Remember You

Remember You
Chapter Twelve
~~~~~

Harry looked to his ring as he slowly approached Draco's bed. The light was barely visible now and he bit his lip. It was painful to look at Draco like this. His body was still and Harry thought that he may as well be dead with how still and peaceful he seemed. Harry shook his head violently and laid his head against Draco's shoulder, his face turned into his neck. It was disconcerting, not hearing a pulse, and Harry violently fought off the tears that were threatening to erupt.

"Don't leave me, Draco," he whispered. "Not now. I need you. Stay with me, please. Don't let your father beat you."

Harry reached up and threaded his fingers through the blond hair. "Don't leave me."

"Harry," Dumbledore said softly. Harry began to look up, but a sudden thump within Draco's chest stopped him and he pressed his ear against Draco again. It thumped again and Harry let out a small cry.

"His heart is starting again! The spell worked!"

"Move aside, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey ordered sternly. "I need to follow the spell through."

Harry hurriedly moved aside and shifted from foot to foot anxiously as Pomfrey once again cast spells over Draco. Numbers and graphs appeared above the bed which the nurse read quickly and turned with a smile on her face. "He'll be all right. I'll need to keep a close watch on him for the next few days, but he'll survive. His heart is getting stronger by the second."

Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder as he let out a small, almost manic laugh. "He's all right," Harry reassured his frantic mind. "What sort of curse was that?"

"It was obviously a Dark curse," Pomfrey began, "But, the purpose of the curse is to clot the blood in his veins. Eventually, his veins and arteries would have been just a large network of scabs."

"I believe it was a mixture of curses," Dumbledore hypothesized. "Madam Pomfrey, I wish to have a list of what exactly was wrong with him so that I may deduce what those curses were."

"Certainly, I'll be by your office this afternoon."

Madam Pomfrey checked on Draco one last time, gave Harry a small smile and left the room. "Judging by that ring on your finger, Harry," Dumbledore began with a small smile, "Draco is getting better by the second and I believe congratulations are in order, but let us save those for a different day."

Harry looked to his ring, relieved to see it begin to glow brighter, and nodded, feeling his heart begin to soar. "Thank you for helping him, Sir."

"It was nothing, dear boy. Sirius, it is good to see you out. I do hope I will be able to relieve our dear French professor before the next full moon?"

Sirius nodded. "I hope to be back as soon as possible, Albus."

"This is good to hear. Now, if you'll all excuse me. All seems well here, I shall get back to my tea with Minerva."

Harry smiled slightly after the Headmaster as he left, Remus walking beside the him. The Gryffindor slowly returned to Draco. He lovingly watched Draco, at his peaceful face, hands resting on his stomach. Suddenly, Harry's body seemed to drain of energy, and he collapsed onto the bed next to the blond. "This was a nightmare," he murmured, taking Draco's left hand. His pale skin felt like death warmed over and he quickly dropped it again. Draco twitched with the sudden movement and Harry had to turn away. "It's a nightmare," he repeated. "I hate Lucius Malfoy. I don't understand how the devil himself could have helped to create my Draco."

"It's no use hanging onto that hatred, Harry," Sirius said softly. "I did that with Peter and it ruined my life. Lucius Malfoy will pay for the things he's done someday, when we win this war."

Harry scowled and continued to speak as if Sirius had not said anything at all. "Draco is his son! He created him and then tried to destroy him. I hate him. He almost took away my life." Harry picked up Draco's hand again and kissed it.

"Harry, you'll have to let it go. Draco is all right. You can see that. Do not do anything stupid. Think before you act, all right?"

"Sirius," Harry turned from Draco, "I'm not going to track Lucius down to kill him or anything. I was just making it known that I hate him. Besides, if I did do that, it would hurt Draco. Draco doesn't like Lucius, sure, but he's still his father. I couldn't knowingly hurt anybody's father, even if he is the nastiest person I know."

Sirius smiled gently. "You are one hell of a young man, Harry. I sometimes wonder if I would have corrupted you had I raised you."

"I doubt it, Sirius," Harry grinned. "You're all right, aren't you?"

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "I've been through the mill, this one. I was very immature back then, Harry. I never would have been able to do it."

"Remus would have helped though, wouldn't he?"

