"Hey, kiddo!"
Draco looked to the voice and choked on his saliva.
There, grinning with long matted hair and tatty clothes stood Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.
Harry's heart swelled at the sight of the only remaining parents he could consider. Sirius laughed and took three long strides before sweeping him into a huge hug. The dark haired teen hugged back him with all his might. Merlin, he hadn't actually thought he'd get to see Sirius again! He dug his teeth into his lip, refusing to let his emotions come through.
Sirius wrapped strong arms around him, a big grin pressed into his temple. Harry clamped his eyes shut and relished the heat of his godfather's body seeping into his. He felt so warm. The ex convict pulled away and let out a bark like laugh. "I've missed your face. Our mini-Prongs."
Harry gave him a smile. He'd missed Sirius too. He'd missed them both. His lips parted, he was ready-he could do it!-but his throat closed up and his breath caught in his lungs. His eyes widened. He wanted to talk right now! He wanted this so badly!
Remus's eyes narrowed slightly, the frown line between his eyebrows deepening.
The blond Slytherin stepped up and grasped his wrist. Harry stiffened at the contact. "I'm sorry, Black, but we've got to go to class now. I'll ensure that the both of you get your quality time." He looked at the ex-Gryffindor. "Come on."
"Now just wait a second Malfoy." Sirius pursed his lips and clenching his wand tightly. The werewolf's hand resting on his shoulder silenced anything else.
Harry hoped to merlin Remus hadn't caught on to anything.
"They need to get to class, Sirius. We wouldn't want them to be late. We'll talk to him later." Sirius frowned but remained silent. Harry spared a glance back at them-they were talking fervently, Remus's eyes pinned on him.
He was screwed. Harry looked back to Draco, the blond's icy gaze narrowed at him. What had he done here?
Draco raised an eyebrow at him and pulled him along. "Someone's looking extraordinarily healthy right now."
Harry blinked. What? He pointed a finger to himself in question and Draco scoffed. "Don't tell me you didn't notice, Potter. You hear Black's voice and you're back to the same looks as you were in Fourth year."
Harry shook his head. No, he hadn't done anything like that! That was impossible. He'd have felt his glamours coming back. He'd have known. He lifted his hand. I didn't do that.
Draco rolled his eyes and conjured a mirror. He held it up for the ex-Golden boy to see. Harry froze. His perfect self stared back at him. Shiny black, but wild, hair brushed into his eyes. Bright green eyes blinked and healthy lips parted in disbelief. A golden hand caressed his golden cheek. What? How... How had this happened...
Heat rushed over his body, consuming him. He backed away from the mirror and dashed around the corner as his stomach lurched. He clung to the wall as his breakfast spilled out of his mouth. Bloody hell. What the fuck was wrong with him? The ex-Gryffindor clenched his jaw and eyes shut. Just when he'd gotten over the whole throwing-up thing.
"Are you alright?" Draco's voice came from behind him softly. Harry waved a hand at him. "Sorry. I thought you'd meant it to happen. But... your reaction is clear enough about that. We need to talk to Severus-if your magic is doing things like that without any control whatsover."
Harry made a face though he knew the Slytherin wouldn't be able to see. Seeing Snape wasn't exactly high up there on his list of things to do today. "We should do it before class." Draco's wand appeared by his head and vanished the mess he'd made. Wand was replaced by a hand with strong and slim fingers. Harry turned slightly and grudgingly grasped his hand. Might as well get it over with.
They travelled in silence and Harry noticed that Draco forgot to release his hand. Warmth snaked through the Slytherin's skin to his, feeling like the heat of the sun in June. Comfortable. Inviting. Harry couldn't bring himself to pull away.
Draco led him down twisting dungeon hallways and a little seed of anxiety flowered inside of him with every step. He tightened his grasp on Draco's hand. He didn't want to go see Snape. He didn't want to see him at all. Would the blonde understand?
He pulled on the Slytherin with a frown but to no effect. Draco gave him a funny look and said, "Whether you want to go or not, I don't care. We need to see the professor so we can figure this out."
Draco continued to drag him in the direction of the dungeons despite his pulling. He didn't want to see Snape. So what if he couldn't talk right now. His voice was probably just rusty. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd used it. Harry pulled himself away from the Slytherin. He didn't want to go and that was final.
"Potter, what are you-?"
