Chapter II – Alan
The school bell rang, and life in Hogwarts resumed. Hundreds of students walked briskly to their classes. The first years all wondered around, and only a few of them seemed to know where they were headed.
"Excuse me, do you know where I can find Rawncorn's class?" a boy with long light brown hair asked.
"Sorry, I'm new," Draco said laughing under his breath. "On that note, would you have happened to passed Airhowl's Psychoacoustics class?"
"Actually, I have! Just up the stairs and the second last door in the east hall," the boy said, with what little breath he had left. Before the boy ran off, Draco interrupted, "Wait! What's your name?"
"Alan. Alan Soninke. You?"
"You can call me Draco."
"Oh, just Draco, huh? Pretty mysterious!" Alan smiled and tucked his hair behind one of his ears. Draco blushed, "Well, I should get going. I…er… don't want to be late." The two went their separate ways and Draco still had a smile etched on his class. He found his class, and sat in the back row. At least he had something to look forward to at lunch.
Maybe I was just over thinking things. Draco thought. He barely paid attention in class. He didn't really need to, considering no actual teaching was being done. Draco knew that if he didn't pull off at least an eighty percent average, his father would never let him hear the end of it. His teacher was just introducing herself and bragging about all the places she's visited. After a history lesson in Airhowl 101, she handed out several Get to know you parchments. A few students seemed happy to do them. Draco would rather be listening to the new Minotars CD. He's been whistling and humming Runaway Lane all day long. At least today gave him time to doodle on the $60.00 notebook his father bought.
Someone knocked at the door.
"Excuse me, Ms. Airhowl?"
Everyone turned around.
"Harry Potter! I never expected to see you knock at my door! What can I do for you?" Professor Airhowl said obnoxiously enthusiastic.
"Professor McGonagall sent me for some textbooks?" he said, unsure if he was intruding or not.
"Oh yes, of course," she said while walking toward the back cabinet, "Brand new!" The books were at least three inches thick. "Oh, heavens! I didn't know they were so voluminous! Dumbledore just asks the ministry for the thickest books on purpose, sometimes, I swear."
Harry laughed. But not so much that what Professor Airhowl was funny, but rather to be polite. She piled the books on top of Harry's arms, one by one. A slight gust blew out between each book.
"Hmm, I don't know how you'll carry all these alone," Airhowl put her hand on her chin, with her fingertips tapping her lips. "Draco! Get up there!" Her tone immediately changed. Draco slowly stood up. Harry bit the side of his upper lip and looked Draco in the eye.
"Hi, Harry," Draco said with an empty sense of enthusiasm. He briefly smiled and was then given eleven or twelve of the heaviest books he's ever seen. He's never had to do actual work before. Back home, there was always someone to do it instead. The heavy, rusted door swung close behind Harry and Draco. The two walked down the hallways. Sunlight leaked through the many arched windows; the warmth bounced off of Harry's face, as he walked with Draco. Draco was unsure whether or not to say anything. Just walking next to Harry was enough of a thrill. He didn't want to do anything that would spoil it—not like the last time, when they first met.
"Draco," Harry began, sounding very serious, "I don't want to pretend last night didn't happen. Because it certainly did. And I just want to say that I didn't want to—"
"Harry Potter." Professor McGonagall said earnestly, after stepping out of her class. She crossed her arms, "And Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes?" The two replied, as their arms began to buckle.
"I expect it doesn't take any boy, especially in your good health, to carry a load of book from one place to another"
"Sorry" They replied quickly. McGonagall put her arm on Harry's shoulder and directed him back into the class. She waved her wand and the books Draco were carrying lifted out of his hands and levitated the students' desks. Draco felt humiliated, again, as if he were unable to it himself. Before McGonagall closed the door, Harry whispered to Draco, "Meet me in the astronomy tower at lunch."
The door closed, and a wind of dust got all over Draco's robes. Draco walked back to class slowly, hoping that he would get more time to chat with Potter. His plans to skip class and get to know Harry inside and out were completely foiled. He even made up a couple jokes to ease the tension. On his way back, Draco bumped into Alan. Alan seemed quite at ease, and wasn't wearing his robes.
