A/N - Oh my goodness it's confusing trying to write this again. Forgive me for any lengthy time between chapters, I am busy reading over other fanfics for information and looking up Wikipedia for details. On top of that between now and the start of university in March I'll be doing 12 hour days on a farm. I promise I'm writing new chapters for this story every week but I REALY need a Beta because I'm rubbish at editing and take ages to get around to it.

Disclaimer - The themes and most characters belong to my queen, JK Rowling, author of the true Harry Potter books.

They were arriving. The students had been morbidly quiet and clad in their formal black robes since breakfast, a breakfast absent of the Flying Professor. Harry sat in a first floor classroom so he could watch them; he'd been there since sunrise and continuously scowled at the changing light streaming in through the dusty window.

He'd brought the next week's game plans with him and a bottle of Fire Whiskey. Since the effects had worn off the night before in a spine shuddering jolt of mortifying realization his mood had worn away like sandpaper on foam. He could only assume Draco understood since the blond hadn't approached him about his behavior. Nonetheless Harry found the strong effects of the drink comforting in his trial of forgetting.

The first Quidditch matches of the year were spectacular; the knowledge of this was probably the only thing stopping Harry from going back to Mungo's. Grawp had assisted Harry as umpire. Whilst the junior matches were played during the day, the more intense senior matches were after dinner. Harry had prepared the pitch with a lumos maxima at both goals and had Hagrid round him up some glowing Fairies for the stands. The students brought snacks and drinks from the hall and on the night the Badgers won all Hufflepuff variants had let off some firecrackers.

He knew it was a success from the owl Isobel had sent him, informing him that his aunt had never been more impressed in her life.

Draco was down there. The slimy disgusting git, Harry couldn't believe he kissed him, and worse, on the dark mark! His stomach roiled and he took another pull of the drink.

He didn't agree with this new Mudblood Army he'd been reading about and he was glad that in his inflated, potion-induced infatuation he had somehow saved Malfoy's life but he still had the engrossing feeling that he'd done something terrible, that he was defiled.

"Harry."

Hermione entered through the open door, breaking the miserable peace Harry had buried into. He quickly hid the whiskey under the table.

"How on earth did you hunt me down?"

"The house elves told me where you were."

Harry nodded. It was a reasonable explanation.

She joined him looking out the window, Harry recognized Cedric's parents and he assumed the withered witch in a wheelchair to be Burbage's grandmother but as for the rest he hadn't a clue. They could have fought on either side, it didn't matter, they had all lost someone and that was what they were down at the memorial for.

Harry couldn't help being distracted by the shock of white blond hair and scowled. Malfoy was talking to one of the guests and she embraced him.

Crabbe's mother, Harry assumed and was at least a little pleased she had come.

McGonagall was down among them, as well as a few students and staff. She demonstrated the memorial and invited the guests to come forward and do the same.

"It's a good thing that you've done, Harry. I don't think many other people would have taken the stance you have."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked her, his brow furrowing.

"You haven't assigned blame anywhere or gone on hating the purists or consolidating yourself in the past. You've looked forward and found the solution to be united and you've done something about it."

Harry looked as Mrs. Crabbe and Mrs. Diggory simultaneously added a memory. What it must've taken for them to do that. Harry's heart skipped a beat and for a moment he forgot his misery.

"So…?" Hermione trailed off.

"So what?"

"So you can stop hiding the whiskey for one and for another you can tell me what went on with Draco."

Harry scowled and drank from the bottle openly.

"I was snuck a potion, somehow. By a third year I think. By accident he became a focus of an…infatuation. I don't think I'll get over it."

Hermione tried desperately to smother a smile.

"Look let's go down."

"I can't." Harry moaned. Draco was down there.

"But Ron's here!"

He was, a few bright red heads were bobbing around the congregation. Hermione pulled Harry to his feet, vanished the bottle with her wand, and they descended down to where the memorial stood outside waiting.

Ron embraced him briefly without greeting and then instantly left him to capture Hermione in a passionate kiss that made Harry's stomach lurch.

"Guys." He murmured. "Really?"

"Mate, I haven't seen my wife in weeks."

"One week."

"Well it feels like years."

