A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's been almost a month since my last update. but it's finally here. Chapter 4. it's also a lot longer the my first 3 chapters, for warned. now, on with the story.

Chapter 4: Secrets between friends

For the next couple of weeks, people avoided Harry, wouldn't look at him, looked too closely at him, questioned him, or talked about him. The only ones who treated Harry decently was Draco, Blaise. Pansy, Vincent and Gregory.

Harry suspected the last two didn't fully understand what was going on, but they said that Harry was alright and it didn't matter what he was or wasn't.

The only times Harry had any problems was when Ron Weasley was able to corner him alone. He wasn't the greatest spell caster Harry had ever met - besides Neville - but he could punch. Then again, so could Harry.

Living across the street from a walrus of a cousin his and his cousin's friends, and going to the same school as them, Harry was pretty good at street fighting.

Weasley wound up going to the hospital wing at least three times in two weeks.

Luckily, Snape's the only professor with a habit of actually prowling the halls, looking for students breaking the rules. So only Gryffindor lost points (not so lucky for the Gryffindors). Still, Harry was surprised Filtch hadn't caught them even once.

Harry supposed that the visit from his and Draco's fathers might have something to do with it.

Flash back

Harry and the rest of Hogwarts were at lunch when Harry's father's owl landed in front of Snape at the High Table, followed closely by Lucius's owl.

Snape read both letters quickly and left.

Snape briskly made his way to his privet rooms, bracing himself the entire way for the storm he was heading into.

Waiting inside 'living room' was Lucius, Potter, and Lily. Snape blinked once in surprise. He wasn't expecting her to show up.

"Snivilius," James greeted, a muscle in his jaw twitching. A sure sign that he was holding back the inevitable explosion. "An interesting article in the paper this morning, don't you agree?"

"James, please calm down. I've known Sev since we were nine. I'm sure he has an explanation."

"Which I for one would like to hear. I did not make you Draco's godfather simply because we are friends. Do not tell me my faith in your abilities to protect my son."

Even after all these years, it was still terrifying to be on the receiving end of that cold, deathly quiet tone of Lucius's when he was angry.

"Sev. What happened?"

Snape sat on a chair facing his guests. "Yesterday, Harry decided that it was a good day to fly, some tie later, Draco joined him. From what I could see, it looked as though they we going to have a race.

Next thing, Harry's broom developed a mind of its own. I just happened to spot Quirrell in one of the stands as I followed Harry's accent into the air."

"Quirrell?"

"He's the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He pretends to stutter, that he's as meek as a mouse, when I know for a fact that he's one of the Dark Lord's followers."

"If you knew he's so dangerous, why didn't you go to Dumbledore?" James shouted.

"I have my suspicion he already knows."

James's jaw clenched and he turned as white as a bed sheet. He was breathing hard through his nose.

Snape was sure he was about to poop a blood vessel.

Lucius wasn't much better, if a bit calmer looking.

Lily looked torn between shock, outrage, and being sick.

"Why would Dumbledore purposely hire and keep someone he thinks might be working for Voldemort?" Lily looked like she was about to start crying.

"I don't know," Snape answered. "You two have work closer to him then I have, and for much longer. You know what he's like.

Half the time he acts like the senile of fool who wouldn't know the difference between a Puffskein and an owl, while the other half of the time it's like he knew that whatever had happened was going to happen a week ago.

If he knows what Quirrell is and is keeping him on staff despite, he has something planed. I just don't know what that something is."

The four of them sat in silence for a while, digesting that bit of revelation.

"What exactly did do you do anyway?" James asked quietly. Of course it sounded more like an accusation.

"I kept your son from being hurtled strait at the ground from the cloud line," Snape replied tightly.

"Where is this Quirrell's rooms?" James asked getting up.

"James, don't do anything you're going to regret."

Snape had never seen that look on James's face before. So intense so serious…so dark. A lump of ice settled in Snapes stomach, and he was very glad that he had kept his head low around the Marauders.

"I'm not. Malfoy?"

The two Patriarchs left, on the hunt for the blood of the one who was foolhardy enough to endanger their children's lives.

"It's terrible circumstances, but it was nice seeing you again Sev. You will continue to look after Harry won't you?"

