Love In the Dark
You know what would be totally awesome? 1,000 reviews! We're so close, I can almost taste it! XD Thanks for everything, guys. As I am writing this, we are just at 150K in hits. Which is fantastic, and I'm very, very happy with that. Woot. Go you, me, all of us. Obviously, I'm very excited about this.
Oh...and don't hate me.
x-x-x
Dean watched Luna as she tried to guess the riddle that would open the Ravenclaw dorms. She smiled. "Socks!" She called out.
"Correct, young Ravenclaw." The statue murmured, and the door opened. The blonde turned to Dean, smiling.
"I had lots of fun tonight Dean. I especially enjoyed dancing!"
Dean wasn't one for dancing- but he couldn't deny that he liked watching Luna dance. Dean took a step towards her, placing her hand in his. Luna looked up at him with those wide grey eyes of hers, a small small playing on her pretty lips.
"Are you going to kiss me?" The girl asked, and Dean swallowed thickly.
"Yeah." Why did he feel so much more nervous about kissing Luna than all the times he'd snogged Hannah and Susan?
He leant forward, and their lips connected. It was gentle and chaste, yet it still had Dean's heart pounding. Luna offered him a small smile, and wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging him.
"Thank you for my first kiss, Dean." She murmured, and Dean's arms tightened around her.
"I'm glad you had fun tonight." Dean said, tilted the girl's face up.
"You know, it's far after midnight, so technically, it is morning."
The statue next to them sighed, making Luna glance over. The statue closed the portrait door, and Luna tugged Dean down the hallway. "I want to show you something fun!"
"...what?" Dean asked with wide eyes.
"It's nearly Yule, after all, the nargles in the mistletoe are in full breeding season! Let's go. We've still more time before the sun comes up."
"...Okay."
Later on, the two of them were watching the sun rise from a rather large hill on the grounds of Hogwarts. Dean's jacket was wrapped around Luna's shoulders, and while the two of them were freezing, neither of them wanted to move from their spot.
As the sun peeked out from the horizon, Dean wrapped an arm around Luna's shoulders. "This is something to remember, eh?"
The girl nodded, resting her head on Dean's shoulder. "Very pretty." She paused, and spoke again. "Dean...where do you go when leave Hogwarts late at night?"
Dean whipped around, staring at her. "What?" He croaked.
Luna hummed, adjusting her skirts. "I've seen you. I...I followed you until you left the wardlines. Where do you go?"
Dean looked away, frowning. How had he not detected her following him? "...I can't tell you, Luna. It's dangerous."
Luna shook her head, kissing him on the cheek. She moved to straddle his lap, and took his face into her hands. "Dean...please look at me."
Their eyes met, and Luna smiled. The rising sun was behind her, making the effect rather breathtaking. Her hair was long destroyed by hours of dancing and exploring the castle- it was tangled and such, but Dean thought she looked so pretty.
"Luna...you'll never want to be with me...if you knew." He murmured, feeling shameful and guilty. He had blood on his hands. He didn't deserve to touch her.
"Don't be silly." Luna pecked his lips.
Dean grabbed her shoulders, shoving her away a bit. "No...Luna, I've killed people."
The girl stared at him, her smile never fading. "I think I've figured that out, Dean. That doesn't stop me from wanting to be with you." She kissed him again, deeper this time. "I think you're a lovely person, no matter what you think about yourself."
Dean buried his face in her neck, trying to keep himself from crying. He wasn't going to cry, he wasn't! He was supposed to be the strong one.
He felt Luna's hands touch his dreadlocks.
"I love your hair." Luna whispered. "So pretty." She kissed his cheek again. "And your skin. Your eyes. You are so very special, Dean."
Dean kissed her back, hard. Luna let out a squeak of surprise as one of his hands came to rest on her bum. "Luna..." He croaked. "How could you ever think that about me? I've hurt people, I've killed..."
Luna pressed a finger against his lips. "Everyone deserves love." She whispered softly. "You are a good person, you know. You do what you need to, to help others. You deserve love, just like everyone else."
Dean pulled her hand away from his mouth, and kissed her hard. "You love me?" He breathed.
Luna giggled. "Well, I know I am attracted to you. I know that I like it when you kiss me, and hold me like you are now. I know that I would follow you and Harry in whatever path you may choose. I trust you, and believe in you. I don't know what love is, but I think it's something like that."
