Escape

Draco smacked directly into Harry on the way out of double potions.

“Potter, you fool watch where you’re going,” Draco snarled.

Harry frowned and started to move away with Ron and Hermione. Snape suddenly made an appearance at the door of the classroom.

“Potter,” he barked. “The least you can do is help Mr. Malfoy with the mess you’ve created,” he said pointing down to the parchment and books scattered over a wide area.

“But Sir,” he started to blurt. Well, damnit Draco had run into him.

“Ten points from Gryffindor for sheer clumsiness, would you like to try for more,” Snape hurled at him as his face moved forward closer to Harry’s.

Harry stuck out his bottom lip but kept silent.

“Very well, then.” Snape snarked as he marched through the small crowd of Gryffindors and Slytherins towards his office. The students gave way reluctantly, obviously agog at the incipient confrontation that was occurring in front of their eyes.

“The rest of you…move along…don’t you have classes to get to,” Snape said with a sneer.

The cotivetive students hurried away, but not before Ron and Hermione gave him a sympathetic look.

As the students and Snape disappeared around the corner Harry looked toward Draco whose face had been wiped of all expression.

Draco was making no attempt to pick up his notes but was watching Harry intently. Harry, uncomfortable with the close scrutiny, bent to pick he lhe loose parchment at his feet.

As such, he didn’t see Draco’s face when the first polite words in years came out of his mouth.

“So Potter, my father sends compliments, my instructiare are to see we set up a regular meeting time.”

Harry’s head whipped up and he stared at Draco’s bland expression.

“I’d say the Astronomy Tower is best, during the free period we both have after Divinations. I’ll find a way let you know when we need to meet, with either instructions or information for you, but don’t speak to me otherwise it will arouse my House–Mates suspicions. And believe me we don’t want that. As far as anyone else is concerned we’re still mortal enemies,’ he finished.

“Malfoy,” Harry was dying with curiosity. Did Draco want this rapprochement? Did he have a choice? What would be Draco’s part be, if anything, in Lucius’ plans?

Draco took out his wand and pointed it at the books and parchment on the floor. A single word placed them all in his arms in a split second.

“No time Potty, I have Transfiguration’s next and I don’t want to give that old cat McGonagall a chance to take off points my house.” Draco said.

“But,” Harry said.

Draco turned his back on Harry, and started to walk swiftly away. He paused before he turned the corner and turned briefly around to let loose one parting shot.

“I never took you for a bottom Potter,” he said with a smirk and then was gone.


“What did Malfoy want?” Hermione whispered as Ron, Hermione and Harry settled down to ‘study’ in the library after dinner.

Harry shrugged trying to pull off a nonchalant attitude.

“Nothing much. Just to get up my nose, as usual,” he said casually.

Ron snorted.

“Nasty little ponce,” said Ron. “A chip off the old block,” he grunted.

“Ron!” Hermione admonished, more out of habit than anything else.

Harry felt his curiosity rise.

“What do you mean Ron?” he said sotto voice as his edged closer to his friend.

Hermione frowned mightily at her two friends.

“Trying to study here,” she said. “Go outside if you want to gossip,” Hermione said in firm tones.

Harry’s quick peek at Madam Pince told him that if they didn’t clear out, she would soon break up their tête-à-tête, and perhaps issue a detention or two.

“Come on Ron, let’s get out of here,” Harry said, as he stood. Ron happily bounced up relived to shorten his revision session.

Hermione frowned but didn’t say a word as they both scarped as fast as they could out of the main doors of the library, juggling their books as they went.

As they made their way towards the Gryffindor tower Harry quickly checked to see that they were alone before bringing up the subject of the Malfoys.

“What did you mean about the Malfoys Ron?” Harry asked in a quiet voice.

Ron, whose mind had been on tomorrow’s Quidditch practice, took a moment to reply.

“Well,” he said slowly, “Just what I’ve overheard from my mum and dad as well as the twins,” said Ron cocking his head towards Harry.

Harry kept silent but nodded encouragingly.

“The word is…” said Ron in a low voice. “That Lucius liked the boys far better than the girls in school.”

“Really?” Harry asked with a skeptical expression.

“Word of Honor,” said Ron stoutly. “He was all over the boys in his time here.”

“What about hise?” e?” Harry asked casually.

“Harry don’t be daft. It was a political match not a love match. He married and did his ‘duty’ by the Malfoy name,” Ron said scornfully.

Harry’s eyes widened.

“And I’m sure the ferret will be the same way,” said Ron dismissively.

Harry wasn’t so sure about Draco but he held his peace.

“Come on Harry let’s play a game of exploding snap until Hermione comes back?” said Ron a bit wistfully.

Harry shook his head and wondered how it was that Hermione and Ron had ever gotten together. What did they really have in common?

Ron continued to chatter away as they entered the Common Room while Harry contemplated the irony of it all. Ron was seeing Hermione, and would probably marry her, with little or anything in common while Harry was about to jump into the abyss and trust himself to the not-so-clear-motives of a Death Eater. Cosmic irony indeed, Harry grimaced and shoved those errant thoughts down deep into his subconscious as he smiled at Ron over the card game.


Lucius Malfoy looked down at his head house elf with some sharpness.

“It is done?” Lucius said.

“Yes, master,” said the wizened elf that’d been old even back in the day when Lucius had still been in short pants.

“Not a trace, not a stray hair?” said Lucius with a determined gleam in his eye.

“Nothing master, Wister has seen to it personally,” said the elf, groveling a bit as was his wont.

“Very well then. I’ll expect those rooms to be closed off. The room next to mine should be prepared in all haste for my…guest. And make sure you don’t trip the wards I’ve set on them or I will be most displeased,” he growled.

Wister felt confused and uneasy. Why would the master place more wards within the House? The House itself proper and the grounds were built to withstand an army of wizards. But perhaps these wards were different? Still, it wouldn’t do to think about these things that was best left to the Master.

The little elf bowed deeply.

“As you command.”

TBC