the death eater and the boy who lived

Chapter 11: Love, What Is It Really?

      Did I hear that correctly? Did Draco Malfoy just ask me whether I had ever been in love? What was I supposed to say? I mean, I never have been, I always knew that. But right now my mind was thinking different thoughts.

"Oh, um.. well, I don't think so," I said, looking away from him. "But what about you?" "I'm not sure.. probably not." I felt him looking away from me so I looked back at him. "But you know.." I started to say, but I didn't finish my sentence. He looked back over at me and said, "Yeah, I know.." What did he know? What was he thinking?

Draco's POV: I asked him if he had ever been in love. Now, I've lost my mind. I wasn't even sure what to say myself.. I knew I never was, but now I felt differently. 

Harry's POV: "I didn't mean to ask," he said sadly. "For some reason it just came out." "Oh, don't worry about it," I said back to him. "We should get going," I told him. "Yeah, maybe that's a good idea." We grabbed our bags and headed for the door, but I stopped right in front of him and reached my hand back. Draco must have known what I was doing, because he put his hand in mine and I continued walking down the steps. 

But just as we reached the other door, I let go of his hand, and we faced each other. All we did was share a small smile, but that was enough. We made it to the Slytherin common room before Snape could get to us, changed, and went into our beds. We didn't go to sleep right away. We were lying in our beds, but we were facing each other, and talked for almost the whole night. When I got matched up with Malfoy, I never thought it would mean there would be no time for sleep. I didn't mind though, this was all I wanted at that moment. 

We must have fallen asleep, or at least I have because all of a sudden I felt an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was having another dream. I was reliving the night my parents died. I hadn't had this dream in a while, so why now? 

Draco's POV: "No!" I heard screaming coming from the other direction. I looked over and saw Potter crying. He's having another dream, I thought. He looked miserable, trying to fight it.. but it was no use. I rushed over to him, grabbing his hands in mine to try and wake him up, but nothing helped. This time I brought him close to me and held him in my arms. "Potter," I said softly. "Potter, it's alright, I'm here.. just wake up." It took him a few minutes, but then he finally woke up.

Harry's POV: I heard Draco talking in my ear. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was lying down, but Draco was holding me in his chest. We were lying my my bed together, and he was confronting me. "Hey," he said. "Are you okay? I'm sorry I kind of, well you know.. I didn't know how to help." I looked at him. I was drenched in sweat and he was too, since he was holding me tightly. "I saw my parents.. the night they died. I haven't had that dream in forever." I realized I was still lying next to him. He was looking down at me, gently pushing my wet hair out of my eyes. 

"I'm sorry.. it must be awful, having to relive that over and over again." I nodded, and I felt a tear run down my face. Draco took his hand and wiped it away. We were very close now. He was cupping my cheek in his hand, slowly rubbing his thumb on it back and forth to calm me down. I finally felt calmer. I was looking into his eyes again, and he was looking straight back at me. "Here, why don't you get up and take a shower. It might help you feel better," he told me. "Oh, yeah.. that's probably a good idea." Draco walked with me over to the bathroom and helped me inside. I closed the door behind me and turned on the shower. 

I took a short one, but I was thinking constantly the whole time. What was I feeling? This didn't feel like only friendship, but it had to be, I told myself. I finished showering, changed into new clothes, and walked out of the bathroom. Draco was lying in his again, looking up at me. "Do you feel any better?" He asked me. I nodded, and replied with, "Yeah, thanks," before heading back to my bed. "You're a lifesaver Malfoy.. truly," I said to him. "I could say the same about you, Potter." He smiled back at me with the same wonderful smile, and his eyes with the shade of grey and blue I admired so much.

We went back to sleep, even though we only had an hour before we had to wake up. It was a tiring day, we were talking all night, and then I kept him up with my screaming. "Hey, I'm sorry I didn't allow you to sleep much," I said to him. "Potter, you need to stop apologizing. I had to help you, and I wanted to. I didn't mind at all." He took my hand in his and looked at me. We started to lean in close together before Snape came bursting in and we jumped apart from each other.

"There is an announcement Dumbledore would like to make, and it would be hard for you two to hear him if you're hiding up in here." "Yes, Professor," said Malfoy, and I followed him out of the room. We separated as I went to join Ron and Hermione who looked frightened. "What's happening?" I asked her, but she pointed to Dumbledore who was about to speak. 

"There has been mixed rumors going around the school that Hogwarts is no longer safe. I understand the times we are living in, and I am afraid that you are right." I looked up at him and he caught my eye, but continued speaking. "From now on, everyone needs to be in their common rooms at six o'clock sharp. This is for your own good, I must protect this school."

He told everyone to resume eating, but I ran over to him and asked to talk to him. We left for his office, and I attacked him with questions. "What's happening, Professor? What do you mean Hogwarts isn't safe?" He looked at me. "I am aware that you heard me talking the other night, Harry." He knew I was there? "I wasn't worried of pairing you with Draco at first, but now it might not be a good plan." "But why, Sir? He hasn't done anything to me." "Yes, I know.. but Voldemort has got big plans for him. After what Lucius did, he wants to use Draco to get to him."

"What does he want him to do? Does Draco already know?" Dumbledore nodded and I stepped back. Was Draco really just pretending to be my friend? Was he trying to cover something up? He couldn't be.. not him. "Sir, I had the dream about my parents last night. I haven't had that one for a while." Dumbledore was still looking at me. "I can't tell you what he has to do, Harry. But I warn you.. don't mess with it. It will only make matters worse, alright? Promise me you'll just look out for yourself." "I promise, Sir," I said back to him. 

But just before I headed for the door, Dumbledore handed me a small package. I opened it and it was a golden snitch. "Professor, why are you giving me this?" "The time will come when you'll find yourself needing it," he said softly. "If you only remember where it came from in the first place." "Sir, I'm not sure what you mean," I asked him in a confused voice. "Use it well, Harry. I know you will." But before I could say or ask anything else, Dumbledore escorted me out of his office. 

I wasn't just going to protect myself though, I had to keep Draco safe too.. no matter what it took. He's the only thing that mattered to me right now. I left Dumbledore's office and ran to find him. He was in the hall heading for the Slytherin common room. "Malfoy!" I yelled at him, and he quickly turned around. "Potter, hey," he said. He didn't sound like himself. "Can we talk?" I asked him. I think he knew what I wanted to talk about, but he just nodded and we left for our spot.