Here's the next chapter for you guys. Nearly 7000 words. And so much stuff going on. And yes, I know a lot of you are looking forward to seeing Sirius. I'm getting there. I promise. I'm looking forward to it as well.


Hagrid's classes became rather less interesting after the hippogriff incident. He seemed to have lost all confidence in himself. The creatures that he presented to the class were dreadfully boring.

On the other hand, Professor Lupin's classes remained just as interesting as the first one. Harry was learning so much and he was proud to be the best in their year at Defense. Hermione seemed a bit disappointed to be out shined by Harry in class, but she tried not to spoil it for Harry.

The students were unaware of Professor Lupin's intervention, but potions class did improve a little. Snape was thoroughly bad tempered, but Harry quickly noticed that he was no longer singling Neville out to torment him. Neville made fewer mistakes when Snape wasn't berating him.

Of course, Snape did retaliate for Neville's boggart and Lupin's interference. When the full moon prevented Remus from teaching, Snape taught the defense class and did a lesson on werewolves. It was practically announcing Remus' condition. Harry was a little nervous that the other students would discover Remus' secret. If nothing else, Hermione was sure to figure it out.

Harry, Draco and Blaise had decided after their second Divination class that they really didn't want to be in the class. Trelawney was again dramatically predicting Harry's death and it was annoying and a little disturbing. Draco appealed to Professor Snape and the three were allowed to select a different class.

Draco already knew that he'd rather take Arithmancy. It didn't take much to convince Blaise and Harry to take it as well. Hermione was already taking the class, so she happily offered to help them with what they missed in the first two classes.

Arithmancy was difficult, but Harry quickly found himself enjoying it. And, Professor Vector didn't predict his death in their first class. That was certainly a bonus.

There had been reports of Sirius Black being sighted in a town nearby, but little else was being said on the matter. The only real disruption in those first few weeks had been Ron's growing hatred of Crookshanks. He loudly complained to the Slytherin boys about the evil cat attacking his bag while Scabbers was inside it.

As the weather began to cool, a Hogsmeade weekend was announced. It would be on Haloween and it would be the first time that the third years would be able to go and they were all excited. There were a lot of great shops and they were looking forward to exploring.

Unfortunately, Harry's guardians didn't feel comfortable with him going to the village. With Sirius drawing closer to Hogwarts, McGonagall didn't like the idea of Harry leaving the grounds at all.

"I'm sorry Harry," she said quietly, when Harry and his friends came to change her mind. "It's a huge risk. I want you to be safe."

Harry nodded dejectedly, leaving her office silently. "I'll stay with you," Draco said, his fingers tugging softly at the sleeve of Harry's jumper.

"No, you should go," Harry told him. "I'll be fine. I can spend some time with Moony." He forced himself to smile, despite knowing that Draco wasn't going to be fooled by it.

On Halloween morning, everyone had breakfast and then everyone going to Hogsmead made their way to the entrance hall. "We'll get lots of sweets for you," Hermione told Harry, looking rather sorry for him.

"Anything you want," Draco added. "Tell me what you want, and I'll get it for you. Unless you'd like me to stay. Just say the word."

"Have a great time, Draco," Harry insisted, gently pushing the blond toward Blaise and Ron. "Just find some good chocolate for me." He turned to Vince and Greg. "I'm fine. Just watch over the others."

Vince and Greg nodded, moving toward the doors with their friends.

Harry turned and moved away, trying to ignore the twinge of jealousy. He'd really wanted to go. Part of him wanted to be angry at Minnie and Moony. But he knew they were afraid for him.

Remus met up with Harry just outside the entrance hall. "I'm sorry Pup," he murmured. "I know you're upset with us."

"No, I understand," Harry responded, though he sounded a bit petulant.

"We want you to be able to go," Remus insisted, leading Harry to his private quarters. "But your safety comes first. For now, would you settle for some hot chocolate?" Harry smiled slightly and nodded.

They drank hot chocolate and talked until Snape showed up with a goblet that was smoking. "Severus," Lupin greeted him kindly. "Thank you, I'd nearly forgotten about my potion."

Snape handed the goblet over with a bored expression. "You'll want to drink that directly. I made a full cauldron if you need more."

