Title: Clear - Unmistakably Clear
Part 2-Chapter 1: Locked
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: R for slash themes
**WARNING**: THIS STORY CONTAINS SLASH THEMES – WHICH MEANS HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TWO MALE CHARACTERS. YOU ARE ADVISED TO LEAVE IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS.
Disclaimer: The characters portrayed in this story do not belong to me, but to the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. This is all FICTION; none of it is true. No profit was made from this story. I bear no responsibility for anything you may claim from this story, you have been warned.
LAST WARNING. SLASH. HOMOSEXUALITY. LEAVE IF YOU DON'T LIKE.
Plagiarism is a crime. But I'm sure you know that already.
***
Draco knew, even without opening his eyes, exactly where he was.
He could feel the same marble floor on his lower back, [the tiny body of a child tossed onto the floor unceremoniously] and his upper body was cushioned by a large, furry rug. He knew, without moving a muscle, that there were no windows in this room, this favourite room of his father's to use, and this most hated room of Draco's to be in. It was, naturally, as well furnished as any other room in the house – how could it be not? There was no artificial light and natural light was a laugh – they were underground after all.
The darkness was suffocating [short, sharp breaths as small lungs struggled to fill] in a most literal way.
Draco sat up with a gasp, eyes flying open as an ice cold grip clutched his heart, squeezing tightly as he clawed at his own chest.
Out
He needed out.
Out
He needed out.
Out
Now, now, NOW he needed out NOW
OUT
"Mummy!" he screamed, crawling on the floor, searching [out of Big Dark] for the smooth polished wood amongst the wall of textured wallpaper. "Mummy Mummy Mummy Mummy Mummy MUMM-EEEE help me help Draco help me Draco wants out Draco wants out Draco wants OUT Mummy Mummy Mummy Mummy!"
He was crying, he knew, as desperate, trembling fingers found the wood, and he scrabbled to find the doorknob [a child hopped hopelessly, stretching up arms in hope of reaching a knob on the door] but he knew it was in vain because no doors in Malfoy Manor had such trivial things as doorknobs.
Perfectly manicured fingernails were torn and ripped as his fingers [tiny delicate fingers of a four year old] scratched at the door, Draco screaming endlessly for his mother.
He could just about make out the sound of his mother's voice on the other side of the mahogany, crying to him. "Draco, Draco, darling, Mother is here, Mummy is here, darling, Mummy's here, Mummy's here, shh, shh, darling, shh, Mummy's here…"
And his own voice [the shrill soprano of a toddler] unable to calm down because this was Big Dark where Father kept him when he was naughty but Draco tried so hard to be a good boy and Big Dark was so scary and he couldn't stop his wails.
His mother's voice was gone now, and Draco scratched at the door ever more fiercely, mind numb to the pain as all he could do was blemish the thick varnish painted over the wood. "Mummy! Mummy! MUMMY! Mummy don't leave Draco here! Draco be good boy Draco be a man Draco want out want OUT want out out out out OUT!"
And then Mummy's voice was back again, still crying [a mother's heart wrenching at the cries of her child], sounding desperate. "Draco, Draco, darling, Mummy brought you Booboo, you want to see Booboo, don't you? Darling, shh, Mummy's here, Mummy's here and I bought you your Booboo, shh, shh, be a good boy and sleep – there's a bed inside, darling, go to sleep, and when you wake up Mummy will be here and Booboo will be here and you can come outside with Mummy again, darling, shh…"
"Mummy," Draco hiccupped, sniffing, still screaming as he [baby scared need get away baby needs away away AWAY] banged helplessly against the door. "Draco want Mummy want Booboo want out of Big Dark Mummy me want out Draco want out OUT OUT OUT OUT…"
"Shh, Draco, my angel, darling, Mummy's here, Mummy's here with your Booboo, we aren't going anywhere, darling, shh, shh, Mummy's here, Mummy's here, Mummy's here…"
Outside the manor, a thick black cloud moved over the round, fat moon, and the night became as black as the Big Dark.
The servants trembled as they heard Master Draco's screams echo through the East Wing of the house from the basement, but they dared not speak up for him when they caught Master Malfoy's look. Nor did they dare try to persuade Lady Malfoy to move from her place ["Get away! My child needs me! Get away from me or I kill you!"] on the floor where she knelt all night, clutching Master Draco's favourite toy in wild hopes that she could calm her angel down. She wanted her baby to have his Mommy and Booboo when he was released, and nothing, nothing would be able to sway her.
