Harry sighed as he rested his head against the wall, what was going on with him? He should have been having nightmares about Voldemort, actually right now he would much rather be having those right now. He would much rather have those visions back in his nightmare, at least then he knew he was normal, now he wasn’t so sure. Maybe it was the stress of everything going on that made him wacky that was it, nothing strange was going on, it was stress. That seemed like a viable excuse, stress lead him to think of things he would never think of, that was the answer, stress. Or at least that was what he was going to convince himself of, because he didn’t want to admit to himself that he was interested in Draco. He had never been interested in a guy before, and he had, had crushes on females before, so it didn’t make sense, why Draco and why Now?

Once he came to the conclusion that it was stress, he gathered his stuff and headed down to breakfast, he found himself rather hungry after being up for the majority of the night. Once he got to the great hall he took his normal seat next to Hermione and Ron and grabbed something to eat, which was when the questions started.

“Where were you this morning?” he asked

“Couldn’t sleep, decided to finish some school work, and then I went for a walk” he said. Which wasn’t a lie at all, it just wasn’t the complete truth there were some things he had left out, but there was no way he could tell either of them that, they might think badly of him or something, this was a secret he would have to keep to himself

“You’re not having those bad nightmares about you-know-who again are you?” Hermione asked, her voice dripping with concern

“No, Hermione I’m not” he said. Well at least last night he hadn’t had them. He could tell she was worried, but that wasn’t the reason he couldn’t sleep last night it was far from it. “Just couldn’t sleep, to stressed out I suppose” he said. Second thing he could blame on stress, maybe this stress excuse could go far.

Hermione looked as if she wanted to question the subject more but decided against it “Well you better hurry up and eat, class starts soon” She said

“I will” He said. As always Hermione always worried about being punctual, but then again he didn’t exactly want to be late either.

“If you finished up that school work, you should let me copy” He heard Ron say

But just as he was about to answer him, Hermione piped in and yelled at him for even suggesting it, it was as if things were back to normal, but he knew everything was far from normal and it wouldn’t be normal for a long time, at least in till Voldemort was gone, and people stopped accusing him and Dumbledore of being a liar.

Draco looked across the Great Hall to see Harry in the midst of what looked like an interrogation from his two best friends. Friends indeed. Why didn't they just leave Harry alone? He'd half a mind to get up and simply intervene -- but then the mail came.

And there was Lucius' owl, pitch-black amidst the usual mottle of brown and grey, with a letter clamped in its beak. A blood-red envelope which, Draco knew, would open to reveal the Dark Mark emblazoned on it in smoky black.

At the sight of that envelope, his heart gave a massive clench and stopped beating for several seconds before it thrummed back up into life at twice its normal speed. Time seemed to speed up as the owl was one moment in the air and the next in front of him, depositing the letter with disdain next to his marmalade-covered pickled herrings.

With a whoosh it leapt off the table and back into the air, leaving Draco staring at the missive in sinking horror. He'd known it was coming, but he didn't need this letter on top of everything else he was already feeling. He opened it, already knowing most of what it would say.

Dear Draco,

Now that you are approaching sixteen, it is time for us to meet in person and for you to join my forces in the fight to keep the Wizarding community pure. I look forward to your reply.

There was no signature, but Draco didn't need one. No one would have needed one.

The deep panic that rose in him was greater than anything he'd imagined. This was it -- this was the awful moment of truth, when he had to admit that he really had no interest in the fate of the Pureblood domination. He wasn't blind to the fact that Hermione Granger, the Mudblood, was the cleverest witch of her generation while Neville Longbottom, blood perhaps purer than his, was mostly incompetent with anything except plants. There was no way the Purebloods, even if they did win a war, would last more than a few generations of inbreeding.

Now, he knew, was when he had to go to Dumbledore. Problem was, the table was full of spies and informers. Almost all of the sixth- and seventh-years were Death Eater initiates. Draco looked around to see every single Slytherin looking at him calculatingly. He stared back blankly. This wasn't, after all, something they were supposed to talk about in public. In fact, the way everyone was staring at him was drawing way too much attention to his situation.

He gave a look of innocent "What?" to the table and stuck the letter in his bag, then polished off the rest of his marmalade-covered pickled herrings with relish.

Harry yawned some as he finished eating. Once Ron and Hermione were occupied with each other he couldn’t help but glance over at the Slytherin table, only to see the events unfold. The owl coming, the letter, the looks and all the stares. Something was up, he could tell. Once he pulled his attention away from the table he could tell that Ron and Hermione had casted there glances over there as well. Harry didn’t have time to worry about what was going on over there; he had enough to worry about. Though Draco was something he was currently worrying about and it didn’t look like he was too happy at the moment. Maybe something bad was going on, whatever it was he wanted to know, but he couldn’t just ask, even if they were friends he doubted he would just tell him. It looked like he would have to wait, in till he was willing to tell him without the question being brought up.

