United In Death

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What do I do to ignore them behind me?

Do I follow my instincts blindly?

Do I hide my pride from these bad dreams

And give in to sad thoughts that are maddening?
 
Do I sit here and try to stand it?
 
Or do I try to catch them red-handed?
 
Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness
 
Or so I trust nobody and live in loneliness/
 
Because I can’t go on when I’m stretched so thin
 
I make the right moves but I’m lost within
 
I put on the daily facade but then
 
I just end up getting hurt again
 
By myself
 
I ask why, but in my mind
 
I find I can’t rely on myself
 
Linkin Park-By myself
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Grey December clouds peeped through the small, dirty window. Dim light filtered down into the cold dungeon as Snape paced up and down in front of the Slytherins and Gryffindors, who were keeping close to their cauldron fires, gloved hands outstretched towards the little warmth.
 
“Today we will be starting your two month assessment on the ‘Switching’ potion. I need hardly add that this will be one of the main questions in your N.E.W.Ts. So can anyone tell me what this potion does?”
 
As usual Hermione’s hand shot into the air, clipping Ron’s ear on the way up. Over Ron’s indignant swearing Hermione called out.
 
“Please Professor, the Switching potions real name is the Anima potion but it is usually called the Switching potion because it switches some of the life essence from a healthy person to a dying person-thus saving their life.”
 
Snape sneered at her.
 
“Poorly done Miss Granger, not up to your usual standard as you refrained from adding that if the healthy person cares deeply enough for the dying person a potion is not needed. The healthy person mearly has to place their lips on the dying and breath some of their life essence into the person. Also that once this has been done they are linked in sprit so they can communicate telepathically, and know where each other are at all times. I might add that even if the dying is dead-but freshly, and the other truly cares deeply for the deceased weather brother or lover. They can reach through to the realms of the dead and bring the person back. Five points from Gryffindor.”
 
Hermione went red and lowered her head. Harry leaned over and patted her on the shoulder while Ron made rude signs a Snape’s back.
 
Snape spun around, black cloak bellowing and dark eyes flashing. Ron quickly pretended to be scratching his head while Harry and Hermione giggled behind his back.
 
“Mr Weasley pay attention, Potter, Miss Granger once you have quite finished giggling like two lovestruck idiots kindly focus on the lesson.”
 
Draco Malfoy sniggered nastily at the front of the class and Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherins gleefully joined in.
 
Snape smirked and went back to his desk. He took a piece of parchment out of the drawer an laid it on the dark wood.
 
Harry could see that it looked like a list of names written out in two columns, then Snape began to speak in his flat, cold voice again.
 
“Now listen carefully. I have written down all your names and will sort them into pairs best suited for working together through this course.
“You will spend all lesson time together and most of your free time as you will have to study the ingredient, the history and the effects of this marvellous potion.”
 
With that he waved his wand casually at the parchment. The words sprang to life and skittered about on the paper totally rearranging themselves. In seconds it was over and the words sat quietly on the page opposite their proper partners.
 
“Right, let’s see then.” Snape said silkily picking up the thick cream parchment.
 
He started to call out names and Harry let his mind drift, vaguely hearing the sighs of relief and angry growls as the class was slowly paired off.
 
Harry heard Hermione and Ron’s name called out and wondered who he would be paired with so it took him a few seconds to realise that Snape had stopped talking and was staring at the parchment in his pale hands in surprise.
 
A deep silence settled over the classroom as everyone turned towards their unmoving teacher.
 
Finally Snape spoke very softly.
 
“Well well, this is interesting.”
 
He paused for a few seconds, unaware of the mounting tension in the students before him, then spoke again.
 
“Potter and.........Malfoy.”
 
Harry stared, praying that he had misheard, but the looks on Ron and Hermione’s face told him all to well that it was true.
 
Draco stood up very slowly, glaring Snape who was still staring at the parchment.
 
“I’m not working with that smarmy git!”
 