The house elves cried in the kitchens, for they were underground too, and they heard the full brunt of Master Draco's screams and wails and hopeless cries. They ran around, tearing about the kitchen, wanting to do something but not knowing what and not daring to do anything in case Master Malfoy got angry. ["Oh, poor Master Draco! Dobby is bad elf, Dobby can't help Master Draco, oh, Master Draco!"] "Oh, poor Master Draco," his elves all wailed, crying in unison as the other house elves frantically tried to do something by doing nothing.
The animals in the forest behind Malfoy Manor stirred uneasily as a chilling wind blew from the house, carrying with it the sound of Draco's screams. The same unnatural wind carried the screams down the mountain, where it echoed pitifully and those at the bottom, who could barely make out the top of the mountain, much less see it, could only look up and shiver at the mournful wind.
***
"Professor, what's wrong with him? Why can't we wake him! What's happening to him?!" Harry was alarmed at Draco, who was scratching, wailing, clawing, eyes wide open but unseeing. Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape were trying to hold him down, but he was thrashing with inhuman strength as he screamed endless cries that demanded out out out out out OUT –
The Headmaster looked sufficiently ruffled. "I'm not sure, Harry, but I can guess that Mr. Malfoy has…regressed, shall we say, and at present, his mind and his memories are locked in the past. He has no idea where he is, who we are, and I'm not so sure he can even see or hear us. All he knows is the time frame that he is currently trapped in."
"Professor – Professor, surely, there must be something we can do? Anything?" Harry's eyes were pleading, red-rimmed with worry.
"I'm afraid not, Harry. Come, let us not disturb Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape, and come to my office for some tea or hot chocolate. You need rest, Harry, and it will do good to rest now before the rest of the world discovers what happened last night."
***
When Draco regained consciousness again, he knew he had escaped from the Big Dark. He could see the sunlight even with his eyes closed and feel the warmth on his skin.
"Mother," he mumbled, instincts taking over as he blinked sleepily at the figure by his bed, heaving himself into an upright position.
"Yes, darling. Mother's here." Narcissa took one of Draco's hands into her own. "And look what Mother brought you." From her lap, hidden in the folds of her robe, she produced a round, fluffy brown bear.
"Booboo!" Draco exclaimed happily, stretching out both arms for his beloved toy. As he cuddled it, he looked to his mother. "Mother," he said. "How did you know I wanted…?" There was a faint blush high on his cheeks because, for Merlin's sake, he was seventeen now, a man, and still holding onto his bear as Mother stroked his hair. It seemed right, though, just then.
"You had us all so worried, darling." Narcissa said, turning her face away in pretence of looking through her handbag.
"Mother – " Draco began, but was cut off.
"Turn around, darling. Your hair is simply screaming out for a brushing."
Draco shifted obediently, still clutching his Booboo.
Narcissa began to speak again as the brush made its smooth path down the length of Draco's hair. "Do you remember what happened after your party, darling?"
The muscles in Draco's shoulders and back tensed visibly. "Yes," he replied, fingers digging into his bear.
"By the time I could let you out, you were unconscious. But when you woke…well, it seemed as if your consciousness couldn't – or wouldn't – wake, and you were stuck in…the room." They never actually had a formal name for it, and Narcissa certainly wasn't about to start with one now.
"Ah." She could see him tense up even more. "I see."
"You understand why I was so worried, darling."
There was silence, and Narcissa hummed happily as she brushed Draco's hair. Her son was awake. And now, everything was going to be fine again.
"How long has it been?" he asked finally.
"Nine days, darling. I was starting to fear you'd never…wake. The doctor from St. Mungo's told me that…well, it doesn't matter anymore, does it?" Narcissa put the brush down on the side table and produced a length of ribbon out of thin air.
"Did anyone visit?"
Narcissa looked up from tying Draco's hair at his strange connotation.
"Well, the Headmaster, obviously. Came at least twice, sometimes three times each day. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin came once, on the morning after – they wanted to thank you for something but hadn't heard about your situation yet, so it was only that one visit. I suspect they're rather busy – court trials and everything. Severus came every day, of course, and the Muggle-born Head Girl came several times as well."
"Granger," Draco said automatically.
"Yes, I suppose it was her. All done now, darling." Narcissa smoothed back non-existent stray hairs and leaned back slightly to admire her work.
"No one else?" Draco hadn't moved, back still facing her as he stared down at the bear cradled in his arms.
