A/N – I am going to apologize in advance to anyone who dislikes or has never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You might find this chapter either boring or confusing or whatever, and not nearly as amusing as BTVS fans. Sorry, but as the author I can do what I want. You really should watch the show – it's funny as hell. But this is the only chapter – I promise. Also, the next chapter is still going to be the last one.
Draco watched as a lone tear slipped down Harry's cheek. He turned away, feeling as though he was intruding on something private, and walked to the window of the Gryffindor common room to look out at the cloudless sky.
This was the last stop on their tour of the school, the last hurdle on Harry's trip down memory lane. They had gone everywhere; the library, old classrooms, the infirmary, the Great Hall – everywhere except for the Slytherin dorms. Harry flatly refused and Draco wasn't going to argue. The hardest part had been when Harry had completely broken down in the Great Hall and started sobbing. Draco had known it was going to be tough; it was the last place Ethan had hurt Harry, and Harry had to be remembering the wish for death that had escaped his lips in that very room.
Draco turned around and Harry smiled through his tears, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.
"Okay," Harry said. "I'm ready to go."
Draco smiled at the change in Harry's voice; he sounded as if whatever had been holding him captive for the last year and a half had finally been chased away for good. "Do you want to visit Dumbledore and Julian before we leave?"
"No," Harry said, shortly.
"They do know you're here."
"I just want to go home."
Draco nodded. "Okay, let's go home then."
The two slowly walked back through the school, retracing their steps back outside onto the front steps of the school.
Draco reactivated the portkey with his wand and Harry took one last look around before they were transported back to the old church.
"Here you go." Draco held out the empty velvet pouch for Harry to take, depositing the keychain in his pocket.
Harry hesitated. "Are you sure? You bought it."
"For you."
"Yes, but…" Harry trailed off awkwardly.
"It's still yours. Go on."
Harry took the soft bag from Draco's hand and smoothed the velvet beneath his fingers. "Thanks."
"Well, it is your birthday," Draco reminded. He turned and picked his way down the ivy covered aisle towards the exit.
"Would you mind if we just stayed here for a bit?" Harry called out suddenly.
Draco turned. "If you want."
Harry nodded and sat down on the steps of the raised platform at the front of the church, his fingers still playing with the velvet pouch.
Draco leapt neatly onto one of the few unbroken pews and sat down on the back of it, his feet planted firmly on the wooden bench. Harry sighed and leaned back. He looked up through the brightly coloured stained glass window, the sun shining through and casting a rainbow of patterns on the floor around him.
Draco absently picked at a hangnail, seeing as Harry appeared to be content to just sit in silence.
The air in the church was muggy and warm. Little dust motes floated through the shafts of sunlight streaming in from the cracked glass windows. It was completely silent inside, as if someone had thrown a blanket over the rest of the world to muffle the sound. No trace of a bird's song or even the wind in the trees could be heard within.
It was the very definition of peace and quiet.
"Draco?"
The blond looked up as Harry's voice broke through the stillness.
"Are there any headache potions back at the house?"
"A few." He furrowed his brow, trying to remember just how many they had left. "Are you having one of your headaches right now?"
Harry stared blankly for a minute before realization dawned. "No, it's not one of those. I think it's from all the crying and stuff."
"Have you stopped getting those headaches?"
"Yeah, ever since that day in the Great Hall. Julian told me that it takes a very powerful emotion or event to bring out an Intimus Magis' magic, so every time I thought of Sirius and got a headache it was because that magic was close to pushing its way out. Sirius' death was traumatic and affected me a lot, but it was not strong enough to evoke the magic like the situation with Ethan. Understand?"
"I think so." Draco thought it over. "So now that you have control of that magic, it can't try to activate on its own."
"Right, once I'm aware of it, and learn to control it, it can't hurt me. Although it can leak out accidentally at times, which is quite dangerous to others but not myself."
Draco smiled. "You must be relieved – no more migraines."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I used to think it was Voldemort trying to get into my head."
"Do you think Dumbledore knew the real reason?"
"Perhaps," Harry pondered thoughtfully. "I wouldn't put it past him to withhold information for his own gain. God knows he's done it before."
