First Place - Action/Adventure

"Hydra Pit." Blaise stated the password and they entered the Slytherin common room.

Harry glanced around. It looked the same as it had when they were all in second year. He still wasn't overly impressed with it, but he had to admit that it looked more appealing to him now than the last time he'd been in here. Perhaps Harry had changed more than he realized.

Blaise gave Harry a suspicious glance. "You don't seem particularly ... surprised."

Harry shrugged. "Been here once before and it looks the same now as it did then."

"What?!" Blaise exclaimed quietly. "When were you ever in the Slytherin common room?"

Harry gave Blaise the same sly wink and wicked smirk he had that morning when Blaise had complimented him on his Slytherin skills. "A good Slytherin would not give away all of his secrets. Maybe I'll tell you some other time," Harry smirked.

"Holy fuck, Harry!" Blaise practically shouted. Luckily there weren't that many students around at that time of day. Most of them were off in classes still or else in the library. Those that were in the room were carefully watching Blaise, Harry and Draco. All of them startled at Blaise's outburst.

Harry kept the smirk on his face and enjoyed Blaise's outburst and his shock. "Just chalk that up to another thing you didn't know about Harry Potter."

Draco had been studying the room quietly. Harry led him over to the high-backed chairs surrounding the large fireplace, with Blaise following and muttering to himself about Harry's Slytherin tendencies that he'd known nothing about. Harry ignored Blaise and plucked Draco up and set him in the chair in the center of the furniture grouping.

"I bet that's where you sit when you're holding court," Harry said to Draco with a smile.

Draco looked confused, but curious, and studied the chair he was sitting in and the surrounding area. "Court? Like a king?" Draco asked.

"More like a prince, but yes, that kind of court," Harry said. "You like being the Slytherin prince and ordering people to do your bidding."

Draco scrunched up his nose. "Why would I order people around?"

"Oh, it's just a game to you," Harry said, not exactly sure what else to call it. He crouched down and looked at Draco seriously. He figured he might as well use this opportunity to get a little lesson in. "I think you make a handsome little prince, but you're not going to be the type of prince to order people around. You're going to be a kind prince."

Draco nodded. "I don't want to be mean. People don't like you when you're mean to them."

"Good," Harry said with satisfaction. "You can still be a little prince though," he said, smiling at Draco. "If nothing else, you tend to dress the part." He reached over and ruffled Draco's hair.

Draco broke out in giggles. "Is that true?" he asked, looking up at Blaise who was staring at Harry in amazement.

"Yes, Draco. I'm not sure how Harry knew it, but that's the chair you always sit in and you do tend to play that kind of game a lot," Blaise said. Blaise shook his head like he was trying to clear it. "Well, little prince, what do you say? Do you want to go check out the dorm where all your things are?" he asked.

Draco nodded enthusiastically and scrambled down from the chair. He automatically grabbed Harry's hand, but then he tentatively reached for Blaise's hand as well. Blaise took the offered hand with a grin and led them down a long hallway. At the very end, he opened a door and ushered them into a large dorm room.

Overall, Harry supposed it really wasn't that different from his own dorm room. The shape of the room was different, this room being a lot longer, but it still had five beds with trunks at the foot of each. There were wardrobes for each student. One glance told Harry where Draco's area was. Harry pointed down to the far end of the room.

"That's got to be your bed all the way at the end," Harry said to Draco.

Blaise wasn't surprised at Harry's guess this time and he gave Harry a wide grin as they walked down to Draco's space. On the wall opposite Draco's bed were two large wardrobes with a huge floor length mirror mounted to the wall in between them. One wardrobe was all drawers and the other was more of a large closet in which to hang clothes.

On top of the wardrobes were several different dragon figurines, some small and some rather large. All of them were amazing pieces. Harry realized there was a small Hungarian Horntail buried somewhere in his trunk that Draco would absolutely love.

Harry sat down on the bed and realized that the thick black comforter was plush velvet. It was wonderfully soft and warm. Harry checked and, sure enough, there were black satin sheets on the bed as well. He rolled his eyes. It figured that Draco had all the rich creature comforts like expensive sheets and blankets. They hadn't even looked in the wardrobes yet.

Draco had scrambled up on the bed next to Harry. "Wow," he breathed. "This feels like my bed."

Blaise grinned at the small boy. "Well, it is your bed here. You brought the sheets and blankets from home," he admitted.

"Can we put them on your bed, Harry?" Draco asked hopefully.

