Dracos eyes were fixed on Harry. You?d do it if you had to. What if I was threatening Hermione? You wouldn?t believe what you?re capable of, Potter, if you?re pushed. You?re not all that different from me. Not really.
Let me get this straight. Harry felt his head beginning to hurt. You gave me the Charm to show I could trust you. Did you have some kind of a plan?
I did have a plan. But there was a tiny flaw in that plan.
Which was?
It was bollocks.
Harry rolled his eyes. Have you got a better plan, now?
No. I?ve got no plan. I?m just winging it. But theres something you need to know.
Is this something thats going to really, really upset me?
Draco paused for a moment. Yes.
Is it absolutely necessary that I know this?
Another pause. Yes.
Fine. What is it?
Sirius is here, in the castle.
Harrys heart leaped up and banged painfully against his ribcage.
What? Where?
In the dungeon.
Slytherin threw him in the dungeon?
No. Draco tilted up his head, and looked Harry directly in the eyes. I threw him in the dungeon.
A long moment of silence. Harry silently counted to ten, which didn?t help at all. When he spoke again, he could hear the ice in his own voice. 'It just never stops with you, does it?'
Dracos eyes narrowed. He began to get to his feet, bracing his hands against the wall. Harry got up, standing as Draco was standing, not wanting the other boy towering over him.
'And you told me this why?' said Harry. 'Do you want me to hate you?'
'I told you because its the truth and you should know it,' said Draco, tonelessly.
'Now theres a new attitude coming from you,' snarled Harry. 'I thought your idea of the right way to handle these things was to wait until you needed a wall broken down, and then hey, out with the truth! Lets see how hacked off Harry can get! Lets tell him all about his dead parents! Lets throw his godfather in jail for a lark!'
Dracos eyes had narrowed to slits. 'Congratulations,' he said. 'You have truly perfected the fine art of whining. Did you ever think that maybe this had nothing to do with you?'
'This is Sirius we?re talking about! Throwing him in prison, its not like just locking up anyone! He spent twelve years in jail, did you ever-'
'I was trying to save his life!' Draco yelled at the top of his lungs, so angry now that even his hair seemed to be crackling with rage. 'He would have died if I hadn?t thrown him in prison! And so would you bloody have, if I hadn?t done what I did for you!'
'Yeah, because you would have killed me!' shouted Harry. 'Theres circular logic for you! You saved me from you! Congratulations! Pin a medal on this guy, hes a hero. What did you save Sirius from?'
He was shouting so loudly now, his words were bouncing off the walls of the cell, mingling with the echo of Dracos voice. 'Were you about to run him over and you decided nah, lets throw him in prison instead?'
'He came here in disguise, you stupid twonk,' Draco snarled, his eyes flashing copper with rage, like a cats. 'He disguised himself as a vampire, but all dark creatures coming into the castle have to be Tested, and the Test is fatal to humans. So I had him put where they wouldn?t be able to get at him, not now, anyway. And hes safe there. And I am done explaining myself to you, Potter! I am sick and tired of you not believing me! If you think I?m so bloody untrustworthy than why don?t you take out that Charm and stomp it the hell into dust! I won?t stop you — in fact, I?ll encourage it, because I?d rather die than spend one more second listening to you whinging, you mealy-mouthed, rat-faced, four-eyed little bastard!'
Draco brought himself up short, gasping for breath as if he had been running. His eyes were nearly black with anger, his fists clenched at his sides.
Harry looked at him in surprise. Usually Draco expressed his ire via stony seething. Harry had never seen him so visibly angry before. It was a bit of a shock and, somehow, a blow to his own rage. Harry felt his own anger drain out of him as if someone had pulled the plug on a basin filled with boiling, poisonous water. He raised his head and looked at Draco squarely.
'Could you repeat that?' he said.
Draco just blinked at him, rage blocking out comprehension. Finally, he ground out, nearly in a whisper, 'What?'
'That was a pretty impressive speech,' said Harry. 'I?d kind of like to hear it again.'
Dracos hands very slowly unclenched at his sides. His voice was unsteady. 'Which…part?'
'I think I was particularly partial to the bit where I have a rat face,' said Harry, quite sincerely.
Draco shook his head, slowly. 'You?re barking mad, Potter.'
I?m also sorry.
