Dumbledore led Draco out of his rooms and they returned to the other teachers. He took the teachers aside and explained very quickly and quietly what he had in mind while Draco stood off to the side, thumbing his wand. Snape kept darting mistrustful glances back at him.

Professor Sprout left to get Harry and only then did Draco begin to get nervous. All very well and good to plan something detachedly in Dumbledore's office, but another thing to actually do the thing. Draco was having second thoughts, except that it was far too late. He couldn't back out now. He didn't want to go down in the annals of Hogwart's history as a coward.

A perplexed Harry arrived and stared at all the worried faces, and lastly landed his gaze on Draco. Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's shoulder and steered him toward the blond Slytherin. "Come along, you two. We make this journey alone."

They walked in silence away from the others and meandered down darkened corridors.

"Headmaster," said Harry in a small voice. "Where are we going? And why are we going with Malfoy?"

"Well, Harry," began the old wizard. "Draco has agreed to be your protector."

Harry stopped dead. His face folded into a grimace. "My protector?"

"Yes, Harry." Dumbledore turned to him. Draco fidgeted. "I no longer have my powers. Neither do any of the teachers. For all we know, the entire Wizarding world has lost their powers. All except Mr. Malfoy. He will now have to protect you from Voldemort."

Harry had a look on his face that seemed to say 'Are you insane?' But Harry was far too polite to utter such a thing to the Headmaster. Although Draco found that trait annoying in others, in Harry it was only endearing.

Dumbledore nodded his head and carefully urged Harry into tentative steps. They continued walking. "Mr. Malfoy saw reason, and has agreed to protect you. In order to assure that protection, you will both be hidden away in Hogwarts. Ah. Here is the place."

There was nothing special about this part of the corridor that Draco could see. The walls were the same as any other corridor, the high ceilings, the carpeted floor. No paintings. Only a large, moth-eaten tapestry sporting two unicorns. Dumbledore swept the tapestry aside and revealed a door. "The old ways are the best ways," he said, mostly to himself.

He opened the door and pushed inside. "Come along, boys."

Harry looked at Draco. "After you."

"Oh no, Potter. I'm protecting you, remember. You go in."

Harry sneered and followed the Headmaster. Draco was on his heels.

The room was like a large suite, much like Draco's room at home at the Malfoy manor. One extremely large four-poster bed, a large desk, a table, several comfortable chairs, and a fire place. Another door revealed a lavatory. One entire wall from floor to ceiling was lined with books of every kind of spell and charm. The room could be described as cozy. And then Draco looked over at the bed again. True, it was enormous, more like two large beds slapped together, but it was still only one bed. His breath quickened.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not staying in here with him."

"I'm afraid you have no choice, Harry."

"But-" He waved toward the bed.

"Surely it's big enough for the two of you with plenty of space between. And I hope it will not be long. In the meantime, I suggest you two try to figure out what happened. These books should help." He turned to go but stopped. "Oh, and since the house elves cannot perform their duties either, it will be up to you, Draco to supply food and drink. I trust you know those spells."

He went to the door and motioned for Draco to follow. He took out three stones from a pocket in his robe. "Mr. Malfoy, if you will be so good as to enchant these stones, they will be our only communication with you. One stone is for the two of you. One for me and one for Miss Granger. I know she will be of great help to you." Draco whirled his wand over the stones in the Headmaster's palm and recited the incantation.

"Thank you," said Dumbledore, and handed one stone to Draco and pocketed the other two. "I will have to teach you a spell to enchant this door. I want to make it disappear entirely. This is more than a locking spell. It also incorporates an obliviate spell. That way, even I won't remember that it's here."

"Why do you want to do that, sir?"

He looked fondly at Draco. "Because should Voldemort invade the school-no matter what he did to me-I would not be able to reveal your whereabouts." Draco stepped back, stunned. "Now listen carefully, Draco. I will give you the reverse as well. If you do not reverse it yourself, it may be quite some time before the Ministry can release you. If they can ever find you, that is. So do listen."

