Malfoy Flavor

-18-

"Dustin?"

Harry lifted his gaze from the parchment he was working on. "Yeah?" he said, mind clearly still on his assignment.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I swear you study more than Granger sometimes."

Harry finally gave Draco his full attention and gave him a sheepish grin. "You study hard, too," he protested weakly.

Draco snorted. "I do. But half the time it seems you never take a break. If you're not working on assignments or reading, you're working on DA plans. And with the DA groups, you participate with almost all of them in one way or another."

"You do, too," Harry said, still protesting.

Draco shook his head. "No, I don't. I help where needed during the meetings, but that's about it. Otherwise I only participate in our offensive group. At least once a week you meet with one of the other groups outside of the regular meetings, helping them go over spells and such."

"I'm just helping to make sure everyone stays on track," Harry muttered.

"You're getting in extra lessons is what you're doing," Draco said, obviously amused. "I know you've been going with the group helping in the infirmary sometimes while I'm at Quidditch practice, too."

Harry looked totally disgruntled. "Well, I've got to have something to do while you're out flying," he grumbled.

That distracted Draco for a moment. He cocked his head curiously at Harry. "You know, you never come to any of the practices and you always change the subject when it comes to Quidditch. I just never realized it before. Do you not like the game?"

Harry closed his eyes briefly. Quidditch was definitely a subject he'd been avoiding at all costs. He had a simple answer for Draco though, as he'd known it would come up eventually. "I don't like flying. I got into a really bad accident one time."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his own words. Merlin knew he'd been in several bad accidents, but it certainly hadn't ever deterred him from flying. It was a simple enough explanation, though.

"What happened?" Draco asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry said, turning his head away so he wouldn't have to look at Draco. And he really didn't want to talk about it.

That was one of the few things he hated about being Dustin Snape. He should've been able to play Quidditch again this year with Umbridge gone, but he'd lost that chance. He hated not being able to play and he couldn't take his broom out anyway, since someone would recognize it. Harry's Firebolt, along with any of his things that screamed Harry Potter, had been left in his room at Snape Manor.

Harry finally turned back to Draco and realized that the blonde was staring at him intently.

"One accident and it turned you off flying?" Draco asked suspiciously. "That doesn't sound like the Dustin I know. The one who's training almost half the school and seems to have no fear when it comes to the idea of possibly fighting against Death Eaters. Yet, you're afraid of flying?"

"Yeah, well, everyone has to be afraid of something," Harry snapped. "Besides, I'm training because I am afraid of not being able to defend myself if something does happen."

Draco was finally looking at him in concern. "Dustin, what happened?"

Harry sighed heavily. He hated outright lying to Draco like this. "Draco, look, I really don't want to talk about this right now. Maybe I'll be ready to tell you about it some other time, but not now."