Notes: Non-cannon, AU, See first story Eeman, not slash, but Drarry at 16, No beta. I apologize in advance for any unintentional ableism. I have been working through my own internalized ableism for some time now (getting rid of the "should be" and "what other people might think" thoughts.)
Chapter 6: Start of Sixth Year
Upon their arrival at Hogwarts, Dudley, who had been officially befriended by their ever-widening friend group, was sorted by the Sorting Hat as well as the other teens with latent magic. Each house got at least one of the new students. Harry was not completely surprised when Dudley was a hatstall, and the hat finally shouted, "Gryffindor!" They all cheered for him. Dudley told Harry after sitting down next to him that the hat was trying to decide between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, and that it was an odd experience thinking to the Hat and the Hat talking back. Harry assured his cousin that it is indeed 'odd' and just part of the experience at Hogwarts that made everything so magical and amazing.
They discovered Hogwarts had added space to the Gryffindor boys' sixth year dormitory, so that Dudley could room with the others his age. Harry felt moments of anxiety over this issue. He had thought Dudley would actually go to Hufflepuff or perhaps even Slytherin, so he was surprised. On the other hand, he knew Dudley slept soundly, so sneaking out at night should be no issue. Ron and Neville knew Dudley well enough by now, and Seamus and Dean were friendly enough in their welcomes. Harry privately noted his slight discomfort in his journal after closing the curtains around his bed.
The following morning, Harry lent Hedwig Dudley so he could send an owl post to his mother. Aunt Petunia was pleased that Harry would be able to watch over her Dudleykins, and would be even happier now knowing that they roomed together. Hermione could not help thinking that Dudley might have done better to get into another house to make more friends, but Dudley assured her that since he would be in his own small class, surely the students would be friends with one another.
It felt silly using the Invisibility Cloak with his crutches (sticks). How could he sneak out to the Room of Requirement with them?
Harry, however, was determined to meet up with Draco tonight, despite his worries. They had not had time together, alone, in two days! Two. Days. Two whole entire days!
After a few moments of calming himself down, he recalled that they had learned charms for this only that morning, to cloak sound related to specific objects. He carefully placed the charms on both of his sticks, and then slipped the cloak over himself. It was still long enough to go down to his feet and he suspected it would change size for the person wearing it. After he cast a spell to keep the cloak away from his feet and sticks, he fastened the cloak at the neck and made his way out of the shared dorm room. It would not do, to fall, so he took his time, particularly on the stairs. It would be so pleasant if he could learn to apparate now, and then be permitted to apparate within the castle.
Harry felt this solution would work best for the accessibility of the castle. It seemed it had never been permitted with the walls of Hogwarts, however. So much for wishful thinking.
It was his good fortune the lift would take him to the seventh floor. He had also been informed that Headmistress McGonagall would not be watching over it, as only a few in the castle were permitted to use it. If Dumbledore had still been Headmaster, Harry was sure that he would have monitored its use at all times.
He finally arrived at the Room of Requirement and Draco was already there. Harry dragged himself in, still wearing the cloak, and plonked down on the plush royal blue sofa in the room, next to Draco.
"Harry?" Draco sounded suspicious, and looked poised to pull out his wand. Harry pulled the hood off, and grinned at Draco.
"Yes, Dray?" Only his head showed now, so he quickly unbuttoned the cloak and slid it behind him before moving his sticks to the floor, out of the way.
"Don't frighten me like that, you!"
"Not intentionally! Do you mind if I remove my prosthetic while we are here?"
"Of course, I don't mind! You do what you need to feel comfortable. You know that, love!"
Harry blushed. He did indeed know that, but he was still anxious with Draco at times. There was always some doubt lingering in his mind, and he knew he needed to deal with it soon. He attempted to show his confident side as he hiked up his pyjama leg. As always, it was a relief to get it off. He let out a great sigh while Draco put an arm around his shoulders.
"You know, you don't have to wear your leg at Hogwarts all the time, if you are having a bad pain day, or it's just not comfortable. You are alright at home without it," Draco suggested. Harry sighed again. This was also part of his lingering anxiety, and he had learned from Hermione that they both imposed ableism upon themselves, because it was what society taught them. Harry found this very interesting, and pondered some of these questions in his journal. His anxiety tended to get triggered when he tried to think about some of the harder questions. Then, there were the questions, particularly the first one he voiced now.
"What will everyone think? How would I duel without it? At least at the momentI don't need to use my sticks all the time, not during class usually, just the getting to them part."
