Came out of the Darkness 44 – True Love

Characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Still her sand, my castle. Thank you for all of the amazing reviews.

"This is true love... you think this happens every day?" The Princess Bride

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! ! ! IMPORTANT NOTE PLEASE READ – After I'd written this, it occurred to me that part of it could potentially disgust/upset/induce nausea in a few people. Specifically a description of vomiting that made me a bit queasy even as I visualized it. I asked my muse if I could leave it out, but she said no. So I split the chapter into two parts.

I'll warn you when it gets to that part so that anyone who wants to can skip down to the end and move to the next chapter. I've included the relevant information as a note in the beginning of part B. I'm probably just paranoid but… oh well it ended up a bit long anyway ! ! !

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All was quiet in the Gryffindor Special Guest suite, now referred to simply as 'The Suite' after having been commandeered for the bonded couple and their friends. The living area tended to be a gathering place. The other students knew that if the portal from The Suite to the Quiet Room corridor was open, all were welcome. Harry, Draco, and Neville moved the books out of their private Quiet Room into the Cobbler Elf-made shelf placed in the dining area. That Quiet Room had been immediately taken over by the first years as their personal study room.

The children were still expected to eat meals in the Great Hall, so the Suite's long dining table became a place of study and conversation. They immediately asked for all Portraits to be removed from the rooms, and the Elves complied, scattering the Portraits and their inhabitants around the outer corridor. Luna and Hermione took one weekend and redecorated. Toning down the red and gold with additions of green, blue, brown and violet.

Luna's room was filled with vibrant paintings of animals. Lions posed proudly, eagles soared over treetops, snakes slithered, badgers popped out of burrows, rabbits cavorted around flowery fields, and dolphins leapt above waves. Her shelves were filled with books on fantastic creatures and advanced charms and spells. Her bed was covered with the patchwork quilt sown by her mother out of her baby and toddlerhood clothes. Fluffy pink and rose curtains hung on the window. A gauzy pink canopy draped around her as she slept, dreaming happy dreams.

Hermione's room by contrast was decorated with only two paintings. One large one showed a forest clearing with a soaring eagle over a family of deer. It had been in the room when she moved in, furthering their belief that this may have been Lily's room once upon a time. The other was much smaller and had been gifted to her by the Cravens, showing a star filled night sky with a large Snowy Owl in flight side by side with a raven. Her curtains and bedspread were a subtle design in shades of blue. Bookshelves filled the rest of the space.

The boys' room had been shifted with the addition of a third set of furniture. Each one had a full size bed, nightstand, dresser, and wardrobe but there was still plenty of space. Neville's wall and shelves were full of plants, photographs and sketches of plants, and books on plants. Draco's headboard had been transported from his home, a large green dragon that filled most of the wall and contained multiple small hidden compartments. Harry's wall contained a trio of tapestries: a Hungarian Horntail breathing a stream of fire on one side of his bed (a gift from Malfoy Manor); an eagle perched on a high treetop branch on the other side (from Sirius); above his head a Snowy Owl soared below of a silvery full moon (from Remus who had kept the image of the moon rolled and stored in the corner of his small vault).

They were content, comfortable, and secure. It was peaceful and quiet.

Usually.

Harry shifted from one side to the other and sighed heavily. He was wide awake despite the late hour. He felt twitchy and restless. He rolled onto his back and squirmed.

Suddenly a stuffed toy dragon soared through the air and slammed into his face. He shot up. Draco was sitting up, glaring at him. "Would you settle down?" Draco demanded. "It's two o'clock in the morning!"

"Sorry," Harry slid out of the bed. He padded out of the room.

Draco groaned and flopped down onto his back. "Shit."

"It's fine," Neville said. "He'll crash on the couch. Or he'll go in with Maya."

"I wake you?"

"No. Can't sleep."

"Me either. Time is going by so fast!" Draco glanced over to see Neville staring at him. "What? What are you looking at?" he laughed nervously.

"You're… just different is all," Neville said. "From last time. Just struck me for some reason."

"Was I really that much of an ass?"

"You were an arrogant, evil little cockroach. You were mean and vile. You *hated* Harry and I. And I can't find words to say how horrible you were to Maya."