"Well, there were some Ministry people wanting a statement of account. They want to present you with an Order of Merlin as well, darling, isn't it wonderful? They know that the attack wouldn't have been successful if you hadn't cast those spells beforehand. Dumbledore wouldn't let them anywhere near the Hospital Wing, so they don't know the details of your condition. Why? Are you expecting someone?"
"No." But Narcissa knew that meant a yes.
"Who, darling? Anyone…special to you?"
Draco gave a short laugh, and at the sound, Narcissa's heart broke. Her baby was unhappy – she could see it written all over him, plain as day. "No," he said, holding Booboo close. "Just wondering, that's all."
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey entered, clutching several bottles. For some reason, she looked genuinely happy that Draco was awake. "Wonderful," she said, as Draco shifted back to lean against the headboard. "We've all been wondering when you'd wake. Got us all worried and worked up as well."
Draco said nothing, and Madam Pomfrey took his silence as the opportunity to run a few checks on him. As the last traces of glitter disappeared, she tucked her wand back into her pocket and nodded. "Right. Now. You – rest. You're welcome to stay, of course, Mrs. Malfoy, but Draco needs plenty of rest, and you should see to it that he gets some."
"Of course," said Narcissa gracefully.
The two of them watched as Madam Pomfrey went off into a little room that served as a makeshift pharmacy.
"Aren't you going to say hello to your Booboo, darling?" Narcissa smiled indulgently.
Draco held the bear up, so that he looked directly into two round eyes. "Bonjour, Booboo. C'est un tres beau de jour."
The bear nodded slowly, moving its paws stiffly, trying to smooth out its movements. "Hey-yo, Day-co."
"I expect Booboo will be feeling a bit stiff after sleeping for so long. I'm sorry I haven't been able to play with it when you were gone, darling, but you do know that Papa hated for you to have it around."
He nodded. "Yes, Mother."
Booboo finished stretching and patted Draco's hand that was holding it around the middle. "Day-co a'ight?"
"Yes, Booboo. I'm alright."
Narcissa smiled happily at Draco's expression as she watched her dear son play with his favourite toy.
---
"Harry? Harry? It's Professor Dumbledore."
"Sir, I don't want to see anyone yet."
"He's awake."
Silence.
Harry opened the door then, staring at Dumbledore, eyes wide. "Then I want to go see him."
"If you want to. And if he allows it." Dumbledore fluidly manoeuvred himself into Harry's room.
"I have to. If only to thank him for – sir, you know Sirius is free now? His trail ended yesterday, with a full public pardon from the Ministry. Sirius is free – and Pettigrew is in Azkaban waiting for the Dementor's Kiss. If Draco hadn't cast that spell on Wormtail, then…then, he would have escaped again, and Sirius…" Harry couldn't finish.
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Harry, I know. A very complicated spell it was, too, and the changes he made to the protection spells under Malfoy Manor, deep inside Murani Mountain where the Death Eaters would gather – those spells, too, were remarkable. All were very difficult to cast and very difficult to hold. Most advanced work for a seventh year student, surpassing even Ms. Granger's abilities, definitely, and even rivalling that of Professor Flitwick's for the charm work. He's to gain an Order of Merlin for that, too, Harry."
"I know. He deserves it. I didn't." He had received a First Class Order of Merlin as the defeater of the most feared Dark Lord in the past five hundred years – Lord Voldemort.
"Nonsense, Harry. Like I said before – you are the only one with the innate power to destroy him. Draco was the one to help you on your way, and to tidy things up so the aftermath would be easier to handle."
A pause. "Can I go see him now, sir?"
Dumbledore smiled. "Of course, Harry. No one is stopping you."
---
His heart felt like it had stopped when he walked into the infirmary and saw Draco there, at the furthest bed on the left, next to the window that looked into one of the courtyards. Draco's profile was turned to him, and a blonde woman was sitting with her back to Harry, and he knew immediately from her looks and posture that it must be Narcissa Malfoy. Draco was playing with something he had in his lap, and there was a tender look in his eyes as he flashed a smile at whatever he was holding and looked up at his mother, who Harry assumed was smiling back at him.
The silver eyes shifted from Narcissa then, and landed on Harry, who was still standing in the doorway. The warmth in them dissipated and turned cold, smile disappearing almost immediately. Narcissa must have seen the change, for she, too, turned in her seat to see who Draco was glaring at.
