Your Side, Their Side and The Truth

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your Side, Their Side and the Truth

Part I - ~Your Side~ (1.13)

Disclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me, this is a fan fiction, by a fan for the fans. No money has exchanged hands during its production.

Author's Notes: Re-written slightly :)

-----

I'm watching the world go round

I'm watching the world thinned

And I could get lonely if this is the life, she said

This is the end

Fall on tears on my friends

This is the end

Fall on tears on my friends.

“Fall on Tears” - Love Spit Love

-----

"...did you hear..."

"...he's been there for hours..."

"...even Dumbledore couldn't reach him..."

"...just crying..."

Harry scowled, irritated, as he swerved past a group of third years gossiping outside the Herbology study room. The rumours about Malfoy had been flying around school all day, and it was pissing Harry off. The less said about Malfoy at the moment, he thought bitterly, the better.

“...apparently, he's locked himself in the toilets...”

Couldn't people just shut up about Malfoy?

Harry blinked again, pushing his glasses up his nose again and grasping the pile of parchment in his hand tighter. Damn Malfoy. Why did he have to be everywhere?

“...yeah, Draco Malfoy. Stupid git's in a toilet stall bawling like a baby...”

Mind you, it really wasn't like Malfoy. Perhaps it was all a stupid rumour, made up just to discredit the surly Slytherin.

Maybe, Harry's mind growled at him, you should stop thinking about him. His mind going into auto-pilot, green eyes swept the corridor as he made his way to the divination class room. This year Harry was the only one of the infamous Gryffindor trio still taking Divination. Ron had quit it early in the school year. Harry more than suspected this had something to do with a certain bushy-haired witch, but he couldn't prove anything yet.

Completely lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice that the staircase he was about to step on had lurched away. Letting out a startled yelp, Harry blushed shamefacedly as it moved away. Several of the first years giggled and pointed at him.

“..Fancy a fifth year being startled of the moving staircase! Fancy Harry Potter being startled!...”

Blushing vividly, Harry could almost hear the whispers. Doubtless those would be circling the school along with the rumours about Draco. Green eyes widened slightly; blinking furiously as he climbed the stairs up to the divination classroom. It was Malfoy. The name was Malfoy, not Draco. Calling the sarcastic Slytherin by his first name humanized him, and Harry couldn't deal with that.

Stupid, stupid, dream!

It was all Malfoy's fault he was like this. Last week, he'd had a perfectly normal dream... At the beginning, of course. Hand in hand with a faceless stranger, walking along the beach, happy. Talking for hours about nothing. Everything. Harry had never felt so happy. Then, of course, he'd seen the face of the person.

Draco Malfoy.

He had been dreaming about his worst enemy.

The problem was... He was sort of... Okay with it...

Unable to get rid of the persistent blush, Harry lowered his head and entered the classroom.

-----

Hermione and Ron lifted their heads up from their transfiguration textbooks, startled, as Harry stomped into the Gryffindor common room. The raven-haired boy was scowling, and a stubborn blush inhabited his usually pale cheeks. In the last few days, Harry had been more and more withdrawn, and both Hermione and Ron had been worried.

"What happened to you?" Ron looked at his friend, concerned about his current behaviour and his behaviour over the last week. Harry glowered darkly.

"I couldn't concentrate in Divinations," he explained as he slouched in a chair opposite Hermione. "Managed to smash about ten crystal balls... My mind was elsewhere I guess."

"So, what did you do?” Ron asked, unable to stop the cheesy grin spreading on his face. Ron wasn't particularly fond of Professor Trelawney, especially in the way that she kept predicting that one (or maybe two) of his brothers would die a horrible, horrible death.

"I dropped it," Harry said with a shrug.

"It's about time," Hermione sniffed, her eyes flickering back down to the texts on the table. Ron seemed less interested in studying the text, obviously more interested in talking to Harry.

"So, what was so interesting that you managed to cause that much devastation?” Ron looked at Harry as Harry blushed vividly again. “Is this anything to do with these interesting dreams you've been having recently?”

Harry stared in horror at Ron.

“Oh please,” Ron dismissed Harry's horrified stare with a careless wave of his hand. “You've been laughing and smiling for the last week while you've been asleep. It's quite disconcerting, really.”

Harry blinked violently again. "I..." Harry felt himself being a little overwhelmed. He wasn't always this transparent usually, was he?

Ron looked at him curiously. "Right, Harry. Come on. Out with it. Who is it?”

"What?" Harry blinked and his glasses fell off. Picking them off and absent-mindedly checking them for cracks and dusting them on the sleeve of his robe, the raven haired boy looked at his best friend curiously.

"When you get distracted by something, you do get completely obsessed by it," Hermione explained crossly, a little annoyed at being disturbed from her studying. “It's being more commonly known as obsession mode.”

"You have a term for it?” Harry blurted, horrified. "I'll see you two later.” Getting to his feet, Harry cast a dismayed glance at his two friends before turning on his heel and stomping out of the room. Hermione laughed and looked at Ron.

"Obsession mode," they both chimed at the same time; before sharing an amused glance and settling down to the revision again.

-----

"I'll give them obsession."

Harry frowned as he stormed down the corridor, only vaguely aware of the embarrassing spread of crimson decorating his cheeks. "I am not obsessing about this Draco rumour, the thing was just a bloody dream and more like a nightmare and...”

He skidded suddenly to a halt, listening carefully. He could hear muffled sobs and a stifled voice.

Moaning Myrtle?

Harry considered the prospect for a second, feeling momentarily guilty for abandoning the cruelly treated ghost this year so far. His guilt dissipated when he realised that he had more than enough on his plate. Cedric's death, and now on top of all of it the annoying fact that he couldn't get Draco out of his head from a few, stupid dreams!

"No, it can't be, the girls toilets are down the other corridor," he said aloud; startling a lost first year who was heading the other way. Harry scowled furiously at the first year's glance and waited for the youngster to disappear. The curious sound was enticing, and more than enough to get his mind off Dra-- Malfoy. His name is Malfoy, idiot. Some part of his mind wasn't surprised when he found himself outside the boy's toilets. Swallowing, he gently pushed the door open.

Blinking and looking around curiously, he heard the muffled sobs. Deep brown eyes locked with his as Professor Snape's gaze met with Harry's momentarily. Harry winced but resolved to maintain the eye contact, but he was shaken by the quiet intensity of the glare. Trying not to shake Harry broke the gaze to flicker a glance at the cubicle.

“Draco?”

Professor Snape nodded softly.

"So - sorry I was just... Could I?" Harry's voice dropped to a whisper. Professor Snape stared unwaveringly at the boy, before casting a long glance at the cubicle door. He nodded once, abruptly.

"Go ahead," the normally acidic professor said, nodding. "Maybe a bit of conflict will get him out of there."

After a bit of concerned glaring, Professor Snape swept out of the room, closing the door behind him. Harry was aware of the faint whisper of magic. Professor Snape was being unusually generous... It was easily enough explained, though, Draco was Snape's favourite student.

Harry blinked furiously again.

Draco? Again? Pull yourself together, Potter. Malfoy. He's your worst enemy. You do not want to be anything to him apart from your rival.

Admonishing himself sharply, Harry tentatively approached the cubicle. The sobs sounded more muffled. Lifting up one arm, pale skin was revealed as the robe's sleeves fell away slightly. Taking in a sharp breath, he rapped on the door quietly.

"I told you sir, just leave me alone," the broken male voice said croakingly.

"It's not Snape, Draco," Harry said softly, admonishing himself sharply again when he realised he'd used Draco. Again! He was going to completely give himself away at this rate...

There was complete silence then a bit of scuffling and Harry assumed the blond was trying to clean himself up.

"What, have you come to gloat?" Draco croaked, his voice hoarse.

"I'm not that cruel, Malfoy."

Silence again.

"I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to ask you what's wrong," Harry said firmly.

"Right," Draco said softly, his voice catching. “Look, just go away Potter. Please.”

"No! Look, Draco, I have no idea why you're crying and I frankly don't give a damn. What I do care about is that you have got the entire school exasperated ! The teachers have no idea what to do, so you'd better get out here so I can knock you around for a bit!" Harry's mouth dropped open, in complete disbelief at his words.

There was silence yet again, then a lot of rustling. The door swung open revealing Malfoy glaring at the Harry rebelliously, his eyes slightly swollen and red.

"So, Potter, are you happy to see me like this?" Draco asked cuttingly, his eyes meeting Harry's concerned gaze. Harry winced and moved his head away. Those silvery eyes trained fiercely on him were still hard, with that same self-scathing and disdainful composure as always.

"No," Harry whispered firmly.

Draco sneered, folding his arms. “Of course Potter. Always the noble Gryffindor.”

