The Dragon Games

After Draco stormed out of the library, he left the castle.

"I can't be joking around with Potter!" he muttered to himself. "He's a git, a self-absorbed big headed hero figure."

The former Slytherin sighed; it would have been easier to deal with Potter if he didn't have a plan to follow through with.

"And thanks to dad," he said aloud, "he's not going to trust me as much." He groaned again.

His father had been back from Azkaban for little over two weeks, and today was the day that Lucius' face would be in the paper. Everyone was going to know he had escaped.

He was expecting a letter any day now from the man, and he was dreading the contents. What would his father ask him to do?

Draco kicked a stone and it skipped across the grass. He didn't want his father to be back. Life was so much easier without him. He didn't have to worry about watching his step or behaving the way he was "supposed" to.

What would Harry do when he found out? Everyone always felt the same thing; that he was his father - but after all, that wasn't true. Not in Draco's head, anyway. Would Harry quit on him? Would he hate him again?

What am I going to do? He can't quit on me, it's the only way to survive in this...

He walked to the Quidditch pitch, which was usually a place that gave him peace. He heard footsteps coming nearer, and found Harry heading in the same direction.

---

"Bugger, Malfoy! What are you doing out here?" Harry asked, startled. He hadn't been expecting anyone else to be out; rarely did he find someone at the pitch at night.

"Existing Potter. Yourself?" came Malfoy's drawled response.

Harry shrugged. "I guess the same."

The blonde raised an eye, as if in a gesture of mocking him. "You guess?"

"Go away!" Harry said shortly. He was too upset about Lucius to be able to talk to Draco.

"Right...You want to talk about it?"

Harry glanced at Draco. He looked sincere again, like he had been in the library.

Wasn't he just fleeing from me earlier because he was being sincere?

"What are you on about?" Harry asked, watching him closely as if to gauge his reaction.

"Never mind, forget I asked," Draco said, starting to walk away.

"Wait! Sorry, it's just, you actually seemed sincere."

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, because Draco instantly flared up, looking pissed.

"Well, imagine that, Potter! Draco Malfoy can actually be human."

"You've never acted like it before," Harry stated, folding his arms across his chest. He watched Draco keep perfectly still as if unaffected by this thought.

"We've never been told to trust each other before either, but here we are."

"Point," Harry said, lightening up a bit, and wondering what had changed this boy's mind from earlier.

"So go ahead, poor your heart out," Draco said with a bit of a sneer, causing Harry to roll his eyes.

"Oddly enough, Malfoy, putting it like that doesn't really make me want to open up."

There was an odd sort of silence, and Harry saw that the boy was fighting some sort of internal battle. Then, Draco said something so softly that he almost didn't catch it.

"Sorry."

Did I just hear that right?

"You're sorry? Wait, did you just say-"

"Oh forget it!" Draco immediately cut in. "Jeez, you prat..." he trailed off, mumbling under his breath. "I hate you."

"Yeah, well, lucky me," Harry responded dully, making Draco's hatred falter.

"So you really don't hate me?"

"What, are we playing six questions?"

"Guess not."

Harry sighed. "No, I really don't hate you."

"Good."

"Good."

"Yeah." Draco shrugged, not being able to find anything else to say. He folded his hands behind his head, taking on the cocky attitude that he was renowned for. "No one can really hate me."

"You're strange," Harry remarked at the boys behavior.

"Not strange," Draco denied. "I'm a Malfoy, no one hates us... or at least, not to our faces."

"Ron does," Harry stated.

"Weasel doesn't count," Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Why's that exactly?"

Draco looked over Harry's shoulder for a moment before answering, "You don't want to hear why."

"You're an ass, Malfoy," Harry said, aggravated. Just when Draco was starting to act human, he became a jerk again.

"I didn't say anything!" Draco insisted innocently.

"It was clear what you meant."

"Yeah, well, my hate is mutual for him. You should've figured that out by now."

"Yeah, I guess," Harry sighed. "And you really hate Hermione as well?"

"Granger is a-" Draco stopped himself. "Well, Muggle aside, she's still a nosey, brainy little twit."

"Hmm," Harry said, thinking.

"Why do you want to know what I think of Granger?"

"I don't know." Harry shrugged. He really didn't.

"Okay... What do you think of Crabbe and Goyle?" Draco asked, as if trying to even the playing field.

"They're, er... a bit stupid, and all muscle and no brains," Harry said truthfully.

Draco thought for a moment. "You've got a point," he said, matter-of-factly.

"What about Pansy?" Harry asked suddenly. He was always curious to find out what Draco and she were to each other.