Draco stared wide-eyed at the old wizard and listened carefully to his spells. He repeated them several times and when it met with Dumbledore's approval, the old wizard grabbed the door knob and opened the door. "As soon as I am out the door, Mr. Malfoy, employ the charm." He cast a gaze at Harry and then Draco. "Good luck," and he shut the door behind him. Draco lifted his wand and recited the incantation. The door sparkled and winked out of existence. Draco stood back, slightly appalled.

He turned to Harry who had a disgusted look on his face. "If you had anything whatsoever to do with this, Malfoy, I swear I'll make you regret it."

Draco relaxed. Familiar territory. "Oh Potter. One would think you'd tire of so many empty threats after so many years. When have you ever hexed me? You're too afraid, that's why."

He marched up to Draco, hands clenched into fists. "Malfoy-"

Draco brought up his wand. "What are you thinking, Potter? How does it feel to be so absolutely helpless? A new one for you, I bet."

Harry trembled in fury for a moment and then visibly calmed. "Not so new, actually." He turned away, walked to a chair, but didn't sit.

Draco caught his words. "Oh yeah? When have you ever been helpless?"

"Are you kidding? All my life. The first eleven years of it, anyway."

"What? The Boy Who Lived? The Famous Harry Potter?"

"Oh shove it, Malfoy. You have no idea what my life is like outside of Hogwarts."

Draco looked thoughtfully about the room and strolled to the bookcase. "You could tell me. We've got a lot of time to kill."

"Like I would open up to you. What would be the point? I'm not a glutton for punishment."

"The point is, we're stuck here together for God knows how long and I'm already bored." He swiveled his head to look at Harry. "And just because you tell me about your poor little life doesn't mean that I'll believe any of it."

"So why bother telling you?"

"Suit yourself. I just thought you'd like to unburden yourself on an uninterested party. Isn't that what the Muggle shrinks tell you to do?"

"And what would you know about psychology?"

"Really, Potter. I'm insulted. I do read, you know. I have ambitions."

"To take over the world?"

Draco smiled. "That, too."

Harry sighed. He trailed his hand along the back of an overstuffed chair, circled it, and then sat. He pushed his long legs out in front of him and stared at the tips of his shoes. "I never asked for any of this, you know," he said quietly. "I never asked to be the 'Famous Harry Potter'. I didn't even know I was a wizard until I turned eleven."

"Strange the things you find out about yourself later in life," Draco said quietly.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. You said you didn't even know you were a wizard?"

"Yeah. Nothing about the Wizarding world. I didn't know such things existed."

"But surely you did accidental spells when you were younger."

"I guess so, but my aunt and uncle always explained them away."

"Who are these Muggles raising you, anyway? They obviously knew who you were."

Harry scowled. Draco watched him intently, watched each brow draw down, how his lips frowned with displeasure, how his hands curled tightly over the arms of the chair. He wanted desperately to go to him, to clap him in his arms and tell him it was all right, but he stood frozen to the spot, almost afraid to breathe.

"They're my mother's family. And they hate me because I'm a wizard. They treat me like dirt and always have. I even lived-" He clamped his mouth shut.

"'Even lived' what?"

"Never mind. Doesn't matter."

"Come on, Potter. It was just getting interesting."

He glanced away from Draco. "They…they had me live in the cupboard…under the stairs. Until I couldn't fit in there anymore."

Draco's heart tore with compassion. Stupid Muggles. He'd like to kill them right now for making that miserable look on Harry's face. But he had to hoot with a laugh instead to hide his feelings. "Oh Potter. I can just picture it."

"I knew I shouldn't have told you," he muttered.

"Little Harry Potter. All his valued possession living with him along with the spiders under the stairs. What a sight!"

"All right! That's enough."

Draco cleared his throat and approached. "No, really. I'm sorry about that. You were being honest and I shouldn't have said anything."