"I wouldn't be happy to see anyone even Snape like that."

"Right." Draco sneered, his voice laden with sarcasm and disbelief.

"Damn you!" Harry yelled, turning to face his nemesis; eyes blazing as he advanced on the blond. "I don't know why you're being like this!” Draco blinked, and stared at Harry in shock as the raven-haired firebrand yelled at him. “I know however that it will make things a billion times worse if you don't tell someone!"

"And you think that somebody should be you?" Draco's voice raised in tone a couple of intervals and the blonde stared at Harry in complete disbelief.

"It doesn't have to be me," Harry said, his voice falling to a whisper. "Just... someone you can trust."

"Right," Draco said softly in return, leaning against the toilet stall. "Maybe I don't trust anyone."

"Then I pity you for that."

Draco's eyes filled with anger, but quickly changed to a gentler expression. A self-mocking expression.

"My parents are dead." The words were hollow, and filled the air stiflingly.

“I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't bring them back," Draco said, his voice hard.

“Sorry never does.”

They locked gazes again, and Harry felt a shiver course down his spine at the weight of that gaze. Draco's eyes were filled with pain, a pain Harry all too well understood. His expression was too familiar to Harry, it matched the haunted, grey expression he'd been faced with in the mirror at the Dursley's over the summer. The expression that said it's all my fault.

Letting his instincts take over, and vowing to damn the consequences, Harry moved forwards; letting the blond collapse against him. All the life seemed to have left him He wasn't Malfoy any more - the sneering, arrogant, Slytherin hothead. All the insults were forgotten. Draco was just another victim, like Harry.

"Come on, it's going to be okay," Harry whispered. A small irrational side of his head was screaming at him to get away before he could, but his heart was screaming back that this didn't feel as bad as it should.

"How is it going to be okay?" Draco whispered, locking gazes with Harry again.

Harry said nothing, just crushing the blonde to him, letting him let out his grief.

-----

Complete silence fell in the Gryffindor common room as Harry entered; worn out. He had comforted Draco for another half an hour before leading him back to his room, earning only a thankful nod from Professor Flitwick and a cursory nod from Professor Snape. Blinking owlishly, the raven haired boy stared around in confusion as Seamus and Dean approached him nervously.

"Is it true?" Seamus asked. The sandy-haired Irish boy was staring at Harry with wide-eyes, and a ominous feeling in his gut made Harry suspicious.

"Is what true?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowed.

"About you and Malfoy," Dean explained, a confused expression on his face.

"Yes," Harry said, shrugging. Then he paused as Seamus' mouth gaped open. A feeling of horror settled in his gut. "Uh, what rumour?"

"That you two are going out," Seamus said; his voice thin. Harry stared at him wordlessly.

What in Merlin's name...

"What the hell?" Harry blurted out. "I mean, what? What substance are you guys on now?! I wouldn't go out with Draco if you paid me!"

The entire room sighed with relief until Neville piped up from behind the largest sofa where he was hunting for Trevor again.

"So it's Draco now?" Neville said; blinking and grinning. Harry gaped at Neville before frowning.

Traitor!

Harry turned on Neville, eyes blazing, and the ditzy Gryffindor actually took a step backwards in fear. "I'mnotgoingoutwithMalfoy," Harry ground out, his tone low and almost a growl. Neville squeaked in fear.

The entire room breathed a sigh of relief as Neville scurried away to hide behind one of the sofas and eventually chatter broke out again. Moving over to the corner where Hermione and Ron sat, he sat down wearily with a disgruntled sigh.

"I'm glad that particular rumour isn't true," Ron snorted. "I think I'd disown you if you dated Malfoy."

Harry raised an eyebrow at his friend. "I think I'd disown me if I dated him.” Harry scratched his nose and squinted at Ron as the redhead grinned.

"So, what happened? Neville says he saw you leave the Slytherin house and Professor Snape thank you for something."

Harry shrugged. "It's private.” At his friends' sudden scrutinizing glares, Harry held up his hands in apology. “Sorry! But I do think the person involved would rip my head off if I mentioned anything about it."

"Now I know it had something to do with Malfoy," Ron said with a small laugh.

"How the hell do you know that?" Harry stared at Ron wordlessly. Hermione choked while Ron gaped at Harry.

"You mean it... Oh dear god, you are going out with him!"

Harry's eyes widened in horror. "I'm not!"

"Well you at least have the hots for him otherwise you wouldn't be so obsessed about it... Oh my god, you have a crush on Draco Malfoy!" Ron yelled.

The entire common room seemed to go silent and Harry felt the tip of his ears and the back of his neck go bright crimson.

"Ron!" Harry hissed urgently into the silence. "I do not!"

"Yes you do!" Ron was on his feet, in shock. “Is he, oh my god, he's the one you've been dreaming about!”

Hermione looked a little startled. "I have to admit it's weird, Harry, but, if it's what you want, we'll support you of course."

"What the hell are you going on about?!" Harry looked startled, and got to his feet. "You're all crazy!"

Casting a scandalized glance at his so-called 'friends' Harry turned tail and stomped out of the common room. Silence followed him, until it was broken by some sniggering and whispered comments.

"I think you're right," Seamus commented, staring in the direction Harry had gone. “But Malfoy... Why him?”

"Well they are similar. Apart from Malfoy's whole - 'I'm a moron' complex,” Dean said thoughtfully. “It is ironic though, who would have thought it?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance and shrugged.

-----

"That is so stupid, I can't believe them!" Harry muttered to himself as he stomped down the corridor, blushing furiously and wondering if he'd ever be the right colour again. "I do not have a crush on Malfoy," he reiterated firmly. Keeping his head lowered, he let out a frustrated sigh and continued storming forwards.

"Potter, where do you think you're going? Shouldn't you be in your common room?"

Harry lifted his gaze irritably only to wince apologetically when he saw Professor Snape standing there in the doorway, arms folded across his chest.

Oops.

"Sorry, sir, I was just..."

"Just what?" Professor Snape snapped angrily. Harry floundered, wishing his face would calm down. "You look a little flustered, Potter, I suggest you go outside for five minutes early and then you will return to your house area. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir, thank you sir," Harry mumbled, watching in bewilderment as Snape stalked away. Was that just Snape, of all people, being nicer to him than usual? Shrugging, he decided the whole world must be going to hell in a hand basket, and moved to the nearest door, pushing it open and stepping outside.

Closing the door behind him, Harry just walked until he could see the gardens. The moonlight drenched the plants, giving the place a very sepulchral look. Closing his eyes, Harry let the cold wind sweep through his unruly mess of hair and let his thoughts drift away. He was startled back to realty by a timid hand on his shoulder. He let out a yell and jumped about four foot in the air before he realised who it was stood behind him, a timid flush decorating ashen skin.

"Sorry about that.”

Draco looked at Harry apologetically and Harry felt his face heat up again. Now he was sure he would be red permanently with all this ridiculous blushing.

"It's all right," Harry mumbled in response. He felt a little light-headed and tried to attribute it to the temperature, and not to the close proximity of the blond.

Draco smiled once before his face became neutral once more.

"Thanks for earlier." Draco's tone was clipped, unemotional and his eyes were unreadable. "I guess I just needed someone who understood."

Harry nodded mutely. "I guess there's more to it then you're going to let on to me," Harry said, fighting to remain calm when his senses were tingling and everything suddenly seemed extra clear.

"I..." Draco fell silent for a second. "My father died hating me."

Harry's eyes widened, not expecting the quiet words. "You've got to be kidding! I'm sure he could never...”

“Never say never, Potter.”

“He wouldn't,” Harry repeated firmly.

Draco looked at him quizzically, one blond eyebrow arched. "How can you be so sure?"

"I have met your father, Malfoy, and it's blindingly obvious how much he cares for you. There's no way he could have hated you," Harry said, his breath rising into clouds in the air that drifted away.

"No way?" Harry had barely time to turn at Draco's bitter statement. The blond stepped up to him and leant in, warm breath grazing his cheek. “How about because of this?”

Harry could only watch and feel as Draco slid his arms around his waist and he only had a second to comprehend how right it actually felt before Draco leaned in and firmly crushed his lips to Harry's.

-----

If I could, then I would

I'll go wherever you will go

Way up high, or down low

I'll go wherever you will go

“Wherever You Will Go” - The Calling

-----

Harry didn't know what to think.

Draco had pulled away after a startled second, eyes wide and face red. They'd stayed, frozen like that for a few minutes but what felt like hours, before Draco had pushed Harry away and run like the devil himself was after him.