"Of course Lily, I'll protect him, both of them, with my life."

They embraced, and Lily went after her wayward husband before he could do something dangerous or stupid. Or both.

End Flash back

Quirrell had been more jumpyand jittery since that day. Harry had only seen him in class or at meals. Snape seemed more mellow as well.

Halloween dawned bight and frost covered. The dungeons, being underground, it got cold. Harry snuggled down further under the covers and tried to ignore Draco, who was being very irritating trying to get him up.

"Harry, come on, we're going to miss breakfast."

"Don't care, too cold."

"Yah, well, you will care by the middle of first hour when your stomach won't shut up and starts to cramp from being empty."

Harry made an non-committed sound.

"Fine, starve. I'll meet you in Charms."

Draco turned to storm out when a hand grabbed him by the back of his robes and pulled him down on the bed.

"Give me five more minutes?"

Draco had to swallow hard to remove the lump in his throat. It had been a month since the kiss, and Draco ad been able to put it out of his mind for the most part. But now, being in such a close proximity, and Harry giving him a half asleep smile…

"Five minuets, then we go get something t eat before class."

Harry just smiled a little wider and cuddled up to Draco.

Draco was finally able to get Harry out of bed and down to breakfast with five minutes to spare. He couldn't believe he had fallen back asleep, but having Harry cuddled up next to him…

"Draco, are you alright? You're blushing."

"Hm? Oh, yah, I'm fine."

"Then why are blushing?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Just eat or you're going to be late." Draco grabbed a pumpkin muffin and walked out of the Hall.

"So, what happened this morning that's got Draco so flustered?"

"I don't know, Blaise. We wound up falling back asleep this morning."

"So he's probably just annoyed about cutting it so close then."

"Maybe." Harry didn't believe that for a second. He had remembered the kiss they had shared last month as well. It was the last conscious thought he had before falling back asleep.

A mischievous smirk appeared.

"Harry?"

"It's nothing. Come on, we're going to be late."

"Today class, I believe you are all ready to begin practicing levitation."

There was a round cheers as the class took out their wands.

"Now, remember, swish and flick, and pronounce your words carefully."

By the end of the lesson, Finnigan had managed to set his feather on fire, and Granger was the only one who had been able to levitate the feather Flitwick had given her and Weasley. Which caused him to be in a very bad mood when he left the room.

Harry and Draco were disappointed abut not being able to make their feather float, but the look on Weasley's face was too priceless and took the sting out.

"…"

"Yeah well, it serves the little Mudblood right. She long over due for a wake up call."

"What are you guys talking about?" looked over at Pansy and Millicent.

""Millie was telling me about how that Mudblood Granger had skipped all her classes after Charms and has been hiding out in the bathroom on the second floor, crying."

"Why has she been hiding out in the girls bathroom all day?"

She was top of every class, get strait Os…she was teachers pet. What could possibly upset her enough to make her cry?"

"I had to go back to talk with Professor Flitwick," Millie say, "when I passed a group of Gryffindors, and the Red-wonder, Weasley, called her a nightmare and said it was no wonder the girl didn't have any friends. Granger was right behind him when he said that. She hasn't spoken to anyone since."

Draco snickered quietly. Weasley had such a big mouth…

Harry was a little more pensive. No he didn't like the girl, but that was still pretty harsh, even by Weasley's standards.

The Great Hall was decorated with thousands of live bats hanging off the ceiling and walls, and flying over the tables. Some of the candles that floated in the air were incased in pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns were placed on the tables and in corners.

Harry thought the Hall could have used a few cobwebs, but it was still Halloween elegant, and eliminated all thoughts of Weasley and Granger.

The food appeared and Harry was about to grab a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came running into the Hall and up to the High Table, gasping for breath.

"Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know."

Then he sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an uproar.

It took Dumbledore multiple firework displays to get everyone's attention and get the prefects to lead their Houses back to their dorms.

Halfway to the dungeons, Harry remembered what Pansy and Millicent had said about Granger crying in the bathroom all this time. He couldn't just leave her there, he needed to at least warn her.

Harry looked over at Draco, then slipped away quietly. If he remembered correctly, the girls said Granger was in the second floor girls bathroom.