Harry looked up, surprise on his face. "What did you say?"

"I said I was sorry." He sat on the arm of Harry's chair. He shivered at such close proximity but hid it by looking at his nails. "Sounds like rotten luck. It's a wonder you didn't turn out to be some psychopath."

"Like Voldemort," he muttered.

Draco left the chair to go to the desk. "I really wish you wouldn't say his name."

"Why not? If anyone has a right to it, it's me. He ruined my life and put all these other things in me."

"'Things'? You're scaring me, Potter."

"You know. I can speak Parseltongue and…do other things."

Draco was examining objects on the desk when he stopped in mid-move. "What other things?"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"Then why'd you bring it up?"

"Because you asked."

"So you'll do anything I ask? This will be interesting."

Harry scowled deeper and studied Draco. "Don't get any ideas."

"What sort of ideas?"

"I don't know. Slytherin ideas."

"I always have Slytherin ideas. It comes with the package."

"I was supposed to be in Slytherin, you know."

Draco dropped the crystal globe he was holding and it banged loudly on the desk before it rolled away. "What? You're dreaming."

Harry shook his head. "Seven years ago, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. Said I'd do great things there."

Draco hadn't closed his mouth. Finally he asked, "Then what happened?"

"I…asked not to go there."

"You asked? You just asked? Blimey, Potter. What an idiot."

"I didn't want to go to Slytherin. I had heard that only Dark Wizards went there. And I didn't want to be a Dark Wizard."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it."

"Have you?"

"Only the lifestyle. What do you think Malfoy Manor is made of? Snips and snails and puppy dog tails?"

Harry slumped, letting his arms drape over the sides of the chair. "I wouldn't become a Dark Wizard, if I were you. It's not going to last much longer."

"How would you know?"

"I know." He exhaled a long breath and jumped to his feet. "Let's look at some of these books and see what they have to tell us."

********

Harry took a book down from the shelf and looked at Draco out of the corner of his eye. Strange how compliant the Slytherin was being. He would have expected Draco to hex him the minute Dumbledore left. He wondered what was stopping him.

"This says it's the Big Book of Big Spells," said Harry. "I would say this situation qualifies. Shall we look it over?" Harry heaved the huge book to the desk and used two hands opening the large leather cover. Draco walked over and peered at the opening pages. "Here, Malfoy. Pull up a chair."

Draco looked at him as if he were mad, but he complied quickly enough. Too quickly. Draco had a look in his eye that Harry hadn't seen before. Or maybe he had. Mostly, he ignored Malfoy, but he seemed to notice everything he did now. How long and tapered his fingers were tracing the words on his side of the page, and even how his white-blond hair swept down over his eyes. Harry had the urge to push it back with his own fingers, but didn't quite know why the thought occurred to him.

"What sort of spell do you suppose we are looking for?" asked Malfoy.

"I don't know. Obviously something that eliminates power. But I've never heard of that kind of spell."

"Well it's dark magic, now isn't it? Does this book have dark magic in it?"

Harry examined the cover and shrugged. "Dunno. It just says it's a book of spells-"

Harry startled at Draco's touch. His gaze snapped up toward the Slytherin's steel gray eyes. Draco's finger was tracing Harry's scar and his face had drawn closer. Harry sucked in his breath.

"They say," Malfoy said very quietly. Harry could feel his breath on his cheek. "They say that sometimes your scar hurts."

"Yes," he whispered. "When Voldemort is happy and when he's angry. It hurts a lot."

"Strange." Malfoy's finger hadn't left Harry's forehead, but now his eyes focused on Harry's. "Why does he hate you so much?"

"I…don't know. I guess I'm unfinished business. I'm a living example of his weaknesses and failures."

"Weakness? Yes," he said vaguely. Draco didn't move away, and in fact, if Harry didn't know better, he would say he was moving closer. His lips hung open slightly and Harry's were parted to match them. If Malfoy moved any closer, Harry speculated, Malfoy would actually be kissing him. Harry wondered about it, and he wondered why the thought of it wasn't as repulsive as it should be.

