Harry had learned a valuable lesson that he wouldn't forget even in twenty years: without Draco Malfoy on his side, things could be really difficult, not just within Slytherin, although that was where it was most noticeable, but throughout the school.
Draco had done his job very well in showing him that without him, he wouldn't be half the Slytherin he was expected to be and his classmates were beginning to realize it.
He felt a little unprotected, there was no denying it, he tried with all his might to act as he had been instructed since the beginning of the course but the truth was that it was harder than it usually was when Draco was by his side, silently showing him how he should behave, how to respond, even how to impose himself with a single look and Harry knew he was completely lost without his friend.
Without Draco, Harry couldn't be a Slytherin. Without Draco, he was nothing. He wasn't a snake. He didn't belong anywhere. He had no one to back him up, no one to really back him up. He had tried to make more friends, but the best Slytherins already had their loyalty to Malfoy and they weren't going to change it for anything in the world.
The stay in his house had become unbearable and the company of Ron or Hermione only made everything worse. In Slytherin, rumours began to spread that Potter was dying to change houses and that made them really angry, but above all, it made them feel betrayed and betrayal was something that the Slytherins could not stand. For them, betrayal was a shame and Harry was embarrassing them in front of the entire school.
Being the savior of the wizarding world had lost its importance to them and Harry suddenly found himself worthless again. He wasn't worth respect, he wasn't worth even a greeting in the corridors and he was going mad, he was up to his neck in the coldness and indifference of the members of his house, those he didn't think he cared about until this happened.
He had felt what it was like to belong somewhere, what it was like to be noticed, what it was like to be respected, he had tried it all and it had been so sweet that he hadn't even noticed how much he had needed something like that in his life. Respect from other things wasn't so important anymore, not when athomethey treated him like he was invisible again, like he was with the Dursleys and not even Quidditch had helped him regain his position, although it did win him a couple more supporters.
He thought he had a lot to learn, he was extremely naive compared to his classmates, compared to Draco Malfoy. He thought he needed someone to instruct him again, but there was no other Slytherin than the one who had already been his mentor, and of course Blaise Zabini who seemed to have taken his place as best friend with a speed that was not even half normal.
What good had it done him to catch the snitch in the first five minutes of his game against Gryffindor if he hadn't been able to celebrate with anyone? Because it wasn't that Harry was truly alone, it was that the people who accompanied him like lapdogs made him feel that way. Some low-ranking Slytherins who did nothing but lick his shoes, making him feel uncomfortable. He missed Malfoy and his haughty comments, mocking him, he missed him correcting him, instructing him, seeing him as an equal, he was tired of being invisible to him.
Even finding out that Snape was trying to blackmail Quirrell to get the stone had been a non-starter. He'd caught them sneaking into the Forbidden Forest after the match against Gryffindor, when he'd been in Hagrid's hut and seen them passing by the window.
He now knew that the stone was guarded by more than just the dog, but Harry no longer cared if Voldemort was brought back to life or if Snape became a new dark lord, he thought that maybe this was what he needed, to defeat another madman to regain glory and fame, at least amonghissnakes. Not even seeing a dragon for the first time, Hagrid's pet dragon - which a stranger had given him - had lifted his spirits and instead had ended up depressing him more, since Ron and Hermione were already making plans to get him out of Hogwarts in which he was included but did not make him feel like part of a group.
And it seemed that Malfoy was actually enjoying his misery, as if this was a lesson hehadto learn and although maybe it was his imagination, Harry was falling head over heels for it. Sometimes he just wanted to face him and tell him that he understood, but he was a Slytherin and groveling like that would greatly disappoint the one who had been his best friend and hadn't realized it. He knew that he needed a more dignified way to recover everything he had lost, he knew that he needed to plan and calculate even though the quickest way out was simply to apologize, which he wasn't going to do, he needed to do something that would make Draco come back, something that would make it clear to him that he was worth it, that he was worth a lot, he didn't want to be anything again, he didn't want to be the boy who slept under the stairs in a horrible, dark, damp room. The hat told him that he was made for greatness and greatness was what he wanted.
