Ginny looked tired the next morning. She avoided Harry's eyes, something that was hard to do now that most of the school had gone home for the holidays, leaving only a handful of people at the Gryffindor tables. Harry looked at her guiltily out of the corner of his eye. He knew that he needed to talk to her. This was, after all, the first Christmas since her brother had died and she needed him to help her get through it, not make it harder. He couldn't decide whether or not to tell her about Draco, and this puzzle occupied his thoughts throughout breakfast. Neville had also stayed behind, and he gave Harry several quizzical looks but did not press him to talk, something for which Harry was grateful.
When Ginny got up to leave the dining room, Harry stood up quickly, murmured
"See you later" to Neville and hurried after her.
"Ginny!" he called. Ginny started walking more quickly. "Ginny, please! Wait, I need to talk to you" Ginny spun around suddenly.
"Why?" she asked. "Are you talking to me just to make yourself feel better? Some sort of noble gesture from the great Harry Potter to the little poor girl? Do you see yourself as my knight in shining armour? Does playing with my feelings make you happy?"
"No!" said Harry. "Ginny, I never meant to play with your feelings, I swear. You're my friend, and I value your friendship. I really didn't mean you to think that we could be more than just friends. I should have said something, not let you find out like that. I'm really sorry."
Ginny frowned.
"Why the secrecy? I've never heard so much as a hint that you weren't available" she said thoughtfully. "Lavender Brown usually knows everything that goes on, and I've never heard your name linked with anyone except Hermione, and that stopped after she and Ron got together. You must both have been keeping it very quiet." She motioned Harry to walk beside her and they began heading slowly for Gryffindor Tower, taking the longest and most round-about route.
"How long has it been going on?" she asked.
"Since May in my fifth year really." said Harry "though we were friends before that"
"That's nearly two years ago!" said Ginny in shock, stopping walking in amazement. "You've been going steady for two years and you've kept it secret all that time?"
"Yes." said Harry quietly.
"Why? There's got to be a reason, more than just 'We wanted to see if it was serious before telling everyone.' Two years is a long time."
"That's what Ron and I fought about." said Harry quietly. "His reaction convinced us that this should be as secret as possible. You are the only person alive that knows."
"Why? What's going on that Ron could be so seriously against?" asked Ginny curiously.
"I'm in love with a Slytherin." said Harry softly. "Ron couldn't accept the idea that I could even find anyone from Slytherin attractive, let alone fall in love with one. The issue divided us, especially after Hermione left. There was always a rift between us after he knew, even though both of us ignored the issue. He pretended not to notice my absences and I made them as discreet as possible. Hermione had accepted it and had acted as a sort of buffer, but after she left Ron and I hardly even spoke. Neither of us really seemed to know what to say to each other. That's how I let your brother down." said Harry softly. A range of emotions had flickered across Ginny's face as he told his story, ranging from surprise to deep sorrow.
"A Slytherin?" she said softly.
"That's why we're keeping it quiet. The rest of the school, Gryffindor especially, would hate me for associating with the Slytherins. Both of us would be ostracised for consorting with the enemy."
"I see what you mean. Won't you tell me who it is?"
"No." said Harry flatly, unnerved by the fact that this time she had said 'it' rather than 'she'. He wondered if he should have said 'she' rather than carefully avoiding the gender issue. He mentally shook himself. He didn't want to lie more than he had to, and if he said 'he' she'd guess immediately. Everyone knew he sat next to Draco Malfoy in Potions, a male Slytherin, especially one that Ron had reacted so badly to, would have to be Malfoy. "It's better that nobody knows. I'm trusting you to keep this secret Ginny. Please don't even hint to anyone that I'm not available, OK?"
"Sure" said Ginny quietly. "As long as you're happy. And not knowing who it is will be better for me anyway" she said with an attempt at a laugh. "That way the hate mail I write her will have to remain unsent!"
Harry laughed slightly and the two resumed their journey back to Gryffindor Tower.
The rest of the holiday passed surprisingly well, everything considered. He, Ginny and Neville spent most of the time helping each other with their holiday work and playing Exploding Snap. Harry found the time peaceful in the extreme, but he missed Draco. Draco had sent him a Christmas present - a silver ring in the shape of a stag's head, with emeralds for eyes. Harry shuddered to think what it must have cost. He decided to wear it onto the third finger of his left hand. Draco would be the only person who knew what it meant - apart from Ginny of course, and she wouldn't realise its full significance. Only Draco would know that. Harry had received quite good presents that year. Apart from the ring, a box of Chocolate frogs from Neville and a Collectible Cannons figurine from Ginny (plus yet another pair of socks from Dobby) he got a Weasley jumper, containing a note inviting him to stay in the summer holidays. His insides squirmed with guilt and he resolved to send a proper letter to Mrs Weasley thanking her for the jumper and telling her all the Hogwarts news. He decided to ask Ginny before accepting the offer to go and stay though.
Harry had bought Draco a dragon with a mirror between its wings. The gift was intended partly as a joke - Draco was incredibly vain, especially about his hair - but Harry knew Draco would understand the feeling behind the gift.
