Sleeping With the Enemy Part Nine: Secrets Revealed
~I~
Harry Potter was relaxing under a tree in the early predawn light before
breakfast. No one else was there and it was cool and peaceful. He sighed
softly and closed his eyes.
Footsteps pounded on the ground behind him. Jolted out of his doze, Harry
twisted around to see who it was, and something skidded into him.
"Draco!" he gasped as he was bowled over. The Slytherin held him tightly.
"Shit." he sighed, inspecting Harry with somber gray eyes. His chest rose
and fell quickly, as if he had run the whole length of the school to get
there.
"What?" Harry asked, confused. "What's the matter?" Draco released Harry
and sprawled onto the wet grass, closing his eyes. Gradually, his breathing
slowed down. Harry waited patiently by tearing up grass and sprinkling it
onto his boyfriend's pale face.
Eventually Draco sat up, and a shower of murdered foliage fluttered into
his lap. Out of the fold's of his robe he produced a scrap of parchment and
tossed it to Harry, who caught it and inspected it.
"It's got my name on it." he noted.
" You're powers of observation are brilliant." Draco deadpanned. Harry
punched his arm lightly. "Shut up. What does this mean?" he asked, looking
around furtively then snuggling next to him.
Draco hesitated. "Last night.. well, they found Longbottom about half an
hour ago. He was a mess. And he had this." he took the paper back from Harry
and crushed it with an angry fist. "Thomas came and found me a few minutes ago."
Harry swallowed heavily. "You think maybe-"
"You're their next victim, Harry." Draco said grimly. "I'm sure of it.
They know... they want to hurt me, *and* damage the Boy-Who-Lived." Harry
buried his face into Draco's shoulder. Draco pushed Harry's forehead up,
snagged off his glasses and then let go. Harry's head fell back into place
with a soft *thud* "Your glasses were digging into me," he said absently,
folding them up and slipping them into his pocket. "I'm *not* going to let-"
"Shh." said Harry, raising his head. "I know. Don't worry, okay?" Draco
sighed and leaned back against the tree. They watched the sun rise. Harry
playfully nipped at Draco's neck, trying to draw him into a happier mood.
Draco just shifted away from him.
"Oh, come on," said Harry. Grinning, he climbed into Draco's lap
"Potter..." he warned.
"Malfoy..." he purred into Draco's ear.
To his surprise, Draco shoved him off and he tumbled backwards onto the
ground. "Hey!" he said exasperatedly. The Slytherin stood up.
"Don't you get it, Harry?" he asked, his voice brimming with fiery
contempt. "They're directly targeting *you* to spite me. Which means what I
did doesn't even matter, I haven't saved you from anything, I've only made it
worse!" Harry stared up at him.
"But... then I wouldn't know you..."
"God, Harry." Draco mumbled, dropping to his knees and kissing him
fiercely. Sometimes his Gryffindor just said the sweetest things.
~II~
Severus Snape abruptly sat up, shoulders tense and eyes warily surveying
his surroundings He took them in and relaxed- he was in the Infirmary, at
Hogwarts- there was Madam Pomfrey bustling about, and a small huddled figure
in the bed across from him. He blinked. Why was he in the Infirmary? Clearing
his throat, he called, "Poppy," the witch looked up.
"Severus!" she said. "You're awake. Good. Now here is some medicine that
should-"
He cut her off. "Why am I here? I don't remember..." his brow furrowed.
The last thing he remembered was coming back from another harrowing mission,
this time *He* had been present. Snape shivered unconsciously. "I collapsed,
didn't I?" he asked, his tone flat.
"Well, yes, you were very tired." she told him. "But this should help
your nerves. It's a relaxant. She held out a small bundle of cloth, but the
Potions Master swatted her hand away.
"I don't need anything," he growled, and stood up. Dizziness assailed him
and he swayed and slumped onto the opposite bed. His head cleared a little,
and he waved the worried nurse away, "I'm fine!" he snapped. "I just need
to... sit." Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly and turned away. Severus
pressed long fingers to his temples and... sat.
Then the bed shifted, and Snape suddenly remembered that someone was
currently occupying it. He twisted around, his eyes narrowing, //It better
not be that blasted Potter again//, he thought, then paused when he realized
who is was.
