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Master and Slave

Summary:

Two months into his fourth year, Harry finds out that not everything is as it seems and he’s been lied to since first year at Hogwarts. Voldemort isn’t the ‘big bad man’ he’s been led to believe, some his friends aren’t really friends but out to serve their own ends… What happens when he finds out the pureblood families put up their children in an ancient ceremony offering up them to a game of master and slave – a ceremony he underwent when he was born?

Chapter 1: - Truths revealed

Chapter Text

I, unfortunately, own nothing of this universe... no matter how I wish it was different.

Beta'd by Sollardragon

Chapter 1 – Truths revealed

Wednesday, October 5, 1994

Harry blinked as the hood was taken off his head. The room he was in now was one he didn't recognize, though to be fair - since the room was mostly shrouded in darkness - that wasn't surprising. Just what was going on? What did they want with him? Who were they?

The last thing he remembered before the blindfold had been dropped onto his head was heading down the corridors of the school, needing to get away from Ron and Hermione's bossiness. He'd been accosted shortly after leaving the common room. At first he'd been able to keep track of where they were taking him, but soon lost his way after a while with all the twists and turns, going up and down stairs.

"Mr. Potter," a familiar voice drawled from the shadows. Harry stiffened in surprise as he recognized the silky tone, realizing that Snape was standing in the shadows, watching him. "It's time you found out what really goes on in the Wizarding world where the pureblood families are concerned."

“I don’t understand,” Harry muttured in confusion.

“Of course you don’t, Mr. Potter,” Snape drawled with a smirk on his face. “If you did, we wouldn’t have needed the subterfuge to bring you here.”

“Where is here?” Harry asked, frowning as he looked around him. The little he could see didn’t reveal anything. Was Snape going to torture him before killing him now? Hand him over to Voldemort?

“Before anything is revealed to you, I require a Wizarding oath,” Snape murmured after a few minutes of silence. “Swear on your magic that what we discuss here will remain secret.”

“Excuse me?” Harry asked in shock. “Why the hell would I want to keep this meeting a secret?”

“Because, Potter,” Snape growled out, glaring at him. This was nothing new and helped Harry get some semblance of balance in a situation that was completely out of his control. “There are more people at stake here than just you and I. Swear or leave.”

Harry debated with himself on whether or not he should leave… but if he left, he would never know why Snape had had him brought here and all he had to look forward to was more of Hermione’s and Ron’s drivel which had driven him from the common room in the first place. Knowing he would probably regret it, Harry pulled his wand out and made the oath Snape was patiently waiting for. “I swear upon my magic that I will not reveal anything I learn tonight to anyone,” he said with a sigh. There was a slight flash as the oath was accepted before he put his wand away.

“Very good, Potter,” Snape sneered in contempt. “There might be hope for you yet.”

Harry glared at the man but refrained from snapping back. “So, where am I and why am I here?”

“You are currently in the Room of Requirement,” Snape murmured as he led Harry towards a table and chairs that suddenly appeared to one side of the room.

A young boy of eleven appeared suddenly, carrying a tray.

Harry was shocked to realize the boy wore no clothes but an intricate set of chains. Around the boy’s neck, there was a delicate chain from which a leash hung down to drag on the floor. There was another set of chains that hung from the boy’s chest like tinsel, though there didn’t seem to be anything holding it in place. Another set of tinsel like chains draped the boy’s hips, barely hiding his privates. Wide bands that looked like manacles were around the boy’s wrists and ankles. The boy wore a mask and never looked up so Harry didn’t recognize him…

Snape’s chuckle drew his gaze from the boy and he flushed as he realized that Snape was amused by his reaction. “What the hell is going on here, Snape?” he demanded with a glare.

Snape didn’t lose his amused look as they were served tea by the boy. “The pureblood families have old customs that people like Dumbledore and the Ministry have been trying for years to infiltrate and have never succeeded. This is one of them. The children of the pureblood families are given up to those customs at birth. Not all the children, of course, but the first and sometimes second born of each family. Your father was one such person.”

“Given up?” Harry asked, frowning in confusion. Why couldn’t the man speak plainly? Why did he always have to talk in riddles?

“In this case, some of the children are given up to slavery for the continuation of the ritual.”

Harry’s eyebrows rose in horror. “You’re trying to tell me my father placed me into a club of slaves?!”

“Yes and no,” Snape murmured before taking a sip of his tea. “The children are used as servants until they reach the age of five. At that time, they are divided into two groups. The parent’s – usually the mother – former status determine which group their offspring will be placed in.”

Harry was confused again. “What?”

“Each generation,” Snape continued as if Harry hadn’t spoken, “goes into the group opposite of the parents’. In your case, Lily wasn’t one of us but James was. Your father, when he was born, was placed in the group for slaves. As his son, you will be placed in the group for masters. Now, the question becomes: are you willing to honour your father’s pledge to the ancient customs of the pureblood families?”