"Ah, yes, the prophecy." Draco remembered.
"Yep."
"He is a crafty old coot."
Harry snorted and nodded in agreement.
Draco slid down onto the bench and put his feet up on the back of the pew in front of him, his hands crossed behind his head as he lounged back into a comfortable position.
Harry looked up. "I think my arse has gone numb from sitting on this stone floor."
Draco smirked and patted the bench next to him.
Harry smiled and walked down the aisle. He threw his cloak down as a cushion and sat next to Draco, taking up the same laid-back position.
The two stared up at the gabled roof above them, cobwebs hanging in ethereal arcs from the wooden beams.
"How are you doing, Draco?" Harry asked without turning his head.
Draco shrugged. "I'm okay, I'll be glad when this stupid war is over with and I can try to have a normal life for once."
"Me, too." Harry stared steadily at the ceiling. "So…no boyfriends then?"
Draco snorted. "I haven't really had time. You've only been back for one week and I don't go out that often, except patrolling and Death Eater meetings, hardly ideal places to meet that special someone."
"You could've met someone while I was away," Harry reasoned.
Draco finally turned to look at him. "And cheat on you?"
"Oh, you wanted to wait until after you talked to me. I see. Well, that was nice of you."
"You mean after you talked to me."
Harry stared at him. "What?"
"What are you talking about?" Draco frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
They both stared in confusion.
"Draco."
Draco and Harry turned around and saw Snape standing tall in the doorway.
"I see Mr Potter's lack of consideration for other people's feelings is beginning to rub off on you."
"Huh?" Draco replied, his mind still on the previously bewildering conversation.
Snape's lip curled with disdain. "And his lack of vocabulary skills as well, I see. The two of you may not care, but there is a house full of people wondering why the birthday boy is two hours late."
"Oh, shit!" Draco exclaimed, standing abruptly.
"Ah, and your vocabulary increases with yet another worldly Potter phrase," Snape commented wryly.
"We were supposed to be back by now," Draco explained to Harry. "We'd better go."
Harry stood up and grabbed his cloak from off of the bench.
They followed a few steps behind Snape as he led them down the dirt road towards the house.
"I can't believe you're friends with that git," Harry mumbled darkly, glaring at Snape's back.
Draco stiffened. "That man has helped me more than any other person in my life."
"Maybe he's nice to you, but he's a right bastard to me."
"Maybe you never gave him the chance."
"Do you remember our first potions class back in first year? He picked on me for no reason. I didn't even know him!"
"He was just testing you and demonstrating to the rest of the class what he expects from his students. He probably picked you because he already knew your name."
"Or because he holds a grudge against my father," Harry said, bitterly.
"Can you blame him?"
"But I had nothing to do with it! My father might've acted like…well, you – but that doesn't give him the right to make my life a living hell!"
"You just have to see his good side. He may not be harbouring an inner Hufflepuff but he does have another part to him besides that snarky exterior. At the last D.E meeting…" Draco stopped and shook his head.
"What?" Harry prompted, curiously.
Draco stopped in the middle of the road and turned to face Harry. "Voldemort tested our loyalty by making us torture a Muggle girl who was probably all of six years old."
"Oh my god…" Harry whispered.
"And he asked me to finish her off with Avada Kedavra – only I couldn't do it. She was barely conscious and I'd already used Cruciatus on her twice and I couldn't do anymore. I felt sick and Severus knew it. So he did it for me. And don't even think that he wanted to because I know he fucking well didn't!"
Harry lowered his eyes apologetically. "I don't know what to say…"
Draco sighed and started walking again. Snape was already at the house ahead of them. "Just don't run him down in front of me, okay? You don't have the right."
Harry walked beside him, trying to reconcile the Snape he knew to the picture Draco painted of the man. "I won't insult him anymore if it bothers you."
"Thank you," Draco said, curtly.
Harry grabbed his sleeve. "I didn't realize how much he meant to you. I take back what I said about him, okay? Don't be angry."
Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He finally looked up with a reluctant smile. "I guess I have to do what you say since it's your birthday."
Harry smiled in relief and let go. "Thanks. And just so you know, I'll be there for you if you ever need someone to complain to about him."
