Chapter Five:

I Believe In You

A/N: Please read, review and enjoy! The song was hard to get for this chapter - I just choose something that describes Draco's new found feelings towards Harry, feelings of hope. =D

I would like to thank Fablousy-Cratz, ParisRoyale, SilverEars, bob, koolmint26, and thrnbrooke - your guys reviews keep me going with this! Thanks so much and I hope you all keep enjoying!

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Scifinerd92, I hope this is at least enough of a tease for Fenrir picking on Harry! Don't worry, you'll get more! Keep reviewing and enjoying!

A big round of applause to my wonderful Beta, PeruvianDarkness! ^_^

Lonely, the path you have chosen

A restless road, no turning back

One day you will find your light again

Don't you know? Don't let go, be strong.

Follow your heart

Let your love lead through the darkness

Back to a place you once knew

I believe, I believe, I believe in you

It was eerie a much unlike Hogwarts in every way, that much was simple to tell when Harry spent his first breakfast in Durmstrang's Mass Hall. He was leaning wearily on his hand, poking the eggs on his plate and promptly ignoring his new acquaintances around him. Chester and the twins were talking rather animatedly about their upcoming studies (why Fifth Years would be so excited about classes was beyond Harry's thought).

When he had awoken that morning, he was still oddly facing Draco's bed but found it perfectly made and emptied. When he had asked where the ex-Slytherin was, nobody seemed to know. His absence at breakfast confused Harry, but he tried not to think too hard on it.

But what he couldn't seem to get out of his head were a couple of things Malfoy had said to him the previous day. About 'springing him' from Durmstrang, or about how he couldn't understand how his Father had faith in him. The blonde's words and Harry's knowledge on the Malfoys were now constantly running through his head, and he was trying to make sense of it all. He was also trying tirelessly to determine just how good of a liar Draco really was.

Now of all times, as Lord Voldemort has returned, Harry needed as many people close to him as he could trust with his life - especially if he was going to be sharing a room with them. Back at Hogwarts, that would not have been a problem whatsoever, but here it made things so much more difficult. Finding where Malfoy stood and what his plans were in attending Durmstrang that term was at the top of Harry's priority list.

"Dozing off already, Potter? Not the best way to start the first day now is it?" Malfoy drawled from behind, making Harry jump and turn in his seat to look up at him smirking downwards with his arms crossed.

"Where have you been?" Harry asked.

Draco raised an eyebrow delicately, "If I had known you were so concerned of my whereabouts, I would have left a note, Mommy," he teased, causing Harry to turn bright red and the other three boys to chortle amusedly. He slid down to sit beside Harry, "I was out for a walk all morning, exploring parts of the grounds I had not been before. Got a tad lost, but here I am, so no need to get your knickers in a bunch," he winked.

Harry blushed deeper and turned his attention back to his meal. He didn't know what to make of Malfoy's absence and the excuse for it; truth...or was there some hidden meaning behind it all?

"The Dark Arts are first thing- ready to impress them all with your ways?" Malfoy grinned.

"Impress them? Riight..." Harry sighed, trying to scream at his brain to promptly ignore the fact that Malfoy of all people was actually complimenting him and his ability in some shape or form.

"Yes, what have you got in store for us then?" Chester chagrined brightly from across the table, the twins nudging one another and smiling.

As the three Aequors returned to their meal, Malfoy leaned in closely, "Fenrir Greyback is the Dark Arts Professor. You know who he is?" he whispered seriously.

Harry didn't bother responded as he slowly nodded. Ron had thoroughly warned him about Fenrir; he may not have been high up in Voldemort's command but he was still an extremely volatile werewolf, unlike Remus, who was controllable and sometimes, if he had taken his Wolfbane, kind during transformations. Harry had a feeling that albeit a full moon or not, Greyback would not hesitate to rip his throat off.

As they left breakfast and walked to Dark Arts, Harry ignoring the usually heavy glances as he trotted along behind his house mates who all had the same lesson plan, Malfoy stuck unusually close to his side. Neither spoke the entire way through the corridors and up the unmoving staircases to the third floor where the Dark Arts classroom was located.

They entered and Harry took the first available seat at the dark, oak two-person tables at the very back of the room. Migel and Quinton sat in front of him whereas, of course, Malfoy slid down beside him. He didn't comment as he realized he had to get used to the blonde's constant presence in his life these days- it was as if it were impossible for Harry to shake him. It wasn't quite so annoying, just unnerving. Harry was glad he had the general company of somebody he knew in the slightest, even if it was somebody he knew in vein.