Harry just stood, feeling his heart beat rapidly, feeling his stomach churn, feeling his blood pulse fiercely through his veins, feeling happy hungry wanting yearning hurt pain fear.nausea.sick.faint.want.desire…guilt.
"Harry Potter?" said Narcissa, surprised. Her voice carried surprisingly well through the large room without being brash.
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said, blushing. "I…I came to see how Draco was doing." He walked down the room, towards Draco's bed.
"Oh?" Narcissa's intense blue stare watched him come forward. Draco had his head lowered, gazing down at his empty hands, refusing to look at Harry.
"Yes, ma'am." He stood at the end of Draco's bed now, and smiled somewhat nervously.
"How kind of you to come. Draco just woke up not fifteen minutes ago. You are the first to visit."
"Really?" His
smile grew.
"Of course. Would you two like to talk? I believe I should go find Severus for – "
Draco looked up then, and tilted his chin up. "No, Mother. I do not believe Potter will be staying. And I don't want to see him or speak to him. Nor do I want him here. At all." Draco's eyes were fixed on a point behind Harry.
Harry's smile fell. "Draco –" he started, but was cut off by Draco's next words, addressed to Narcissa as well.
"Mother," he said, gaze shifting to her. "Send him away."
Harry's stomach dropped to the floor, and he felt a sudden stab in his heart – a dull, tarnished butter knife forcing its way through skin and flesh and muscle and tendons and veins and arteries to his beating heart and then twisting to widen the wound.
Narcissa was looking between them like a tennis spectator, eyebrows slightly lifted, but otherwise expressionless. At Draco's demand, she lowered her head slightly in semblance of a nod and then smiled up at Harry. "Terribly sorry, but I'm afraid Draco doesn't quite feel up to visitors yet." She stood up, and made to steer Harry away. "Come along now. I'm sure Draco will speak with you later."
Harry stumbled along, Narcissa's firm hand on his shoulder, but his head was still facing Draco, body unwillingly led away. A brown fluffy something crawled out of Draco's shirt collar then, and sat on his right shoulder, grabbing onto Draco's ear for balance. Harry's eyes widened.
"Day-co?" It said, in an impossibly small voice. "Day-co, tell Booboo wha' wrong?"
"Mrs. Malfoy, what's – "
Narcissa glanced back, and tried to push Harry out of the infirmary without being rude. "Oh, it's just a toy, nothing important. Now, run along now."
"But Mrs. Malfoy, I want – "
"I know you mean well with your visit. My son likes to make a bit of a fuss when he's ill, but don't worry about it, and maybe he'll be well enough to see you later." She smiled, and closed the door.
Harry stood, frowning at the wood, wanting to cry. Again. He sighed, and turned away.
His eyes were beginning to hurt, raw from all the tissues being pressed to them.
---
"Day-co? Day-co, tell Booboo?" Booboo was currently sprawled, stomach-down, on top of Draco's head, two tiny fistfuls of hair in its paws to prevent it from slipping.
Draco was refusing to answer.
Narcissa sat back down in her seat. "Darling. Is Harry the one…?"
"No."
Yes, she knew.
"Day-co?" whimpered Booboo.
"Shh, Booboo." Draco reached up and plucked Booboo from his hair. "I'll explain to you later – tonight, okay?"
Booboo nodded. "Tay, Day-co. Tiss-tiss to make betta?"
Draco kissed it on the nose, and held it tightly to his chest as he bent his head, eyes closed, trying to stop his tears.
His mother made a comforting noise, and moved to stroke his cheek, wiping it of the few stray drops that leaked through. "Darling," she said, softly, "Tell Mummy what happened. You know I'll try and make it better, darling, you just have to tell me what happened." She moved to sit on the bed, and Draco felt the secure embrace of his mother.
His posture didn't change, but Narcissa felt his muscles relax – just slightly – but enough for her to know he would talk.
"He found me one night, Mother, with my violin. I was careless, I was stupid, I was suffocated in my bedroom, and I was using one of the school music rooms – have been ever since the winter term started. He found me there, one night, and came back the next, and the next, and the next, and the next, and every night – including the one where I received Father's letter regarding my initiation."
Narcissa didn't say a word, only focused her intense stare on Draco as he continued slowly, head still bent, Booboo pressed against his chest, listening also.
