Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters, places et al. are owned by J.K. Rowling
A/N: Another one, I hope you like it. Hadn't had as much time as I like in the last few weeks... But it is slowly nearing the end of it... :D
Chapter 20
Harry's eyes flickered open and light assaulted his sensitive eyes.
"Where-" his voice croaked. He heard some shuffling sounds near him and then a delighted female voice. He felt a slight pain on his forehead, and as his hand touched that particular spot, he felt a tape. A wound –but how?
"You're awake," the voice said. "Finally, it was about time, boy." His eyes slowly adjusted to the light and he made out a large black blob, most probably a person.
"I was about to get worried," the woman went on. "After nearly a week…" The voice started to sound familiar; too familiar, as if he had heard it too many times in the past. He looked around further, and his surrounding started to get some definition in his vision. Several beds, hushed voices, the sounds of potions and medicine – The hospital wing; and Madame Pomfrey.
But how?
"Harry!" he heard a new voice cry out. Draco! Before he knew it, he was bear-hugged by his boyfriend.
"Mr. Malfoy, he just woke up. Leave him some air, or he'll be out again right away," Madame Pomfrey admonished him.
Draco let go and Harry could finally look him into the eyes. He saw joy, relief, and also some concern.
"I'm alright," Harry managed to say, with his vocal cords still a bit rusty. He grabbed Draco's head with his left hand and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. It felt so good, so alive. Harry heard, or rather felt, a deep growl, almost like that of a tiger, growing stronger; and to his astonishment it came from him. Draco seemed to hear it, too, and tried to break the kiss, but Harry pulled him with more strength, even more passionate.
When he broke the kiss, both had to catch their breath first, then Harry mouthed "What happened?" to Draco.
"Later," a stunned Draco whispered in answer. Harry saw him get up and walk to Madame Pomfrey. He spoke with her for a bit and then came back, finally smiling from side to side.
"She said I can take you with me, as long as you take it easy."
He nodded and tried to get out of bed. His legs felt a bit shaky at first, but he managed to stay on his feet. He dressed in the clothes lying next to his bed and walked out of the wing, supported by Draco.
Harry had to chuckle as he remembered the day when he brought Draco here, supported by him. How the times change…
As he sat down on the couch in his room, he looked at Draco, who was just sitting down next to him. "Now," his voice was getting back to normal levels, luckily, "what happened? The last thing I remember is losing consciousness in the bed room." His face got a serious expression. "You haven't told anyone what happened?"
Draco shook his head. "No, I haven't." He sighed. "I woke up in the morning after the day when it had happened and you brought us back after whatever you did to Lestrange. You were lying on the floor, blood everywhere. At first, I thought you were hurt, but you seemed fine. You didn't react to me in any way, as if you were dead, though you still had a pulse and breathed. I quickly cleaned up, removed all blood and evidence, and then dragged you over to the stairs and down." He looked a bit guilty by now. "I knew this wasn't normal and I had to get you to the hospital. It just had to be believable. So I…" His voice creaked for a second, "I dragged you to the last stairs, and dropped you."
Harry touched his forehead again.
"Yes, that was me," he managed to look guilty while grinning sheepishly. "I then called the professors and told you had a dizzy spell. They easily believed me, after all you've been working too hard for the last weeks and most knew it. So I waited until you would wake up again…"
"Thanks," Harry replied, rubbing his forehead again and smiled. "I think."
"Sorry," Draco whispered.
"It's all right," Harry groped Draco's hand. "Better than telling the truth, ey?" Harry snickered. "Is there anything in the news? About this?"
"Well," Draco cleared his throat, "they found the Death Eater you went after soon enough, but they sold it as some sort of infighting between them. Quickly vanished from the news. But about this…affair in the Shrieking Shack nothing has yet surfaced anywhere. Most likely because it's not really a major vacation spot…"
"Infighting…" Harry chuckled. "I will give them infighting."
"You're still going to do it, are you?" Draco looked a little sad.
"I started it, and by Merlin, I will finish it," Harry answered him with deep conviction.
"But what happens if, if something like in the Shrieking Shack happens again?"
Harry took Draco's face in his hands. "It won't. I think. You were the trigger. Something in me couldn't see you suffer any more. And then it happened."