"I should probably drink more tomorrow. Thank you Severus. Would you care for some hot chocolate?" Remus offered kindly.

Snape sneered at the offer and left the room without a word. Remus sighed and shook his head drinking from the goblet. Despite Snape's very obvious distaste for Remus, Remus still trusted him to make his wolfsbane potion. Remus was such a kind soul.

Harry's mind drifted, wondering what his friends were doing. Draco had seemed so bothered about leaving Harry that morning, his gray eyes practically begging for Harry to ask him to stay. It had been tempting, but Harry didn't want Draco to miss out.

Remus noted Harry's thoughtful expression and decided to give him a moment. When a house elf delivered lunch for them, Harry thanked the elf absently and picked up his sandwich.

"What's on your mind?" Remus asked finally. To his surprise, Harry blushed a little.

"I was thinking about my friends," Harry said carefully, as if weighing his words. "And- Well-"

Remus set his sandwich down and leaned closer to Harry. "You can talk to me about anything," he said gently. "Anything at all."

Harry nodded. "It's just that... Sometimes I think-" He cut himself looking frustrated and embarrassed. But, he could talk to Remus. "I- I think Draco is pretty."

Remus sat back in his seat, forcing his expression to remain neutral. "Alright. Is that all?"

Harry blinked. "It's not weird?" he asked quietly, looking anxious.

"Of course not," Remus answered firmly. "Is that all that's bothering you?"

"I don't know," Harry responded, scrubbing at his hair in agitation. "I just think about it sometimes."

"So, you have a crush on Draco?" Remus clarified, a smile tugging at his lips.

Harry glared. "Am I going to regret telling you?" he asked.

"Maybe," Remus laughed. "But, really, there's no reason to worry. It's normal and, forgive me, not completely surprising. You're too young to let this get you worked up."

Harry sighed, a bit relieved. He hadn't really put a name to this new kind of fascination with Draco. But, Remus was right. Harry loved it when Draco held his hand, regardless of the purpose of the handholding. And Draco's smile was one of Harry's favorite things.

A short time later, there was a knock at the door. Remus opened it and barely suppressed a laugh at the sight of Draco. The blond was still wearing a woolen hat and scarf over his cloak.

"What are you doing back already?" Harry asked. "I wasn't expecting you until nearly dinner time."

"I didn't want to go without you," Draco pouted. "Blaise made me stay until lunch time."

"How'd you find me?" Harry asked as Remus closed the door behind Draco.

"You said you were going to spend time with Professor Lupin," Draco replied with a little shrug. Then he grinned. "And I might have gone into your trunk to check the map."

Harry smiled, shaking his head.

Draco sat down next to Harry, looking much happier than he'd been that morning. "I got you presents," he informed Harry. He pulled out a bag that he'd been concealing in his robes. He reached in and pulled out a large chocolate bar from Honeydukes. "This is for you Professor Lupin," he said, presenting the chocolate to their professor before handing the bag to Harry.

"Thank you Draco," Remus said, accepting the chocolate with a smile. "That's very generous of you."

Harry peered into the bag with wide eyes. He reached in and pulled out a dark gray jumper that felt wonderfully soft. Under that was a new quill made from a peacock feather, a new scarf with a matching hat, and a box of chocolate.

"You didn't need to get all this," Harry objected, his fingers stroking over the jumper.

"I wanted to," Draco replied. "Shopping for you made me feel better about leaving you behind. That jumper is cashmere, by the way, so you'd better take care of it. And the chocolate is the best you can get in Hogsmeade. If you want something really good, and can request something from mother."

Harry smiled, hoping that his face wasn't too red. It certainly didn't help that Remus was standing just behind Draco, smirking at Harry. "Thank you," Harry said. "This is great."

"Hot chocolate?" Remus offered.

"I'd love some," Draco said settling onto the couch and pulling off his hat and scarf. He grimaced and reached up to touch his hair, know that his hat had ruffled it horribly. He gave Harry a pleading look. Harry grinned and carefully fixed Draco's hair.

Remus stepped out of the room, smiling fondly. Of course, he was concerned about Draco's family objecting to a relationship other than friendship. But for now, it was all rather innocent. Remus couldn't bring himself to discourage the sweetness between the two boys. As far as Remus knew, this was a first crush for both of them.


