A/N: Okay, so before I begin chapter 5, let me tell you that I am HYPER and I haven't even had any sugar/caffeine yet. It's because of my reviewers making me ecstatic. Ooookay… Now, I'd like to thank Spork Princess for always being there, Silly little 13 year old because she is cool and Risumume because she made me laugh (What is going on with Harry and Draco?
giggles back, oh and thank you for the squeal! I think Draco will stop getting beat up… soon! lol) So thanks for showing some love, but you know I'd like a little bit more. So please REVIEW. Thank you for the support. Enough babbling! Enjoy!
Chapter 5: Moving InDraco was stuffed after the large meal he had just eaten. He had never had food quite like Mrs. Weasley's before and when it touched his delicate lips, he instantly fell head over heels for it. Sure the food at school was good, but it was not this good! He asked for seconds, thirds, fourths, and eventually fifths! Draco did not care that he looked like a pig. He just wanted to fill up on this tasty food due to his immense hunger. He hadn't eaten in days, you know! Although Hermione grimaced at Draco's engorgement in the food, Mrs. Weasley took it as a compliment.
"Why I've never had anyone like my food so much," Mrs. Weasley told Draco, as she watched him eat. She seemed fascinated that he was enjoying her food so, but Draco seemed apathetic to her thanks. She continued, "I wish some other people enjoyed my food. That'd be nice, wouldn't it?" All the Weasleys at the table sighed and shook their heads at the remark.
Harry, on the other hand, smiled at what was happening. He loved the Weasleys so much that he just found this affair quite heart-warming. The others may have been annoyed, but he was content with the scene. But as he was watching Mrs. Weasley continue speaking, he swore he felt someone's eyes on him…
Draco's eyes were on him once more, but this time his gaze never met Harry's. Harry was so taken with Mrs. Weasley's delight that he didn't notice that Draco was looking at him between bites. Not that Draco minded this. He was glad he had the opportunity to see Harry. Draco was admiring the way Harry's hair fell across his brow so messily. He was admiring Harry's lively green eyes and his beautiful smile. Draco was admiring… a guy.
With this realization, Draco stopped looking at Harry and began to look inward. 'Why am I looking at him so,' Draco thought, deeply questioning his sexuality. 'I mean I know I'm straight, aren't I? I've been with Pansy forever… but we haven't done anything yet…' and at this Draco just realized that he had never wanted to do anything with Pansy. Ever. He may have been going out with her for the longest time, but he just didn't have any urges to be with her. 'That is not a good sign…' Draco thought to himself. For the first time in his life, Draco thought it was possible he was gay. But before he made the final decision, he needed something more to happen, something that…proved it. He knew something iron clad, a crush for example, would be enough to make him accept that he was gay, but right now, all Draco knew was that he admired Harry. It wasn't really a crush…yet. Draco had a feeling once he started spending some more time with Harry, this would change. But he was comfortable with the admiration excuse… for now.
He smiled at this thought and finished the food on his plate. This time, he did not ask for more, but said politely to Mrs. Weasley, "Thank you for the wonderful meal. The food was delicious."
"Oh your welcome, and thank you for the compliment, dear!" responded Ms. Weasley. "I barely ever get any from around here…" and once more a series of sighs came from around the table. Glad that dinner was over, Draco was soon able to stretch out and talk with Ron, Hermione and Harry about what would be happening tonight.
When he questioned them, Harry answered, "Oh, I thought we might as well move into Grimmauld Place. I think that will be the safest place for you and I to stay the night. So?"
Draco quickly replied to Harry, eager to not have this plan rejected, "Sounds good to me. Will we be getting help?" and he looked at Ron and Hermione.
Ron sighed, "Well, mum won't let me go for beating you up earlier Draco. I'm sort of grounded."
But Hermione peeped up, "Of course, I can help you two move in." When Ron looked sad at this prospect, she said, "And I'll be back later so I can talk to you, okay Ron."
"Thanks Hermione. For a second I thought you were abandoning me…" Ron replied, and Hermione just rolled her eyes at him.
"You know I wouldn't abandon you. So don't get all gloomy, Ron. I'll just help these two get comfortable. Then I'll be back, okay? You ready to go Harry?" she asked turning back so that she was facing Harry and Draco. But Harry didn't get to say yes…
Mrs. Weasley ran into the room quite hurriedly, looking for Harry.
"Oh Harry! Good. I'm glad I caught you before you left. You see, I have something to give you before you leave."
"Oh, yes," said Harry, thinking he knew what she was going to give him. He approached Mrs. Weasley for a hug. She was flattered by this token of affection and she gladly accepted it. She even made sure to give him a tight hug back. But it was only a short one, just to reassure the care of one and another.
"Harry, that was very thoughtful, dear. But that was not what I had wanted to give you," she told Harry with a smile, making him blush, to the amusement of the others standing around him. Mrs. Weasley pulled out a tattered little brown book from underneath her robes. The book looked ancient, with the aura of a past age… Once Mrs. Weasley made sure everything was in order with the book, she motioned to give it to Harry. "Harry, Dumbledore left you this… apparently he wanted you to have it… at all costs…"
"Why wasn't it in the will, Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked her, expecting a good reason for such an anomaly.
