Epitome of a Soldier - What it is to be Necessary

Hi everyone :)

As always, thank you to everyone who left a review to let me know how much you enjoyed the last chapter. It's always satisfying and encouraging to hear when people like the ideas you come up with :)

MewMew2
Ooo, thank you *bows* ^_^

Polka dot
I imagine the reflection pulled on their arms a bit and simply led the way XD

Kuromei
Yeah, I really liked the last chapter too :D Ah, I love it when I manage to get people so enthusiastic about chapters, makes me feel all warm and proud inside :D *hugs Kuromei-chan*

dana_aeryn
I'm very glad to hear that ^_^

Dragon
Never fear laying it on too thick especially if it's sincere (and I'm assuming it is since you have no reason to butter me up XD).

thrnbrooke
Maybe none of them told the truth O.o

Snivelly
So Milli is off the suspect list and everyone else is still on it XD
You'll have to wait until after the traitor drama for the full on smex (though there is some goodness in this chapter) to return but, as you might guess from this chapter, it won't be long until that bit's over.

DragonHeartstring
Welcome to the story and I'm very glad to hear that you're enjoying everything :)

orpiment99
Always nice to have fans ^_^ Thanks for following my stories.

whitewaterlily
Gah, thought you'd left me XD
I'm pleased to hear that the last three chapters have met with your approval ^_^

Tranquil
It's in the next chapter! I swear it is! XD

I don't have anything else to say for the moment so I'll leave you all to this chapter.

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15th February 1998: Early Morning

Sitting in a plush chair, Sirius and Remus standing either side, Harry watched as the five Death Eaters were properly restrained by the team of Aurors who had arrived mere minutes ago. It was a quarter to one in the morning and Harry not only wanted to go to bed but he also ached terribly from the Cruciatus curse he had suffered. Although he had been dosed with a potion specially made to counter the lingering effects of the curse, he was still in quite a bit of pain, hence sitting down while everyone else in the room stood. As well as himself and his two guardians, Professor McGonagall was also present and there were two Aurors; one female, one male.

"All right, Tonks," the male, with skin as dark as chocolate, spoke to the woman. "Take the first Death Eater through the Floo."

The woman simply nodded before moving over to the nearest Death Eater to her. She took the man's arm and fairly dragged him over to the fire place, taking a handful of powder as she did so. After staggering into the opening as she tripped on the low grating around the fire place's base (and probably would've fallen over completely had the Death Eater not proved to be a sturdy enough support for her), she clearly called her destination, Azkaban prison. Green flames surrounded her and the Death Eater and in an instant, they had vanished from the room. Now, they had to wait for her to return to take the next one.

"What will happen to them now?" Harry enquired as everyone watched the four remaining Death Eaters very carefully.

"They'll be held in Azkaban to await questioning and then until they have to appear in front of the Wizengamort. That's just a formality though, there's not a chance they won't be found guilty." Sirius explained just as the fire-place flared and the woman entered once again.

"Why do they need to be questioned?"

"We might be able to get some information out of them." The male Auror said quietly in an attempt to limit the chance that the Death Eaters in question could over-hear. "There might be other Death Eaters out there after all, and of course there's the question of who it was, exactly, who let them into Hogwarts."

"Their information is of no use," Harry pointed out in his usual monotone. "I asked them myself. They did not initially tell me the truth and then they all quickly began to simply accuse the children of those they have grudges against."

"Will you try Veritiserum, Kingsley?" Remus asked, glancing to the male Auror as the female one left with another Death Eater.

"They're Death Eaters; if anyone's been trained to shake off the effect of Veritiserum it'll be them." Kingsley paused then an gave a small but heavy sigh. "We might never get the truth out of them but at least we can lock them away so they're no longer a threat."

"They're not the only threat though." Sirius said darkly. "As you said, someone let them into the school's grounds and until we find them, they're free to try and kill Harry again."

"Perhaps it would be wise to rearrange Harry's sleeping arrangements." Remus suggested calmly. "After all, it's more than likely that the threat is Slytherin."

"That is bias." The dark haired youth criticised.

