Harry fell to the ground, face throbbing. Dudley had just hit him, and not a kid on the playground or a teacher did anything. Harry almost cried, but he didn't want Dudley to laugh at him more. Dudley's friend, Pierce, kicked him in the ribs, and Harry let out a choked gasp.

He rolled over and got up as quick as he could, but he was only seven, and not very strong.

Dudley ran at him, and Harry wound up his fist. He swung, and put as much force behind it as he could. As he collided with Dudley's nose, he felt something... more behind it. Dudley went sprawling, his nose bleeding heavily. Pierce backed up slowly, before running away. Dudley cried, holding his nose.

Harry breathed heavily, something new running through him. He knelt down next to Dudley, whispering. "Don't tell anyone, or I'll do it again," Harry told him. Dudley sobbed and ran to a teacher who sat on a bench reading a book.

Harry watched him go. The teacher asked Dudley a question. Dudley paused and looked at Harry, who shook his head. Dudley continued to hold his nose and the teacher took him to the nurse, never glancing Harry's way.

Dudley was pulled from school early. When Harry got home he was greeted by Uncle Vernon ranting about how the floors of the playground were too uneven, and the school will fix that or I will sue! My Dudley deserves better than that garbage playground! Harry quietly ate his dinner, having been given a regular portion since Uncle Vernon was distracted by his anger. Dudley cast quick, terrified glances at him the entire meal, but said nothing.

~~~

Aunt Petunia was out in the garden, caring for her flowers almost more than she did Dudley. Harry wasn't allowed to work with them anymore, since he had accidentally killed a few of her roses last year. Her purse sat on the counter, unattended as usual. Uncle Vernon drank beer in the living room, watching the telly. Dudley was upstairs, preoccupied with something Harry didn't care about.

Harry was used to it at this point. Look out the window while in the kitchen, make sure the door to the living room was closed, and find the inner right pocket of Aunt Petunia's purse while listening for blundering footsteps. He slipped the cash into one of his baggy pockets to go under a loose floorboard he had in the corner of his cupboard. A little bit once or twice a week added up eventually, so when Harry was sent on an errand he had an opportunity to help himself and get proper-fitting clothes. Last time he had gotten brand new socks; they had been heaven on his feet.

Harry grabbed a few pounds from her purse and slipped back into his task of the dishes. He just had to wait until he was sent out again. And after a few years of this, Harry found out they didn't notice when suddenly his pant legs weren't cuffed, there wasn't a belt double wrapped around him, his coat didn't have holes and his shirt hung to his waist. They didn't pay enough attention to realize, and after the initial stung of that had worn away, Harry found he preferred it.

As long as he bought his clothes from the gently used store, they would never be new enough for them to notice, and cheap enough that he usually had something left over for a candy bar or his next purchase.

Now that he was ten and had been able to get his basic necessities out of the way, he was beginning to buy some other stuff that he needed. A new toothbrush made him feel better all over, and a hairbrush calmed his hair down so he wouldn't stand out so much.

This time, he was going to buy a pair of trainers that actually fit.

~~~

Harry sat on the floor of the little cabin. Wind pounded against the walls, making Harry think the whole hut would blow over any second. He drew a cake on the floor using dust, giving it eleven candles. As the watch on his wrist beeped, he blew his drawing away. "Happy birthday, Harry," He murmured to himself.

He wrapped his arms around him, the flimsy blanket he had around him serving very little purpose. He glared at Dudley, who was asleep on the couch. A small puddle of drool formed as he slept, repulsing Harry. He moved, and sat next to the unlit fireplace. He stared at the single log, hoping, wishing, willing it to catch fire.

A moment later, he was warming himself in the soft glow of the firelight, smiling as the chill left his bones.

He laid down, trying to fall asleep now that he was warmer. He drifted off, letting the sound of rain pounding the walls lulling him to sleep. But then, a new voice joined the symphony of a rainstorm, a thump, thump, thump, thump. It was unnatural. Harry sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stared at the trembling door.

The door shook, before it was ripped off its hinges. A large figure stood in the doorway, walking in to the thumping pattern Harry had heard. The man placed the door back where it had been, more jamming it in place than really fixing it. Harry heard Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia walk down the stairs, and heard Dudley wake up. As Uncle Vernon cocked his shotgun, The man smiled.

"'Ello there little 'Arry!"

Harry smiled wide.

~~~

Harry explored Diagonally, watching Hagrid closely. They had just come out of Gringotts with a paper-wrapped package Hagrid couldn't tell Harry about. That was strange, but Harry didn't want to push his luck if he could avoid it. Hagrid guided him to a store called Madam Malkin's, leaving him with instructions to 'talk to the nice lady about yer robes.' Harry thought it a little odd to drop off a kid you weren't in charge of, but he was very used to independence. Harry walked into the store, quickly being ushered onto a stool next to a blond boy.

A tape measure flew around him quick enough to make him dizzy. The boy next to him laughed a bit, and Harry shot him a small glare. The boy didn't seem bothered by that.

"First year at Hogwarts too?" The boy asked. Harry turned to look at him again. He was very... pristine. There didn't seem to be a hair out of place. Harry felt shabby next to him, but that wasn't a new feeling.

"Yes," he answered quickly. Harry knew the boy expected him to say more, but... what was he supposed to say? He knew next to nothing about the wizarding world.

"What house do you think you'll get?" The boy prompted, seeming a little impatient already. Harry narrowed his eyes a little, unsure if he should keep talking to him.

"I'm not sure," Harry looked away from him, back at the mirror. He almost laughed when he heard a frustrated little huff to the side, barely audible over the noise of the shop. The boy didn't seem to appreciate being ignored. Harry felt all the better about his choice.

"Well, I know I'm going to be in Slytherin. All the best wizards go there, and my entire family has been in that house for centuries," the boy said pompously, sharp nose high.

Harry made a humming noise. The boy almost sounded like a family Hagrid had mentioned, one of the dark ones.

"And your name was?" Harry asked, maintaining eye contact with the boy once again. He seemed pleased by this, and Harry was extremely tempted to look away just because of that.

"I'm Malfoy. Draco, Malfoy." The boy said. He held his hand out across the stool.

Ah, so he is part of that powerful family Hagrid mentioned... that might not be a bad thing.

Harry smiled, and shook his hand.

"You're all done, dear." Madam Malkin said, handing him a set of robes.

"Thank you," Harry said to her.

"What's your name?" The boy called out as Harry stepped off the stool.

He turned back. "Harry Potter. See you at Hogwarts." Harry quickly walked away, catching the startled expression of both Draco and Madam Malkin as he checked out, not quite understanding why.

Her assistant almost fainted as he walked out of the store.

~~~

Harry sat on the Hogwarts Express, alone. The station was nearly abandoned. He was two hours early, after all. Vernon couldn't have been more excited to get him away. Now, it was just him and his newly named owl, Hedwig.

He stroked her gently, listening to her coo in response. He would've preferred a cat, but she was a gift from Hagrid and there wasn't a chance he was going to refuse her.

Harry changed into his robes. They felt weird, nothing like...muggle clothes. But they were soft and comfy, and he liked them. Now he just had to wait for all the people to show up. He wondered if he'd manage to get a cart by himself. He wasn't sure, but he didn't know how many kids went to Hogwarts, so maybe there was a chance. Though, judging by how big the cart was, he didn't think it would happen.

Time went by, and the platform slowly filled. He closed the door to his compartment, hoping it'd be passed by. But, of course, that wasn't the case. The door was opened numerous times, once by a tall boy with mousy brown hair, who apologized quickly. Harry wanted to ask him about his yellow robes, but he didn't get a chance before he shut the door and walked away.

Next was by a girl with bushy hair, who smiled brightly at him. She didn't run away, unlike the first boy. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger. I'm a first year, like you. Oh my gosh," she set her trunk down and rushed to the opposite seat, staring at Hedwig with wide eyes, "she is just beautiful! What's her name?" She asked excitedly. Harry laughed a little bit, he'd never met someone so enthusiastic and...nice.

"Her name is Hedwig. You can pet her, if you want. Just be gentle, she's really nice," Harry told her. She smiled brightly and gently stuck her finger in through the bars. Hedwig hooted and scooted closer to her. Hermione giggled.

"Can I sit with you on the ride? I don't really know anyone," she asked, looking up at Harry. Though she seemed confident, Harry could tell she was a bit nervous.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I don't really know anyone either," Harry smiled, "why don't we get your trunk in here so it isn't blocking the doorway?"

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed. She jumped up, and Harry helped move her trunk up onto the rack above his.

"Have you learned any spells yet? I've read through all my textbooks, and I've managed to practice a few simple ones, though they aren't much," Hermione asked, pulling her wand out of a pocket in her robes.

"No, I haven't tried to practice much, but I've been doing accidental magic for a long time. What kind of spells have you learned?"

Hermione picked at her nails a little bit, once again giving Harry the idea that she was much more nervous that she was acting. "I learned this once that fixes things. I could try and fix your glasses, if you'd like. I don't think the sellotape will last for much longer." She gave a nervous laugh, like she wasn't sure whether or not she was joking, and relaxed when Harry laughed with her.

"You're probably right about that. Here, I doubt you'll make them any worse." He handed her his glasses, and after a moment she breathed in and confidently pointed her wand at them.

"Oculus repairo," she whispered, and with a snapping sound the sellotape unwound. She handed them back to him, a proud smile on her face. Harry was stunned. They were perfect! He'd been able to alter the lenses enough that he could see with the right prescription, but oddly enough he'd never been able to use magic to fix the frames. He gave Hermione a wide smile as he put them on.

"Thank you Hermione! This is much better."

Hermione giggled a bit. "Of course - say, you never gave me your name."

Harry's smile dropped a bit. He hoped she wouldn't freak out. "I'm Harry Potter. Nice to meet you, Hermione." Harry held out his hand, and she took it quickly.

"Wow, the Harry Potter? You're in a few of the books I bought, I've read a bit about you. Can I see your scar? Do you actually have it?" A gleam came to her eyes. Harry wondered if that happened every time she learned something new.

"Erm, yeah, that's me. And sure, I guess." Harry pulled up his bangs, leaning back as she suddenly leaned closer to them than he expected.

"Wicked," she whispered, before she started to look a little panicked, "oh that must've been incredibly rude, I'm sorry if it was," she apologized. Harry felt a little better now, and smiled back.

"It's alright. It's just a silly scar, after all."

The two chatted for a while, before the compartment door opened again. There was a dark skinned boy, and behind him stood Draco.

"Hello. We were looking for an empty compartment, sorry," the dark skinned boy went to close the door, but Draco grabbed his arm.

"No, Blaise! That's Harry Potter, who I told you about!" Draco said, stepping in front of him. "Harry, good to see you again. I'm sure you remember me. And you are?" He looked at Hermione, who looked a lot more uncomfortable than she had been a moment ago.

"I'm Hermione. You are?" She held out her hand. Draco hesitated a moment, but then shook it firmly.

"Draco Malfoy. I don't recognize you, what's your surname?"

"You couldn't possibly expect to know the surname of every wizard in Britain," Hermione scoffed, laughing a little. Draco raised an eyebrow, a sneer coming to his face.

"I know all the important ones. You're probably a Mudblood, then." Draco turned his head away from her, making a display of wiping the hand he had shook.

Hermione's eyes began to water. She roughly pushed past the two, nearly knocking Draco over.

"Now that the vermin is gone... what were you doing with her, Potter? We're better than that." Draco brushed off his robes where Hermione had pushed him, and took the seat she had occupied, while Blaise continued to lean against the wall.

"What does Mudblood mean?" Harry asked. Part of him wanted to defend his new friend, but the word stuck him. Draco's eyebrows almost went to his hairline. Harry saw Blaise wince a little out of the corner of his eye.

"How could you possibly not know? You're lucky you're a Halfblood and so powerful, or I wouldn't grace you with my company," Draco sneered, watching Harry closely.

Harry leaned forward in his seat, challenging Draco. "And what exactly makes you so superior?"

Draco smiled. Harry didn't like it. "My last name. My blood. The Malfoy's are an ancient Pureblood line. That means we've only had wizards in our ancestry. Not a single filthy Muggle among the bunch. We're extremely powerful, everyone looks up to us."

"And I'm a Halfblood, you said."

"Yes. Though your father came from an ancient Pureblood line, he decided to marry a Mudblood for some reason. Making you a Halfblood," Draco finished, rolling his eyes as though this were stuff Harry should've known coming out of the womb.

"And Hermione, you called her a Mudblood. Why?" Harry leaned back in his chair, his hand dancing over his wand. He didn't know many spells, but maybe he could take Malfoy off guard.