He'd returned to the common room in a daze, ignoring his friends still awake in the corner as he stalked up to bed. Shutting the curtains, he just stayed cross-legged on his bed, awake. Wishing he had a pensieve, he spent several hours distracting himself by writing the Potions essay due the next day. He finished in the early hours of the morning, ink-stained but with his mind still in a turmoil. He could still taste the other boy on his lips. Damn you, Malfoy. Damn you for making me feel like this.

Dismally studying the ceiling he slid his glasses off and pushed his curtains open; depositing his glasses on the chair beside his bed. The other four boys were asleep. Seamus was curled up on top of his blankets, snoring loudly. Dean was huddled under the covers. Every so often football phrases would come out muffled from beneath the sheets. Send him off, Ref! Neville was managing to cause destruction in his sleep, shredding his pillow as he dreamed. Ron was... Looking at him.

“Harry?”

Ron was awake. Harry blinked as the redhead pulled himself up out of his bed and came and sat down at the end of Harry's. Blinking furiously, Harry snatched his glasses back and slid them on. His vision slowly readjusted itself and he looked at his friend slowly.

“Thought you were still awake, I could hear your quill.” Ron smiled at Harry. “How you doing? Look, I am sorry about earlier. We didn't mean to offend you or anything.”

Harry smiled. Good old Ron. “It's okay,” he mumbled sleepily. He was weary, that much was for certain, it was just falling asleep that he didn't want to do. He didn't want to dream again like that, like it was all fine.

“No, it really isn't. I opened my mouth like usual and stuck my foot right in it,” Ron said earnestly, his voice hushed. “I'm sorry and I promise not to say something as idiotic as that again.”

“Maybe it wasn't so idiotic.”

Ron looked up in surprise as Harry averted his gaze slightly.

“Oh,” was all Ron could say.

“I'm sorry, I am, and it's just...”

Ron put one hand, resting it on Harry's arm. “You don't have to explain it to me Harry, I'm your best friend. I mean, of course I wish you weren't in love with that arrogant sod, but if it's what you want, then who am I really to stand in your way?”

Harry smiled. “Thanks Ron. It means a lot to me. If it's any consolation...”

“You didn't mean to?” Ron laughed humourlessly. “Trust me, I understand completely.”

Harry frowned slightly at Ron's dejected expression. “You know, you should just tell her. She'll understand.”

Ron's eyes widened in horror until he saw Harry's reassuring expression.

“I guess we're both idiots,” Ron said eventually, laughing quietly.

“I guess so.”

-----

Harry woke with a start. Sitting up he groaned and rubbed his head. He must have finally fallen asleep, despite his fear of dreaming about Draco again.

It was getting ridiculous. For the beginning of the year his dreams were haunted by images of Cedric, dead, dying in his arms, by his hand. Then they'd changed to normal dreams, and now...

Last night's dream had been particularly vivid... They'd been flying together, over some kind of snowy area. Just talking. Draco had smiled, and when they'd landed, they'd kissed. Like last night's kiss.

It had been slightly disconcerting the first time he'd dreamed. According to Lavender Brown, dreams were meant to be taken seriously, as a portent. She also had added, when he'd asked, that if a particular person turned up in your dream over and over again, doing the same kind of thing, then it shouldn't be dismissed lightly.

He's approached her after several weeks of nightmares of Cedric, but when the Draco dreams began, he'd had to re-evaluate himself. Three nights ago, wakened from another dream featuring the blond, he'd thought about the idea and that's when the horrifying thought had struck him. He was okay with it. He could imagine a... A future with Malfoy still in it.

Automatically feeling for his glasses, Harry stumbled to his feet and to the bathroom where he washed his face; distracting himself by studying it carefully in the mirror. His unruly hair still stuck out everywhere, no matter what he did to it. Even when Dean and Seamus had attacked it with hair gel, nothing worked. The only good thing about his hair was that it managed to partially conceal the scar which Harry personally thought was very disfiguring, a severe turn around from how he'd used to think it was cool. It had used to be the only thing he'd liked about his own appearance, now it was just a constant reminder of how he'd failed several people, how he'd let them die.

Harry scowled, and rubbed at his face, his thoughts inevitably running back to last night.

That damn kiss.

It shouldn't have affected him. Draco had just kissed him to prove a point, that his father hated him because he was gay. He hadn't meant it, at all, no matter how much... he wanted it to have meant something?

Whether Draco had meant it or not, Harry knew one thing. It had affected him. Letting out a sigh, Harry wiped his eyes hurriedly and swiftly swept out of the bathroom to make his way to breakfast.

Harry joined Ron at the breakfast table, ignoring a couple of the speculative glances and giggles and cursing the fact that now new rumours were circling the school, about him and Draco. Fantastic. Taking a couple of sausages, Harry ignored the muttering and the stubborn blush inhabiting his cheeks again.

“Harry, are you all right?”

Harry lifted up his gaze from his sausages and saw Hermione looking at him curiously. Harry grunted in reply, before turning his attention back to his sausages.

“Interesting sausages?”

“Huh?”

Harry lifted his head again, irritated, before groaning.

“Lavender, Parvati,” he greeted dismally as the two girls dropped themselves down either side of him.

“Hello Harry,” Lavender said, exchanging a mischievous glance with Parvati. “So what's this I hear about you and a certain Slytherin?”

“A certain nemesis of yours?” Parvati echoed, digging the slender boy in the hips with her finger. Harry groaned and moved to put his head in his hands. The two girls chuckled and Harry, irritated, stood up and stomped out of the hall. He was faintly aware of a few curious gasps and he could almost swear he heard Snape laugh, but put it down irritably to his inability to concentrate much.

-----

Draco paced nervously around his room; running his hands through his hair distractedly. Dumbledore had said he could stay off school for a couple of days to get over the shock of his losing his parents, but the blond's mind kept wandering all over the place.

“For Morganna's sake, Draco, get a hold of yourself,” the blond admonished himself firmly, turning and crashing down onto his bed while staring at the ceiling hollowly.

It had been... what? Two weeks since the holidays when... He tried to force the issue out of his mind but it returned as stubbornly as a boomerang. Two weeks since his parents had died... Draco suppressed a smile at the ironical way his parents had met their end... By one of those muggle trains his father hated so much... The one time his parents had boarded one and it had crashed. No survivors.

“Sod's law.” Draco sounded out the muggle phrase slowly, wincing at the hollowness of the echo.

Two weeks since...

Draco swallowed.

Since his father had found out about his attraction to Harry Potter.

It hadn't been intentional, not in the slightest. It had slipped out by accident... A secret so closely guarded for the last four years... His father hadn't reacted to it very well; declaring that he had no son and stalking away. Draco closed his eyes softly. That was the last thing he had heard his father say... His mother, of course, had gone along with her husband; more fearful of his power than of going with what she thought...

Harry...

Well, he'd mucked that last encounter up really badly...

It was about half way through the first year that Draco had realised why he hated Harry so much... Not because of his fame. Draco had enough of being pampered by other people - his father was, had been, a very rich man. He hated Harry so much because... Harry was exactly like him, and he was jealous. Pushing himself to get over that jealousy, Draco had been confused at the way he would still look up at the sound of Harry's voice, or when someone called Harry's name. He'd been bemused why his heart would seem to stop when Harry walked past for a painful second, before beating again rapidly.

The answer had come one startled Potions lesson in the Second Year. Harry had passed by, and he'd accidentally knocked off his quill. The raven-haired teenager had bent down and handed it back with a small smile before walking away, and that was when Draco knew that he was, at least, attracted to Harry. He'd attempted an experiment, and the thought of that Valentine still amused him greatly.

He'd found out that he was in love with Harry at the end of the fourth year, during the final feast. The thought that Harry could have died, with help from his father, it was too much for him. He barely listened to Dumbledore's speech, and the toast had confused him. He hadn't known who they were toasting, until afterwards, then he'd had to attack Harry about it afterwards. It was his duty to do as his father wanted until he had the strength to stand up to his own convictions.

The look Harry had given him when he'd badmouthed Cedric Diggory was the single most painful moment in his entire life. Harry had been hurting, and he'd thrown it all into his face. He hated himself for it afterwards, and bore the pain from the hexes with a patience that astounded his parents and the servants at Malfoy Manor. They were more used the moody, temperamental, arrogant Draco. The quiet, unpretentious Draco scared them.

The truth was, he was scared. His parents were dead, he was in love with his worst enemy, and it just couldn't get any worse. He remembered something about love that the Slytherin girls were giggling about earlier that day, and he agreed completely with it. Love was a bitch.

A lump formed in Draco's thought and he abruptly turned; burying his face in the pillow as he fought the tears that threatened to burn down his cheeks. He could kill Harry for making himself feel that way. He could kill himself. He could kill his father if he was still alive.