"Draco?" Alan asked, "Draco!"
"Alan! Hey, how are you?" Draco responded.
"Great, first days are always rubbish."
"First days? Have you been here before?"
"Yeah, this is my second year, here at Hogwarts."
"Oh, so you have been here before. So why'd you ask where your class was?"
"Well you see, they move around all the small classes each year,"
"Oh…"
"And you're kind of cute,"
"Oh…" Draco said, trying not to blush as hard as he'd like.
"You know, you don't really learn much on your first day of class, other than your professor's name,"
"Yeah, I know what you mean,"
"So what's you prof's name?"
"Elega Airhowl. She was born in Switzerland, and moved to England when she was sixteen. Her favourite colour is mahogany, and she loves peppermint tea with two spoons of sugar." Draco listed, mocking Airhowl's squeaky voice, as if he'd heard it a hundred times.
"Well it looks like your lesson's done for the day. So what do you say I give you a little tour of Hogwarts?" Alan took Draco's hand. It was cold and soft; Draco had never held hands with someone like that before. Alan showed Draco the quickest way back to the main hall. He even showed Draco how to control the moving staircases. Alan showed Draco how to get to the astronomy tower, but instead, Alan took Draco up the Ravenclaw tower and showed him the head office for attendance and timetables. They snuck into the office, and Alan even showed Draco a spell.
"So it's just alohomora?" Draco asked.
"Yeah, pretty much," Alan said. He led Draco into the timetable section of the office.
"You know, that's the first spell I've ever l—" Draco said before being interrupted by Alan.
"But let me show you something even cooler," Alan pointed his wand to a large book filled with students' names. The book flipped open. Draco Malfoy. Slytherin. Written in large gilded letters was at the top of the page. The rest of the page, as well as the page beside, it were a chart. The chart outlined Draco's schedule for his entire stay at Hogwarts.
"I'm taking offensive spells next near!" Draco asked.
"That is, if you play your cards right," Alan joked. "All kidding aside, watch this. Alan touched his want to the page and dragged it across the page. "See, now we have Quidditch together for the rest of the season!"
"Really? Great!" Draco said. He was still amazed of how much Alan knew.
"Oh, no! Someone's coming." Alan waved his wand and disappeared, leaving a light blue smoke behind.
"WAIT!" Draco screamed. "Oh crap. How do I get out of here?" Draco left the room as soon as he could. He got as far as the changing staircases before not knowing which way to turn. So he ran back.
"Draco is that you?" A deep voice asked from a considerable distance.
"Y-yes…" Draco replied. The figure came out the around the hall. "Dumbledore!" Draco was surprise, and nervous, at the same time. "Er…how are you? Sir?" He said, shaking.
"Quite well, I might say. How are you?" He said, seeming as if he didn't know Draco was supposed to be in class.
"I'm f-fine." Draco said trying to look as presentable as possible.
"Now, I suppose my next question would be, why are you here?" Dumbledore said, just before chuckling.
"I just…I…was on my way…I got lo—"
"No need to lie. It is one thing to lie to me, but lying to yourself will only bring you sorrow and disappointment." Dumbledore said folding his hands.
"I snuck out of class, sir." Draco said softly, and hung his head low.
Dumbledore laughed, "On the first day? Rest assured, I skipped a good amount of classes in my day, but never on the first day!"
"But sir, I'm in Airhowl's class."
"Oh." Dumbledore nodded as he looked to the side. "Fair enough."
"Sir, what's the quickest way to the astronomy tower? I believe it's lunch in a few minutes, and I'm supposed to meet someone there."
"Well that is quite a peculiar place to eat a lunch, but nonetheless, you'll find a room just passed these stairs. The door to this room will only appear for a short period of time, so it's best you go alone. Just to avoid any…confusion."
Dumbledore slowly walked up the stairs, and Draco ran down. He walked for a couple minutes, but was unsuccessful in finding the room Dumbledore spoke of.
