"What's he hiding?" Harry asked, taking in this new information with a sinking heart.

Snape shook his head. "I cannot say, I'm sorry. It's too dangerous."

"Then why are you telling me about this?" Harry inquired, confused.

"Because I- I don't want to see a student of mine getting hurt," Snape responded, looking mildly uncomfortable. "You can leave now, Potter."

Harry left the classroom quietly as thoughts swirled around in his head. Who should he trust? Mysterious Draco, whom he had supposedly been friends with in the past, or one of the only teachers who had been nice to him since he came to this school?

Lost in his own world, Harry didn't notice the tall shadow that fell over him and yelped when he bumped into something big.

"Are yer alright?" a gruff voice asked. Harry looked up from his position on the ground at the tall man. He was extremely tall, with beetle black eyes and a long, thick beard. Harry took his extended hand and stood up.

"Yes, thank you," he said distractedly, dusting himself off. "Sorry about that. I wasn't going where I was looking."

The man chuckled. "Yer mean yer weren't looking where you were going."

Harry flushed at the mistake. "Ah, right. Sorry."

"S'alright," the giant said, smiling fondly. "Get back to yer room. It's late."

Harry complied, walking back to his dorm room in a daze. That teacher had seemed oddly kind. Just as he was about to open the door to his room, he heard heavy panting and some horrifying moans come from the other side. His hand jerked away from the door as if burned.

Yeah, definitely not.

Backing away slowly, he barely repressed a squeal when he bumped into something hard behind him.

"What are you doing out so late, Potter?" the familiar voice drawled.

Harry spun around and saw Draco Malfoy smirking behind him.

"Oh, just taking a walk," he said, trying to walk past the blond. Draco grabbed his arm before he could run away, however.

"What a coincidence; so am I! Let's walk together," Draco's smile gleamed in the dim corridor. "I can tell you more about our past."

Harry's eyes brightened at the prospect, but then Snape's words sounded in his mind again.

"I- I can't. I'm sorry," Harry said, despite the fact he wanted to accept so badly it hurt.

"Why not?" Draco asked, suspicious. His grip on Harry's arm tightened ever so slightly. "No one said anything, did they?"

Harry yanked his arm out of the taller boy's grasp. "So what if they did?"

Draco sighed, taking a step back. "You know, you shouldn't believe everything you hear. You're quite naive, Harry."

The short boy pouted and glared at the blond. "No, I'm not. I just think that everyone has good in them and deserves to be trusted. Is that really so bad?"

"Then how come I don't deserve to be trusted?" Draco asked, a hint of hurt in his tone. Harry opened his mouth to argue but closed it again when he realized that Draco had a point.

"Just give me a chance, Harry," Draco said, stepping back towards the shorter boy. He reached out a hand.

Harry took it.

They walked towards what was known as the 'Come and Go' room, or more commonly: the Room of Requirement. Draco had told Harry that since the castle was so large, the teachers didn't know all the secret passages or hideouts. The Marauders, a notorious group of old Hogwarts students, and helped students hide from teachers during the night. It was right behind a tapestry and had every sort of thing a student on the run would need.

"They were geniuses, that lot," Draco said, sighing ruefully. "Wish I could've met one of them."

"No one knows who they were?" Harry asked curiously.

Draco shook his head. "Not a soul. There's a myth that they created a map, too, with all the secret passages in Hogwarts. Some are to get inside the castle, and others are to get out. No one knows where that is, either."

"Cool," Harry said, what he would do to get his hands on that map...

"Yeah," Draco agreed, smiling at Harry. They reached the tapestry, and Draco held it back for Harry. The door was hard to spot, even when in close proximity with it. It was pale yellow, the same color as the walls, and had no handle or doorknob.

"You just push it," Draco explained. He went ahead and, with his free hand, pushed gently on the door. As the doors opened, Harry's eyes widened a little at the inside of the large, expansive room.

The walls were pale blue, the floor made from white marble. There were shelves with books and pots filled with pens.

"This place is handy," Harry remarked. Draco laughed behind him.

"Sure is. Come and sit," the blond said, gesturing towards the bean bags. Sitting opposite each other, Harry and Draco stared at the other expectantly.

"Well?" Harry said. "You were going to tell me about our past?"

Draco shrugged. "Well... you guys got thrown in the dungeons with the other prisoners, and the plan was to kill you all."

Harry stopped Draco quickly. "Start from the beginning. I don't know anything you're talking about right now."

The taller boy nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Father, who are they?" the eleven-year-old boy asked, pointing towards the unconscious people that lay on the ground of the Manor.

"They're disgusting traitors, Draco," Lucius said with distaste. "Pay them no mind."

"Do you think he's my age?" Draco asked, looking at Harry with avid interest. Lucius shook his head vehemently.

"Even if he was, you mustn't converse with him or anything of the sort. He's dangerous and unpredictable. You have no idea what the other side has planned for him," he warned his only son. Draco didn't think the boy looked dangerous or unpredictable. He looked lonely and helpless. And quite lovely, for a boy.

"Can't I just talk to him once?" Draco pleaded. His father shook his head and put an arm around him.

"Come along, Draco. They need to be moved to the basement now," Lucius said, gently pulling Draco away from the unconscious bodies on the floor.

A few days later, Draco sneaked down to the dungeons to meet the boy. Father wouldn't be mad if he just asked for the boy's name.

He was cute. Too cute. Jet black hair that was as wild and unruly, and vivid green eyes. They widened with fear as Draco approached the cell.

"It's alright. I'm not here to hurt you," Draco reassured. The boy backed away, looking like a deer in headlights.

"My parents, what's happened to them?" the boy asked. His hoarse voice broke, and his eyes welled with tears. "Tell me!"

His broken yell echoed throughout the room, and Draco wished he had an answer to his question. "I- I don't know. I'm sorry."

The boy ran his hands through his thick, curly hair. "No, no, no..."

"I'm sure they're alright." Draco tried to reassure him. The brunet growled at him.

"Go away! You disgusting little-" he burst into tears when he saw Draco flinch and fell to his knees. "I just want mum and dad to get me out of here. I want Sirius."

"Who's Sirius?" Draco asked gently, sitting on the ground opposite the weeping boy.

The short boy sniffled, wiping his nose and looking at Draco grudgingly. "'S'my Godfather."

"I have a Godfather, too!" Draco informed him. "His name is Severus Snape."

"Mine is better," the other boy said. Draco didn't argue with him.

"I'm sure," he laughed. He saw the short boy give a hint of a smile.

"I'm Harry," he said suddenly. "Who are you?"

"Draco Malfoy." the blond extended a pale hand through the bars of the cell.

Harry took it.

***

so... sorry for the late update (again).

i will be updating more frequently after my exams finish up (somewhere after june).