Destruction like fire…

And fire was what Harry was watching, flickering up before his eyes, consuming everything within it's path as it spread through the halls of Hogwarts, several kilometres away. For once, the wizard was being somewhat sensible, standing back and allowing the fire to do as it wished, go where it pleased.

He didn't know how he'd come to this point. This point in time, yes, but this point in space… no idea.

By that, he knew what had driven him to hate those who he had once loved, to torture and murder those who had supported him, and pushed him to grasp the Dark Arts and twist and bend them to his will. How he had got from the bottom of the Astronomy tower to here, standing by the Forbidden Forest, however, he had absolutely no idea. He had no idea how he had suddenly stood, brushed down his clothing, and began to walk calmly towards the Forest, leaving no sign behind him that he had ever been there except a slight indentation in the rain-softened ground and a few small blood stains. All he could remember was a vague disappointment in being unable to fly.

Harry guessed it didn't matter, as the flames reached the second floor and licked up the outer walls, feeding on stone, ivy, glass, desks, chairs… and the bodies of those who had fallen, heroes of the war teaching the next generation all they knew, children skipping classes due to a lack of completed homework or a dislike of the subject, even those sitting attentively at desks scribbling notes as fast as they could. How he had survived wasn't of importance, what was important was that he was. And now, he could continue to live his life how he wanted, not how everyone else told him to live it.

He turned away, he didn't need to see the fire spreading to know when it had reached the top floor and the bodies of his previous family and friends were lost forever. A glint of something shiny could be seen in the Forbidden Forest, and with a casual flick of the wand Harry sent a Killing Curse towards it. The creature, a unicorn, fell to the ground with one last neigh, a whinny of panic that would undoubtedly send the others of it's kind running in fear for their lives. Smart creatures, Harry thought dully, before feeling the now-familiar pulse of energy that ran through him. He turned on the spot, and let out a loud whoop of exultation at the sight of the beautiful castle lit up with flames, hellcats of fire scrambling up the turrets and towers and screeching their message from the highest points of the school.

The era of Hogwarts was over. Fiendfyre wasn't something that was easy to get rid of, and yet, as Harry raised one hand and cut it abruptly across his throat, the flames died down, still burning, allowing him to see the ruined building that had once been such a magnificent home of learning. He threw his head back and laughed manically, a small voice in the back of his mind wondering if this was how Sirius Black had been laughing when he'd been captured by the Ministry of Magic so many years ago. The rest of the voices in Harry's mind merely shrugged their nonexistent shoulders and instead focussed on another movement in the Forest.

Harry turned, wary, his wand raised, but he shot no spell at the movement. He saw no need to, for some reason, the presence wasn't one that irritated him, as so many others did. He took a step backwards and waved a hand absentmindedly in the direction of the flames, and they instantly died, smoke pouring from the destroyed pillars and walls, the floors having collapsed in on each other shortly after the fire had begun, although the towers and turrets remained, remarkably, upright, despite being torn apart by the flames and the hellcats that had climbed them and were now slumbering amongst the ashes, waiting to be reawakened, or else to remain in sleep forever.

"Friend or foe of Hogwarts?" He called, although he didn't expect an answer. Harry was surprised, therefore, when a tall male of slender build stepped from the trees, steely grey eyes fixed upon Harry's face, ignoring his wand entirely.

"Foe." Replied the voice of Draco Malfoy, and whilst he and Malfoy had never been on terribly good terms, Harry nodded slightly, tilting his head to the side and watching as the other male drew closer. His first impression was that Malfoy looked tired. His clothes were as expensive and beautifully tailored as ever, his cloak was only slightly stained by travel, and he looked as manicured and clean as he always did. However, the subtle differences were those that Harry noticed the most, the faint shadows beneath Malfoy's otherwise sharp eyes, slightly sharper cheekbones than usual, his hair hanging almost lank over his face. "Stop staring, Potter, and come with me." Malfoy snapped, before turning and beginning to walk away, cloak swaying slightly as he walked.