Harry frowned in confusion. Having something familiar seemed like a good comforting thing for Draco. He liked things that were familiar himself, and Draco had been ripped unceremoniously from everything that he was used to. "I can understand you wanting the familiar blankets, but wouldn't you want them on your own bed?" he asked.

"Oh, well, yeah," Draco said in a small voice, dropping his head.

"Ah," Harry said in understanding. "Draco, did you want to sleep in my bed again?"

Draco slowly nodded. "I don't like being alone when the nightmares come," he said almost inaudibly.

Harry exchanged a look with Blaise. Blaise walked over and pulled a handkerchief out of a drawer and quietly handed it to Harry before sitting down at the end of the bed. Harry moved to prop himself up at the head of the bed and gestured for Draco to come sit with him. Draco came willingly and curled up in Harry's lap.

"Draco, I think now would be a good time to talk about those nightmares," Harry said quietly. He wasn't surprised to feel the boy trembling again.

"I don't want to," Draco mumbled.

"I know you don't want to, but I think it will be good for you. And I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," Harry said calmly.

Draco was crying again and Harry wasn't sure how to get Draco talking. He was glancing around the room, wracking his brain for ideas, when his eyes lit upon a snake carved into the front of the drawer on the bedside table.

"Draco, remember when I said I had nightmares, too, that are about things that really happened?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded against Harry's chest. "Like memories," Draco's muffled voice answered.

"Yes, just like memories," Harry said, stroking Draco's hair, trying to keep him calm. "If I told you about one of my nightmares, would you tell me about yours?" Harry asked.

Draco pulled back a little to look at Harry, his brow furrowed as he contemplated that deal. "Yes," he finally answered decisively.

Harry glanced at Blaise, who was giving him a questioning glance. Obviously Blaise wasn't so sure this was a good idea. Harry wasn't entirely sure either, but he also didn't intend to tell Draco about his worst nightmares. Harry looked back at Draco.

"Well, something happened to me when I was twelve and it was extremely frightening," Harry began. "Do you know what a basilisk is, Draco?" he asked.

Draco's eyes widened. "It's a really, really big snake," he breathed.

Harry nodded. "Yes, it is. Are you afraid of snakes?"

Draco shook his head. "No, but I'd be afraid of one of those. They kill people with their eyes."

Harry nodded again. "You're right. Well, a friend of mine was trapped and I was trying to rescue her, but there was a basilisk there and I couldn't get to her. I was really scared and I didn't want the basilisk to get her, but I didn't want it to get me either. A phoenix came and poked its eyes so it couldn't kill with its eyes anymore, but it was still really dangerous. I climbed up this huge statue and I'd found this sword. When the basilisk lunged at me, I was able to put the sword through its mouth and kill it."

Draco's eyes were bulging. "Wow, you were the one like a prince rescuing the princess," he exclaimed.

Harry grinned ruefully. "I suppose, but that's not really how I felt." He got serious again. "I was scared out of my mind. I was afraid I was going to die even after I killed the basilisk because one of the fangs got stuck in my arm. They're extremely poisonous. I felt really sick and I was close to dying."

"What happened?" Draco breathed.

"Remember I said the phoenix was there? The phoenix came and cried on my arm. Phoenix tears can heal and he made me better," Harry explained.

Draco looked thoughtful, taking this all in. Harry glanced over at Blaise who was eyeing Harry shrewdly. Harry was fairly certain that Blaise would be asking Harry for the rest of the story later. But Snape seemed to think Blaise was trustworthy and Harry was finding himself quite liking this Slytherin.

"So that's what your nightmares are about?" Draco asked.

Harry nodded. "That's one of them. I'm afraid I have lots of nightmares, angel." Harry bit his lip, eyeing the top of Draco's head where the boy had ducked his head again. He decided to take the risk.

"I also have nightmares about this really scary man that I've met several times," Harry said.

Harry wasn't surprised when Draco's trembling returned. He'd calmed during Harry's story, since it did sound like some kind of fairy tale almost. Now, he was thinking about scary men and his own nightmares once again.

"Will you tell me about your nightmare now?" Harry asked quietly.

Draco started to shake his head, but stopped. He had told Harry that he would. Harry just held him and waited patiently.

"I'm not supposed to tell," Draco whispered.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut. This wasn't going to be easy to get through for either of them. "Did someone hurt you and then tell you not to tell anyone?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded hesitantly.

