Disclaimers: I don't own Harry Potter.
A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I really and truly appreciate all the positive feedback. Thank you!
Vaughn has corrected this chapter; any mistakes left are my own.
Tender Emotions
Harry woke up and immediately knew where he was. There was only one place that smelled the like this. The hospital wing.
For a moment he debated going back to sleep, but he was too well rested for that to be an option, so he opened his eyes instead, intent on sneaking out of the infirmary at earliest opportunity.
Instead of the sharp, bright light that usually assaulted him first thing when he managed to open his eyes in this place, he was faced with a sea of green. Blinking his eyes a few times to see if that made a difference -- it didn't -- he leaned up on an elbow to try and figure this mystery out.
Then he chuckled. How could he have forgotten Draco? It was his shirt he had been pressed tightly against.
"See something amusing?" Draco asked, having followed Harry's attempts to fully wake up.
"Nah, just trying to figure out when Pomfrey abandoned white for green," Harry replied, sitting up properly in the bed.
Draco looked startled for a moment, and then he laughed. Setting the book he'd been reading aside, he too sat up, allowing the light blanket that had been covering them to fall to the side. "Is there any point of me asking how you are feeling?"
"Nah, I'm fine," Harry said with a giggle. It felt good to have someone to joke around with. To be with someone you could be yourself with; someone with whom you didn't have to watch every word you were about to say in fear of setting them off into a rant if what you said didn't fit their image of you.
Feeling his heart swell with emotions, Harry reached out and gently stroked the back of his fingers along Draco's fine cheekbone. "Thank you," he whispered, knowing the words were woefully inadequate for expressing what he wanted to say.
"You are welcome, love," Draco murmured, afraid to upset the fragile moment, happily drowning in Harry's green, expressive eyes.
Harry had no idea how long they'd been sitting there, gazing into each other's eyes when his stomach suddenly growled, destroying the moment.
Looking down and giving it a glare, he couldn't help but chuckle when Draco's infectious laugh filled the room. "I think someone needs to be fed," Draco said with affection tinged with amusement.
Harry smiled ruefully, "I guess so. What time is it anyway?"
Draco cast a quick Tempus. "Five o'clock. No wonder you are hungry, you haven't eaten since breakfast. I'll call for the nurse and…"
"Do you have to? Can't we just sneak out of here? She will spend the next half hour fussing and scolding. I'm fine. Starved, but fine. Please, Draco?"
Draco looked at his mate and caved. How was he supposed to refuse that look? Besides, both Severus and Pomfrey had stated that all Harry needed was to sleep the effects of the potion off, and he had done that. Add to that the way the nurse had been skulking around, looking like she wanted to do something to the brunet, but unable to due to him being so close to the Veela, and the decision to sneak out was easy to make.
Nodding his head in agreement, Draco slid out of bed, picking up the book he had been amusing himself with while waiting for Harry to finally wake up, and shrinking and tucking it into a pocket. Looking over at Harry, he wasn't surprised to find that the youth was already waiting for him at the door, practically jumping from foot to foot. Snickering softly, Draco hurried over to the other boy, and together they opened the door a crack and slipped through it, never alerting the mediwitch of their departure.
HPDM
"That was way too easy!" Harry stated, collapsing on a sofa the moment they arrived in their private suite.
"Not really," Draco disagreed. "We were just lucky. Apparently there was a scuffle in the Hufflepuff common room, and Pomfrey went there with Professor Flitwick in an attempt to sort them out. I understand the little fools added a few charms and things got… interesting."
"Hufflepuff?" Harry echoed. "I didn't think they had scuffles."
"Oh, they do. They mostly have them in places where the rest of the school never hears of it. Not all altercations are as public as the ones we used to have," Draco admitted a bit ruefully.
Harry laughed as he remembered a few of their more colourful confrontations.
"So, what do you want to eat?" Draco asked, turning serious and business like. He was not about to let his mate go hungry a moment longer.
"I'm not sure. Do you think the house-elves could rustle up some Chinese? I've always wanted to try deep-fried pork, and shrimps, not to mention deep-fried squid," Harry said a bit dreamily. "The Dursleys would always lock me up in my cupboard when they had Chinese take-out. Vernon said it was too expensive to waste on me."