Harry blinked. He looked over his shoulder, at the still smoking wreckage of the buildings, then looked ahead once more, at Malfoy's retreating back. Unsure of quite what he was doing, and why he was doing it, he then began to trot along obediently, scampering slightly in an attempt to catch up with the long-legged male. "You're really pretty." He blurted out suddenly, narrowing his eyes as Malfoy raised an eyebrow and glanced down at him. "You know what I mean. I never noticed before, all that much, but you're really pretty."

"Potter, the only reason I can think of for you to be saying this is that the smoke from the flames got into your mind and addled your thinking." The voices in Harry's head yelled at Malfoy to go screw himself, and as though he could hear them, the blond rolled his eyes and smirked. "And the only remedy I can think for that is for you to shut up." He continued, still striding along annoyingly fast, leaving Harry to jog along with two steps to every one of Malfoy's.

Harry didn't speak, instead simply concentrating all his energy on following Malfoy through the trees. They had long ago left the path, and although he was sure that he'd be safe with Malfoy, Harry wasn't too keen on meeting the centaur herd. Surely they would have witnessed the burning of the school, would have heard the agonized screams of the pupils and teachers alike. And even if they had banished him, Firenze was still one of them… they wouldn't react well to meeting his murderer, Harry was sure. After a while, therefore, he spoke up, still scampering behind Malfoy. "Where are we going?"

He almost flinched under the gaze that Malfoy gave him, but the memories of his friends screaming and begging for mercy, oddly enough, gave him strength, and he met the stare head on, until Malfoy conceded gracefully, nodding his approval. "Malfoy Manor." Harry couldn't hide his surprise.

"Malfoy Manor? But that's not here! Where is it? Where are we really going? Where are you taking me?" Malfoy sighed as Harry kept up the questioning, managing to word it differently each time, and eventually turned round and silenced the inquisitive male by dragging him closer and into a somewhat forceful kiss, one hand moving to Harry's back, the other resting on his waist. He continued to kiss him for a few more seconds before pulling away and pretending nothing had happened, continuing to walk whilst Harry staggered along behind him, dazed and confused.

They continued that way, in an oddly comfortable silence, for about an hour more. Then, pushing his way through the undergrowth and kicking at a rabbit that didn't move fast enough, Malfoy gestured for Harry to go ahead. There was a clearing ahead, empty except for a completely still pool of water that seemed eerily deep, surrounded by a ring of stone that seemed to twitch every time anything came near it, including small things like leaves. "Through there." Malfoy nodded to the pool, and Harry blinked but moved forwards anyway, leaning over the ring of stone that was twitching and wriggling madly, apparently distraught at how close the movements were, although not physically touching him at any point. Again, Malfoy seemed to grow impatient somewhat soon, and reached out, pushing Harry roughly forwards and smirking as the male tripped over the ring and slid smoothly, but not at all gracefully, under the water.

Harry thrashed round in the water for a few minutes, before beginning to giggle, closing his eyes and breathing deeply as he sank below the surface. Opening his eyes and continuing to breathe, his vision swam and he saw for only just long enough to see Malfoy dive in after him before he suddenly emerged from the pool, perfectly dry, coughing up the water that had made it's way to his lungs. Glancing round, it took him a moment or so to realise that they were no longer in the forest, but in an impossibly large entrance hall, the floor paved with what looked to be thin sheets of gold nestling atop a stone floor. Malfoy emerged beside Harry and led him from the pool, opening his arms wide and gesturing round at the lush surroundings.

"Welcome to my home."

I continued it... heh.

To be honest, I saw no reason not to, other than that like the others, this fiction may not be updated terribly regularly.

I do have one thing to say, however, and that is this - before anybody comments saying that Harry reacts differently around Draco, yes, I know.

At the time, I was annoyed with myself for this, but there is a reason, and it will be revealed in later chapters.

Maybe.

Until then, and for now, enjoy the update.