Dirty Magic

Disclaimer: Since the release of Half-Blood Prince, this fiction has become AU. To that end, however, I will not be labelling at AU, rather, it will merely be labelled as "Pre Half Blood Prince", as it does not contain any plot from HBP.



Chapter Nine

I Can't Leave This Bed



The next week was an uneventful one. Harry heard naught from Dumbledore regarding the Serpens Codec, and, for a change, heeded Hermione when she told him not to go asking about it.



'He'll tell you when he knows something.' she had said on Wednesday, quickly putting paid to Harry and Ron's ideas of seeking the Codec out. Harry had not yet told Ron that the Codec was rightfully his mothers, figuring that Lupin and Mad-Eye would just pass it on to her with little fanfare.



Despite Hermione's assurances to the contrary, Harry wasn't entirely convinced that Dumbledore would tell him if the Codec held anything useful. He hadn't exactly been forthcoming with the information of late, and so, Harry waited. He waited for Dumbledore to talk to him. He waited with hope that Draco Malfoy would approach him again. And he waited with most anticipation, for the Christmas break. He and Hermione had been invited back to The Burrow for Christmas with Ron's family, and this was what Harry was really looking forward to.



The last Monday of term dawned bright and cold, a fresh layer of snow blanketing the countryside. Harry was woken by Fawkes nudging him with his foot, a small roll of parchment tied to it.

Waking up, Harry thought, was something like being born. One minute you're sleeping, and its warm and soft and dark and comfortable, and the next you're awake and its cold and bright and angular, and a Phoenix bird is poking you in the chin with its clawed foot.



He opened his eyes blearily. 'What? Fawkes!' Harry sat up abruptly, dislodging the bird from its perch upon his chest in a flurry of wings and screeching.



'Shh Fawkes. Let me take that.' He gently took the small roll of parchment from the bird's leg, unfurled it and read it.



Harry,

Please meet me in my office immediately upon receipt of this letter.

Fawkes will bring you.

-Prof. Dumbledore.



Harry looked around confusedly, and Fawkes, who was now perched on his side table, turned his tail towards Harry and cooed softly. Harry took hold of Fawkes' tail and in a brilliant flash; they were in Dumbledore's office.

Harry looked around in bewilderment. Professor Dumbledore was not yet in the office, and Harry took a seat, thinking how cold he was, clad only in his pyjamas. Fawkes cooed once and flew off again, leaving Harry quite alone. He was wondering exactly what Dumbledore could want from him at such an early hour, when the Headmaster came hurriedly into the office.



'Harry,' he said, 'the Codec has proved most useful, most useful indeed. Remus and Mad-Eye have gleaned quite a bit of information from it, and it has been safely locked away at Gringotts. However, Harry, the situation has gotten a little out of our control.' He paused and surveyed Harry.



'What? What's happened?'



'A distant relative of Lucius Malfoy's, a man named Yorke Doherty has found out about the Codec and wants it back. Both yourself and Draco Malfoy are in serious danger; he's very angry that it left the Malfoy family through Draco. It is for that reason that I have decided to perform the Fidelius Charm on yourself and Mr Malfoy and send you both to The Burrow for the Christmas break. I am to be Secret Keeper.'



'What?!' Harry asked in shock. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck with Malfoy the Telepath for three weeks. 'Ron will go mad!' he said. 'He hates Malfoy.'



'And I'm sure that Malfoy feels the same way.' Dumbledore said serenely. 'However, that is no reason why you couldn't change his mind. I've noticed you and Draco getting along better these days.'



Harry went bright red. 'No. It's just that...Malfoy. He hates the Weasleys.' Harry's real objection, the one he couldn't voice to Dumbledore was that, being in such close quarters with Malfoy would inevitably lead to more of what had already happened, and if Ron were to find out, well, Harry just didn't want to think about what would happen. He also didn't want his Christmas ruined by Ron and Draco's incessant bickering.



'Harry, Arthur and Molly Weasley understand why I've asked them to do this. They know the sacrifice Draco has made in passing on the Codec, and they're willing to help him, and us.'



Harry thought for a moment. 'Well. Okay.' He said, not entirely impressed with the situation, but understanding of it.

