Chapter 5:

I'm back! This story is tearing my apart! I have three other stories to work on and a competition but this is the only one I want to do! How am I supposed to finish any of those when this one is drawing all my attention?! Oh well… on with the story!

ALERT: I re-uploaded all of the chapters again, just fixing up some of the mistakes I saw throughout the chapters. Are any of you interested in being a beta? I desperately need one, especially now that I'm entering The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition and being on a proper team. Go Ballycastle Bats!

I own nothing and there might be (who am I kidding) bad language.

Draco's head fell further into his hands as the door closed once more. Gods above this was terrible. He had no idea what he was going to do. He knew he'd probably have to play a weak and defenceless persona, but he'd never done anything like that before. He didn't know how to do it. Should he cry? He had definitely come across as emotional before so should he continue on that strand or should he pretend to be already broken? An empty shell? Draco sighed. He needed help but he wouldn't get any until he got on the train and that would be too late. He knew that there were countless cameras waiting at the train station, wanting to get some information about what sort of people the tributes are.

Draco startled when the door to his waiting room slammed open and a furious Hermione stormed inside. For a moment he panicked, thinking she was mad at him, but he then noticed the clenched fist of the Death Eater who was closing the door. Hermione turned back to glare at her one last time before stalking forward and collapsing on the couch next to Draco, sighing and rolling her head to face him. He couldn't help but feel amused.

"You're a moron, you know? A stupid, stupid, stupid, brave moron." Draco smiled and wrapped his arm around her as she leaned into him. He was really glad to have her, especially now. She was a really solid person, and a loyal friend. They hadn't gotten along when they first met, because of Draco's prejudiced opinions against all the people from that side of the District- an opinion tainted by Lucius' existence. Hermione had beat it out of him- literally- and they'd been friends ever since. Obviously not as close as he and Blaise were, but close enough that he didn't feel at all offended by her insults.

"Yes, yes, I know." She huffed a small laugh but allowed him to continue. "Will you, oh Great Granger, the Grandest of them all, please help me? I'm not sure what strategy to pull now. They've already seen me as emotional and- admittedly- rather weak, so should I continue that? And to what extent?" Hermione hummed and sat up straighter, turning her body to face him fully. He sat silently, allowing her to examine him, until she nodded slightly and spoke.

"Go all the way. You're the first volunteer from a poorer District for a while now, so some Ministry people are sure to love you anyway, and I think it'd be best for you to seem unimpressive and uninteresting to the other Districts, and then go full survival mode when the Games start. Now, I want you to know that I'm really, very sorry for how this has turned out. Not just you going into the Games, but going into them with Harry of all people? Now, now; don't give me that look. Of course I knew about it. I'm not the smartest bitch in all of District 12 for nothing." Draco couldn't help but giggle lightly at the use of the name he'd given her a few years back. She really was the smartest person he knew, however crude. He was about to take up on her advice and try to cry when she opened her mouth again.

"Draco… just- just don't die, okay? I know if it comes down to you and Harry you'll struggle, but please, please don't give up. You have people back here that love you a lot, and unless you can find a way to bring both yourself and Harry back at the end of this, I want to be seeing you coming off that train in a couple weeks' time, alright?" He didn't acknowledge the tears that naturally sprung up in his eyes for favour of hugging her tightly, feeling slightly crushed by her death-grip, but comforted all the same. He nodded against her neck and then cried out as she pinched the underneath of his arm and twisted.

She laughed at him and began to batter his arms and chest with light punches until he leaped off the couch and threatened to skin her alive, only causing her to laugh even more. He sighed as he realised they only had a few moment left together. He started to accelerate his breathing, flushing his cheeks and pushing tears to his eyes. Hermione smiled sadly at him for a moment before standing and reaching into her pocket. He raised an eyebrow at her when she reached for his neck, but he didn't move until he felt the slight weight falling against his neck. He reached up and examined the amulet on the end of the thin chain Hermione had just draped around his neck. It looked to be copper, and it had four legs and wings? Draco vision was starting to cross and Hermione laughed at him, slapping him lightly on the head before explaining that it was an ancient mythical creature that she'd read about from some completely legal books found in Knockturn, called a Hippogriff. She explained that it was supposed to protect him or something- being a noble creature that bowed down to only those who were worthy, but being completely vicious to all others. She joked about wanting to get him a little ferret shaped doll instead, but quietened down when they heard footsteps approaching the door again.

