Fatally Alluring -- Chapter Five

[lotrspnfangirl]

Title: Fatally Alluring (5/?)
Rating: Mature
Pairing: Draco/Harry, Neville/Ginny, Hermione/Ron
Warnings: Suicide attempt, angst
Disclaimer: I do not own or know JK Rowling personally and these characters are all based upon her creation. I am taking them and playing with them a bit!
Summary: Before starting Hogwarts, Harry was rescued by someone he never knew existed. Escaping the Durley's so early, allowed Harry to finally have a family and a place he belonged to. But as always, The Dark Lord has other plans for Harry. When everything changes, Harry will find its not that easy to just walk away.
A/N: Any feedback is welcome! It fuels the fire :)
Other stories/chapters can be found in the Fiction Index

By the first snowfall, Harry had found himself completely accepted by most of the Gryffindor house. Once Ron had finally warmed up to him, the rest of his family seemed to follow suit. In a way, the Weasley family seemed to rule to Gryffindor tower as Malfoy had in Slyterin. He shook his head quickly, trying to clear thoughts of his old friend. Lately, it had gotten to the point where he didn’t immediately search for Draco whenever he entered a class room or the Great Hall to look for him.

“Are you staying for Christmas break, Harry?” Hermione’s voice came from behind him and he looked up from his spot by the fire. He scooted over, giving her room to sit beside him in the oversized arm chair.

“I haven’t actually talked to Sirius about it.” Harry shrugged, “I usually do go home, and it’s just the two of us. Do you remember that professor we had for half a year in our third year? Professor Lupin?” Hermione nodded, waiting for him to continue. “Well, Sirius has been friends with him for a while. They were all friends with my dad when they were in school… I guess Professor Lupin wanted to go on some trip this winter to look for something…”

“A cure?” Hermione leaned towards him and whispered her question.

“I guess everyone does kind of know about that, don’t they?” Harry smiled at her and nodded his head. “Yeah, I think that’s what they’re going to be doing. So, he told me I was welcome to stay at the house myself, but I was thinking of just staying here.”

“Well, if it helps you make your decision, I will be staying here too! My parents are doing some winter retreat in Switzerland and although I would love nothing more than to spend Christmas with my family, I would choose to be doing it at home and not on some cold mountain somewhere.”

“Well, I couldn’t very well leave you to stay at Hogwarts all alone this Holiday, could I?”

“No, not all.” She laughed before throwing her arms around his neck. “I am so glad you’re going to stay! We will have so much fun! Let me go see what Ron’s plans are… I’m sure he’s downstairs trying to find something to eat.” She laughed and then jumped out of the chair before heading to the portrait.

Harry closed his eyes, sinking deeper into the chair. A sudden crack made him jump, alarmed. He spun around in the chair to see a familiar house-elf in a tattered pillowcase standing in the center of the common room. He looked around, seeing that no one else was in the room.

“Dobby?” Harry asked, crossing the floor to kneel before the elf. “What are you doing here?”

“Dobby knew Harry Potter would want to know, Sir…” Dobby stammered, twisting his left ear between his fingers. “Dobby had to wait until all the other misses and misters had left the room, Sir…”

“Dobby… did Malfoy send you here?”

“No, Sir! Mister Malfoy doesn’t know that I am here… Dobby will be in great trouble if his Master finds out…. But Dobby has been tasked with the service and protection of all members of the Malfoy household. And Dobby knew that Harry Potter was a friend of the young Master Malfoy.”

“Not anymore, Dobby.” Harry pushed himself to his feet, turning away from the elf. “Young Master Malfoy is going to have to help himself.”

“But he’s in danger, Sir.” Dobby pleaded, running around Harry’s feet so he was in front of him again.

“Yes, Dobby. That’s what happens when you decide to side with Lord Voldemort. You get yourself in lots of danger.” The elf squeaked in alarm and jumped backwards from Harry. He opened his mouth to start another argument, but the portrait swung open. Dobby gave Harry one last look before he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Harry looked up to see Neville, one of his roommates, and Ginny, Ron’s sister, coming through the portrait hole together. As soon as they saw Harry, they dropped their hands which had been held together and gave him large smiles.

“Oh, hello Harry.” Ginny said, stepping away from Neville and towards him. “I saw Ron and Hermione down in the Great Hall getting something to eat and working on some homework… I guess I just assumed that you were with them.”

“Hey Ginny.” Harry smiled at her before nodding towards Neville. “Neville. How are you guys?”

“Good. We are really good.” Ginny said, nodding and glancing over her shoulder at Neville. “We, were just working on some homework. Neville is really good at Herbology, so I asked him to help me because I was not doing well with my Silverweed… In fact, I was pretty much killing it.”

“If you don’t want me to tell Ron, you can just ask Ginny.” Harry smiled at her as he walked past. “Though,” He said as he stopped beside Neville at the portrait. “I would tell him, if I were you. I’ll leave you two alone.” He smiled before slipping out of the entrance.

