Background Secrets
Part III: Fifth Year
Chapter IX: Angelo's Secret
Harry sighed as he jumped the park gate and headed toward the broken swing set like he had almost every night of the summer. He'd been sure that today, his birthday, Voldemort would attack something or cause some other trouble, but the news had been uneventful. No odd shapes in the sky, no strange disappearances, no unexplainable murders. Nothing in the Daily Prophet or on the Muggle evening news. Nothing from his friends, secret or otherwise.
He sank into the one unbroken swing and stared moodily at the ground. He was sure why he was so upset; he should be happy that Voldemort had yet to make a move. But it was unnerving that nothing had happened when Voldemort hadn't had any qualms about killing whoever he liked before he'd actually been resurrected.
He did know that he wasn't just upset about the silence. He was also furious with Ron and Hermione; so furious, in fact, that when he'd received their presents of Honeydukes chocolate that morning, he'd thrown them out without a second thought. He regretted it now, as they'd only had a wilted salad for dinner and he was rather hungry, but he wasn't about to let go of his pride and dig through the trash for chocolate. His other friends' letters, and presents, had been much more satisfactory, but they still didn't know much about what was going on. At least they told him that directly rather that skirt around the issue.
He'd been so lost in thought that he nearly fell out of his swing when a loud resounding crack cut through the peaceful night. He leapt to his feet, drew out his wand as he turned around, and then nearly dropped it in shock. Standing in the middle of the Muggle play park were Draco Malfoy and Aaron Eaglesight.
"That excited to see us, are you?" Draco said with a pointed glance at Harry's wand. Harry hurriedly stuffed the wand back in his belt.
"What are you guys doing here?" he asked numbly, sure that he was seeing things. Aaron and Draco were here in Little Winging?
Aaron sent Draco an amused glance. "I guess he is that excited to see us."
Draco wasn't smiling, however. "You prat, I told you I was going to visit you. Did you forget?"
Harry blinked and immediately felt ashamed. "Of course I didn't forget. I'm sorry; I was just really surprised to see you."
"Naturally, it's to be expected when you haven't seen me in a month," Draco said with a faint smirk, absently flicking his hair out of his eyes. "Though I am a bit disappointed you didn't come running into my arms as soon as you saw me."
Harry raised an eyebrow as he headed over to them. "I'm not a girl, Draco."
"I know, and thank Merlin you're not. I would be able to tolerate some giddy girl."
Harry laughed and hugged Draco as soon as he was close enough. "You have no idea how great it is to see you. I thought the first time I'd see another wizard would be at King's Cross in September. And it's great to see you too, Aaron," he added sheepishly. Aaron just smiled and shook his head, gesturing for him to pay attention to Draco.
"I missed you, too," Draco said as he gently pried Harry off, "but I want to give you your present now."
Harry frowned in confusion. "You already sent me something."
Draco shook his head. "That was just the card. I wanted to give you your real present in person."
"Oh, all right."
"Close you eyes."
Harry sent him a sceptic look but did as he was told. He felt Draco reach behind his head and weight settled on his chest. He resisted the urge to reach up and touch it or to look. What was it with Draco and giving him jewellery?
"Okay, you can look now."
Harry immediately opened his eyes and reached up to move the pendant to where he could see it. Hanging from a fine silver chain was a thin disk of what seemed to be coloured glass, only at the moment the colours were swirling silver and pink.
"What is it?" Harry asked, turning the disk over in his fingers. "And I'm really not a girl, you know."
Draco rolled his eyes, though he was looking serious again. "It's not just for girls. It's an Emotion Necklace, a traditional pure-blood gift to someone being courted."
Harry stared at him with a light blush, completely startled. He was being courted? Courtship usually ended in marriage, didn't it? "I still don't get it..."
"Basically, it shows you my emotions as colours as I'm feeling them. It's supposed to symbolize that I trust you enough for you to know how I'm feeling all the time. It isn't something I can take back."
Harry was awed. Draco trusted him that much? Even after everything that had happened in the last couple of months? Personally, he didn't feel he deserved something like this; he hadn't been a very trustworthy boyfriend. It meant a lot that Draco felt he had been.
Without a word, Harry tugged Draco closed again, into a deep kiss.
"Thank you," he murmured when he finally let go. "I won't let anything happen too it."
"I know; I trust you."
"But how am I supposed to know what the colours mean?"
Draco suddenly seemed embarrassed. "Well, normally, you'd already know, since this is usually only given to purebloods or half-bloods raised that way. It's probably in a book at school. I can't remember off the top of my head."
"At school..." Harry paled, horrified. "Draco, I can't wear this at school! Ron's a pureblood; if he sees it he'll know what it is!"
"I thought of that," Draco answered with a smirk, "so I looked up a Concealment Charm for you. It's 'Abscondo' and the reverse is 'Aparecium' like with most Concealment Charms."