“What do you suppose all of that is about over there?” Ron asked

“Dunno, not really that interested either, who cares” he said and looked away. That answer was probably a surprise, he always took interest in something that happened when it involved Draco, mostly because he was concerned after what he had saw last summer, about his father.

“I forgot something upstairs” He said and stood up rather suddenly and made his way out of the room, before he left he casted a glance at Draco and then left the room. That was it last summer, when Voldemort had returned, the one face that stuck in his mind the most after the two obvious ones, was Draco’s father, he was a death eater. How come he didn’t think of this sooner? Didn’t that mean Draco was going to become one to, one of Voldemorts followers, which would explain why he was worried about things. He must have hit his head on a rock or something over the summer, to forget something this important. Once Harry was out of sight of people he stopped walking. Why was he even worrying about Draco in the first place? Even though he didn’t want to admit it, he knew why because he liked him a lot, had some sort of feelings for him, something he knew very well he shouldn’t have. If Draco was to find out, he would just spread rumors about him being gay or something, friendship only went so far when you were liked by the other, especially when the other was the same sex. And there was no way Draco was gay, even though Pansy had implied that, it was a lie, right?

Draco left the Great Hall as casually as he could -- his Slytherin housemates would, he hoped, think that he was acting a little odd because the letter had made him excited, not terrified out of his life.

Running into Harry was perhaps the biggest relief of his life. He dragged Harry into an unused classroom and started babbling.

"You saw the letter -- You-Know-Who and my father -- become one of them -- don't want to -- don't care -- horrible dreams -- help me --" he stuttered to a halt and simply stood there, staring beseechingly, shaking his head slowly.

Harry looked at him "What are you going?" He asked when he got dragged into the classroom, but didn't prevent it from happening, it looked like Draco needed someone to talk to badly.

Harry looked at him, what was he supposed to do to help him? What was there that he could do in his power? It didn't matter all he knew was that he wanted to help him, very much so. "It's funny how I say Ron is the slow, one, I should have connected this dots a lot time ago, the way you're acting, the fact you're fathers a death eater, there coming for you to aren't they?" He asked

He said he didn't want to, that meant he didn't want to become one right? What was he supposed to do, he didn't have that sort of power. However as long as Draco remained in Hogwarts where Dumbledore was he would remain safe "This isn't something I can help you with, but I think you know who can" He said

"You know who I'm talking about, I'll go with you, if you want though" He said. About as much as he could do, would be to offer his support, and friendship and help him through everything. But if anyone would know what to do about it, it would be Dumbledore, he wasn't sure how to handle this matter, and he wanted to make sure Draco got the best help he could get.

Draco simply nodded at Harry, relieved that he didn't have to explain further.

"Yeah," he said. "But... the other Slytherins—Father is paying them—can't be seen..."

Draco now knew exactly who he was, in a way he could never have imagined. The immense stress of the last few days, the realization this morning of his sexuality, and the solid fact of the letter in his bag had all combined to strip him down to the bone, emotionally. He could not lie anymore, either to himself or anyone else. He didn't even know how he'd manage to fake his way through the rest of the year, even if Snape could convince his father that Draco ought to focus more on his schoolwork, that he didn't have time for Junior Death Eaters, as he'd heard it termed.

He felt naked inside, reduced to his utmost essence, and passionately grateful to Harry, who had turned out to be exactly the opposite of what he'd always assumed, always been told. He wanted to hug Harry out of gratitude and so, feeling a sense of truthfulness about his actions, reached forward and did so.

It was good, it was very good to hold the other boy in his arms. They were about the same height, Harry a little more muscular, perhaps. Harry smelled good, like some kind of herbal shampoo; Draco inhaled deeply, letting the scent fill his head.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you."

There was so much more he wanted to say, but he couldn't find the words, so he simply gripped Harry tighter, feeling his body respond reflexively to their closeness. Two hours ago the reaction would have embarrassed him, but in his current state it didn't; what was an erection compared with the consequences he might face?

Harry nodded, even though he was in a sense speaking broken sentences he understood the basis of what he meant. He knew his father was paying the other Slytherins and if he was seen freaking out like this, after having receiving the letter, it would get back to his father, and he was sure it wouldn’t end well for him.

