Harry didn't know what to do. He couldn't speak. He couldn't hear. He was idly aware of Snape saying something, but he couldn't make out what. He saw Draco run towards him, felt the weight of his hands on his shoulders, but he couldn't understand anything.
He wanted to cry. Or sleep and never wake up. Or break down or rip his hair out or do anything but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything but stand there.
The plan had been to stop Voldemort from reaching power again, to prevent him ever coming back. They'd had the upper hand. They knew what was coming, why did Moody-Crouch take his blood? In the 'good old days', Voldemort had wanted Harry to be there for his rebirth, he'd wanted to kill him in front of his followers. So why was it different now? Was he still meant to be taken to the Graveyard?
He must be, otherwise why else would he have been entered into the Tournament again? Or maybe this time Voldemort didn't care if Harry was killed for show, maybe he just wanted him gone and the Tournament was the fastest way?
But how could that make sense? Harry had changed things, certainly, but he hadn't changed anything much in regards to Moody-Crouch and the general plan surrounding his discovery. So why would Moody-Crouch's plan change?
This, more than anything, put them at a disadvantage. They needed to figure out what Moody-Crouch's new plan was and fast. The Second Task wasn't far away, and it would certainly be easy to murder Harry when he was down at the bottom of the lake. Worse still, if the plan wasn't to kill Harry prematurely, and was something else entirely but Voldemort was still resurrected early, then he would get Nagini back and killing her would be equally as difficult as it had been the first time around.
More than anything, they needed a plan.
Harry shook his head, pulling his train of thought back into the present and trying his best to piece together what Draco and Snape were saying to him.
"-ll be okay, Harry. We won't let them hurt you. I won't let them hurt you."
Aw, Harry thought, that was sweet of him. Harry liked when Draco was protective. Though it was a shame he had absolutely no idea what Draco had just said aside from the end of his sentence. Still, he appreciated it nonetheless.
"Sorry. I'm back, I just lost myself for a second." Harry said, Draco frowned at him. Snape raised an eyebrow.
"I know what we need," Harry started.
"We're all ears, Potter." Snape said sarcastically. Draco nodded encouragingly, looking slightly as if he expected Harry to pass out cold right in front of him.
"First thing, we need to figure out Crouch's plan. Snape you can deal with that; you're a teacher, you'll find a way to explain it, Draco and I can't- we would be easily punished if we were found rooting around in his Office or something. We need to figure out if he's still in possession of the blood, and if not, whether he's planning to take me to the Graveyard or if now he wants to kill me early."
Snape narrowed his inky black eyes, "Very well."
Harry nodded at him.
"Second thing, Draco and I are going to destroy Ravenclaw's diadem. I think destroying as many Horcruxes as possible before either Dumbledore or Voldemort realise what we've been doing is essential. Dumbledore will find out eventually I'm sure, but until then, we should do as many as we can. Luckily for us, the diadem is somewhere we can easily access."
Harry looked between Draco and Snape, Draco was wearing an expression of wary determination. Snape looked suspicious.
"And how, Potter, are you planning to destroy the diadem? As much as you may deem yourself invincible, you cannot conceivably waltz into Dumbledore's Office and steal Gryffindor's sword yourself." Snape said icily.
Harry smirked, "Glad you asked! Draco and I are gonna take a trip down memory lane," He turned to Draco, "Ever wanted to visit the Chamber of Secrets?"
Snape glared, "Potter! You can't just enter the Chamber of Secrets!"
Harry shrugged, "Why not? I've been there before, and it's how Ron and Hermione destroyed the Cup in the Battle of Hogwarts. I don't think it'll be an issue, really."
Draco looked nervous, "Are you sure it's a good idea though? How do you know it won't be different to how you expected, and you'll be unprepared? I thought you said it was Weasley and Granger who went back in seventh year, rather than you?"
Harry shook his head, "I don't know. But it's what we have to do. Unless either of you can think of a better idea?" He asked rhetorically, raising a brow. "Didn't think so. Anyways, we'd better get on with it now, come on Draco."
Draco's gaze flicked between Harry and Snape, "Wh- now? Like, right now? Harry are you insane?"
Harry was getting irritated by the consistent disbelief at his planning skills, "Yes, now! Why should we wait? Dumbledore is distracted by the Minister now, and everyone else is either asleep or in their dormitories. It's the perfect opportunity, as well as the fact that leaving it longer means less time for us to figure out how to deal with everything else- in particular the Second Task."
