Coming Silence
Ch: 11
Harry smiled to himself as he slowly made his way to his rooms. Two days had passed since he had helped Severus make those potions for Madam Pomfrey and it seemed like that one moment had broken the ice between the two. Sure, there were still moments when Severus found him annoying, and other times the Potions Master would revert back to his old self, but otherwise they got along just fine.
Of course, they mostly talked about the potion, though Harry did talk about his time in Alenzar. The time spent with his Mate helped a great deal. He no longer felt the need to jump Severus and have himself be taken every time they met. He grinned at himself as he remembered what he did to his poor Mate.
Harry knew Severus wanted Harry just as much as the demon wanted him. He knew that Severus wouldn't make any move towards Harry, seeing as to how the Potions Master wasn't used to having people actually liking him. He seemed absolutely clueless when it came to the game of flirting. So, having this knowledge that practically begged to be used, he challenged the other man to a game of chess.
Harry knew he was going to be flattened- he was pretty bad at the game as it was, and Severus just had the better logical mind. Instead, he amused himself by "accidentally" rubbing his leg up and down the other mans leg and thigh. Harry smirked as he remembered all the colors the other man had turned.
Harry opened his bedroom door and grabbed his shower things. After a nice long bath, he plopped into bed and immediately fell into a troubled dream.
*A small and trembling man ran into a darkened room, stumbling to his knees at his masters' feet.
"M-master, I have urgent news!" the man stuttered. "It is about Harry Potter!"
"What about the Potter boy?" a cold voice asked. The Death Eater shook in fear as he stayed kneeling at his masters' side.
"It seems that the child has returned from wherever he had disappeared to, my lord. They say he is stronger and-well- different than when he left. My sources-"
"Are too late in notifying me of this information," the man said in his cruel voice. The man shook even harder. "Do you think that I, Lord Voldemort, would not know about this event? My informant had already notified me about Potters return. Crucio!"
The small man screamed in pain as the curse tore through his body. After a moment, the curse was lifted and the man lay panting in fear.
"However, this does change my plans. Maybe for the better."
"May I ask how, my lord?" asked another Death Eater from the corner of the room. Voldemort appraised everyone, staring at them with a thoughtful glance. Finally he nodded.
"The boy's demonic powers will diminish as his wizarding powers try to find an equilibrium in this realm. My informant tells me that, because the boy was originally from here and is now away from his precious kingdom, his powers, so used to being around his own kind, will be left struggling to find a balance without his kind around him.
"As the boy's power grows weak, we will attack. On the third week of September, they will fall. The new heir will die. Bring the boy to me."*
Harry woke gasping for breath as his scar blazed with pain. "What the hell was that?" Rolling over, he quickly grabbed his robe and tossed it over his shoulders. Dumbledore needed to know what was going on. It had been a long time since he had had a vision. The separation between the two realms cut him off from Voldemort.
Harry was worried. He thought the information over as he quickly ran up the stairs. If what Voldemort said was true, then he would be seeing a decrease in his Demonic powers soon. That had him truly worried. Even though Harry was very efficient in his wizarding studies, the loss of his powers would hit him hard. He would be able to adjust but his power defined him, inside and out.
"Chocolate peanuts." The gargoyle leapt aside as Harry ascended the moving staircase. Soon the door came into view. Knocking hard, he waited to hear some sign of life in the other room.
The door opened, much to his surprise, to find a very beaten and bruised Draco Malfoy. "Malfoy, what in the seven hells happened to you?" He pushed his way through the door and a very confused Malfoy before grabbing the other boy's arm and pushing him down into a chair. "Let me look at this."
"Leave it, Potter," Malfoy said, with out his usual smirk. Harry just gave him a look and went on examining the damage. A bruise marched its way from below his right eye and across his cheek, meeting the split lip and busted nose. He could see the slight swelling of Malfoy's right wrist as well as a twisted finger.
^Draco,^ he called to his dragon, ^Please bring me my leather pouch. I'm on the seventh floor, behind a gargoyle statue. Thanks.^ He got a murmured reply.
"I said leave it, Potter!" Malfoy snarled, jerking his arm out of the gentle grip.
Harry sighed and reached for the arm again. He knew without a doubt that the pinkie finger was broke. It was almost snapped in half! He merely shook his head and finally Malfoy relinquished with a sigh. The demon king wasn't hurting him, after all.
