Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Just a heads-up: this chapter contains very blatant hints of the Draco/Harry persuasion. If you do not like this couple, you are reading the wrong fic. However, if you do not like this couple but still insist on reading, then read at your own risk and don't complain to me. With that bit of business aside…enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. huddles in a corner Why do you insist on rubbing that in?

"Speech"
'Thought'
/Parseltongue/

Harry sat morosely on the Owlery floor, a tear making its way unbidden down his cheek. Aurum had wrapped herself around his neck the instant he'd stopped running, hissing words of comfort into his ear. Hedwig, sensing her master's distress, had flown down from her rafter as he sat and perched herself upon one drawn-up knee. Both were still in those positions several minutes later.

/Why couldn't I control myself?/ he hissed furiously. /At this rate, I'll kill my friends before Voldemort does./

/It isn't your fault, Harry/ his snake replied. /If Weasley hadn't riled you up to that point, or if he had stopped when you tried to end the verbal confrontation, the whole thing could have been avoided./

/But what about Hermione? I should have been paying enough attention to see her reaching out to touch me./

/Angry. Not notice. Accident/ Hedwig answered in disjointed Parseltongue, startling Harry out of his guilt for a moment.

"Since when do you speak Parseltongue?" Harry asked her in bewilderment, not perceiving that he'd switched back to English.

Hedwig cocked her head before hissing back, /Summer. Snake come. Master talk more often. I learn./

/I taught her on some nights while you were still asleep. Hedwig is a fast learner, for a Flyer/ Aurum added, wishing to keep Harry distracted.

Of course, Harry, being Harry, felt his guilt return. /Oh. What happened was still my fault, though. I should be able to control my bloody emotions by now. Snape's right; I'm nothing but a weak adolescent fool!/

Hedwig nipped his ear sharply as Aurum replied. /You did control your emotions. I did not wish to tell you before now, but you and I are beginning to bond, as you and Hedwig have. I could feel that you were much more angry than you let on./

/But-/

"So, Potter. Hiding in the Owlery speaking in Tongues? How quaint."

A small smile pasted itself on Harry's face in spite of himself. "Fuck off, Malfoy," he replied, lacking the bite such a dismissal would have once contained. He flinched as he felt the other boy sit next to him.

"So she's your owl?" Harry glanced to the side just long enough to see Draco looking admirably at Hedwig. "She's beautiful." Hedwig imperiously ruffled her feathers and gave an appreciative hoot. "Smart, too."

/I like him/ the owl hissed happily.

Draco blinked. "Did she just hiss?" This comment forced Harry to look up. He met Draco's gaze, then went back to staring at Hedwig.

"Yeah. Evidentially, she saw fit to begin learning Parseltongue and keep it secret until now."

"It figures that the snake-hearted lion would have a snake-hearted owl," Draco chuckled, the expression on his face quickly becoming serious. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Harry snorted. "After throwing a temper tantrum worthy of a three-year-old and burning one of my best friends? I'm just bloody peachy."

"For the record, none of that is really your fault."

"You have no clue how much you sound like Aurum and Hedwig right now."

"Aurum's smart too, then. As much as I hate to admit it, you're a powerful wizard with a lot of magic flowing through his veins, Harry. Sometimes, it just needs to be released. It would have happened eventually. As for your burning Granger, that was her fault. Common sense should have told her not to try to touch someone who's on fire."

Harry thought about the incident and what Draco said for a moment, then his eyes widened in horror. "But you touched me as well! Didn't I burn you, too?"

Draco gave a soft smile, one that, though seldom seen, looked like it belonged on his face. "No. You can see for yourself."

Harry grasped the proffered hand and inspected it thoroughly, looking for the slightest sign of a burn. Finding none, he looked up at Draco in shocked awe. "How?"

"You remember today in Ancient Runes, when Professor Babbling was talking about how some people are born with an elemental rune as a birthmark?" When Harry nodded, he continued. "Well, it turns out that I was born with the mark for water, even though I didn't know it before today. I think its powers may have protected me from the fire."

"Can I see it?" Harry asked tentatively. Draco nodded and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt, allowing him to pull the collar so that his left shoulder was displayed. There, Harry saw a small pale mark in the shape of a drop of water, obviously the elemental rune for water.

