Loss
by Breninblack
Disclaimer: All belongs to the ever-wonderful JKR.
Chapter Notes: I just realized, thanks to a comment from JitsaruJakara, that Malfoy's brother's name hasn't been appearing properly. It's been appearing as Søren and it's really supposed to be Søren (pronounced Sore-ehn). The reason for this is that I usually write these chapters on my palm pilot while lying in bed or in school or on the way home from school (etc., etc.) and then I transfer them to WordPerfect (because I'm too cheap to buy Microsoft Word). But I'm pretty sure that won't read .wpd files (although I've never tried) so I have to transfer them to RTF documents and that's where they lose the special character. Sorry about that.
Another VERY IMPORTANT note is that the last part of this chapter involves a very slashy situation between the two main characters. I am warning people about this first in case you have mistakenly wandered into this story thinking it was a het story or in case you are reading it solely for the element of returning Sirius. If you have an aversion to this sort of thing, feel free to skip the rest of the chapter after Draco goes into the changing rooms.
Enjoy the chapter!
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Chapter Nine: It's Such A Big Mistake Lying Here In Your Warm Embrace
Life without Harry was beginning to take it's toll on Hermione Granger. Now that Harry wasn't around to amuse him, Ron wanted to spend all his time with her. She loved Ron, but since Harry's...attempt he had become depressed and clingy and it was starting to get on her nerves.
Because Harry was in the hospital wing under the constant, vigilant watch of Madame Pomfery, Hermione had no choice but to partner up with Ron for their double Potions class. This was not a problem - it was certainly better than being paired up with one of the Slytherins that they were sharing the class with.
Hermione and Ron were the first pair to finish their potion, which came as no surprise. As Ron sat back to doodle on his Potions textbook, Hermione glanced around the room at her classmates. She had to say they were fairing quite well for not having a clue what they were doing.
She glanced over at Malfoy and his partner, Pansy. Now there was someone who knew what he was doing. There weren't many good things she could say about the boy, but she would admit that he had a natural gift for potions.
Hermione watched as Malfoy directed Pansy to chop the ginger root and add it to the potion in-between anticlockwise stirring. Then she watched him dictate how to add the Jobberknoll feathers at the exact moment that the potion turned magenta.
That's odd, Hermione thought. Malfoy usually doesn't let anyone touch his potions.
It was true; Hermione couldn't remember a time when she had ever seen Malfoy willingly hand over a potion to anyone, let alone dictate how to do it. In fact, now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember a time where he had offered to work with Pansy instead of working alone.
But why was she wasting her time Thinking about him? He was the reason Harry was comatose in the hospital wing. He was the reason she might lose her best friend.
No, don't think that. Harry's going to be just fine. He's going to wake up and Malfoy's going to go back to being the arrogant git he used to be so that Ron and Harry can have stupid little territorial spats with him and everything will go back to normal again.
But as Hermione watched Malfoy's hand involuntarily tremble as he secretly ladeled some of the memory potion they had just completed into a sizeable flask and then hastily shove it in his pocket before anyone could see, she knew that things were never going to be the same.
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Harry stared agape at the blonde man before him, struggling to comprehend the situation.
This was Søren? He was living with the old creep? Were they...
Harry looked quickly from the old man to Søren and back again. The old man had a smug look on his face and Harry watched as Søren unconsciously put his hand on the old man's shoulder.
Harry's brain went into cardiac arrest. His mouth opened and shut several times in rapid succession, like a fish out of water. There was only thought going through his brain:
THERE WAS A GAY MALFOY!
Harry had learned over the years that the Malfoy's took their prejudice and hate another level. Instead of hating just muggle-borns, they kicked it up a notch to include gays and the mentally ill. They were a long line of modern day Hitlers, that totalitarianistic muggle who had systematically wiped out nearly 11 million people because they had been Jewish, gay or retarded (those few years of primary school with Dudley weren't a total loss). If Lucius knew about his son, he'd want him dead. Maybe that's how he ended up here...
'I imagine you're quite surprised to meet me. After all, it isn't every day that a Malfoy speaks civilly with a Potter.'
'No, it isn't,' Harry replied, unsure of what else to say.
'I should give you a bit of background information, shouldn't I?' Søren laughed nervously like he was trying to make a good first impression and Harry wondered what exactly Draco had told his brother about him. 'I'm Draco's brother. My father pushed me through a Death Veil when I was 18, which was about 16 years ago. I've been stuck in the spirit world since then and I've watched all my friends grow up and start their own lives, while I'm stuck here.'
'With me,' added the old man, almost bitterly.
'Not that I mind being here. I got to meet Gus and learn so much from him.'
'So that's what all this is?' the old man indignantly.'I thought it was maybe you were attracted to me, when really you've just been whoring me for my brain?'
'So you're...' Harry started, ignoring Gus.
'Gay? Yeah. I've always been. Partly why Lucius wasn't upset about pushing me through the veil.'