"You think of everything, don't you?" Harry said with a smile.
"Of course. I am perfect, you know."
"Sure you are." Harry gave him another kiss before he asked softly, "How long can you stay?"
"Not long," Draco answered with a sigh. "Mother thinks I'm visiting Blaise right now, but I still have to get back at a reasonable hour. And Aaron has a present for you too."
Harry blinked and looked over Aaron; he'd completely forgotten the man was there. But before he could say anything, Draco tugged on his sleeve and pointed over his shoulder. "What are those?"
Harry smiled and led Draco back over to the swings, explaining what they were for and how they worked. He waited to make sure that Draco understood and to see the look of glee on the blond's face when he started swinging. Then he headed back over to Aaron with an apologetic expression.
"Sorry I forgot about you. Did Draco coerce you into Apparating him here?" Harry asked with a laugh. Aaron smiled faintly as he shook his head.
"No, I was going to come anyway. Cedric wants to talk to you."
Harry started and stared at him with wide eyes. "You can contact him now?"
Aaron nodded. "He contacted me three days ago. Draco was right; it was the first thing he did. I didn't tell you then because I thought it would make a better birthday present."
"From the way you made it sound, I thought it would be years before he was ready."
"Yes, that's what I thought too." Aaron shrugged slightly. "Would you like to talk to him?"
Harry looked at him like he was crazy. "You have to ask?"
"Fair point," Aaron said with a laugh. "I'm going to channel him for you. It'll be like he's possessing me, so you can talk to him directly."
"Okay." Harry was rather relieved by this, as well as nervous. It would be less awkward to speak with Cedric directly, but there was also a lot that could happen that way.
Aaron's eyes closed and he went completely still. He remained this way for several minutes, and then his eyes suddenly opened and he gave Harry a sad smile.
"Hey, Harry."
Harry wasn't sure what possessed him at that moment–after all, Aaron still looked and sounded like himself–but that expression was Cedric's, and before he knew it, he was in tears again for the first time in a month and had collapsed into Cedric's arms. Cedric let him cry for a few minutes; then he gently pushed Harry back so he could look down at the brunet.
"I don't blame you, Harry. There was nothing you could have done."
"I made you take the Cup with me," Harry murmured, hastily wiping the moisture off his cheeks. "If I hadn't been so stubborn, you never would have been in danger."
"Or I might have taken it by myself and would have died anyway with no one the wiser."
"But–"
"Harry, if I really blamed you, I would have come back as a vengeful ghost intent of haunting you for the rest of your life."
Harry laughed in spite of himself and gave Cedric a weak smile. "I can't see you ever doing that."
"Exactly," Cedric said with a much larger smile. "I don't blame you, Harry. I blame You-Know-Who; he's the one that killed me."
"He's back," Harry said, feeling rather guilty about that as well. "He came back that night."
"I know; Aaron told me everything. But now you can get revenge on him for me. That'd be a lot harder to do if he were still a spirit."
Harry winced and looked away. "I'd rather never meet him again."
Cedric sighed. "Believe me, so would I. But we both know that's not going to happen. He's going to come after you no matter what."
Harry nodded and was silent for a moment, but when he opened his mouth to speak again, Cedric held up a hand to stop him.
"If you apologize again, I'm going to jinx you."
"I wasn't," Harry said with a soft laugh. "I was going to ask you why you didn't become a ghost. Aaron said you left a lot behind."
"I did. You and Cho, and my parents and friends." Cedric turned thoughtful and it was a good minute before he spoke again. "I suppose part of it was that I didn't want that existence. Living forever, but not being able to touch anyone or anything and outliving everyone you ever knew or loved? It didn't sound like much fun.
"But also, while I was deciding, I sorted out a few things. I really did have a great life, but what I left behind will take care of itself. You've got Draco and Aaron and the others, and I'm sure you'll kill You-Know-Who someday. Cho has you and her friends and family. My parents still have my sister; Aaron has Oliver; my other friends have each other.
"In the end, I realized that even though everyone is really upset that I died, the world won't stop turning because of it. I'm not essential, and I never really was. That's why I was able to go on and not become a ghost."
Harry stared at him in shock, trying to take all that in. Then he glared up at the older boy, suddenly furious. "What do you mean you're not 'essential'? Of course you are!"
Cedric shook his head with a sad smile. "I'm not. I don't expect you to understand; it's just one of those things you learn when you die."
"I'd like to understand," Harry said acidly.
Cedric sighed and looked thoughtful again. "All right, think about it this way. What would happen if you died? A lot of other people would die, either because of You-Know-Who or by suicide. It'd be the same for Dumbledore or even Draco. Nothing like that has happened because of me. Do you understand?"
"No," Harry answered sulkily. "You're important to me! I've been having nightmares since you died!"
Cedric seemed rather concerned by this. "I'm really sorry, Harry. I'd help you if I could. But I think this may be something you can only understand once you're dead."
