Title: The Cobra Chronicles

Chapter Title: Studying the Golden Boy

Summary: A new year at Hogwarts has Harry facing more challenges than any year previously. As he works to control his own rising powers and also to teach his most trusted friends, Harry is also forced to deal with the various demands of his headmaster, not the least of which is to accept his most bitter rival as a new ally. Pairings: Draco/Harry Ron/Hermione

Categories: Romance, Angst/Drama, Action

"You're late," Draco murmured coolly as Harry dropped his bag on the table and slid into a chair.

"I'm aware of that," Harry answered calmly and pulled out his potions text. "Either way, it couldn't be helped. Now, what are we starting with?"

Draco watched Harry sceptically. He wanted to ask what had detained him, but it was obvious Harry wasn't in a sharing mood. They had been studying together for over two weeks, and already Draco was painfully aware that Harry had a number of secrets and Draco was becoming steadily intrigued. "Potions," he replied, flipping open his text.

"After that debacle this morning, I think you need all the help you can get."

"It wasn't a debacle. There wasn't even an explosion. And it wasn't exactly my fault. I wasn't the one who added the shrivelfig. If you'd care to recall, you'd know that I was reading the directions when it happened."

"Whatever, Potter," Draco dismissed.

"What happened to Harry?" Harry teased, and Draco rolled his eyes before shoving his text under Harry's nose and tapping a page in the text.

"This is the potion you botched today," Draco said, smirking when Harry scowled at him. He began explaining the nature of the ingredients and why this particular combination interacted in a particular way to create a calming draught, which was what the potion was. Draco had found that Harry understood things better when he understood the 'why' behind it. Just being told to follow the instructions and being told the result ended with a very confused and frustrated Gryffindor.

"So," Harry said after they had been working for a while. "That would be why the shrivelfig reacted to make –"he gasped and Draco's head shot up looking closely at the dark haired boy.

Harry had turned quite pale and his eyes were glazed, his entire body had gone completely rigid, and then, suddenly, he gave a startled cry and a hand flew to his scar before his eyes rolled back and closed and he slid, bonelessly, to the ground.

Draco was panicking. "Harry?" he called softly, he was out of his chair in a moment and around the table. Draco tried shaking Harry gently and trying to call him back. "Harry?" he asked, a bit louder, still trying to keep quiet so as not to disturb Madam Pince.

"Draco? What's going on?" Draco, for the first time ever, was relieved to see Granger. She looked at him curiously and then, noticing Harry slumped on the floor, she rushed forward. "Harry! It's okay, Harry. Just breathe," she crooned, and Draco shuffled back and watched her gather the dark haired boy in her arms and began to rock slowly, whispering comforting words continuously. "Shh, it's okay. You're okay. Just breathe, Harry."

Draco wasn't sure how long it lasted, but it seemed to take forever. He could only watch as Harry was wracked by violent shivers and gasped for breath as if he were being choked. Finally, Harry went completely and limp and very still in Hermione's arms and she sighed and relaxed against a bookshelf, stroking the dark ebony locks and exhaling in relief.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"Voldemort," Hermione answered succinctly. "Come on, help me bring him back to Gryffindor," Hermione said, already shifting Harry into a position where she could carry him.

"Shouldn't we take him to the hospital wing?"

"No, we've tried that before. Madame Pomfrey doesn't have anything that can help, he just needs to rest. And seeing how Harry hates the hospital wing, he prefers to rest in Gryffindor. Now come on." She motioned him over and he smirked at her as she carefully began to readjust Harry into a better position to carry.

"I thought you were supposed to be the brains of the trio?" Draco asked as he pulled out his wand and cast a quick lightening spell on the ebony haired boy. "I'll take him, you just make sure nobody's going to see me parading through the halls like this," he ordered. He noted Granger's sceptical look, but when he answered it with a quirked eyebrow, her gaze shifted to Harry's comatose form and she nodded once, gesturing to a row of shelves.

"Just stay close and try not to make any jerky movement," she ordered. He didn't bother to nod, only cast a curious glance at Harry's lax features and followed Granger through the halls.

...

"Ron!" Hermione called as she entered Gryffindor's common room, Draco still behind

her, cradling Harry in his arms. Loud footsteps, like an animal stampede, and Ron Weasley appeared at the foot of the stairs leading up to the boy's dorms. "He's had another vision," she said, and Ron nodded turning to face Draco and his face quickly changed from one of concern to one of startled anger.

"What the hell is he doing here? What did you do to him, Malfoy?"

"For Merlin's sake, Weasley, I didn't do anything to him, and I'd be more than happy to relinquish my load here," he gestured to Harry's still body. "If you would be so kind as to stop accusing me and take your friend."

"Stop it, both of you!" Hermione stated in exasperation. "We need to get Harry upstairs and into bed."