"Hermione! Apologize for turning our brother into a cheeseball." Percy demanded as he approached with George, Arthur soon joined them as well.

"Speaking of which." Ron said, pulling away from an embarrassed Hermione. "Why are people telling us you're not in Gryffindor anymore?"

Harry shrugged half-heartily.

"I guess because I'm not."

Ron blew out his cheeks with a mix of anger and confusion.

"But if you're not Gryffindor...I mean you ARE Gryffindor, how could you just change houses? What were you thinking?"

Harry shrugged again.

"Really Ronald, what does it matter? These days the houses are taken about as seriously as astrology signs, no one can even keep track of them. What does it matter what house Harry's in?"

Ron was looking very cowed and George and Percy were laughing at him.

"Getting told off by his wife."

"Careful Ron, she'll turn out like mum."

"What's wrong with that?" Arthur asked, grinning nonetheless.

Ron looked sharply at Harry as if it was his entire fault. "Because we were all in it together, all of the good times we had were in Gryffindor…"

Harry put a hand on his friend's shoulder, half out of sympathy and the rest out of the need to be steady.

"We have lots more good times to have, only now you'll be in the ministry and I'll be here in Moonfrog."

Everyone looked at him in confusion until George broke the silence.

"That memorial thing is cool, I could think of some better uses for magic like that." He half-joked.

"It's just a Pensieve inside it, the structure is melded on so when you come into…."

"We get it Hermione." Ron groaned, his arm still affectionately around her.

"Miniature Pensieve…" George's eyes shone a bit. "What do you think Harry? They could hold one or two memories, but you could carry them around."

"It's probably been done, but it hasn't been marketed, as long as you make the idea your own somehow." Hermione said.

"For what, sorry?" Harry asked.

"For Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." George stated.

"I've never heard of anything like it." Said Arthur.

"So are you coming to the season play offs Harry?"

Words were lost again and everyone began staring bug-eyed at Percy. That was everyone except Harry. He felt a little embarrassed. After all he couldn't leave McGonagall's care to see the first Quidditch match of the year, not to mention he had work.

"I think I'll miss it."

"But Ginny's playing chaser for the Holy Head Harpies…"

"Shut up Percy!" Everyone said simultaneously, as Harry's face flamed red. What was it that everyone didn't want him to know? Was she mad at him for not being in touch?

"What? Doesn't he know?"

Now Harry knew something was definitely a miss as George smacked Percy's head.

"Harry I think we need to talk." George said and began dragging him toward the school gate.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked.

"Just away, you don't need that lot staring at you. I don't want to be the one to have to tell you this, you might want to sit down."

"You're dragging me."

"You're subscribed to the prophet aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Well she's done an interview for it, you'll know by next delivery anyway."

"Know what?"

"Ginny's gone and got engaged."

Harry pulled out of George's grip with unnecessary force.

"Come on, we'll go and get you a drink…"

"That's not a good idea." Harry said shakily, feeling like the ground had been pulled away.

"Mum's furious."

Harry nodded.

"None of us even like him."

He nodded again and pressed his hand to his mouth in case he was sick. Harry looked up and saw George rubbing the hole where his ear used to be.

"George?" He starting, forgetting about Ginny completely. "When Snape got your ear, did he cast the spell wordlessly?"

George nodded straight away. "Yeah, all the spells he cast were wordless, I only knew it was him because we saw him and because we knew about Sectumsempra from when you got Malfoy."

"So possibly, no one else knows about Sectumsempra?"

George shrugged. "Unless, you know the healers at Mungo's asked me, but I can't remember what I told them."

Harry rubbed his scar. It was a start.

"Why are you asking me this?" George asked curiously. "Are you planning to cut up this bloke of Ginny's? Because it might not be worth Azkaban…"

Harry shook his head and lowered his voice.

"You know the Mudblood Army?"
"Yeah I know of them. Stupid bastards, what about them?"

"They made Draco Malfoy one of their targets, he was almost killed with Sectumsempra."

George twisted his face. "You sure?"

Harry nodded vigorously.

"I can talk to my healers. I don't think I told any of them much of anything whilst I was in Mungo's but I think dad knows about my ear, he could've said something…"

Harry nodded.