"A first crush," Minerva sighed. "Harry's growing up so quickly. I'm not looking forward to the first heartbreak," she added with a little frown.

Remus had privately told her about the conversation he'd had with Harry. Remus and Minerva had spent seven years raising Harry together and had a great deal of respect for one another. They shared every milestone, every tear, all the joy.

Remus nodded somberly to Minerva. He certainly didn't want Harry to ever get his heart broken. But in life, it was inevitable. At the moment, it was hard to believe the Draco could be the cause of such pain. The Malfoy heir looked at Harry with such besotted devotion, as he had since they were small. But, they were children and the world had a way of spoiling such simplistic bliss.

Remus let his gaze sweep over the Great Hall. The students had returned from Hogsmead and were enjoying the Halloween feast. Remus was less enthusiastic. It was, after all, the anniversary of the day James and Peter died.

At the Slytherin table, Blaise and Draco were telling stories with elaborate hand gestures, making Harry, Vince and Greg laugh. Harry was struggling not to choke on his kidney pie as he giggled. After a little while, some of the other Slytherins were laughing along.

Harry had been supplied with a ridiculous amount of sweets. Hermione and Ron had brought back a decent variety for Harry to try. Blaise, Vince and Greg had brought back a selection of different flavored chocolates. Harry still wished he could have gone with them, but he appreciated that their thoughts had been on him during their trip.

Feeling full and tired, Harry returned to the dungeons with the other Slytherins. Marcus Flint walked along with them, eager to discuss Quidditch strategy. They'd be having their first match soon.

They hadn't been in the common room long when Snape walked in. "You may dress for bed, but you are to report to the Great Hall," he said sharply. "Now!"

Harry and Draco shared an anxious look as they obeyed the command. They changed quickly, donning pajamas and warm slippers.

"Something's wrong," Blaise muttered as they returned to the common room.

Snape and the prefects quickly made sure that all of the students were present. With that done, Snape spoke again. "We have an intruder," he said clearly. "Sirius Black attempted to get into Gryffindor tower, attacking the potrait that seals the common room. The school is being searched and all of you are being moved to the Great Hall for your protection."

Harry swallowed hard as they filed out of the common room, dread creeping over him. Draco caught Harry's hand and entwined their fingers, giving a comforting squeeze. Blaise walked at Harry's other side, his sharp eyes scanning their path. Vince and Greg positioned themselves behind Harry and Draco, watching over them. Marcus and Adrian were walking further ahead, but they kept glancing back at Harry.

"They're watching over you," Draco said softly. He felt a surge of warmth. This was real friendship. It never ceased to amaze him to witness such loyalty.

"But I don't understand," Harry whispered. "Black attacked the Fat Lady trying to get into Gryffindor. Why would he do that if he's after me?"

"He probably assumed that you're in Gryffindor," Blaise noted. "Most people thought you would be."

They arrived at the Great Hall to find that the tables were gone and that there were sleeping bags everywhere. Draco wrinkled his nose at the idea idea of sleeping on the ground, but followed Harry to a group of unclaimed sleeping bags.

Draco nudged his bag a little closer to Harry's and then climbed in. Blaise, Vince and Greg settled down in nearby sleeping bags.

"I don't like this," Draco muttered, laying on his stomach and resting his head on his arms.

"I'm sure it's just for tonight," Blaise yawned.

Harry watched as Draco eventually fell asleep, unable to rest properly himself. He could hear Dumbledore and Snape discussing the search of the castle. Sirius Black had not been found. It also seemed the Snape suspected that Black had some inside help. Harry was certain that Snape suspected Remus.

Dumbledore firmly brushed aside the concern stating that none of the teachers would assist Sirius in breaking into the school. In Harry's mind, the least likely suspect was Remus. Remus would never let anyone hurt Harry.

The next day, it became clear that Sirius Black hadn't lingered, and the students were allowed to return to their dorms. Quidditch practice resumed as planned in preparation for the first game. Slytherin was going to be playing against Gryffindor and both teams were highly competitive despite the fact that they were remarkably friendly toward one another.

They day of the game, it was pouring rain outside. Harry and Draco were shivering by the time they got to the changing rooms to get into their Quidditch gear. Adrian kindly cast warming charms on them once they were dressed for the game.