Harry winded and looked away again. "I've thought about you a lot since then, like I promised."
"You don't have to say anything," Cedric said, shaking Aaron's head.
"No, I need to, or I'll keep thinking about it and I'd really like to just forget that this happened."
Cedric sighed and regarded him sadly. "All right."
Harry took in a deep breath. "I've thought about it a lot–a lot more than I wanted to, actually, 'cause it hurts to think about you–and I've sorted out most of my feelings, for now, at least. I'm really sorry, but I love Draco more than you. He's always been there, either as my enemy or my friend, and I can't help but feel closer to him." Then he blushed as he added, "But I think that if you'd asked me out first, I would have accepted."
Cedric nodded, hardly looking surprised. "I thought as much. I sorted out my feelings too, while I was in limbo, and I love Cho more, so I'm not too upset. But I think it would have worked between us, if things had gone differently and we'd had more time."
"Yeah." Harry gave him a very faint smile. "So, this is how it ends, I guess."
"I guess so. It's too bad; it was kind of fun making Draco jealous. I'm kidding," Cedric added hurriedly at Harry's fierce glare. "Did you get the prize money?"
"Yeah, but I gave it to the twins to help with their joke shop."
"You didn't keep it?" Cedric asked in surprise.
"I didn't want it," Harry answered with a pained expression. "Not after you died. I would have made you take it all in the first place anyway."
"Well, I can't wait to see what they come up with then." Cedric suddenly froze as though he were listening to something only he could hear. Then he gave Harry an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry, Harry, but my time's up. I have to go now."
"Already?" Harry asked. It felt like Cedric had just gotten there and that he was loosing the older boy all over again.
"Yes. I want to stay, believe me, but it would hurt Aaron, and I'm sure you don't want that."
"No, I don't." Harry gave him a sad smile. "Goodbye, then."
"I'll be seeing you, Harry." Cedric leaned down to press a kiss to the Gryffindor's forehead. When he stood straight again, it was Aaron that was blinking down at him.
"You should spend some time with Draco before we have to leave," he murmured, showing no signs of embarrassment, as he gestured behind Harry. Draco was still sitting on the swing, but he was merely rocking back and forth on his tiptoes now, and he seemed a bit bored and depressed.
"Thank you," Harry said to Aaron, giving him a grateful smile, before he headed over to Draco. He placed a light hand on Draco's shoulder, one that didn't attempt to hinder the blond's slow rocking.
"Sorry I took so long. I hope you didn't get too bored."
"I was listening..."
Harry blinked. "To what?"
"You and Cedric. I was listening to you."
"Why?"
Draco shrugged as he stood up. "I don't know."
Harry frowned and stepped in front of Draco. "Yes, you do. Why?"
Draco was silent for quite a while before he whispered, "I was afraid."
"Of what?" Harry pressed, getting frustrated; this was like pulling teeth.
"Of loosing you!" Draco wasn't depressed anymore; rather, he looked quite angry. "You're so clueless sometimes! I don't want to lose you, and I know very well I could to that pretty boy!"
"That 'pretty boy' is dead, Draco, because of me!" Harry exclaimed, suddenly angry himself. "I'm still having nightmares about it! I still feel just as guilty as before that I'm the one standing here and not him!"
"It wasn't your fault, Harry," Draco said, looking a bit taken aback.
Harry didn't answer. He forced himself to calm down first. "Didn't you hear what I told him?"
Draco looked away with a sulky expression.
"I love you, Draco," Harry said softly with determined eyes. "Yes, love. I told you that a month ago, I've told that in my letters, and I'm telling you that now. You'll always be more important to me than anyone else. You have been ever since we met on the train in first year. It's always been about you."
"Yeah? Then what about the last bit of what you said? That you would have gone out with him if he'd asked first?"
"That was true; I would have. And I bet I would have gone back to you in a month." Harry's expression turned to a bitter smile as he added, "But he's not a threat to you now he's dead, right? That's what you were thinking before."
Draco paled and took a step toward him. "Harry, no, why would you think that?"
Harry eyed him for a moment before he sighed. "I don't know. I don't know what's going through my head half the time these days."
"That's understandable; neither do I."
"I didn't mean to yell at you."
"Me neither, and I know why you did." Draco suddenly smirked and shifted closer to Harry. "I would love to see what other sounds you can make, though..."
Harry blushed and backed away, freezing when his back met one of the metal poles of the swing-set. "O-oh, would you?"
"Oh yes," Draco answered, his eyes glinting hungrily. "Relax, Harry."
That was a bit hard to do, Harry thought, as Draco was pressed rather close to him, though it he did calm a little when Draco kissed him–that, at least, was familiar. He let out a soft whimper when Draco's hands began trailing over his sides, but the hands didn't stop and he felt secret for it, because it felt extremely good.
