Finally class ended and Harry zoned in on Draco, but he rushed out of the room before Harry could even get to him and Hermione grabbed onto his forearm, stopping him from chasing after him.
"Harry, where have you two been ive been worried sick!" Hermione cried, pulling Harry towards her and Harry had to hold back his temper before he snapped at her.
"No time to explain now, I'll explain later." Harry gave her a pleading look and she dropped it, releasing him from her hold.
"I hope you didn't get in much trouble." She gave Ron a look that Harry couldn't read and they continued on walking to their next class.
Ron chatted away to Hermione, explaining the trip here, Hermione watched on with fascination, asking every question she could about the Knight Bus. Harry zoned out, keeping his eyes out for a particular head of blond, but his search was fruitless, Draco had disappeared once again.
Harry thought back to the timid smile that Draco had sent his way, was that smile just a smile of pretence? Or was something going on that Harry didn't understand, what was he missing?
Harry had no more classes with Draco that day and he couldn't catch his eye during lunch and dinner. Harry ate very little, anxiety tumbling around in his stomach. He dejectly made his way to Gryffindor Tower with Hermione and Ron, they couldn't tell what had caused the mood but they kept him alone to his thoughts, already knowing this was the best course of action.
They had an hour to do homework before they had detention to attend to and Harry was already dreading it. Quickly they settled and got to work, Harry barely finished and Ron only got half-way before it was time to go. Harry and Ron said their goodbyes to Hermoine and chatted about what they would have to do for their detentions as they walked to their respective destinations. Harry could feel the dread building.
"You'll be alright Harry, it wasn't so bad last year, surely it can't be that worse this year." Ron gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder which Harry grimaced at.
"Easy for you to say, you have Professor Sprout, she's like the nicest Professor here." Harry complained, they stopped at the corridor now about to go in different directions.
"You'll be right mate." Ron gave him another pat of sympathy on the shoulder before turning around and walking away from Harry. Harry sighed and straightened himself, hardening himself for the torture to come and made his way down to the dungeons. Harry looked down to his watch as he turned the corner of the corridor to Snape's classroom. A student passed him wearing Slytherin green and Harry snapped his attention towards them, but quickly he found that it was not who he was hoping them to be. Harry sighed and gave an apologising smile to the confused student.
Harry with one last step made it to Snape's classroom, with a calming breath he knocked on the door and waited for Snape's low drool voice to let him in.
"Enter." That voice said and Harry opened the door, stepping into the darkly lit room.
"On time for once Mr Potter," Snape's low and slow voice with a slight touch of venom echoed around the room.
Harry nodded and tried not to fidget with the hem of his shirt, he knew he shouldn't be acting like a frightened six year old, but he was deathly afraid of annoying Snape and rewarding himself with a harsher detention.
He looked around the room, looking at everything but the moody professor sat brooding at his desk.
"Hmm no mouth on you today?" Snape stood from his chair and walked out from his desk, Harry gulped and fought the urge to take a step back.
"Relax Potter, I'm not going to curse you, although this detention is quite deserved, I'm not going to make it any worse than I have to. Merlin knows I don't want to have to spend this detention with you anymore than you do with me."
Harry gave Snape a shocked look but decided not to comment further, Snape walked past Harry and into the supply closet.
"Your task for these detentions is to clean and reorganise my supply closet, you are to clean out each material and the jar that it is and replace any old supplies and top up ones that are emptying, i have a book here for you that will guide you in how to prepare and store each of the materials in the closet, i only want the silence disturbed if you absolutely don't understand something. Am I understood?"
"Yes sir." Harry nodded, Snape turned away and let Harry examine the closet.
"Oh and one more thing, do not touch the top shelf." Snape ordered one last time. Harry nodded again and then stepped into the closet, all of a sudden it seemed large and intimidating, but Harry hardened his resolve, he wanted to be done with these detentions as quickly as possible. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
He began working with materials that he had already worked with once before, thus already knowing how to handle them and quickly getting the work needed done. His detention was to be three hours and after two he had already finished half of the first shelf.
Harry saw that the shelves worked in alphabetical order, but found that perhaps organising the closet as common to rare materials would be better. As most of the potions that first to fifth year made were with common and barely rare materials. He questioned whether or not he should bring this up with Snape, but as he looked at the man with his greasy slicked back hair, he found that a scowl blanketed his face and his eyebrows knitted together.
Perhaps it was best not to disturb him.
Harry had to use the book for the last of the hour with materials that he had rarely worked with before which significantly put a dent in his working speed, only managing to finish off a few jars by the time the hour was up.
Snape stepped into the supply closet and examined the work that Harry had done, picking up a few jars and looking at them with a penetrating stare.