Harry blinked at the Potions master. Was he really asking him to join their little group of masters and slaves? Despite the horror the thought of it brought, Harry had to admit that he was intrigued by the prospect…

He knew what Ron’s and Hermione’s reaction to this would be. They’d forbid him to have anything to do with this kind of thing… Hermione because it was barbaric and Ron because he’d be jealous to not be included… so he wasn’t really surprised when he heard himself answer. “Yes.” Despite his initial feeling, Harry was curious about what happened in this group.

“Good, now we can continue to the next part of the night,” Snape said brusquely, putting his tea down.

He blinked in surprise when more adults came forward. He was even more surprised when he realized he knew who these adults were: Lucius Malfoy, Remus, Sirius, and a tall lanky man he didn’t recognize was standing to one side.

“Sirius,” Harry murmured happily as he jumped to his feet to hug his godfather.

“Well done, pup,” Sirius murmured, hugging him back just as tightly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about this sooner, but we all took oaths. I had to wait.”

“What a touching reunion,” Lucius Malfoy drawled mockingly.

“Enough,” Snape snapped out before Sirius could retaliate. “We have a lot to divulge tonight and not nearly enough time to do it in.” As he spoke, the lights in the Room of Requirements grew brighter and Harry was surprised to see that they were in a small glass room – a sort of reception room – and beyond it were students of all ages, from first year to seventh year.

He could see there were two distinct groups: the Masters, who wore loose fitting pants and were bare-chested for the boys and a strapless bikini top for the girls, and the slaves who were garbed just as the boy who’d served him tea. The younger slaves wore masks over the top part of their faces, which made them all look identical, but the older years didn’t. It took him a few seconds to realize there were two students who looked to be in his year who still wore masks and knelt apart from everyone else… he wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

It became apparent to Harry very quickly what master owned which slave because where a master lounged, a slave was leashed beside him or her. It also seemed that they didn’t care who watched them as they kissed or played with their slaves… then he became aware that it wasn’t all once sided. Even the slaves enjoyed playing with their masters.

“This is a safe place for these students to continue their education in this game,” Snape told him, gesturing at the students around the room. “Since the Room of Requirements only allow those welcomed into its room when in use, there’s no worry of being caught.”

“How long has this been going on in the school?” Harry asked in surprise.

“Since the school was founded. There is another place created for our use. You’ll be taken there this summer. That’s where slaves of age are bound to their masters. For now, however, we’ll concentrate on teaching you what you need to know in this setting.”

“Sirius,” Harry turned to his godfather with a confused frown as a thought occurred to him. “I thought you didn’t like Snape?”

“Professor Snape, Harry,” Sirius chided gently, “be respectful. Here, there are no personal or house rivalries. There’s no room for it. Outside of this room, there are appearances to maintain but in here we’re free to be who we truly are. Severus and I – even your father when he was alive – are friends. There’s no such thing as fighting when you’re either a master or a slave.”

“Precisely,” Snape murmured. “In here, there is only respect for each other. Although, I would much prefer for us to be more civil towards each other in the school as well.”

“Wouldn’t that arouse suspicions?” Harry asked with a slight frown. “I mean, you usually go out of your way to make my life hell in school, especially in class.”

Snape looked at him with a thoughtful look on his face. “If I were to make an effort to be more civil in the school would you agree to be more respectful towards me in the same setting?”

Harry looked up at his teacher – the one man who’d made it his mission to make his life miserable in school – and wondered if he could do that, be civil towards the man everyone considered a ‘greasy git’. Then he remembered all the times Snape had saved his life in the years since he started at Hogwarts. Quite frankly, he realized he wanted some peace between himself and the Potions master. “Yes, sir.”

“Good, then I require one more promise from you, Mr. Potter,” Snape murmured, still looking down at him.

“What’s that?”

“I want you to work at bringing your grades up, in potions especially.” A sudden smirk graced his features then and Harry was instantly wary. “Perhaps I should separate you from Granger and Weasley while in class.”

“Actually,” Harry said tiredly, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “I think that might be better. I’m getting tired of listening to Ron tell me how boring the class is and Hermione trying to take over my potion making.” He looked up in time to see surprise flit across the Potions master’s face.

“What did I tell you, Severus,” Sirius said with a steady look in his eyes. “I knew something was off with those two, Ron especially.”

“Yes, yes,” Snape grumbled dismissively with a glare. “I had the similar suspicion during their first year.”

“Maybe I should’ve allowed the hat to put me into Slytherin,” Harry murmured softly, sighing slightly.

“Are you saying you argued with the hat to put you into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin?” Remus asked, proving his hearing was better than everyone else’s.

“Um… Yeah,” Harry said a little sheepishly. “At the time, I didn’t know any better. I allowed someone else’s prejudice to influence me into going into Gryffindor.” He shifted uncomfortably when the adults just looked at him in surprise and dumfounded amazement.