Draco gently slipped the glasses off of Harry's face and tapped them with his wand. "Impervious," he said softly. He then slid the glasses back into place. "Now they'll repel water."

Harry smiled gratefully, glad that Draco was so clever.

Harry was thoroughly soaked within seconds of stepping into the downpour. He mounted his broom anyway and took off as soon as he heard Madam Hooch's whistle blow.

Even with the charm on his glasses, it was very hard for Harry to see. The wind has picked up and it was difficult to keep the broom steady. How was he going to catch the snitch in these conditions?

Draco squinted in the rain and threw the quaffle to one of the other Chasers. He gripped his broom tightly with one hand and tried to rub water out of his eyes with the other hand. It didn't help him see any better.

The game dragged on, the rain pounding at them relentlessly. Slytherin was ahead in points, but they really needed the Snitch to be caught.

The sound of screaming and shouting caught Draco's attention. He thought, at first, that it was because the Gryffindor Seeker was closing in on the Snitch. But Harry wasn't following the other Seeker. Draco turned in time to see Harry falling from his broom, past the large crowd of dementors that had gathered around him.

Dumbledore had used a hasty spell to slow Harry's fall before using another spell to force the dementors away. Harry landed in the ground with a thud, his form not moving.

Draco landed his broom clumsily, tripping over his own feet in his rush to get to Harry. Remus and Minerva beat him there, sinking to their knees in the mud and gathering Harry close. The other players landed and ran over to them.

"Is Harry alright?" Fred asked fearfully.

"We need to get him inside," Remus said, scooping Harry up and walking toward the castle with Minerva on his heals.

Draco made to follow, but Marcus stopped him. "Get changed," he commanded quietly. "Take a shower and get yourself warm. Then go see your friend. You'll just be a bother if you go while you're in a panic."

"That's a good idea," George agreed with a nod. "Madam Pomfrey won't let you in the hospital wing right away anyway."

Draco's shoulders sagged, knowing that he couldn't argue that point. He trudged off through the mud intent on a hot shower, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact with everyone. If tears poured down his face, nobody would be able to tell in the rain.


Remus sat at Harry's bedside with his head in his hands. Watching Harry plummet to the ground during a Quidditch match had been terrifying. Remus still couldn't believe that the dementors had come onto the grounds and targeted Harry like that. He didn't want to think about what would happen if one got close enough to administer the dementor's kiss.

"Professor Lupin?"

Remus lifted his head and focused his bleary eyes on Draco. The blond looked strangely small and frightened as he stared at Harry's still form. "Come sit down," Remus invited, levitating a second chair over toward Harry's bed.

Draco sat down next to Remus, his trembling hands smoothing down his robes.

"Such a wretched way to end a Quidditch match," Remus commented.

Draco remained silent.

"Harry's going to be alright," Remus said, laying a comforting hand on Draco's shoulder. "He's just resting. He got too cold in the rain on top of everything else."

Draco nodded, relaxing slightly. "Part of me never wants him to play Quidditch again," he murmured.

Remus laughed wetly, rubbing at his eyes. "I was thinking the same thing," he admitted. "Harry is my son in every way that matters. It would kill me to lose him."

Draco smiled slightly. He was glad that Harry was so well loved. He deserved it. Draco even envied him a little. Of course, he knew that his parents loved him. But there was so much expectation attached to the Malfoy name. He was expected to follow his father's teachings and beliefs, be a proper pureblood wizard, marry a pureblood witch...

Draco sighed. He didn't want any of that. He didn't share his father's beliefs. Draco wasn't likely to admit it out loud, but he liked Hermione. She was annoying, but she was kind, loyal and clever. Draco didn't hate mugglebborns. Aside from the Dursleys, Draco didn't really have muggles either.

And Draco still had no interest in marrying a pureblood witch. Or any witch.

Draco's thoughts were disrupted when Harry stirred and opened his eyes. "Thank Merlin," Draco gasped, standing up and leaning against the bed. He grabbed the glasses from the side table and carefully slid them onto Harry's face.

"What happened?" Harry asked, blinking slowly as he looked around.

"You fell off your broom, Pup," Remus said, running his fingers through Harry's messy hair. "The dementors came onto the grounds and were rather interested in you. Dumbledore was furious."

