Harry was feeling secluded.
Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, who had arrived after term ended, confronted Harry but that didn't go much better.
"I don't want anyone to talk to me," Harry said to them.
"Well that's stupid, seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who and I can tell you what it feels like."
Harry sighed. "Ginny, if I am possessed, it's totally different. Who's to say there's not more than one type of possession? You wrote in a diary and I haven't done anything of the sort. What if a piece of Voldemort," all three flinched, "was in me all along? Dumbledore says I have a connection to Voldemort, and it's unique. None of us, including you, Dumbledore, or any member of the Order, know what that entails."
All of them looked varying degrees of horrified. Harry looked down.
"Well, when I was possessed, I had memory loss, do you have any blank spots in your memory?"
"Weren't you listening? It's different."
"Oh, Harry." Hermione whispered. "We don't know that for sure."
"Are you really willing to take a chance on that? I should leave, then all of you will be safe."
"Just where are you going to go, Harry? You're not making any sense. You just said no one knows for sure, including you."
Harry stared at her. "When we were leaving, I looked into Dumbledore's eyes and I felt a desire to attack him. I felt something within me wanting to attack Voldemort's worst enemy. It happened, and I remember it. Does that sound like I'm not possessed?"
They stared at him, now completely terrified, and Harry left.
A couple hours later, there was a knock on the door, and Sirius entered Buckbeak's bedroom. "Hey." He said.
Harry nodded at him and continued petting Buckbeak. He was ignoring everyone, including Draco. He wasn't safe.
"I just had a very interesting talk with Hermione and Ginny. They seem to think that you think you're possessed."
Harry tried not to feel betrayed, but he couldn't help it. He didn't say anything. "Harry, I know that you heard the talk at St. Mungo's. I wish you hadn't, but maybe it's a good thing. I was always in favor of telling you everything, but Dumbledore is a lot wiser than me. But I'm your godfather, and my first priority is you." Harry still didn't look at him or say anything. He had never been an adult's first priority before, it was hard not to get choked up.
"Harry, we don't know for sure, but we really don't think you were possessed. We think it was the other way around. We don't know for sure how your connection works, but we think you entered Voldemort's head, and you have before, when you sleep and see what Voldemort is doing. Voldemort has been unaware of the connection, but we think he knows now. That doesn't mean that he can just take over you whenever he wants. There is a discipline of magic, called Occlumency, that protects the mind against invasion. Dumbledore believes that if you study this, it will protect you if Voldemort decides to try to control you."
"Really?" Harry whispered. He was relieved in many ways, the biggest being that someone was finally being honest with him. "You really think I wasn't possessed? What about when I wanted to attack Dumbledore? When can I start Occlumency?"
Sirius smiled at him, and Harry was gratified by it. "I think if you were it was that one time for one second. But I don't think that's likely, especially after listening to Ginny's account of when she was possessed. I agree with you, I think it's something totally different, whatever it is, it's totally unique to you. And you can get started right away, there are books in the library you can read, and we're working on finding you a teacher."
Harry felt hope blossom in his chest. "I'll go now," he said.
"Hang on, there's just one thing I want you to know. The thing is, you can't tell anyone, not Draco, not Ron and Hermione. Can you do that?" Harry nodded, slowly.
"What if Voldemort tries to get at what you want to tell me?"
Sirius shook his head. "He already knows, so there's no danger there. I've just been instructed not to tell you, but I see no reason not to, I think you can handle it." When Harry nodded seriously, he continued. "I know you think you're the weapon the Order is guarding, but you're not. It's in the Department of Mysteries, and Voldemort wants it. Dumbledore thinks that he may try and get you to go and get it for him."
"What is it?" Harry whispered.
Sirius sighed. "That, I don't know. Nobody but Dumbledore knows what it is. That's the really big secret. Everyone is pretending like they know, but no one actually does. We just know that it's important to the war effort."
"No one knows? How does that help?"
Sirius shrugged. "I don't always agree with Dumbledore's methods, but he has done this before, I have to trust that he knows what he's doing, and you should too."
Harry petted Buckbeak again, "I know I should, but it's just so hard sometimes. Dumbledore hasn't looked at me since last year, did you know that? I know he's mad at me, I just don't know what to do to make it up to him."
Sirius frowned. "I don't think he's upset at you, Harry. If it's bothering you, you should talk to him about it."
"Yeah, right."
"I'm serious!"
"Hi, Sirius, I'm Harry," Harry held out his hand to shake and Sirius threw his head back and laughed.
"Oh god, your dad used to make that stupid joke." He wiped a tear from his eye. "I bet that's why he named you Harry. It's a nice, puny name. Oh man, I miss him." He said the last part wistfully. Harry looked down at his hands. "You know, you were born with a full head of hair. Maybe that's another reason they settled on your name."
"Really?" Sirius and Harry talked about Harry's dad for a long time after that. Sirius's eyes were a little shiny when he excused himself; Harry didn't mention it, after all, his eyes were a little shiny too.
The next thing he did was respond to Draco. He had been sending messages all day. Harry had responded that he was alright, but nothing else. Now, he felt better enough to talk to him.
Sorry, Babe, I've had a crazy couple days. He waited a moment and got a response immediately.
Finally! Where have you been? Harry thought for a moment.
I'll tell you about it when I get back, it's a long story.
Alright fine. You're ok, though right?
Yeah, I am now. I wish I could see you though, it's going to suck waiting a couple weeks.
Have fun with your godfather, this is your first Christmas together. You should enjoy your time together. We have the rest of our lives to spend together.
Harry smiled at that. He was enjoying himself as much as he could over the last couple days, but he still felt bad for Draco, he knew how lonely it could get spending Christmas at Hogwarts. He was playing with the idea of going back halfway through the holiday and surprising him, but he wasn't sure he could do that to Sirius, who had been looking forward to this since the summer.
I'm going to miss our Christmas dance, he said instead.
We can dance anytime you want, Sweetheart. Came the reply.
I'm going to be studying something called Occlumency.
Oh, I've heard of that. My mother is an Occlumens. Now that I think about it, that's a great idea. I'll do it with you. Harry was heartened to hear that.
That would be great, I don't know much about it.
It's hard to describe. It's basically a shield for your mind so that Legilimens can't attack you. Why are you learning it, anyway?
Voldemort.
Ah, enough said. I'll get some books, I'm sure the library has some, but they'll be from an academic point of view, not practical. By the way, I love this.
What?