"Mudblood means she came from a Muggle family. No magic in her line, it just randomly decides to make stupid choices sometimes. Most people call them Muggle borns, but everyone important knows what they really are." Draco watched Harry, a smug smirk on his face. Harry nodded slowly, then stood up.

"Well, Malfoy, I will have to ask you to leave the compartment," Harry said nonchalantly, not reacting when Malfoy stood as well, outrage on his face.

"And just who do you think you're talking to?" Malfoy asked, glaring at Harry. He was a little taller than Harry, and perhaps he thought that was an advantage, but if it came down to it, this would be almost a field advantage for Harry in fighting.

"A spoiled eleven year-old. Just go, Malfoy. Do you really want to fight me? We both know I'm more powerful than you." Harry held his breath, hoping his bluff would pay off. People knew his name, and it had to be for a better reason than his family being dunces or something. And he didn't want to fight just yet. Having an enemy before he even got to school wouldn't do well, though he wasn't so sure that Malfoy would be so great of a friend to have now.

Malfoy huffed, and flapped his robes as he walked out of the compartment, Blaise in tow. Harry let out the breath he had been holding, and hoped Hermione would come back soon.

He sat alone for a little while, before he pulled out a textbook he hadn't had the time to look over, his potions book. He skimmed the pages, not really paying attention. He was a bit more concerned for Hermione than he suppose he should be, which he didn't really like. He hadn't ever really cared for someone.

He had started to leave the compartment when she suddenly appeared, almost running into him.

"Hermione! Are you okay? I was about to go and look for you," Harry said. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were puffy but she smiled a little at his concern. Harry then noticed the boy behind her, a nervous looking boy with blond hair. "Hello there."

The boy waved. "This is Neville, he's a first year like us. I said he could sit with us, if you wouldn't mind."

Harry backpedaled into the compartment. "No, not at all. Do you need help with your trunk, Neville?"

~~~

"RAVENCLAW!"

Harry cheered as Hermione got off the stool, smiling wide. She sat close to where he was in the line, and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled back at her, glad that she was happy with her house.

Harry didn't pay much attention to the sorting, only really listening to the names he recognized. Malfoy had been sorted into Slytherin astonishingly quick, as far as Harry could tell. He supposed Malfoy had been right, proclaiming his house in Madam Malkin's.

"Finnigan, Seamus!"

That was the fourth boy on Harry's boat to the castle, an Irish lad who seemed decent, if not a little chaotic.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The hall cheered, Harry politely clapped.

"Longbottom, Neville!"

Harry gave him a thumbs up before the hat covered his eyes, seeing how nervous the boy was. Neville fidgeted where he sat, his knuckles almost white from gripping the stool.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry clapped again, giving Neville a wide smile. The boy smiled back, even as his legs shook a little as he walked over. He sat close to a pair of twins who wasted no time in vigorously shaking his hand. Neville seemed to feel a bit better after that.

"Potter, Harry!"

And then suddenly, the hall was quieter than Harry had ever heard it. He had expected a reaction, but nothing like this. He walked confidently up to the stool, able to hear his footsteps over the faint murmurs of the students. Hagrid gave him a wide smile as he walked up, which Harry returned.

The hat was placed over his head, and then he couldn't see the hall anymore.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Harry grimaced, not sure if he wanted to be sharing a dorm with Malfoy for the next seven years, but what could be done? To the sound of staggered clapping, he sauntered over to the table, seating himself next to someone introduced himself as Theo. They shook hands, then went back to the sorting.

Harry looked back at Hagrid, who gave him another smile, though it wasn't nearly as cheerful as it had been. That hurt Harry, more than he wanted it to. He decided he wasn't going to let others feelings affect him so much. They never had, in the past. But then again, he never had anyone that cared about him.

Harry turned to look at the whole High Table. Dumbledore, the headmaster, watched with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. Teachers on either side of him seemed to have the same reaction, though two teachers he found staring directly at him.

A man with a turban, who immediately looked away when Harry looked at him, and a man in all black that gave him a steady glare. Harry looked back at him, ignoring the throbbing in his head. The man eventually looked away, a sneer on his face.

~~~

Harry went to his four-poster bed, seeing his trunk at the bottom of it. He noticed a moment later, that his bed was next to Draco Malfoy's, unfortunately. On Harry's other side was Theodore Nott, and the other three beds were occupied by Blaise Zabini, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe.

Harry had decided to ignore almost everyone in the room when Malfoy knocked into his shoulder.

"Do you have a problem, Malfoy?" Harry stood, puffing his chest out just a little bit. Malfoy sneered, and took a step back. Harry got the idea he wasn't expecting Harry to confront him so quickly.

"Yes, now that you're here, I think I'll have a problem for the next seven years, if you last that long," he sneered, looking down his nose at Harry.

"Look, this isn't how I want this to go. I don't want someone that hates me sleeping next to me. So we can sort this out now, or you can sleep with your eyes open the rest of the year," Harry threatened him. Malfoy glared at him.

"You can't do anything to m-"

Harry punched him. Malfoy fell to the ground, clutching his nose. "Blaise, get him!" Malfoy cried out. Harry looked at Blaise, the dark skinned boy from the train, who took a small step back from him, raising his hands. "What the hell, Blaise?" Malfoy yelled, standing up. His nose was bleeding, the rug and his robes now dotted with red.

"I'm not making enemies with Harry Potter, Draco. C'mon, let's get you cleaned up, my mom taught me some healing spells." Blaise grabbed Malfoy's arm and led him into the bathroom. Harry changed into his bed clothes and waited, wand in hand and ears open.

Malfoy eventually came out, robes clean and nose straight. Harry stood up, taking satisfaction in the way Malfoy flinched.

"I don't want to be enemies. Can we respect each other enough to work together?" Harry held out his hand. Malfoy stared at it for a second, unsure. Eventually he shook it, slowly.

Harry smiled at Draco, who sped into bed and snapped the curtains around his bed shut quickly. Harry laughed, and went to bed easy.

~~~

"Mr. P-P-P-Potter, stay back please," Professor Quirrell called out. Harry sighed, and gathered his things. The class was dismissed, but instead of going to lunch Harry walked up to Professor Quirrell's desk.

"Yes, Professor?" Harry watched him fumble with the papers on his desk, organizing it in some way Harry couldn't make sense of.

"Just w-w-wait a moment, please," he said, grabbing a glove of garlic out of his desk and placing it on a nearby shelf. Harry sighed lightly, stomach grumbling. He hadn't really talked to Professor Quirrell much this year, he made sure to avoid him after he fainted on Halloween.

No one had been injured, and the professors had taken care of the troll without any troubles. The only thing that had happened was that the troll busted up a bathroom. Hermione couldn't stop talking about it for weeks, she had tried to go back to the library that night to research, but it had been curfew.

As the last of the students left the classroom, Harry watched Professor Quirrell straighten his back. With a flick of his wand, Harry heard the door click shut. He backed away from the Professor who stared at him. In a moment, his demeanor had changed dramatically from what Harry had known the past six months.

"Mr. Potter."

Harry took another step back. "What do you want?"

Professor Quirrell turned around, slowly unwrapping his turban. For a second, Harry wondered how stupid Quirrell thought he was. He wasn't going to get scared by the back of someones hea-

"Harrrrrry Potterrrrrr," a face rested on the back of Quirrell's skull, hardly recognizable as human. It hissed at him, the sound repulsive and terrifying.

"What the fuc-"

"You've done well, staying out of my way, Potter. You will continue to do so, if you wish to live."

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Do not speak to me that way! I am your Lord! You will kneel to me!"

Harry froze. Fucking...Voldemort? "What...what do you want from me?"

Voldemort hissed. Quirrell walked backwards, bringing the head closer to Harry. "I want you dead. The only reason you still stand is because my work isn't done yet. You will help me get the stone, and you will not say a word of this if you want to live."

"Uh..."

"Leave. Say nothing. Practice your offensive spells."

Harry ran out of the classroom.

He made it to the great hall faster than he thought he could. He took a moment outside the doors to catch his breath. What am I going to do...

He walked to his table, sitting down across from Draco.

"Draco, I need you to teach me the best offensive spell you know." Harry stared at the boy, whispering to him, not knowing if he wanted Blaise or Theo to hear. Draco raised an eyebrow, leaning in as well.

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to be in some deep shit soon and I need to be able to defend myself."

Draco's eyebrows went into his hairline, a smile across his face. "Well well, Potter's finally got himself into some trouble, has he?" Draco laughed a little bit. "Oh, this is going to be fun. We'll practice tonight in the common room after curfew. Have you ever heard of the spell Depulso?"

~~~

Harry held his breath as the enchanted harp started to play. The giant monster growled, before it's eyelids slowly started to droop. Soon, it slept, one of it's giant paws resting on the trap door.

Go down, move the paw. Use the levitating spell.

Harry's eye twitched. He didn't like the voice. He didn't understand how it was happening, but it wasn't a new sensation by now. Voldemort had decided in the last month that he needed to prepare more, practice more, strategize more, learn more...

Harry had barely any time to work on his studies. Exams were two weeks away and Hermione was not proud of his productivity. But she was always willing to study and practice spells with him, which had been useful.

Draco had been more help than Harry had expected. He was happy to play chess with Harry any time he liked, and gave him lots of tips. Draco also knew lots of defensive and offensive spells, and didn't mind teaching Harry when he had the time.

Overall, Harry had become better friends with Draco over the course of the last school year than Harry could have imagined.

Boy!

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The dogs paw gently lifted off of the trap door. Harry guided it off to the side, just enough so he could slip through. He almost bolted out the door when the beast started to growl, but the harp continued and the beast stayed asleep.

Harry lifted the trap door. "Lumos." Devil's Snare, just as he had been told. He didn't know how Voldemort had known these things, but he hadn't been wrong yet. Harry, holding his breath, jumped down into the pit. The landing was soft, the vines creeping around him quicker than he had expected. "Lumos!"

He shined the light to the vines around him, and they shrunk away. He made a path out for himself, looking down the dark hallway ahead of him. He turned back to the Devil's Snare, seeing a vine moving towards his ankle.

"Incendio." Harry pointed his wand into the middle of the pit, watching the vines shrink and scream. Quirrell had taught him that one.

He walked down the next corridor, hearing the fluttering sounds before he saw them. He stepped into a cavern full of flying keys. A door he hadn't realized was there snapped shut behind him. Harry took a breath.

How am I supposed to know which one is the right one...

Harry glanced at the brooms laying against the wall. He wasn't that bad at flying, he knew.

Fly already, you idiot! It's going to be different than the others! Look at the door, look at what kind of key would fit!

He looked at the door. It was old, rustic and wooden. The keyhole was large, larger than he thought most of the keys were.

Harry climbed atop the broom and zoomed throughout the chamber. Eventually, he located a key that seemed to move slower than the others. It was larger, and looked older. Harry shot after it, though the key seemed to know it had been spotted.

Harry dived after it. Faster! Faster! Harry twirled to avoid a stalagmite, curving along the edge of the wall. He was on its tail, so close...

Harry stretched out his hand, and clasped it tightly in it's fist. It fluttered feebly in his palm, and soon stopped. He landed and stuffed the key into the door, hearing a soft click. Harry let go of the key, feeling a little bad as it fluttered into the air with a broken wing.

He entered a dark room, the only illuminated thing being a chess board where the pieces were all twice his size.

Use the spells the Malfoy boy taught you. Hurry now, we don't have time to dawdle.

Harry walked up to the board, readying his wand.

"Bombarda! Depulso! Confringo! Diffindo! Flipendo! Bombarda! Depulso!"

Harry cast every destructive spell he knew. The chess pieces blew into pieces, exploded, were cut in half, knocked over, anything he could do to get past them. Harry ran and jumped over the rumble, blasting the door open and slamming it closed behind him.

He heaved a breath in relief before the sent hit him.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

"The troll..." Harry sighed.

"Petrificus totalus! Immobulus!" Harry began to feel weak as he cast these spells. He was beginning to think his magic was being used up. But that couldn't happen, could it?

The troll wobbled, and fell over. Harry darted pasted and closed the door behind him, realizing how nice the clean air was now that he had it. He took a moment to gather himself once he realized there was no immediate danger.

A table, with different potions. A wall of black flames behind it, and a scroll. Just as had been described.

He read the scroll, repeating it aloud.

"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onwards neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."

The third from the left, boy! Hurry, we're almost there.

Harry did as instructed, sincerely hoping he wasn't going to be incinerated as soon as he jumped through the flames. Fingers crossed, he leaped through. He made it across the other side, falling and scraping the palm of his hands.

With a grunt, he pushed himself up. Voldemort hadn't said anything about a mirror...

He stood in front of it, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Himself, but...older? He was grown, with a beard, and someone blurry stood behind him.

What do you see boy? What do you see? Is it the stone? Get the stone!