Longbottom was curled up in the center of the bed, breathing raggedly.
His eyes were shut tight and a muffled whimpering noise, like that of a
frightened animal, floated up from the sheets. Snape's expression softened to
one of puzzlement.
"Poppy..." he said, "what is Longbottom doing here?"
The jolly nurse's face fell. She beckoned him to the hall, away from the
sleeping boy. He unsteadily rose to his feet and was able to meet her without
toppling over. "He was found this morning," she whispered, "Minerva's already
been notified."
"But what happened?" Snape asked impatiently. Madam Pomfrey looked at him
incredulously.
"Surely you know?"
"Know what?" he snapped, feeling rather foolish, "I've been rather
*preoccupied* lately, so I may have mis-"
"There are students." she told him. "They're doing terrible things..."
~III~
It was lunchtime at Hogwarts, and Hermione, Kaleb, Seamus and Dean were clustered into a small storage room. A *fully supplied* storage room. Hermione, perched atop a box of cleaning rags, shifted uncomfortably.
"Okay, who chose this place for a meeting?" she demanded. Seamus sheepishly raised his hand.
Kaleb clapped and admonished him cheerfully. "Bravo, Seamus! What would happen if one of us were claustrophobic, huh? What if there are *spiders* in here? What if this is the bogeyman's house and he's two seconds away from eating us whole? What if this is a portal and we're actually in another dimension? What if you've altered time? What if-"
Hermione glared at him, cutting the other girl off neatly with a, "Why?!"
"It's a good place to sn-"
"Okay, anyway!" Dean interrupted brightly, and Kaleb giggled.
"A good place to *snog*, Seamus?" she asked innocently, gleefully watching Dean grow uncomfortable. "Click. File. Save." Hermione elbowed her.
"Come on, shush, they have something to tell us."
"Oh yeah," said Seamus. The fun left his face as he told the girls about Neville, and the note. They both gasped in horror. Seamus enjoyed this and was pausing for dramatic effect, but Dean interrupted.
"So we're thinking, just watch Harry. If he's not in the tower, go looking for him. We don't want this to happen again." They nodded in agreement.
"Poor Nev!" Hermione exclaimed as she and Kaleb left the snog closet, er, supply closet. Kaleb, nearly skipping down the hall, had made up her mind. Determined to keep the groups spirits up, she would be her bubbly, energetic self. And, really, if the world needed a spirit booster, where else would one look?
~IV~
In his dungeons, Snape was thinking about the small figure sleeping in the Infirmary. He felt somewhat guilty (a surprisingly depressing emotion) for the boy's condition. He'd been so busy lately working as a spy in the circle of Death Eaters-- he was sure there were Slytherins involved in this scandal. //The stupid boy was probably wandering around after hours, it was his own fault,// the nasty part of him said. But the other, smaller, tireder part thought about how hard it was to be alone in danger with no one to notice your absence, or care for you upon your return.
As the 6th year Slytherins and Gryffindors filed into his class, Severus couldn't get Neville Longbottom out of his mind. He was reminded much more dramatically when he spotted the empty seat at the far end of the room. //What is the matter with me? It's just some half-wit *child* who can't even walk straight!// and then, //a child, he's just a child// and then pity like never before washed over the Potions Master, sitting lost in thought at his desk whole his students wondered if their teacher had finally gone insane.
But just because he felt *bad* for Neville didn't mean he was going to baby the other students. His head snapped up, making the students jump in surprise.
"A 3 foot essay about the uses of Ginger root will be due in one week's time. Do not forget. Spelling *will* be graded. Today we will be making a difficult potion; you will please bring your water to a boil and then add these things-" and he rattled off a list of complicated ingredients, his dark eyes flashing as they scrambled for parchment and quill. *That* would teach them to nap in *his* class...
~V~
Day faded and blue and gray shadows descended onto the grounds of Hogwarts. Cool mists began to form in the dips and hollows of the Forest beyond. Twilight came as the sunset flickered out like an extinguished candle, pitching the world into a sudden, certain night.