Draco didn't need to fake the tears that fell as they hugged for what might be the last time, the reality of the situation making his grief finally wash over him completely. Hermione scoffed and clapped him on the shoulder one last time before striding to the door and pulling it open before the Death Eater could, glaring daggers at her as she strode out of the building. The Death Eater motioned him forward and he nodded. It was time.

…

Draco was startled halfway through his struggle to the train when a muscular arm settled around his shoulders. He flinched away from it for a moment before it tightened, drawing him closer. He felt more than heard the whispered "relax" against his ear, and while his face flushed a burning red from the fact that Harry was whispering in his ear, his body relaxed, and he continued to let the tears flow. He didn't know if this was tactic or Harry just being Harry, but it benefitted the both of them in the end game. The Ministry would love this: 'The Two Volunteers from District 12, Enemies or Allies?' Or something similar. If he were a stupid Ministry pig he'd probably write something like that too. Draco decided that he'd have to ask Harry about an alliance when they were on the train as he twisted his hands into Harry's jacket and half burying his face into his arm, away from the cameras. Harry exhaled lowly, and Draco felt Harry turning to look at him slowly, but he refused to move his head until they reached the train. Draco looked up, and had his breath stolen. This was far, far more advanced machinery than he had ever seen before. Hogwarts Express was printed onto the side of the bright red carriages, and from what Draco could see from outside the windows, the inside was just as flash.

Harry was doing a good job of deflecting any of the reporters that managed to get past the Death Eaters escorting them, but Draco was glad when the doors finally came into view- he didn't know if he could take much more crying and being surrounded by both many people and Harry's warmth. Harry had this unique smell about him, a mix of bread and sweat, and Draco was disgusted by himself for finding it so appealing. He pulled his head away from Harry before he could realise that Draco had been sniffing him.

Barty was waiting by the doors, his bright blue hair just reaching over the heads of the reporters, but Draco was sure the only reason he could be seen was that the train was a little higher than the platform, as Draco found out when he nearly tripped over it- only Harry's arm had kept him steady.

They both let out sighs of relief when the doors closed behind them and the reporters started drifting from view before awkwardly realising that Harry was still holding onto Draco and didn't seem to want to let go. Draco refused to get hopeful about it, and refrained from moving himself, afraid that the slightest twitch might make Harry release him from the embrace. They jumped when Barty suddenly cleared his throat, having forgotten he was there. Draco hastily wiped at his eyes and Harry finally let go of Draco, if only to let his arm trail slowly down Draco's back on the way down. Draco was not ashamed to admit that he might've screamed ecstatically a little bit on the inside at that. Draco was confused by the slightly pitying look that Barty was giving him until he realised that he must look a mess.

"Oh! No, no I'm not actually crying! I'm fine, this is just tactic." Although both Barty and Harry shot him disbelieving looks when he said he was fine, they nodded and Harry seemed to sigh a little out of relief. Barty grinned at them again and gestured for them to follow him as he turned.

"Thinking of strategy already? You're a smart one then, aren't you? Oh and you're very brave, Mr. Potter. That was quite a show you two put on! You're the first volunteers I've ever had! Oh but I very nearly cried when I read your dear brother's name out, love. Such a cute little family you have there." Draco's throat tightened but he forced an agreeing noise out when Harry's hand touched his shoulder briefly. Barty seemed to understand that Draco's family was a delicate topic and steered away from it immediately. He turned his attentions to Harry as they reached the end of the corridor they had been walking through, presumably to meet Snape.

