Cyrusys 2

Harry entered the Great Hall to find Ron pondering the mysteries of his coffee. He was clearly one with the universe, but not at home.

"Where's Lavender?" Harry asked.

"Who? Oh, yea. No idea. When do we have Potions?" Ron asked with a rather absent-minded tone…his mind still not all in the same place or plane of reality.

"About 20-minutes, Mate." 'Wait! That's also 20-minutes until I see Malfoy. I need to think of how to deal with this…this…whatever.'

"You look pensive, mate. Something the matter?"

"Nope, just not looking forward to class. So what's with you and Lavender? Had a row?"

"Nope, just getting bored."

"Howz dat?" Harry said through a piece of muffin he was inhaling.

"Well, you know. Just…there is nothing between us other than the physical stuff, like no real connection." Once again, the spaced out look enveloped Ron's features.

"Well…" Harry didn't get a chance to complete his reassuring statement. He started choking violently on his muffin. Draco had just walked in the hall and gave him a challenging stare. His usual air of superiority was now shaded with hints of smugness and pride. Clearly he was feeling better about life now that he had some success in his never-ending quest to fuck with 'Potter.' It took Harry five huge gulps of hot honey-tea to clear his passageway of crumbs and blueberry chunks. But unfortunately, in the time it took to regain his composure, the episode had caught the attention of many surrounding Gryffindor's. He gave a weak smile to divert their eyes away from his 'muffin incident'.

"Harry, you alright? You're a right nasty shade of red!" Harry was thankful Ron was talking low, the last thing he needed was pity from his best friend to add to the embarrassment he was feeling under the questioning looks from his housemates.

"Um, yea, fine. Listen, Ron, I am going to get a head start, I…left my books in the dorm." Thinking on the spot was never one of Harry's fortes, but he was desperate to have time to form an idea as to how to deal with Malfoy.

After running into his dorm and nabbing an extra ink-well (simply to ease his conscience about 'lying' to Ron,) Harry dashed out of the portrait hole for the second time that morning. He had all his books for the day weighing him down. He figured that the less time he spend running around for books and whatnot, the more time he could spend conspiring.

But before he could round the corner of the last corridor towards Defense Against the Dark Arts, he was pulled from midair into a small hallway that before the aggressive introduction, Harry was not aware of it even existing.

He let out a small grunt at being slammed face first into the stonewall and having his hands pinned above his head, effectively immobilizing him. Then, there was the most intrusive act of the encounter, a rather hasty hand groping around in Harry's school bag. It was at this point Harry had a clue at what was being done to him, and in a desperate and unintentional act of retaliation, he kicked back hard against the wall, throwing not only him, but his attacker to the ground.

"AND you're a pathetic fighter? Shit. Potter, I can not believe everyone else thinks you are even capable of being a hero." The sneer coupled with the fastest act of mounting in ground-fighting history was elegantly executed before Harry saw Malfoy's face. For the second time that morning, Harry was being forcefully introduced to a stone surface with someone's assistance.

"What do you want this time Mrrrrrrffffhhh…"

"Your book," Harry felt the extraction of a weighty object from his bag, "And now, I have it."

Harry tried to say something, but he found his tie had been removed during the scramble and was currently gagging him. He rolled over and found Malfoy gone. This was the most defiled Harry had ever felt in his life. He had not only lost his Invisibility Cloak and his prized Potions book to Malfoy, but was also now on the stone floor being silenced by his own tie. He didn't want to cry. He wanted to get revenge in the worst way possible.

Potions was spent trying not to catapult across the room and land a punch on Malfoy's pale face. Harry was fuming in the back of the class, stuck at a table with some previously unknown Hufflepuffs. He was late, did not have his greatly assisting book, could not escape the worried glances from Hermione and Ron (respectively) inquiring about his tardiness and worst, did not have any clue as to how to make the drought Slughorn had assigned. So, once again, relying on his poor impromptu skills, asked Slughorn to release him on the grounds of a headache and mild nausea.