Harry wore the ring for the first time to his Potions lesson. He told anyone who asked that he had got it from a catalogue, but Draco knew the truth, and the significance of the finger he wore it on. The look in his eyes when he saw it made Harry glow for the rest of the day. Their meeting that night - their first since term began - was intensely tender. When Harry got back to his dormitory (hiding safely under the Invisibility cloak until he was sitting on his bed) he cried. Something about that night - midnight wanderings perhaps - had brought back such vivid memories of Ron it was almost as if his friend had died only yesterday. Remembering the Ron that he had known, the brave, cheerful boy who had gone through all Harry's adventures yet shared none of the glory and barely even resented it, Harry was suddenly convinced of Ginny's theory. Ron did not kill himself. As if some part of him had been waiting for this to sink in, Harry fell almost at once into a dreamless sleep and spent the most restful night since Ron's death.
The next morning when Harry awoke, he looked at Ron's bed and remembered his realisation. He knew he needed to share it with Ginny. However, there was another Quidditch match looming, and apart from a quick discussion over breakfast as to whether he should go and stay (Ginny said yes) there was no opportunity for private chats. In fact, it wasn't until the Easter holidays that Harry got the opportunity to talk to Ginny. Many of the Gryffindor sixth and seventh years - Draco included, much to Harry's delight - had stayed behind simply due to the volume of work they had to do. On pretext of asking Ginny about a complex charm (Charms was Ginny's best subject, something she was incredibly gifted at), Harry dragged Ginny off to the library, where he informed her in whispers that he agreed with her that Ron had not killed himself, but they had no evidence to back them up, no motive and no suspects, so what did she think they should do next? Ginny had several theories, all of them most impractical, and Harry resorted to actually asking her about his Charms homework (which she completed in two seconds flat and got completely right, making Flitwick suspicious as Harry had never got ten out of ten on a homework before and earning him a detention, something Harry felt was rather unfair). Neither of them noticed the shadowy figure hiding in the stacks, listening to every word they said with a most unpleasant expression. The figure stood silently thinking hard.
'They suspect something. Unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected. All is not yet lost. This just means I will have to be especially careful, and perhaps speed things up a little. It seems a shame to rush and not play the catch just a little more, but better land the catch rather than risk it slip off the hook.' With that the figure slipped silently out of the library and away, leaving Harry and Ginny blissfully unaware that they had been overheard.
The remainder of the term passed in a blur. Harry had no time at all for further discussions with Ginny, so busy was he with revising for his NEWTs and Quidditch training for the last match of the year (which Gryffindor won, winning them the House Cup for the fourth season running). His relationship with Draco suffered as well. Both boys were working so hard they were only able to spend time together once a week, and sometimes not even that often. Harry regretted it, missed the private smile that Draco only gave him when they were alone, missed the way the other boy made him laugh. 'When the exams are over, we'll make up for it' he promised himself, twisting the stag ring on his finger. Draco said as much to him, and both boys concentrated on getting through their exams.
The night the exams finished was one Harry was sure he'd never forget. The relief of knowing that all he could do now was wait filled him with exuberance, that all this years hard work was over and now he could relax. He and Draco sneaked off to the unused classroom on the fifth floor that they usually used for their meetings. Harry arrived a little late and was astonished at what he saw. The room, usually dusty and dark, was clean and lit with candles. A four-poster bed had been conjured to stand in one corner and all the desks had been moved out of the way.
"Thought we'd make a night of it" said Draco, grinning and blushing slightly as Harry looked around in awe. "No one'll miss us tonight." Harry knew this was true. He went willingly to Draco and kissed him deeply.
"This is wonderful" he said softly. "It looks so different. Really romantic."
"I wanted it to be special" said Draco. "I cast soundproofing spells on the room so no one can hear us and there are spells on the windows and door so no one can see the lights." He went over to the door and tapped it lightly with his wand, saying a word Harry didn't know.
"Now no one can get in. Even Alohomora won't do it." he said, grinning slightly .
"Draco, you're brilliant!" grinned Harry, hugging him and giving him another kiss, sliding his hands lower, underneath his robes.
"Now, now!" said Draco teasingly, pulling away. "There's plenty of time Harry. We've got all night, remember?" Harry pouted slightly, sticking out his lower lip. Draco laughed and kissed him quickly before pulling away completely and walking to the other wall where a radio stood. He turned it on quietly, allowing the music to fill the room, quite audible but not too loud for conversation.
"I thought we could dance first." he explained, blushing again and avoiding Harry's eyes. "I've got wine as well if you want it, plus some food for later in case we get hungry."
"You have planned this carefully!" said Harry, deeply touched by the other boy's gesture.
"I love you." said Draco simply, the smile now completely gone. "Now, would you like to dance?"
"I most certainly would" said Harry, walking over to join his lover in the middle of the room. Draco slid his arms around him and the two began to sway to the music. Harry buried his face in the other boy's neck, enjoying the feeling of being safe in his lovers arms, needed and protected and wanted. He felt the strain of the past few months - the past few years - begin to drift away. He was with Draco, and nothing could hurt him.