"Not unfounded though." The Potions professor defended.

"I think it's a good idea." Kingsley agreed. "Give him the Slytherin Head Boy room; it's out of the way and extra wards can be put up for protection."

"Draco shall come with me." Harry said by way of negotiation. "He too is in danger."

The Auror gave a small sigh again. "Yeah, well, I suppose." He admitted reluctantly.

"There wouldn't be enough space in that room for two beds." Sirius pointed out, obviously not keen on the idea of his godson sharing a room with no one else but the Malfoy.

Harry said nothing to that at first but simply turned his gaze onto his godfather. He gave the man a calculating look for several moments before looking away once again and speaking. "We have not had separate beds in months, so that will not be a problem."

Sirius, apparently, was quite startled by that as he didn't say anything and looked quite surprised by the information. He may have started to yell, as he seemed to always do when Harry did something with Draco the man didn't approve of, but the pacifying hand of Remus came to settle on the ebony haired man's shoulder. It was something Harry was thankful for. He really didn't feel up for an argument with his godfather and he would definitely argue the case of having a private room with Draco if only because it meant they would be able to be intimate once again.

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16th February 1998: Night

The previous night had been spent the Infirmary as all had agreed it was better to be safe than sorry, not only because of the lingering pain Harry felt but also because the main line of thought was now that the Slytherin dungeons were dangerous. The next morning, both Harry and Draco were allowed the day off from classes in order to move into the Head Boy rooms. That really only took a couple of hours but the two young men spent the rest of the day by themselves, only leaving the safety of the room for meals and they only did that because Harry wanted Hermione to see him so she knew he was all right.

Now it was evening and the lovers were getting ready to go to bed. Or, at least, they had been until they had decided they wanted to take a bath together.

"I wish we could stay here forever." Draco sighed, his voice completely relaxed. He was lounging in the bath tub, his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around Harry who lounged back against his chest. "Even if we got all pruned, at least there's no one trying to kill us here."

"We cannot hide from reality." Harry murmured in reply.

"I know, but I can dream about it. Who do you think it is? The one who helped the Death Eaters."

"It is hard to say, though I think it almost certain that the one responsible is in the Slytherin Seventh Year."

Draco gave a sad sigh at that. "And to think I once called them my friends."

"As time changes, so do people. The children you were once friends with have grown and matured, becoming different adults. Just as their changes have distressed you, your changes have distressed others."

"I haven't distressed anyone."

"I believe Miss Parkinson would disagree."

"Oh, her."

"You were once close to her."

"I suppose."

"You do not think so?"

"We were close," Draco admitted, sounding incredibly reluctant. "But she was always more fond of me than I was of her. She admired me, thought I could do no wrong, did things for me; I liked that, that's the main reason I kept her around."

"How cruel of you to never tell her as such." Harry murmured, sounding more thoughtful than disapproving.

"Believe me, it's easier not to tell her. That way, she remains content thinking you stole me away from her with your ravishing beauty."

Harry paused at the compliment. It was the sort of comment the Malfoy obviously enjoyed giving him which was terribly odd in the dark haired youth's opinion. He had never been particularly aware of his body until Draco had started to comment on it. To Harry, it served as nothing more than a tool and not a particularly effective one at that as he was in no denial over how physically weak he was. But when he was under Draco's scrutiny, he realised that his body was desired, despite the fact he couldn't understand what the Malfoy found attractive about it.

"I know what you're thinking," Draco murmured as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against the pale column of flesh which was Harry's neck. "And I'm going to tell you to stop it. You're beautiful, never forget that and never doubt it."

Harry couldn't stop the smile which played across his face at the words and he allowed his eyes to close as his best friend began to place light, fleeting, butterfly kisses up the length of his neck. When the moist heat of a tongue skated across his pulse-point, the smaller young man shivered in delight and gave a very light gasp. The lips against his neck curved into a smile (or was it a smirk?) and the attentions to his sensitive flesh were continued with great enthusiasm. Only when he was satisfied he knew every millimetre of Harry's neck did Draco stop his ministrations and move his head away. Harry wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"Now we have our own room, we should bathe together more often." Draco said as he idly ran his finger-tips up and down the part of Harry's arm which was above the surface of the water. "At least three times a week I think."