Being able to talk to you like this, it's like you're in the room with me. You did fantastic with the charms, by the way.
Thanks Babe. I'm so glad you like it.
They talked for a little while longer before Harry excused himself to go to the library. He did find several books on the subject, including a basic guide that was very helpful. After a while of reading, Hermione found him, and they talked for a while. He told her that Sirius didn't think he was possessed, and that was good enough for him. Hermione was very relieved and interested in Occlumency. She helped him look for more books and promised to help him scour the school library when they got back.
The days leading up to Christmas were a lot more fun than the past few days had been. Mr. Weasley finally recovered enough to come home just in time. Sirius had confessed to Harry that he had wished they could stay at his new house, but with all the people there, there wouldn't be room for everyone and that was more important. Grimmauld had finally started to look less dreary with it being mostly clean and decorations put up everywhere.
Despite the rocky start, they had a lovely time over Christmas break, and before Harry knew it, it was time to go back to school. The only bad thing that had happened was Snape informing him he was going to be his Occlumency teacher. He had read up on the theory and thought he had a reasonably good handle on it, but he was not looking forward to it, or going back to school. He was going back to Hogwarts for two things, the DA and Draco. He had fantasized about staying with Sirius and not having to go back, but he couldn't be separated from Draco that long. He just hated Umbridge and her methods of taking away everything that was important to him.
It turned out he wasn't that great at Occlumency, at least according to Snape. His method was completely different from how the books said to do things. Harry complained about that to anyone who would listen. Draco was the most sympathetic, since he knew how hard Occlumency was. He had no way of being tested, but Harry thought Draco was doing much better than he was.
His other project, Draco's portkey necklace , was coming along, but slowly. It took a lot of power and research. He was hoping it would be done in time for Valentine's Day, but it was stuck only going a couple feet. Harry had tested it on a dummy in the Room of Requirement. He thought that maybe the room's magic was interfering with the magic in the necklace. He wasn't sure he wanted to test that out until he was sure it wouldn't result in his insides becoming his outsides, or something.
Instead, he began planning a full day for Draco, since it was his year to plan Valentine's day in exchange for forgetting Valentine's last year. He thought he had come up with a unique idea that Draco would love. He had told Harry that he and his mother went to a spa resort once a year in France every summer since he was old enough to know what a mud bath was. His father was ok with that when he was a child, since he wasn't sure what the resort entailed. He found out the previous summer, however, and had declared it too feminine for his pureblood heir. Draco had said it wasn't a big deal, but he said it in a way that meant it was.
So, Harry was going to turn the Room of Requirement into a spa for the day. He had already tested out what the room could do after finding out what the resort offered. He was going to do the mud bath, a jacuzzi, a massage, a facial, and attempt to do a mani-pedi, which he was not looking forward to. Harry could see Mr. Malfoy's point that everything was a little girly, but he was realizing he would do anything for Draco.
Unfortunately, there was a small bump in the road. Cho accosted him one day when he was on the way to Transfiguration, and it didn't go well.
"Hi, Harry!" She said, beaming, and walked very close to him. He was surprised at her sunny demeanor after their last encounter.
"Er—hi, Cho." He said uncertainly.
She bumped his shoulder with hers. "I know what you were doing." Cho said, smiling at him as one might look at a baby lamb. "It's ok, I shouldn't have kissed you with Cedric in the room."
"Er—yeah, well it's ok." He said, glad that they could get over this and move on with their lives.
"Next time, it will be somewhere more…private?"
"Private?" Harry asked, now confused, and dreading having to deal with this.
"I'm sorry Harry, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to go!" She smiled and raced off. Harry called after her, finally realizing he had just landed himself in a heap of trouble.
To make matters worse, every time he saw her, she was always running off, almost like she was avoiding him. To make things even more complicated, Hermione decided his day was open and told him to meet her at the three Broomsticks at noon. He told her he had plans, but Hermione just said he could bring her.
"What? Who?"
"Honestly, Harry you can stop pretending. I know."
"You do?" Harry asked, face paling.
She smiled gently at him, and said, "Yeah, I figured it out a little while ago. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"You won't? You don't mind?" He couldn't believe how happy he was at her acceptance. He had realized that part of him didn't want to tell Ron and Hermione about Draco, afraid that they wouldn't accept it.
"Why would I mind?" Ok, now Harry had a clue that they might be having two conversations. "Oh, Harry, I don't have time to tell you all about it, but it's really, really important that you come, alright? I've got to send a letter! See you later!" With that, she was off. What was it with women and running away from him?
He couldn't find Cho, but he found her friend Marietta. He asked her to tell Cho that he couldn't go on the date, and she promised to find her.
That taken care of, he set off to the Room of Requirement. He had told Draco to meet him across the corridor outside the room. Draco was already there, and he looked excited. "Hey Potter!" He called with his sneer in case there was someone around. "Alone on Valentine's Day, eh? Why am I not surprised?"
"Like you, you mean?" Harry responded heatedly, as he called the room he needed forth. When the door appeared, he checked that the coast was clear and covered Draco's eyes, leading him blindly into the room.
He spun Draco around, so he was facing Harry and the door, back to the room so he wouldn't get a hint about what the day entailed. "Before you look, I want to give you your present." Draco grinned.
"I won't say no to that." He held out his hands eagerly. Harry pulled his gift out of his bag, it was wrapped a little better than his Christmas present, but not by much. Draco seemed to not care as he ripped it open.
He pulled out a black robe, made of fine silk, embroidered with his initials. On top was an eye mask, with the words "Do Not Distur" written in the same cursive silver. Rounding it off was a pair of slippers.
"This is very nice," Draco said, grinning and nodding. He looked impressed and Harry gave himself a mental pat on the back.
"Well, you're going to need it for…" he spun Draco so he could see the room, "your spa day!" Draco gasped, and Harry had to admit he was admiring what the room had done as well. The entire room was white tiles with gold trimming, plants scattered throughout the room. In one corner there was a mud pit, on the other was a shower with three nozzles above it. In the center of the back wall was a waterfall that fell into a small pool, just smaller than the tub in the perfect's bathroom. In another corner was a huge padded chair with a small foot tub under it. The opposite corner had a similar padded table.
"Harry…this is..." Draco chuckled disbelievingly. "I can't believe you did all this. This is perfect!" He flung his arms around Harry and kissed him hard. Harry kissed back happily, wishing he could spend the whole day here, with Draco.