The two danced for over an hour, just standing in each others arms, taking and giving reassurance that the last few months had not changed things. Eventually however, the closeness of their bodies overwhelmed them. Harry began to trail kisses along Draco's neck, working up to his lovers mouth and kissing him gently before returning his attentions to the other boy's neck. Draco groaned and began gently moving towards the bed. Harry returned his attentions to Draco's mouth and the two kissed gently, gradually deepening the kisses, keeping the build-up slow and teasing. Draco gently pushed Harry back onto the bed, managing to stop kissing him for long enough to say
"Just think, our first time in a bed" before burying himself once again in Harry's embrace, allowing his hands to move slowly underneath his robes, feeling Harry's hands doing the same, caressing every part of his body until Draco was aching with need. Without him noticing it, Harry's skilled hands had removed his robes and he struggled to return the favour, every touch of Harry's hands sending thrills through him.
* * *
Later they lay cuddled together in a cozy half-sleep.
"We can really stay here until morning?" asked Harry, a note of sleepy amazement in his voice.
"We really can. I've set an alarm clock so we can be out of here before anyone misses us, but since they won't miss us until nine we've got ages really."
"Lovely" said Harry, wriggling slightly into a more comfortable position in Draco's arms before falling properly asleep. Draco kissed him lightly and fell asleep himself.
The next morning Harry woke first, even before the alarm went off. He lay still for a moment, wondering where he was and why he felt so happy. When he had remembered the answer to both questions, he rolled over carefully to look at Draco. He was obviously deeply asleep, looking young and vulnerable. Harry was unable to resist kissing him. Draco groggily opened his eyes.
"Morning." said Harry, smiling slightly shyly. "Sorry I woke you."
"I'm not" said Draco wickedly, leaning over and pulling Harry into his arms, kissing him deeply.
When they finally got out of bed, they had to hurry to get dressed and get the room returned to normal before they were missed.
"Whew" sighed Draco, getting ready to open the door.
"Thanks" said Harry softly. "This was brilliant Draco. Completely perfect. I love you."
"I know. I love you too Harry. Glad you liked it." Draco kissed him swiftly then opened the door and was gone. Harry waited five minutes, then raced to Gryffindor Tower for a quick shower and clean robes before having a late breakfast.
The rest of the term passed in blur, despite Harry's frantic attempts to make the remainder of his time at Hogwarts pass more slowly. He and Draco spent a lot of time together, redefining their relationship and planning how best to continue it when they had left school and moved off into very different futures. Harry had decided to become an Auror, thinking that people would be trying to kill him anyway, and being able to defend himself would be useful. To that end he would be training in a college near London. Draco however would be following in his father's footsteps, eventually managing his father's shipping business. Both boys knew that seeing each other regularly would be very difficult, nearly impossible and both made the most of the last few weeks at Hogwarts. Harry, more so than anyone else in his year, didn't want to leave. Hogwarts was the only real home he had ever known, the location of all the happiest times of his life, and he hated the thought of never seeing it again. He was going back to the Dursleys for the beginning of the holidays while Sirius found him a flat in London where he could live until his training was finished and he was ready to move on. He was due to stay with the Weasleys for the first and second week in August (by which time Sirius should have found him a flat) and would go from there to his new home and settle in before beginning his training in September. Despite knowing in theory what would happen to him (though with You Know Who on the loose, Harry knew his future was likely to contain lots of surprises), Harry dreaded the thought of leaving the place where he had been so happy, the only place apart from Diagon Alley that contained so many memories of Ron and Hermione.
The night before the end of term, Harry pulled on his father's Invisibility Cloak and went for one last look at the places that held most memories for him. First he visited the spot by the lake where he had gone when Hermione had told him she was dying, and he had first been kissed by Draco. He remembered pulling Ron out of the lake in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament and the account in the paper of Hermione's conversation with Krum. He walked around the lake and into the Forest to see the spot where he had produced his first Patronus - his father, the stag. Next he went to the base of the Whomping Willow and poked the knot on the trunk with a stick, quickly climbing down through the trapdoor and standing at the bottom, looking at the bumpy passage, remembering how he had felt when Sirius had invited him to live with him, over four years ago. He carefully made his way up the passage to the room where he had discovered that Sirius was innocent, Pettigrew was alive and Lupin was a werewolf. He stayed there for a while, reliving the memories of that night. He had never before been back to the Shrieking Stack, and the memories were clear, barely tainted by the events of the past four years.
From there he went to the Quidditch pitch, remembering the defeat against Hufflepuff and Cedric Diggory when the Dementors had appeared on the pitch, the victories against Slytherin and winning the Quidditch Cup. He also remembered the end of his fourth year, when the Quidditch field had been transformed into a sinister maze, the site of the third Triwizard Task, and he and Cedric had decided to tie for the prize, a decision which had taken Cedric to his death. Harry stood there for a moment, then headed quietly for the shed where his Firebolt was stored. No-one would notice if he took it now, rather than in the morning when he was supposed to. He held it in his hands for a minute, remembering the day he got it, evading the Hungarian Horntail in the first task and all the Quidditch matches it had helped him win. He slid it under his cloak and headed for his last port of call. He sneaked easily back into the school, and headed with swift, sure steps to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Still covered by the Invisibility Cloak, he opened the door and went in. He looked round, remembering brewing the Polyjuice Potion in the toilet with Ron and Hermione in second year, and coming in here with Lockhart to rescue Ginny. He looked at the tap thoughtfully, remembering his conversation with Tom Riddle and the things he had learned since then. He stared at the snake, tilting his head slightly so that it seemed to move.
