Chapter Sixteen: Double Bonded
As March drew to a close and April approached, the focus of most students turned toward the end of the year exams. Ginny and Luna were noticeably absent during meals and breaks as they spent most of their free time in the library with the rest of the fifth year students. Quidditch season was winding to a close as well as Slytherin and Gryffindor prepared to face off in the final challenge in May. D.A. meetings were held less often because schedules conflicted too much with study routines and quidditch practices. So it was that on a warm, sunny afternoon in April, Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves lounging under their favorite beach tree overlooking the lake. Harry and Ron were making half an effort to listen to Hermione as she quoted to them from her History of Magic notes, the rest of their attention focused on a few first years taunting the giant squid with some bread crumbs, hoping it would come to the surface to eat them.
"Don't they know squids are carnivorous?" Ron laughed lightheartedly as he watched them.
"Apparently not," Harry responded, but stopped short when he saw Hermione glaring at him.
"You two aren't paying any attention at all!" Hermione scolded.
"That's not true," Ron defended himself. "You were just reading something about the goblins uprising in um…eighteen…um..sixty….something."
"Seventeen twenty! Honestly, how do you two expect to pass the exam?"
"Haven't passed one yet," Harry commented without concern. "The only reason we're still in the class is because it's required for all students regardless of their…hey, what was that?"
"What?" asked Hermione and Ron in unison.
"Across the lake…is that what I think it is?" Harry was staring at a point directly across the lake from the first years who were taunting the giant squid. Three dark hooded figures were floating slowly across the surface of the lake, a layer of ice forming beneath them as the came. The air around the castle quickly lost its warmth and Harry was suddenly quite sure of what he was seeing. "Ron, get Dumbledore, Hermione, summon the D.A. to the Room of Requirement. I'll get these students inside as quickly as possible!"
Ron and Hermione went into action immediately and Harry dashed toward the lakeside to warn the first year students.
"Get inside the castle!" Harry called as he reached the lake. The first years stared at him wide eyed for a moment, but then immediately dashed for the Entrance Hall. Harry pulled his wand then and cast his first spell.
"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled, and the silver stag charged across the lake at the approaching dementors. One dementor was pushed back, but the other two continued forward. Harry directed his patronus at the other two and it toppled them like dominoes. All around him, students were screaming and running for the safety of the castle. Harry caught sight of green quidditch robes in the mix of students trying to cram themselves in through the Entrance Hall doors all at once. Harry felt the warmth of his D.A. coin in his pocket and knew that Hermione had gotten to the D.A. room. He hoped Ginny and Luna would not overlook the summons in their effort to concentrate.
Five more dementors suddenly joined the first three, then four on the left and another four on the right. Harry backed up toward the castle to keep from being surrounded. A few other D.A. members including Seamus and Dean, Neville, and the Creevey brothers, who had been on the grounds came to help Harry hold off the dementors. Together, their patronus charms held back the flow, but a new danger soon emerged.
Several hooded and masked wizards stepped from the depths of the forest onto the grounds and began to advance toward the school. The melee of students struggling to find their way into the castle suddenly froze as one of the Death Eaters sent a stunning spell in their direction. Two students fell, and Harry cried out in anger, "Where are the teachers?"
As if summoned by his cry, Professors Snape, Flitwick, and Sinistra began to push their way through the gaggle of students in the Entrance Hall.
"Now, now," said Flitwick, assessing the situation in the doorway. "Single file, let's get in. Go straight to your common rooms, all of you, as soon as you're in."
"Potter, what on earth…" Snape began, but Harry was not about to concern himself with niceties at a moment like this.
"Not now, Professor. Look out behind you, sir," he said testily, and Snape turned just in time to dodge an angry looking blast of purple light. Harry pulled Seamus down with him as the beam headed straight for them instead.
"You'll have to aim better than that, Dolohov," Harry cried at the Death Eater as he pulled himself up from the ground. "Stupefy!" he yelled, and Dolohov suddenly slumped to the ground.
"Watcher, Harry," said Tonks, emerging from the castle. "Nice shot! But you all best get inside now."
"Go on," Harry said to the five other Gryffindors who had helped him hold off the dementor attack. "Get inside!"
"What about you?" Seamus asked, obvious suspicion in his voice.
"I'm coming. We need to go straight to the D.A. room," Harry replied hastily.