"Privacy, I imagine, Harry. And it was less likely to be lost if one of us gave it to you Harry..." Mrs. Weasley paused for a second, deep in thought. " He really cared for you Harry, you know. And he wanted to make sure you knew he was giving something from the heart. Well, don't just stand there! Take it Harry! He wanted you to have it."
Harry took it eagerly and opened up the cover of the book. There in neat, decorative cursive was written, 'The Personal Spell Book Of Albus Dumbledore.' When Harry saw this, he couldn't help but let a tear come out of his eyes and hit the page he was holding below him. He thought to himself, 'This is such a personal thing…. Thank you Dumbledore, you know I'll put it to good use… for you." He wiped the tear and looked up at Hermione, who was standing there smiling at Harry.
"Harry, you know how personal that is to Dumbledore. I mean we have never even seen it before. It must have been extremely dear to him. Well, we better put it to good use then, right?" Harry nodded his head in agreement with Hermione. "Well, enough sulking then. I guess we're ready to go!" With a wave goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, she joined hands with Hermione and Draco; they were off to Grimmauld Place.
It had hurt Draco to see Harry cry like that, but he was glad that Hermione had been able to make him stop being so sad. Draco was now looking forward to seeing Grimmauld Place, which he had heard that Harry himself owned. When they finally arrived, Draco wasn't very impressed with its surroundings. When he noticed that Number 12 was missing, he asked Harry, "Harry? Where is it? I can't see it?"
"Draco, there's a reason you can't. Remember how we said that it would be the safest place to stay the night?"
"Yes, yes I do," Draco replied.
This time, Hermione continued. She couldn't help but do so. "The reason it is so safe Draco, is because of all the charms that were cast upon it. This particular one doesn't let you see it unless you already know where it is." But before Draco could protest, he was handed a little slip of paper, telling him where the Order of the Phoenix was located.
"Memorize it," muttered Harry.
"What?" asked Draco. But before an answer was given to him, he saw a house appear before him and the paper was destroyed. And they all picked up Harry and Draco's stuff and went in (Draco had a few things…). When the door opened, Draco felt a gaseous smell fill his lungs, hindering his breathing. Then, he heard what sounded like ranting from down the hallway. The noise was coming from a little thing a good deal in front of him. Once he walked down the hall further, Draco realized it was a house elf. And an ugly one at that.
"Ma-Malfoy?" the creature asked, and then continued, " Oh Kreacher does not deserve to be with you. After being with filthy mudbloods and half bloods. I have done wrong… Please forgive miserable Kreacher… he has…" Harry interrupted Kreacher, who was now groveling at Draco's feet.
"Kreacher! Do not call any of my friends any names! Please, just go back to what you were doing and leave us alone." Although Kreacher was thinking about defying his master's orders to continue to be in Draco's presence, he was bound by the house-elf code. He got up, even though it was slowly, and went back to the basement.
Draco decided it was best not to ask about that elf from the way that Harry had treated it. He focused upon the surroundings, which were quite grim. All of the paintings on the wall looked quite dreary and the carpeting looked old and tattered. 'Just the happiness I needed to brighten my day!' Draco thought bitterly, then sighed. He admitted, 'It's better than nothing.' The next thing he knew they were inside a large room with bunk beds, a wooden dresser and a large closet. On the floor was lying a large, rectangular green rug with a fading design. Let's just say this: it did NOT help the overall fung shwa of the house…
Hermione told Draco, "This is where you and Harry will be staying. Better choose your bed before he does."
Draco was overjoyed. He had no idea that staying with Harry meant they would be able to sleep in the same room together. It was a dream come true! Draco could not help but start jumping up and down, making Hermione laugh. "Someone's happy about that, now aren't they?" she said to him. Draco blushed and felt embarrassed, and thankfully, stopped jumping. He had not meant to start hopping around like a bunny. But how could he not? He was going to be staying in the same room with HARRY!
Draco proceeded to deny that he had been happy at the news he would be staying the same room with Harry. He told Hermoine, " I just, umm…had an itch. Yes an itch. And I couldn't reach it… So I er… started jumping?" Hermione gave him a questioning look, as though she knew that he was lying to her, making up a lame excuse. But after a second, she shrugged and gave up thinking about it. Draco thought to himself, 'That was close… too close Draco… just keep cool…'
Harry had softly giggled when he saw Draco jump from the news that he would be staying with Harry in the same room. This made things all the easier on Harry: at least he wasn't the only one who was looking forward to sleeping in such a close proximity. He continued unpacking his clothes with this happy thought, keeping the top two drawers empty for Draco. Although Draco did not have any clothes yet, Harry was going to make sure that they would get him some and soon. He looked back over his shoulder at Hermione and Draco, who were engrossed in a deep conversation. Once he put his last shirt into the drawer, he closed everything up and sent his suitcase to the closet with a flick of his wand. When he saw the suitcase finally drop inside the closet, he got up and walked over to Hermione and Draco. Sadly, he had missed their whole conversation putting his things away.