"There's just one catch." Harry reluctantly admitted as they pulled apart. "I have to leave, for about, oh, an hour, hour and a half, I hope. But I'm going to go to the Three Broomsticks for our lunch, and part two of your gift!"
Draco frowned, eyebrow raised. "Why, exactly, do you need to leave on this day you are making up to me for missing last year?" His tone was carefully controlled, but he didn't sound angry yet.
"It's a long story. I'm not sure, either. Hermione just told me to meet her and it was super important."
Draco snorted, and shook his head with his eyes closed. "Harry, you are very lucky you have a boyfriend already."
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing. When do you need to leave?"
"Around eleven? I was thinking we could start with the mud bath, then go to the pool, then mani-pedi, then massage, but I think we need to do the mani-pedi first, then you can relax in one of the baths while I'm gone, it's up to you which one." Draco nodded, now smiling. "I'm sorry, Baby. If I could say no to Hermione, I would."
"It's alright. This is all so sweet and wonderful I think you've earned yourself a free pass. Come here." He opened his arms and Harry wrapped his around Draco's torso. "Happy Valentine's. I love you, Harry."
"I love you too, Draco. Happy Valentine's." They pulled apart slowly and exchanged a quick peck. "Why don't you get changed, and I'll start setting this up?"
Draco nodded, and Harry walked to the chair. He called Dobby, and, as prearranged, he brought Harry a pitcher of something called 'cucumber water' and a bucket of steaming water.
Draco looked incredible in his robe. It clung to him where it tied and didn't close all the way on his chest. He took a seat on the chair, with a huge grin, and said, "Pamper me!" Harry chuckled and with soft music playing in the background, started applying the strange goop that was apparently a 'mask.' He moved on to Draco's fingernails, with Draco's feet in the steaming water.
"This would have been better in the order you said first, but I understand why we're doing it this way. You're doing that wrong, by the way, here." He showed Harry how to do all the stuff he thought he had learned how to do for this moment. He was hardly embarrassed, however; he had never been pamper like Draco had.
He just had time to finish on the pedicure part when it was time to leave. He gave a hand to Draco, helping him up, and lead him over to the bath. Draco gave him a smirk, then kicked off his slippers one by one before turning away from him and letting the robe fall to the floor where it pooled.
He placed his order with Madam Rosmerta before joining Hermione at her table with Rita Skeeter and Luna Lovegood, of all people. What followed was very strange. Skeeter was going to write an article about what happened to Harry last June, then Luna's father was going to print it in his magazine, the Quibbler. It was hard giving the details of what happened, but Harry could see its benefit.
Finally, it was over. At least he thought it was. "There you are!" A red-faced Cho pushed him back into his seat at the table. "I've been looking everywhere for you! How could you stand me up?"
Harry gulped. "Would you like to talk in private?" He threw a look at Rita Skeeter, who had her quill to paper, looking manic in her interest. Hermione and Luna were also looking interested, as well as several people from surrounding tables.
"Why, so you can ditch me again? I want to know, right now, what your problem is!"
"Cho, I never asked you out. I tried to find you, but I couldn't. I'm really sorry, but I think there's been a mix up." He said this all quickly. Cho blinked.
"But you're my boyfriend!" She wailed loudly.
Harry shook his head, eyes wide. "No, I'm not!"
"But we kissed! I don't do that with just anyone, you know!"
"Look, I'm sorry but I don't have feelings for you. There's nothing between us."
Cho was in tears now, and Harry blinked, sorry he was the source of that. "Why? I thought we really had something?"
Harry shook his head, and Cho drew herself up. "Fine. Not that I want you anyway. You're an awful kisser!" With that, she stormed out. Harry turned to face the other members of the table, hoping to find a sympathetic face. He didn't.
"I thought you were dating!" Hermione exclaimed, though quietly.
"No. Why would you think that?" Hermione bit her lip.
"No reason, just rumors, I guess. She's been after you since she broke up with Cedric."
"She has?"
"I heard she left him for you," Luna inserted, and he stared at her horrified. Poor Cedric.
"I'm sure that's not true, Harry. I heard they were having trouble long before they broke up."
Harry sighed. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now." Madam Rosmerta walked up with his lunch order and he made his leave, barely noticing the calculating look on Hermione's face. It had taken a bit longer than he had anticipated and he made quick work of Honeydukes, running most of the way back.
Draco, however, hadn't moved from the spot Harry had left him in, with a satisfied smile on his face. "Oh, you're back already?" He drawled.
Harry told him about the meeting while he fed Draco chocolate covered strawberries, Draco's arms useless and muddy by his sides. He wasn't ready to get out of the mud yet. Draco seemed to think the interview was a good idea. Harry still wasn't sure.
They chatted quietly for a bit, Harry laying on the ground behind the pit so their heads were next to each other. Every so often he would lean down to kiss exposed, non-mud-covered skin. Finally, Draco was ready to get out. He even looked attractive with mud covering him. He rinsed off in the shower, playing with the different nozzles for longer than necessary, while Harry undressed and got in the pool.
The jacuzzi setting was on, bubbles rising rapidly, as he leaned his head back. He had to admit, this was incredibly relaxing. He was startled as Draco slid in next to him. "I figured you wouldn't mind if I joined you." He said, wishing the bubbles weren't so intense, so he could see Draco. Of course, his glasses were too fogged up to be useful anyway.
Draco smiled and leaned his head against Harry's shoulder, their bare sides were touching, and it sent shivers up his spine and down his legs. "I prefer it. Harry, this is amazing. I can't believe you went to all this trouble."
"It's never trouble when it's for you." Draco kissed him, but Harry pulled back.
"None of that, we're trying to relax." Draco hummed and settled back next to him, taking his hand instead.
They sat there quietly, just enjoying being together. They hadn't spent a full day together in such a long time. He had to leave, but he figured it still counted. Draco became hungry and they decided to have lunch. It was awkward trying to eat fish and chips in the jacuzzi, but Draco didn't want to get out until he was wrinkly.
That time came, and they dried each other off with white fluffy towels. Harry instructed Draco to lie down on the massage table and heated several smooth rocks he had found by the lake with his wand. Draco jumped when he applied the first one to his back but relaxed immediately. While the rocks were cooling, he started his massage with Draco's feet with some massage oil he had purchased for that day.
He had debated what he was about to do, unsure if Draco would like it or if he would think it was gross, but he took a chance. He brought Draco's foot up to his lips and kissed the sole. Draco gasped and twitched but didn't say to stop, and Harry did the other one too.