Draco managed to hold his temper, but only barely. The matter-of-fact way that Harry used when talking about such blatant abuse had the Veela seeing red. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Draco snapped his fingers and summoned Dobby, knowing the elf would know how to get hold of the desired foods.
HPDM
"That was absolutely incredible!" Harry stated, putting down his chopsticks. "I knew this stuff smelled divine, but I had no idea just how good it tasted."
"I'm glad you liked it. I don't know how he does it, but Dobby has always been the one to go to when you are in mood for Chinese," Draco said, putting down his own chopsticks. It had been fun, what with teaching Harry how to use the chopsticks, and Draco couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten such a fun and light-hearted meal.
"I'll have to remember that. Do you think Dobby would agree to come and work for you again? I find that I don't want to leave him behind once we leave Hogwarts. And how come he was so mistreated? From what little I have seen, you don't abuse house-elves the way Dobby seemed to be abused when I first met him in my second year."
"I hope he will agree to come back to us," Draco nodded. "As for the abuse, the Malfoy family have always realised the importance of house-elves. Without their help and assistance, our lives would be that much harder and much more boring. Even with the help of magic, cleaning and such are no fun!
"No, it was Narcissa that abused the elves. Teaching them to fear their masters. With Father being under her spell the way he was, he was forced to go along with her ideas, at least in public. Poor Dobby came with her when she married Father. He was her personal elf, you see. They were bonded shortly after she was born. She was livid that Dad had lost her Dobby, and she made his life miserable for months. But you know what? When I got home that summer and he told me what had happened, we were both happy that you had freed him. Since he was Narcissa's personal elf, there wasn't much we could do to help him," Draco said, a far away look on his face as he remembered.
"Then I'm glad I did it," Harry said, putting a hand on Draco's. "Thank you for telling me this. It's actually been bugging me a little. The Malfoys I've been seeing the last few weeks just didn't match the Malfoys I was seeing before. Frankly, it was giving me a headache! But I think I understand better now, and I promise you that I will do everything in my powers to remove the Dark Mark from both your father, and from Severus, and do anything I can to make sure those two are bonded and given a chance to live happily ever after. They deserve it."
Fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, Draco pulled Harry into a fierce hug. "Thank you. Thank you for looking beyond the mask. Thank you for caring."
"Oh, Draco. How could I not care? You are a wonderful person, and I think I'm beginning to fall in love with you. No, I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for taking the time to see beyond the scar. Thank you for not running away, screaming. Thank you-"
Draco shut his mate up the only way he felt was right. He pressed his lips against Harry's in a chaste kiss. Pulling away after a few seconds, he couldn't help but grin at the blush heating the brunet's face.
The grin turned tender when Harry ducked his head and gave the Veela a shy smile, glancing up at the other boy through his lashes. Pulling Harry into a hug, Draco sighed with contentment when Harry snuggled his head into the crook of Draco's neck.
HPDM
That was the scene Lucius walked in upon half an hour later when he came to check up on the boys. He had been with Severus, giving him a report of that day's events when Poppy had come marching, smoke practically coming out of her ears and nose, demanding to know where the boys were. She hadn't been mollified until Lucius had promised to go and check on them personally, and that he would take them to the hospital wing at the slightest hint of something being wrong.
Planting his fists on his hips, Lucius looked the two boys over slowly, causing Harry to squirm and Draco to roll his eyes.
"I hope you have had the sense to eat something," he eventually said, when he had judged the silence to have gone on long enough.
"Yes, Father. Of course, Father. You really shouldn't worry so much, Father," Draco said in a droll tone of voice, causing Harry to giggle.
The corners of Lucius' lips twitched. "Don't take that tone of voice with me, son. I am still capable of doling out painful and unusual punishments."
"Oh? Like what?" Harry asked, his eye lightening up with intrigue and amusement.
Lucius laughed and dropped his pose of stern and disapproving father, and settled in a chair opposite the boys. "Like taking away his broom, forcing him to fly on the laughable things the school provides. Forcing him to spend time with Narcissa during the holidays. Though I suppose that one is no longer available," Lucius mused, a glint in his eyes.