"May I ask, why did you volunteer? You don't seem the arrogant type and you two don't seem to be related… best friends?" Draco was entranced by the light dusting of pink that occupied Harry's cheeks for a moment before he seemed to force it down and answer the question.

"No we're not friends. I've actually only had a few conversations with Draco before this," Draco couldn't help remembering that day five years ago where he sat in the rain, facing death head on, comparing it to the last conversation they'd had, which had left him with a dry mouth and shaking heart, "It was actually because… he just looked so helpless up there, and then he looked at me and- how could you say no to someone so desperate? I mean, no offence-" Draco cut him off with a gentle hand on his arm and a soft smile.

"Thank you, Harry. It means a lot to me that you did that." Draco's smile grew as Harry's cheeks reddened again. That was the first time he'd actually said Harry's name to his face and Draco wasn't ashamed to admit that he had been flirting. It wasn't that he wanted to manipulate Harry or anything, he just liked that blush and now that he knew how to get it… well, Draco was probably going to be dying in a few weeks, so hell yeah he was going to flirt with the man he liked.

The train carriage they moved into was probably the most opulent room Draco had ever seen. Even the waiting room Draco had in Hogsmeade wasn't this ostentatious. The carpet was thick and deep green in colour, ending at the walls, whose lower halves were made up of beautifully polished mahogany panels that set off the smooth, green veined, white stone of the upper walls (how they got that on a train he would never know). A single chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling, appearing to be made entirely of silver, snake-like metal rods, which were curled around the lights they were holding intricately. Directly underneath the chandelier was a long mahogany table that was filled with all sorts of foods and occupied by one Severus Snape, already with a drink in hand. He looked up at them as they entered the room, his usual sneer firmly in place, but he refrained from saying anything until they had been seated, per Barty's instructions, and had started to eat. Draco was severely tempted to grab all he could and just stuff his face, but he knew that if he tried to do so, he would definitely be sick. He had halted Harry's hand as he reached for some meat, knowing it would be too rich for their stomachs, before ladling some innocent looking soup into their bowls and sipping at it. He was surprised when Harry followed his example instantly, sure that the other might ignore him for favour of the delicious smelling meals, but was pleased when he did.

"So, which one?" Draco was proud of himself for not jumping when Snape's slurred voice slithered across the table towards them. It was appalling that he was already drunk, but Draco couldn't blame him. He was however, confused by his question.

"Which one, what?" Sharing a glance with Harry and determining that he had no idea either, Draco had faced Snape and asked. Draco watched Barty tense from the corner of his eye and realised that whatever Snape was about to say was something that Barty had heard before, and didn't like.

"Which one of you is going to die first?" The carriage was filled with astonished silence for a moment before Harry let out a sharp, furious, "what?" Snape only drunkenly smirked.

"Will it be you? The reckless hothead who apparently has absolutely no self-preservation skills? Or you, the tiny emotional wreck who can't even hold your own weight, let alone any type of weapon? You don't have a chance and you know it. In fact, in two weeks' time, he could be the one crushing your head in with a rock." He laughed bitterly as he raised his glass to his mouth again, but Harry, whose usually calm and kind eyes seemed to be almost glowing with anger, suddenly struck out and knocked the glass to the floor, where it shattered. In a move that was definitely too fast for a drunk man, Snape suddenly turned and punched Harry straight in the jaw, sending his chair toppling back and crashing onto the floor. Draco stood and drove his mother's knife in the table a few millimetres from Snape's hand when he looked to be reaching for another glass, shocking Barty into jumping away from the table with a yelp. Snape, whose whole demeanour had changed in a matter of seconds from drunk to completely sober, leaned back in his chair and watched Draco retrieve his knife and move to help Harry off the floor, where he was inspecting his jaw for any damage worse than a bruise. When Draco collected some ice from the table to press on it, Snape halted his arm in an infuriatingly similar way to how Draco had stopped Harry's earlier.