"Open up" he hissed softly in Parseltongue. As he had known it would, almost as if he was inside his own memories, the entrance opened. Harry stared down the pipe, replaying in his head the last time he had been down here. He shrugged, hugged his Firebolt close to him and stepped into the pipe.
The roof had decayed more since he had last been there. The gap through which he had squeezed with Ginny once the Basilisk had been defeated and the diary destroyed had almost disappeared. Harry managed to move some of the rubble to create an space that his new, taller self could squeeze through, but he knew that he didn't dare stay there for long. He made his way along the passage until he reached the statue of Slytherin. The corpse of the Basilisk was still there, so old and eaten by rats that it barely smelt. Harry picked his way carefully around it. Slytherin's mouth, the entry to the Basilisk's former home, was closed.
"Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four" intoned Harry, remembering the words Riddle had used to free the Basilisk all those years before. The statue's mouth opened, and Harry mounted his Firebolt and flew inside. This statue was hollow, the home of the Basilisk stretched out around him. Harry wondered to himself why he was doing this. He had never been in here before so it held no memories, and yet he felt compelled to look around the Basilisk's lair. He dismounted from his broom and began to look around.
"Were you ever here?" he asked out loud. "Did you come this far into the Chamber?" His voice echoed around, but no other voice answered. Once he had begun talking, Harry found he couldn't stop.
"Am I the last person to walk here since Salazar Slytherin himself?" he mused. "Am I the first for a thousand years?" He was beginning to feel cold now, wondering if he should turn round and leave. Who was to say the Basilisk had been the only thing in the Chamber?
"Are all your secrets told? The Basilisk is dead, as is your creator. Do you have any more surprises - any more secrets to share, or is this Chamber best left to cave in?" Harry moved further into the cave, the sense of perhaps being the first in over a thousand years making him feel strangely powerful.
"I am somewhere you have never been Father." he said out loud. He stopped still, and frowned. "Is that why I am here? To show I am my own person and not just your son? It seems a petty reason to enter such an evil place." He headed on, feeling even more uneasy.
'I should have brought Draco. He would have been interested.' he thought, looking round and shivering slightly. 'I'll go once I've seen what's in that corner' he resolved, moving over there as if drawn to it.
Set in a niche in the wall was a life-size statue of Slytherin, his hands clasped around a jewelled sword in an ornate scabbard. Even through the dust and slime of ages, Harry could see that this was the twin of the sword he had pulled from the Sorting Hat to fight the Basilisk.
"Is this why I had to come here?" he asked thoughtfully, remembering the Arthurian legend of the sword in the stone, and how only one person could move it. "But I'm in Gryffindor! I got the Gryffindor sword - I won't be able to move it!" He stared at it, wondering whether it was booby-trapped in some way, or if he could just reach out and take it. For some reason, he wanted it. He didn't know why, just felt that he should reach out and take the sword from the statue, as if it had been waiting for him.
"Is this why I came?" he asked, already stretching out his hand to touch the sword, poised to leap away if anything happened. His hand touched the hilt. Nothing happened. No monster leapt out to attack him, no bright light shone. He shrugged, took hold of the sword with both hands and manoeuvred it out of the statue's hands. It felt lighter than Gryffindor's sword had.
"I was younger then." he said out loud, staring at the sword in his hands. The statue looked empty now, the hands folded over thin air. Harry felt the urge to laugh. The sound pealed out, echoing oddly through the dark cave.
"This is my sword now" he said. "I, Harry Potter, came down here in the dead of night and stole the sword belonging to Salazar Slytherin himself!"
'Stole?' a voice in the back of his mind asked. Harry pushed it aside. Rummaging in the pockets of his robes for a quill and a roll of parchment, he wrote in big letters:
"The sword that once was here was taken by Harry Potter on July third, 1999"
He rolled up his announcement and slid it into the statues hands where the sword had been. He stepped back, sword in hand to look at his handiwork. As if his reactions had begun something, he heard in the distance the groan of strained masonry.
"Goodbye Slytherin." he said aloud. "I doubt anyone will come here again." He mounted his Firebolt, fastening the sword in its scabbard to his waist and flew quickly out of the Chamber, closing the outer entrance only. He suspected Slytherin's mouth closed itself, he certainly hadn't closed it the last time he had left. Then Harry crept silently up to his dormitory. He wrapped the sword in some old robes and hid it at the bottom of his trunk before falling into bed.
The next day, Harry had little time to think of the night's events. The departure from Hogwarts filled his mind, leaving no room for midnight mysteries. Harry was not the only one who cried. The atmosphere on the train was subdued at first, but gradually became more cheerful as people began to swap stories of their schooldays, accounts of practical jokes, funny exam answers and all the events of a normal school career. Harry joined in cheerfully enough, feeling only a momentary pang as he thought of Ron and Hermione, the two friends who should have been with him that day. An hour before the train arrived in London, Harry met Draco in the toilets to say goodbye. Both of them cried, and their embrace was tinged with desperation. Harry didn't have time to tell Draco about the sword.
All too soon, the train arrived at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. Harry hugged his old school-friends and promised to keep in touch before stepping out into the Muggle area of the station.
"Hurry up boy! Stop dawdling!" Uncle Vernon barked. Instead of obeying him, Harry stopped and looked at the barrier, through which people were still emerging in ones and twos. He smiled at Draco who had just appeared, then said softly:
"Goodbye Ron. Goodbye Hermione. I'll never forget you."