He put them both down and started working on his calves, then the back of his thighs. He removed the rocks and did his back too, spending a lot of time there. He moved on to his arms, and asked Draco to turn over.
"How are you doing, baby?" He asked as Draco's face was revealed to him. Draco looked drunk he was so relaxed.
"So good, Harry." Draco breathed. Harry kissed him upside down, stroking the sides of his face. Draco sighed happily when they pulled apart, and Harry started rubbing his pectoral area. He got to the rest of his chest, and paid some attention to his nipples, teasing him slightly. He watched as the towel rose with Draco's interest. Just then, he went down to Draco's abs. Draco moaned and Harry chuckled. He skipped the part the towel was covering and went the rest of the way down his body.
Draco sighed when he thought Harry was done.
He wasn't.
He lifted up the towel and ran his hands gently on his hips then dug into them. Draco twitched, and lifted up on his elbows to watch. "I love you so much Draco. I want to show you how much." Harry said, and Draco nodded with hooded lids.
Finally, he ran his fingers over Draco, who swelled in interest. Draco spread his legs when Harry indicated with his hands what he wanted and started playing with Draco's balls as well. When Draco was fully hard, Harry popped the head in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it. After a minute he took more and more into his mouth, experimenting with how much he could take. He found the point his throat protested and stroked the rest with his other hand.
Draco's fingers buried themselves in his hair, hanging on for the ride. "Harry…please." He moaned. Harry wasn't sure what he was begging for, but he sped up in case that was it. Draco's much louder moan answered his question. The angle from the side wore out his jaw, so he climbed up on the table, sitting between Draco's legs and taking him in that way.
He was completely out of breath and wanted this to last a bit longer, and he was sure Draco would appreciate his efforts.
Draco was panting now, demanding, "Suck my cock, yeah, you like that don't you, Potter?" and something about his ranting made Harry very hot. "I'm getting close, Sweetheart," he warned. "Please, please make me come. Make me come, Potter." Harry sped up, slamming his face down to Draco's crotch. With one hand, he stopped ball fondling and reached up for a nipple, meeting Draco's eyes. As he twisted the nub in his fingers, Draco let out a howl, and threw his head back as he did indeed come.
Harry was better prepared for the shots of come this time and swallowed every drop. It wasn't the best thing he had ever tasted, but it was better than had been described.
Draco let out a puff of air and laid back down on the table. Harry covered him with the towel again and climbed down. Draco gave him a satisfied smile and took his hand. "Come on," he said, and pulled Harry over to the shower. He started it and dropped his towel before stepping up to Harry. He smiled in a predatory way, pulling Harry's shirt off. Then he was stepping out of his trousers and Draco was pulling him into the spray.
The moment they were under it, Draco grabbed his face and kissed him. His tongue was in his mouth and it tasted so much of Draco, so wonderful. He pushed Harry against the far wall and adjusted the water so it hit him lightly. Then, he was on his knees and positively devouring Harry. Harry let out a very undignified noise at being taken so quickly. He spread his legs to give Draco more room and buried his fingers in Draco's blond locks.
Draco looked up at him through water droplets on his eyelashes, and Harry fell a little more in love with him. He looked so beautiful, on his knees, pale face flushed, eyes wide and wild, pink lips stretched around Harry's thickness, little droplets of water clinging to his eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. He reached under Harry and gripped his hanging balls. Harry let out yet another low moan.
He felt a desire rise up in him, one to talk, just as Draco had. It was embarrassing for a moment, and Harry felt the ball of anxiety that had undeniably shrunk over the year, expand. His head hit the wall as he leaned back, trying not to let it over come him. This was such a perfect moment, so beautiful, and Draco loved him. Loved him a lot. The ball shrunk again as Harry beat it into submission.
He had flagged, just a little, but enough that Draco noticed. There was a small popping sound as his cock came out of his mouth. "Are you ok?" Draco asked, and he must have realized Harry was having a moment.
A wave of shame came over him. He was ruining this, and he didn't want that. "Yes." He said, "Suck my cock, Draco." Draco's eyes widened before he did just that, moaning around Harry's cock. Harry moaned in return, and once he had started, he couldn't stop talking. "You're so good at this, baby," he told him. "I love how you suck on my cock," came out of his mouth at some point. He was a bit lost, a stream of consciousness being ejected from his mouth. Draco was showing signs of loving it. He was moaning nonstop, and the vibrations were divine.
"I'm gonna come down your pretty little throat, babe. Are you ready for it? You're going to be a good boy and swallow every drop, aren't you?" and he was yelling, he wasn't sure what, but he was yelling loudly. He hit his head as he threw it back again, and next thing he knew, he was sitting with his legs spread, Draco sitting between them as he held his head, panting heavily.
If the moment with Draco's warm mouth around him was beautiful, the next one was even more so. Their eyes met as Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and they held each other under the warm stream of water. Harry moved Draco's bangs out of the way to kiss his forehead, his nose, his talented mouth.
After a moment, Draco turned and settled his back against Harry's front, leaning his head against his shoulder.
"You really are amazing, Harry." Draco said quietly. Harry tightened his hold.
"You are too, Malfoy."
Draco laughed. "Yeah, I think we both got a little carried away, but I really liked it."
"I did too."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Draco asked, referring to Harry's mild moment of panic.
Harry sighed. "We don't need to, unless you want to know. I just started wondering if you'd like if I talked like that."
"I definitely did, sweetheart. I like whatever you do. Don't be afraid to try things with me, ok? Even that foot thing was, well it felt really good. I still think it's a little gross, it's a foot, after all. That was why you waited until it was clean though right?"
Harry nodded and kissed his neck. "Yes. Babe? Does…the waiting…ever bother you? I know it's not normal to take things so slow. I mean, we've been together for two years, most couples would be way past this point in way less time."
Draco turned to look at Harry. "Harry. What we just did, was brilliant. I love what we do together, every time, and I treasure it. It doesn't matter if we haven't had sex yet, we have the rest of our lives to get to that point. I think, really, we're making love already, and this is perfect for us. I love you, Harry, and I want to take our time, too."
Harry couldn't believe how relieved he was to hear him say all that. He kissed Draco softly with everything he couldn't put into words. "I think I might want to wait. For that. I don't know for sure when I'll be ready."
Draco smiled, "I won't be ready until you are."
They were quiet for a while, Draco running his hands up and down the arms that were around him. "How did you get this one?" Draco asked after a while. Harry looked down at the scar Draco was stroking. It was one of the bigger ones, but only noticeable if you looked closely. On his left arm, just under his elbow was a triangle of discoloration a couple shades lighter than Harry's skin tone.