Sirius was the first to recover. He gave a bark of laughter. “Somehow, I’m not really surprised to hear Dumbledore was trying to influence you from the start.”

“I think that is a discussion best left for another day,” Snape murmured with a shake of his head. “For now, we need to explain things to you. In here, masters and slaves learn about each other, what they like and dislike.”

“Is it all one sided?” Harry asked in curiosity as he watched the younger children sitting together. The masters talked together, separate from the slaves, though they, too, were in their own little groups. It seemed the slaves, especially the younger ones, were more servant than slave. When they were around the masters, their eyes were downcast and they didn’t speak. With the older students, the slaves were milling around the masters, on hand for heavy petting or make-out sessions. He realized that was as far as it went.

“No,” Lucius murmured as he looked at all the students around the room. “In fact, the slaves have as much power as the masters, more so, in fact. The masters can order their slaves to do something but if the slaves aren’t comfortable doing so; they have the right to refuse. The masters have to listen or pay the price.”

Harry did a double take when he noticed Neville kneeling beside a girl who was obviously a master… mistress? He wasn’t sure what they were called…

He was distracted from the sight by the most beautiful girl moaning as two others touch her, her body writhing between them, their mouths traveling the perfectly flawless skin while a boy sat beside them, watching them with a small smile on his face… then realized he knew who the two boys were! Fred and George?!

Further among the older group, he noticed two boys lying together, kissing and touching each other intimately, bringing a slight blush to his cheeks. The boys didn’t seem to care that they were the center of attention in their group.

Harry felt slightly flushed at the display, confused by his reaction as he found he couldn't look away from the sight. With a chuckle, Sirius led Harry away.

“As you can see, here, there are very little by way of rules, but there are rules,” Snape murmured in amusement. “Masters are prohibited from taking things too far here. Slaves have to be a certain age before they can be initiated as a sex slave. Had James survived, your own verbal training would have begun at age four in the privacy of your home. Sirius wanted to do it instead but no one could find you. The Dursleys were asked if you were there but they denied your existence and told us not to come back.”

“By the time the children are four years old, they're introduced to the whole group, though they're used only as servants and never touched by anyone. At this time their education is all verbal and, unless both parents are in the group, the spouse is never told of this group. The child spends the years leading to Hogwarts learning what their expectations are, whether they're the master or the slave.”

“You said that the parent’s… I don’t know, status, I guess you would call it, dictates what the child will be. How does that work?” Harry asked, watching the older students again.

“Usually it’s the mother that determines what the child will be. If the mother is a master, then the child will be a slave,” Remus said as he followed Harry’s gaze, smiling slightly as he realized Harry was watching Fred and George again.

“Does it still hold the same if both parents are in this?”

“Yes. If the parent was in this and married outside the purebloods, like your father did, then the child would follow his or her status.”

“Each year, new members can be sponsored to this group,” Lucius told him, looking at his snake head walking stick as if it was the most interesting thing ever. “That was the only way to get in and every adult has to be in agreement. The sponsored are always slaves because they have nothing to fall back on. This allows us to train them properly so that they can then train their children.”

“Normally, you would’ve learned all about this by now,” Sirius said sadly and Harry realized his godfather had been watching him carefully. “It’s going to take some time, but you’ll soon be taking all of this in stride.”

“We all went through this when we were younger,” Remus murmured softly from Harry’s other side. “Not many come into this at your age, but it’s happened before.”

“I knew your parents wouldn’t want you in the Dursleys’ house,” Sirius explained with a helpless shrug. “But I was arrested on some bogus charges the year after you vanished and I was tossed into Azkaban until last year so I couldn’t keep looking for you.”

They entered the main room and Harry was surprised that there were a lot of quiet conversations being held between both groups. “Those who wear masks are the ones who haven’t chosen a master yet. The others of your year have already made their choices and will be formally linked to their masters this summer,” he was told as Snape nodded to the two children still wearing masks to come forward. “Any questions?”

“Why did no one tell me about this when I started first year?” Harry asked with a frown on his face.

“It was deemed safer at the time for everyone concerned to keep you ignorant of all this,” Lucius told him with a nod. “It was a wise decision considering how closely Dumbledore was keeping an eye on you.”

“For now,” Snape said, intruding into their conversation. “It seems when it became known amongst the groups that we would be revealing this to you, two slaves chose you as their master. You’ll be able to choose your slave. The way to choose your slave, Potter, is to kiss them both. The one who feels right to you will be the one you choose. Once the choice is made, it is for life. Let’s go.”

Harry watched as the girl and boy crawled over to them, their movements sensual. “Why the masks?” he asked, tearing his eyes away from them. Out of the two of them, he already knew which one he wanted. Ever since his kiss with one of Dudley’s friends, more like forced to, he’d realized that he didn’t really like girls. That meant he lucked out with being able to claim the boy as his own. He blinked in surprise as he realized there was another boy standing a slight distance from them, waiting patiently for what was about to happen.

