An Experiment Gone Wrong

~~~~~~~~An Experiment Gone Wrong~~~~~~~

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"I hope he's never coming back," Ron Weasley said while helping himself to a generous helping of pancakes and toast.

"Didn't you listen to anything Dumbledore said Ron? He said he would be back," Hermione Granger said in a huff, taking a small helping of eggs and bacon.

"It's been 2 weeks since term restarted 'Mione. If he was coming back don't you think he would have by now? I mean face it, Snape's never taken even one day off in 5 years, why now?" Ron said in-between bites of his food.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't Ron, but it's not our business. Right Harry?" she said turning to her other best friend. "Harry? Oi...Harry! Are you paying attention?" she said worriedly and poked him in the side.

Harry looked up startled and turned to her. "Hmm? Were you talking to me? Sorry...guess...I didn't hear you," he said quietly.

"Harry what's is going on with you lately? Did something happen over Yule hols that you're not telling us? Ever since we got back you've been so..." she said hesitantly.

"So what Hermione?" Harry said looking at her sharply.

Hermione sighed. "So...distracted...Harry. Like you're here...but not really here..you know? We're worried bout you Harry, that's all."

Harry looked at her and Ron a moment then turned his gaze downwards again to his plate and sighed. "Sorry guys. It's nothing...really. I guess I have a lot on my mind is all."

"Well, I suppose that's understandable with Sirius being gone like that. He didn't say anything in his last post as to where he was?" Ron said understandingly.

Harry shook his head and sighed again. "Nothing. Just said something came up and he and Remus got delayed and they'd be back soon as they could. I'm just worried that's all. I just get the feeling there's something he isn't telling me," Harry said worriedly.

"I'm sure everything's alright Harry, if it wasn't Dumbledore would have told you something by now wouldn't he?" Hermione said giving him one of her placating pats on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Harry said quietly, glancing round the Great Hall and noticing something a bit odd. "Listen I'm not really hungry right now, I'll catch up with you guys later alright?" he said getting up from the table.

"Just be careful Harry, you never know who's out there these days," Ron said giving his friend a strange look.

"He's right Harry. I have a bad feeling Malfoy's been up to something lately. He's been...well if you ask me...too quiet. He hasn't pulled one prank or said hardly two words to us since we got back. Frankly it's unnerving," Hermione said thoughtfully.

Harry shrugged and looked unconcerned. "Maybe he's finally got a life 'Mione. Either that or he's fallen in love and too distracted to remember we exist..." he said in an unemotional tone of voice

Ron choked on his pumpkin juice he'd been drinking when he heard that. "Yeah right! And I'm going to be the next Head Boy!" he said with a grimace. "Face it Harry, the day Malfoy actually falls in love is the day I'll ask 'Mione to marry me!" Ron said then quickly turned away, a blush on his face. "Err...that is...I mean...." he said with a slight cough.

Hermione and Harry turned and stared at Ron both with different expressions. Harry's face had this bemused expression on it suddenly as if he knew something the other two didn't, and Hermione's expression was one of complete bewilderment.

"Ron?" Hermione said in a small voice. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing...honestly I didn't say anything!" Ron said trying to avoid the issue.

"Don't play games with me Ronald Weasley! You did too say something....at least I thought you did...didn't he Harry?" she said questioningly though she still kept her gaze on Ron's face.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "I think Malfoy's not the only one who needs to get a 'life' apparently. When you two finally wake up let me know. I'm going for a walk," he said with a grin and promptly left the Great Hall, leaving behind to very surprised people.

Truth was Harry knew all too well Ron's feelings for Hermione the past 2 years. What had started out as simple jealousy during the 4th year Yule Ball had turned into a lot more since. Ron had never said anything outright to Hermione, but Harry knew that in his sleep he would mutter her name and hug his pillow madly. If that wasn't the start of love he didn't know what else it could be.

