Fic Title: Pulling Him Up
Chapter Title: Goodbyes are a pain (26 of ?)
Author: Firesword
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters belong to JK Rowling and so on. I just own the little bits of plot.
Rating: M (For Fluffiness, not so much on offensive language, and definitely for the bits of intimacy.)
FFAuthor's Notes : It's 15 July 2009, 7.28am when I'd started typing this chapter out. I'm on shift this month – reporting to work by 10.15am. I had the urge to dig out all my fanfic files over the weekend, and felt absolutely guilty when I came across the chapters for PHU. Chapter 28 had been penned down on 19.05.06. I am going to be working on this fic until I reach that little finish line. It's been three years. *grimaces*
Warnings: HP/DM/SS. Slash. OOC. A reminder to readers that this fic had started off before the release of Book 6, so it's post-OotP, and because I didn't have the heart to finish Book 7, most of this fic is ... fiction. Fluff without plot? This one, it is normal for Harry and Draco to call Severus by name, except in situations where formality is needed. Harry calls Draco by name in his mind, and vice-versa until it's time where casualness is forgivable.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: GOODBYES ARE A PAIN
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Hogwarts Express was slowing down as it travelled the last few miles before reaching King's Cross Station. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were already awake, both of them sharing a cup of ice-cold pumpkin juice. Ronald Weasley had resumed grumbling over the three of them, and who was of course, ignored. Severus Snape was reading, therefore it was entirely possible that he had not paid any attention to Ron in the beginning.
In silence, Harry worried about how he was going to break the news to Mrs. Weasley, that he was going to stay with Severus, also not giving his full attention to his best friend.
"What about your uncle, Harry? Is he coming to the station?"
Harry blinked. Uncle Vernon. Then he stared at Hermione. "I don't know," he said with a blank expression. "I didn't write to the Dursleys."
All too soon, the brakes were pulled.
"You are not afraid of your Muggle uncle, are you?" Draco frowned slightly.
"No, it's not that, Draco." He replied with a faint smile. "It's just that situations get more unpleasant and uncomfortable with each passing year."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"Never mind, Draco. I'll tell you someday." Then he kissed Draco's forehead.
The train came to a stop and his nervousness vanished temporarily with the task of getting their belongings off the rack. Porters with empty trolleys waited on the platform and Harry made use of one. He helped Draco place his bigger but lightweight trunk into the trolley before setting his own above it. Then he set Hedwig's cage above the dark brown chest and Draco helped to secure cage and trunks with a temporary charm.
"Harry, give me your broom."
He shot Draco a curious look but handed over his Firebolt. "What are you going to do?" he asked, perplexed.
"I'm cloaking them," Draco answered in a dreamy-like voice. "You know – making them look like something else. Mother had taught me how to do it, so that Muggles won't pay any attention to us," he explained.
"But ... they still look the same to me," Harry said dubiously, his brows furrowing into a slight frown.
"Only to the two of us, since they are our brooms." Draco smiled and then he turned slightly to look at Severus. "How does it look?" he questioned the older man.
It? Harry felt confused, but looked at Severus' expression.
The dark-eyed man eyed their brooms critically. After a while, his lips curved into a smirk.
"Give them to Harry," Severus said cryptically.
"Huh? Why me?"
Draco insisted that he should take their brooms, which were tied together with strong, magical rope. Harry blinked in surprise ad Draco deftly guided their trolley after Severus.
"Could they be actually pampering you?" Ron sounded curious.
Harry looked up at his friend. "I have no idea," he said, still feeling nonplussed.
Ron gave him an odd stare and changed the subject. "I don't see Mum and Dad. They must be waiting 'outside'."
"But ... shouldn't we wait for Ginny, Ronald?"
"She's a big girl," Ron replied shortly.
He disappeared through the wall and Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance.
"After you, Hermione."
"Okay. See you at the other side, Harry." She smiled brightly before turning away.
Harry stood at the platform for a time, watching as parents gathered up the younger children, waving at his friends with a genuine smile on his face. Then, realizing that he had lingered too long, he adjusted his grip on the brooms and walked through the wall.
Arthur and Molly Weasley were waiting for them outside the station, together with Charlie. Ginny was already with them when Harry finally arrived. Ron was getting hugs from his mother and Harry could see that he was trying his best to calm her.
"Mum, stop. It's embarrassing." He groaned.
"Harry," Hermione called him urgently. Her eyes flitted over to her left, and Harry followed her gaze.
At first, he thought that it was because of Draco and Severus, but then he saw Dudley carrying two huge trunks. Behind him were Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.
Harry sighed at the way he felt – for some reason, his uncle managed to make him feel small and apprehensive. He had to remind himself that he was no longer a child.