"What about her?"

"What's with you and her?"

Draco grinned. "She thinks I'm hott, but who can blame her?" he answered haughtily. Then, becoming serious, he continued, "Actually, she's pretty obsessive. It's rather disgusting."

"Really?" Harry asked, intrigued. "Who do you like, Malfoy?"

"None of your business," Draco answered tersely, appalled at the question.

"If you don't answer now, I'll just ask during the game," Harry said smugly.

"You're a twit!"

"Well...?"

"Um... I guess no one, really. All the girls in Slytherin are a bunch of snobbish bitches."

"Anyone out of Slytherin?"

"Nope," Draco said simply. "Now, how about you, Potter? Who's the famous Boy Wonder got the hots for?"

"I can't be with them, so it doesn't matter," Harry said, thinking of Ginny.

"The Weaselette?"

"Mmhmm."

"She's definitely got a thing for you," Draco commented.

"Yeah, I guess she did." Harry sighed. "But I broke it off."

Draco looked at him in surprise. "Why would you do a stupid thing like that, Potter? I mean, you got this girl drooling over you... What the hell would cause you to break it off?"

"I don't want her to get hurt."

"Ah, so it's a noble thing," Draco sneered. "Typical of the tragic hero to break off the only happiness he's ever known."

"How would you know it's the only happiness?"

"Look at your life, Potter!" he said, giving him a 'get real' look. "It's awful. And I should know; my life is hell."

"You bring that on yourself, Malfoy," Harry said, annoyed.

"So your life isn't hell?" Draco asked, ignoring him.

"It has its moment's."

"Well sure, you get the friends, the girl if you wanted her, the fame, the fortune, the attention," he listed, sounding almost envious. "But you also have the responsibility."

Harry was intrigued; it was almost as if he understood his dilemma.

"The spot light's on you, and every wrong move you make the whole world knows. That's a big burden."

Harry nodded his agreement. "What's your point?"

"No point," Draco shrugged, then looked surprised. "Wow, I really don't have a point."

"Whatever, Malfoy," he dismissed. "Go away, alright? I want to be alone."

"Well, I got here first!" Draco argued. "You go."

Harry snapped. Was it so much for him to ask to get a moment's peace?

"Fine! Go plot evil plans with your fucking father! I'm going to figure out whatever you're planning, Malfoy!"

Draco stared at him, quite bemused. He clearly had never seen Harry freak out much.

"Stop grinning at me!"

The former Slytherin didn't know what to say; Harry was confusing him with his anger.

"Just leave me alone! I'm fed up with you, and with people always telling me what to do but expecting me to have the answers! I don't have the answers, all right!? I don't know how to help you out in this stupid game! And if you're not going to cooperate with me when we're studying, then you can look up the goddamn person by yourself! I don't need your crap, and I'm certainly not going to let you twirl me around like your little puppet!"

Harry started to storm off, but Draco's voice stopped him.

"Shit, Potter! Get a hold of yourself! You can't fall to pieces!" he said, looking alarmed as Harry sat on the ground.

"I can do whatever I please!" Harry spat.

"Get up!" Draco ordered. "Come on, Potter! You're the Boy-Who-Lived; you can bloody well handle this! Get up!"

"What do you care what I do? Why do you need me of all people for this game?"

"Because you want the same thing I want!"

"I can't think of a single thing that we'd both want."

"That's because you're not using your head!" Draco said. "Now get up! You look like you're going to cry, and I won't be here for that."

"Then go!" Harry said, not moving.

"Just meet me tomorrow, Potter," Draco said, his voice sounding further away. Harry realized he was leaving. "We have to start the next level."

He didn't answer, and he didn't move till he heard Draco's footsteps fade away.

Harry hadn't meant to have a melt down in front of him, but he didn't understand why it freaked the boy out so much.

---

Draco quickly left the Quidditch pitch with one question on his mind: What in the world got into Potter?

He wasn't used to people falling apart; the majority of the Slytherins never showed much emotion, and the ones who did were shunned.

What was even weirder was that he was actually worried about Harry. Something was clearly getting to him, and he couldn't help but think it had something to do with the upcoming war.

Pushing his thoughts aside as he entered the Great Hall, he heard a girls whining voice.

"Draco, darling! There you are!" Pansy gushed and rushed towards him.

"Go away-ouf!" Draco grunted, for Pansy had run into his arms and was attempting to crush him in a hug. "What the hell?" he asked, peeling her off of him.

"I've missed you! You've been avoiding me all week!" the smiling, stubborn girl whined.