Harry laughed coldly, no-one had ever heard Harry laugh like that, it frightened them. Harry suddenly felt very angry.
 
“Who’re you calling a smarmy git Malfoy?”
 
Malfoy turned towards him, a cold smile playing across his lips.
 
“Screw you Potter.”
 
“You wish Malfoy.”
 
Dark spots of red appeared high on Draco’s perfect cheekbones as they did when he was angry.
 
“Say that again Potter.” He hissed taking a step towards the glaring raven-haired boy.
 
“Or what?” Harry whispered.
 
Draco took another step towards him, hate shining in his silver eyes.
 
Harry wondered why Snape hadn’t stepped in yet, then brushed the thought away.
 
“I’m warning you four eyes.” Malfoy was saying only a few feet away from him.
 
“Fuck you Malfoy.”
 
Draco lunged, hitting Harry around the waist and knocking him back onto a table. Ingredience went flying as Harry landed hard on his back and then Draco punched him across the face.
 
Draco heard screaming and shouting around him as he punched Harry across the face, then the wind was knocked out of him in one long gasp as Harry kneed him hard in the ribs. Potter’s good if he managed to do that to me so quickly.
 
Draco let go of Harry and doubled over.
 
He dimly saw the raven-haired boy leap up and launch himself at him, bringing his fist around in a long, powerful arch.
 
Draco couldn’t dodge it, Potter’s very good-but that should be impossible without training.
 
Harry’s fist connected hard, knocking Draco to the floor.
 
Harry stood over the slumped figure with a vague feeling that he shouldn’t hit a man when he’s down.
 
Draco’s leg shot out knocking Harry’s feet from under his. How the hell did he just manage to do that? He mused before he hit the floor, then he remembered something very similar happening in his second year at duelling club.
 
All thought was then punched out of Harry and he found himself rolling on the floor, fighting hard with the seventeen year old Draco Malfoy.
 
“Wingardium leviosa!”
 
Harry and Draco suddenly found themselves lifted into the air and clung onto each other automatically, looking around with wide eyes.
 
When they were a few feet off the ground they were dropped.
 
Both landed on their sides and fiery pain blossomed through their ribs. Through the painful pink haze they both saw the edge of a black cloak and a pair of dragon-hide black boots before them. They struggled into sitting positions and looked up at the menacing figure of Professor Snape. His black eyes burned with cold fury.
 
“I didn’t want to resort to such primitive methods to stop you two fighting but as I tried and failed to get your attention before I had to.
“Both of you know I do not tolerate fighting in this class. As punishment I will take thirty points from each house, you will both stay behind after class and clear up and neither of you will go to Madame Pomfery to have your injuries healed, you will let them heal naturally!”
 
Snape turned and stormed away as Harry and Draco got to their feet and everyone went back to their places. When Harry sat down Ron and Hermione hastily leaned over.
 
“Are you all right Harry?” Hermione asked rather breathlessly, looking rather flustered for some reason. Harry nodded and Ron grinned excitedly.
 
“What a fight! Malfoy’s needed the crap kicked out of his for ages now! Way to go Harry!”
 
Harry grinned back, and then voiced something that was on his mind.
 
“Yeah, thanks, but I wonder what’s wrong with Snape?”
 
Snape had begun talking after pairing off the rest of the class and they were meant to be taking notes.
 
As Ron scrabbled through his bag and produced a rather battered and chewed looking quill he looked up at Harry.
 
“What’s that Harry?”
 
Harry massaged his knuckles on his right hand. He’d landed Malfoy such a hard blow that they were bruising.
 
“Well he’s being nasty to Malfoy, since when has that ever happened? He took points away from Slytherin, his house, and he didn’t give me a detention.”
 
Hermione stared at Harry in amazement then bit her lip as she did when she was worried or thinking hard. Harry shifted in his seat trying not to think about how he wanted to just grab Hermione and kiss her on those sweet lips. Ron just looked blankly at the bright eyed raven-haired boy sitting in front of him, his breath misting out onto the cold air.