"My dear Harry. Of course you may leave, since I know this is probably too easy an assignment for you anyway. Carpe Diem my boy and feel better," Slughorn said easily. With a nod of thanks, Harry was off. But before the door could close, he could clearly see Draco's cold, grey eyes knowingly looking at him. Bastard.

After all the days classes had ended, Harry did not emerge from the Common Room until dinnertime, which was spent in an awkward silence between Ron and Hermione. Harry was at a loss for an idea. He resigned to bed after the main course; anything sweet just did not meet his fancy at the moment. However, having spent all afternoon and early evening in the Common Room, there was little that could catch his interest. Ron was snogging Lavender in their shared dorm room, and Hermione would not stop asking about his health, absence, and creating small talk carefully dancing around the topic of 'Won-Won.' In what could be considered a very stupid act, Harry once again left the Gryffindor Tower after dark, this time without his Invisibility Cloak.

'I must be thoroughly desperate,' Harry thought as he strolled down the same corridor that he chased Malfoy down last night in a futile attempt to retrieve his cloak. He entered the same bathroom, and was not nearly as surprised as he should have been.

"Evening, Potter"

"Malfoy."

"So, trying to bargain for your stuff back?"

"Nope, just trying to not get bored."

"What?"

"Nothing," Harry said under his breath.

There was a long pause, in which Harry strolled over to the windowsill, passing Malfoy without looking at him. Harry gave up in that moment. He gave up subtlety, finesse, and strategy. He just wanted answers.

"Malfoy?"

"I am still here, Potter."

"Why not come over to the light?"

"Pardon? You want me to join you and Dumbledore? Get a grip. You saw my arm."

"Yes, but you can turn spy for us!"

"Unlike Snape, I had a birth right to the mark. Some things are just chosen for you."

"You're telling this to the 'Chosen One'?" Potter said sarcastically. "Take your concepts about prior assignment and shove them up your ass, Malfoy. I got a scar from your Master before I could walk. You received the mark recently, right? You could have refused, you HAD a choice.

"LIKE HELL I DID! My father would have killed me before the Dark Lord could if I refused. You AND I escaped our deaths by taking these marks. You know nothing about my world, Potter. You can't win."

"We will win. We are stronger, and we are right. I will not fail in killing Voldemort."

"Shut up."

Harry had it. He walked over to Malfoy and punched him hard in the jaw. But instead of returning the attack, Draco simply spit out the blood then regained his composure and former position against a sink, merely looking inquisitively at Harry.

"And that solves what, Harry?"

"A small amount of my anger."

"Anger at what? You're not the one who is taking drugs for stress. You're not the one who has to…" Draco went silent. He turned to the window and took a deep breath.

"Sorry." Harry said silently. Draco just looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "For punching you."

"It's normal."

"How so?"

"Enemies fight and hit each other. See? Normal." Draco's speech had become hushed and low. Harry though he heard a hitch in his tone as well.

"Draco? You alright?"

"Like you give a damn."

"I…Well. Sorry."

"Sure thing." Draco started to leave, not looking Harry in the eye.

"Wait! I want my cloak and book back."

"Like Hell."

"Malfoy, listen, I need that book."

"I know…to think the great Harry Potter has been cheating for over half a year. Tut-tut, Potter." Harry went pale at this. It was time for the silver bullet.

"Give me the book and the cloak, and I won't tell anyone about your little branding, Malfoy." At once Draco rounded on Harry and stared at him to intensely that Harry shrunk a bit in his place.

"No, you won't."

"Wanna bet on that?"

"Want to die at my hands instead of Lord Voldemort's?"

"You don't have it in you, Malfoy."

"Fuck you, Potter."

Again there was a long silence, in which the air was thick with tension, questions, and danger. Harry decided that what he did was a bad move. For the first time, he was mildly scared of Draco, and he knew Draco saw it in his eyes. 'So much for Gryffindor courage.'

"Draco, your mouth is still bleeding." Draco simply smiled and let out a little laugh. The blood was seen around his teeth and on his tongue, adding to his hysterical appearance. Then he started laughing a little louder until it echoed around the bathroom. "You're insane. Shit, Draco, have you lost your mind?" Now Harry was definitely scared. He had pushed a Death Eater over the edge…