Both Snape and Draco looked uncertain, however neither objected again.
"Great! Let's go." Harry took Draco by the wrist, pulling him out the door and into the Hall beyond.
"Oh wait." He said. Draco tilted his head in question.
Harry turned back around and poked his head through the door, "By the way, can I borrow Gillyweed for the Second Task?"
Snape rolled his eyes, nodding "Out, Potter."
"Thanks!"
Harry shut the door behind him.
Draco was staring at Harry with something akin to wonder in his grey eyes.
"What?"
"You're actually insane."
"What?! Why?"
They began to walk down the corridor towards the staircase that would take them to Myrtle's Bathroom.
Draco scoffed, laughing lightly, "I thought when you saw your arm, that you would cry or pass out or something- that you'd have a normal reaction."
Harry looked at him confusedly.
"But you didn't, you just sort of... zoned out, for like a couple of minutes. Then you came back and suddenly you have a whole plan and these crazy ideas and just-"
Draco paused, thinking it over.
"Is that- is that a bad thing?"
Draco's eyes widened, "No! No, of course not." He smiled to himself, "I don't know it's just.. it's so you. Like, only you would see that the thing which allowed the literal Dark Lord to return was gone and would think about it strategically."
Harry laughed, feeling some of the tension leave him, "It's the Hermione in me."
Draco smirked, "It's the Slytherin in you."
Harry smirked back, when he remembered, "You know I was almost in Slytherin?"
Draco stared at him in shock.
"You were?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded, "The hat couldn't decide, it said I'd 'do well in Slytherin'. It only picked Gryffindor instead because I asked it to."
"It- you.. you did? Why?"
Harry flushed, "Because of you, actually."
"What?!"
"Because! On the train you were mean to Ron, so my little eleven-year-old brain didn't want to be in the same house as you."
Draco looked as if he'd been slapped.
Harry glanced at him, "Draco?"
"I was such a fucking idiot."
Harry was surprised into laughter, "Sorry?"
"I can't believe that. Imagine I never said anything to Weasley. We could've been in the same house."
Harry frowned at the floor, "Yeah, I guess we could've, couldn't we? But I don't think we would've been friends."
Draco looked at him.
"No?"
Harry shook his head, "We were too different then. Even if we'd been in the same house we wouldn't have ended up here."
"Hm. I s'pose not." Draco sighed, "It's weird to think what could've been, though."
"Yeah." Harry agreed. They fell into an easy silence, only the sound of their footsteps was heard echoing across the walls.
"For what it's worth though, I'm glad we're friends now." Harry said quietly, breaking the silence.
Draco met his eyes, smiling warmly. "Me too."
With that, Harry felt a desperate swoop in his chest, and knew he was totally gone.
—-
They made their way easily to the Chamber, Harry using his Parseltongue to get them through the enormous metal door. Draco was getting increasingly anxious as they progressed. He'd heard Harry use Parseltongue on a number of occasions, and yet for some reason this felt far more intense.
The snake-engraved door swung open with an almighty creak. Draco gripped Harry's arm without really realising what he was doing. Harry shot him an enervating glance. Although he was - admittedly - scared shitless, Harry's company comforted him greatly.
He knew nothing would hurt him whilst Harry was here.
"This way,"
Harry's voice broke the eerie silence, echoing around the grimy entryway. Sound reverberated across the walls, each crunching step lingering upon the air.
They soon emerged into a cavernous room. The ceiling was almost invisible in the greenish darkness, the walls were coated in a thick layer of unpleasant grime, and the whole place smelled of rotting things.
As they walked further in, Draco got the fright of his life, coming face to face with a corpse the size of a whale.
"Merlin's beard," he breathed.
Harry grinned at him, "Yep."
They moved towards it.
Draco kept wanting to move in front of Harry in case the beast somehow awoke and attacked him. The fact Harry had killed it once didn't mean he could do it again.
Nearing the mouth, Draco could see each enormous tooth protruding from the hideous, bloody mouth.
"Right." Harry turned towards him, "Just grab as many fangs as you can. We'll only need one for this Horcrux, but it never hurts to have a supply. I don't fancy needing to come back here anytime soon."
Draco snorted, staring about the creepy room. "You can say that again."
They began yanking out the massive teeth, gathering as many as they each could hold in their arms.
After several minutes of dropping them on the floor, they realised they had both reached fang-capacity, and decided it was time to leave.