"Do you want to go out?" Dean asked.
Luna giggled again. "We are out, silly. If you mean...date...I would be happy to."
x-x-x
Severus woke up groggily, getting an alert of a floo call in his office. His wards were still in full affect, thankfully. He glanced over at the sleeping boy next to him. Normally, he didn't allow Harry to stay the night, but it was allowed just this once. Harry was deep asleep, half covered in blankets. What skin Severus saw, he saw a few light bruises.
He grabbed his dressing gown, checking the clock on the mantle in his sitting room. He frowned, and went to his office. Who would be calling him now? He went into his office, and saw Lucius sitting there, looking stressed.
"Where is Harry?"
Severus frowned. "Safe. What's going on?"
"I've got confirmed knowledge that Crouch has contacted the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord also called several of our associates."
"Who?" Severus asked, sinking into his chair.
"Nott, Avery, and McNair."
"Shit. Why didn't he call us, then?" Severus asked, pulling up the sleeve of his dressing robe.
Lucius looked a bit grim. "Avery contacted me today. I'm to go to the Dark Lord tonight."
"...Oh."
"I will try to find out the Dark Lord's plans." Lucius stated. "Where is Harry?"
"In my bed." Severus said absently, still thinking of the Dark Lord and the men he'd called. Why had he chosen Nott, Avery, and McNair specifically? The three men were not big in the brains department, they were more brawn than anything. Why them?
"Your bed?" Lucius' mouth dropped open. "So you two finally did the deed?"
Severus arched a brow. "We've been fucking since the summer."
He saw the lightest bit of color on Lucius' cheeks, and Severus knew his old friend was probably trying to imagine them together. Pervert. "Oh." He breathed.
"I will go get him. I know you'll want to spend time with Narcissa today, so we'll make it quick."
Severus led Lucius into his quarters, and he went into the bedroom to wake Harry. Harry groaned, arching his back as he stretched a bit. "Good morning, sir." Harry murmured, a playful smile on his lips. "Last night was fantastic..."
"Lucius will be meeting with the dark lord tonight."
Harry's smile dropped immeadiately. He grabbed Severus' discarded shirt, and pulled it on quickly. "He in the sitting room?"
"Yes." Harry managed to put a few buttons up, but didn't bother dressing properly as he entered the sitting room. Lucius gave the slightest of bows to Harry, keeping his eyes to the floor.
"Harry. I've recieved confirmation that the Dark Lord is gathering his followers. He called Avery, Nott, and McNair to him last night. Avery contacted me today, and said that the Dark Lord would contact me tonight."
"Fuck." Harry muttered. "Well...it's not as though we were unprepared for this. Will you go?"
"Of course. I will find out what I can, see about his health and things. I will report here as soon as I can. The Dark Lord may be watching me, so I may not be able to contact you straight away."
"...That's fine Lucius." Harry murmured, wondering when Lucius had become so subservient to him. "Thank you for informing us. Go home, be with Narcissa."
Lucius' gaze drifted over Harry's form, lingering over his bare legs. "Yes." He gave a slight bow to Harry, and left the room. Severus followed him out, and Harry sat down on the floor, staring into the fireplace. Severus returned a moment later.
"Harry?"
"When did Lucius become so subserviant to me?" Harry murmured.
Severus watched the teenager on the floor carefully. He didn't look upset, or sound upset, but he could tell the boy was slightly disturbed by this fact.
"He's been like that for a while. Harry...Lucius recognizes power when he sees it. He wants to help you. You know that."
"...It's just...he bowed to me. He's done it before, but...it didn't occur to me how...I know it's traditional and all that rot, but..." Harry's words didn't come out right, his confusion clear.
"He wants to help you."
"...I thought he would call me Master at any moment." Harry whispered. He turned around slightly, looking at Severus with wide fearful eyes. "And...part of me wanted him to! Severus...why is this happening? I don't want to lead people, I really don't-"
Severus knelt beside his lover, and kissed him gently. "Harry...you are a leader. You don't want to be, but it comes naturally to you. And...some people just recognize this. Like Lucius. If...if he ever does call you that one day...let him."
"But...why? Harry asked, visibly surprised. "I'm...I'm submissive, your submissive-" Severus cut him off with a shake of the head.