"What happened? Have you divorced her already? What did she say? What did you say?" Draco asked eagerly, leaning forward in his seat, the questions tumbling from his lips not giving his father a chance to reply.
Lucius chuckled. "No, we aren't divorced. Not yet, anyway. When I left the hospital wing, I was summoned by the Dark Lord. He had heard what had happened to Pansy Parkinson, and he wanted me to confirm the rumours, and give him a status report on our seduction of Harry Potter to the Dark side.
"Turns out Narcissa had gone complaining to him that I was refusing to take her to some party or other, I never did get the particulars. Not that I was particularly interested in finding out what stupid thing she was set on going to this time.
"Anyway, I apologised profusely, and informed him of the origin of the Black Truth. He was most interested, and agreed with my suggestion of sending Narcissa into seclusion. He liked the idea so much he agreed on sending Bellatrix there as well. I have no idea what she could have done to anger him that much, but both of them will stay where they are until Christmas, which should give us plenty of time to arrange everything," Lucius concluded with a pleased little smile.
"Where did you send them?" Draco asked, not particularly concerned about his mother's fate.
"To that small, unknown island just outside the coast of Australia."
"Mother can't have been pleased when she found out about that!" Draco chuckled. "She burns really easy and hates the sun with a passion," he explained to Harry, who had given the Veela a questioning look at his reaction. "Add to that the fact that she loathes Aunt Bella, and you have a recipe for disaster."
"Won't she be able to escape?" Harry wanted to know. "She is a witch, after all, as is Bellatrix."
"True, but I had a few of my house-elves go there and erect a ward that she cannot penetrate. I even had to have one of the elves bring her there, since no Portkey or other means of travel will be able to penetrate it. It is not widely known, but the Malfoys have always been on good standing with the house-elves. It is witches like Narcissa that give the magical world a bad name," Lucius added, looking grim for a moment.
Shaking the mood off, he continued, "Besides, I have several of the elves keeping an eye on them. They have been given permission to do everything it takes to make sure the two don't escape. They are completely cut off from the outside world, and are utterly unable to send a message to anyone, so a rescue isn't possible either. No, they are stuck there until either I or the Dark Lord decides to call them back.
"That reminds me. Why didn't Riddle pick up on the fact that I am no longer loyal to him? I'm good, but I'm not that good; he should have known something was up the moment I appeared before him, but he didn't as much as twitch, behaving as if I was his most loyal follower."
Harry looked pensive for a moment, absentmindedly chewing his lower lip while he thought. All three startled when a soft hissing suddenly emitted from Lucius.
Making a face, the blond aristocrat pulled the sleeves up, baring his forearm. It was not exactly painful; still, it was a most peculiar sensation, almost like a large snake was slithering just under his skin.
Harry hissed a greeting, and more snake sounds came from the arm.
Laughing slightly, the brunet relaxed back in his seat, unconsciously snuggling closer to Draco. "It was Eturo. He sent old Voldie what he wanted to know, making him believe that you are just as devoted to him now as you have ever been. He saw no reason to distrust you, because the snakes have never lied to him before," Harry explained with a relieved smile. He hadn't realised until now just how much he cared for the older Malfoy, and how devastated he would be if anything happened to him.
"That is good to know," Lucius acknowledged. "Please tell him that I am very thankful for his assistance, and that I'm grateful she decided to help me."
Harry nodded and translated the message. Eturo hissed once more and then grew still, becoming a tattoo once more.
"He says you are welcome. However, he didn't do it for you, he did it for himself. He isn't sure he would be released if you were killed before we release him, so it was in his own interest to keep Voldie happy."
Lucius blinked, then he laughed. Trust a snake to act like a Slytherin. Rolling his sleeve down, the blond felt a change of subject was needed. "Are you ready to face the school, or should we postpone the first DA meeting? I am sure they will understand, considering that you were kidnapped this morning."
Draco pulled Harry closer to him, as he remembered the feelings of rage and helplessness that had filled him when his mate had disappeared right in front of his eyes. Harry gave him a glance, and a small smile, patting the closest arm in an attempt to offer comfort. Turning his attention back to Lucius, Harry nodded his head. "I'm ready. I need to do this tonight. I can't allow fear and worries about what might happen rule my life. If I did, I would never leave these rooms again. Besides, I have both you and Draco to look out for me now, none of the students of this school would be stupid enough to mess with me with you two present."