Draco rolled his eyes and pushed Harry up the walk towards the house. Harry laughed as Draco steered him up to Snape from behind.
"Are you staying for my party Professor Snape?" Harry asked sweetly.
Draco poked him sharply in the ribs.
"Ow!" Harry protested with a grin.
"No, I am sorry to say that I will not be staying," Snape replied, acidly. "I came to inform you that there will be no patrolling tonight-"
"Yes!" Harry whooped joyfully.
"- and two of you need to leave at eight to meet Laszlo."
They both groaned.
Snape felt as if he were still dealing with a couple of first years. He gave a departing nod and walked around them to head back to the church and on to Hogwarts.
Draco and Harry laughed and pushed open the front door.
"Harry!" Ron shouted happily. "You're back!"
Hermione, Cody, Ginny, and Ernie all crowded behind Ron to greet Harry.
"Hey, guys!" Harry replied with a smile.
"Now we can eat!" Ron chirped, turning back around to head into the kitchen.
Everyone laughed at the red-head as he practically ran from the hallway.
"Come on, Harry." Hermione smiled, taking his cloak from him. "We're all sleeping in the living room tonight, it's kind of an old fashioned slumber party."
"Except with alcohol." Ernie winked.
"Alcohol?" Harry repeated faintly.
"Yeah, Cody got it for us."
Cody shrugged, his blue eyes twinkling as he put an arm around Ginny and entered the living room.
"Wow." Harry looked around the room in awe.
All the old dusty furniture had been pushed back, making room for a circle of plush sleeping bags and tons of pillows. There was a huge flat-screened plasma TV in front of the fireplace and surround sound speakers set up around the room. Under the TV was a DVD player and a stack of brightly wrapped presents.
They all watched Harry expectantly.
"Holy shit…" he breathed, feeling completely overwhelmed.
"The TV, speakers, and DVD player are from Draco," Hermione explained. "And the wrapped gifts are from the rest of us."
"Draco!" Harry chastised. "That must have cost a fortune!"
Draco shrugged. "My father sends Severus an obscene amount of money for looking after me and we didn't know what to do with it – you solved our problem."
Harry smiled in disbelief. "Well, I'll have to thank your father next time I see him."
"Thank Hermione, she's the one who went and picked out all this stuff and bought it from those Muggle shops in London."
"Open your presents!" Ron said upon entering the room, levitating a floating buffet of food and drinks behind him.
Everyone held their breath until the food had landed safely on the empty patch of floor by the sleeping bags.
"Yeah, go on, Harry," Ginny urged in anticipation.
"Okay." Harry nodded, feeling euphoric with excitement and happiness.
They all settled themselves on the floor and Ginny placed the gifts by Harry. Draco disappeared and returned immediately with Harry Junior in his arms.
"Oh, can I hold your bunny, Draco?" Ginny pleaded.
"Sure." Draco handed him over and sat down next to Harry as he tore into his first present.
Harry's green eyes widened. "Buffy: Season One!" he practically squealed in delight. "Thanks, Ginny."
"Your welcome." She smiled and put Harry Junior down to hop around in the discarded wrapping paper.
Harry opened the next one. "Buffy: Seasons two and three? Thanks, Cody."
"Happy birthday, Sparky."
Harry continued on through each present until he finally had the entire Buffy collection lined up in front of him. Seasons one through six.
"Wow…" Harry gazed at the DVD box sets reverently, his jaw sore from smiling.
Ron picked up season five and opened it curiously, his other hand filled with a greasy stack of crisps. "Hey, that blond bird is hot."
Harry glanced over. "That's Buffy."
Everyone immediately picked up a different case and flipped through it. Only Hermione and Harry had actually seen, or even heard of, the show before.
"Who is this chick?" Cody asked.
Harry smiled. "That's Willow."
"You really go for the red-heads, eh?" Ernie smirked.
"Willow's a lesbian," Harry mentioned nonchalantly.
"What?!" Cody sat up. "I think we'd better watch this."
Ginny punched him in the shoulder.
"I second that motion," Ernie spoke up eagerly.
Ron nodded. "Me, too."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
Ginny grabbed the box from Cody. "Hey, Harry, which one is the bloke that you fancy?"