This was such a large matter, bigger than Harry had ever dealt with, well after the whole seeing Voldemort come back to life. He had never seen a friend in such a position before, and for the first time in his life, he felt like he could offer no help but his support and friendship. He felt like, he wasn’t going to be able to do anything to change the course of event’s about to take place. But he felt like Dumbedore would be able to prevent it and help him, he would have to take Draco up to speak to him, as soon as he calmed down and was able to handle that.

Harry was surprised when Draco hugged him, but he reached out and wrapped his arms around his body and hugged him back. He felt himself resisting the urge to kiss him, right then and there, but he couldn’t and he knew that. A kiss was on a whole different level then a hug, and he knew that.

He liked the feeling of being this close to him, he could feel his body against his even if it was through clothing, it was the closest they had ever been to each other “Don’t thank me yet I haven’t done anything yet” he said and moved his face a bit closer to Draco’s “However I promise to do everything in my power, everything I can, to help you” he said with a smile and remained close to Draco. For a second Harry thought he felt something poke him, but he was sure it was just his imagination.

Draco felt relief wash over him as Harry responded encouragingly. He broke the hug and looked at Harry. His face, with those very green eyes, was so close—Draco wanted to kiss him—

A noise outside in the corridor startled him, and he broke away, aware that the moment wasn't right yet. He didn't want to ruin their friendship with a lustful interlude. The friendship, even fledgling as it was, was more valuable to him than any other relationship he'd ever had.

"I need to see Dumbledore," he said urgently, feeling a bit more in control, more able to maintain a façade. "I've, er, heard rumors that you have—an Invisibility Cloak? Could I—maybe borrow it?"

He doubted Harry would let him, but asked anyway. Draco knew of various invisibility spells, like the Disillusionment Charm, but hadn't been able to manage any of them successfully yet, though he'd been trying. He certainly didn't want to have to explain to anyone, whatever House they were in, why he was heading to Dumbledore's office right before classes, and right after he'd received The Letter.

Harry was a bit upset, when he pulled away from the hug but offered him a reassuring smile in return “Everything will be fine, I promise” He said with a smile. That was a promise he planned on keeping, he didn’t want to let him down. Hell he never wanted anyone down, that was just the type of person he was.

Harry stared at him “I know” he said and was surprised by what he asked next. He didn’t have a problem with letting him borrow it, but rather how the hell did he find out about it “Just where have you heard rumors about me having one? The only ones who know are Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and a few of the other Weasley’s and I know they wouldn’t be talking about it” he said a bit confused as to how he had heard about him having one, he was stumped

“I’ll let you borrow it, I’ll just have to go upstairs to get it” He said with a gentle smile. He didn’t mind letting him borrow it at all, in fact he made him feel useful “Do you want me to go up with you?” He asked. He wanted to go, really badly but if Draco didn’t want him there he wouldn’t force the issue at all.

"Oh," said Draco vaguely, "I figured it out in our third year. How else could your head have appeared in Hogsmeade without the rest of your body?"

Then he said, "No—I can go up myself. It's probably better that way. It would be weird if we were both missing from class. As it is, I'm not sure what sort of an excuse I can come up with, except to pretend that I'm writing back."

He really hoped Dumbledore would be able to help him, though unless the Headmaster could hide him until You-Know-Who was gone, Draco didn't know how he could possibly be safe for more than a few days.

"I'll wait here, okay?" he said to Harry. "Hurry back..." He gripped Harry on the shoulder and gave him a little push; the warmth under his hand sent a balm of comfort through his system.

"Oh yeah I forgot about that, sorry about messing with you, like that" he said referring to what he had thrown snowballs and him and his friends and tortured them when they couldn't see him

"I don't mind going if you want me to" he said. He didn't mind using I was with Dumbledore as an excuse, besides that would get him out of class in an instant, besides he sorta wanted to talk to him, himself about all the nightmares he had been having get his opinion on them, but that could wait.

"Tell them breakfast made you sick or something" he said with a shrug, an excuse that usually worked if you were a good actor.

"Alright I'll be right back" He said as he made his way down the hallway and through the crowds of kids, up to his common room and then to his dorm room. It took him a minute to get it out, but soon enough he was heading back down to give it to Draco.

It was about time for Class to start, chances were he was going to be late even if he ran all the way there, which would just make him look suspicious. Once he reached Draco again he held it out to him "Be careful with it okay? it was my fathers" He said with a smile.

He was surprised at himself, that he was willing to let Draco borrow it when it was something so important to him. But he trusted Draco with it, and knew it would be back in his hands soon enough.

Draco took the Invisibility Cloak from Harry with awe; he was surprised at the ease with which Harry had lent it to him. "Thank you," he said. "I'll take really good care of it. Seriously, though, I can go by myself. I probably should—to be honest, I think I want to be by myself this time. But I really appreciate your offer. Really."