"Yes," Sirius nodded fondly. "He would have. Merlin knows he's always had a better head on his shoulders than I have."

Harry shrugged. "And it's not like it matters now anyway, what with my parents being..." Harry stopped. He wanted to continue that sentence about them being alive, but could not push the words past his lips. Something was telling him that it was not true. He closed his eyes and pushed the conflicting thoughts away. "It doesn't matter anymore anyway, Sirius. Let's not talk about it."

Sirius looked equally troubled about the topic and nodded his head. "I assume you're going to be staying here with Draco, so I'll talk to you later, all right? I'm going to go catch up with Remus."

"See you later, Sirius."

Sirius ruffled Harry's hair and left the infirmary. Harry lay down and curled up next to Draco. Just as he was settling down, Sirius stuck his head back through the doors with a big grin. "Oh, and congratulations again, Harry. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," Harry smiled happily and wrapped an arm around Draco's chest. "Yes, congratulations to us," he murmured quietly once they were alone again. "You're mine forever now."

Draco did not respond, but the steady rise and fall of his chest was enough for Harry. "And I'm yours."

***

The next week passed slowly with Draco in the infirmary. Harry was with him at every free moment, in the hopes that he would get to see Draco's return to full health. It was happening slowly but steadily, and that is all Harry could have hoped for. Madam Pomfrey made sure to tell Harry Draco's vital signs every time she took them and she began patting Harry fondly on the shoulder each time she passed by Draco's bed.

Even with the never-ending worry of having Draco in the hospital wing, Harry still kept up with his homework. McGonagall was impressed with his sincerity to earn such good marks and had called him into her office mid-week. She expressed her happiness for him with a small smile and told him that should he continue to work diligently, he would become a great Auror. While the meeting left Harry in good spirits, it made him even more nervous about telling Draco that he planned to go through Auror training. It would be difficult, Harry knew, but had to be done. They were engaged to be married and needed to be truthful with each other.

Harry kept the happy news to himself and expressly asked all four people who knew to keep it a secret. It did not feel right for Harry to tell people while Draco was unconscious. The most difficult part of keeping the secret was keeping the ring from view. It now felt wrong to take it off, like he was naked, so Harry kept it on. Ron and Hermione were a bit put off when Harry brushed them off numerous times and would not study with them; he was not ready to tell them yet. It was happy news he and Draco shared, and the news should only be told with Draco by his side. But it was difficult to keep anything from his best friends.

The Friday after Draco was put into the hospital wing, Harry was not able to go to the infirmary until nearly seven in the evening. His class schedule was full for Fridays and to top it off, he had Quidditch practice before dinner. The Gryffindor versus Slytherin game was scheduled for the next day, but it was postponed until Draco was feeling better. Nevertheless, Harry thought it necessary to practice all he could. The goal was as it was any other year: win the House Cup. Only this year, Harry needed to win. It was his final year and he wanted to go out on a high note.

When Harry hurried into the infirmary, he was fresh from the shower and still a bit damp. He nearly collided with Madam Pomfrey, who gave him a harsh admonishment for running in the infirmary 'and undoubtedly the hallways where there are younger students you could trample.' But, then she gave him a kind smile and pointed to Draco's bed. When Harry looked, Draco was sitting up, eating dinner. Rather, he had been eating dinner, but now he glared at Harry.

"Draco!" Harry cried out and ran to the bed. "You're finally up."

"I awoke to find that I had absolutely no visitors," Draco scowled. "The flowers you gave me were nice, but where are the chocolates?"

"I did get you chocolate!" Harry exclaimed. "It must have been Crabbe and Goyle. They came in here once."

"They did?" Draco questioned with a quirk of his eyebrow. "That's strange. They haven't wanted anything to do with me for a while. Well, perhaps they've changed their minds about something, unless it just was to see if I had any sweets to steal. At any rate, where the hell have you been? I've been awake since three this afternoon, you realise, and it is now after seven. Seven, Harry! That is unacceptable."

Harry could do nothing but smile inanely. Draco scowled at him and picked up his fork again. Harry quickly sat on the edge of the bed and stole the utensil from his hand. "I'm sorry," he smiled and leaned forward to kiss Draco. Draco whimpered softly as their lips gently brushed together, and the kiss slowly intensified. When they pulled away, their lips were pink and swollen, and their breath was coming in short pants. "God, I missed you, Draco," Harry murmured against Draco's cheek. "I've been so anxious and worried. I..." Harry sucked in a breath. "You nearly died," he held onto Draco tighter. "I was so scared I would lose you."