The turmoil had been too much for him at the beginning of the fifth year, and he'd gone to the one person that could possibly understand. Professor Snape had been more than understanding, and even promised to lay off Harry. Just a little. Snape was still pissed off that James Potter had saved his life... Although Draco suspected there was more to it than that he knew better then to pry...

The fact remained that he was still so, so scared.

Scared that it could happen, that the arrogant, pigheaded Gryffindor could love him back. Scared that his meticulous barrier around his heart would be broken. Scared that the reason his father had died hating him would be the one reason for his existence.

He was scared and that in itself scared Draco. He'd never been scared before. There was a reason he was known as the bravest person in his family... There was a running joke that he was in severe danger of being admitted to Gryffindor he had no apparent fears.

Smirking into his pillow, Draco's chest tightened and his eyes burned. For the second time that week tears streamed out of his eyes and he lay there, shaking and convulsing helplessly as the tears soaked through his sleeves and pillows and he hated himself for being so weak, for caving into his grief. In his grieving state he hardly felt the arm that slipped over his waist; the hand that rubbed his back. The voice that whispered soothing words of condolence and reassuring words of commitment and love.

He hardly felt it, but he did feel it and in that instant all the fear he'd been holding onto in his heart and clinging onto as a lifeline dissipated and all he felt was the warmth of the person clinging onto him. Green eyes flashed with understanding, and one hand moved to stroke his cheek, stroke his hair. All he felt was the warmth of the boy he... Draco swallowed.

The boy he loved.

-----

It's been a long road getting from there to here

It's been a long time but my time is finally near

I can feel the change in the way right now

Nothing's in my way

And they're not gonna hold me down no more,

No they're not gonna hold me down

Coz I've got faith of the heart

I'm going where my heart will take me

I've got faith to believe I can do anything

I've got strength of the soul

And no-one's gonna bend or break me

I can reach any star

“Where My Heart Will Take Me” - Russell Watson

-----

Draco lurched upwards, rubbing at his eyes furiously.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Twisting so he could face the raven-haired youngster, he glared menacingly at the intruder.

"I don't know," Harry whispered. "I just..."

"You just what? Like seeing me vulnerable?" Draco let out a growl of frustration and buried his head back into his pillow. "Just leave me alone."

"Is that what you want?" Harry's voice lowered to a whisper and Draco had to suppress the tears that wanted to leak out when he felt Harry's weight leave the bed.

"What I want is to be normal! What I want is to lead a normal life where my parents are dead and I don't have these disgusting feelings for you! What I want is for you to be out of my life completely!" Draco managed to scramble off the bed, and to his feet.

"Fine," Harry whispered; stumbling backwards. "Fine. And maybe when you've thought this through you'll wonder why I went to all the trouble to see you. And then maybe you'll realise it's too late now."

Draco just stared wordlessly at Harry as he retreated, and for a long while just sat there with his mouth open and eyes raw.

"Too late," he whispered. The words hung in the air and echoed in his ears. "Too late..."

-----

Harry stormed into the dining hall for breakfast, the tip of his ears pink. Joining Hermione and Ron at the Gryffindor table, he helped himself to toast and eggs; savagely ignoring the pointed looks and whispers directed at him.

“Harry, are you all right?”

Harry lifted his head up to say he was all right, and stopped. “No. No, I'm not.” He bent down, and pulled out a scrap of parchment. Hermione and Ron took the parchment and looked at it.

“I'll kill him,” Ron growled fiercely, pushing away from the table. Harry bent forwards and grabbed Ron by the elbows, forcing the lanky redhead back down onto the bench.

“Sit down, Ron,” Hermione urged; warm brown eyes wide with concern for both of her friends.

“He thinks it's disgusting,” Harry said hollowly. “I knew he hated me before but I never guessed he'd think I was disgusting...”

Ron played with his cutlery for a second looking embarrassed and Hermione looked upset. Pushing past Ron, she put her hand on Harry's. “Everything's going to be all right,” she comforted.

“How?”

Hermione just shrugged.

“Because it has to be.”

-----

Harry sighed as he walked down the corridor, yet again ignoring some of the third years who walked past him snickering. Ron was next to him, and Hermione was re-reading the letter Draco head sent Harry.

“I'm just so fed up of this,” Harry said eventually, eyes fixed forwards and fists clenched. Ron nodded sympathetically. “It's just so confusing especially after last night --“ Suddenly remembering that he hadn't told Hermione and Ron

“What happened last night?” Surprised, Ron stopped abruptly in the corridor. Still immersed in the letter, Hermione didn't notice and crashed into Ron, and it took a few moments for Ron to stop blushing.

“Then what happened?” Hermione took hold of Harry's elbow and he looked at her unflinchingly before turning away.

“Nothing.”

“What nothing happened and you're reacting like this? Come on, Harry, I wasn't born yesterday!” Ron said, folding his arms and glaring at his best friend.

“I...” Harry stood there in the doorway; looking uncertain. “I have to go, I left my Divinations homework on my bed.”

“Harry, just...” Hermione started; then let her arms drop to her sides as she stared out concernedly after him. “He doesn't even take Divinations any more..”

“He'll snap out of it,” Ron said dubiously.

“You sure about that?” Hermione asked, doubtful. Ron turned to look at her, brown eyes deadly serious for once.

“Right now, Hermione, I'm not sure of anything.”

-----

Snape looked up as he saw Harry Potter brush passed him. The boy's eyes were slightly red and he was clearly upset. The professor smirked, taking some small sadistic pleasure in seeing James Potter's son agitated. Of course, it only helped things that a Slytherin was the one causing him so much anguish.

“You know it has been a long time, shouldn't you put some things behind you?” Snape's brain suggested at him. Snape told his brain to shut up and continued along the corridor. Once in the safety of his office, he busied himself with the pile of homework on the desk. He'd instructed his fifth year class to write two parchments on the use of dried herbs in thirteenth century witchcraft and wizardry, so of course there was about a hundred rolls of parchment on the desk waiting to be marked.

Severus tapped his wand thoughtfully on the desk, wondering if he should use the old back up charm that totalled up the student's scores automatically.

Snape grinned; the hook-nosed professor preferred marking them himself. That way he could make sure none of the stuffy stuck up students got the marks they deserved. Sighing, he put his head down got out his favourite quill and began to mark them. Thankfully he knew his subject of Potions so well inside and out that he could read the essays and mark them and still let his mind wander...

Smirking, he remembered when a trembling and extremely pissed off Malfoy revealed his feelings for the Potter boy to him... So ironic really, two bitter enemies being attracted to each other... So... commonplace. Snape snorted. Not that it made any difference of course. Harry Potter was such a snivelling ungrateful brat and didn't deserve any of the lenience he got. Draco, on the other hand, deserved so much better. A fine young wizard like him...

The hook nosed professor swept a hand through his unruly mess of dark hair, cursing his memory for dwelling on such things. Of course he'd agreed to Draco's request that he back off Harry a bit. He had been rather harsh on the young Potter... A little tiny amount of lenience wouldn't be so bad after all... Besides it gave him more time to scrutinize that Granger's work. That girl was too stuck up for her own good, Snape decided. Finding some errors with her work would certainly bring her down a few notches. Possibly make her a nicer person over all and more sociable.

He didn't mean to have favourite students and least favourite students. Draco reminded him of himself when he was at Hogwarts; strong, in control, powerful, and having the same, complete problem of falling for the wrong person.

Snape's stomach tightened slightly and he scowled.

Damn him.

Damn his memory still haunting him after all this time.

Snape knew very damn well why he hated Harry Potter so much. It was every time the boy moved. Every time he looked at him. The stuck up celebrity may have his mother's eyes, but every other part of him was so remarkably like James... Snape brushed his hands over his eyes rapidly and sighed; deciding to actually used the Charm after all. After marking Miss Granger's papers. He didn't want her to get 450% like last time he'd used the Charm. Wouldn't want that at all, would we now? Snape decided, scowling fiercely.

-----

It was more than a week later when Draco Malfoy returned to classes like normal. He seemed almost unchanged by his experiences. If anything his scowls were darker and jabs more spiteful, but all in all he remained the same bitter boy he always had been.

He also continued to ignore Ron, Hermione and Harry like they didn't even exist.

Hermione commented on this softly to Ron.

“Well I suppose it's better than being treated like mud,” she sniffed in Transfiguration as she attempted to turn her pencil into a mug. Ron waved his wand half heartedly at the pen, and then grimaced as it transfigured into a delicate pink little tea cup. Unfortunately that was the exact moment Professor McGonagall decided to walk past their desk.

“Very cute, Mr. Weasley,” the strict teacher said; a note of humour in her voice. “Something a little bigger though, don't you think?”