"That is not what I asked, Harry," Lucius scolded lightly.
"I know," Harry acknowledged with a soft sigh. "I'm fine. Josy didn't have time to hurt me, and I've slept off the effect of that dratted Calming Draught. Don't worry, sir, I'm fine."
Lucius gave him a searching look, but allowed the matter to drop. He couldn't wrap the boy up in cotton, no matter how much his instincts were screaming at him to do just that. He had to trust that Harry knew his own limits, and support him as much as possible, keeping a lookout for complications and hidden dangers.
"So, son, when will you hold the first Quidditch meeting? You need to do it soon, or the other Houses will have booked all the good practise slots."
"Yeah," Harry piped up, "you need to make sure the Slytherin team is in top form, you will need it to push the Gryffindors out of the sky."
"Supporting the enemy, Harry?" Draco teased, lifting an eyebrow in a superior manner.
"No, just wanting to make sure that you cream Ron. With me off the team, I bet you a hundred Galleons that they make Ron the new Quidditch Captain for the Gryffindor team. I'm pretty sure Angelina won't want it, what with this being her N.E.W.T. year and all. I want him to look extremely foolish when he loses against the snakes. He is forever bragging about what a splendid tactician he is, and how the Chudley Cannons would never lose a game ever again if they would just employ his ideas. I want him taken down a peg or two. You will make sure he loses, and loses spectacularly, won't you, love?" Harry asked, batting his eyelashes at his boyfriend.
"With an incentive like that, how can I do anything other than my utmost to make sure Ron gets what he is due?" Draco asked with a delighted laugh. He had been worried that Harry would resent him still being on the team, no matter what ringing proclamations of the opposite.
"See that you do," was Harry's only reply, before he started to discuss different tactics to use against the different teams, leading to a lively debate between the three of them that lasted until it was time to head off to the Great Hall.
HPDM
Harry looked out over the sea of faces that were all looking at him, and couldn't help wondering how on earth he had allowed himself to be talked into this. It was one thing to tutor a few students wanting to thumb their noses at Umbridge. This... this was something completely different, and Harry found himself unsure if he was up to the task.
Draco seemed to sense his unease, for the blond leaned closer and whispered, "Just imagine how utterly disappointed Dumbles will be when you turn the student body away from him."
The image did wonders to Harry's confidence, and it was with a cheerful smile that he climbed up on the duelling platform the Headmaster had created for him. Looking out over the gathered students, Harry was pleased to notice that a surprisingly large number of the Slytherins were present. It looked like his tentative attempts to get to know the snakes better were paying off. At least they had come to find out what was going on and weren't rejecting him outright for being a Gryffindork.
His smile widening, Harry threw his arms out in welcome and said, "Greetings to everyone. I'm happy to see so many of you have decided to come here tonight. It is dangerous times we are living in, and knowing how to defend yourself and your loved ones is becoming more and more important each passing day. However, I'm not about to lecture you on what's going on outside these walls, so relax.
"What I am going to do is help you learn how to take care of yourself when faced with a threat. That threat might be Dementors, Devil's Snares or, Merlin forbid, Death Eaters. If you become a member of this club, I will do my utmost to teach you all I can to help you survive another day. To do that, we all must forget about the House rivalry. I don't care if you are a Hufflepuff or a Slytherin, a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor. What I care about is that you all learn to the best of your ability. Because what I teach you may one day save your life.
"Since there are quite a few of you, and only one of me, I will split you into three groups –
Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Which group you end up in depends on you. I will judge by skill and knowledge. I don't care if you are a fifth year or a third year. In here, we are all individuals. Last year when I taught the DA, we were a mottled group ranging from fourth year to seventh, and we all got on more or less well. There were a few moments when nerves were ragged and we disagreed on things, but in the end we worked together, and we beat the odds.
"We worked together as a group, growing stronger together, and that is what I want for this group as well. United, we are strong, divided, we will fall. I will lead you and teach you all that I know. The rest is up to you.
