Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Some of you may be a
little disappointed with this chapter...don't be. There'll be more of it
later. Also, some people have been complaining that the chapters are too
short. Let me put it like this: either you get short chapters, or you get
nothing for several days. I prefer shorter chapters, since that way I get
to leave you all with evil cliffhangers. Of course, everyone is entitled
to their opinions.
Disclaimer: See part one.
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Draco stared in disbelief. "*This* is Never?" he demanded. The being gazed at him with contempt. "Harry, what the hell is going on?"
Harry was watching his lover with anger riddled with curiosity. "That's actually what I wanted to know. Never, you'd better have a damn good explanation for this - you do realise that if you stay here too long, even the wards around the Manor won't be able to hide Nathalie and I?"
Never was seething, but he didn't answer. Harry shook his head. "Never, I'll see you in two days. Until then, you shouldn't be talking to me. The hearing, remember?"
Never sighed, and looked at his lover. "I know that," it agreed. "But I had to see you, Harry. Not just because of the hearing - there's the Others also."
Harry frowned slightly. "I'd almost forgotten about them. Well, you know I can't do anything about it until after the hearing, if they decide they'll leave me alone about it. After that.well, we'll all be in one place, so I guess we'll be able to start doing something - that's if something can be done about it. You may have ignored them for too long to repair the damage they've done." He fell silent suddenly, remembering something that the Others had said to him.
Draco pulled himself to his feet. "I don't suppose either of you have remembered," he began waspishly, "but this happens to be my home, and I don't appreciate either of you putting my daughter into danger in the way you are."
Never whirled around, eyes blazing, and Draco was slammed against the door again. "Quiet, mortal," Never ordered. "Stay out of this, it is not your affair."
Harry winced. "Never, I wouldn't..."
"Of course it is," Draco snapped. "I care for Nathalie and Harry both, and from what I understand, you're endangering both of them just by being here."
Never's eyes flashed. "Why not just speak plainly?" it retorted. "You're jealous."
Draco sneered. "At least I have the guts to admit it, unlike you - or was it just a coincidence that you arrived just when you did?"
The doors at his back exploded, and he stumbled to the ground from the force of the explosion. When he looked up at Never and Harry, he wasn't sure which of them had ruined the doors. Whilst Never looked as coldly furious as any jealous lover, Harry was livid, and he moved to help Draco stand, ignoring the Creator.
"Are you alright?" he demanded. Draco silently nodded, and Harry turned back to Never. "Never, please. Don't do this. Not now." He moved closer to his lover, and murmured something that Draco couldn't hear. Never didn't look appeased. "You know I wouldn't do anything," Harry tried again, speaking gently, almost as if Never was a child that needed reassurance. "You *know* that."
"I do," Never muttered. "I trust *you*. I don't trust him, however." It's eyes raised to meet Draco's for a moment, then it looked back at Harry.
"Fine, don't trust him," Harry said, exasperated. "But you're acting like a jealous child."
Never stiffened, insulted. "Fine, then," he snapped. "I'll leave." A moment later, he was gone. Harry clenched his fists, fighting the rising anger in him. He spotted a vase perched on a table -as yet unbroken by the first his fight with Draco, and then Never's swift entrance and exit. He lunged at it, and threw it hard against the wall.
It smashed, and Harry blinked as he calmed down. "Please tell me that wasn't an antique?"
Draco managed a weak laugh. "Birthday present from my great-aunt. I've been looking for an excuse to get rid of it." He moved closer to Harry. "Harry...that was Never?"
"Yeah." Harry turned, and shrugged awkwardly at Draco. "Sorry. Never can get a bit..."
"Possessive?" Draco suggested lightly, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the door. "*Reparo!*"
"Jealous," Harry added with a sigh. "It's...it's not Never's fault. The Creators...since everything is theirs for the asking, sort of, it's hard for Never to accept that I'm not just going to ignore everyone else in favour of it, like it does for me."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Draco ventured. "I mean, the reason the Others are doing...whatever it is they're doing is because Never's been ignoring everything but you, right? So if you only paid attention to Never, wouldn't things get even worse?"
Harry shrugged. "Probably." He shrugged again. "Things with Never and I.we're just getting so complicated. I mean, more complicated than hey were before, when it was just that it's a Creator. It's...I dunno. I'm not sure what I want anymore." He shot a look at Draco, who was thoughtfully gazing at him. *I'm not sure who I want anymore, more like. But there's no way I can tell Draco that.*
Draco nodded slowly. "Right." Then he changed the subject. "Come on, let's go and find Nathalie. I have one or two rather eager house elves that may spoil Nathalie beyond all belief." Harry smiled and began to walk out of the now-mended doors. Something on the ground caught his eye, and he slowly bent to pick up the small box Nathalie had brought down from the attic.
"Draco," he breathed. "Is this...you kept this?"
Draco had frozen, but now he nodded. "Yes. I...I couldn't let it go. I put it in the attic. I wonder how on earth Nathalie found it...it must have been buried up there with the rest of your -" He cut himself off, a telltale blush creeping onto his face.
Harry rose. "You kept my things?" he wanted to know, trying to stop his voice shaking but not quite succeeding. "You...but why?"
Draco shrugged awkwardly. "People do crazy things when they're in love."
"Tell me, Draco, am I crazy?" A moment later, he kissed Draco soundly, his hands gripping the other man's shoulders firmly.
It took a few moments for what was happening to register with Draco; when it did, he pulled away, breathing heavily.
"Definitely crazy," he said tautly. "Harry, you're with Never." Harry's face closed up, and he moved away from Draco.
"Right," he agreed dully. "I'm with Never." He placed the box on a table nearby, then silently left the room.
