4/4

"Other papers?" Draco asked, wondering what other British publications she was referring to. Sadly, the Daily Prophet had something of a monopoly on British journalism.

"From abroad. The French and the German papers were the most interesting."

"You can read them?"

"Yes, I speak multiple languages." Luna said.

Draco nodded, pretending not to be impressed. He was somewhat fluent in French, 'as all well accoutred young men should be,' his mother said, but he did not have a flair for languages and had never bothered to learn any others.

"I read seventeen newspapers this morning and ours was the worst."

"Seventeen…"

"Yes, though I did only skim the Austrian, American and Italian ones. They did not have much to say about the Tournament and that's what I wanted to read about."

"That makes sense, I suppose." Draco didn't think that made much sense but this had been a civil conversation so far and he wanted to save his aggression for Gaara. "What are people saying?"

"Lots of things. Many of them are curious about Gaara. He is very mysterious."

"Don't I know it…"

"And about why Hogwarts had two Champions. Many politicians are calling Britain cheaters."

"Where do you stand?" Draco asked.

Luna looked down at her feet. "Right here."

Draco knew she was messing with him. How could she not be? "You know what I meant."

"You want to know if I believe that Harry Potter or Gaara cheated to become a Champion." Draco wasn't sure if he heard a question in that. He hoped not. "I do not think so. Harry doesn't seem like the sort to cheat."

"And Gaara?"

"Oh, he seems like he might cheat. But I don't think he did this time."

"That's pretty much what I thought. So what do you think happened?"

"I'm not sure. With someone like Gaara involved, maybe the Goblet became confused and classified him as from another school. Or his own magic interfered with the Goblet's and confused it. Maybe someone else wanted him to take part."

"Any of those could be true." Draco admitted, feeling unsatisfied.

"Or he might have cheated."

"That still doesn't answer why."

"Neither of us know Gaara well enough to know why he would enter. Not without asking him first."

That hurt Draco a little. He prided himself, secretly, on the fact that he was the foremost Gaara expert (except Mr Black) probably. He didn't like to think that, after everything they had been through together, Gaara could still be this much of a mystery to him. Though recent events had been making him reassess that more and more.

Draco was quiet for a moment as he mulled this over. Eventually he asked, "What do you think I should do?"

"I'm not sure. Asking him about it would probably be best. I hope you won't start a fight with him. I've noticed boys do that a lot when they're confused."

"Gryffindors maybe."

"Not just them. The only ones who don't do it that much are Hufflepuffs."

"That's because they're wimps."

"I think they're just too friendly for it." Luna almost sounded disapproving.

"Well, I certainly don't intend to try punching Gaara when he shows himself."

"I'm glad. I wouldn't like to see you hurt yourself." Luna said, her mind obviously wandering. "The Daily Prophet mentioned you, you know."

"I remember. That Skeeter woman's article referred to me by name. My father's solicitor has already been in contact with the Prophet." Draco had not appreciated the pictures of his gormless face nor the speculation of his precise association with Gaara, beyond their rooming situation. Somehow, they had even found out that he and Gaara weren't actually assigned to live together this year and that Gaara had taken it upon himself to switch.

"Some of the other foreign papers seemed more interested by what the Champions were wearing."

"That's hardly surprising. They're all celebrities now. Besides, what was there to say? Harry Potter was wearing rags and Viktor Krum was wearing fur?"

"They did mention that Mr Potter looked ragged, and Mr Krum was wearing fur." Luna admitted, "But, they spent a while on Gaara because he's so… distinctive looking."

"What did they say?" Draco wondered if his father would be willing to pursue another suit on Gaara's behalf.

"They wondered why he dyed his hair, wore makeup, shaved his eyebrows, and painted an Asian character on his forehead. They also dwelled on his height and his behaviour. They said he looked contemptuous. I think they were right about that part."

Draco held back a snigger about this latest misunderstanding about Gaara's appearance. Sadly, even the denizens of Hogwarts would no longer believe his assurances that Gaara wasn't wearing makeup. They all thought Draco was covering for him.

"He'll be livid when he reads that one." Draco said.

"I don't think Gaara can read Spanish." Luna reasoned.

"Probably not. Hopefully the other papers won't start on that sort of tabloid rubbish."

"The Quibbler certainly won't."

"Thank goodness…" Draco said, knowing that the circulation of that particular magazine was lower than some internal Ministry memos.

They lapsed into silence again and Luna looked like she wanted to leave but didn't want to offend him. If she weren't a Ravenclaw, it wouldn't surprise him if she'd been sorted into Hufflepuff.

