A/N: Like I said, updated by the end of the month :) I could've written more, but it must go to the next chapter! As you probably guessed from the title of this chapter already, it is inspired by Adam Sandler's movie "DOn't mess with the Zohann." Don't know how I though of this chapter's title...just came to me one day and it was fun to write. Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Don't Mess with the Boggart

Draco gaped at where Ron had "sunk" into the floor. Only his bent wand was left in his place. Other than that, there was no sign of Ron anywhere as Draco swivelled his head from left to right. He searched in hopes of the red-head magically reappearing, but this did not happen. Instead, the shadows continued to move like fishes in water along the floors and walls of the room– never stopping and changing as if nothing had happened.

Disturbed and confused by the situation, Draco cautiously stepped back after picking up Ron's wand; that was when he noticed that there was only a large black wardrobe in the room. There were, in fact, no books or the desk like it was supposed to be on as Hermione's instructions had described. Realizing that he had been tricked (or lied to) by Hermione, Draco let out a low growl, but he didn't know what to do with Ron missing or the peculiar situation he was in.

"Weasley!" Draco barked, not expecting an answer but doing it anyways. From the pit of Draco's stomach, he felt a sinking feeling and even apprehension. Silence answered him however, at that moment, all the aimless shadows directed themselves towards the old furniture. Draco's grip on the wand tightened as he watched in shock – the wardrobe seemed to seep with black dust now and the room temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. Then when the battered doors of the wardrobe squeaked open, Draco was faced with the last person he would ever see in the Black Manor.

"You…!"Draco managed to say with a trembled breath.

Voldemort stood before him as grotesque as he had always been. He loomed over Draco, his taught pale skin stretching from the smile he formed on his face. This day came too soon. Chilled to the bone, Draco nonetheless reacted quickly and drew his wand at Voldemort, who in turn, also, lifted his wand against the blonde. As they glared at one another, Draco could feel his blood run cold yet, there was also hatred that burned within him. When there was no action like Draco had anticipated, he grew suspicious by the absence of other Deatheaters and by Voldemort's silence. This wasn't a raid on the mansion. If there was one thing Draco knew about Voldemort, it was that old snake loved to talk with and mock at his victims. Then Draco it dawned on Draco what he truly facing.

It was a tricky situation but, Draco still found it in his heart to think about it as he cried out "Ridiculous!"

With a shimmer and pop that lit up the entirety of the dark room, Voldemort was dressed in a boy's sailor suit uniform that was obviously much too small for him. The shirt stretched on Voldemort's bony shoulders and stuck tightly above his chest, leaving his belly exposed. His shorts might as well have been speedos while white socks only went up halfway on his shins. As for his shoes, his heels stuck out. Despite his embarrassing look, Voldemort wore a face that glowed – even his eyes sparkled.

Draco watched in pure disgust as Voldemort swivelled around, his hips slightly jutting out, as he turned to meet a crowd of girls (in their school uniforms) that had the same amount of sparkles and glows as him. They surrounded him like rabid fans – screaming and crying out in happiness as they touched him and took pictures of him (which Voldemort happily posed for). All the while, Draco was pretty sure there were faint flowers floating everywhere…

Even though Voldemort was his nemesis, Draco managed to give a small laugh. The next scene however, was one that would take his breath away.

The room seemed to morph and when it gave a low rumbling sound, Draco stopped laughing completely as the ridiculous scene disappeared and was replaced by green smoke. As it cleared away, there was nothing Draco could've done to prepare for what he saw next. There he was standing before him with a desperate and hollow face. Draco could see his apparition form the words "NOOO!" and the killing curse that followed after that.

Draco automatically side-stepped the shot of neon thunder that burst from the wand of his artificial self; the blonde knew all too well who it would hit, but he followed it with his eyes anyways. Draco's head turned and he could feel his chest constrict because hanging in the air were his parents once more. In a flash of light, their bodies hit the ground.

Even though Draco knew that to overcome his dilemma, he needed an alternate humorous version of this event but, there was no way in hell he could ever mock a death like that. Knowing this, Draco called out Ridiculous (with the knowledge that it would be ineffective), but he felt as if he must do something or the pain inside him would engulf him completely. However, the scene changed regardless: now it was Hermione who was knocked dead in front of him – killed by Bellatrix as the black-hairred lady pranced around laughing.

"Ridiculous…"Draco uttered with shaking hands.

There was another pop and Ron was seen under the influence of the torturing curse. His voice, filled with agony, echoed and stung Draco's ears.