Draco stared at her for a moment. The Slytherins may be good actors, but he knew Pansy well enough to know that smile wasn't real.

"So?" he shrugged.

"You've really been avoiding me?" Pansy asked, wrapping herself around his arm.

"Yes," Draco answered simply. "Go figure, Pansy."

Pansy pouted, her lip jutting out and her eyes getting wide in what he assumed were fake tears.

"Why?"

"Because you're annoying."

He really wasn't up for pretending he actually liked her, the way his father would have wanted him to act. to be all googly-eyed about her. Plus, it was obvious that she was up to something.

"You're mean!" she sulked, letting him go. "Don't you want to hear about our plans for that brainy Mudblood?"

She was watching him closely, and Draco realized she was trying to see what his reaction would be.

"Nope. Do what you'd like," he responded.

"What's gotten into you, Draco Malfoy?" Pansy asked, placing her hands on her hips. "And what were you doing with Potter?"

"What?" Draco questioned, surprised. "You were spying on me?"

"Of course I was!" she hissed. "You're up to something, and I want to know what it is." Her voice dropped down to a near whisper before saying, "And I know you didn't kill Dumbledore."

"Is that what you think?" he asked, keeping his face as emotionless as possible. "Well, you can believe whatever you want. But the Dark Lord believes me, so it doesn't matter what you think." With that, he pushed passed her.

"I'm watching you, Draco," Pansy called after him.

"How could you help it?" he responded, not turning around.

Arriving in his dormitory, Draco found Keifer and Dean with their bed curtains already closed. Harry's bed was empty.

---

Pansy balled her hands into fists as Draco took off.

"Blaise, Millicent?" Pansy called. "Did you catch all that?"

"Most of it," Millicent said, coming from behind a wall.

"Everything but what you whispered to him," Blaise added suspiciously.

"It wasn't anything important," Pansy said dismissively. "But didn't he seem to be acting funny?"

"No more then usual," Millicent replied with a shrug.

Pansy groaned.

"Well, are we going to do that spell on Granger tonight or what?" Blaise asked.

"Yes, we are. Come on, then," Pansy said.

The three headed up to their common room, and to their disappointment, found Hermione and Parvati gossiping on the couch.

Oh no! Hermione thought when she looked up and saw them.

"Girls?" Pansy asked in a falsely sweet voice. "We need the common room for a while, could you leave?"

"No," Hermione answered shortly.

Pansy's face faltered for a moment before recomposing herself.

"Get out or I'll curse you both," she threatened, starting to reach for her wand but finding Hermione already had hers out and pointing straight at her.

"Parvati and I were speaking, and I don't want you three doing rubbish spells on me in my own common room!" Hermione said, trying to keep confident.

"You're talking big, Granger," Blaise growled. "We can fix that."

"Why don't you leave us be?" Parvati asked, taking out her own wand.

"Patil, Granger, you're really making this harder than it has to be," Pansy muttered.

"You're not going to get away with this!" Hermione hissed at her. "I'm not stupid, you know! Pulling my hair out! What are you making Polyjuice for?"

"Polyjuice?" Millicent asked, making it rather obvious that it wasn't what they were making.

Shooting her a warning look, Pansy spoke to Hermione. "You'll just have to find out for yourself."

Hermione studied the three of them before saying, "Come on Parvati, let's go up to bed."

"You sure, Hermione? We don't have to put up with these jerks," Parvati said, keeping her wand out.

Hermione sighed, glaring at them. "I know, but I have a big day tomorrow. Come on."

As they left to their dormitory, both Hermione and Parvati shot the three the dirtiest looks they could muster.

"Polyjuice?" Pansy said aloud. "Why would we be making Polyjuice?"

"It doesn't matter," Blaise grumbled. "We're not, so let's just do the spell."

"She's onto us, you know!" Millicent warned. "She's a brainy one, everyone knows it. She's going to figure this out quickly."

"Which is why we'll get this done quickly," Pansy said with a roll of her eyes.

---

While Parvati was getting ready to sleep, Hermione was pulling out a few books.

"No, that's not it, no, no," Hermione muttered under her breath, reading the titles. "Parvati, have you seen that big green book I had in here this morning?"

"Yeah, I think you left it by my bed," Parvati called from the bathroom.

Hermione checked and sure enough, it was set beside her bed. She picked it up and began to run through it, and when she finally landed on the page that she was looking for, she smiled.

"Parvati, are you up to doing a spell with me?"

Parvati opened the bathroom door and looked at Hermione. "What sort of spell?"