Then he turned and followed Uncle Vernon out of the station into the sunlight.
What is the purpose of the sword? Did something really happen to Ron, or is Harry just imagining things? Next part coming soon, but please, please, PLEASE REVIEW! or I may start feeling unappreciated!
When Ginny got up to leave the dining room, Harry stood up quickly, murmured
"See you later" to Neville and hurried after her.
"Ginny!" he called. Ginny started walking more quickly. "Ginny, please! Wait, I need to talk to you" Ginny spun around suddenly.
"Why?" she asked. "Are you talking to me just to make yourself feel better? Some sort of noble gesture from the great Harry Potter to the little poor girl? Do you see yourself as my knight in shining armour? Does playing with my feelings make you happy?"
"No!" said Harry. "Ginny, I never meant to play with your feelings, I swear. You're my friend, and I value your friendship. I really didn't mean you to think that we could be more than just friends. I should have said something, not let you find out like that. I'm really sorry."
Ginny frowned.
"Why the secrecy? I've never heard so much as a hint that you weren't available" she said thoughtfully. "Lavender Brown usually knows everything that goes on, and I've never heard your name linked with anyone except Hermione, and that stopped after she and Ron got together. You must both have been keeping it very quiet." She motioned Harry to walk beside her and they began heading slowly for Gryffindor Tower, taking the longest and most round-about route.
"How long has it been going on?" she asked.
"Since May in my fifth year really." said Harry "though we were friends before that"
"That's nearly two years ago!" said Ginny in shock, stopping walking in amazement. "You've been going steady for two years and you've kept it secret all that time?"
"Yes." said Harry quietly.
"Why? There's got to be a reason, more than just 'We wanted to see if it was serious before telling everyone.' Two years is a long time."
"That's what Ron and I fought about." said Harry quietly. "His reaction convinced us that this should be as secret as possible. You are the only person alive that knows."
"Why? What's going on that Ron could be so seriously against?" asked Ginny curiously.
"I'm in love with a Slytherin." said Harry softly. "Ron couldn't accept the idea that I could even find anyone from Slytherin attractive, let alone fall in love with one. The issue divided us, especially after Hermione left. There was always a rift between us after he knew, even though both of us ignored the issue. He pretended not to notice my absences and I made them as discreet as possible. Hermione had accepted it and had acted as a sort of buffer, but after she left Ron and I hardly even spoke. Neither of us really seemed to know what to say to each other. That's how I let your brother down." said Harry softly. A range of emotions had flickered across Ginny's face as he told his story, ranging from surprise to deep sorrow.
"A Slytherin?" she said softly.
"That's why we're keeping it quiet. The rest of the school, Gryffindor especially, would hate me for associating with the Slytherins. Both of us would be ostracised for consorting with the enemy."
"I see what you mean. Won't you tell me who it is?"
"No." said Harry flatly, unnerved by the fact that this time she had said 'it' rather than 'she'. He wondered if he should have said 'she' rather than carefully avoiding the gender issue. He mentally shook himself. He didn't want to lie more than he had to, and if he said 'he' she'd guess immediately. Everyone knew he sat next to Draco Malfoy in Potions, a male Slytherin, especially one that Ron had reacted so badly to, would have to be Malfoy. "It's better that nobody knows. I'm trusting you to keep this secret Ginny. Please don't even hint to anyone that I'm not available, OK?"
"Sure" said Ginny quietly. "As long as you're happy. And not knowing who it is will be better for me anyway" she said with an attempt at a laugh. "That way the hate mail I write her will have to remain unsent!"
Harry laughed slightly and the two resumed their journey back to Gryffindor Tower.
The rest of the holiday passed surprisingly well, everything considered. He, Ginny and Neville spent most of the time helping each other with their holiday work and playing Exploding Snap. Harry found the time peaceful in the extreme, but he missed Draco. Draco had sent him a Christmas present - a silver ring in the shape of a stag's head, with emeralds for eyes. Harry shuddered to think what it must have cost. He decided to wear it onto the third finger of his left hand. Draco would be the only person who knew what it meant - apart from Ginny of course, and she wouldn't realise its full significance. Only Draco would know that. Harry had received quite good presents that year. Apart from the ring, a box of Chocolate frogs from Neville and a Collectible Cannons figurine from Ginny (plus yet another pair of socks from Dobby) he got a Weasley jumper, containing a note inviting him to stay in the summer holidays. His insides squirmed with guilt and he resolved to send a proper letter to Mrs Weasley thanking her for the jumper and telling her all the Hogwarts news. He decided to ask Ginny before accepting the offer to go and stay though.
Harry had bought Draco a dragon with a mirror between its wings. The gift was intended partly as a joke - Draco was incredibly vain, especially about his hair - but Harry knew Draco would understand the feeling behind the gift.
Harry wore the ring for the first time to his Potions lesson. He told anyone who asked that he had got it from a catalogue, but Draco knew the truth, and the significance of the finger he wore it on. The look in his eyes when he saw it made Harry glow for the rest of the day. Their meeting that night - their first since term began - was intensely tender. When Harry got back to his dormitory (hiding safely under the Invisibility cloak until he was sitting on his bed) he cried. Something about that night - midnight wanderings perhaps - had brought back such vivid memories of Ron it was almost as if his friend had died only yesterday. Remembering the Ron that he had known, the brave, cheerful boy who had gone through all Harry's adventures yet shared none of the glory and barely even resented it, Harry was suddenly convinced of Ginny's theory. Ron did not kill himself. As if some part of him had been waiting for this to sink in, Harry fell almost at once into a dreamless sleep and spent the most restful night since Ron's death.
