Feel

By: Lady DeathAngel

Disclaimer: not mine, not profiting, 'nuff said.

Warnings: angst

A/N: Okay, so here's part 2. It's unedited but I figured I'd put it up ASAP because I didn't want to leave the last part hanging. I'll beta-read it and probably resubmit later this week. In the meantime, please read, enjoy and review.

Snape didn't give Harry any time to get used to the idea of seeing Remus, which, when the werewolf thought about it, wasn't fair. The other man knew what had happened between the two of them and he'd listened grudgingly to Remus' theories on what was going on with the boy. In fact, he was the only one who did know. Everyone else didn't really care why Remus holed himself away in this study with naught but a green-eyed cat for company. And they didn't care why Harry was so subdued. They blamed it on grief and that was a part of it certainly, but it went deeper.

Remus could see it, looking at the young man in that moment, eyes flickering with emotions that couldn't seem to settle.

"Sit down," Snape said, indicating the chair in front of his desk.

Harry's gaze shifted to the potions professor and then back to Remus as he complied.

"What do you need me for?"

"Draco's been kept in a holding cell in Azkaban for the past two days," Snape told him without preamble.

Remus shot him a severe look but the other man ignored it and was more keen on Harry's reaction.

"What?"

"Fudge issued an order to have him taken into the Ministry's custody for questioning," Snape said, seemingly satisfied with the appalled look on the teen's face.

Harry frowned and looked at the two of them.

"What the bloody hell for? He didn't do anything wrong. We were only talking."

Remus sighed.

"Well, you know that and Draco knows that but the rest of us have to take your word for it."

"And," Snape continued. "At this point a Malfoy's word is as good as mud and worth about as much to Fudge."

Harry was a lot of things but stupid wasn't one of them. So the question he asked was more for verification than anything else.

"You want me to explain it all to Fudge?"

Snape nodded.

"Yes. We've arranged a meeting with him later this evening."

The boy looked away from his professor and toward Remus and then down at his hands. He gave a slight nod and Remus didn't miss the look of relief that relaxed Snape's features.

"I've got some things to see to," he told them both. "But Remus and I will be escorting you to the Ministry so I'll be back."

And then he was gone. Remus wasn't sure if he'd planned to leave them alone or not. It seemed the kind of sadistic thing he'd do. He sighed silently and stared at Harry for a moment before asking him a question he doubted the boy got very often.

"You're all right with this?"

He looked up at him and shrugged.

"I'm the only who can free him, right? Besides he's . . . different. He wanted to call a truce. That's what we were talking about. This thing's gotten too big for us to act like stupid little kids around each other."

Remus simply nodded and Harry looked away again. Nyx, who had been napping under one of the old armchairs in a corner took that moment to make an appearance. She sprinted toward Remus, circled his legs playfully and then leapt onto Harry's lap with a happy mewl.

"I'd wondered where she was always disappearing to," he said softly, scratching her ears. "Um . . . does she keep you company?"

"She's one of the few who does, actually," Remus said with a wry grin.

"Yeah, she did the same for me before I got here."

He trailed off and for a moment Remus imagined a conversation in which Harry told him how horrible it was in that house with those Muggles and they commiserated. He thought that might have been what Sirius would do for him, offer a listening ear and curse loudly and wrap him in a one-armed hug with a promise to always be there for him whenever he needed, wherever he needed.

But he wasn't Sirius and Harry wasn't looking for anyone to take that role. He seemed determined to isolate himself and Remus couldn't blame him. He'd tried it years ago, thinking it was for the best, that he'd only kill whoever got too close because of what a monster he was.

"Um . . ."

Remus looked up to see Harry looking away, still absently scratching Nyx's ears.

"I'm sorry," he said. "For when you talked to me before . . . you know, when I sort of went spare on you. It wasn't right. I'm sorry."

He blinked and then shrugged.

"It's all right, really."

"No it's not," Harry told him, finally lifting his eyes. "It's not all right. You should . . . you should be angry and tell me how rude I was and that you think I deserve whatever I get because of what a horrible person I am."

Remus frowned.

"You're serious," he stated.

Harry didn't say anything just looked away again.

"Where the bloody hell would you get an idea like that?" he demanded.

"I . . . it . . . That's what I am. I do deserve it. I do," he whispered, voice choked.

"No you don't. It's not your fault."

Harry swallowed and then nodded.

"But it is. I could've done differently. I could've stopped myself from looking into Snape's pensieve and kept on with Occulmency lessons and I never would have had that stupid dream. Or, I could've opened Sirius' gift to me and I'd have known he was safe instead of running straight to the Department of Mysteries . . . I could've done differently. I should have."

It all spilled out of him faster than Remus should have logically been able to follow. But the words held him and his attention and he didn't miss a single one. There was a sharply silent moment in which he knew Harry expected him to yell and blame him and tell him that he deserved every bad thing that happened to him. When he hadn't several seconds later, Harry looked up at him. His green eyes, Lily's eyes, were weary and hopeful and Remus wanted so badly to comfort him that he forced himself to turn his head to the side.

There was a sharp intake of breath that was released on a hiss and he thought he heard a muttered, 'I knew it'. But he didn't know for sure.

He didn't watch as Harry left, Nyx at his heels. He didn't look up when the door reopened a few minutes later and Snape entered with a deep frown.

"What happened?" he asked.

Remus just shook his head and dropped it into his hands.