Harry trembled as Malfoy neared. What if Malfoy did kiss him? Would he kiss him back?

Why was that thought even occurring to him?

"Harry! Malfoy!"

The spell broke between them and they stared at the stone on the table which seemed to be talking to them with Hermione's voice.

"Harry? Malfoy? Are you there?"

Harry reacted first. "Um…Hermione? Yeah, I'm here. Where else would I be?"

"I'm just checking to see how everything's going. Malfoy's treating you all right, isn't he?"

Harry flicked a glance at Malfoy and thought about his recent musings. "Yeah…er…he's treating me fine. Have you found out anything?"

"No, not yet. But it's pretty clear it's dark magic."

"Yeah, we were just discussing that."

"But I'm a little worried about Ron and Neville."

"What about them?"

"Didn't McGonagall tell you?"

Harry suddenly remembered Transfigurations and how McGonagall had planned to talk to him after class. They'd never gotten the chance. Harry felt a wash of anxiety flush his chest. "What happened? Is he-are they all right?"

"They're both in the hospital wing unconscious. They went down when everyone else did but unlike everyone else, they haven't woken up. I'm worried. Madam Pomfrey has been scouring the library for Muggle remedies because she can't use magic or potions."

"I saw Weasel and Longbottom before the spell," said Draco.

There was a pause. "You did?" said Hermione. "Exactly what can you tell us, Malfoy?"

"Nothing much. I happened to notice them on the stairs and they were looking in my direction and pointing."

"At what?"

"How should I know? I was just minding my own business."

The stone-or rather, Hermione tsked. "Well, if you recall anything, do let me know. I guess I'll go now and you two can get back to whatever it is you were doing."

Malfoy nudged the stone, but it had stopped talking. "Annoying, isn't it? Her voice, I mean."

But Harry was thinking. "Too bad we don't have a Pensieve. Then we can see exactly what was going on."

"What the hell's a Pensieve?"

"It's a way to have a look at particular thoughts. But wait a minute." He turned to look at Malfoy. "Can you perform Legilemens?"

"What? That's pretty nasty dark magic, Potter."

"That's why I thought you'd know it."

Malfoy smiled. "Now that's not very nice."

"I can do it-except that I can't. Not at the moment."

"You can do that? You really are spooky, Potter."

"But if you know how, Malfoy, you can perform it on the both of us and I can see into your memory and see what happened."

Draco's eyes darkened. "You're not looking into my thoughts."

"I know it can be pretty intrusive, but you don't want to stay in here forever waiting for the Dark Lord to swoop down on me, do you?"

"As long as he just swoops down on you."

Harry scowled. "Some protector."

Draco whipped out his wand and Harry felt himself lift suddenly from his chair and slam against the wall. He couldn't move.

"Malfoy! Take this hex off me immediately!"

Malfoy strutted around the table, twirling his wand, and sauntered slowly toward the helpless Harry plastered against the wall. "I don't think you've got much to say about it at the moment."

Harry struggled, but it was as if his arms and legs were glued firmly to the stone. He couldn't move his head much from side to side either, and when Malfoy strode right up to him, standing no more than a few inches away, he started to panic. "What's the idea, Malfoy?" he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"The idea? Well it's just occurred to me. I can really do anything I want to you and then Obliviate your memory. Pretty neat, huh?"

Harry's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Well…." Malfoy pocketed his wand and turned his face this way and that to study Harry's. Harry was breathing heavily. Some of it was fear, but some of it was also from Malfoy's nearness. He didn't like Malfoy so close to him, but at the same time the sensations of it intrigued him. What exactly was it besides fear fighting for equality in his senses? It had the feel of excitement, but where was that coming from? He was never excited about sparring with Malfoy before. But he was never this close to the Slytherin before either, never this physically close. He felt Malfoy's body heat, felt his undeniable presence, as if he were a smoldering brand. Any moment he might get burned.

