Chances To Come

Chapter Thirteen

Start of Year Two

The new school year had begun, and Harry and Draco were submerged in their classes. In his spare time, Harry still pondered the mystery of the riddle, until he got the chance to ask Hermione about it.

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "Harry, why don't you go to the library and look up anything else you can find on the Sidus Morbus?" she asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But you're so good at riddles, I was sure you could at least figure out part of it," said Harry, hoping flattery would get her to look up from her homework for more than a few seconds.

"Fine, give it here." Without waiting, she snatched the parchment from his hand and scanned it. "Well, one of the pieces at least is to be found in some Muggle place."

Harry blinked. "What?"

"Honestly, Harry, what else could it mean referring to those 'who know not of us'?"

"I suppose, but that doesn't really narrow it down very much, does it?"

"That's where the White Rose comes in, I imagine."

"But there must be countless amounts of white roses!"

"Then I suggest you start looking," she said simply, grabbing a spare piece of parchment and scribbling a copy of the poem onto it. She handed the original back to Harry. "Go to the library, try to find out anything you can about the Sidus Morbus and the Sano Sidus, preferably a location of some sort. I'll think about the riddle some more."

"Thanks, Hermione."

"Oh, and Harry… keep your mind open. This is all very symbolic, so it's likely this White Rose isn't what we think it is."

Harry nodded, left, and went to the library, but didn't find anything useful during his first attempt. He was diligent though, knowing he probably would be pressed for time once Quidditch practice started.

Draco walked into the Slytherin common room and saw a crowd clustered around the bulletin board. He pushed his way through, eager to see what was so important, with one thing going through his mind: Quidditch try-outs. He was not disappointed. The list of names of people who wanted to try out was pinned next to the letter announcing the time and date of try-outs. He quickly wrote his name on the list, quivering with excitement.

Slipping away from the crowd, he went to get his Nimbus 2001. He had some practicing to do.

The next week, the day of try-outs, Draco strode confidently down to the Quidditch pitch with his Nimbus 2001 lightly resting on his shoulder.

"Draco, wait!"

Draco stopped and turned as Harry came running towards him. "I'm on my way to Quidditch try-outs."

"I know that. I came to watch, of course."

Draco shrugged slightly and started walking again at a brisk pace. "Alright then, but we need to hurry or I'll be late."

When they reached the pitch, Harry headed up into the stands, calling over his shoulder, "Good luck!"

"Hey, you!"

Harry stopped and turned as Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, marched over towards the stands. "These are the Slytherin try-outs, no Gryffindors allowed – especially you, Potter. Get out of here, I'll have no Gryffindor spy going back to tell Wood what to expect of our next Seeker."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it at the last moment. There was no sense in making a bad image of himself, especially when it could also reflect badly upon Draco. He backed down, waved goodbye to his friend, then left the field. He stayed close though, stopping just outside and ducking behind the outer wall so that Flint couldn't see him. Once he heard Flint talking to the Slytherins again, he poked his head out to watch the try-outs.

Draco waited rather impatiently until he was called onto the field. His stomach was doing flips but he ignored it. He mounted and kicked off, leveling out at about sixty feet above the ground. Flint started a stopwatch. Draco started to do a circle around the pitch, searching as the Slytherin team flew back and forth across the pitch to allow for certain impairments that would have to be dealt with during a real game.

He hadn't been on the field for thirty seconds when he saw it. He felt exhilaration surge through him. Surely no one could beat a time like that! He went into a dive, his eyes shining as he reached out for the Snitch. Seconds before he caught it, his stomach lurched and he felt the world spin at a dizzying rate. His vision went black as he slipped off his broom and hurtled towards the ground.

Harry's eyes widened in shock. "DRACO!" Throwing caution to the winds, he ran out towards the pitch.

Flint took only a few steps forward and caught Draco easily. He turned to glare at Harry. "I thought I told you to get out of here, Potter."

"Draco is my friend, I was just staying to watch him. Trust me, I wasn't going to make a report to Wood. I just wanted to see if he…" Harry trailed off as he saw golden wings flapping in-between Draco's fingers. "He caught it."