Footsteps.

Harry ducked behind a large stone griffon.

Peering around it, Harry saw Snape cross the corridor and disappeared from view.

What was he doing? Why was he down in the dungeon with the rest of the teachers?

Quietly as possible, Harry crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps. He was heading up to the third floor. Harry didn't have time to contemplate this new development for long. A foul stench retched his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.

And then he heard it - a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. The troll emerged from the shadows into a patch of moon light. Harry revolted at the sight.

Backing into the shadows, a hand came around to cover his mouth, and an angry voice whispered in his ear.

"What are you doing here, snake?"

Weasley.

"Wha da iz uook lik 'm oing?"

"What?"

Harry wrenched the hand away from his mouth, "I said, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're skulking around near an off limits area with a troll. You have no business here."

"Look whose talking," Harry muttered. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm, that is…None of your business."

Harry smirked at him, "fine. If you don't have to explain yourself, then neither do I."

Weasley bristled. A scream from inside he room the troll had disappeared into snapped their attention back to the rest of the world.

That was the girls bathroom, Granger was trapped.

Harry and Weasley ran into the bathroom, animosity forgotten.

The troll was even uglier up close.

There was another scream, Hermione Granger was shrinking against the opposite wall, the troll was advancing on her, knocking sinks off the walls.

Harry picked up a piece of ruble and threw it as hard as he was able, hitting the troll in the back of the head.

The troll turned, blinking stupidly.

"Did you just hit me?" he grunted.

Harry could understand troll? Well it was a little known fact that trolls, ogres, fairies and elves were distant cousins to one another with enough distance between the bloodlines to be classified as different species.

"Yes."

"Why?"the troll snarled. He was not happy about his fun being interrupted.

"That girl you are playing with is a classmate of mine, she's scared. You're scarring her."

"So? That's the most fun part, when they're scared."

"Maybe so, but you can't come into human territory and start swinging everybody around. It's not right."

"So? It's fun."

Harry sighed. Trolls really did have rocks for brains, there was no reasoning with them.

"Why do you can what happens to some worthless humans anyway?"

"Because I'm an elf, we're closer to humans the most other creatures. Our two species has almost, always gotten along. More importantly for me personally then that, my father is human, a good human. So are my friends."

"Friends? What are friends?"

"Friends are other creatures that are able to talk to you, that want to be around you because they like you. Friends care about you. When you're sad or lonely or are not feeling good. Friends want to keep you safe and make sure you don't get hurt."

The troll seemed to think about that. As well as a troll was able to think about such a complicated concept like friendship.

By this time, Weasley and Granger had all ready made their escape, leaving Harry alone to deal with the troll.

Finally the troll looked back at Harry.

"Trolls don't have friends."

"I know, why not? Don't you think it would be more fun to play with someone who could challenge you? Show how strong you are?"

The troll thought about that for a few moments before replying, "Yes."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go find a friend."

"Yes," the troll repeated as it lumbered out of the bathroom. Much to the surprise of professors McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell.

"Mr. Potter, explain," McGonagall demanded.

"Um…well…I heard earlier that Granger was upset. So upset that she was hiding out here, and then Professor Quirrell came running into the hall about the troll, I figured that Granger might not have heard and was still here. I was only trying to warn her."

The hard line of McGonagall's mouth filed out a little at the confession, "while that was a noble thing to do, it was extremely dangerous."

Harry thought fast "Not really. Elves and trolls are like distant cousins, fourth or fifth I think. So we can sort of understand one another. I thought that, maybe, I could get the troll to leave without any fuss and nobody would get hurt. The poor guy was just lost was all, he didn't mean to cause so much trouble. He's also sorry about scarring Granger. He was only playing."

Harry was looking at the floor through by the end his fabrication, the picture of innocence caught with his hand in the biscuit jar. He peeked up at his professors from under the fringes of his hair.

His livid transfiguration teacher had softened quite a bit at this, while Harry was positive that he saw his own Head of House's mouth twitch at the corners. From his peripheral vision, Harry saw a flash of something shoot through Quirrell's eyes; something dark. He was angry, no furious.

Did they just change color as well?

For a split second, they had defiantly had a red tint to them.

