Injured Not Broken – Chapter 2 (Wait!? You Know!?)
Madam Pomfrey had taken his vitals one final time before he had been released. She had been satisfied on what she saw.
It was possible there may be some minor lapses of disorientation. But it would help if he was able to find something that would keep him grounded in one place. She had let him know that he shouldn't feel too sore, but there may be an occasional ache. That is just his body trying to heal
"That doesn't mean for you to push yourself, Graham," she lectured. "That means no flying or Quidditch for a month. Unless you want to find yourself back in here and not as my student either."
Graham let out a loud sigh, he loved Quidditch. "Yes, Madam Pomfrey." he agreed, as much as he hated being sidelined, he was also a trainee healer, meaning he understood the dangers explained to him better than any other student.
"I will confiscate your broomstick if need be, are we clear?" she asked, ignoring the sigh.
He nodded quickly, he knew she wasn't kidding, as he opened the door to the Infirmary, he let out a startled yelp as three bodies jumped out at him.
"Graham!"
"You're free!"
"You squeak like a girl," the three boys all spoke over each other, Graham felt himself smile as his heart calmed down.
They had come just to walk him out? Slytherin's didn't show much emotion to outsiders, but by Merlin, he was ever so grateful he had these three lugs.
"Hey guys." Graham grinned.
"So, are you going to give up the names of the fuckers that did this?" Marcus grunted, his grey eyes gleaming with anger.
"Yeah, come on. We gotta even the score." Terence nodded, his light brown, shaggy hair flying around his ears.
"Bet you anything that they won't punished. Not unless they were Slytherins, but if it had been the issue would have been dealt with in house," Adrian muttered, his pouty lips pulled into a thin line.
Graham sighed; he knew they would pester him the moment he was out. He could always count on his friends to be predictable, and loyal.
"Yeah alright. It was the bloody Weasley twins." He admitted shamefully. He didn't care on what his mother said. He felt embarrassed and ashamed about. He should have kept up his guard and should have won. But the fact still stood, he didn't.
"Just because I was a damn Slytherin, they decided it would be fun idea to stuff me inside a Vanishing Cabinet. But it was broken. Apparently, another Gryffindor found me and bought Snape back to get me. No idea who though," Graham continued as they walked to lunch, thankfully he had been released right on time, he was starving.
"Those fuckers," Marcus growled, his arms forearms rippling as he clenched his hands in anger.
"This is going to be fun," Terence chirped as he threw an arm over Marcus' shoulders, or tried to, it was kind of hard when Marcus was a full foot taller than him. Terence was the smallest of the quadlet, and they happily teased him about it regularly.
"Oh, and just so you know, Urquhart and Vaisey are being unbearable." Adrian pipped up with an eye roll. "You would think they are the only ones taking their N.E.W.T.S. with how they are reacting to the slightest upset around them.
Graham laughed; it was great to with his friends again. Although they visited basically every day, it was different being out with them, walking the halls. For a moment it made him forget. Forget his abusive father, forget the Dark Lord rising again, forget the weight of the expectations upon him.
"Thank you, guys, for being you." He said softly, blushing when Terence jumped on him with a soft squeal, Adrian squeezed his shoulder, and Marcus gave a brief smile and small nod.
"Now, let's talk payback." Adrian cackled, rubbing his hands together.
Graham snorted; he couldn't have asked for a better group of friends.
Graham was coming out of the Hospital Wing when he spotted a very familiar Gryffindor. He hadn't been out of the Hospital Wing a week yet. He still had some slight trouble with trying to remember where he was at. But he always reported back to Madam Pomfrey for anything that may help. So, far, nothing.
Though he hadn't flown on his broom like he promised, no matter how much he wanted to. He missed the feeling of freedom as he raced around the pitch. So, he wasn't sure why Potter was heading his direction.
Harry Potter wound up stopping in front of Graham, purposely blocking him from going to the Grand Staircase.
"Potter?!" he says in surprise. "What do you want?"
"To talk, is that so surprising?" Harry crossed his arms.
"For a Gryffindor to want to talk to a Slytherin willingly, yes, it is. Last time, I got cursed for it."
"Is your father really that bad?" Harry asked rather suddenly.
Graham's eyes widened as he froze, he wasn't sure if it was in embarrassment or dread. He knew that Potter knew somehow, and he didn't like it. But he wasn't sure on how.
"And why would that be any of your business!" Graham hissed.
"Because I know what it's like," Harry admitted.
"You? Don't make me laugh, what could perfect Potter know," Graham snarled, he was starting to get pissed. Potter apparently found it funny to make fun of him. It wasn't just getting him pissed off, he was hurt by it. But as a Slytherin he couldn't show on how much it affected him.