Flint appeared indifferent. "He also fainted. And during a game, I won't have time to catch him. Here, you say he's your friend, take him to the hospital wing. Merlin help you if I see you back here today." Flint tipped Draco into Harry's arms and took the Snitch back. As Harry started to walk off, staggering under Draco's weight, Flint leaned down and muttered in his ear, "Even if you do report to Wood, there's nothing to tell. I wouldn't expect anyone you've seen so far to make it onto the field. So don't think I'm letting you off easy."

Harry couldn't think of anything to say, so he just nodded. As he passed the crowd, he heard them all whispering to each other and saw them glancing at Draco.

"Alright, alright, calm down, we're here to play, not gossip! Okay, next up…" said Flint, checking his list. Harry didn't hear the rest.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Harry called when he finally made it to the hospital wing, gasping with exertion. Draco was starting to feel about three times as heavy as he really was. Harry staggered over to the nearest bed.

"Mr. Potter! How far have you carried him?" asked Pomfrey, shocked. She rushed over to the bed and helped Harry lift Draco onto it.

"Too far. He fainted during Quidditch try-outs." Harry panted, then fell into a chair.

"And was he showing any signs of illness when they started?"

"No. When he mounted his broom, he seemed just fine."

Her eyes widened. "My word! He's lucky to be alive!"

Harry took a deep, somewhat steadying breath and lowered his gaze. "I know."

"Harry dear, don't fret, I'll have him fixed up soon. Go find something to distract yourself with, I'll make sure you're the first to know when he wakes up."

Harry knew better at that point than to argue, and was too tired to try anyway. He sat in the chair until he could feel his legs again, then made his way out.

"Harry, you look absolutely exhausted!" gasped Hermione as he fell out of the portrait hole and tumbled into the common room. She set her homework down and went to help him up.

"I had to carry Draco from the Quidditch pitch to the hospital wing; he fainted."

"While he was on his broom?"

"Yeah."

"How far up into the air was he?"

"I dunno, maybe ten or twenty feet. Flint caught him."

Hermione frowned. "Flint caught him but didn't at least help carry him to the hospital wing?"

Harry shrugged. "He was taking care of the try-outs. I don't blame him, I'm just worried."

"Oh, Harry, I know you're concerned for Draco, but you have to remember –"

"No, it's not that. I remember the supposed cure. Actually, what I'm worried about is how Draco is going to react when he wakes up. Something tells me he won't be in a good mood."

"But of course, he was trying out for Quidditch."

Harry glanced at her. "Yeah, and he also caught the Snitch faster than anybody else. He knows that. I only came up here to rest a bit and because Madam Pomfrey, of course, asked me to leave. I'll go back down there though, Draco will need somebody to calm him down when he wakes up."

Hermione nodded slightly and lowered Harry onto the couch, then went back to her homework.

That evening, around dinnertime, Harry went back to the hospital wing, expecting no one would see him because they would all be in Great Hall. He was mistaken though, there was a large crowd congregated outside the hospital wing, and whispered voices filled the hallway with a constant noise. He pushed his way through to the door and the whispering grew louder. He shut the door firmly behind him and took a seat beside Draco's bed, sighing.

"Insane, isn't it?" Draco remarked, with his eyes still closed.

Harry jumped slightly. "I thought you were still asleep."

"Yeah, Pomfrey thought that too."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, you mean aside losing the Seeker position over something so ridiculously stupid as this… this… sickness!" spat Draco. "And the gossiping fools outside there too. Aside from those things, I'm fine and dandy, Harry!"

Harry had expected no less of an answer and didn't object as Draco vented his frustration.

"I had it, Harry, I had it! I know I caught the Snitch and I wasn't out there for thirty seconds! I would have been the Seeker for Slytherin if this Sidus Morbus had decided to show its ugly face any other day but today!" Draco snarled and punched the mattress.

Harry had an answer ready to attempt to placate Draco. "Would you have rather passed out during an actual game?"

"In an actual game, you still get the points for catching the Snitch whether or not you stay conscious doing it."

"But there wouldn't be anyone there to catch you."