"That's wrong, Draco. No one should be hurting you - ever. It's wrong for them to hurt you and then tell you to keep it secret," Harry said in an even tone.

"But if I don't keep it secret, then he said he'll hurt me worse," Draco whispered.

Harry hugged the boy tightly. "Draco, I'm taking care of you now and no one is going to hurt you. It'll be all right if you tell me."

Harry waited for Draco. After several minutes, Draco finally began talking.

"Sometimes I'm a bad and so I have to be punished. My father punishes me when I've been bad. In my nightmare last night, it was when I broke a cup at dinner and that was really bad because we had guests. Father was really mad. He woke me up late in the night and took me down to the dungeons in the Manor. It's really cold and scary down there," Draco said, and a shudder wracked through his entire body.

Harry just held him tightly. He didn't dare say anything. For one, he didn't want to interrupt now that Draco was finally talking. But also, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to remain calm if he opened his mouth. So, he just held Draco and listened quietly to the small, shaky voice telling its story.

Draco took a deep breath and continued after several moments had passed. "The dungeons are where Father punishes people. There ... there was a body down there and it was all bloody. And it was just all wrong," Draco explained, his entire frame shuddering with his palpable fear. Tears were pouring down his face.

Harry had a fist clenched in the back of Draco's robes, but he forcefully made himself remain calm and his other hand gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Draco's ear. "Tell me the rest, angel," Harry whispered.

Draco closed his eyes tightly. "Father told me I'd end up like that body if I ever told anyone about the dungeons. He ... he used his wand on me and cast Crucio," Draco said, his voice tight. "It hurt bad, Harry," Draco's voice broke on a sob and he buried his face in Harry's robes, sobs wracking his body.

Harry had tears flowing down his own cheeks as he rocked the small boy, murmuring any soothing phrases and sounds he could think of. Harry felt movement and watched as Blaise moved to the wardrobe and came back with a couple more handkerchiefs. He passed one to Harry and kept one for himself, sitting back down quietly. With one hand Harry wiped his eyes and blew his nose.

Draco was still crying but the sobs had lessened. Harry gently pried Draco back a little so he could wipe the little boy's face and help him blow his nose as well.

Harry didn't want to upset the boy further, but he needed to know. "Draco, did your father cast Crucio on you a lot?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded.

"Did he hurt you in any other way?" Harry asked.

Draco shook his head. "He said Crucio couldn't be seen," the little boy choked out.

Harry nodded and took a deep breath. Harry remembered how hurt and angry he'd felt when he found out that his own father was a bit of a bully when he was in school. This was absolutely nothing compared to that, but it gave Harry at least a touch of understanding. At least, he hoped he was on the right track with what he was about to say. "Draco, I want you to listen to me very carefully."

Draco looked up and Harry locked eyes with him. "What your father did is very, very wrong. I know you love your father and that's what makes it hurt even more. But just because you love your father, does not make it right what he did to you. Do you understand?" Harry asked intently.

Draco sniffled and nodded tentatively.

"I'm not going to let your father do that to you anymore. I'm going to protect you and keep you safe. You don't have to be scared anymore," Harry said forcefully and with conviction.

Draco swallowed hard. "But father always gets his way," he said nervously. "'What a Malfoy wants, a Malfoy gets'," he parroted.

"Not this time," Harry snarled, and the bed they were sitting on vibrated a little, startling them all.

Draco looked a little wide-eyed but then seemed to be actually reassured by the fierceness of Harry's response. Draco glanced down at the end of the bed at Blaise, so Blaise chose to speak up.

"Draco, I have the feeling that Harry can be just as dangerous as your father," Blaise said, a little wide-eyed himself. He could practically see the magical energy that Harry was trying to hold back. "I have no doubt that Harry is strong enough and powerful enough to protect you from your father."

Draco nodded solemnly and snuggled in as close as he could to Harry again. Harry stroked his hair and rubbed soothing circles on Draco's back. Within a few minutes the boy was asleep, drained from the emotions of the past hour.

Harry took a couple of deep breaths in a vain attempt to calm down. He was angrier than he'd ever been in his life. He carefully eased Draco off his lap and tucked him under the covers in his bed. Then Harry stalked out of the room and down the long hallway, Blaise cautiously following behind him.

Harry stopped abruptly when he got to the common room and slammed his fists into the wall. Right, left, right, left. It wasn't helping. Harry fisted both hands in his hair. "Fucking bastard!" he screamed.