Draco broke the kiss when they started running out of air and immediately began trailing feather-light kisses over Harry's jaw instead. Harry moaned and squirmed as Draco's lips moved to his neck, his hands fisted in the blond's robes. He let out a yelp that turned into a groan when teeth nipped at his collarbone, and Draco's name fell from his lips when the blond began nipping his way back up to his lips again.
As Draco's lips covered his own again, he felt that it was starting to get a little too hot even though he was sure the temperature of the air around them was dropping.
The sound of voices passing on the street made them part rather quickly, and Draco sent a heated glare in that direction. Harry glanced over as well and instinctively pushed Draco away.
"It's my cousin and his friends," he hissed. "If he sees us, he'll tell my uncle and I won't be able to leave the house for the rest of the summer."
"Which one's your cousin?" Draco asked, a predatory look forming in his eyes as he watched the group of Muggles walk by.
"The one that looks like a walking pig, but you can't do anything, Draco. You'll get expelled."
Draco sighed. "If only I were seventeen. I'd show that swine a lesson."
"Draco..."
"Well, it'll have to wait, I suppose. Will you be leaving now?"
"Yes, sorry," Harry said, giving him a swift kiss. "My uncle's threatened to lock me in the shed if I come home after Dudley again."
Draco's eyes hardened slightly, but he merely shook his head and gave Harry a push toward the gate. "We'll finish this at school. See you, Harry."
Harry blushed deeply at the thought of what they'd just been doing and was immensely grateful it was so dark out. "Thanks so much for visiting, Draco. See you, Aaron!"
When he glanced back from the park gate moments later, they had already gone.
A few days later, Harry was just coming out of one of his lethargic states and was contemplating pacing his room again when a certain parchment on his desk caught his eyes. It was steadily changing colours. A feeling of dread formed in the pit of his stomach as he got up and headed over to the desk. In all the excitement of the previous day, he'd completely forgotten to write to Draco and his allies about it. As soon as he saw the message Draco had sent, however, he smiled slightly.
You'd better bloody answer this right now, Potter, or I'm going to hex you into next week!
Hey, Draco, I–
About bloody time! I've been waiting for hours!
Harry rolled his eyes at that; he was sure Draco was just being a drama-queen again.
What's going on? Father came home last night saying you'd been expelled for under-age magic.
How'd he know about that?
He works at the Ministry a lot, you prat. So he wasn't lying? You really have been expelled?
I haven't been expelled, Draco, don't worry. Hey, will the others get anything we write after their names?
Yes, but–
Harry didn't wait for him to finish. He immediately wrote down his allies' names and began describing the events of the previous night. He didn't stop until he was done, even though Draco tried to interrupt several times. And, of course, Draco was the first one to comment once he'd finished.
There were dementors in your Muggle neighbourhood?
What were you almost expelled for? You didn't do anything wrong.
Yeah, that too! And your aunt knows what dementors are and is in contact with wizards?
I pity whomever she's writing to.
I doubt she has actually been writing to anyone.
Yeah, it's like the whole world got flipped on its head. Mrs Figg, my neighbour, is a Squib and knows Dumbledore, and I've been being followed, and my aunt knows what dementors are and that it's bad that Voldemort's back. It's so weird.
Are you sure you're okay, Harry?
I'm fine, Draco, and so is Dudley.
That's disappointing. His reaction to the dementors sounds pretty interesting, though.
Do you think that Voldemort sent the dementors?
Can you See if he did?
No, my Vision is being blocked still. Aaron?
Harry waited a few moments, but when the response came, it wasn't in Aaron's handwriting.
He's probably at the Ministry trying to find out what's going on, Angelo.
Oh, yes, I suppose. And Oliver would not be at home at the moment either, would he?
Are they living together now, then?
Yeah, since school let out. We visited them just last week actually. They've got a pretty nice place. Oliver's been doing really well in all his games, too. Puddlemere United is thinking about giving him a raise.
That's great! Wait, does Oliver know about the scrolls?
Yeah, he and Aaron have been using the same one, actually. I've talked to his a couple times and he said they're going to come to our Christmas party this year.
Brilliant, I can't wait to see him again. Did he come to one of the Tasks last year? Aaron said that he might.
Yes, he came to the Third Task.
And he believed Aaron when he told him what really happened.
Good.
So, what about the dementors? If Voldemort's controlling them, it's only a matter of time before the Death Eaters in Azkaban escape, isn't it?
No, Father's mentioned that Voldemort isn't interested in getting them out.
Then what is he doing?
I don't know. Do you think Father tells me all of the Dark Lord's plans?
You just said he told you that.
I overheard that.
Well, don't fight about it. If that's all Draco knows, that's all he knows.
Thanks, Harry.
We should keep an eye on the situation, however.
Of course.
Voldemort is currently blocking everything he is doing from reaching Seers, but he may slip up.
Keep an eye on him, then. I want to know everything you can find out.
We will.
Good. Can we talk about something else, now?