“Are you telling me you wanted Snape to give you a detention?” He sounded slightly hysterical.
 
Harry gave him a hard look and Ron blushed. “Oh,” was all he said.
 
“Harry’s right.” Hermione whispered as the rest of the class became quieter.
 
Ron and Harry huddled closer to Hermiones cauldron as they took down the notes Snape had ordered the chalk to write on the blackboard.
 
“Snape would never pass off a chance to put down Gryffindor or give Harry detention. Nor would he pass off the chance to make Slytherin or Malfoy look good. I mean he’s never told Malfoy to stay behind after class before.”
 
“There’s a first time for everything!”
 
“Shut up Ron!”
 
As Ron and Hermione good-naturedly argued Harry turned to look at Draco sitting in the front row. As usual the cold didn’t seem to affect him at all, he was gently prodding a swollen bruise on his high cheekbones, and glaring furiously at Snape. In fact he was so busy glaring at his teacher his was totally ignoring Pansy Parkinson fluttering her eyelashes at him and Crabbe and Goyle trying to get his attention. Harry sniggered and turned back to his work, sometimes he almost felt sorry for Malfoy having to put up with those cruel, stupid dolts 24/7. He could probably get a more interesting conversation out of a wall.
 
The rest of the lesson passed in silence, the loudest sound being the scratch of quills on parchment.
 
When the class was finally over Harry watched glumly as Hermione and Ron packed their stuff away.
 
“Ron could you tell the rest of the team I’ll probably be late for Quidditch practise and to carry on with what we were learning last time.”
 
Ron nodded.
 
“Sure Harry, good luck-don’t let Snape or Malfoy get to you.”
 
Harry forced a laugh as Ron jogged out to catch up with Hermione, who waved to Harry with an encouraging smile then turned up the stone corridor.
 
Harry sighed and pulled his sleek frame back into the dungeon, which was empty except for Snape and Malfoy.
 
“Right then.” Snape hissed nastily. “Potter, you can clean up the dragon blood a third year spilled this morning, pour water on it to liquefy it and pour it back into some empty beakers. Dragon blood is too expensive to throw away. Get on with it.”
 
Harry moodily strode to the back of the class and drew a bucket of water from a well shaped like a gargoyle . It waggled its ears at him.
 
As Harry turned around and walked over to the pool of dried blood he saw Draco Malfoy scrubbing the tables and cursing fluently under his breath. Harry was impressed, he didn’t know it was possible to do that with a broomstick!!
 
“Well at least Snape hasn’t completely gone mad by giving Malfoy a worse job then me.” He mused as he poured the water over the blood.
 
Harry got on with his grisly job and three-quarters of an hour later he had filled three flasks and was just clearing up the stain left on the stone. Draco had finished about ten minutes before and just sat there on the edge of one of the tables watching him, Harry was a bit surprised that Draco didn’t taunt or insult him at all. Maybe he’s trying to make me feel uncomfortable so I’ll make a mistake, well sod him. Harry ignored the blond boy and got on with scrubbing, finding it easy after all the chores the Dursleys had put him through. He finished five minutes later and stood up, looking down at himself, he saw that the front of his robes and hands were covered in the dark blood. Harry felt his mind spiral back to all the other times he had been drenched in blood and this seemed to be the only time violence wasn’t involved. The basilisk in the chamber of secrets, the first task with the Hungarian Horntail, that spider in the third task, wormtail stabbing me, Voldemort cursing me in Hogsmead at the end of fifth year, him attacking me on the grounds last year, he killed Cedric and so many others, oh God Cedric I’m so sorry. Harry felt himself sway and suddenly there were a pair of strong hands holding him up.
 
“Are you all right Potter?”
 
Malfoy? Did he just ask me if I’m all right and is holding me up?! No way that’s too fucking weird!
 
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Harry found himself croaking out, he looked up into Malfoys silver eyes and was shocked at what he saw there. No hate, no disgust, just a deep, sad understanding.
 