"You can go." Draco hadn't really meant to sound so imperious, but now it happened, he could live with it.

"Okay." Luna said before turning on her heal and heading off.

"Oh, before you go, what does that symbol on Gaara's face mean? I've asked him a couple times but he's never told me."

Luna turned back to him. "No, I suppose he wouldn't. It means 'love'."

"He's got 'love' tattooed on his forehead?" Draco couldn't believe it. Of all the things for someone like Gaara to have on his face. He'd always assumed it meant war or strength or something. "Why on Earth does he have that?"

"I imagine Gaara's he only person in the world who knows the answer to that." Luna said before turning again and leaving.

Draco wondered at the implications of that statement. It was almost certainly true.

Beyond that very pertinent question, Draco then wondered why it was in a foreign language when Gaara spoke and wrote in English, and didn't seem to need to be taught the language. He didn't come from Japan, so why was he also apparently fluent in their language? Or, why had Gaara's language been translated when he came to this world but not the writing on his face?

Despite it still being the morning and having just eaten breakfast, Draco felt weary.

The nightmares had yet to abate and these lies and secrets seemed to be growing every day. It felt like there was no respite from the pressure at the moment. Not even the escape he might find in friendship, evidently.

He tried to shake off his sleep-deprived headache and remember with which lessons he was supposed to be starting the day.

OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Once again, Gaara had somehow managed to surprise him, even after Draco told himself he would no longer make any assumptions about his roommate's behaviour.

Gaara had actually shown up to their first lesson.

Draco had been one of the first to arrive and take his seat, and with the addition of a handful of Durmstrang visitors auditing the lesson, he didn't immediately notice his distinctive friend standing in the back. To be perfectly honest, it hadn't even occurred to him to look.

Upon finally sighting him, Draco struggled greatly with how to react.

The immense feelings of rage at the betrayal and relief that Gaara was here were at war within him. He wanted to jump up and curse or punch Gaara's porcelain face or maybe invite him to sit or hug him.

Not willing to embarrass himself with any of those actions, and certainly not willing to let Gaara off the hook, he settled for turning back to the front of the room and ignoring him. Someone else had already taken Gaara's usual seat so he could pretend the redhead actually wasn't there and get on with his day.

Arse.

Gaara noticed the cold shoulder he was receiving and was grateful. It was better than outright hatred right now. He knew to expect one or the other.

He had been avoiding confrontations a lot since he arrived in this world and last night had been no different. He'd hidden out overnight and spent the early morning sifting through no less than thirty-six letters that arrived with the morning post. Normally he would have needed to sit for breakfast in the Great Hall or go and get his post from the owlery directly, but apparently there was a limit to the number of letters they would hold for him.

So, he had sat outside in the November chill, reading through three dozen letters. Or, sifting through the vast majority of letters sent from perfect strangers and actually reading the four letters that came from people he knew. The strangers all wanted interviews, or information, or something else from him. One offered to give him money in exchange for him endorsing some product of theirs.

Gaara had put it with the rest of the pile to be discarded. He had no need of money, he had Sirius (and maybe Draco would stay with him a little longer.) Or he could just steal money. Either way, he did not need to sell himself.

Of the remaining four pertinent letters, Gaara started with the one he recognised as having come from Dumbledore, bearing the Hogwarts seal on the back. That was probably quite important.

'Dear Gaara,

Without unduly disclosing details better left obscured in remote communications like this, I would first like to offer my sincere gratitude to you for honouring our regrettable deal. However, in spite of this, I am afraid I must ask further of you in light of last night's surprising turn. I do not have anything beyond what I have already promised as part of our first deal to offer you, but I hope you will humour this latest request and the moral impetus it serves.

The surprise entry is not as prepared as you will be for the upcoming challenges. So, please do whatever is within your considerable power to protect him as well as the others.

I can only hope you will acquiesce to my last selfish request of you but I will not ask for a response on this matter. Either you will or will not, there is nothing more I can do or say to change how the Tournament will proceed.

Any unofficial communications between us now will have to pass through letters like this. Meeting in private as we have before will draw suspicion of collusion at best. I'm sure you will understand.

I am sorry for the burdensome failures of the adults in the world.

Yours in good faith,

-'

Gaara didn't know what was more laughable, what this world considered to be secretive communications or Dumbledore's promise that this would be the last request. Gaara knew people like the old man would continue to ask of him until he had nothing more to give. For that reason, he wanted to outright refuse and leave Potter to his fate in the Tournament.