~VI~
Draco was splayed out on a fluffy armchair, the best in the common room, doing his homework and waiting for the clock to turn to 10:45. Harry's invisibility cloak was folded neatly under the cushion of the armchair, ready to don in a moment's notice. It was unusually empty in the room, and Draco wondered briefly, in the middle of an Arithmancy problem, just where everyone was, before deciding that he really didn't care. Soon he was completely absorbed in his work and the minutes ticked by. Finally, at 10:30, he had finished all his homework and had written a foot of his Potions essay, a good start. He smiled, catlike, and glanced at the clock. His smile faded as he decided to leave a little early tonight. However, as he started to get up, a figure blocked his way.
"Draco-oo." it cooed, and he swallowed a groan. It was Pansy Parkinson. He had deduced that the female that had taunted him that night had not been Pansy (though Harry disliked her all they same), it had probably been Millicent, or someone else-- Pansy was simply too stupid to participate in something like that. "I've *missed* you. Let's chat." she said brightly. He glared at her distastefully.
"About what?" he immediately regretted asking. She smiled seductively and sat on his lap. He sputtered. "What the *hell* do you think you're doing?"
"Chatting," she said, and kissed him.
"Ugh!" he yelled, and pushed her away, but Pansy had a firm grip on the chair and wouldn't let him up.
"Okay, sweetie. Let's just talk," she soothed. Draco crossed his arms, seeing that there was no easy way to be rid of this annoyance.
"You have 15 minutes." he hissed. "Talk."
A bit poutily, Pansy told him about her latest fling, trying to make him jealous. He was unresponsive. She chattered on about all the male attention she had gotten recently. Draco soon grew impatient; Pansy smelled bad and she was heavy. At one point during the conversation, Draco's eyes wandered in boredom. Pansy mistook this as thirst and brought him a glass of pumpkin juice (a fresh jug was always kept in the common room).
The silver-haired Slytherin tried to use this opportunity to leave, but she caught him. He sat down with a barely stifled groan and dejectedly accepted the juice, sipping halfheartedly while she prattled on and on and on... his eyelids drooped and he couldn't stop yawning. In the middle of her speech about the wholesome traits of Slytherin males, Draco fell asleep. Pansy paused and laughed softly to herself.
"You fool," she whispered, stroking his hair, "You beautiful fool."
~*~
Harry was getting worried. It was a little after 11, and Draco was almost always early. He stretched out on his stomach in his bed, willing the curtains to be opened and his lovely mate to appear. Nothing. Now thoroughly agitated, he rose up and walked purposefully downstairs and out of the tower. With all the terrible things that could happen playing in his head like a broken record, the Gryffindor began to trace the route his beloved would have taken. He squinted in the darkness. Draco had accidentally taken his glasses with him, and Harry had been basically blind all day. He continued searching.
"Draco." he hissed into the blanketing silence around him. He stuck to the shadows, trying to hide from any eyes that might be about.
Suddenly, a figure detached itself from the shadows and approached him. "Draco?" Harry questioned hopefully.
"You're as stupid as any Gryffindor, Potter."
//Hmmm... that's not Draco,// "Right, well if you'd mind telling me where Malfoy is, I'll be on my way." he said casually, though his heart was pounding. He quickly whisked out his wand and brandished it. "Where is he?" Harry demanded. The figure shrugged.
"Follow me." Harry walked behind the mysterious person through a confusing variation of passages. They stopped in front of a closed door-- Harry was now pretty much thoroughly lost but he maintained his courage. He peered at the hooded figure, trying to pierce the shadows to some bit of recognition. "In here," he opened the door.
Harry shook his head. "Uh uh, you first." He inclined his head and chuckled,
"Perhaps not quite as stupid-" Harry followed him through the door, which then shut with a decisive thud and three voices called out in unison, "Expelliarmus!" and Harry fell to the ground-- "A lot more stupid, Potter," Evan said maliciously. "You were more than a perfect accomplice in this little trap for your Slytherin sweetheart."
