At Large

Disclaimer: All the characters are the property of JK Rowling, this is a non-profit work of fiction and I am in no way linked to the official Harry Potter books or the cannon there-in.

I wish I were better at writing disclaimers. Anyway, hopefully this chapter should be better than the last - I think I went into overkill with the curcio curse and possibly in some other places.

--Chapter 5--

Harry's head was heavy with unanswered questions as he trudged to Dumbledore's office. Part of him still reeled from last night's events. He wanted to hate Hermione, as far as he could see she was the reason behind all of this, but something prevented him from doing so. Every time he tried to build a negative picture of her in his mind he remembered how she'd looked at him after confessing. Her eyes, such pretty eyes, had been wide with fear - a fear that he couldn't protect her from, a fear he himself had created. Every time he thought about hating her he ended up hating himself all the more.

The passage to Dumbledore's office lay open ahead of him, he supposed that he was expected and continued into the study.

"Come in Harry, and please sit down." The old wizard's voice was grave but not unkindly as Harry crossed the floor quickly and sat facing him across the desk.

"You wanted to see me professor?" Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"Yes, I have some new glasses for you, the same type as your old ones." He reached into a pocket, withdrew the new spectacles and handed them to Harry.

"Thanks," said Harry, confusion temporarily waylaying his gloomier thoughts. "Did you need the old ones back or something?"

"I decided that it was probably for the best," said Dumbledore cryptically, lacing his fingers beneath his chin and watching Harry intently. "Is everything all right Harry?"

"Yes everything's fine…" Dumbledore continued watching him as though he had expected something more. "…Thank you."

"I see, well, anyway, I decided that seeing as you can't take part in lessons you might find your time more usefully occupied in looking around." What Harry had said seemed to be what Dumbledore was hoping for and the old wizard didn't seem so preoccupied as he continued.

"Looking around?" Harry questioned.

"The library. Going over things you may have missed so far this term." Harry paused to think for a moment; was Dumbledore giving him the time he needed to work things out? It certainly seemed so…

"Well, do you agree Harry?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, thank you…" Sensing that the conversation was over Harry left the office quickly.

>>()<<

"You've stopped spying on him then?" Asked a painting to Dumbledore's left, which showed a rather tall wizard leaning on a goblin statue.

"For the time being." Dumbledore stowed the silver-framed glasses in a deep drawer.

"And your not going to stop this Draco boy from carrying on?" The other paintings stirred slightly, getting closer to the conversation.

"If Harry's life is in danger then, no doubt, I will save him but until then I trust him to solve his own problems. If he cannot overcome someone like Draco there is no way he will be able to defeat Voldemort." The headmaster stared into the distance sadly, talking half to the paintings, half to himself.

"You expect him to kill the boy?!" The painted figure almost slipped from the statue in shock.

"No, I expect Harry to save him... Someone has twisted Draco beyond reason with revenge, he believes that his actions are justified. If Harry can forgive him then he will have achieved a far greater victory than killing him, Voldemort can create evil but it is no great skill… but to create a force for good…

>>()<<

'So Dumbledore had some idea of what was going on?' He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse about the situation. He wondered how much the headmaster had seen, he already knew that Malfoy had been watching his falling out with Hermione… There she was again, sneaking into his thoughts when he least wanted her to. Malfoy, he decided, could wait - he had until next Sunday to deal with him, for now he would deal with getting her out of his head for good. Picking up the pace he headed towards the Gryffindor tower to try to organise his thoughts.

>>()<<

Hermione sat glumly at the front of the transfiguration lesson. By now she'd successfully transformed her pot plant into a watering can, turned it back and then changed it into a desk-tidy. As there were no other objectives set she was left with nothing to do but think for a while. Ron was temporarily engrossed in preventing his watering can from wilting off the table but it didn't really mater, without Harry to bridge the gap between them the conversation had quickly died. "Maybe if I just told him I was sorry enough he'd like me again… No! I can't… It's over."

"Don't suppose you could help…" Ron's watering can was now rapidly sprouting odd smelling flowers. She sighed and turned it back into a fully functioning plant.

"You keep getting the pronunciation wrong." She was sure she'd explained this bit before. "When you say…"

"So, do you fancy Harry or something?" He suddenly asked.

"What?!" Her voice became shrill with surprise.

"Well you two had a fight or something and you've both been in a bad mood all morning. Why do you think I came to sit here? Harry looked ready to throttle me" Ron prodded neatly ticked off the evidence on his fingers.

"He just upset me that’s all…" She tried to stop herself turning red.

"Thought you did." He grinned. "Never mind, plenty more frogs in the chocolate…"

"Do you want help or not?" She said angrily, cutting him off.