They all rushed toward the Entrance Hall. Harry saw the back of Dennis Creevey's robes slip in through the doors just as a seering pain shot down his back and into his toes. Collapsing and gasping for breath, Harry grabbed onto the door handle for support.
"Oooo, is wittle baby Potter feeling ill," a falsely sweet voice trilled. The sound of that voice filled Harry with rage and he turned to face Bellatrix Lestrange, his face a mask of fury and fire.
"You'll pay for what you did to Sirius," he cried, all reason and logic were swept away in an intense need for vengeance.
Harry sent a series of spells at Bellatrix, which she dodged with the speed and agility of young tigress. Then she turned her wand on Harry and said, "Won't master be pleased! A successful attack on Hogwarts and the added bonus of bringing the famous Harry Potter to him in a little sack. Crucio!"
The pain in Harry's back suddenly reached every extension of his body. Harry writhed and screamed as he slid down the steps and onto the lawn. "Accio Potter," Bellatrix laughed, and Harry felt himself being dragged as though by an invisible string toward his enemy.
Suddenly a stream of red light seemed to come out of nowhere and caught Bellatrix across the shoulders. Harry gasped and cringed as he tried to rise, looking around for the source of this stunner that had saved him. He was certain he'd be looking into the sad and angry face of the headmaster. He was already trying to form the apologies for having not been inside the castle sooner when not Dumbledore, but Draco Malfoy stepped from behind the castle doors and looked reproachfully down at him.
"How are you supposed to save the world if you can't even get away from one witch?" Malfoy spat at him.
Harry sputtered and stared at his defender, confused at the very sight of him.
"Has someone cast a befuddlement charm on you? Come on, get in here, will you? Or do you need me to come out there and carry you in?" Malfoy sneered at Harry.
"I'm coming," Harry groaned as he rose to his feet. Harry had just set foot on the bottom step when Malfoy suddenly turned a sickly shade of green and began to tremble. "What is it?" Harry asked, and then he turned to see for himself. Three Death Eaters were advancing toward the castle entrance, a wisp of white blonde hair slipping out from behind the mask of the one in the middle. Harry instinctively moved backward, away from the Death Eaters, and tripped on the steps behind him. He sat down with a thud on the top step and Malfoy grabbed his cloak from behind, dragging him into the castle. As the doors closed, locking the attackers out, Harry looked up at his rescuer and realized the enormous consequences of what Malfoy had just done.
"Malfoy," Harry nearly whispered, "that was your Dad, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," the other returned, looking away to hide whatever emotions he might be feeling.
"But…" Harry had no idea what to say. "You should have closed the door on me, or at least walked away so I had to get in on my own." A pressure was beginning to settle on Harry's mind, an anxious, heavy feeling, something akin to guilt. "Why?" he asked.
"I swore an oath. Besides, you were going so absurdly slow, couldn't even stay on your feet! Someone had to save your sorry arse!" Malfoy was sneering and taunting as though nothing of any import had ever transpired between them.
Harry shook his head as though trying to remove the cobwebs. Then he said, "Well, let's get to the D.A. rooms. Everyone's waiting for us there."
"Hold off a sec," said Malfoy. "You're bleeding. Let's get you to hospital, then I'll go up and tell them all you got hit on by that Lestrange woman again! That oughta be a laugh!"
"You're such a 'git, Malfoy," Harry began, "And I am not bleeding…" But then Harry remembered the curse that had slammed into him from behind, and he gently pressed his hand into the back of his robes and drew it back. The intense pain of the Cruciatus made this feel like a tiny scratch, but his hand was coated in his own blood, and he suddenly realized his head was foggier than it should be. He tried again to shake away the cobwebs, but found himself unable to stop the room from spinning in the process.
"Potter…POTTER!" a voice called from far, far away.
Harry awoke to find himself in the all too familiar infirmary. Ginny was curled up in the nearest chair, apparently asleep, and Ron and Hermione's voices were floating over toward him from the far end of the room.
"Will he be all right, then?" Ron was asking.
"I expect he will," was Madame Pomfrey's reply. "It's lucky for him Mr. Malfoy intervened when he did."
There was some indistinct grumbling from Ron while Hermione said, "Can we see him then?"
"If he's awake, you can. I'll go and see."
Harry listened to the healer's footsteps as she approached his bed and looked up as she drew back the curtains. "I see you have one visitor here already, despite my insistence. Well, so be it." Madame Pomfrey turned and walked away, muttering under her breath about the stunts students pulled these days, and Ron and Hermione approached Harry warily.
