Disclaimer: See chap. 6 (I think...)
A/N: Apologies to all. Sorry this chapter took a long time to come out. I've had a busy couple of weeks. I am also gifted in the art of understatement. Blergh, you have NO idea. Hopefully the update was worth waiting for... Thanks to all who reviewed (you know who you are. My heart beats faster every time I see the review alert addy pop up in my inbox. You guys are my heroes^-^.) Shout out to Leah, I'm going to miss you next year, girl! Keep reading, yah? Please? *bambi eyes* And a HUGE whopping thank you thank you thank you! to Kate, my newly acquired beta. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Or maybe I just need to get over my latest Bogart kick...
Draco watched as Harry visibly shrunk away from him. A darkly amused grin spread across his face. "What's wrong Potter?" Harry's eyes flickered from their position on the pin, and rose to meet Draco's.
"What's..." and Harry paused, swallowing hard, "What's it for?"
Draco waved an impatient hand in Harry's direction, once again focused on the glowing sphere in his hand. "I just told you, Potty. It's a tracking spell," he pronounced. As far as he was concerned, that should have been obvious. Hearing Harry's impatient sigh, he groaned his frustration then turned to face the other boy.
"Look, the original spell creates a small, contained, ball of energy transmitted as light. It's...well; it's similar to your standard 'Lumos', right? Well, the second part of the spell, the part you are currently interrupting--" Draco shot Harry a pointed glare-- "is like a sort of, tracking device. We feed this ball part of you or me, like hair or skin, it will be able to follow the path we took to GET here, and maybe JUST MAYBE, we'll be able to avoid starving to death in the dungeons of our fair school. Is that enough information for you? Or shall I pull out my handy pocket 'my first spell' encyclopaedia and quote it to you, word for word?" Draco felt a small twinge of satisfaction as Harry flinched under the force of his patented Sledgehammer of Sarcasm(tm). He watched the thoughts fly across Harry's face with faint fascination. Anger turned to confusion progressing through thoughtful and finally landing on questioning.
*The boy broadcasts everything he's thinking. Fool. Wonder if he knows how
easy it is to read him?*
"But... why the blood? I mean, hair should be enough, right? Blood magic..." Harry trailed off. Draco growled softly, a husky deep expulsion of his growing frustration. "Look, Potter, I don't ha..." the sentence died unfinished as Draco looked towards Harry. Who had frozen in place. Emerald eyes wide, staring intently at a point Draco was vaguely uncomfortable to recognize as his mouth.
He sucked in a sharp breath, and watched Harry swallow. Hard. He shifted, fighting to find something to break the suddenly tense silence that had fallen around them, and how had the atmosphere become so charged anyway? Draco shook himself, and, angry at Harry for unsettling him, blurted out, "Look, Potter, just give me your bloody arm!"
Harry, startled, raised his arm unthinkingly at the request. A flash of silver, then..."Ow!" Harry snatched his arm back, intending to nurse it against his chest. With the quick cat-like reflexes, Draco dropped the pin and seized the arm in question. At his touch the lean muscles under his hand tensed. Draco whipped the ball of light under the steady dark stream of blood dripping from Harry's forearm. It flared, casting the room in dark pink light, searing the sight from the two boys.
"Bollocks!" Draco snatched his hand away from Harry, shielding his eyes, and seeing Harry doing the same with the hand not dripping blood. That, he held tightly to his chest. Draco snorted. "Stop being such a baby, Potty. I'm sure it didn't hurt that much."
Harry's head whipped towards him. "Shut it, you bloody bastard! You... you're...you're such a wanker, Malfoy!"
Draco airily ignored the comment, as the glow faded. The ball jumped in his palm, spun twice, then leaped forward. Draco stared after it for a fraction of a second, then took off after it, grabbing Harry's robe and yanking him forward. "Come on Potter. Time to find our way out of here."
Harry ran, watching the blond head bobbing a few feet in front of him.
*Bastard. Can't believe he used that thing on me!*
He was so wrapped up in thought, he almost missed the next turn. "Bugger!" Draco turned briefly. "Potter! Hurry up, you twat! We'll lose it if you keep that up." Harry scowled in return, and concentrated on where he was heading.
Harry watched with relief as the guide disappeared up a spiral staircase. "That's it! That's where we came in!" Harry shouted to Malfoy. He got no response, only the quickening of the other boy's pace. Harry surged forward, careful not to trip up the stairs, and then suddenly he and Draco spilled forward into the main hall. He paused, fighting for breath. Draco, doubled over in exhaustion, pulled out his wand and nixed the sphere as it hurtled back towards the dinning hall.
"Harry!" He turned, and found Ron and Hermione running towards him. "Harry, we've been looking for you all over! Everyone's terribly worried." They pulled up in front of him, Hermione scrupulously checking Harry over for bruises. A breathy sardonic chuckle caught his attention. He turned to Malfoy, watching the boy straighten up as his breath returned.
"Told you they'd send a search party for you, Potter." There was no mistaking the bitterness held in that statement. Ron's face fell into a scowl as Hermione whipped round to ream Draco.
"Hermione!" Harry called, not sure why, but stopping the rant before it started. "I'm fine, let's just... let's just head back to the common room, okay? I'm a little tired."
Oh, that did it. Hermione's anger wrinkled nose turned his way. "Harry Potter, in case you've forgotten, some of us actually have classes to attend, and if you don't want to fail, I'd advise you be one of them." Classes... he'd forgotten all about class. Smiling weakly into her ferocious scowl, Harry meekly gave a simple "Yes, Hermione." The three of them walked away, leaving a sniggering Slytherin in their wake.
