Harry couldn't wait to tell Draco about his day, and as it happened, Dumbledore summoned them both to his office to do just that.

Dumbledore invited them to sit and offered them a glass of sherry. They each politely accepted, and Harry sipped his, wondering what Trelawney found so fascinating about it. "Well Harry, Draco. Tell me about your first day. Who wants to go first?"

Harry and Draco looked at one another. "Why don't you go first, Draco," said Harry.

Draco settled on his seat and pulled a thoughtful expression. "It went really well. They all finished their potions and…well. I actually taught them something. That was a rather unexpected thrill."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "The young mind is mostly eager to learn. It is indeed a 'thrill' when one can reach that mind and offer what knowledge we have to share. Were there any difficulties?"

Draco's eyes dulled. "No, sir."

But Dumbledore wasn't having it. "Now Draco. We are here to discuss everything that happened today. The good and the bad."

Draco squirmed a bit before raising his head. He sighed. "The first question I was asked was…why wasn't I sent to Azkaban with the other Death Eaters."

Harry was nearly on his feet. "What?"

"And that was the first years." Draco shrugged.

Harry was afraid to ask. "And what did you do to them?"

He looked Harry in the eye. "I turned her into a toad, of course." Harry's jaw dropped and Draco gave him a smirk. "You git. I took ten points from her house. And took her down a notch or two in class. But I wasn't cruel. Didn't even really want to be. You'd be surprised at my restraint, Potter."

"I didn't mean-"

"That's all right. I would have asked your question. I found myself strangely compelled to be…nice. Especially to the youngest ones. I'm not sure what that means."

"It means," said Dumbledore, "you take your position very seriously. I commend you. But as you surely must have surmised, this is by no means the end to your difficulties."

"I know, Headmaster. I don't look forward to it."

"Indeed. Was that the worst that happened today?"

"Some fool fourth year burned himself but I fixed him up. Didn't see the need to send him to Pomfrey."

Dumbledore nodded then looked at Harry.

Harry leaned forward and smiled. "Well, I had an absolutely brilliant time. We did all sorts of unexpected curses and hexes. The class seemed to really enjoy themselves. All except for one boy." His smile faded. "And it does concern me, sir. When I mentioned to the class that they must be on the lookout for the next Dark Wizard everyone seemed to turn to him. He called me a Muggle-lover."

"The little git!" said Draco.

"And what did you do, Harry?" asked the old wizard.

"I took fifteen points from…from Slytherin-" and he looked cautiously at Draco who rolled his eyes. "And I gave him detention."

"Good. What was his detention?"

"I told him to come to my study and tell me exactly what he has against Muggles or write an essay about it. He wrote the essay." He took the scroll from his pocket and handed it to Dumbledore. "Here it is." Dumbledore took it. "It's very disturbing." Dumbledore unrolled it and scanned the small writing before he handed it to Draco. "Sir." Harry slid to the edge of his seat. "Why do we keep allowing these students to come to Hogwarts? Wouldn't it be better to send them away, send them home, have the Aurors keep an eye on them?"

"I prefer to keep my eye on them, Harry."

"But you kept your eye on Tom Riddle-!" Harry bit down on the rest. Suddenly so much anger surged in him. He didn't know where it came from. But he was angry that Dumbledore had known something about Tom Riddle and failed to do anything or curb his behaviour. His face flushed and he lowered it, afraid to say more.

"And where would a certain young potions master be today if I had turned him away?" he said, eyeing Draco.

"But I did so much damage," said Draco quietly.

"And you would have done more and far worse had I sent you home to your father. At least at Hogwarts you experienced the compassion and love of your teachers. Why, for instance, did you find it difficult to kill me when you have been raised to hate?"

"I…don't know. In the back of my mind, it was something about your fairness. And I knew you. I couldn't just…"

"But you hated Harry. And you failed to kill him as well, even when multiple opportunities arose."