"Um…he's not in that season. Let me see…" Harry looked around and took season five from Ron who was still drooling over Sarah Michelle Gellar.
"Hey!" he protested.
"This is him." Harry opened it up and pointed.
Ginny raised her eyebrows then glanced up at Draco. She ducked her head trying not to laugh.
Ron looked over her shoulder. "He looks like Malfoy."
Draco choked and grabbed the box out of her hands. "No he doesn't! His hair is obviously dyed, look at how dark his eyebrows are! And he has that scar there. Also his cheekbones are…are…"
"Better?" Ginny supplied.
Draco glared.
"Plus, the hairstyles way off, mate," Cody added.
"Not if you'd seen Draco back in school." Ernie chuckled.
"Your hair is much better now," Hermione said, taking pity on her partner. "Now it looks more like…erm….Brad Pitt, in that movie Meet Joe Black."
Harry nodded in agreement while everyone else just shrugged blankly.
"Can we watch one now?" Ginny asked, impatiently.
"Which one?" Harry asked, looking at them all.
"Better start at the beginning," Hermione suggested.
The group settled down, grabbing snacks and bottles of beer as Harry popped in the first DVD.
By the time they got to episode five, they were all feeling distinctly tipsy. Except for Harry, who wasn't drinking anything but water.
"I thought you said that that chick was a lesbian?" Cody complained loudly.
"Not until season four," Harry explained, finding it endlessly amusing how his friends acted under the influence.
"Let's watch season four!" Ron proclaimed exuberantly, spilling part of his drink.
"Yeah, then we get to see Draco's alter-ego." Hermione giggled.
Harry chuckled at Hermione's slightly flushed cheeks and alcohol-glazed eyes.
Draco threw a carrot stick at her.
"Ew!" She shrieked. "That had dip on it!"
Ernie stopped the DVD player and slid in season four, episode nine.
"Well, at least he's English," Draco slurred, watching James Marsters on the screen.
Harry and Hermione shared a knowing grin.
"I like Giles!" Ernie suddenly blurted out.
Ron snorted with laughter. "You would! He's all smart and boring – he's you in about twenty years."
"Yeah, well, you're Xander!" Ernie shot back. "All klutzy and useless."
Ron gaped, deeply offended. "Harry, am I Xander?"
"Sorry, mate, but you do have certain Xander-esque qualities."
"And Hermione is Willow, without the red hair," Ernie said, looking as though he was having trouble focusing.
Harry tried not to laugh.
"I should be Willow," said Ginny.
"The lesbian?" Cody asked, brows raised.
"Oh, yeah…scratch that."
"You can be Dawn," Harry suggested.
"Who's that?"
"Buffy's sister."
"She has a sister?"
"I know!" Ron suddenly shouted, sitting up and spilling more of his beer in his enthusiasm for his brilliant idea. "We should all pick a character that we're the most like."
"I think Harry should pick for us – he knows them best," Cody said.
"Okay." Harry smiled and stood up. He looked around at them all thoughtfully, one finger tapping his chin. "Well…Ron is Xander. Ginny can be Dawn. Ernie is Giles….or maybe Riley, he's closer to your age. Um, Hermione is Willow or Tara, except for the lesbian bit. Cody is…Angel, I guess. And Draco is Spike." Harry blushed and sat down as Ginny whistled and Hermione giggled.
"What about you?" Draco asked, unsteadily. "Who are you?"
"I don't know…there's nobody left."
"I think he's Buffy," Hermione said, shrewdly.
"What?" Harry exclaimed.
"You are definitely a male version of Buffy; the 'chosen one,' ass-kicker of evil, and…short."
"I am not!" Harry retorted indignantly.
"Plus, he's in love with Spike," Ron added, cheerfully.
Harry blushed again and was careful not to look in Draco's direction.
Ernie frowned in confusion. "But Buffy's in love with Angel."
Cody chuckled. "We're changing the story – Angel gets together with Dawn."
"That is so wrong," Harry said, wrinkling his nose at the thought.
"So who does Buffy end up with?" Ernie asked.
"That's the question isn't it?" Draco mused quietly after a pause.