>>()<<

Harry crumpled another piece of parchment and threw it to the floor where it landed amongst the other ruined letters he'd been attempting to write. He started again, 'Hermione,' but then stopped. 'Hermione' sounded to open, too much like everything was okay. Throwing down the quill he sighed in annoyance, these botched attempts were wasting the time Dumbledore had given him, he should at least have some idea of what he was going to do about Draco by now. Before he knew it lunch time was upon him.

"There you are mate, been looking everywhere." Ron said from somewhere behind him. "You still in a bad mood?"

"More or less." Harry quickly kicked the evidence of what he'd been doing beneath the table.

"Well if it makes you feel any better Hermione's upset that you two fell out." Ron seemed to pause, wondering if he'd said the right thing.

"Hmmm…" Harry didn't know how to answer. It did make him feel a bit better for a second but as soon as he realised that it had made him feel worse.

"Why weren't you in lessons?"

"No point really, without a wand."

"Ah right, well I'll leave you to whatever your doing then - see you at practice?" Harry suppressed groan the last thing he needed was to be reminded that he could no longer play quiditch he didn't feel like explaining and so lied…

"Yeah sure," his mind cleared a little "hey wait a second." He scribbled something along the bottom of the parchment and ripped it off. "Can you give this to Hermione?"

"Can I read it?" Asked Ron, sounding interested and relieved that Harry wasn't yelling at him

"Yeah, if you like." It simply said, 'Need to talk - astronomy tower after dinner.' On impulse Harry gave a small smile, it suddenly felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Bye Ron and thanks."

"Bye" Said Ron as he went to get something to eat wondering what he'd done.

>>()<<

For the rest of the day Harry watched for Draco, the Hermione problem temporarily dealt with. Even with the invisibility cloak it was hard to follow the Slytherin student from lesson to lesson. Every few moments Harry had to move to avoid being stepped on or ran down by a speeding student. As far as he could tell Malfoy was acting normally, which was to say horrible to most people. When the last lesson, history of magic, ended Harry expected to be heading to the dungeons but to his surprise Draco practically ran to the owlery. In spite of the cloak the birds seemed to sense he was there, fortunately Malfoy didn't seem to notice the uneasy shuffling amongst the shelves. He set a rather grumpy looking grey and black owl out into the sky and then turned to leave. The sudden arrival of another bird caused him to step to one side sharply as a result he brushed past Harry on his way out. It took a few seconds for the Slytherin to register what had happened, and by the time he'd turned to see what he'd touched Harry had escaped. Moving as quickly as stealth would allow Harry slid back into the corridor and stood pressed against a wall waiting for Malfoy to carry on, which he did suspiciously. Every few seconds he would stop suddenly and he looked as if he was listening hard.

"Potter," he said quietly, "Is that you? If I find it is I swear I'll have that filthy mud blood of yours put down like an animal…" Harry practically shook with rage, he strained against the urge to pound Draco incomprehensible. After waiting a few more seconds, in which Harry had been entertaining a very violent but satisfying daydream, he started to move again.

This time Harry felt for sure that he'd end up in his quarry's common room. But at the last moment Draco changed direction and headed for a different location. Harry was beginning to notice a definite change in the selfish boy. For one his lackeys and bodyguards didn't surround him and for another he looked almost gleefully expectant.

Being careful not to catch the hem of his cloak on the increasing number of steps he found himself climbing. Harry eventually reached the top of one of the towers; being under the cloak restricted his vision so he had no idea which. Draco stood silently by a thin window and stared out, his eyes peeled. Having nothing better to do Harry sat and waited. A draft ebbed across the room slowly; absently Draco nudged the door shut unknowingly imprisoning Harry.

'Damn! If I try to leave before he does he'll see me…' Harry searched for another exit but he already knew that there wouldn't be one. As he remembered this tower was nearest to the astronomy section and wasn't usually used for teaching because it was so far away from everything else. 'Astronomy… He was supposed to meet Hermione later… Damn you Draco - Hurry up!' But his companion didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave. Again Harry was tempted to repay the blows he'd been dealt earlier but there was something here to be discovered and acting too soon could get Hermione expelled. A pinprick on the horizon slowly grew larger and then soared towards the window and landed on the sill. The owl from earlier had returned to it's sender, around it's leg was a large parchment rolled into a neat scroll. Draco garbed at it greedily and shoed the owl away, moving further into the tower he unrolled the parchment and muttered something. The paper glowed briefly and Harry could just make out letters swimming into place on the surface. Trying not to breath Harry crept closer and scanned the letter over Draco's shoulder.