"It didn't stop him from breaking my nose." Harry remembered all too well when Draco deliberately stomped on his face when he discovered him under his invisibility cloak in his train compartment.

Draco looked at Harry and smiled sheepishly. "That certainly felt good. You don't know how much I hated you then, Potter."

Harry glared. "I could imagine," he answered coldly.

"Now gentlemen, let us not revert to our old selves. That was many years ago now. It is in the past. What we must deal with now, is the present. Who is this boy, Harry? Is it Treeloft?"

Harry wasn't surprised he knew. "Yes, sir."

"Then we will keep an especial eye on him. But unlike Tom Riddle and Draco Malfoy, I want you take him in hand. I want you to interfere with him and I want his mind changed."

Harry felt the difference in the room. It wasn't exactly desperation, but Dumbledore had made a most unusual pronouncement and Harry felt the weight of it, almost like the time he insisted Harry obtain that last memory from Slughorn. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Well, gentlemen. I think we've earned our feast. Let us go down to the Great Hall."

The three went down together and enjoyed the meal at their separate places, and when it was over, Harry sidled up to Draco and whispered, "I'll come to you tonight, if you like."

"No, Harry. I don't like the idea of you skulking around the dungeons. I don't mind coming to you."

"You sure? I can use my dad's cloak."

"Positive." He gave Harry a smile that melted his heart. "Don't you want to hear me say that damned password?"

"Absolutely."

And later, when the corridors fell into quiet and all the students were properly in their common rooms or in their beds, Harry heard a step outside his room and a sullen voice say, "Gryffindors Rule. Bloody hell."

The door swung open, and Draco stood there, fists at his hips. "You just love that, don't you."

Harry sniggered. "Yeah. I do."

He walked in and draped his arms around Harry's neck. He pondered his face for a moment before he leaned in and kissed Harry's mouth, giving it a good going over. Harry's knees felt a bit weak when Draco pulled away, but Draco took Harry's hand and led him to the bed. "So tell me how your day really went, Harry."

"I didn't lie to Dumbledore."

"And you didn't leave anything out?"

"No. Did you?"

They sat on the bed and Draco snaked his arm around Harry's waist. "No, not really. Just a little about how I felt about…things."

"Like that Slytherin girl-"

"How do you know she was from Slytherin?"

"Come on, Draco. Isn't that where all the trouble lies?"

He dropped his hand from Harry. "I resent that."

"But it's true, isn't it?"

Draco stood, stared at Harry for a moment, and then began pacing. "You know, I'm getting a little tired of all the blame falling on Slytherins. It's as if no one else in this entire school ever got into any trouble. I remember a certain Gryffindor who sent a cutting curse on me and I nearly bled to death!"

"Well let's think, shall we?" said Harry getting to his feet. "There was Tom Riddle, bloody heir of Slytherin; there was Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater-tried to kill me numerous times: Slytherin. There was Draco Malfoy; brought Death Eaters and a child-eating werewolf into Hogwarts and he was from-let me think-SLYTHERIN!"

Draco's face reddened. Tightly, he said, "Thanks for bringing that up. I'd nearly forgotten. And what's so bloody great about Muggles anyway? I read what Treeloft had to say. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal? You've got to be kidding! 'Muggles have no right to live'? 'They destroy the planet'? 'They're only good as slaves to Wizard-kind'? You don't find something wrong with that?"

"It's a little extreme, but-"

"A little? Malfoy! What the hell's the matter with you?"

"What do you mean what's the matter with me? What's the matter with you? You know who I am. You know what I believe."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "I thought I did. You gave up that philosophy. I thought you'd changed."

"I did. That is…well it's hard to change overnight, you know. I'm trying. You're not making it easier when you accuse me-"

"I'm not accusing you of anything."

"Yes, you are. You're accusing me of all sorts of rotten things. So I don't subscribe to killing Muggles anymore. I rather like a lot of Muggle things now. But it doesn't mean I have to worship the ground they walk on. They do do a lot of mischief. And I'm still not so keen on Muggle-borns-but I'm trying, all right!"