“They are so the masters won’t be biased in their choice,” Lucius answered, face carefully blank. Harry didn’t understand why Lucius was there in the first place. Surely, Draco had already been chosen by a slave. “Not many masters are actually given this opportunity. The slaves choose their masters, not the other way around. Slaves choosing the same master doesn’t happen often.”

When the slaves were kneeling a couple of feet in front of Harry, he looked up at Sirius with a question in his eyes. Now what?

“Present yourselves,” Snape answered instead, speaking to the slaves.

The girl rose gracefully to her feet first and stepped up to Harry. He could see her trembling in anticipation as she leaned into him, her lips soft against his. He hesitated slightly before he kissed her back.

“Enough,” Snape ordered and the girl moved back, reluctance clear in her movements. As soon as she was kneeling again, the boy rose to his feet. With the mask, Harry couldn’t tell who it was. There was no hesitation in him when the boy’s lips brushed his playfully.

Everything seemed to fade for him as he deepened the kiss. The masked boy moaned softly, body leaning into Harry’s. Snape’s chuckle seemed to break the spell between them and the boy knelt before him. “The choice has been made,” the Potions master drawled with a mocking look in his eyes. Harry blinked as he realized the girl – Pansy Parkinson – was now kneeling beside the other boy.

“Let’s go sit down again and discuss this some more,” Lucius murmured, leading the way to a table set in the far corner. Harry was surprised to realize the slave boy was also following them as they strolled over to the table.

The older slave took the tray from the younger slave and proceeded to serve them tea, ending with Harry. When everyone was served, he knelt beside his chair, head bowed. Since he hadn’t removed the mask, Harry didn’t know who his slave was but refrained from asking his name. He figured he’d find out soon enough…

“We meet here Monday, Wednesday from seven to nine, and all day Saturday. Try not to be late and don’t bring anyone not involved in our circle,” Snape instructed him.

Harry frowned as a though occurred to him. “What about the holidays and summer, sir?” he asked, looking at each man in turn, from Remus, who was sitting on his right, to Lucius, to Snape, and lastly to Sirius.

“Since you can’t live with the Dursleys and learn what you need, alternative accommodations will have to be set up for you,” Snape told him.

“Unfortunately, that leaves me out,” Remus murmured with a slightly sad smile. “Werewolves aren’t allowed to take in wizarding children.”

“Stupid law,” Harry grumbled, looking into his cup.

“Stupid it may be, but we don’t want to arouse suspicions. Let us worry about that for now,” Lucius murmured softly, eyes narrowed slightly. In second year, Harry would’ve wondered about that look but something told him that Lucius wasn’t a danger to him anymore.

“It’s time for the evening to end,” Snape said brusquely and looked at Harry’s new slave. “Reveal your identity to your master, Slave,” he ordered sharply. “So that he may know you tomorrow when he meets you for tutoring.”

Harry’s head whipped around to look at his slave and waited with bated breath for the boy to remove his mask. He inhaled sharply when he realized who he was looking at. With the mask gone, the black hair turned pale blonde… there was only one boy in school with hair that colour…

The boy looked up, eyes betraying his nervousness to Harry.

Draco Malfoy!!!

* * *

Later that night, Harry lay on his bed, his mind reeling from the revelations. By the time he’d gotten in, Ron and Hermione had pounced on him demanding to know where he’d been, but Neville had saved him from being hounded by telling them Harry had been with him.

“Harry?” Neville whispered softly.

“Yeah, Neville?”

“Can we talk?”

“Sure,” Harry murmured as he sat up, not surprised when Neville sat at the foot of his bed. “What’s up?”

Looking around at the other boys sleeping, Neville closed the curtains, created a ball of light and cast a Silencing spell before looking back at Harry. “What did you think of tonight?”

“It’s a lot to take in,” he said honestly.

“I’ll bet,” Neville murmured with a grin. “I wanted to pick you as my master, too, but I think it would’ve been too weird considering we’re in the same house and all.”

“Is anyone else in our house in this?” Harry asked with a frown.

“Maybe one or two of the lower years and Fred and George, of course, but most of the pureblood children are in the other houses so, not really.” Harry nodded as he thought that over. “You know, Harry,” Neville said a little hesitantly. “If you ever have questions you want answered that you don’t feel comfortable asking Professor Snape or the others, you can always ask me.”

“Thanks, Neville,” Harry said with a grateful smile. “I appreciate that. What are you?”

“Oh, slave,” Neville said with a dismissive shrug. “Gran taught me after my parents died and since both of them were masters it was kind of obvious I would be a slave.”

“I remember them telling me that we could marry within the group,” Harry said with a slight frown. “What happens if both are men? Or women?”

“There are strict rules about that,” Neville said with a nod. “You can marry but heirs still have to be provided. So, let’s say two boys were to marry; they each have to produce a male child to continue their last names. There’s no exception to that rule. It makes sense, though. If every same sex couple didn’t procreate, there wouldn’t be anyone left to continue the bloodlines.”