"A 'something' like in the ward? Still chills my blood, Harry. You were so inhuman, so gone. I was afraid I lost you…"
"Hush," Harry cooed. "It won't. And now I guess it would be best to go to bed, wouldn't it?" Harry snickered and heaved himself up from the couch.
"Albus," Minerva McGonagall cried out, "you can't be serious about this! It is insane!" She was pacing furiously up and down before Dumbledore's desk, while he just sat there and eyed her coolly.
"We've been over this before, Minerva," he replied from his comfortable chair. "If we are to win this war, we have to accept certain facts and embrace them."
"Like the fact that your pet student completely lost it?"
"That is not entirely fair, and you know it."
"Fair?" She cried out again. She pointed at the Daily Prophet on the desk, showing the site of the so-called infight between Death Eaters. "You know it, and I know it that it was him!" Her head whipped around and faced Dumbledore. "And that mess in the Shrieking Shack you've yet to reveal to the public? That too!" she shot at him.
"I don't deny that it was most likely him. But I don't see a reason to intervene." He slowly got up and walked to the window overlooking the castle. "As I told you before, sometimes terrible measures have to be taken to win."
"And make us no better than those we fight? That's not winning."
"I take it either way," he answered with the cool and level voice so few ever heard. "When the time comes, soon I think, we will reveal the death of Lestrange. It should have some beneficial effect. And until that, you will leave Potter alone. He still has to fulfil his destiny. And after that, he is no longer needed. Then we can deal with it in an efficient way."
McGonagal snorted and looked away from him, her face full of disgust. "One day, Albus," she said gently, "one day you will face all the demons you let out. One day your little schemes will turn back on you. And by Merlin, I hope I'm not around."
"Great men have always taken great risks. In the end it always pays out."
"Do you listen to yourself sometimes?" She snorted again. "How much you changed, Albus. Meddling with things you shouldn't have. Unearthing powers that should have best been left lost in the mist of time." She sighed and finally looked him in the eyes again, with sadness as deep as the ocean. "What have you done, Albus?" She closed her eyes and whispered, "What have you done…"
The Skull Phantom strikes again.
Today, sources within the Ministry of Magic leaked proof of yet another murder case which is consistent with the so-called Skull Phantom cases. It has been the twelfth murder in the last 7 weeks. The victim, Charles Leytham, had been accused of being a follower of He Who Must Not Be Named in the last war, but was acquitted under still dubious circumstances.
The police and Ministry lack a lead. The only thing known is that the murderer attacks (alleged) Death Eaters and leaves a floating skull, not quite unlike the Dark Mark, behind.
Sparked by the shocking discovery of the murder of Bellatrix Lestrange three days ago (we reported), the attacks by Death Eaters have intensified by at least 130 according to Minister Weasley. Weasley expressed his unflinching willingness to bring down the Death Eaters and feels confident that this last wave of attacks are the death throes, a result of the newly introduced security measurements. Mr. Weasley continued further that would only be a matter of time, until…
Elizabeth slammed the paper down on her desk with a disgusted look on her face. "Remember Weasley?" she asked her assistant. "A nice, friendly fellow, though not ambitious. Then he gets the Ministry slapped onto him, and now look..." She snorted. "He's a quick learner, I have to give him that. Fully adapting to politi-speak, he is. They bloody know that we're not anywhere close of finishing this whole mess, and he's telling all world that it is only 'a matter of time'."
"May I remind you," Phil answered her, "that we have been reassigned, Liz?"
"Come on," she flung her arms up in exasperation, "you know that was just a political move. Ever since that, the whole investigation has been completely in the hands of the Minister's office. Only his 'trusted friends' are doing anything. And I bet Dumbledore is behind it all. No way Weasley's that clever."
"Whatever," Phil sighed, "but we can't do anything about it. If we had only got a slap on the wrist before all this, now the almighty Staff of Merlin will strike us down if we do our own private investigation…"
"But we can't let them get away with it!" she cried out.
"Even if, Liz, we don't know where this killer will strike again, nor how to prove it is indeed Potter."
"I will have to think of something…" she whispered and turned her chair towards the window, thinking.