"Ridiculous…!"Draco whispered in tears now.

The blonde never thought that he would ever hold Hermione and Ron dear to the point he feared their death, but somewhere in his stay with them, they unconsciously grew closer to him than anybody else had ever been. Draco regretted he had to realize that through the Boggart.

His face contorted with misery, Draco trembled as he struggled to keep himself upright. His narrowed eyes glimpsed the fog covered room as tears blurred his vision. First, there was a figure that drew closer and closer to Draco.

"Potter…"Draco said relieved; the forgotten stone that was pressed against his wrist burned him, but Draco couldn't care to notice. He roughly brushed his tears away as Harry closed the distance between them. However, the blonde knew right away there was something wrong with Harry because he was smiling at Draco yet, it wasn't with good intentions.

The raven-haired man put his hand on Draco's shoulder as he levelled himself to the other's eyes. Harry's face didn't hold its usual aloofness or stubbornness for he wore a dark façade. At that moment, Draco would've given anything to not hear the words that slipped from Harry's mouth then.

Everything came out slowly – from the first words that rolled from Harry's tongue, to the hiss that ended it. They were poisonous words that paralysed Draco's body and then his tears couldn't flow anymore. The blonde only stared at Harry, believing his every word that pierced his heart. In an instant, Draco could feel himself losing consciousness as Voldemort's appearance to Ron's death, flashed behind Harry's back, accompanied by a mix of shrill screams and explosions. The last thing Draco could hear was Harry's words before a rush of wind deafened him, and white swallowed everything whole.

Even though Draco was feeling faint, he was aware enough to know the room had been infiltrated. The white disappeared and he could see Hermione running to his side, clearly saying something, but the stunned blonde couldn't make out what. Shadows were still running along the walls once more. To Draco's amazement, he also saw a baffled Ron trailing behind her; last to appear at the doorway was Harry, who appeared breathless, but unlike Hermione and Ron, he uttered something that cleared the shadows.

The next thing he knew, Draco felt himself being jostled as Hermione and Ron hastily carried him away from the room. Apparently, he couldn't move. Then after that, he couldn't even stay awake.

It was night, or that's what Draco thought at least, by the time he woke up. His curtains were drawn so, he looked at the clock in the room. He sat up quickly once he realized it was 8 o'clock and that he was nowhere close to being in his own room. The sheets were different, the pillows were too soft, and the blankets too heavy. It wasn't the bed he was used to.

Draco looked around curiously and warily, expecting some foul play, but none came. A door squeaked open from his right and Draco automatically flinched at the sound; it reminded him of the wardrobe's door that opened and the horrors it unleashed. He turned cautiously to the right and was met with Hermione's sorry face by the doorway. She held a tray in her hand that was filled with food.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked as she walked over.

Draco couldn't bear to yell at her after what had happened, so he asked, and surprised himself, with a hoarse voice, "I s Weasley alright?"

"He's fine," Hermione confirmed sitting down on a chair beside the bed. "He found himself in the floor above the Boggart. That kind of Boggart can only handle one person at a time."

Draco nodded then asked with a little more bitterness, "Why did you send me to that room? There were no books in there. Why did you lie to me?"

"No books?" Hermione asked startled. "I'm sure I left it in there weeks ago, since the Boggart was sealed at the time."

Draco frowned, "Sealed? It's just a wardrobe. As long as you don't open it, it won't bother you." And Draco knew that what he said was untrue to his situation. The moment he had opened the door to the room, there were already shadows running about, and the wardrobe opened up on its own accord. "What the bloody hell was that room?!"

Hermione was as puzzled as he was. "That was a Boggart Room – a highly advanced sort of Boggart that has a mind of its own. Harry had done something to the original Boggart and now it controls that room specifically. I'm sure it was safe for you to go in after I found a way to seal it…"

"What is that bloody fucker messing around with a Boggart for?!" Draco muttered out coldly. "But if you sealed it," said Draco staring at Hermione, "then who removed it? Or was it actually sealed at all?"

Hermione looked as if she was insulted. "Of course it was sealed, after all, I was the one who figured how to. No one has been in that room except for Harry and I…"

"Then could've Harry removed it?" Draco pressed, his eyes narrowing.

"I can't imagine why," said Hermione worriedly. "There was no reason to remove the seal at all."

"…Is it back? The seal I mean."

"Yes it is, but I must know how and why it was broken in the first place…even my books were gone," Hermione pondered with a frown that creased her brows. She glanced at Draco and sighed. "You must be hungry since morning."