"Dumbledore, you old fool. He just wanted me to get lost." Draco murmured to himself. "Oh come one then! Where is this bloody room? I don't want to mess things up with Harry for good." A slow ringing noise began just as Draco said that. A door figure began coming out of the wall.
"I never thought my first week would be quite this…magical" The door fully emerged from the wall and Draco went through it immediately. The moment the door closed, it disappeared. Mountains of odds and ends filled the seemingly infinite room. Draco couldn't believe such a room existed within Hogwarts. He walked passed a pile of old eyeglasses, some old and wore out, others as new as can be. He saw goblets and books—lots and lots of books—and shoes. Draco wondered what this room could be. It seemed to hold obscure quantities of just about anything of which one may come into need. After what seemed like the shortest minute of his life, Draco came passed another door. The door simply labeled Astronomy Tower.
"Oh" Draco said. He opened it and was already half up the long, spiraled staircase. He tried to walk up as quietly as he could, but at the same time as fast as he could, unsure of what time it was. When he reached the top, it was warm and dry. A giant, swinging pendulum kept the temperature moderate. Draco approached the inside of the balcony of the astronomy tower, looking down at the courtyard. He stared out the window, and was impressed at the view. He could see for mile on end. A flock of birds approached and their cry was soft and soothing.
"I never realized how beautiful this place was," He said quietly.
"Draco?" Harry asked putting his hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco turned around and Harry removed his hand.
"Harry, what are we doing?" Draco asked.
"We're talking,"
"Well thanks or clearing that up, but what are we doing?"
"Yes, about that. I've been meaning to apologize"
"For leaving?" Draco smiled, "It's quite alright."
"No. Not just leaving"
Draco felt shivers run from his neck to his fingertips. Suddenly, the room grew cold and all the beauty in the world dissipated.
"So what did you mean then?" Draco asked, swallowing as many times as he could to keep himself from tearing up.
"Last night, a few older students from Gryffindor joined us." Harry began, "And after fooling around, one of them cast a drunken spell on me."
"So what are you saying?" Draco said. A drop of water fell slowly down Draco's check, and rolled into his mouth.
"I wouldn't have done what I did last night if I were thinking proper."
"So that's what this is about, then?" Draco said. Draco shoved Harry aside and made his way down the staircase.
"Wait, Malfoy! I didn't mean it like that. Malfoy? Malfoy!"
Harry chased Draco down the stairs but couldn't find him. Harry ran all the way down the stairs. He ran from McGonagall's to Airhowl's. He rushed into the great hall and asked several students if they'd seen Harry.
"Draco? Now why in heavens name would you look for a toss pot like him?" Ron insisted.
"I just really need to talk to him," Harry said.
"I believe he's left the grounds," Hermione interrupted.
"I just hope he gets back on time, that's all," Harry said. Ron gave him a dirty look before cutting himself a very large piece of pound cake.
After lunch, all the students continued to their classes. Harry, Ron and Hermione hurried to Snape's potions class. Harry and Ron were already late, and weren't exactly on good terms with Snape. When they entered, Draco was already there. He was sitting near Crabbe and Goyle and three seemed to be carrying a very interesting conversation. Harry looked Draco in the eye, and Draco frowned and looked away. Snape carried out his potions class, but no one seemed to enjoy it. Everyone paid attention, but not a soul felt enlightened. After potions, many first years, along with Alan, went to their last class: Quidditch.
"Hi, Draco! What a coincidence you're here" Alan said, nudging Draco.
"Are you daft, or have you forgotten what you'd done to me?" Draco reminded Alan.
"To you? I think you mean for you. I showed you so many things. Thing most students don't even learn. I think you 'ought to be a little more grateful." Alan grabbed Draco by his arm and squeezed tightly.
"Stop it, you're hurting me!" Draco said while grinding his teeth. He didn't want to start a scene, so he tried to keep quiet. Professor Finch them stepped in and began her introduction to Broomstick Flying for First Years.