"I ask again, Malfoy. What happened? I know you didn't get into a fight with your bedpost. If you did, it must have been one heck of a fight!" Malfoy rolled his eyes at the bad joke when he jumped in surprise.
"I would like to know the answer to that too. I must say, it is an honor to be visited by two young men at this late hour. I must be quite popular," said Dumbledore in an amused voice. The two jumped in surprise at the appearance at the headmaster.
The elderly man opened the door to allow a very grump dragon into the room. Harry snagged the bag from his mouth with muttered thanks and immediately started to rummage through it.
"I don't know why Malfoy is here," he muttered from the depths of his bag, "but I had a vision and wanted to tell you about it. It didn't make much sense to me, but then again, I have been out of the loop for some time now. Drink this."
He shoved several vials filled with liquid into the blond's hand. "I will not take anything you have made, Potter. You weren't the brightest knife in the drawer when it came to potions." Harry frowned but was stopped from replying.
"Mr. Malfoy, may I ask why you have come to me in such a state?" the twinkle that usually presided in the headmaster's eyes was slightly diminished. He watched in amusement as Harry tried to get the other boy to drink the vials handed to him.
Malfoy batted Harry's hand away and said, "I was scouting the corridors for any students out of bed when I crossed a window in front of the entrance hall. I saw a cloaked figure skirting the edge of the Forbidden Forest and decided to follow. He was heading towards the gates of the school when I stunned him. Unfortunately I was jumped from behind. This is the result."
"You idiot!" shouted Harry, shocking the other two in the room. "You could have been killed doing a stunt like that! That's something I would have done. Merlin, and I thought you were smarter than that."
"Jesus, Potter. I never thought you cared," drawled Malfoy. Harry shook his head and snorted softly. He watched as he waited for a moment to force feed the healing potions to the blond.
"More than I should, that's for sure."
"I agree with Professor Potter," said Dumbledore, ignoring the choke of surprise coming from Harry. They all looked in surprise as the door to the room opened suddenly. Seeing his advantage, Harry pounced on top of Malfoy and grasped his chin, forcing open his mouth. In went the potions, all tossed in at once. Sitting back with a satisfied grin, Harry turned to see Severus entering in the room.
Shock quickly crossed his features but was swiftly swept away as Malfoy started to cough.
"Damn, Potter, what the hell was that for?"
Harry crossed his arms and smirked. "I told you to take those healing potions but you wouldn't listen. I did warn you, you know."
Malfoy glared slightly, coughing lightly. "What is going on, Headmaster? A midnight pajama party?" Severus crossed the room and sat next to Harry.
The two boys quickly filled in the Potions Master on why they were there at that time of night. He just listened with one eyebrow raised and immediately started in on Malfoy, just like Harry had moments ago.
"Did you get a good look at the trespasser?" he asked. Malfoy shook his head in frustration.
"Uncle, why are you here?" Malfoy asked.
Harry's eyes widened in shock. Severus was Malfoy's UNCLE? "Sev is your uncle?"
"Yes, he's my mothers half brother. If you tell anyone, I will kill you."
Harry snorted softly. "Like who would I tell? I don't talk to anyone, if you hadn't noticed." The bruises slowly started to fade from the blonds face as the potions kicked in.
"I was away on business, Draco. Nothing to worry about." Harry shot Severus a look that clearly said there was something to worry about.
"Now that we have the reason on why Malfoy was here," Dumbledore turned to look at Harry. "I think we need to hear about your vision."
Harry quickly filled everyone in, not caring that Malfoy heard or not. That trespasser must have been what Voldemort meant when he said someone would get to 'the boy', whoever that was. Harry had a feeling Voldemort didn't mean to get him. But who else could it be?
"Thank you for informing me about the trespasser Draco, and in the future, please use more discretion. As for the vision, is it true your powers will dissipate?"
Harry nodded at Dumbldore's question. "Yes but my wizarding powers should increase. For some reason, I can do wizarding magic with my wand in Alenzar but here; my demon powers will start to dissipate. Not all at once, but slowly, over a course of many months."
The headmaster nodded and gazed at Fawks, who was asleep on his perch across the room. "Thank you, Harry, for warning me. We have to be very careful these upcoming weeks. If you find anything unusual, please report to me. Now, I think you two had better be off to bed. It will be a long day tomorrow, especially since Harry will be helping Severus throughout the day."