Draco pulled up his collar and re-buttoned his shirt after a minute. "So, shall we go see Granger in the Infirmary now?"

Harry paled dramatically. "No, I can't!"

"I thought I already explained that she doesn't blame you," Draco said in exasperation. "I give you my word that Granger isn't mad at you. Will you come now?"

"I guess." Harry muttered reluctantly.

Draco stood and extended his hand to Harry. After Hedwig had flapped to the windowsill, he allowed himself to be pulled up. He turned to the snowy owl.

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better. I don't know what I'd do without you, girl."

Hedwig hooted in response and flew out the window, clearly eager to hunt. As Draco pulled him towards the door, he entwined his fingers with Harry's. While most of Harry was confused by this show of affection, for he knew that was what the action was, a small buried part of him trilled happily. Pushing both feelings aside, he allowed himself to be drug from his sanctuary and back into the real world and, in his mind, his persecution.

XXXXXXXX

The few students who saw the peculiar duo must have been too shocked to comment, Harry decided. Honestly, he would be too, and was to a certain extent. He and Draco certainly must have looked odd walking down the corridors with clasped hands and a snake wrapped around Harry's neck.

After what felt like an eternity of being gawked at like an animal on display, they arrived at the Hospital Wing. Harry froze, unable to force himself to move. Draco threw him an exasperated glance and gave an insistent tug on the hand he was holding, forcing him through the door.

"Hello, Madame Pomfrey. Is Hermione Granger still here?"

The Mediwitch nodded and directed them to a bed at the back, away from the others. Draco thanked her and pulled Harry in the indicated direction. By the time they reached the surrounding curtains, he was a panicked mess. He shifted to put the blonde between himself and his friends in an act of uncharacteristic timidity as they moved through the thin cloth barrier.

"Harry?"

He peeked around Draco when he heard the quiet voice, then retreated when he caught sight of Hermione. It wasn't because she was hideously burned that he backed away, because she wasn't, really; rather, it was because she looked completely unharmed save for the bandages around her right hand.

"Harry, please don't do this."

He glared when Draco stepped to the side, though he was pleased to note that the other boy remained close at hand. Now he had no choice but to look at Hermione, so he did. Green met brown in an unblinking stare before Harry turned away.

"I'm so, so sorry," he muttered earnestly, tears threatening to form yet again.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I knew logically that I shouldn't have touched you, knew what the consequences would be. But I did anyway because I was worried, for both you and Ron. So don't you dare apologize for me worrying about you, Harry Potter!"

Harry nodded and, before he fully comprehended his actions, moved forward and locked Hermione in a fierce embrace, making Draco smirk at the success of his own handiwork.

"If it's any consolation, the whole 'engulfed in flames while in a rage' look works for you."

Everyone in the room turned to gape at Ginny, who had been sitting by Hermione's bed, unnoticed, during the whole reconciliation. Harry and Hermione burst into a fit of semi-hysterical laughter at their friend's comment, while Draco gave a snicker of amusement at both the youngest Weasley's comment and her method of making amends.

Harry was the first of the laughing duo to regain coherence. "Only you, Ginny," he said blithely, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Only you."

Said girl's only response was to beam happily and nod in agreement, starting another bout of laughter.

'Well,' Harry thought while his laughter died down into quiet snickers. 'At least my friends don't hate me after what happened, even if the rest of the school does.'

Author's Notes: I had several questions in the reviews of last chapter. I know that this chapter answered at least one question, if no more. Some people will probably be asking why Harry forgave Ginny, so I will go ahead and explain that now. The Harry in my fic has something of a three-strike policy with his friends. If they turn on him three times, then that's it. Last chapter was Ginny's first strike, and that only happened because she was (understandably, in my opinion) freaked out. This made it easy for her to forgive Harry. Now Ron, on the other hand…

I was shocked at the response last chapter received over such a short period of time. Imagine my shock when there was a flood of reviews when I opened my inbox for about two days straight! I'd just like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who's reading this fic.

Thanks to the chapter 11 reviewers:

Natasha AKA Tash
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