"Do you not think that a little excessive?" Harry murmured, sounding half asleep, his eyes still shut and his head turned to the side so his cheek rested against the blond's chest.

"You don't want to?" The Malfoy asked, holding the smaller form in place with one hand as he reached to the side in order to pick up a natural sponge which was settled in a little indentation in the wall directly beside the bath.

"I have no preference."

"Your enthusiasm overwhelms me." Draco grinned sarcastically as he dunked the sponge into the hot, bubbly water. He then brought the sponge back out and began to tenderly wash Harry's chest. "I sometimes wonder if you love me at all." He sighed, clearly being intentionally over-dramatic.

"You are correct to doubt," Harry murmured, an amused smile spreading across his face as he spoke. "I am only after you for your fortune and attractive appearance."

That tickled Draco far more than Harry could have ever predicted and the blond immediately started to laugh in earnest. The movement of the sponge paused as Draco laughed and Harry delighted in the vibrations which ran through the Malfoy's chest and into his own back. Eventually, the blond calmed himself and gave a content sigh as he abandoned the sponge and started to use his hands on Harry's chest instead.

"You can be very funny when you put your mind to it, you know?"

Harry only managed to smile at the compliment before the sensation of blunt nails dragging up his sides and then over his nipples caused him to practically melt. A soft, sensual chuckle tickled the shell of his right ear before a light lick on the lobe made his heart speed up slightly. There were no more words after that.

Every touch Draco gifted Harry with sent little jolts of pleasure through his body and he couldn't stop himself from undulating against the hands which ran over his chest, his stomach, neck, arms, the outer sides of his thighs as well as the insides. Those graceful, slightly roughened fingers tormented the saviour who always seemed to feel any sensation more significantly than another might. Even the simple, though admittedly intimate, touches were enough to arouse Harry and when Draco's fingers merely brushed against his hardening length, quite by accident, he couldn't help but give an audible gasp at the sudden, more defined pleasure. The blond's lips once again curved into a smirk against Harry's neck and Draco's hands began to focus solely on his lover's arousal, one hand lazily stimulated the erection while the other slipped down and under so the pad of a single finger could skate teasingly over the entrance there.

Harry was torn between scooting further up to allow better access to his erection or to slide down and spread his legs to expose more of his entrance. Eventually, he managed a compromise between the two; he shifted himself up a little further and hooked one leg up and out of the bath so more of him was exposed. By doing this, he felt that Draco was also obviously aroused and his erection was pressing up against the small of his back. Harry wanted to reciprocate the pleasure but he wasn't sure how to go about it, especially considering the confined space in which he had to work. It turned out that Draco was more than happy with simply rutting against the small of Harry's back though as the blond started a steady thrust and moments later had his head buried in his lover's neck which stifled the moan he felt the need to voice. It was clear that the Malfoy was concentrating more on Harry than himself as his hip movements never got past light and slow while the movements of his hands could only be described as enthusiastic. His hand moved smoothly up and over and down Harry's shaft while a finger breached the hole, pushing past the initial ring of muscle and going straight for the prostate.

Caught somewhere between needing to breathe but not having the focus to do so, Harry leaned his head back on Draco's shoulder, eyes rolling back in his head, and struggled with a regular breathing pattern, one minute gasping in ragged pants and the next not breathing at all. His neck was kissed and nipped as Draco's hands continued to work his body to bring the most delightful of pleasures. With such relentless stimulation both outside and in, it wasn't long before Harry fell over the edge. He didn't have the breath to make noise and so all that came from his mouth was a sort of stuttered gasp as he released into the warm bath water. The hand around his length continued to milk him and the finger inside him continued to stimulate his prostate until it started to become too much.

"Please," Harry somehow managed to gasp out despite the fact he was barely breathing. "No more. It is too much, no more."