The problem was that both Ron and Hermione was too stubborn to admit anything was going on between them. Hermione was the cleverest witch of the times probably, but totally dense when it came to Ron. And Ron was no less dense when it came to her. Harry knew his two best friends better than he knew himself probably, and he knew if any two people belonged together it was them. If only they would just wake up and realize it.

The ironic thing was Ron didn't know how close to the truth he really was by his statement. If Ron did know the truth...Harry thought with a chuckle just how mortified Ron would have been. *Guess he will find out soon enough I suppose...and boy are they both in for a shock!* Harry's thoughts mused quietly and he walked off with a whistle.

Harry was just rounding the broomstick shed on his way towards the lake when suddenly out of nowhere a pair of arms grabbed him by the waist and pulled him into the shed. The door closed behind him and he felt himself pinned to the back of the door, completely at the mercy of his unseen assailant.

Even though it was too dark to see inside the windowless shed he grinned. "Geez don't do that! Practically gave me a heart attack!"

"Mmm...really? And here I thought you liked the unexpected...." a voice at his ear said in a semi mocking tone.

"Oh I do....when it involves you....I especially do...." Harry said with a smirk and pulled the unknown person into his arms with a content sigh. "I miss you...." he said softly.

The person in his arms sighed and snuggled against Harry's shoulder. "I miss you too. Why did the blasted Yule hols have to end?" the person said almost angrily.

Harry chuckled and shook his head holding the unknown person tighter. "Just to annoy us I think. But it is making it harder on us to be with each other I admit...." he said with a pout.

"Honestly Harry...I don't know how much longer I can do this. People are starting to notice something is different...and it's killing me to keep pretending to feel what I don't," the other person said with a mutter.

Harry groaned and nodded. "I know, believe me I know," he said dejectedly. "Can I put up a light, I hate this darkness it's stifling," he said now.

"Sure, forgot about you and the dark thing," the other person said with a chuckle.

"Hey I resent that! You'd have good reason to hate the dark too if you'd spent half your life in a cupboard you know," Harry said with a grimace and holding his hand out concentrated a moment. With a few seconds a small glowing orb appeared over his hand throwing the shed into a soft illumination, and with a flick of his hand the orb floated up over his head floating there in midair.

"You're right Harry, I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that must have been like for you all those years. However....I am still amazed how you can do that. Does anyone else know bout this?" the other person said mildly awed at the orb above them.

Harry shook his head and grinned. "Nope. Only you, Dumbledore, Sirius and Remus do. I get this really odd feeling there's something they're not telling me though about why I can do this. Something really big that I should know too..." he said thoughtfully and gazed for a moment round the shed, before settling his eyes onto the person in his arms.

"Oh come on Harry, if there was something that big don't you think they would have told you by now? What makes you think they aren't being honest?" the person said.

Harry shrugged. "Call it a hunch. It's not that they're not being honest...it's just that they're not telling me the whole truth either. You know I always seem to know bout these type of things....after all....I picked up what you were feeling right away didn't I?" he said with a grin.

Grey eyes met green eyes as the person gazed up into Harry's face, a soft yet very revealing look in his eyes. "And it still makes me wonder why Harry. You had no reason to believe me....I had no reason to believe what I was feeling was real...but it was....wasn't it. It's like I woke up one day and boom...I felt something I never did before....and I liked it. You just made those feelings better that's all..." he said sighing happily while putting his head down on Harry's chest.

"Mmm...it's funny. A bit ago I was thinking about Ron and Hermione's love for each other and how blind they are to it...that they were too stubborn to woo peaceably. Yet I can honestly say the same about us too..." Harry said thoughtfully.

The other person looked back up at Harry and grinned, shaking his head a little. "No Harry, I wouldn't say that. We may have been stubborn at first...but we weren't blind. Unlike those two...we went for what we wanted even though we didn't know why. And personally...I'm very glad we did...." the person said in husky voice.