The next morning when Harry awoke, he looked at Ron's bed and remembered his realisation. He knew he needed to share it with Ginny. However, there was another Quidditch match looming, and apart from a quick discussion over breakfast as to whether he should go and stay (Ginny said yes) there was no opportunity for private chats. In fact, it wasn't until the Easter holidays that Harry got the opportunity to talk to Ginny. Many of the Gryffindor sixth and seventh years - Draco included, much to Harry's delight - had stayed behind simply due to the volume of work they had to do. On pretext of asking Ginny about a complex charm (Charms was Ginny's best subject, something she was incredibly gifted at), Harry dragged Ginny off to the library, where he informed her in whispers that he agreed with her that Ron had not killed himself, but they had no evidence to back them up, no motive and no suspects, so what did she think they should do next? Ginny had several theories, all of them most impractical, and Harry resorted to actually asking her about his Charms homework (which she completed in two seconds flat and got completely right, making Flitwick suspicious as Harry had never got ten out of ten on a homework before and earning him a detention, something Harry felt was rather unfair). Neither of them noticed the shadowy figure hiding in the stacks, listening to every word they said with a most unpleasant expression. The figure stood silently thinking hard.
'They suspect something. Unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected. All is not yet lost. This just means I will have to be especially careful, and perhaps speed things up a little. It seems a shame to rush and not play the catch just a little more, but better land the catch rather than risk it slip off the hook.' With that the figure slipped silently out of the library and away, leaving Harry and Ginny blissfully unaware that they had been overheard.
The remainder of the term passed in a blur. Harry had no time at all for further discussions with Ginny, so busy was he with revising for his NEWTs and Quidditch training for the last match of the year (which Gryffindor won, winning them the House Cup for the fourth season running). His relationship with Draco suffered as well. Both boys were working so hard they were only able to spend time together once a week, and sometimes not even that often. Harry regretted it, missed the private smile that Draco only gave him when they were alone, missed the way the other boy made him laugh. 'When the exams are over, we'll make up for it' he promised himself, twisting the stag ring on his finger. Draco said as much to him, and both boys concentrated on getting through their exams.
The night the exams finished was one Harry was sure he'd never forget. The relief of knowing that all he could do now was wait filled him with exuberance, that all this years hard work was over and now he could relax. He and Draco sneaked off to the unused classroom on the fifth floor that they usually used for their meetings. Harry arrived a little late and was astonished at what he saw. The room, usually dusty and dark, was clean and lit with candles. A four-poster bed had been conjured to stand in one corner and all the desks had been moved out of the way.
"Thought we'd make a night of it" said Draco, grinning and blushing slightly as Harry looked around in awe. "No one'll miss us tonight." Harry knew this was true. He went willingly to Draco and kissed him deeply.
"This is wonderful" he said softly. "It looks so different. Really romantic."
"I wanted it to be special" said Draco. "I cast soundproofing spells on the room so no one can hear us and there are spells on the windows and door so no one can see the lights." He went over to the door and tapped it lightly with his wand, saying a word Harry didn't know.
"Now no one can get in. Even Alohomora won't do it." he said, grinning slightly .
"Draco, you're brilliant!" grinned Harry, hugging him and giving him another kiss, sliding his hands lower, underneath his robes.
"Now, now!" said Draco teasingly, pulling away. "There's plenty of time Harry. We've got all night, remember?" Harry pouted slightly, sticking out his lower lip. Draco laughed and kissed him quickly before pulling away completely and walking to the other wall where a radio stood. He turned it on quietly, allowing the music to fill the room, quite audible but not too loud for conversation.
"I thought we could dance first." he explained, blushing again and avoiding Harry's eyes. "I've got wine as well if you want it, plus some food for later in case we get hungry."
"You have planned this carefully!" said Harry, deeply touched by the other boy's gesture.
"I love you." said Draco simply, the smile now completely gone. "Now, would you like to dance?"
"I most certainly would" said Harry, walking over to join his lover in the middle of the room. Draco slid his arms around him and the two began to sway to the music. Harry buried his face in the other boy's neck, enjoying the feeling of being safe in his lovers arms, needed and protected and wanted. He felt the strain of the past few months - the past few years - begin to drift away. He was with Draco, and nothing could hurt him.
The two danced for over an hour, just standing in each others arms, taking and giving reassurance that the last few months had not changed things. Eventually however, the closeness of their bodies overwhelmed them. Harry began to trail kisses along Draco's neck, working up to his lovers mouth and kissing him gently before returning his attentions to the other boy's neck. Draco groaned and began gently moving towards the bed. Harry returned his attentions to Draco's mouth and the two kissed gently, gradually deepening the kisses, keeping the build-up slow and teasing. Draco gently pushed Harry back onto the bed, managing to stop kissing him for long enough to say
"Just think, our first time in a bed" before burying himself once again in Harry's embrace, allowing his hands to move slowly underneath his robes, feeling Harry's hands doing the same, caressing every part of his body until Draco was aching with need. Without him noticing it, Harry's skilled hands had removed his robes and he struggled to return the favour, every touch of Harry's hands sending thrills through him.