'When are you going to perform the Charm?'



'Tonight, before the two of you go to bed. Draco will be spending the night with you in a special room in Gryffindor Tower, and tomorrow, after everyone has returned to London on the train, you two and I will be taking a Portkey to The Burrow. I will then tell the Weasleys the information about your whereabouts and return to my holidays, and you will stay in The Burrow until the time comes to return to Hogwarts.'



'What about Ron, Hermione and Ginny?' Harry asked. 'They'll be looking for me on the train tomorrow.'



'I plan to tell them of what has happened, but will not tell them of your location until we safely arrive at The Burrow. Are there any more questions?'



'No.' Harry said, somewhat sullenly. Fawkes had entered the room again, landed on his perch and was cooing softly.



Dumbledore sighed. 'You may as well go and get ready for breakfast. I understand Mr Malfoy is waiting to see me.'



Harry, who had had very little interaction with Malfoy since their last meeting, left Dumbledore's office silently, hoping that Malfoy would contact him telepathically, hoping for some glimmer of recognition. But, as Harry passed him, nothing happened. Draco didn't even look at him. Dejected, Harry stomped out of Dumbledore's tower and back to his dorm.



In the afternoon, Malfoy cornered him between Potions and Defence Against The Dark Arts.



'What's this about the Fidelius Charm and the Weasleys?' he demanded viciously.



Harry shrugged and tried to get past, but Draco put a hand on Harry's chest and held him back firmly. 'No, you're not going anywhere, Potter. Not until you explain this.'



'I don't know, Malfoy. It's one of your crazed relations we're hiding from, anyway.'



'Well, why the fuck am I being forced to hide out at the Weasel King's hovel?'



'Well, let's think for a minute, shall we?' Harry said condescendingly. 'We can't go to my aunt and uncle's because I would rather share a bed with a Blast-Ended Skrewt than do that, and anyway they can barely abide me let along a self-involved pureblood like yourself. We can't go to your mothers because that is the first place this Doherty person will look. We can't stay here because here is the other first place he'll look. What other options do we have? And I'm not camping out at the Three Broomsticks for the whole holiday.'



'What's all this 'we' business?' Draco demanded again.



'We. As in you and me. The two of us. Together.' Harry explained this slowly.



'Don't be a git. I know what we means. I just don't understand why there even IS a we.'



'Look, Dumbledore seems to think it's for the best, so I'm not questioning it.'



'Ooh.' Draco minced, 'Dumbledore this, Dumbledore that. If Dumbledore said jump, I'd say how high.' He imitated Harry. 'Honestly, Potter, do you ever think for yourself?'



'Shut up, Malfoy! Can't you just take orders without acting like a whiny spoilt brat? What happened to the 'I Want To Save Myself' spiel of last week?'



'Nothing.' Clearly Draco was taken aback. 'I just don't fancy spending Christmas with people who hate me.'



'Eh, you get used to it.' Harry said dismissively, thinking of the Dursleys. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I am late for Defence.'



He nudged Malfoy out of the way and stomped off towards the Defence classroom. Draco glared after him and stomped off in the opposite direction.



__________________

That evening, a feast had been prepared for the Christmas leaving. Draco and Harry were to go to Dumbledore's office after the meal to have the charm cast, and Harry was finding it difficult to concentrate on his meal. He didn't like keeping the secret from his friends, but, he reassured himself, they'd find out in the morning. He was also a bit dubious about where exactly in Gryffindor Tower Dumbledore planned on having he and Draco sleep, but he was sort of looking forward to the experience.



'What's up, Harry?' Hermione asked, noticing the glum look on Harry's face.



'Yeah,' Ron said, 'what's wrong?'



'Oh, nothing much.' Harry said, pushing bits of meat around the plate with his fork. 'I just kind of miss Ginny, is all.'



Hermione had to look away to hide her reaction, but Ron looked at Harry concernedly. 'She's just told me she misses you too. Maybe the Christmas Break will improve things for you.'



Harry tried to look happy and hopeful. 'Thanks, mate,' he said, and smiled.



