Harry, Ron and Hermione headed to the dungeons. Even in plain daylight, the corridors that led to the Potions classroom were dark, lighted only by green torches that reflected their emerald light on the stone walls. He always had the impression he was going to a different world every time he walked through those paths. He knew the Slytherin Common Room was around there, too. He believed Slytherins were enigmatic, reserved and cold, like the place where their home was hidden. There was something beautiful in the darksome heart of the castle, something mysterious and profound, like the heart of Draco Malfoy.
He hadn't talked to him since the funeral, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know how. He didn't want him to believe he was being nice to him because his mother had passed away, because he knew he would. He knew Malfoy too well. He also wanted to give the lad some space for himself; he needed time to settle his feelings. Two weeks had elapsed since then and he still wasn't sure how to approach him. After his attempt of trying to be with him at funeral, he had thought being so direct was not going to work with Draco. He was too proud to accept Harry's invitations of friendship and sympathy. And even though he didn't like to think of it, it was also possible that Draco wouldn't want to have any kind of relation with him at all. He sighed at the thought; he knew his feelings for him were not going to take him too far, but if he didn't even try to be close to him now that he could, he knew he was going to regret it for the rest of his life, and Harry was not the kind of person that would allow himself to have regrets. He just needed to find the excuse to get closer to him, in the right moment.
When they entered the Potions dungeon, Harry felt a soft, painful tickling in his scar. He had had a bad dream the night before, and though the disgusting feelings of excitement and fear had faded, he still had a strong headache he had not been able to take away. He had tried several spells, but they didn't work. He had the feeling it had to do with his scar, which was beginning to disturb him a little more by every step he took into the dungeon.
Malfoy was already there, sitting in the same table as Pansy Parkinson. The girl had been a little more around him since the funeral.
Harry and his friends sat down on a table in the other side of the room and didn't have to wait too long before Professor Monaghan appeared.
"Hello, fellow students! How are you doing today?"
Edmund Monaghan was short, bald and he wore small oval glasses that framed his tiny blue eyes; a dark hairy mustache hanged from his rounded nose. He was patient and tolerant with his students, but exigent with potions. He had been giving Potions class almost since the beginning of the year. Snape had been sent by Dumbledore to attend "private matters" and had not come back yet. It was heard he was probably returning before the Christmas holidays. It seemed that Harry would have to wait to consider any Occlumency lessons and thus, he pretended he was not having his nightmares in order not to scandalize his friends.
Professor Monaghan waited until the room was filled with his students before starting the class.
"Well, well. Today we will learn about bond-breaking potions. Their name is pretty clear, I believe, yes? They break bonds. What kind of bonds, though? Any ideas?"
A few students raised their hands; Hermione had stopped participating in this class since some time ago; Snape never let her answer.
"Zabini, please," Professor Monaghan pointed him with his wand.
"Magical bonds, like the ones used between a wizard and his house-elves," the Slytherin replied silently.
"Yes, indeed, a bond-breaking potion could definitely undo the link and free the house-elves from service to their masters; ten points to Slytherin," he said with excitement and students jumped a little in their sits with the unexpected energy of his voice, "So there are potions that can create bonds and others which can break them. Take love potions, for instance, yes? They create a fake bond of love between the two people involved; some love potions have counter-potions, if you will, and others, well, aren't that lucky," Professor Monaghan chuckled noisily in the silence of the dungeon.
Harry felt his scar burning painfully in his forehead, as if it were opening into a fresh wound, and one special kind of bond came to his mind.
"Professor, can these potions break any kind of bond, any kind of... connection to another wizard?" he spoke out loud, making sure to be heard.
"Well, a bond-breaking potion wouldn't be able to undo an Unbreakable Vow, but the reasons are obvious," he chuckled again, but nobody laughed. He fixed his falling glasses back into place and continued, "Vows are harder to break because they need the agreement of both wizards to happen. But if the link was created unwillingly by one of the parts, they can be broken, yes. Mothers have magical bonds to their children; they are most of the time unconscious, and though they are not always easy to break, they can indeed be broken. Does that answer your question, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes, professor."
"Good! So the potion we will try today is intended to undo the effect of a strong love potion, yes? Take your ingredients and follow the instructions from your book at page 254; pay attention to every detail. The best potion will be awarded a few points to the winner's house; you can work with your partner."
The sound of flipping pages filled the air of the classroom and students began to work in their potions as they talked.
"Harry," Hermione looked at him, frowning, and he just hoped she wouldn't suspect anything from what had just asked; nothing escaped the witch.
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I work with Ron in this?" she said timidly.
"Oh, no, not at all. Go ahead," he sighed in relieve; Hermione smiled and turned to face Ron. They had been together since the summer, after Ron had the guts to tell her how he felt. It was almost impossible to separate them at all since then.
