-Summary: Harry loses his memory after Sirius' death -
he remembers nothing but his life at Privet Drive and the magic he's learned.
Once he re-meets everyone, his life is turned upside down... Rated R, Boy/Boy
love, Language, etc.
-Pairings: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
-Author Notes: Somehow I feel as though I'm taking this
one a bit far, but we'll see how it goes... Also, school's starting again
so I'm afraid I'll have less time to write. I'll still keep going as much
as I can... And, crap, cliffhanger ending up ahead so look out. ;)
***
Ron and Hermione had quickly led Harry down the school hallways
after breakfast in the Great Hall. Luckily they weren't late for Transfiguration.
"McGonagall would've killed us if we weren't there on time!" said
Ron excitedly.
Harry was lost in his own thoughts about the school. It was a
damp, chilly place sometimes, even in the summer, so Harry was thankful
to have a thick black wool cloak for the below freezing temperatures he
was sure they'd get in the winter. Mostly he didn't mind the almost cold
atmosphere - in fact, he rather liked it.
It's going to be crisp and refreshing in the autumn, he
thought.
Transfiguration was rather boring. Harry knew he had missed over
two weeks of school already, yet he already knew what McGonagall was teaching
them: objects into living creatures. Today it was turning a candle flame
into a baby chick. This was so simple for Harry, he felt as though he could
turn himself into a chick if he wanted to. Ron had only managed to have
gotten his flame to turn electric yellow and make a high-pitched cheeping
noise, while Hermione could manage only to turn hers into a smouldering
ball of golden feathers with spindly orange legs. Professor McGonagall
walked around the classroom, pleased to have found a spell that would take
even Hermione a few tries to figure out.
Harry dully conjured a twisted black snake entwined around the
moon-white candle and quickly made it disappear before anyone could notice.
He did this several more times, a vacant and bored expression growing on
his face.
A round-faced, forgetful boy Harry had learned was "Neville Longbottom"
had suddenly caught his wand on fire and was shrieking loudly.
Meanwhile, the Slytherins were still huddling together and whispering
about Harry, only broken apart when McGonagall occasionally walked past,
a stern look on her face. Draco turned away from them and shook his head
in annoyed disbelief. Why did everything always have to be about that prat
Potter?
"Oh, what's the use?" said Ron, exasperated. "When are we ever
going to need to turn something into a chicken?!"
"Just you wait, Ron," Hermione said. "I daresay you'll use it
once or twice - at least I bet I will, once I can get mine to chirp - "
Irritated by their bickering, Harry turned to his own candle,
muttered a spell under his breath, and flicked his wand. There was a loud
crack, a puff of smoke engulfed him, and McGonagall rushed over to his
table. The smoke cleared away and the next thing anyone saw was a wooden
coop full of 3 or 4 warbling hens sitting neatly on Harry's desk, and a
dainty, buttercup-yellow biddy broke out of a pearly-white egg perched
atop Harry's extinguished candle. It cheeped, ruffled its tiny wings, and
the girls in the class squealed.
Harry was leaning back in his chair, a very satisfied and superior
look written all over his glowing face. See, of course I know my spells,
he thought, feeling a wave of pride at his unknown skill.
"Very good, Potter, 15 points to Gryffindor! I'm astounded - you
know much more than we expected you to remember," McGonagall said with
a knowing look on her face. "Though how you knew that particular volume
of the spell, I have no idea..."
I could get used to being better than everyone else, Harry
thought, narrowing his eyes at the teacher's back as she walked away. Maybe
I can get that stage magician Dumbledore to let me skip the rest of school.
I can't wait 2 years to get out of here.
Shortly after, Hermione was pleased to see her flame sprout into
a tiny, perfect bird before her eyes. She clapped her hands happily, and
raised her hand, hoping to get some more points for her house.
McGonagall strode over and gave only a short "Well done, Miss
Granger," before pressing her lips back into a firm line and walking back
to her desk. Outside, her demeanor expressed delight at Potter's trick,
but inside she was feeling something very ominous in the pit of her stomach.
Just where had the boy learned all that? It certainly wasn't from her class,
that was for sure. Not even 7th years were taught such extravagant spells.
And Potter had done it without even looking ruffled, she thought.
Dumbledore would definitely have to know about this one. She shook off
the strange feeling and dismissed the students, who started cleaning up
and making their way towards the door.
Across the room, Draco scowled, his own newly-transfigured chick
forgotten. First that Mudblood Granger and now Potter's ahead of me.
If he ever becomes himself again, Father isn't going to be happy at all.
Harry picked up the baby chick, who affectionately nibbled the
tip of his finger. He planned to take it back to the dormitory and make
a little home for it. He thought Ron and Hermione could manage without
him, so he started towards the door.
Draco saw Harry leaving - alone - and quickly gathered up his
things to get there first.
Harry was walking out the door, cradling the chick, when seemingly
out of nowhere, a boy with platinum-blonde hair glided effortlessly towards
him. The boy was Harry's exact height and had the most frosty-colored eyes
Harry had ever seen, and he wore a proud look on his face that mirrored
Harry's own. Harry had an almost uneasy feeling in his gut, so he drew
himself up in case there was trouble.
"Yes?" asked Harry.