Draco took a deep breath, "It feels weird to want to apologize for things that I don't even remember. That I haven't done."

"Don't. Don't apologize. It's not you. Not now. This you… is a true friend," Neville said

Draco smiled, "Thanks Nev. Now go to sleep."

"You want your dragon back first?"

"Shut up."

Neville broke into laughter and shifted onto his back. Draco lay still for a moment, then got up, strode across the room to retrieve the dragon, and returned it to its spot on the shelf above his head.

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Harry walked out to stand in front of the large corkboard that filled one wall in the dining/study area. It was covered with photographs, newspaper clippings, and letters.

The first image to draw his eye was taken by Colin Creevey (their resident photographer) the morning after the second task. Despite the cold, Harry and Severus had gone out to the Lake to sit and talk. Harry had told Sev about the vision of his mother and what she had said. Severus had gone very quiet, thoughtful. Then he'd reached over as if to smooth Harry's hair, but as his left hand reached his head, they both felt a sharp stabbing pain, Harry through his forehead, Severus through the Dark Mark. And Harry knew that despite the surge of power, despite the soul bond, despite it all, the Horcrux still rested behind his scar. He'd broken down in that moment and as Snape comforted him, Harry had told him about the piece of Riddle lodged in his head. The photograph showed the moment when Snape reminded Harry that he was not alone, hand on the young man's shoulder as he'd promised to help figure things out. Harry had been so close to telling Sev about his mother's request reference to her will; but she had said to wait. And as people kept reminding him, the women in their lives were smarter than they were, so he waited.

Next to that photo was Remus' list of gifts given to Harry and Hermione after their bond. They'd written out a ton of thank you notes in the days that followed, with help from Draco (who had remarkably elegant handwriting) Neville and Luna. A few more trinkets had been cleared by the Goblins of Gringotts and placed on the shelves including a replica of Dracula's Castle from Magical Transylvania that came with mini charmed bats that swarmed around the towers every night at midnight. And a snow globe from Switzerland's Magical Ministry showing their Ministry Castle in the mountains. The North American Native Magic Delegation had sent a large ornate Dream Catcher that now hung in the large window in the dining area.

So far only three items had any questionable magic attached. A candelabra that when lit, cancelled out a person's night vision. A necklace that when worn, made the person susceptible to suggestion. And a crown that caused migraines when worn and looked at in a mirror. The candle charm was assumed to be a prank as the spell broke when the candles were extinguished. The crown, a lesson in greed and vanity. But the necklace was worrisome. All three items had been secured in an interior chamber of the Potter vault. Griphook assured him that they could do no harm from there. Remus had handled the thank you notes for them; Harry didn't even know who they came from.

The food had all proven to be safe. And delicious. The Elves had moved Neville's cupboard to the other wall of the dining area and filled it with all the gifted treats (with the requisite stasis charms). They pulled items out daily and shared them with whoever happened to be studying with them. Some items, such as the Turkish Baklava, the Italian Tiramisu, and the Beignets from New Orleans were quickly consumed (and more were owl-mail-ordered). The girls had also ordered more French and Italian soaps, changing the way all of them smelled. The rest of the jewelry, exquisite gold, silver, and gems, had all cleared inspection; but had been locked in the vault simply because of their extreme value.

Harry refocused on the bulletin board. The next photograph was taken by Alastor Moody at Grimmauld Place over Easter break. Severus had taken Harry and Hermione there for the week. Neville, Luna, and Draco had each gone home to their families as well. The image was of Remus, Sirius, Severus, Harry, and Hermione sitting around the dining table. There Alastor had explained about breaking the block and the fact that the world hadn't ended when they kissed. "Simple," he'd said. "You broke it yourself. If we'd done anything to forcibly break the block, it would have been like dropping a bomb into a super volcano. BOOM! But since you cracked it on your own, you were able to claim the power." So they knew Draco would have to find his own way to break through.

The rest of the photographs were of them all at various points in time. Including two more 'color wars'. Images of many Hogwarts students, the Durmstrang boys, and even most of the Beauxbatons girls covered in paint potions. Flitwick pulling back a slingshot loaded with a balloon showing them how to fire it. A photo up close to the top showed Filch standing against a wall watching kids race by, potions balloons in hand, with something close to a smile on his weathered face. One little girl waved to him as she passed. Fun times.