The reason he couldn't do that, other than the irksome morality of it all, was that Sirius would be crushed if Potter were hurt or killed. For Sirius' sake and not Dumbledore's, he would do what he could to keep Potter alive.

In a sour mood, Gaara stood and turned back towards the castle. It had been a freezing cold night and he had a good reason (beyond the heating) to return to the castle. He left the pile of irrelevant letters and cards on the damp forest floor, safe in the knowledge that the parchment would soon turn to mulch if it rained latter this afternoon as Trelawney had predicted. She was hopeless at most predictions but she could at least be relied upon to predict the weather two days in advance.

While his charmed robes did keep him from suffering the worst of the Scottish Autumnal chill, it was still much more comfortable inside the castle. As he passed the first torch he saw, he called his sand out to drop Dumbledore's letter in the flames. Standard protocol for secret letters.

He still had the remaining three letters in his pocket but he knew who they were from and he knew he wanted to deal with Draco personally before any of them. Besides, he could pretty much guess what Narcissa Malfoy, Molly Weasley and Sirius (and likely Remus) had to say. In fact, they would all likely be saying the same things.

He had sadly already missed breakfast so he skipped the circus in the Great Hall and headed straight to his first lesson of the day. He wasn't too sure of the time when he arrived so he was disappointed to find the class was already mostly full and almost ready to start. He had even missed his opportunity to take the seat next to Draco, so he would have to suffer the tension of waiting until after this lesson to have it out with his friend.

He stood in the back and soon found himself surrounded by the much larger visiting Durmstrang students who he understood were going to be watching the Hogwarts lessons for the rest of the year. Gaara thought it was hugely disruptive to learning, but clearly that wasn't the Ministry's priority for this school. The visitors all seemed friendly, a few of them even quietly introducing themselves to him but he was saved from reciprocating when the professor entered and began the lesson.

"Yes, yes, it's all very exciting. Please would everyone remain quiet. I will transfigure extra desks and chairs for those of you who arrived too late to finds seats." McGonagall said snappishly before turning to her chalkboard and starting the lesson.

Draco looked at him once throughout the entire lesson.

Other than the demonstration of how to create office and classroom furniture from transfiguring pencils, Gaara didn't take much notice of anything that was said or done during the first lesson of the day.

When the lesson came to an end, Gaara stood and walked directly to Draco, heedless of their classmates all vying for his attention. Draco turned to the exit and, seeing Gaara approaching, diverted and walked the other way around the desks to avoid him. Gaara was about to give chase when he heard, "Gaara, wait there a moment."

Turning, McGonagall was looking right at him. Experience told him that she would not appreciate if he ignored her and continued what he was doing. He was trying to defuse tensions and avoid conflict, so best not get the angry Scotswoman baying for blood.

"Come here." She beckoned him over while the last of the students who had been waiting to interact with Gaara realised they would have to do so later and filed out.

Gaara approached her, wondering why she had interrupted his plan.

"Gaara, I am forbidden by a Ministry decree from offering you any special help with your upcoming Tasks, but if you happened to have any suggestions about what you think would be generally helpful to the class, I am more than happy to update my syllabus." She said it with the barest hint of a smile. "And if you have any suggestions for any of your other lessons, please bring it to our attentions and we will do everything we can to accommodate you."

"Thank you for your kind offer." Gaara said, truly meaning it. "But I do not believe my chances will be improved by a month of learning magic. I will use my strengths. You should all focus on Potter."

"Yes, well, we will be making the same offer to Mr Potter, you can rest assured. But you shouldn't be worrying about another Champion's abilities." She scolded him. He thought it was an ironic position to be taking after having read her superior's letter just this morning.

"Thank you again. I have to get to my next lesson."

"Tell Professor Hagrid I detained you. He should understand but if you have any trouble, I will speak with him this evening."

Gaara nodded and left. He thought about running to catch up but he doubted he could intercept Draco before he reached Hagrid's teaching area anyway.

He walked out, safe in the knowledge that most students had already reached their next lessons so he could walk to Care of Magical Creatures in peace. He had a feeling such moments might become a rarity from now on and they ought to be treasured even more than before.

When he arrived, Hagrid was already giving his talk on the proper method for preparing Pegasus feed and did not spare him a second glance. Gaara did not fully understand Hagrid but he appreciated the giant man's attitude to things like tardiness. He hoped that would extend to this next discourtesy.

Gaara could not stand around and pretend to listen to a CoMC lesson while waiting for the opportunity to talk to Draco at the end. He had a nasty feeling in his gut that he wanted rid of now.

Skirting around the edges of the gathered pupils, Gaara approached Draco from behind and knew he had been noticed by the bunching of Draco's shoulders. Sliding through the crowd until he was next to him, he said, "I need to talk to you."