Harry gulped. He closed his eyes and wished for the stone. He didn't want to die, and he didn't know how he would survive if he couldn't...

He opened his eyes, and there he stood again, holding the stone. His reflection put it in his robe pocket, which suddenly felt a little heavier. Harry reached into his own pocket, pulling the stone out.

"I have it." He spoke. He wasn't exactly sure how Voldemort communicated with him, if he could see him, hear what he said, or his thoughts, but regardless he knew.

Yesssssssssss. Go back, boy. Quick. Bring it to Quirrell's office, and don't get caught. You'll live this year, if you can manage that.

Harry let himself smile a little bit as he leaped back through the black flames.

~~~

Harry sat the stone solidly on Quirrell's desk.

"Leave. You live, tonight. I will be seeing you again, Potter."

Harry left without a second glance.

~~~

Harry woke up to a tapping on his window. He rubbed his eyes, stumbling over to the little window in his room. He opened it, allowing Hedwig to fly in. She landed on the back of the chair he had against his desk, a letter tied to her leg.

He gave her a small treat, stroking her behind her ear as he gently untied the letter. He sat back down as he unrolled the parchment.

Harry

The Dark Lord planning something. Dad says he needs you. We're coming to get you at midnight on July 1st. Be ready to be gone for the rest of the summer, pack your trunk, school things and whatever else.

Draco

Harry let his head hit his wall. Three days. He didn't think Voldemort would want him again so soon. He let out a small grunt of frustration. Would he even be able to go back to school? He didn't want to get mixed up in this. Harry crumpled up the letter and threw it on the other side of the room. He'd deal with it in the morning.

~~~

Harry walked into a giant mansion, Draco on his left and Malfoy Senior on his right. He didn't like the feeling of being herded. The giant double doors opened automatically. House elves (as Draco had taught him about) scurried across the house, making sure to stay very far from the footpath of the three. Mr. Malfoy gripped Harry's shoulder tightly, guiding him.

They walked down a corridor that seemed to go on forever, taking so many twists and branching off in so many places that Harry knew he was lost within the first two minutes. It finally opened up into a large alcove. Within the alcove sat a throne, tall and made out of what Harry thought was obsidian. It was all rough edges and hard cut, except for the top of the backrest which ended in a curling, looping design.

"Kneel."

Mr. Malfoy pulled him down to the ground before he could react, and Draco was down almost just as quick. His knee banged against the marble floor harshly, causing him to wince.

"You've done well, Lucius. You two may leave, I will summon you later," Voldemort dismissed Lucius and Draco. Lucius stood quickly, and began to walk out. Draco hesitated a moment, confused as to why Harry was being left with the most terrifying man Draco had ever met. He quickly followed his father, who was looking at him harshly for slowing down.

"You may stand."

Harry slowly rose, looking at Voldemort for the first time. He looked to be in his thirties. He had dark brown hair and a small beard. He was almost frighteningly pale, his red eyes stared at Harry, forcing him into place. Harry trembled slightly. He wasn't sure why this was so much more intimidating than seeing his deformed face on the back of Quirrell's head.

Maybe it was knowing that Quirrell was dead now. Maybe it was knowing that Voldemort wasn't going to stop. Harry clenched his hands into fists so they wouldn't shake.

"Do you know why you're here?" Voldemort questioned, moving his wand slowly between his hands.

"No." His voice shook just a little bit.

"No, Lord."

Harry swallowed, determined not to let his voice shake. "No, Lord."

"Better. You will eventually learn how to properly talk to your superiors." Voldemort leaned back leisurely in his throne. "You're here because I need you to do something for me. And if you value your life, I don't believe you'll have much of an issue with it." A slow smile crept up his face. Harry hated him more than he had when the bastard was in his head just a few weeks ago.

"I don't want to be a part of this. I did everything you asked. I'll stay out of your way, I just want to be left alone," Harry pleaded. Voldemort's smile grew wider.

"Well, Mr. Potter, you are welcome to leave anytime. I promise you, your destination will be death," Voldemort turned away from him, instead moving his eyes back to his wand, "now, the task I have planned for you is simple."

~~~

Harry sat in the library, writing his potions essay. Trust that to be Snape's first assignment of the year.

He worked diligently, Hermione sitting next to him working on the same essay. She wouldn't be assigned it until tomorrow, when her Ravenclaw/Gryffindor class would first have Snape's class. But that never stopped Hermione from wanting to get a jump on the homework. Harry sometimes wished his work ethic was like Hermione's, but maybe one day he'd get there.

"Almost dinner time, 'Mione," Harry murmured, gently blowing on his essay to dry the ink. He was almost done, he'd spend another half hour or so on it and it'd be ready by Thursday's class.

"Already?" Hermione looked up, muggle pen dangling out of her mouth. Harry had decided to bring them this year, since quills took too long for him. Hermione had scolded him at first, but not even she could deny the practicality of pens. He had given her one of the packs he brought.

"Yeah, c'mon. We can finish our essays after dinner if you'd like, but I'm almost done. Figure we can finish tomorrow, yeah?" Harry looked up from where he was putting his text books in his bag.

"Yes, I suppose. I did want to check out a book on magical aquatic creatures. A new girl in my dorm, Luna, said something about the giant squid last night and I haven't been able to get it off my mind," Hermione quickly gathered her things, glancing up at Harry as she did so.

"Did you already find it?"

"No..."

"Then it can wait until after dinner. C'mon, I'm hungry. We'll still have plenty of time after curfew," Harry reassured, gesturing to the door with his head. Hermione relented, sighing.

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes at Harry's laugh. The two walked out together, leaving behind a nondescript, old leather-bound book on the table they had been sitting at.

The two quickly made their way up to the great hall, where they parted ways to their respected tables. Harry sat next to Draco, who looked at him wearily.

"Did you do it?" He whispered, looking around himself to make sure no one else was listening. Harry gave him a humorless smile and nodded. Draco sucked in a breath, slumping heavily as he exhaled. "How're you gonna know someone took it?"

Harry gave him a sideways glance as he took a bite of a sandwich. "'Mione and I are going back to the 'ibrary after 'unch," Harry said through a mouthful of food, "If it's gone, it's gone, and I don't have to worry about it anymore. Not my problem."

Draco nodded slowly, chewing on mashed carrots. "I still don't understand why you socialize with that Mudblood."

Harry smacked him, which Draco ignored. "She's smart, helps me a lot with my schoolwork. And she is actually a decent person. And, oh yeah, I enjoy her company, unlike some," Harry drawled, raising his eyebrows at Draco as a challenge.

Draco huffed. "We both know I'm better than her, Harry. It's impossible for a Mudblood-would you stop smacking me?" Harry laughed at him.

"No, I'll keep smacking you every time you say that word."

"That's the word... He... uses."

"Well 'He' isn't here right now," Harry looked at him briefly, watching Draco huff again.

"You can't talk about Him like that Harry! You know what He'll do to you!" Draco whispered, sounding so urgent and panicked it made Harry laugh a small bit.

"He isn't my lord, Draco. He'll never be. I'm not letting that happen," Harry muttered, stabbing an innocent croissant with a fork.

"You can't stop Him, Harry."

Harry stared at Draco, chewing slowly. "Watch me."

~~~

Kill, kill, kill, kill , must kill!

Harry woke up with a gasp. His bed sheets were drenched with sweat, his hair stuck to his forehead. Harry stumbled out of bed, into the bathroom. He started a shower, realizing how dark and quite the rest of the dorm was.

"Tempus." 3:46 a.m. Pleasant.

Harry stepped into the shower to warm himself. He'd been hearing that voice too often in his dreams. He was beginning to have worryingly dark circles. Hermione was starting to bug him about asking the school nurse for a sleeping drought. Neville said her name was Madam Pomfrey and she was nice, if a bit stern.

Harry didn't want to resort to potions, however. This was just some silly dream, it had to be...

Harry dried off, redressing. He was midway through pulling his shirt on when he heard it again.

Must kill, must kill, must kill! Hungry, hungry, HUNGRY. MUST KILL. KILL KILL KILL.

Harry stopped breathing. He couldn't tell where it was coming from. It sounded like it came from... everywhere. He covered his ears, trying to block it out, to muffle the voice. It eventually went away, and Harry gave a sigh of relief.

He needed to figure out what that was. Wrapping his invisibility cloak around him, he went to the library to start looking. He wouldn't be sleeping again tonight.

~~~

"It's a basilisk!"

"SHHHHHHH!"

Hermione wilted away from Madam Pince's voice, but the excited glint in her eyes never went away.

"A basilisk? Gram told me they were really evil creatures!" Neville whispered, shuddering.

"What is a basilisk? How could it be freezing the students like that?" Harry asked her, but Hermione was already paragraphs ahead of them.

"The basilisk is a type of serpent, known as the King of Serpents, that can grow on average fifty feet in length. It's ability to kill victims by staring at them had lead to it's deep affiliation with the Dark Arts,"

"Penelope is dead?"

Hermione gave Neville a stare that Harry had learned meant don't interrupt me I'm about to answer your question.

"While the lethal qualities of this creature and it's inability to be domesticated by anyone who does not have the ability to speak parseltongue has given it a Dangerous Creature Rating of XXXXX, it's gaze is not always deadly. By indirect eyesight (ex. locking eyes through a mirror) will cause petrification, or freezing of the victim's body.

"Though petrification was thought to be incurable, it was discovered in 994 A.D. that the juice of an adult mandrake can cure petrification if administered within enough time."

"Do you think Professor Sprout knows that?" Harry asked.

"She must, she's a Herbology expert. Do you think they'll be ready in time?" Hermione bit her lip as she asked the question, looking at the two of them worriedly.

"I...don't know. What does the rest of it say?"

"The basilisk is created through a chicken egg that was hatched beneath a toad, and though by no means does this make them extinct, the last recorded basilisk was a baby owned by known parselmouth, Salazar Slytherin, co-founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Hermione finished.

"They're not dead," Neville slumped against his chair, giving a heavy breath of relief.

"No, they're not...'Mione, what's a paresel...thing? The thing they called Salazar Slytherin," Harry asked, peering at the book she held.

Hermione furrowed her brow and skimmed the rest of the page. "It doesn't say. There's probably a book on it somewhere though," she snapped the book shut, eyes roaming the shelves. "But, we have to tell the professors. Now that we know what it is, they can do something about it, can't they?"

"Yeah, we need to tell professor McGonagall. She's the deputy headmistress, and I know where her office is," Neville offered.

"Shouldn't we tell Professor Lockhart first? He is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he deals with dark creatures all the time," Hermione said, quickly putting her things away.

"He's a useless teacher, Hermione, you know that. McGonagall is a better choice," Harry said, "you two go and tell her, I'm going to stay here and see if I can figure out what a Parsel-thing is."

"You're not going to come with us to tell Professor McGonagall?" Hermione asked. She seemed a little hurt, making Harry feel bad.

"Yeah. And don't even mention that I was part of this, okay? I don't want to get the limelight cause I'm the Boy-Who-Lived. You guys deserve this, alright? I'll see you two at lunch," Harry smiled encouragingly at them, "now go, you have students to save."

Hermione smiled at him, and took off with Neville down the hallway. He hoped they wouldn't say anything about him. If all went well, the creature would be dead, and there would be no way of knowing Harry was involved in it, when word got back to Voldemort.

He had no idea how Voldemort was connected to this, but he knew it had something to do with the book Harry had left in the library months ago.

Harry moved along the bookshelves, until he finally got to the enormous P section. For some reason, these shelves were sorted by title, not author, but that was convenient enough for him.

It took awhile, but eventually he found a book titled Parselmouths, a Record Book and History.

Harry hardly had to read a page before he had the answer he needed.

"Snakes. I can talk to snakes because I'm...a parselmouth," Harry sighed, leaning his head against the shelf. I've been hearing the basilisk. At night, that's what it's been... of course...

Can I...speak it?

Harry walked out of the library, slowly moving to the great hall. What did it mean that he could speak Parseltongue? It was a hereditary trait, the book had said, but...that didn't make much sense. Harry looked up at the high ceiling of the corridor. How is it getting around? It's... massive, it has to be...

Harry's eyebrow furrowed. None of this made sense.

~~~

Kill, kill, kill!

Harry tossed the bed sheet off of him, scrambling into the bathroom. He had only learned about his ability earlier that day, but he wanted to try it before the creature was killed. The only thing was that Harry had no idea how to use it.

Hungry, hungry, HUNGRY

Harry tried to imagine the terrifying reptile in front of him. "Why're you hung-" Harry stopped. That was English, he knew that. He concentrated, trying to focus on the hissing voice in his head.

"Why're you hungry?" The noise that came out of Harry's mouth was not natural, yet he understood it perfectly.

Sssssleeping sssso long, sssso HUNGRY. KILL. HUNGRY. KILL. HUNGRY.

The creature's voice faded. It had moved too far for Harry to hear it anymore. Harry went back to bed, but it was long hours before he fell asleep.