Ron blushed furiously under the teacher's stern glare. He waved his wand half-heartedly and the cup started to tap dance. The entire class turned, giggling, to watch the delicate cup tap dance across the desk and almost fall off. Hermione caught it, muttered and the cup transfigured into the right mug. Ron flushed darkly and scowled as everybody else turned away laughing.

“Show off,” Ron muttered. “Bet you're the only one who can do it properly.”

“Not at all,” Hermione replied grumpily, tossing her hair and turning away.

“Well who else can do it-“ Ron started before seeing Harry turn his pencil into a mug and back again. “Great!” The redhead sighed and tried again. “How do you do this?” He complained.

Harry rolled his eyes, and proceeded to show the redhead again exactly how it was done.

-----

Ron collapsed at the Gryffindor dining table half an hour after Transfiguration had finished. Professor McGonagall had kept him back until he had done the transfiguration successfully. Harry looked at Ron over the edge of a goblet of Pumpkin juice and laughed at the indignant look on Ron's face.

“Stupid transfiguration,” Ron muttered darkly, helping himself to sandwiches and salad.

“You do realize you'll need to get good grades in Transfiguration, it is the OWLs we're doing this year after all,” Hermione said primly, tossing her hair and fixing Ron with a sceptical glance.

“I know, I know,” Ron said grumpily. “It's Seamus and Dean I'm worried about more, they completely mess around for the first few months of the year..”

“They'll do fine,” Harry broke in. “I've never seen anyone except Hermione work so hard in the last few weeks.”

“They wouldn't have had to work so hard if they hadn't messed around,” Hermione sniffed, fixing Seamus who was further down the table with an icy stare.

“Well, at least they don't mess about too much any more, they just resort to teasing you about Dra-“ Ron started, stopping at Harry's upset expression which the black-haired boy tried to mask immediately by savagely tearing at the sandwich in his hand.

“Ron,” Hermione admonished gently.

Harry closed his eyes for a second before throwing the half-eaten sandwich back on his plate and standing up. “I'm not hungry any more,” Harry declared before walking rapidly out of the hall. Hermione and Ron watched him go apprehensively, concerned for their friend and wanting to help him through whatever transition the young wizard was going through.

-----

Harry swore under his breath as he brushed up the corridor; his rumbling stomach betraying the fact that he'd just lied to his friends.

“The other teachers don't want to hear language like that, young man,” a young lady in a painting to his right piped up helpfully. Harry told her to get lost in language that made her redden furiously.

“Honestly, wizards these days!” Harry heard her complain, but shrugged it off as he made his way up to the Gryffindor area so he could get his stuff for the last lesson of the day - double Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Harry frowned. Professor Snape had been subbing the class until last week. Apparently the new teacher was coming today. That was something to look forwards to... Grabbing his books and slinging them into his bag, Harry dropped off into the bathroom to wash his face again before dropping out into the corridor to begin the walk to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Of course it would be across the other side of school...

As he walked to Defence Against the Dark Arts along the Charms corridor, a couple of gossiping sixth years caught his attention.

“Did you hear, Black's innocent, it's all over the news, Dumbledore announced it at lunchtime...”

“Can you believe Pettigrew did that?”

“And apparently Black's Harry Potter's godfather!”

Harry froze in shock in the middle of the corridor.

“What?”

The two sixth-year girls stopped their conversation to see Harry staring at them wildly in disbelief.

“Is that true?”

The two girls exchanged a glance.

“Yeah, we think he's your godfather...”

“No, I know that,” Harry said impatiently. “I also know he's innocent, but... he's free?” The tallest of the girls nodded.

“Yes, Dumbledore announced it about ten minutes ago.”

The two girls shared a glance as Harry nodded his thanks and took off at a run to get to Defence Against the Dark Arts and to talk to Hermione and Ron.

-----

As he walked into Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry just couldn't stop grinning. The Slytherins, who took Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors this year, looked a little nonplussed at the grin on Harry's face and some looked a little scared. Ron had to admit, Harry did look a bit scary when he was grinning like that. Almost dangerous.

Hermione smiled at him as he sat down.

“Looks like I left the hall a few minutes too soon,” Harry commented as he sat next to her, still grinning like a madman.

“You can say that again!” Ron high-fived Harry while Hermione just grinned at the two.

“Won't that mean you can stay with him instead of the Dursley's?” Hermione added softly. Harry gaped at her; his grin suddenly widening. Unfortunately they didn't have the chance to say anything more as the door opened, and all heads craned suddenly to try and see who the new teacher was.

“Dumbledore? Are you our new teacher?” Dean Thomas, sitting in the front row, scratched his head.

“No, Dean,” Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. “Sorry to say that, but if I subbed any class it would be Transfiguration.” There were a few disappointed groans from the class, mostly from the Gryffindors.

“Our new teacher, though, is somewhat controversial. You will have all heard the news this lunchtime, about Sirius Black and how he was framed by Peter Pettigrew, and how he has been proved innocent of all charges.” Here Dumbledore winked at the still grinning Harry. “Well, it just so happens he was in need of a job so --“

The entire class gaped as Sirius Black walked through the door. Harry couldn't believe it. He just had to be dreaming, right? Right?

“Hello, class, I'm your new teacher, it's my honour to teach such mature students to prevent against the horrors of the Dark Lord, his magic and his minions,” he said; smiling. A few people still looked scared. “I can guarantee I won't be breaking into Hogwarts any more and my innocence has been quite proved.”

“How?”

This stark question was from Draco Malfoy, of course. Sirius narrowed his eyes, before quirking one eyebrow at his godson's reaction. Harry had looked away for a second, pale.

“Pettigrew confessed everything,” Sirius explained lightly, his tone making sure they all knew Peter was no friend of his. “Seems like he managed to escape. His new hand had turned rather nasty and tried to kill him.” Sirius paused, and looked around at the alarmed class. “No doubt you will hear the full story from your parents or the news. For now, I think we have some work to do.”

Dumbledore smiled, and let his friend and fellow member of staff take over the class deftly.

-----

Within half an hour of the class everyone was completely convinced that Black was innocent. He'd lost the haggard look he'd been wearing for the last couple of years, and was now smiling more often. Even the Slytherin students seemed to like him. The Professor and now innocent man had set them working in groups of three on Rynkels; small purple water pixies with a nasty disposition and the common defence of freezing its enemies. Sirius took this opportunity to talk to his godson.

“Harry.”

Harry blinked, and smiled up at his godfather.

“I knew you'd be free sooner or later.”

Sirius smiled and he leant against the desk. “I'd like to talk to you after class, can you meet me in my office at four o' clock?”

Sirius straightened and looked a bit scared that Harry might say no.

“Count on it.”

Sirius relaxed visibly, and with a smile strode off to help Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, who between them had managed to get a Rynkel stuck up Blaise Zabini's nose.

Harry smiled happily, feeling for once in a long time that the course of justice was working and that light had a chance over dark for once and for all. Of course, his concentration was quickly averted when he had to help Ron unstuck his hands together while the Rynkel in their tank smirked at having frozen the redhead and shouted abuse at Hermione as she tried to approach it.

-----

Feeling happier than he had for the last couple of weeks, Harry waited outside Sirius' door for a few seconds before lifting up his hand and knocking.

“Come in,” he heard Sirius say, and he opened the door; slightly nervous. Would his godfather still want him to live with him? Was it at all possible?

“Harry.”

Sirius was standing up at his desk and Harry was able to see his godfather properly for once. He was completely different to how he remembered him. His skin wasn't hanging off his bones, and was a healthy colour. His black hair was messy, something Harry suspected was a trait of both his father and Sirius. Probably of all four marauders, thinking of Remus...

Sirius nervously indicated that Harry should sit down on one of the chairs near the fireplace. Harry took one and Sirius moved around the desk to sit opposite.

“How are you?”

Sirius smiled finally. “I'm fine. I'm getting enough to eat,” - Harry grinned again at this; remembering the horrible times 'Snuffle' had when he was scraping out a meagre living on the run -- “everyone is starting to accept me, Albus gave me this fantastic job and I get to see you at normal times in normal places... It's a dream come true.”

“It's nice to have you here finally. Where you belong.” Harry blinked and took off his glasses to clean them on the edge of his robe.

Sirius smiled, his eyes slightly distant. “You can be so like James at time...” He coughed abruptly. “A fact that I am guessing is really pissing Severus off right now.”

“He still has a grudge against James? After one silly joke?” Harry raised one eyebrow speculatively. “Do you think it was just that one thing?”

Sirius shrugged. “I don't know if it was just the joke that gets Severus so bitter sometimes. Mind you, he does hold a grudge. When I met him this morning and he heard the news I swear he was almost foaming at the mouth.”

Harry grinned. “Wish I could have seen that.”