Draco gently rubbed his face against Harry's. "Madam Pomfrey says I'll be all right now. I'm out of the woods. Dumbledore had a good part in helping me get better, I understand, and he's already been here to tell me that our Quidditch match is this weekend. Pomfrey agreed to let me play as long as I land if there's any sort of problem."

"And I'll keep an eye on you up there."

"Don't you dare, Harry. You have the same job as I do, and I won't let you forfeit the game because of me. I know you want to win. So do I, Harry. Besides, I'm not even sure I can play yet. My chest still hurts a bit. Anyway, the game will be on Sunday if I decide I can play."

Harry leaned back and smiled. "I'm glad you're better. It's so good to hear you speaking again. I've been speaking to you a lot this week. I hated not getting an answer."

"I could hear you and I answered when I could in my head. I just don't remember my responses or the conversations quite so clearly anymore. Otherwise, I'd tell you everything I would have said. There's another dinner here for you, by the way. Pomfrey expected you here, I guess."

Draco picked up his fork and began eating. Harry watched him contentedly for a few moments until Draco looked up with a smile. "Eat," he commanded and winked. Harry smoothed Draco's hair back and then happily did as he was told.

It was not until much later when Harry was sent back to the Gryffindor Tower by Madam Pomfrey. Harry was not surprised to see Ron and Hermione still in the Common Room, as Hermione had claimed that Ron needed a lot of help with his homework lately. Ron had been hoping for this day to come, of course, he had told Harry with a grin.

They both greeted Harry happily, as they had just put away their work and told him to join them next to the fire. "How's Draco doing?" Hermione inquired as she straightened up Ron's homework.

Harry grinned. "Oh, he's doing great. He's back to his old snarky self."

Ron looked sceptical. "Oh, yes, just what we were all hoping for."

"Hush," Hermione admonished. "Now that he's better, will you tell us what the ring is for?"

"Well, we know," Ron said, "because it's bloody obvious, but we'd like to hear it from your mouth."

Harry blushed. "I thought I had been doing a good job at hiding it."

"As good as you are about hiding a whale on a crowded beach," Ron raised a brow.

"Oh," Harry smiled sheepishly. "I had hoped to tell you with Draco, but I suppose it doesn't really matter. But, yeah... he proposed to me. That was his Christmas present to me. That's why he was so nervous about it."

"Oh," Hermione sighed. "That's so sweet. He seems to be so different with you. I mean from how he used to be. He was positively awful to you for years. Sometimes I can't believe the things he does for you, like proposing..." Hermione smiled. "So... how did he do it?"

Harry launched into an abridged story of their engagement and how they went back to the classroom to celebrate. He trailed off when he got to how they visited Sirius and Remus the next day. He did not like to think of that.

"As long as you're happy, Harry," Hermione smiled, "then I'm happy for you. Congratulations. You two do make such a lovely couple."

"Thanks, Hermione."

"Yeah, whatever makes you happy, mate. He might be a little ferret, but we can see you love each other. And... he isn't entirely ferrety looking, is he?" Ron flushed.

"I knew it," Harry teased. "Ron's holding a torch for my fiancé."

"I am not!"

Harry and Hermione continued teasing Ron, until Ron left in a mock-huff. And Harry thought that he had never felt so happy and complete in his life.

***

At promptly one in the afternoon the next day, Draco was released from Madam Pomfrey's care. Draco was boasting to Harry that his chest felt mostly better and that he was only required to visit the infirmary once a week for a month for a check-up, unless something felt wrong. The two young men headed straight for their private room under Harry's suggestion that they talk. He felt it was high time to tell Draco of his plans to become an Auror, and McGonagall's assurance that he had high chances at becoming one.

They settled on the couch, Draco firmly ensconced within Harry's arms and sucking on a blood lolly. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Draco asked, pulling the sucker from his mouth with an audible pop.

Harry's foot fidgeted against the floor. He spoke quickly. "It's something that I should have told you a long time ago. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but you've been so against it that it's made me nervous to bring it up. And then you proposed, and then you were hit by the curse, and... I'm just making excuses, really, but Draco, this is tough on me. I need your support."