Every green globe hanging from the ceiling suddenly shattered, raining glass down over the room. Shrieks and screams were heard throughout the room that had filled up since they'd last been in there. The only light now came from the fireplace.

Harry snatched his wand from his pocket and swished it violently. All of the glass was promptly banished. Another swish and all cuts were healed that anybody had received from the broken glass. One more violent swish and all of the globes were repaired and the room was lighted once again.

Everyone now stared in shocked silence at Harry. He was standing there, chest heaving and panting heavily. His eyes were glinting dangerously. His entire expression was dark and dangerous. Both fisted hands looked broken and they were dripping blood onto the stone floor.

Harry didn't have the foggiest clue as to how he had done what he just did. It wasn't the first time that his magic had manifested itself when he'd gotten angry, but this was going far beyond anything that had happened in the past. Somehow, blowing up Aunt Marge just wasn't on the same scale. Unfortunately, he wasn't remotely feeling any more in control, even after that outburst of magic.

"I need to find Snape. Watch Draco," Harry commanded Blaise. "If he wakes, just tell him I'll be back soon and I've simply gone to ask his godfather if we can take some of his things up to the tower."

Blaise nodded, gazing at Harry worriedly. Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward without a word and fell into step on either side of Harry as he spun and left the room.

Harry stalked through the dungeon corridors to Snape's office. Unfortunately, the man wasn't there, nor was he in the potions classroom. Harry paused, then turned abruptly to stalk out of the dungeons. He'd get the map and find the man that way.

Harry stalked through the corridors, thankful when students actually jumped out of his path. In the back of his mind, Harry registered that he had to have looked bad for them to be steering out of his way like that, but he didn't care. He figured it probably looked odd, also, that he had Draco Malfoy's two usual henchmen at his side. He didn't care about that either. He just wanted to find Snape and tell him about what he'd learned, and hoped like hell that Snape could help him regain control of his magic.

Upon reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry snarled the password and stepped through the portrait hole with Crabbe and Goyle stepping in behind him.

Someone shrieked when they saw the two large Slytherins stepping into their common room. "What are they doing in here?" one of the seventh years shouted.

Harry tensed up even more than he already was and snarled dangerously. Crabbe and Goyle each grabbed one of Harry's arms and bodily lifted him a couple inches off the ground, causing a couple more girls to scream.

Harry, though, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He understood that Crabbe and Goyle were trying, in their own way, to help prevent him from repeating whatever it was that had happened in the Slytherin common room. He didn't understand any of it, but he did recognizing that their touch seemed to actually be helping to ground him in some way.

His anger was still threatening to overwhelm him, and his out-of-control magic wasn't helping him to tamp it down in any way. He took another deep breath, pretending that it gave him a semblance of calm. He really needed to find Snape as soon as possible.

When he slowly nodded, the two Slytherins set him back down again and released him. When Harry opened his eyes again, Hermione and Ron were standing in front of him.

"Harry?" Hermione asked tentatively, looking at him worriedly. Ron looked like he wasn't sure if he should be concerned about Harry or angry with the two goons as he'd always thought of them.

"Ron, get me the map," Harry ordered. Ron hesitated for just a moment, then took off for the stairs at a run.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"I'll be fine," Harry snapped. He wasn't in the mood to be pleasant.

"Where's Draco? Has something happened to him?" she asked worriedly.

Harry's expression darkened even further and his magical energy became palpable once again. Before the two Slytherins could grab him, the windows in the common room shattered.

"Fuck!" Harry exclaimed as the students broke out in screams. He whipped out his wand again and slashed it violently a few times, cleaning up and repairing the damage like he had in the Slytherin common room.

"Draco's with Blaise and he's fine," Harry ground out. "I just need to find Snape."

Ron cautiously stepped forward, holding out the map. Harry snatched it from him and whirled around, stepping out into the hallway again and leaving behind a roomful of stunned Gryffindors this time.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Harry said, tapping the map with his wand. Crabbe and Goyle were once again standing on either side of Harry but now they each kept a hand lightly on Harry's arms. Harry didn't bother shaking them off; knowing they were attempting to ground him and it had worked once at least.

Hermione and Ron were looking scared, but they stepped in front of Harry and helped him search the map.

"He's in the hospital wing," Hermione said, pointing at Snape's name on the map.

Harry shoved the map into her hands and took off. As they approached the hospital wing, Hermione and Ron rushed forward, opening up the doors and holding them for Harry and the two Slytherins.