"Not now!" Draco whispered back, glancing around at the people who had obviously noticed the disruption.

"Yes, now." Gaara said obstinately, not bothering to whisper.

Draco saw that even Hagrid had noticed but was trying to continue his lesson regardless because the great oaf didn't want the trouble that came with interacting with a Malfoy or Gaara. "Go away."

"Yes." Gaara said. He grabbed Draco by the wrist and then dragged him back through the crowd. Draco blushed at the presumption and embarrassing spectacle they must be making, especially in front of the visiting Durmstrang students. It was in the hope of avoiding further humiliation that he ceased his struggled and followed more willingly away from the lesson.

Hagrid watched them go and tried to remember what Professors Sprout and McGonagall had said to do if his students dragged one another away from his class. Nothing came to mind, and the advice for truanting students didn't feel like it would work here. He also didn't want to spend an evening detention with either Draco Malfoy or Gaara; the former for obvious reasons and the latter because he didn't understand the boy and didn't want the tiny redhead claiming any more of Hagrid's pets as his own.

He'd deduct House points, for what they were worth, if the boys didn't come back before the end.

The other students barely batted a collective eyelid as they watched the latest drama between the pair. It was an accepted fact of Hogwarts life by now that Gaara and Draco had a peculiar and close friendship and it was best if everybody (except that one Ravenclaw girl) did their best to ignore it.

The Dumstrang students present didn't know what to think about it but started making discreet enquiries about Hogwarts' first Champion and the pureblood boy.

Draco gave up trying to wrest his arm out of Gaara's grasp (not for the first time) and let himself be led away. If they were going to have this out, better they create some distance. Draco wanted to be able to shout.

When they were far enough away that only Gaara's presence offered any reassurance against the dangers of the Dark Forest, Draco yanked his arm free and began.

"You utter pillock! What were you thinking?"

Gaara turned in time to see Draco explode at him. It wasn't pretty. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

"Tell me?! How about not entering the bloody thing to begin with?! How about not keeping everything a secret from me just because you have to be so bloody mysterious?"

Gaara waited, not wanting to interrupt.

"And while we're on it, why in Merlin's name did you put your bloody name in that bloody Goblet?!" Gaara was beginning to wonder if bloody was the only swearword Draco knew. "You stupid arse!" Maybe not.

"It is simply something I have to do." Gaara did not want to jeopardise his deal with the Headmaster by disclosing it, even to Draco.

"Why?" Draco looked at him like he was expecting that Gaara could not provide a suitable answer.

"I can't explain it."

"Can't or won't explain? You're always pulling bollocks like this and I'm sick and tired of it. We might as well be strangers."

"I only hide what-"

"Shut up! Tell me now why you entered or-" He faltered, "or we're done. I'll change rooms and you can spend all your time listening to Looney Lovegood and her ridiculous stories."

Gaara's face betrayed nothing of what he was thinking. Draco was beginning to worry that Gaara might call his bluff. If it even was a bluff. Was he bluffing? Draco wasn't really sure. He was tempted, in this temporary silence, to dart over and kick Gaara square in the shin.

"I had to enter to fulfil a bargain with the Headmaster."

"Wait, what? What are you on about?" Draco did a double-take.

"In return for help in finding my home, I agreed to enter."

"Why does Dumbledore want you in the Tournament?" It made no sense.

"I am stronger than anyone else here. If I entered, it would save someone else being hurt."

"Well that worked out well, didn't it." Draco drawled. Looking at Gaara, his gormless face, he felt his rage evaporate in an instant. His best friend in the world was the biggest idiot in the world too.

"It hasn't gone precisely to plan."

"So Dumbledore's blackmailing you to make you risk your life instead of someone else?"

"Essentially, yes." Gaara thought that sounded about right.

"And you didn't think of asking me about it? It didn't occur to tell me what he was making you do?"

"He hasn't forced me. It is a deal, nothing more." In fact, in Gaara's mind, it was somewhat like a mission.

"And that's seems okay to you. For a man like Dumbledore to make deals with students?"

Gaara did not quite understand the objection Draco was making.

"And why didn't you tell me? Is it so hard to mention, 'oh, Dumbledore's making me enter the Tournament tomorrow, what do you think, Draco?'"

"He told me to keep it a secret."

"And you thought I just wouldn't notice?! Did alarm bells not go off when the old man starting trying to make you keep secrets?" Honestly, it was as if Gaara had never had a positive adult role model tell him fundamental facts of life.

