"ARRRRRRHHHHHHHHGGGGGG!!!!!!!!"

The loud, shrieking scream jerked Harry out of his dreams. Was it morning already? Judging by the lack of sunlight in his eyes, it was not yet dawn. Snapping open his eyes, he discovered that he was right.

Harry realized that it was Peter who had screamed. And in the middle of the rom, slithering and hissing on the ground, was a large, icy-white snake with pale, silvery spots on its back.

~Idiots."~ It hissed. ~I am harmless! It's not my fault I was dumped in here by those careless boys!~

Without thinking, Harry replied. ~My apologies, I can see that you are harmless. I'm afraid you are scaring my friends.~

The snake seemed surprised. ~You are a speaker!~

~Yes,~ Harry confirmed. ~My name is Harry. And you are?~ ~Astrielle,~ she hissed. ~I am female.~ ~Greetings, Astrielle,~ Harry smiled.

~And you, young master.~ she replied. ~I am tired now. Good night.~ With that, the snake slithered towards Harry and lay at the end of his bed and fell promptly asleep.

Harry looked up and found the Mauraders gaping at him.

"Oh damn!" was all he could think of to say. "Guys, I-"

"No need to continue, Harry," Sirius' voice was icy cold.

"You're Dark," James' tone was harsh. "You work for Voldemort. What were you trying to do, sending that snake after Peter? Kill him?"

Harry looked up, shocked. "I didn't--"

"Don't try to lie!" Peter squeaked, earning him a glare from Ron and Draco.

"Guys, let him explain!" Remus said. "I'm sure there's an explanation- -" he was cut off abruptly when Harry jumped up and ran to the door.

"I thought you were my friends," the boy said, his eyes full of pain and his voice hurt. "I guess I was wrong." Shooting them all a look of pure betrayal, he ran out of the room.

Draco was the first to react. "YOU!" he thundered, angry for his friend. "You fools..." He advanced, his wand raised.

"Draco!" Ron yelled, grabbing the back of the blond's robes. "NO, Malfoy, you can't!"

"Malfoy?" James asked, surprised. "What does he have to do with anything?"

No one paid him any attention.

"You!" Draco raged. "How DARE you all accuse Harry? Do you just turn on your friends like this? Just because they have an ability they've had since birth? Is that why you were sorted into Gryffindor? Maybe you deserve to be in Slytherin after all!" He stormed out of the room, shooting James and Sirius a venomus look, leaving the group of stunned Gryffindors behind him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco ran after the disappearing figure of Harry. He followed the Gryffindor boy up many flights of stairs. "HARRY!" he called, but the boy didn't show any signs of having hear him. Draco crept after Harry, wary of any teachers or caretakers.

He followed Harry up to the North Tower. For a minute, Draco lost sight of the boy and he panicked, but a second later, an icy-white unicorn with silvery-golden mane flew into the midnight sky.

Draco was not surprised. "Verretia Transformus~!" He said, concentrating. Minutes later, a fiery green dragon followed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I can't believe you did that," Remus said, breaking the silence.

"Remus and Draco are right!" Ron stormed. "How could you? Especially you, James, you know better. Harry thought of you as his friends, and now, look what you've done! Here's what I think of you!" Ron spat on the ground and left the room, fuming.

"How could you do this to Harry?" Remus' tone was quiet, but there was a sharp edge to it.

"Remus, he's a Death Eater! He speaks Parseltongue!" Sirius yelled.

"He's trying to kill us!" James agreed.

"Oh really?" Remus asked, eyes flashing dangerously. His voice was full of suppressed fury. "I suppose I'm a Death Eater too, then? And I'm trying to kill you too? Since I'm a werewolf?"

"NO! You're different..."

"How so?" Remus' eyes blazed. "I can't believe you'er going to just discriminate people like that." With that, he left the room, leaving a gaping James, Sirius, and Peter behind him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Remus raced out of the Gryffindor Common Room in search of Harry.

"I'll just leave the door open until you come back!" The Fat Lady called. "It's the fourth time I've been disturbed already!"

Remus saw Ron's disappearing figure going in one direction. He turned and ran teh other way. He would find Harry and apologize if it was the last thing he did.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco, in his Animagus form, flew after teh flying unicorn. They circled around the lake and finally landed by the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"So you're an Animagus too," Harry said once they'd both transformed into their human form.

Draco nodded. "Are you alright?"

Harry's tone was quiet, and the blond flinched at the slight note of pain in them. "I just need some time. I'll be fine by tomorrow."

For a moment, Draco saw a flash of pain in the other's emerald eyes. Then, it was gone, replaced by cold indifference. He knew what the other was feeling, what Harry was going through. He had often felt this way himself when people teased and assumed him evil because he was a Malfoy.

"Everything will be fine in the morning, Harry," Draco gave the Gryffindor's shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

"Thanks, Draco."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco was frantic; after running down dozens of stairs and corridors, he culd not find Harry or Draco. Suddenly, he remembered, the small mirror hanging from his neck. Taking it out, he wondered if it would accept Harry's fake name.

"Harry Darkice," he said clearly. No response. Ron tried again, this time, with Harry's real name. "Harry Potter."

It worked; Harry's face appeared. "Ron?"

"Where are you? Are you okay?" the redhead asked anxiously.

"I'm fine," Harry replied. "I need to be alone for a while. Just go back to sleep."

"Okay. Bye," Ron reluctantly went back to his dorm. After flashing the remaining Mauraders a look of anger, he settled into his bed to wait for Harry.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Remus was going by the window next to the empty classroom when something moving caught his eyes. Looking out, he as just in time to see Harry and draco transform into a unicorn and dragon, both flying towards the school. He gaped, stunned. So they were had gone through their Animagus transformations too! Well, it seemed as if they were heading back, there was no point in wandering through the corridors and risk getting caught. He went back to the Gryffindor Common Room, and sitting down in a chair, waited.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry and Draco landd on the North Astronomy Tower.

"You go to bed," Harry said to the blond boy. "I think I'll stay with Severus tonight."

"Okay," Draco agreed reluctantly. "Good night."

Harry went down to !Severus'! private quarters. Stating the password, he walked in and foudn the Potions Master awake, still reading.

"Harry!" !Severus! said. "What are you doing here? It's three in the morning!"

Harry told !Severus! about what had happened. "I didn't mean to speak Parseltongue," he said, his voice breaking. He lay his head on the other's shoulders and sobed quietly. "I wanted to get to know James, and now, he hates me!"

"It's alright, child," !Severus! said, rocking the boy. "Everything will be fine..."

Harry felt the rocking motion soothing. He closed his eyes and fell a restless sleep.