Beautiful World by Lissadiane

part 16

"C'mon," Harry said, heading towards the lake when they were back on Hogwarts grounds.

"What? Where are you going?" Draco asked, stopping and staring after Harry.

He turned so that he was walking backwards and said, "To smoke them, of course. C'mon."

Being invited to smoke a cigarette with Harry Potter was something new and alien to Draco, and for a long, long while, he considered laughing and walking away.

Harry saw it in his face and shrugged easily, turning away.

"Damn it," Draco sighed to himself. "How the hell did I let this happen? Following Potter all sodding day." Then, louder, he called, "Wait up then!"

They walked to the pier where Hagrid docked the boats that carried the first years across the lake, kicking off their shoes and sitting on the edge. Their feet hung a few inches above the black surface of the lake, thankfully; Draco didn't want to tempt the squid by dangling his feet in the water.

"Here," Harry said, handing him a cigarette and taking one himself. They both held them awkwardly, neither having ever smoked before. "How do we light them? I haven't got a lighter."

"A what?" Draco asked, rolling his eyes. "Is that some Muggle contraption? Honestly, Potter." He used his wand, repeating the spell he'd heard his mother cast a thousand times to light her cigarettes.

Seconds later, both holding their lit cigarettes and staring at them in a disgusted sort of wonder, Draco and Harry didn't look at each other. After all, Draco didn't want Harry to know that he'd never done this before and Harry didn't want Draco to know that he had no idea what to do next.

It was Harry who gathered the courage to try it first, and he stuck the cigarette between his lips and sucked.

For a long moment, Draco watched his face nervously for a reaction. "Shit!" Harry cried, coughing and hacking, his eyes watering. "Holy shit." After he'd stopped coughing, he glanced at Draco, who was still watching him with wide eyes. "Go on then."

"After that?" Draco cried.

"Scared?"

Harry watched Draco's eyes narrow defiantly and then the other boy brought the cigarette up to his lips and took a cautious puff. "Ohmygod," he gasped, wincing. "That's vile."

"I kinda like it," Harry said airily, taking another long drag and only coughing half as much this time.

It was a warm night, the stars reflecting on the smooth surface of the lake, and the only sound was the lapping of water and the distant chirping of crickets. Draco, with a glance at Harry, took another drag of his cigarette, his eyes watering with the effort it took not to cough.

They sat there in silence for a long while, until Harry had smoked his entire cigarette and Draco had let his burn down. Then, Harry sighed.

"We should go back," he said, sounding suddenly very tired.

It was late, and Draco, at least, fully intended to go to class the next day. "Yeah," he said, reluctant to return to his common room. It was quieter out here, and he had come to crave quiet lately.

Still, he got to his feet and turned to make his way back up to the castle.

There was something large and black streaking towards them, and Draco yelped. "What is that?!"

Harry glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "Piss off!" he called. The creature (Draco could see it well enough to tell it was a huge black dog) paused and looked, somehow, hurt. "I'm coming back, no need to drag me."

"Potter," Draco hissed, trying not to move to attract the monster's attention. "What the hell is it?"

The dog looked at him and then back at Harry and came a little closer, pawing the ground. Harry sighed. "If you're going to lecture me, Sirius, do it in English. You can trust him."

"Trust me?" Draco cried, offended. "Potter, you can't trust me! I'm a Malfoy!"

Harry gave him a strange look. "That's right, you are. I'd forgotten."

The dog, however, seemed to take Harry at his word, and a second later, wasn't there at all. Instead, a man was there, one that Draco vaguely recognized. He stiffened. "Potter," he whispered. "We've got to run."

"Why?" Harry asked, frowning.

"It's Sirius Black! He's a murderer!"

"He's… my godfather."

"What?"

"Just…trust me, alright?"

"I don't trust anyone. I'm a Malfoy, I'm not supposed to."

Harry just glared at him before turning back to Sirius. "What?" he asked rudely, and Draco wondered idly if Harry treated all his relatives that way. No wonder he'd been locked under the stairs!

"Harry," Sirius said, sounding weary. "We've been searching everywhere for you. You had no right to sneak off that way."

"No right? I had every right!" Harry cried.

Sirius ignored his outburst. "Despite everything that's happened lately, Harry, you can't go about acting like this. These little fits of rebellion, not going to class. What's that going to prove?"

"What's going to class going to prove? A waste of my time." Harry crossed his arms over his chest sullenly.

"Harry," Sirius snapped warningly. He turned his eyes to Draco now. "And if this friendship with Malfoy is having such a bad influence on you, I'm going to have to forbid you from being around him."

"Friendship?" Draco sneered.

"Forbid me?" Harry cried.

"I understand that you're hurt and you're scared, Harry!" Sirius cried. "Trust me, I do!"

"How the hell would you understand?" Harry hissed, and Draco swallowed heavily, suddenly realize that he had no idea what they were talking about.

"Ten years in Azkaban is enough to make anyone hurt and afraid."

"Ah ha!" Draco crowed. "I knew it! You are Sirius Black."

Harry and Sirius both turned to look at him blankly. "Umm, Malfoy," Harry said finally. "We already knew that. It's fine, forget it."

"But he's a murderer!"

"He's not. Forget it. Just…" Harry waved an irritated hand at him and turned back to Sirius. "Shut up for a minute."

"Excuse me?" Draco cried, but no one was paying attention. Sirius and Harry were arguing again, and no one was there to witness Draco's fury at having been told to shut up. By Harry sodding Potter of all people. It wasn't right!

"That's it," Draco announced, but again, no one noticed. "I'm going in now. Remind me never to tag along on one of your little adventures again, Potter."

Finally, Sirius looked at him. "I'm afraid not, Malfoy. Dumbledore wants to see both of you in his office. I expect he'll want to give you detention or something."

Draco's eyes widened and he started shaking, just a little bit. "Detention?" he whispered, suddenly remembering his father's reaction to his last detention. Two more weeks of being confined to his rooms? No, no, no.

"Are you alright, Malfoy?" Harry asked, frowning. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Fine," Draco said faintly, suddenly wishing he had let his feet dangle in the lake water. Better the meal of a squid than at the mercy of his father.