The feast dragged on at an average rate; Harry's mood didn't much improve when he chanced a glance over at the Slytherin table and noticed Draco Malfoy chatting animatedly with his housemates. Draco was far better at concealing his emotions than Harry was, which irked Harry to no end. He wondered vaguely if Draco was looking as forward to their night hidden in Gryffindor as Harry was. Secretly he hoped he was.



Ron's voice broke Harry's reverie. 'What did you get me for Christmas, mate?'



Harry smiled. 'If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?' Harry had bought Ron a Chudley Cannons season ticket, and a five galleon gift voucher from Zonko's joke shop.



'Not fair. You know what my mum's giving you.' Ron protested.



'Ron, you know what your Mum's giving you! You know it's the same thing every year,'



Ron smiled glumly. 'Ah well. You got me.'



'Yes, and it was rather a good point as well.' Hermione said, smiling broadly at the boys. 'Oh, I just love Christmas, don't you? It's such a wonderful time of year.' She took a big bite out of a mince pie, and smiled again.



'Go easy, Hermione. You'll give yourself indigestion.' Ron said, watching Hermione eat.



'This coming from the Human Hoover himself.' Hermione said mockingly. ('What's a Hoover?' Ron had asked, but she didn't hear him.) 'Try and get into the spirit of things a bit, will you? It's our last Hogwarts Christmas. Plus the war has really got everyone down, and you two aren't helping.'



'Oh! What would you know anyway?' Harry shouted.



'What's that supposed to mean?' Hermione hissed.



'Look. Everything is just one big fucking mess at the moment. You'll find out about it soon enough.' Harry said glumly, going back to pushing bits of meat around in the gravy on his plate.



__________________



After dinner, he did as he was instructed, and went to Dumbledore's office. He got there before Draco, and let himself in. He was just settling himself into a seat when the door was flung open and Draco burst in.



'You can be so obnoxious,' Harry said, as Draco sat down smugly beside him.



'Me, obnoxious? Never.' Draco said, affecting a wounded attitude.



'Listen, Malfoy, you better not ruin my Christmas or there'll be trouble.'



'Trouble, Potter? Oh, I hardly think that you could cause me any significant trouble.'



'You don't know that,' Harry said dangerously. 'Don't forget that I'm responsible for your father's disappearance.'



'Don't you talk about my father!' Draco shouted.



Harry opened his mouth to say something back at the exact same time Dumbledore came into the office, still wearing a cracker hat that was emitting small fireworks, and Harry closed his mouth again, thinking it prudent to just say 'Fine,' and fold his arms.



'Boys, boys,' Dumbledore said, clearing his throat slightly. He took his hat off and set it down on the desk; it continued making hissing and popping noises.



They both looked at him, Harry attentively, Draco with some contempt.



'The time has come for the Fidelius Charm to be cast upon you. I thank you both for your understanding in this matter. I know it has not been easy for either of you to accept what's happening, but I am pleased that you've managed to put aside your differences for the greater good.'



Dumbledore walked around the desk. 'This is not an easy charm to perform, nor is it fast. Performing the Fidelius Charm on a person is much different to performing it on an object, or a place, and takes a greater degree of concentration from the Secret Keeper. It's a completely wordless charm, and I beg of you not to speak, nor gesture to one another until I give you the signal. Do you understand?'



'Yes.' Harry said.



Malfoy said nothing.



'Do you understand?' Dumbledore repeated.



'Actually, I have a question.' Draco said. Harry rolled his eyes.



'Yes, what is it, Draco?'



'Well, I was wondering. Most people who go under the Fidelius Charm go into hiding, and remain hidden in the one place. Will you have to cast a new charm each time you move me to a new location?'



'No, Draco. Because I am the Secret Keeper, because I only know where you are, each time I move yourself and Mr Potter here, the Charm will update itself. Is there anything else?' Dumbledore waited for a moment, but neither boy made motion to speak.



'Very well. Shall we begin?'



__________________



Tucked away in his hidden room in Gryffindor Tower, Harry was thinking about the Fidelius Charm. It was the strangest spell he'd ever had cast on him so far. Dumbledore had asked them to link hands and close their eyes, and then had begun to hum. This humming went on for what felt like hours, and Harry was thinking how strange the humming was when Dumbledore fell silent, and Harry felt like a large woollen blanket had been thrown over himself and Malfoy. It slowly got heavier and heavier and started to push him down when Dumbledore spoke.



