Chapter Twelve:

Betrayed

A/N: Please read, Review, and enjoy! Sorry for the delay in chapters, I've been quite distracted lately! Bad, Mysty, Bad! Heh, well this chapter song is by Avenged Sevenfold. Enjoy!

I would like to make a big welcome to my new awesome Beta, Kyte Pheonix!

Passion in my eyes, I lived it everyday, but how could you go throw it all away?
In my dreams it's me and you, it's there I saw it all come true
As time went by faith in you grew, so one thing's left for me to do

I feel it burn inside, burn in me like the rising sun
Lifted into the sky, took away the only thing I loved
I know after tonight all your power crumbles in my arms
So don't worry, I'll be fine, when my life ends, I'll leave this scar

XXXX

The days seemed to pass much quicker now for Harry. Though his nights were still plagued with nightmares of the past, he was always softly awoken and comforted by Draco, his constant companion. Their coursework had gotten much heavier than it already was, considering that they were halfway through with their first term at Durmstrang Instituition now.

Still, no mail had come of word from Dumbledore or the others. Harry yearned for his friends most days, but whenever he did not he was perfectly content where he was. There was the need for constant caution, though he and Draco were convinced no one was to act until Beltane as Igor and Greyback had spoken about that one night.

It wasn't unknown and was rather obvious of Harry and Draco's closeness to their fellow students, but only their dorm mates knew and kept secret of how intimate their relationship had gotten. They kissed in empty corridors, grasped each others hands underneath the tables, shared glances with one another. They had no need to progress any further, for they were happy with one another where they were.

It was decided amongst the both of them that they would keep their newly budding relationship a secret until they could confidentally come out together, and once Harry had spoken to Ron and Hermione about it as well as Remus and Sirius. Most of the public was still under the impression that the Malfoy's served the Dark Lord, and Voldemort himself thought no different either. Even if their relationship was made public, it could be seen as a rouse Draco was creating to get closer to Harry, but the brunette knew the truth of it all and that was all that satisfied him.

"Are you sure it looks good enough?" Harry asked, biting his lower lip and giving himself a once over in the full length mirror once again.

Chester rolled his eyes and turned over on his bed, "You're acting like a bloody girl, Potter," he mumbled.

Harry turned to glare at him and quickly picked up the pillow on the bed beside where he stood and threw it at his housemate. "Ouch you tosser!" he scowled back at the raven-haired youth.

"Well, does it?" Harry urged to the twins who were standing on either side of him.

"I'd say, if I weren't straight..."

"Definitely looks great, Harry, now stop whining about it," Migel grinned and nudged him playfully in the side.

"Besides, d'you really think Malfoy would-"

"Do you really think Malfoy would what?" Draco drawled from the doorway.

Everybody turned their attention to them, including a red-faced Harry who was dressed in the finest new Dress robes for the Halloween Ball. They were black velvet and lined with deep, emerald green. Draco, who had been leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, suddenly drank all of Harry in and his expression froze.

He pushed himself up and slowly sauntered towards Harry whose blush increased as he looked Draco over as well. His robes seemed much finer than his, black as well but lined in striking silver. There was also the Malfoy family crest on his breast. "Harry," he whispered as he closed in, the other boys taking a step back, cat-calling softly but the couple seemed unable to haer them.

Draco reached up and put Harry's face in his hands and looked softly down at him, "Harry, you look so beautiful," he whispered.

Harry blinked a few times, "Uhm, er...you-you're robes, they match your eyes," he stuttered much to everyone else's amusement. The twins were chuckling and walking over to their beds to get dressed into their own robes, Chester just rolled over on his bed once more.

Draco leaned down and pressed his lips hard to his own boyfriends and felt Harry relax upon the contact. "Get a room!" Quinton yelled over at them.

"We have one. It just so happens that you are unfortunately in it at the current moment," Draco snapped back playfully.

"Urgh!" Quinton and Migel shivered together.