Sure. How has that dear cousin of yours been doing, other than the dementor attack, of course.
Harry laughed softly and began relaying the latest "Dudley story" with a grin.
After two long, tedious, gruesome weeks of school, Harry was eager to see Draco again. He'd had to decline the blond's invitation the previous Saturday, as he'd already made plans with Ron and had a mountain of homework to do. However, as soon as Draco had mentioned that they'd be alone today, he'd immediately agreed to come and made the usual excuses to Ron and Hermione.
Hand smarting, still bleeding, and wrapped in bandages, he was filled with grim pleasure at the thought of meeting with Draco today after two weeks of detention with Umbridge. He had no doubt that if Umbridge found out about his friendship with Draco, she would not only ban them from meeting but would mention it to Lucius Malfoy as well. Draco probably hated her as much as he did.
When Harry stepped through the mirror, he fully expected to be tackled like always and braced himself for it. When nothing happened, he looked up and saw that Draco had paused mid-step, a look of horror on his face.
"What is it?" Harry asked, taking a step toward the Slytherin. As though waking from a trance, Draco shook his head and strode forward, anger quickly replacing the horror on his face.
"What happened to you?" he demanded, grabbing Harry's injured hand. Harry hissed in pain and tried to wrench it away, but Draco held on tight.
"Umbridge happened to me," Harry answered through clenched teeth. He felt a slight movement on his wrist and added hurriedly, "If you don't let go, Senka's going to attack you."
Draco let go immediately, but he was eyeing Harry's right hand with narrowed eyes that glinted blue-white with a protective fire. "What did she do to you?"
Harry hesitated–he'd never seen Draco this furious with anyone else before–but he'd told Ron and Hermione, so he owed Draco an explanation as well. When he finished telling Draco about the detentions, he could easily tell that Draco was livid; he didn't need the deep red necklace around his neck to tell him that.
"That...that... perverse, vile, horrid..." Draco hissed, glaring at Harry's hand, seemingly unable to find the right words to express his feelings. "How could she do that to you? You were telling the truth!"
"She doesn't care. No one at the Ministry believes me, except Aaron and Dumbledore's friends," Harry said, watching him warily.
"I don't care. She had no right to do that to you." Draco growled softly, now glaring at the floor. "I wish I could hurt her. I've got a good curse to use. No one would know about it for weeks..."
"Trust me, I'd like nothing better, but you'll get expelled."
Draco laughed bitterly. "If this was just about being expelled, I'd go curse her right now. You know who she reports to, Harry. If Fudge finds out I've been defending you or attacking Umbridge, he's sure to tell my father."
Harry's eyes widened in understanding; then he frowned slightly. "That means you're going to be a complete arse to me again this year, aren't you?"
"I have to, Harry," Draco answered, looking rather pained. "I don't want to. I hate hurting you. But I can't risk Father finding out about us, especially now Voldemort's back."
"I understand," Harry said with a sigh. "Are you sure you can't hex her? I'll get detention again if I even look at her the wrong way."
"I can't. We'll have to talk to the twins, though; I'm sure they'll do something if we ask." Draco suddenly scowled again and tugged on Harry's undamaged hand to drag him over to their loveseat. "I need to heal your hand..."
"No!" Harry wrenched his hand away and stopped, just as shocked by his outburst as Draco was.
"Why not?"
Harry was silent for a moment. "I want it to heal the Muggle way so I can always remember that I beat that cow at her own game."
"That's stupid," Draco said bluntly.
Harry shrugged, faintly embarrassed. "That's what I want, or I would have gone to Madam Pomfrey. Besides, if you heal it, she's going to wonder who did it."
Draco scowled at him. "It's still stupid."
Harry sighed and shook his head. "I really don't want to argue with you right now. I'm exhausted, and angry, and tired of both. I'm sure this isn't what our meeting was supposed to be about anyway.
"No, but I think it should be." Draco flopped down into the loveseat and tugged Harry with him onto his lap. "Tell me about the last couple weeks."
Harry frowned but began relaying what had happened over the last two weeks nonetheless. Draco alternated between simply holding him and pressing light kisses on the back of his neck, which made it rather hard to concentrate on what he was saying. The blond stopped abruptly when Harry mentioned his conversation with Hermione just a few days before.
"You're going to teach them Defence?"
"I don't know yet," Harry said, shaking his head. "It's an interesting idea, but I don't know what I'd teach them. I'm not that great at Defence Against the Dark Arts–"
"Yes, you are," Draco protested. "You're better than anyone else in the year."
"I'm really not–"
"Quit putting yourself down like that," Draco said harshly, startling the Gryffindor he was holding. "You're excellent at Defence Against the Dark Arts. Look at what you've done, Harry! You've gone up against Voldemort three times and survived! Hardly anyone can boast that, and they have injuries from their encounters."
"You sound like Ron and Hermione," Harry said with a frown, "and I yelled at them already."