Dudley dropped the bags and stood behind them. Amazingly enough, Uncle Vernon hung back and it was his aunt who stepped forward. The woman stared nervously at Harry.
"Take your things – you're of age to live on your own."
"Yeah ... as though he would stay even if he didn't have a choice," he heard Ron mutter somewhat sarcastically.
"Ronald! Shhhh!" Two female voices hissed at once.
"So ... those are what I had left behind?"
"Every single item," Aunt Petunia murmured.
Harry watched as the woman continuously rubbed her hands, as though she had developed allergies by handling his belongings.
"Okay. Thank you."
Amazingly enough, his relatives left without further commotion.
"Well now. The ... er ... taxis are waiting," Mr. Weasley began. Then he paused and looked at Hermione. "Where are your parents, Hermione?"
"They are on their way."
"Good. Good. Now, shall we go?"
This was the moment Harry had been dreading. He looked at Ron, and his friend gave him an equally helpless look when Mrs. Weasley rattled off about doing renovations in the twins' room. "Uhmmm ... Mrs. Weasley," Harry called her to get her attention.
Ron's mother gave him a perplexed look. "Yes, dear?"
Oh ... damn it. The words jammed up in his throat.
Harry tried his best not to look at his lovers. "Uhmmmm ... I don't wish to impose-"
"Don't be silly, Harry," Mrs. Weasley cut in. "You're family!"
Harry's heart twinged slightly and he winced. "Well, you see..." He groaned inwardly.
"Snape invited him to stay with him, Mum," Ron finally spoke.
"What?" Mrs. Weasley gasped. "Severus? Are you sure?"
Severus did not reply but merely nodded.
"Not a word, Ginny," Ron muttered darkly to his sister, who looked as though she was going to say something about it. Their parents and older brother looked curiously at them. Silence fell on the group.
"Is this true, Harry? You're always welcome at our home, you know," Mr. Weasley said gently.
"Yes, thank you. But ... I'll do fine ... at Snape's. I will visit though." Harry smiled.
Mrs. Weasley pulled him into a bone-crushing embrace.
"Oh ... Dear, you must take good care of yourself," Mrs. Weasley cried.
"Oh Mum," Ron sighed.
"Remember to write ... visit us if you can..."
"Mrs. Weasley ... it's not like I'm going to disappear to the other side of the planet." Harry patted her back reassuringly. "Of course I will visit you."
The witch sniffed, but then she turned to Severus, and started to nag at him, to take care of Harry well. This gave Harry a chance to be with Ron and Hermione.
They stared at each other.
It was Hermione who broke the uneasy silence. "I don't like this at all," she said in a hushed tone and tearful eyes.
"I will miss you," Harry said simply and embraced the two of them.
Hermione did not say anything – she was just clinging on to him with face buried on his shoulder.
"Just remember to visit us sometime ... drag them along if you have to," Ron muttered, his voice thick with emotion.
"Fools," a voice interrupted, and all turned to Draco, who had spoken.
"For your information, we are not keeping him in prison," Draco said darkly with a matching scowl. "You can visit us."
"Not with the house in shambles, Draco," Severus looked slightly pained.
Ron and Hermione looked sheepish at first, then their expressions turned delighted.
"Yeah, we'll come and visit." Ron nodded, patting Harry's back.
"And you, Hermione," Ron's voice turned low as he hugged Hermione and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Come back to the Burrows."
"Of course, silly. I won't be going anywhere without you."
"You say that ... but what if Krum invites you out again?"
"Ronald Weasley!"
They laughed. Then Ron tilted his head to one side and regarded Harry with a cheerful smile. "Second home is where your family is, Harry ... but ... home is where your heart belongs. And I love you ... like a brother." His smile widened at Draco's glower. "Well, be happy with them, Harry. You deserve that much."
"Thanks."
Hermione's parents arrived to fetch their daughter home. The three friends exchanged longing looks again. Harry's stare was broken by a firm tug on his right sleeve. He turned and looked at Draco.
"Stop being sentimental." Draco sighed. "It's not as though you won't be seeing them again." Then without warning, he pulled Harry along as he walked away.
"Oi!"
"We'll be seeing you before you write to him!" Draco said firmly. "Goodbye!"
"You'd better treat him right, you hear me?"
Draco smirked and sidled into Harry's side. His expression changed. "Goodbyes – even temporary ones – are a pain, aren't they?"
"Yeah." Harry stopped and turned back. He waved at the Weasleys and the Grangers.
"Let's go home," Draco said softly.
Nodding, he turned and they walked up to where Severus was waiting for them.
-oOoooOo-
To be continued on Chapter Twenty-seven