The Dragon Games

The air was heavy and hot, no light coming from anything. Draco was suspended in a black abyss. He had just passed through the door in front of Harry with Ginny, but now, Ginny was nowhere to be seen. He was thankful for that, but still a bit confused on where she had gone.

He saw a flash of blinding green light, and he found himself unable to move. There was a screaming woman in front of him. She was pleading with a man that was undoubtedly Voldemort, but Draco had never seen him look almost human before.

It was a surreal experience, watching helplessly as Voldemort towered over the woman. She had flaming hair and beautiful piercing green eyes that he recognized from somewhere. Draco wanted to shout at the woman to save her, but Voldemort was raising his wand.

The woman screamed in fear as Voldemort performed the killing curse on her. Draco tried to scream as well, but all that came out was a loud baby's cry.

What's going on? he thought desperately as Voldemort approached him. Is this a memory of Harry's?

Voldemort was grinning heinously at him, and as he raised his wand, the flashing green light blinded him, along with a sharp pain in his forehead.

When the light had vanished, he was standing, facing his old Professor, Quirrell Draco looked down to check if his body was his own or Harry's. He found it was indeed his own body, but that wasn't how Quirrell was perceiving it. He was unable to control his own body as everything played out to Harry's memories. He found this out when he tried to shout out in horror when Quirrell took off his turban to reveal Lord Voldemort's paled and ashen face behind it.

Oh Merlin! he thought wildly. The sharp pain ran through his head again.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort whispered.

The rest didn't make any sense to Draco, all he knew was that Voldemort kept going on about a stone, and Harry refused to give it up.

"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort. And to Draco's surprise, Quirrell lunged, knocking him clean off his feet, his hands encircling his neck.

The pain on his forehead was blinding, and yet Quirrell was howling in agony. The pain was too much for Draco to comprehend anything that was going on, and he could barely hear Quirrell muttering about his hands. He looked to see his own hands, burned, raw, red and shiny.

"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" Voldemort screeched.

His hands grabbed Quirrell's face, and the pain was more overwhelming than ever before. He felt himself sinking to the ground as Quirrell's face sizzled in his hands, burning away the flesh.

Oh fuck! he thought, disgusted.

When he thought the pain would never stop, he opened his eyes and found he was down inside a chamber. The air was damp, and he was facing something he had never imagined: a large dead body of a snake. However, the pain gone from his head was now placed in his whole arm. He glanced over to see himself bleeding.

"So ends the famous Harry Potter," a voice startled him.

He looked around and saw Ginny laying on the floor. It looked as if she were dying. As it turned out, the voice belonged to Lord Voldemort, who got Ginny there himself. Only this was a much younger, almost ghost-like figure of the schoolboy Tom Riddle that Draco had seen pictures of in history books.

"Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged."

Chamber of Secrets?

He had remembered all the rumors going around about Harry and...

Oh my arm! I think I'm dying!

He felt his strength fading rapidly.

"You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry..."

He couldn't think as Tom Riddle spoke to him. He couldn't even lift his head.

"She bought you twelve years of borrowed time...but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must..."

Suddenly Draco felt himself healing, and he left the memory for the first time consciously. His body was tugged hard, and then he appeared out by the Forbidden Forrest.

There was a full moon out, and he saw the Whomping Willow lashing behind him. He noticed Ron on an invisible stretcher being pulled along by Remus Lupin. There was a man next to him, shaggy hair, sullen eyes, and a calm composure who was dragging Snape clumsily after him. And there was Granger, and a man he recognized from his father's dinner gatherings, Peter Pettigrew

What is this?

He had been told about Sirius Black, seen the "Wanted" pictures around, and he recognized the man next to him fit that description.

Why was Potter with Sirius Black? It made no sense.

Black flung out an arm and Draco, still in Harry's perspective, ran into it. He looked up and noticed Lupin's shadow had gone rigid and his limbs were shaking.

"Oh, my-" Granger cried out. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

He felt his body whip around.

Potion? What was...

Suddenly, it hit Draco. Lupin was morphing into a werewolf.

Oh Gods! Then a thought struck him in spite of his fright. Was Potter bitten? Is he a werewolf?

There was a lot of confusion and his glance dropped to Peter Pettigrew who was lunging for Lupin's dropped wand.

Draco was so into his own thoughts he didn't hear what anyone was saying until he heard "Expelliarmus!" coming from his mouth. "Stay where you are!"