Harry suppressed a shiver.

"Well," Snape cut in, bringing Harry back to what was happening around him. "We know why Mr. Potter was here, why was Ms. Granger here to begin with and how does Mr. Weasley fit into the picture?"

"Yes, explain." McGonagall said turning to her two charges.

"It's my fault," Granger piped up before Weasley even had a chance to open his mouth. "I had read about mountain trolls, I thought I could handle this one by myself. I was wrong. Ron must have seen me leave and came after me. He had warned me, but I didn't listen. I'm sorry Professors."

Weasley was staring wide eyed at Granger, even Harry had his mouth opened slightly. Neither had ever heard the girl lie to a teacher before, she was too much a stickler for the rules and proper behavior.

"I am severely disappointed in you Ms. Granger. You, the top student in your year, you above anyone should have known better."

"Yes, Professor."

"Five point from Gryffindor for your lack of judgment."

Granger bowed her head.

"As for the two of you," McGonagall focused on Harry and Weasley. "Five points to Gryffindor for rescuing another student and finding a teacher to deal with the problem. And five points to Slytherin as well, also for rescuing another student and handling a difficult situation with maturity and diplomacy. Now, all of you, back to your common rooms."

Harry and the two Gryffindors hurried out of the bathroom and toward their respected Houses.

Draco paced around the empty dorm room, tugging at the ends of his robe sleeves. He felt sick, remembering looking back at one point in the halls and seeing no Harry. Draco wanted to turnaround and go looking for him. Blaise had to remind him that Draco didn't know where to begin looking and would most likely run into the troll first.

So now, Draco was walking from one end of the room to the other, worrying like some muggle house wife from one of Mrs. Potter's sappy romance novels.

Finally, Blaise and the others came up to the dorm, bringing a few plates of food with them, though none of them ate much.

It was around 9 when the door opened and Harry stepped through.

"Um…hey, guys."

Harry was enveloped almost immediately after the words left his mouth by Pansy, who was trying to check him for some kind injuries and hug him to death at the same time while yelling at him for doing something 'that was obviously so Gryffindor'. Vince and Greg had to pull her off of him.

Blaise came over and cuffed him on the back, "what were you thinking? Don't scare us like that, we thought you had met up with the troll."

"Uh…yeah."

"You did!" Pansy shrieked in shock.

Draco felt the blood drain from his face.

"What happened?" Vince asked.

"Why aren't you dead?" Greg threw in.

Dead?

Draco was starting to feel cold, numb.

"Well, because I talked him out of it," Harry replied.

"You talked to him?" Blaise looked at him like he was speaking some kind foreign language.

Harry chewed his bottom lip, "you can't tell anyone what I've about to tell you," he told them.

Instantly the five of them were alert.

Harry took a deep breath, then sealed the room. "I need you to swear that you will not repeat anything that you see or hear in this room."

Draco suddenly got an idea of what Harry was doing as he felt the magic take hold, creating barrier that would ensure total silence. Not only would nobody hear their conversation, but whatever secrets Harry was about to entrust them with (one of which happened to be Draco's secret as well) would remain with them alone until Harry decided otherwise. Or a certain leech became too hungry.

Once everyone had verbally swore to keep what they knew to themselves, Harry dropped the glamour he was wearing.

There was a shocked gasp from Pansy, Vince and Greg grunted while Blaise 'hmmed'. Draco was impressed was well, even if he didn't vocalize it.

Harry now stood in front of them with perfectly mussed, shoulder length hair that almost shown with blue fire in its depths. His eyes were the same. Cute little pointed ears poked out from under his hair. In his hands, Harry twisted a few inches of his three foot long tail.

He looked younger, more innocent. There was a ethereal beauty suggested there as well, and a grace and power that only elves were capable of possessing.

Harry quickly removed his robes and shirt before his embarrassment caught up with him, to reveal the night sky blue wings the Daily Prophet had mentioned a month ago.

A/N: Cliff hanger! ;P. Sorry it's so long, but once I got my mojo flowing again after being blocked off, I couldn't stop. Well we now know Harry can speak speak troll and what he looks like, which is always fun.

On a final note, leave me lots of good reviews to read please!