Draco almost jumped when Harry pulled his eyes up from the floor and looked straight into his eyes with his amazing emerald ones, there was a deep sadness in their and there always had been but it had got worse over the years as more and more terrible things happened to him.
 
Draco wondered what it must be like knowing that everyone close to him was in terrible danger just for caring for him, Draco felt he would probably go mad with that awful weight and guilt on his shoulders, and Draco secretly admired Harry for that and was almost proud to have such a strong person as an enemy. Draco didn’t know what it was like to have so many people care for him, as only his mother loved him but was often too afraid to even speak to her only child for fear of what her husband might do, but he understood what it was like to carry a gut-tearing pain around inside of him every day, and for no-one to understand because nothing like what happened to him had ever happened to them, and to want to just stand and scream out the pain, to end it all, to just curl up in a corner and find peace, but to not be able to for other people, to know there would never be peace and to just let the pain consume him.
 
The two boys, each with a deep pain so similar to each others that they could have been twins, just stared into each others eyes, understanding each other for the first time.
 
“You may both go.”
 
The voice broke through, cold and unwanted, they broke eye contact to spin around to look at their teacher who had his back to them.
 
“I hope you have both learned your lesson.”
 
Harry though he sounded distracted-very unusual for Snape.
 
“Riiigghhhtttt.” Draco said slowly, his silver eyes hard on Snape’s back. He started to take a step forward and before Harry realised what he was doing he had flung out an arm and caught Draco’s shoulder. Draco’s usual emotionless mask slipped for the second time in the space of a minuet, and he looked at Harry with shock and puzzlement.
 
“Potter what are you..” But Harry interrupted him.
 
“Look at him Malfoy, he’s shaking, I don’t know what’s wrong but we should go.”
 
Not giving Draco a chance to reply Harry began to drag him towards the door, only pausing to grab their bags. After a few seconds struggle Draco’s shoulders slumped and he let Harry lead him out into the corridor.
 
Once in the corridor Harry let go of Draco’s shoulder quickly and handed the blond boy his bag. Draco didn’t seem to notice, he looked as though he was quite confused and with a vague, “see you Potter.” He turned and started off down the corridor.

Harry stared after him puzzled, first Snape now Malfoy, what was going on?
 
He started to walk up to Gryffindor tower still deep in though with a dim memory saying that he needed to get his Quidditch things. He wondered why people were staring at him, or why a group of sixth year girls took one look at him, screamed and ran off down the corridor, or why, when he bumped into Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown walking the other way down the corridor Lavender took one look at him and fainted and Parvati became a gibbering wreck and burst into tears when he tried to comfort her.
 
When he reached the Fat Lady she looked at him shocked, (A/N she had developed a very soft spot for our raven-haired hero.)
 
“Good Lord Harry dear, what happened to you?”
 
Harry gave her a hard look.
 
“Nothing, silver horn.”
 
The fat lady sighed and swung forward. He climbed in and saw Ron waiting in his Quidditch robes and Hermione sitting in their favourite chairs by the fire.
 
Hermione looked up and saw him, the colour drained from her face and the most awful pain filled her eyes, she screamed.
 
“HARRY!!!!”
 
The rest of the common room went quiet as everyone turned to look at him, their eyes widening in fear.
 
Ron stumbled to his feet, his face ashen grey.
 
“Merlin’s beard Harry, what happened?”
 
Harry blinked his magnificent green eyes, and, for the first time since leaving Snape’s dungeon he looked down at himself, and saw to his shock that he was still saturated with ruby red dragon blood.
 
“Shit.” He said with feeling.

* * * * *

Snape didn’t turn around once Harry dragged Draco out of the room, he just stared at his pickled animals collection floating gently in large glass jars on the wall in front of him.
 
He was remembering back to the day before the start of the new school year. All the teachers who didn’t live at Hogwarts arrived back on that day so they could get everything prepared for lessons. Professor Trelawney arrived in time for lunch and they all seated themselves at the head table, looking over the four empty tables which by tomorrow night would be packed with chattering, laughing students. Once lunch was over they had all started to rise when Professor Trelawney went rigid in her seat. Professor Sprout reached for the woman but Professor Dumbeldore’s firm voice froze her to the spot.
 