"Why aren't the Aurors doing this?" George asked.

"They probably will." Harry shrugged.

"Then why do you care so much…about who attacked Malfoy?"

The question hit Harry like a bucket of ice water. George didn't ask it with malice, only sincere curiosity and a squint. He felt himself wincing. He didn't care! Yes, when the potion was making him believe he was in love with Malfoy he wanted to know who had hurt him, but what did it matter now?

"Is this why you don't care about Ginny's fling? Are you crushing on the enemy?"

"What? No! You're not saying…"

"I'm not saying that you day dream about the dark, broken spawn of your defeated enemy's most loyal follower, the evil, blond haired git who pulls off dress robes like he was born in them and who is walking this way."

Harry spun around. Surely Malfoy was not stalking over to them in the fine black dress robes that seemed to fit him impossibly well.

But he was. George was grinning like a wild thing, Harry shuffled, drunk and uncomfortable.

"Harry, how are you feeling?"

"Regretful." Harry spat.

A smile flitted across Draco's lips; it was gone as fast as it came.

A piece of parchment was handed out to him.

"What's this?" Harry asked, making no effort to take it.

"I couldn't help but conduct further research into the potion that poisoned you, Potter. Even though I still haven't discovered a cure and the effects seem to have…worn off. To back up my findings I sent away to Maligna to verify them, I was fearful that someone had managed to get a hold of my essence due to your behavior and in light of yesterday, that very well may have been a link to who attacked me."

"Get on with it Malfoy." George sighed, probably seeing how green Harry, who was swaying, had become.

Malfoy smirked. "You can read it for yourself but the potion was free of my essence."

"Your what?" Harry hiccupped.

"It didn't have any of his hairs or toenails or stuff." George said helpfully.

Harry almost said 'thank Merlin' but then he remembered the other ingredients in it and kept his mouth shut.

"Just so it's clear, that means there was no reason for me to have become the object of a false feeling manufactured by magic. Which lead me to these findings that show the potion was all along, an incredibly potent enhancement potion."

Malfoy looked at George. "You can explain to him what that means while I find a place he won't be ale to find me to kill me." And with that Draco glided away quickly.

"Mate…"

"Just tell me." Harry demanded in a choked voice.

"I don't exactly know what went on but if what I understand is true and you tried to get it on with Malfoy it wasn't entirely the potion that made you do it."

"What?"

"An enhancement potion only effects true emotions, it can't create ones not already there. What was this one, lust?"

Harry shook his head, feeling sick.

"Oh well that's okay then." George smiled. "That would've been the worst, so just something like friendship or respect? I don't think he would've known the difference if the potion enhanced a hostile emotion."

Harry shook his head again. It was so much worse.

"What do you mean? What was enhanced then? I can't think of anything else, well except for love but you can't…oh…bullocks."

Harry tried to swallow but couldn't. He had the parchment Malfoy had given him clutched in a death grip. George slung a tentative arm around his rigid shoulders.

Slowly and shakily they began walking back whilst Harry tried to ignore his impulse to hurl.

"Well then, you have two options, Harry." George proclaimed with a thoughtful expression. Harry looked at him.

"First is the easiest, you can kill Malfoy."

Harry nodded, it would be tricky but it was doable, he could probably get away with it too.

"Second, if you don't kill the ferret, you'll have to find the bastards who tried to kill him and bring them down."

"Why?" Harry asked as Hermione, Ron, Arthur and Percy grew nearer.

"Because mate, you love him."

All Harry could do was nod.

"Sorry we didn't tell you!" Ron blurted.

Harry shrugged.

"What was there to tell? It's a bit early, sure but all we can do is hope he's good enough for her."

Hermione and Arthur snorted simultaneously.

"You'll have to tell me everything about the game."

They nodded in agreement.

Across the crowd McGonagall and Hagrid were talking.

"I should check up with Minerva to see how the day's going." Harry said, pointing over to her. He said goodbye quickly and left the Weasleys.

"Headmistress how's everything going?" He asked her.

"Perfectly Harry, just perfectly, which is why I suggest you go inside and bathe that whiskey stench away, no one's expecting a speech from you but try for a little decorum."