Draco glanced at the tray that contained his peanut butter and jelly jam sandwich and his orange juice, but he didn't have the appetite to consume it. He looked at Hermione who expected that response and sighed. Draco thought for awhile and then thanked her anyways.

"It's nothing. It was the least I could do for putting you in danger like that," said Hermione, "but I'm shocked. Ron came running to him when he couldn't find his way back to that room. Said something about dropping into a shadow."

Draco didn't say anything but, he could feel his pent emotions waiting to break free.

Hermione continued, "But I didn't expect you to have been so traumatized by the Boggart. You gave us quite the scare when you passed out. What exactly did you see?"

"What I feared of course," Draco replied darkly. "First there was Voldemort. I easily got rid of him but the next four scenes I couldn't, but they kept changing anyways." Draco didn't wait for Hermione's comment and continued on with the same tone. "I saw my self killing my parents again, then I saw Bellatrix ending your life, and Weasley was met with the same fate after being tortured…I never thought I would value your lives like that…"

Hermione stared in silence at Draco, who wouldn't face her as he spoke and recalled his memories. When he paused for a minute, Hermione smiled at him gently. "I'm touched, Malfoy, that you've changed but, what about Harry…?"

Frowning, Draco looked hesitantly at Hermione then turned away, slightly embarrassed. "I'm not too sure myself but in the fourth scene but, Potter appeared in the last one…he said something – "

"What did I say?" Harry interrupted from the doorway.

Draco clammed his mouth shut and refused to say anything as both Harry and Ron entered the room. Ron stumbled towards the bed and quickly inquired Draco's condition with an awkward concern. The blonde gave him a small nod and an annoyed glance.

"Hey hey! What's with that face? I was worried about you! I mean I just left you in the room there and when I come back – you're in tears and fainting! Bloody hell, you're the same git back in Hogwarts!"

"Quit exaggerating!" Draco snapped irritably. "You're the one who entered the room like it was nothing! You have absolutely no sense of danger!"

"I honestly couldn't see any shadows at all!" Ron stated in his defence.

"You saw shadows?" Harry inquired from the blue.

There was a slight pang that Draco felt when he turned to face Harry. "Yes."

"That reminds me," Hermione interrupted, "who removed the seal I so lovingly put in that room?!"

"I forgot to mention earlier Hermione, but it was me," said Harry who didn't look away from Draco. He explained further as calmly as he could, "I wanted to practice facing my fears, so I moved your seal into the next room. Your books were on there too. I thought I've had no fears already but when I went into that room a week ago for a check up, I saw shadows running about."

"What's these shadows you're talking about?" Ron wanted to know, glancing back and forth at Draco and Harry.

Harry gave a Hermione a look and unexpectedly, she began to spoke. "They're the depth of the fears that you have. Sometimes, they're so deep in your heart that you would've never realized it if it wasn't for the Boggart. And 90% of the time, it involves death."

Ron blinked and turned to Draco, "So whose death?"

"You're too insensitive Ron!" Hermione cried.

"You keep telling me but I'm curious!" Ron cried back.

Draco watched in amusement as the two bickered their way out the room. When they finally made it out and down the hallway, where Hermione knew sound would not reach back to the room, her and Ron quieted down. After awhile, Ron asked if the two were going to be alright alone together. Hermione glanced back and said, "They'll be alright. I hope Harry knows what he's doing…after all, he did send us the signal to get out."

Ron gaped at her. "When was that?"

Then they started to bicker once more.

"I saw no such thing!" echoed down the hallway.

Draco smiled a little at Ron's scream but, he wanted more distraction from the man he was alone with. He grew even more nervous at the sound of the door slamming shut by itself as Harry made his way to sit on the edge of the bed. With that gesture, the blonde twitched and nudged himself as far as possible from the other man.

Harry glanced at Draco and twitched with annoyance when the blonde moved farther away. "Are you trying to pick a fight?" Harry asked dangerously. "Just so you know, you're in my room."

Draco responded accordingly: "I'm in your room?!" He attempted to jump out of bed but, as soon as his body lifted up he was slammed back down. To his dismay, Draco found himself being held down under the weight of Harry's arm that rested itself on Draco's chest. For a moment, Draco had to process what just happened; then he took a breath and looked at Harry, whose face was inches from his own.

Harry wouldn't move and warned Draco that this was his room and that Draco should at least better listen to what he had to say. Draco didn't exactly wanted to but, in his current situation, he didn't mind.

