… And it's Taken me With you

By Allanasha Ke Kiri

Chapter 20

Sunday November 16th

Harry and Draca stood away from the town, neither of them speaking, each of them holding onto the tin cup. The night before had not gone well. It had been awkward and, for the most part, embarrassing … Nothing like Harry had imagined it to be.

"Professor Snape might have something for you," Harry murmured.

"I hope so," Draca said, shifting uncomfortably. She'd woken up sore, something neither of them had really thought about.

Harry swallowed his apology. After the fourth one, Draca had begun snapping at him. They fell silent again.

They were both very happy when the Portkey finally activated, taking them back to the headmasters office. This time, even Draca fell with a groan. Harry quickly helped her up.

"Perhaps this will help," Dumbledore said, handing Draca a potion. "Severus was kind enough to have one made up."

"Thank Merlin," she breathed as she uncapped the vial and drank it down.

"Now, there seems to be some wonder as to where you two were yesterday, but not much. Most seem to think that you were studying, or making plans for the DA."

"Well, that's our excuse," Harry said. "Well, that and we fell asleep."

Draca nodded her agreement.

"Excellent. Now, you might want to hide those." Dumbledore nodded towards their rings. "After all, they weren't there yesterday."

"Oh, right," Harry said.

Dumbledore smiled at them and quickly cast the spell to hide the rings. "I will tell you the counter to it before the trail.

Harry nodded.

"We should go," Draca said. "Before more people begin to wonder."

"Quite right. Goodbye, you two."

"Why weren't we involved," Ron asked. "We usually help you with the DA."

"I just wanted to spend some time with Draca. We haven't been able to do that much since she got here. We're always busy with one thing or another."

"You could have told us at least," Ron said. "We were worried."

"Sorry," Harry told him. He probably should have told them he'd be gone, but with how they'd been lately they'd have wanted to tag along. "It's just that … well, you make Draca uncomfortable, Ron."

"I make her uncomfortable? Bloody hell, Harry. She makes me uncomfortable, but you don't seem to care about that." Ron shot back, temper flaring.

"She isn't being hostile, Ron. Draca was raised differently, with different parents. You should bloody well give her a chance!"

"You've met her parents have you?"

"As a matter of fact, I have, on several occasions. They were very nice people, and were very kind to me whenever we met."

"Of course they were. You're Harry Bloody Potter."

"For the last time," Harry stood from the table, well aware of the eyes on them, "they. Did. Not. Know. All they knew was James Medin. They never saw Harry Potter! I am getting fed up with your attitude towards her."

Ron stood as well, eyes flashing. "I'm just trying to protect you. You don't seem to see the danger-"

"There is no danger. You're just imagining it"

"Imagining it? Harry, you're consorting with Slytherins. That in itself is dangerous. Next thing you know, you'll be before You-Know-Who, waiting for him to kill you because you trusted someone you shouldn't have."

"My reasons for trusting them are my own, Ron. But I do know who they are, and the potential trouble. However, I am not going to turn my back on them just because of that. If you cannot accept that, if you cannot stop being openly hostile … I don't want to have to throw you out."

Ron's face went red with anger. "You would choose a snake over me?"

"I believe I've already answered that."

"Harry, Ron," Hermione finally interjected, also standing. "You both need to calm down, all right? Fighting isn't going to do anyone any good."

Ron shook his head. "Don't you see Hermione? I was right. He's changing; changing into one of them and there's nothing we can do to stop it because he wont let is."

"Is changing really that bad, Ron?" Harry demanded. "It's a part of life. I think it's time you grew up and realized that not everything different is bad."

Harry stormed out of the common room without giving Ron a chance to reply. Ron fumed at his back.

"Can you believe him?" Ron demanded of Hermione.

"Yes."

"What?"

"I said, yes. Ron, you have done nothing but slam Dracara down since she arrived. You haven't even tried to get to know her."

"Hermione-"

"Let me finish!"

Ron's jaw snapped shut.

"Just after she'd been sorted, you said she seemed like a nice witch. She's a Slytherin, that doesn't suddenly change her into a troll. To top that, Harry loves her. It's as obvious as the hair on your head. So, even if you don't agree with it, you can at least shut up and give him your support, because that's what he needs right now."

"And when … if she hurts him? Betrays him?"

"If that happens, we'll be there for him, just as we always have been. But you can't assume that that's going to happen. We'll lose Harry if we do that."

Ron shook his head, sinking into his chair. Hermione turned to everyone else.

"As for the rest of you, if even a word of this gets outside of this room, I will make sure the rest of the year is very unpleasant for you." Everything about her said that she'd do it too.

Attention immediately shifted away as they all returned to their previous activities.

"You're scary, you know that?" Ron asked her.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "It's only because they know I can."

"Would you?"

"Of course." After all, someone had to protect them, even from them selves sometimes.

Harry stood in the middle of the Room of Requirements, throwing anything that appeared.

{He bloody well needs to grow up!} Harry exclaimed as a vase was shattered against the wall. {He doesn't understand anything so he shouldn't act like he does}

{Perhaps you should make him understand,} Nataniel told him from the side, safe from the scattering pieces.

{How? I've tried everything.}

{Have you told him the truth?}

Harry snorted. {He really wouldn't understand that.}

{Why not?}

{He has a problem with Slytherins. I was a Slytherin, for a while. If he were to learn that …} He shook his head with a sigh.

{I think you do not give him enough … credit, I think the word it. He is your friend. Why would he not understand if you explained?}

Harry sank into a chair. {Not with his temper. I'll tell him, eventually, but not until he learns to get along with the slytherins.}

Nataniel tilted his head. {He will not understand until you explain. Even if it's a little, you should tell him something. Make him want to understand; want to get along.}

Harry sighed. How the hell was he going to do that?

"The whole school is abuzz with the fact that you and Harry were missing last night."

Draca glanced up from her book and raised an eyebrow at Pansy. "Are they?"

Pansy simply nodded as she sank down onto the bed beside her. "You would not believe the rumors going around."

"Oh?" she asked, her voice screaming boredom.

"There's one that says the two of you spent the night …" she glanced around and leaned in. "Shagging."

If only they knew.

Draco snorted. "That's preposterous."

"That's what I said," Pansy told her. "But you wont be able to make them believe it … So, what were you two doing?"

"Setting things up for the DA," Draca told her. "We ended up falling asleep somewhere around 11, I think."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Pansy sighed. "Well, the rumors are definitely more interesting."

"They generally are, Pansy, dear."

If only they knew.

Well, here's chapter 20 for you all. Next chapter we have the court scene ^_^ and everything that goes along with it!!

What's the difference between the potions? The main difference between the two is that one will simply show who Dracara's parents are (Lucius and Narcissa) while the other will show who Dracara is. IE if they used that potion, the results would come up Draco Malfoy.

I wanted to see the wedding: Sorry folks, but I suck at writing "real" weddings. However, when Harry and Dracara (hopefully back to being Draco by then) have their wizarding wedding, I will put it in a chapter.

Also, there's not going to be any chapters next week because I'm leaving town to visit family and my significant other, who I haven't seen since February …. (though we've only been going out since may 1st lol) still, that means we've been going out for over a month without being able to see each other, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Hope you enjoyed the chapter

Allanasha Ke Kiri