But the spell was too late; Pettigrew transformed into a rat before his eyes and scurried off into the night.

So that is how Peter had come back. But if Potter wasn't bitten, then why is this one of his worst memories?

He was starting to get used to the memory thing. It was sort of like images to examine, only he was experiencing whatever pain and torture Harry had.

Draco continued going through Harry's worst nightmares. He witnessed Cedric being killed, and Black's death by Bellatrix. Then he was in a room, writing, and Umbridge was there, and his hand was bleeding as he wrote.

And then, he was in a bathroom, seeing what Harry had seen: he himself, crying.

Oh Gods! he thought, horrified, reminded of that terrible incident last year. Get me out of here!

The memory could not go fast enough for Draco, and finally ended with Snape bursting through the door.

He soon found himself watching Dumbledore's death. But first, he was forced to watch himself threaten Dumbledore, unable to curse him. It was awful to watch. Please let this stop! he begged furiously.

He closed his eyes, and in a flash of light, he was back outside the glowing doors. Harry had just been thrown out as well, and Ginny was standing next to him, shaking terribly. Both boys were breathing hard, as if they had been running for a long time.

---

Harry had just passed through the abyss, and now he was sitting in a dark cellar, staring up at the only exit. Lucius Malfoy was peering down at him through the trap door, sneering.

"This will teach you, Draco, to never talk that way to your father again." With that, Lucius snapped the door shut.

Everything had gone pitch black. Harry heard his voice shout up at Lucius, "Dad! No, please! I didn't mean to! Dad, get me out of here."

But Lucius didn't come back, no matter how much he begged.

Harry quickly learned that he had no control of his actions or voice and realized that he was living Draco's memories. He also guessed, from the sound of his voice as he cried, that Draco was about six years old when this had taken place.

Time passed and Harry didn't know how long he was in that room, but before he knew it, he was beyond starving, slowly dying from dehydration, and going slightly mad from isolation. He didn't know how many times he reached for the trap door, but each time it was to no avail. It wouldn't budge.

He felt himself curling up on the ground, crying for hours until he couldn't cry anymore. He lost his voice and sat in silence, day after day. Only to Harry did it seem like only an hour, but he felt the intensity of everything.

Finally, there was a bright blinding light as the trap door opened.

Next, he was standing in front of a group of eight Death Eaters, all of whom were staring at him, hoods on. Harry noticed there was a Muggle girl tied to a post.

"Go on now, Draco," he heard Lucius voice coax him.

Harry gulped and turned to his father. "But Father, I-"

"Draco, do not disappoint me," said Lucius in a stern voice.

Harry nodded and turned to the girl, his wand out. His head was a whirlwind of emotions as he spoke.

"Crucio!" Harry shouted, his mind rattling in pain.

There was a series of flashes of pain, and curses and screaming that raced through his mind. Every memory quickly entering and empting just as fast.

These must have been memories that Draco didn't fully relive, he thought. In each flash Lucius was there, and Harry was always forced to obey him.

There was a flash and he was standing in a graveyard. Someone hit him with the Cruciatus curse, and he doubled over in pain, his body aching and his muscles jerking uncontrollably.

"Tell, me Draco," said a menacing voice behind him. "What is it you expected to gain from all this?"

Harry took a huge breath as the curse was removed, but his body still stung from the after-effects.

"I can't do it," he muttered softly. "I won't"

The curse hit him again, and he yelled in pain.

"You have no choice but to accept his terms, Draco." Lucius bent down next to him. "Everything we have comes at a cost," he continued. "This is just a small payment you must make; a chance to prove yourself as a loyal servant to the Dark Lord."

Harry stared up at him, eyes glazing in pain.

Another flash and he was in a new memory.

Harry was now bowing in front of Voldemort, who was instructing him on how he must prove himself, telling him that if he failed, he would be killed.

"You will kill Albus Dumbledore," Voldemort informed him.

Harry held his breath.

He felt a large tug, and he appeared somewhere else.

He was in a large, dark basement. There were torturing tools laid out on a silver tin table: chains, a whip, spikes, and a torch. Everything you would need to change someone's frame of mind.

There was a young man tied to a chair, and he found himself tied to a chair opposite him, his eyes unable to close. They started to water in frustration.

"Draco, darling," said a soft and feminine voice beside him. "Listen to what your father says, okay? He knows what's best for you."

Narcissa Malfoy came into view, kissing him on his forehead, glancing at the chains on his wrists.