"How are ya Harry?" Hagrid asked, clapping Harry on the back with complete disregard for McGonagall's words of reprimand.

"I've been better."

"Yeah it was harsh that young Ginny running off on ya, just wait, she'll come 'round."

Harry nodded and smiled weakly.

"Headmistress, Mr. Potter."

A woman had joined them. She looked haggard and tired despite her expensive robes. Shakily she took hold of Harry's hands.

"I just want to say, thank you for inviting me here today." Her voice broke and tears welled in her eyes. "This was his school even if he and my husband made some bad choices…I never expected such kindness."

"You're welcome…"

"Crabbe, Anathema Crabbe."

And she embraced him.

"DON'T KILL HIM! DON'T KILL HIM!" Harry froze, it was Malfoy who was screaming, right in his ear. Anathema had pulled away and was looking at him in confusion. Draco was no where in sight.

"DON'T KILL HIM!"

"You an' yer dad are finished."

Harry let out a breath, trembling violently. He knew what he was hearing now, Crabbe's last moments. His last words, telling Draco that he and his father no longer had standing with the dark lord, not when Draco was so adamant that they should keep Harry alive. Not when he'd let harry go to begin with.

Malfoy's voice had been so panicked and free from decorum. Harry had forgotten.

Anathema swam back into view, had he passed out? Gratefully he found himself upright.

"I'm glad you came." He told her slowly. Her son had been a monster, but he was her son.

"Potter, I believe that's your student." McGonagall's voice was full of concern, could she tell what had just happened?

Harry turned to see Lucy Frost nearing the Forbidden Forest. The last thing he needed. With a sigh Harry nodded toward the witches.

"It was lovely meeting you Mrs. Crabbe."

Shakily he headed after the young student who seemed oblivious to where she was headed.

He caught up with her just as she looped away from the trees to return to the castle.

"Frost, you shouldn't go so close to the forest." He told her, out of breath.

"I'm sorry Professor, I was just getting some exercise, Filch says that kids my age need exercise on the ground before we start flying."

"Oh yes, how are your mornings with Filch going?"

Frost grinned at him. "Great! He's so clever; he knows everything about the castle. I'm never late to classes now. Did you know there are walls that tell you directions if you know how to ask them?"

"Good, I'm glad to hear the punishment isn't so…harsh."

"Well it's better than being expelled and I know not to mess around with flying now." She told him, increasing her grin.

"Come on, I'll walk you up to the castle."

"Aren't you going to stay out here with all the grown ups?" She asked, jogging to keep up with his long strides.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not feeling." He paused as a strong urge to vomit passed over him. "Very well."

"You're never well are you?" She asked as they skirted the memorial congregation and headed toward the steps.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry professor, I just meant that you look pale and you never eat much at the staff table. You're still a good teacher though…"

She looked worried that she might have upset him.

Inside the castle he sent her on her way to find some friends. Only then did Harry remember the parchment in his hand.

Without moving another inch he unfolded it and began to read.

It was a list of described properties of the strange ingredients. Harry wished he could understand them. At the bottom however, Maligna had scribbled a brief conclusion out in barely discernible writing.

In conclusion Draco, if the person drugged by this potion targeted you specifically as an object of infatuation as you described then the root of those proposed feelings would have been genuine. I am unable to determine whether the potency of the ingredients was merely necessary to counter the existing potions used or if they made the potion itself particularly strong. Therefore the person under its influence may have had a meager passing interest in you, which was enhanced significantly. Either way they were the sole target of this circumstance and you were, as it seems, an unfortunate party.

Best regards M. Winesap.

Harry re-scrunched the paper. 'A passing interest.' He could deal with that. He'd had a passing interest in Malfoy and the blasted potion had blown it out of proportion.

He began walking; he would head upstairs and take a bath in his living quarters. As he moved his thoughts turned cruel. Maligna's findings weren't conclusive either way, if the potion wasn't so strong then it may have been more than just an interest, after all, hadn't he had a passing interest in Miss Nightingale? Yet he had completely ignored her on his way to see Malfoy. Why hadn't the potion locked to her?