"Ah. Dudley pushed me off a curb into the street. I caught my elbow on the concrete." Draco took in a deep breath of air and let it out slowly. He raised the arm up to his face and kissed the scar reverently. At Harry's attempt to reach his mouth, he turned until their lips could touch. They stayed under the spray for a long while, until their skin got wrinkly and muscles grew sore. They got dressed and meandered towards the door.
"What do you want to do now," Harry asked. He wanted to stay with Draco, but his plans had all been played out.
"Do you want to dance?" Draco asked, holding out his hand. Harry took it and they danced in the center of the room, music changing to a slow soft melody.
When they finally left the room, it was with melancholy. It had been a wonderful day, because they had spent it together, but he wished it could have gone on.
Harry was upset that Gryffindor lost the match to Hufflepuff, even though Ginny caught the snitch. It set the tone for the next several weeks as Harry's ecstasy after Valentine's Day faded, though it fueled him memorably. His mood picked up when his article came out and had a whole slew of effects. Umbridge was furious and banned him from any future Hogsmeade visit, Harry was secretly pleased for the excuse. She also made it an expellable offense to have the Quibbler in possession, which ensured the whole school read it. Students were treating him like a person again, no one made fun of him. They were congratulating and praising him, which Harry didn't love, but figured was preferable to being a pariah. The teachers all found ways of showing their support for him. Draco was a little upset that his father had been mentioned, afraid of the ramifications. Harry made it up to him until he was feeling better.
Seamus had even come around, and he had joined the DA, as had several other students. At one fateful meeting, they began to work on Patronuses. Towards the end of the meeting, however, Dobby arrived to warn that Umbridge was coming. They scattered, and Harry ran.
"Harry!" a voice called, and Harry was relieved to see Draco, alone. "You have to hide! They found out about the DA and they're looking for you!"
"I can make it up to the common room," he began.
"No, they're coming from that direction, where's your cloak?" Harry was just getting it out, a step in front of Draco when a new voice called from down the corridor.
"Good job, Draco, you caught one!" Draco and Harry both stopped, knowing what this meant. Harry snuck his arm behind his back, the movement hidden by Draco's body, and Draco grabbed it. To anyone looking, it looked like Draco had been gripping Harry's arm the whole time. They both turned, to see Delores Umbridge.
Harry looked at Draco, who he could tell was trying to think of a way out of this situation. He was afraid Draco would sacrifice himself for Harry, which Harry didn't want. He could see the steel-eyed determination in Draco's eyes, and turned back to Umbridge.
"You'll never take me alive!" Harry yelled as he started struggling. Draco stared at him as he tightened his grip on reflex, probably wondering what the hell Harry was doing.
Umbridge appeared confused as well. Draco shook his head, deciding to ignore Harry. "I found him in the alcove, Professor. He wasn't anywhere near the room." Harry wasn't sure whether to punch him or kiss him. Neither was a good idea, so he did neither.
Umbridge smiled slowly and creepily. "That's alright, Draco. I have something better than catching them red-handed. Help me up to Dumbledore's office, please." Harry hated her stupid voice. And stupid her.
Harry and Draco traded looks when Umbridge wasn't looking. Draco stepped closer to him, so their bodies were hiding them holding hands. It was a big risk, and Harry appreciated it.
They got to Dumbledore's office, which was inhabited by the Minister, Shaklebolt, a wizard Harry didn't know, McGonagall, and Dumbledore himself. Draco was instructed to leave, and he squeezed Harry's hand before pushing him forward.
Harry gulped. This wasn't going to be good.
Dumbledore leaving was the worst thing to happen to Hogwarts since…Dumbledore had left, second year. The castle just seemed empty without him. Umbridge tried to question him with Veritaserium about Dumbledore's and Sirius's whereabouts, but Harry caught on and didn't drink it.
The Weasley twins of terror were living up to their name and causing as much chaos as possible. It had actually caused a problem with Harry being left alone after Occlumency with Snape and Harry ended up looking into Snape's pensive. He saw something he would never forget. His father, being a complete bastard to Snape.
It was hard to shake. He never wanted to see something like that. He needed to talk to Sirius about it, but the truth was he was afraid of confronting him about it. He didn't want that confirmed, didn't want to hear the excuses, didn't want that image he had of his father to go away.
"My parents didn't get along." Harry confided the next time he saw Draco. He told him the whole story with his head on Draco's shoulder.
Draco smiled. "So what if they didn't get along? We fight all the time. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't come after me and demanded to be my friend all those years ago? We could have been enemies throughout all our years of school. Maybe we would have been like them and gotten together later. I'm personally glad for how we turned out, and I'm sure they were too. What's really bothering you?"
"I never thought my parents were perfect." He told Draco, after a moment. "The Dursleys told me they were drunks, so when I was younger, it was a fantasy that they were even good people. When I found out they lied, it was like a dream come true. Everything I heard about them just painted this picture of wonderful people, but I couldn't help but wonder if people were just telling the poor orphaned boy what he wanted to hear. Now I know they were."
"Harry," Draco whispered, and pulled him close. Harry leaned his head on Draco's shoulder, and he was fighting back tears. "I've heard of them. Everyone has. And everyone says they were wonderful people. And maybe some of that is because they died. They became legends, and sometimes legends are exaggerated. I know the stories I've heard about you were. But, Harry, I know you. You have no reason to be as wonderful as you are, no reason except your parents."
Draco held him, not saying a word, but rocking him gently, until curfew. He offered to stay longer, but Harry wiped his eyes and shook his head. He took Draco back to his common room, shared a gentle kiss, and returned to his bed.
It took until Easter Holidays to talk to Sirius over the mirror about his father, and Remus was there too. He felt a little better, but it still weighed heavily on his heart. He wished more than anything he could talk to them himself, but that was a dream he would have to let go of.
His mood was pretty low these days. Umbridge had systematically taken away almost everything he loved about Hogwarts, and he was thinking about leaving just as Fred and George had. He probably wouldn't leave with a bang as they had, but it was something he fantasized about more frequently as the weeks leading up to exams came closer.
He and Draco were spending most of their time together studying. Draco was a great study partner. He made games out of revision and Harry actually had fun. It seemed that whatever they did, as long as they were together, it was a good day.