~~~

"My dear students," Dumbledore spoke, his voice booming from the high table, "thanks to our amazing board of Professors, the creature that has been terrorizing our school these past months has been neutralized!" Thunderous applause met his declaration, the student body cheered and whistled and howled. Dumbledore's smile was wide as he motioned for them to calm down several beats later.

"Your fellow students, who were affected by this creature are being administered a cure as we speak, and will be joining you tomorrow. In celebration, classes will be canceled tomorrow. Take the day to enjoy time with your classmates, your friends. Enjoy it as much as you can before finals come in just a few short weeks. Now, eat!"

The great hall buzzed with joy for the rest of dinnertime. Almost everyone was laughing with happiness, with relief that they themselves wouldn't be harmed. Almost everyone.

Draco sat, relentlessly picking at his nails as he chewed on some chicken. "What's gonna happen when He finds out?"

Harry smiled a little bit. "I think Mr. Lordly is going to be very angry."

~~~

Harry went with Draco and Lucius when they arrived at the platform. He didn't know what enchantments were on his house or his family that meant his absence didn't raise questions. All he knew was that Voldemort wanted him close by.

It was dark when they arrived. The manor cast huge shadows upon the grown, swallowing the nature within reach. "You'll both be going to your rooms immediately. There are brooms in there. You've been instructed to practice broom-riding relentlessly this summer. The Dark Lord has plans, and this time you'll both be involved. I trust you won't disappoint him," Lucius told them.

Harry and Draco shared a glance. "You will also be battered relentlessly with learning new offensive spells, and I expect you both to work tirelessly in both areas. To your rooms, now."

~~~

Harry knelt on the cold stone floor. Draco was on his left, while Lucius was on his right. Several others formed a broken circle around Voldemort's throne. The gaps were significant. Voldemort looked angry, staring at them, but there was another glint in his eye, one Harry couldn't place.

"You will fly, tonight, to Azkaban. You will attack it's walls, and free my followers. Pettigrew, you'll have the extra brooms hanging from your own, do not lose them," Voldemort spoke softly, a snake winding around his arm. It hadn't been there when Harry began his second year, but the few times he'd seen it over the summer it refused to talk to him. He seemed more attached to it than seemed normal, but... was anything ever normal?

"Y-yes, L-lord," stuttered a man diagonal from Harry.

"Dolohov, you will blast the front of the building, and distract whatever unfortunate wizards are on duty. If they get in your way, don't hesitate to kill them." Voldemort smiled, a horrible twisting of features that made Harry's stomach sick. He could barely stand to look at the man anymore. His nose was almost entirely gone, though Harry wasn't sure what had caused that change. His eyes still shone red, and his sickly pale skin made Harry feel like he had bugs all over him.

"Yes, My Lord."

"Boys, I trust you've been practicing as you've been instructed. This will be your first mission for me, I do hope it is not your last. Distribute the brooms, share your own if you have to. I am under the belief that some of my followers have died during their imprisonment, but that may not be the case.

"You will fly immediately back. I expect you before sunrise. Leave." Voldemort waved a dismissive hand, and Harry and Draco ran to get their brooms.

~~~

Harry's hands were numb. Everything felt numb. The wind was unforgiving at the breakneck speed they had been flying at, it was all Harry could do not to slip off his broom. His robes and scarf did very little to help. Lucius' warming charm had worn off a long time ago.

A tall, black building rose in the distance. Harry hoped that was what they were looking for, after so many miles of ocean. He hated what they were about to do. Harry had thought of sabotaging the mission, using the numerous offensive spells he had learned, but it would be too suspicious. Voldemort would hardly trust him if only he, Draco, and a few others returned.

Harry flew with a pit in his stomach, that seemed to grow heavier with each mile.

Dark figures circled the building, they were- floating? Harry wasn't sure, he had never seen anything like them before. Dark, hooded anthropomorphic figures that seemed to hover just a little too high, and be just a little too tall.

Harry slowed his broom at Lucius's signal. They surrounded the building, Harry following closely behind Pettigrew. Soon they were in position, the highest level of the back of the building. The person Harry assumed was Dolohov went around the front. Seconds after he left Harry's sight, a loud BOOM was heard.

Explosion after explosion assaulted the wall, Harry and Draco adding a small contribution to the destruction. Soon many holes were dotted in the brick, and Harry and Draco quickly swooped past Pettigrew's broom, collecting an armful of brooms and flying towards the cheering inmates.

Malfoy ran out of brooms first. Harry handed out the last of his, but a few yelling people were still calling for his attention. Draco had a skinny, dark haired man on the back of his broom, while somebody else had taken a stocky, short woman on the back of theirs. Harry flew to an inmate who wasn't calling, but was transfixed on Harry. His eyes glinted.

"Who're you?" Harry called out. The man stared at him harder.

"Harry?" As the man spoke, he crawled forward to the edge of his cell, one hand on the broken brick.

"Who are you?" Harry repeated, a bit more forcefully this time.

The man smiled wider than Harry thought anyone else had. "I'm Sirius Black. Please Harry, you know me. Let me on your broom, please. I can tell you so much you don't know. Please, Harry!"

Harry stared at him for a moment, hearing the yells of the others growing increasingly distant. They were flying away without him. Harry flew next to the man, Sirius.

"Get on, quick. Quickly!"

~~~

The man had been surprisingly quiet while they had rode over the ocean. It wasn't until they had started to see land again that he began to speak. When he did, Harry purposefully let himself gradually drift to the back of the group.

"Why are you mixed up with this bunch, Harry? What happened?" He spoke quietly into Harry's ear, startling him.

Harry looked over his shoulder at the raggedy, horribly thin man. "They threatened my life. Didn't have much of a choice," he spoke, hoping the man was able to hear him over the wind.

He seemed too. His shoulders sagged a bit, and Harry felt him relax, before they tensed up again once more. "You didn't choose to work with them? You're not...did they Mark you?" Harry barely heard the last part, the man said it so quietly.

"No, they didn't. Lucius Malfoy convinced him that we were too young, that it'd be too obvious at school. We're supposed to get Marked in a few years, though, but-" Harry paused, but I don't plan to let that happen. He stopped himself. He didn't trust Sirius yet. He had no reason too.

He also had no reason to believe Sirius was a Death Eater. He hadn't done anything to show sympathy, but regardless he'd been put in Azkaban, so he was guilty of something.

Maybe tax fraud. Did wizards have tax fraud?

"You can use my first name Harry. It's Sirius. Or Snuffles, if you're more comfortable with that."

Harry snorted a bit. "What kind of name is Snuffles?"

Harry could hear the smile in Sirius' voice when he spoke. "A nickname my old schoolmates gave me," he said, gripping Harry's shoulder for a moment. Harry was about to shrug off his hand, Sirius (Snuffles?) took it away.

Harry didn't have anything to say to that, and it was quiet for a few minutes, before Sirius spoke again.

"Don't let him Mark you, Harry. Anything is better than a live of slavery to an evil wizard. You're so much better than that, I know you can get out of his grasp," Sirius urged, his voice panicked.

"It's hard to get away when you're living in his home by force. Listen, who are you? Why do you know me? Why do you care?" Harry turned around to look at him, accidentally making his broom swerve to the left. Harry quickly straightened himself before someone ahead thought to check on him.

"I'm... Harry, I knew your father, in school. We were really close friends. I-I was supposed to take care of you after he died, but I was framed for murder. I didn't-I'm innocent, Harry. I'm your godfather."

Harry almost crashed into a tree.

~~~

"Drop me here, behind that building."

Harry dipped down, hoping under the cover of darkness the rest of the group wouldn't notice him. "Good luck. Try and stay safe," Harry told him, quickly letting him off the broom. Sirius's smile was almost blinding, despite the yellow teeth.

"I'll find you. Be careful, Harry."

Harry zipped off into the night, quickly catching back up to the pack. He watched them carefully, though no one seemed to notice his sudden rejoin.

Voldemort nearly cackle with glee when they returned, and Harry was sent to his bed with a very full stomach. They had done good, Voldemort had said.

~~~

Harry wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck. Hermione walked next to him, fascinated by the shop windows. Trinkets floated, horns blew, clothes twirled themselves, self-inking quills displayed their abilities in an elegant font, tea pots filled teacups with precision. It was the most concentrated hub of pure...magic. Light, comforting, fun, happy magic.

Harry loved Hogsmead. They had already visited a Quidditch shop, and Harry had almost bought the new Firebolt on a whim, but he didn't have nearly enough money. Not on him, at least. Harry had discovered how much he had loved flying this past summer, though he wasn't going to tell Hermione exactly why.

"Maybe Malfoy will get you it for the holidays. You two are good friends now, aren't you?" Hermione stood next to him, where he stared longingly at the shiny broom in the store window.

"Nah, Malfoy is still a prat, I don't want to owe him anything. Maybe when it gets old and goes on sale I ca-"

Hermione smacked his arm, interrupting him. "Harry, look!"

Harry turned, seeing Hermione looking at a shaggy old dog that stood on the other side of the wide path, almost hidden in the shade of a tree. Harry thought it was staring at him.

"Oh look how skinny it is, I think it's shivering! Oh the poor thing," Hermione frowned heavily, her hand twitching to reach out to it. "Do you think it's friendly?"

Harry bit his lip, before he dug into his bag. He handed Hermione a few gallons. "Go to the three broomsticks and see if you can find anything that we can feed it. Chicken or fish or something, and no cooked bones, they splinter and could choke him." Hermione smiled at him warmly, then darted away.

Harry walked a little closer, surprised when the dog didn't run away. He got on his knees next to him, his legs instantly chilling in the snow. Harry brought out his wand and cast a warming charm on himself. He looked up at the dog, who had started to whine just a little.

The thing was so thin, and Harry agreed that it seemed to be shivering. "Hey, it's okay buddy, I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?" The dog didn't react, but Harry carefully cast the same warming spell on the dog. Immediately, it shook out it's fur, tongue hanging out of its mouth in what looked like a smile. It approached Harry, nuzzling his open hand.

Harry laughed a bit, petting the shaggy, disgusting fur. It had grown so long it seemed to hang to the ground in some places. "Maybe I should clean you up a bit, too. I know a few cleaning spells, but I don't know how safe they are for animals..." Harry muttered to himself, scratching the mutts muzzle. It yipped at him a bit.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to give you a bit of a bath, right?" Harry knew aguamenti, which would get the dog wet, but he didn't remember a drying spell that he could say was safe for animals.

Hermione ran up next to him, before slowly approaching the dog. When he happily put his head into Hermione's outstretched hand, she giggled.

"What food did you get for him?"

"I asked Madam Rosmerta for some pork, without bones," Hermione said, looking a bit worried. "I hope they're okay. They're cooked, I'm not sure if uncooked meat is safe for dogs, but she specifically assured me there wouldn't be any bones."

Harry nodded a bit, remembering how his aunt Marge used to talk about her dogs diet for hours when she would visit. "Yeah, that should be fine. Go on, give it to him, he's probably starving."

Hermione grabbed the meat, holding it out to the dog. She let go with a squeak when he got close to her hand, scared he would bite her, but he picked the meet up gently off the ground. Hermione gave him the next piece of her hand, which he again took gently.

"'Mione, do you know any cleaning spells that are good for dogs? Seems like he could use a bath and maybe a brush, don't you think?" Harry watched the mutt eat with a smile on his face. The dog's ears perked up in interest a bit, but he seemed too interested in the meat.

Hermione hummed a little, her brow furrowing. "I believe so, Flitwick taught us some household spells last year that included charms for pets. If he holds still, I think I can make his fur clean."

As if understanding her, the mutt swallowed the last of it's meal and sat up straight, looking at them happily, but perfectly still.

"He's really smart, isn't he?" Hermione scratched the side of his face, smiling.

"I think so. Let's clean the poor thing before he starts moving, yeah?"

Hermione nodded, whispering an incantation and moving her wand in a bit of a flicking motion.

The change was miraculous. He seemed like a whole different dog, almost. His hair was trimmed, his fur clean, matted hair gone, teeth almost sparkling white, gunk cleaned out from around it's eyes, minor scratches healed. A few now-dead bugs fell out of his fur, though Harry almost vomited when the dog shook and more flew off.

He barked at them, jumped around them in a circle, and cuddled up to Hermione, and then Harry. The happy dog had them laughing loudly for several minutes. "Oh, I wish Hogwarts allowed dogs, he's just the sweetest thing!" Hermione cooed at the dog, who nipped at her.

"Should we give him a name, do you think?" The large dog had his head resting in Harry's lap, ears perked in interest.