“What about this bonding thing Snape was talking about?”

“Ah, yes, that. This coming summer, we’ll be taken to the club where the new masters will take their slaves.” At Harry’s confused expression, Neville grinned, obviously enjoying this. “The best way to tie a slave to a master is for them to have sex, but it’s kind of different with us. The masters have to dominate their slaves. At the end of the ceremony, a spell is cast that binds them together for life. It makes it easier for the master to call for his or her slave when they want them outside of the club meetings.”

Harry blushed to the roots of his hair at first at the thought of having sex in front of all the adults… but as he thought further on it, knowing he’d be tying Draco Malfoy to him forever, he was intrigued.

“Then, when the school year begins, it’s done again for our own groups. It reinforces the bonds between master and slave.”

“Do you wish you were a master instead of a slave?” Harry asked, his head tilting to one side in his curiosity. He wondered because Neville was so shy and a general scaredy-cat.

Neville laughed in understanding. “No, I’d rather be a slave because those are the ones who have the most control and more power than the master. For example, a master can't force a slave to do something he or she doesn't want to do or the whole group gets involved in dealing out punishment to the transgressor.”

“Has that ever happened?”

“My Gran told me it only happened once, when she was a little girl. What they do is enough to ensure that no one will do it again.”

“What happens?” Harry asked in confusion. What could they possibly do to someone to make everyone toe the line?

“They break the bond between master and slave, to start with, and then the transgressor is given a taste of what he’d done to the slave. It isn’t pretty.”

“I guess that would make sure no one else did it again,” Harry murmured before he shuddered.

* * *

Thursday, October 6, 1994

During his free period the next day, Harry met up with students from his new group as ordered by Snape. Draco was waiting for him with Crabbe and Goyle. He hadn’t even noticed the two burly boys last night… There were also two others from Ravenclaw but Harry didn’t know them by name.

He was aware of a lot of students stopping to stare at their group but Harry was used to being stared at. “How did it go when you got to your common room last night?” Draco asked him, his interest seeming genuine instead of being the usual mockery.

“Ron and Hermione tried to demand where I’d been but Neville told them I’d been with him,” Harry said with a shrug. “They left me alone then.”

Draco looked at him thoughtfully, a slight frown marring his usually line-free face. “Did you have any questions about what happened yesterday?”

“I did after I left, but Neville answered them.”

Draco smirked at him. “Well, it’s good to know you’re at least willing to ask questions. Which subjects do you need help with?”

“Well, this morning I went and talked to Professor McGonagall to see if I could change my class with Trelawney to something else. She suggested Ancient Runes but she wanted to know why I wanted to change so late in the year. I told her I wanted to take my studies more seriously and had someone who would catch me up in the class.”

“Easily done,” Draco said with a nod. “How good are you in Potions?”

“Don’t know. I’ve never been allowed to give it my all in class,” Harry said with a shrug. “Hermione seems to think I’m too stupid to actually do anything right in Potions class.”

“I’ll talk to Professor Snape,” Draco said as he got up to get a book. “We’re going to have to remedy the fact that Granger likes to take over everything you do. That won’t help you when you get a job later on if that’s what you want to do.”

“I think that was what Professor Snape was talking about when I asked him to move me from beside her and Ron so I can actually try to make the potion myself and see just how good or bad I am.” Draco chuckled softly when Harry’s forehead met the table top with a slight thud. “Is it so much to ask for me to figure myself out?”

“Now that Professor Snape knows this, he’ll see to it that you’re given a chance, Potter,” Draco said, patting Harry on the back. “Here’s a book on Ancient Runes. For now, this will be your new best friend.”

With a sigh, Harry sat up to look through the book Draco had placed beside him.

“Harry?” Harry stiffened in dread as he recognized Ron’s voice. “What the hell is this?”

“Malfoy has been assigned to tutor me,” he answered, wary of the rage he could see in the red-head’s eyes.

Hermione, who was standing beside him, looked betrayed. “Why didn’t you ask me to tutor you?”

“I was assigned, Granger,” Draco drawled mockingly. “Is your hearing as bad as your know-it-all attitude?”

“Shut up, Ferret!” Ron growled out, reaching for his wand.

“What is the meaning of this?” Madam Pince demanded from behind Harry’s two friends. “Are you actually intending to duel in my library, Mr. Weasley?”

“No, Madam Pince,” Hermione said, tugging on Ron’s arm, trying to drag him away from Harry and the other students at his table. “We were just looking for a quiet place to study.”

“Then I suggest you allow other students to get some work done,” the librarian ordered. “Quietly.” She glared after them until they were out of sight. “If this happens again, Mr. Potter, let me know. There’s a room you and your study mates can use that’ll keep you out of their sight.”

