Buzzy Bee:Thank you very much for all those compliments and I'll try my best to finish this fic, because I also like it a lot and I've got a pretty good idea of what is going to happen. I just won't promise I'll be quick about it ^^

You will get a few more chapters before it becomes slow because they are already written.

Ex Mentis: Your comment piqued my interest, what's a Dire Wolf? Now that I think about it, I can just look it up myself *.*

Arisophalma: Just because you're my friend doesn't mean you can get away with writing only one word! (Everyone, don't copy her, she's a very bad girl!)

On the other side of the door was a clearing, growing in the middle of the desert of ashes. It was a curious sight, a ring of trees surrounding a grassy clearing, growing in the middle of a burning hell. It resembled an oasis in the desert. He walked on, taking a step on the humid grass. In front of him was a small black wolf cub, seemingly trying to catch an invisible butterfly. He was soon joined by a silver cub that sprang out of the line of trees and jumped on his dark friend. They rolled across the grass barking happily as they did. He walked on leaving the cubs and the clearing behind him. He was walking on the ashes again, now. He walked on, never turning back. Soon a door appeared before him, identical to the first. Coal black and covered in rusty chains. He extended his hand, felt the warmth on his skin and the chains fell to the ground, immediately disappearing under the ashes. Once again the door opened and he walked on…

Harry woke up and swore. His hand was bleeding again. Over the last few days, the words 'I must not tell lies' had carved themselves deeper in his flesh. He got up to his feet and took the Murtlap Essence out of his suitcase. He applied it to the wound. Sighing he grabbed his wand and clothes and left towards the bathroom. Once he had gotten dressed he bandaged his hand and got out of the room. In a matter of minutes he was in the Great Hall, eating breakfast. It wasn't long until the rest of the Gryffindors arrived. Harry ignored the others' sneers which wasn't difficult as he had brought a book with him. He only lifted his head when Hedwig landed in front of him, a letter attached to her leg.

"Thanks, girl." he said as he detached the parchment and offered the snowy owl a treat.

He opened it and read the letter.

'Dear Harry,

I hope it's not too difficult for you at school. I suppose that the others are making things difficult. Just remember that you can still talk to me and Snuffles about it.

We're doing rather well at home. Snuffles is still whining because he's not allowed to go out but otherwise he's well behaved. We're still cleaning around the house and we have managed to clear a room upstairs. We've decorated a bit and it now looks pretty much habitable. It can be your room when you come back.

Try and write to us soon Cub.

Lovingly,

Moony and Snuffles'

The raven haired boy smiled and folded the letter carefully before putting it in his book. He would have to reply to it later, maybe before he went to his detention.

"Good morning, Harry."

"Morning Evan." said Harry looking at the smaller boy as he approached the Gryffindor table with his two friends. "Morning Lisa, Nicolas." added Harry smiling at the two others.

"Can you help me with my homework?" asked Nicolas showing his Transfiguration book.

"Sure."

Harry took the book pushing his unruly black hair out of his eyes. The three first years sat around him prepared to listen attentively.

"What's the part you need help on?" asked Harry after scanning the text.

"Well, I don't understand the…" Nicolas was interrupted by a loud clatter.

Ron followed by Seamus and Dean was approaching them with a dark look.

"What the hell are they doing here?" spat the red haired boy pointing at the three Slytherins.

"They're asking a friend for help with their homework, Weasley." said Harry coldly. "I don't recall any rule forbidding it."

"They're Slytherins!" said Ron venomously.

"No really, I had no idea!" snapped Harry getting to his feet.

"You can't just invite them to our table!"

"I can do whatever I want and so can they!"

The Hall had gotten silent and the students were forming a circle around them. The Slytherins, having noticed their housemates involved in the fight, had risen from their seats and were standing a bit apart from the other students.

"Just because you're not human doesn't mean you can just betray your house and fraternise with the enemy." said Ron glaring at the first years.

"Funny, it had appeared to me that Gryffindor had betrayed me first." remarked Harry icily. "And the last time I checked the enemy wasn't Slytherin but Voldermort and his Death Eaters."

The crowd flinched at the name and some Slytherins looked a bit taken aback by Harry's statement. Ron glared at the raven haired boy and suddenly he grabbed his wand and pointed it on Harry.

"Reducto." cried the red haired boy.

Harry took out his own wand and muttered a Protego. Before he had time to retaliate, Ron had cast another curse, except this time it was aimed at Lisa. Without thinking Harry dropped his wand and rushed forward. He shifted in an instant and leaped in front of the small girl who was petrified with fear. The curse hit his flank. Pain shot into his side and he heard a few ribs cracking. The wolf bared his fang in a beastly snarl. Its green eyes were flashing with hatred. Harry lowered himself in a hunting stance, protecting the three first years with his body. Around him, people were gasping in horror and murmurs were filling the Hall. The black wolf approached his prey with low growl. He launched himself on the red haired. Just as he was about to bite the boy's throat, amongst the many scream he heard someone calling his name. He didn't recognize the voice but it sounded familiar, one he had known for a long time.

The wolf released his prey and leapt back to the children. Ron was still lying on the floor, pale and trembling. The green orbs didn't leave the red haired boy as the wolf pushed his three cubs to the door, his body still placed between them and Ron. The wolf encouraged the children to walk quickly away from the Hall towards the dungeons. He didn't stop until they had arrived in front of the Slytherin common room. There he seemed to hesitate. His instinct told him this was the safest place for his cubs, but somewhere in a corner of his mind a little voice told him he shouldn't go in there. He stood there looking hesitantly at the wall in front of him. Evan, Lisa and Nicolas were glancing at each other not really knowing what they were supposed to do. They didn't quite understand what had just happened. They only knew that Harry had protected them.