"Let the bruise show. It'll give the impression that you've been fighting with the other tributes. It could even play into the tactic you two seem to have already developed. Tell me, was all that crying you were doing earlier fake?" He directed the last sentence to Draco who nodded stiffly, jaw still clenched in fury. He wouldn't put the ice on, but it would be a cold day in hell before he ignored someone's injuries or pain, especially someone he cared about. He dropped the ice back into the bucket, but still gently stroked Harry's jaw with the cold water still present on his hand and then held a similarly soaked cloth there until he realised how close he was and blushed, moving away quickly and turning back to Snape. His actions had calmed them both down immensely, reducing the tension that had saturated the cabin before that. Snape still wore a sneer but even he had lost some of that tension Draco recognised in people getting ready to fight their way out of a situation.

"You're quite fast for your size, Potter. And you, can you hit anything other than the table with that knife? By the way, you know you can't take that with you, right? It's against the rules and I can see you already have a token anyway." Draco huffed, but still looked around the room for something to throw his knife at. There was a shelf on the opposite wall that held some decorative crockery and glasses on it, with about a centimetre between each piece. Draco quickly aimed and threw his knife smoothly through the air, where it embedded itself in one of those gaps, between the two largest plates on display. Barty had gasped when the knife was thrown, fearing for his fancy plates, before breathing out a relieved sigh and bustling back over to his seat. Draco retrieved his knife again, before moving to sit next to Harry, who had moved to Draco's side of the table, unwilling to sit next to Snape any longer. It seemed he had left all conversation to Draco, and was instead focusing on dipping his bread into the soup, ladling some more for Draco while he was at it.

"Will you help us? Or are we on our own? You know we're survivors and could stay alive for a decent amount of time on our own, but you are our mentor and you are supposed to help us. Will you?" Snape leant forwards and inspected the pair for a minute before nodding to himself and reaching to pour himself some more alcohol. Draco had to put his hand on Harry's clenched fist to stop him from striking out again.

"Here's the deal. You let me drink however much I want, and you tell me everything about you that could help or hinder either of you- here or in private- and I'll do my best to keep you alive." The two nodded, knowing there was no alternative. Just as Harry opened his mouth to say something, Snape stood and turned from the table.

"The first thing we have to do is go and watch the other Reapings to get a gauge on your opponent's talents. Come along." Draco and Harry both had to take a moment to control their anger before they followed Barty out of the room. Draco had to stop himself from looking longingly back at the table- he had had all that food in front of him and barely eaten enough to fill up. He was startled when Harry suddenly came up beside him and pressed a bread roll into his palm, smiling softly at him. It seemed they both got lost in their memories at the same moment this time, as they froze and stared at each other over the bread for a moment before Draco suddenly remembered himself and looked away, cheeks burning furiously. He nodded quickly and hurried in front of Harry, definitely not stumbling when he heard Harry's soft chuckle follow him.

There was a space between Barty and Snape where they had obviously intended for one of the tributes to sit in, but Draco just noped right out of that oncoming shitstorm and sat himself on the other side of Barty, feeling sorry for Harry for a few seconds before the other just grabbed a pillow and sat himself on the floor in front of Draco, leaning back against his legs. Draco blushed again at how familiar and… intimate, for lack of a better word, the gesture was. Barty smiled slyly next to him, but Draco ignored him in favour of the screen.

