning at the witch as he reverently lifted the wand from her hand, knowing that she had made an important step in trusting him. Before he knew what was happening he was being swarmed by Slytherins, hands reaching to shake his while he attempted to remember names and watch for threats at the same time. Crabbe and Goyle moved neatly into place before him, making a human shield that slowed the crush and forced them to greet him in pairs rather then en masse.
He met them all, from first year to seventh, he shook hands and took names while testing each to see which side of the fence they were on. Hand after hand was pushed into his, yet all felt good and just; like there was no evil in any of them. Shaking his head in confusion he looked at Blaise, who merely rolled his eyes and grinned. Laughing at the expression on the other wizards face, he turned to find himself being included in a conversation about quidditch.
Draco woke alone; the spot beside him was cool meaning Harry had been gone for quite some time. Calling softly he frowned when he received no answer. Glancing at the door, his eyes widened at the voices raised in argument. Lunging out of bed, his hand wrapped around his wand as he grabbed the clothes he'd tossed on the floor the night before. Pulling the pants on, he threw the door open and froze at the sight that met his eyes. Harry Potter was in the middle of a game of Exploding Snap while attempting to hold a conversation on the use of Dark Magic's for protection purposes. Heaving a grateful sigh, he allowed himself to slump against the door frame. Running a hand across his face, he padded softly towards the fireplace where Blaise sat, watching the activities with a look of pure amusement on his face.
"How's he doing?" Draco murmured, sitting down and tucking his feet beneath him, gaze softening as Harry tossed down the winning card and gloated. Small hands gathering the cards and shuffling as a new game was being organized by an excited second year.
"Surprisingly well, considering the fact that he's a Gryffindor." Blaise said, pouring Draco a cup of cooling tea. Smirking at the look of disgust on his friends face he chuckled, watching as Draco attempted to swallow without gagging.
"Former Gryffindor." Draco muttered, setting the teacup down with a curled lip. Closing his eyes he plopped his head back against the chair.
"For once they actually have hope. The Boy-Who-Lived is sitting in their common room playing with them, accepting them for who they are instead of who their parents are." Blaise and Draco allowed their eyes to meet; for once both of them had hope. Smiling Blaise offered his hand to Draco. Draco wrapped his hand around Blaise's, squeezing tightly before letting go in favour of making his final move in their forgotten chess match.
"Checkmate." He grinned as Blaise winced, watching as the other wizard stood and put a small mark on the much used piece of paper resting next to the board. "You're getting better, though I must say; if you're going to cheat make sure you're doing it in your favour." Chuckling as he walked back to his bedroom, he paused next to Harry, placing a light hand on top of the soft mess of curls and tugging gently before continuing to his room. Closing the door behind him, he heaved a sigh before flopping onto the bed and throwing an arm over his eyes.
Professor Severus Snape sat at the head table in the great hall, eyes focused on the massive doors that opened into the entrance hall. He had yet to observe even one of his house members make it through those doors this morning, making him wonder if they had partied a little too hard. Shaking his head, he carefully lifted a fork full of eggs to his mouth, ignoring the ramblings of the headmaster who sat next to him. His mind turned as he looked over the facts, the scar, and the hate for Lucius and himself, the use of a spell not included in the curriculum. All of it pointed towards one student, the same student who was supposedly missing. Frowning he excused himself and made his way out of the great hall. Gliding down the hall he paused as he heard the unmistakable voice of Ronald Weasley. Smiling grimly as he heard the muffled curse word ring through the entrance hall, he made sure to pass the angered Gryffindor and snarl at him.
"Ten points from Gryffindor Mister Weasley for the use of foul words around younger students." Sometimes the Gryffindors made his day just a little better.
Draco opened his eyes slowly at the feel of fingers softly carding through his hair. Rolling his head back, he looked into the bright eyes of Harry Potter who sat beside him on the bed.
"What you couldn't bear not talking to me for a whole hour?" Draco pouted, raising a finger and running it over Harry's cheek.
"Yes, I missed the dulcet sounds of your cooing voice as you gave orders and acted all princely." Harry murmured, gazing down at Draco who remained stretched out over the bed.