Draco turned in Harry's arms so that he was able to look directly at him. "What are you on about, Harry? You know that I'll support you in anything."

"No, I don't know that, Draco. All I've ever wanted to be was an Auror, but you keep pushing a Quidditch career on me. What am I supposed to think? I don't want a Quidditch career. That's not the life I want to lead. I don't need more fame. I just want to be an Auror and I'm going to do it. McGonagall has already told me that if I keep studying as I have been recently, that I will probably earn top grades in N.E.W.T's and be a great Auror. Everybody else is supporting me in this decision but you. I need you to support me."

Draco frowned. "I am trying to support you. It's just... Harry, you're always putting yourself in danger by trying to save others. Yes, the prophecy you learned of a few years ago does put you in a position to save everybody from the Dark Lord. But, that's it. Harry, I'm so tired of worrying every day about whether or not you're going to go out and put yourself in danger. And to know that that is what you'll have to do everyday when you go into work? I would give myself a premature heart attack. I can't live like that."

"Draco."

"Harry."

The two stared each other down both determined not to give in. But, finally, Harry blinked and looked away. "I take that as you'll look into other careers?" Draco said happily.

"Yes," Harry sighed, looking away.

"Wonderful!"

The blond was interrupted by a loud knock on the door and Draco irritably went to open it. As soon as it was open, Sierra came bounding in and sat across from Harry, beaming brightly. "Oh, I heard that you were out of the infirmary, Draco," she gushed. "I was hoping to find you in here."

"Sierra, this really isn't a good time," Harry muttered, glancing up at Draco who stared contemptuously down at Sierra.

"No, it's a perfect time, Sierra, don't worry about it," Draco continued staring contemptuously at her. "While we're on the topic of things I want to change about Harry, we'll just move onto another one, shall we?"

"Draco, please don't bring Sierra into this. She's my little sister, not a third wheel to our relationship," Harry sighed, standing up.

"No, she's not a third wheel, but she sure as hell is a problem," Draco spat.

"What the hell is your problem, Draco?" Harry threw his arms up. "Sierra is not a problem." Sierra had now stood up and was throwing a dark look at Draco.

"No, Harry, if he thinks I'm a problem, perhaps we should hear him out. Although I don't see why I would be, considering I rarely ever get to speak with either of you."

"That's not the problem and both of you know it," Draco advanced on both Potters. "The problem is that Harry and I are seeing and speaking with somebody who does not even exist. Harry is an orphan and the only child of James and Lily Potter. The entire wizarding world seems to know this except for you two." Draco poked Sierra in the shoulder. "You seem solid. Who the hell are you? Who sent you to impersonate a long lost Potter child? Who are Sierra and Austin Potter, really? Who are the people impersonating Harry's parents? I know you know something that we don't, so I suggest you confess what you know and then get the hell out of Hogwarts."

"Draco," Harry said weakly, but both Draco and Sierra silenced him with a glare.

"What you don't seem to understand, Draco," Sierra began, "is that I do belong here." She advanced on him and she seemed to grow in size with her anger. Harry frowned when he felt the magic swirling around her. "However you, Draco, do not belong here. You were never meant to survive this long."

"Sierra," Harry began to panic.

"Be quiet, Harry. You'll thank me later."

Magic was swirling visibly around her now and Harry saw it in slow motion as Sierra lifted her hand and blasted a jet of magic and hit Draco. Harry watched as Draco flew through the air, back curved forward and arms in a circle, as if he were holding an invisible ball. When he landed with an audible thud, the breath was knocked out of him, and suddenly nearly everything became clear to Harry. "You did it!" Harry cried out. "You stole my Invisibility cloak and have been making everybody disappear."

"I never stole it, Harry. Father told us to share it and you've been hogging it. It was high time you gave it to us to use."

"Us?" Harry asked weakly.

Sierra rolled her eyes. "You're boring," she decided and pointed her hand at Draco again.

"No!" Harry cried out and pushed her aside. He ran to Draco and hauled him off the floor. "You okay to run, Draco?"

"Yes," he coughed out and grabbed his chest. "It hurts though."

"Get out of the way, Harry!" Sierra called out.