Snape was there, watching as Madame Pomfrey tended to a couple of students who had likely been in a potions accident. All of them looked up in shock as the group of students entered the ward. Snape immediately stepped forward.

Snape's gaze flicked over the furious Gryffindor and noticed the hands of the two Slytherins holding onto him. He could feel the power radiating off of Harry. "Potter, you need to get control of yourself," he snapped.

"I realize that," Harry ground out. "Unfortunately, I don't have a fucking clue as to how to do that. Among other things, I was hoping you could tell me how."

Snape closed the space between them and grabbed hold of Harry's shoulders. Crabbe and Goyle let go and backed away.

"Look at me," Snape commanded and dark, emerald eyes locked with deep, obsidian eyes. "Legilimens," Snape said quietly.

At that word, Harry expected the usual invasion of his mind. Instead he could feel Snape connecting with him on a much deeper level. Both of their eyes drifted shut. Harry had no idea how it was happening, but it was like he could feel Snape pulling him deeper into his body until all Harry could feel was his magic surrounding him and his professor. Snape began pulling all of Harry's magic back to this magical core. Harry couldn't see or hear anything, but he could feel what was happening. Harry mimicked his professor and began pulling his magic back to where it belonged and where it was stable.

Slowly, they gathered all the loose strands of Harry's magic back to his magical core. When his magic was completely stable once again, Snape pulled Harry back up and then exited Harry's mind, breaking their connection. Slowly they both opened their eyes and Snape stepped back.

"Merlin, Potter," Snape breathed as he stared at Harry intently. "Where did all that power come from?" he asked, having forgotten all of the others in the room.

Harry shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I guess I've always had it, but it's like I felt something snap inside earlier. I got angrier than I've ever been in my life and my magic just ... exploded."

Crabbe, Goyle, Ron and Hermione all snorted, causing Harry and Snape to whip around and remember their surroundings. Snape narrowed his eyes. "I think we should finish this discussion in my office. Come with me," Snape commanded.

Harry and Snape fell into step, together surprisingly, with the other four trailing behind. Once in Snape's office, he commanded Harry to sit in his chair behind the desk and he conjured chairs for the other four. Snape stood imposingly at the side of his desk.

"I can hazard a guess at to what got you so angry in the first place," Snape said to Harry, with a slight question in his tone.

The dangerous glint returned to his eyes as Harry nodded.

Snape closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We will discuss that later," Snape said to Harry.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied evenly.

Snape opened his eyes and glared at the four teens. "At the moment, I would like to know what happened this afternoon, and what you four found so amusing."

"Not amusing, sir," Hermione answered. "It was just a highly accurate description. Harry's magic exploded in the Gryffindor common room."

"In the Slytherin common room, too," Crabbe added.

Snape glanced back at Harry who just shrugged.

"Explain," Snape commanded Crabbe.

Crabbe and Goyle took turns explaining what they had witnessed in the Slytherin common room. At the mention of Harry pounding his fists into the wall, Snape inspected Harry's hands and gathered a couple of potions, passing them to Harry while he continued to listen. Hermione and Ron picked up the explanation from when Harry and the Slytherins had entered the Gryffindor common room.

Before they could finish explaining, there was a knock on the office door. Snape swore, but stalked over to the door and yanked it open. Blaise was standing there with a sobbing Draco in his arms.

Snape stepped back, gesturing them in, and Blaise breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Harry.

"Oh, Draco!" Harry exclaimed. Draco's head whipped up as Blaise bent to set him down. Harry held his arms out and Draco flew into them. The others watched silently as Harry rocked and soothed him.

"I woke up and you were gone," Draco sobbed.

"Didn't Blaise tell you that I'd just gone to ask Severus if we could move some of your things to the tower?" Harry asked, his gaze flicking to Blaise who just shrugged and nodded helplessly.

"Yeah, but you still didn't come back and you were gone such a long time," Draco cried.

"He woke up not long after you left," Blaise explained, handing Harry another handkerchief.

"I'm sorry I worried you, angel. I just couldn't find Severus right away, so I had to go all the way up to Gryffindor tower to get my special map so I could find him," Harry explained, wiping Draco's face.

"Special map?" Draco asked, his interest caught.

Harry grinned. "Why don't you go over and ask Hermione for it and she can show you how to work it. Once you know how to work the special map, then we can explore in what time we have left before dinner."