~VII~
With a jerk, Draco snapped awake. Pansy was *still* talking about men, she just never stopped! During a break in which the pug-faced girl took a breath, Draco said,
"Has it ever occurred to you that I might be seeing someone? You're *not* making me jealous." She gaped at him. He took this opportunity to try to leave; it must be nearly 11 by now. Pansy, her eyes shining with something that looked suspiciously like victory, slapped him hard across the face. "Ow!" Draco rubbed his jaw and glared at her, expecting any moment now to be inundated with sloppy, girly tears. But no-- she laughed. Laughed! A sickening feeling in his stomach, Draco got a look at the clock. 11:15! He was late! Harry had to be *frantic*, he probably went looking--
"Oh no." Pansy was still laughing. "You bitch!" he snarled, shoving her off him with bruising force. He spat at her. "*Fuck* you." and then he turned and sprinted out of the room.
"You'll never find him!" she yelled triumphantly at his back.
~*~
Draco pounded on the Slytherin Head's door. "Professor!" he called. "Professor Snape! Wake up!" In desperation he yanked the handle-- and the door opened. It hadn't been locked. He glanced around the darkened room. Snape wasn't there. Suppressing the urge to scream, Draco left and ran through the corridors heedlessly, and smashed smack into something.
"Mr. Filch!" Draco gasped in relief. "I can explain- need your help, have to find Har- er, Potter!" The caretaker brushed himself off and leaned against the wall, listening to Draco's story. He poured it out in a rush while Filch listened; he had never been more frantic in his life. Had he been more aware, he would have observed the caretaker's strange smile. When he finally did notice, it was far too late.
"Mr. Malfoy," the dry voice interrupted, "I've been waiting for Albus to leave for years now. He took away all my fun, so I've found new ways of torturing students who are out late. And my apprentices have decided that you are crucial to their enjoyment." he shrugged nonchalantly as Draco watched him with growing horror. "Who am I to deny them?"
Before Draco had a chance to speak, (or flee, as it were), the man blew a yellow powder into his face. Coughing wretchedly as he sank to the floor, Draco wondered why he had never questioned how they were able to move through the halls so freely... and the world went dark for Malfoy.
~VIII~
"Kaleb!" Hermione exclaimed when she found the girl braiding her short, dark blue hair in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of a porcelain bowl, her tongue poking out from the side of her mouth as she worked. She finished tying the last rubber band and turned to her friend.
"Heya, Herm."
"Have you seen Harry?"
"Um. Lemme see...nope. Isn't he upstairs?"
Hermione was on the verge of panic. "No! Seamus can't find him!"
Kaleb's aquamarine eyes grew slightly wider and she stood. "Maybe he fell in a hole or something. I'm sure it'll be okay Herm." Slinging her arm around Hermione's shoulders, she directed them towards the common room. "We better go look for him!" she declared, snatching her robe on the way out. "You know... just in case.
~IX~
Harry had never been more uncomfortable in his life. He slumped against one wall and wondered when exactly had he asked for all this? He sighed wearily as Evan approached him and got to his feet. The 7th year was bigger and stronger than Harry, but (he hoped) he was quicker. Bracing for the attack, he saw Evan's shoulders roll back and instinctively ducked the punch meant for his jaw and kicked upward into the Slytherin's stomach. He rolled out and away as amber eyes inspected him levelly.
"Very good, Potter," he nodded at Harry and advanced again. Harry cast off his robe and stood ready in an undershirt and shorts, normally pajamas. But they would serve well here. Evan drove straight at him, and Harry leapt to the side but landed the wrong way on his ankle. He twisted painfully to the ground and clutched it for a moment, but scrambled up. Evan was still coming at him. This time the stocky youth caught him in the gut, and Harry doubled over, wheezing. Evan pushed him roughly over and stood above him. Small applause from the viewers of Evan's cult reached Harry's ears and made him angry-- He tackled Evan, throwing them both to the ground. Harry sat atop the Slytherin, trying to reign in his anger.
"Stop it." he said calmly. "Let me go." Evan just grinned and with a huge effort, rolled the smaller teen off of him and pinned him to the ground. He threw several punches at the prone body, and Harry's nose started to bleed. Zapped of all strength, Harry could only lie there and wonder when it would end. Seeing that his opponent had given up, Evan released him and addressed his followers.
"Well well, the Great Harry Potter, defeated? And even You-Know-Who couldn't do it. Don't you see what we can do? What we can become?" Evan's eyes were radiating power. "No one can stop us!" Murmurs of agreement met his words, and someone started cheering.
