What is your secret?
Disclaimer: Harry Potter & his magic world belong to J.K Rowling.
Dedication: To you my dear friend, D! You are the best beta in the world! Thanks to you this chapter is readable now :)
Part 6. Maybe There is a Hope
That evening in Gryffindor tower a party raged full force. The party was held on the occasion of a stunning victory of Gryffindor over Ravenclaw in the first quidditch plays. That year Ravenclaw quidditch team was strong enough, most likely because of their new beaters, who gave Harry a lot of troubles during the game. Still, Gryffindor scored the victory, and a spectacular victory it was. And as usual, a leading role in it belonged to Harry Potter.
Now, for that reason he could not pass through the Gryffindor Common Room without someone tapping on his shoulder, loudly manifesting their admiration with his marvelous seeker's skills.
Harry was not ecstatic about that. His shoulders, his back, and even his buttocks ached from the continual congratulatory slapping. Moreover, in his ears there was a constant hum from the endless flow of praises falling on him from every side.
Harry kept on smiling to his pals, while thinking of how to escape unnoticed from all those people. To run away; desirably to the room hidden behind the picture with sands. Nobody would find him there! Well, nobody except of Malfoy-phantom. But it was unlikely that the blonde would congratulate him with a Gryffindor victory. So, for Harry, there would be no need to worry about his ears, shoulders and other parts of his body.
"Harry, you were gorgeous!"
Harry gave a start, when Ginny Weasley hung on his neck. Trying to unhook the girl's hands from himself, he mumbled:
"Eh... Ginny. Thank you."
"You were simply amazing on that soooo big broomstick of yours!"
Harry frowned, not quite understanding. Was his Firebolt that big? He had some doubts about that. A broom like any other. Yes, it was an advanced, professional-level flying broom, but still of standard size. Otherwise he would not have been allowed to play for his team, because the size of a broomstick in quidditch was strictly regulated. Therefore Harry decided to consider Ginny's words as a compliment; though the one a rather doubtful quality. That's why Harry answered hesitatingly:
"Eh… Thanks."
Meanwhile, it didn't seem that Ginny wanted to be unhooked from the poor guy's neck. Quite an opposite, the girl tried to snuggle up to Harry ever closer. As a result, the guy felt himself more and more awkwardly.
"Come with me, Harry," she whispered in his ear, burning the side of his face with her hot breath. "Come with me, and I'll show you how the true heroes should be congratulated."
Harry flinched in shock. 'Did she really lick my ear just now?'
Even more desperately trying to remove Ginny from himself, Harry looked around in panic, seeking out Ron. From his previous experience, Ron was the only one who was able to tear off his sister from Harry.
'Ron!' Harry thought in despair. 'Damn, where you are when you are so needed?'
Unfortunately, there was no Ron anywhere. When all of a sudden:
"Ron! You are an idiot!"
It was only thanks to his seeker's instincts that Harry could dodge a blow in time. And as a result, the book flying at his direction landed right at Ginny's face.
"Oh!" The redhead's hands instantly let Harry out of their captivity and he, taking an opportunity, quickly put several steps between himself and the girl.
"Ginny! Sorry! I didn't intend to hit you!" The next moment, a very guilty Hermione came running to the redhead victim. "Sorry! I aimed at Ron, but missed! Sorry!"
Hermione quickly checked her boyfriend's younger sister and, founding a big bruise blooming at the freckled face, added, "We have to get to my room at once! I'll give you an anti-bruising fast-healing ointment. The treatment has to be done as fast as possible until the bruise become incurable! Let's go, quickly!"
Ginny threw a longing look at Harry, but still followed Hermione without a word.
Harry breathed with relief and, taking advantage of the bustle, quickly slipped out of the Common Room.
x-O-x-O-x
Despite the fact that Draco had been taking the Dreamless Potion, the nightmares had not stopped.
So here he was now, strolling along the gloomy passageways of Labyrinth. The suspicious rustle, squeak, hissing and screaming of unknown monsters promised no good. Draco felt that he grow cold with terror. But he knew that staying in place was yet more dangerous. And that was why he continued his march in search of exit.