"And you can produce a Patronus," Draco continued as though he hadn't heard his boyfriend, "a real one, not the lame substitute most people can manage. And you learned all those spells for the Third Task last year."
"You know, I'm about to start yelling at you, too. Your arguments aren't much better than theirs were," Harry muttered sourly.
"Ah, but you wouldn't do that; you're too tired remember?" Draco smirked faintly, his fingers absently tracing designs on Harry's stomach. "I think it's a great idea, especially given how incompetent our current teacher is. Actually, I kind of want you to teach me, too."
Harry gaped back at him.
"I do. I'm not nearly as good as you in Defence Against the Dark Arts. I think I could learn a lot."
Harry gaped a bit more, then smirked and nodded. "That's true. I've noticed that, actually. Kind of like me with Potions."
"I'm not that bad, Potter," Draco said indignantly, though he was grinning slightly. "So? Will you do it?"
"I still have to think about it," Harry answered.
"Fine, but you'd better make up your mind soon."
Harry just smiled and leaned back against him, his uninjured hand lightly covering one of Draco's. "All right, I've told you about how I've been doing. I'm sure that wasn't really your reason for this meeting."
"Of course not. I wanted to finish what we started on your birthday."
Harry blushed but shifted so that he was facing Draco a bit more. "Will you stop if I start getting uncomfortable?"
"Of course," Draco answered, looking taken aback and almost hurt by the question. "So, you'll let me finish?"
Harry didn't answer; instead, he leaned over and captured Draco's lips in a hungry kiss.
"Welcome back!"
Harry started when he stepped through the mirror and heard the chorus of shouts. Fred, George, and Lee were standing on the centre table, welcoming everyone who came in. Harry wondered why they were doing it; the SG seemed much smaller this year. Only Draco and Blaise were there already, and neither of them seemed very happy about it.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked as he sat next to Draco, hardly reacting when he was almost immediately pulled into the other boy's arms.
"Blaise and Seamus had a row," Draco murmured. "About you, actually."
"Oh." Harry glanced guilty at the other Slytherin. "About what happened in June and what's been in the papers, right? Yeah, Seamus and I have had a row about that too."
"Blaise said Seamus thinks you're a madman, and that he doesn't want to be involved with him or the SG anymore, because both must have been your ideas and therefore mad as well."
Harry winced. "Bet Blaise took that well. Does he believe me?"
"Yeah, and that's one reason they're fighting. I told him right after we left you in the hospital last year, and he told Seamus. But Seamus had no reason to believe either of us." Draco leaned in close and lowered his voice as he added, "Voldemort approached Blaise's mum over the summer."
Harry looked at him sharply. "And? What did she say?"
"She denied him, of course. Miss Zabini is known for being neutral. But she's still a Dark witch, and she's extremely rich, well connected, and beautiful, so you can bet Voldemort's going to try hard to get her support, if not her loyalty."
Harry glanced back at Blaise's forlorn form. "Well, I'm glad he came then. He needs a good distraction."
"So do you," Draco murmured huskily, nipping at Harry's earlobe. Harry shivered and was about to turn around to give Draco some of his own medicine when a sudden wave of energy swept into the room, exploding several cushions and making all of them jump. The source of the blast was easily identifiable; Angelo was standing just inside the mirror looking absolutely livid. Even as Harry watched, the older boy seemed to get more and more irate until his eyes started glowing red and a vortex of magic began swirling about him, whirling dust and feathers and red sparks about his feet.
Harry shrank back into Draco, unsure of what was going on but sure that he didn't want to get involved, while Draco held him even closer so that he thought he might not be able to breath. Blaise had also shied away and was eyeing Angelo nervously. The twins and Lee, however, jumped down from the table and dashed over to see if they could calm their classmate down.
Angelo didn't seem to notice them. He red eyes were fixed on the ground and Harry wouldn't have been surprised if it was melting under his gaze.
"What happened?" Fred asked urgently, though Harry noticed he looked wary as well.
"I despise that woman," Angelo hissed softly, not even answering the question, his hands shaking as they balled into fists.
The twins glanced at each other before George asked, "Who?"
"That...that...vile, depraved, loathsome bitch!" The patch of ground Angelo had been glaring at suddenly exploded in a shower of rocks an dust, leaving a small crater behind. Harry felt Draco tighten his hold reflexively.
Kiran chose that moment to step into the room behind Angelo. He took one look at the scene before him and scowled. "Her again?"
"Who?" Lee asked insistently.
"Umbridge," Kiran answered in a growl, placing a light hand on Angelo's arm to try and calm him. "What'd that cow do this time?"
"She gave me a detention for wearing Muggle clothes," Angelo murmured, sounding more dangerous than before. "Effing bitch knows I am allowed to wear what I like on the weekend..."
"What do you mean by 'this time'?" Fred asked, scowling slightly.