Hagrid had finally told them why he kept getting injured. At the final quidditch match, he grabbed Hermione and Harry and introduced them to Grawp, his giant half-brother. They ended up missing the end of the game, which Gryffindor won. They didn't have the heart to tell Ron while he was so busy celebrating.
The joy of winning the quidditch cup lasted until exams started, before Harry or any of the other fifth years were ready. Harry thought he did reasonably well, all things considered. Draco's nerves had broken, so Harry spent more time than he usually did with him, trying to calm him down. Sometimes that involved quizzing him, just sitting together quietly, a couple times he gave him a massage (he was getting pretty good at them), and once or twice, he resorted to blowjobs. Whatever he did, Draco always left their room more relaxed than he entered.
Hermione looked up from her notes at the sound of Ron and Harry's laughter. She scowled at them, but inwardly, she was slightly amused, and impressed that they could have so much fun while she couldn't be more stressed. She felt her anxiety lessen some as she watched them fondly.
Ron was sitting next to her on the couch near the fire and Harry had pulled a chair opposite him, so they could lean over the coffee table to play chess. She had never really understood how they could play so many times, especially when it was the same basic story, time and time again. They would play, Harry would do his best, but Ron would win. How many times could they do that before it got boring? She suspected that Harry didn't like it as much as his time spent playing would suggest. It was the one thing that Ron was really, really brilliant at, and she assumed that Harry kept playing so Ron would have someone to play with. His self-confidence was lacking, and every game raised it just a little bit.
She really admired how Harry would do anything for them. He was such a good friend. He was the only one now a days who would quiz her, she knew she was going a little crazy with the revision and had isolated herself in result. He was even decent to Malfoy, his sworn enemy, when the time called for it. He had defended Malfoy twice when he was in danger, once during the hippogriff incident, and once during the ferret incident. Malfoy didn't deserve it, really, but Harry was such a good person he couldn't help saving him. It was a true testament to his character like nothing else proved.
She didn't have much time for anything else but studying if she wanted to do well on the O.W.L.s. It felt like her entire life had led up to this moment, and everything that followed would ride on how well she did. She had to do well, there was no other option.
Hermione went back to her notes, thoughts of failure pushing her, as they always did. She shook her head to clear it, hoping to hear her notes, not her voice taunting her she would fail everything. She might freeze and forget everything, maybe she would miss her alarm and be late, maybe she would wake up in her bed at home, this whole experience of Hogwarts a dream. Those were the thoughts that kept her up at night, that pushed her forward, that made up what she was.
She was a muggleborn. By definition, she wasn't born into this magical world, she had to earn her place if she ever wanted one. Her father always said to put one-hundred percent of yourself into everything you do, and she strived to do that. There were people that said she didn't belong here, thought that she should go back to where she belonged. She would prove to all those nay-sayers that she did belong here, by learning everything there was to learn, and proving she was the best.
Even her best friends didn't understand her, but they did accept her. She would never be able to pay them back for that simple acceptance of her craziness four years ago.
She had truly found a home here, in a way that the muggle world never had fit
That was why her project, that she had put on the back-burner until exams were over, bothered her so much.
Her best friend, Harry, was keeping something from her. At first, she thought it was something small that would simply come out soon, but it had been years. She thought maybe there was more than one thing, but something told her everything was connected. Hermione had several clues, but they added more mystery than really helped solve them.
There was a mysterious pen-pal. Harry had told her and Ron about him or her after they had asked him repeatedly who he was with. He did receive letters from someone, but they had come less and less often over the years. She wondered if he was using this person as an excuse for whatever he was doing that day. She suspected that he hadn't been hanging out with anyone but had rather been doing something she wouldn't approve of, and that was why he had gotten so tight-lipped. Instead of saying nothing, he had thrown her a red-herring.
She did know that he had made several new friends over the years, and at one point she dismissed the red-herring theory and thought maybe he was hanging out with someone they didn't approve of, like a Slytherin. That was simply ridiculous, however, so she dismissed that as well. Harry was just as prejudiced against Slytherins as any other red-blooded Gryffindor. He fought with Malfoy enough to prove that he would never be friends with any of them.
So, who would Harry be spending time with, if it wasn't a Slytherin, and why would he be afraid of Ron and Hermione finding out? The answer came to her just last year as she watched him not responding to female Veela. There were several reasons why he wasn't responding, but she thought the top contender was he was gay! It fit well enough, he could be meeting a boy he had a crush on and didn't want them to know about it. He could even have internalized homophobia, not ready to face this crush and what it meant to himself, much less talk to his friends about it. He was from the muggle world, and from what she knew of the Dursleys, they didn't sound very tolerant. That was the theory she had gone with for several months. She figured that as long as she knew, she didn't need to approach Harry, and instead made gay-positive comments so he would know he could come to her when and if he was ready.
The note Rita Skeeter had found and published made it seem like Harry did have someone special, was in a relationship and not just developing feelings for them. Hermione had been happy for him, he had all but confirmed that he was seeing a boy when he said he didn't have a girlfriend after that second article had been published.
Then, Sally-Anne Perks threw her for a loop. She had seen them talking in the corridor before the ball and hadn't thought anything of it at the time. When he showed up to the Yule Ball with her, however, she had thought, Oh. This is the person that he is seeing behind our backs. She wasn't sure why he didn't want them to know, then realized what had happened with Skeeter might be connected.
Harry was famous, as easy as that was to forget, and anything he did was gossip worthy. If he was struggling with his sexuality, or even just wanted to date someone, the whole school would talk about it. That would put a ton of pressure on any new relationship, and she knew Harry hated any type of attention anyway. So, she had smiled, relieved that she had finally solved the mystery, and waited for the confession that he was dating to come out.
It hadn't. She had watched him, wondering if he would look across the hall at his girlfriend, but he didn't. He never confided in her, or Ron to her knowledge, and it hurt a little bit. She had decided that the tournament was adding extra pressure to him, and she might confront him about her later.
That summer before fifth year had been crazy, however, and a good moment never seemed to happen. Harry had been pretty busy hanging out with Sirius, which Hermione completely understood. On the Hogwarts Express, he disappeared for some time, then was blasé about his excuse. She really didn't mind him seeing other friends, or his girlfriend, but she was getting tired of the excuses, half-truths, and/or flat out lies. She just wanted Harry to say that Sally-Anne Perks was his girlfriend, in a whisper, to them, or really, her.