Newspaper clippings filled the rest of the board. Articles cut from The Daily Prophet, most with brightly colored writing across them. There was a long, multiple page write up on the 'Blessing of the Soul Bond' with multiple photos of the 'Perfect Couple' all taken during the public first and second tasks. From the same edition was clipped a miniscule note about the 'Misunderstanding' over the hostages in the second task. It was written as a simple error in judgment that had no effect on the outcome. Draco had written 'Ministry Lapdog' in bright red across the Tari Kereste byline. It also interested all of them that the Daily Prophet barely touched on the explosion of power seen at the Second Task caused by Harry and Hermione destroying the blocks. Apparently that was something else the Ministry wanted kept quiet.

Another article, slightly bigger but definitely not front page, reported that Bartemius Crouch Sr. had taken a leave of absence from his position as Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. It stated that Mr. Crouch was recovering from an undisclosed illness in an undisclosed location, but that everyone wished him well. It was also reported that Mr. Crouch's assistant Perry Weatherby was acting as Head under Mr. Crouch's direct supervision via owl mail. Snape had reported that he and Lucius had gone to Crouch and Rosier. While they hadn't gone into specifics, they had convinced Crouch Sr. that his life was in danger and that he needed to remove himself from public view. The undisclosed location was the Rosier family mansion where he was resting when not sending owls to 'Weatherby'.

A full front page article contained a photograph of Amelia Bones with the headline 'Head of DMLE admits DEFEAT!' and a disparaging write up over the department's inability to identify the person who sent the Bubotuber pus filled hate letter to Hermione. 'At least she tried' was written in blue ink across the article.

The Quibbler on the other hand was still the sole *accurate* source for all things Harry. Xeno had published a slew of Colin Creevey's photographs (thanks to 'Agent' Neville's negotiations) from the tasks and the Yule Ball, giving equal press to all four champions. On the Soul Bond, a short article congratulated the couple, while a full page discussed the increasing regularity of soul bonds being recognized. Though one Soul Bonded Wizard commented, anonymously, that most bonds were established in private, rather than in front of such a large audience. Their kiss had been pure instinct, and all things considered had been in the right place. But Harry regretted bringing so much attention to their relationship.

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Harry was startled out of his thoughts by a low raspy snore followed by a shifting. Hizzy was curled on a small Elf cushion in front the fireplace.

The old Elf had quietly handed over control of the Hogwarts Elves to his second after the quintet moved into The Suite. He and the other Elves that Harry and Hermione had 'adopted' into the family moved in with them. Including the five assigned to Grimmauld Place and Lotty, still at Longbottom Manor, their Elves now numbered twenty two. The last two had been added in March when they approached Hermione while she was studying intently. They brought her tea and cookies then politely asked if she needed anything else. She said no but automatically handed them both a fresh ribbon from her pocket. Then she looked up and realized that these were two new Elves. They had hidden giggles behind their hands then popped off to tell Hizzy that they'd been adopted.

Harry walked over, intending to cover the Elderly Elf with a warm blanket. Then he realized that Cedric was lying on the couch. The tall Champion/Seeker was on his side, arms crossed over his chest. He'd been spending a lot of time up in their room, and frequently crashed come curfew. But this was the first time he'd come in in the middle of the night.

"Hey," Cedric whispered. "Heard you come out."

"Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No."

"Is something wrong?"

Cedric sighed and shrugged, "Just… needed some space."

Harry nodded, "Space we got. You know you're welcome. I'm going in with Maya if you want my bed."

"You allowed to do that?"

Harry shrugged, "No idea."

Cedric smiled, "I'm fine here. This is a very comfortable couch actually. Though the cat staring at me is a little unnerving." He nodded to the top of the Cobbler Elf bookshelf where Crookshanks was perched.

"What are you doing up there you crazy cat?" Harry reached up and Crookshanks leapt into his arms. "I'll take him in with us." But Crookshanks squirmed from his arms, jumped to the couch and stretched out next to Cedric with a purr. "Or not."