A/N: Apologies to all. Sorry this chapter took a long time to come out. I've had a busy couple of weeks. I am also gifted in the art of understatement. Blergh, you have NO idea. Hopefully the update was worth waiting for... Thanks to all who reviewed (you know who you are. My heart beats faster every time I see the review alert addy pop up in my inbox. You guys are my heroes^-^.) Shout out to Leah, I'm going to miss you next year, girl! Keep reading, yah? Please? *bambi eyes* And a HUGE whopping thank you thank you thank you! to Kate, my newly acquired beta. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Or maybe I just need to get over my latest Bogart kick...
Draco watched as Harry visibly shrunk away from him. A darkly amused grin spread across his face. "What's wrong Potter?" Harry's eyes flickered from their position on the pin, and rose to meet Draco's.
"What's..." and Harry paused, swallowing hard, "What's it for?"
Draco waved an impatient hand in Harry's direction, once again focused on the glowing sphere in his hand. "I just told you, Potty. It's a tracking spell," he pronounced. As far as he was concerned, that should have been obvious. Hearing Harry's impatient sigh, he groaned his frustration then turned to face the other boy.
"Look, the original spell creates a small, contained, ball of energy transmitted as light. It's...well; it's similar to your standard 'Lumos', right? Well, the second part of the spell, the part you are currently interrupting--" Draco shot Harry a pointed glare-- "is like a sort of, tracking device. We feed this ball part of you or me, like hair or skin, it will be able to follow the path we took to GET here, and maybe JUST MAYBE, we'll be able to avoid starving to death in the dungeons of our fair school. Is that enough information for you? Or shall I pull out my handy pocket 'my first spell' encyclopaedia and quote it to you, word for word?" Draco felt a small twinge of satisfaction as Harry flinched under the force of his patented Sledgehammer of Sarcasm(tm). He watched the thoughts fly across Harry's face with faint fascination. Anger turned to confusion progressing through thoughtful and finally landing on questioning.
*The boy broadcasts everything he's thinking. Fool. Wonder if he knows how
easy it is to read him?*
"But... why the blood? I mean, hair should be enough, right? Blood magic..." Harry trailed off. Draco growled softly, a husky deep expulsion of his growing frustration. "Look, Potter, I don't ha..." the sentence died unfinished as Draco looked towards Harry. Who had frozen in place. Emerald eyes wide, staring intently at a point Draco was vaguely uncomfortable to recognize as his mouth.
He sucked in a sharp breath, and watched Harry swallow. Hard. He shifted, fighting to find something to break the suddenly tense silence that had fallen around them, and how had the atmosphere become so charged anyway? Draco shook himself, and, angry at Harry for unsettling him, blurted out, "Look, Potter, just give me your bloody arm!"
Harry, startled, raised his arm unthinkingly at the request. A flash of silver, then..."Ow!" Harry snatched his arm back, intending to nurse it against his chest. With the quick cat-like reflexes, Draco dropped the pin and seized the arm in question. At his touch the lean muscles under his hand tensed. Draco whipped the ball of light under the steady dark stream of blood dripping from Harry's forearm. It flared, casting the room in dark pink light, searing the sight from the two boys.
"Bollocks!" Draco snatched his hand away from Harry, shielding his eyes, and seeing Harry doing the same with the hand not dripping blood. That, he held tightly to his chest. Draco snorted. "Stop being such a baby, Potty. I'm sure it didn't hurt that much."
Harry's head whipped towards him. "Shut it, you bloody bastard! You... you're...you're such a wanker, Malfoy!"
Draco airily ignored the comment, as the glow faded. The ball jumped in his palm, spun twice, then leaped forward. Draco stared after it for a fraction of a second, then took off after it, grabbing Harry's robe and yanking him forward. "Come on Potter. Time to find our way out of here."
Harry ran, watching the blond head bobbing a few feet in front of him.
*Bastard. Can't believe he used that thing on me!*
He was so wrapped up in thought, he almost missed the next turn. "Bugger!" Draco turned briefly. "Potter! Hurry up, you twat! We'll lose it if you keep that up." Harry scowled in return, and concentrated on where he was heading.
Harry watched with relief as the guide disappeared up a spiral staircase. "That's it! That's where we came in!" Harry shouted to Malfoy. He got no response, only the quickening of the other boy's pace. Harry surged forward, careful not to trip up the stairs, and then suddenly he and Draco spilled forward into the main hall. He paused, fighting for breath. Draco, doubled over in exhaustion, pulled out his wand and nixed the sphere as it hurtled back towards the dinning hall.
"Harry!" He turned, and found Ron and Hermione running towards him. "Harry, we've been looking for you all over! Everyone's terribly worried." They pulled up in front of him, Hermione scrupulously checking Harry over for bruises. A breathy sardonic chuckle caught his attention. He turned to Malfoy, watching the boy straighten up as his breath returned.
"Told you they'd send a search party for you, Potter." There was no mistaking the bitterness held in that statement. Ron's face fell into a scowl as Hermione whipped round to ream Draco.
"Hermione!" Harry called, not sure why, but stopping the rant before it started. "I'm fine, let's just... let's just head back to the common room, okay? I'm a little tired."
Oh, that did it. Hermione's anger wrinkled nose turned his way. "Harry Potter, in case you've forgotten, some of us actually have classes to attend, and if you don't want to fail, I'd advise you be one of them." Classes... he'd forgotten all about class. Smiling weakly into her ferocious scowl, Harry meekly gave a simple "Yes, Hermione." The three of them walked away, leaving a sniggering Slytherin in their wake.