"She gave him a week's worth of detentions just last Saturday for wondering the halls at night and said the only reason she hadn't got on him earlier was because her nights had already been full," Kiran answered softly.
"Yeah, 'cause I was there," Harry commented, briefly showing them his scabbed over hand. Draco hurriedly grabbed it and hid it again, looking frantic, but the damage had already been done.
Angelo had frozen as soon as Harry's hand had appeared, staring at it with blood red eyes. As soon as Draco hid it from view, he let out a pained growl and lunged forward towards Harry, his eyes now fixed on where the Gryffindor's hand had disappeared. His classmates grabbed him and held him back, but it soon became obvious that he was stronger than all four of them combined, as he was slowly managing to make his way toward Harry and Draco. Blaise shortly got up and tried to help them, though it didn't seem to help; Harry could feel Draco's grip on his waist tighten painfully–
"Stupefy!"
Kiran had obviously grown tired of their fruitless efforts and had tried magical means of subduing his boyfriend instead. It did the trick; a burst of red light hit Angelo in the chest and he slumped forward into their arms. Silently, Kiran gathered him up and strode over to the bed, drawing the curtains around them after he laid Angelo down.
"What did I do?" Harry whispered after a moment, scared that if he said much more he might set someone else off.
Draco sighed exasperatedly and grabbed Harry's healing hand while he pulled out his wand. "You didn't do anything, Harry, but I think it's time we healed this properly."
"Draco, no, I told you–"
"It's going to scar no matter what now," Draco said bluntly. When Harry didn't protest again, he tapped his wand against the scabbed over wounds. "Episkey."
He nodded in satisfaction as the wounds shut and healed completely, leaving a set of shiny white scars behind.
"So what happened?" Harry asked hesitantly, glancing over at the curtained bed.
"You showed him blood while he was unstable," Draco answered, briefly raking his fingers though his hair. "He'll probably tell you more thoroughly once Kiran gets him calmed down. Trust me, stuff like this happens pretty often with him, though it's been happening more often this year. Probably because of Umbridge."
"But why–"
"Umbridge hates half-breeds, especially Angelo 'cause he managed to get into school," Draco explained as if that explained everything.
"So he came at me because my hand was all cut up?" Harry asked sceptically.
"Yes."
They both looked up to see Angelo and Kiran walking back over. Angelo's eyes were still red and he was moving purposefully, but he looked much calmer than before. He knelt by the foot of the loveseat and looked up at Harry hesitantly.
"Please forgive my behaviour earlier. I was not acting rationally, but I should not have tried to attack you no matter what state I was in. I will do my best to keep that from happening again."
"Er, yeah, you're forgiven," Harry answered, rather taken aback. Angelo stood with a thankful smile and a bow.
"Thank you. I am truly sorry."
"One thing though," Harry added as Angelo took his place next to Kiran. "Could you explain why you did try to attack me? Was it really just showing you my hand?"
"Yes, it was." Angelo regarded him carefully for a moment before he went on, "I think perhaps I can tell you now. Maybe I should have last year, but I was not sure how you would react."
"Why are you so cautious about it? Is it really that bad?"
"Actually, in my second year, someone I did not wish to know discovered my secret and spread it all over the school. The Headmaster was nearly sacked and I, expelled." Angelo smiled faintly at the memory, then continued seriously, "I am a Vampire, Harry."
Harry stared at him.
"Well, a half-Vampire, actually," Angelo said to fill in the silence. "My father was a wizard, but the Ministry likes to think of me as full-blooded."
"You're a Vampire?" Harry asked weakly.
"Yes."
"Like those cape-wearing monsters that turn into bats and drink blood and disintegrate in sunlight? That type of Vampire?" Harry was starting to feel that his earlier impressions of Angelo being creepy had been correct.
"Oh no, I have far better taste than them," Angelo said with a laugh. "No, they are among the weakest of our kind. I am an Incubus, far different."
"Basically, instead of blood, he has to Feed on sexual energy," Kiran explained at Harry's blank look.
"I do have to drink blood, too, however, since I am only a Halfling," Angelo added.
Harry's eyes widened and he looked accusingly at Angelo. "That's what you were doing last year when you kissed me!"
"Yes, forgive me," Angelo answered, briefly inclining his head. "My control is rather poor. I do wish I had not done it. It took my by surprise to see you there so late and I was hungry. I would never have touched you otherwise."
Harry eyed him for a moment before he finally asked, "So why are you allowed to come to Hogwarts? Or carry a wand? Aren't non-humans not allowed?"
"Normally, but I am registered with the Ministry as both an Incubus and a wizard. Of course, I would have been able to come regardless, because I can do wizard magic and I can blend in with your kind well enough." Angelo shrugged. "Hagrid is in the same position, but I would bet he is only registered as a wizard, or was until last year, at least."
"Why are you registered as both?"
"I am very proud of what I am, as is my mother, and I can pass easily enough as a wizard that most people cannot tell what I am on sight."