"I'm sure with the teachers watching, someone could do something to keep me alive." Draco paused slightly, then looked at Harry. "Who did catch me and bring me up here anyway?"

"Flint caught you, I carried you."

"Thought you looked tired."

Harry shrugged. "I'm alright."

Draco considered him for a moment, then sighed. "Sorry for snapping."

"Don't worry about it. I'd be mad too."

Draco nodded slightly. "Yeah… I dunno if mad is the right word, right now I just feel like setting something on fire."

Harry scooted his chair away a bit. Draco chuckled slightly. "Something not someone. Besides, if I were going to set someone on fire, it'd be one of those idiots out there." He nodded towards the door.

"Yeah, but I knew it'd make you laugh anyway."

"Thanks for that."

"Of course. So are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I would have already ditched this room if it wasn't for the congregation outside. I wish they'd piss off, I'm starved."

"I could always bring you something."

Draco shook his head. "Don't worry about it, you go ahead and eat though. The longer you stay in here, the longer they'll stay out there. There's no better combination than famous Harry Potter's best friend passing out on a broomstick and famous Harry Potter sitting in the hospital wing, at his friend's beck and call." Draco scoffed slightly. "It's sad, but I can almost see that as the headline of the Daily Prophet tomorrow."

Harry cringed. "Me too. Are you sure you'll be alright though?"

"Get out of here, Harry, I'll live so long as Pomfrey doesn't realize I'm awake."

Harry laughed dryly and left the room. He was glad that even though Draco was frustrated, he hadn't lost his sense of humor.

A/N: Another short chapter and another long wait. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm JUST shy of 2,000 words on this one but that seemed like an okay place to go ahead and end it, seeing as how I've let myself get tied up again and made you all wait. And I got a nasty case of writer's block with ALL of my stories, all at the same time. On top of it all, I'm sick with sinusitis. Oh well, at least it's better than my imaginary Sidus Morbus, right? Anyway, I hope you all still enjoy reading this. Please keep reviewing, it really makes my day to hear from you all! Thank you so, so much.

sak: Thank you very much! I think Kendra is my favorite character. What's really funny is that here recently, I've met a girl who works at a restaurant (bartender, not a waitress, but still!) who is very much like Kendra. She's awesome. But anyway, enough of my ramblings, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm looking forward to seeing another review from you!

chekiita: WIP… I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that particular term. Sorry. But I'm very glad that you've enjoyed my story so much. I'll try to bring chapters out faster, though I'm afraid I cannot make any promises. Thanks for your encouragement, it means a lot.

Kaaera: I'm sure you do fine at riddles, I actually put a lot of effort into making it confusing. Of course, nothing is ever too challenging for Hermione! Maybe with that clue opened up, you might not find it so frustrating? Either way, don't worry about it, all will be told with time. Thank you for your review!

L-Potter: Yes, I thought there might be a little bit of reminiscence about his character, at least at first. But then I tried to give Draco his own distinctive characterization. I hope I did alright. Thank you for your review, I hope you like this new chapter.

Freedom Isn't Free: Sarah's Cookie bag, how cute! I want one now that says "Amanda's Cookies"! And no, I'll keep no secret about Draco's feelings for Kendra. He cares for her very much as his friend, but there is simply nothing romantic about it. She's eleven years older than he is, to be exact, in case you were wondering. Which, like you said, is almost old enough to be his mother.

Beth5572: Thank you very much, I hope you like this chapter.

FSI: I'm afraid there really won't be much romance in this chapter at all, much less Harry and Cho specifically. If anything, Ron and Hermione. Either way, that's not the focus of the story. I'm very sorry. I hope you like it anyway. Thank you for your review.

Almighty Yummy One: You're such a dork, but I love you anyway. But that doesn't mean you get to see this before anyone else. Heh, heh, heh. Anyway, if you could get your sexy little rear end online, I could tell you I've updated. Dang you. Hurry up.

:: Throws cookies to everyone, except Almighty Yummy One :: (I've known him for a year and a half, people, I'll save the cookies for you guys who aren't reading this simply because I'll pout if you don't.)

Thanks again all!