Title: In The Interests Of …
Author: I_nv_u50
Pairings: DracoXHarry
Disclaimer: My New Year's resolution is that I will stop feigning ownership over these characters because they are not mine.
Chapter Rating: PG13 just because
Author's Notes: Happy holidays!! I hope you had a great Christmas, I know I did ^^
Harry: Now she's going to gloat.
Draco: Speaking of which, you never got me anything.
Harry: Oh! Um… Er.. heh heh?
Draco: (evil eyes) Yeess??
I don't think he's too pleased. Maybe Harry can make it up to him tonight or something O.o; Anyway, the trip to center. I was half asleep while typing this, so excuse me if its inconsistent ^^ I'll try reading it over again when I'm more awake and I'll correct anything then.
Draco: Or she'll get us to redo the whole thing for her.
Harry: (shrugs) Same difference really.
Draco: Did I say you could talk?
Draco holds a grudge remarkably well O.o; Anyway, I'm almost finished that regency one (bet you forgot it though, didn't you? :D) so that might be out by the time school is due again (argh) then its two weeks, then exams, so you can probably expect another chapter of something then. I have no idea what that chapter will be, but it'll be there.
Anyway, on with the story. Read, enjoy, and please review! ^^
It only took Harry a few minutes to find his parents and his friends, given that, now they had found each other, they would stay together, because Ron and Hermione were as much Harry's parents' children as Harry was their parents'.
All he really had to do was follow the noise, which was now coming from the vicinity of the cafeteria, James and Sirius obviously having gotten bored with the smaller size of the common room, not to mention hunger, which was always a big factor in their location.
After nodding a 'see-you-in-a-bit' to Draco, Harry started to actually really think about the whole mess, not just accept it because he was supposed to. It wasn't so much the trip to Centra on his mind as the mind numbing pain and panic that he had felt when Draco had dropped from his mind. He had been really distraught, almost frantic with worry when Draco had dropped into oblivion, and even now, he couldn't remember what he had done during those few minutes of eternity.
It was just a blank spot, a dull gray emptiness that spanned hollowly through his mind.
Thankfully though, now Draco was as bright and as burning in Harry's mind and soul as ever, and Harry had every intention of keeping it that way. The utter desolation when it had happened coaxed Harry to forget about the entire incident, and although Harry wanted to; he felt better considering it and trying to think up a few good reasons why to continue with this whole knight business. The main reason was, of course, that he couldn't quit now.
That decided the whole thing, and had to be enough, whether Harry felt satisfied with the final deduction or not.
There was still one thing bothering him though. How had the knight managed to steal even that little bit of the crucial life source that kept sorceresses alive?
He was thinking about that, and the rogue knight's punishment that still seemed like unconventional torture, so hard that even the shocked silence that greeted him as he walked absently into the cafeteria didn't filter through his preoccupied brain, until Colin stepped in his path, eyes wide, hungry and longing.
"Harry! You look… Hyne, you look…"
Harry blinked back, startled out of his reverie and into the here and now by the strange tone and underlying meaning of Colin's voice. "Yes Colin?"
Colin's eyes were traveling slowly up and down Harry's body, his gaze still not quite believing, and Harry felt his face get hot with embarrassment.
"Colin, if you'll excuse me…"
Colin didn't move, and Harry politely pushed past him, moving quickly towards where his parents and friends were sitting.
"Where'd you get the clothes Harry?" Ron called out, his eyes wide and goggling, as soon as Harry got within talking distance.
Harry looked down in surprised astonishment. He had forgotten about his new clothes. So well chosen by Draco, they seemed to act like a second skin, and Harry flushed again without meaning to, remembering reluctantly the look on Colin's face and understanding now what it had stemmed from. The funny thing was, he had actually forgotten he was wearing clothes tight enough to put any self-respecting person to shame. He felt Draco's smug amusement and realized that Draco was following this thought and feeling pattern with the highest amusement.
He scowled slightly. "Oh… Um… Draco did it…"
Hermione looked up from her bowl of soup at that. "Is he all right then?"
Harry smiled, grateful to her for asking, although it was probably mostly out of politeness. "Yea, he's fine now."
