No One’s Hero

Chapter 5 of No OneÂ’s Hero

A Rose By Any Other Name

Draco and Harry walked hand in hand into the building. Most of the students were already in the Great Hall eating lunch, a few passed by the couple, and if they starred, the boys didnÂ’t notice. They were alone, together, in their own world. For once in each of their lives, they felt whole. Time seemed to stand still, letting them savor this happiness, for something this good, could never last.

They dropped hands before they walked in the hall. It was one thing for it to appear as friends, it was another to appear as lovers. The time for that would come soon enough. They sat at the far end of the Slytherin table. No one sat even remotely close.

“So you going to spend the night with me?” Draco asked.

“I thought you wanted me to start sleeping,” Harry said with a full, ear to ear grin.

“I had intended to let you, but if you have other things in mind…” he said as the food appeared.

“Whatever you want from me, I’m willing to give.”

“Hey Harry, I’m not really hungry after all, why don’t we go back to my room…”

“I’d love to, but I have that history test after lunch.”

“Damn,” Draco swore, with a smile, “I have charms last. Where are you going to be?”

“DADA with Professor Black,” Harry said.

“I’ll wait for you outside the class room. Then I’ll smuggle you into my dorm.”

“Smuggle? Am I some kind of dirty secret?” Harry asked.

Draco winked, “I was shooting more for a secret lover, but whatever you want is fine with me. I figure if no one knows you’re in my room, we have less chance of getting caught. You don’t want Snape waking us up in the middle of the night and giving us detention for disorderly conduct.”

“Disorderly conduct? Is that what they call it now?”

Draco just smiled.

*

It had been over an hour since he had started the test, and now he was finally finished. Harry looked over the essay question, satisfied. He walked up to Professor BinnsÂ’ desk, and handed over the test.

“Already Mr. Potter?”

He nodded, “I was ready for it.”

“Would you like me to go ahead and check it while you wait? I know a lot is riding on this.”

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it,” Harry said as Binns took out a red bottle of ink. His quill moved up and down the page, checking names, places, and dates. There were the wars, the treaties, and all the time in between. It was hard to believe so much history was on one test.

“Not bad. You passed, 84 percent. Congratulations.”

Harry blinked. He passed. He had managed to bring his final grade up. “I’m going to graduate.”

Professor Binns nodded, “Indeed. You deserve it, I only wish you hadn’t let things slip this far.”

Harry nodded, walking out of the room, feeling light headed.

*

Sirius Black had been proved innocent when Voldemort was killed. His lap dog, Peter Pettigrew was found alive, and admitted to being the PotterÂ’s secret keeper. He was sentenced to live in Azkaban. When he had been younger, all Harry could think about was living with his God Father, his wish had been granted at a terrible price last year. He had spent the summer living with him, and in many ways, it was no different than the Dursleys.

Harry sat in the back, and usually slept through class. There was nothing anyone could ever teach him about the defence against the dark arts. Sirius must have realized how hard it was to sit through class as the other students were told about things he had experienced. He let Harry off easy, usually just giving him AÂ’s. It wasnÂ’t a perk of being the teacherÂ’s kid, it was a perk of having killed.

The bell rang, and the students jumped up, heading for the door, Harry following behind.

“Hey Harry, can I speak to you?” Sirius asked.

“Sure,” he replied, following his guardian into his back office. He sat down behind the large oak desk, Harry made no move to sit.

“Have a seat.”

“I’d rather stand, I have to get going soon.”

Sirius sighed, “Alright then, I’ll put it bluntly. Have you lost your mind?”

“Hardly. I finally found it.”

“What’s going on between you and Malfoy?”

“Draco and I are friends.”

“Don’t give me this ‘just friends’ attitude.”

“Don’t give me this ‘I’m your dad now’ attitude,” Harry spat, walking out of the classroom. Sirius made no attempt to chase him down, the boy would come around sooner or later.

*

“What kept you?” Draco asked, as Harry walked past him.

“Black.”

“I take it he asked you about us.”

“It pisses me off. He’s innocent and suddenly its time to make up for all those years without parenting. He ran half wild when he was a kid; he never got his block blown off. I can take care of myself. I’ve done it for the last 17 years. I don’t need a babysitter now!”

“Of course not. He just cares about you,” Draco offered.

“Maybe I don’t need anyone to care about me,” Harry snapped back without thinking. As soon as he said it he wished he could take it back. Draco stopped, and turned around, his face hidden.

“Draco, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you.”

“You used to care about Sirius.”

“I didn’t mean you,” Harry repeated.

“What’s to keep you from changing your mind about me.”

“Draco. I…I love you,” Harry said softly.

For a moment, there was a thick silence. Harry wasnÂ’t about to let Draco walk away, and yet he knew of nothing else that he could say.

“I love you too, Harry… I never thought anyone could ever love me,” Draco said turning around, tears streaking his cheeks.

“Neither did I. I promise, I’ll always love you, and I’ll never leave you,” Harry said pulling Draco into a hug.

“How very touching,” said another voice. Both boys looked up. Their jaw’s dropped.

HarryÂ’s body went limp.

“Harry? You okay?” Draco asked and shook his shoulder.

He didnÂ’t reply. His right hand clutched his chest, right above his heart. It drew into a fist, pulling the fabric of his cloak. He started breathing fast, hyperventilating. He felt light headed and weak. He lost his balance and fell onto the ground, shaking uncontrollably.

Draco dropped down to his side, and rolled him onto his back. HarryÂ’s eyes were in the back of his head.

“Draco…” he whispered faintly, almost inaudibly. His lips parted, and his breathing was shallow. He had stopped shaking.

“HARRY!” he screamed and shook him. He didn’t move. Draco fell onto him, crying.

Another figure stood above the two boys.

“Get off him. Stand up like a man.”

Draco didnÂ’t even look up.

“If you don’t want me to finish him off, you’ll stand up and look me in the eyes like a man!”

He stood.

The younger Malfoy looked into his fatherÂ’s eyes.

“What have you done to him?”

“The Juliet Curse, and its almost finished,” he said and drew his lips into a line, and pointed his wand at Draco.

“What is it?”

“Shakespeare. Wizard writer who lived like a muggle.”

“Take the spell off,” Draco ordered.

Lucius whispered a spell, and it hit his son square in the chest.

He stumbled backward. He felt light headed.

“What the hell did you do?”

“I completed the spell. You always were a smart boy, even if you had no common sense.”

“Take the damn charm off.”

“I can’t. It isn’t reversible. You can save Harry though,” he said sneering.

“How?” he asked and clutched his chest.

“When Harry was with Professor Snape, he made a very powerful poison. One drink of it will kill you. He carries the vile in his cloak.”

“Kill me?” Draco choked, “What good will that do?”

“Romeo and Juliet. You have one hour. After that hour Harry will die. It’s you or him. I suggest you hurry.”

Draco looked up at his dad. Hatred burned inside him. Lucius walked away, leaving both boys lying in the hallway.

Tears were pouring down his face, and Draco crawled over to HarryÂ’s body. No pulse. He was deadÂ…

There wasnÂ’t any timeÂ… Draco took the vile out of HarryÂ’s cloak.

Harry meant more to him than life itself.

*