"Settle down. Books out. Page twenty-seven. Quills ready," a deep, husky voice growled from the side room of the classroom. All of the students were quick to oblige as Greyback appeared from his office. He was quite large in size, with a grizzly sort of look and his hair was uncombed and long. His eyes were sunken far in, his long nails housed by thick, wrinkled fingers. His condition made him look much older, and fiercer, than he was.

"This year, there will be no room for mistakes or lessons missed. This is the year for your OWLs, understood?" he snapped. Everybody nodded, but nobody spoke a word. Malfoy was already furiously scribbling down notes on his parchment (Harry hadn't a clue what about) while he sat, silently eyeing Greyback.

"We will be reading and discussing the Iron Lung and other such nasty but useful curses today and all that we speak of must be perfected by our next lesson on Thursday afternoon," Greyback explained. Back at Hogwarts, the students would have groaned in response, but here they merely jotted it down...some even looking excited about it. "Can anybody tell me what the Iron Lung does? Ah, yes, our newest students, wonderful! Draconis, so wonderful to see you again,"

"As it is you, Professor," Draco said stiffly, straightening up perfectly in his seat.

"And how is your dear old man doing? All is well at the Manor?"

"Quite," he pursed his lips, not enjoying being singled out and asked about his home life in front of an entire class of Fifth Years. "You were asking the definition of the effects of the Iron Lung curse, sir?"

"Yes, please do share with those too incompetent to understand Mister Malfoy," Greyback grinned, his yellowed teeth showing. Draco sighed and took a deep breath.

"The Iron Lung is a curse that suffocates the one it is placed on by closing up their air passage. The caster can, if skilled enough, make their death take hours, days, minutes, seconds, or they can just make it temporary suffocation. An immediate result takes a powerful Wizard,"

"Exactly. Now, as this is advanced magic, I would doubt any of you would know how to do it..." he turned his back to the class, staring off towards his desk determinedly before suddenly stopping and turning on his heel with a wicked gleam in his eyes, "Oh! But there is somebody in this room whom is well versed in advanced dark magic, is there not? Mister Potter, can you perform the Iron Lung?" Fenrir spat his name, narrowing his eyes to slits towards the brunette at the back of the classroom who glared darkly back.

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat as all eyes turned on him now, even Draco's. "I can," he gritted out.

Greyback seemed surprised by this momentarily as he paused, mouth slightly ajar before he began smiling manically once again, "Come up to the front an-an-an-" Greyback stuttered and began to cough lightly. Suddenly his ravaged hands flew up to this throat and clasped either side of it. His eyes widened as he stared breathlessly, literally, at Harry who was slouching back in his seat with his wand twirling between his fingertips underneath his desk.

"Harry, did you-" Malfoy started, but soon got his answer at the slightest flick of Harry's wrist as the curse was lifted from Greyback who inhaled deeply, coughing loudly as he exhaled.

Once the Professor regained himself, Harry was aware that everybody was still looking expectantly at him as if they wanted an explanation. "They teach Wandless magic at Hogwarts?" Greyback scowled disapprovingly.

"No"

"Then how did you perform the Iron Lung, an excruciatingly exhausting curse even for the most advanced of dark wizards, without a word and barely a movement Potter?" Greyback demanded angrily. Harry merely shrugged in his seat.

This is what he wanted. It's what they all wanted. Me to show my ability. Make it appear like it's nothing, make them think I'm something better than I am then maybe they'll leave me alone. Maybe it'll make me safer,' Harry thought dully to himself.

"Because he's Harry-bloody-Potter, that's how," Malfoy mumbled, but still loud enough for all to hear him. Migel and Quinton winked and laughed at Harry who was grateful for their light attitude on the situation.

Greyback said no more and went on with his lesson, promptly ignoring Harry's presence for the rest of it unlike all of his other students who continued to stare in awe, envy or anger at him. Harry fidgeted for the remainder of class, but it wasn't because of the students looking at him- it was because of Malfoy looking at him with what seemed like admiration - an emotion he thought he could never pull out of the Ice Prince.

After class, they all filed out the doors and into the dark corridor. "Potions is next," Malfoy stated absently.

"What are you playing at? How come our schedules match?" Harry asked chidingly.

Malfoy shot him a sidelong glance, "If you had paid me any attention at Hogwarts, they matched there too. I think you were just too busy letting the Weasel's brainwashing ideas about me form your opinion," he seethed.

"Hey! Don't call him that, and I was not! I paid you plenty of damned attention at Hogwarts!" Harry retorted dejectedly and then blushed deeply when he realized what he had said and the implication of it.

"Oh, did you now, Potty?" Malfoy teased, raising an eyebrow, not giving up an opportunity to embarrass Harry. He had always enjoyed doing that for the past five years; to watch Harry squirm beneath his gaze albeit in anger, frustration or pure uneasy embarrassment. The thing Malfoy liked the most about it was that he was the only one that could seem to do it right. Hit the right chord in Harry to make him blush that deeply that his eyes turned bright red. Nobody else could get under his skin like he could, and he took pride in being that person.