"I thought you didn't care what everyone thinks anymore? You're trying not to care anymore? We've talked about it before. You are you, whomever that is. Shrink your leg and put it in your robe, and just put it on when you need it. You do what you need. Other opinions don't matter."
"I've never been without my prosthetic in front of the whole school! And the questions have begun again from the younger years trying to find out what's 'wrong' with me. What if they notice, even if I am wearing robes, that I don't have what appears to be two full legs?"
"They might find it intriguing. Love, you don't have to tell them why. For all they know, Voldemort did it to you as a baby. You tell them that, too, or perhaps I shall spread a rumour. Take control of it. Let's see your confidence, you've lost a fair bit of it in the past week." Draco rubbed Harry's shoulders as he talked.
"This new diagnosis," Harry began. His fingers were twisting around each other in his anxiety.
"It's difficult, isn't it?" Draco asked while he pulled Harry in close to give him more support.
"Very difficult," Harry murmured into Draco's neck. "I got used to not having my leg anymore, but this is rather worse. Now I don't know what my body is going to do from one moment to the next, and it's not fair."
"No, it is not fair," Draco whispered, holding Harry close. Tears dripped down silently Harry's cheeks and into Draco's collar.
"I worry that if all the students know, then somehow I won't be Quidditch captain anymore, and I want to regain my confidence by winning games against you!"
"Harry, you know McGonagall gave you that position and will not take it from you. She knows how much you need this. Do you need me to be a prat about it?"
Harry laughed tearily then. Draco could well be a prat. It was one of the skills he had learned from his father that Draco had opted to use when necessary, while letting go of other things his father had tried to teach him and make him believe in.
"Not now, but when we are around others, it would help. Thank you." He wiped the tears from his face with the handkerchief Draco had passed to him.
"What about a wheelchair occasionally?" Draco asked. "As you spoke about. I am sure the Healers can make it levitate."
"With my prosthetic or without?"
"Whatever you are most comfortable with on any given day. Besides, love, I meant it, what I said last week. You are hot, and you'll be even hotter!"
"Do you have a thing for disabilities, Dray?" A smirk spread across Harry's face as he thought of it. Most likely, as a disabled person, he should be offended by this (more anxiety!), but honestly, because it was coming from Draco, he did not mind it at all.
Draco flushed a bright red, and replied, "No, not really, although maybe a little. I don't know because I have always liked you, or the idea of you, since I was small. This was the way you showed up to school in our first year, so I accepted that if I wanted to be friends with you, I had to accept you as you are. I could have been a little shite prat because I had been raised that way, but I didn't like that idea. I wanted to be friends with you very much." He paused for a moment, and Harry held his boyfriend's hands in his hands. He could see Draco's mind mulling over what to say next. Draco looked into Harry's eyes after a few more moments.
"Perhaps it is a little bit. . . your disabilities . . . a bit of a turn on. A bonus. But please don't tell anyone else. Please. Not even Hermione. I'll never live it down."
"Alright, it'll be just between us." Harry moved in to place a tender kiss on Draco's lips. Draco returned the kiss and then pulled back to study Harry.
"You are not offended or turned off by my admission?"
"Others might be offended, but I am not. I actually find it a turn on that you accept me as I am."
"You know how to make me melt. If you keep doing this to me, I will no longer be a prat or a git. I'll forget how to be sarcastic!"
Harry laughed out loud at the idea as he found this truly hilarious. "That will never happen, and you know it!"
"Around you, I am never sarcastic. I am a virtuous soul with excellent behaviour and upbringing," Draco said in his haughtiest voice. "I know all of the rules of wizarding society, of course, and I will teach them to you. You and I shall go about being sarcastic together!"
Harry threw a pillow at his boyfriend. After all, they were there to throw. Draco threw it back in return, and drew Harry onto his lap, which Harry greatly enjoyed. He leaned into Draco to snog some more.
-Break-
The next morning, after a very short night of sleep, Harry rose from his bed, and went off to the shower room. Every year now, he'd had his own assigned shower which was adjusted magically for him. He was able to keep his shampoo, toothbrush, soap, towel, and so forth there so that he was not required to carry them every morning. He never wore his leg to the shower as it was. It seemed the silencing charms were still active on his sticks, and he quite liked that. He had often been self-conscious of the sounds they made, announcing his location. He decided he would allow the charms to stay for now.