"He's fine," Cedric stroked the ginger colored fur. "Good night, Harry."

"Night Cedric."

Cedric sighed as the cat stared at him. "So were you watching me? Or watching over me?" Crookshanks uttered a long low mmrrrrooww. "Sorry. I don't speak cat. You're an ugly bugger aren't you?" Crookshanks settled in to purr. "Ah well, looks aren't everything."

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Harry slipped into Hermione's room quietly. On her nightstand (with a single drawer over a bookshelf) a single candle burned. Harry recognized the brass holder as their first Christmas gift from the Malfoy family. A book lay open on her lap.

"It's about time," she sighed. "You've been tossing and turning over there for hours." She closed the book and placed it on the shelf.

"Oh, sorry," Harry said. He still didn't have all the nuances of the bond down. She could sense his emotions and physical state, but was usually able to keep hers from him. If he focused, he could feel the link to her, like a thick cord running from his heart to hers. He imagined it like a glowing rope connecting them. He crossed to the bed and slid in next to her. "That's my shirt." He observed. Also noticing that she wore little else in the warm night.

She smiled, "Yes it is. Problem?"

"Nope," he shrugged as they settled down together. "Just thinking about how much we'll save in pajamas. You wear the tops, I'll wear the bottoms."

"Works for me," she yawned. She reached up and stroked his hair, calming him until he began to drift into sleep.

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"Harry?"

Harry opened his eyes. Sunlight flooded the room. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Hermione had shifted away from him as the room had heated; now lying on her stomach next to him. Cedric stood in the doorway. "You awake?"

"Yeah."

"It's going to be a warm, sunny Saturday," Cedric whispered. "Krum wants to set up a Quidditch match. You interested?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, sitting up. Hermione stirred and opened her eyes.

"Sorry Maya," Cedric winced.

"Wait the three of us…" Harry began.

"I'm going to take a chance at Chasing," Cedric replied. "I think it's time we pitted the 'youngest Seeker in a Century' against the 'Best Seeker in the World'. You going to come watch us, Maya?"

Hermione let out a long groan but she pushed herself up, "I'll be there."

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Harry sat on his broom high above the improvised Quidditch Pitch. He watched as the Quaffle overshot the edge and soared over the Black Lake. The Giant Squid lashed out with a tentacle and slapped it back to Madam Hooch who tossed it back into play. The squid submerged then resurfaced to give the Merchildren who clung to him a refreshing dunk before lifting them up to continue watching the match. As it turned out, there was a lot of interest and four teams had formed mixing all four Houses of Hogwarts and players from Durmstrang. Harry, Cedric, and Krum sat out the first match which ended after two hours when Draco caught the Snitch. After a quick lunch and a short break, the second two teams took the pitch. Harry enjoyed watching Cedric try his hand at the Chaser position. But it was getting very hot, even with the slight breeze coming off of the lake. Then he saw the Golden Snitch bobbing at the other end of the Pitch. He shot into a dive, just barely ahead of Krum. Neck and neck they flew, hurtling across the pitch. At the last possible second, Harry pulled just far enough ahead to grab the Snitch. Then he and Viktor collided and tumbled across the ground, landing on the edge of the Lake. Grabbing at each other to be sure they didn't fall into the water; they lay side by side laughing hysterically.

The other players had frozen to watch the race to the finish and now cheered wildly. Cedric leapt from his broom next to them, offering his hand to pull them both to their feet. "We're going to take an hour break, then the winners will take the pitch. We should be able to finish by nightfall."

"You are an amazing flyer Harry Potter," Viktor grinned. "I am honored to have flown with you."

"Thanks," Harry beamed. "You were amazing at the World Cup. Not sure if I ever told you that."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, gush, gush, gush," Cedric rolled his eyes. "You're both brilliant, let's go."

The teams gathered and mingled around the pitch. The audience descended from the hill to talk and congratulate. Hermione gave Harry a kiss and a smile, "You mind if I miss the next match? Fleur would like to tour the Muggle Library. I think a couple of the other girls are going to go as well."

"That's fine," he kissed her again. "See you at dinner."

"Shower first, OK?"

"Are you saying I *STINK*?" he chortled.

