Draco's father had been right; he should have studied potions as seriously as Harry had, over the summer. He had known that his friend had a better grasp of the subject than he had, but he had not realized how vast that difference really was. He was going to fix that. Harry had told him his methodology, in researching and cross-referencing every aspect of potion-making individually, and in combination. It sounded exhausting. It was a daunting enough task, that he had balked at it when Harry had first explained it, refusing to sacrifice his summer of lazy freedom in favor of slaving away in the family library. He would find the time. He refused to become an irrelevant tag-along to Harry Potter, in any capacity.
It would be difficult to find the time, now. Mastering potions was not likely to help keep Harry alive, in comparison to the Defence and Charms work he intended to undergo, but it was important to Harry, and would likely play a determining role in Harry's future career, so Draco was going to catch up, to become an asset, rather than a burden.
"Mister Potter, Mister Malfoy, please take a seat," Professor Snape said, once everyone else had cleared out of the potions classroom.
Draco shared a glance with Harry, and folded his hands on the work surface before him. "Is there something wrong, Sir?"
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, there is something wrong," Professor Snape said, pacing back and forth across the front of the classroom. "It appears that Mr. Potter could benefit from some additional Defence lessons, and as his permanent shadow, it would likely benefit you, as well."
"Sir?" Harry asked, looking small and haggard, "Do you know who attacked me?"
Professor Snape paused, caught in an internal struggle, before nodding gravely. "I do. I have no proof. It would harm both of us, if you were to spread these accusations around, so please keep this to yourself, but you have a right to know. It was Professor Quirrell."
Harry gaped. "What? Why?"
"I am uncertain, but I have a theory. I believe, as incredulous as it might sound, that he is in league with the Dark Lord, the wizard who killed your parents."
"Why?"
"Mr. Potter, Harry, listen to me. I am going to do everything within my power to keep you safe. Your prefects will do the same, as will your friends. I am not telling you this to scare you, merely to encourage you to stand guard. Professor Quirrell has been very careful to cover his tracks, thus far. It is unlikely that he will accost you in public, or at a time or place where his presence can be traced to you. Do not provoke him, do not wander off alone, and try your best to announce your destination to a third party before leaving your common room, whenever possible. You should be fine. I do not think that you are Professor Quirrell's primary goal. Headmaster Dumbledore has taken it upon himself to hide something valuable and dangerous within this castle's walls, and Quirrell is after that object. He will not jeopardize that prize to go after you. If he strikes again, it will be because he is confidant that he will not be caught."
"How do you know it's him," Draco interjected. "He's a professor. If you're sure it's him, surely you have enough evidence or testimony to at least make Headmaster Dumbledore keep an eye on him, or put him on probation."
"It is not that simple, Mr. Malfoy. I do not wish to speak ill of the headmaster; however, it is clear to me that he has his own agenda. I could be wrong, but it appears to me that he is taking steps to attempt to lure the two of you, Mr. Potter specifically, into taking a personal interest in the object being hidden here, and into its protection. Be very careful, both of you. The security of anyone, or anything other than yourselves is none of your concern. Please trust that I, if no one else, am being vigilant in keeping an eye on things. It will make my job more difficult if you choose to get yourselves involved, but it will make my job much easier, if you take steps to educate yourselves, and to learn to protect yourselves, for your own sakes, and mine."
Harry nodded enthusiastically, and Draco followed suit. That made sense. He trusted Professor Snape. His father held him in high regard, even though he was a lowly educator with no old family name, and tainted blood. He had already proven himself to be competent in keeping Harry, and the Slytherin House, safe.
"I'll keep him safe, Sir. I promise."
Professor Snape nodded, sagely. Draco's chest puffed with pride that the professor had taken his declaration seriously. "I'm counting on both of you. To that end, though, I believe that you would both benefit from some additional training. I am going to give you some supplementary Defence lessons once or twice a week. We'll focus on shield and disarming charms to start with, and go from there. These spells are above your year level, but I am confident in you both. If you take your training seriously, and but in the time and effort, you will become proficient in it all."
Harry's eyes lit up, and a massive grin split his face. He scooted forward in his seat, and nudged Draco enthusiastically. "Really?"
"Teacher's Pet," Draco mumbled, fondly, rolling his eyes.
"Is there anything we can read or start practicing, now?" Harry asked.
"Indeed, there is. Ask some of the older Slytherins if you are having trouble, as there are several different method and techniques, but practicing meditation will help you immensely with all of your spellcasting. A great deal of harnessing magic comes down to a matter of willpower. Focusing your intent, staying calm under pressure, and being consciously aware of your thought patterns and body will make learning high level spells much easier."
Harry deflated next to Draco, curling in on himself. "Oh."
"What's wrong?" Draco asked.
"It's nothing, it's just, I tried meditating over the summer, but I just can't do it. My brain won't slow down long enough to get calm, and my body gets all jittery when I try to force it to stay still. I hate it, and I'm no good at it."
"Like I said, ask one of the older students for help," Professor Snape said, his deep, rich voice barely above a whisper. "There are methods that involve ignoring your body, and methods that involve hyper-focusing on it. There are methods devoted to emptying one's mind, and ones where you think of a series of specific locations and emotional triggers, to get you into the proper headspace. You'll find a solution that works for you. I've seen brats more hyperactive than the pair of you figure it out. It just takes time, practice, and patience. Don't give up, even when it's frustrating."
Harry puffed out his cheeks before heaving a longsuffering sigh. "Yes, Sir."
"Good. There is more I'd like to tell you, more I should warn you about, but until you have mastery over your will, your mind, it is too dangerous to do so."
Draco's brow furrowed. "Legilimancy?"
"Indeed. Although rare, there is more than one wizard tangled in this whole affair that is powerful and devious enough to read your minds for errant, incriminating thoughts. You'll need to learn how to guard against that before I can fully bring either of you into my confidence."
"Isn't Occlumency NEWT level?" Draco asked, feeling the blood drain from his face. He did not want his family's secrets, let alone Harry's or Professor Snape's being stolen from his very mind.
"It is. I suspect it will be at least a year before you are able to actually keep anyone from casual brushing against the surface of your mind, let alone stop them from an intentional, focused probe, but it is still good to get a head start. You will need the skill, eventually."
Harry and Draco thanked Professor Snape for his willingness to help them, and hurried to lunch. It was difficult to concentrate for the rest of the day; Draco's thoughts kept returning to memories of an eight-year-old Pansy loftily lecturing Draco on the virtues of 'clearing one's mind' and to horrific conjurations of shadowy figures tearing though Draco's mind to reveal his deepest, most embarrassing secrets, while Harry, Pansy, and Marcus Flint watched and laughed at his shame.
He would not allow that to happen.
He would ask around the Slytherin common room after classes, and find someone who was willing and able to teach them. If that didn't work, he would write to his father. His father was a brilliant wizard, both very skilled with magic, and adept at learning other people's secrets, while holding fast to his own. If anyone was capable of giving Draco the advice that would unlock the secret to meditation and occlumency, it was his father.
Christmas holidays were coming up, too. Draco was planning on dragging Harry to the manor for the hols, anyway, so it would be easy to bully his father into giving them both lessons, especially once Draco impressed the importance of them upon his sire.
It was a foolproof plan.