The first thing that came to mind was simply to win the favor of those who would let themselves be bought with false smiles and chocolate frogs. Draco appreciated a good status, he only associated with those in the best position, such as Nott, Zabini, Parkinson or Greengrass. The second thing he thought about was to strengthen his magical knowledge. Draco valued power and Harry, although he had the potential, it was true that he had not made much effort to develop his magical skills. He knew much more than his peers of his age, but when it came to practice, it was true that he had not dared to do it outside the vision of some responsible adult, in case something went wrong. Now that was the least of his concerns. He was aware of how difficult it was to win their favor again and he was frustrated, very frustrated.
He thought he was a complete fool, as accessible as Malfoy had been to him from the start, he'd never seen him act with another person the way he'd acted with him, giving him a chance to fit in, to be someone and he'd completely ruined it. Who besides Malfoy would have seen anything beyond his scruffy appearance? Who besides Malfoy would have seen in him anything more than what that silly scar represented? Zabini? He wouldn't have even turned to look at him with the look he had on the day he met Draco, in Diagon Alley. Parkinson's? She would have mocked him and then walked away resolutely. Nott? After one look at his clothes, twenty sizes too big, she would have simply turned her nose up and turned away. Harry had to admit, he appreciated like nothing else in the world that there was someone capable beyond his appearance, beyond the scar.
However, the days continued to pass, the final exams were approaching and Draco seemed more and more distant despite sleeping in the bed next to him. Sometimes he tried to talk to him in a subtle way, but he always received terse answers with such overacted politeness that it turned his stomach, and the Black brand of indifference was extremely hurtful. But if Harry had learned anything in the snake house, it had been about patience and he was willing to wait as long as necessary for his chance to win Malfoy back as a friend and ally, even if he had to spend months waiting.
To his good - or bad - luck, that opportunity finally came during the last few months of school, Harry had gotten into trouble for being out of bed when, with the help of Ron and Hermione, they had delivered Norbert - Hagrid's pet dragon - to some friends of Charlie Weasley, Ron's older brother. And the thing is, having a pet dragon was illegal and the last thing Harry needed was for Hagrid to be fired and thrown in Azkaban, he still needed him to tell him how to get around the three-headed dog and if possible, get information about what was guarding the Philosopher's Stone besides him. Malfoy had somehow found out that they were going to deliver the dragon to the Astronomy Tower and had followed him, only to end up being discovered by Filch who took them to McGonagall.
The result had been a punishment for Granger, Longbottom -who had gone to warn them about Filch-, Harry and a very, very angry Draco Malfoy for having ended up involved in that nonsense. The four boys had not been expelled, of course, but Harry had lost his invisibility cloak due to circumstances, with no way to get it back and as punishment each one had lost fifty points for their respective house and had to spend the night in the forbidden forest in the company of Hagrid. For the Ravenclaw and the Gryffindor it was torture, but for Potter it was his chance to convince Malfoy that he was worth a lot. What better place to show off his skills than a forest full of dark creatures? Yes, he was a little scared, but he could handle it without problems.
What he couldn't handle was the growing hatred towards him for having made his house lose so many points, and nobody blamed Malfoy, who had defended himself by claiming that he had only gone after him to stop him. They called him naive and stupid for having collaborated with boys from other houses in such nonsense - nobody knew that the dragon thing was real - and the degradation of his person unnerved him, he was not naive, he was not stupid, but who could he convince otherwise if lately he acted as if it were true? He had even received silly little notes and whispered comments that he should ask to change houses to Gryffindor if he was so impulsive as to act without thinking. But Harry couldn't be a Gryffindor, he was proud of where he was, Draco had taught him to be.
With the detention, the exams, the Quidditch and the matter of banishment from his own house, Harry hadn't had time to think about anything else, not even the Philosopher's Stone. And so it had been until one night, leaving the library, completely alone - as had become his custom since he had been exiled from Slytherin and Ron and Hermione were too busy with their own exams - he heard, passing through a door, Professor Quirrell sobbing as he agreed to something that Harry couldn't hear but that he knew had to do with the matter of the stone. He imagined that Snape was with him, threatening him and then it was palpable that the stone was no longer safe, the Potions Master had finally gotten what he wanted and Harry, well, he couldn't care less.
On the night of the punishment, the four boys finally found themselves in front of the gamekeeper's hut, who was already waiting for them with a lamp and his dog Fang. Filch left overjoyed at seeing the panicked faces of Hermione and Neville, Harry tried to keep his mask on, which Malfoy did as well. Finally, when they were in front of Hagrid, the blond looked at him with indifference plastered on his face and said:
—I'm not going in there.