When Neville fell after mounting on his malfunctioned broomstick, Professor Finch left to take him to the hospital wing.
"Why don't you give that broomstick of yours a go?" Alan sneakily said to Draco.
"Now why would I ever do a thing like that? Did you hear what Finch said? Expelled." Draco explained.
"Would you like to be mates with Potter or not?" Alan said. Draco looked at him confused, but at the same time, he knew exactly what Alan was leading him on to. "It was nice, but I can see you're on to bigger and brighter things," Alan said boastfully as he looked at Harry.
"Why would you think that?" Draco said nervously.
"'I don't want to mess things up with Harry for good'" Alan mocked Draco.
"You heard that?" Draco said, fearfully.
"And if you don't fly that bloody broom of yours, I won't be the only one that knows," Alan handed Draco Neville's rememberall. Draco didn't really want to impress Harry. He didn't want to do anything with Harry, in fact. But being friends would be nice. Having Harry Potter as a friend would certainly have its perks.
After a little game of catch with Harry, Draco only seemed to be liked less by Harry. It wasn't until after Christmas that the two were on even terms. Draco really wanted to speak to Harry, but every time he tried, Harry seemed to walk away, or simply pretend to be busy with other things. Draco wanted to know what Harry was so busy with, so one night Draco followed Harry and his friends. He wondered what they could possibly doing out so late. He managed to get all the way to Hagrid's and tried to peak through the only window that wasn't blocked with pumpkins or bear traps. He found a few flat stones and boosted himself up on them. Draco saw again that one of Harry's ears was larger than the next. He liked the way Harry seemed so small in one of Hagrid's giant-sized armchairs. Draco smiled, and rested his arm on the side of his face. Right after, one of the stones holding him up broke in half and Hagrid and the others turned and realized he was spying on them. Draco ran back as fast as he could.
On his way to Slytherin's common room, Draco bumped into McGonagall. Before she could scold him on being out of bed so late, Draco made up a story of how Harry and the others were in danger. Draco could never really lie so convincingly until he spent a while with Alan. When McGonagall found Harry, Ron and Hermione, she gave them detention. Draco wasn't surprised when he was sent with them. After being split up with Harry, alone in the Forbidden Forest, Draco finally got to speak his mind.
"So…er…hi." Draco said. He was scared. He was more scared of losing Harry, than being mauled to death by a werewolf, or the like, in a dark forest where no one would here his scream.
"Hello, Draco." Harry said, sort of annoyed,
"It's been a while."
"Yeah,"
"So how have you been?" Draco asked as he tripped over the roots of an enormous tree.
"Never better. You?" Harry tried to keep his responses short.
"Alright…I guess. Draco said, "I'm sorry for dragging you into this, but it was the only way to talk to you.
"Well if what you have to say is so vital to my survival, please, by all means."
"I just wanted to tell you…" Draco began, "That…"
Harry knew what was coming.
"I like you Harry Potter." Draco said. He stopped walking, and turned to Harry.
"How can you be sure?" Harry said, "We've only got to get to know each other on few occasions. Christmas especially, but that was only a few hours."
"It may have been a few hours, Harry. But it was the greatest few hours I've had since I've stepped foot on Hogwarts." Draco continued, "I'm a loser, Harry. I still don't know why you waste your time on me."
Harry paused and turned to see Draco. "It's because—" Harry said firmly. Draco could feel his muscles tense. "It's because I like you, too."
The two stared at each other in silence, as crickets chirped in the moonlight.
"Then why aren't we…you know? We?" Draco asked, as his heart was no longer beating in an orderly fashion. The forest grew silent.
"I don't know Draco. I'm sorry."
Draco looked down, "Alright then. Fine."
Harry watched as Draco left toward Hagrid and the others. He listened as the crunching leaves become quieter and more distant before Draco was no longer in sight. Harry reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver necklace. He brushed over the embossed letters with his thumb, in the light the moon beamed outward. He let out one tear. Just one. And Harry made damn sure as it was a good one.