I've had the time of my life

Potter really was more than a bit thick, wasn’t he? He should have realized after six years trying to keep the other boy’s attention for more than a fight.

Aside from his own feelings (that needn’t be mentioned) that had never been noticed- those twins had been following the savior around for literal weeks; stars in their eyes and blushes on their faces.

The dumb twat that he was Potter just acted like they were only thankful for healing the girl- not as if his very act of being able to in the first place was also a contributing factor. Seriously- curing a curse the greatest minds of the wixen world didn’t even know how to begin diagnosing, let alone treating?

Saint Potter at it again. The two were obviously infatuated with the stupid scar-head (again ignoring his feelings on the matter) but the boy was completely unaware of the fact. Treating them like over-excited first years instead of teens only two years his junior that so noticeably wanted to get into his pants.

Draco let go of the aggravating thoughts to focus on his potion- Professor Sharp had them brewing wound-cleaning potion for the hospital wing, Draco was almost finished with the final steps and didn’t want it blowing up in his face.

Potter was next to him completely useless in potions as usual- mucking around with the spider-fangs instead of crushing them as he’d asked five minutes ago. The green-eyed savior pushed the fangs in front of his lips making fake hissing noises as he pretended to bite at Draco’s shoulder.

Why did he like this idiot?

Pinching the muscled thigh (that may be a contributing factor) he swiped the fangs from lax fingers- crushing them himself even as he kept a side-eye on the potion bubbling away- purple smoke thickening as he stirred in the last ingredient.

Leaning back once he saw the (perfect) potion was complete he waved his wand to distribute it into the waiting vials. “Excellent teamwork I’d say.” Potter leaned on him with a devastatingly charming smile sickening Draco with the way butterflies squirmed in his gut.

“Hardly- unless you mean to say the teamwork of myself and my wand- then yes, it is quite excellent.” Rolling his shoulder Draco stood- handing in their potions as they were dismissed by the professor.

One thing he quite liked about this time was that they were allowed to leave the class once they were done with their assignment- didn’t have to wait around looking busy while the dunderheads failed at basic magic.

Potter walked with him to the library, hanging around for a few minutes before left- leaving the now named Zazu with Draco as he went; off to save more damsels in distress or kill more spiders most likely- Draco had no idea how the other boy was passing any of his classes. Unless his over the top practical performance made up for his sub-par theoretical work.

‘I don’t know, it just works- it’s like magic!’ Draco rolled his eyes at the thought of their near daily squabbles about how Potter did the things he did. Selecting a volume on ancient runes based in Egyptian script for some light reading Draco strolled to his usual table near the back of the library.

Though, there must be some kind of assignment going on with the fifth years- most of the tables were filled already. He quickly found himself with the options to leave, try and find someplace he could study, or joining someone else’s table.

Deeming searching to be too much of a hassle, he decided to request to join a fellow Slytherin’s table. He couldn’t recall the boy’s name- but it was the blonde who was friends with those twins.

“Do you mind if I join you? I promise not to be a bother.” The boy looked up from his parchment, his fingers had been carefully writing out letters- but they were all over the place and overlapping. Seeing the milky green eyes Draco acknowledged why it was the case.

“As long as you don’t mind the auditory spell reading aloud for me. Have a seat.” There was a pause in the quiet speech the wand had been emitting as Draco made himself comfortable, starting up again near silently as he finished setting his things down.

About five chapters into the tome the other boy requested- “Could you please feed your pet? It’s becoming quite distracting.” He had been ignoring the gentle hissing as it wasn’t too loud- maybe the boys hearing was extra sensitive since he was blind?

“I apologize, he’s usually with Potter and I forget when he needs to eat.” Taking out the bag Harry had given him filled with little frozen mice Draco dangled it in front of the feathered face a moment before it was snapped up into the shining beak.