"You will, if you want to stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid sternly. Malfoy smiled.
—Neither Durmstrang nor Beauxbattoms will have any problem accepting me. You take care of whatever we have to do in there, that's what the servants are for —he crossed his arms.
—Your father won't be very happy if you get expelled —Harry whispered then, aware of the respect he had for Lucius and taking advantage of that to make him stay. —I don't doubt that he'll send you to another school, but he would definitely disapprove of you getting kicked out of Hogwarts for something so stupid— The blond looked at him with a raised eyebrow, then gave him what Harry thought was a small smile, so fleeting that for a moment he thought it was his imagination.
"Well, then," said Hagrid. "Listen carefully, because what we're going to do tonight is dangerous, and I don't want any of you getting hurt. Follow me this way, just a minute." He led them to the edge of the forest. Lifting his lantern, he pointed down a narrow dirt path that disappeared into the thick black trees. A gentle breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest. "Look over there," said Hagrid. "See that gleaming thing on the ground? That silver thing? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn here that's been badly hurt by someone. That's the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We'll go and try to find that poor injured thing. We might have to stop it from hurting any more."
Malfoy snorted in annoyance as his eyes wandered around the dark edge of the forest. Harry wondered if he was afraid. He was, a little, even though he knew Hagrid wouldn't let anyone harm them, even though he had the knowledge to repel some dark creatures.
As soon as they split into pairs, Harry made sure they let him go with Malfoy, who seemed totally indifferent to it; he didn't seem to care if he was accompanied by a rock or by him, and that hurt him. Didn't Draco realize that he would be safe with Harry? No one in that group of punished boys could compare to him in magical ability and knowledge, not even Hermione, who, despite being a Ravenclaw, lacked Potter's natural ability to make things work.
When the two Slytherins were finally alone, Potter tried to start a conversation.
—It could be a werewolf, you know the one who goes after unicorns.
"They're not fast enough," Malfoy said, his voice flat and distant. "It's not that easy to catch a unicorn, they're powerfully magical creatures. I've never heard of one being harmed," he explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Harry felt embarrassed.
"Maybe a werewolf," he tried again, but this time he only received a grimace of annoyance in response.
They continued walking, following the trail of unicorn blood, in the middle of the darkness, lit only by a lamp that Malfoy was holding and alumosthat Harry had conjured; it was one of those charms he had learned outside of class.
The silence was suffocating, the dark-haired boy was dying for something else to be said but Malfoy seemed reluctant to give in, the green-eyed man was on his third attempt at conversation when something in some bushes alerted them. Draco unsheathed his wand, pointing it towards the place where the noise came from, Harry lit it and kept his gaze fixed, alert. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to feel something, the energy coming from the bushes was positive so he relaxed and said.
—They are not going to attack us.
"How do you know?" Draco asked without lowering his wand.
"I can feel it, whatever's in there isn't…" Then a figure made its way through and Harry smiled as he realized he was right, it was just a centaur. "See, look, they're not going to hurt us. Goodnight." He greeted the centaur politely. Draco looked at him, inspecting him, and then looked back at the creature.
"Hogwarts students," the centaur said in response.
—We're here with Hagrid, looking for an injured unicorn. You didn't see anything, did you? —Harry continued, and the centaur replied, looking up at the sky.
"Mars is shining brightly tonight," he continued, still without looking at them. "The innocent are always the first victims," he said. "It has been that way for centuries past, and it is that way now." Harry looked at him with narrowed eyes, understanding.
"We have to get out of the forest," Draco interrupted, taking him by the hand and Harry nodded. "Thank you very much," the blond said to the centaur who only nodded, letting them go.
They began to walk, heading back down what they thought was the right path. Harry understood what the centaur had been trying to say and he wasn't surprised that Malfoy did too, maybe he hadn't been direct but what the creature had been trying to say was that there was danger and the two of them weren't going to stay to find out what kind of danger it was for the Gryffindors.
Still holding hands, they climbed some hills, dodged fallen tree branches, and tried to see the end of the forest, but it was impossible; the path had also disappeared; they were lost. Draco looked around, Harry supposed he was trying to orient himself or recognize some kind of danger, while Harry tried a compass spell, but the forest was so full of magical energy that it pointed everywhere.