Harry gazed down into those grey eyes of his lover's, surprised at how such warmth and emotion could radiate from them now. They used to hold nothing but harsh contempt, hatred and jealousy, but not now. Now those grey eyes swirled with strange new emotions, ones that were for him and him alone. Harry leaned down and put his lips close to his lovers and brushed them gently, whispering "So am I Draco....so am I...."

Harry was whistling a happy tune as he climbed into the Gryffindor common room over an hour later. The first thing that hit his ears however was simply...silence. A pin could have dropped and been heard, which for the common room was highly unusual on a Saturday morning. Glancing round the room quickly he saw there were people there, but they were all focused on one thing...that being the two people standing in front of the fireplace glaring at each other.

"What's going here? Hermione? Ron? What's wrong?" Harry said chagrined at seeing his two best friends looking so downright hateful towards each other.

"Ask him! He started this!" Hermione said in a huff, turning away from Harry and Ron and folding her arms.

"I did not! You're the one that has to pick apart everything everyone says!" Ron said equally huffy.

Harry groaned. "What do you mean Ron? What did you say now?"

"Oh right, like it's always my fault isn't it Harry. I can't say anything without sticking me foot into it, is that what your saying?" Ron said glaring at Harry as well now.

"Oi Ron, that's not true. You do have admit though that you do jump to err...well...conclusions sometimes...." Harry said hesitantly.

Hermione turned back and snorted. "You can say that again! He always talks before he thinks. He says the stupidest things!" she said angrily.

"That's not true, I am not stupid! And I do think before I speak...when it's something important!" Ron said shouting back.

Hermione looked at Ron with pure malice now. "Oh, so I suppose what you said before wasn't important then?"

"No...I mean yes...it wasn't...." Ron said though he avoided looking into Hermione's eyes turning instead to the fire.

Harry turned to the other Gryffindor's in the room for a second noticing they were all first years anyway and gave them a signal to find anything else to do but be here in the commons. With a nod the few where were there scrambled out the portrait hole leaving the three of them alone. Turning back to his two best friends he said, "Alright you two, what's this really about?"

"You know it's really your fault Harry. If you hadn't said what you did, he wouldn't have said...said...that..." Hermione said glaring at Harry now.

Harry was wracking his brain trying to figure out exactly what 'that' was for a moment. Then it hit him. It was what he had said in the Great Hall at breakfast that was the cause of all of this. And frankly Harry had had enough of it. He was still in too good a mood after little snogging session with Draco in the shed to take anymore, and it was time to put an end to it once at for all.

"Alright you two listen up. Enough's enough. Hermione, Ron...obviously what I said stirred up something neither of you are willing to admit, so now I'm just going to have to step in," Harry said firmly.

"Now what the bloody hell do you mean by that Harry?" Ron asked puzzled.

"Just wait here, I'll be right back. And I mean that, don't you dare move. Thankfully it's a Hogsmeade weekend and most everyone's already gone out," Harry said and headed up to his room quickly. Moments later Ron and Hermione saw the portrait open by itself, and had a good feeling that it was Harry who'd just gone out, though now they were more curious as to what he was doing rather then arguing with each other.

Moments later Harry arrived at a portrait of Salazar Slytherin and whispered the password, "Ambitio" and the portrait opened. Luckily no one was in the common room not that Harry would have cared anyway and he quickly went down the left staircase to a place he knew well. He stopped at the very bottom room, grateful that the Slytherins in 6th and 7th years had their own dormitories and walked into an elaborately decorated room.

The object of his search was thankfully there, sitting on the bed with a drawing tablet in one hand and a black chalk pencil in the other. He was looking pensive, so Harry silently crept round the side of the bed to see what he was drawing, and drew his breath in at what he saw on the tablet. "Oh Dray....it's lovely!" he said without thinking, causing Draco to nearly jump up off the bed 10 feet.

"Christ Harry! Don't do that!" he said grumbling as he saw a grinning Harry come out from underneath the invisibility cloak.