Harry opened his book with the throbbing sensation still in his forehead, and read the title at the top of the page: Bond-breaking Potion - level one. It needed more than ten ingredients and you had to be careful with temperature and timing. It seemed like a difficult task indeed and he was sure he was not going to make it right in his first attempt. He frowned, as he realized it was not going to be easy to brew a potion for himself to break his connection with Voldemort. The idea was brilliant, though, because unlike Occlumency, he would get rid of any kind of link between him and the dark wizard. He wasn't sure asking Hermione would be the best idea, as he had been lying for some months now about his nightmares. She would be upset and paranoid, the least that he wanted, and he couldn't be sure she would succeed in making such a potion for him; that was definitely not an option. He began reading the instructions: first adding the eel eye at the same time as the cat hair, then waiting for the potion to boil in high heat for ten minutes.
"Help me with my potion, Deedee! I don't understand what I have to do!," he heard Pansy Parkinson's annoying voice and glanced at her table: she was grabbing Draco's arm, pouting, but Draco didn't even look at her.
"Just read the book," he replied absent-mindedly, reading the instructions of his own book in concentration.
As Harry worked on his potion, he glanced at Draco's table from time to time; Pansy was taking every opportunity to poke him in the shoulder, touch his arm or grab his hand, but much to Harry's content, he didn't look at her even once. He was too absorbed working in his own potion, mixing the ingredients gracefully and confidently.
Before the class was over, Professor Monaghan checked the students' work.
"Hm... you didn't wait enough time to add the last ingredient, Mr. Potter, be careful with that, yes? Ms. Granger, you need to stir yours a little bit more and watch the heat," Hermione pouted in disappointment, "Oh my, Mr. Weasley! Did you actually read the instructions? You better not try that..."
When he walked by Draco's table, he praised his work with enthusiasm.
"Perfeclty done, Mr. Malfoy, perfectly done! You could pretty well think of becoming a Potions Master, eh?"
Malfoy looked rather satisfied with his results, and Harry was pleased that Pansy would have to stay after class to finish her potion. He felt marveled by Draco's talent and devotion to the art of potion making; nobody else achieved getting the potion right, and Professor Monaghan awarded the Slytherin house twenty points with satisfaction. What if... what if Draco helped him to break the bond with Voldemort, through a potion? He of all students would be able to brew such a potion succesfully. On the other hand, if Draco did agree to help him, he would be able to spend some time around his beloved Slytherin. There were risks, though. He knew the kind of family Draco came from and he could very well use Harry's trust to harm him. So was it yes or no?
"Students, please bring a short essay on bond-breaking potions for next class, yes? Until next week, then!"
When Ron and Hermione were ready to leave the dungeon, Harry said he needed to ask something to Professor Monaghan and told them to go ahead. They nodded, without asking any questions, and left the dungeon, holding hands.
Draco was taking some last notes in his parchment; Pansy was talking to Professor Monaghan, trying to convince him not to make her stay to finish her potion. Harry approached him as he stood up from the table.
"Malfoy."
He turned to meet Harry and rolled his eyes.
"What?"
"I saw what you did with the bond-breaking potion. It was amazing," Harry said as introduction to their conversation, but Malfoy didn't appear to be in the mood for chit-chatting, and said:
"What do you want, Potter?"
"I need you to brew a bond-breaking potion for me," he went straight to the point.
"Why do you need that? Are you under the effect of a love potion?" he teased him as he picked up his books from the table.
"No, it's actually something more complicated than that...," he wished the feelings he felt for him were as fake as that, because it would be easy to get rid of them, but that too was more complicated than that.
"Why asking me? Ask Granger to do it."
"To tell the truth, she is not as good at potions as you are and... I don't want her to know about it either."
"What kind of bond do you have and with whom? It must be something serious if you're keeping this from your friends," he stared at Harry with the sparkle of curiosity shining in his eyes and he knew he had gotten his interest.
"I can't tell you that unless you agree to brew the potion," he said partly because they weren't in the right place to talk about it, and partly because that would work to make it more intriguing.
"Why would I want to help you? What would I get in return?" he stared at Harry expectantly, but he had no idea of what to offer. He couldn't think of anything Draco could want that he had.
"What do you want?"
He kept silent for a few seconds, gazing intensely at Harry, and some emotion that he could not decipher appeared in the surface of his eyes, an emotion he had not seen there before. He tried to dive into his gaze, trying to figure out, but the emotion was suddenly gone.
"If I brew this potion for you, you have to help me find someone. Someone who is outside of the castle," he finally said.
"Who is it that you want to find?" Harry asked puzzled, wondering what could be Draco's intentions.
"That's my offer, take it or leave it."
He thought about it, not sure about whether that was a good idea or not. Leaving the castle was definitely not safe and Draco didn't want to tell who they were going to find or what they would do if they found this person. He hesitated to reply and Malfoy turned his back on him and walked towards the door of the dungeon, the opportunity of his life slipping through his fingers like cold water.
"All right, I'll do it," he answered; if this was the only way he could be near him, he would risk it.
Draco stopped and looked back at Harry with his blank expression.
"Meet me at the Old Owlery after dinner and we'll talk about your potion."
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Thanks so much for reading. Hope you are enjoying!! :D
Love,
Leona