After completing his shower and brushing his hair out (in an attempt to make it longer, in hopes that it would be less unruly if it were longer), he pulled his dressing gown around and tied it carefully while he sent his pyjamas to the laundry. Back at his bed, he pulled his curtains for privacy, and attempted to decide whether to go without his prosthesis. Draco had suggested he shrink his leg. Harry knew this would work as he had asked his Healer about it. However, he had found few occasions where it seemed necessary to do so. He would not need his leg today as they didn't have DADA. He might want it for potions, although Snape was very good at making accommodations for Harry. And wand-wise, in case of issues in the halls, he put on the holster Remus had given him for his birthday on his right arm. His wand would just pop out into his hand the moment he needed it. Magic was good for many things!
He was decided. His robes were long, nearly to the floor. It would be a grand experiment, really. Would anyone notice? His gait with the crutches would be different from his regular four-point gait. He knew Hermione would notice, naturally, and Draco would check to see if Harry had followed his suggestion. He shrunk his prosthetic and placed it in a robe pocket. He then charmed the pocket so that his leg could not be taken from the pocket except for himself, Hermione, and Draco. Who knew if someone would try to take his leg? It was too valuable, and really, he didn't want to have to acquire a new one.
He also hoped that he would not roll or sublux anything today, particularly his ankle.
The other sixth years were almost ready to go down for breakfast, Harry saw, as he filled his book bag with everything he might need during the day, after he had pulled back the curtains. Hermione had taught herself, and then taught Harry, how to lighten bookbags and other items a few years before. Indeed, they both found it useful in their daily lives.
"Harry?" Ron asked from his portion of the room. "You ready to go down?"
"Yes," Harry replied, swinging forward on the crutches that made no sound at present.
"Blimey, did you get that spell to work? You've never been so quiet using those sticks!"
"Yep, and it was easy," Harry quipped, adjusting the bag on his back. His robes moved up as he adjusted the strap.
"Did. . .you forget something?" Ron asked, looking at Harry's singular foot under the bottom of the robe. Harry finished with the strap and pulled down the robes.
"I need a break from my leg today. This will be an experiment so don't tell anyone. I want to see how long it takes people to notice," he whispered conspiratorially to Ron.
"Lads, I can hear you, you know," Neville reminded them from only a short distance away, where he was shouldering his bag. Dean and Seamus had already gone down to the Great Hall with Dudley. "Harry, I promise not to tell anyone, but Hermione will know for certain."
"Thanks, Nev. Yeah, she will know, but I want to see if anyone else notices."
"You just want to scare the first years," Ron snorted as the three of them headed in the direction of the stairs. "As a prefect, I ought to warn them or something, but no, I won't do that."
"You have a mean streak, Ron," Neville observed, not for the first time, although this was the first time he voiced it aloud. "A small one, but one nonetheless."
"I know, mate. You learn that as the little brother."
"I wonder what the papers will print. Perhaps I should give Luna an interview for the Quibbler if things get out of hand," Harry mused while riding the spelled steps down from Griffindor's tower. He had not totally thought that over. The papers had increasingly done more stories featuring Harry as he had grown older, because apparently, 'the public wants to know all about The Boy Who Lived!' It was not too late to slip his leg on. "I should cancel the experiment."
"Harry," Neville said. "You should do it. I can talk to Luna about the interview with you. She will agree. And she is starting the student newspaper. That would be a great start for her."
"Yeah, mate, do it. I think this has been a long time coming. You managed to go five years showing up in school with your leg. No one knows the real story, and you don't even have to tell the real story. You should be free to be yourself, Harry." Ron
"I'm happy you agree with Draco, Ron" Harry commented. "Neville, that is a great idea! I know she is excited about the paper. If everyone is going to find out, then I would prefer Luna over anyone else."
"She will try to get you to write articles for the newspaper, too, Harry. She knows you like to write."
"That's fine. I think I could write if I have the time and Remus is happy to be supervising it. He'll make sure all of the news is legit."
When it was time to enter the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry paused briefly to take a few deep breaths before he headed for his usual seat at the Gryffindor table, flanked by his two friends. He knew he was moving smoothly and making no noise, thus attracting little attention, except for some of the first and second year students, but that was the usual reaction to him most days. He had also charmed his school robes so they would not catch on his crutches. As he sat next to Hermione, who had already eaten and was now reading, ignoring Seamus and Dean chatting with Dudley nearby, he wondered if she noticed how he had sat down. He shrunk his sticks, which was also not unusual, and placed them in his pocket as well. After a minute of nothing from Hermione, he began serving himself eggs. He did like the eggs at Hogwarts, made by the house-elves.
