I hope you are all enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it.
Gotten well over 2,000 hits so far but a little disappointed in the lack of reviews. I'll keep writing as long as I have readers but it's nice to hear a reader's thoughts.
Without further adieu!
Chapter 9...
Harry turned around to see Draco smiling in satisfaction.
"What?" He asked he managed to keep his voice steady, just.
"You were talking in your sleep last night" he smirked, forcing Harry's breath from him.
Harry studied him for a moment before nodding. "What did you hear?".
"Enough" the words came out with a smug satisfaction. Harry cursed his own stupidity. He should have prepared himself for this but then, maybe he could convince Draco otherwise.
"Hurry up and get ready, I'm on my way to the Owlry". Draco's eyes widened and he was dressed and ready within minutes and they left the common room.
Neither spoke as they made their way up the corridors and up the tower that held the Owlry. Harry had to poke Hedwig awake. He attached the letter to her leg and leaving her turned back to see Malfoy staring at the letter he was sending.
"What did you hear?" Harry asked.
Draco grinned. "Oh not much, just that you were talking to that Conor kid telling him to run that the Dark Lord was after him" Harry's heart started to thump faster. "You also told him that if the Dark Lord found out then he would not stop until he found him".
"Found out what exactly?"
Draco shrugged. "You didn't say".
Harry relaxed a little and turned to fiddle with the leather tie on Hedwig's leg. Once ready she took off past them out the open door. So Malfoy hadn't heard anything important. Conor was safe.
"I knew it!" Draco laughed "He's the reason you joined Slytherin isn't he? Why would you care about him though, he's just another student, or is he?" Harry glared, but inside his heart felt like a vice. It thumped so loudly that Harry was sure Draco could hear it.
Think quick, say anything, the longer you take to reply the more he'll suspect. Draco cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Look I'm only in Slytherin to stop you giving him a hard time" Harry admitted and it was mostly true. Draco however didn't seem to buy it. He smirked.
"Yeah, aha, sure" Harry frowned but Draco dropped the subject then. "Well we might as well head down to the Great Hall for breakfast seen as we're already up".
Harry huffed and sidestepped Malfoy to exit. "Look just because I'm in Slytherin, it doesn't change a thing".
"I don't think the Dark Lord sees it that way".
Harry's foot paused on the second stone step. He was glad he had his back to Draco, all the color gone from his face. Harry felt Malfoy step up behind him and tensed. "You were always meant to be in Slytherin, it's in your blood" He lent in to Harry's ear "Dwell on that for a while".
Harry watched horrified as Malfoy continued down the stairs without so much as glancing back at him. Harry's mind raced.
What had that meant? "I don't think the Dark Lord see it that way". Was Draco hinting to Harry that Voldemort thought Harry still capable of falling into the trap of the Dark Arts, even after all Harry had been through to disprove that last year? With a sickening jump in his stomach Harry remember the comment of the letter. Voldemort had promised he'd see him soon. Did that mean he would come for Harry again, try to take him away?
Not feeling up for the waking Slytherin's in the common room, and knowing it was too early for Ron or Hermione to be up Harry made his way down to the Great Hall.
Only a few students peppered the house tables of the Great Hall but everyone of them looked up at Harry as he entered. Harry twitched and spotting Conor at the Slytherin table made his way over. Draco Malfoy wasn't present.
Conor perked up and hastily chewed his mouthful of breakfast as Harry took a seat opposite him.
"Hey where were you?" he asked. "I tried to call you but weren't in your room".
Harry pushed away the breakfast plate that had appeared in front of him. "Just visiting Hedwig in the Owlry".
Conor frowned and lent closer to him. His eyebrows dipped in a v. "You look like you haven't slept in days".
Harry was aware of the black circles under his eyes and his form was limp.
"Just had trouble sleeping was all" He smiled wryly and picked up a slice of toast, arguing with his queezy stomach that he needed to keep his sugar levels up.
By the time he left the Great Hall, returned to the Slytherin Common room and gathered his books Harry was late for his first class with Snape.
His burst in the door to the class room panting. Snape's dark eyes narrowed on him but he simply pointed to the desk at the front where Draco was seated.
Harry was in shock. Being a Slytherin certainly had it's advantages. Any other day Snape would have docked points or given him detention.
"A shall now repeat myself for the benefit of Mr Potter" Harry groaned, he spoke too soon.
"Today we will be making Veritaserum, the truth potion. Everyone will work in pairs with the student beside you. As you well know no doubt Veritaserum takes a month to brew. For the purposes of this classes in testing the potions I have given you all semi-complete potions. The Veritaserum will be usable by the end of this class. Use chapter six of your books. You may begin".
Harry's gaze slipped to Ron and Hermione who were sending him confused looks.
Concentrating back on the task before him, Draco took up some plant roots and began to chop them while Harry began to read from the book. Snape began his rounds and while he bullied Neville, Ron managed to scamper over to him.