"We lost the match," Harry muttered.

"Nobody blames you," Draco told him, grasping Harry's hand gently. "The Gryffindor Seeker caught the snitch, but he felt bad about it. Wanted to have a rematch. He didn't realize that you were in trouble."

"Both teams have been by to check on you," Remus added.

"My broom?" Harry prompted.

"It blew into the Whomping Willow," Draco replied apologetically. "Professor Flitwick collected the... remains. But he can't fix it."

Harry rubbed at the back of his neck looking frustrated. "Why do I react so badly to the dementors?" he asked. "You don't see anyone else fainting. Am I just-"

"You are not weak," Remus said firmly. "The dementors affect you so badly because there are horrors in your past that your classmates don't have. Dementors are foul creatures. They drain peace, hope and happiness from the air. They suck every good feeling, every happy memory right out of you. They would feed on you until there's nothing left but the worst experiences of your life." He paused and gave Harry a look of understanding. "The worst that happened to you is enough to make anyone fall off a broom. You've no reason to feel ashamed."

Harry drew in a deep breath, his eyes wet. "When the get near me-" He swallowed hard. "I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum."

Draco made a sound that might have been a whimper and gripped Harry's hand a little more firmly. Remus looked pained, biting his lip and looking down.

"I want to learn to fight them," Harry said. "Moony, you made the dementor on the train go away."

"There was only one that night," Remus reminded him. "The more there are, the harder it becomes to resist."

"It's better than nothing," Harry insisted. "I need to be able to fight back. Please teach me."

"And me," Draco added. He smiled at Harry. "I'm usually at your side. And surely two is better than one."

Remus hesitated and then nodded. "I'll try to help," he said. "It's advanced magic and not everyone can manage it. It'll have to wait until after the holidays though."


At the end of term, most students left for the holidays. Since both of Harry's guardians were teachers, they decided to remain at the castle. Vince and Greg went home to their families, but Blaise and Draco remained. Aside from them only two other Slytherins had remained at the castle.

Hermione and Ron had decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays as well. Ron almost regretted his decision when he realized that his friends seemed quite keen to actually do their homework.

"Harry, you've turned into a swot!" Ron said, his tone accusing. "I thought you'd be putting your school work off for a bit."

They were sitting in the library and Harry was carefully filling out a number chart for Arithmancy. Draco, Blaise and Hermione had similar number charts in from of them.

Harry looked up from his work and smiled at Ron. "It's actually a really interesting class," he informed Ron. "Besides, if we finish our work now, we can enjoy the rest of our holidays without worrying about it."

Ron groaned dramatically and plopped into a chair next to Blaise. "Stupid nerds," he grumbled. Blaise snorted in amusement and poked Ron in the ribs, making the red head squirm.

"Let us finish this and then we can do something," Draco said, frowning at his textbook pensively.

"Snowball fight?" Ron suggested hopefully.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I suppose, but we need a teacher out there," he said, glancing quickly at Harry. "Those dementors can't be trusted to stay in their place."

Half an hour later, the Arithmancy homework was complete and they all bundled up to go outside. There were a few students outside making snow angels and snow men. "Let's see if Hagrid will come out," Harry suggested.

They hurried to Hagrid's hut and banged on his door. When he didn't answer, Harry peered around the hut and saw that the light was on inside. He knocked again, calling out. "Come out Hagrid! We're having a snow fight."

After a pause, the door swung open to reveal the gamekeeper. His face was red and blotchey and big tears were rolling down his cheeks. "What's the matter?" Hermione cried in alarm.

Hagrid sobbed and thrust a piece of folded parchment into her hands before moving back inside. The students followed him in and closed the door. Hermione read the letter with a frown.

"Oh Hagrid," she sighed sadly.

"What?" Ron asked as Harry took the letter and read it.

Harry's expression was grim. "Mr. Malfoy made an official complaint to the Board of Governors. They've contacted the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures," Harry explained. "There's going to be a hearing in March."

"Oh no," Draco murmured, guilt flooding his face. "I'm sorry Hagrid."

"None of that," Hagrid said gruffly. "S'not your fault."

"You tried to stop your dad," Ron spoke up. "And you only got hurt while protecting someone else."