'Fidelius Finite.'



The weight of the blanket was lifted, but Harry dared not open his eyes or let go of Draco's hands in case there was something else to be done, but there wasn't.



'Open your eyes.' Harry opened his at the same time as Draco, and found himself looking right into the other boy's eyes. Perturbed, he flicked his gaze away, and Dumbledore clapped once.



'Right. Let's go and see if it has worked, shall we?'



Dumbledore then led Harry and Draco on a higgledy-piggledy tour of the castle with the ultimate goal of reaching Gryffindor Tower, during which Dumbledore asked everyone he came across if they had seen either Harry or Draco.

No one, of course, had any idea where either boy was, which was exactly the result Dumbledore was hoping for. Harry was amazed, no Invisibility Cloak, and yet no one could see him. But he had to remind himself he was not invisible. It was just that no one knew where he was, because no one knew where to look for him.



He was just thinking how useful the Fidelius Charm would be when he'd not done his Potions homework, when he noticed Dumbledore speaking. 'This is Godric Gryffindor's private chamber, in Gryffindor Tower.'



'I've never seen this room before.' Harry said.



'That's because you didn't know where to look for it.' Dumbledore said, tapping one finger to his nose. 'Quickly, inside, inside.' He motioned for Draco and Harry to enter the room, and followed them.



The room was richly decorated in gold and scarlet. Beautiful scarlet swags and tails with gold ropes hung from the enormous windows, and the furniture was made of what appeared to be the finest darkwood timber available. In the centre of the room stood a single enormous four-poster bed, big enough to fit at least 6 people comfortably, decorated with a scarlet cover with hand embroidered golden Fleurs de Lys, and several plump looking pillows. There was a desk in the corner, and a few stout armchairs scattered throughout the room. Everything in the room looked as if it hadn't been touched in centuries.



'This is where you'll be sleeping tonight. Tomorrow, after the Hogwarts Express has deposited its precious cargo in London, and I receive word from Molly Weasley that Ron and Ginny have made it home safely to The Burrow, we'll be taking a Portkey there. Don't leave the room under ANY circumstances until I come for you tomorrow, or we won't be able to find you, and you won't be able to find the room again. There's a bathroom through there,' he pointed his wand to a door in the rear wall, 'and there are your sleeping things.' He flicked his wand twice, and both Harry and Draco's pyjamas appeared, folded neatly on the end of the bed. 'Sleep well, both of you.' Dumbledore had started out of the room when Draco spoke, a note of desperation in his voice.



'But, Professor, there's only one bed here!'



Dumbledore turned back to them. 'Ah, I had thought that would be a problem. Unfortunately, not even magic can split Gryffindor's antique bed in two, so the both of you are going to have to make the best of it.'



He gave them a funny cock-eyed smile and closed the door with a snap.





They had bickered for at least fifteen minutes after this. Draco initially insisted that Harry sleep on the floor or in an armchair, which Harry had strongly opposed. Malfoy had then said that he had no intention of sleeping on the floor, as 'Malfoys don't sleep on floors. They sleep in beds.'



'So do Potters.' Harry had said.



'Please. Muggles sleep on the floor all the time.'



'I'm not a Muggle.'



'You live with them.'



'I don't. I live here. They just happen to look after me for a few weeks a year.' Harry said, and then smiled slightly. 'Look, what does this even have to do with the sodding bed anyway?'



I don't want to sleep in it with you.' Draco said.



'Why? Are you afraid of catching Boy-Who-Lived germs?' Harry asked, goading Malfoy.



'No. I think if I was going to catch them, I'd have caught them by now.' Draco said.



'So what's the issue then? This bed is enormous; you could fit a Quidditch team in here. Why can't we just build up some kind of barrier with pillows? Then you won't have to touch me, if that's what's bothering you.'



'That's not what's bothering me.' Draco said in a small voice, which was most unlike him.



'Then what is it?' Harry asked impatiently. He was tired from the huge feast and the Charm, and just wanted to go to sleep.