"We can't stay, we have to get out of here," Malfoy said, slightly alerted, "you know what this means, you know what the centaur told us isn't good, not at all."
"You're not scared, are you?" the dark-haired man asked, earning a furious look from his companion who smiled at him a moment later.
Harry saw Draco's mouth open to say something, then his eyes drifted to a silvery substance at the foot of a tree, a huge puddle, thick and bright as the moon itself. The dark-haired boy saw something move in the shadows and automatically stepped between the blond and whatever was there; he could feel it, this time there was something, something evil, something that wouldn't hesitate to hurt them. They stood still, Malfoy with his wand raised, over Potter's shoulder, shaking slightly, maybe he too could feel all that terrible power coming from Merlin only knew where.
"The unicorn..." Draco whispered in his ear and Harry turned his head slightly.
His eyes fell on the dead body of the unicorn lying between the tree roots and then, from the shadows, a hooded figure crawled closer, like a beast on the prowl. Harry and Draco stood paralyzed, unable to make the slightest movement, not out of fear, but because of the enormous pressure that power exerted on them. The hooded figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the animal's wound and began to drink its blood. Harry opened his eyes wide, this was terrible, no one, absolutely no one should do it, but that thing was doing it. Then, a pain pierced his head, something he had never felt, as if the scar was on fire. Almost without being able to see, he stepped back, stepping on a tree branch that attracted the attention of that thing that immediately stood up and as if sliding, approached them, at great speed.
"Protego!" Malfoy exclaimed, and a shield rose between them and the hooded creature.
Harry could only see the light of the enchantment when the blond had already taken him by the hand, pulling him to get out of there as quickly as possible.
It was unbearable, that pain didn't let him react, it didn't let him think and he felt so helpless that fear began to take over him. The protego broke, the powerful dark magic of that entity slipped through the cracks of the shield, making it fall to pieces, Malfoy stumbled along with Harry who, seeing himself truly unprotected, only managed to put himself between that thing and his friend, he stretched out a hand towards the entity and, in a panic, let his magic flow and explode, pushing away such a terrible creature. He heard his companion's labored breathing, he still had one hand in the air and the other on the scar, so relaxing a little he let himself fall on the dry leaves on the ground.
"That was… you've done that before?" the blond asked and Harry shook his head, suddenly feeling tired. "You saved us, Potter," Malfoy then crawled up to him and hugged him tightly. "You saved us!" The sound of galloping interrupted just as Harry was about to return the display of affection. There around him, a horde of centaurs had gathered, looking at him deeply, with a respect that made him feel proud.
—Harry Potter —said one of the centaurs and immediately they all bowed their heads, showing their respect— you have demonstrated your power and we centaurs will feel proud to follow you to victory —he looked in the direction in which the dark being had disappeared. — Prepare yourself, terrible things are approaching and now —he looked towards the sky— it would be better for them to leave, it is not safe to stay here. —Draco showed a bow and Harry imitated him.
The two boys walked in silence with their heads held high, escorted by some of the centaurs who guided them to the exit of the forest. When Harry saw the ranger's hut he could breathe a sigh of relief, the centaurs left them safely next to it and with a nod they left. Harry looked at Draco who, with his deep grey eyes, was inspecting those creatures, as if calculating something.
—You know what unicorn blood is for, right? —he asked after a long silence.
—Unicorn blood keeps you alive, even if you are on the brink of death, at a terrible price.
"If someone kills something pure and defenseless to save themselves, they will get half a life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches their lips," Draco finished, narrowing his eyes. "Do you know what that means?"
—It won't settle for just blood... that thing is after...
"The Philosopher's Stone, he..." Then she turned and looked at him piercingly. Harry understood.
—Voldemort, he is still alive —the blond nodded seriously. —Snape... he seeks the stone for his master.
—And you're going to let that happen? —the blond asked. —He's the murderer of your parents, Potter —Harry hardened his gaze and Draco smiled. —Prepare for the worst... —a bright light came from the forest, Hagrid, accompanied by Hermione and Neville returned— But don't worry, I'm not going to leave you alone. This time, Harry Potter, we're going to do this Slytherin style and you... we, will win.