"You don't get scars and wounds from a loving family," Harry spat at him.
Graham had to take a step back from that. Was Potter really telling the truth? Everyone practically knew of the nice and easy life the raven lived. Had they all been lied to the entire time. The word scars, echoed in his mind. He had lost track on how many he had. Gifts, that his father liked to call them.
"Why are you telling me this?" Graham asked, his voice was more vulnerable than he liked.
Harry sighed, "I honestly don't know except that you should know that I don't agree with him. I don't know him, and I already hate him. But I felt like I needed to say something."
"You were there…" Graham realized with a sinking feeling.
Harry looked embarrassed at that, "I had meant to talk to you, but I didn't realize that your parents were there. I couldn't leave without someone knowing I was there."
"Why were you there?" Graham demanded. He felt the panic over that someone knew, that they fucking knew.
"I wanted to say sorry."
"Why? You weren't the one that shoved me into the Vanishing Cabinet," Graham noted.
Harry ran his fingers through his hair, "No, but that doesn't mean what Fred and George did was right."
"You're odd for a Gryffindor," Graham noted.
Harry blushed, "umm… thanks."
The older Slytherin frowned as if something had just occurred to him, "you're the irritating Gryffindor…"
Harry spluttered. "Excuse me?!" He demanded, if he had had feathers, they would have been puffed up in defense.
"I mean, you're the one that tried to pull out and went to get Snape?" Graham spoke quickly with a wince, that hadn't been his brightest moment.
Of course, the stupid Gryffindor would get insulted by that.
Harry wasn't sure why that was important as he nodded. He wondered if that was Snape's actual words, but apparently nobody told Montague that he was there. He wasn't sure why that fact was important.
Graham felt for near his hip, knowing that was where his soulmark was. It had to be Potter that had to have mark. He hadn't been sure until Potter had said that. He had been the last person that touched him, and he hadn't got his soulmark yet. It hadn't appeared until after he had woken up on that hospital bed
He knew Potter was a Parselmouth and his parents were James and Lily Potter. Because what was on his skin was a snake coiled around a pair of lilies. Who else would it belong to? The only one that made sense was Potter. But he had to know.
He had to know.
He opened his mouth, only to find he couldn't get the words out. Groaning, he rubbed his head with his hands. The one time he needed to use his Slytherin cunning and subtlety and his voice freezes like a Hufflepuff. That pulled him up short, if Potter was his soulbond, maybe he had to be a Gryffindor about this. He looked up to see the small Gryffindor looking at him in concern.
"Graham? Are you okay?" Harry asked softly, it started Graham.
He knew his name? Where his eyes always that beautiful? With a shake of his head, he pulled himself together. and did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed Harry's shoulder with one hand, Merlin his hand was massive on Harry. The other hand ripped open the Gryffindor robe and yanked the white shirt up.
"Wh...What are you doing?!" Harry cried squirming, but unable to escape Graham's grip, he was one of the biggest in his year after all, only second to Marcus.
There it was. His mark. He felt his breath catch and a tear in his left eye. It was a green tree of life, the leaves stretching down from the tree into rune-like patterns to make a circle with the roots. It was the same green of Healer robes, not the green of Slytherin house which pleased him. He was more than his house, as much as he loved it. The entire outline was a beautiful silver, he knew it was him. He could feel it in his magic and soul.
"Ah! Graham!" Harry cried out.
Graham was pulled back to reality and realized he had started tracing it with his spare hand. He jerked his hand back, as if he had been stung. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He doubted he could blame the cabinet for that either. The Slytherin knew that he still had trouble determining what reality he was in sometimes. But he had felt more aware since the cabinet incident and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
"Umm, Graham?" Harry asked softly, his hand reaching out to grab his wrist. "Are you okay?" he asked again.
"How do you know my name?" Graham asked roughly instead of answering, unaware his hand was still clenching the seekers shoulder.
Harry winced slightly at the pressure before squinting at him, looking baffled.
"You're on the Quidditch Team," he responded as if it was natural. "Why wouldn't I know it?"
"Everyone from your house calls me... calls me... DAMN IT" Graham cursed; he couldn't even bring himself to say his surname. Every time that he tried, he had the mental image of his father. He never had this issue before, so why was it a problem now?
"Oh, yeah, about that." Harry smiled sheepishly as if he had been caught peeping in the showers.
"I noticed you flinch whenever Oliver would shout it, and Flint calls everyone on the team by their last names, except you. I mean at first, I put it down to you two being friends, but then I noticed on the pitch he still calls Pucey and Higgs by their last names and he is always with them and you. So, it couldn't be a friend thing. I flinch when someone shouts boy, it's kind of hard to suppress that instinct. I am rambling, sorry, I ramble when I am nervous. Please stop me."