“Harry...”

Harry looked sharply upwards at the tone in Sirius' voice, frowning at the blurred image before quickly remembering and replacing his glasses.

“Yes?”

“You know when I... I offered to... you know, after school has finished, I know you live with the Dursley's, yeah, and that's family but I have my own place now and I'm sure that maybe a period with someone from your own world would be much better and --“

“Sirius,” Harry said flatly. Nervous, Sirius lifted his gaze to meet Harry's hesitantly. “I hate the Dursley's. They treat rubbish better than me. I would do anything to get out of that dump. And I would do anything in the world to live with you most of all.”

Sirius slumped back, relieved. “Good. I was just so worried you wouldn't want to live with me after everything I did... I didn't want to lose you like I lost your father... OW!”

Sirius looked upward, hurt, and rubbed his cheek where it stung viciously where Harry had hit it. Harry looked incredibly surprised at what he'd done.

“You didn't kill them,” Harry said pointedly, frowning when Sirius tried to respond. “You did not. Did you point your wand and them and utter those two phrases?” Sirius shook his head mutely. “Exactly. You loved them so much you were willing to try and find the safest way possible to protect them. And you didn't know, there was no way you could have known about Peter, so I won't have you blame yourself! There wasn't anything you could have done! Now last year, with Voldemort, I could have done something and I didn't, I let him... I let Cedric...” Harry choked on the name and turned away swiftly, wincing.

“Oh Harry...” Harry heard his godfather whisper his name and for the first time, Sirius hugged Harry as a free man. Sirius pulled a way a little, looking at the boy with suspiciously moist eyes.

“I'm sorry for not being there enough last year,” Sirius whispered thickly. “I'm sorry for not being there as you grew up.”

“'s not your fault either,” Harry sniffed; wiping his eyes with a large cotton hanky Sirius had passed him. Sirius grinned; his smile a little crinkled.

“But I'm here now, and I hope I can make it up to you,” Sirius whispered.

Harry smiled too, his whole face lighting up.

“You've already made whatever it was up by being here now,” he said, grinning.

“I just hope everyone else can be so accepting of me. Rumours take a while to die down,” Sirius said resentfully.

“Don't I know it,” Harry muttered, sinking back into the chair again. Sirius padded over to the fire and lifted off a kettle which had been boiling merrily away while they had been sorting things through.

“Do you want a hot drink?” Sirius offered. Harry nodded dumbly and accepted the cup of tea that was passed to him.

“You sound bitter about the rumour thing,” Sirius suggested after a very pregnant pause.

“Yeah, it's got me in more than enough trouble this year,” Harry sniffed, taking a sip of the tea and looking away angrily.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Harry shook his head then hurriedly tried to explain as he saw a glimmer of hurt in the older man's eyes. “I will later... Right now I'm just trying to sort my head out.”

“Ah, love problems?” Sirius said, half-jokingly. Harry nodded briefly and Sirius raised his eyebrows. “Trust the voice of experience. Happens to everyone. Of course some people fall for the dumbest people...”

“Tell me about it,” Harry sniffed. Sirius looked at Harry sharply.

“Let me guess, your friends don't really accept who you've fallen for?” Prompted by Harry's brief and cursory nod, Sirius laughed. “I completely understand. You know, my friends thought I was weird with having a werewolf as a boyfriend.”

Sirius looked up in amusement as Harry sprayed tea everywhere.

“I believe you know Remus Lupin,” Sirius continued, with a mischievous smirk. “So, what happened with Draco Malfoy, then?”

Harry's eyes widened even further.

“What?”

“Come on, Harry, it's pretty obvious,” Sirius said, shrugging. “I mean you're showing the same signs Snape did at school. Went all weird whenever your father went past.”

Harry stared some more, feeling like he was completely losing any control he had left. “Snape had a thing for my dad?”

Sirius nodded, laughing. “Yep. Poor James. Yet another reason why he was merrily pissed off when James saved his life.”

“I see.”

“So you see, whatever happened can't be as bad as it was back in our time,” Sirius finished. “Did that help at all?”

“He kissed me out of the blue and then sent me a letter telling me he thought I was disgusting,” Harry mumbled into his teacup. Sirius raised his eyebrows.

“Interesting,” Sirius commented, raising an eyebrow.

“That's one way of putting it,” Harry said sourly.

-----

Across the school in another teacher's office, the same adjective was used.

“Interesting,” Dumbledore remarked; a troubled expression creasing his features. Draco pulled the sleeve of his robe back over the dark red scar on his arm which was pulsating black.

Draco swallowed uncomfortably. “I guess... I didn't know how much up to his neck my dad was before he... Before he did this...”

Dumbledore nodded slowly. “It wasn't anything to do with you. You can't help doing what your parents teach you at a young age. I only thank goodness that you were able to see how evil the Dark Lord and his minions are before it's too late.”

“So am I,” Draco said; slumping his shoulders. “Thank you for believing me, I had trouble wondering if anyone would... After all, my attitude hasn't exactly been the most sunniest of everyone at Hogwarts. I have been rather arrogant thinking I was right and my way was the only way.”

“Well,” Dumbledore said thoughtfully. “There are a lot of people going to rub your noses in this fact too... I only hope you don't let them get to you.”

“Well that's partly why I'm here,” Draco said softly. “I have a request... Well two actually... You can always say no.”

Dumbledore looked at the blond curiously. “True. Fire away.”

Draco swallowed and ignored his pride to ask his requests.

-----

-----

Have mercy on my soul

I will never let you know where my mind has been

Angels never came down

There's no-one here they wanna hang around

But if they knew, if they knew you at all

Then one by one the angels, angels would fall.

“Angels Would Fall”- Melissa Etheridge

-----

Dumbledore blinked while thinking the requests through; running through the carefully explained arguments. His gaze flickered over towards Draco. The blond sat there looking pensive, an almost tragic aura around him. The professor stared at the blond passively for a few seconds.

He sighed finally.

"You've changed a lot in your days at Hogwarts. I would like to think we have had a lot of input into that change, and I'd also like to think it's a change for the better. I also think that yes you have changed in the right direction for your requests to be suitable and to be at least considered. And I have considered them both, and the answer is yes. For both of them."

Draco let out the breath he had been tentatively holding and got to his feet; his eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Thank you sir," he said softly. "You may have just saved my life."

Professor Dumbledore nodded, pain flashing in his eyes. "Yes. Which is why I waited for you to ask before I did what is going to happen."

Draco's eyes widened, but Dumbledore interrupted before he could say anything.

"I know what your father was, I know what he did and I know what is friends would have done had you continued as you are. And this bravery can mean only one thing."

Draco's eyes widened again.

“Oh crap. Gryffindor?”

Professor Dumbledore looked amused.

"Mind you I think we should get a second opinion from a better more neutral judge," Dumbledore reflected, moving to his shelf and taking down the Sorting Hat. Draco watched fearfully, hoping everything would turn out all right.

-----

Harry grinned and hugged Sirius, attempting not to yawn and failing miserably.

"I guess we're both in a predicament and a half," Harry commented softly. "But I suppose I am tired. I'd better go."

Sirius nodded, looking quite bashful. "Sorry,” he mumbled, having the grace to look ashamed. “As your teacher and godfather I really shouldn't have kept you up well past your bedtime." Harry winced at the word 'bedtime' and Sirius grinned rakishly. "Well as duty requires as your godfather I am required to make sure you don't sleep, you don't study, you don't take care of yourself, you mix your drinks and get in trouble every day."

Harry laughed, passing one hand absent-mindedly through his shock of midnight-coloured hair that almost blended in with the night sky that was visible through the window. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Sirius sighed. "You were supposed to say of course Professor, whatever you say Professor!"

"Why?" Harry blinked at Sirius tiredly.

"Because then I'd know you go and do the exact opposite!" Sirius laughed and shook his head in mirth. "'Night Harry," he said good-naturedly, ruffling his godson's hair before letting the boy return to his dormitory.

Harry grinned as he left his godfather's study, feeling happier than he had done for months. Making his way up to the Gryffindor dormitories he blinked as he saw a couple of figures making their way up to where he was. To his surprise it was Draco Malfoy and Professor McGonagall, laden down with a couple of bags.

"Potter, what are you doing out of bed?" Professor McGonagall asked with a frown. Harry wondered if the strict head of the Gryffindor house ever smiled outside of winning any kind of Gryffindor cup as she stared at him.

"I've just been to see Professor Black," Harry responded dutifully, glancing at Draco briefly before returning his gaze to the strict transfiguration teacher.

Professor McGonagall's gaze softened. "I see. As you are up, you might as well assist me."

Harry barely had to time to nod as a bag was thrown at him. Winded, he followed his house leader and Draco along the corridor to the Gryffindor dormitory.