Draco closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then picked up another vase full of flowers and threw it at the wall.
"Fuck," he swore loudly. "Idiot!"
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To be continued.
Disclaimer: See part one.
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Draco stared in disbelief. "*This* is Never?" he demanded. The being gazed at him with contempt. "Harry, what the hell is going on?"
Harry was watching his lover with anger riddled with curiosity. "That's actually what I wanted to know. Never, you'd better have a damn good explanation for this - you do realise that if you stay here too long, even the wards around the Manor won't be able to hide Nathalie and I?"
Never was seething, but he didn't answer. Harry shook his head. "Never, I'll see you in two days. Until then, you shouldn't be talking to me. The hearing, remember?"
Never sighed, and looked at his lover. "I know that," it agreed. "But I had to see you, Harry. Not just because of the hearing - there's the Others also."
Harry frowned slightly. "I'd almost forgotten about them. Well, you know I can't do anything about it until after the hearing, if they decide they'll leave me alone about it. After that.well, we'll all be in one place, so I guess we'll be able to start doing something - that's if something can be done about it. You may have ignored them for too long to repair the damage they've done." He fell silent suddenly, remembering something that the Others had said to him.
Draco pulled himself to his feet. "I don't suppose either of you have remembered," he began waspishly, "but this happens to be my home, and I don't appreciate either of you putting my daughter into danger in the way you are."
Never whirled around, eyes blazing, and Draco was slammed against the door again. "Quiet, mortal," Never ordered. "Stay out of this, it is not your affair."
Harry winced. "Never, I wouldn't..."
"Of course it is," Draco snapped. "I care for Nathalie and Harry both, and from what I understand, you're endangering both of them just by being here."
Never's eyes flashed. "Why not just speak plainly?" it retorted. "You're jealous."
Draco sneered. "At least I have the guts to admit it, unlike you - or was it just a coincidence that you arrived just when you did?"
The doors at his back exploded, and he stumbled to the ground from the force of the explosion. When he looked up at Never and Harry, he wasn't sure which of them had ruined the doors. Whilst Never looked as coldly furious as any jealous lover, Harry was livid, and he moved to help Draco stand, ignoring the Creator.
"Are you alright?" he demanded. Draco silently nodded, and Harry turned back to Never. "Never, please. Don't do this. Not now." He moved closer to his lover, and murmured something that Draco couldn't hear. Never didn't look appeased. "You know I wouldn't do anything," Harry tried again, speaking gently, almost as if Never was a child that needed reassurance. "You *know* that."
"I do," Never muttered. "I trust *you*. I don't trust him, however." It's eyes raised to meet Draco's for a moment, then it looked back at Harry.
"Fine, don't trust him," Harry said, exasperated. "But you're acting like a jealous child."
Never stiffened, insulted. "Fine, then," he snapped. "I'll leave." A moment later, he was gone. Harry clenched his fists, fighting the rising anger in him. He spotted a vase perched on a table -as yet unbroken by the first his fight with Draco, and then Never's swift entrance and exit. He lunged at it, and threw it hard against the wall.
It smashed, and Harry blinked as he calmed down. "Please tell me that wasn't an antique?"
Draco managed a weak laugh. "Birthday present from my great-aunt. I've been looking for an excuse to get rid of it." He moved closer to Harry. "Harry...that was Never?"
"Yeah." Harry turned, and shrugged awkwardly at Draco. "Sorry. Never can get a bit..."
"Possessive?" Draco suggested lightly, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the door. "*Reparo!*"
"Jealous," Harry added with a sigh. "It's...it's not Never's fault. The Creators...since everything is theirs for the asking, sort of, it's hard for Never to accept that I'm not just going to ignore everyone else in favour of it, like it does for me."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Draco ventured. "I mean, the reason the Others are doing...whatever it is they're doing is because Never's been ignoring everything but you, right? So if you only paid attention to Never, wouldn't things get even worse?"
Harry shrugged. "Probably." He shrugged again. "Things with Never and I.we're just getting so complicated. I mean, more complicated than hey were before, when it was just that it's a Creator. It's...I dunno. I'm not sure what I want anymore." He shot a look at Draco, who was thoughtfully gazing at him. *I'm not sure who I want anymore, more like. But there's no way I can tell Draco that.*
Draco nodded slowly. "Right." Then he changed the subject. "Come on, let's go and find Nathalie. I have one or two rather eager house elves that may spoil Nathalie beyond all belief." Harry smiled and began to walk out of the now-mended doors. Something on the ground caught his eye, and he slowly bent to pick up the small box Nathalie had brought down from the attic.
"Draco," he breathed. "Is this...you kept this?"
Draco had frozen, but now he nodded. "Yes. I...I couldn't let it go. I put it in the attic. I wonder how on earth Nathalie found it...it must have been buried up there with the rest of your -" He cut himself off, a telltale blush creeping onto his face.
Harry rose. "You kept my things?" he wanted to know, trying to stop his voice shaking but not quite succeeding. "You...but why?"
Draco shrugged awkwardly. "People do crazy things when they're in love."
"Tell me, Draco, am I crazy?" A moment later, he kissed Draco soundly, his hands gripping the other man's shoulders firmly.
It took a few moments for what was happening to register with Draco; when it did, he pulled away, breathing heavily.
"Definitely crazy," he said tautly. "Harry, you're with Never." Harry's face closed up, and he moved away from Draco.
"Right," he agreed dully. "I'm with Never." He placed the box on a table nearby, then silently left the room.
Draco closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then picked up another vase full of flowers and threw it at the wall.
"Fuck," he swore loudly. "Idiot!"
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To be continued.