As he took his first forkful, Hermione whispered in his ear,
"You're not wearing your leg! Finally!"
"No, Draco talked me into an experiment, to see how long it will take everyone to notice. I have my leg in my pocket, see?" He showed her what appeared to be a doll's leg in his pocket. "Just in case I need it."
"An experiment, hmm. I like it, and I won't give it away," Hermione promised solemnly, although with a glint in her eyes.
"You should try it, too, Mione," he challenged in a whisper.
"I have my leg, thanks."
"Mione, we've talked about this. I know you can walk perfectly well with your brace, but you can give it a rest sometimes. I know you still take pain potions, too."
"I am doing what's best for me, Harry," she replied after casting a silencing charm around them.
"I know that, but like you said, we can't let what society thinks dictate what we do for ourselves. Just think about it. See how today goes for me. Alright?
Potions proved not to be an issue, as Harry paired up with Draco, and Draco willingly fetched the ingredients. They let Professor Snape in on the secret, although it was only because Snape had correctly observed Harry's gait immediately as they entered the dungeon classroom.
It was as Harry was entering the Great Hall for lunch that a first year let out a scream behind him. He decided to keep going, flanked by all his friends, including Draco. Except that both Hermione and Draco, as prefects, turned around to make certain the student was recovering.
"Let's go eat," Ron whispered to Harry and Neville. "They don't need another prefect for this." At lunch, Hogwarts students could sit at whatever table they wished, for the sake of cultivating House unity. They planned to sit with Draco at the Slytherin table, so that Harry could get some time with him, albeit not alone time. He saw that Dudley had happily found a seat at the Hufflepuff table with students from the other houses. Harry realized this must be their latent magic class, and Dudley looked as if he was enjoying himself.
"What's happening, Potter?" Blaise Zabini asked with a smirk on his face, as they approached the Slytherin table. "Assuming that scream was because of you. Scaring little children, are you?"
"Yeah, it must be because you're not wearing your fake leg," Pansy said.
"How did you know? I wore my longest robes!"
"We hung out in the summer, right? I saw how you move without it."
"Right. Snape noticed straightaway, too."
"You are cute with or without it."
Ron groaned from beside Harry.
"Don't worry, Ron, you're rather cute for a Gryffindor, too, and I can swing either way," Pansy said with a flirting expression on her face. Ron groaned again.
"So can Hermione," he muttered. So he had noticed!
Harry and Neville laughed as lunch appeared on the tables. Draco and Hermione sat down with them after that they had spoken with the screaming student and her friends. Harry sighed as he watched the little group huddled at the Hufflepuff table, a fair distance away from Dudley's group. The news that he had one leg would be spread amongst the school's population by the end of the day, if not by the end of lunch.
"What did you say to them, then?"
"Essentially the truth. You lost your leg in an accident and it could not be re-grown with magic." Hermione shrugged her shoulders as she made this statement.
"We didn't tell them you went swimming in the lake, and one of the creatures got you," Draco said, sitting next to Harry. "Or that it was taken by Voldemort."
"Why not? I'm interviewing with Luna later this afternoon, and maybe I shall just give her some possibilities. Nev worked out a time with her. It is a good thing Quidditch try-outs are not until next week."
"You know I am going out for Keeper again," Ron said.
"Ron, you, Ginny, and Katie Bell are already on the team, even though Katie thinks I ought not play favourites. We just need Beaters and another chaser, plus reserve players, even one for Keeper." At Ron's argument, he said, "It is just in case, Ron. I also plan on making Ginny a Chaser, and she will be my backup seeker, which means I must have at least one backup chaser. You, Katie, and Ginny will assist me with the try-outs."
"I'll be watching from the stands," Draco commented. Blaise grinned from across the table.
"Just exactly what will you be watching?" he asked suggestively. Pansy promptly elbowed Blaise in the side. He grimaced with the slight attack, but smirked after to show he was fine.
"I will be watching how Harry picks his team, of course," Draco said primly, while putting his hand on Harry's residual limb beneath the table, giving it a gentle squeeze. Their friends all burst out in laughter at Draco's response.
"And I will observe how Draco picks his team the next day. It will be useful for strategy planning." Harry was quite serious about this, but he couldn't help but laugh a moment afterward.
"So, are you two out with your relationship now?" Hermione said as she speared a roasted carrot with her fork.
"Yes," Draco said. "In a sense, as it hasn't made it to the papers yet."