Harry turned and met Draco's gaze, not sure what they were talking about anymore.
"How did you two get together?" Hermione asked Ginny and Cody, trying to change the subject.
"Feel free to not go into great detail," Ron said with a disgusted look on his face.
Harry blinked and the moment was gone. Draco looked away and took another beer from the table.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Cody asked me out the first day I was here after Harry's return."
"I guess Australian men move fast." Ernie laughed.
"I can't resist red-heads." Cody shrugged, laying his cheek against Ginny's shiny hair.
Draco glanced back to Harry and saw him smiling almost wistfully at the couple. He wondered if the brunette really did have feelings for Cody.
"Let's watch the musical episode now," Hermione said excitedly, taking out season six.
"Yeah." Ginny sat up with interest. "I wanna hear Draco sing."
Ernie sniggered. "Okay, here's the rule – whatever the characters Harry assigned to us do in this episode, we have to do in real life."
Everyone fell over laughing, except for Harry, who wasn't pissed out of his mind and knew how the episode ended – with a big passionate kiss between Buffy and Spike.
"And you have to take a shot every time Spike says 'bloody hell'." Hermione giggled.
"We're out of tequila." Ernie turned the empty bottle upside down.
"Oh, poo." Hermione pouted.
"Shh...it's starting," Ginny shushed them impatiently, turning up the volume on the TV.
Harry was desperately trying to think of a way to stop their little game when his eyes landed on the clock. "Shit!" he swore under his breath.
"What is it?" Draco whispered from beside him, blearily trying to focus properly.
"It's two minutes past eight."
"And?"
"Laszlo."
"Fuck." Draco quickly tried to stand – and failed miserably.
Harry chuckled. "I'll go, you're in no state to do any work tonight."
"But you can't go alone," Draco protested weakly, his head spinning.
"It's okay, it's still light out. I'll be fine."
"Okay, Harry." Draco suddenly smiled goofily and touched his finger to Harry's nose. "Be careful."
Harry shook his head and quietly snuck out of the room.
They were all so engrossed in the show that nobody noticed Harry slipping out the front door a minute later.
'Where do we go from here?'
Ginny and Hermione clapped wildly as the final credits rolled.
"That was awesome!" Ginny enthused. "Let's watch it again!"
"No!" The boys groaned in unison.
"I say we watch a lesbian one," Ron said drowsily, eyes drooping.
"I think I'm going to be sick…" Ernie said, holding his stomach and glancing at all the empty beer bottles.
"I think we're all going to be sick come morning," Cody grimaced.
"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked suddenly.
They all looked around in bewilderment.
Draco woke from dozing against the pillows. "Huh?"
"Where's Harry?" she repeated.
Draco closed his eyes again. "He went to see Laszlo."
"Alone? When?"
"When you started the singing show."
"The first time?"
Draco dragged his eyes open. "What?"
"Draco, we watched it three times."
"What?" He sat up, feeling dizzy, and tried to focus on the clock. "It's ten thirty?"
Hermione turned off the TV and tried to think clearly. "What time was the meeting?"
"Eight."
That sobered everyone up pretty fast.
"He's been gone for two and a half hours?" Ron exclaimed in shock.
They all stumbled to their feet in a rush.
"I'll go make some coffee," Ginny said and left for the kitchen.
"I'm going to the meeting place," Draco said, resolutely.
"No." Hermione shook her head. "It could be a trap."
"What should we do?" Ernie asked, fear lacing his words.
"I'm sure he's fine," Cody reasoned.
"And if he's not?" Draco asked, harshly.
"Then we'll contact Snape and Dumbledore," Hermione replied calmly. "Harry might have simply got lost on his way there or back, he's never gone alone and he's still new to the place."
The atmosphere in the house was tense and uneasy as they waited…and waited…
At one thirty, five and a half hours after Harry's disappearance, Draco wrote a letter to Professor Dumbledore with shaking fingers.
A fear like he'd never known gripped his heart as he watched the owl bearing the message fly away into the night. He stood in the open doorway, searching the moonlit road for any sign of Harry.
It was cold and empty.
Draco closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the doorframe. "Please be alright, Harry," he whispered desperately. "Please…"