He looked hard at Harry, trying to convey his gratitude by looks alone. "Can we... meet later? You know, just to talk? We could both hide under the Cloak, if needed."

The thought of snuggling under the cloak with Harry made a little shiver go up his spine. That would be nice, being so close to him, probably having to wrap his arms around the other boy in order to fit together.

Harry nodded "Your welcome" He said with a smile. Really it was the least he could do, if nothing else, he could offer support in this way. "I know you will, I trust you with it" he said. It was odd, he had never even lent it to Ron or Hermione unless they were going somewhere together. "Alright, I hope everything goes well for you" He said with a smile as he reached forward and gave him a quick hug

"Yeah we can meet later, after classes" he said with a smile. They would have time to meet up before dinner, or even after dinner which ever time he preferred, but they would have more time after classes.

"Well if we find somewhere, quiet I doubt we'll need to, but if we do it'll work" he said and turned around "Anyway I should get going, before I'm late and get detention" He said with a sigh that was the last thing he wanted "Good luck Draco" He said with a smile as he walked off and quickly made his way to his class.

He reached his class just in time, and slipped into his seat. He could tell Hermione wasn't very pleased at him for almost being late. But all well he wasn't late, he didn't get a detention and he could see Draco later without worries, it was all good to him, for now anyway.

Draco immediately slipped on the Invisibility Cloak and left the classroom as quietly as he could, walking out to the entrance hall and up the stairs to the main corridors. Even though he was invisible, he could hear himself walking, and several times nearly ran into people who were jogging to classes at the last minute. There was a horrible moment when he was certain Mrs. Norris could smell him; she kept staring at him with her yellow eyes. He'd never liked that cat, and resisted the temptation to kick her.

After several heart-pounding minutes, he finally reached the gargoyle outside Dumbledore's office. What was the password this time, he wondered.

"Who's there?" croaked the statue, making him jump.

With a look around him to make sure he was unobserved, Draco whispered, "Draco Malfoy. I really need to talk to Dumbledore. It's about You-Know-Who, and my father..." He trailed off with a lump blocking his throat.

"Ooooh," said the gargoyle in a knowing sort of way. "Well, if that's the case, you should go right up. I daresay the Headmaster'll be right pleased to see you, if it's the reason I think it is."

And with that, the stone gargoyle jumped aside, revealing the circular staircase, winding upwards. Draco stepped on it, and only when the gargoyle had closed up did he remove the Invisibility Cloak, stuffing it in his bag. The action of stuffing made him touch the letter, which he could swear was icy cold and burning hot at the same time. He jerked his hand away from it just as the staircase reached the top.

"Enter, Mr. Malfoy," said the Headmaster's voice.

Draco did so, swallowing. He was very, very nervous. He began to feel as he had when the letter had first arrived. Maybe Harry should have come with him; he was certain he wouldn't have been so nervous with Harry as his cheering section, there to hold his hand.

But Harry had given him the Invisibility Cloak, at least, and wherever he was was probably mentally supporting Draco. Draco straightened his shoulders and walked, unsteadily, to the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"So," Dumbledore said. "You've finally received your Initiation Invitation."

Draco nearly fell out of the chair. How had the Headmaster known? He hadn't been at breakfast.

"I have very observant staff members," Dumbledore said, as if in answer to Draco's unspoken question.

"Y-yes, sir," Draco stammered. "I—er—"

"And what will your reply be?"

Just like that? Well, at least Dumbledore wasn't beating around the bush.

"No, sir," said Draco, hearing his voice wobble. He cleared his throat. "I want to answer 'no.'"

"Good lad," Dumbledore said briskly.

Was it really this easy?

"Of course, you have your father to contend with, and no doubt your classmates, many of whom I'm sure you realize are already initiated."

Draco nodded silently.

"Do you want to stay at school?" Dumbledore asked, gazing intently over his half-moon spectacles.

The question took him by surprise, and he answered automatically. "Of course. Harry's here."

Then he wanted to kick himself. He hadn't meant to say that, just out loud, all obvious. He'd intended to bring that subject up later.

"Harry? Harry Potter?" Dumbledore was genuinely surprised. "I thought the two of you hated each other."

"Er, well, not since yesterday," Draco said. "We sort of... worked out our differences." And I had a massive wet dream about him, and I really wanted to kiss him earlier, and what's it like being gay? were all the things he didn't say, much as he wanted to. He was a bit relieved that he still had some discretion.

"I'm very glad to hear that, Mr. Malfoy. Very glad indeed." Dumbledore hummed to himself and gazed up at the ceiling, as if he could read the answers up in the brightly lit dome of his round tower office. "Hm, well, what to do with you then? You'll be in danger if you stay in the Slytherin dormitories."