Then, he had denied it. Hermione had watched his face as he said, "Sally isn't my girlfriend." She had reviewed the moment hundreds of times, obsessively she knew, and Harry wasn't lying. He had a lesser version of his face when his name had been called out of the Goblet of Fire. He was a little surprised and confused, not sure why it was even happening. Harry was good at a lot of things, but he couldn't lie to save his life, not that he usually did, Harry was a pretty honest person, which is another reason why this one big lie bothered her.
So, she was back to the drawing board, in a way. Harry had given her another clue. He was rather passionate about his defense of gay rights. More than once this year he had made comments about newspaper articles or gossip that made her think he might be gay, or possibly bi, or still confused. Maybe he had been dating a boy this entire time. Maybe they had broken up, or were friends but Harry wanted more.
It was all so confusing, and it gave Hermione headaches. She wasn't proud of this, but she had said that Ginny might have a chance with Harry if she moved on, or pretended to, and a part of her did it to see how Harry would react to her. She felt horrible about it, and regretted it, but it was good advice. Ginny had started dating Michael Corner, and had instructed Hermione to inform Harry, then tell her how he reacted. Harry couldn't have cared less, but she didn't tell that to Ginny.
Cho had thrown her for a loop too. Harry didn't seem that interested in her as a person, but she saw them talking together more than was necessary for just friends, and at odd times. Cho would flirt very obviously, but Harry never picked up on it. It was a surprise when she heard in the girl's loo that they were dating. She was very confused, but it cleared up when she witnessed their row on Valentine's Day. Cho had just thought they were together, the poor girl. Harry was pants at flirting, maybe he was just as bad at relationships and that was another reason he hadn't confided in her.
After Christmas, Harry had started wearing a dragon necklace. It was low on his chest, and usually covered by his shirts, but Hermione could see the same black cord around his neck, and she had seen the actual pendant when it had fallen out of his shirt. She had asked, and he said it was a Christmas gift. No more details, and he had avoided her eyes; even if he was leaning over homework at the time, it had sparked her interest. Was this a gift from the mysterious person, and was it another clue?
Dragons. There was two times Harry had been around dragons, in first year when Malfoy had caught them trying to move Hagrid's dragon Norbert to Charlie's friends, and in fourth year, when Charlie had brought a Horntail to Hogwarts for Harry's first task. When she had realized Charlie was involved both times, she had paused. Charlie was gay. They had known this since first year, so maybe he was the person Harry had been writing too. She hoped they weren't dating, he was a bit too old for him at fifteen, but maybe when Harry was older. She had thought that was the perfect reason for not wanting to tell them.
If he told her he had a crush, or (she shivered) a relationship, she might tell Ron, and that could lead to a disaster. The Weasleys were all Harry had as a family, dating a member could get complicated fast. Everything fit, except for the Hogwarts owl that had been used to deliver that first letter, but she could dismiss that as someone else, one of Harry's friends and unconnected to the incident. Finally, she had an answer, not a good one, but an answer.
She truly hoped Harry and Charlie were just friends, but that wouldn't explain Harry's disappearances, or the owl. She had tried getting the map to see where he went, but he took it with him whenever he disappeared. She realized that was wrong too.
Then she realized another connection. Cedric had battled dragons too, and they had become closer after fighting in the tournament last year. Cedric would walk Harry to class sometimes, and he would hang around after DA meetings. She felt it was reasonable to say that Cedric at least had feelings for Harry. She watched them closely, but if they were secret boyfriends, they were very good at hiding it.
She had, in a way, given up. There was a part of her that wondered if there even was a secret, maybe Harry just liked being alone and that was why he disappeared so much. It would make sense that he didn't want to hurt their feelings, but something told Hermione that wasn't it. There were just too many possibilities, and she was strung out from several years of questions. She had somewhat accepted that she couldn't know just now. She and Ron had fought with him enough that she knew she couldn't just ask him.
Hermione had her theories, and they would have to do until Harry decided he could talk to her. She had realized something rather important through this particular experience. She had no control over what Harry would do. She liked to be in control of what she was doing, and she felt uncomfortable when she wasn't. That didn't mean she could control Harry and what he did. She very well could lose him if she pushed too much, and that is the absolute last thing she wanted, even at the expense of not knowing.
She looked up again at the sound of more laughter. "You should not have made that move." Ron told Harry with a grin. He made his own move and Harry groaned theatrically. Hermione smiled. Harry was not that great of an actor; she knew he was pretending to be upset, but Ron probably didn't.
Yes, Harry was definitely worth it.
The O.W.L.s were awful. Harry didn't even want to think about them. The one he had probably done worst on so far was Astronomy, but then everyone was not going to do well. Umbridge and a legion had gone out and tried to remove Hagrid during the exam. McGonagall had run out to stop them and been attacked as well. Hagrid had taken Fang and run out into the night.
Just like that, Harry thought the year couldn't get any worse. Then, his History of Magic final happened. He fell asleep halfway through and had a vision from Voldemort. He had had several over the year, but this was easily the most traumatic. He fell out of his chair, screaming, seeing Sirius behind his eyelids. Hundreds of eyes turned to stare at him, but he didn't care, all he cared about was getting to Sirius.
He stopped in the middle of the hall, thinking. The quickest way to the Ministry would be the floo, but he didn't have any powder, and he wasn't sure which fireplaces were even hooked up to the floor network. He wouldn't put it past Umbridge to disconnect all of them except for her office.
Umbridge's office! She had a fireplace and plenty of floor powder, he set off right away, running. He had to get to the ministry, and he started retracing the route he would have to take through his dream. He would go from the fireplaces in the main atrium, take the lifts down to the last level, and make his way to…the Department of Mysteries.
He slowed to a stop. Sirius had warned him that Voldemort would try to lure him to the Ministry. It had been super important that he not tell anyone, so it had to be something crucial. He thought back to his visions over the past year. There was a weapon in the Department of Mysteries that several Death Eaters had tried to get but failed. He had been guarded, he was being lured to the Department by Voldemort, he was the only one, for whatever reason, that could remove this weapon and give it to Voldemort.
The startling realization got him back into motion. This situation was very suspicious. He turned and started running instead to his dorm room. His thought was that Voldemort was currently trying to make him go to the Ministry and get whatever this weapon was for him. Whatever it was, Voldemort could not get his hands on it. Even so, he would risk that for Sirius, but he wasn't so sure that Sirius was even in danger.
He made it to his empty dorm room and threw himself on the ground in front of his trunk. He tossed it open and was pulling out the two-way mirror he used to communicate with Sirius.