"C'mon, we're gonna be late," Harry mumbled, yanking on Draco's sleeve trying to wave off his blush in front of the other boys.

The five of them moved down the staircase, Harry and Draco looking fabulously and dressed so finely almost everybody watched them as they walked by. Whispers hissed in the corridors around them, surprised wide eyes trailed after them. Chester was walking uncomfortably, paying attention to all the spectatres and their varied reactions of disgust, confusion or apathy. Migel and Quinton seemed not to notice anything, just as Harry and Draco who ignored the other students.

Once they reached the Entrance Hall, the three boys got excited as they were to meet with their own dates. Harry and Draco slowly parted from their friends and dorm mates as they migrated into the Mass Hall. Unlike Hogwarts, there was barely any decorations for this Hallow's Eve Ball. Chandeliers dangled in the dull ceiling, lighting up the room as gentle, classical music wafted through the air with the smell of pumpkin pastries.

Harry and Draco shared a side-long glance as they held tighter to one anothers hands. "Shall we?" Draco purred, gesturing towards the open, almost empty ballroom floor that had been cleared for dancing. Only a couple of the older year students were dancing so far.

Nearly the entire Mass Hall watched intently as Harry stumbled onto the dance floor with Malfoy leading him, smirking lightly as he wrapped his arms around his partner's waist. Harry blushed as he too clasped his hands at the back of Draco's neck. They stood nearly touching as their feet swayed with ease about the floor.

"D'you think they, erm..." Harry began.

"Don't worry. There are a lot of openly gay couples here, Harry. The thing that's getting them is that I am a Malfoy and you are Harry Potter," Draco explained softly.

"I'm not gay!" Harry protested in a whisper.

Draco chortled, "Really? Then what are you?"

"I, er...well...I guess I just like you...and they're probably wondering if you've just poisoned me," he mumbled.

"Stop, love. Stop thinking about them. It is just you and me here. They don't exist," Draco whispered.

Harry, initially shocked by the fact Draco had just called him love which is the last thing he could have ever imagined him calling him, mutely continued dancing with him. As the song wore on, they came closer together and Harry blanked out the rest of the room just as his boyfriend told him to do.

The night swelled by with dancing and chatting with their dorm mates, ignoring the rude catcalls that came from the few brave enough to say something against their togetherness. Most Durmstrang students avoided them, for fear of ruining what could be an extension of Voldemort's plans.

Late through the night, Harry was joined by the twins as they sat at a table on the sidelines of the dance floor. Draco had gone off somewhere with Chester, moving around to other groups to talk to all of their acquintances via their families.

"I wouldn't worry about any of these students, mate," Migel began comfortingly.

"Yeah, they don't care about what isn't their business and unlike those nosy students at Hogwarts they just haven't the time to goto the Daily Prophet about this-and-that nonsense,"

"Your relationship with Draco isn't worth the effort, really. No worries, you're in good hands here," Migel winked along with his identical brother.

Harry smiled thankfully, "I appreciate it guys. One less thing to worry about...now, just gotta make sure that-"

"Oops, sorry Potter," Nyle Rosenburg spat venomously as he had bumped into the back of Harry's chair, brushing up roughly against him.

Harry turned around to glare at him but said nothing as him and his usual cronies sniggered and continued on by.

"One of these days," Harry mumbled darkly, glaring up over his cup of Butterbeer as he took a sip, his eyes trailing on the Aequor students.

"Why couldn't they be in Caelum or something?" Quinton hissed.

"Obviously, we're not that lucky brother," Migel responded sourly, all three taking large gulps from their cups.

As the minutes wore on and they got off the subject of their moody housemates and continued drinking. Harry began to feel hot. He didn't know if it was the amount of people crammed into the Mass Hall, or the twins dates that had joined them at the table making it more crowded, but his breathing became shallow and sweat beaded off his forehead. Feeling his lungs constrict painfully, Harry winced and finished off the last of his Butterbeer before standing and excusing himself from the table. He needed some cool, fresh air to relieve his tenseness.

