Do You Believe…?
Plot: set during the summer after OotP. Harry becomes depressed and begins thinking of suicide when a certain ghost invades his life...
Sirius comes back as a ghost to help Harry and Remus through their loses, only not like the ghosts at Hogworts but REAL ghosts! the kind you can't see and get a chill up your spine if they're in the same room and all that? flashes of light, objects suddenly missing or moving on their own, a shadow across the wall, noises from an empty space...
i THINK our house is haunted at the moment so that's really what inspired this. that and the fact that i KNOW my aunt's house is haunted by my grandma- y'know, that sorta happens if a person slowly dies in a place where there's a lot of attachments, right? right! so, i would like to thank my family for finally becoming useful! YAY for family!
also YAY for the movie Ghost, from where i got some really killer ideas! YAY!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Harry Potter hype but if I did things like this would be happening all the time!
Ch9- the Lion, the Poem, and the audience…
Harry gave a great, exaggerated sigh as he came out of the shower, a large fuzzy brown towel wrapped around his waist and trailing to just above his knees. His black hair hung damp and went into his eyes and sent rivulets racing down his back. He was still quite wet, but, seeing as how Dudley had wanted to take a shower just after Harry had gotten in, Uncle Vernon had promptly beaten the door to hurry Harry up. But, of course, this only made Harry move slower.
As he passed his uncle, who still stood stationary by the door, just in case Harry tried to bolt back in, Harry gave an innocent, wide eyed look and crossed the hall way into his bedroom. He shut the door snugly and threw off his towel. "damn muggles…" he murmured. He ran a hand through his hair then started looking for clean clothes.
On the other side of the room, James and Sirius were planning the day out. "okay, so, if Harry leaves again, which he probably will seeing as how the Serpent-bitch jr. called, maybe if you just hold on to me you can come outside?" Sirius asked his best friend. They were both sitting on the window, James on the inside, Sirius sitting on the ledge outside, his head lolled back into the room to talk with James. It was the only way they could both sit by the window. "it's worth a shot. But if it doesn't work I still want you to trail Harry." Sirius gave a nod and they listened to Harry humming some Japanese song called "the real folk blues".
So whenever Harry's ready we'll be off then…" James murmured, watched his son to desperately try to flatten his hair. He smiled warmly and leaned his head against the window.
~~~
Besides James jumping around like a puppy on a leash on its first walk, nothing exciting happened as the three made their way down to the bus stop to wait for the m63. Harry could have walked, he was in great shape and everything, but he didn't want to show up meeting Slytherin prince Draco Malfoy all sweaty and stinky. So they waited.
James wanted to go follow some people around and kept tugging at Sirius' hand like a little kid on a sugar high until Sirius reminded him that if he lost contact with Sirius they didn't know what would happen. So James stopped, for awhile, and contented himself with blowing at Harry's hair, making the boy turn around questioningly and stare into empty air.
Sirius rolled his eyes at his friend's antics until James explained, "it's the gel- I don't like it!" Sirius nodded for his friend but thought Harry looked much more mature with his hair under control. James was probably just mad because he had never thought of it when he was younger and had had to suffer.
Sirius barked out a laugh as James gave a particularly large blow and Harry whirled around, looking much more pissed than scared. "Dammit…" he muttered, glaring at the air that surrounded him, confused but not letting it show. A bit of hair had started to come up and James gave a satisfied smirk as Sirius rolled his eyes, laughing at Harry's "pissed" expression. "thank god he can't see you," Sirius said, "he'd kill you again…"
~~~
The bus came and they went, James pointing and looking around at all the different people. Comments like "and that woman- get back home and change, damn you! Gawd that's awful!" and "you know he's looking down her blouse. Well, look! … THERE! HE DID IT AGAIN!" made up the norm, Sirius would lightly tug James back and then wait for James to venture out again to far to tug him back again.