"Your potion is too liquidly Longbottom" Snape hissed.
Ron ducked low "Hey didn't see you at breakfast. Why is Snape being nice to you?".
Harry shrugged "I don't know but it's rather scary isn't it? He probably just doesn't want to dock points from Slytherin".
Ron chuckled "Yeah. Anyway do you want to come down to Hagrid's after this? Me and Hermione are going to say hi".
Harry nodded and Ron frowned at Malfoy who was listening into the conversation.
"Weasley! Get back to your own cauldron. Ten points from Gryffindor".
Ron scampered.
Harry gathered some chopped root and dropped it into the potion and took a pinch of the beeswax powder and added it.
Draco sniffed it and stirred it three times clockwise, then counter clockwise six times. The potion turned clear and Draco smiled. "I'd say that's just about ready now. We need to test it" He turned to look at Harry blankly. Harry laughed at him.
"I'm not drinking that!" He pushed the ladle away from. "You drink it".
Draco winced "Fine I will". His lips lowered to the ladle and he slurped up the clear liquid.
A wide grin spread slowly over Harry's lips as Draco's face went blank. What luck!
Deciding to take full advantage of the situation he quietly asked Malfoy what he'd Harry say in his sleep the night before.
In a monotonous voice Draco replied what he'd already told Harry in the Owlry.
"And did you hear me say anything else?" Harry leeched. "Did you hear me say why I really changed houses?".
"Yes" Harry choked on his own breath. He gripped Draco unnecessarily by the robes.
"W-What did you hear me say?" Harry hearing the panic in his own voice made him flinch.
Malfoy blinked repeatedly and recognition came into his eyes. He gazed down at Harry's hands gripping his robes and frowned. Harry let him go knowing the potion had warn off. Harry return to glare at his book.
"Well?" Draco asked.
"Yeah, the potion works fine". Harry drolled out. Malfoy had heard more and Harry had no idea how he was going to get the information out of him other than to just ask him. He sighed as he realized that even if he agreed Draco could probably just lie about it anyway.
Malfoy held up a hand to catch attention and Snape strolled over to their desk.
"It works sir, and we've tested it". Harry felt Snape's gaze on him but didn't look up.
"Very well. Five points to Slytherin". After a few minutes Harry looked up to see Snape still standing there staring at him with narrowed eyes. "Stay behind after class". He strode away leaving Harry puzzled.
"So tell me," Came Draco's voice beside him. "What did you ask me?".
Harry frowned. He looked around to make sure they weren't being overheard and keeping his voice low hissed "What did you really hear me say last night Draco, huh? I know you heard me say more, you admitted it".
A smile tugged at the corners of Draco's twisted lips. "Oh just that Dumbledore placed you in Slytherin and that you were afraid of what it meant because in first year the sorting hat was going to do it anyway, but you asked it not to".
Harry sighed with relief. "That's it?" Harry asked.
Draco shook his head "You also muttered something about the Dursley's is it?" He grinned. "They don't seem very nice".
Harry snorted "You try living with them" he muttered.
As Snape dismissed them Draco took up his things and exited. Harry made his way over to Ron and Hermione to explain he'd follow them down.
As the last student left Harry watched Snape bottling Liquids and approached. Snape looked up as he did and leaned back against a desk arms crossed.
"What happened Potter?" Harry sighed, he wasn't surprised Snape could tell something was wrong. His eyes felt gritty like scratching posts.
"Sir, I'm wondering if you wouldn't have a sleeping drought you could give me" Harry asked.
Snape cocked an eyebrow making his abnormally large nose more proportioned to his face.
"Oh? Explain".
"I'd have thought that was obvious, I haven't been getting much sleep sir".
Ignoring the cheek Snape stood up and uncrossed his arms, coal black eyes on Harry's green ones.
"That's not just it, is it? If you want it Potter you'll tell me the truth"
Harry glared in annoyance "Draco Malfoy heard me talking in my sleep. He didn't hear much but I can't let anything slip about Conor, sir" Harry expected Snape to smirk at his incompetence, to goad him or at least make a stab at how he was as unreliable as his father but to Harry's surprise he did not.
"Then what you need Potter is a dreamless sleeping drought". The dark Professor strolled around his desk. He opened a draw and withdrew a little pruple glass vile. He handed it to Harry.
"That will only be a temporary solution. Come see me later and I'll have something a little more lasting".
Harry nodded, inserted in his pocket and turned to leave.
"I hear Sirius will be returning to teach in the school within the next month". Harry paused and looked back at Snape. His lips were tight. "Be honest, you and your friends helped him escape last year, didn't you?".
Harry stared at him, then reached for the door handle. "Thank you professor".
I won't keep you long waiting for the next installment.
Check back in between about 2-6 hours.