"Still think you're better than everyone, don't you, Potter?"
Draco spat out the last word.
"What the hell are you talking about? And who are you?" Harry
asked, wondering who this long-faced pale boy was. The boy seemed to know
him, but Ron and Hermione hadn't mentioned him at all. He felt familiar
to Harry, too, but he didn't quite know why.
Draco felt very confused. Why wouldn't Potter, of all people,
know who he was? He must be playing a joke on me, he thought, narrowing
his eyes.
"What, you want to know which spell I did, is that it? Fine, it's
'Pulcinus' - are you happy?" Harry said.
"No, I want you to know your place around here, Potter! You can't
just come in here two weeks late like you own the place and expect a warm
welcome from the Slytherins!" Draco shot back, light glinting dangerously
off his gray eyes.
Slytherin. That word struck Harry in the chest like an electric
current and he repeated the word in a whisper, "Sssslytherin..."
His emerald eyes grew vacuous as he stared into Draco's confused expression.
His fingers grew into elongated, shiny black claws and the skin on his
hands spread into gleaming raven colored scales. He leaned towards Draco
slowly without realizing it; the chick in his hands was screeching madly
with fright and was trying to run out of his hands, but Harry squeezed
and smothered it. Out of his slightly parted hands curled a thin trail
of black smoke that solidified into a jet black snake that hissed madly.
Raw power radiated off Harry's body in waves.
The scales made their way up Harry's arms and then his neck -
Harry was inches away from Draco's frightened face, opening his mouth to
reveal elongating razor-sharp incisors - Harry could smell blood, he could
almost taste it - his face was violently contorted, he looked like a demon
-
"Harry??"
Harry blinked and the image was gone. A tiny black snake hissed
and wriggled out of his grasp, and slithered away.
"Yes?" he turned back to where the blonde boy was standing right
in front of him, but the boy had run off. Harry could just see his black
robe flutter around a distant corner, and then he was gone.
Ron started towards Harry, reaching out a hand. "Is everything
alright? Why were you talking to Malfoy?"
"Malfoy? Is that his name?"
"Yes, that's Draco Malfoy - your enemy. He hates all our
guts, Harry, and he hates Mudbloods, so why would you be talking to him?"
this time it was Hermione, malice written all over her face.
Harry felt as though he had a cloud of thick fog in his head.
He shook his head violently and blinked several times. "I, um, I don't
know..." was his weak reply. He felt so unsteady he wondered how he was
still standing. He felt as though he needed to throw up, so he started
running back towards the Gryffindor Tower as fast as he could.
Ron started to run after him - "Harry, wait, we've got Care of
Magical Creatures next, you don't want to miss seeing Hag - " but Hermione
put out a hand to stop him.
"Let him go, Ron. He's only just come back," she said, suddenly
feeling pity for Harry.
Ron stopped and looked morosely at the stone ground. "Yeah, I
guess you're right, 'Mione. At least Hagrid won't dock points from Gryffindor,
he's one of Harry's good friends..."
As they made their way outside, their voices became quiet and
uneasy.
"I still don't know he made all those chickens appear, do you?..."
***
Draco had been late to his next class, Divination, and had lost
several points for Slytherin, but he didn't care. He was so anxious he
hadn't even noticed that several of his friends - Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe,
and Goyle - were not even in the classroom.
Draco was mentally disturbed.
He sat, shaking, on a magenta pillow in a corner of the stuffy
room.
It's impossible.
Draco's face was pale and expressed the kind of alarm you'd see
in a child that was stuck in a burning house all alone. He closed his eyes
tightly.
Only Malfoys can turn into demons like that. And I've only
done it a couple of times, when I was in a highly emotional state.
Draco dropped his head into his hands and watched the ground.
His eyes were wide. He sat back up and tried to swirl the tea that held
the leaves Professor Trelawney wanted them to decipher, but his hands were
shaking too badly and he dropped the cup. It shattered loudly on the floor,
and the professor was there so quick she was like lightning.
"Oh, Mr. Malfoy - dropping a soothsaying cup before emptying out
the tea is never a good sign - oh, look, it shattered into 6 pieces - see,
there - dear me, not good at all - ..." she stuttered.
She watched the leaves settle in the liquid on the floor, her
mouth opening in surprise. The class clustered around Professor Trelawney
and Draco, mystified.
"It seems you and a few you know are going to go through a great
change of heart. Someone you know is not who you thought they were. Take
all things into consideration and choose wisely," she said.
A couple of girls started whispering about this "change of heart"
and argued over which one of them Draco was going to pick for his girlfriend.
Draco pretended not to hear them and looked at the ground in confusion.
His eyes opened wide and he let out a blanched gasp.
No. It can't be. They couldn't go through with it, they just
couldn't. He'd never believed they would go through with it, but there
was no question about it now.
Draco sprang up from the floor and sprinted towards the door,
even more distressed and rattled. He didn't care if Professor Trelawney
knew he was skipping the rest of her class. He ran to the dungeons as fast
as he could, feeling as though he wasn't entirely in control of himself.
When he rounded the corner and nearly crashed into someone with a halt
(perfect hair still unruffled of course), the look on his face was a mix
of contempt and fear.
"Draco, what a pleasant surprise."