Professor McGonagall approached the Fat Lady's portrait and the Fat Lady blinked owlishly before asking sleepily: "Password please."

"Filibuster fireworks," Professor McGonagall said sharply. The portrait swung open uncovering the hole. Harry gaped in disbelief that Professor McGonagall would use the Gryffindor password in front of any Slytherin.

"Move along there, Potter," the Professor commanded sharply. "Don't you want to help your new house member move in?"

Harry frowned, bemused, and then gasped as lancing pain shot through his scar.

“Ow!”

The startled exclamation came from both of the boys, and the bag in Harry's arms clattered to the ground as he held his forehead gingerly. Draco was holding his arm and scowling as he looked through the hole leading into the common room.

"Professor McGonagall," Harry hissed, trying to get her attention. "There's someone there. Someone who isn't supposed to be."

Professor McGonagall started to protest, looking at Harry like he was crazy.

"He's right," Draco declared, looking unsettled. "Death eater," he added uncertainly. Professor McGonagall's eyes widened and she flicked her hand with her wand in and the whole room lit up as they clambered in through the hole swiftly. She flicked her wand again.

"We'd better alert Dumbledore," she said quickly, convinced by whatever that last wand flick had done, before turning and going back the way they'd come.

-----

"What I don't get," Ron said sleepily as he rubbed his eyes frantically (Ron was not one of those people who liked being woken up early), "is how come Draco was in our common room when you discovered this intruder?"

"And how did both you and Draco know there was someone there?" Hermione added, folding her arms. Harry shrugged wildly, unconsciously stepping backwards at Hermione's glare. Ron was right. Hermione was scary sometimes. Brilliant, of course, that went without saying. Brilliant but scary.

The entire school has been relocated to the great hall again, reminding most of the students to the memories of two years ago, when they had stayed in the hall because Sirius Black was supposedly on the loose and dangerous. It seemed almost ironic to Harry now that Sirius Black was one of the people protecting them all now.

“My scar hurt, it twitched, not like the burning when Volde-- You-Know-Who is nearby," Harry explained softly.

"But how did Draco know?" Ron pressed.

"Lights out and keep silent!" Professor McGonagall barked, her voice strained. Harry started to settle down when a cold hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Not you," Professor Trelawney said, leading the black-haired boy to the other Professor's before he could say anything.

Harry followed the petite Professor to another adjoining room to where Professor Snape, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick and Draco Malfoy were already sat; looking eminently uncomfortable.

"Ah, Harry," Professor Flitwick said nervously. "Do join us." Looking confused and bewildered, Harry sat down.

"Harry, as you know, a lot has been set in motion since you faced Voldemort last year," Professor Dumbledore said slowly. "Death eaters were brought back into full power. They are very powerful minions of Voldemort, as you well know."

Harry nodded, ashen-faced.

"And it takes a lot to kill a death eater, not just a simple train crash," Dumbledore continued.

Harry's gaze shot up abruptly and he looked at Draco sharply. The blond was looking shaken and distraught.

“Lucius Malfoy,” Harry said finally, understanding. Draco nodded passively.

“Yes, we think that his death was faked to try and break in to Hogwarts, Harry,” Dumbledore explained. Harry blinked.

“How did you find this out?” Harry asked, his voice hushed.

Draco looked at Professor Dumbledore and he coughed nervously. “Perhaps I can explain,” the blond said nervously. “Have you ever been in the Slytherin dormitories?”

Harry coughed suddenly.

“Not including when you took Polyjuice potion with Ron and pretended to be Crabbe and Goyle two years ago,” Professor Black added from the doorway. Harry blushed faintly and Draco's eyes widened slightly.

“I knew it!” Professor Snape sniffed into the silence.

“Severus, now is not the time,” Dumbledore admonished sharply. “Then excluding that event that we shall discuss later, have you ever been in the Slytherin dormitory?”

“No I haven't,” Harry said curiously. “Why?”

“The other day you came into the Slytherin dormitory and tried to comfort me. I knew it couldn't be you, because...” Draco trailed off. “I knew it wasn't you. So I began to think about it. The last time I met my father, he was with a couple of men who I'd never seen before. I guess I knew then that what my father had been telling me all my life wasn't right. They were... evil. They exuded something I've never really felt before. He took me off to somewhere, I don't know where, it was dark and cool and windy... Open somehow... It was a village I think. I knew they were taking me to... to Him.” There was no need to say the word out loud. They all knew the evil wizard that he was referring to. “They...” Draco continued fearfully. “They did this before they got to where they planned to take me.” The youngest Malfoy rolled up his sleeve to reveal a burning black mark on his arm; the top of a skull was there but the rest was twisted and charred. Harry clapped a hand to his forehead as pain lanced through his scar. Draco covered it up immediately.

“Exactly,” Draco whispered. “They were trying to make me into one of them.”

Harry looked at him in horror.

“Thankfully young Draco managed to escape and tell his father exactly what he thought of his evil doings,” Dumbledore explained.

“That'll be when you told your father that you --“ Harry started and then shut up. Draco glared at the wizarding legend; blushing furiously.

“Yes,” he said quietly.

The Professor's exchanged a glance and fortunately Sirius caught on before Dumbledore opened his mouth.

“It's nothing that really changes anything, Professor, only Lucius disapproved of his son's uh... amorous intentions towards his sworn enemy.”

“Sirius!” Harry protested mechanically.

Draco rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Thanks,” he muttered.

“Interesting,” Professor Flitwick commented; raising an eyebrow.

“That's what I said,” Sirius said; grinning. Harry narrowed his eyes and glared at his godfather.

“Anyway,” Dumbledore interjected. “We can talk about the boys' relationship later. The main point though is Lucius Malfoy and possibly some of his fellow death eaters are in this school. And finding some way to get Voldemort in too.”

Harry swallowed. “This had to come didn't it?”

Four solemn heads nodded.

“I'm sorry Harry,” Sirius said simply. Harry nodded.

“What?” Draco blurted out finally. “What's going on?”

“What was always going to happen after what happened almost sixteen years ago,” Harry said flatly. “What had to happen, what everything's been leading up to. Voldemort's coming. I'm the only one who really has any chance of ending the cycle and destroying him.”

The words hung heavily in the air.

“Why you?” Draco asked, his voice thick with tears as he stared at Harry.

“Because I was the one it all started with,” Harry explained as the teacher's looked on in sympathy. “No matter who else is involved, they've always been...” Harry paused. The name Cedric Diggory hung unspoken in the silence. “Whoever else is involved, it always comes back to the same thing.”

“So what's going to happen Albus?” Sirius asked from the doorway.

“I need you and Remus to go to the giants; convince them everything's different now, I trust he's still in the country,” Dumbledore said; nodding at Sirius's affirmative grunt. “Everybody else is going to be needed to help to evacuate the school. Durmstrang have assured me they have enough room for the Gryffindors, I've found other schools for the other houses. At least the houses will stay together . Severus --“

Professor Dumbledore got no further.

“Why here?” Harry asked suddenly. “Why at Hogwarts?”

Dumbledore studied the young boy carefully for a few seconds. “Because it always has been as well, I'm afraid. We can break many rules in Wizardry, so can Voldemort, but that's an unspoken rule that can be broken but does no good. Wizardry goes in cycles until it is broken, and it can only be broken within the cycle. Voldemort tried to destroy Harry and lost his power and so needs to face Harry in a duel to regain his power completely and be the only strong force in the world. It needs to happen at Hogwarts because it is literally the centre of all Wizardry power... It rests on the ancient site where Wizardry was supposed to have been born. And so it needs to happen here.”

Everyone fell silent.

“So are you scared?” Draco asked Harry into the silence.

“No,” Harry said solemnly. Five pairs of eyebrows lifted. “I'm petrified. But I know we can beat him.”

“How do you know that?” Professor Trelawney's silvery voice was tight, strained. “If I was you I wouldn't be so sure of myself...”

Her words hung in the silence.

“I'm sure... because we have to win. We can't let him win,” Harry said firmly.

“That's the spirit,” Professor Flitwick said; clenching his fist and tapping it on the table enthusiastically. Harry was rather reminded of the mirror from when he'd stayed in London before his third year at Hogwarts.

“And on those cheerful notes, I suggest we let the boys get their sleep before we start evacuation in the morning,” Dumbledore said. “Oh, and Draco, I know what you're going to ask you're not staying here with Harry. You'll be going to Durmstrangs with the rest of your house.”

“But sir --“

“No,” Dumbledore said finally. “He has a big enough task in front of him without him having to worry about your welfare as well.”

Draco looked like he was going to protest then slumped back in his seat.