"Professor Snape was going to talk to my father—"

"Ah, yes, as to that... well, Severus has told me the discussion went rather badly, which is why you received the letter this morning, rather than at Christmas as I believe was originally planned."

"What, Professor Snape blew it?" Draco asked, aghast.

"Not at all; instead, his mere mention of it reminded Lord Voldemort—"

Draco flinched. Dumbledore ignored him.

"—that you are of an age to be recruited. According to Severus' report, Lucius hadn't yet told his master how old you were, and as Voldemort arrived in the middle of the conversation, your father got into a bit of trouble—oh, he's all right, never fear," Dumbledore added when Draco leaned forward in horror, "but he was pressured into sending your invitation quite early."

Draco simply gazed, aghast, at the Headmaster. So his request to Snape had simply made things worse? How could he bollox things up more?

"I think," Dumbledore was saying, "that we should re-locate you for the time being. As most of your common room is made up of Death Eater initiates and sympathizers, and to my sadness they are also present in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's populations, I think the best thing will be to move you into Gryffindor House for the time being."

Draco collapsed against the back of the chair. "Into... Gryffindor?" he repeated. He'd be with Harry? "But they'll hate me!"

"Oh, I'm sure your friendship with Harry Potter will help somewhat," Dumbledore said breezily. "Though, to forestall problems, I think it best to move you to the unused Head Boy's room in that tower. As the Head Boy is from Ravenclaw this year, the room is empty, and you'll have it to yourself." Dumbledore smiled and nodded, as if to himself. "Yes, I think that will do. Any further questions, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Er... what should I tell my father?"

"Nothing, I think, for right now," Dumbledore said. "In a few days we will leak the knowledge that you have run off somewhere, probably to Tibet. Or maybe Siberia." He looked directly at Draco, smiling sympathetically, with none of the absent-mindedness Draco had seen up until now. "Please, trust me. I will keep you safe. And if you wish, I can keep your mother safe."

His mother! "Can you?" Draco asked desperately. "How?"

Dumbledore put a finger to his lips. "Best if you don't know. Now, off with you to class, and be sure to speak to McGonagall about getting the password. I'll let her know, and she'll talk to the Gryffindors. You must understand, of course, that this will not keep you completely out of danger, but it will at least allow you to sleep safely." He looked very serious indeed. "It was wise to borrow Mr. Potter's cloak. I shall see about obtaining one for you, but in the meantime stay alert, and be careful. Oh, and be sure to mention the lecture I gave you about charming the suits of armor to sing naughty verses."

With that warning in mind, Draco left, pulling the Invisibility Cloak over himself as he left the office, feeling apprehensive but hopeful once more.

---

((Sorry, I kinda went overboard...))

The early tiredness that Harry had been feeling from not sleeping seemed to leave him all together. As much as he tried to pay attention in class he couldn’t, his thoughts were filled with what was going on with Draco and Dumbledore. It seemed like every second ticked by slower than the next, it was like an eternity, and it had only been a few minutes since he had gotten to class. He wasn’t sure what the teacher was currently rambling on about, as he had zoned out completely, if he was to get called on, he wouldn’t be able to answer at all. Well at least it wasn’t potions so it wasn’t like he would get a detention for zoning out, at most he would get scolded, and told to pay attention. Although his thoughts were flooded with Draco, he could feel the glaring eye that was telling him to pay attention. All well, she would forget about it later and give him her notes when he asked; she always gave him to him and Ron. Like when Ron had asked her to write his essay, she had given in and wrote his introduction for him.

Once he snapped back to reality he heard the teacher say something about working in pairs, and it appeared he was teamed up with Hermione, which was lucky for him, chances were Ron had not been paying attention either which would mean they would have been lost.

“What are we supposed to be doing, Hermione?” he asked, knowing a lecture was coming

“Well if you had been paying attention in the first place you would know” She said firmly “I don’t think I should tell you, teach you a lesson” She said

“Hermione I hope you realize by teaching me a lesson, it will affect you’re grade as well” He said with a smile

Hermione’s mouth dropped when he said that, darn him, he was right and she knew he knew there was no way she wouldn’t tell him now “We’re supposed to be answering this list of questions right here” She said and pointed down to it

“Ohh, so sort of like a quiz I get it” he said. He wasn’t looking forward to doing it, but whatever Hermione would end up doing most of the work anyway, probably. His head was too busy with other thoughts to actually think about Transfiguration.

“Something like that I suppose, now snap back to class and help me” She said as she started to go through the questions.