"It started that night. I was…distraught. He went to find Dumbledore after walking me back to my room, and I'm guessing he crashed into Professor Snape halfway because he came to my room to speak to me about…details and decisions. And then he came back, and Snape went to Dumbledore. I don't know why it happened, or how, but it did. And he was just holding me from behind as I leaned on him and cried. I cried. I never cry. I'm not supposed to cry. But I was – because Father's letter had made it very clear that there was no way out for me. And, I guess, I just didn't want things to go that way. Things weren't supposed to be that way. But they were, and he was there, and he was holding me."
Draco's voice was calm, cool. Stoic.
"He pretty much invited himself to stay the night – I think he was worried about me, perhaps worried about what I might have done? I invited him into my bed. My mistake started there, Mother. He meant well, and I felt uneasy about letting him sleep on my couch after being so nice to me. We just slept, but the next morning, he kissed me. And then I asked him for another. Afterwards, I made the third mistake in my life."
There was a pause, and Draco took a deep breath.
"I asked him to be my…boyfriend. And he said yes. I blame that entirely on my own weakness of character. I blame myself – for exposing my vulnerability to someone outside of the family, and for willing to succumb to it. Anyway. It was fine for a while, but…I – I guess we began drifting apart around middle of December. I was having…problems. And he needed more than what I could give. So. So he went to find it somewhere else."
"Did you break it off with him, darling?"
Draco shook his head.
"He broke it off with you?" Narcissa asked gently.
Draco shook his head again. "No, Mother," he said quietly. "He cheated on me."
---
Dinner at Hogwarts.
There were a few visitors– an ecstatic Sirius and Remus and, of course, Narcissa. They were all along one long table – there weren't many students staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas break, and those that did were mostly clustered at the far end, as far away from the adults as possible.
Except, of course, for the Trio. Harry sat between Remus and Sirius, with Ron
and Hermione across them. Snape sat next to Remus, and the teachers were
clumped at the front, Dumbledore at the head, with a space across from Snape
for Narcissa, who would ultimately end up sitting next to Hermione.
Dinner had begun – and everyone was eating merrily, laughing, joking, talking loudly – for the worst was over before it even started.
The door to the Great Hall opened, and all chatter stopped as eyes turned to the figure of Narcissa Malfoy. There were whispers among the students immediately, but she ignored them as she slowly walked towards the only empty space left at the head of the table.
"Ah, Narcissa," said Dumbledore jovially, standing up in his seat, waving her over. "How good of you to join us. Come, come, we saved a place for you next to our Head Girl, Ms. Hermione Granger. Is Mr. Malfoy not going to join us?" he asked, settling back down in his seat.
"Draco is most unwell, Headmaster," she said, stopping at her seat and sitting. "He is still too frail to leave the infirmary."
"Ah. My condolences. I hope his health recovers soon so that he may join us here at the table once more."
Narcissa nodded demurely, and everyone returned to their meals.
"Mrs. Malfoy?" came Harry's hesitant voice.
Narcissa looked up at him. "Yes?" she asked, voice cold. It was rather a drastic difference from earlier, and Harry couldn't help but feel nervous when her eyes were fixed upon his.
He squirmed a little. "I was just…wondering how Draco was doing."
She paused, watching Ron hiss something at Harry, kicking him under the table. "Very poorly."
"Oh. Um. I hope he gets better soon."
She just stared at him, the same look on her face he had seen at the Quidditch World Cup almost three years ago. The same prim, downturn of her perfectly shaped lips, and the same haughty, disdainful expression in her eyes.
Harry squirmed some more. "Do you think I could go see him? Maybe after dinner? Or tomorrow?"
He realised that she was giving him the Malfoy Stare – designed to make the recipient break into cold, nervous sweat. He had seen Draco use it many, many times before, and some students had been so scared that they had run off crying. Needless to say, from Narcissa, the results were just as effective.
"No," she said coolly.
"Is he too ill to receive visitors, Mrs. Malfoy?" Hermione asked, from beside her.
"I just do not believe it would be a good idea for Mr. Potter to go visit him," she said, eyes never leaving Harry. "Besides," she continued. "I believe you've been rather busy lately with a Mr. Finch-Fletchley."
Harry's heart stopped.
To Be Continued!!!!
Notes: Ok, ok. I realise that Draco's recap of what happened is rather tedious and boring, but I thought it'd be nice to see what Draco thought of their relationship. You know…? Oh, and please tell me if you like/dislike Booboo. I am perfectly willing to remove a teddy bear from this story – I just think it's cute that Draco has a childhood toy.
Next Chapter: Will probably feature how Draco found out – will probably be rather disjointed, so if you get confused, remember to tell me. It'll be a long time until it's out – because my exams are for the whole of January. So I don't think I'll update until February, at least the end of the first or second week.
Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed Part 1, and also to: Akemi – Sorry! Yes, I'm mean, but angst is supposed to be half of this story, and the romance half has already had a lot of fun. It'll have fun again near the end of Part 2, promise! Thanks for your review!, mistykasumi – I edited the chapter and added a bit about the ring – you wear it when your partner is of the same sex. Draco wore his on a necklace before, but never switched it to his finger, not even when he and Harry were going out, because they were supposed to keep it secret. Hope you like this chapter!, Aurora – my computer hates me, too, hee…I'm so, so glad you like my story! :D How Harry did it, and why, will be the topic for the future. The very near future… thanks for reading!, Callisto Firestarter – I'm really glad you like Narcissa! Thank you very very much for your review! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!, Tsuyuno – Hope you had fun in Japan :D And yes, I agree, Harry is an idiot. Heeheehee. I'll tell you why in a later chapter. I'm so, so happy you liked the chapter, and yes, I admit that the sentence and the paragraph regarding the "Incident", etc, was rather confusing…hee…the details about what happened exactly on Christmas Eve won't be given in detail, I don't think, but hopefully you have picked up some stuff from this chapter…thank you for your review, and hope you keep reading!, Playboy Bunny – Hmm…Maybe you reviewed this story before? My eyes are going fuzzy from being on the computer too long, heehee. I'm really glad you liked the chapter – I've never written something like that before, usually I write everything…it's nice to know that I don't have to, because sometimes it makes things worse…thanks for your review!, chrisseee667 – Thank you so much for your review! I'm sorry if the past chapter was confusing…And you'll know why Harry did it probably by chapter 18 or 19…I hope…, havelock – merci beaucoup…:D, Mi Su – Thank you so much for your review! Thank you very very much for liking the way I write – it's a wonderful encouragement to keep doing it! Hope you like this chapter!, Anna – Thanks for reading, and thanks for telling me! I'm Buddhist, so I wouldn't know…, Jezebel – I'm so happy you like my story! Draco doesn't say their real names because…well, I'll show you when they come back to school after the hols, heehee…I'm glad you like my characterisations of Crabbe, Goyle, and Narcissa…I think they're cute, and they're major people in Draco's lives, so they couldn't be that bad, I think. And yes, Voldie had the hots for Draco. I'll join you in saying "ew". It's not vodka…and it'll play a part later into the story, heehee…keep a watch for it, though it'll be painfully obvious, lol. I'll try and think of a way in which Ron will get beat up. :) Thanks for reading!, Shikala – Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm delighted (^^") to hear that my story inspires – because this is exactly why all writers write and keep publishing/posting…Happy plot bunnies to you, too!!, crimson nightmare – *chuckles* dragon breath…ooee…lol! Ooh, your description of Draco was *haunting*…it was amazing! AMAZING! Heehee, glad you liked my description of Voldie and his desire for Draco…and I LOVE Yami no Matsuei! I just can't seem to get my hands on episode 12 and everything else after episode 13…I know there are more…*cries*…heehee…Hope this part lived up to expectations, Milady69 – There's more to come! It won't be depressing after a few chapters…I think! Keep reading!!! Please? Draco is incredibly possessive, as stated in the first few chapters of the story – but I suspect everyone's forgotten, lol! Hope you liked this part!, Queen Vegeta – Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I don't know what to say, so thank you!!!, mystic-flower – I guess Draco has his reasons…and Harry has *his* reasons…we'll see…heehee…The sad turn is, I guess, important to the plot. It's H/D – they're angsty, they're dark, they're depressing, they're…*fluffy as hell*. So I thought angst might be fun…, Jubilee – I agree…I agree! But I'm sure Harry has his reasons…we'll be hearing them, soon, I hope, when he tries to explain to Draco :D Thank you so so SO much for your review – it's been great hearing from you all the time :D And thank you, I've been recuperating over the holidays, though I don't think it bodes well for my exams this week. Ah well. Hope you stay well and happy and be careful with your arsenic, heehee…, S. Wing – I'm so so glad you like my Crabbe and Goyle as well! After all – if they really *were* that stupid, would they be in the house for "cunning" and "ambition" if they could barely read/spell/function as someone without mental deficiencies? Heehee…
Final notes: I *have* to stop writing such long replies to every review. It takes almost as long as writing the chapter, LOL…But I love you all, so that's why I do it – too happy when I read reviews, lol!