The ride only took fifteen minutes, by the end Sirius began to get up with James and they would blow in other peoples' faces like they had with Harry's hair. Their stop came and now it was James tugging Sirius off the bus, the other now giddy from mischief. Entering the semi-large book shop, Sirius and James' mouths dropped open in awe. "oh." they both uttered, eyes wide. Harry didn't even pause, head held up high looking for Draco. The two ran to keep up with him as he hurried down the many aisles, scanning a few titles and people.
"glasses glasses everywhere!" James exclaimed, passing by a true dork with a pocket protector. In fact, he had TWO! Sirius grinned, then, catching a streak of blond near the café said, "and there's an ass right over there…" since Harry hadn't noticed the blond's cool blue eyes following all over the store, James decided to help his son out and blew into his ear. "YOW!" Harry yelled, clapping a hand to his ear and sending death glares to the empty air around him. "dammit…"
"you're repeating yourself, 'Arry!" Sirius exclaimed through his giggles, he and James slapped a quick high-five and began walking over to Draco.
Harry rubbed his ear a few more times, caught sight of the blond haired Slytherin gazing at a coffee menu, and changed direction. At least the smug bastard didn't see my little outburst!
As Harry approached the small, two-sitter table, Draco looked up and gave an evil grin. then again….
"are you finally done swatting at imaginary things then?" he asked innocently (or as innocently as a Malfoy could with a huge smirk on his pale features). Harry crossed his arms and glared down. "actually," he began, eyes growing wider, "there's one more left! Right above your head!" not giving Draco the chance to react to that last comment, Harry made a show of slapping something off his head, unsettling a few well placed hairs and generally shocking the blond.
"there, it's gone."
~~~
(30 minutes later- yes, they haven't killed each other yet! BRAVO!)
"a poetry book?" Harry asked, arching a brow and giving Draco a look of serious disbelieving. Draco tilted his head to one side and shut his eyes. "yes, a specific poem. about the night."
"why?"
Draco shrugged elegantly and began riffling through some of the books on his shelf. Harry mimicked the shrug with a roll of his eyes and knelt onto the floor to search the bottom shelf.
"do you know the man William Blake?" Harry asked conversationally, his eyes never leaving his shelf. Draco looked down at him and Harry pulled out the spine of the book that held the title that had grabbed his attention. "'in the forests of the night'?" Draco asked, taking it gently from Harry. It wasn't a poetry book, probably just placed here by accident.
Harry stood up beside him and folded his arms over his chest. "I've read it before. It's actually quite good."
Draco flipped the book over to look at the author's picture.
"she's young."
"and good." with that Harry took the small novel from Draco's hands and flipped through a few page, murmured an "ah-ha!" and handed it back to Draco. "there, read it. It's good. The whole damn book is good." thrusting the book back into the blonde's hands, Harry dropped back down to the floor in an Indian sitting position, obviously waiting for something.
"what?" Draco snapped, feeling a bit uneasy.
"read it." Harry said simply, staring up expectantly. Draco blanched. Reading poetry? In front of Harry friggen Potter, his arch nemesis?! Oh yes, hell had certainly frozen over now. No, to hell with hell, reality has gone bye-bye and left Draco standing in front of a Indian-style Harry Potter debating whether to read the raven haired Gryffindor some poetry.
Draco held the small paperback book carefully and kept glancing over at Harry on the floor. Harry fought back the grin and let Draco choose the right time to begin. Seeing as how he'd be getting no help from Harry, Draco cleared his throat and began, "um, alright then…
Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright-In the forests of the night,-What immortal hand or eye-Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
in what distant deeps or skies-Burnt the fire of thine eyes?-On what wings dare he aspire?-What the hand dare seize the fire?"
Draco broke off abruptly as he heard giggling coming from the direction of the floor. He glared down angrily, a slight tinge of blush appearing across his nose and pale cheeks. "and what are you finding so funny?" Draco asked calmly, but the look in his eyes and his stance made Harry stop and just smile innocently up at the Slytherin.
Harry cleared his own throat. "it's just, uh, you don't read poetry that much, do you?"
