Author's Notes: Thanks for all the reviews.
Disclaimer: See part one.
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"They've done what?"
Draco stared at Harry, who was pacing back and forth in front of him frantically.
"Barred me from entering the lands of the spirits," Harry repeated feverishly. "And they won't even lift the ban to find my own *daughter*!" He picked up the glass of water on the table, and threw it against the wall. It broke. Draco ignored it. He felt like doing exactly the same, it was only the famed Malfoy cool that was stopping him.
"Have they gone to find her themselves?" he ventured. Harry nodded, too furious to speak. "They'll find her, Harry."
"Maybe," Harry muttered. "Dammit." He threw the plate, scattering crumbs over the carpets, and the broken china joined the shards of glass against the wall.
"Sit down," Draco snapped. Astonished, it never occurred to Harry to disobey. He dropped into the chair opposite Draco. "They will find her. Do you hear? If they don't, ignore the ban and go yourself, but you have to wait. Understood?"
Harry nodded dumbly. Draco took a breath. "In the meantime," he continued, "you can tell me about the rest of the hearing. Or was it more a trial?"
Harry shrugged. "We call them hearings, but they're like trials, I guess. Uh.I got charged with everything I thought I would be - they're blaming me for the Others. They've made me break it off with Never, stopped me seeing spirits, and I'm not allowed into the lands of the spirits. That's about it."
Draco grimaced. "Pretentious arses." Harry raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I don't know them, but I'm sure they are," Draco defended himself. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, sure," Harry replied sarcastically. "The Others have taken my daughter, and I have no idea why."
Draco gritted his teeth. "Patience," he reminded Harry. "And I meant about Never."
Harry frowned. Clearly, he'd almost forgotten about the Creator. "I dunno. Don't have much choice about it now, do I?" He was, Draco noticed, twisting the gold ring on his finger, a nervous motion that had been very familiar once. "I'm taking a coward's way out of it, though."
"Nothing wrong with that," Draco reminded him, attempting a smirk. Harry shrugged.
"To you, maybe."
Draco frowned. "You know I'm not like that. Harry. Or you ought to know."
Harry shifted. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry. It's just...Nathalie."
He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself, leaning forward slightly. His glasses were half-falling off his nose, but he didn't care. He reached up one hand to tug on his earring.
"I don't know what to do," he admitted finally. "I need her, Draco. We've barely been apart in nine years. She's my little girl."
Draco sighed, crossed the distance between them, and hugged Harry to him. "I know," he soothed. "I know."
Harry stiffened suddenly. "They told me that they wanted something I have," he murmured. "I thought they meant Never, but what if..."
Draco felt sick. "What if they meant Nathalie?" he finished. "Harry, why could they possibly want Nathalie? She's just a child."
Harry leant into Draco. "I don't know," he moaned. "She's just a little girl, and she's mine, and they have her." He pulled out of Draco's embrace, and picked up the second glass on the table. It joined the broken glass and plate against the wall. "Sorry."
"Well, I'd much prefer that you break the china than the windows, so don't worry about it," Draco told him, managing a faint smile. "Look, why don't you do something useful?"
Harry stared at him. "Like what?" he demanded. "There's nothing to do, thanks to those stupid - bloody - Necromancers!" Each word was punctuated with a crash from various windows in the room.
Draco sighed. "I don't know - fix those things maybe?" Harry blinked. "Bloody hell...come here, you stupid idiot." Harry returned to Draco's arms, and leant his head on Draco's shoulder. 'She'll be alright. She will be."
"She has to be. I don't think I can survive without her."
"Don't say that," Draco commanded, alarmed. "Don't say that, Harry, please!" Harry shrugged. His eyes were clouded with pain. "No, Harry. You can't say that, please."
Harry was about to reply when a ghost appeared in front of them, eyes frantically moving about the room. Harry pulled away from Draco, and they both rose, confused. Draco frowned; he almost recognised the ghost...
"Uh, who are you?" Draco demanded.
"Cedric, have they found Nathalie?" Harry demanded urgently. "And, uh, you're a ghost?"
Cedric Diggory shook his head. "No, I'm not a ghost, loads of us have banded together to make me appear, since you've been banned - not that you don't deserve it - and no, there's no word about Nathalie. I knew you'd be panicking though, so I came."
Harry was chewing on his lip. "You shouldn't have done that," he muttered. "You'll use up too much energy...the Others..."
But Cedric gave him a small smile. "No, we'll be fine," he assured Harry. "We have some, uh, divine help."
Harry frowned. "Never?"
"No, Was. Since, you know, it's our Creator." Cedric grinned at Harry's dumbfounded expression.
"The Creator of the Dead?" Draco guessed. Cedric nodded. "But...urgh. I don't get any of this."
"Was hates me," Harry explained distractedly. "Or at least, it hated that Never and I were together."
"And I fully expect an explanation of that," Cedric jumped in quickly.
"But are they all working together to stop the Others?" Harry demanded intently. Cedric looked away. Draco grimaced.
"Do god-like beings ever cooperate?" he asked them both lightly.
"Occasionally," Harry muttered. "Dammit, I can't believe them!" he began pacing across the carpet, and Draco sat back down, burying his face in his hands for a moment. When he looked up at Cedric, he was glaring.
"You know, I'd almost calmed him down," he said waspishly. "And then you had to come along and get him all wound up again."
"I'm not wound up," Harry denied automatically, still pacing. "Why won't they let me go?"
"Uh, because you were having an affair with a Creator?" Cedric offered. "Seriously, Harry, calm down. The Necromancers will find her, and all the spirits are looking as well. We'll find her."
Harry stilled, and raised his eyes to meet Cedric's, deadly serious. "They'd better. Or I'll know the reason why."