'Malfoy - er, Draco - seemed to have learned a lot about the veils and the spirit world from you and that's actually how I ended up here.'
'Oh?' was all Søren said.
'My godfather fell through the veil in the Department of Mysteries and it was my fault. I have to find a way to get him back. He wasn't done with his life yet.'
'Neither was I. I have devoted the entire past 16 years to finding away back, but we have yet to figure it out.'
'We?'
'Yes, we,' said Gus. 'I happen to be the only expert on these ruddy devices. If it weren't for me, Søren here would be stuck watching the seconds tick past for the rest of eternity.'
'What can you tell me about the veils?' Harry asked. He had come to the right place, apparently.
'What do you want to know?'
'For starters, what happens when someone goes through the veil?'
'That's easy. Your body and your soul separate, but not completely,' said Gus. Noting Harry's furrowed brow, he continued. 'When you are born, your body and soul are whole and connected as one unit. Some of the ancient cultures believed that when a baby was born was when the Gods gave a person their soul. When you die, your body and soul are severed completely and there is nothing that can reconnect them. However, if you were to go into a coma, your body and soul would separate, but not completely. There would still be a bond there that linked you back to your physical entity. As long as your body is taken care of properly while you are separated from it, you are fully able to go back to it. With veils, the same thing happens. The only difference is that the body disappears somewhere. Where it goes, we're not sure.'
'Is there a way to get the body back?'
'If we knew where it was, I imagine it would be just a simple matter of willing yourself back into the body.'
'So couldn't you just will yourself back into the body right now?'
'Theoretically that should work. But we've tried to no avail.'
'What happens if you go into a coma and your body is somehow destroyed?'
'Then you pass on to the Other Realm.'
'Other Realm?'
'The place you go when you die.'
Harry nodded, deep in thought. After a few moments, he spoke again. 'I've already discovered how to travel and that you can pass through walls and stuff, but what are the logistics of this spirit world? I mean, can you lift things? Are we like ghosts?'
'We are like ghosts in some respects. We can pick things up and move things around, but only if there is nothing around to witness us doing so. And if we were to move something, we would be obligated to replace it in it's original position before anyone were to see it's change.'
'What happens if you don't return it in time?'
'You always do, but I imagine there would be some sort of cosmic explosion.'
Harry did not like the sound of that. Not at all.
'That's exactly why we chose to live here,' Søren said. 'Way out here in the middle of nowhere, the only people that can find us are other spirits and even that's rare. Thus we are free to move things about as we please.'
'Can we use wands?' Harry asked. Imagine the mayhem he could cause if he could get his hands on his wand.
'No. You can't.'
'Is there anyway we can contact the physical world?'
'Yes, but it's completely anonymous. You couldn't send message to your loved ones if you wanted.'
'Well, you could,' Søren contested. 'They just wouldn't know it's from you.'
'True. But then what would be the point?' Gus replied. Everyone fell silent for a moment before Gus spoke again.
'Now that we've answered your questions, we were thinking maybe you could help us out.'
'What do you have in mind?' Harry asked. He was deeply grateful for the information he had received from Gus and S ren that he felt obligated to return the favor.
'We're almost done working on a device that may be able to help us locate our bodies. But we need a guinea pig, as the muggles say.'
'What would I have to do?' He was interested if it meant he was closer to getting Sirius back.
'Come look,' Gus said, getting up out of the chair slowly and walking over to the messy table. 'See, we think the bodies go to a large warehouse-type place.'
Gus opened an ancient book and showed him a picture of a cavernous room with rows and rows of what appeared to be shelves.
'We've created a device that could take a person there, except that person has to be in the physical world to use it. We're pretty sure it works, but...'
'But?'
'Well, if it doesn't work, we're almost positive it will result in a most painful death. And...we've never really tried it before. It's all based on theoretical magic.'
'I see. Why couldn't you ask Draco to do it?'
'Draco was too traumatized from his accident and he had only just met me. I couldn't dump a task like this on him after he just found out his entire life has been a lie,' said Søren.
'We're not finished. It may take a couple weeks yet,' Gus commented.
'I'll do it,' Harry said. He had to. It was their only hope.
'We don't want to risk your life for a few more years of ours,' said Gus
'From what I hear, you're crucial to the salvation of the wizarding world,' Søren said.
'I am, but think of all the people we could win over if this works. All those people that Voldemort pushed through. They would want to avenge the time they've lost. Wouldn't you want to get back at your father?' Harry asked Søren.
'Violence is not the answer, Harry,' was all Søren would say.
Gus sat down. 'I think he's perfect. He's willing, he's able. And he's young so he has a better chance of surviving it.'
'But the wizarding world depends on him,' Søren argued. 'If he doesn't make it, everyone's doomed.'
'Look,' Harry said. 'Think about it. I've got a while before I should go back to the physical world. Think it over and I'll come back in a couple of days. In the meantime, do you have anything I could take to my godfather? You know, to show him there's still hope?'
'Sure,' said Gus, handing him two books. 'Take these. We're done with them.'