“Don’t touch her! It looks like she’s having a real vision.”
 
Trelawney had started to shake, making the charms and trinkets she had sown to her shawl clink together, her eyes, huge behind her glasses were glassy.
 
“Two enemies linked by the betrayers wand and destiny shall be forced to unite to push the darkness away. The Dark Lord shall be killed although the enemies must come to trust one another, and love one another for this to be done. But there is a price. The one who kills The Dark Lord shall die also.”
 
Trelawneys head slumped down onto her chest, then she raised it again blinking hard.
 
“What are you all staring at?” She asked in her normal, dreamy voice, not the hard grating voice she had just used.
 
“I only dozed off for a minuet, no need to look like someone’s died.”
 
“But someone did, or will do according to what you just said.” Squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick, looking quite tearful.
 
“I predicted no such thing!” Professor Trelawney spluttered indignantly.
 
“Yes you did.” Professor McGonagall snipped coldly-and rather childishly as she had never liked Professor Trelawney much.
 
Snape returned to the present and stood for a few more seconds watching his breath crystallise in the air, then he turned quickly and marched out of the dungeon, black cloak bellowing.
 
As he walked swiftly down the corridor he noticed some spots of blood on the stone passageway floor. Foolish Potter must have forgotten to have cleaned it off.
 
He walked out into the entrance hall and trotted up the marble staircase.
 
After rounding a few corners a sight met his eyes that usually would have made him sneer. Parvati Patil was kneeling next to her air-headed little friend Lavender Brown, who was swooning, opening her eyes then swooning again.
 
“For goodness sake you stupid girl take Miss Brown to the hospital wing at once!”
 
Parvati nodded and Snape saw her face was stained with tears but he had other matters to attend to so he swept past the girls and turned down a corridor. He stopped in front of a grumpy looking gargoyle.
 
“Fizzing Wizzbies.” He snapped.
 
At once the gargoyle sprang to life and jumped to one side. Snape stepped onto the revolving rich wooden staircase and stared at nothing all the way up to the small landing. He quickly jumped off the staircase and knocked on the smart door in front of him.
 
“Enter.” Replied a voice inside the room. Snape pushed the door open and stepped in, barely glancing at the dozing old headmasters and mistresses on the wall, or at the mahogany cabinets holding bizarre and wonderful things around the room, Nor did he stop to admire Fawks the phoenix, which was something he always did.
 
Professor Dumbeldore looked up at him, his sharp blue eyes twinkling behind his half moon glasses. His silver hair reflecting the magnificent red sun set outside the windows.
 
“Ah, Severus.” Dumbeldores voice was grave. With a jolt Snape realised the headmaster knew why he had come.
 
“You might as well tell me who they are then.”
 
Snape found he could not speak, there was a lump in his throat the size of a bloated toad. Angrily he coughed, clearing the lump away.
 
“Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.”
 
Dumbeldore shut his eyes and Snape was startled to see how lined his face was, it had never really occurred to him how old Dumbeldore was.
 
“I was hoping it wouldn’t be those two-only seventeen.”
 
Snape gripped the back of the green velvet, overstuffed chair in front of Dumbeldore’s desk until his knuckles went white.
 
“You knew it would be them?”
 
Dumbeldore regarded the flustered Snape over his glasses.
 
“I will not lie to you Severus, I had my suspicions, they are, after all the two most famous enemies in the whole of the school, and yet in many ways they are so alarmingly like each other they could be brothers. I had hoped that I would be proven wrong but alas.”
 
“And you knew I would be the betrayer?” Snape’s voice rose several octaves.
 
“I did, you betrayed Voldemort the day you came to me.”
 
Snape finally asked the question that had been eating away at him for the last few hours.
 
“Which one of them will die?”