"Payback for earlier..." Harry said with a grin and leaned in to give Draco a kiss. "Really though, I love it."

Draco looked at the drawing critically, like most artists do. "I don't know, I think it still needs a lot of work...." he said after a moment.

It was a drawing of Harry sitting at the windowsill gazing out of Draco's dorm window while looking up at the stars, his arms round Draco who was sitting next to him. They had done a lot of 'stargazing' over the holidays when they had been much freer to be together, something Draco truly missed now. He'd been trying to perfect the drawing for days with the shading of how the moonlight would make Harry's green eyes dance like liquid emeralds, but for some reason he just couldn't seem to get it how he wanted it.

"I know you'll do a spot on job Dray, I love all your drawings," Harry said sitting down on the bed, wrapping his arms round his lover. "But for now I need you for something..." he said kissing the back of Draco's neck.

"Haaarry! What...you mean right now? And you call me the impatient one!" Draco said with a mocking laugh while swatting Harry's wandering hand away.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Not for that you git, though Merlin knows if we had the time...." he said standing up now and turning to face Draco. "Nope, I need to you come with me to the Gryffindor commons."

Draco raised an eyebrow at Harry wondering what he was up to. "Why? What's up?" he asked.

Harry sighed. "It's Ron and Hermione. They're fighting over something I said this morning at breakfast, and frankly...I'm sick of it. It's time to get them to finally 'wake up' Dray...and I need you to help me do that."

"Oh no! What exactly did you say to them Harry?" Draco said with a groan.

Harry went on to explain what had transpired at the breakfast table and what his plans were now. Draco listened attentively, a small grin on his face. "So you see, it's time Ron ate his words..." Harry said grinning.

Draco laughed and shook his head. "Are you sure you're a Gryffindor Harry? You're too cunning to be one you know..." he said chuckling. "However I think it's perfect...but are you sure you want to do this? I thought we agreed not to tell anyone bout us till we were ready."

Harry grimaced but nodded his head. "If you want the truth...I think it will be a relief. I know it's only been 4 months since we...well...since we 'woke up' as it were and found each other, but honestly I'm tired of all the games now. I want to be with you Dray, not just 'here' whenever it's convenient or we find a few snatches of time."

Draco sighed and got off the bed pulling Harry into his arms and rest his head against Harry's chest. "I know Harry...I want that too. It's just that...it's not that simple. If we go open bout us, can you imagine what's going to happen? Forget the fact that you're a Gryffindor and I'm a Slytherin...it's that it's 'Potter and Malfoy' that are together..." he said bitterly.

"I know, the whole school would probably go into shock...either that or kill us while we sleep..." Harry said muttering. "Alright, so maybe we shouldn't exactly 'come out' yet to everyone else...but...I think it's time Hermione and Ron knew. Ron's my dormmate Dray, and he knows I've been 'disappearing' during the weekend nights. He's already cornered me asking who the 'girl' is that I'm seeing," Harry said with a groan.

Draco laughed. "He is in for a shock then isn't he.."

Harry chuckled. "Well it's not exactly as if the subject of me being gay came up Dray. I tried to talk it over with Remus once last year but he wasn't really err...helpful in finding out anything. I thought I was sure Remus is bout as straight as a man can get...though instinct says something way different. Not that I think he would tell me either way," Harry said with a grimace.

"Well if you ask me, I think you're doing a pretty good job at 'finding out' what it means Potter," he said coyly.

Harry laughed. "Like you...I've had some great inspiration Malfoy..." he said and pulled Draco into a passionate snog.

A few moments later with flushed cheeks they broke apart, Draco remembering they had a task yet before them. "Well come on, by the time we get back Weasley and Granger probably will have killed each other anyway. Then we won't have to worry bout them," he said breathlessly.

Harry groaned while catching his breath. "You're probably right at that. Come on, let's go. Remember now, wait for the signal," he said and slipped back underneath the invisibility cloak.