“It’s fine- I imagine most wouldn’t have to hear the complaints.” Humming in agreement Draco watched the younger boy- there was something familiar about him now that he was looking closer. Something about the shape of his face.

“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced now that I think about it, my name is Draco Malfoy.” The boy looks over Draco’s shoulder aimlessly.

“My name is Ominis Gaunt.” A sick flush of cold ran through his blood.

Gaunt?

Searching the features again Draco could see it- the lines of Tom Riddle’s face in this boy. Pushing away from the horrible memories was difficult, they tried to drag him down. “Well met, Gaunt.”

They returned to their own studies- but Draco could no longer focus. He was stuck in a spiral of darkening thoughts, breathing uneven as he was reliving the memories; being trapped in his own home- hearing his mother screaming and his father’s cries.

Scales and feathers fluttered against his skin, Zazu coiling around his wrist sometime later. Blinking dry eyes Draco looked around- noticing how empty the library had become. He was alone at the table now, Ominis leaving at some point in his depressive spiral.

Packing his things Draco returned to his dorm, settling the occamy into his nest as he went.

“Expecto Patronum” white whisps of pure emotion sank out of his wand like smoke- the shaggy lion roaring silently as it formed. It was beautiful- even if he missed his peacock at times. “Relay this message: Potter- I don’t know where you are but return to our rooms, I must speak with you.” Giving a mental nudge to the patronus it bound away straight through the wall, tail flicking eagerly as it went.

How the utter dunce hadn’t realized his feelings with that glaring piece of evidence he still didn’t know.

Harry had been talking with a fifth year Gryffindor named Natty when Draco’s patronus had rushed in- he’d heard her tell the other new student that she’d learnt to be an animagus while in her other school and was hoping she’d give him some pointers. They’d been meeting up for a few hours for the last week as she guided him in the Uagadou way of achieving the form. Which was much less rigid than the commonly known method.

He wanted to surprise Draco with it, since the other had already achieved his form when he was stuck under Tom’s dictatorship. The Dark Lord had wanted something that would be able to sneak around after he’d accidentally killed wormtail during a fit- unfortunately for him Draco was not very inconspicuous- and the others were unable to achieve it and the plan failed.

Harry was alright at transfiguration, but the British animagus process was very theory heavy- he’d already tried learning from three people (who all had completed the process) and had been at it for around three years now with very little progress.

He’d always muck it up somehow- get hurt and be unable to recite the incantation, sleep in, accidentally swallow the mandrake leaf; all sorts of things.

Waving goodbye to the younger girls- and studiously avoiding the twins that attempted to catch up with him; Harry ran back to the dorms at Draco’s behest.

Only to get scolded for not telling his friend about Tom’s ancestor, letting him find out for himself and never thinking things through. Treating it as every other time he was scolded he just nodded along and pretended he didn’t exist.

Fully in a snit now Draco went on to complain about his hair, the state of his clothes, and just about everything else about him until he ran out of steam. Huffing at his agreeable attitude before flouncing off to take a bath.

Groaning he dropped back onto his bed- no matter how pretty the boy was Draco was always a bit of a bitch too. Harry was glad they’d at least made it to friendship- even if sometimes he wondered if he even had that.

Throwing off his jumper and jeans he rolled under the covers in just his pants- dropping his glasses carelessly on the side table as he went ready to try meditating once more. He’d made more progress with Natty than with McGonagle, Sirius, and Draco together. When he got deep into the meditation, he could feel the phantom wind as it brushed through fur, felt like he could just run and never stop.

He couldn’t see the animal in his soul yet- but it felt like some kind of dog maybe? Four legs, fur, long tail was the feelings he got.

Around an hour later Draco came back smelling of pine needles and rain- blonde hair still dripping with bathwater as he snuggled into a robe. Harry watched him discretely as he ran lotion over his arms and legs, his after-bath rituals extensive and careful as he primped himself.