“Sure thing” he said and helped her answer some of the questions, the ones he didn’t know Hermione knew and answered. They made a pretty good pair if he did say so himself, it seemed like they were the first ones in class done with the sheet. He looked over at Ron and his partner who seemed to be struggling with the sheet, he laughed a little and looked at the desk.

Now that the work was done, his mind was free to wonder again, and worry. What was Dumbledore doing to do? Draco’s father wasn’t going to be very happy about him turning down the Dark Lord’s invitation, nor would Voldemort himself. Needless to say, if he thought things were full of worries and drama now, it was sure to get worse.

Draco slipped quietly into Charms, relieved that everyone was already paired off practicing spells.

"Glad you could join us, Mr. Malfoy," said Flitwick, somewhat sarcastially. "Everyone else has paired off."

"Er, sorry, Professor," Draco said, trying to keep some of his usual drawl in his voice. "Dumbledore wanted to give me some sort of lecture about not enchanting the suits of armor—"

"That was you?" asked Flitwick, trying not to sound admiring. "I'd no idea you could do that sort of thing." He cleared his throat. "As you can see, you'll be stuck with me for a partner."

"Right," Draco said, and got down to work, glad he'd not lost points.

---

At lunch, Draco met Harry's eyes across the tables, and tried to convey soundlessly a message to follow him. When he'd finished eating, he got up from the table, ignoring his classmates' curious looks but fumbling in his bag as if he were thinking about the letter. He was thinking about the letter, but not in the way they probably thought.

He walked straight out of the Great Hall, across the entrance hall, and into the same room they'd used that morning, the room where Harry had hugged him. It was the best place he could think of: outside there were too many people who could observe them, and the other rooms were mostly used for snogging. This one had no convenient sofa, just stacked desks and chairs piled in a corner.

Harry met Draco’s eyes and immediately knew what he wanted. The only problem was thinking of an excuse to leave the table, he usually never left during lunch. He could use the excuse of needing help from a teacher. Once he ate, which he rushed through fast he looked at them “I’ll see you in class, I need to go ask a teacher about something important, need some help with some work” He said as he stood up.

He was surprised he hadn’t gotten questioned any more, Hermione seemed to have had an approving look on his face, and Ron had a bored one. Nothing interesting about him going to get help from a teacher, although it was out of the ordinary, he usually never sought the help of a teacher.

Once he was out of the great hall, he headed towards his best guess of where Draco would be, where they had been this morning, it was the only place he could think of. Before he slipped into the classroom, he made sure no one was around; once he was inside he looked at Draco “What happened?” He asked

Draco's words came out in a rush:

"Dumbledore's moving me to Gryffindor, I'll get the Head Boy's room, all by myself, he wants to keep me safe from the Slytherins, and he'll keep my mother safe, too, which is a big relief. He seemed to know everything already, like he always does. Snape was going to talk to my father and delay things, but apparently that was a bad idea because You-Know-Who arrived and was reminded of my existence. I wonder why Father never mentioned me before?"

He ground to a halt. "Oh," he said, and fumbled in his bag, pulling out the Invisibility Cloak. As he did so, the letter fell out. He bent down and picked it up, feeling again that burning hot-cold sensation on his skin.

"Here's your Cloak," he said. "Dumbledore's going to get one for me, he said, but for now he wants me to just be super-careful. Apparently there are Death Eaters in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, too."

He felt his mouth stop as he ran out of things to say, and he simply stood there, holding the Cloak out to Harry.

Harry listened to Draco speak, it seemed like all his words where coming out at once, it took him a minute to comprehend everything that was said. he was getting switched into Gryffindor? That was so not going to go over well, not at all, none of them were going to accept him and they were probably going to do everything he could to make his life hell "Well, I'm glad you're getting the help you need, But Draco I have to be honest, your in for a hell of a ride in Gryffindor, they aren't just GOING to welcome you in with open hands" He said with a sigh, he would do what he could

"I'll talk to Ron and Hermione, and convince them to give you a second chance, so you can hang out with us and if you're around me they won't try anything" he said. He was admired even if they did think him a liar, they wouldn't try anything fish with witnesses around, and they knew how close he was with Dumbledore, so it would work out for the best. "And maybe he didn't mention you because he didn't want that life for you" he said, it was the only answer that made any sense to him"

"Thank you" he said and took the cloak from him and smiled "Huum, I heard they were pretty rare, so in till he does if you ever need to borrow it again feel free to ask" He said as he carefully tucked it into his bag, he always took good care of it, because it was so important to him and proved useful on so many occasions.

Draco nodded, at everything Harry was saying. "I know they're rare—the good ones, that is—but you can pretty easily get one of Demiguise hair that'll work for a year or two."