"Of course," Hermione agreed. "This isn't your fault at all. Now, surely we just need a good defense. I'll do some research. There's got to be some way to save Buckbeak."

They talked for a little while, assuring Hagrid that he had their support. Hagrid seemed a bit calmer when they left, but they no longer felt like playing in the snow.


Hogwarts was beautiful at Christmas. Garland was hanging around each doorway and window. Fairylights glittered merrily on the numerous trees set up in the castle. Some of the figures in the paintings had taken to moving from frame to frame singing Christmas carols.

On Christmas Eve, Harry had an idea. He only hoped that he could persuade Remus to agree to it.

"You want to have a sleepover?" Remus asked, looking around at Harry and his friends. They'd caught Remus just after breakfast to tell him Harry's idea.

"It would be nice to open presents together," Harry said. "We'd behave ourselves," he added.

"It would be brilliant," Ron added excitedly.

Remus shook his head. "I won't make any promises, but I'll check with Professor McGonagall and the headmaster.

When Remus presented the idea to the pair, Dumbledore looked perfectly delighted. Minerva was apprehensive though. "It seems inappropriate with Miss Granger being in attendance," she noted.

"I'm not sure that the boys have even noticed that she's a girl," Remus argued, huffing a laugh. "The most likely pair to be inappropriate is Harry and Draco. And the closest they've come to that has been to blush at the same time."

Dumbledore snorted into his teacup.

"I'm truly not worried," Remus said. "They're good kids. And I'll be sleeping in the next room."

Remus was pleased when Minerva agreed. In truth, he was a bit excited about it himself.

That evening, Harry led his friends to Remus' private rooms. They would be in sleeing bags in the sitting area. Remus invited them in and served hot chocolate and gingerbread.

They talked and laughed until they were too exhausted to stay awake any longer. They took turns changing in the bathroom before climbing into a sleeping bag. Remus waited until they were all settled before turning out the light and going to his bedroom.

It had been a wonderful night. There had been no fights at all. They'd gotten along so well. And they'd eagerly included Remus in their coversations. It was almost like having his own friends back.

The next morning, Remus woke to the sound of laughter. He got out of bed and followed the sound to find his students sitting on the floor, opening presents. Except for Draco. He primly informed Ron that he wouldn't sit on the floor like a heathen. Ron threw a ball of wrapping paper at him. With a bit of pouting and coaxing, Draco got Harry to sit on the couch with him.

Minerva was sitting in one of the arm chairs, watching the students open gifts. She smiled at Remus when she spotted him.

"Looks like mum sent something for each of us," Ron said, opening a gift from his parents. The others opened the Weasley gifts as well.

Remus smiled fondly as each teenager unwrapped a tin of homemade fudge and a knitted jumper, made by Molly Weasley.

"Is this... Is it like the jumpers that you get every year?" Blaise asked quietly.

"Er- yeah," Ron admitted, his ears turning red. "Mum makes them for everyone in the family. And anyone close enough to be like family," he added, looking at Harry. "You don't have to wear them."

Silently, Blaise pulled on the dark green jumper, glancing down at the pale green letter B on the front. Draco pulled on the ice blue jumper he'd been given, displaying a white D on the front. "It was kind of her to send these," Blaise said sincerely, marveling at how comfortable the jumper was. Draco nodded his agreement.

"Well, I might have mentioned that we were really good friends," Ron muttered, looking rather embarrassed.

"And sometimes family is what you make it," Remus said, sitting down in an arm chair and smiling fondly at his students.

"I like that," Draco said softly, snuggling into his jumper. It was a little big on him, but he found it strangely comforting. He sighed contentdly and leaned against Harry while tasting the fudge. He hummed happily at the flavor and held a piece out for Harry to try.

Remus caught the amused look that Blaise and Hermione exchanged as Draco feed Harry the fudge. Ron seemed oblivious as he reached for another present.

Once they'd opened all the gifts, everyone got dressed for breakfast. They all chose to wear their Weasley jumpers, unconcerned about appearances. It didn't matter if Draco was friendly toward Ron because anyone who might have issue with it had gone home for the holiday.

Very few students had stayed behind. Aside from Harry's group, only five students had remained. Harry supposed that it wasn't surprising considering the fact that their was still a murderer on the loose.

