Hogwarts

Draco realized his parents were Death Eaters. Merlin's pants, even Snape was a Death Eater, and Draco sometimes found it hard to trust him. He also knew Snape didn't like the 'Potter boy' much. Draco asked over and over why he was helping him if he was so despised, but he was ignored. Snape wasn't that good of a godparent. When Draco was at his manor, Snape was also there, along with a handful of Death Eaters who usually were enough to shield him from Voldermort. But he knew it was only a matter of time before he was going to be put up to some sick test. He could only wish it did not involve Harry.

No, there was no good to think about that. Draco had mastered Occlumency by now- or so he had hoped- but thinking about anything he was scared of would not be wise with Voldermort involved. Including any thoughts that were against Voldermort specifically. Draco's only safe haven to hate Voldermort was in his dreams. Draco had found out Harry had not so good dreams, thanks to his now-becoming favorite muggle device. He assumed without Snape's help that the dreams he was describing were due to Voldermort's influence. Green lights? Draco shivered. When Harry found out, he would never be so innocent to call it a 'nightmare' again.

Draco's reason for staying up thinking about this was from a letter he had gotten from his parents this morning in the hall. They had told him to stay vigilant, and that to never look any one that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named would dislike for long. If only they knew what Draco was up to. The warning was for if Draco was to pay attention to the deaths of Muggle-borns or Muggle-lovers, but Draco knew what he was doing was much worse for his parents. But he had done everything else they had asked, even though it had sometimes pained him. Violence was fine. Witnessing death was not. Draco could never look into their eyes.

There was snoring heard from one of the beds in Draco's dorm. He assumed it was Crabbe. He knew his moral compass was skewed by anyone else's perspective, but he only cared about the people he was close to. He would have to save the people that mattered, and that was it. That included his family, his friends-even if he was not sure if they would do the same- and now Harry. The addition of another person he had to protect was unnerving. But he had signed up for it. He just hoped that he had the capacity to sacrifice himself. Finding tears on his eyes, he wiped them away with a charm.

It was not the first year Draco's life was clouded by horrible beings that nobody else in his year in Hogwarts could understand, but it would certainly be the last that anyone would not feel the same. Draco wondered how long it would take for Voldermort to storm Hogwarts. He had a disturbing penance for believing Hogwarts was his to own. Would he have to be a part of it as well? He imagined having to put on a black cloak just to try and take over his own home. With Harry present as well, fighting on the other side. No, that could never happen. He would take Harry and run away before that would ever happen.

Harry's school (Again)

Draco had to see Harry that morning. It was earlier than time for breakfast, so nobody was up when Draco sneaked out of Hogwarts in order to find Harry. To his surprise, Harry was already at school, and Draco hadn't even had to stalk him, as Harry had answered his call to tell him he was indeed awake and at his school. "Why are you up this early? He asked him in shock as he met him, thankfully still alive and well, outside of the school main entrance. Draco recognized his uniform from last time, after Harry had ended up smearing his blazer in eagerness to eat the tart. There was no smear, but Draco found it hard to look away from the spot anyways.

"Found it hard to sleep. I already ate, so I figured I'd come down. When you called me, I waited for you- wait, why are you up this early?" Harry said seriously, but Draco looked up to see him smirking. Everything was a challenge between them, even after Harry had found out there was more than one pastry in the bag and accused Draco of trying to get a sexual favor out of him. "I found it hard to sleep too, if you can believe it." Draco scratched his head, wondering if Harry could possibly know he was mostly thinking about him. Harry just blinked though, and held the door open for him. "Does your school start early?" Harry asked, letting Draco into the school.

"Yes. Are you sure you should be sneaking me in?" Draco asked, changing the subject from his school. He really did not want to think about Hogwarts right now. Instead he focused on Harry's mundane muggle school, which Draco would normally sneer upon but in this circumstance he almost found it comforting to see gray walls instead of moving staircases and talking portraits. "Sure. People sneak their 'special friends' in all the time." Draco looked at him in shock. Special friend? That was definitely a innuendo. Draco quickly tried to find interest in anything else, which turned out to be quite hard when all the walls were filled with studying guidelines.

Harry suggested they go someplace with less terrifying test material, and Draco agreed, though he doubted Harry's tests were harder than the ones at Hogwarts. However, he couldn't help but look back at the long example equations that were on one of the boards that reminded Draco distinctly of Arithmancy. Harry took him into library that seemed to have more seating areas than actual books, and sat down on one of the bright colored futons that supposedly brought some color to the bland place. Draco sat down next to him, careful this time not to look at his chest where the smear was. "Since you take great interest in my dreams, want to know what mine was today?" Harry asked.

Draco was not sure whether to hope it was magically induced or not. "Sure. Will it scar me?" Harry laughed and kicked his legs up onto a ottoman. "Not any bigger than my own, I hope. To be honest... I am not sure whether it was a dream, or a vision." Harry grimaced. "I doubt you believe me." Draco felt like he was punched in the gut. This was very bad. "I believe you. It could be." Draco told him. "It was of a murder. And it wasn't the first I've seen. It was like... I was there. It was terrible. How could anyone do that? But these people... they weren't normal..." Harry continued, and Draco watched with horror and awe as some of the books on the shelf next to them began to shake.

TBC -