---

Sunday morning, Harry awoke to Draco standing over him, his impassive face shadowing the light from the window.

"Potter! It's already ten! Are you going to be sleeping all day?"

Harry groaned and reached for his glasses. "What's going on?"

"Get dressed! We have a game to play!"

"Ugh," Harry said sleepily as he picked himself out of bed.

"I'll meet you there," Draco muttered. "And I'd eat something if I were you."

"Is breakfast over?"

"I don't know, I ate at seven," Draco sneered, and left the room.

Harry yawned again, stretched, and began looking for his blue robes. When he was ready, he went to the Great Hall and found breakfast still being served. He grabbed himself a bagel and rushed out.

Entering the room just as he was finishing it, he saw that Draco had already lit all the candles.

"Is everything ready?" Harry asked.

"As long as you are," Draco drawled. "You ate?"

"Yes," Harry nodded.

"Good, I wouldn't like to imagine what the journey would be like on an empty stomach."

Harry grimaced. He was right.

"Well, you sure you're awake?" Draco asked. "I have to make sure you're not going to fall asleep on me."

"I'm not going to fall asleep on you! Now let's do this."

Draco nodded, and the two boy's sat.

"What do we do?" Harry asked.

"Just concentrate on that white room. Everything you can remember about it," Draco instructed. "The magic'll do the rest."

Harry nodded, and they closed their eyes and began to concentrate.

White, blinding white, that odd feeling of magic dust, more white, Harry thought, focusing.

After a few minutes, Harry thought nothing was happening, so he opened his eyes and found that they were passing through a black abyss and into a white one.

"That was oddly painless," Draco said, opening his eyes.

They were in the white room, but neither of them moved. Harry listened for the Dragon, and when he heard it, it was ear splitting. He cringed and felt his chest begin to burn. The pain was worse than when they had first gotten cut. Harry again pulled open his robes, and saw that the cut that had slowly been healing was open again, and gushing blood.

"Fuck that hurts," Draco got out through gritted teeth.

Harry blinked a few times, trying to clear the blurriness from his vision the pain had caused. "Is that it?" he asked.

Draco nodded, standing up.

"I'm asking first this time," Harry said immediately.

"All right," Draco sneered. "Go ahead."

"Did you only want me in this game to kill me?" Harry asked. It was a question that had been bothering him since the first game.

Draco frowned. "No. I definitely don't want you to get killed in here. I don't want your death on my conscious, Potter."

Harry was relieved, but tried not to show it.

"Why did you really join this game?" Draco asked.

Harry thought for a moment. "I...I wanted to talk to my family... and I wanted to believe the Angel of Reason was right in saying this would help in the war," he sighed.

He knew it was a really stupid reason to just jump into a life or death situation- especially with a Malfoy- but he was so desperate to talk to his mom and dad, or maybe even see Sirius again, that he didn't really care.

Thinking of a question that would sort out many things, Harry asked, "Where do you stand in the war? I mean, which side are you on?

"I'm not on any side. I'm just doing what I have to do," Draco answered.

Harry was taken aback; that certainly wasn't the answer he was expecting.

"Would you do what you had to...Would you die to save the world?" Draco asked slowly.

Harry couldn't tell if the boy was trying to mock him, but he had no choice but to answer.

"Yes, I would die if I had to," he nodded. "Would you?"

"Of course I would," Draco said quickly in a seething voice. His face suddenly dropped, appalled at himself. That was clearly not what he meant to say, but the room had made him say otherwise.

Trying to shrug it off, he asked, "Will you actually leave me to die like I told you to?"

"No," Harry admitted with a sigh. He knew he couldn't just leave anyone to die. Not even Malfoy.

They stood for a moment, waiting for something, when a question flashed in Harry's head.

"Does your father know you're here?"

"No," was Draco's simple answer before the two of them were thrown out a door by a strong, invisible force.

"Heed me now. Do not use up more than your turns. Ask only what is expected of you and no more in the Chamber of Truth. You have been warned."

"Nice going, Potter!" Draco growled.

"Sorry," Harry said. He truly hadn't meant to ask more than three questions.

Both boy's started to slowly examine their surroundings. They were in a room with mirrors covering the walls.

"What are these for?" Harry wondered aloud.

No sooner had he asked than the deep voice rang out again. "Welcome to level two. Before you may begin, one of you was asked to cause trouble. Here is where you may create the scenario. Speak into the mirrors, and they will reflect back to you."

Harry gulped. He had no idea what trouble Draco was going to stir up, but from the look in the boy's eyes, it wasn't going to be good.