Hit the Floor

Chapter Three - Getting to Know You

--

"Is everyone ready?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry had been ready to leave two hours ago. He was slumped over in the plush armchair, head resting on his hands, and trying his hardest not to yawn again. Apparently Snape took yawning during his 'carefully prepared discussion on the details of the training program' as a very rude interruption. Even Draco was struggling to stay awake at this point, Harry noted. The blonde next to him was sprawled out in his own armchair, and every few minutes his eyes would droop shut, right before he jerked himself awake. According to Harry's calculations, there would be another spasm in thirty-two seconds.

"Yes, Professor. I'm more than ready," Harry said, eager for any excuse to interrupt Snape's current tirade about the intricacies of the Scalpere spell. The man had been going on for almost forty-five minutes and showed no signs of stopping. It seemed to Harry that he hadn't even paused for a breath in the last ten minutes.

Snape shot the Headmaster an evil look before standing up and moving over to the pile of trunks in the middle of the room. Harry looked over at Draco to find that his eyes were shut again. Harry kicked him in his shin and he jolted awake.

"What the hell was that for, Potter?" Draco yelped. He glared at Harry as he ran a hand through his hair, and straightened his clothes. "Bloody git, couldn't have found a better way to wake me up..." he mumbled.

Harry grinned. "Time to go, Malfoy."

--

The trip by portkey was unpleasant as usual, at least to Harry. He'd never liked traveling by magical means. At least this trip hadn't been made by floo. Harry couldn't imagine having to go such a long distance spinning through space.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

"Really, Mr. Potter, I'd think even your brain would have the capacity to answer that question," Snape sneered.

Harry flushed with embarrassment. "I only wondered if we had portkeyed directly to the training facility or if we were somewhere else in Baltimore, Sir." It was such a struggle not to make snide comments under his breath about the man.

Snape sighed and turned around to face the two teens.

"We are in the apparation chamber of the training facility under the Chesapeake Bay. This will be your home for as long as this training is needed. You will only be allowed to the surface on scheduled days when adequate protection can be ensured."

"This facility had better be big then," Draco said. He'd been irritable since Harry had kicked him awake.

The apparation chamber was a small room, about the size of the potions storeroom, Harry noted. It was walled in cinderblock and painted taupe. There was a single door on one wall, and no windows. Snape stalked to the door without a backwards glance.

He led them down a long and narrow hallway lit by stark florescent lighting that Harry could hear buzzing as he walked underneath. There were no doors on either side of the hallway. After almost five minutes of walking they came to a single steel door. Harry watched as Snape shot an Alohamora at a little panel just to the right of the door. Nothing happened.

"Um...Sir?" Harry began.

"Quiet, Potter," Snape snapped, just as the door began to open. "This door can only be opened by wizards and witches who are authorized to be here. The panel to the right reads your magical signature, hence the spell."

Harry was slightly annoyed to find that the foot thick door led to another seemingly endless hallway. This one at least had doors on either side, but Snape flew by all of them. After another five minutes of walking, they came to the end of the hall. Here stood another steel door with another panel to the side.

This door opened to a large room. The walls were the same color as both hallways, with matching wall-to-wall carpeting. Harry looked around as they stepped into the room. It was nothing like the common rooms at Hogwarts. They were all stone and wood and opulent fabrics and soft lighting. This room was bright and sparsely furnished. There were two black leather couches, and a dark wood coffee table before the fireplace. Where the fireplaces at Hogwarts were gorgeous structures of stone, this one was simple, with a plain black mantle. There were two desks in one corner, surrounded by bookcases. A kitchen sat off to the right, with a small table and four chairs, and three doors were along the left wall.

"What is with the taupe? Honestly," Draco grumbled.

"They say taupe is very soothing," Harry said matter-of-factly.

"Soothing, my arse. You'd think they'd be able to come up with a better interior. Aren't Americans rich? This is hideous," Draco replied, looking around with an expression of extreme distaste on his face.

"Yes, rich perhaps, but no one ever said they had good taste," Snape answered. "Now, this is the common room. Meals will be taken here, as well as your theory studies. Free time may also be spent here." He walked over to the first of the doors to the left. "This is my room. It is off limits. There is no need for you to ever attempt to enter this room." He turned to stare at the two of them. "Ever."

Snape walked to the door next to his. "This is your room, and yes, you will be sharing. Do try not to kill each other. There is an adjoining bathroom inside."

He gestured to the remaining door. "This last room is the training room. All practical studies will be carried out here."

"You are joking."

"About what, Mr. Malfoy?"

"We are not sharing a room."

"Yes, you are."

"This place is huge. Are you telling me that they couldn't spare one more room so we wouldn't have to share?"

"No, I am telling you that you are sharing. End of discussion. I suggest you go unpack and get some sleep. You've a long day tomorrow." With that, Snape deposited their shrunken chests and trunks on the floor and strode into his own room, leaving Harry and Draco gaping after him.

"I can't believe this," Draco moaned.

"Look, Malfoy, maybe it won't be that bad."

"Potter, have you been around for the past six years? We've had about ten minutes of civil conversation. Five of those minutes were before we even knew who the other was, and the other five were on the train this morning. We do not have the best track record here."

"Yeah, well..." Harry was at a loss for words. "Maybe we can start over," he finished, somewhat lamely in his opinion. "I mean, I'm willing if you are."

"And you really think that's going to work." It was a statement, not a question.

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Probably not. At least we get weekly duels to work out some of that aggression though."

Draco rolled his eyes and picked up his luggage. Harry watched him walk towards their room. He was just picking up his own trunks when he heard Draco yelling.