"Is it true?" Ron asked him first. "Did Malfoy really save your life?"
"I'd say he did," Harry said. "I tripped on the steps. If he hadn't pulled me in the door, I'd have been surrounded. His Dad was there, too, saw the whole thing."
"This isn't good, Harry," Ron said.
"Why? Would you prefer it if Malfoy had let me die?"
"No, no of course not," Hermione answered. "But now you have Malfoy's oath of loyalty, and he holds a life debt from you."
"Meaning…?" Harry asked.
"You owe a life debt to Malfoy," Ron clarified. "You, Harry Potter, owe a life debt to Draco Malfoy, son of a Death Eater and hater of Muggleborns."
"I suppose I do, but like Hermione said, I still have his oath of allegiance. It seems to me this would only serve to solidify his position."
"You're double bonded with Malfoy?" Ginny spoke from the chair in the corner. "That's gonna be weird."
"Sorry we woke you, Gin," Harry said.
"Not to worry, I was getting a terrible knot in my neck from this chair, anyway."
Harry slid over a few inches and patted the bed. "You can come sit here if you like."
Ginny snuggled up next to Harry and Ron nearly forgot his previous concerns as he watched them cuddle. Seeing the darkening expression on Ron's face, Hermione interjected.
"You and Ginny are double bonded as well. It's probably what caused the spontaneous development of the Ptolemy bond," she pointed out.
"Does that mean I'm going to start hearing Malfoy's thoughts as well?" Harry laughed.
"I doubt it," Ginny said, "There's no love lost between the two of you. Our double bonding didn't produce a Ptolemy bond until we had both fallen in love with each other. Unless there is something about you that I don't know, that's not likely to happen with Malfoy."
"Oh my, no," said Hermione. "It's just that…"
"What?" Harry asked.
"It's Malfoy," Ron said as though that explained everything.
"So? Ron, Snape owed a life debt to my father, and that didn't make them into instant friends. Snape's debt was transferred to me when my father died, but it doesn't make him treat me kindly in class. I don't see how this changes anything."
"It's simple, Harry. A life debt can be exchanged for a wizard's oath of loyalty. Malfoy could use this as an excuse to switch sides again," Hermione explained.
"Now, why would I want to do that?" a drawling voice spoke from the doorway, and the four Gryffindors snapped their heads around to see its source.
"How do we know you won't?" Ron asked defiantly. "How can any of us trust you?"
"You don't know, and you don't have to trust me if you don't want to. Look Potter," Draco spoke dryly, "If you like, I'll exchange your life debt for my oath and never bother with any of you again. But I can't go back to my father, now. He knows. There's no mistaking, if I do go home this summer, I will either have to swear my loyalty to the Dark Lord, or suffer whatever fate my father will give me. I would not be surprised if he killed me himself."
"No," Harry said instantly, "there will be no exchange. And you can't go back to your father."
"Where else would I go?" Draco asked, as though baiting an answer.
"I'll have to ask Dumbledore about it, but I do know of a place."
"Harry, you have to be joking," Ron said quietly.
"Not at all," Harry replied, "It's the only way, the only safe place. We were just saying so the other night."
"Where is this place?" Draco asked warily.
"I'll tell you when I've spoken with Dumbledore," Harry said. "What'd that Lestrange woman do to me anyway?"
"Left a gash down your back, two more inches to the right and she'd have severed your spine," Ginny informed him.
"I guess that explains why I tripped on the steps," Harry chuckled, and Malfoy's lips curled slightly in the corners.
"It's not funny," Ginny cried, "you could have died!"
"It's all right, Gin, I'm sorry. But I didn't die. I'm here." Harry soothed her and tried to lift an arm to drape around her shoulders, but found a sudden return of the pain in his back prevented him.
"Yeah, you're alive, but you're going to be stuck in here for a while," Hermione said. "We'll be bringing your schoolwork to you for a few weeks. We'll take notes for you and help you study. But you're going to have to stay in bed almost until exam time."
"Won't that be fun," Harry complained.
"Better for me, though," Malfoy sneered, "At least I won't have to put up with you in class for a while. It was almost worth saving your sorry arse, just for that."