"Mom?" he said, almost incoherently.

"I'm sorry, Draco," she said, and left through the door. Lucius stepped in after her, and Harry watched him sneer at the person tied up.

"This is a test, Draco. Before you go back to Hogwarts, you have to know how far you will be expected to go," Lucius told him. "Find out what he knows. I'll be back for you and the information in a few hours."

Draco didn't protest, though Harry's mind was. He didn't want to watch Draco (or himself, in this case) torture this man.

His eyes turned to his captive as Lucius shut the door, and he felt himself picking up a large knife. Without hesitating, he placed the knife to the man's throat.

"Tell me," he hissed, "and I'll make this easy on you."

The man was in his twenties with fair brown hair and onyx eyes. He didn't answer, looking set on never speaking a word.

Harry felt himself slash the man on the arm.

As hard as he tried to not harm the man, Draco continued along, never stopping. Not even when the man had been spilled out onto the ground, shaking uncontrollably.

"Tell me!" he spat.

Finally, the boy let out a sound between a gasp and cry and said, "A-alright..."

Another memory. He was standing with Snape, in hysterics.

"I can't do it! He's going to kill me! I need to get out of here! Please, you have to help me! Please!"

Harry was taken aback to see Draco had been like this.

Another memory and he was in the bathroom.

Bloody hell! Harry thought as he recognized the memory.

He heard his real self from the memory mutter the curse, and immediately felt like he was being ripped apart. Everything burst into pain all over his body until he could feel nothing at all, and then everything turned black.

He blinked, and he was standing with Snape again, but this time they were addressing Voldemort.

"He's dead," he told him.

"You have done well, Draco," Voldemort said. "And for this, you will be rewarded."

There was a flash, and Harry was tossed out of the glowing door. He was panting hard, and he looked over to see Draco who was looking just as bewildered as him.

Harry couldn't speak, as he was still haken from the encounter in Malfoy's mind.

Ginny let out a squeak and she collapsed to the floor.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, bending down to comfort her.

She whimpered and curled into a ball.

"Weasel?" Draco asked, and bent down as well.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked.

"It was horrible," Ginny whispered. "Everything was so dark, so awful!"

Harry thought she was talking about his own memories and watched as Draco helped her stand.

"I really can't blame her," Draco told him. "Everything in there was so..." he trailed off, not being able to find a word to describe it.

"Your memories were the same way," Harry said quickly.

Draco avoided his gaze, as if ashamed of what he did.

"Let's get out of here," he said.

They saw the door back to the castle and Harry nodded, but Ginny let out a piercing shriek.

"No! No! I'm not going back in, you can't make me! Please don't make me! Please," she cried, throwing her arms around Draco's neck, who didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Harry, who was looking at Ginny, watching her closely.

"What did you see?" he asked.

She took a shuttering breath and pointed to him. "I saw everything...you...you...and me in the Chamber... And you hurt him!" she said, eyes wide in horror. "You hurt my Draco! How dare you? You bloody-"

"Whoa." Draco grabbed her before she could go after him.

"But Draco! He-"

"-I know perfectly well what he did," he snapped at her.

Why is Draco protecting me from Ginny? Harry wondered, surprised.

"Fine," Ginny said angrily. "I was just trying to protect you."

"I don't need your protection," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Let's go back," he said to Harry.

"Okay."

"Well, Weasel," Draco said to Ginny, "don't ever touch me again."

He stepped through the door, leaving a disgruntled, pouting Ginny behind. Harry followed after him, and they were transported back to the castle.

---

Hermione was screaming, her hair tangled and sprawled out across her pillow as she tossed and turned in pain. Ron was holding her hand again, whispering comforting words, and Madam Pomfrey came bustling in. Hermione's body relaxed and she had passed out again.

"Let me see her, dear," Madam Pomfrey said. As Ron moved out of the way, she began to examine Hermione.

"Is she going to be okay?" Ron asked.

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

That doesn't sound so sure, Ron thought grimily. I need her to be okay.

He heard footsteps approaching and he turned to see Ginny coming towards him.

"Ron," she said, rushing forward. "Is she okay?"

"I dunno," he said.

"Miss Granger is currently unconscious and needs a great deal of more tests. Mr. Weasley, you and your sister can be in here for ten minutes, and then no more visitors or I'm afraid you will not be allowed in." Madam Pomfrey gave them a sharp look before leaving the room.