“So the Slytherins are going to Durmstrangs with the Gryffindors?” Harry asked curiously.

“No,” Dumbledore said dismissively. “Now you two, off to bed.”

“But --“ Harry protested.

“Draco's in Gryffindor now,” Professor Snape explained. “And a fine loss it is. But that's where he is now. Now you two off to bed now.”

Stunned, Draco and Harry were escorted back to the grand hall by Professor Black and Professor Trelawney.

“The Gryffindor sleeping area's over here,” Sirius said, leading the two boy's over to the corner. Against the earlier orders, the lights were still on and people were still chatting. People watched curiously as Draco joined the Gryffindor area. More mutterings spread about the hall; joining the paranoid rumours already going around. None of them compared to the truth though. As Draco lay down next to Harry in a Gryffindor sleeping bag, he looked at the raven-haired boy strangely for a moment.

“Are you all right?” Draco whispered, looking with concern at Harry's face. Harry was a lot paler than usually and that was saying something.

“No, no I'm not,” Harry said shakily.

“What's going on?” Hermione whispered eventually from Harry's other side.

“You'll find out in the morning,” Harry said finally, snuggling down in his sleeping bag. He felt Draco nervously take his hand and squeeze it. “Draco?”

He could make out the blond's head, quite closed to his own, and he tried to ignore the tingling sensation in his fingertips. “Have you sent me any letters recently?”

Draco frowned, puzzled. “No, why?”

Harry sighed. “No matter.”

Hermione opened her mouth to speak again, prompted by Ron on the other side (he'd poked the bushy-haired genius in the side with his wand) but was prevented from speaking by Professor McGonagall; her voice ringing sharply through the hall.

“What the hell are you all doing still up?”

Soon after that the hall was quiet and darkened. Too much like it's going to be tomorrow, the Transfiguration teacher reflected. Too much like it's going to be like tomorrow.

----

They were woken at about seven o' clock in the morning, and the news was delivered rather sharply. All the houses were being evacuated. Breakfast was to be given to them on the train. The Hogwarts Express was going to drop them off as several places where they would be picked up by the other schools' collection service. They weren't told exactly why they were leaving which only added fuel to the rumours zipping round the school. Every house was fully assembled and almost ready to go past the lake, when Hermione realized something.

“Ron,” she hissed, clutching her trunk on one hand and Crookshanks in her other. “Where's Harry?”

Ron blinked sleepily. “He's right...” He turned around and blinked at the space occupied by his sister. Ginny blinked innocently up at him. “I thought he was right here,” he said, hollowly.

“He's not coming,” a male voice said monotonously from behind them.

“What?” Hermione asked instinctively, swivelling on the spot to see Draco looking at them dejectedly.

“And don't even try to ask to stay with him, they won't let you,” he added.

Ron gaped silently and Hermione looked like she was going to cry.

“No,” she whispered, in denial to herself and in denial to the truth.

Draco nodded slowly, his eyes downcast and his demeanour weary and defeated.

“Then why are you here with us? This is the Gryffindor house?” Ron asked distractedly, trying to process all the information running through his head.

“I...” Draco pulled a face. “I'm not some kind of idiot, you know.” He indicated the patch on his robe, and Ron and Hermione stared at it in disbelief. “I am a Gryffindor.”

Ron raised his eyebrows. “I... see.”

“Look Weasley, I don't care what you think. The truth is Harry's staying behind to save all our sorry asses, you know that? He has to break the cycle otherwise the wizardry world would be doomed to follow in the same cycle. He's doing this for us.”

Hermione gaped. Her fingers flew to her mouth as she dropped the stunned Crookshanks on top of her trunk. “He's not going to do it alone? I knew he can sometimes be a ”

Ron stared at them bewilderedly.

“He's not going to do what alone?” Ron demanded, eyes narrowed as he stepped menacingly up to Draco. Draco stared back unflinchingly.

“He's going to face who-know-you...” Hermione said hollowly.

Ron's face went pale. “No...” he whispered. “He can't...”

“Can't do what?”

“Harry!” Hermione whispered in shock. “So you're not staying behind then?”

Harry sighed and lowered his head; staring at he ground. “I have to, Hermione.” The bushy-haired witch promptly threw her arms around his neck and began to bawl. Harry just stood there looking a little shocked. Hermione pulled back almost immediately, blushing.

“You can do it, Harry, we believe in you,” Ron said, holding out his hand. Harry took it firmly and shook it with trembling hands.

“Thanks,” he whispered. Turning around he saw Draco standing there nervously; shuffling awkwardly. Tears came to Harry's eyes and he furiously blinked them away as he realized that this was possibly the last time he'd see Draco ever again. It disturbed him how much this thought shocked and saddened him. He remembered how he's hated the misguided bully with all his might for the previous few years... and how he'd seen the boy changed over the last month or so...

“You can do it,” Draco finally whispered, mimicking Hermione and engulfing the taller boy in a hug. “You have to,” he added on as a whisper. Harry didn't know what to say; just clung on to the shorter boy for a few silent seconds.

“I... I love you, you know,” Draco whispered quietly.

Harry closed his eyes, letting out a distraught sigh. “I think... I love you too,” he admitted just as quietly. He let his eyes stay closed as he leant his cheek against Draco's hand and they stayed like that for a painful moment before Harry pulled away; his eyes filled with sadness behind the thick lenses of his glasses.

“Take care.”

Harry nodded miserably and turned back to where Professor Trelawney and Professor McGonagall were stood, and, not looking back, he followed the two Professor's back up to the school. Draco watched him go, closing his eyes briefly to ignore the pain and the running thought that he would never ever see Harry again.

That thought hurt. Too much.

“What the hell is going on?” Seamus demanded, staring at the scene in confusion.

“What do you think is happening?” Draco asked the Irish wizard vehemently, spinning on his heel. “Harry's going off to face you-know- you on his own to save us and we can't so anything! All we can do is let them take us away!”

“Oh,” Seamus said mildly. “Not that. I was just wondering what the hell you were doing in our house?”

Draco rolled his eyes and muttered something which only Ron heard. Said Weasley flushed red to the base of his roots. Hermione decided not to ask what Draco had said.

-----

“Are they gone now?”

Harry's voice sounded hollow in the empty hallway.

Professor McGonagall nodded. “Yes. Professor Black has also departed on his envoy to the giants. He said to say 'remember to mix your drinks'. I have no idea what that means but I am pretty much assured you will not be drinking anything alcoholic for the next few days.”

Harry grinned ruefully. “He doesn't mean that, Professor, it's his way of telling me to take care.”

“Ah,” Professor Trelawney said; smiling sadly at Harry. “The whole -- let's do the opposite of your elders and betters -- strategy.”

“Something like that.” Harry inclined his head

“Harry,” Professor McGonagall stopped to look at him softly. Harry's face was masked in shadows and his expression unreadable. She barely recognised the confident teenager standing there. Harry unknowingly emitted a sense of danger, shadows, of indefinable power. She shivered, and continued. “There's a reason it has to be you, and not someone stronger, although Hecate knows you're more than strong enough. That's the whole point. You can't just defeat you-know-who.”

Harry blinked. “I think I get it,” he said dubiously.

“I hope so, “ Professor McGonagall said gently.

Then a sudden, horrifying thought struck him.

“It's happened before, this kind of cycle, hasn't it?”

Professor McGonagall nodded. “Far too many times. All on smaller scales than this one. Less power was involved the previous times.”

“The Bloody Baron and Peeves,” Harry whispered, inspiration striking him. “The Bloody Baron defeated Peeves, didn't he? He was the... the dark side if it can be labelled that and Peeves was the light side.”

“Yes,” Professor Trelawney said nodding. “I was here when that happened. A fifth year like you, Harry. Fortunately Peeves managed to injure the Bloody Baron enough so that he died, but... Unfortunately the Bloody Baron managed to drive Peeves insane before he died. Shame really.”

“But that's not the only time it happened, is it?” Harry asked as they began resuming walking along the hallways to Professor Dumbledore's office.

“I can see why you're the one this time,” Professor McGonagall said sadly. “Very perceptive, aren't you?”

Harry blinked and blushed at the compliment. “The last time the light side destroyed the dark side didn't they?” Harry guessed.

Professor McGonagall nodded.

“Yes,” she said briefly.

“Professor Dumbledore and Grindelwald,” Harry added.

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows. “Very clever, Mr. Potter. Yes. Yes it was. Do you know what you have to do now then?”

Harry nodded. “I don't necessarily have to defeat him. Of course that would be impossible... He's much stronger than me and not afraid to play dirty or use emotional tactics against me... I have to...” Harry looked up and the dangerous glance that was trained in the distance made both Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawney shiver again. “I have to make him surrender.”

-----