Ginny and Neville was not a couple he ever thought would happen… He laughed to himself as he started down the hallway. But, if they were happy, he was sure Ron would be happy for them. Maybe… someday… As he got to the landing, he paused. The look Dobby had given him before he disappeared was one of fear… What if Draco was actually hurt?

Harry sighed as he turned towards the stairs pointing down. This was going to end badly… He shouldn’t even care what Draco was doing. In all honesty, he was probably working on something for Voldemort that was going to directly impact him in the end. He owed Draco absolutely nothing. But yet… Every step he took was taking him closer to Slytherin, to his old life, to danger. And he couldn’t stop. Part of him actually wanted to see Draco… The last time they had spoken was on the first day of term. That had been two months ago… And there were still so many things Harry wanted to know.

Although he knew he probably wasn’t going to get any more of an answer than he already had, Harry wanted to know why. What exactly had Voldemort offered him that made Draco turn on his best friend? At the end of last summer, Draco had been excited that in less than a year he would be turning 16. He would be free to make his own choices and finally be able to break free of his parents…

Harry had been planning on talking to Sirius this Christmas Holiday about letting Draco move in with them. When they had talked about it, sitting up at the Astronomy Tower, Draco had never looked so alive or carefree.

”Can you imagine, Harry?” Draco whispered, leaning towards his friend. “I wouldn’t have to live under their shadow. People would see me as my own person… I would be able to change the scrutiny that comes with the Malfoy name…” He trailed off, a smile still on his face. “People fear me now, simply because I’m my Dad’s son. Do you know how that feels?”

“No… but they’re wrong Draco. You will prove all of them wrong.” Harry pulled his friend into a hug, squeezing his shoulder.

“I hope so.” Draco said back. “Plus, I’ll have you there to help me. The Chosen One and the Reformed Boy.”

“Oh shut up your wanker.” Harry laughed, pushing Draco gently.

“Harry, I want you to know that I am so happy we sat together on that train the first day. I don’t know what I would do, or who I would be, if I hadn’t met you.” Draco turned his body so that he was facing Harry straight on. “You’re truly my best friend…. I just wanted you to know how much I love you and appreciate you.”

“Don’t get all mushy on me now...” Harry replied, rolling his eyes.

“Harry?” Draco’s voice came from behind him and Harry spun quickly in the hallway. Draco looked almost as bad as he had that day is Diagon Alley… “What are you doing down here?” Draco’s eyes scanned the hallway frantically.

“Who are you looking for?” Harry asked, his eyes following Draco’s as unease settled in the pit of his stomach.

“Come here!” Draco reached forward and grabbed Harry’s arm forcefully, yanking him through a doorway. Harry yanked his arm free, stepping back quickly from Draco as he took in the room.

“Where the hell are we?” He demanded as Draco slammed the door shut and waved a locking charm over it.

“Seriously Harry! What were you thinking?” Draco spun on him, ignoring Harry’s question. “You can’t be down here!”

“Don’t you dare tell me where I can and can’t go, Draco.” Harry crossed his arms.

“I am not the only one he has spying on you, Harry. I’m just the only one who is giving him false information. You can’t be down here… Why the hell were you coming to look for me anyways?”

“Who said I was looking for you?” Harry asked. Quickly, Harry scanned his mind for known Death Eaters and if they had children here at Hogwarts. “And what do you mean you’re giving him false information? You’re as bad of a friend as you are an informant?”

Draco looked as if he had been slapped. He shook his head and turned away. When Harry realized he was going to leave, he stepped forward, grabbing Draco’s shoulder.

“I was looking for you, okay?” He said, spinning the other boy around. “Dobby came to find me.”

“Dobby did what?” Draco looked furious. “He shouldn’t have done that. What did he tell you?”

“Just that you were in danger. And I told him, no shit you were in danger.” Harry shrugged as he watched Draco’s expression carefully.

“That’s all he said?”

“Well, a lot of Sir’s and Master’s and all that… You know how Dobby is. He thought that I would care enough about you to help you.”

“You obviously did.” Draco said, looking away from Harry. “You shouldn’t have come to find me Harry. If anyone sees us talking to each other? They are going to think we are still friends. And then he is going to keep a better eye on me and work harder to get information out of me about you, Sirius, and the organization.”

“So you still haven’t told him anything?” Harry asked.

“No, I haven’t. I convinced the other boys that I had already told him everything about our friendship, so they haven’t seen a need to tell him we were still friends all these years. Hopefully, that will keep true if you stop acting like an idiot and seeking me out. I don’t care what Dobby said, Harry. I am not your friend, I am not your problem. And even if I was in danger, it’s not your job to save me.”

“You’re right. It’s not.” Harry said, slamming against Draco’s shoulder as he pushed past him for the door. “My mistake.”

“Harry…” Draco sighed.

“Nope, you’re completely right. Have a nice life Draco. I hope it’s long and prosperous working for the Dark Lord.”

“Harry… I miss you.” Harry froze, his wand at the door. He closed his eyes tightly as a breath caught in his chest.

“You’re not allowed to miss me, Draco.” He said finally before releasing the door and letting himself back out into the hallway. I miss you too… He thought as he tore back towards the staircase and back towards his common room.

| Chapter Six |