He took the long way to his quarters, to retrieve the Quidditch plans he'd left on the abandoned classroom. He travelled up stairways through each floor of the castle until he reached his office. It made no sense but the thought of taking the shortcut through the teacher's lounge seemed unbearable.

Inside his office he had begun to sweat, nothing seemed steady through the haze of whiskey. He sat at his desk and stared at his Quidditch papers. What was he going to do?

Already he knew.

He wasn't going to kill Malfoy.

There may have been some hidden romantic reason behind it, but what it ultimately came down to was he, Harry Potter, was not a killer.

Getting up he steadied himself with the chair before stumbling toward his quarter's door.

"Pegasus." He slurred and it slid open.

The darkness inside met his eyes like a soft pillow under a weary head, he was only just beginning to realize he'd drunk more than he'd intended.

He didn't think to grab spare robes to change into, he headed straight to the lavish bathroom up the furthermost stairs.

It was a short bath; it was necessary to cut the risk of drowning since he continuously drifted off. It was a good time to have some gillyweed on hand, he thought lazily.

Outside the water was freezing cold, he hadn't lit a fire in any recent time and so he wrapped a towel around his navel and picked up his discarded wand to rush to his bedroom and dress. The stone steps were like ice on his bare feet, he half jogged down and then back up again, pushing open the closed doors of his bedroom.

"Took your time Potter."

Harry froze in the door frame before quickly clutching the towel, keeping it from sliding down any further.

His first thoughts were that Draco was rubbish at finding hiding spots where Harry couldn't kill him.

Malfoy obviously hadn't been expecting him naked. The blond immediately blushed and adverted his eyes.

"Salazar have mercy Potter, you just had to be a private exhibitionist."

"Get out Malfoy! I just had a bath!" He roared the two comments, not knowing whether he wanted to explain himself or simply be rid of his intruder.

"Calm down, I just came to talk."

"If by talk you mean to taunt me, I believe that, but unlike you some of us have grown up. I don't know what that potion brought out in me but I just don't care, I had no idea I had feelings like that before I took it so…"

"Liar."

"What did you just call me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Potter, are you hard of hearing? Maybe it's because you can't listen over the sound of your lies."

"I am not a liar Draco Malfoy, shut your mouth!"

"You either just lied to my face now or you were lying in my office when you told me you had feelings for me before you took the potion."

Harry felt himself turn red. He had said that? Was it because he had that dream?

He pulled his towel up a little higher.

"I-I didn't take the blasted potion Malfoy." Was all he could manage to spit out.

"I know you didn't on purpose, calm down, you weren't to know I wouldn't blunder things up like a Gryffindor and just curse you. But you see, this could be of use to me."

Harry snorted. "Of course, let's hear it."

"It's valuable having the great Harry Potter in love with me, my parents are still waiting out sentences and-"

"No!"

Draco looked as if he'd been slapped in the face, but then he got a view of Harry's livid expression and the Slytherin in him told him to back off.

"What do you mean no?"

"No Malfoy, as in NO."

"I don't think you-"

"It's you who doesn't understand!"

"Please, Potter, enlighten me with your wisdom whilst my parents rot away in prison."

"Are you really so ignorant and spoiled that you have no idea about other people's feeling's?"

"Other people's, what?"

"You're unbelievable Draco! You need to leave."

"How can you be so stubborn? You're meant to have these feelings for me, Potter so help me free my parents!"

"Shut up Malfoy!" Harry roared. "MAYBE I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU! I don't know! But if I am, I will not be your accessory you can use to win ministry favors. In fact I'll be perfectly fine having nothing to do with you. Don't look so pathetic either, in the past your little admirers may have granted your every wish but I'm not them, I couldn't give a damn."

A look came over Draco's face, a look Harry had never seen before on anyone's face, especially never on Draco's.

The blond bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, excuse me."

He pushed past Harry and began to leave.

"Do me a bloody favor and change your password." He advised before shutting the door behind him.

Harry would have but there were mere wisps of consciousness left about him and so he collapsed atop his covers and succumbed to sleep. A not so dreamless sleep where instead of yelling at Malfoy he had allowed his towel to drop to the floor and proceeded to snog his brains out.

He allowed the dream, he needed it before he was to begin everything all over again with Monday.