"Yes, you are my submissive, but you and I both know that you can lead others very easily. Let things happen naturally. Just make sure to not abuse this power you have." Severus brushed Harry's bangs back. "Let's go get ready for the day. Hopefully no one will have noticed you gone."
x-x-x
Harry smiled as he looked at the newspaper. There was a picture of the four champions, dancing with their dates. Harry loved having the Daily Prophet on his side- instead of making fun of him and Millie, they had called them funny and a good looking pair. Still, Millie was worried as she sat beside him. It was shaping up to be a long weekend for all of them.
Lucius hadn't returned from his meeting with the Dark Lord, yet. Dean and Luna were officially going out, as were Pansy and Draco. Harry had caught them snogging, and he really, really hadn't wanted to see them doing that. Fleur and Roger Davies apparently didn't work out too well, as it was rumored that the boy was up in the hospital wing for some reason, and Fleur hadn't shown her face yet. Gabrielle wasn't around either, so no one really knew what happened.
Viktor and Hermione, on the other hand, had hit it off quite well, and talked nearly nonstop about Viktor's home country. They were shaping up to be fast friends. While Harry did like this, he didn't like Millie's reaction to it.
The girl stared at the picture of herself. "Mother's going to kill me. I know she is."
"Mil, don't worry." Harry squeezed her arm. "You look fantastic. Maybe she'll come to you for styling tips?"
They both went quiet as Severus approached them at the table, looking rather grave. "Miss Bulstrode, please follow me."
The girl glanced towards Harry, and Harry gave her an encouraging nod.
Millie followed her Professor to the dungeons. "It's my Mum, isn't it?" The girl asked a little fearfully.
"Yes, it is. She was rather...upset."
Millie blanched. "You...you don't think she and Father will disown me, do you?" She asked quietly as they went down the stairs.
"Miss Bulstrode, I doubt it will come to that. Your Father is a good man, he would never allow that to happen." They entered Severus' office. Severus held out his jar of floo powder to her. "Be back within the hour, or at least let me know when you will be coming back."
"Yes Professor." The girl murmured, hand shaking slightly as she grabbed the bit of floo powder, and threw it into the fireplace. She stepped into the flames, and came spinning out into her parent's sitting room.
Her eyes went wide at the way it looked. It was a complete mess- dishes were shattered, books were all about the place- even the trophy case was a mess. What had happened here?
"Mother? Father?" Millie called out, feeling a bit scared now.
Lady Bulstrode came into the sitting room, looking completely pissed off. She was wearing a black gown, and her hair and makeup looked...off. What... Then she saw her oldest brother come into the room, and her heart began to pound. "What's going on?"
"Your Father..." Lady Bulstrode began, her mouth pinched. "Fell ill last night. A heart attack. It was quite violent."
"Oh...oh Merlin. Is he okay?" Millie asked, grabbing hold of the nearest chair.
"No. Your Father is dead."
Millie didn't make it to the chair. She sank to the floor, and her tears started to fall.
Her oldest brother glanced at their Mother, and went to his sister. "Millicent..." He helped her to stand, and into the chair.
"Don't coddle her! It's all her fault!" The woman screeched, making both her brother and Millie flinch.
"My...my fault?" Millie asked tearfully.
"Yes! After he saw you in the papers, leading that Potter boy around, wearing that...outfit! And your hair! We're a disgrace, a laughingstock!"
Millie started to shake her head. "Mother...no..."
"Your poor Father saw you two and-"
"Mother, please-" Her brother began.
"No! Jeffrey, you may be Lord Bulstrode now, but I am still your Mother! Millicent, you and I will be going to the salon to fix that hair of yours, and-"
"No." Millie said, her voice flat. She stood up, clenching her fists. "I don't believe you." She wiped her tears away angrily. "Da would never, ever have reacted that way to seeing me and Harry in the paper. Never! He loved me! He liked Harry! He...he was okay with us! You have to be lying!"
Lady Bulstrode moved forward in a flash, and slapped her daughter hard across the face. Millie stood there in shock for a moment, and turned to her Mother slowly.
"I'm leaving now. I'll have an elf get my things." Mil growled, her voice sounding rather dangerous. "I don't want to ever see you again."