Hermione and Ron were looking between Harry and Snape incredulously, but Harry just nodded. Draco was sufficiently distracted from his fears for the moment by the idea of this special map. He glanced at Harry a bit nervously, though.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be waiting right here until you know how to use the map, then we'll go together," Harry said calmly.

Draco was reassured and he went over to Hermione, who got the map out and began showing Draco how to use it.

Snape had stepped close to Harry.

"Blaise can tell you about what we learned in the dorm earlier," Harry whispered quietly. "He was there and heard everything Draco said as well. I don't dare leave Draco again at the moment. I shouldn't have even left him in the first place really, but I was just too angry to be near him at the time."

Snape nodded his agreement. "I will talk with them and get the rest of the explanations before dinner. After dinner I will be going to talk with the Headmaster and let him know what has occurred and discuss with him what we will need to do to help you control your magic."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said quietly. "Oh, about why I told Draco I was coming to see you - would it be all right if we took some of his things up to the tower? He recognized his bedding, in particular, from home. I think having a few familiar things around would be comforting for him," Harry explained.

"That would be acceptable. However, do not allow anything to happen to his possessions," Snape warned.

"Of course not, sir," Harry said. "I just want to help him be comfortable in his new surroundings. Uh, sir? Is Draco allowed to have his wand at this age?" Harry asked.

Snape looked at him curiously. "Didn't you have a wand when you were younger?" he asked.

Harry snorted. "No. I didn't even know I was a wizard until I was eleven and Hagrid tracked me down to give me my Hogwarts letter."

Snape, and Blaise who'd been listening in, looked at him, shocked at Harry's words. "You didn't even know you were a wizard?" Snape asked, sounding bemused.

Harry shook his head. "But that's another story. I just want to know if Draco could use his wand. Technically, for him to use the map he would need his wand. Right now, Hermione is letting him use hers to do it," Harry said, gesturing across the room.

"Yes, he may use his wand. Admittedly, many young witches and wizards do not get them until they start at Hogwarts because of the laws regarding the use of underage magic. It is not forbidden for a child to own a wand and they may use them in environments such as Hogwarts. Draco had his wand and was using it at a very early age because the wards at Malfoy Manor permitted him to do so," Snape explained. "I had assumed that the wards at your residence would have allowed you to practice magic as well."

Harry looked incredulous. "Not even close to the truth," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I thought you knew that I got tried by the full Wizengamot Court for using underage magic last year because I dared to use a Patronus Charm to expel a couple of dementors who were after me and my cousin."

He didn't have a clue as to how Snape didn't seem to know about that. He thought everyone, especially members of the Order, had known about it. But then again, Snape did have a history of trying to avoid anything that had to do with Harry Potter, he thought bitterly.

"You are joking," Snape said harshly. "They wouldn't try a fifteen-year-old under the full court for something like that."

"They will if your name is Harry Potter and Fudge and Umbridge are the ones in charge," Harry snapped.

"Harry?" Draco called tentatively.

"Have you got it figured out yet?" Harry asked brightly, dropping the discussion with Snape.

Draco nodded. "Yes, but I don't have my own wand."

Blaise winked at him. "Well, it just so happens that I tucked it into this pocket of your bag right here," he said, bringing it out with a flourish.

Draco's eyes lit up. Blaise handed it over to him.

"Are you ready to explore then, angel?" Harry asked smiling.

"Now I'm ready," Draco said grinning, holding up his wand in one hand and the map in the other.

"Well, then let's go see what we can discover before dinner," Harry said. Harry walked out of Snape's office with Draco, leaving the others to finish explaining things to Snape.

Harry and Draco explored for a little while using the map. Mainly they would find the name of a person on the map that was fairly close by and they would go and verify that that person was really there. Draco was amazed every time when the map proved accurate. After forty-five minutes, it was time for them to head to dinner.

"Time to put the map away, Draco, so we can go eat," Harry said.

Draco grinned and got his wand out of his pocket. "Mischief managed," he said, tapping his wand on the parchment.

"Good job," Harry said with a grin. Draco proudly handed the blank parchment over to Harry, who tucked it away in his bag. Then, hand-in-hand, they made their way to the Great Hall. Lunch had been with the Gryffindors which meant that they would be back at the Slytherin table for dinner. Harry could only hope that the meal would go smoothly, but he didn't think he would be that lucky, considering that everyone would be talking about what Harry had done in the Slytherin and Gryffindor common rooms.

Malfoy's Child - Chapter 7

Back to Chapter 5

Back to Results