A Parselmouth's Kryptonite

Chapter Two

A loud explosion from the Great Hall drew their attention away from each other.

A laughing Seamus, Ron, Neville, and Dean burst out of the Great Hall, just about falling over themselves.

“What the hell did you do?” Draco scowled.

“We asked Peeves to drop honey on everyone in the Great Hall! And then we rigged the ceiling to snow feathers!” Ron guffawed.

Professor McGonagall stormed out of the Great Hall, covered in honey and feathers. “Finnigan! Thomas! Weasley! Longbottom!” she shrieked.

Minerva took ten points from each of the four and gave them a month’s detentions before noticing Harry and Draco.

“Mr. Potter, Professor Lupin said you had taken ill.”

“He did,” Draco interrupted as Harry began to say otherwise.

McGonagall sent a smile their way but it was a said one.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news, Mr. Malfoy.”

Draco’s face held a questioning look and McGonagall continued.

“Your father has escaped from Azkaban.”

“He did what?!”

“He escaped from Azkaban last night. The Aurors followed him, but haven’t been able to capture him yet. The only trail he’s leaving is dead muggles,” McGonagall said sadly.

Draco seethed at the thought of his father. He couldn’t keep his anger in any longer. Draco managed to punch the stone wall several times before Harry could control him.

“Draco!”

“Go away, Harry,” Draco growled in a cold voice that none of them had heard before.

Professor McGonagall put a feathery hand on Harry’s shoulder and steered him away from his blonde boyfriend. Draco turned and stormed past the pack of Gryffindors. Not paying attention to where he was going, Draco turned left instead of right and ended up lost.

Draco cursed his father and began punching the wall again despite the blood running down his knuckles. After a few minutes of wall beating, Draco slid to the floor and put his head in his hands.

Harry found him like that an hour later after deciding to let him steam and after checking the map.

“Draco,” Harry spoke quietly to let him know he was there. He sat down next to Draco and pulled the smaller boy into his arms.

“He’s going to come after you,” Draco’s voice was muffled against Harry’s robes, but Harry understood him.

“I know, love, I know.”

“How can you be so calm?! He’s coming after you, and you don’t give a damn! I’m sitting here sobbing my heart out for you! Malfoy’s don’t do that!” Draco shouted.

“You’re sobbing because you care! And I do give a damn; it’s my bloody life!” Harry argued, holding his boyfriend tight.

“I’m not supposed to care!”

“No, you’re not. But you do,” Harry said gently.

“He’s coming after you because of me! Not because you killed Voldemort, but because of me! He’s always finding some was to hurt me so I’ll do what he wants! I have to end this, Harry,” Draco pushed away.

“NO! You’re not going to do this to me!” Harry shouted to Draco’s retreating back.

“Goodbye, Potter!” Draco called in a hard voice, never turning back. He added in a whisper, “I’m sorry, Harry.”

It was Harry’s turn to site against the wall, crying in the same fashion as Draco had been. Only this time, no one came to find him.

***

“Draco? What’s wrong?’ Hermione asked as she saw him stalking down the corridor.

“Out of my way, mudblood,” Draco snarled, pushing past her.

“What in the name of Merlin?” Neville asked from beside her.

“I knew he hadn’t changed a bit,” Ron scowled.

“Ron, he’s been nice for three years. Somebody doesn’t just go back to the way they were in an hour,” Neville said. “Something’s up. And I bet when we find Harry, we’ll find our answer.”

***

Harry made his way back to the Gryffindor Tower with a cold, hard face and emerald eyes like steel. He spoke only to the Fat Lady and the painting of Gordric Gryffindor, the portrait to his room (AN: Head Boy and Girl have their own room, just off of their house common rooms), to give the passwords.

Harry grabbed his Firebolt 2002 and headed out to the Quidditch Pitch, via a secret passage from his room.

Harry grabbed a Beater’s Bat and released a Bludger. The bludger flew at him and he knocked it away, picturing Lucius Malfoy’s face on the jet-black surface. Jumping on his broom, he knocked it away again, flying up into the air.

Somehow the other bludger was released, flew up and knocked into Harry, making his grip on his broom falter and fall more than fifty feet to the ground. Just before he hit the ground, he saw a cloaked figure running towards him. Then everything went black.

***

The cloaked figure grinned maliciously and summoned the Bludger he had filled with the same substance Hermione’s necklace was made of. He waved his wand and the Bludger disappeared.

The wizard then conjured up a note, written in Harry’s handwriting, and a silver dagger. He laid the note next to Harry’s broom, which had floated to the ground, and then yanked Harry’s left sleeve up. Dagger raised, he slashed it across the pale flesh and then wrapped Harry’s other hand around it.

Turning, he calmly made his way towards the Forbidden Forest, a silver lock of hair falling from his hood.