Draco's hands slowed to a gradual stop at that plea and within a minute, Harry was allowed to lay against the blond as he came down from his sexual high. He finally began to breathe normally again and his racing heart beat evened out into something more restful. Reality seemed to disappear for a few seconds and when it returned, the knowledge that there was something very hard and very hot pressing against his lower back returned to Harry as well.

"Do you wish for me to...Reciprocate?"

"You don't have to." Draco reassured lightly.

"And if I wanted to?"

The Malfoy didn't answer straight away but it only took a few seconds for a reply to come. "If you really wanted to then I wouldn't say no. I won't ask you though, it's your decision."

Harry remained silent and still as he contemplated Draco's words. He'd never actually done anything to Draco before, it had either been a mutual thing of it had been Draco doing everything for him. Was that terribly selfish? Draco didn't seem to mind, but it was selfish, wasn't it? To continue to accept such wonderful pleasures and to never return the favour? Harry didn't have a clue as to how to go about such things but that was no excuse. He didn't want to be selfish, he didn't want to deprive Draco of such wonderful sensations.

"I want to." The stoic young man assured, his voice gentle and quiet.

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"You don't have to."

"I know."

"Just making sure."

Harry turned his head slightly so he could look at the blond young man he was leaning against. "Do you not wish for me to reciprocate?"

Draco's cheeks, which were already slightly pinkened from the heat around them, darkened slight with embarrassment. "Uh, no, it's not that, I definitely won't stop you, it's just, I don't want you to feel obliged to do something you're not comfortable with."

"I see..." Harry said unsurely despite the fact he didn't quite understand what all the fuss was about.

"Harry, I only want you to touch me if that's what you want." Draco said by way of clarification, bringing a hand up to idly run his fingers across one of Harry's cheeks in a simple display of affection.

"I want to." He reassured. "I may not know what to do, but I want you to experience the same sort of pleasure you give me so readily."

"All right then, if you're sure."

Harry only gave a final nod before shifting forward in the water and turning around so he was facing his blond lover. He wasted no time in getting straight to the point and plunged right in, his hand disappearing under the bubble-topped water and seeking out Draco's firm arousal below. Feeling it, he brushed the tips of his fingers along it once or twice, getting a feel for it, before wrapping them around the length and starting to pump it gently.

After a couple of moments doing simply that, Harry glanced up and noticed that Draco had a look on his face which was a cross between pure bliss and utter frustration. That wasn't right, did that mean he was doing something wrong?

"Is this right?" He asked quietly. "This angle feels..."

"Tighten you grip," Draco immediately instructed as though Harry's inquiry was permission to tell him what to do. "That's it." He gasped upon Harry doing as he was told. "Harder, and just let me move through it."

The Malfoy covered the tentative hand with his own, adjusted the angle to his suiting and immediately orgasmed after only a few strokes. Harry's hand flew open in surprise but Draco closed it back firmly over the shaft, guiding Harry to milk him until the lush spurts had stopped. Harry put up no further protest and continued with the guided movements until the blond released his hand which he took as a sign that it was all right to stop now. Slowly, he pulled his hand away from Draco's flesh and while the Malfoy lay there panting, Harry brought his hand up closer to his face to inspect the sticky substance which had released from his lover's body.

He was aware of Draco's eyes on him but he ignored that in favour of concentrating on the seed. A light sniff was allowed before Harry gave the stuff a tentative lick, just the tip of his tongue skating across and picking some of the cum up with it. A groan came from Draco and Harry flickered his gaze onto the Malfoy who was looking at him with undisguised lust in his eyes.

"Merlin, if you could see yourself," he practically moaned. "I've never seen anything more arousing than that."

Harry didn't understand how what he had just done could be so arousing but he chose not to comment on that. He washed his hand off in the water before standing and stepping out of the bath. He took a towel from the side and wrapped it around himself, all the time aware that Draco was still staring at him.

After running the towel over his face a few times, he turned to look at the blond over his shoulder. "Is there a reason you are simply sitting there and staring at me?"

"Just enjoying the view." Draco leered.

"Enjoy it while drying yourself off." Harry advised as he leaned over to pull out the plug in the bath. "You will catch a cold if you stay in there much longer."