"However, I won't be the only one teaching you. As you can see, Lucius Malfoy is with us tonight," Harry said, indicating the blond standing to the side, watching the students with hooded eyes. "He has generously agreed to supervise us since the headmaster deemed it necessary to have an adult's help in case we take on more than we can handle," Harry ended with a grin, which earned him a few titters. "But he isn't the only one. Ginny and Neville here have also promised they will help with the instructions, and I am hoping a few more of the original DA will assist me as time and homework allows.
"There is one more thing I wish to bring up before we start what we came here for, and that is the name of this club. We jokingly named ourselves 'Dumbledore's Army' when we formed the DA. We thought it appropriate at the time since we formed it to spite Umbridge and Fudge. That is no longer the case. We are starting this fresh with new members and a new structure. If any of you have an idea what we should call ourselves, please write it down and hand it to me, Draco or Lucius. The winner will receive a box of Chocolate Frogs," Harry finished, earning himself a cheer from most of those present.
"To show you a little of what we did last year, my two assistants have promised to show off a few of the tricks they learned under my excellent tutelage. Ginny, Neville, the stage is yours," Harry said with a wide grin, jumping off the platform.
Ginny and Neville walked to the middle of the platform, and turned so they stood back to back. Smartly they marched the required steps, and spun. Bowing, never taking their eyes off each other, they waited while Lucius counted down to three. On three, Neville cried, 'Stupefy', which Ginny neatly sidestepped, crying, 'Expellariamus'. Neville put up a shield, absorbing the spell.
The following duel was talked about for a long time. The two duellers really did put on a show, and Harry wondered how they'd managed to coordinate the thing, considering how little time they'd had to put it together.
Lesser spells like the tickling charm were intermingled with more difficult charms, showing that it didn't matter much what you hit your opponent with, as long as it did the job of distracting the enemy. The key word being 'hit'. In the end, more difficult spells were brought into play and the duel was ended in a spectacular way when Ginny bounced her Stupefy off the wall and hit Neville from the side, but not before he had managed to conjure a Devil's Snare that wrapped itself around her feet, preventing her from dodging his disarming spell. Thus the duel ended in a draw, and the students went wild, clapping and cheering.
Harry laughed and banished the plant before it could climb too high, and revived Neville, who took the tie with a laugh and a shrug. It had been fun, and it didn't matter much to him that there was no clear winner, at least not this time.
It took a while, but eventually Harry, with the help of Lucius, Draco, Ginny, and Neville, got things calmed down and organised, and they spent the rest of the evening testing the students on their skills with some basic spells for their respective year, taking note of strength and accuracy.
By the time they were finished, Harry was exhausted and he was extremely happy to send them all off to bed with the promise of letting them know which group they'd been sorted into and when the next meeting was by Saturday. The students left, chatting excitedly amongst themselves.
"You did well, Harry," Lucius said, settling next to the youth, who was slumping against a happy looking Draco.
"Thank you," Harry said with a soft smile. Turning to his friends, he added, "Gin, Nev, you were terrific! I can't believe you put that together in one day."
"Thanks, Harry, but it wasn't that difficult. We just mixed together a few of the things you did last year and went from there. It was fun. You should include that in the club, allowing a few to work out a duel against each other and have them do it before an audience. Their fellow members could be the judges and they could give points for originality and stuff, and deduct points for bad performance and such. I think it could be a great help."
Harry folded his arms across his chest and stared down at the tip of his boots. "That's not a bad idea, Gin. I'll consider it and see what can be done." Looking up, he grinned. "I don't know about you, but I'm wasted. I'm going to bed." He pushed away from the platform, missing the warmth from Draco immediately. The two Malfoys rose to their feet as well and began to leave the Hall, walking beside him.
"I don't care what Ron says. Those two are good for Harry. I've never seen him this happy. Last year his eyes were so haunted, so sad. But this year..."
"I know what you mean, Gin. He is happy, maybe for the first time in his life," Neville replied. Then he was ambushed by a yawn. "Harry had the right idea. Let's go to bed."
Ginny nodded, and together the two friends left the Hall, talking softly about their duel and about the students they had assessed that night. If that was the best they could do, the future of the wizarding world was bleak indeed.