She headed for the fireplace, and her Mother grabbed her arm. Mil quickly dislodged it, and drew out her wand in a flash. She saw fear in her Mother's eyes for the first time, and then saw her Brother move slightly in front of their Mother, to protect her. Her brother was pretty good in a duel, she remembered, but after being stuck at a desk job for the past few years, he was probably out of practice. She could take him, but she wasn't going to risk it.
Mil laughed, coldly, feeling no happiness, no love for the remainder of her family. "I never loved you, Mother. And you know what? I'm gay." And with that, she flooed out of the house.
She stumbled back into her Professor's office, and found herself alone. He obviously hadn't expected her to return so quickly. She threw up violently, dropping her wand to the floor. She cried and sobbed for the loss of her Father, and her family.
The Professor found her there a short while later. He had an elf clean up her mess, and then go to the Bulstrode manor to pick up Millie's things. The girl sobbed in his arms as she told him what had happened, about everything. About how her Mother's verbal and emotional abuse all these years finally just...exploded. Knowing that her brothers would side with their Mother in this, and just having this gut feeling that something else had happened to her Father. He couldn't have died that way, could he?
x-x-x
That evening, Mil laid in the hospital wing, waking up from a heavy dose of dreamless sleep. She opened her eyes groggily, and looked at everyone around her. Most of the Slytherin girls were at her bedside, and Harry was holding her hand. Dean and Hermione stood at the end of her bed, looking concerned.
"Mil? You awake?" Harry asked gently.
The girl nodded, sitting up slowly.
"Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Mil shook her head, running her hands through her hair. "Did you find out anything?" She asked them, knowing that they probably did, already.
Dean and Harry exchanged a fleeting look, and she noticed. "Later." Harry murmured, brushing his hand through her hair. "How are you feeling, love?"
"Like shit." Mil muttered.
Pansy spoke up. "The elves delivered your things to your room this afternoon. Apparently your...Mother threw quite a fit when they took all the paintings."
Mil's mouth dropped open in surprise. "The paintings?"
"The muggle ones." Tracey pointed out.
Mil started to cry again, hiding her face in her hands. Harry motioned to the others, and they began to leave. Only Hermione, Harry, and Dean remained behind.
Harry sat next to her on the bed, wrapping her up in a hug. "Darling, everything will be okay. I know it hurts like crazy right now..."
"I told Mother that I was gay." She whispered, pulling away from Harry slightly. "I didn't even look to see their reactions. I left right afterwards. It...it was sort of like...well, I might as well tell them. Like..."
"One big 'fuck you'?" Dean said with a small smile.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Harry sighed, his hug tightened around her. "Well...we'll deal with it if they talk. They probably won't. But if they do...it's alright."
"...so it's true, then?" Hermione asked nervously. "And...you're okay with it?" She asked Harry.
"Of course I am." He turned back to Mil. "Do you need anything, Mil?"
"My drawing supplies?" The girl sniffled.
"Got it." The boy pecked her on the lips. "I'll be right back, darling."
x-x-x
Harry was quiet in Severus' office, curled up in the man's lap. Lucius and Narcissa sat together, while Dean paced the length of the office.
"I can't believe that bitch." The boy muttered. "Saying something like that to Mil is unexcusable."
"We could have Lady Bulstrode put away, but with her political influence, I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Narcissa said quietly.
"She killed him!" Harry yelled. "She has to be put away!"
Lucius frowned. "We don't know that for certain. We are only going by what their House Elves said. These statements from the elves will not be admissible in any trial. And Lady Bulstrode will undoubtedly forbid them for speaking about it soon."
"But...the Aurors surely would have seen the damage and thought there was foul play..."
Lucius shook his head, looking grave. "It's easy to make them look the other way."
"Money." Harry said, sounding disgusted. "It was all about fucking money. I hate people, sometimes."
Narcissa squeezed her husband's hand. "Harry, people can be very greedy, and Lady Bulstrode was one of them. But for the woman to hate her husband so much for spending money on his daughter..."
"We have to do something about it." Dean growled. "Mil is miserable, we can't just...let it go. That bitch has to pay."
x-x-x
Um...I'm just going to say that certain parts of this chapter weren't actually planned for later on in the story. It just sort of...came out on it's own. This changes things a bit. Okay, a lot. I wasn't planning on having this happen so early, but...it...works. I hope you guys don't hate me. Thanks for reading, and please review.