He frowned, thinking of what Harry had said about Gryffindor. "I know it'll be hard -- I think that's why he's giving me my own room, for safety. I can deal with glares and the occasional hex. But honestly, Harry, I don't think the people in Gryffindor are going to hate me as much as my own House will."

He smiled bleakly. "Besides, I'm not asking Gryffindor to welcome me with open arms. I just need to be able to sleep without worrying about Blaise or Ted Nott trying to kill me in my bed."

Harry looked at him "Yeah, well as long as you'll be safe, and like I said if you ever need it do not hesitate to ask" He said with a smile. Honestly he didn't mind sharing it, if it was to protect Draco, his safety was worth the risk of losing the Cloak although he didn't want to think about losing either.

"Like I said I'll try to do what I can to make things better in the house" he said. He deserved to feel just as welcome as the next person, well kind of in a way, he suppose he did. "Just, how MUCH am I allowed to tell Ron and Hermione?" He asked. he wasn't going to go over what Draco felt comfortable with them knowing.

"I know you aren't, I just want you to know, that it's not going to be easy, not only will you have to deal with your old friends, but with the Gryffindor's as well" He said "No one will attempt to kill you, we aren't that hatefull" He said with a small laugh

Draco looked at Harry sadly. "I know Gryffindors wouldn't try to kill me, that's why Dumbledore is putting me there. As to how much you can tell Ron and Hermione... well..." He thought for a moment. "I guess word is going to go around really quickly that I didn't answer the letter, which is tantamount to declaring allegiance to Dumbledore. I suppose you can tell them the truth. Though," he said, with another bleak smile, "I would bet a hundred Galleons that pigheaded Ron Weasley won't believe anything good about me."

He glanced at his watch, which was beginning to flash in the darkness, warning him that he would soon be late for another class. "I need to go to Transfiguration soon. I guess McGonagall is going to talk to the house, too, but I need to talk to her first."

On an impulse, he reached forward and hugged Harry again. "Thanks," he whispered in Harry's ear, again smelling that wonderful herbal scent. The temptation to nibble was quite strong, but he fought it down. Better to solidify the friendship first.

Harry nodded, Dumbledore always do what do it, it seemed like he no matter what the situation was he always had a plan ready in the split second "Although I'm guessing most will be pretty rude" he said. "Well, I'll tell them what I need to, to get through to them, but I won't divulge to much if I don't have to" he said with a smile "You'll win that bet, getting through to Ron is like breaking through a solid brick wall with you're bare hands" he said with a sigh "Hermione will though, she's more level headed and will at least believe in some of what I say" he said

"Alright, good luck with that' He said with a smile. It would make sense that she would talk to them, and he was sure anyone who tried something wouldn't get off easily. All-though McGonagall, was one of the nicest teachers, she didn't let things just slip by if they deserved to be punished for it.

"Good luck, Draco, and I'll see you later" he said as he returned the hug, and quickly let go of him and made his way out of the classroom, once he found Ron and Hermione he looked at them "I need to talk to you later, about something important when we have more time" he said

((This is my last post tonight -- I should get another page or two on my dissertation proposal done!))

----

Draco hurried up to Transfiguration, arriving just after McGonagall had started class. It was mixed with the Hufflepuffs, and he wondered who among them were Death Eater initiates. Maybe none of the other fifth years yet, he thought.

"Mr. Malfoy, you will see me after class," McGonagall said, giving him a glare. "I hope you'll manage to be more on time this year than you were last year."

Well, that was a good excuse to talk to her, Draco thought, and simply nodded haughtily. He sauntered over to his usual seat next to Blaise, who was staring at him.

Draco met the stare with a blank look of his own, as if to say, This isn't something I'll talk about. And, as he stared, he thought up a perfect cover: He'd gone to Dumbledore, all panicked about the letter, and convinced him to put him in Gryffindor, where he planned to spy for his father.

Only problem was, he'd actually have to send reports back to his father about the Gryffindors. Never mind, he told himself dully. You'll just have to struggle along with your true allegiance showing.

As McGonagall started them on their work, Draco tried to focus on his wandwork, and not think of what awaited him when he joined Gryffindor House that night.

---

At the end of class, he went up to McGonagall and got the password. She was, actually, very kind to him, and Draco began revising his opinion of her just as he'd revised it about Harry. Maybe the Gryffindors weren't all that bad. Still, he doubted Ron Weasley would be so suddenly different.

McGonagall handed him a little key, and as she explained where his room was, Draco realized with a jolt of joy that he wouldn't actually have to hang out with the Gryffindors at all if he didn't want to -- he could just stay in his room. Apparently it had two doors, one to the Common Room and one to the outside corridors. It had been designed this way so that the Head Boy could get to the rest of the school easily, without needing to go through the common room.