"As fine as he's ever going to be," grumbled Ron, a remark that Harry smoothly ignored.
"But," Harry continued, "we're leaving for Centra in a few minutes."
Lily looked up in surprise. "A few minutes? Why so soon?"
Harry shrugged. He also didn't exactly realize what was so important that they had to leave so abruptly, but he followed orders. It was what he was supposed to do, despite that little defiant niggling in the back of his mind that could have signified Draco's unwillingness to leave. "I don't know actually. Do you want to see us off?" A slight brightening of the light in his mind alerted Harry, and he turned to face the doorway without waiting for their answer.
Draco was waiting just inside the doorway, leaning against the wall, an almost perfect picture of nonchalant impatience and idle lingering.
He gave a small, almost hidden nod, and Harry nodded back slowly in an unspoken acknowledgement. Then he turned back to his family and friends, having missed their answer the first time he asked.
"You wanna come out and say goodbye?"
"Of course!" Lily answered, and took his arm, a slight furrow of thought between her brows. She had not missed the tiny interaction between the sorceress and her son, and she thought about it and its significance as she marched Harry through the door, leaving the others to follow on behind, giving her a moment of privacy.
"Harry, I wanted to talk to you alone, but if you're leaving now, I cant. Just… be careful around Draco, all right?"
Harry looked at her, bewildered. "Of course I will. Is there something wrong though?"
"No," Lily muttered.
Harry chuckled and spun on the spot to face her and to give her a huge hug. "I'll miss you, mom. Come visit again when we return and we'll have our chat, okay?"
Lily hugged him back tightly. "I'm proud of you Harry. Never forget that I love you. We'll talk more when you return, right?"
Harry grinned at something over her shoulder, then winked at her. "If I can arrange a little pit stop, can we come visit you at home?"
"Of course," Lily laughed, and she turned around to go stand by James, as Harry turned to the doorway of the hangar, waiting quietly.
Draco wondered through, still looking around curiously as he joined Harry, gracing the others with a silent, almost sneering smirk.
Harry grinned at him and shook his head, before waving at the others. "Well, we'd better get going. I'll be back soon!"
"Bye Harry!" they all chorused, not hearing Draco's almost inaudible snort. Harry ignored it.
Harry's grin faded to a hesitant smile as he stepped onto their mode of transport, a flying spaceship in the shape of a red dragon, called the Ragnarok and owned by the Balamb sorceress and her knights.
Draco followed behind him, glancing idly around. "Come on," he said, "we're staying in the passenger's compartment while the others pilot and direct."
Harry nodded his acceptance and followed the blonde sorceress, some of his initial nervousness giving way to natural curiosity. The Ragnarok wasn't seen too often around here, being Balamb property, and he wouldn't have had a chance to see it if he had been a normal SeeD.
Draco led him to what was probably the passenger compartment, a large room that was really nothing more than two aisles of seats with three seats in each row, surrounded with big windows all around.
A voice spoke over an intercom, and Harry jumped slightly, his nervousness having returned with a vengeance.
Draco gave him a genuine smile. "Relax," he whispered.
Draco was plainly excited, this being his first trip out of Winhill since before he could remember.
Harry smiled back, lightly comforted by his sorceress' tangible excitement and the sincere wish that Harry share the feeling.
"Are you two on board? Well you probably are, considering all reports say you have entered…"
Harry grinned at the completely informal beginning. It looked like Lee Jordan, professional SeeD flyer, was back. Harry had the honor of being friends with Lee because Ron's twin brothers were best friends with him, and they often exchanged pranks and greetings with Harry and Ron.
The trio reminded Harry of James and his friends, they were that similar in temperament.
"Sorry…" came some grumbling over the intercom and a second later Seifer's voice crackled through.
"Sit down and prepare to enjoy the ride, you two. Chickenwuss-"
There was a background "Hey!" and some slight scuffling before Seifer came back, and Draco and Harry grinned at each other in mutual amusement.
"Sit down you two, and since Zell wanted hot dogs for the flight, just ask for refreshments by your own little intercom and we'll send the chickenwuss down with some food and drinks. We'll be landing in a few hours, so try not to get too bored, we don't want you leaving that compartment unless absolutely necessary. Enjoy your flight."