“Thank you, Madam Pince,” Harry said with a slightly embarrassed smile. “Could we use it, because knowing Ron, he’ll more than likely come back to cause trouble.”

“Of course,” the Librarian murmured with a gentle smile. “Follow me.” Everyone at the table quickly gathered their books and followed Madam Pince towards an unused portion of the library. “This wall hides a study room. It’s open to you and your friends, Mr. Potter. If any books are needed, simply write it on a piece of paper and burn it in one of the sconces. If the book isn’t being used by someone, it will appear in the room for you and if it is in use, the flames will tell you.”

“Thank you, Madam Pince,” Draco murmured politely, nodding in gratitude. “This will work for what we need nicely. I take it that in order to keep anyone out, all we need to do is tell the room?”

“Yes, Mr. Malfoy,” the librarian murmured with a slight incline of her head. “Exactly like the book summoning.”

“Perfect.”

Harry sighed in relief as he saw a couple of windows in one of the walls. It wasn’t that he was Claustrophobic, it was just that he didn’t like being enclosed if he didn’t have to be. At least it wouldn’t feel like a dungeon. He was pleasantly surprised to see a few tables with lamps on them to make studying at night easier. In the center of the room was a sunken couch ringing a fireplace. There were even bookshelves on this side.

It made Harry think of a library in a private office or home. It was perfect.

“You’re taking this a lot better than I expected,” Draco murmured as they settled on the couch, their book bags on the floor beside them.

“Yeah, well,” Harry sighed with a tired shrug. “I’m getting tired of always fighting with you. Besides, I’ve noticed that most of our fights only begin when Ron’s around.”

“Makes sense,” the blonde murmured with a smirk.

“Draco?” Harry asked with a frown. “Is Madam Pince part of the group?”

“She is,” Draco said with a slight nod. “I think that’s why she’s more interested in us not fighting. Professor Snape already told the group that he was going to bring you into this. She never liked the way Dumbledore kept trying to force you to do things his way.” When the silence between them lengthened, Draco looked at him searchingly. “Let’s begin.”

* * *

“Harry!” he heard Ron growl from behind him as he was heading for the common room to drop off his book bag. He’d learned a lot from Draco during his free period and couldn’t wait for the next study session. He’d never realized how much effort the blonde put into his studies until he began challenging Harry to try.

“Ron,” he said tiredly, turning to face the boy who’d been his best friend for the last three years. Maybe that had been a mistake on Harry’s part. He was beginning to get annoyed with Ron for trying to keep him from making friends with other people.

“You have some explaining to do,” the red-head growled menacingly. “Why the hell were you sitting with Ferret-face?”

“I already told you, Ron. Malfoy’s tutoring me in Ancient Runes.”

“But you’re not in that class, you’re in Divination,” Ron said with a frown.

“McGonagall allowed me to switch classes since I’m not learning anything in Divination,” Harry told him as he began walking again.

“But it’s the one class we can goof off in!”

Harry stopped, sighing in exasperation. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don’t want to goof off anymore? That I might actually want to learn something while we’re here at school?”

Ron gaped at him in shock and Harry took the opportunity to enter the common room and go up the stairs. He dropped his book bag on his trunk and headed out again. He needed to hurry if he was going to make it downstairs for supper.

“Hey, Harry,” Neville murmured as he caught up to him. “What happened to Ron? He seemed shocked when I came into the common room.”

“He doesn’t understand why I dropped out of Divination and took up Ancient Runes instead. He basically ranted about not being able to goof off in that class anymore. I’m tired of just coasting through my classes, Neville. I actually want to improve my grades while I have a chance so I can get a good job when I’m done school. Is it so hard to understand that?” He realized he was taking his frustration out on the other boy, but he couldn’t help it. He sighed in frustration before grinning lopsidedly at Neville. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries,” Neville said with a grin. “I understand your point. Ron seems content to make the least effort in everything he does unless it’s something that interests him completely, like Quidditch or chest. He doesn’t understand yet that the choices we make here will affect what we do later on.”

“I’m just waiting for Hermione to pounce on me next,” Harry grumbled in irritation. “She can’t understand why I didn’t ask her to tutor me in any subject.”

“So, does this mean that Malfoy is tutoring you in Ancient Runes as well as Potions?”

“Yeah,” Harry said with a lopsided grin. “I never realized how good of a tutor he really was until this afternoon. I actually enjoyed learning for once.”

“You did tell them that Malfoy was assigned to you, right?” Neville rolled his eyes when Harry nodded in exasperation. “That’s because it’s not all dry useless information delivered to you textbook style,” Neville laughed in understanding. “Potions should be just as interesting then.”

“Gods, I hope so,” Harry said with a shake of his head, making Neville laugh again. “Come on, let’s go eat.” In the Great Hall, Harry sighed as Hermione looked up at him with an injured look on her face.
“Let’s sit further up at the table,” Neville murmured, having noticed the look on Hermione’s face as well.