"Sirius!" He yelled into the mirror and waited. Seconds passed, and no answer. He closed his eyes, panting and praying. "Sirius!" He yelled again. Still, there was no answer.
Damn.
He sat there with his eyes screwed shut, breathing quickly, trying to think. He needed to get to the ministry.
He turned and dug into his trunk, looking for the knife Sirius had given him for Christmas. He would need it for breaking into Umbridge's office. He knew he was walking into a battle he might not win. At that thought, he paused, thinking of Draco. He might never see Draco again.
Did he have time to write him a farewell letter? Draco would kill him either way if he died, but maybe a letter would help soothe his hurt. He shook his head. He had no time, he had already wasted enough checking to see if he was right about it being a trap. He was obviously wrong, and Sirius was being tortured, right now.
He grabbed the portkey he was working on and placed the homing device in the center of his bed. Hopefully, no one would move it. His hesitant plan was to get in, grab Sirius, and activate the portkey, bringing both him and his godfather back. It was similar to what had happened last year with him, Pettigrew and the Cup from the Triwizard Tournament. With any luck, Voldemort wouldn't kill him the moment he walked into the room.
He was just standing when he heard something that made him sink back to the floor, a sob of relief escaping his throat.
"Harry?" Sirius asked from the mirror he was still holding. His face was uninjured, even healthier than the last time he had seen him, confusion the only thing marking his face. "Sorry, I couldn't answer right away, Buckbeak was somehow injured and I was healing him. What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost. Well, that's not uncommon at Hogwarts, but you know what I mean."
Harry laughed in relief, feeling tears stinging his eyes. "Sirius, you're ok? You're safe?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Sirius seemed surprised to even need to confirm this. "I'm at you-know-where right now, I come by a couple times a week to make sure Kreature hasn't suffocated up my mum's bum. You haven't told me what's wrong, Harry, you look terrible. Did you have a fight with Draco?"
"No," Harry said, taking deep calming breaths. "Sirius, something just happened. I was taking my History of Magic O.W.L., and I fell asleep."
Sirius snorted. "You know, I'm pretty sure I did too."
"I'm not done. I fell asleep, and I had a vision. It started out with me having the same dream I have every night for a year, going into the Department of Mysteries, only this time I got to this room with spheres on shelves. There were so many, and at the end of row 96, I saw Voldemort torturing you! I was almost going to floo there, but then I remembered what you said about Voldemort trying to trick me into going there, and I figured I should at least check and make sure you didn't answer. I'm so glad you're ok!"
Sirius now looked very serious. "Wow. That was very smart of you to check, Harry, who knows what would have happened if you hadn't. We still have to deal with this, however. I need to call an Order meeting as soon as possible. We will handle this. If he wanted you to go, there are probably at least Death Eaters there, maybe we can get them arrested. All I want you to do is celebrate finishing your O.W.L.s with your friends. Do not leave the castle under any circumstances. I don't care who you see Voldemort torturing, what you see, whether it's a dream or a vision. I will call you on the mirror when I know more, so keep it on you. I've got to go, I love you, Harry."
With that, he was gone. Harry collapsed back against the floor, a huge shuttering sigh escaping him. Sirius was safe. That was the important thing. Whatever Voldemort's plan had been, it would not come to fruition, now. He had taken on Voldemort, again, and won.
His face slowly broke into a smile. Finally, something had gone right. His life had been one disaster after the next, usually a confrontation with Voldemort or his followers happened at the end of the year, but not this year, this year, he had escaped from even having to do that. He wondered if Voldemort could feel his triumph, because he was certainly feeling it very strongly.
His bracelet heated slightly, notifying him that Draco had sent him a message. Are you Ok? It said.
I'm fine, he wrote back. I had a vision of Sirius being tortured, but he's fine. I already checked on him.
You had a vision? I can't believe that! Do you want to meet?
"There you are!" Hermione cried as the door opened with a bang. "Harry, what's wrong? Why are you laying on the ground?"
Harry laughed, bringing up a hand to cover his face before slowly sitting up. Ron and Neville were standing behind Hermione, they each had a look of fear upon their faces.
"It was a false alarm, you can calm down." He took a seat on his bed and gestured to Ron's across from him. All three took a seat, and Harry began his tale. "I fell asleep during the test, and I had another vision. Of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort in the Ministry." They gasped, Harry hastened on. "I called him on the mirror to check on him, he's fine. Voldemort sent me a false vision, trying to get me to go. Sirius said he'd take care of it." They all stared at him stunned. Harry nodded.
"You-Know-Who sent you a fake vision? I didn't know he could do that." Ron said.
"I didn't know you had visions from You-Know-Who. Is that what happened before Christmas?" Neville asked.
"Why would Voldemort want you to go to the Ministry?" Hermione wondered aloud.
Harry shifted. He had promised Sirius he wouldn't tell anyone that there was a weapon in the Department of Mysteries and only Harry could get it. "Maybe he just wanted me out of the castle."
"That doesn't make much sense. The Ministry is one of the most inhabited buildings in the wizarding world. It would be packed at this time. If he wanted you out of the castle, he could have made you go anywhere. Why the Ministry, specifically?" Harry shrugged, it was the best he could do against Hermione's vast mind.
"I may be able to get visions from Voldemort's mind, Hermione, but that doesn't mean I can read his every thought." Hermione's eyes narrowed as she hummed thoughtfully. Harry looked away from her scorching vision. "Apparently, he can," he said to Ron. "Yes, I get them on occasion, but I'd appreciate you not telling anyone." He said to Neville, who nodded quickly.
"Is Sirius going to do anything about Voldemort? Does he have a way to get in contact with Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.
"He's calling a meeting, he said he had to go before he could tell me more about it." His eyes flickered to Neville, he couldn't talk about the Order in front of him. "How was the exam?"
Hermione launched immediately into a detailed break down of the test. Ron and Neville quickly lost interest, looking off into the distance, as Harry tuned her out. Now he thought about it, if Sirius went with the rest of the Order, and he was sure he would, he had reason to be worried about him. Would there be a fight at the Ministry?
Trying to make it look like he was just playing with his fingers, he wrote back on the bracelet, after dinner? He got a response a minute later. Can't wait.
A/N: And that's it for fifth year... Just kidding, 1 more chapter, then sixth year.
I apologize for the updates being slow, there were a couple reasons but the main one was there was something really weird going on with the site and no matter how many times I tried, all that would save was a series of numbers and letters. I'm crossing my fingers that it won't happen when I upload.