HPDM
Later that night, Ginny crawled into bed, but although she was tired, she was unable to relax enough to actually fall asleep. So much had happened lately. Ever since she had laid eyes on Harry, she had fancied him. Many a time she had fantasised about how it would be to marry him and settle down in a cottage, not unlike the Burrow, with lots and lots of kids. Harry would come home at night, after a demanding day working as an Auror, but never being too tired for her or the children. And they would go on exciting holidays, seeing the world.
Her hero-worship took new flight after the fiasco with Riddle's diary, when Harry came down to the Chamber of Secrets to save her, just like a dashing knight rescuing his chosen damsel.
For years she had yearned and hoped that he would see her as more than Ron's little sister. However, that day had somehow never arrived, and when she found out about Malfoy being a Veela, her heart had been crushed. She had still hoped though, that somehow, miraculously, Harry would wake up and realise that it was her he belonged with. Not Draco Malfoy.
Now she was wondering though. What she had told Neville was the truth; she had never seen Harry this happy. And she knew Harry well enough to know that rich or poor didn't matter to him at all. Draco could have been as poor as the Weasleys were, and Harry would have been just as happy. No, Harry wasn't shallow like that, not like her brother Ron, who let jealousy rule him.
Shaking her head, Ginny turned over, trying to find a comfortable position. Then there was the whole thing with the mail. She had never been so embarrassed as when her mother's Howler had reamed Harry out in the Great Hall, and for what? It was just as Harry had said. He dared to be himself, not caring what others thought. And Draco had supported him. She would never have been able to do that. As the youngest, she was used to having to fight to make her family see and hear her, but she still craved their good opinion of her. She was well aware that her mother would have a lot to say to her if she ever found out that Ginny was still supporting Harry, and knowing her brother, her mother would find out sooner rather than later. She still wasn't sure how to handle that fallout. Would she be strong enough to stand up to her mother to do what she knew was right?
If she couldn't even stand up to her own mother, how would she be able to stand up to the rest of the world? A world that was so quick to condemn, without bothering finding out what the truth was?
Shifting around once more, Ginny was forced to accept the harsh truth. She would never be that strong. She would never be able to support Harry the way he needed to be supported, and no matter how much it hurt to accept it, she knew Draco Malfoy was. Especially if he was backed by his father; Lucius Malfoy had the connections to protect Harry. Neither she nor her family had the power of influence needed.
Burrowing into her pillow, Ginny made her decision. She would do everything in her power to support Harry, but no more would she build her hopes and dreams around him. She would find herself a nice, uncomplicated boy who shared her dreams of a quiet home life with lots and lots of children. Ginny had a feeling that a life with that as of yet unknown boy would make her much happier than a life with the Boy-Who-Lived ever could.
HPDM
Back in their rooms, Draco found it impossible to relax enough to even think about retiring for the night. He had managed quite well in pushing the kidnapping to the back of his mind, but now, when he had nothing more that needed to do, and Harry was safely tucked away in Draco's bed, the Veela found that his mind kept playing the moment Harry disappeared again and again. And again and again he remembered the feelings of fear and rage that had filled him, as realisation sunk in that someone had dared to snatch his Harry away.
The letter and photo from that tart Sweetberry didn't do anything to calm his mind. A sudden burst of pain emitting from his back caused Draco to jump and rip the vest and ruined shirt off his body. Craning his neck, he glared at the two black wings that had suddenly appeared; he hadn't realised that he'd been that angry and concerned.
"Looks like you can't settle down either," Harry said, causing Draco to jump again, since he hadn't heard the other boy approach. He hadn't even noticed that his mate had gotten out of bed. Shaking his head at his own inattentiveness, Draco sighed and then murmured a sheepish, "Yeah."
"May I?" Harry asked, stepping closer and indicating the beautiful wings the Veela carried.
Draco looked startled for a moment, before nodding his consent.
Stepping even closer to the blond, Harry tentatively reached out a hand and allowed the tip of his fingers to run along the closest wing. His gasp of delight at the softness of the feathers was echoed by Draco's gasp of pleasure as his mate touched him.
"Did I hurt you?" Harry asked, snatching his hand away.
"No, that felt good," Draco replied, wishing the other boy would do it again.
Growing bolder, Harry reached out to more firmly stroke the wing, causing Draco to practically purr in happiness.