* * *
Later they lay cuddled together in a cozy half-sleep.
"We can really stay here until morning?" asked Harry, a note of sleepy amazement in his voice.
"We really can. I've set an alarm clock so we can be out of here before anyone misses us, but since they won't miss us until nine we've got ages really."
"Lovely" said Harry, wriggling slightly into a more comfortable position in Draco's arms before falling properly asleep. Draco kissed him lightly and fell asleep himself.
The next morning Harry woke first, even before the alarm went off. He lay still for a moment, wondering where he was and why he felt so happy. When he had remembered the answer to both questions, he rolled over carefully to look at Draco. He was obviously deeply asleep, looking young and vulnerable. Harry was unable to resist kissing him. Draco groggily opened his eyes.
"Morning." said Harry, smiling slightly shyly. "Sorry I woke you."
"I'm not" said Draco wickedly, leaning over and pulling Harry into his arms, kissing him deeply.
When they finally got out of bed, they had to hurry to get dressed and get the room returned to normal before they were missed.
"Whew" sighed Draco, getting ready to open the door.
"Thanks" said Harry softly. "This was brilliant Draco. Completely perfect. I love you."
"I know. I love you too Harry. Glad you liked it." Draco kissed him swiftly then opened the door and was gone. Harry waited five minutes, then raced to Gryffindor Tower for a quick shower and clean robes before having a late breakfast.
The rest of the term passed in blur, despite Harry's frantic attempts to make the remainder of his time at Hogwarts pass more slowly. He and Draco spent a lot of time together, redefining their relationship and planning how best to continue it when they had left school and moved off into very different futures. Harry had decided to become an Auror, thinking that people would be trying to kill him anyway, and being able to defend himself would be useful. To that end he would be training in a college near London. Draco however would be following in his father's footsteps, eventually managing his father's shipping business. Both boys knew that seeing each other regularly would be very difficult, nearly impossible and both made the most of the last few weeks at Hogwarts. Harry, more so than anyone else in his year, didn't want to leave. Hogwarts was the only real home he had ever known, the location of all the happiest times of his life, and he hated the thought of never seeing it again. He was going back to the Dursleys for the beginning of the holidays while Sirius found him a flat in London where he could live until his training was finished and he was ready to move on. He was due to stay with the Weasleys for the first and second week in August (by which time Sirius should have found him a flat) and would go from there to his new home and settle in before beginning his training in September. Despite knowing in theory what would happen to him (though with You Know Who on the loose, Harry knew his future was likely to contain lots of surprises), Harry dreaded the thought of leaving the place where he had been so happy, the only place apart from Diagon Alley that contained so many memories of Ron and Hermione.
The night before the end of term, Harry pulled on his father's Invisibility Cloak and went for one last look at the places that held most memories for him. First he visited the spot by the lake where he had gone when Hermione had told him she was dying, and he had first been kissed by Draco. He remembered pulling Ron out of the lake in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament and the account in the paper of Hermione's conversation with Krum. He walked around the lake and into the Forest to see the spot where he had produced his first Patronus - his father, the stag. Next he went to the base of the Whomping Willow and poked the knot on the trunk with a stick, quickly climbing down through the trapdoor and standing at the bottom, looking at the bumpy passage, remembering how he had felt when Sirius had invited him to live with him, over four years ago. He carefully made his way up the passage to the room where he had discovered that Sirius was innocent, Pettigrew was alive and Lupin was a werewolf. He stayed there for a while, reliving the memories of that night. He had never before been back to the Shrieking Stack, and the memories were clear, barely tainted by the events of the past four years.
From there he went to the Quidditch pitch, remembering the defeat against Hufflepuff and Cedric Diggory when the Dementors had appeared on the pitch, the victories against Slytherin and winning the Quidditch Cup. He also remembered the end of his fourth year, when the Quidditch field had been transformed into a sinister maze, the site of the third Triwizard Task, and he and Cedric had decided to tie for the prize, a decision which had taken Cedric to his death. Harry stood there for a moment, then headed quietly for the shed where his Firebolt was stored. No-one would notice if he took it now, rather than in the morning when he was supposed to. He held it in his hands for a minute, remembering the day he got it, evading the Hungarian Horntail in the first task and all the Quidditch matches it had helped him win. He slid it under his cloak and headed for his last port of call. He sneaked easily back into the school, and headed with swift, sure steps to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Still covered by the Invisibility Cloak, he opened the door and went in. He looked round, remembering brewing the Polyjuice Potion in the toilet with Ron and Hermione in second year, and coming in here with Lockhart to rescue Ginny. He looked at the tap thoughtfully, remembering his conversation with Tom Riddle and the things he had learned since then. He stared at the snake, tilting his head slightly so that it seemed to move.
"Open up" he hissed softly in Parseltongue. As he had known it would, almost as if he was inside his own memories, the entrance opened. Harry stared down the pipe, replaying in his head the last time he had been down here. He shrugged, hugged his Firebolt close to him and stepped into the pipe.