"Oh, you know we probably won't see him again, Harry," Hermione said sadly, rubbing the dog behind his ears.

"What if we do, though? This is our first trip to Hogsmead, and I'd rather have something to look forward to than staring sadly at the Firebolt display every time we come," Harry said, twisting around to look at said display, "and what's the harm, anyways?"

Hermione shrugged, still smiling. "Maybe we could call him Hagrid! Or Fang, after his dog?"

The mutt nipped at her. "I think he disagrees with you," Harry said, laughing. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What ideas do you have then?"

Harry shrugged. "Hedwig was the first pet I've ever had, and I named her after something I found in one of our first year textbooks. I'm no better at naming things than you are, and you're pretty awful at it."

Harry received a punch in the arm, but it was worth it.

Harry looked down at the mutt in his lap, and a small smile came to his face. "Snuffles."

The dog almost knocked his head against Harry's with how quickly it stood. "What on earth made you think of the name Snuffles, Harry?"

Harry thought the dog was asking him the same thing. "It was, uh, the nickname of a friend I had. Just thought it suited him. He reminds me of them." Harry watched the dog carefully, who now sat in front of them.

"I like it," Hermione said slowly. She smiled then, petting Snuffles around the ears. "Okay, then. Snuffles," Hermione declared proudly. Harry smiled, before he frowned a bit at seeing students starting to trudge back to Hogwarts.

"I think we need to head back now, 'Mione."

Hermione looked where he was looking, sighing sadly. "Such a shame our trips are so much shorter than they're supposed to be. You don't think one of those criminals are really going to try and attack Hogsmead, do you?" Hermione looked at him, still petting Snuffles softly.

"The Ministry sure seems to think so, with all those dementors they have everywhere." Harry stood, wiping the snow off his pants. He gave Snuffles a pet goodbye, cast another heating charm on the dog, and dragged Hermione sadly beside him.

"Did I tell you professor Lupin was going to give me some private lessons to help me with the dementors?"

~~~

"Look, Harry, it's Snuffles!" Hermione left his side, running to the shade of a tree where the dog lay. Harry followed at a more gradual pace, staring at the old wooden shack that was a few hundred feet from them.

It was their second visit, and they had found Snuffles rather quickly, to their surprise.

"I'll go get him some food, cast a warming charm on him," Harry told her. She nodded, and Harry set off. It didn't take long to get back. He had gotten more food this time, not liking how skinny Snuffles was. Snuffles took the food from Harry's hand carefully, not even a tooth touching his skin.

Harry sat on a small, snowy bench, watching Hermione pet Snuffles. After a few minutes where the sounds of Snuffles chewing were the loudest noises, Hermione sat next to him.

"Are you okay, Harry? You've been so drained lately. I've been meaning to ask, but we never seem to be alone anymore. You're always with Malfoy." Hermione laid a gloved hand on his arm. Harry gave her a thankful smile, sighing.

"Sorry, 'Mione. He likes to hang around me a lot. Cause we're in the same house, or something." Or because he's forced to by his father.

Hermione frowned. "What's going on, Harry? You've got dark circles worse than I've ever seen." Her concern was accompanied by Snuffles laying his head on Harry's thigh, nudging the limp hand in his lap.

"It's the dementors, 'Mione. I know they're only at the entrances, but it seems like..." Harry trailed off. Hermione gave his arm an encouraging squeeze, and Snuffles nudged him as well. Harry gave a tired smile, slowly petting Snuffles. "They're so cold. It feels like they're everywhere, seeping into Hogwarts or something. You remember what happened on the train, right?

"It's like that. Like I'm about to faint constantly. I hear these... they sound like screams, when I'm near them." Harry let himself lean on Hermione's shoulder, who wrapped her arm around him. Harry took comfort in it. He hardly had affection, this felt nice. Even Snuffles seemed to be trying to comfort him.

"What about the lessons with Professor Lupin? You said he was helping you deal with them."

"He's teaching me a spell that seventh years get taught, and even most of them aren't successful. It's a patronus charm, or something. It draws on happy memories to create this thing that makes the dementors go away, but it doesn't really help with anything else."

Hermione gave him a hug.

~~~

"Holy. Merlins. Balls."

Draco scooted across the living room to look at the gift in his hands, right when Lucius scolded him for his language.

"Is that a Firebolt?" Draco gasped right along with him, hands twitching to hold the sleek broom.

Harry nodded dumbly.

"Who sent it, Harry dear?" Narcissa asked. Harry looked around for a note, but there was none.

"I don't know, but this is amazing! Can we go flying after Christmas dinner?" Harry asked, Narcissa's smile giving him the answer he wanted. Lucius nodded after a moment.

"No fair! I didn't get a new broom!" Draco called out, eyes alight with jealousy.

"Draco, stop whining and finish opening your gifts. You're not even halfway through them."

They had both gotten firebolts, though Harry had no idea whose his was from. They flew in the Malfoy's backyard, as they had as vigorously as the summer. Though this time they raced for fun, not out of fear of being punished.

They walked back into the house, dirty, muddy, and sweaty, declaring they would both be trying out for the Quidditch team next year.

Lucius decided not to tell them that the Dark Lord would most likely demand all their time in the next few years. The Dark Lord was gone, now off on the hunt for something Lucius wasn't allowed to know about. Several Death Eaters were still in his home, but they had all been given rooms far away, and had agreed to stay away from the boys this Christmas break.

At least, they had after he'd cut off one of Pettigrew's fingers.

~~~

The sun set behind the Forbidden forest, dusk falling upon the Quidditch pitch. Harry paid it no mind as he pushed his broom to it's limits. Hermione had been very happy for him, though the fact that she couldn't figure out who had given him the broom frustrated her.

Harry passed the Hufflepuff banner, looking behind him to see it flapping furiously behind him. He shot upwards, almost going to the clouds before he let himself fall backwards.

He laughed almost hysterically as he free fell, before he easily regained control, diving to the ground. It came closer and closer, until he was forced to pull up at the very last moment. His foot skidded across the ground as he flew level. He did two laps around the pitch, letting him momentum carry him as he leisurely flew. Harry eventually slowed, and came to an easy stop.

Loud barking caught up to his ears, Harry hardly had time to get off his broom and turn around before he was being tackled by a large, black dog. Harry laughed and wrestled with the animal. "See that, Snuffles? How cool was that? Huh? Huh good boy?" Harry was giving him a belly rub when Hermione finally got to them.

"How'd he get here?"

Harry smiled, laughing at Snuffles, who had stumbled away from him to stare at him, face down by his paws, butt in the air and tail wagging furiously.

"I have no idea," Harry told her, before he ran at Snuffles. The two engaged in a small race, that Snuffles easily won. Harry stopped, gasping for breath and laughing as he walked back to Hermione, who was watching the two of them with a warm smile.

"He's looking a bit healthier, isn't he?" Hermione knelt next to Snuffles, making them eye level. She was petting him, but then he moved forward until they were hugging. Hermione made a cooing noise that made Harry laugh.

"Looks happier too. Think we can sneak him into the kitchens, get him some food?" At Harry's words, Snuffled yipped at him, jumping on Harry and putting his paws on his shoulders. Harry laughed as Snuffles licked his cheek, leaving it slobbery. "Eugh, gross!"

Harry gently pushed Snuffles off him. He looked at Hermione, who had a frown on her face. "I don't think they're anyway we can get him in. What about the dementors?"

Harry snorted. "You think those things are going to stop a dog? They don't even speak. They're here to make sure some stupid Death Eaters don't try and commit suicide by attacking Hogwarts," Harry said, grabbing his broom.

Hermione frowned at him again. "Still, we can't exactly sneak a whole dog into the castle. It's not curfew, a teacher or a student could pass and see us," Hermione said. Harry frowned for a moment, until a slow smile came to his face.

"We could put the cloak on him," Harry suggested. He looked down at Snuffles, who's ears perked in interest, his tail wagging.

"Harry! We have no way of knowing if he'll follow us! He could walk right off with the cloak and you'd lose something of your fathers! And that thing is priceless, and who knows if he'd even keep it on! I've never seen a dog willingly keep something on."

Harry looked at Snuffles, who was sitting very still. His tongue hung out of the right side of his mouth, it looked like he was smiling.

"I mean... we could try. He'll be able to see through it, and he's a really smart dog, you know that 'Mione. Besides, you'd rather let him go hungry than risk a little detention?"

He had her there. "What if he wanders off? He'll be invisible!"

"We can put a minor tracking spell on him. I'll know where he is, and then once we get him some food, and get him out, I can take it off."

Hermione sighed. Harry pouted at her. She swore the dog was too. "Fine, fine, we'll try. He has to actually keep the cloak on, you realize."

Harry nodded, pulling the cloak out of a bottomless pocket in his robes. He cast a tracking spell on Snuffles, connecting a blue light between him and the dog that only Harry could see. "When did you learn that spell? It was never taught to us."

Harry gave her a sneaky little smile as he draped the cloak around Snuffles.

"Over the summer."

~~~

Now with a full stomach, Snuffles trotted happily between Harry and Hermione. The blue light between them was Harry's only indication that Snuffles was actually there. They got to the entrance to the Quidditch pitch, where Harry removed the cloak and the spell from the happy dog.

"Be a good boy Snuffles, we'll see you around." Harry said. Hermione gave the dog a hug, and Snuffles licked the side of her face. He licked Harry's hand, and then trotted off in the direction of the whomping willow.

"He's really well behaved. It's... it's almost like he can understand us," Hermione said as they walked back.

"Yeah, it's funny. He is really well-behaved," Harry paused for a moment, looking at Hermione sideways. "Think there are charms that could let me keep him without anyone else knowing?"

Hermione gave him a scandalized look. "Harry, no! What about when he has to go to the bathroom? What if someone trips over him? What if he barks during one of our classes? So many things could go wrong!"

"But Hermione, you love research. And think of all the spells we'd learn! And we'd be able to feed Snuffles during meals and he could sleep in a comfy bed! And he'd be clean and everything!"

Hermione sighed. "We can go to the library Sunday, but you have to know it's not a good idea, Harry."

Harry smiled. "When are my ideas ever good?"

~~~

There weren't any spells that did what Harry needed them to do. He was more disappointed than he thought he'd be. His heart wasn't made of stone, after all. When Hermione finally gave up, it was lunch time, and Harry had a lesson with Professor Lupin afterwards.

He sat down in one of the unoccupied chairs with a large sigh. He was still disappointed from today's lack of success, but he hoped it wouldn't get in the way too much.

Professor Lupin smiled at him. "Tea?"

Harry accepted the cup, adding some sugar to it. "How are you, Professor?"

"Little tired, Harry. The prisoners being freed has had me more on edge lately than I like to admit." Professor Lupin leaned back in his chair, holding his tea in both of his hands.

"Why? There hasn't even been anything in the news talking about Death Eater activity." Harry sipped his glass, burning his tongue. Professor Lupin cast a cooling charm on it.

"And that is what makes me nervous. They're... planning something. They're quiet. The last time this many Death Eaters had been freed and it had been so quiet..." Lupin trailed off, but Harry's interest was too piqued to leave it.

"What had happened?"

Professor Lupin looked at him for a moment, assessing. After a moment, he sat his mug on the table and used a hand to rub his temples. "Harry, you probably don't know this, but me and your father were very, very good friends when we were in school," Professor Lupin began. Harry already had questions, but Lupin held up a hand to stop him, "There were four of us, thick as thieves. Your father, myself, Peter Pettigrew, and... and Sirius Black."

Harry had three times as many questions now. He kept his tongue in check. Any question he asked would give up information. He couldn't ask about Pettigrew, he was living in the manor. He couldn't ask about Sirius, because Harry knew too much about the Azkaban escape, and had ridden with the man.

"Why did you hesitate on that last name?" There, that was a safe question. Harry wanted more info about the man. He needed more than what he knew from that short ride with the man. Sirius had said that he didn't deserve to go to Azkaban, that it wasn't his fault. He had rambled for five minutes, about dementors and something called a secret keeper, about the name Pettigrew and thirteen people. Harry hadn't understood most of it, but he was a little nervous to question a man who was behind him on a broom two hundred feet in the air.

"Sirius... Sirius was a Death Eater. I didn't kno-"

"No he wasn't." Harry knew that. Lucius had ranted for a whole day about the Daily Prophet. They had released a list of known Death Eaters that had escaped Azkaban, Sirius Black being on that list. Even Narcissa had flinched at some of the words he had used to describe the blood traitor scum Sirius Black.

Lupin looked at him, a pitying look on his face.

"Harry, Sirius Black was caught having killed thirteen people, including a good friend of ours, Peter-"

"You're wrong. I stay with Draco Malfoy over the holidays. His father used to know a lot of Death Eaters, and he got really mad when the Daily Prophet called him a Death Eater. And then he talked about knowing Pettigrew, and how, uhm..." Harry paused, trying to remember the words. Lupin seemed glued to his seat, eyes as round as saucers.

"He said that Pettigrew was, uhm. I forget what he said, something about a keeper of something. And that he was a Death Eater. Had the Dark Mark and everything."

Harry was afraid he had broken the man. "That's-that's not possible. That isn't possible," Lupin whispered, standing up shakily.

"I-I could be wrong, Professor. That's just something I overheard Lucius say. And even he could be wrong, he was talking about stuff from, like, a decade ago." Harry knew he was absolutely right about Pettigrew being a Death Eater. And he knew Sirius wasn't one, he didn't have the Mark. But he had to convince Lupin about that without giving it away.

"Lucius Malfoy called Pettigrew the Secret Keeper? That can't be right, Lily and James made Sirius the secret... unless they had changed it without any of us knowing, and when Sirius blew up the street he could've-what if he lived, maybe turned into a rat and-" Lupin stopped himself.

"Woah, turn into a rat? What does that mean? People can't just turn into rats!"

Lupin seemed to cling to the question, being able to answer something he actually knew about. "They're called Animagi, wizards and witches who can turn into animals, though each animal is different for each person-"

"Like how Professor McGonagall can turn into a cat?" Harry interrupted. Lupin gave him a teacher look for interrupting him, but nodded.

"Your father, Sirius, and Pettigrew were all Animagi. Your father could turn into a stag, Peter a rat, and Sirius a grim."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "A grim?"

"A large, black dog, typically seen as an omen of death. I remember thinking all those years how fitting that was, considering..."

Harry stopped listening. That dog had to have been Sirius. Harry almost laughed at the fact he had named Sirius after Sirius. This was... ridiculous. Sirius had...tricked him? Deceived him? Used him to get food?

Harry wasn't sure.

"Harry? Harry?"

Harry looked up. "Hm?"

"Has Lucius ever mentioned something about Pettigrew being alive?"

This could be it. The start of how I get rid of Voldemort. Right? Take out Pettigrew, he's one lackey less. Go to the manor, get the whole lot of them arrested. Get Lucius arrested. Get Draco arrested. Get hunted down by Voldemort. Get killed. Bastard lives.

Harry had to do this himself. "He's never said anything like that, sir. He never talks about when he was a Death Eater under the imperious." And what a load of bullshit that was.

Lupin seemed to sink in his chair. "I need to talk to Dumbledore," Lupin murmured, rubbing his temples once more. Harry felt like he needed to steer Lupin away from this subject before he blew it all.

"Professor, are we going to have our lesson today?"

Lupin looked up, a tired smile on his face.