As Draco got out of the bath then, Harry finished drying himself off. It was just as he draped the towel over his shoulders, intending to dry his back to finish off, that Draco came right up behind him, wrapping his dripping wet arms around his torso. A scolding for getting him wet again was on the very tip of Harry's tongue but it died without ever being spoken when the blond spoke first.

"I love you so much."

Harry's heart fluttered and his eyes instantly softened as he brought his right hand up to rest on one of the arms which held him so close. "As I love you." He returned gently.

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25th February 1998: Afternoon

"Good afternoon, Harry, Malfoy." Hermione greeted the two Slytherins with a smile as she sat herself at the table beside them, to the left, in the Potions classroom.

"Good afternoon, Hermione." Harry returned the greeting while Draco simply nodded to the girl.

"How was your Divination lesson thing more?"

"Tiresome. If you do not possess a certain ability, staring into a cloudy crystal ball will do little more than strain your eyes."

"I still say you should start skipping the lessons." Draco joined in the conversation then. "You know more than enough to get a good mark in your NEWTS."

Harry turned to look at the blond. "As I have told you before, to skip lessons without good reason would be rude and imply that Professor Trelawney is a less than adequate teacher."

"She is a less than adequate teacher." Draco smirked.

"But it would be cruel to let her know as such." Was all Harry replied with before a greeting came from behind them all.

"Hello Harry, hello Draco." Millicent's voice spoke happily.

The two young men who were addressed and the Gryffindor girl turned then, most probably to return the greeting. However, when they all saw that the ebony haired girl was accompanied by Pansy Parkinson, all words of greeting died an early death. Parkinson didn't even take Potions and yet there she was, settling in a seat beside Bulstrode.

"Why are you in here?" Draco asked the blonde girl, his tone clearly hostile.

"Not that it's any of your business but my lesson was cancelled and Millicent suggested I sit in class with her." Pansy replied, matching the other blond's hostility perfectly.

"And since when have you been chummy enough with Bulstrode to want to spend extra time with her?"

"Millicent and I are fine friends." The blonde girl insisted pointedly and with a harsh glare.

Draco seemed unconvinced and gave a slight sneer before turning to sit properly in his seat. Harry did the same, though he did it much more slowly than his lover. He thought that there was something about Parkinson which wasn't quite right. He couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was though. It wasn't the fact she was spending an extra free period sitting in on one of Millicent's classes (which was strange in itself), it was more to do with the way she was holding herself. Her whole manner seemed to be slightly different than normal; for example she had called the ebony haired girl by her first name, Harry was sure he had only ever heard the blonde girl address her as Bulstrode. It was very curious and Harry couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious because of it. He was unable to pass comment on it though as Remus took that moment to greet the class and begin their lesson.

What with NEWTS being only a few months away, the class had already begun revision in order to prepare for exams. That lesson, they were going to revise potion making skills. Each pair (or three in Harry, Draco and Hermione's case as there was an odd number of students in the class) were assigned a different potion which they had to complete perfectly by the end of the lesson. If it had been Snape in charge of the lesson, he no doubt would've insisted on it all being done under exam conditions. As it was Remus, however, all he said was that as long as no one touched any other potion except their own then everyone could talk and move freely. As soon as the instruction to begin had been issued, the once quiet classroom had erupted in conversation and noise and the students started to surge towards the student stock room in order to gather everything they needed. Draco, Harry and Hermione, being sensible students, decided to linger and wait for the initial rush to die down.

Half an hour later and everyone was busy with their potions. With the two Slytherins and the Gryffindor, Draco carefully stirred their simmering concoction while Hermione chopped the next ingredient and Harry wrote down notes on their method for use in the essay they would have to write afterwards. They worked together swiftly and efficiently, each with their own responsibilities and tasks.

Taking a break from his writing, Harry placed his quill down in order to stretch and crack his fingers which had stiffened uncomfortably. He also lifted his head and rolled it, his neck clicking several times as he did so. With each roll he felt relief and a loosening of the tension in his muscles. Upon catching movement in the corner of his eye though, he stopped the pleasurable movements in favour of discreetly concentrating on what was happening just behind and to his right.