"Bugger," Ron said, muttering other curses under his breath, but he led Draco up the stairs. "The dorm's clear. And, even if it weren't, you'd find all the faces rather familiar," he explained. Draco made no response, but he stepped into the seventh year boy's dorm with more confidence in his step.

"Which is his?" he asked, speaking softly to match Ron's tones.

"The one by the window, over here," Ron said, stepping towards a bed and pulling back the sheets. They worked together to position Harry in a comfortably and then stood back, watching the boy's pale lax features.

"This happens a lot?" Draco asked, because Hermione and Ron had seemed to know only too well how to handle the situation.

Ron smoothed the blankets out around his friend and nodded. "Yeah. If it's not a vision, it's nightmares. The visions are the worst, though," he said offhandedly.

Draco nodded. While he and Weasley still argued and fought most of the time, Granger and Harry had been steadily forcing them to get used to the other. So, while Weasley's immediate reaction had been ingrained, an old habit, these civil exchanges were becoming more and more frequent.

"Is there anything else that can be done?" Draco asked.

"Not really. It's usually not good to leave him alone. If he has another nightmare or – if another vision happens – sometimes – sometimes it's hard to keep him..."

"Breathing?" Draco asked when Ron seemed to be having trouble.

"Well – yeah. But – more than that. It's just hard to keep him – here, you know?" Draco understood only too well. "You should go. I don't know when everyone else will start coming in." Draco nodded and, taking one more look at Harry, he backed out of the room and hurried out of Gyffindor tower.

...

At breakfast the next day, Draco found himself glancing towards the doors of the Great Hall whenever they were opened. With an exasperated sigh, he caught himself and returned his focus to Blaise and Pansy, who were arguing about the herbology homework they had had.

The doors opened again and this time, Draco was satisfied to see that it was exactly who he had been searching for. Harry Potter, looking to all as if nothing had happened the night before, walked casually towards his spot at Gryffindor table, Ron and Hermione both flanking him. Draco wondered how often the visions came. He had thought that there might be some sign of last nights events in the boy's demeanour, perhaps a lingering paleness, or dark circles under his eyes or something, but there wasn't anything.

He watched the trio until they were comfortably seated and dishing out their breakfast onto their plates. The doors opened again and professor Snape swirled up to the head table and took his seat. Draco frowned, wondering what had been responsible for the professor's lateness. He cast a suspicious glance between Potter and Snape. Perhaps there was a different reason for the quick recovery. Either way, Draco decided to look into it.

...

Draco sat at the usual table in the Library where he and Harry worked. As was becoming tradition, Harry was late. Draco wondered what the hell the Golden Boy did in his free time that made him constantly unable to arrive promptly to prearranged meetings. As it was, Draco was busying himself by re-reading the Transfiguration notes that Harry had given him.

The arrangement was really working out quite well. When he'd made the proposition, it had been because it was the only way he could show Harry that, not only could he be as mature as Harry had been with regards to his shift of allegiance, but also, that Draco, too, could be a leader. It had been only too clear that Harry was, sooner or later, going to bridge the gap between them and come up with something that would force them to adjust to each other. It was a smart thing to do. As leader of the DA, Harry seemed to lead by example, and that, if what Draco had witnessed was anything to go by, was working brilliantly. So if Harry was going to ask the DA to accept and trust Draco, then Harry had to show that he was making open attempts to do exactly that.

So Draco had taken it upon himself to make the first – or really, the second move. Draco still hated not being in a position of power, and he wanted to confront Harry on equal ground.

Yet never once in his scheme to bond over studying, did Draco take into account that Harry was a good teacher. Of course, there was the fact that he was teaching a group of students about DADA, but Draco had always assumed it had been because of his status as the Boy Who Lived, not because he was, not only skilled at Defence, but also skilled at teaching Defence. And now Draco was benefiting in Transfigurations. It was brilliant and Draco was extraordinarily pleased.

"Draco?" a curious voice asked and Draco's head came up from where it had been buried in his notes and met Hermione Granger.

"Granger," he greeted, congratulating himself on sounding so civil.

"Er – are you here for studying?"

"Of course," he flashed her a dubious look and she licked her lips.

"Uhm – Harry won't be here – he's – er – not going to be here," she finished lamely. "Something came up. He couldn't make it."

"You're rambling," Draco informed her. "What happened?"

"Er – he had – a meeting – with Dumbledore," she said. It was completely obvious that she was making this up as she went along, and Draco found that he was extraordinarily curious.

"Alright, Granger," Draco said, trying to keep his anger at being kept out of the loop from showing in his voice.

TBC

Hi! Man, it's been bloody ages since I've updated this. Sorry about that. At this point, I don't think this fic will be updated quickly at all, I have a lot of other ideas that I wanted to get working on, and I was thinking of putting this one on hiatus. If you would rather I focus my attention here, please let me know through an email or a review. No flames, please. Same your energy for something better! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.