~~~

Harry sat in the shade of a large tree on the edge of the Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest. The castle was mostly obstructed by the trees. He had sat here for around an hour, waiting. He had told Hermione he needed some alone time. He had told Draco the same thing, but the bugger never listen, so it became more of a 'fuck off' than a 'I want to be alone'.

He wanted to see if Snuffles -Sirius- would show. He needed to talk to him. Needed to get some answers. Needed to figure out who he needed to kill, who was to blame.

And yet, when the black dog trotted up to him with a smile Harry didn't know what to say.

Snuffles laid in the sun, his snout raising towards the sky. Harry opened his mouth, but closed it again. He could be wrong. It could just be a dog that was... really smart... and understood what he said... fuck.

"S-Sirius?"

Snuffles -Sirius- froze. Harry covered his face with his hands and let out a muffled groan.

"Why'd you have to lie? Why'd you have to make me think you were actually just an animal who liked my company? I fed you, I cleaned you, I sneaked you into the kitchens and you didn't have the decency to tell me? I had to figure it out from Professor Lupin?"

The dog -Sirius- looked at him, his head bowed.

"And now I don't know what to believe. Did you kill thirteen people including Pettigrew? Well, I know part of that is wrong because I have to see that rat bastards ugly face everyday during the summer.

"Did you kill others? I don't know. Did you betray my parents because you were the secret keeper? I don't know. If Peter was the secret keeper, I can imagine him giving them out, because he's a fucking Death Eater."

Harry gesticulated wildly as he spoke. Finally, he pulled his knees to his chest, buried his face in his knees and screamed.

Sirius whined. Harry looked at him, somewhere between a glare and defeated.

"Can you at least change so I can talk to you? Get some answers?"

Sirius turned his head into the forest, and slinked into the darkness. He came out a moment later, now a tall, thin man. His hair was trimmed, his teeth cleaned, his skin a bit less dirty and himself a little less emancipated than when Harry had last seen him. As a human, that was.

"Harry..."

~~~

"Expecto Patronum!"

A white light shimmered at the tip of his wand, before it sputtered and died. Lupin stepped in front of him, turning the boggart into some sort of orb. Harry wobbled on his feet, his eyes prickling.

"I can't do it."

Professor Lupin, after shoving the boggart back into the trunk, sat down next to him. He gave Harry a pat on the shoulder. "You've made progress, Harry. There's always something to be proud of."

Harry snorted. "You've been working with me on this for months. I think the only that's progressed are my cavities."

Professor Lupin smiled. "Chocolate?" He asked, reaching into his pocket. Harry laughed, accepting some.

"You'll get it Harry. Maybe we can continue next year. Professor Dumbledore said I'm going to be working here again next year, as long as my health holds." Professor Lupin watched him. Harry gave him a tired smile. "Harry, this is a spell seventh years are taught. Be nice to yourself, you've been working extremely hard."

Harry sighed, and nodded. "You're right. Thank you, Professor Lupin. I should get going, I want to study a bit before bed," Harry announced, picking up his bag from the floor.

Lupin gave him a proud smile. "Studying for your exams, I imagine?"

Harry nodded. "Just a few weeks away! Have a good evening, Professor Lupin!"

He closed the door behind him, veering into the dungeons where he went to the kitchens.

Soon, a small fruit basket had been left outside the doors that lead to the Quidditch pitch, suddenly appearing. Audible footsteps walked away, with no body to accompany them. Not ten minutes later, a large dog lumbered to the area, barked at the dementors, picked up the basket by it's handle and trotted off towards the whomping willow.

~~~

Harry didn't sleep. His large bed was very comfy, yes, but tonight it provided no comfort. The moon shined bright in the window, illuminating the large room. Harry waited.

He waited.

He waited.

He waited until the moon was high in the sky, and then got out of bed, and left his room.

Apparition had been the subject Harry was to study religiously this summer. And Apparition he had mastered.

He walked quietly down the hallway, his feet silenced by a wand Lucius had given him (so that he could perform magic underage, Draco had one as well) and appearance hidden by his cloak, that no one besides Hermione and Sirius knew of.

Harry knew which bedroom Pettigrew slept in. He'd been watching, waiting. And tonight would be his opportunity.

Pettigrew was known to leave at random hours on missions for Voldemort. What they were, no one knew. Harry didn't care, really. But Pettigrew hadn't been sent away in awhile. Voldemort no longer used Lucius' house as his home.

Harry had no idea where he went, now, but he'd once heard Nagini whisper about an old shack in the woods with bodies in it, something about it being gaunt. All that mattered was this was still where Pettigrew spent his free time.

Free time. Harry snorted. That concept no longer existed.

Harry was in front of Pettigrew's room. His door wasn't even locked. The man was pathetic at using magic as he was at using common sense.

He slept like a disgusting, deformed baby atop his bed, which was shabbier than Harry's own. He was partially illuminated by the light gently filtering in through the only window in the room.

Harry locked the door magically behind him. "Silencio," Harry whispered. A bright red coursed from his wand, enveloping Pettigrew's form for a moment. Harry smiled just a bit, casting spells to keep Pettigrew in his animagus form, and then bound him in quick succession. Harry held a wriggling rat in moments.

Pettigrew squeaked, and Harry laughed.

~~~

Voldemort sat on his throne, gripping his wand so tightly it looked ready to snap in two. A faint hissing came from his mouth occasionally, followed by a hiss from Nagini. They were too quiet for Harry to hear, which was a little disappointing. Voldemort hadn't been around lately, so Harry hadn't had much time to listen to his plans. Not that Harry would really complain about Voldemort not being around often. Then he wouldn't be forced to kneel as often.

Merlin, my knees hurt.

"The mission was...successful." He started, voice low.

Harry cursed internally. The mission had been bestowed upon Lestrange, Lucius, and Dolohov. Free more followers in Azkaban. This was the last thing Harry wanted, more support for Voldemort.

"Rowle, Crouch, Lestrange's."

Harry almost snapped his head up in shock. Minister Crouch? Last Harry had heard, the man had been denying any claim of Death Eater presence at any of the sites of ransacking that had happened lately. These ransackings tended to end in death, specifically of those that had claimed to be under imperius during the trials years before. The most recent had been the Avery household.

Minister Crouch... a death eater?

Bellatrix cackled next to Voldemort, clapping delightedly. Her brother and husband, they must be. Lucius had mentioned them to him before, since they were loosely related to the Malfoy name.

Voldemort really did have an advantage if he had the minister on his side, public or not.

"There is a Quidditch tournament soon. Malfoy, you'll take the boys. Crouch will go with you in disguise. Afterwards, burn it to the ground. I don't care how, and don't incriminate yourselves. Light your own sleeping quarters if you must. Crouch, the mark. Don't be caught, I don't care who you have to kill."

Fuck, my knees. And fuck, another death mission...I have to do something.

~~~

The screams were deafening. All around, all Harry could see were the smoky outlines of wizards attempting to put out the raging fires. Harry hadn't been responsible for much of this, thankfully. Lucius had made him and Draco stay in the tent for the beginning, but when it came time to set their own quarters (a decoy, Lucius didn't want to burn the real thing) he sent them to burn tents, regardless of the families inside.

Harry ignored that instruction. He set alight flags, lawn decorations, just enough to where no one would punish him for not participating.

For not killing.

~~~~

"Are you going with Granger to Hogsmead again?" Draco asked nonchalantly from the other side of the chess board. His eyes were mostly on his pieces, but they flicked up to Harry ever so often. The common room fireplace roared loudly next to them.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows at Draco. "Of course I am. It's one of the few times I have to myself that doesn't serve as a reminder of," Harry gestured to their surroundings, "everything that's going on. Why are you asking?"

Draco shrugged, not meeting Harry's eye as he moved his knight and settled back into his seat with his arms crossed. "Blaise has been talking about approaching one of the Beauxbatons or Durmstrang girls to go with him, was wondering if you were too."

Harry snorted, moving a bishop, which Draco quickly took with a rook Harry hadn't noticed. "Blaise still has a lot to learn if he thinks he's going to get one of those seventh year girls to go to Hogsmead with him." Harry shook his head, glaring at the chess board.

Draco gave a humorless laugh. Harry looked up at him, sighing and leaning back. "Alright, what's actually up?"

"I have no idea what you mean," Draco said, sniffing delicately.

"About Hogsmead. You wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't bothering you." Harry gave him a blank stare. Draco looked affronted. He opened his mouth but Harry cut him off. "No, don't look at me like that. You always complain about what's bothering you, you've just never been indirect about it. What's going on?" Draco ignored him, moving his queen. He'd have Harry's king soon, but Harry didn't care about that right now. He stared at Draco, waiting for an answer.

"Maybe I just don't know why you continue to prefer the Mudbloods company over ours. Are we not good enough for you, Harry?" Draco sneered. Harry reeled back in his seat. Draco hadn't used that word in private since second year, and he hadn't been this aggressive towards Harry since their first day at Hogwarts.

"Draco, I am constantly with Blaise and Theo and especially you. Is it wrong that I'd like some alone time and friendship outside of my own house that isn't bogged down by the threat of evil dark lord?" Harry lowered to a whisper-yell, leaning close to Draco. The blond shook his head angrily, giving Harry a harrumph noise before he abandoned their chess game and slammed the door to their dormitory.

Harry shook his head in astonishment and confusion.

~~~

Harry sat on a bench underneath a snow-covered tree, looking at the whomping willow ahead of him. Hermione was coming back with butterbear and a steak for Snuffles, who laid at Harry's feet with a warming charm on him. "Sirius," Harry spoke quietly, mindful of Hermione's impending return. Sirius perked his head up immediately. "I'm scared. And I'm angry. Lucius sent a letter to me and Draco a few days ago. He knows what the first task of the tournament is, and he expects us and some other Death Eaters to tamper with it. A lot of students could get hurt." Harry paused, taking a breath to steady his wavering voice.

"I'm scared that the professors won't be able to help in time. That a lot of people I know, and a lot that I don't are going to get hurt and their blood will be on my hands. And I am so angry I am being forced into this. That I don't have any choice in the matter, that these awful people are stringing me around like a puppet and I can do nothing." Harry's voice broke. He wasn't sure if it was from rage or fear. Sirius whimpered at his feet.