"What did they do to her?" Ginny asked softly, looking at Hermione. At Ron's confused look, she said, "The whole school is talking about your confrontation with Pansy and the lot. It's so awful."

"They cursed her," he muttered. "Madam Pomfrey hasn't identified the spell yet."

"Poor Hermione," she whispered.

"Ginny, have you seen Harry anywhere?" Ron asked quite suddenly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, he hasn't been up to see Hermione once today," he said, concerned.

"I have no idea where he is," she shrugged, shivering slightly.

"What?" he asked.

"I've just been having really weird dreams... Harry and Malfoy are in them, and there's this dragon, and I keep throwing myself at Ma... Never mind," Ginny stopped herself. "It's just a really bizarre, really revolting dream... But Harry's missing? Do you want me to go find him?"

"No, it's alright," Ron sighed. "I just thought he'd of heard the news by now."

"Yeah," she nodded. "What exactly is happening to Hermione?"

"Something is attacking her mind," he said. "That's what Madam Pomfrey says, anyway."

"Oh God!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Every time she wakes up, she starts shouting out in pain until she becomes unconscious again."

"Do you think Zabini, Parkinson, and Bulstrode are going to get in trouble for this?" she asked slowly.

"They'd better," he growled.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open, and she let out a groan.

"Hermione?" Ron asked.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, and as she did so, Ginny let out a horrid shriek of pain.

---

Draco collapsed on the couch in the Room of Magic, bewildered at everything he had just seen. He felt Harry's green eyes watching him.

"Malfoy," Harry called softly.

He felt a shiver go down his spine and a slight tinge of annoyance. He looked up at the ceiling, holding his breath, forcing himself to think about nothing.

"Malfoy," Harry repeated.

He shut his eyes. Harry's voice sounded so perturbed, so full of fear, it was almost nauseating. He didn't want to know what Harry thought of him, now that Harry knew about everything he had been trying to forget for years.

He didn't want Harry to hate him any longer and that thought was even more sickening.

"Hello!" Harry shouted at him.

Finally, he opened his eyes and found he was staring straight at an upset looking Harry.

"Hmm?" he asked, not trusting himself with words.

Harry's glasses were slightly askew and falling towards the end of his nose. He had never seen Harry with his glasses off, and Draco wondered what difference it would make.

No, he told himself. What do I care? I don't. Why is he looking at me like that?

"Malfoy," Harry said.

Draco snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he hadn't heard anything that Harry had said.

"Shit, Potter! What do you want from me?" he asked, and Harry's face fell, looking at him quizzically. "Why don't you go bugger off?"

He desperately wanted Harry to go away so he wouldn't have to look at him. For some reason, he found that Harry's presence was making him oddly distracted in ways that he didn't want to believe were possible, especially for a Malfoy.

Instead of leaving, Harry just stood there, staring at him intently.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Draco said honestly.

"Do you want to talk about what you saw?" Harry asked.

"No," Draco shook his head. "And I don't feel much like talking about what you saw, either." At Harry's frown, he continued, "I don't remember much. I've tried to shut it out of my mind."

"I can understand that," Harry said, nodding. "But how could you have done that to that Muggle?"

"Potter, the real question is, how could I have not done that to that Muggle?"

---

They had just arrived back at the castle, and Harry took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. He couldn't believe Draco had done those things, and that those things had been done to him.

He turned to see Draco collapsing onto the couch, looking distracted.

"Malfoy," he said quietly.

Harry saw him give a slight shiver, which was probably due to the icy coldness of the room.

Draco was looking up at the ceiling, avoiding his gaze.

"Malfoy," he repeated, trying to get him to look at him.

Draco's eyes shut as if he was frustrated, but Harry never relented because he wanted to know what he was thinking.

"Hello!" he shouted at him.

Draco's eyes opened, landing straight on his face.

"Hmm?"

"What happened in that room?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he was asking about his own room where he had witnessed Draco's memories, or the room Draco had stepped into.

Draco didn't answer him, and Harry saw his eyes searching him. What's he doing? he wondered.

"Malfoy," he called.

Draco snapped to attention.

"Shit, Potter!" he said. "What do you want from me?"

Harry's face fell, and he looked at him bemusedly. Why was he being so weird?

"Why don't you go bugger off?" Draco asked.

"What's going on?" he questioned, not moving, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I have no idea," Draco said.