"Yes, it will be public once I let Luna interview me. We will be giving her permission to print it in her father's paper as well. The Prophet may contact me or Sirius if they want to do something similar," Harry said before taking a swig of water from his glass. Because of his conditions, he was told he must drink more water daily, and eat plenty of salt.
"Good for you," Neville said, looking truly happy for them. "I think others already have sensed something going on. A lot of the girls will be disappointed."
"Neville, you are quite handsome yourself, so you should have no problem." Hermione patted his hand to comfort him. Neville blushed deeply. Everyone else laughed again. Neville really liked Luna, and they all knew it.
- break—
Harry's Interview with Luna:
"Hello, Harry. Thank you for agreeing to this interview. It will be an excellent piece to launch the new Hogwarts student newspaper."
"Thank you, Luna. I have some things I need to speak about."
"Of course, and you are nargle-free, so you must be feeling good about this."
"Of course."
"First, we will begin with the question most students are curious about, even though I already know as your friend: Why are you using crutches again? Or sticks, rather, as you call them. You have not used them outside the dorm since your first year."
"I am using them again because I have a genetic connective tissue disorder that I inherited from at least one of my parents, called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It causes my ligaments, tendons, and such to make my joints loose, among many other things. This is a very basic definition. There are really many different symptoms, such as chronic pain and balance issues. All of these things make it harder for me to walk well without falling."
"Will this be a permanent condition? Can others get it from you?"
"It is a permanent condition. It seems that there is no magic or potion to cure it completely. There are some treatments for individual symptoms, but not a cure. It is not a magical condition, but it is genetically inherited, and it may well have come from my father, who, as everyone knows, was from a pure-blood family. I know a latent wizard who thought he was a squib who became a muggle physician – he diagnosed me not long ago. He is going to do research. Apparently, muggles don't know all that much about it either. So no, it is not contagious. It was something I was born with and have always had, but did not know until recently."
"Will you use your sticks forever?"
"Perhaps. I don't need them for walking small distances, but in general, I need them most of the time now. I fell several times over summer whilst walking."
"Will you still be able to captain the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"
"You couldn't stop me! I can still fly as well as ever. I feel free when I fly, and I want my team to feel the same way."
"I love flying, too, Harry, but quidditch is too rough for me. I love what I can see when I fly."
"Isn't it great? Flying is one of the best things about having magic."
"Moving on, there are rumours flying about school today. A first year Hufflepuff claims that you have one leg, not two, and was told you lost it in an accident. Is this true?"
"Yes, it is true, I did lose it in an accident before I came to Hogwarts. As I was not aware that I was a wizard, having grown up with muggles, I was taken to a muggle hospital because I was close to death from infection, and the only way to stop it was to have my leg amputated. It was too late after several months to be magically healed, and it might not have helped anyway, because the injuries to my leg were very serious. Everyone should always seek help, if they can, immediately in such an event. I have a magical prosthetic leg, but sometimes my remaining limb hurts, and today, I decided to go without it. It took until lunch for someone to notice, besides my friends."
"The rumours I have heard are that the accident might have been caused by a magical beast attacking you in your bed at night or that Voldemort did it when he tried to kill you as a toddler. Is there any truth to these rumours?"
"The first rumour is close in a way, but not entirely the truth. The second is hilarious, and I like it. Voldemort is gone, and if everyone wants to give him that credit on his list of awful deeds, I'm happy with it. Draco also suggested that as the reason."
"Are you not afraid that everyone will see you as a martyr? And you and Draco? I saw you two together at lunch. And I know you two are together, but are you ready to share with all of Britain?"
"My answer to the first question is that people will see what they want to see and not necessarily see the truth. I have come to terms with this, and remind myself that people, unless family and close friends, don't really know me. The second question, Draco and I both agree that we are ready to share. Many young witches will be disappointed because I am gay. I adore having girls as friends, but Draco is my love."
"How did you come to this conclusion, then?"
"I listened to my feelings. I came to realize that I liked Draco in this way more than when I tried dating witches. Fortunately, our families are very supportive."
"As I am sure many others will be, also."
"Luna, I certainly hope so. I know you are supportive."
"Of course, Harry! Don't expect anything else from me. Does Draco love you, too?"
"Yes, and we admitted it to each other in July."
"You've waited until now to make this news widely known. Is there any particular reason why?"
"I am not always fond of the attention I get from our world, and some things just aren't anyone's concern. We wished to keep our relationship between us and those close to us. Now we feel a bit more comfortable with letting everyone know. However, we will not give out any details."