They sat in relative silence while the other Reapings play, the occasional comment about the possible strengths and weaknesses of each tribute as they come onscreen. Draco attempted to remember all of the tributes- any of them could be deadly, hiding their skills behind personas like he had. From District 1 there was a gorgeous 17 year-old girl named Fleur, with her equally attractive partner, Cedric, whose smile made the entire crowd (and maybe also Barty and Draco, just a little bit) swoon. District 2 had two insanely buff tributes, Marcus and Bellatrix, who Draco hoped to never personally encounter. Rodger and Penelope from District 3 both looked extremely weak, but the intelligence in their eyes kept Draco's mind alert. District 4 had two extremely average looking tributes, Katie and Percy, who immediately struck Draco as some people to be wary of, if only because they were so easy to forget, even though they came from a District that was famous for their destructive Purebloods- the Districts who illegally trained their tributes before the Hunger Games and volunteered for the fame and glory that winning brought. The girl from District 5 was called Cho, and she had a cat-like face, and intelligent eyes, the direct opposite from her District partner, Crabbe, a lumbering brute who couldn't tell his face from his ass. An elegant deadliness was brought from Andromeda of District 6, while Fenrir, with his sharp teeth and wild hair, looked more like Mutt than a fellow tribute. District 7 brought a crying girl named Lavender and a sour faced boy named Justin. If they thought Lavender cried a lot, she was nothing compared to Myrtle from District 8, who was paired with a seedy looking, short teen unfortunately named Mundungus. District 9 brought two unfortunate looking tributes, Gregory and Pansy, but Draco knew the mad look in Pansy's eyes wasn't to be ignored. District 10 had a confusingly cheerful girl named Nymphadora- who preferred 'Tonks' apparently, and Rufus- a rat faced manipulator. Viktor from District 11 was huge. He had an amazing amount of muscles, especially coming from the second poorest District, but the worst was the tiny bird-like twelve-year-old named Ginevra, with her flaming red her and constellations of freckles. She looked nothing like his Luna, but the scene was painfully familiar, especially when the camera zoomed in on the distraught family behind her. Apparently Harry thought so too, for in the next second his hand had reached up over his shoulder to hold Draco's, his thumb continuing to rub familiar comforting circles along Draco's own hand. Then one of the worst moments of his life was displayed before him again, but this time on a screen for all the other Districts to see.

Luna, being called up to the stage, a brave, but fragile looking determination shining in her eyes while Colin screams desperately behind her, Death Eaters holding him firmly away from her before Draco's own voice is heard as he bursts into the walkway, thrusting himself in front of them with a wild look in his eyes while Blaise separates the Death Eaters from Colin and hugs the children gently as Draco volunteers and goes up on stage. There is Barty, incredulous at the sheer number of times Draco had put his name in, and then the tragic and absolutely heart-breaking scene that followed Collin's name being read out. Draco absently notices Barty sniffling from where he's seated, and Harry is gripping his hand tightly now, probably subconsciously, as Colin approaches the stage and the camera focuses its attention on Draco's devastated face as he trembles, and searches through the crowd for anyone to help him. The camera stays on Draco long enough for him to feel embarrassed at it now –the look of absolute desperation and devastation that makes him look rather ugly, especially after Harry's voice rings through the crowd and the camera hovers for just long enough to see the tears well up and his knees give out. The commentators were having the times of their lives, going on about a possible secret relationship between the two (which Draco stubbornly ignored), practically squealing like little girls over the emotional hug they'd shared onstage and the completely unnecessary zoom in on their intertwined hands. They then jumped to Harry's protective actions on the train station, something that they hadn't done for any of the other Districts.

Both of the boys were completely exhausted so after a short debate over the advantages of pushing this protector image to further them in the Games, they were led to their separate rooms and fell asleep almost instantly, but not before they finally allowed the furious blushes to streak across their faces. Harry was slapping his hands against his cheeks lightly (wincing because he had forgotten about his bruise –which led him to blush even more after remembering the gentle way that Draco had stroked his face, with that adorable look of concentration) after realising that he had been so obvious, while, only a few metres away, Draco was nearly tearing his hair out- what if he finds out?

Needless to say, neither of them could get the other off their minds, which happened to be the best thing for them, as love was a much more preferable topic to have their minds obsess over -rather than the possibility that they could be barrelling towards their death at the speed of a bullet.

Sorry that this has taken so long guys! I hoped you liked this chapter, and don't forget that I edited the previous chapters to make them flow better! As always, please send me a message if you liked anything or want to have something added in in an upcoming chapter!