"I need to do something."

~~~

People screamed as the chain holding the Hungarian Horntail broke. Cedric Diggory, the Hogwarts champion, leaped towards a rock to cover, not knowing that the dragon had been angered by a powerful curse that had been cast into its backside and not Diggory's transfigured dog.

Harry felt shame in his participation. He and Draco had been weakening the chain throughout the last two champions events, and all it had taken was a good tug by the time it had been blasted. He hoped sincerely that professor Lupin had passed his concerns on to Dumbledore, that there needed to be some extra security around the students, something to make absolutely sure everything would be under control if things got out of hand.

The dragon raged, spewing fire around itself as it flew up, up into the sky. Heat cascaded upon the stands, making Harry and most of the others flinch in its proximity. Suddenly a light blue shimmer surrounded the dragon, and it collided sharply with something unseen. It roared, flapping useless wings and falling back into the arena where it flailed and shrieked its rage. Aurors and teachers flooded the arena, hitting the already disabled dragon with many brightly-colored spells. Harry spotted Dumbledore and Hagrid among the bunch, and let out a sigh of relief. It had been okay. His small act of rebellion allowed him a small smile.

~~~

"He's angry." Draco said suddenly from his bed. Harry poked his head around his post to look at him.

"Oh, you're speaking to me again?"

"Father has a message for us. He is angry, and if we blunder his plans for the final tasks He-He might k-kill-" Draco stopped himself, hugging his torso. His eyes were red and puffy.

"Who is he going to kill, Draco?" Harry asked quietly. The sense of dread in his stomach told Harry he knew the answer already, but hearing Draco say it was still like a punch in the gut that filled him with anger.

"Us."

~~~

"Potter, Malfoy, stay." Professor Moody grunted. Sharing a glance, they walked to his desk with their supplies. Moody waited until all other students had left before casting what Harry recognized as privacy charms on the doors. Harry squeezed Draco's arm behind their bags, where Moody couldn't see.

"The Dark Lord has great plans for the next task." Moody said, eyes feverish. Understanding dawning like the flick of a switch, Harry steeled himself. He looked Moody -who seemed to be waiting for something- in the eye, and made his voice curious despite the disgust in his stomach.

"What do we have to do?" He asked, because he knew that was what was expected. But Moody shook his head aggressively and waved him off.

"The Dark Lord has great plans," he whispered, his reverence clear. "But nothing he would trust you two for. Your plans will focus on the third, yes." Moody stomped his wooden leg excitedly. "But this task...did you know the Mer-people have wanted to eat the children who come into the Black Lake?" He asked them.

Harry and Draco shook their heads. "Territorial and cultural norms and all that. But they've become very angry at Dumbledore for refusing, and they came to the Dark Lord's side so easily," he gripped the table so hard his knuckles turned white, "they knew it was the right choice. Everyone will, soon."

~~~

Fleur was crying. Her sister's charm had apparently failed, and she had drowned without the professors noticing until Fleur had surfaced with her body, and she hadn't woken up.

Fleur dropped out of the contest, and left the same day. Now, it was just Krum and Cedric.

Draco was holding Harry's wrist next to him. Harry's stomach churned with disgust. He dreaded who would be next.

~~~

"This is moronic," Draco whispered. Harry lifted his head slightly. The Great Hall didn't allow for much privacy, but the clutter and noise kept them from being heard fairly well.

"What is?"

"His plan. What is even the point of sabotaging the tasks? None of them are large light supporters, the most he's doing is inconveniencing Dumbledore." Draco said, stabbing a piece of toast with his fork. Harry poked Draco's thigh to signal that he should calm down. Draco sighed, and dropped his fork.

"He's attacking the moral, Draco."

Draco looked at him sideways. Harry wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and sat back. "No one trusts Dumbledore right now. Everyone is scared. If it could go that bad during a task that was supposed to be super careful, couldn't things go wrong in classes? Does that mean that the school is badly protected and some of the escaped Death Eaters could come attacking at any moment?"

Draco stared at him. Harry shook his head. "It's fear, Draco. And it's working."

~~~

The horns were far too merry for the situation, in Harry's opinion. Oh, we're sending two children into a maze full of deadly creatures! How wonderful! Toot-toot-wooo!

The school did not match the enthusiasm of the music. The stands buzzed with murmurs, sounding so much like a beehive Harry shivered. They were all discussing the same thing: Who is going to die this time?

Maybe Harry was being pessimistic. Maybe part of Voldemort's plan was going to fail. Maybe Moody would blow his cover, and one of the teachers like McGonagall or Lupin or even Dumbledore would find out and stop him. Harry doubted that, though. His and Draco's part had, unfortunately, been implemented seamlessly; starting his encouraging Hagrids interest in dangerous and highly lethal creatures, and ending with some of those creatures being tampered with before their placement in the maze. Harry preyed no one would run into one of the Blast-Ended Skrewts that had been modified with venom and very good jumping skills.

The horn sounded. Cedric rushed into the maze, followed by Krum a second later. Harry couldn't see the majority of what was happening, the fog covered nearly everything. Vague shapes that could have been anything moved in the hazy light, some so ominously tall Harry shivered. Those were the dementors, he was sure of it.

A single projection hovered above the maze: a camera into the center, where the shiny golden cup rested. Harry hoped that whatever happened, it wasn't as bloody and crude as Voldemort had been in the past.

Red sparks shot up from the far end of the maze, away from where Harry and Draco sat. The fog cleared, and Aurors rushed in. The projection changed to follow the wizards. Cedric lay incapacitated, a skrewt not far away. One Auror took it out, the others lifted Cedric into the air and guided him out. Harry thought he looked dead.

It was just Krum left. The projection returned on the cup. The crowd was almost silent until movement could be seen in a corner. In a moment, people were on their feet, crying out and shouting as Krum raced towards the cup, a large spider in his tracks. Draco grabbed Harry's hand tightly. Harry held his breath as Krums fingers just barely grazed the handle.

He exploded.

The projection cut off, but not before the audience saw Krum in pieces, the spider picking a large hunk of the ground and eating it with its pincers.

Someone is getting fired.

~~~

Dumbledore had been replaced. McGonagall was now Headmistress, and Dumbledore suspended for a trail against 'endangerment to students.' Harry was mildly curious as to how the events would play out -Cedric had survived, and the tournament did have a bloody history- but it wasn't until another two months in August.

But Harry had bigger concerns. It was Draco's birthday in a few days, and he was rarely allowed to leave the manor and would be unable to get him a gift. Not that either of them had really had birthdays the past few years, but Harry knew Draco would appreciate a gift.

The 'house-arrest' made buying a gift not an option, but that didn't mean Harry couldn't make one.

~~~

"Draco, wake up." Harry nudged the boy. It was nearing midnight, it would soon be Draco's 15th.

"Wh-what?" Draco sat up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"You really should keep your door locked, you know, given all the," Harry paused, "unfavorable company we're keeping now."

Draco glared at him. "You think I'm stupid? It's warded against everyone except Mother, Father, and you. What's a locked door going to do against a wizard, you muggle-lover?"

Harry swatted Draco on the side of the head. "Hey! You come into my room, wake me up in the middle of the night, and then have the audacity to attack me? In my own home?" Draco cried out, making Harry snort.

"Here, Ferret-Face," Harry said, handing out his gift which he had kept behind his back. Draco glared at him -he hated Weasley's nickname for him- but accepted the gift with his nose in the air. Harry sat back easily and watched him open it. Thanks to this, he was able to see Draco's hands stutter when he saw it.

"How did you get this?" Draco's voice was low. Harry smiled.

"Couple sleepless nights, I've found that I can do really anything when I put my mind to it." Harry shrugged, enjoying the incredulous look Draco was giving him.

"I thought you were just having nightmares again, and that's why you were so tired," Draco was whispering now, which Harry thought was a little silly.

"See if it fits," Harry urged. Draco slipped the silver band around his right ring finger, fitting it snugly. The single silver gem shone in the moonlight, twinkling blue in some facets.

"I can't believe an oaf like you made this." Draco joked, but he sounded a little choked.

"The gem works a little like a call button. If you press on it twice in a row, it will alert me to where you are, kind of like a Point-Me spell. So I'll be able to find you if you need help."

Draco was motionless at this point. Then he launched himself at Harry, and though Harry was having some trouble breathing, he wouldn't tell Draco that. They didn't hug very often, and it was... really nice.

~~~

"You didn't think I'd let you one-up me, did you?" Draco asked him smugly. But like had happened in June, Draco had snuck into Harry's room to give him his birthday gift.

"You know, this is kinda copying," Harry teased, putting the ring on his left ring finger, wiggling his hand to make sure it wouldn't fly off. It was a little loose, so he moved it to his index and it fit nicely. It was almost identical to Draco's, except the gem was emerald and glittered gold depending on how the light his it.

Harry realized the gems matched their eyes, and whether or not he had done that on purpose he had no idea, but it made his stomach burst into butterflies, so he didn't say anything.

"See, but mine if better, watch," Draco said, grabbing Harry's hand and pointing to the gem. "Yours is well, cute, but mine is truly useful," he flounced the hand that wasn't holding Harry's around dramatically. "If you press on this three times, it activates a portkey. To me," he smiled triumphantly, then paused, "Well, to my ring. Then if you're in a pinch, you can escape to wherever I am."

Harry smiled softly at Draco, who stared at him for a moment before dropping his hand. "Well, happy birthday then, Scar-Head."

Harry smiled wider, pulling Draco in for a hug. He buried his face into his neck and pretending not to notice when Draco shivered and held him tight.

~~~

Dumbledore had lost his position as Chief Warlock and Headmaster of Hogwarts. He had vanished and hadn't been seen since he had made his ominous statement of "you are endangering them more than I ever could, Minister. And I will be doing more for this war than you ever will."

Barty Crouch had, of course, scoffed at the comment of war and told Dumbledore to leave. Voldemort had been cackling for days. That made the house a little easier to live in until school started.

~~~

Fifth year had probably been the calmest in awhile. Voldemort has needed Moody -or Barty Crouch Jr, or whatever- for other tasks Harry wasn't allowed to know about, so Professor Dolores Umbridge had taken his place. While her class wasn't riveting, it was easy, which Harry appreciated. Until she had given Harry detention for discussing other, more advanced defense spells with Draco during work time. It had started an argument on whether or not the advanced spells were even usable -of course they were- and she said waved them off with a sweet smile and syrupy giggle.

Now they both sat in her office, blood quills in hand. Harry saw Draco's face grimace in pain, and Harry looked at his own hand, reading I must not tell lies. Harry decided she was going to pay then.

~~~

Harry and Draco sat in the library, working on their transfigurations essay. The new teacher was fine, but didn't hold a candle to Mcgonagall, in Harry's opinion. Draco stopped writing, and it look Harry a while to notice. When he did, Draco was looking hard at his hand.

I must not tell lies had faded, but not completely. It was almost gone on Draco's pale skin, but Harry had a darker tone that held it better. "I'm fine, Draco." Harry said quietly. Draco shook his head.

"Did you know that we're supposed to give any sort of detention we can? For any reason at all? And they all have to be with her?"

Harry frowned. "You mean the inquisitorial squad?"

Draco nodded. "I've sent so many kids to get lines cut into their hands."

"At least you only had to do it once, before she made you a part of the squad." Harry still had two left to attend, but that was fine. It didn't bother him much, so long as Draco was okay.

"Still. She's awful to be around, without the blood quills." Harry gently moved his hand to cover Draco's, who finally looked at him.

"It'll be okay. I'm going to take care of it."

~~~

"Mr. Potter, stay please." Harry stopped in his tracks. He had barely finished his third -and final- detention since he had gotten them three weeks ago.

"Yes, Professor?"

"It has come to my attention that you haven't really been absorbing the lesson these detentions are teaching you." She looked at him sweetly, as always. It made Harry sick.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"I just don't think anything is sticking, so I wanted to change our methods just a bit. I wouldn't want this all to be for nothing, of course."

Harry raised his eyebrow before he could stop himself. Her smile turned sour. "Okay, Professor. What would you like me to do?"

Her smile was back to his normal sickening sheen. "If you will please walk to the back of the classroom and write your lines ten times in chalk, Mr. Potter."

Harry sighed under his breath and did so, dropping his bag back in a seat. He was on the sixth line when he heard a whisper behind him.

"Crucio."

Harry screamed before he reined it in. Voldemort had done this plenty of times, he could keep himself quiet. He counted to ten before it relented.

"You may leave now, Mr. Potter. I trust this to stay between us, less your education comes in danger." Harry was seething. He didn't look at her as he left, though he noted she did sound disappointed.

She was going to die.