'If anyone finds out that we shared a bed or any of the other stuff, you're dead.'



Harry rolled his eyes. 'Is THAT all? Honestly, Malfoy, don't you think that if I was going to tell someone about it, I'd have told them by now?'



'You haven't told anyone, have you?' Malfoy asked.



'Of course not.' Harry lied through his teeth.



'Good. Now we may as well go to bed.' Draco picked up his things off the end of the bed. 'I'm going into the bathroom to change. DON'T come in, if you can help it, Potter.'



'I have no intention.'



Harry changed into his pyjamas; a pair of shabby old flannelette pants and a huge old t-shirt of Dudley's, and climbed into the bed. Just as he'd settled himself into the soft pillows and found a warm spot, Draco came out of the bathroom in nothing but a pair of black satin pyjama pants.



'Don't tell me you walk around Slytherin dressed like that.' Harry said.



'Of course. I'm not the best looking Slytherin for nothing.' Draco said, walking around the bed, peeling back the covers and getting in. 'I hope you don't snore. Crabbe and Goyle snore and they drive me mad.'



Harry chuckled. 'I don't.'



'Good.'



The light went out, and Draco and Harry were in darkness.





Harry had been laying awake for about half an hour thinking about the whole night, and was on the verge of sleep, when Draco spoke.



'Potter? You awake?' he hissed.



Harry sighed and turned onto his back. 'I suppose so. Why?'



'I'm bored.'



'You're supposed to be sleeping.'



'I know. But I'm bored.'



'Do all Slytherins whine this much?' Harry asked.



'No. Just me.' Malfoy said proudly.



'You shouldn't be wearing that as a badge of honour, Malfoy.'



'Do I look like I care what you think, Potter?'



'I wouldn't know what you look like. It's pitch black, and that suits me just fine.'



'Well, I'm tall, slim, white blonde hair, devastatingly handsome...'



'Argh! Be quiet, will you?'



'You know, you're sexy when you're annoyed.'



'That's what all the girls say.'



Harry felt the mattress bounce as Draco turned onto his back. 'Do they?'



'Of course. I'm fanciable.'



Malfoy let out a short mirthful laugh. 'Who told you that?'



'Hermione, last year.'



'What would she know? She's going out with the Weasel King.'



'Don't call him that.' Harry said.



'Call him what? The Weasel King?'



'His name is Ron. If you don't want to be torn limb from limb by a pack of rampaging red-heads, you may as well learn it.



'Can't I just call him Weasley?' Draco whined.



'Yes. Just don't call him 'Weasel King' or 'Weaselby' or whatever other stupid names you've got for him. And try and restrain yourself from addressing Hermione as 'Mudblood'. Do you think you can manage that?'



'Yes, mother.'



Harry stuck a leg out and kicked Malfoy.



'Was that your foot, Potter?'



'Of course it was my foot,' Harry said. 'Do you think I carry around a Beater's bat in my pocket just so I can hit you with it in bed?'



'Call it what you will, but I don't care to know what you've got hidden away in your pants.'



Harry blushed. 'Look, can we just sleep?'



'No. I think this is much more fun.'



'You would.'



'I can if you want me to.'



'Bah! This is ridiculous.' Harry got out of bed and started for the door. 'I'm going to Dumbledore. You're impossible to sleep with.'



'You can't.'



'Can't what? Can't sleep? You're exactly right.'



'No.' Draco said. 'You can't go to Dumbledore. Remember what he said about the Fidelius Charm? You can't leave this bed. Unless you want to sleep on the armchair.'



'Bollocks.' Harry scowled and walked back over to the bed and sat down on the end of it. 'So I'm stuck here with Draco Malfoy the incredible talking idiot all night?'



'Looks like it.' It was dark, but Harry was sure Draco was grinning.



Harry begrudgingly got back into bed. 'Will you wipe that ridiculous grin off your face?'



'Dare you to do it for me.'



'Fine!' Harry said angrily, and he reached over, grabbed Malfoy's face and kissed him passionately.



____________________



All characters and settings property of JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Brothers and associated publishers. Anything you don't recognise property of me. Chapter title taken from Here With Me by Dido, used without permission but with much gratitude