Migel and Quinton came up on either side of the two, throwing their arms cheerily about their shoulders, "Quarrelling like an old married couple!"

"How smashing!"

Malfoy quickly detached himself from Migel and scowled, "Do refrain from dirtying my robes," he hissed.

The day dragged by unceremoniously slow for Harry. The entire time, Malfoy barely spoke a word to anybody. He only did when spoken to and did so respond in as few of words as he could. It wasn't like him to not speak, from the years that Harry had known him. He was a talker, a leader, and a loud prat that liked to constantly boost and chide.

Asides from the lavatory, Malfoy had not left Harry's side the entire time. Finally by the end of the evening as the two sat at a study table in the Aequor Common Room, Harry lost his patience. He had been writing a letter to Ron and Hermione, asking them about any news, how Sirius was keeping, along with describing Durmstrang and Malfoy's odd behvaviour. He thrust down his quill, nearly snapping it in two, and turned toward Malfoy who looked up slowly from his Dark Arts textbook.

"What the bloody hell is it, Malfoy?" Harry demanded loudly, causing most occupants of the silent room to look curiously their way. "It's one thing to follow me constantly, which I think may be termed stalking and is illegal, but the silent treatment on top of that is killing me! So what is it?" he growled, fists clenched on the table top.

Malfoy suddenly stood and looked down at him, "Come," he said, walking towards the dormitory stairs. Harry had no other choice but to follow, though he did so loudly as if he were throwing a tantrum.

Once they were alone, the door locked and a heavy Silencio cast on the room, Malfoy turned to Harry and for the first time they had known one another in five years, his solid mask fell completely.

"I am beginning to feel that my Father is right about you. I am beginning to have faith in you and thinking that perhaps this Unbreakable Vow may be worth something more important than my life,"

There. He had said it. But it wasn't his words that were throwing Harry completely off, but the doubtless truthfulness of them. The way Malfoy stood halfway across the dormitory, his arms lay almost defeated at his sides instead of defensively across his chest. His soft silver eyes were for once not narrowed at Harry, but merely observing him thoughtfully.

Harry began feeling his cheeks warming up, seeing as he had come to the realization he was staring at Malfoy who was blatantly staring right back. He averted his gaze to the ground, "What Unbreakable Vow?" he mumbled.

"The one I made with my Father a fortnight ago. A Vow outlining my duties as his son; to keep you safe and protected and bring you back to Hogwarts, under Dumbledore's protection, as soon as possible and alive. If anything were to happen to you, Harry," he said his name softly, taking a step forward imploringly and locking eyes with him, staring deeply into the jaded emerald, "I would give my life," Draco finished firmly.

If there were words one was supposed to respond to that, Harry really did not have them at the time. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, unable to remove his eyes from Draco's. It was too much all at once, and still he had no idea how to tell if Draco was being truthful or if he was a really great actor. But something about him seemed so vulnerable at the time, and for once Harry felt like Draco was being more real than he ever really had in his entire life.

"W-what's worth more than your life?" Harry stuttered, trying to distract himself with useless questions that would get him nowhere. He just needed something to take his mind off of Malfoy being only a foot away from himself, Malfoy looking so pretty in his vulnerable, mask-less state. Not to mention the way his silver eyes were piercing through Harry's.

Draco sighed and broke the contact, he turned on his heel and with his back to Harry he crossed his arms once again, "There are just some things that are worth dying for," he said softly, slowly walking towards the dormitory door. He took out his wand and lifted the Silencio charm, unlocked the door and placed his hand on it. "And you are one of them," he added and then slipped out of the door before Harry could even register what he had said.

Harry's mind was a mess, with so much all at once he couldn't think of anything to do but to sleep. He needed some sort of clarity, because at that moment that had all felt like a hazy, strange dream. Why had Malfoy said those things? Did he really make the Unbreakable Vow with his Father to keep Harry safe? Would he really willingly die for him? Why?

Questions burned in Harry's skull that he did his best to shove out, and eventually sleep overtook him and thankfully it was before Draco returned to the dormitory an hour later. And when he did, he peered quickly through Harry's hangings and found himself smiling gently down at the resting boy. Draco even did so much to reach out and take Harry's rounded, broken glasses off his face and place them on his bedside table.

When he lay to sleep, he made sure to sleep on his side in which he was able to see Harry from across the aisle. He wanted to wake up that way, with the first thing he saw in the morning being Harry's stunning emerald eyes.

Follow your dreams

Be yourself, an angel of kindness

There's nothing that you cannot do

I believe, I believe, I believe in you.