"yes I do!" Draco said indignantly, "almost every night in fact!" now his entire pale face has gone red and Harry had to choke back another burst of giggles at this. "er, what I mean is, you don't read it aloud, do you?" Draco gave the Gryffindor a calculating look before conceding, "no. why would I?"
Harry shrugged, stood up from his Indian position of the floor, and took the book from him. "try separating it so the person you're reading it to can understand it and see the flow, kay?" Draco gave a half shrug. "ooookay. Um, here, I'll read some…" he flipped a few pages to find the poem again (which wasn't too hard since it was in the front) and began,
"Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
in what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?… See?"
Draco rolled his eyes. He didn't like feeling like a little kid again and he didn't like anyone being superior of him- even if it was simply reading poetry. Draco took the book back, murmured something unintelligible to Harry, and began reading again, only, this time…
"and WHAT shoulder, and WHAT art,
Could TWIST the sinews of thy HEART?!
And WHEN thy heart began to BEAT,
WHAT dread hand? And what dread FEET?!"
Harry, who had been going back into a crouch to return to sitting in his favorite position, toppled over from surprise as Draco continued to belt out the rest of the poem, attracting EVERYONE's attention! "Draco, shut. Up!" Harry hissed at the blond. He had landed right on his ass and was staring up at Draco wide eyed. Draco paid him no mind, though, and began to like the attention. So he continued.
Louder.
"WHAT THE HAMMER?! WHAT THE CHAIN?!!
IN WHAT FURNACE WAS THY BRAAAAIN?!!!
WHAT THE ANVIL?! WHAT DREAD GRASP?!!
DAAARE ITS DEADLY TERRORS CLASP?!!!!
WHEN THE STARS THREW DOWN THEIR SPEARS,
AND WATERED HEAVEN WITH THEIR TEARS,
DID He SMILE His WORK TO SEE?!!
DID He WHO MADE THE LAMB, MAKE THEE?
OH, TIGER! TIGER! BURNING BRIGHT!
IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT!
WHAT IMMORTAL HAND OR EYE,
DARE FRAME THY FEARFUL SYMMETRY?!!!"
There were a few minutes of silence before the entire store broke out into applause, some hooting (mostly children). Draco grinned widely and bowed low four times, turning slightly after each bow. "yep, this is the poem I want." Draco said to Harry, although his eyes remained on the crowd of adoring fans. Harry recovered from shock and blushed crimson as Draco turned to him.
"we should definitely come back again." a voice that sounded strangely like Harry's said and Draco beamed down at him. A genuine smile that made his heart beat sped up a few paces.
"definitely!" Draco agreed and offered down a hand to Harry.
*a/n: sorry guys, couldn't help but put that last bit in! lmao! Once a slasher, always a slasher!
Wow, this went really really long! O.O can we all just sit back and take a sigh as one? COME ON EVERYONE! SIGH DAMN YOU!!!
…
Thank you.
How do you like the singin-'n-poetry!Draco in this fic? HAHA! I LOVE him! He's, well, the fourth funnest to write!
First it's Harry (cause I'm a die-hard Harry fan! WEE!)
Secondly it's James (cause we can relate so well- he loves Harry, I LOVE HARRY! Can you SEE the connection here people?!)
Thirdly, of course, is Sirius! *watches fan girls swoon* uh-huh… ANYWAYS!
And, fourthly (is that even a word?) is DRACO!!!
Anyways, special thanks to BlackPotterGrl for hanging in there with me- I know I've kept you waiting so long for these damnable chapters!
Also to Serebi for recognizing the pointlessness in this damn thing!
(oh, and Ness? *looks for Ness* ah, there you are! Do you mind if I use you as Remus' new girlfriend? He needs some lovin 'n care too ya know! *grins evilly*)
Thanks everyone for the reviews so far and please keep 'em coming!
-Laura/Natas/ChibiSan
*yes, Dudley WILL be playing a big role in later chapters- go watch Ghost and you'll see… GO DAMMIT!
Thank you.