"Fine – just, get off!" Draco shoved Harry away and caught his breath. He sat up straight and edged once more away from Harry.

The dark-haired man didn't say anything this time, only frowning a bit.

"So, what do you have to say?" Draco muttered.

"Tell me everything you saw."

"You can ask Granger."

"I want to hear it from you."

Harry's persistence earned him a glare from the blonde but, Draco thought he might as well. He spoke rapidly without pausing: "I saw Voldemort and changed him into wearing a super small sailor uniform outfit which I wanted to puke from seeing but afterwards he was surrounded by fan-girls who begged for his love and his pictures then after that I saw myself killing my parents once more then Granger was killed by Bellatrix and Weasley was tortured and killed."

Harry just blinked at Draco.

"Fuck no – I'm not repeating myself," the blonde muttered, looking away.

"Who would've known you would hold them so dear to you," Harry pondered. "Their deaths frightened you that much?"

"Do you have to ask? It's the Boggart after all – it's not going to show me my inner-happiness." Then Draco remembered what the Boggart Harry said to him and he grew quiet, making sure he sealed his thoughts as well. "But…if it weren't for the Boggart, I would've never known what those two meant to me. But at the same time – thanks to your meddling – I saw their deaths, I saw my parents death again, and then even you – " Draco's breath hitched and he stopped talking. He was still afraid of those words even though he knew Harry didn't actually say it himself. What terrified Draco now was the possibility of it happening. "I…just saw things I never I want to see. I couldn't get rid of it…"

"I never thought Hermione would ask you to go to that room," Harry admitted in concern.

"What's with you and experimentation?" Draco fumed. "First the polyjuice potion and now the Boggart? Bloody hell – I'm a victim to your plays and both times I was in serious trouble! Don't mess with the Boggart again, Pottert!"

Nothing was exchanged after Draco's outburst but Harry knew he was right. He really did go too far sometimes. "I'm sorry," Harry apologized quietly. "Although you've been assigned to me, the greatest danger to you has always been me."

"What do you mean?"

But Harry changed topic quickly and he asked: "So how come I didn't appear in one of the Boggart's transformations? Am I not dear enough for you?" he mocked.

And Draco was easily caught up by the question. "You…you did. You didn't die like everyone else. You just said…"

"I said what?" Harry urged but when the other man didn't reply, he warned Draco that if he didn't answer, he would pry his mind. However, Draco didn't even seem to be listening.

Draco's lips trembled, unable to form the words he heard. He looked at Harry and could only see that Boggart smile. He cringed even more when Harry spoke, then he couldn't even keep his mind straight any more. That second of weakness left Draco open, and Harry grabbed his opportunity.

"Did you think I could ever love you? A murderous cold man like you? I want you dead like a rat on the street."

"POTTER!" Draco screamed as he threw himself on the surprised man. He grabbed his collar and shook him, "Why do you always pry in my head?!"

"'Cause you never tell me anything!" Harry roared flipping Draco over until he was sure he was pinning the blonde down right. "Why didn't tell you me that happened?! I have a right to know!"

"How can I say that to you of all people! You do hate me! Why do I need a confirmation?" Draco cried, his grip on Harry's collar loosening. He didn't know why it hurt so much, just that he knew he never wanted to hear that total rejection.

The two glared at each other before Harry quietly corrected Draco. "I don't hate you. Maybe before, but I can't now. It's impossible," he muttered. He gave Draco a sharp look and asked, "If you wanted confirmation, you should have asked me directly, not blindly believe the words of some crazy Boggart."

"It was my fear!" Draco retorted. "How am I suppose to know I didn't want to hear that?! It's possible anyways!"

"No it's not!" Harry snapped back and Draco could see the frustration in his eyes. "For me, it's impossible to reject you now. You came into my life a brat and left it a murderer. Then you come back as the same thing wanting my help. I can't explain it – I should've outright turned you down."

"Then why didn't you?!" Draco said angrily, fearing the worst.

"Don't you listen when people talk?!" Harry growled. "How can I reject somebody with the eyes I saw back at the ministry? You were so broken, how could I hurt you even more?"

Draco frowned. "What?"

Harry sighed in annoyance and lowered himself until half his body covered Draco's chest. Draco remained motionless, confused and anxious. Harry's arm was tucked beneath his chin and Harry's head was beside his own. He could even feel his warm breath in his ear as Harry spoke. "I'm telling you, Malfoy, that I love you."

Finally there's a confession, but I figured I've already written too much :) Like always, please review!