"Oh Harry!" said Hermione, when she saw Harry approaching from across the room. "I just finished telling Draco about the Horcruxes. And I think that he knows something." She paused, expecting Draco to say something. When he didn't, she continued, "Draco, tell him."
Draco looked towards Harry, a little nervous. He said to Harry, with a hint of hesitance, "Hermione mentioned that the dark lord would have used something from one of the founders of Hogwarts as a holder for a fragment of his soul. Well, you see… I've heard my mother once talking about something of the kind. There is some bracelet of Rowena Ravenclaw's that disappeared almost a decade ago. I remember my mother said it was just hidden…. hidden somewhere dark…where light cannot escape…."
With this ominous telling, Hermione quickly looked at Harry. "It can't be in a black hole, can it?"
"No Hermione, that's impossible. It would be destroyed…" Harry responded, cut off before he finished.
"Harry! That's it! It's not in one; it's just near one. Light cannot escape even if you are near a black hole you know. But where could we ever find something of that kind… Must be small…"
"Hermione, are you up to it?"
"After you give Ron and I my rings, yes, I will try to look for the bracelet and see about this place where light cannot escape. But Harry, I might not be able to find anything. Just like with the Horcruxes…So you will have to look as well…" she sighed. "You two might as well get a good night sleep. We have a long road ahead of us. And Harry, The rings?"
Out of his pocket Harry pulled two sterling silver rings with an emerald embedded on the front. It was drop dead gorgeous…
"Harry, where did you get those? They're…they're" Hermione inquired, stuttering due to the beauty of the duplicate rings.
"I know, stunning…" Harry replied with a gulp, then he continued on hesitatingly. "D-D-Dumbledore…gave them to me… in his will." When Hermione saw Harry fighting back his tears, she quickly took the rings and left, saying a quick goodbye.
"I'll be back tomorrow evening sometime to update you on what I've found. Okay? So that gives you a morning to something. Maybe get some new clothes?" Hermione said, inspecting Draco, who realized he desperately needed some outfits other then the one he was wearing. But Harry didn't answer Hermione's comment. He was still brooding… seeing this, Draco decided he should answer for Harry.
"Sounds like a plan Hermione. See you later." And Hermione left, leaving Draco alone with Harry…
Draco watched Harry sobbing on the lower bunk, but didn't know what to do. Draco asked himself, 'What would Hermione do in this situation?' Then he did it; he did what Hermoine would do. He sat down next to Harry and put his arm around him, pulling Harry in for a hug. Harry complied, and with tears streaming down his cheeks, he fell into Draco's arms. Draco did his best to calm Harry, who was extremely upset at the moment. He just shhhed him, telling Harry, "Everything is alright Harry. Don't cry-you'll make me feel…bad."
Harry looked up at him and tried to stop crying, but could not muster up the strength. Draco saw this, pulling Harry even closer to him, trying to help him as much as possible. Draco then smelled Harry's hair… it was heavenly…just the right thing to complement his appearance, Draco thought. He started rubbing Harry's back and Harry was finally able to start stop crying. He soon pulled away from Draco, much to Draco's disappointment.
Harry finally wiped away his last tear and told Draco, "Thanks… Sorry I'm such a baby…"
Draco could not stand Harry degrading himself, feeling sorry when he shouldn't be. He said to Harry, feeling guilty, "Harry, it's me who should be sorry. I'm causing this pain…"
Harry responded, sensing the burden Draco felt upon his shoulders, "Draco…it's not your fault… what happened was bound to happen…just… thank you for comforting me…" With a sniff, Harry added on enthusiastically, "Well, let's get ready for bed. I call the bathroom first!"
"Rats," said Draco, playing along with Harry, trying to make him happy, "I guess I'll have to wait then. Just hurry. I have to execute major damage control before I go to bed. I mean look at me! I still look atrocious…"
Harry laughed, then responded, " I don't think so…" and stopped there, when he realized what he was saying. He swiftly fled to the bathroom, trying to escape the situation before he blushed. Draco smiled and fell back on the bed once Harry left the room.
He muttered, "I've finally done it… I've gone and gotten a crush…" with a sigh, Draco turned over and started to cry, feeling forsaken…for being made…t h i s w a y……….
A/N: Hey I finished earlier than I thought I would… Maybe I have another chapter in me before I go to bed, eh? Well, maybe. It is possible… If I was going to have it done, I'd have to say We're going SHOPPING! Okay, I just had to have that outburst. I finally got Draco to admit he's gay…yeesh. It took me so long. Sorry it ended that way…it's sort of the way I felt when I realized who I really was, and it felt appropriate. Don't worry, he'll be happy again soon! Looking forward to some reviews people. Hope you enjoyed the chapter…