"Er, how do you, er, Feed?" Harry asked to give himself more time to adjust to the situation. "Dumbledore wouldn't let you suck energy and blood from the other students."
Angelo smiled faintly. "He did not wish to, no, but as I would die otherwise, there was no viable alternative. I have donors who willingly give me what I need. Aaron was one of them."
"We are, too, this year," Fred announced with a grin.
"Mum wouldn't let us do it before, or we already would have been for years," George added with a nod.
"Of course Dumbledore might not have let us until we were fifteen or something either."
"But we're of age now, so we can decide for ourselves."
"Although he let Aaron do it at twelve..."
"Aaron's special, though."
Harry had stopped listening; he'd remembered something that Kiran and Draco had said back at Christmas.
"What about you, Kiran?" he asked, looking straight at the blond in question. "Are you a Vampire too? Is that why you can't use the dagger you gave me?"
Both Kiran and Angelo hesitated before the latter finally answered, "Kiran is my Hunter, the one born to kill me, since no normal wizard would be capable of it. Most Hunters are part-human, usually werewolves since we are mortal enemies. The Ministry does not know about him."
"Lucky that they don't," Kiran muttered, "or I'd probably be forced to kill you."
"You could be anyway," Angelo replied with a slight roll of his eyes. He turned back to Harry with a faint smile. "Do you have any more questions?"
Harry had plenty of questions, but he wasn't sure how to articulate them. He finally asked, "You're not going to attack me again, are you?"
"If I do, you may punish me however you like," Angelo answered solemnly. "I do not plan to, but as I said before, I have horrible control."
Harry was silent for another moment, then shrugged. "Okay, then. I'm already friends with a werewolf and a half-giant," he added when Angelo seemed shocked by how easily he accepted the Vampire. "Why not a half-Vampire too?"
"A were–ah, yes, Remus Lupin." Angelo smiled grimly. "He was a very good teacher, but we never got along. At least we were in a school setting so we could not kill each other."
"Lupin's alright," Harry protested. "Couldn't you ignore that you're enemies?"
Angelo shook his head. "It is not that simple. It is not merely a way we were raised; it is in our genes. We are born with that hatred. There is nothing we can do."
"You're friends with Kiran," Harry noted.
"That is different. With Kiran, I did not know he was my Hunter until he told me. Vampires and werewolves can identify each other on sight. I would like to be friendly with him, I really would, but it is impossible."
"Don't argue it, Harry," Draco murmured in his ear. "That's just the way it is."
Harry frowned but nodded and gave in. "Alright." He turned back to Angelo with a curious expression. "You said the type of vampire we've studied in Defence Against the Dark Arts is the weakest of your kind. Are there more kinds than just those and yours?"
"Yes, three others, actually. But it is a very long and detailed topic, and I am not quite patient enough to explain it right now." Angelo shrugged and smiled faintly. "Perhaps another time."
"Are any of them thinking about joining Voldemort?" Harry asked.
Angelo laughed outright at that, while next to him, Kiran smirked in amusement. "Absolutely not! Well, perhaps the Psychics, but Voldemort would never allow them in his ranks. No, we are a very proud race, Harry, and we like to keep out of human affairs. We have enough problems between just ourselves to worry about human nonsense."
"But you–"
"I do not count; I am half human and I have bonded myself to you," Angelo said with his own smirk. "Your affairs are mine also. But very few other Vampires will choose to participate in the war, and hardly any of them will fight for Voldemort. He has not extended his hand to us this time, but you have, so we will be fighting for you."
"Thanks," Harry said, taken aback slightly by this sudden declaration of allegiance, though he wasn't sure how he's 'extended his hand' to them in the first place. It seemed like Angelo had been the one to do that to him.
"Of course, Harry."
"Will any of the other Vampires be mad that you're bonded to me?"
Angelo frowned slightly for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I do not think so. My mother was not very happy when I told her, but she has learned to accept it. None of the others will question it, however. We have too many other problems to worry about one Vampire that is bonded to a wizard."
Harry smiled in relief. "That's good. I wouldn't want you to get alienated because of me."
"You do not have to worry about that. I will be fine."
Harry nodded with another faint smile, surprised himself by how at ease he still felt around Angelo. It really didn't seem to matter much that the older boy was really a Vampire. In fact, if it made sure that he would have more help in the upcoming war against Voldemort, he was going to welcome Angelo and any of his fellow Vampires with open arms.
AN: By the way, for anyone who wants to know more about Angelo and Kiran and their relationship with the twins, Lee, and Aaron, I'm posting a fic all about them and their time at Hogwarts from the very beginning. It's called Century Child. It'll have lots of background info, including: how Aaron and Oliver met and started dating; how the twins and Lee figured out their own love; how Angelo really gets along with the people of Hogwarts; and why Kiran didn't kill him as soon as he got the chance. Go check it out!