Hurried footsteps resounded in the corridor leading to the Great Hall. In a flash, the black wolf had placed himself in front of his cubs. As the sound approached he starting growling warningly. A blond boy with mouldy silver eyes turned the corner and marched towards them. The wolf stopped growling but didn't lower his guard. He sniffed trying to catch the intruder's smell. The boy smelled of soap and of the forest. The latter was faint but to a sensitive nose like the wolf's it was still discernible. Little by little, the wolf got closer to the blond boy who had stopped a little distance away. The smell intrigued him, it was familiar. At last, he took the last step that separated him from the boy. The wolf's nose brushed against the pale hand. The blond boy tensed at the touch but seeing that the animal wasn't going to harm him he relaxed. After he had sniffed the hand and wrist for some time, the wolf licked it and let out a joyous bark. The boy frowned; he seemed surprised by the reaction.

Again footsteps approached them, there were more this time. The wolf pushed the blond boy towards the three cubs and took back his offensive position to await this new set of intruders. However a hand grabbed him around the neck willing him not to attack. The wolf growled in frustration but didn't try to get away. The hand was warm, kind and so familiar…If the blond boy thought he shouldn't attack, then he would trust him.

A group of Slytherin's rounded the corner. They stopped when they saw the growling wolf. When they saw that the animal was being restrained by their Prince they walked cautiously closer.

"What exactly is going on, here?" asked Blaise Zabini who was leading the group.

"It seems his wolf instincts took over." explained Draco Malfoy who was still holding the wolf by its neck, though the animal wasn't resisting anymore. "He doesn't trust you, that's why he's growling. I don't think he'll attack unless you make a move first, though."

"And he trusts you?" asked Zabini with a doubtful expression. "No offence mate, but I don't think that Harry Potter would trust you that much."

Malfoy shrugged, showing his own incomprehension, and turned towards the crack.

"Pureblood." he muttered.

The crack opened and he motioned the three first years inside. Then he released the wolf, who had stopped growling and stepped inside. The wolf stood in front of the wall, watching intently. Malfoy turned around to look at the beast.

" Aren't you coming inside?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

The question seemed to agitate the wolf and he started to trot back and forth glancing at the opening hesitantly. The blond Slytherin watched with an almost imperceptible amusement.

"It's alright to come in. No one will harm you." he told the wolf.

The wolf stopped and gazed at the blond boy. He took a reluctant step forward and stopped again. The green eyes fixed themselves in the moldy silver. Suddenly, he leapt forward and landed inside the Slytherin common room. As soon as he was inside he turned around, looking warily at the entrance and the Slytherins. Seeing that nothing or nobody was attacking him, he trotted inside and joined his cubs. He sat on the floor, as the three first years sat on the green sofas, still looking at his surroundings for any sign of danger.

As the wolf felt the safety of the room, the instincts started withdrawing and his human thoughts which had been held back resurfaced. It was a while, before Harry could think completely like a human again. He took his time before turning back into his human body. He knew he was in Slytherin common room. Evan, Lisa and Nicolas were sitting on the sofa next to him and Malfoy and Zabini were sitting in the sofa opposite them. The other Slytherins were occupying the remaining seats or the floor, in the case of a group of second years. Most of the students weren't really doing anything and Harry supposed they were waiting for him to turn back or move. He sighed internally. Well, he couldn't stay like that forever…

He got to his feet and stepped backwards to have more space when he transformed. His movement had attracted the attention of everyone in the room. Under the fascinated stares of the Slytherins Harry shifted back. Once he was back on two legs, exhaustion hit him. He staggered a bit and had to grab an armchair to stop himself from falling.

"Are you alright Harry?" cried Evan in alarm rushing to his help.

"I'm fine." mumbled the raven haired boy. "Just a bit tired."

He slumped into the armchair under Evan's worried stare.

"I'm fine, really." said Harry shifting a bit to face the younger boy.

He winced when pain shot in his side. He'd forgotten about his ribs. He placed a hand to his side and grimaced. There was a few that were broken.

"Potter?" it was Malfoy this time.

The blond had gotten up and was watching the Gryffindor attentively.

"Broken ribs." gasped the green eyed boy. "Forgot about it."

The blond raised an eyebrow, as if he meant to ask how one could possibly forget about broken ribs, but didn't comment. Instead, he turned to Zabini.

"Blaise, go and fetch Madam Pomfrey." he ordered.

The Italian boy nodded and made for the door.

"NO!" yelled the raven haired boy.

He was still clutching his side trying in vain to make the pain subside.

"Don't…" he choked. "I can't…can't be seen…"

The Slytherins looked at him perplexed. Blaise seemed uncertain as to what he should be doing and was sending questioning glances to Malfoy. The blond boy however didn't notice as his gaze didn't leave the raven haired boy.

"Fine. Who, then?" asked Malfoy finally.

The raven haired boy thought quickly. Who? Who could he trust? But his mind remained empty. There was no one. He couldn't allow anyone to see his tattoo, a mark which he knew was important. It couldn't be seen no matter what!

He was starting to feel faint. Already, his younger friend's voices were becoming more distant and his vision was blurry. Then just before he fell into darkness, the tattoo started burning. And as if echoing the sun's blaze, the pain in Harry's other side became more intense. With a helpless howl of pain he passed out.

This chapter is a bit shorter but I wanted to make you suffer with the cliffhanger, niark niark ^^