"A bit," she replied as she walked away. Draco winked as she passed him. "Play nice boys!"

She met up with Fleur and several other girls and walked towards the Castle. The group passed Ron and Ginny. Ron scowled at them. He and Ginny exchanged a look, then Ginny hurriedly joined the girls in their journey. She smiled warmly, initiating conversation with one of the Beauxbatons girls. Ron descended to the pitch.

The Elves appeared with drinks and snacks for the children. Bottles of pumpkin juice were opened and passed around.

Harry accepted a bottle and downed half of it in one long swallow. He pressed the cold bottle against his forehead. Then another smaller swallow.

It tasted… wrong somehow.

He sniffed the bottle. And smelled something under the sweet juice. He looked up to see Ron Weasley staring at him with a smug smile on his face. Harry knew. He shouldn't have accepted an already open bottle.

The pain hit.

Ripping through his stomach like he'd swallowed a nest of live snakes that were now trying to escape. He doubled over, dropping the glass bottle to the ground, where it shattered upon impact with a stone.

Voices called his name. Hands grasped him.

But his entire universe was the pain. The excruciating agony in his gut. He gagged and heaved but nothing came out. His knees gave way.

Snape's charmed bracelet alerted him as he sat reading sixth year essays. He was on his feet and moving immediately. He reached the ground level as Cedric and Krum burst in carrying Harry between them. They were followed by everyone from the Quidditch pitch.

"PROFESSOR!" Cedric shouted. "HELP!"

Snape raced over to touch the moaning boy, trying to curl into a fetal position in the two older boys' arms.

Cedric clutched him tighter, "We were in the pitch. He was drinking pumpkin juice, then he collapsed."

"Harry," Snape caught Harry's face in his hands as Harry dry heaved again. "Harry look at me."

"Weasley," Harry gasped out. "something in the…" Words failed him as the pain wrenched through him. "Oh God."

Heads whipped around to look at Ron Weasley, who paled and stepped back. Draco grabbed him before he could run. Ron tried to twist free but two big Durmstrang boys took hold, keeping him in place.

Snape swept forward, grabbed Ron by the throat and slammed him against the wall. "What did you give him?"

Ron struggled against the punishing grip. "Let me go!"

Snape's voice went deadly cold, soft. Terrifying. "What. Did. You. Poison. Him. With?" His glare cut into Weasley's eyes, locked in, and pushed.

"It's not poison!" Ron protested. "It's just Amortentia."

"You gave Amortentia to a Soul Bound Wizard? You fucking idiot!" Snape shoved Ron back and whirled. "Hospital Wing. Now!" Snape pushed Krum aside to take Harry, but Cedric held firm.

But when Krum moved to help, Cedric shook his head, "No. You go find Maya. Do not let her out of your sight. No one gets near her. No one gives her anything. Go!"

Krum nodded and gestured to the rest of the Durmstrang delegation. They moved through the crowd like an arrow.

Cedric and Severus carried Harry into the Hospital Wing and deposited him onto a bed. Harry curled on his side, holding his writhing belly, sweating through his clothing.

Snape returned and yanked him to sit up. He slammed a large basin in front of him. "This won't be pleasant Harry but it will be quick."

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Yuck warning

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Snape caught Harry's chin and tilted it back to pour a large vial of potion into his mouth. Harry choked. He could feel the potion flow down his throat and into his stomach. The snakes in his gut stilled, but the potion rolled. Then with a great heave, the potion came back up violently. Harry vomited viciously into the basin. He gagged and choked as the potion and all of the contents of his stomach purged out through his mouth and nose. Burning. Surging. Ripping from him. He heaved and sicked up one more time, then the pain eased, the violent clenching in his stomach faded. Tears flowed down his face.

Cedric winced, but stood firm next to Harry as Snape banished the basin and its contents. Another basin replaced it.

"One more Harry," Snape said.

"Oh God," Harry moaned.

"Shh," Snape soothed as he forced Harry to take the next potion. This one flowed down with a soothing cold. Harry hiccupped and the potion flowed back up, comforting his throat and the inside of his nose and mouth, then dissipated. The basin filled with cool water and Snape began to bathe his face. "You're alright now, Harry. It's all over.

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yuck