While Bulstrode was apparently hard at work on hers and her work partner's potion, Parkinson wasn't concentrating on the book she had taken up when work had begun. Harry watched her carefully as the blonde girl reached to the area on the desk where Bulstrode's prepared ingredients were resting and took a single strip of some sort of shredded plant. Harry really should have predicted what was about to happen but he was too intrigued by Parkinson's face. The expression appeared not in the least extraordinary, but the eyes...There was something about them...Something not quite right...

It was a confused question from Draco which brought Harry back to the present. He turned and saw both of his friend staring down at their cauldron in confusion, both murmuring questions on why their once pastel pink potion with a watery consistency had suddenly turned thick and brown like mud. Harry suddenly knew only too well what was going to happen.

"Get down!" Harry gasped as he threw himself at Draco.

Unprepared for the sudden impact, the blond Slytherin over-balanced and with a short cry, went sprawling onto the ground with Harry landing right on top of him. Beside them, Hermione copied their dive. Mere seconds later and their cauldron literally exploded sending the muddy-brown gloop inside shooting out in all directions along with fragments of the metal pot which were nothing more than dangerous shrapnel. Other people in the classroom screamed but it all passed Harry by as he glanced down to the one underneath him.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked urgently.

"Yes, I am fine."

They lingered together, eyes locked and faces so very close. The desire to close the gap, to seal their lips, was strong and hard to resist but the matter was eventually taken out of their hands when Remus' voice spoke urgently from above. "Is anyone injured? Draco? Harry? Are you hurt?"

Harry lingered a second longer, almost as though reluctant to break the stare with Draco. Eventually, however, he broke himself free of whatever trance he was in and blinked before slowly moving off of the blond. "We are well." He reassured, pushing himself onto his knees.

"What happened?" The Potions professor demanded, helping his unofficial godson onto his feet. Standing, Harry saw that everyone in the class was slowly starting to emerge from underneath their desks. To his left he saw that Hermione appeared to be fine and he felt no small amount of relief about that.

"It was Parkinson." Millicent suddenly accused, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "I saw her! She threw something into Harry and Draco's cauldron."

Horrified chatter immediately filled the room and Harry felt Draco close a hand around his wrist in some gesture of silent protection. Harry ignored it and instead focussed on Pansy. She looked as though she was about to burst into tears but she also looked extremely confused and horrified. It was as though she knew what she had done but she didn't understand why she had done it and that was what Harry focussed on.

Things were slowly beginning to click into place in the saviour's mind. There was more to what was happening than was immediately apparent and now he was beginning to understand just who it was trying to dispose of him.

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25th February 1998: Late Afternoon

Sitting in front of the headmistress' desk inside her office was hardly an irregular occurrence for Harry. It seemed like every other week he was in there, usually for some dramatic reason such as someone trying to kill him. It really was most bothersome especially his current visit. In the office, he and the headmistress were also joined by Draco, Sirius, Remus and, to the side, Pansy Parkinson. Everyone was making the most tremendous fuss and Harry thought it was all very unnecessary.

"I want her out of the dungeons!" Sirius insisted loudly. "No, better yet, I want her out of the school! No, no, even better, I want her thrown in Azkaban and then for the key to her cell to be thrown away."

"She has not actually done anything." Harry pointed out calmly.

"But she's tried to and that's enough for me!"

"I'm inclined to agree with your godfather for once." Draco murmured from where he stood beside Harry, in between the saviour and the blonde girl despite the fact she was on the other side of the room to them.

"Although I don't agree with a term in Azkaban, I don't see how Miss Parkinson can remain in the school." Remus said softly though there was a very definite edge to his voice. He was just as angry as Sirius, he was just calmer about it.

McGonagall sighed regretfully from where she sat behind her desk. "Perhaps you're right Lupin, but I don't think I can make a decision until I've informed the authorities..."

"No." Harry interrupted her very suddenly.

Everyone gave him the oddest look at that one word, as though he had totally lost his mind. "Mr Potter?" The headmistress asked,
sounding somewhat bewildered.