"Okay. How do we get out, exactly?" Draco asked.
"Erm." Harry said blankly.
Draco levelled him a pointed glare.
"Potter. Do not tell me you don't know how to get out?"
"Well I used Fawkes last time!"
Draco stared.
"Can't we just use him again, then?"
"Er- maybe? I don't know!"
"Well give it a try! No point just standing there like a lemon."
Harry snorted, "Like a lemon, did you say? What does that even mean?"
"Just get on with it Potter!"
"Right okay, sorry!"
Harry sort of stood there awkwardly for a few moments. He turned towards Draco.
"Do I need to like, say it out lou-"
Squawk!
The two of them turned towards the noise.
"Fawkes!" They both cried.
Harry shot Draco a bewildered look, "I can't believe that actually worked!"
Draco smiled smugly, "Never doubt me, Potter."
Harry rolled his eyes.
—-
Once they were back in the abandoned girl's bathroom, Draco couldn't help it. He was overcome by a fit of laughter.
"What are you laughing about?"
Draco only laughed harder.
"Seriously..? Draco?" Harry began chuckling lightly too, helpless to the contagiousness of Draco's giggling.
"That was," Draco inhaled, "so FUN!"
Harry looked momentarily taken aback by the exclamation, before he smiled brightly.
"Glad you enjoyed it."
"Yes! I did! God, Potter, if I'd known life could be this good I would've liked you a whole hell of a lot sooner."
Harry blushed massively.
"You- really?"
"Heh, yeah!" Draco responded, not quite aware of what he'd just said.
Harry gave Draco the brightest smile he'd ever seen, and suddenly everything was lovely.
Before he knew it, Harry had enveloped him in a suffocating hug.
"More hugging?" Draco asked breathlessly.
"Mhm, better get used to it."
Although he didn't say it out loud, Draco definitely could.
—-
Harry had sort of forgotten how late it was. Or early. As it happened, the whole ordeal from Yule Ball to attempted murder to Chamber of Secrets had taken them to the early morning of two days later.
In the back of his mind, Harry was aware he'd missed Christmas.
Oops.
He couldn't quite bring himself to care. He'd had more important things to worry about, like saving the world and visiting creepy old haunts and having a massive crush on Draco sodding Malfoy.
And it wasn't as if he didn't know what he'd gotten.
So, he found himself in the Room of Requirement, holding a piece of Voldemort's soul, with the aforementioned crush in question.
"Do you want to do it or shall I?"
Harry met Draco's gaze.
"You've never done it before though. These things are awful. It'll show you the worst stuff you've ever seen. Your worst fears."
Draco shot him a brave smile, "I can handle it. You shouldn't have to go through it again."
"Are you sure?"
"Completely."
Somewhat reluctantly, Harry handed him the diadem.
Draco pulled one Basilisk fang from his robe. He placed the diadem on the floor between them, lifting the fang above his head, poised to strike.
Harry looked at him, "Ready?"
Draco nodded.
"I'll count you in. Three."
Draco gathered his resolve.
"Two."
He stared at the terrible thing.
"One."
Just as he was about to destroy it, nothing seemed to happen, until it did.
A cloud of thick, tar-like smoke emerged from the diadem. From it stepped two figures.
Draco's parents. Harry watched in horror-struck awe as the fabricated Malfoys approached their son.
"We know what you are Draco." Said Narcissa Malfoy.
"What you've done." Added Lucius.
They surveyed him with a cruel gaze.
"You can't escape who you are. The deeds you've done. You're one of us. They won't accept you. They don't love you." Narcissa took a step forwards.
"Stab it Draco!" Harry tried to shout through the fog.
"He doesn't love you. He never will. You will never be one of them."
Harry could see the tears swelling in Draco's eyes through the fog.
"He doesn't love you." The Malfoys repeated as one.
"They're wrong, Draco! Don't listen to it! It's just feeding off your fears!" Harry cried desperately. He didn't even really know what the Malfoys were talking about, but it was obviously doing its job. Draco looked on the verge of a breakdown.
For some reason, Harry's words seemed to finally make sense to Draco, and without further ado he plunged the fang into the diadem.
"Yes!" Harry cried.
The Horcrux let out an earsplitting shriek, a final cloud of smoke hissed from it, contorting into a number of hideous disfigured faces before disappearing entirely.
Harry looked at Draco, "You alright?"
Draco was breathing heavily, a slight madness in his eyes.
"Ask me tomorrow?"