"Hmm not bad Potter, keep up the work." He shooed Harry out of the closet and locked up, Harry finished up cleaning his work space and stood awkwardly, waiting for Snape to dismiss him.
"Well off you go boy, you're finished for today." Snape waved his hand and the door opened, Harry quickly shuffled to the door.
"Thank you sir," Harry mumbled and then quickly rushed out of the classroom, not taking another look back.
Harry quickly made his way back to the Gryffindor Tower and was about to take the stairs up to the ground floor when a hand shot out from the dark and pulled him towards them.
Harry gasped and stumbled forward, falling into what seemed to be a body. Then he was face to face with a smiling blond, the candles flickering on the wall casting an orange glow onto his pale skin and hair, brightening his cheeks and deepening the colour of his storm grey eyes.
"Draco." Harry gasped out, feeling almost shell shocked.
"Shh." Draco put his hand over his mouth and pulled them into an abandoned classroom.
"What's going on?" Harry mumbled, smothered by the hand still on his mouth.
"I can't let anyone see me talking to you," Draco whispered, he finally released Harry and secured the door close, locking it for extra measure.
"Feels like we're forbidden lovers in a fairytale," Harry chuckled, feeling elated that Draco was finally talking to him.
"Haha." Draco dryly laughed, turning to Harry a bright smile washing over his face. \
"Sooo." Harry began, not knowing where to start.
"Sorry about everything." Draco rushed then, feeling slightly embarrassed now.
"Hey it's okay, look i don't know everything that has happened but i know that it must be hard, a Malfoy friends with a Potter, your dad can't be too happy about that."
Draco sighed again and sat down at a desk, Harry pulled up a chair and sat opposite him, giving Draco a patient and understanding look.
"It was okay for a while, but then he found out about…" Draco repressed a shiver, "he who must not be named and what had happened at Hogwarts. After that everything just changed."
Harry listened intently now, he wanted to hold Draco's hand, to give him a sign of support but didnt think Draco would appreciate it at that moment.
"Then he found out well about me being there and helping you, he was so mad at me, a Malfoy helping stop the Darklord… it was almost blasphemy. I was told to stop all contact with you and all my mail was to be checked, I couldn't even sneak out letters. I was being monitored that closely."
"Were you the one that sent Dobby?" Harry asked now.
Draco hesitated, did he lie and act dumb or be honest and tell Harry about the book that his father planted?
His Slytherin side one.
"Dobby? Dobby who?" Draco put on a dumb air, hoping that Harry would fall for it.
Harry gave him a suspicious look, but his Gryffindor trust must have won and he lost the suspicion.
"A house elf came to me over the summer, told me that Hogwarts was too dangerous for me to go to and even locked off the wall to the platform, well at least i think he did."
Draco now understood how Dobby had delayed Harry and grew a new awe for elf magic.
"Couldn't have been me, our house elves are fully loyal to my father, has the elf tried contacting you since?"
Harry shook his head, "no he hasn't, maybe he was punished because he failed? I hope not, kind of like the little guy." A worried expression momentarily took over his face, then Harry changed the conversation.
"So what's going to happen now? Is it going to have to be like this for the rest of the year? Stealing conversations here and there?" Harry gave Draco a slightly dejected look, one that said that he didn't want that, but Draco had no choice but to agree.
Draco nodded and Harry's shoulders fell. "I will try and sort things out with my father, I'll figure something out, but for the moment we're going to have to seem like we aren't friends anymore, I'm sorry Harry, you know i don't want this either."
They continued conversing, catching each other up the time that they had lost. Draco promised himself that he would figure out how to make this work, that he knew he wouldn't be able to suffer losing Harry. However, he couldn't lose his family either. He had to find a balance somehow.
They spent hours just talking and by the time they realised the time it was nearly curfew.
"Time to go," Harry sighed, feeling reluctant to leave.
"We need to figure out how to tell each other when we want to meet." Draco said, collecting his cloak and wrapping it around his shoulders.
"I'll ask Hermione, I'll talk to them about this, I'm sure they'll understand, maybe even they will come up with something to help."
Draco wanted to tell Harry to not tell his friends, but he already was asking Harry to hide this friendship and he knew it wouldn't be fair for him to also hide this from his friends, so he smiled and nodded. He trusted Hermione and Ron to a certain extent so it should be fine. Draco snuck out first, cloaked in the invisibility cloak and then Harry followed, trying to act casual incase anyone was lingering around, thankfully no one was and he was able to sneak quietly back to his dorm.
The diary that was now secured in Dracos trunk hummed with anticipation, the magic could feel that it was to be used, its pages eagerly awaiting for the ink to scar its pages and to entrap a soul within.