Harry stared at Malfoy, and though he knew the words should have made him angry, he couldn't help the rumbling sensation forming in his chest. He finally broke out into a chuckle, and soon he was outright laughing. Suddenly, Malfoy was laughing too.
"What is so funny?!" Ron demanded.
"He saved my life just so he wouldn't have to see me in class!" Harry gasped. "He could have just left me there, and would never have to see me again!"
"Between double bonding with Malfoy and getting hit with that curse, I think your brain's been addled!" Ron exclaimed.
That night, Harry lay awake, conversing with Ginny through their bond.
'Where was Dumbledore this afternoon?' Harry asked.
He was summoned by the Wizengamot. He was in London at the Ministry.
'What for?'
Do you really think he'd tell us? But what do you want to bet that Percy knew he'd be away from the school today?
'Undoubtedly, what do you think the Death Eaters were after? Surely they didn't delude themselves enough to think they could just take Hogwarts by force, just because Dumbledore was gone?'
Lemme ask Hermione, hold on…
There was a long pause during which Harry studied the cathedral ceiling of the infirmary as though all the answers to his every question were written there in a language he was just beginning to know how to read.
Hermione thinks they were trying to stir up trouble for Dumbledore, saying he is unable to adequately protect the school.
'Why would they want to do that?'
There have been those finding fault with Dumbledore since the first reports of Voldemort's return. Perhaps they think they can replace him with someone else, like Umbridge last year.
'And they'd replace him with someone loyal to Voldemort, I suppose. Perhaps we'd have Lucius Malfoy for a headmaster next?'
I don't think Malfoy is going to get into this school again anytime soon. You didn't see what happened when the school's own defenses picked up the fight!
'What happened?!' Harry asked with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation.
See for yourself, Ginny replied, and she opened her memories to him.
The front doors of the Entrance Hall closed as Draco Malfoy dragged Harry by the back of his collar in through them. He realized, given the angle of the view, that Ginny must have been watching from a window above the Great Hall, most likely the library.
The three Death Eaters that had been approaching as Harry was dragged in stopped short when an invisible barrier thrust itself between them and the first step of the castle.
'That explains why the teachers were so bent about getting all the students inside.'
You haven't seen the best part yet.
The larger of the two Death Eaters on either side of Lucius Malfoy pointed his wand at the doors of the castle and muttered a spell. Harry realized it must have been the Diffindo spell when it rebounded on the caster and it sliced his wand arm off at the elbow.
"You fool!" Malfoy spat, "Next time maybe you can slice your own head off and rid us of your stupidity!"
"What happened?" gasped the injured Death Eater as he grasped the stump of his arm.
"The defenses have been activated because all the students are inside. We're too late. But no matter," Malfoy drawled unconcernedly. "We've accomplished what we came for."
Ginny's gaze shifted to a broader view, and further away from the castle, the dementors were in full retreat and the other Death Eaters were battling against twice their number in members of The Order of the Phoenix. Many Death Eaters were captured, but Harry knew better than to think it would keep them from rejoining Voldemort's ranks all too soon. Others were pushed back to the edge of the forest or onto the road into Hogsmeade and disapperated there.
Harry blinked back tears as he saw the bodies of a few Order members sprawled lifelessly on the ground. Tonks was limping back toward the castle, searching for something. She stopped at the prone form of Remus Lupin and with a shaky hand pointed her wand at his back. A brief flash of light, and Remus began to pull himself up as well. Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Tonks and Remus moved from body to body. Some arose as the "Ennervate" spell was cast. Others did not. One who did not was Severus Snape.
'Is…is he dead?' Harry asked Ginny. He was already aware that there was no one else in the infirmary with him.
They took him to St. Mungo's. I don't know what happened to him. You can see from the memory I showed you that I was too far away to tell, and Dumbledore wouldn't say.
'Wow…'
He did say, though, that if any of the Death Eaters or dementors had managed entry into the castle, the armory would have taken care of them.
'You mean all those suits of armor that line the walls?'
Exactly.
'Did he say anything else?'
No, you know Dumbledore, information is given on a need to know basis only. Anyway, how are you feeling?
'Fine. Ready to get out of here, if only this throbbing in my back would stop. It's more irritating than anything.'
Oh Harry, you better just stay there.
'I haven't got much choice, have I?'
You sure don't. If you try to leave too soon, I'll thump you myself just to give you a reason to go back.