"I deemed it a reasonable request and accepted the deal."

"You're an idiot. You know that, right? You an abso-bloody-lutely stupid person."

Gaara did not think he was supposed to respond to these insults.

"I can't believe you entered the Triwizard Tournament…" Draco finally said. He turned away and massaged his head again. He brought his hands back down from his temples and recalled what an upper year had told him recently when he saw this common stress-response. Draco dearly wanted not to lose his hair before he turned 20 so he stopped rubbing his scalp.

"It is not ideal, I agree."

Draco twisted back to look at his friend. "Not ideal? That's the understatement of the year. Still, at least you've got a better chance of surviving than Potter does."

"I intend to help him survive too."

"Well, that seems like a wasted effort but there's no helping some things." Draco joked. He hadn't made a dead-Potter joke in a while and it dead a fair bit to lift his spirits. "Well, if you're going to enter, you'd better at least win."

"Yes, that was also part of the deal. I have to win in order to receive Dumbledore's help." Gaara said this as if it would be the simplest thing in the world to win the Triwizard Tournament despite being the youngest (and shortest by a wide margin) of those competing, as well as being easily the least capable magic user.

"You also have to win? Is there anything else about that deal you've not mentioned?" Draco was unamused by the omission.

"Not that I recall. And do not mention it to anyone."

"Of course I won't. You don't have to go around spilling all of your secrets in the open, but you have to start telling me things."

"I already do."

"Not everything, you don't."

"No, not everything." Gaara said, meeting Draco's eyes and refusing to waver in the moment.

"Let's get back. Even that giant half-wit will notice if we miss the entire lesson."

"He saw us leave."

"You two have a lot in common, you know." Draco said, not finished insulting his friend yet.

Gaara considered the strange interest the animals of this world had in him and Hagrid's own famous animal magnitude and agreed with the assessment, even if that were the only similarity between them.

They started back towards where the lesson was probably still going on.

"How did Dumbledore know for sure that you would be the one to be picked for the Tournament? I know you're really strong but surely that's not the only thing."

"I don't know."

"You don't think he did something to make sure you were the one the Goblet picked, do you?"

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"Nor me. How funny would it be if that was what cause Potter to be picked too. All of this and Potter gets stuck in the Tournament too because that meddlesome old man couldn't keep his nose out."

"I don't think it is funny. He is in danger."

Draco chewed on that. Sure, he liked joking about Potter's death and once upon a time he would have felt little more than joy if it were to actually happen (plus there was the time he set a poisonous snake on him in a duel…) but now it actually seemed to be in poor taste to make such jokes.

He would have to restrict himself to maiming jokes from now one, then. Something about getting more scars for the collection. He would work on that one.

Draco let them fall into silence for a respectable moment before he spoke again more seriously, "Will you tell me the rest of whatever you're hiding at some point?"

Gaara stopped walking but didn't look at him. "No, I have secrets I would like to keep from you."

Draco did not understand how Gaara could say that to him. Sure, Draco's usual friends kept secrets from him and vice versa, but that was just part of being a Slytherin. Gaara and he shared more than that. What could Gaara possibly still be hiding, considering the crazy things Draco already knew about him?

Turns into a were-something-fluffy, is from another world(!), used to be a paid mercenary. How much worse could it get? Something told him, probably the screaming and laughter he heard in his nightmares, that whatever this big secret was, it was related to the last full moon.

He so dearly wished that night had never happened.

Gaara had already started walking again so Draco jogged to catch up.

Upon returning to the class, someone (whose face Draco committed to memory and to his list of enemies) piped up, "Kiss and made up, have we?"

The soft laughter that bubbled up and quickly died made Draco blush but did not stop his retort. "Not everyone is so interested in kissing boys as you are."

This caused a round of childish 'ooohs' but nothing more came of it. Still, Draco's blush stayed. He knew there had been a couple of rumours running amok about the nature of his and Gaara's relationship but this was the first time anything had been said in front of him. He needed to find a girlfriend soon or else everyone would think it was true.

He looked to see if Gaara had been at all affected by the crude joke but the moronic redhead was currently being harassed by the Beauxbaton Pegasi that Hagrid had brought out to show the class.

As Gaara ducked the horse faces that were trying to greet him, he was reminded that while he had apparently sorted his issues with Draco for the moment, he still had the three remaining letters in his pocket to deal with.

And it wasn't even noon.

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A/N: A bit of slow chapter, but I hope it was satisfying for some of you.

I'll try (as ever) to get the next one out faster.

Thank you for reading, and drop a review if you have a moment. I've never stopped enjoying reading them.