"You don't have to share any details, Harry. Everyone will respect that."
"I do hope so. Any other questions?"
"What might you think about writing a regular column for our school newspaper?"
"Me?"
"Yes, and it can be about anything you like. People listen to you, you know."
". . . .Alright, but not more often than every two weeks."
"Perfect! Harry, you won't regret it!"
"I hope not."
"I would like Colin Creevy to take a picture of you for the paper, with your sticks. With or without your leg. Your choice."
"Luna, is that necessary?"
"You will get ahead of the Prophet, which loves photos of you. This one, we will have control. You will also approve the story after I write it, before publication."
"Alright, then. Colin does take good photos, but he followed me around too much second year."
- Break -
That evening after dinner, Harry ended up in his special room in Hospital Wing for the first time in sixth year.
Somehow, he had tripped, lost hold of his sticks, and went down. The funny thing was that his balance should have been better because he had put his prosthetic back on for the picture for the article, but indeed kept his sticks as promised.
Madam Pomfrey said that he had dislocated his knee, just like his father James had done several times, and managed to sprain it and his ankle (again) as well. She did not blame him when he complained it was painful. She made him take appropriate potions for pain and healing, as well as some of the calming draught his mum had sent. As he rested on the bed, Madam Pomfrey closed the door behind her to go to her office after she had put Harry's knee to rights. She promised him that he could have visitors after they had a talk. Harry wanted to roll his eyes. He could not complain about this room, however. It was a nice calming blue, sort of like his room at home. He swore he could hear waves lapping, as if at the seashore.
"Harry," Madam Pomfrey said when she returned with Harry's file. "I spoke with your Healer. She said she will have a brace for your leg ready tomorrow morning. She has discussed this with you?"
"Yes, at my last physio session. We talked about the possibility," Harry agreed. "I will be able to walk normally in it, but it will prevent more injuries like this. Perhaps."
"Very well, then. I do think you will remain here for the night, so I can keep an eye on you," Madam Pomfrey replied drily. "Your visitors may come in now."
Draco strode in quickly, anxiously studying Harry's face. Harry smiled a bit. He was indeed happy to see him.
"I'm fine," he said, taking his boyfriend's hand.
"You're not fine," Hermione said as she sat in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. "You just say you're fine even when you're not."
"You do the same, Mione," Harry whined as he attempted to sit up more. He pressed the rune button to raise the head, but as he did, his leg shifted and caused him more pain. He winced, and gripped Draco's hand harder. "Alright, you're right, Mione. I am not really fine, but I will be."
The door opened, and the remainder of the group poured into the room.
"Harry, mate, you alright?" Ron asked as the others gathered around the bed, looking concerned. Harry saw Dudley standing at the back, looking anxiously at him. The potions were starting to take the edge off the pain, and he still had episodes of disbelief that Dudley actually cared, so he nearly laughed but contained his sudden mirth.
"I will be fine," Harry made clear to everyone. "Did Madam Pomfrey really allow all of you in here at once?"
"Of course, Harry, she would not deny us," Pansy replied haughtily, flipping her dark hair back.
Ginny snorted at the older girl's statement. "We have thirty minutes."
"It's now 29 minutes," Neville helpfully pointed out with a grin after a glance at his watch.
"Is this room truly just for you?" Blaise queried as his eyes swept around the room. "It's quite nice."
"I like it," Harry said. "Madam Pomfrey claims it is just for me, but I'd rather share if there is a more urgent case. If privacy is needed."
"You are so nice, Harry. I almost can't stand it," Pansy commented. If he felt better he would have made a comment, but decided to just let it pass.
"You should read Luna's article before it goes to press, Harry," Neville suggested, urging Luna forward before they ran out of time.
"Yes, I just finished writing it, and I do think you will like it, Harry," Luna said as she handed Harry a piece of parchment. "Tell me what you think, too, Draco."
After they had finished, Harry passed the parchment to Hermione, who was very eager to read the piece.
"Luna," Harry started, "Short and to the point. I think it is perfect."
"It really is," Draco added.
"I concur," Hermione said. "Luna, you write wonderfully well. I am a little envious of your ability."
"Thank you for the compliment, Hermione. When my father and I are not looking for creatures, we are writing. It is what we do together."
Harry smiled at Luna. "When will it be printed?"
"The Hogwarts paper will be printed for the morning, provided Professor Lupin approves. It will appear the following day in the Quibbler."
Harry turned his head to Draco and kissed him deeply. May as well take advantage of having him here! Even if it was in the presence of their friends!