Harry's next thoughts were not formed into words, but Ginny got the general message. He missed her, and Ron and Hermione, and their evenings by the fire in Gryffindor Tower.
Will you tell on me if I come down to see you?
'Course not, but you really shouldn't.' Inspite of himself, though, Harry knew he would welcome any opportunity to see her.
Can I use your cloak?
'Uh…sure…'
I'll be there soon. You don't think Hermione will tell, do you?
Harry's mind followed Ginny's progress as she snuck up to the sixth year boys' dorm, tiptoed past a snoring Ron, and rummaged in Harry's trunk for the cloak. He reminded her to bring the map and check it before leaving the tower. As she snuck out through the portrait whole and down the steps toward the hospital wing, he prayed to whoever was listening that she would not get caught. Relief finally washed over him when he heard her quiet footsteps softly padding across the floor of the infirmary. She slipped in through the curtains around his bed and Harry felt her sit on the end of his bed before she finally removed the cloak from her head.
"Hi," she whispered.
"Happy Birthday," he returned.
"Yeah, I guess it is at that, isn't it."
"You're sixteen today."
"Hmm, that's true."
They fell silent, just looking at one another. It occurred to Harry that the conversations they had through the Ptolemy bond were far more in depth than the spoken ones.
"Well, now that you're here, what should we do?"
"Sleep, I think. What else? It is, after all, two o'clock in the morning and I, at least, have classes to attend come sunrise."
"All right. Have you your wand?"
"Mmm Hmm. Why?"
"To make this bed a bit larger. Don't worry," he said at her shocked expression, "I'm too injured to take advantage of you."
"It's not that," she giggled. "Won't Pomfrey notice?"
"Nah, not if you place an imperterbable charm on the hangings first."
Ginny smiled and pulled out her wand. She performed the spells with an ease and accuracy Harry had not seen in her before. She noticed his curious expression and grinned at him. "It's always easier to do magic when your heart is in it. If someone makes you do something you don't like, it's easier to be sloppy. But when you're doing something fun…"
"Well, that explains Fred and George!"
Ginny laughed happily, then clasped a hand to her mouth.
"S'ok," Harry said, smiling, "Imperterbable, remember?"
"Right, sorry," Ginny muttered, but smiled as she climbed onto the enlarged bed to the left of Harry and lay her head on the pillow. "Night, Harry," she said softly as her eyes began to close. "See you at the fountain."
"Night, Ginny, I love you."
"Where is she?" Ron shrieked from the corridor, and Harry sat bolt upright. He hadn't even considered how Ron would react to Ginny's staying with him through the night. The doors to the infirmary slammed open and Ron came in red faced and angry.
"Harry James Potter, where is my sister?" Ron fumed.
Harry looked around. The bed was back to its normal size and Ginny was no where nearby. The bewilderment he felt must have shown on his face because Ron cried out suddenly, "She was here, then! I knew it!" and he started to laugh hysterically.
Thinking his best mate had finally gone mad, Harry stared at Ron, unable to speak a word.
"I see you're feeling better," Ron said when he had regained his composure.
"Yeah," said Harry, again feeling more bewildered than ever. All he could remember from last night was Ginny falling asleep on his pillow, then the gentle cradling of the golden light in their shared dream. He touched the spot on his back where the curse had cut him and found there was no pain. He pulled the bandage off unceremoniously, and jabbed several times at the area that had received the wound before realizing fully that there was no longer a wound there.
"What the devil happened in here last night?" Ron asked, suddenly seeming serious again.
"Nothing, really. Ginny was here, yes, but she just fell asleep. I swear. She came down to see me because…" There was no way Harry was going to admit to Ron that he had been lonely. "Well, anyway…" he continued, clearing his throat, "She came down, and she just lay here and slept. But I swear, I didn't touch her!"
Ron gawked at Harry a moment, and Harry thought for sure he was sunk now. But more than that, he was starting to feel as if Ron had no idea what he was talking about.
"Ginny slept here all night?" Ron asked.
"Um…"
"Here…with you…"
"Um…yeah.... Where is she now?"
"She's at breakfast with Hermione. I suspected she had come down here last night, but I had no idea she stayed the whole time. I was just trying to scare you when I came in. I guess it worked."
"I'd say it did," Harry said, clutching his chest where his heart was still beating a bit too fast. "So…are you chuffed at me?"