Harry pulled on Draco's arm and they hurried from the room. A blast of magic hit the doorframe and part of the stone burst into pieces. The two boys hurtled down the hall and around the corner, the sound of Sierra's pounding footsteps close behind them. "Where do we go?" Draco asked urgently as they descended a staircase.

"I don't know," Harry panted in reply.

They ran as quickly and silently as they could for a few minutes, hoping that they would be able to lose Sierra. When Harry finally pulled on Draco's arm to stop, they were gasping for breath, sweat starting to trickle down their foreheads. There was barely time to catch their breath when they heard the sound of running footsteps approach. Harry swore quietly under his breath and peeked around the corner. Sierra was racing down the hall, Austin not far behind.

"Let's go!" he whispered urgently. "Austin is with her now."

Draco swore, and clutching his chest followed Harry. Austin and Sierra tore around the corner just as Harry and Draco disappeared behind a tapestry, which hid a set of stairs. One of their pursuers sent a curse after them and burned a large hole through the tapestry. The curse flew over their heads and hit the wall above them. Pieces of stone rained down. Harry and Draco covered their heads and hurried down the staircase. Draco yelped as a large chunk of stone collided with his ankle. "I'm fine," he nodded. Harry led Draco down another staircase, but as they were halfway down, it began to move. They were now facing the south side of the castle. At the bottom of the stairs, Harry stopped for a moment, looking down the hall.

"Draco... we can't go that way. The Great Hall is that way and dinner will be starting in a few minutes. There are too many students."

"Harry, there are the professors to help."

"By the time they realise what's happening, it'll be too late. Somebody will have disappeared." Harry looked fierce as he stared Draco down, daring him to say otherwise. "I won't have that happen on my account, Draco."

"What are we going to do then? We can't lead them on this wild goose chase all night, Harry."

At that moment, Harry saw a curse fly at them from above. He pulled Draco to a kneeling position and the curse raced by, singing Harry's sleeve. Hurriedly, Harry looked around and saw the only other way to go was left. It led to the west end of the castle where the Ministry of Magic workers were set up. With a firmly set jaw, Harry pulled Draco to his feet and ran down the corridor.

"We need to hide!" Draco wheezed as they took a shortcut through a classroom. "I can't run much longer, Harry..... My chest is..." He coughed to punctuate his point.

Harry nodded. "Yeah...." Draco was now trailing behind, and had Harry not been holding onto his hand, would have stopped completely. Harry stopped again and listened. He could faintly hear footsteps running, but thought he had good amount of time to find a hiding place. There were two doors to the left, which were never open, nor had Harry ever tried to open. He went to the handle of one door and tried tugging it open, but it would not budge. Taking his wand, Harry cast all the unlocking charms he knew, but nothing made it work. "Harry, it's a waste of time," Draco sighed, exasperated. "That's just a wall pretending to be a door. Try this one." Harry blushed slightly as Draco pulled the door next to it open. The running footsteps were getting nearer, and in a slight panic, Harry slammed the door shut and backed against the wall, and in the process knocked down two metal buckets along the wall . Draco glared as the clatter died down.

The room was an abandoned closet. There were enough spider webs to get lost in and the two old metal buckets with rotting old mops. They arranged themselves as comfortably as they could after they cast several strong locking charms on the door. Harry shifted in embarrassment. "I wasn't thinking. I forgot that the walls do that."

Draco laughed quietly, punctuated by a cough. "It's all right, Harry. I understand... that you're dim."

Harry had no time to be indignant, as at the moment they heard both Austin and Sierra stop outside the door.

"They have to be around here somewhere," Austin was saying. "We weren't that far behind them. They must have hid."

Another set of footsteps began echoing down the hall. Both Harry and Draco frowned at each other. "Must be a Ministry worker," Harry whispered.

"Let's hope they let him or her pass."

"What's all the commotion?" a strange man's voice suddenly inquired. "If that's Peeves, you better watch it, or we'll have to get the Bloody Baron to straighten you out. People are trying to work."

Sierra and Austin laughed and Harry could only guess what they found so funny. A sudden chill went through his body and they heard the man shriek outside the door. A few seconds later, a jolt ran through Harry and he knew with ill clarity what had happened. "Oh, no," he murmured and swallowed thickly.