"I mean, Potter, you've been driving me crazy. For years now."

"If you hurt me, Malfoy, I swear, when I get my powers back-"

"I won't hurt you. Unless you want me to."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"This."

It was the last thing Harry expected. And his shock was so great that he didn't react right away. But Malfoy took another step and pressed himself right up against Harry and dipped his head, dropping his lips on Harry's mouth. Malfoy's lips were soft and moist and he rubbed them gently on Harry's for a few moments while Harry tried to get some sense out of the situation.

Malfoy was kissing him?

But then Malfoy's hands touched his chest, and with sensuous smoothness, eased their way up until reaching Harry's collarbones. Those long fingers touched his neck and then surrounded it pulling his head into a deeper kiss. Malfoy's tongued parted Harry's lips and probed into his mouth, making a slow circuit there. Finally aware of what was happening, Harry tried to struggle away, but the hex made it impossible. And the kiss-so sensual, so intimate-began to gather new feelings within him. His heart quickened, and he couldn't seem to stop from opening his mouth wider to receive Malfoy.

He surprised himself when he kissed Malfoy back, chewing on his willing mouth, feeling Malfoy's fingers pressed harshly to the back of his head and tangling in his hair. All at once, he wanted so badly to touch Malfoy's hair. He wanted to see if it was as silky as he imagined it (just when did he imagine it silky?), and he wanted desperately to touch him, not just in the soft way Malfoy touched him now, but he wanted to grab him, run his hands over him, just to see if he were really real, that this moment was real.

Still pressed to the wall, Harry didn't know how his body could feel so limp when Malfoy's lips drew away from his. But there was one part of him not limp at all. And he was especially shocked at that.

Malfoy's smile was positively evil. "So. I won't have to Obliviate you after all, it seems. Oh Potter. Who knew?"

He took out his wand and unhexed him. Released, Harry stumbled and fell back against the wall for support. Speechless, he merely gazed at Malfoy who began to unbutton his shirt. He recovered and managed to gasp, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You're not…taking your clothes off, are you?"

He merely smirked and continued to disrobe.

"I don't know what you think you are doing, Malfoy," Harry stammered on, "but I think we need to c-concentrate on this spell and how to reverse it, y-you know. I…I really think we should."

"Yes, we probably should," said Malfoy, peeling his shirt off. His torso was as pale as his face. He was lean but sculpted, and the beginnings of a few blond chest hairs curled between his pecs. "But what do you want to do?"

Harry shook his head. He was beyond words at the moment. His eyes couldn't help but look at Malfoy's naked torso.

"I didn't know you were a poof, Harry. You see, I've wanted you for a long time. But we've been archenemies for longer. It's hard to walk up to your enemy and ask if he wants-well, you know."

"I…I never said I wanted you, Malfoy." But even Harry didn't believe the insincerity of his breathless words.

"Just now, you were doing a pretty good imitation of someone who did."

"I don't know about any of this. I thought I liked girls."

"Girls have their place, of course. Look at Granger. She'll figure this out long before we ever could. But for sex, I prefer men. I've preferred you, but like I said, I didn't know."

"Neither did I!" Harry's panic returned. This was not something he wanted to know about himself.

Malfoy paused, and gazed at Harry before he slowly approached and enclosed him in his arms. Harry stiffened, not knowing how to react. "Hey, Harry. It's okay. You're not the first man to find out. You won't be the last." He lifted Harry's chin with a finger and Harry looked into Malfoy's gray eyes. His eyelashes were long and swept up in a curve. They seemed suddenly beautiful to him. Malfoy's lips kissed him again, gently, tenderly. "We'll start out slow, Potter. We won't do anything you don't want to do-at first." That smile was back, the smile he stole from the devil himself.


On to Chapter Four
"Solutions"

Back to Chapter Two
"Malfoy the Protector"

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