Cold as Ice

Chapter 1.

Harry Potter kept his head down, even though he could feel eyes on his back. He couldn't think who could be staring at him so intently. It made him very uncomfortable.

'Potter! Could you kindly tell us the spell for changing a non-living thing into a living one?' barked professor McGonagall. Harry looked up, blushing.

'No professor. Sorry professor,' he mumbled. Behind him, he could hear Draco Malfoy chuckling quietly. Harry glanced around angrily.

'Very well. Please pay attention, Potter,' McGonagall sighed. Harry nodded.

'Has poor little Potter got things on his mind?' sneered Draco once McGonagall was showing the class the spell again. Harry ignored him.

'Git,' muttered Ron Weasley on Harry's left side. Harry grinned at him and turned back to watch professor McGonagall change a pebble into a mouse.

Draco watched Harry as he turned away and grinned at something that Ron said. He felt a pang of...what? Guilt? Sorrow? Something stronger? Harry shifted in his seat and Draco couldn't help notice how he had changed. Harry was taller, more muscular and generally more mature looking. He probably had a girlfriend too; Draco was always hearing girls giggling about how gorgeous Harry was. Personally, Draco agreed with them.

Harry chucked his quill, ink bottle, books and parchment into his bag as soon as the bell rang and headed for the Gryffindor common room to drop his things off before dinner.

'I wonder what's for dinner?' Ron said as they walked.

'Honestly, is that all you think about, Ron?' said Hermione Granger, Harry and Ron's other best friend.

'No, I think of other stuff too.'

'Like what?'

Harry smiled as Ron and Hermione started to argue about what Ron thought about. They always had something to bicker about, and as long as they didn't involve Harry, he let them get on with it.

'So, what was on your mind in Transfiguration, Potter?' called Draco over the crowds. Harry grimaced.

'Aw, come on, Potter. Is it a girl? Has little Potter got a girlfriend?' Draco sniggered as he caught up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Ron and Hermione were still too busy arguing to notice.

'Leave it out, Malfoy,' Harry sighed.

'Is that a yes? You do have a girlfriend?'

'No, I don't. Not like it's any of your business,' Harry snapped. Without another word, he dashed up the staircase that led to the Gryffindor common room.

Draco watched as Harry pelted up the stairs. Why did he have to tease him so much, why? Simple. To hide how he really felt. If Harry knew...

Draco sighed and made his way to the Slytherin common room. It was pretty empty when he finally got there; everyone else was at dinner. Draco went straight to the dormitory in which he slept, pulled the hangings around his bed and got out his trunk. From it, he pulled a bottle of strong vodka.

'Here's to you, Harry Potter,' he muttered, bracing himself. Then he took a long swig from the bottle and choked. His eyes watered. Another swig. Already he felt a little dizzy- not surprising seeing as he was hungry and had never had alcohol this highly concentrated in his life before. After a few more sips, Draco put the lid back on the bottle and lay down, his head throbbing.

'If only you knew, Harry,' he said to the canopy over his head, before falling into a fitful slumber.

That night, Harry couldn't sleep. By midnight, he had read 'Flying with the Cannons' the whole way through and started it again. He was bored. Also, he had cramp in his leg, so he decided to go for a walk to relieve it. As quietly as he could, Harry pulled his invisibility cloak and the marauders map out of his trunk and slipped out of the dormitory.

He hadn't got any idea where he was going. He just wanted to sleep, but as that wasn't happening, he decided he might as well do something else.

Someone had brought Draco a jug of pumpkin juice while he was sleeping. It was sat on his bedside table when he awoke.

Draco sat up, groaning. His watch told him it was midnight. Everyone else in the dormitory was asleep, obviously. The room was filled with warm, stifling air, and Draco had to get out. He grabbed his vodka and the pumpkin juice and stumbled from the dormitory, unsure where he was heading, not really caring.

As he walked along the dark corridors, Draco poured the vodka into the pumpkin juice to weaken the fiery taste. Then he started to drink it carefully- he couldn't spill any, couldn't waste any. He needed it to dull the feelings he had inside, to make himself numb.

Harry gazed out the window at the starry sky. The night air blew softly across his face, making him smile. He had taken his cloak off after checking no one was around. It was nice, standing all alone, thinking in the breeze. He could just forget everything for a while. Forget...

'Harry?' slurred a voice. Harry jumped and turned around to see Draco behind him, a jug of pumpkin juice in one hand and an empty bottle in the other. Then he felt his face redden as he remembered that was he was dressed in his pyjamas. Draco, on the other hand, was in his robes. It looked as though he had slept in them.

'What are you doing here Malfoy?' Harry snapped, regaining his composture.

'Taking a walk,' Draco shrugged as he took a large drink from the jug. Then he pulled a face. 'Pumpkin juice and vodka don't mix,' he said, frowning at the liquid.

'Vodka...Malfoy, are you drunk?' said Harry in disbelief.

'No no no,' Draco grinned, 'Well, maybe a little teeny tiny bit.'

Harry couldn't take in what was happening. Malfoy, drunk? Why?

'Give me the jug, Malfoy,' he said quietly, knowing he had to stop the blond boy from drinking any more alcohol.

'Do you want some?' Draco looked delighted and held the jug out. Harry reached for it.

Something in the back of Draco's numb mind told him that Harry didn't want the jug to drink from. Why would Harry Potter, everyone's hero, teacher's pet, want to drink?

'No!' Draco cried, snatching the jug back.

'Malfoy, you shouldn't be drinking that!'

'I don't care!'

'It could kill you if you have too much.'

'Like that bothers you.'

'Just because we don't get on, that doesn't mean I want you to die,' Harry sounded angry.

'You don't mean that. You want to go as much as anyone. There's nothing to keep me here except-' Draco stopped himself just in time. He nearly let Harry know his secret.

'There has to be something keeping you here,' Harry said matter-of-factly.

'There is.' Draco said before he could stop himself. Then he realised what he had done. 'Oh, crap.' Draco closed his eyes, kicking himself mentally.

'What? What's keeping you here?' Harry asked curiously. 'And why is it bad that you've told me?'

'Because... because you're the one keeping me from killing myself.'