"I just wanted to know what she meant when she said your bond with her healed you. I guess she meant it literally. I'll have to kill you now, though," Ron sighed heavily as he drew out his wand.
Harry inched away from him on the bed, and Ron chuckled. "Just kidding, Harry. Come on, let's go to breakfast. I think a certain Slytherin will simply be overjoyed to see you there. It was Harry's turn to laugh. Ron stepped out and pulled the hangings closed, and Harry dressed quickly. Then the two of them walked out of the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey stopped them at the door, but a quick examination revealed Harry truly had been healed completely. As they stepped through the doors of the Great Hall, Ginny smiled and stood, and Hermione gawked in awe. Harry caught Malfoy's eye for just a moment, and the Slytherin dropped his fork, food still on it, mouth still open to receive the bite. Harry grinned sloppily and strode over to the Gryffindor table. As usual, all eyes followed his progress to his seat, but the silence was still unnerving. As Harry sat, he thought he caught a wink from the headmaster, but the next moment the Professor was deeply engaged in conversation with Professor McGonagall. Professor Snape's seat was noticeably empty, and Harry realized for the first time that he actually missed seeing the old bat. Hogwarts just wasn't the same without him, and Harry truly hoped the Potions Master would be able to return to his place there soon. Alarmed at his own thoughts, Harry began filling his plate quickly, as he was suddenly ravenous, and tucked into his breakfast eagerly. He had just finished a second helping of bacon when the all too familiar drawl of Draco Malfoy returned his thoughts to the injury he should still have been nursing.
"What are you doing here, Potter? Shouldn't you be recouperating in the infirmary still?"
"I'm all better," Harry said simply.
"Really, then I suppose you're up to the game tomorrow? You haven't forgotten about quidditch, have you?" Malfoy sneered.
"Of course I haven't," Harry lied. He really hadn't thought about Quidditch since the dementors first showed up the day before. "Had any news, have you, about your Head of House? Only, he seems to have gone missing."
Malfoy paled a bit, turned his head to glance at the teachers' table, and returned his attention to Harry. "I…I didn't know he was gone... Do you know something about it?" he whispered.
"St. Mungo's, that's all I know," Harry whispered back, his eyes on the floor.
Malfoy nodded and moved away.
"You know," Ron said as he watched the Slytherin's retreating form, "he's no fun anymore. He's almost…almost nice…when he comes around." Harry, Hermione and Ginny all stared at Ron as though a horn had sprouted out of the top of his head. "What?" Ron shrugged. "It's true, isn't it? He never has anything truly nasty to say anymore."
"That's OK by me," Hermione said. "Come to think of it, though, he hasn't even called me a mudblood in weeks."
"Must be all the hexing, Harry," Ron decided. "You're starting to addle his brain."
"Whose brains are addled?" Luna said with a smile as she sat down beside Neville.
"Malfoy's" Neville informed her.
"Oh, his brains have always been addled," she said. "All the Malfoys have been insane since their manor was cursed by a banshee three hundred years ago."
Hermione rolled her eyes, Ron tried to conceal his laughter behind a huge bite of pork sausage and Harry's eyes twinkled behind his glasses as he shook with silent laughter. "You know," Harry said lightly, "she just might be right." None of them noticed Parvati trying hard not to grin as she finished her breakfast and quickly left the Hall.
As Harry, Ron and Hermione descended into the dungeons after breakfast it was with a measure of unease that they contemplated who might have been asked to fill in for Snape. There had never been a substitute in this class before. Harry pushed the door open and let Ron and Hermione enter first.
"Come on, what's the hold up?" sneered Malfoy as he pushed his way past the trio of friends.
"Oh, we were just holding the door open for you, Prince Malfoy," Harry shot back at him. "We wouldn't want you to break a nail on the way through."
"As grateful as I am for your concern, Potter, next time you might try getting your three mudblood stained bodies off the threshold as well."
Harry whipped out his wand and pointed it at the Slytherin in front of him. "Don't think I won't hex you for that just because we're here in the dungeons. Snape isn't here to save you this time!"
Malfoy had the decency to look sufficiently alarmed at the prospect of what Harry might do, but the expression vanished as quickly as it had come as the blonde's eyes fixed on a point just behind Harry's left shoulder. "Professor Snape isn't here, that's true, but I don't suppose you'd go through with it in front of the Headmaster, would you?"