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To be continued.
Disclaimer: See part one.
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"They've done what?"
Draco stared at Harry, who was pacing back and forth in front of him frantically.
"Barred me from entering the lands of the spirits," Harry repeated feverishly. "And they won't even lift the ban to find my own *daughter*!" He picked up the glass of water on the table, and threw it against the wall. It broke. Draco ignored it. He felt like doing exactly the same, it was only the famed Malfoy cool that was stopping him.
"Have they gone to find her themselves?" he ventured. Harry nodded, too furious to speak. "They'll find her, Harry."
"Maybe," Harry muttered. "Dammit." He threw the plate, scattering crumbs over the carpets, and the broken china joined the shards of glass against the wall.
"Sit down," Draco snapped. Astonished, it never occurred to Harry to disobey. He dropped into the chair opposite Draco. "They will find her. Do you hear? If they don't, ignore the ban and go yourself, but you have to wait. Understood?"
Harry nodded dumbly. Draco took a breath. "In the meantime," he continued, "you can tell me about the rest of the hearing. Or was it more a trial?"
Harry shrugged. "We call them hearings, but they're like trials, I guess. Uh.I got charged with everything I thought I would be - they're blaming me for the Others. They've made me break it off with Never, stopped me seeing spirits, and I'm not allowed into the lands of the spirits. That's about it."
Draco grimaced. "Pretentious arses." Harry raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I don't know them, but I'm sure they are," Draco defended himself. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, sure," Harry replied sarcastically. "The Others have taken my daughter, and I have no idea why."
Draco gritted his teeth. "Patience," he reminded Harry. "And I meant about Never."
Harry frowned. Clearly, he'd almost forgotten about the Creator. "I dunno. Don't have much choice about it now, do I?" He was, Draco noticed, twisting the gold ring on his finger, a nervous motion that had been very familiar once. "I'm taking a coward's way out of it, though."
"Nothing wrong with that," Draco reminded him, attempting a smirk. Harry shrugged.
"To you, maybe."
Draco frowned. "You know I'm not like that. Harry. Or you ought to know."
Harry shifted. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry. It's just...Nathalie."
He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself, leaning forward slightly. His glasses were half-falling off his nose, but he didn't care. He reached up one hand to tug on his earring.
"I don't know what to do," he admitted finally. "I need her, Draco. We've barely been apart in nine years. She's my little girl."
Draco sighed, crossed the distance between them, and hugged Harry to him. "I know," he soothed. "I know."
Harry stiffened suddenly. "They told me that they wanted something I have," he murmured. "I thought they meant Never, but what if..."
Draco felt sick. "What if they meant Nathalie?" he finished. "Harry, why could they possibly want Nathalie? She's just a child."
Harry leant into Draco. "I don't know," he moaned. "She's just a little girl, and she's mine, and they have her." He pulled out of Draco's embrace, and picked up the second glass on the table. It joined the broken glass and plate against the wall. "Sorry."
"Well, I'd much prefer that you break the china than the windows, so don't worry about it," Draco told him, managing a faint smile. "Look, why don't you do something useful?"
Harry stared at him. "Like what?" he demanded. "There's nothing to do, thanks to those stupid - bloody - Necromancers!" Each word was punctuated with a crash from various windows in the room.
Draco sighed. "I don't know - fix those things maybe?" Harry blinked. "Bloody hell...come here, you stupid idiot." Harry returned to Draco's arms, and leant his head on Draco's shoulder. 'She'll be alright. She will be."
"She has to be. I don't think I can survive without her."
"Don't say that," Draco commanded, alarmed. "Don't say that, Harry, please!" Harry shrugged. His eyes were clouded with pain. "No, Harry. You can't say that, please."
Harry was about to reply when a ghost appeared in front of them, eyes frantically moving about the room. Harry pulled away from Draco, and they both rose, confused. Draco frowned; he almost recognised the ghost...
"Uh, who are you?" Draco demanded.
"Cedric, have they found Nathalie?" Harry demanded urgently. "And, uh, you're a ghost?"
Cedric Diggory shook his head. "No, I'm not a ghost, loads of us have banded together to make me appear, since you've been banned - not that you don't deserve it - and no, there's no word about Nathalie. I knew you'd be panicking though, so I came."
Harry was chewing on his lip. "You shouldn't have done that," he muttered. "You'll use up too much energy...the Others..."
But Cedric gave him a small smile. "No, we'll be fine," he assured Harry. "We have some, uh, divine help."
Harry frowned. "Never?"
"No, Was. Since, you know, it's our Creator." Cedric grinned at Harry's dumbfounded expression.
"The Creator of the Dead?" Draco guessed. Cedric nodded. "But...urgh. I don't get any of this."
"Was hates me," Harry explained distractedly. "Or at least, it hated that Never and I were together."
"And I fully expect an explanation of that," Cedric jumped in quickly.
"But are they all working together to stop the Others?" Harry demanded intently. Cedric looked away. Draco grimaced.
"Do god-like beings ever cooperate?" he asked them both lightly.
"Occasionally," Harry muttered. "Dammit, I can't believe them!" he began pacing across the carpet, and Draco sat back down, burying his face in his hands for a moment. When he looked up at Cedric, he was glaring.
"You know, I'd almost calmed him down," he said waspishly. "And then you had to come along and get him all wound up again."
"I'm not wound up," Harry denied automatically, still pacing. "Why won't they let me go?"
"Uh, because you were having an affair with a Creator?" Cedric offered. "Seriously, Harry, calm down. The Necromancers will find her, and all the spirits are looking as well. We'll find her."
Harry stilled, and raised his eyes to meet Cedric's, deadly serious. "They'd better. Or I'll know the reason why."
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To be continued.