"Do you want to talk about what you saw?" he asked, wondering if the memories were bothering Draco as much as himself.

"No," Draco shook his head. "And I don't feel much like talking about what you saw, either." This stubborn statement made Harry frown, and Draco continued. "I don't remember much," he explained. "I've tried to shut it out of my mind."

"I can understand that. But how could you have done that to that Muggle?"

"Potter, the real question is, how could I have not done that to that Muggle?"

Harry's jaw dropped open in horror. He couldn't believe Draco had just said that, and he didn't understand why.

Draco shook his head, looking almost apologetic.

"They would have killed her," he muttered, and Harry felt the pain in his voice as he said it. "Nearly did, too, afterwards. But luckily my father allowed me to dispose of her as I saw fit."

"What did you do?" Harry asked, his mind racing.

"I let her go," he said softly.

"You did?" Harry asked.

"Of course! What else would I do with her? Make her stick around as my girlfriend?" Draco said, his cheeks turning slightly red.

Is he blushing? Harry wondered, noticing just how pale Draco was with the contrast of the flushed color in his cheeks.

Draco looked away.

"We shouldn't have called the Dragon," he said suddenly.

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"We don't even know how many levels there's going to be, and we could have figured that out!"

To Harry, it seemed like Draco was beating himself up about it more then he should have.

"Not much we can do about it now," he said, feeling concerned.

"It was moronic," Draco spat. "I just wanted out of that level."

"I know," he nodded. "Ginny was driving me insane, too."

He paused. Having said that, he realized it was completely true. What did that mean, exactly?

Draco's eyes were calculating as well, but Harry still couldn't figure out what he was thinking about.

"I wasn't talking about Weasel," Draco muttered, then quickly said, "Well, sort of."

"What?" Harry asked. "Who were you talking about?"

Draco averted his gaze. "Never mind." Looking at Harry as if resolved, he said, "I thought you liked her."

"I did... Do," Harry corrected himself.

Draco cocked an eyebrow at him.

Harry was getting worried. If he didn't like Ginny, and he wasn't jealous of her... He shook his head. That thought was too absurd, even for his own head.

"Did?" Draco asked.

Harry shifted. "I dunno, maybe I'm over her. So what? What's the big deal?"

Draco paused for a moment and then looked away.

Why does he keep doing that?

"No big deal," he shrugged. "Did you two ever have sex?"

"Excuse me?" Harry sputtered.

Draco stared at him blank faced. "You heard me."

"I'm not telling you!" Harry said, going slightly red from embarrassment.

"Why?" Draco asked, clearly enjoying teasing him. "Because you haven't or because you have?"

"I-I...What kind of question is that?" Harry blurted.

"I'm curious."

"About what?"

"I'm curious to know if you're as easy as everyone says you are."

"They do not say that!"

"You clearly haven't heard all the Slytherin's talk about you," Draco said.

"Well, what about you?" Harry countered. "You've had sex, right? After all, you've dated like every girl in this school."

"I have not!" Draco growled.

"Every girl drools over you," Harry muttered.

"Who can blame them?" Draco said.

Harry looked horrified and Draco grinned.

"I am a handsome bloke, after all."

"Come off it," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

With a smug look, Draco said, "You're avoiding the question now."

"What question?" he asked, trying to keep his face blank but failing. "You have to tell me first."

Draco rolled his eyes but shrugged. "Fine. No, I haven't had sex. Nor have I dated every girl in the school. In fact, I've dated a whole two," he said, showing two fingers.

"Really?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Yes, really." He folded his arms across his chest. "How about yourself?"

Harry sighed. "No, I've never had sex."

"Interesting."

Harry waited for him to say more, but he didn't.

"Well..." he said, unsure of what to say.

"We have to find out who that Hector Collins guy is for the next level," Draco said.

"Right," he said. "What time is it?"

"Just after six," Draco answered.

"Then let's go do that now," he suggested. "Before we get swamped with homework again."

"Sounds good," Draco said, getting up from the couch.

---

The two made their way out of the room and towards the library, but as they approached, Harry heard someone calling his name.

"Harry!" Parvati called, running to catch up with him.

The two boys stopped as she approached. She came to a halt when she realized Draco was with him. She frowned and turned to Harry, who shrugged.

"Harry, it's Hermione," she breathed heavily, dismissing Malfoy for a moment. "She's in the hospital wing. Parkinson, Zabini, and Bulstrode put a curse on her. Ron's been looking everywhere for you."