That made Graham look at Harry, actually look at him. Like he had never seen him before. Which technically he hadn't. They were on opposing houses and teams after all. His eyes were wide, not only did his soulbond know his first name, but knew all of this from just watching him on the pitch? Merlin could the tiny bo... no… the tiny seeker, speak quickly though. He had barely taken a breath.
"I'm just a slimy snake," was the only thing that Graham could manage.
Harry frowned, "Snakes aren't slimy. More rough from the scales," he interjected quickly before blushing. "I mean... I have... or did... I probably still would have... if I hadn't heard all of that. And I'm sorry for that, I really didn't mean to eavesdrop on something that was private.
"But I'm not saying that I have it worse. But I do know what it's like to be hated and despised," Harry whispered quietly.
"Besides, no one deserves it, no matter what house they are in. If something as simple as using a first name helps, why shouldn't I do it? and you're not so bad for a Slytherin." Harry teased gently.
"Although, I would like an explanation for you rubbing my hip." He laughed with a quirk of an eyebrow
"You mean you don't know!?" Graham said surprised.
Harry's eyebrows ruffled.
"You have my mark on your hip," Graham revealed.
"Um, What in Merlin's name are you talking about Graham?" Harry asked slightly panicking, he lifted up his shirt to look where Graham had touched.
"What the hell is that?" he cried out, green eyes wide in fear, he felt his breath coming in faster. Not many knew he had anxiety and panic attacks, but considering the situation, he felt like it was warranted. How had he not seen this before? How did Graham know before him?
"That is my soulmark, just like I have yours on mine," Graham explained calmly as he raised his robes and dress shirt, it was placed exactly where Harry's was. Which is why Graham knew exactly where it was at.
As he raised his robes and dress shirt he noticed Harry's blush as his green eyes darted to the soulmate mark on his hip. Thankfully soulmate marks were always in the same spot, which was why he knew exactly where to look on Harry.
"A soulmark?" Harry asked, Graham's calmness grounding him and the word Soulmark pulling him out of the fog. Graham looked shocked.
"Soulbonds, everyone has one, when you touch for the first time, the mark appears and glows for a moment," Graham explained, he went to drop his shirt but was stopped by Harry's dainty hand reaching out. For the first time in a long time, Graham felt no instinct to flinch away. He gasped as Harry's fingers brushed his mark, wow, it felt like lightning. A strong jolt of pleasurable lightning. The pleasure coursing through his body from the mark, he could feel Harry's hope, fear and confusion through his fingers. It was the most powerful feeling in the world. If this what Harry felt, no wonder he squeaked and stuttered. Graham wasn't sure he would even be able to speak right now. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and wrapped his hand around Harry's hip, his thumb pressing into Harry's mark.
He felt pure ecstasy and pride as Harry gasped and fell forward into his arms. The small Gryffindor was trembling as Graham used his other arm to wrap around his back, holding him tightly.
Harry was in heaven, Graham's strong powers arms from playing Chaser for so many years were hot on his back and hip. He had never felt so protected and safe, he also didn't think he would enjoy being towered over in height and mass, but he just felt content. Finally, he forced himself to speak, muffled into Graham's chest.
"Soulmates… sorry… Soulbonds are real? Why haven't I heard about it?" He asked.
"Well, I can only guess." Graham grunted, unwilling to let him go just yet. "But I heard a rumour you live with Muggles not Magicals?" Harry nodded, barely suppressing a flinch at the memories of his Muggle family. But he figured if he knew a little about Graham's life, he should know about his. It seemed only fair. And from his reaction earlier, like him, he had never wanted anyone to know about it. Even though he had hinted a little bit about it earlier. With a sinking heart, he knew that Crucio was probably a regular thing in Graham's life.
"Obviously, muggles don't have soul marks." Graham continued, "But usually Muggleborn or Muggle raised, take a class in the first year, it explains magical etiquette, soul marks, magical sex ed and basic magical understanding?" Graham was baffled, had Harry really not taken it?
"You're not kidding," Harry stated as he stared into his eyes, they were pools of...
"Also, magical sex ed?" He asked before shaking his head, "Nope that can wait, soulmate mark more important right now."
Graham let out a loud warm laugh. "I can explain that later." He chuckled with a wink, pleased to see Harry's face erupt with redness, 'I wonder if that goes all the way down' Graham thought with a shudder.
"Let's find somewhere to sit down so I can explain a bit more." Graham offered; he couldn't recall the last time he had smiled as Harry nodded eagerly but seemed just as unwilling as Graham to actually separate.