“Yeah, sure,” Harry mumbled, his shoulders tight with tension. He knew he was simply prolonging the inevitable, but he didn’t care right now. The meal passed well, with Dean and Seamus joking with them during the meal. Harry managed to ignore Ron’s glares and Hermione’s disappointed looks. It felt nice to actually enjoy a meal without being judged for once.

“Hey, Harry,” Dean asked as supper neared completion. “Why aren’t you sitting with Ron and Hermione like you usually do?”

“Yeah,” Seamus asked with a grin. “Not that we don’t enjoy your company but usually they don’t let you out of hearing range.”

Harry sighed, pushing down the irritated feeling that wanted to come out at being questioned by someone else. “Malfoy was assigned to tutor me in a couple of subjects. I actually learned more from him in two hours than I ever have from Hermione in three years. Ron’s out of sorts because he spotted us sitting together with a group of students in the library and tried to hex Malfoy. Madam Pince stepped in.”

“Well, that’s not really surprising that you learned more from anyone else other than Hermione. She’s just as bad as Binns for putting you to sleep,” Seamus chortled in amusement.

“So does this mean you and Malfoy are getting along now?” Dean asked with a thoughtful frown. “What about the rivalry between the two of you?”

“We’ve decided to put it behind us so we can work together,” Harry said with a shrug. “I’ve never had such a peaceful afternoon since I started school.”

“I’ll bet,” Seamus snorted. “Well, if you’re sure about this, we’re behind you, Harry.” Dean rolled his eyes at the other boy but nodded his agreement.

“Thanks, guys,” he murmured with a grateful smile. “It’s nice to know someone trusts my judgement.”

Harry wasn’t accosted until he reached the common room after supper. “Harry, we need some explanations from you,” Hermione demanded, hands on her hips.

Harry’s eyebrow rose at her attitude. “I’ll explain as soon as you get off your high horse and when I’m damn good and ready to do so, Hermione,” he growled angrily, having had enough of her demanding manner.

She jerked back as if he’d slapped her but he didn’t care anymore. He’d had his fill of her demanding answers from him.

“Don’t talk to her that way,” Ron growled out, glaring at Harry.

Harry glared right back. “I’ve had enough of this,” he told them softly, the tone dangerous. “Hermione, you’re not my keeper or my mother, so back off. I don’t have to explain myself to my friends. Ron, I can tell by your attitude that this is going to be another one of your temper tantrums. Get over yourself. If you guys can’t support me as my friends, then maybe I’m better off without you.”

“How dare you?” Ron demanded loudly, his face going red with rage. “We’ve done everything for you, been in danger because of you and this is how you repay us?!”
They were gathering a crowd as the other Gryffindor heard Ron’s words.

“The danger that I put you through?” Harry demanded angrily. “I never asked you to come with me to rescue the Philosopher stone. In fact, I told you guys to get out. Ron, you followed me into the Chamber of Secrets by your own choice. I didn’t ask you to follow me down there.”

“And this year,” Ron growled out, “with the Tri-Wizard tournament being hosted here, you’ll be the center of attention again.”

“That’s bull and you know it, Ron,” Neville snapped out, glaring at the red-head. “Harry won’t be entering it because he’ll be too busy getting caught up in his studies.”

“With Malfoy,” Ron sneered, spitting the name out as if it were a swear word or something.

“Yes, with Malfoy because I’m learning better from him than I ever have from Hermione.”

Hermione gasped, her expression hurt. “You could’ve asked me, Harry. I would’ve helped you out.”

“Malfoy. Was. Assigned!!!” he stressed out, his voice loud enough that maybe, just maybe it would sink in. “And sorry, Hermione, but you wouldn’t have helped me. You’d have either taken over or bored me to death with facts I don’t need. I appreciate the fact that you have a photographic memory but everything out of a book isn’t what I need. I can get the same facts from a book, better even, because I can skip the useless information and get straight to the facts.”

Around them, other students nodded in agreement.

“You son of a bitch,” Ron roared out, punching Harry in the face. Fred and George jumped in, grabbing hold of Ron’s arms to keep him from attacking Harry further. Harry stumbled back, landing in the arms of several students when he would’ve fallen on the floor. “After everything she’s done for you, all you can do is insult her?!” Ron demanded angrily, struggling in the twins’ hold.

“It’s not an insult, you prat,” Harry growled out, pushing himself back to his feet. “It’s a fact. Hermione can retain a huge amount of information in her head, which is amazing, but not all of it is needed for everything. Who cares that a Hippogriff can feel the air flowing through every feather it has on its body? Who cares that Hogwarts used to be a sheep hut way back when? None of it has any real bearing on what’s happening here and now. I’m not criticizing… or at least I’m not trying to, but I need to know what I’m doing in classes so that I can honestly say that I know it for myself. Plus, I’m a little too old to be told by a girl who’s what… ten months older than I am?… what to do. I don’t need a mother anymore.”