The day was spent playing wizards chess or exploding snap. When evening came, there was a splendid Christmas feast and festive music played. The teachers and students all sat at a table together and enjoyed the food.

As the hour grew later, the students were shooed off to bed. Harry paused to hug Remus and Minerva tightly. They returned his embrace and sent him on, waving fondly to the other students.

"We got damn lucky with that boy, Minerva," Remus said, watching Harry go.

"We did," she responded with a smile. "He's so very smart and sweet. And he's so handsome."

"You should be proud," Dumbledore said, overhearing the conversation.

"We are," Remus and Minerva said together.

Ron and Hermione went on to Gryffindor tower while Harry, Draco and Blaise went to the Slytherin common room. It had been a wonderful day and they were all rather tired.

"Well, I'm ready to-" Blaise cut himself off, his eyes wide with surprise. Then he grinned.

"What?" Draco asked, yawning.

Blaise smirked and nodded at Harry. Draco looked over at Harry as well. "I don't- Oh..." Draco said stupidly.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, tensing.

"Nothing at all," Blaise replied, thoroughly amused.

"Someone put mistletoe in here," Draco explained, pointing above Harry's head.

"Bye!" Blaise called cheerfully, swiftly heading to their dorm.

"That idiot," Harry laughed, looking a little flustered.

Draco nodded his agreement, approaching Harry apprehensively. This opportunity was just a little too good to pass up. "It's a silly tradition," Draco commented lightly. "Still, I suppose it's sweet. With the right person obviously." He stood close to Harry, meeting Harry's gaze with s shy little smile.

"Right," Harry agreed, sounding suspiciously breathless. He was a little afraid that Draco was going to be able to hear his thundering pulse.

"I could kiss you," Draco offered softly, his cheeks flushing.

Harry wasn't sure that he was capable of speech at the moment. So he settled for nodding.

Draco leaned in and gently pressed their lips together. Just for a moment. Harry's lips were so soft. And Draco's mind was abruptly clear of worry and doubt. He couldn't focus on anything but the gentle pressure of Harry's lips.

Harry's eyes fluttered open as Draco pulled away. As far as kisses went, it was simple and chaste. He'd witnessed couples snogging fervently in the common room and in mostly deserted hallways. But Harry thought that the sweet little kiss with Draco was perfect. They were just friends, but now Harry knew for sure that Draco fancied him at least a little bit.

Draco was delighted to see Harry blush and smile. "Come on," Draco said softly, tugging at Harry's sleeve gently. "Blaise is probably spying on us. The arse."

Harry laughed and followed Draco to the dorm. They found Blaise looking over a package wrapped in brown paper that was sitting on Harry's bed. Blaise looked back at them. "That's a broom," he declared, pointing an accusatory finger at the package.

It did seem to be the perfect size for a broom. Harry moved to the bed and began unwrapping the strange parcel. Blaise used the rustle of paper as a cover as he nudged Draco and murmured "I saw that."

"I knew you were spying," Draco hissed back. "You git."

"Shouldn't you be all giddy right now?" Blaise questioned, glancing at Harry meaningfully.

Draco blushed, unable to hold back a smile. "Shut up," he muttered, giving Blaise a little shove.

"Oh my..." Harry said, his stunned voice drawing the attention of the other two. He held up a broom for them to inspect, his eyes wide.

"That's a Firebolt!" Draco cried excitedly. "The best broom on the market. Who sent it to you?"

"I have no idea," Harry said. "There's no tag. No note. Who could have sent it?"

"McGonagall or Lupin?" Blaise suggested. "They're your parents. That would make sense, though it would have been nice if they'd given it to you with your other gifts. We could've tried it out."

"I don't know," Draco said uncertainly. "After the last disastrous match, do you think either of them would have got Harry a broom that's even faster than the one he lost? That just doesn't seem reasonable."

"Maybe we should ask them about it tomorrow," Harry shrugged. Blaise and Draco nodded in agreement and began preparing for bed.

Draco and Harry exchanged another shy smile as Draco slipped into bed and Harry headed out to take a shower. Draco couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he stretched out on his bed. He wouldn't have wanted to share his first kiss with anyone else. He wondered what it meant for them, but he didn't think he could gather the courage to ask.