"I do not believe Miss Parkinson is the one who is attempting to kill me."

"Harry, the evidence is undeniable." Remus pointed out in a way which suggested he thought he was talking to a scared and confused animal.

"Yet I am denying it." Harry said firmly. "I believe Miss Parkinson is innocent and if you will allow me a week I shall prove it to you by revealing the true culprit."

It was obvious that no one was thrilled with that idea and had anyone else suggested they would've simply ignored them. But this was Harry Potter, the boy who had defeated Voldemort, the strange young man who had spent so much of his life in incubation and was more powerful than any of them fully comprehended. Surely, if Harry doubted the guilt of Pansy Parkinson then there was due cause for the rest of them to doubt it. Their common sense was split in two, one part screaming for them to do the obvious thing of following the evidence while the other pointed out just how unlikely it was that Harry was wrong.

Eventually, it was their trust in Harry that won through.

"Very well," McGongall agreed reluctantly. "You have one week in which to prove your theory, Potter. After that, I will be alerting the Aurors to our suspicions of Miss Parkinson."

"Thank you." Harry replied, inclining his head in the headmistress' direction before he stood with the obvious intention of leaving now he had secured his week in which to work.

There was a tense, stony silence in the room as the young saviour stood and began to leave, Draco following on behind him faithfully. Then, the moment they were past the door and it was shut behind them, muffled shouts proceeded to bellow from inside the office. It was enough to have both young men glancing over their shoulders but nothing more and without further hesitation, Harry began to make his way down the staircase. The Malfoy, of course, followed, and as he did he chose that moment to speak.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Draco questioned, his voice somewhere between sceptical and disapproving.

"I have never been one to sit by and simply watch an injustice, you know that." Harry replied as he continued walking down the corridor, away from the headmistress' office.

"How can it be an injustice? There were witnesses Harry! Bulstrode saw Parkinson do it!"

"That means very little in our world." Harry finally turned to look at his lover then. "Did you not think that Miss Parkinson's manner was odd? That she seemed to know exactly what she had done and yet was completely confused by it?"

"So she's an idiot, so what? Or she was faking it to try and get sympathy."

"Perhaps, but I do not think that is the case." Harry paused in both his speech and step when he reached the bottom of the stairs then and simply stood in the middle of the corridor, staring down at the floor silently for several moments. "I would like some time by myself." He said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You think I'm going to leave you alone when there's someone around here who wants you dead?" Draco demanded with a frown.

"Please, Draco," was all Harry said to that.

The Malfoy watched his lover for several long minutes before giving a reluctant grunt and looking away. "If you're not back in our room by four o'clock I'm alerting the professors."

"Very well."

"Fine then." The blond grunted before stalking off down the corridor, turning a corner at the end and disappearing without so much as a backwards glance to Harry.

Harry sighed lightly, knowing that Draco was simply concerned for him but also quite put out that the blond was expressing his concern in such a hostile manner. Harry knew what he was doing and even if he didn't, he was more than capable of looking after himself. Some people just refused to be reassured however. It was fine though, annoying, but fine. The Malfoy would come around eventually, probably before Harry had even proved that it was not Pansy Parkinson who was trying to kill him.

"Potter?" The voice of said girl suddenly came from behind him.

Harry gave no answer and simply looked over his shoulder to the blonde.

"Why did you do that?" She asked warily. "Why did you stick up for me? I've never been anything but horrid to you and you defended me, even when all the evidence points my way. Why?"

"Because you are innocent." Harry told her simply.

Pansy looked at him for the longest time, her gaze steady and analytical. Then, quite suddenly, her eyes widened slightly as though she was surprised. "You know who it is, don't you?" She said, her tone full of realisation. "That's why you stood up for me. It's not just a theory, you actually know who it is trying to kill you."

"As I told the others, I have my suspicions."

"Are you going to confront them?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you'll survive?"

"I believe that, Miss Parkinson, is your decision."

"How is it my decision?"

"The time will come when you have a choice between doing what is easy and doing what is right. The choice you make will determine whether or not I survive."

Without further word, Harry turned and left the girl behind.