In the Labyrinth it was becoming colder and colder. Draco could even saw his own breath, coming from his mouths as a small cloud. A blond trembled, wrapping himself in his school mantle, but that didn't help him at all. That was because the cold affected him not only from outside; Draco had been freezing from inside. For the first time in his life, the Slytherin understood what 'a soul-freezing cold' felt like.
Gasping and stumbling, Draco begun to run. Onward… to the right… damn..! dead-end... backward… to the left… straight to the end... Draco tried his best not to look back but put all his strength into running as fast as he could. However, as before, he felt that they were somewhere there. Those terrifying red eyes. They were searching for him.
"Draco, here!"
Taken by surprise, the Slytherin could not stop in time to avoid hitting the man who had seized his hand just a moment before. 'Where did he appear from in this frigging Labyrinth?' Draco did not know. All he knew that there was Harry Potter, standing before him, in his shapeless clothes that were so enormous as if taken off from a troll; with his black hair always sticking out in different directions and glasses sliding down his nose.
"Come here, Draco," repeated Potter. "I'll help you to get out."
Firmly holding Draco by the hand, the Gryffindor pulled him in unknown passageway, that appeared as if from nowhere. Keeping his wand ready at hand, Potter confidently strode onward.
Dumbfounded, Draco followed Potter, unable to say a word. The blond consoled himself with a thought:
'Probably I feel this mental stupor because of supercooling.'
Still, the warmth of Potter's hand was much more pleasant than the chilling loneliness of that terrible Labyrinth. Therefore Draco decided to trust Potter, and allowed him to lead them both out.
x-O-x-O-x
Unlike all previous times, the phantom-Мalfoy already had been inside the Secret room when Harry arrived there. The phantom was sitting comfortably in an arm-chair, holding a magazine in his hands. Stretching out his barefoot feet closer to the fire, the blond looked absolutely -
'… cute,' decided Harry, blushing.
The phantom looked up from his reading and, seeing Harry, friendly smiled.
"Hi!" Harry greeted him back. "I was passing by… so... hm… I thought why not to come in…"
Seeing Draco's ironically raised eyebrow, Harry understood that he was babbling. And so he turned red even more.
Trying to regain control, Harry drew a deep breath and decided to tell the truth.
"Well, there is a party on the occasion of our Quidditch victory, up in our tower. And I became very tired of it. That is because all people there are unbearable. They tapped on my shoulders and on my back too often, so now my whole body aches. Even my ass aches." Harry frowned and thoughtfully added, "I think that was Seamus's deed. He was the one who slapped me on my ass. Several times, if I remember correctly. What a friend he is…"
Now both of Draco's eyebrows were raised, and ironical smirk began to play on his lips. The Slytherin boy theatrically craned his neck and looked at Harry's bottom very meaningfully.
"Stop that!" Harry exclaimed with embarrassment.
The blond showed his teeth in a shining smile. Still unused to those open smiles on Malfoy's lips, Harry was taken aback. After all, earlier he saw nothing but mocking and disdainful smirks on that Slytherin's face. Now, that smile was open, friendly and very –
'…cute.' It was the second time for the evening that Harry's subconsciousness named the blond that way. As a result Harry blushed once again. 'Oh, Merlin, it seems that red will soon be the permanent color of my skin', thought Harry, feeling more embarrassed than before. So he wisely decided to change the topic.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
The phantom turned his magazine, showing it to Harry. After seeing the cover, Harry almost fell on his bottom. 'Hot magic boys' – was the title of that garish thing. And what's more, there was a pretty boy, dressed in very tight trousers and an almost transparent white shirt, winking from the cover. But the greatest shock for Harry was the fact that the winking boy from the cover happened to be the one and only Draco Malfoy.
TBC.
Thank you for reading! I hope you like this story. Would you like to know what will happen in the next chapter? Review please!
© Star Mirage