"And I must say," McGonagall concluded, "that I'm very proud of you, Mr. Malfoy, very proud indeed. You've shown real strength of character by choosing to stay away from You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters."

"Thank you," Draco said, and meant it.

As he left the classroom, he conjured a small chain and threaded the key on it, charming it so it wouldn't leave his neck without his willing fingers taking it off. Then, feeling slightly better about his future, he stepped out into the crowded corridors, heading for his next class, Care of Magical Creatures. It was with the Gryffindors, he thought with relief, so he'd be able to see Harry and explain. Maybe he could give Harry a copy of the key!

The thoughts of what he could do in his own bedroom with Harry sent blood through his veins to one particular spot, and Draco had to walk awkwardly for a moment before it settled down.

As he left the castle and headed down the grass towards Hagrid's hut, he saw Pansy and Nott walking arm in arm—Pansy's hand was clenched around Nott's rear end. Draco sniggered to himself, noting the way Nott walked, as if he were very tender indeed. Draco wondered if the spell had worn off yet, or if Pansy were still pestering Nott every possible moment.

"Oy, Draco!" came a voice from behind him. Draco turned and recognized Blaise. "Oy!" Blaise said again as he caught up. "Saw the letter!" he exclaimed breathlessly. "Aren't you excited?"

"Thrilled," Draco said dryly. "Instead of studying for my O.W.L.s I get to attend meetings."

Blaise gaped. "Since when have you cared about studying?"

"Since Granger's top marks made my father very unhappy."

"Oh," Blaise said, understanding. "Well, I can see how that would be awkward... but, man, it's You-Know-Who!" he whispered. "What's school compared to that?"

"I'd still need to get a job," Draco pointed out, "and you can't do that without qualifications."

Blaise simply shrugged. "You're weird, Draco."

"Yes," Draco agreed. I'm a queer fag who wants to shag Harry Potter. But of course he didn't say that.

The next classes flew by, it seemed like it was over before he had even realized it, and with that it was time to head to Care for Magical Creatures, with the Slytherins. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen, in the class and later today once the Gryffindor’s found out. He was sure things wouldn’t go over that well, even if he tried to talk to them, there were a long history of hate between Slytherins and Gryffindor’s that had been around forever. In a sense it was silly, that they had been living out a feud that didn’t even really involve them. The only reason they had to hate a Slytherin, was the ones that had accepted the Death Eaters invitation, other than that what reason did they have?

Once they were on their way to Hagrids hut for class, Hermione looked over at him “What do you want to talk to us about?” She asked, she was itching to know. She hated not knowing something

“Nothing, right now, I’ll talk to you later when we have more time” He said. He really couldn’t get into it while others where around “When we have more time, and were alone” He said. He could tell them once classes where over.

He knew Ron’s reaction wouldn’t be a very calm one, so them being alone would be necessary since knowing him he would get loud and vocal.

“Alright, is everything okay though?” She asked as she looked over at him

Harry nodded “Everything is fine, for now” He said. And they were fine, he wasn’t thinking about Voldemort, and him and Draco had moved past his differences and oh yeah he liked him, a lot more than as a friend, which was something he didn’t plan on telling.

“Okay, we’ll talk before dinner than” She said.

Would any of this really work out anyway? He knew for himself, it wasn’t easy to move on and forgive horrible things that had been done to you. Like he doubted he would ever be able to forgive his aunt and uncle for all they had done to him, they had made his life a living hell every day he was there and he couldn’t just move past that. He couldn’t wait in till he could escape their household, and never have to see them again.

“It involves Draco, though, but it’s nothing bad” He said. He could at least get them thinking about them right?

“Anything that involves that Git is bad” Ron said

He knew it, it wasn’t going to go over well with him, Ron was Hardheaded and stubborn. Hermione might bend and work past what he had done, but it would be hard for her as well, but he had done it so why couldn’t they? By the time he had said that they were nearing the meeting area, and they knew it was time to stop talking about it, people were nosey and this was between them.

Harry glanced around in till he spotted Draco; once he did he turned his attention back to Ron and Hermione. He was fine, and nothing had happened, which mean no one had found out, yet which meant everything was good so far.

He just wanted this day to be over, so he could sit down and relax, and sleep, yeah sleep sounded good right now. All well, he just had to get through the next few classes and then he would get done what he needed to do, and then sleep, if he could anyway. He was hoping his nightmares returned instead of those other visions, at least he expected the other nightmares and knew they would end up waking him up, but the other visions came as a surprised and he wasn't sure what to expect with them.