The sound of three shocked voices cut through the air but before Harry could ask what kind of crack the headmaster was on, he suddenly found himself standing outside the now closed door. He blinked in surprise a few moments before turning to his equally shocked companion.
"I hate when he does that! Especially since I wanted to talk to him about what he was thinking." Shaking his head, Harry descended with Malfoy right by his side, Draco following slowly behind him.
After a moment of silence, Malfoy asked, "Why did you sound so concerned, Potter?"
Harry merely shrugged. The truth was, it was in his instincts as a King to be concerned when one of his people where injured. Did that mean he thought of Malfoy as one of his own? That was a subject that needed some thought.
"Truthfully? I don't know why I was worried. We haven't ever been friends, so my outburst shocked me just as much as you."
The two walked down the hallways together, neither wanting to break the peace that was between them. "Did you really mean what you said the other day?"
"About my door being open?" Malfoy nodded. "Yes, I did. Like I said, I am familiar with the pain, though yours is a lot heavier than mine ever was. You at least knew your mom."
Malfoy lapsed into an introspective silence. Harry knew from experience to let the other think. Men like Malfoy rarely asked for help and it took a while for them to get used to confiding in others. But what Harry said was true- he wanted to help the boy, now more than ever.
It wasn't just the fact that Malfoy was Severus's nephew- though that did play a part- he genuinely wanted to help the blond. His instincts screamed at him to help the other man now, before something bad happened. After ten years developing these instincts to their fullest, Harry wasn't about to ignore them now.
Soon, Draco pulled himself from his thoughts. He seemed to have come to some kind of decision, though what it was he kept to himself.
"I may just take you up on that offer. Thank you." He turned and left, leaving one very confused Harry behind.
"Good night," he called down the hall. He received a small wave in reply.
Walking back to his room took longer than he had thought. Being wrapped up in his thoughts made him walk all the way to Gryffindor Tower without realizing it. Looking up in surprise, Harry was shocked to find a black- cloaked figure hurriedly running into the common room.
'That's strange,' he thought, 'Who would be up this late at night?'
He momentarily pushed that side away as he turned and made his way back to his room. That question was not going to be solved tonight.
AN: Not as long as the last one but I decided to leave it there for tonight. Thank you for all your reviews! I am so excited! Hopefully the next chapter is out soon. Until then. ~Cheers
Harry smiled to himself as he slowly made his way to his rooms. Two days had passed since he had helped Severus make those potions for Madam Pomfrey and it seemed like that one moment had broken the ice between the two. Sure, there were still moments when Severus found him annoying, and other times the Potions Master would revert back to his old self, but otherwise they got along just fine.
Of course, they mostly talked about the potion, though Harry did talk about his time in Alenzar. The time spent with his Mate helped a great deal. He no longer felt the need to jump Severus and have himself be taken every time they met. He grinned at himself as he remembered what he did to his poor Mate.
Harry knew Severus wanted Harry just as much as the demon wanted him. He knew that Severus wouldn't make any move towards Harry, seeing as to how the Potions Master wasn't used to having people actually liking him. He seemed absolutely clueless when it came to the game of flirting. So, having this knowledge that practically begged to be used, he challenged the other man to a game of chess.
Harry knew he was going to be flattened- he was pretty bad at the game as it was, and Severus just had the better logical mind. Instead, he amused himself by "accidentally" rubbing his leg up and down the other mans leg and thigh. Harry smirked as he remembered all the colors the other man had turned.
Harry opened his bedroom door and grabbed his shower things. After a nice long bath, he plopped into bed and immediately fell into a troubled dream.
*A small and trembling man ran into a darkened room, stumbling to his knees at his masters' feet.
"M-master, I have urgent news!" the man stuttered. "It is about Harry Potter!"
"What about the Potter boy?" a cold voice asked. The Death Eater shook in fear as he stayed kneeling at his masters' side.
"It seems that the child has returned from wherever he had disappeared to, my lord. They say he is stronger and-well- different than when he left. My sources-"
"Are too late in notifying me of this information," the man said in his cruel voice. The man shook even harder. "Do you think that I, Lord Voldemort, would not know about this event? My informant had already notified me about Potters return. Crucio!"
The small man screamed in pain as the curse tore through his body. After a moment, the curse was lifted and the man lay panting in fear.
"However, this does change my plans. Maybe for the better."
"May I ask how, my lord?" asked another Death Eater from the corner of the room. Voldemort appraised everyone, staring at them with a thoughtful glance. Finally he nodded.