"What the fuck is with all the taupe!"

The bedroom apparently was of the same color scheme as the rest of their new home. And Harry's new roommate didn't approve. Draco was standing in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, glaring at one of the beds.

"Glaring at the bed isn't going to make it change color you know," Harry said.

In Harry's opinion, the bedroom wasn't bad at all. The room was quite large. There were two beds, one on either side of a door Harry assumed led to the bathroom. There were two more desks, as well as two sizeable wardrobes. The dark wood and wall color matched the rest of their 'apartment'.

"Which bed do you want?" Harry asked.

Draco looked at Harry with slightly narrowed eyes. "Potter, that was almost a nice thing to ask."

Harry shrugged. "Well, I said I was willing to try, didn't I? Anyway, it wouldn't be the smartest of ideas to go pissing off my dueling partner before I've learned any of the stuff he already knows. Bloody suicide, that'd be."

"Nice of you to admit that, for once," Draco said. He was unshrinking his trunks and moving about the room, putting his belongings away. Harry watched him for a minute, not sure what else to say. Finally, he gave in and followed Draco's lead.

--

Harry looked around the darkened bedroom from where he sat on his bed. It was late, and he should be sleeping. His mind wouldn't stop rushing along a thousand different tracks at once. He'd tried to calm himself using the Occlumency techniques Snape had taught him in his fifth year. Even that wasn't working.

"Are you going to sit there the whole night?"

Harry could barely make Draco's form on the bed next to him. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to keep you up."

"Did you just apologize to me, Potter?" the bodiless voice asked, with a tinge of wonder in his tone.

"Yeah, I guess I did." All of a sudden Harry knew exactly what was bothering him. He couldn't believe how long it had taken him to figure it out. He was positively disgusted with himself. Apparently he needed to work on that whole focused resolution.

"Malfoy, can I ask you something?"

A sigh whispered through the air to reach Harry's ears. "Will you go to sleep afterwards?"

"Yeah." Harry waited for Draco to give him a sign to speak.

"Well then, what is it?"

"Why did you switch sides?" Harry needed to know. He'd been willing to trust Dumbledore when he'd appointed Draco his second instructor. Dumbledore would never deliberately put him in danger; Harry knew that. But people didn't just turn away from their families; didn't turn from everything they'd ever known on a whim. There were reasons for actions of that magnitude, and he needed to know Draco's. Harry was going to have to learn to trust Draco in the coming months, and he couldn't do that without knowing why.

Another sigh. "I've been waiting for you to ask that. Didn't think it would take this long, actually."

Harry said nothing, but waited for Draco to continue. Various scenarios ran through his mind, Draco's father forcing him to bow to the Dark Lord, Dumbledore somehow talking sense into him, Snape taking him under his wing and showing him the light.

"I saw Him. He came over to see my father at the beginning of the summer holiday before sixth year. I wasn't supposed to be in the library anymore, but I'd forgotten my Transfiguration essay for McGonagall."

Harry suddenly wanted light. He wanted to see Draco's face, wanted to know where he was. If he was laying down, stretched out, or if he was curled into a little ball, with his arms wrapped around himself, trying to keep the monsters away.

"He's not what one would expect after hearing tales of grandiose plans and wondrous deeds."

Harry thought that meeting Voldemort face to face was an adequate experience to facilitate growing up.

"Well, I suppose you know what that's like anyway, Draco said softly.

"Yeah, I guess I do. So what happened?"

Draco was silent for a bit, and Harry found himself again wishing for light.

"What am I getting in return for all of this information I'm giving out tonight?"

So much for the new warm and fuzzy Draco Malfoy, Harry thought. He recognized that tone of voice. That was the cold and calculating Slytherin from last year.

"What do you want?" As soon as the words left Harry's mouth, he knew they'd been a mistake. He'd just handed himself to Draco Malfoy on a silver platter. This conversation was important to Harry. He needed this conversation. And Draco knew it.

"That's quite an offer there, Potter." Harry could hear the smirk on his face. "I suppose I'll go easy on you just this once. Don't think it'll become a habit though."

"Never," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"Why does Snape hate you so much more now than he did before fifth year?"

Harry was shocked at the question. He hadn't thought anyone had noticed the shift in Snape's behavior. While the potions professor had always had it in for Harry, after fifth year he'd redoubled his efforts. Harry was specifically targeted both in and out of class, and points were taken and detentions were given even for breathing too loud.

"I don't think I can tell you that," Harry said slowly. Snape already had him on his hit list, and spilling this secret would undoubtedly make it worse. Harry had come to terms with what had happened, and knew that the widened rift was mostly his fault. He didn't think Snape would appreciate him letting another person in on the problem. "I did something I shouldn't have, and handled it pretty horribly afterwards."

Then there was light. Harry looked over to see Draco sitting up in his bed, staring at him.

"You know that comes off sounding really bad, Potter. I mean, it sounds as if you made a move on our potions professor, and he didn't take too kindly to it."

"What? Oh god no! That's disgusting, Malfoy!" Harry had a frightfully strong urge to scour his head out with steel wool. He rubbed at his face, trying to rid his brain of that image. When he looked back to the bed next to his, he found Draco on his back, shaking with silent laughter.

"That look...priceless. Okay, Potter, you don't have to tell me. Don't think you're off the hook though; I'll come up with something. Pleasant dreams."

With that, Draco doused the lights. Harry could still hear him chuckling to himself when he drifted off to sleep, praying to anything that might be listening to keep a certain professor as far away from his dreams as possible.