Harry Potter Back to the Past

The next morning, James returned to the common room. He met Harry. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that yesterday," said James awkwardly.

"What have you said? I've totally forgotten about that," said Harry, pretending that nothing had happened. He tried with all his might to give James a smile but failed. He just went away to find Malfoy in the Great Hall, leaving James alone.

"Hey, Draco, nice to see you here," said Harry. He felt much happier than he had ever felt when he saw Malfoy. Now he did not think that Malfoy was so dreadful. In fact, he felt that Malfoy was quite nice. He did not know why it happened like this. He seemed to have butterflies in his stomach. Malfoy noticed that there was something wrong with Harry but he did not know what that was.

"Are you ok, Harry?" asked Malfoy with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Harry with some sort of hesitation. He was happy to be with Malfoy again. It was his pleasure to be with Malfoy. Yes, his pleasure...

"Muggle studies again! So boring," said Malfoy, "Harry, do you notice that Sumud is some what like a female rather than a male?" Malfoy turned to embrace Harry's arms.

"Huh, I never notice that because I always sleep in his lessons. I've never listened or even looked at him carefully," said Harry with a shameful smile.

"I've got the sixth sense that he is a woman," said Malfoy.

"Can it be?" said Harry with a laugh, "I don't really believe in anything that concerns divination. Besides, I've only heard about the accuracy of women's sixth sense, but for you... Ha!"

"You don't trust me! I have nothing to say then," said Malfoy who let go of Harry's arms and turned away his head.

"Don't be angry. Just kidding," said Harry trying to hide a bit his laughter.

"Cast pearl before swine," muttered Malfoy with a bored expression. He was saying in such a low voice that Harry could not hear him.

"What did you say just now?" said Harry, laughing so hysterically that his eyes were full of tears.

"Can't tell you now, maybe later," said Malfoy as he rose to leave the Great Hall. Harry could never imagine that it might be the last time he would ever see Malfoy in such a harmonious state.

*

A person in all black entered the common room of Slytherin. The person's face was veiled. It was impossible to recognize the person or even to decide the person's sex just by looking at the person. "How's your investigation?" said Malfoy with a deep cold voice.

"Not yet finished but I've found something out."

"What's that?"

"Exactly what you think."

"Is that so? Ok, go on with your investigation."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, sir." The person left through the window like wind.

"I see, starting to react, eh," said Malfoy. He left the common room for the girl's bathroom. On his way, he bumped into something without seeing it. It was Harry under his invisibility cloak.

"What're you doing here, Scar Head?" said Malfoy with his normal voice, a bit annoyed.

"What about you? Why're you sneaking out of bed at midnight?" asked Harry who was still in his invisibility cloak. "How do you know that it's me?" asked Harry with suspicion.

"I think there are no friends of yours who don't know that you've got an invisibility cloak," said Malfoy matter-of-factly, "as your friend, of course, I know."

"Then I should perform a memory charm on them and replace you!" said Harry.

"You haven't answered my question. What're you doing here?" said Malfoy.

"I saw Sumud going out of the girls bathroom," said Harry seriously, "something's gone wrong. He shouldn't be there!"

"So you followed him?" said Malfoy.

"Exactly!"

"That's what I'm doing right now," said Malfoy with a smile.

"I've never imagined that I would ever work with you," said Harry, also smiling.

"Oh, come on, he'll soon be gone," said Malfoy, looking at the moving shadow of Sumud.

"Come here, Malfoy," said Harry waving his hand at Malfoy. Malfoy looked at Harry with a little hesitation. Eventually, they were both under the cloak.

They followed Sumud to Albun's office. Suddenly, Malfoy turned towards Harry. throwing away the invisibility cloak, he pointed his wand at Harry. "Stupefy!" said Malfoy. Harry was totally taken by surprise. Malfoy threw him a disgusted look and ran away.