~ Darling, your feathers are looking so beautiful today! So glossy- did Draco rub that oil you like on them for you? ~ Harry hissed to their pet as he pats the vain creature. Fingers brushing along his crest down to his scaly tail- brown digits scratching at just the right points to make Zazu squeak in happiness.

“It’s been a while since I heard parseltongue spoken so gently- usually all I hear are spit insults.” Ominis Gaunt spoke from his place leaning against the window to the lake.

~ Oh? Do you speak, Ominis? ~ Harry questioned the second blonde in his life- they’d become somewhat of friends in the last few months; friendly at any rate, but this was the first time the younger boy had brought up their shared trait in all that time.

“I try not to, I’ve no fond memories I’m afraid. Still… it is nice to hear you speak.” Unseeing eyes roamed the surface of the glass, wand lit up in a gentle red glow.

“Either way- please speak English Potter as I certainly don’t understand what you’re saying.” Draco huffed from above where Harry was leaning into his legs making him quirk a smile.

“Certainly dear- so Ominis, how have you been doing? I noticed you seemed a bit upset the other day; I tried to catch you but Anne stopped me for a chat.” Zazu shrank down to fit in his robe pocket, yawning cutely before snuggling in with a sigh.

The younger scowled darkly- “What are your thoughts on…. Dark magic?” the boy suddenly asked, sightless eyes pointed in their direction.

Uncomfortably reminded of his conversation with Tom Riddle Harry looked from one boy to the other before answering.

“I think, it’s horrible. Dark magic is strong- but it’s poison, corruptive. It’s insidious and rots a person until they’re nothing but a shell of themselves.” Draco added in- “My family practiced dark magic my whole life; I grew up in it, saw what it did to the people I loved and what they did in turn. Not all dark magic as assigned by the ministry is what I would call horrible, but true, actual dark magic…. I would agree- it is a rot.”

Draco looked lost in memory- shuddering in intervals; Harry rubbed a hand up his calf soothingly.

“I used a spell once. I didn’t know what it was, it had been written in a potions text- a text that had already given me so much assistance that I thought- what would be the harm?” Holding Draco’s leg tighter as he remembered the awful thing he’d done to his friend Harry continued.

“It sliced him open- wounds that I couldn’t stop, they just bled and bled, I was so sure I was about to see him die.” Choking it out Harry pushed his face down, “Luckily a professor knew the counter curse- but he’d almost died. I almost killed him… it’s something that will mar on my conscious for the rest of my life.”

Draco’s pale hand pet his hair gently- Ominis had wandered closer during his confession as well, a hesitant hand twisting their fingers together.

“When I was young, my father and brother forced me to use dark magic against muggles. They would curse me with Imperio to torture them, I didn’t want to! But they would make me, I would be trapped, unable to stop myself from hurting them… even children sometimes…” He cried.

“Sebastian knows my history, knows how I feel about it, but now- even though you’ve cured Anne, Sebastian is going down a road I can’t follow; I’ve tried to guide him away but I fear that new girl Judy is just leading him into the dark.”

And harry didn’t know what to say to that. He’d not really been around the other girl aside from peripherally when with Natty.

“She goes on these…. Hunts. For goblins, she says that they’re after her for seeing ancient magic, but she doesn’t even try to stay in the castle or seek help from Aurors. She sneaks out at all hours of the night, going to their camps to attack them on purpose! She kills them, I know she does.”

Well, Harry went out at night too so he couldn’t really defend that, but killing goblins? Especially right now at the cusp of a goblin rebellion? Pure idiocy.

“She’s dragged Sebastian into something I’m not sure he’ll be able to recover from- he already comes back late into the night reeking of blood and high off of being near dark magic. He is lying to me, and to Anne, I just don’t know what to do anymore.” Ominis broke down, no tears fell but his face was anguished, rough breathes scraping out of his throat.

Petting the boy’s hand as they sit on the floor by Draco’s feet Harry thinks he should probably look into the other new student.