~~~

Harry told Draco he'd meet him in the Great Hall soon. He waited until the rest of the potions class filtered out, then walked up to Snape. "I need your help."

Snape barely looked up. "I don't tutor students, Potter."

"Umbridge needs to go."

"Your opinions do not matter on such things, Potter."

"I'm going to kill her, whether or not you help."

Snape finally looked up. "The Dark Lord said nothing of this." He finally spoke. Harry shook his head.

"He'd hardly admonish me for it. I don't care at this point. Are you going to help me or not?"

"I am Deputy Headmaster now, Potter. I can't make Minerva suspect me of killing a coworker."

"And she won't," Harry countered. "I only need a few potions."

Snape raised an eyebrow at him. "You really enjoy her company during meals that much? Or her stupid decrees?"

Snape sighed, rubbing his temples. "What exactly did she do to deserve your vengeance? You haven't been particularly violent before."

"She's using a blood quill on students and is an annoying, incompetent teacher. Do you need more?"

"Potter, I can't-"

Harry's frustration reached it's point. "She crucio'd me and who knows how many other students. I just need a potion, Snape." He exclaimed, breathing a bit heavier than he would like. He hadn't told anyone else about that, not even Draco. It was embarrassing, in a way, to know she had gotten the jump on him and he had to do something underhanded to get back at her.

Snape looked at him for a long moment. Harry held eye contact. "What potion do you need?"

~~~

Umbridge didn't last another week. Food poisoning turned sour, she had left for st. Mungo's and wasn't expected to return the rest of the year. An Auror took her place. It was basically the same, minus the detentions. But Harry didn't care about that. She was gone, and Draco was suspicious but happy, and that was the important part.

~~~

"Potter." Voldemort hissed. Harry rose from his crouched position to stand, but kept his eyes downcast. He hadn't expected this so close to returning from school.

"I've been told you are the reason behind Dolores Umbridge's recent death in St. Mungo's." He spoke quietly. Harry's back straightened. Snape had told him, one way or another, and now the entire inner circle, including Draco knew.

"Yes, My Lord."

He heard a pleased hiss, and a shuffling of robes from behind him. Voldemort clapped. "Well done. You've grown more vicious than I expected, though there is still room for improvement in you. How would you like a special task, Harry?"

"Special, My Lord?"

"Leave us." He commanded the Death Eaters who had been silent. They left quickly and just as quietly. Harry wanted to look back to catch Draco's eye, but he didn't dare. "I think you have proved yourself, Harry. Taking initiative the way you have. I think it is time I trusted you more."

Harry swallowed, and hoped Voldemort didn't hear it. He'd probably mistake it for fear, rather than the disgust it was. "I would be honored, My Lord. What is my task?"

"I need my Death Eaters in Hogwarts during your next school year. We are ready to attack, and what better place than Hogwarts, hm?"

Harry's stomach churned, just a little.

"What better place indeed, My Lord."

"I trust you to figure out the details, Potter. Do not disappoint me, and do not tell anyone. If you do fail, well... poor Draco will have to pay the consequences, won't he?"

"I will not fail you, My Lord."

~~~

"You can't tell me anything?"

Harry shook his head sharply. He was sitting on Draco's bed in the sixth year dorms. The moon was high in the sky and a silencing charm kept them from waking up their dorm mates. Harry leaned his head on Draco's shoulder, taking comfort in the arm that was wrapped around his waist.

He hadn't made any progress. Christmas break was gone, and he had nothing to show for it. At this rate, Draco would be dead by May.

Tears slipped silently from Harry's face onto Draco's shirt. Draco held him tighter as Harry's body trembled.

"He threatened you, didn't he?"

Even that Harry didn't think he could talk about. So he said nothing and let the tears fall. Draco brushed some of them away with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Harry.

"Whatever it is, you're going to achieve it. You are so intelligent Harry. Nothing can stop you when you put your mind to it," Draco whispered in his ear, rubbing Harry's face with his ring softly. Harry smiled a little at the memory.

"Thanks, Ferret-Face."

He could feel Draco smile against his hair. "Of course, Scar-Head."

~~~

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked gently. They sat on a bench that overlooked the shrieking shack. Harry suspected Sirius would be showing up soon; he hadn't seen him in awhile, and he was missing him.

"Harry?"

Harry popped his head up from where it had rested with his chin almost touching his chest. "Hm?"

Hermione frowned at him. "Are you okay? You haven't looked well, and I've hardly seen you the past two years."

Harry sighed, letting his head fall back and his eyes close. He was so tired all the time now. He had almost skipped this Hogsmead trip, like he had the other ones, but Hermione had sought him out specifically, and her sad eyes had guilt-tripped him more than he wanted to admit.

"There's just... a lot going on right now that I need to focus on, and I'm not sleeping great." Harry brought his head back up to smile at her, though he knew it looked rough. "I promise, Hermione."

He knew she didn't believe him, but either she knew him well enough not to pry or felt like she couldn't after the friendship had tapered off somewhat. Harry heard a bark nearby. He turned to see Sirius galloping towards them with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Harry smiled, tears pricking his eyes.

Sirius jumped on him and licked his cheek. Hermione did her custom cleaning and trimming charms and gave him the leftovers of their meal at the Three Broomsticks. Sirius, happy, put his paws on Harry's shoulders and licked his face. Harry had started crying and hadn't realized.

Harry scooped Sirius into a hug and cried into his fur. He felt Hermione lay a hand on his shoulder and squeeze, and that felt reassuring too.

What had he gotten into...he needed to end this, soon. Somehow. Or it was going to be the death of him and everything he cared about.

~~~

Harry felt like he was about to collapse. He'd spent weeks working on this stupid wardrobe. He knew his schoolwork had tanked, that his teachers were disappointed of him because of it. He couldn't care less.

Harry's arms trembled as he placed an old necklace on the floor of the wardrobe. He took a step back, and bumped into the makeshift mattress he'd been sleeping on most weekends. Draco was getting increasingly worried about him, and as much as it hurt to know that he was causing Draco pain, Harry couldn't tell him. He couldn't stop.

The wardrobe rattled on its feet, then stopped. Harry grasped the handle, arm shaking as much as the wardrobe had been. He took a breath, closing his eyes. He needed this to work. The term was almost over, and he was running out of time.

One, two, three...

Harry flung the door open. The necklace was gone.

Harry fell back in the clutter, his heart pounding in his chest, weariness in his bones. But he couldn't rest now. He had to tell Snape.

Harry stumbled out of the room and to the dungeons. As he was passing the Great Hall, he ran into Draco, who ran after him, grabbing his arm.

"Harry!

Harry jerked as Draco grabbed him. "What?" He snapped, shaking his arm to get Draco off. Draco glared at him and held tighter.

"Don't be an ass, Harry. You look like you're a breath away from collapse." Draco shook him, leading him away from the Great Hall and towards the common room. Harry allowed it because it was near Snape's office and he wasn't actually sure if he could fight Draco off right now. He didn't think he wanted to.

"And this is that thing you can't tell me about?" Draco asked. They were almost to the dungeons now, Harry hadn't noticed most of the trip. He shook his head, but stopped when it made him dizzy.

"How close are you to being done?"

"I am." Harry whispered. Draco stopped in his tracks.

"You... it's finished?"

"Yes. Today." They stood in the middle of the hallway, Harry swaying gently on his feet and Draco still holding him tightly.

"Now what?"

"I need to tell Snape."

"And then you can sleep and eat again?" Draco asked him in a strained voice. Harry winced again at the worry he'd caused Draco.

"I just- I just need to tell him, and then I think so." Harry swayed again, dangerously close to falling. Draco caught him and held him tightly.

"Oh Harry..." Draco muttered against his head. Harry wondered when Draco had gotten so tall, and let his head rest against Draco's chest. But then Draco pulled away, and Harry mourned the loss. He felt safe in Draco's arms.

"We're going to Snape, and then you're going to bed." Draco commanded. Harry nodded, looking into Draco's eyes.

"Will you stay with me?" Harry whispered. Draco's lip quivered, then he smiled.

"Obviously, Scar-Head."

~~~

"Harry," Voldemort hissed. Harry stood from his kneeling position. He been called for a private meeting the moment they'd return from Hogwarts.

"Yes, My Lord."

"You did well. I am glad I entrusted my task to you." Voldemort's voice hissed around him. Disgust ate at Harry. He was the reason McGonagall had died, and now Snape was the headmaster. He mourned her death, but he would take it over Draco's.

"Thank you, My Lord."

"Yessssssss," Voldemort whispered, then remained silent. Harry waited for him to speak again -he would dismiss him if he was allowed- for long minutes until Voldemort stood and started circling him.

"Do you know what a Horcrux is, Harry?"

Harry wracked his brain. Was that a spell? An artifact? Something he had learned about, something a Death Eater had mentioned that he should know? Slowly, Harry shook his head.

"No, I didn't expect you to... a horcrux is very dark magic, Harry," Voldemort murmured. Harry felt Nagini circling around him, brushing his robes closer and closer. Harry didn't dare move.

"It is when someone splits their soul into pieces, and puts that piece into something else. I made some of these horcruxes so that I would live forever. Do you see yet, Harry?" Voldemort sounded angry now, but Harry was more confused than he had been before.

"Dumbledore, the filth," Voldemort snarled, lashing out a smell that blew up part of the wall, "has been hunting my horcruxes. But there is one he'll never be able to get to..." Voldemort trailed off.

Harry's joints ached with how stiff he was. "Look at me, Harry Potter." Harry lifted his head after a moment, comprehending the never-heard command. Blood red eyes stared back at him. "And prepare to die," he whispered.

Harry's eyes widened, his wand jumping into his hand even as Voldemort raised his own wand. "Avada Kedavra."

Harry's world went green.

~~~

He woke up on the floor with a gasp. The room was empty, save for Nagini. Harry looked at her, rage filling him. She hissed at him. "You should not be alive."

Harry stood, wand in hand. "Neither should you."

Lucius had taught him the Fiendfyre curse two years ago. Harry had never used it until this day. It lashed out of his wand, straight at Nagini who was midair with her fangs out. She was too slow, unlike all the other times Harry had seen her strike with deadly precision.

She writhed on the floor, shrieking, but Harry didn't care. When her hissing stopped, he forced the Fiendfyre back in his wand. It tried to leave and lash out at him, but he wouldn't let it. He had far more important matters to attend to.

Harry strode out of the room, seeing Voldemort at the not far from him. Only Voldemort's surprise at seeing Harry alive gave him enough time to shout, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Voldemort collapsed. The Death Eaters that had been behind him stopped in their tracks. One raised their wand, a reducto whizzing by Harry's head and smashing into the wall behind him. He cast a cutting curse at them, hearing her scream as it hit her jugular. Harry realized it was Bellatrix, and didn't mourn the death.

"BELLA!" The person next to her shouted. Harry assumed it was one of the other Lestranges, he didn't care to keep track of them, but by the time they had whirled around to curse him Harry already had a crucio flying at him. Harry only maintained it for long enough to make him collapse, then used the same cutting curse he had on Bellatrix on him. Faint gurgles met his ears, then stopped.

Harry needed to find Draco.

He started to run, before his feet stuttered. He pressed on his ring three times, and felt a sickening sensation as he was whirled through the air. He landed on top of Draco, who had been in his bed, with an oomph as the air left his body. Harry bounced back up quickly.

Draco looked at him like he was a madman. "What's going on?" He demanded. Harry took a deep breath and felt...excited, for the first time in years.

"I killed Voldemort, and some other Death Eaters that tried to attack me," Draco shouted, but Harry cut him off, "I am so fucking tired of this Draco, and I'm ending it right now. Either you are going to stay here and be safe until I'm done." Harry paused for a breath, a devilish smile gracing his features. "Or you're going to take revenge with me."

Draco paused, floundering for a moment. "Harry, we could die-"

Harry grabbed Draco by his shirt collar -when had he gotten so tall- and yanked him close. He crushed Draco's lips with his own, or at least tried to. It was only a moment before Draco was kissing him as feverishly as Harry was. When Harry pulled back, he was breathing heavy and his heart was racing faster than when he'd killed Voldemort.

"Don't hurt my mom, okay?"

Harry smiled maniacally.

~~~

Harry sat on a random sofa in Malfoy Manor. He was magically and physically exhausted, but the elation in his heart made him want to leap and bound across the room.

Most of the Death Eaters had died. Some had fled. Harry was banged up, but he was sure he'd be fine. He knew he was safe now. A lot of it had been luck; no one had suspected Harry to attack them, even after finding Voldemort's body.

"Harry!" Draco tackled Harry, and then was laying on top of him, but Harry was too giddy to care. Draco grabbed Harry's face and kissed him roughly. Harry let himself relax for the first time in years. It would be okay. He had Draco, and that was all he needed.