The roof had decayed more since he had last been there. The gap through which he had squeezed with Ginny once the Basilisk had been defeated and the diary destroyed had almost disappeared. Harry managed to move some of the rubble to create an space that his new, taller self could squeeze through, but he knew that he didn't dare stay there for long. He made his way along the passage until he reached the statue of Slytherin. The corpse of the Basilisk was still there, so old and eaten by rats that it barely smelt. Harry picked his way carefully around it. Slytherin's mouth, the entry to the Basilisk's former home, was closed.
"Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four" intoned Harry, remembering the words Riddle had used to free the Basilisk all those years before. The statue's mouth opened, and Harry mounted his Firebolt and flew inside. This statue was hollow, the home of the Basilisk stretched out around him. Harry wondered to himself why he was doing this. He had never been in here before so it held no memories, and yet he felt compelled to look around the Basilisk's lair. He dismounted from his broom and began to look around.
"Were you ever here?" he asked out loud. "Did you come this far into the Chamber?" His voice echoed around, but no other voice answered. Once he had begun talking, Harry found he couldn't stop.
"Am I the last person to walk here since Salazar Slytherin himself?" he mused. "Am I the first for a thousand years?" He was beginning to feel cold now, wondering if he should turn round and leave. Who was to say the Basilisk had been the only thing in the Chamber?
"Are all your secrets told? The Basilisk is dead, as is your creator. Do you have any more surprises - any more secrets to share, or is this Chamber best left to cave in?" Harry moved further into the cave, the sense of perhaps being the first in over a thousand years making him feel strangely powerful.
"I am somewhere you have never been Father." he said out loud. He stopped still, and frowned. "Is that why I am here? To show I am my own person and not just your son? It seems a petty reason to enter such an evil place." He headed on, feeling even more uneasy.
'I should have brought Draco. He would have been interested.' he thought, looking round and shivering slightly. 'I'll go once I've seen what's in that corner' he resolved, moving over there as if drawn to it.
Set in a niche in the wall was a life-size statue of Slytherin, his hands clasped around a jewelled sword in an ornate scabbard. Even through the dust and slime of ages, Harry could see that this was the twin of the sword he had pulled from the Sorting Hat to fight the Basilisk.
"Is this why I had to come here?" he asked thoughtfully, remembering the Arthurian legend of the sword in the stone, and how only one person could move it. "But I'm in Gryffindor! I got the Gryffindor sword - I won't be able to move it!" He stared at it, wondering whether it was booby-trapped in some way, or if he could just reach out and take it. For some reason, he wanted it. He didn't know why, just felt that he should reach out and take the sword from the statue, as if it had been waiting for him.
"Is this why I came?" he asked, already stretching out his hand to touch the sword, poised to leap away if anything happened. His hand touched the hilt. Nothing happened. No monster leapt out to attack him, no bright light shone. He shrugged, took hold of the sword with both hands and manoeuvred it out of the statue's hands. It felt lighter than Gryffindor's sword had.
"I was younger then." he said out loud, staring at the sword in his hands. The statue looked empty now, the hands folded over thin air. Harry felt the urge to laugh. The sound pealed out, echoing oddly through the dark cave.
"This is my sword now" he said. "I, Harry Potter, came down here in the dead of night and stole the sword belonging to Salazar Slytherin himself!"
'Stole?' a voice in the back of his mind asked. Harry pushed it aside. Rummaging in the pockets of his robes for a quill and a roll of parchment, he wrote in big letters:
"The sword that once was here was taken by Harry Potter on July third, 1999"
He rolled up his announcement and slid it into the statues hands where the sword had been. He stepped back, sword in hand to look at his handiwork. As if his reactions had begun something, he heard in the distance the groan of strained masonry.
"Goodbye Slytherin." he said aloud. "I doubt anyone will come here again." He mounted his Firebolt, fastening the sword in its scabbard to his waist and flew quickly out of the Chamber, closing the outer entrance only. He suspected Slytherin's mouth closed itself, he certainly hadn't closed it the last time he had left. Then Harry crept silently up to his dormitory. He wrapped the sword in some old robes and hid it at the bottom of his trunk before falling into bed.
The next day, Harry had little time to think of the night's events. The departure from Hogwarts filled his mind, leaving no room for midnight mysteries. Harry was not the only one who cried. The atmosphere on the train was subdued at first, but gradually became more cheerful as people began to swap stories of their schooldays, accounts of practical jokes, funny exam answers and all the events of a normal school career. Harry joined in cheerfully enough, feeling only a momentary pang as he thought of Ron and Hermione, the two friends who should have been with him that day. An hour before the train arrived in London, Harry met Draco in the toilets to say goodbye. Both of them cried, and their embrace was tinged with desperation. Harry didn't have time to tell Draco about the sword.
All too soon, the train arrived at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. Harry hugged his old school-friends and promised to keep in touch before stepping out into the Muggle area of the station.
"Hurry up boy! Stop dawdling!" Uncle Vernon barked. Instead of obeying him, Harry stopped and looked at the barrier, through which people were still emerging in ones and twos. He smiled at Draco who had just appeared, then said softly:
"Goodbye Ron. Goodbye Hermione. I'll never forget you."
Then he turned and followed Uncle Vernon out of the station into the sunlight.
What is the purpose of the sword? Did something really happen to Ron, or is Harry just imagining things? Next part coming soon, but please, please, PLEASE REVIEW! or I may start feeling unappreciated!