"Yeah yeah I remember. We'll switch just before we get the the Gryffindor portrait then," Draco said putting away his art supplies into a special trunk he asked his mother for during the holidays. It was designed so that only he could open it with a special password.

Fact was it had actually been easy for him not to go home this year. His father he knew was disappointed in him and for good reason. Sometime right after Draco's 16th birthday, Draco seemed to find himself finally able to stand up to his father and his horrible ways. Draco in no uncertain terms told his father that he had no intention of becoming a death eater, not that that had gone over very well.

His father had ranted, raged and nearly tried to kill Draco during the next day or two of the summer hols until finally Draco had had enough and simply left home. He had snuck out in the middle of the night with all his belongings shrunk down, and taking his broom headed off to wherever he could go that was as far away from Malfoy Manor as he could get.

Thankfully he knew the way to Diagon Alley, so he went there, took enough galleons out of his vault as he could carry, and got a room at the Leaky Cauldron for the rest of the night. He was a bit afraid of what would happen next, but he didn't lose his head bout the situation and panic. Quite the opposite actually...so he owled the only person he thought could help him. Albus Dumbledore.

Thankfully Dumbledore wasn't angry with him, and it seemed actually as if he'd almost expected this of Draco. He arrived at the Leaky Cauldron himself to Draco's surprise, and took Draco to a place where he could spend the rest of the summer. It was a small house on the edge of Loch Ness, and the man he'd stayed with was an old friend apparently of Dumbledore's.

He had spent the next month before school going through a range of different and new emotions and feelings he didn't understand. He still was surprised at how he had stood up to his father like he had, till then he'd never had the guts to do anything like that. It was like suddenly he was infused with new courage and strength he never had before, and he had found he rather enjoyed it.

He felt a freedom that took his breath away, and during that one month of summer before school started, found that he was human after all. And that he was not a Malfoy any longer. He could laugh, he could feel happiness, and above all...he could feel love...real honest to Merlin love. And when he realized that, his nightly dreams began to turn a strange way, and towards a strange person he never would have expected.

The last two weeks before term started his dreams turned into waking reality. While walking out near the loch, or just sitting reading a book, or wherever he was...he found that a certain pair of glittering emerald eyes came back to haunt him. The eyes of his enemy for 5 years, and suddenly he realized that he no longer wanted the owner of those eyes as his enemy.

Of all the things that took place that one month, that realization hit Draco the hardest. It had hit him harder then a bludger and just as fiercely as a tornado. He was in love with his enemy. Harry James Potter. And frankly he didn't know what to do. When the term started he tried to be his usual hating self towards Harry and his friends, but that didn't work for long.

As Harry had said he had an 'instinct' for people, and Draco's obvious attempts at trying to 'hate' him backfired. Harry saw right through it. Cornering Draco in an old classroom one afternoon after potions class Harry made Draco tell him everything, and Draco received the shock of his life. Turned out that Harry had actually been watching him since middle of 5th year, but had been too afraid to dare act on it.

Now that everything was on the table so to speak, and Harry realized just how much Draco had 'grown up' or just changed simply, he was free to tell Draco how he felt, and Draco was suddenly the happiest boy in the world. And for the past 4 months since term started, everything had been going just perfectly. During the day they agreed to keep 'hating' each other, and nights were spent in an old abandoned classroom in the astronomy tower where they would talk...and most times...snog until nearly dawn.

That was until Yule hols however. Draco wasn't going home now, he knew that, so he had stayed, and of course Harry had no choice but to stay. Thankfully only a few others had stayed and no other Slytherin's. Which meant that Draco and Harry moved from their late night classroom, to a more 'suitable' room...Draco's own dormroom. So far they were really not past the snogging stage, and talked more then anything else, but for both of them it was enough at the moment. Draco loved their late night chats on the weekends when they would sit side by side at the windowsill or just sometimes not even talking at all, just holding each other and gazing at the moon and stars.