Harry whirled around and just caught the last vestiges of a smile as the Headmaster donned a disapproving look that seemed to pierce him with a silent reprimand. Harry pocketed his wand and quickly found his seat without another word.
"Good morning, class," Dumbledore addressed the room in general. "In the absence of our most proficient potions master, it seems I have the rare but welcome opportunity of instructing you myself. I believe you were studying the Morphus Draft. Can any of you tell me the proper result of consuming a correctly brewed dose of this draft?"
To no one's surprise, Hermione's hand was first into the air, but was closely followed by Malfoy's. "Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore addressed him.
"The Morphus Draft allows the drinker to temporarily take on the form of another, similar to a Metamorphmagus. It differs from Polyjuice in that it lasts for three to five hours depending upon the dosage and the magical ability of the drinker. Also, the drinker is free to transform between one appearance and another at will until the draft's effects wear off." Draco wore a smug expression as he finished his description and glanced momentarily at Hermione, gloating that he had been called upon where she had not. Harry could see Hermione's lips tighten and draw downward into a thin frown, but she otherwise made no indication that she was at all concerned.
"That is correct, Mr. Malfoy, five points to Slytherin," Dumbledore rewarded him. "Now, who can tell me the most important step to remember when making the draft?"
Again, Hermione's hand went up, along with that of Blaise Zabini, and to everyone's surprise, Ron's as well. "Mr. Weasley?"
"The temperature of the fire under the maker's cauldron has to maintain a steady 240 degrees. If it varies by as much as five degrees in either direction, the draft will either be scalded or will not mix properly," Ron responded. Harry smiled proudly, but secretly wondered if he'd been cribbing off of Hermione's outspread notes.
"Very good, Mr. Weasley, five points to Gryffindor as well," the Headmaster accorded him, and Ron beamed from red-tipped ear to red-tipped ear.
As the lesson came to an end and the students were packing in their belongings to head to their next classes, Harry leaned in to Ron to ask about the answer he'd given, but Malfoy got there first.
"Did your girlfriend tell you to say all that, or did you just read it off her notes? 'Cause anyone knows you didn't come up with that all by yourself!"
"Did you see me reading anything?" Ron greeted the challenge with an angry glare. "Is it so surprising that I know a thing or two about a Morphus Draft?"
"Well, yes, now that you mention it, it is," Malfoy said.
"Come on, Ron, let's just go," Harry cut in. "Who gives a hoot what Malfoy thinks you know and don't know, anyway?" But secretly, Harry wondered if Malfoy was at least partly right. Ron had never supplied such a precise answer in a potions class before. But then, perhaps it was easier to think without the old bat breathing down their necks.
Just as Harry was shouldering his book-bag and stepping toward the door, Professor Dumbledore called him back for a moment.
"Yes, Professor?" Harry responded.
"I am a bit surprised to see you up and about this morning, Harry. Might I ask about the sudden change in your physical health?"
"I really can't explain it, sir. When I fell asleep in the hospital wing, I was injured, and when I woke up, it was gone, as though it had never been there at all." Now that Harry was dwelling on it, it seemed oddly as though the whole of the events of the previous day had been nothing more than a dreadful nightmare. If it were not for the glaring absence of the Potions Master, and Dumbledore's presence in the dungeons, Harry might have been able to convince himself that this was exactly what it had been.
"I see. One more question, though. Was there anyone else in the hospital wing with you last night?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at Harry's startled expression and elaborated unnecessarily when Harry paused too long. "Any visitors, perhaps, since all other injuries were treated on site or taken to St. Mungo's…"
"Sir…" Harry tried to start, but the words to describe his experience eluded him, and he had no wish to incriminate Ginny. "I…I can't say. Perhaps someone came while I was sleeping…I really can't say…" It was a largely truthful answer, though it left plenty of room for ambiguity.
"Hmm," the Headmaster seemed to contemplate Harry's brief statements as though Harry had opened a book to him, and Harry wondered afresh whether the Headmaster could read his mind so easily.
"Well, off you go, Harry," Dumbledore finally said, "I believe you have a class to teach soon."
"Yes sir, I do."
When Harry entered Tonks' classroom to fulfill his assistant teaching assignment, she glared at him as though he were Voldemort himself.
"What on earth do you think you're doing, getting out of bed with your injuries?" she instantly demanded. "You won't fool me with your macho, too-tough-to-be-sick act!"