"The boy's demonic powers will diminish as his wizarding powers try to find an equilibrium in this realm. My informant tells me that, because the boy was originally from here and is now away from his precious kingdom, his powers, so used to being around his own kind, will be left struggling to find a balance without his kind around him.
"As the boy's power grows weak, we will attack. On the third week of September, they will fall. The new heir will die. Bring the boy to me."*
Harry woke gasping for breath as his scar blazed with pain. "What the hell was that?" Rolling over, he quickly grabbed his robe and tossed it over his shoulders. Dumbledore needed to know what was going on. It had been a long time since he had had a vision. The separation between the two realms cut him off from Voldemort.
Harry was worried. He thought the information over as he quickly ran up the stairs. If what Voldemort said was true, then he would be seeing a decrease in his Demonic powers soon. That had him truly worried. Even though Harry was very efficient in his wizarding studies, the loss of his powers would hit him hard. He would be able to adjust but his power defined him, inside and out.
"Chocolate peanuts." The gargoyle leapt aside as Harry ascended the moving staircase. Soon the door came into view. Knocking hard, he waited to hear some sign of life in the other room.
The door opened, much to his surprise, to find a very beaten and bruised Draco Malfoy. "Malfoy, what in the seven hells happened to you?" He pushed his way through the door and a very confused Malfoy before grabbing the other boy's arm and pushing him down into a chair. "Let me look at this."
"Leave it, Potter," Malfoy said, with out his usual smirk. Harry just gave him a look and went on examining the damage. A bruise marched its way from below his right eye and across his cheek, meeting the split lip and busted nose. He could see the slight swelling of Malfoy's right wrist as well as a twisted finger.
^Draco,^ he called to his dragon, ^Please bring me my leather pouch. I'm on the seventh floor, behind a gargoyle statue. Thanks.^ He got a murmured reply.
"I said leave it, Potter!" Malfoy snarled, jerking his arm out of the gentle grip.
Harry sighed and reached for the arm again. He knew without a doubt that the pinkie finger was broke. It was almost snapped in half! He merely shook his head and finally Malfoy relinquished with a sigh. The demon king wasn't hurting him, after all.
"I ask again, Malfoy. What happened? I know you didn't get into a fight with your bedpost. If you did, it must have been one heck of a fight!" Malfoy rolled his eyes at the bad joke when he jumped in surprise.
"I would like to know the answer to that too. I must say, it is an honor to be visited by two young men at this late hour. I must be quite popular," said Dumbledore in an amused voice. The two jumped in surprise at the appearance at the headmaster.
The elderly man opened the door to allow a very grump dragon into the room. Harry snagged the bag from his mouth with muttered thanks and immediately started to rummage through it.
"I don't know why Malfoy is here," he muttered from the depths of his bag, "but I had a vision and wanted to tell you about it. It didn't make much sense to me, but then again, I have been out of the loop for some time now. Drink this."
He shoved several vials filled with liquid into the blond's hand. "I will not take anything you have made, Potter. You weren't the brightest knife in the drawer when it came to potions." Harry frowned but was stopped from replying.
"Mr. Malfoy, may I ask why you have come to me in such a state?" the twinkle that usually presided in the headmaster's eyes was slightly diminished. He watched in amusement as Harry tried to get the other boy to drink the vials handed to him.
Malfoy batted Harry's hand away and said, "I was scouting the corridors for any students out of bed when I crossed a window in front of the entrance hall. I saw a cloaked figure skirting the edge of the Forbidden Forest and decided to follow. He was heading towards the gates of the school when I stunned him. Unfortunately I was jumped from behind. This is the result."
"You idiot!" shouted Harry, shocking the other two in the room. "You could have been killed doing a stunt like that! That's something I would have done. Merlin, and I thought you were smarter than that."
"Jesus, Potter. I never thought you cared," drawled Malfoy. Harry shook his head and snorted softly. He watched as he waited for a moment to force feed the healing potions to the blond.
"More than I should, that's for sure."
"I agree with Professor Potter," said Dumbledore, ignoring the choke of surprise coming from Harry. They all looked in surprise as the door to the room opened suddenly. Seeing his advantage, Harry pounced on top of Malfoy and grasped his chin, forcing open his mouth. In went the potions, all tossed in at once. Sitting back with a satisfied grin, Harry turned to see Severus entering in the room.
Shock quickly crossed his features but was swiftly swept away as Malfoy started to cough.