Harry ignored the rest of the statement and ran as fast as he could. He didn't care what the others said. He didn't care if he was disobeying the Greasy Git. This was his life and he'd get help when he damn well pleased! His stomach lurched at the thought, momentary angry making his skin overly sensitive.
He ducked into a passageway and sprinted at the sound of footsteps behind him. He couldn't afford getting caught by Draco Malfoy-or any of the other Slytherin seventh years, for that matter-right now.
He found himself in his secret sanctuary for the first time in weeks. Any trace of himself had been washed away in the sea of dust. Silence reigned the stone walls of the corridor. Alone again. He let out a sigh of relief. How was this going to work out now that Sirius and Remus were here? And how long were they going to be here? Harry couldn't get them mixed up into his sideshow of a life. Not now.
The stone walls caught on his robes as he slid down the wall and took a seat on the floor. Plumes of dust swirled around him. How had he gotten so messed up? The ex-Gryffindor shut his eyes and rested his head against the wall. His eyelids felt heavy, his limbs numb. He could afford to rest a little.
"Oh!"
Harry's body tensed, his eyes shooting open. Wide lavender eyes bore into his, silver hair framing a heart shaped face. "Hello again." He blinked and rubbed his eyes as the girl took a seat on the floor, legs crossed. "Do you remember me? I sat by you after the sorting."
He ran through his memories. The girl who had made him eat. He nodded. He spelled her name in the dust. 'Chandelle.'
"Good memory." She smiled. "What're you doing over here? It's a bit dirty. Your robes are going to turn grey." He shrugged and averted his gaze. "Hm, yeah, sometimes I like to just go on my own, too. I've got a bunch of sisters and sometimes I just need to leave the house to get the sounds out of my head." She rolled her eyes.
Harry glanced at her, a little smile tugging at his lips. Why did she make him feel understood? Like he could just blink and she'd know what he was thinking. "But, lunch is nearly over. Did you know that?"
His eyes widened. Lunch? Had anyone noticed he'd been missing from class? No. No one would see the difference. He hadn't even been in class yet. Not really, at least. He could ask Madame Pomfrey to cover for him. "Ah, so you hadn't. Oh well. Are you planning to stay here the entire day?"
Could he stay here that long? Surely Draco would be furious for him running off. ...Would he be? Probably only because Snape had told the Slytherin Prince to keep an eye on him. Like some sort of miscreant dog. He'd show him. Harry nodded his head once. He wasn't about to let some blonde prick that, if it were a year prior, would've taunted him over his silence rather than try to fix it.
"I can stay with you, if you'd like." Chandelle smiled gracefully. And skive off class? Was she crazy? He shook his head. Harry couldn't let her do something like that. Especially not for him. "But I might get in trouble." He nodded. "So, that's why you should come with me."
His eyes widened. Go with her? To class? How would that even be possible. The ex-Gryffindor's eyebrows slid together. "And this way, you can tell Professor Snape that you were still with a Slytherin. You weren't all by yourself." Her eyes twinkled in a Dumbledore-esque way.
This girl. He looked over her silver locks, her creamy skin and lavender eyes. What was she?
Chandelle held out her hand, looking hopeful. A dainty and frail looking hand. Like his. Emerald met amethyst. He grasped her hand, comfort sliding through him at the touch. She smiled. "You don't need to worry about people finding you." Chandelle looked up at him as they stood. "Just don't let go."
Dark eyebrows furrowed together again. That didn't make any sense. But his instincts were telling him to trust her. Their footsteps were nearly silent as they made their way out of the corridor. Could he really stay hidden like this?
As they approached the main hall, Harry prepared himself for the stares. Whatever she said, there was no way just holding her hand would hide him. But. They entered the throng of students and not even a second glance.
He wasn't going to wonder about it too much. Chandelle had a smile on her face. Could she tell what he was thinking?
A muscled arm swept through his midsection as if it didn't exist as a sixth year Gryffindor passed. Harry's eyes widened. What?
Chandelle looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and whispered, "I told you not to worry. I'll keep you hidden."
He frowned. A gentle, feminine voice rung in his head. 'I can make you into nothing.'
Harry paused. Nothing? He wouldn't exist?
But Sirius... And Remus... Whisper, Malfoy, even the Slytherins... His heart clamoured in his chest like a five year old on the piano. He didn't want to be nothing. He wanted to be something!
He tore his hand away and ran.
A/N: Tada~ At last it's out. Hopefully it was worth the wait! ~Seven Sins