That he had Harry's affection was enough. It wasn't that Draco could pursue a romantic relationship with Harry anyway. His father would be furious. That thought was enough to steal Draco's smile. His father's ideas of what was proper were only going to make Draco miserable.

"I don't want to marry a pureblood witch," Draco announced.

Blaise, who had just settled into his own bed, turned his head to look at Draco. "I assumed that would be the case," he said lightly.

"I'm going to be forced into a marriage anyway," Draco went on quietly.

Blaise rolled onto his side, staring at Draco. "We're already rebelling against the Slytherin status quo," Blaise noted. "It'll be alright. Be patient, and we'll find away."

Draco nodded reluctantly, murmuring a quiet thank you.


Nobody seemed to know who had sent Harry the broom. It was swiftly confiscated so that the teachers could carefully examine it and determine if the broom had been tampered with. They couldn't be too careful.

The students returned to school and classes resumed. Draco and Harry started their private lessons with Remus, hoping they'd be able to keep up with their homework with this extra task they'd given themselves. They weren't sure of how Hermione managed it. She seemed to be taking every class that was offered, but it wasn't possible.

Remus patiently explained the patronus charm to the two boys. Their intent focus was admirable. Remus allowed Harry to try out the charm on a boggart. It would make it a bit more realistic. Draco would be able to try it a out as well, but he'd have to stay back to avoid the boggart's focus.

For an hour they practiced. Draco had managed to produce a great deal of wispy white light. Harry was a more solid form, but it hadn't taken shape into a full, corporeal patronus.

"That was remarkable!" Remus cried, grinning at them. "That's a very difficult charm. You two are managing quite well. Very impressive indeed."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. He handed it to Harry. "Eat that," he instructed. "It really helps."

He watched as Harry and Draco leaned against each other tiredly and shared the chocolate. "What happy memories did you use?" Remus asked the pair.

"I tried a few of them," Harry said. "My big birthday dinner before second year... I was so happy to have everyone I loved there." He smiled. "I thought about my first transformation too. And my friends. Just thinking about them worked really well."

Remus nodded, looking pleased. Then he looked at Draco. Draco blushed a little. "My friends," he murmured. "Mostly Harry," he admitted sheepishly.

Harry grinned happily and Remus looked down, hiding a broad smile. "You're my best friend," Draco reminded Harry defensively. "My very first real friend. I gained my other friends through my friendship with you." Draco paused. "I also thought about our train ride home last year... When Weasley said we were... family. I- I really liked that."

Harry's smile softened. "I like that one too," he said quietly. "You could call him Ron, you know?"

Draco waved away the idea with a little smirk, making Remus laugh. "Alright, you two are done for today," Remus told them. "Until our next meeting, try to pick out specific memories to really focus on. Something that you can grab hold of quickly if you find yourself cornered by a dementor."

Harry and Draco nodded in agreement and hurried off to dinner. It was nice to know that they were on their way to feeling a bit safer around the dementors.


At the beginning of March, they were informed that Buckbeak's hearing had gone badly. The hippogriff was going to executed at a later date. Poor Hagrid was distraught.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Harry was horrified when a very shaken Ron said that he'd seen Sirius Black.

"He was leaning over my bed holding a knife," Ron said, shuddering violently at the memory.

"How did he get in?" Blaise asked, handing Ron a bit of chocolate. Blaise always kept chocolate on hand these days.

"The mad knight that's guarding the portrait," Ron explained. "You know, while the Fat Lady is being repaired."

"Sir Cadogan," Hermione supplied.

"Him," Ron nodded, speaking around a mouthful of chocolate. "He kept changing the password and Neville couldn't remember so he made a list."

"Then Neville lost the list," Hermione sighed. "And when Black showed up with the list in hand, he was allowed in. He had all of our passwords."

"What a numpty," Ron grumbled. He'd finally regained some color in his cheeks.

A second sighting of Sirius Black within the walls of Hogwarts. And both times he'd gone to Gryffindor Tower. Perhaps he still didn't know that Harry was in Slytherin. He was probably quite mental from his time in Azkaban. It was really lucky that he hadn't hurt Ron or anyone else. But nobody really found that very comforting. Clearly, getting into the castle wasn't especially difficult for Black, which meant that he was surely going to try again.