"Damn, Potter, what the hell was that for?"
Harry crossed his arms and smirked. "I told you to take those healing potions but you wouldn't listen. I did warn you, you know."
Malfoy glared slightly, coughing lightly. "What is going on, Headmaster? A midnight pajama party?" Severus crossed the room and sat next to Harry.
The two boys quickly filled in the Potions Master on why they were there at that time of night. He just listened with one eyebrow raised and immediately started in on Malfoy, just like Harry had moments ago.
"Did you get a good look at the trespasser?" he asked. Malfoy shook his head in frustration.
"Uncle, why are you here?" Malfoy asked.
Harry's eyes widened in shock. Severus was Malfoy's UNCLE? "Sev is your uncle?"
"Yes, he's my mothers half brother. If you tell anyone, I will kill you."
Harry snorted softly. "Like who would I tell? I don't talk to anyone, if you hadn't noticed." The bruises slowly started to fade from the blonds face as the potions kicked in.
"I was away on business, Draco. Nothing to worry about." Harry shot Severus a look that clearly said there was something to worry about.
"Now that we have the reason on why Malfoy was here," Dumbledore turned to look at Harry. "I think we need to hear about your vision."
Harry quickly filled everyone in, not caring that Malfoy heard or not. That trespasser must have been what Voldemort meant when he said someone would get to 'the boy', whoever that was. Harry had a feeling Voldemort didn't mean to get him. But who else could it be?
"Thank you for informing me about the trespasser Draco, and in the future, please use more discretion. As for the vision, is it true your powers will dissipate?"
Harry nodded at Dumbldore's question. "Yes but my wizarding powers should increase. For some reason, I can do wizarding magic with my wand in Alenzar but here; my demon powers will start to dissipate. Not all at once, but slowly, over a course of many months."
The headmaster nodded and gazed at Fawks, who was asleep on his perch across the room. "Thank you, Harry, for warning me. We have to be very careful these upcoming weeks. If you find anything unusual, please report to me. Now, I think you two had better be off to bed. It will be a long day tomorrow, especially since Harry will be helping Severus throughout the day."
The sound of three shocked voices cut through the air but before Harry could ask what kind of crack the headmaster was on, he suddenly found himself standing outside the now closed door. He blinked in surprise a few moments before turning to his equally shocked companion.
"I hate when he does that! Especially since I wanted to talk to him about what he was thinking." Shaking his head, Harry descended with Malfoy right by his side, Draco following slowly behind him.
After a moment of silence, Malfoy asked, "Why did you sound so concerned, Potter?"
Harry merely shrugged. The truth was, it was in his instincts as a King to be concerned when one of his people where injured. Did that mean he thought of Malfoy as one of his own? That was a subject that needed some thought.
"Truthfully? I don't know why I was worried. We haven't ever been friends, so my outburst shocked me just as much as you."
The two walked down the hallways together, neither wanting to break the peace that was between them. "Did you really mean what you said the other day?"
"About my door being open?" Malfoy nodded. "Yes, I did. Like I said, I am familiar with the pain, though yours is a lot heavier than mine ever was. You at least knew your mom."
Malfoy lapsed into an introspective silence. Harry knew from experience to let the other think. Men like Malfoy rarely asked for help and it took a while for them to get used to confiding in others. But what Harry said was true- he wanted to help the boy, now more than ever.
It wasn't just the fact that Malfoy was Severus's nephew- though that did play a part- he genuinely wanted to help the blond. His instincts screamed at him to help the other man now, before something bad happened. After ten years developing these instincts to their fullest, Harry wasn't about to ignore them now.
Soon, Draco pulled himself from his thoughts. He seemed to have come to some kind of decision, though what it was he kept to himself.
"I may just take you up on that offer. Thank you." He turned and left, leaving one very confused Harry behind.
"Good night," he called down the hall. He received a small wave in reply.
Walking back to his room took longer than he had thought. Being wrapped up in his thoughts made him walk all the way to Gryffindor Tower without realizing it. Looking up in surprise, Harry was shocked to find a black- cloaked figure hurriedly running into the common room.
'That's strange,' he thought, 'Who would be up this late at night?'
He momentarily pushed that side away as he turned and made his way back to his room. That question was not going to be solved tonight.
AN: Not as long as the last one but I decided to leave it there for tonight. Thank you for all your reviews! I am so excited! Hopefully the next chapter is out soon. Until then. ~Cheers