Just then, a commotion outside occupied everyone's attention. The small group guarding the door carried something in and set it down at Evan's feet. Though his vision was blurred without his glasses, Harry still saw the telltale flash of silver-blonde, enough to know who it was...
"Draco!" he yelled, scrambling up and reaching for his lover. There was laughter but Harry didn't notice. Two pairs of strong arms hauled him away from his beloved, where he struggled mightily but could not get loose.
A man skulked in behind the crowd and Harry squinted at him. He looked familiar, was that-?
"Mr. Filch!" he gasped, audible relief flooding through him. At this, everyone laughed and Harry's ears burned red while his mind tried to understand-- wait, Filch-- and Harry Saw It All. Dumbledore gone, free access through the halls, his own sadistic pleasure-- Harry slumped in defeat, letting his captors hold him up. The caretaker leaned over the prone figure and breathed green dust over him. It glittered malevolently in the candlelight and Harry was reminded of the sickening green light of the Killing Curse. He shuddered. Then Filch stood up, nodded approvingly to Evan, and left. There was an apprehensive silence during which Harry watched the rise and fall of Draco's chest and wished that he wouldn't wake up, that the tenuous peace would last because when Draco woke up something very bad was going to happen, he could tell. It was just one of those things. But then the Slytherin stirred and groggily sat up. He looked around and Harry watched the dawning horror grow on his face that, when his eyes met Harry's transformed immediately to fear.
"Nice of you to join us, Malfoy," Evan sneered.
"Go to hell, Cognevoc," Draco spat.
"Aw, be a good boy, Drakkykins," he warned mockingly. Draco got up, eyes narrowing. "Fuck you. What the fuck is this about? I gave my part; you've had your fun. Let u-*me* go."
"I said," Evan spoke quietly, "Be nice." he nodded to someone and then Harry was on the floor nursing a cracked rib and trying to contain his groans. For a split second, Draco looked horrified, then praying that Harry would forgive him, he forced out a laugh.
"What's that supposed to do?" he asked bemusedly. "You think I care if you beat up Potter?" Oh, this was killing him. "Go ahead." //sorry love sorry, God...//
Evan smiled and shrugged. "Suit yourself. Gentleman?" he raised his eyebrows, and they pummeled Harry's body. They knocked him back into the wall and blood started trickling from his mouth. Draco watched with frozen silver eyes-- he'd done this. Evan looked at Malfoy, then signaled for Crabbe and Goyle to stop.
He crossed the room and hauled Harry to his feet. The dazed teen coughed then winced as a strong hand went around his mouth and an equally strong arm wrapped around his body and pinned his arms to his sides. "Admit it, you don't want to see precious Harrrrry," he drawled out his name, "get hurt like this, do you Malfoy? Just tell us," he said slyly, "and I'll stop." Draco hesitated. He knew how this game was played and it wouldn't make things any better to concede to their rules. He stubbornly shook his head.
"It doesn't make any difference to me," he shrugged, and Evan tightened his hold on Harry. A muffled scream tore out from behind Evan's fingers and he smiled maliciously. Harry twisted in pain; the cracked-now-broken rib hurt like a bitch. Evan was still grinning, and, keeping eye contact with Draco the whole time, he twisted Harry's chin and slowly leaned down and--Draco caught his breath. Evan kissed Harry; it wasn't romantic or sexual, it was simply, primitively possessive. Blood boiled through Draco's veins into a seething fury. He lunged forward but someone shoved him to the ground before he could do anything. Something clattered out of the thick folds of Draco's robes and skittered across the slick wood floor to a stop at Evan's feet. There was silence while everyone in the room scrutinized the object.
"My glasses," Draco said weakly. Evan leaned over and picked up the glasses. He tried to place them on Harry but the Gryffindor moved his head defiantly. Evan glared at him, then motioned to someone, and Draco felt the pressure of a foot pressing his head into the floor. Harry stopped struggling and quietly let Evan slide he glasses onto his face. He blinked; he could see again, but he found that he did not want to.
"What do you *want*?!" he said as the hopelessness of the situation crashed down upon him.