Draco - It is getting more and more complicated for me to smuggle you these letters to my contact in Hogsmede. I hope you are making the most of the knowledge I impart to you. Through you actions we will both become stronger in the eyes of the dark lord. You will make a fine leader amongst the death eaters once you have proved yourself worthy.

The letter carried on like that for some time. Full of praise for Draco although nothing was specific, most of it was based around if and when things would happen. Harry read on, eyes glued.

Regarding the use of 'curcio': for the maximum pain and least damage to the subject then I suggest you try this type of wand movement. Although I have discovered several others which are just as effective so if the target is expendable then I be creative.

In places the letter was punctuated with grizzly diagrams all drawn with a bizarre mathematical precision.

Remember that hurting Potter is the key to my escape - If his spirit is broken then it will be far easier for the dark lord to destroy him completely. - Your Father, Lucious.

Draco read and reread the letter with a sadistic gleam in his eyes. When he finally finished he folded it carefully and took another, older letter, from his pocket and began to read it. After a quick glance Harry could tell it was very much the same, full of empty praise and descriptions of how to perform some of the darkest of dark arts. 'He's been completely brainwashed…' Harry thought and began to feel increasingly uneasy around Malfoy.

>>()<<

Hermione looked at the scrap of parchment that Ron had just given her. As a window into Harry's feelings it wasn't much to go on. She'd tried questioning Ron but he didn't seem to want to get involved all he'd told her was that Harry was out of lessons until he regained or replaced his wand. She ate quickly that evening, not wanting to be late - although that was slightly ridiculous, as he hadn't given her a time. As she headed to the tower she began to feel uneasy. Would he still be mad? She didn't know what she'd do if he flew into a rage again - it seemed so unlike him to become so mad at her, almost as if she'd created a monster out of her friend. She shivered as she stepped into the night and eyed the gathering clouds warily wishing she had a coat.

>>()<<

Draco finally tired of reading the letters and left the small tower room. Harry breathed a sigh of relief before running to the window to check the time by the darkening sky. If he craned his neck far enough he could just make out the top of the astronomy building and a figure etched against the clouds. Pulling off the cloak and slipping it under his clothes he sped from the room. Throwing caution to the wind he skidded around a corner and ran full-pelt down the next corridor.

Panting hard he burst onto the tower-top.

"Hermione? Sorry… I'm late." He put his hands behind his head and sucked in as much of the night air as his lungs would let him. She jumped slightly at his sudden arrival but disguised it quickly.

"Harry I'm really, really sorry about what I did." She turned to look at him, her face sincere and doleful. He didn't say anything. Everything he'd planned to ask or tell had left his head. After another moments silence she continued. "… And I know that I shouldn't have told you when you were just getting out of the hospital wing for hitting your head."

"I didn't hit it." He said, trying to keep the anger from his voice. "Malfoy did, repeatedly."

"Oh, Harry… I'm so, so, sorry." As she spoke her calm demeanour slipped giving way to tears that ran slowly down her face. "Did he do anything very bad?"

"Not the first time." He took a step towards her but then stopped, trapped between being angry and the sudden need to comfort her.

"Then, you should go… and you should hate me, and be very angry…" She turned away, not wanting to watch him leave.

"I am angry, but I won't hate you Hermione… so don't think you can make me try." The battle between the feelings in his head raged on but he ignored it, his head had no say in what he did with his heart. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I've made you cry."

"Your sorry!" She turned suddenly. "Here I am trying to spill my heart at you and you tell me your sorry." The wind picked up twisting her hair around her head. "Don't you get it Harry? It's not your fault - not this time." He walked forwards as she spoke, braving the tirade. Gently, for fear that she might run or that she might shout more he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Okay, okay… I guess I'm not sorry then." He said softly as she eyed him fiercely through her messy fringe but didn't try to move away. She shivered against his hands. "You're freezing."

"I've been waiting, I didn't want to be late and make you mad. You're not mad are you?" She shivered again, feeling the cold more now that her burst of anger was draining.

"You sound scared." He kept his voice as gentle as he could.

"You're very brave and strong, powerful too - but sometimes, sometimes, that makes you frightening as well." She felt his grip on her shoulders lesson, worry splashing across his green eyes.

"I didn't mean to scare you, I'd never mean to scare you…" He tried to take his hands away but she caught them tightly.

"I think I deserved to be scared… I'm sorry Harry, really I am."

"I know, you said." He gave her a small smile, which after a while she returned.

"You said you had something to tell me…back at the infirmary." As she spoke she put her head to one side slightly and looked at him inquisitively, more of her normal self shinning through.

"It seems stupid now," he admitted, "but will you go out with me?" She let go of his hands and flung her arms around him.

"You forgive me?" Her voice was muffled from the hug.

"I don't know," he said truthfully, "But it won't stop me loving you."