Even though the holidays were over they hadn't stopped using Draco's room for their midnight meetings. Harry caved in and told Draco bout the cloak he had, so it became all too easy to slip into the Slytherin commons and down to Draco's private room during the nights. Draco would make it even easier most times by waiting for Harry in the commons and going over to 'open' the portrait himself in the rare times another Slytherin was still awake.

Not that they would have dared say anything to Draco, no one thankfully had known yet that Draco had cut himself off from his family. Well, his father anyway, he still owled his mother. He had felt guilty leaving her behind, but it was for the best as she herself had said in one of her owls. She loved him, he knew that, but she was too beaten down now by years of Lucius Malfoy's 'rules' to have much power in the household. Though she had managed to convince Lucius to allow Draco to return if he wanted to, he had owled back his thanks, but that he wasn't ready to which she replied she would miss him.

A tug on his robe alerted him that Harry was trying to get his attention now so he stopped and whispered, "What is it?"

"We're at the hallway Dray, where's your thoughts at?" Harry said now slipping from underneath the cloak.

"Oh...sorry wasn't watching. I guess was thinking bout the summer is all. About my mother and father..." he said softly.

Harry nodded in understanding and pulled Draco into his arms for a moment giving him a tight hug. "Don't worry Dray, it'll work out in the end. The muggles have a saying that I think it pretty appropriate for this...'time heals most wounds'..."

Draco gave Harry a grateful smile before sighing deeply. "Maybe so...but this is one hell of a big wound to heal Harry...if it ever does at all."

"Even if it doesn't Draco, I'll still love you you silly git," he said with a special smile he reserved only for Draco. "Now come on, this is one wound I'm going to heal between Ron and Hermione before I end up with two friends who don't want to speak to each other again."

"And that would be a bad thing?" Draco said teasingly.

Harry chuckled. "Very. The last time they didn't speak to each other I almost went nutters. Now you know what to do right?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah I know, wait for the signal before giving them both a heart attack right?" he said grinning.

Harry groaned. "Well I'm going to assume this isn't going to be 'easy'..but hopefully it'll work out. Hermione I think might understand but Ron..."

"I'm warning you now Harry, if Weasley tries anything against me..." Draco said muttering.

"Don't worry, if he does he'll have to go through me first Dray. I know how to handle Ron...I hope anyway..." Harry said with a frown.

"They're your friends Harry, not mine. But after 5 years I think you should know them pretty well. I just hope this works, for your sake," Draco said.

Harry nodded. "Agreed. If I go one more day with them like this, hell I'll go become a Slytherin!" he said with a grin.

Draco laughed. "That's bout as unlikely as me becoming a Gryffindor anytime soon Harry Potter. Though lately....that might not be such a bad idea..." he said.

"Heh you never know Draco, you never know! Now come on, let's get this over with shall we? Then we can go back to your room and..." Harry said leaving it off there and winked at Draco.

Draco laughed. "Do our potions homework is that what you mean?" he said coyly.

Harry laughed back. "Exactly, potions homework!" he said and with that handed the cloak to Draco who slipped under it and together they headed towards the common room, both hoping that their plan would work.

Neither of them even noticed that a shadow had been in the hallway that had no particular 'form' to attach itself to. Not anything that was visible anyway, not that this 'shadow' needed it. The blue eyed man casting the 'shadow' watched as the two young boys headed off, his eyes twinkling in the candlelight. With a nod of his head he knew that yet again fate was playing it's hand, and that in the end...as Harry himself had said...that indeed time would heal most of the wounds that had been made.

Not just for the two boys, but for two other people who were also currently finding out just how well time had mended their own old wounds. Even if it meant that a class had to be cancelled for the time being, it had proven to be worth it. And with that as his last thought the blue eyed man went off humming, and thinking that yet again this Yule he didn't get what he really wanted....a nice warm pair of socks.

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