~X~
Earlier that evening, Severus quietly entered the Infirmary. In the darkness he cautiously moved to the far side of the room and sat on the bed next to the sleeping Gryffindor. He watched Neville's slow, rhythmic breathing and thought about many things- about what it means to have someone to care for you. Neville sighed and turned over in his sleep. He woke up a little when his body came in contact with the Potions Master.
"Gram?" he asked, his voice think with long gone tears and sleep.
"No." he hesitated. "It's... Severus."
"Mmm." Neville murmured incoherently. "Okay." and he dropped back to sleep, curling up next to Snape. The man stayed there, watching and thinking and feeling the warmth of another human being.
He only knew he had fallen asleep when he woke up. The boy was crying in his sleep. Severus hurriedly shook him out of his nightmare. Neville sat up, clinging to his teacher, sniffling slightly.
"Professor?" he asked, voice shaking.
"Come on, Mr. Lon-- Neville," said Severus, scooping the small teen up and setting him carefully on his feet. "I've got something that will help you sleep." The Gryffindor nodded and clung to the adult. Severus put a protective arm around his young charge, drawing him into the warmth of his cloak, and together they walked slowly out of the Infirmary. It was 11:30.
~XI~
Kaleb and Hermione tiptoed through the darkened halls, bare feet making virtually no sound. Kaleb had an insanely precise sense of direction and was able to lead them through Hogwarts without losing her bearings. They hurried, Kaleb pausing occasionally to get the "feel" of the area.
They nearly stumbled into a group of them clustered about a door. All the same, someone noticed them. They were hooded and sinister, and Hermione almost screamed. But Kaleb held her ground.
"Aw, Herm, I do think we missed the soiree" she said cheekily, hands on her hips. "Or at least it will be. Party's over folks. We'll just be taking our boy who lived back now..."
"*Lived* being the key word," a voice promised.
"Let Harry go." Someone laughed, and Hermione with a shock recognized the voice.
"Cho!" she exclaimed, her eyes going wide. Kaleb turned incredulously to her friend, slow on the uptake.
"Cho? What ab-"
The girl removed her hood; it was indeed the Ravenclaw Cho Chang. Her eyes glinted cruelly. "Oh, I would Kaleb Okun. Potter killed Cedric. I loved Cedric." Her eyes saddened for a moment. "Potter loves Malfoy. So we're going to hurt Malfoy," she said maliciously.
"*Malfoy?*" Hermione gasped. How had she let something like that fly over her head, unnoticed?
"Ever heard the phrase 'two wrongs *don't* make a right?" Kaleb yelled. "Bloody whackos.." she murmured, trying to fend off the oncoming headache.
Cho stepped closer, and Kaleb instinctively moved in front of Hermione. "Go away." Cho said in a low voice. "This is your only chance. Leave."
But Kaleb, being the valiantly stupid, or stupidly valiant, Gryffindor that she was, wouldn't leave her friend to this. "No way. I'm not abandoning Harry to you bastards!"
Cho shook her head. "You're stupid, then. You've just provided us with extra fun tonight," she smiled wickedly and spread her arms. The others surrounded them. Kaleb chuckled nervously.
"My kind of fun is turning people interesting colors. You don't want to do this," she argued with the bitter Ravenclaw with a disarming smile.
Hermione blanched. "I think she does," she whispered into Kaleb's ear. "Let's get out of here-- we can't help Harry if we get caught, too!" Kaleb reluctantly nodded. She held up her hands.
"Look, we're leaving, okay?" Cho laughed.
"Go ahead, if you think you can," she offered. Hands suddenly reached for them, and Kaleb bolted, dragging Hermione with her. They were pursued, but thanks to Kaleb's excellent sense of direction they were able to lose them. The girls ran back towards the tower, frightened. Neither knew what to do. They nearly knocked over Snape and Neville, coming back from the Infirmary.
"Professor!" Hermione exclaimed. Snape raised an eyebrow.
"Harry, and Malfoy! They're going to-" Hermione pointed in the direction they had come from. Snape nodded, a change coming over him.
"Ms. Granger, you and Ms. Okun will please take Neville to my quarters-- and stay in there!" he warned. "Lock the door! I shall deal with this." and he faded into the gloom.
"Aww man. There goes all the action. C'mon, Nev." said Kaleb kindly, leading them towards the dungeons.
"I hope he gets there in time," the boy whispered.