Sumud heard the noise and turned his head. Harry was panicking. He shouldn't sneak out of bed at night! And now with Malfoy gone, he stood helplessly. He wanted to move but he could not move even an inch. Harry was could hear the footstep of Sumud. Step by step, Sumud was approaching.

"Harry? Who stupefied you? Come on." James came just in time to save him from being caught by Sumud. He performed the counter curse on Harry and the two of them quickly moved away from Albun's office, each of them under their own invisibility cloaks.

"Why did he attack me? I've done nothing to offend him! But why?" Harry thought and thought throughout the night. Two different thoughts struck him.

One of the voices said, "He's always been like that when we were at our time. At school, he's always my enemy and his father is a Death Eater! He's my enemy even in his blood. No wonder he attacked me."

The other said, "If he's really my enemy, why did he say that he'll always be there for me?"

"A lie, it must be a lie. He was just lying to me," whispered the first voice.

"But his face seemed so true at the time he comforted me!" muttered the other voice.

"However, his facial expression was serious when he attacked me!" stuttered the first one.

"How can a person change so quickly? He must have some reason that he can't speak out."

"Reason or not, he's attacked me! And why hasn't he come to find me till now?"

"My goodness! Which side of his should I believe? Is he a devil or an angel or both?" Harry was very much troubled and buried his head in his hands. His conscience told him that he should not have been so troubled but deep down in his heart, he knew why he was so much troubled.

The next afternoon, Harry met Malfoy on his way to the Gryffindor common room. He tried hard to control himself though his anger was mounting up inside.

"Hi, er, last night," stuttered Harry. He was too anxious to get the answer that he had wanted since the previous night.

"What?" moaned Malfoy. It was clear that Malfoy also stayed up late in the previous night. His eyes were circled with dark colour, almost like a panda.

"Why did you do something like that?" asked Harry in a whisper.

"Er, I did what?" moaned Malfoy. Before Malfoy could finish his sentence, Harry broke into his speech.

"You did it deliberately?" asked Harry doubtfully. Deep down in his heart, he hoped and even demanded that Malfoy to say "no". However out of his expectation, Malfoy's answer was:

"Yes, I did it deliberately," said Malfoy in the same deep cold voice as the night he sat alone in the Slytherin common room.

"But ... Harry! Don't go. Listen to me!" Shouted Malfoy with his normal voice again.

As soon as Harry heard the word "yes", he was too startled to hear much more. Before he could reach to punch Malfoy, he turned and ran in the corridor. He ran past Gecko, Zneeze and Voren so as to escape from his despair and their question. How can it be? Why did he put so much trust in Malfoy? Why was it always like that? Why were his beloved friends so dreadful, both James and Mafloy? Harry did not really want to have the answer. He was just too depressed to think of anything. After James misunderstood him for showing off in the Quiddich match, Malfoy again betrayed him. It was too much for him. But how can he ever escape from them all? He missed Ron and Hermione much more than he had ever felt.

Harry sat beside the lake near the castle. Just then a gentle hand touched Harry's shoulder. Harry's sight was too much blocked to see who the person was because his eyes were full of tears. He abruptly rubbed away his tears. He saw the reflection. They were Gecko, Zneeze and Voren.

"Harry, I think it's time for us to tell you the truth," said Gecko.

"Come with us and you'll understand the whole thing," beckoned Zneeze.

"Where're you going? What the hell will I understand?" Harry was very much annoyed as to be disturbed by them.

"Come, come and you'll see. Trust me," said Voren confidently. Trust, trust, it wounded Harry even further.

"Harry, before I show you the truth, tell me something. Do you still trust Malfoy?" asked Zneeze.

"No longer," said Harry plainly.

"Then you must wait for a little while more before we clarify everything," said Voren.

"Why? I can't see what's the connection of telling me the truth and trusting him," said Harry scornfully.

"Well, the truth is about him. If you don't trust him, we can't show you then," said Gecko as-a-matter-of-factly.

"So, what's that 'truth' about?" asked Harry impatiently.

"Can't tell you now," said the three of them together as they walked away, leaving Harry alone.