Harry did not know what made him think, or even say it, but all he knew was that he had to keep saying it. "We're not here," he whispered. "Go look somewhere else. You lost us. We're nowhere near this area. We're not here."

There was a few moments of silence and suddenly, Sierra let out a puff of breath. "We must have lost them, Austin. They're nowhere around. Let's keep looking."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

Draco and Harry waited until their footsteps disappeared before they stood up. Harry removed the locking charms and began to open the door, but Draco stopped him. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

Draco stared incredulously. "You just controlled their minds, Harry. You told them to look for us somewhere else, and they listened."

"I..." Harry stopped and thought about it. Why had it worked? Why had he started saying it in the first place? Had it been just a nervous reaction? Surely anybody in their situation would have muttered something of the sort under their breath as well. But that never worked. Harry shook his head. "I don't know what I did, but whatever it was, it worked. It bought us time to go to Dumbledore."

"Finally you agree we should go to somebody," Draco muttered and pushed the door open.

It was not too far to Dumbledore's office, of this they were thankful. It was a long and slow trek as they peered around every corner and walked as quietly as they could. They did not want to chance another run-in like the last one.

Luckily, Dumbledore was just emerging from his office, no doubt to go to dinner when they arrived, their faces sweating, and their eyes holding a slight manic look. The Headmaster frowned. "My dear boys, what is the matter?"

"We know who has been causing the disappearances, Headmaster," Draco started before Harry could get a word in edgewise. He pointed to Harry. "They're Harry's brother and sister."

Dumbledore merely raised an eyebrow. "Harry's siblings?" He stroked his beard, studying Harry. "How fascinating."

"And not only that, but Harry controlled them just now. We locked ourselves in a dirty old closet..." Draco wrinkled his nose, as if just realising where he had hid for ten minutes, and dusted off his sleeve. "And Harry started muttering under his breath, saying that we weren't there and that we had got away - because they had been chasing us. They just left, so we came here. And Headmaster!" Draco said urgently. "I think it has something to do with nobody else being able to see them. Harry has some sort of power over them."

Dumbledore continued studying Harry thoughtfully. "This is interesting. Very, very interesting... Draco, you say he controlled them?" Draco nodded. "Hmm... very interesting," he repeated.

Dumbledore's eyes lit up. "Harry, I wonder... if you concentrated on your brother and sister now, and told them to go somewhere, perhaps a classroom and told them to stay there until we can figure out how to fix the situation?"

"I... I don't know if I can do it, Sir."

"It should not be so hard, my dear boy. You've just done it, according to Draco. Just concentrate on them and tell them what to do."

Harry hesitated, but he nodded after a few moments and closed his eyes. He thought of what Austin and Sierra might be doing now - looking for Draco and him - and suddenly he somehow knew that they were in the third floor corridor, heading to the dungeons. In his head, he commanded loudly for them to go in the nearest classroom and to lock themselves in. He felt a tickle in the back of his mind and knew that they had done it. He told them to stay there until he said to come out, and opened his eyes.

He swallowed. Why did it feel like he was a parent grounding his misbehaving children? It just felt wrong. Even though Harry knew that Austin and Sierra had been behind the disappearances and possibly the answer to where to find the missing people, he felt sorry for locking them up. They were his siblings after all.... He shook his head. They were not really... were they? He swallowed again. "They're in a classroom in the third floor corridor. They've locked themselves in and won't come out until I say so."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Now I do believe I'll need to see the both of you in my office as soon as is possible. For now, we should all go to the Great Hall to eat! Fantastic meal tonight, I hear - steak and potatoes."

Harry and Draco looked at each other and nodded. "Yeah," they said in unison, and followed the Headmaster uneasily to the Great Hall.

***

The Quidditch match was postponed another week, due to their marathon through the halls of Hogwarts. Draco had gone back to the infirmary that same night complaining of chest pains. Pomfrey immediately insisted upon him staying one more night and that Quidditch was absolutely out of the question that weekend. Draco had sulked, but quickly got over it as soon as Harry convinced Madam Pomfrey to let him stay in the infirmary as well.

The week passed in a blur of nerves, classes, and homework. Harry checked on his siblings in his mind a few times every hour just to be certain that they were still there. Sure enough, they always were, and getting angrier by the hour. They wanted their freedom back, but they made sure to let Harry know that as soon as they got it back, Harry would be sorry.