The intercom crackled with one last minor scuffle and then it was switched off completely.
Harry glanced idly out of the windows for a few seconds, before belatedly realizing that Draco was staring at him intently. Being able to only guess the true thoughts behind the intense look, he stared back in uncertainty.
Draco smiled first. "What do you want to do now?"
Harry shifted his weight to the other leg and considered silently, trying to conveniently forget Draco's immediate presence.
Draco watched with barely concealed amusement, perfectly aware of the turn his knight's thoughts had taken. Harry was still a bit too skittish around him for his tastes. Maybe a few hours together could fix that somewhat.
Draco sat down, a little bit pleasantly surprised at the unexpected comfortableness of the plush covered chairs. He settled himself snugly and smiled innocently up at Harry, trying to be as unfrightening as he could.
Harry watched him dubiously. "What?"
Draco tilted his head to the right slightly, the smile fading faintly, his eyes gleaming.
Harry blinked and sighed in resignation. "Fine then. Move over."
Draco did so without hesitation, and Harry slid into the seat next to him slowly, still more than a little unsure.
Draco cleared that up quickly. "I talked with your mother earlier."
Harry looked at him sharply. "And?"
Draco shrugged, turning a little so he could stare out the window. "Nothing. Just thought you might want to know."
"Okay…" Harry spoke slowly, busy trying to decide whether that fact was a good thing or a bad thing.
Draco stifled a yawn and Harry looked at him meaningfully before hesitantly moving a little closer.
Draco watched in surprise through heavy lidded eyes as Harry tentatively rested his head on Draco's bare shoulder and in careful deliberation closed his green eyes.
Draco, accepting the move for what it was, gently reached up and pulled Harry's new glasses off, closing them and putting them in the cup holder on the windowsill. Harry sleepily murmured thanks and snuggled closer, moving his arms to slip around Draco's waist for lack of a better place to put them, and for perhaps the first time since before meeting Harry's parents, Draco relaxed completely.
Always before he had had something more to hope for, or something else to think about. Granted, he still had a lot of that to do left, but he was tired, so weary and careless of what was coming next now. It was a dangerous feeling to feel, and somehow Harry must have felt, and understood, and worked to ease it.
Draco unconsciously leaned into his knight, and they both dozed off, sometimes slipping into a higher and heavier dream state together.
Seifer walked back into the central piloting room, shaking his head at the weirdness of the sorceress and knight of Winhill.
"What's wrong?" Rinoa asked in concern, looking up from where she was flipping through a manual. She seemed to be determined to learn how to pilot this thing.
Seifer smiled at her easily, a deep-seated love and gratefulness flaring up in him. "Nothing. It's just that those two have to be the oddest couple I've ever seen."
"I don't know, Seifer," Zell spoke up from where he was leaning slightly on Squall's shoulders as the brunette directed lee. "I though we were pretty weird myself."
Seifer smirked, but it wasn't the cruel and malicious smirk it had once been. "We never were a couple, chickenwuss. Not like they are anyway. We're more a foursome."
"What are they doing?" Rinoa asked curiously, marking her place in the manual with a finger.
"They're sitting in one seat, cuddled up as close as you please."
Rinoa smiled happily. "That's great! They need it now, especially Draco."
Seifer smiled back, enjoying the obvious delight Rinoa was feeling for the wayward pair in the room below. "It is, isn't it," he agreed.
Tom watched Kelly fidget impatiently. Hyne knew why, but she was actually really excited about the sorceress' arrival.
Tom himself wasn't nearly so eager. He had heard from Dumbledore that the Winhill SeeDs had caught and held captive the knight of the rogue sorceress, and couldn't help feeling a little twinge of foreboding every time he thought about it.
Kelly clutched at his hand, and, despite his current mood, Tom let her hold it, smiling down at her with a sort of understanding. Then he returned his gaze to the sky, waiting with a heavy sort of dread settling in the pit of his stomach.
Kellan squealed with excitement, her magically enhanced senses seeing and hearing the Ragnarok long before he could, but he was beginning to hear it, and he gritted his teeth in resolution, determined to, for Kelly's sake, at least try and make this visit enjoyable for the new arrivals.