"I'm not sick," Harry replied, startled by the ferocity of Tonks' previously dormant mothering instincts, and concerned that his entire day was going to be laced with questions about his wellbeing, "honest, I'm not. See for yourself!" He lifted his shirt up a bit in back to reveal his clean, unmarred skin.
"But…but how? That's just impossible!" Tonks said as she examined his back more carefully than anyone else had done. "There isn't even a scar! And it doesn't hurt at all?"
"Not a twinge."
"Unbelievable…." A few students were filtering in now, and Harry's face reddened when a few of the girls snickered at seeing his bare back. He pulled his shirt quickly down and shoved the ends of it into his trousers. He adjusted his robes over the top as he approached the front of the classroom and set his books and parchments on the front desk.
"Good morning class," Harry began.
There were a few more snickers as the classroom answered, but Harry did his best to ignore them. The lesson progressed without any further incident, and Harry was beginning to feel more relaxed when it was time to head for Gryffindor Tower for his morning break.
Upon entering the common room, Harry immediately scanned the seats for Ginny's dark red hair and pale freckled face, but could not see her. 'Ginny?' he ventured though their bond.
Yeah Harry?
'Where are you?'
The library, where else would I be?
Harry immediately felt like an idiot for not having considered that already, and knew he probably shouldn't bother her when she was studying for her owls, but he really needed to see her, now, and ask her if she knew why he'd been healed.
'Can you meet me in the Room of Requirement? Only, I need to see you.'
Sure Harry, I'll be right there. And don't be silly. Having you around never bothers me.
Harry smiled wistfully as he stepped right back out of the portrait hole just a moment after having stepped in, ignoring the quizzical looks of the students scattered around the room, most of whom had turned to see him enter in the first place, and then just stand there, staring into space as though seeing something they could not. He nearly sprinted down the corridor toward the library, amusing himself, and Ginny, with the conversations they'd be having now that he'd left. 'I tell you he's gone loony," he could almost hear Seamus say to Dean, and of course Neville would jump all over him for using the word "loony." He could feel Ginny's silent laughter sending rivulets of joy through his body, and he quickened his pace a bit, anxious to be in her presence sooner. He ducked behind the a statue when he caught a glimpse of Filch's tailcoat sweeping out in front of him, the rest about to appear around a bend in the corridor. He knew he was entirely within his bounds to walk about the school mid morning, but he had no desire to allow Filch's accusatory questioning foul up the perfectly happy mood that was swelling inside him with each step that brought him closer to his Ginny. His Ginny…it seemed so natural to say it that way, as though she had always been his…and he could kick himself for having not noticed sooner that she really had always been his, waiting for him to realize it.
He burst through the door of their former D.A. room and caught Ginny up in a sweeping embrace as soon as his arms could grasp hold of her. She stiffened with surprise at first, but then relaxed as he brought his lips down upon hers and enjoyed a long, sweet kiss. The original purpose of his need to see her was momentarily swallowed up in the bliss of being there with her, and it was several moments before he could answer her when she asked him whether he'd invited her here just to snog, or for some other reason. His fingers laced in her hair as he planted several gentle kisses on the base of her neck before he finally spoke aloud.
"Ginny," he breathed, "what's happening between us? I know it was you that healed me. I just don't know how."
"I don't know either, Harry, but that is what happened. Do you think it's part of the bond? Maybe we should go find that book of Hermione's in the library and read about it a bit more?"
"It could be…" he trailed off with a grin at the giggle that escaped her lips when he ran his fingers down her back and rested his hands at her waist. He pulled her closer and their lips connected again, and he gently eased her down onto the sofa that was suddenly waiting just behind them. A warm fire sprang to life in a grate that abruptly appeared, and the lights faded until there was only the light from the fire casting a flickering glow over the two of them.
"Mmm, how very romantic…" she smiled. "Everywhere else in the castle it's mid morning, but in here it seems as though it's just after dusk.
"Mmm…" Harry agreed as he nuzzled her neck again, breathing in the aroma of strawberries and cream mixed with something that was distinctly Ginny. He leaned his head against her shoulder…
There was the fountain again, pure crystalline water falling gracefully from the unicorn's horn, splashing out of the basin and leaving tiny dark circles on the stones below his feet. She was there too, of course, smiling at him from her seat on the edge of the fountain, having anticipated his coming. The breeze was crisp and refreshing as it whistled through the trees overhead…