Coming outside onto the freezing grounds gave an initial shock to Harry. He usually wasn't out on the mountain this late in the evening, with the air thick and crisp, the snow was falling heavily and pitch darkness surrounded him. Harry turned back to the small, dire looking castle of Durmstrang Institute and sighed heavily. He shoved his hands in his pockets and pulled his dress robes closer to himself.

He missed Hogwarts incrediably. Even though the classes were more informative and definitely prepared Harry more for the Final Battle, he couldn't help but miss his friends, his routines, playing Qudditch, going down to Hagrid's for tea..but then the upside of Durmstrang was the relationship he had built with Draco. He had never felt this way about anybody before and he couldn't quite understand exactly where it was coming from. Harry stopped questioning it and just went with it, it made things much more simpler. Harry was coming to the conclusion that this was what love was, if he could call it that. Inexplainable, sudden, endearing, surprising, and the true gift of caring about somebody with all ones heart.

"Oh, hey there Potty...feeling a little off?" Nyle snickered from behind.

Harry turned quickly to face him, but in doing so slightly knocked the wind out of his already constricted lungs. He narrowed his eyes at his housemate, "Rosenburg, what do you want?" he snapped, wrapped his hand around his wand in his pocket.

Nyle slowly raised his eyebrow, "I already have what I want. Goodnight, Potter," he grinned manically.

Harry stared in confusion and hatred at the older boy until all of a sudden a heat burst up through his lungs and cascaded all on the inside of his body. It burned, like a fire being built up underneath his ribcage. Harry struggled not to scream as pain shot through him and he fell to his knees. He strained to look up at Nyle who now loomed overtop of him, smirking evilly. The last thing he remembered before total darkness, was that boys hateful snicker and the sting of the cold snow on his skin.

XXXX

"Harry, has anybody seen Harry?" Draco asked hurriedly, his breath caught in his throat as he frantically questioned his dorm mates.

"Calm down, Draco! We told you he went outside for some fresh air..."
"Outside? By himself? What in Merlin were you imbociles thinking?" Draco spat before turning on his heel and running away from the twins and their dates towards the entrance hall of Durmstrang.

Upon exitting the Mass Hall, Draco came face-to-face with Rosenburg who was shivering and had snow on the top of his head and cloak. He was grinning at Draco as he crossed his arms. "Malfoy," he nodded in greeting.

"Rosenburg," Draco growled lowly. It was obvious he had just come from outside, where Harry supposedly was. This already wasn't looking too good for Draco's Harry...

"Ah, Mister Malfoy. Would you please join me outside momentarily?" Igor Karkaroff had appeared behind Nyle, Fenrir Greyback not far behind him.

Draco stiffened and pursed his lips, "Certainly, sir," he ground out between his teeth. He walked alongside the Headteacher, Greyback behind them as they escorted one another out onto the steep, cliff grounds of the school.

"I would like to thank you for overseeing Mister Potter until the time was right for him to be taken. You will be greatly rewarded by our Lord. The time for you has now come m'boy," Igor said, gesturing out further down the grounds where a group of people dressed all in black robes were bustling about. Some were apparating away already in loud cracks.

Draco's mouth fell open but he quickly shut it, he needed to play his cards right if he wanted to keep himself safe and try to bring Harry to safety as well. "Go on then, Malfoy. Lucius is waiting for you," Fenrir pushed Draco's back slightly and Igor gave a nod of acceptance.

"M-my Father?" Draco stuttered quietly, looking down at the mass of black figures, disappearing one-by-one into the night. Draco swallowed heavily and trudged through the foot of snow towards the group of You-Know-Who's followers.

'Please be safe Harry, please be safe,'

I started here so young and helped you get along
Just did it for the love, and people healed through us
Don't live your life in vain, don't take it out on me
You're cracked, so just remember, I'm not your enemy
I don't deserve to fall this way, by a man who felt betrayed