Harry tried not to listen, as he knew he could control them, but it still scared him. He knew that, for whatever reason, they wanted Draco gone. Harry was not willing to let that happen.

Saturday, the day of the long-awaited match finally dawned bright and clear. Ron was surprisingly up with the sun and poking Harry in the shoulder. Harry groaned and rolled over, not looking forward to playing his fiancé at all. It was made even more difficult when just last night, when the two had been together, Draco had stopped in the middle of snogging and warned Harry that this might be his last snog if Harry won. Harry knew he was only half joking.

The team was in the Great Hall an hour and a half before the beginning of the game, shovelling down breakfast. Harry poked and prodded, glancing up at the Slytherin table, where Draco was holding court. The Gryffindor smiled slightly, thinking about how familiar it was to years ago when they hated each other, yet so different. Draco had certainly drifted away from his Slytherin friends, but he still managed to hold a certain air of authority over them. They still admired him as much as they now hated to admit it. Another difference was that Harry now admired him and loved him.

Sighing, Harry looked down and resumed poking at his food. All too soon, the team left to get ready amidst cheers from three tables. Harry felt slightly stronger, but still felt a bit nauseated.

A half hour later, fully dressed in his Quidditch garb, Harry paced the floor of the changing room. Ron sat watching him on a bench, his broom held across his lap. "I'm getting dizzy," Ron complained.

Harry sent him an apologetic glance and stood still, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry, Ron, but I'm just so nervous. I don't like the thought of playing against Draco. I love him. I don't want to be his rival. I don't want to play against him. How would you feel playing against your boyfriend, Ron?"

Ron grinned, bemused. "I don't know. I've never had the inclination to get a boyfriend."

Harry laughed nervously. "You know what I mean, Ronald Weasley. What if you had to play against Hermione?"

"Not likely."

"You're right. She would never play Quidditch, would she? Well... surely you get my point? I don't want to play against Draco."

Ron sighed deeply and stood up, placing his broom against the wall. "Harry, I can't allow this to continue. As our captain -"

"You're co-captain," Harry reminded him.

"As our captain," Ron continued, waving Harry off, "you need to be ready to take on the other team, and especially the other seeker, even if it is the git of the century, who also happens to be your beloved fiancé. So, the job that I need to do, as your co-captain, is to make sure that you are in game mode."

"How do you do that, precisely?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Just wait for it," Ron replied, tapping his finger against his lips. He looked towards the door for a few moments and then looked back to Harry, his face bright. "What you need, Harry is a different mind set, right about now. I need you to repeat after me."

"All right," Harry said cautiously.

"Say, 'I hate Malfoy.'"

"What? But I don't hate Draco. I love him."

"That's your problem, Harry," Ron sighed. "Just trust me. Say, 'I hate Malfoy.'"

"Okay... I hate Draco."

"No! Say, 'Malfoy,' not Draco!"

"I hate Malfoy."

"Say it with feeling! I HATE MALFOY!" Ron gestured madly, grinning widely.

"I hate Malfoy!" Harry yelled half-heartedly.

"Yes, that's it, Harry! Just put a little more enthusiasm into it, though. Yell it! Use your diaphragm."

Harry sucked in a large breath, "I HATE MALFOY!"

"Yes!" Ron punched a fist into the air. "We're going to cream Slytherin! And we all hate Malfoy!"

"I HATE MALFOY!" Harry continued yelling. "WE'RE GOING TO MAKE HIM WISH HE NEVER GOT OUT OF BED THIS MORNING!"

"Yes, that's it, Harry!"

Harry laughed. "I HATE MALFOY!"

"Oh," said a quiet voice from the door.

Harry whipped his head around, just as Ron did, and to Harry's utter horror, saw Draco turning around to walk back out. "Draco!" Harry exclaimed. "It's not what it sounded like."

Draco spun back around and glared. "Well, it sounded to me like you were yelling out your hatred for me for everybody to hear. I only came to wish you luck, Potter, but I suppose that it's not needed anymore."

"No, Draco, it's really not what it seems," Harry pled, beginning to feel panic set in.