Harry puffed a breath. Draco could make him so angry! Stubborn, that's what he was. "So…are you agreeing with Treeloft or not?"

Draco stared at the far wall and took a deep breath. "No," he said rather reluctantly. "I suppose not."

"You suppose-"

"Would you stop picking at every little word! Dammit, Potter. You can be such a woman!"

"Maybe you shouldn't stay tonight." Once out of his mouth Harry regretted saying it.

Draco stared at him and then nodded his head. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I shouldn't."

"Draco…" He followed Draco to the door and tried to take his arm but Draco shook him off.

"Hands off, Potter! You've made your decision. And I've made mine." He pushed the door opened and stomped through, slamming it behind him.

Harry drew his hand through his hair. What the hell had just happened?

* * *

Draco was furious. Why did Harry always have to be so self-righteous? Like some damned knight in white armor. He wasn't always right. At least Draco didn't think so. "Oh who cares!" He forgot to keep quiet as he thundered through the silent corridors and passages. "Stupid Potter. Why did he pick a fight? We could have been all over that bed by now." He slowed and finally stopped. He looked back over his shoulder the way he had come. This was stupid. It was a stupid fight and it was stupid because Draco got annoyed with Harry about his accusing Slytherins, which was perfectly accurate. Draco supposed he was just weary of the accusations levered at him. But it was true about Slytherins. All the trouble did come from there. Why did he pick a fight with Harry about it? Should he go back and apologize? He wanted to. He wanted to be with him. Already he ached for him and he had been so close to getting into bed with him.

He looked up at the solid potions door and decided. "I'm going back." He hurried down the passage but the cressets had already been extinguished for the night. He raised his wand. "Lumos." And when he did he thought he saw something. A shadow? Was it only from his wand's light? A ghost, perhaps. No, ghosts didn't cast shadows. He lowered his wand and crept forward. And then he heard a scream. He fell into a run and turned a corner.

Antonia Adams was facing the hulking figure of Minx Mercer and two of his minions. "Expelliarmus!" Draco yelled, pointing the wand at them. Three wands flew into the darkness. "Adams! Get back!"

But Mercer grabbed her and stared at Draco. "I don't need my wand, do I, Lord Malfoy?"

"Stop calling me that! What the hell are you doing here?"

"We've come to help you stop Harry Potter."

"I don't want your help."

"Then you would rather do it alone. We understand. What shall we do with this one?"

Draco thought furiously. If they were bent on believing he was one of them, he'd better let them. "She's Slytherin. Let her go."

Mercer looked down at the frightened girl. "If you say so, my lord." He let her go, and Antonia immediately took off running.

"How did you get in the castle?" Draco's wand was lowered but still pointing at them. Mercer went to retrieve his wand, but Draco shouted, "No! Leave it."

"But my lord. We need our wands."

"I don't think so."

He looked confused. But then they all heard a noise, and Draco turned behind him to look. Mercer and company took off running, yelling "Accio wands!" behind them.

Draco turned back and swore. He tucked his head down and chased after. They were headed toward the Potions dungeon. He tried to keep up but they were faster, but he knew he would have them cornered if they entered.

He careered around the corner and saw the dungeon door hanging open. He smiled determinedly and slowed. Carefully he approached the door. "Lumos!" he called to the torches and the room filled with light. He walked in…but no Mercer. Then he saw his private door left ajar and he hurried toward it. "Come out, Mercer. You've nowhere to go." He kicked the door open and stepped in.

No one was there.

He heard a step behind and whirled around, wand raised. Antonia Adams stood with a shaken Dumbledore. Filch was also there, and McGonagall. "There he is, headmaster!" Antonia cried. "He's the one who let in those Death Eaters!"

Dumbledore's eyes fixed on Draco. Draco's heart suddenly and dreadfully sank.


On to Chapter Fourteen
"The Accused"

Back to Chapter Twelve
"Defense Against the Dark Arts"

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