'Thanks, guys.' With that Harry said his goodbyes and left the ruined cottage.
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Harry didn't go straight to Grimmauld Place. He wasn't ready to deal with Sirius being all responsible about him yet. Plus, he wanted to take a look at the books first.
So there he sat, in the darkened quidditch stands, reading the two books that Gus had given him. They were titled Study of Veilular Mechanics and Notes on the Transitions Between Spirit and Physical Worlds, both written by a Mr. Wolfgang de Guass. He appeared to be the inventor of the Death Veils and seemed to know everything there was to know about the subject. Gus must have memorized the books cover to cover because the pages and binding were well worn.
A noise from the field distracted Harry and he looked up to see Draco Malfoy carrying his broom onto the pitch. The boy's hair glowed florescently in the light of the moon and Harry found he did not want to look away.
Malfoy - or rather, Draco (it was easier to refer to him by his first name now that there were two Malfoys) - had kicked off and was now flying at a low altitude. Only he wasn't doing too terribly good a job. His movements were jerky and stunted, as if he had never ridden a broom before. Harry thought back to that day in first year when Mal-- when Draco had taken Neville's Rememberall and zoomed off with it. He had been so familiar with the use of a broom that day it had been as if he had been flying his whole life.
Which he probably had,' Harry thought.
Harry watched as Malfoy struggled to maintain a steady height in the air. He veered and swerved to the point that Harry was sure he must be getting dizzy, and yet he kept on
Finally, after almost an hour of trying, Draco had managed to maintain a steady height for at least a few metres. Apparently satisfied with his progress, Draco landed and made his way over to the changing rooms.
And, books forgotten, Harry followed him. He was far more curious than he would have liked to admit and it wasn't like anyone would be able to see him anyway.
Draco was already in the shower when Harry arrived. He stayed around the corner where he couldn't see anything until he heard Draco pad out of the showers.
Harry rounded the corner and was confronted by the sight of Draco dropping his towel.
He couldn't look away. He knew this was so wrong in so many ways, but he could not stop staring. He was willing to look past the fact that this was totally pervy of him and that it was a blatant violation of Draco's privacy because he was incredibly aroused by this naked Draco.
He cautiously stepped forward until he was standing behind Draco. He looked down at he boy's skin: pure alabaster, in color and smoothness. Before he could stop himself, Harry reached out and ran his fingers down Draco's arm.
Draco stopped drying himself almost immediately. He looked around, even though he knew no one was there.
Harry had to touch him again. So he traced the contours of Draco's shoulder blades and Draco shuddered and let out a small gasp.
Delighted by the noise he had elicited from the blonde, Harry stepped even closer, letting his brain relax and his instinct take over. He slowly ran his hands down the length of Draco's arms, causing him to shudder again. He traced the veins on the back of Draco's hands and Draco grew very, very still.
'Harry?' he said very quietly, so quietly that Harry almost didn't hear. But he did hear and it caused him jump back and sprint out of the changing rooms.
{A/N: Do you like it? Please tell me how I did. Especially about the scene with Draco and Harry. I'm testing the waters to see how believable it is which is why not much really happened. I've never written sex scenes of any kind so I want FEEDBACK! I love you?
Another note I should mention about chronology. If you're paying attention, (which I apparently have not been) you'll notice that this story doesn't add up chronologically. Let me explain: Assuming that Lucius and Narcissa were in their earlier twenties when Søren was born, let's say they were both 23, and Søren was 18 when he got pushed through the veil and Draco was 1, that would put Lucius and Cissa at 57 at the time of this story. Considering that the Malfoy's were supposed to be at Hogwarts the same time as the Potters, this is not plausible. Even if Cissa had Søren when she was 15, that would make her 49 and that's still pretty farfetched. Although, not necessarily, because my parents are around 45ish and I'm only turning 17 in August, so I guess it could work. However, it still doesn't put them in school at the same time as the Potters, assuming the Potters had Harry a few years after they graduated and got married. .So, as a result of my not thinking this through, I wouldn't pay too close attention to dates in this fic (I think the dates for Sirius falling through the veil and the time of this story don't divide perfctly, either...). I promise I'll pay closer attention in my next fic. Sorry about this, guys (and gals, though to be honest, I don't know how many of which read this...)
To my splediferous reviewers:
JitsaruJakara: You dyed your hair pink? That's awesome! My hair used to be green, but my mum won't let me dye it anymore. tear Normally, I'm a stickler for spelling, but I'll let it slide because I like you. . I think you'll like this chapter. Or at least I hope you will. Some good sexi Draconess. Oh, ah the little slashy o thing, all you have to do is go into the character map (start>accessories on windows)and select it.
Shania Maxwell: Glad you think the story's interesting!
yukaishepards: Glad you like the plot! I hope this qualifies as 'ultra soon.'
THANK YOU FOR READING I LOVE YOU ALL!
}Next Chapter: Harry reconciles with Sirius. Harry finds out about the device. More surprises to come. (Hopefully.)