"I thought so." Announced Draco smugly, eyes shining with silent laughter as Harry tossed back his head and gave a rasping laugh.
"What are we doing today Draco?" Harry murmured, fingers continuing their slow stroking.
"I am going shopping, we can't have you walking around in clothes that don't fit you now can we?" Harry rolled his eyes at Draco's response and laughed as the other boy pulled him over to loll on the bed next to him. Fingers wrapping themselves around the silver collar that gleamed against the tanned flesh of Harry's throat.
I suppose not, though I must say I do enjoy wearing yours. Draco's pale orbs flashed as Harry's voice whispered through his mind, curling itself tightly around his mind.
There is only one thing of mine that you will wear, and you're already wearing it. Draco murmured, finger's playing with the bell dangling from the collar. His eyes widened as Harry's hand closed around the matching silver bell encircling Draco's throat, tugging the other closer.
Are you so sure? Harry murmured, dragging Draco closer so they were separated by mere millimeters. Because I have my eyes on that silver cloak with the snake head buckles.
Tease! Draco murmured, burying his face in Harry's neck as the soothing fingers returned to their gentle caress, easing him back into sleep.
Ron sat on his bed in the Gryffindor dorms. Papers and books were strewn about in what he considered an organized mess as he diligently completed reading an article in Quidditch Weekly. His incomplete DADA assignment crumpled next to his abandoned quill. He had originally been planning on spending the day in Hogsmeade with Hermione but she had yet to come down from the girl's dorms. Ron had of course tried to blackmail and plead at the top of his lungs while ignoring the looks he was receiving from his house mates before giving up and stomping down to the great hall. Shortly after that his own dorm mates had effectively ditched him while he raced back to the tower to retrieve his gloves. He had returned to the entrance hall to find it bare of Gryffindors; then subsequently lost ten points from Gryffindor when a passing professor heard him swear.
Flipping a page, he frowned at the soft tapping sound coming from the direction of the window. Clutching his wand nervously he moved towards the window, fingers curling around the drapes before pulling them free and pointing his wand at the figure sitting on the ledge. The white owl hooted softly as he heaved a sigh of relief and unlatched the window. The owl carefully hopped onto the extended arm and allowed Ron to set her down just inside the window on his desk.
"Hello Hedwig." Ron purred, running his index finger over the birds head. Fingers expertly working the knot binding the paper to the birds out stretched leg. "Don't worry; I'll make sure Harry gets this." Digging into messy desk drawer, he pulled a small owl treat out and offered it to the snowy owl. Carefully scooping her up, he ran a caressing hand down her back, allowing her to lightly nip his fingers before setting her outside on the ledge. Smirking as he watched the afternoon breeze carry the owl higher, he rolled the small note in his hand and grinned.
"Let's see what Harry Potter is up too."
A/N: Thanks for reviewing everybody! I had hoped to post sooner then this but the last few days have been fairly busy and the rest of the week isn't looking any better. Thanks again.
Hedwig11445 – No offense taken, I have friends who would kill me for the amount of spare time I seem to have…I just procrastinate really well.
kikasspunk93 – Sadly, Hermione's right.
ToyoKadiyaMikyla – Of course Draco cares for Harry.
fourth-face-of-the-goddess – Harry may eventually forgive Hermione but she'll have to work for it.
Myrddin Ambrosius – Alas, there was just no one brave enough to slap her…perhaps in the future…
xyvortex – You make some excellent points as far as everyone else's reactions, one can only wait until I get there.
akeria26 – It may just be slash, I think this chapter hints at it, more fluff then anything.
Redmeadow – He knows, he just isn't willing to admit his godsons bound to Harry Potter.
Daemon –in –White – The bond won't be hurt, Dumbledores clueless and waiting for Snape to brink back some information, and I can't help but bash Dumbledore.
Draeconin – thanks for the correction, I've been separated from my books for a while and wasn't able to reference. As for the Draco/Harry relationship, each believes they should protect the other, sometimes I will use smaller because I can't help myself; I have this thing about using the same words over and over…
violet7amethyst – Well I suppose basically they let Boot in the Slytherin common room because he might just give them a reason to whip his but, lol