Ron sighed, and stepped forward to take Draco's arm and drag him in. "It's really not, Malfoy," he said as Draco plucked Ron's fingers from his arm. "Harry was just not feeling very competitive towards you, and I had to think of something to get him in the mood again. Why don't you try it? Say, 'I hate Potter!'"

"Oh, honestly, Ron," Harry admonished.

"No, seriously, Malfoy, say it. It got Harry in a competitive mood. Yell it out."

Draco looked at Harry, who smiled weakly. Draco seemed reassured and drew a breath. "I HATE POTTER!"

"I HATE MALFOY!" Harry returned, mock-glaring.

"Potter is a git!"

Ron was by now, holding his stomach in uproarious laugher. Draco raised an eyebrow at him. "Potter is a four-eyed little bint!"

"Malfoy is a stupid ferret!"

Both Harry and Draco jumped as Ron banged the lockers with his fist, still laughing. "You would think he's getting off on this," Draco commented lightly.

"He probably is...." They both continued to stare at Ron for a few moments. "Well," Harry clapped his hands together, "are you up for a quick snog?"

"Always," Draco grinned.

"That's not game mode," Ron groaned as he looked up and spotted them kissing.

Harry slowly, reluctantly pulled away a few moments later, and kissed Draco's cheek. "Good luck, love," he whispered.

Draco pulled back, smiling softly. He attempted to brush down Harry's hair. "Good luck, Harry." The blond turned then, and started for the door. Ron frowned at Harry.

Harry sighed. "Oh, fine. Hey! I hate you, Malfoy!" he called after Draco.

"I hate you, too, Potter," Draco replied opening the door. The Slytherin looked back before he left. "For the record, I hate you, as well, Weasley."

When Draco was gone, Ron looked at Harry, his brow furrowed. "He says he hates you when he really means he loves you.... So, when he says he hates me, does it mean he loves me, too?"

Harry laughed. "Shut it, Weasley, and get your broom."

Several minutes later, Harry was leading his team out onto the pitch. On Madam Hooch's command, Harry and Draco shook hands. Draco sent Harry a small wink as they rose into the air. Harry quickly turned away, feeling a blush spread across his cheeks.

The game was fast and competitive. The Slytherins were pulling out all the stops in order to win, yet Gryffindor still managed to stay ahead at least ten points. Harry's nerves were on end from wanting to win, yet wanting Draco to win, plus watching Draco for any signs of distress. Draco insisted that he was feeling much better, but Harry still worried.

"Gryffindor scores!" Harry heard the announcer yell over the speaker. He whooped and started to do a loop-the-loop, but spotted a glint of gold and went after that instead. Draco had been spotting him the entire game so followed as soon as he moved. Harry, however, had his sights set on the Snitch and forgot everything else around him. There was only the wind in his ears and the little flutter of silver wings ahead of him.

The Snitch seemed to sense that it was being chased and suddenly changed directions. Both seekers swerved to the left, giving Draco a couple inch lead on Harry. But, unexpectedly, the little ball swerved down and they both were forced to follow in a steep dive. They were thirty feet up in the air and going down fast. The Snitch was getting nearer the ground and Harry could almost feel the nervous energy radiating off Draco beside him. Draco wanted to turn up. Harry urged him on mentally, not because he wanted to win, but because he was aware that Draco hated steep dives. Draco would never admit it, but Harry was always able to tell.

Harry stretched out his arm as he neared the Snitch. His arm brushed with Draco's left, but he did not let it distract him. He surged his broom faster. The ground was looming too close for comfort, even for Harry, so he pulled up. However, the tip of his broom collided against the ground and he tumbled off it onto the ground, his hand sliding over the Snitch and grasping it firmly as he fell. He did a somersault and landed sprawled on his back. Nothing was hurting so he smiled widely, forgetting Draco for a moment. He looked over when he did remember, and saw Draco rushing to him. Draco dropped his broom beside him and knelt down.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"I suppose the Snitch got away then?"

Harry flinched inwardly. He reluctantly opened his hand to show Draco the Snitch sitting there placidly. Draco glared. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm not hurt at all," Harry sat up.

Draco stood and picked up his broom. He swung it as he turned away from Harry and it whacked him across the head. "Good," Draco grit out and walked away.

Harry rubbed his head and watched Draco walk away. "Ouch."

~~~~~

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