All too soon the wings melted back into the Veela's back, as he grew calm and content under the ministrations of his mate. Both boys sighed in disappointment. Sharing a glance, they began to snicker, and soon they were leaning on each other, laughing uproariously.
"So… how come you aren't asleep?" Draco asked, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulders.
"Probably the same reason you aren't," Harry said ruefully. "I can't get what happened this morning out of my mind. Every time I close my eyes, I can feel the hook of the Portkey and then I remember the fright of finding myself in an unfamiliar place. It doesn't exactly help that I keep flashing to that time when I found myself in a graveyard," he admitted somewhat reluctantly.
Draco's reply was to wrap his arms more securely around the brunet.
Harry hesitated for a moment, before wrapping his own arms around Draco, accepting the comfort the other boy was offering.
Eventually he began to fidget. The comfort and the pleasant feelings it brought with it were good and fine, up to a point. Harry was still not comfortable enough to just let the moment to drag on, and he cast his mind about trying to think of something to say or do.
It was as his gaze travelled over one of the steamer trunks that he was hit with an idea, and he pulled away from Draco to better see his reactions to his suggestion. "I know!" he said excitedly, "what we need is a distraction, and I know just the thing!"
"Oh?" Draco asked, intrigued. When Harry grabbed his wrist and began to tow him to the bedroom, he couldn't help but start to get excited. Did Harry have in mind what Draco thought he had in mind?
His excitement turned to disappointment with a touch of curiosity when Harry, instead of heading for the bed, pushed the sleeve of his t-shirt up and removed an armband. It didn't look like Harry was in the mood for some snogging. Biting back his sigh of disappointment, he couldn't help but smile at the eager look Harry gave him just as he threw the armband on the floor.
When the armband contorted and changed into a trunk, Draco inadvertently took several steps backward. Was that…? Did Harry really expect him to climb in there? Apparently, because Harry threw the lid open, and without even one backward glance, climbed inside, clearly expecting Draco to follow.
Hesitating briefly, Draco was not sure what to do. Should he call his father for help? Should he command Harry to get the hell out of there? Opening his mind to do just that, he suddenly remembered the library he had passed on his wild dash to find Harry and that clinched it. Pushing his rolling emotions to the side, Draco climbed inside, willing himself to give Harry a chance to explain what he was up to. Draco could always drag his mate out of there and confiscate the armband if he didn't like the answer.
"What took you so long?" Harry asked, giving the blond boy a searching look.
Draco just shook his head. Was Harry really this dense, or was he just pretending to be this stupid? "What is this?" Draco asked, throwing his arms out to encompass his surroundings.
"This is my super secret library," Harry replied with a slight smirk, grabbing hold of Draco's wrist once more and towing him to where the library was situated.
Draco reluctantly followed the brunet, unable to suppress a shudder as memories of his mad dash assaulted him. Feeling the tremors, Harry turned around and gave him a concerned look. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, getting worried.
"I'll be fine," Draco murmured, doing his best to suppress another shiver. "Why are we here? This is the trunk, isn't it?"
Harry looked blankly at Draco, then he smacked himself on the forehead. "How stupid can you get? Brilliant! Well done, Potter!" he muttered to himself, starting to pace. "Here you want to help him, and you invoke even worse nightmares than the one we just lived through. Great! Juuust great!"
"Harry, calm down," Draco ordered, taking hold of the furiously pacing and muttering boy. "Why did you bring me here?"
"I wanted to show you the books I got from the Black library," Harry muttered, sounding miserable and unable to look at Draco.
"You have them in there?" Draco asked, momentarily forgetting where he was.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I know how eager you've been to explore the Black Manor, and I figured this could do for now. I… I'm sorry. I didn't think. We can leave and do something else," Harry murmured quietly, already heading towards the exit.
"No," Draco said decisively. "I refuse to let a bad memory scare me away. Especially since this is important to you. Could you just… could you just promise me to never come down here unless I, or someone I trust, is with you?" he asked a little hesitantly, not wanting to outright forbid Harry to come down here, but not willing to allow him to come here on his own.
"Don't worry, love," Harry smiled tenderly, reaching up to cup Draco's cheek. "I've already promised your father."
"You have? When?" Draco asked startled.