“Calm down, Ron,” George growled out as the twins struggled with their brother.

“You know what?” Harry told them, a look of disgust on his face. “Don’t worry about him. I’m done with your shit, Ronald. Stay away from me and I’ll stay away from you.”

With that, he stalked out of the common room, ignoring the calls to come back from Hermione, the twins and a few other students that he was too angry to register who it was. Not wanting to be found, he headed up towards the Astronomy tower but hesitated when he reached the seventh level. Changing his mind, he decided to go to the Room of Requirements, knowing no one would be able to enter if he didn’t want them there.

He was surprised to open the door on a heavily treed garden with a stream running across it… perfect to hide in. He hadn’t been sitting there for more than a half hour when he became aware of someone else coming in. Frowning, he turned to look behind him where he knew the door to be.

“Jeez, Potter,” he heard someone grumble before Malfoy stepped through the heavy branches. “Feel like hiding much?”

“I just needed somewhere to go where no one could find me,” Harry said with a sigh as he rested his head on his arms again before he turned back to look at the blonde with a funny look on his face. “How did you even know I was here?”

“Longbottom sent me a message by house-elf,” Draco said with a dismissive shrug, “told me you might need someone to talk to and where to find you. What happened?”

“Ron and Hermione started in on me again,” he grumbled as Draco sat beside him. “Ron seemed to think I was insulting Hermione when I told her I could get the same information from a book as I could through her, better even because then I could skip over the boring details.”

“I’m sure that went over well,” Draco drawled sarcastically.

“He punched me,” Harry said, gently touching his tender jaw, which was probably bruising nicely by now.

Draco rolled his eyes as he sighed. “That doesn’t surprise me. What are you going to do?”

Harry sighed tiredly, looking at the running water. “Sometimes I wish I could switch houses. It would make this so much easier to deal with.”

“Ah, but that wouldn’t deal with anything. It would just mean you’d be hiding from Weasley.”

“It’d be enough for now.”

They were quiet for a while, just enjoying the solitude around them. “I spoke to Professor Snape after supper, to give him an update on what’s happened today and he said he wants to talk to you.”

“You know, it might’ve been a good idea to start with that when you came in,” Harry said sarcastically as he turned to glare at an unrepentant Draco.

“You wouldn’t have been in the mood to listen to him before. You needed to talk to someone about what’s happening,” the blonde said with a shrug as he rose to his feet. “And Longbottom is too close to the situation to be of any help. Come on. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

They made their way down to the Potions Master’s classroom and knocked and walked in. The professor was glaring at them as they made their way down to the front of the room. Harry felt unaccountably nervous, wondering what Snape had planned for him and if he’d be terribly cross at them being late coming down.

“I see your sense of timing has yet to improve,” Snape sneered, glaring at them.

“Sorry, sir,” Draco murmured as he perched on the nearest desk. “I didn’t tell him about your message until after he’d calmed down from Weasley’s attack.”

Snape’s eyes snapped over to Harry, narrowing angrily as he took in the bruise on Harry’s face. “What happened, Mr. Potter?”

“Ron didn’t seem to like the fact that Draco and I were studying together in the library or that Draco is tutoring me. I also told him about switching Divination for Ancient Runes. He complained about not being able to goof off in class anymore. Moreover, he didn’t like the fact that I told Hermione that I could get information faster from a book than from her after they confronted me after supper.”

“So he decided to hit you,” Snape murmured with a frown. “If it were possible, would you want to switch Houses?”

Harry sighed and rubbed at his forehead, trying to rid himself of his headache. Hadn’t he told Draco the same thing? But Draco had been right. Avoiding Ron wasn’t the solution. “No, I don’t think it’d help. In fact,” he murmured tiredly. “It might make things worse. I can handle Ron, especially with Neville, Fred and George there to help me out.”

The Potions master shrugged dismissively. “Let’s see just how well you can do with potions when Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger aren’t around to distract you.” Harry bit back the groan as Snape gestured towards the cauldron he hadn’t noticed. He knew he needed this in order to see just how well he knew what he was doing. “Mr. Malfoy will observe quietly from the side. The instructions are on the table. Begin.”

By the time an hour had gone by, Harry was impressed at how much he’d accomplished. He was on the last part of his potion and nothing bad had happened. That in itself was an accomplishment. The fact that it was actually turning out right was another.

Snape came over to inspect his work, looking pleased with the look of it. “It would seem that we’re going to have to switch you from seat, Mr. Potter, if this is the kind of work you can do on your own.”

“Thank you, sir,” Harry said with a pleased smile. “I’m glad it’s an easy fix.”

“Indeed. Say nothing to anyone,” Snape murmured with a frown. “We’re going to have to be delicate with this or we’ll be bringing more attention to this sudden change than we really want.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well done, Harry,” Malfoy murmured as they walked out of the classroom. “I’ll see you tomorrow in class.”

“Thanks, Draco.”