Harry shrugged, not particularly interested in the subject. "The other day. You were in the bathroom, I think."
Draco mentally promised himself to have a little chat with his father, but allowed the matter to be dropped for now. "So, mind if I go inside and have a look around?" he asked, his earlier enthusiasm at the thought of exploring the Black library back with a vengeance.
Harry chuckled. "Be my guest. But before you disappear among the books, would you mind reading something? I'd like your opinion before showing it to McGonagall."
"I'd love to," Draco said eagerly, happy that Harry valued his input that much. "Why do I have a feeling that this will be something Dumbledore will live to regret?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in delight.
"Because he probably will?" Harry chuckled, casting an almost flirty look over his shoulder. Heading over to a table, he began to rummage around, looking for a certain scroll. Finding it, he picked it up and turned back to Draco. "You didn't think I'd forgotten what he did to our horses, did you? Or think that I had forgiven him for his meddling? I've just been biding my time, waiting for the right moment."
Draco chuckled. "This I've got to see! Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie," he added with almost childish petulance, practically tearing the scroll from Harry, and unrolling it eagerly.
Harry laughed, and turned his attention to the desktop and the research he had begun when he was last here. Not feeling in the mood to read more about Veelas at the moment, Harry walked over to the ledger and began looking for something to grab his interest.
HPDM
Draco eagerly scanned the proposition Harry had put together. Intrigued by the theories the brunet had put forth, the youth read the thing over once more, this time going much slower, almost savouring the contents of the scroll.
Coming to the end for the second time, Draco leaned back and considered the implications and the possibilities of Harry's proposal. It was simple, held endless possibilities, and would drive Dumbledore absolutely batty. It was perfect! Chuckling at the deviousness of his mate, Draco looked around, attempting to discern where he had gotten to.
"Do you like it?" Harry asked from behind Draco, causing the blond to jump. Scowling fiercly, Draco decided he didn't like how many times the other boy has startled him lately. A Malfoy was never startled or surprise, for that matter.
"You don't like it," Harry said, disheartened, misunderstanding the reason for Draco's scowl.
Draco considered holding the brunet in suspense, but in the end he couldn't. "Are you kidding? This is great! I can't wait to try it out! What do you think I should get? A snake? But that is so cliché, somehow. What do you think of a dragon? But then, dragon breeding is forbidden. Then again, this isn't exactly breeding, is it?" Draco mused to himself, momentarily getting sidetracked.
"You think McGonagall will go for it?"
"Are you kidding me? She will jump at an opportunity like this! You might not know it by looking at her, but McGonagall used to do a lot of research when she was younger and wasn't so swamped with responsibilities as she is now. Being the Head of House, not to mention Deputy Headmistress, has severely diminished the time available to her to do other things than school business.
"She's had loads of her papers published, and mostly in only the most prestigious of magazines. She also used to be invited to all the important conventions to give speeches and such. Trust me, she will jump at the chance of getting involved in all that again. She won't allow anyone get into her way, not even Dumbledore," Draco assured his mate.
"Wow, how do you know all that?" Harry asked, impressed.
Draco chuckled. "When it was time for me to begin school, Mum and Dad were fighting about whether to send me to Durmstrang or to Hogwarts. In an attempt to sway her, Dad did extensive research on all the teachers. A few summers ago, I got curious, and I looked up what he had found out. I couldn't understand why he didn't put up more of a fight since I knew he didn't exactly have positive memories from Hogwarts. Did you know that the Professors employed here is far more merited than those found at both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons?"
Harry grinned knowingly. "I bet you were hoping to find something you could use as blackmail," he said slyly.
Draco returned the grin, but did not comment.
"You really think I dare showing this to McGonagall then?" Harry asked, allowing the matter to drop.
"Yes," Draco replied simply. "Now that that is out of the way, do you mind me exploring the library?"
Harry smiled affectionately. "Not at all. The ledger is over there, on that pedestal. Why don't you ask it to show you the Potions section?"
"I think I will do just that," Draco nodded, heading off to where Harry had pointed.
Next Time:
Harry and Draco have another confrontation with Ron.
This time things really get out of hand.
(For those of you who has impatiently waited to find out what Harry is,
the revelation to that is in chapter 38. Not long now, wink.)
Until Then…