Usual Disclaimer: Unfortunately this world and its wonderful inhabitants do not belong to me, they belong to J. K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them. I am making no money from this it is purely for the enjoyment of those few who choose to read it. Thanks J. K. for lending me your ready made world of magic.
A/N: At last a conclusion to the cliff-hanger. First of all let me thank my reviewers as usual: malfoysnogger, Malfoy's Kitten, NiaSphinx, Aconitum, Fuzzy-Bumpkins, FlooCrookshanks, tamachan444, Raven, Nichole08, SiLvErFaTeD, Hermione Bullstrode, SheWolfe7, Siriusly Black2, Isis-Mystic, fancyfantasyfairy(no you haven't missed anything - explanation coming up in this chapter),Leaky Cauldron anno 1985 (don't know how many chapter will just continue as it feels right will be quite a few mor though for sure:-P), Rye Encoke (good guess but not quite right, wish I had thought of it that way though, I'm not sure my way comes off right but anyhoo...) and SeparatriX (Very good guess, great analysing - so very close. I didn't think anybody else out there thought like me but I offer you a hearty congratulations on being so very close to the mark though not exactly spot on. :-P).
Also, as I have written in the note on my profile, I am amidst some very important exams just now and so my updating will be screwy for a while. I will update when and if I can but please be patient with me in the next few weeks. If all else fails, I plan to resume regular updating on Saturday the 29th May. Sorry but I will be free of all exams for a long and happy time after that so Hooray, I should be able to get a tremendous amount of writing done!(Here's Hoping). Thanks to my readers for putting up with my screwy updates and cliff-hangers!
Chapter 19 - A Lot of Talking and Another Cliffie.
"Have you seen it? Them? Sirius and Remus?!" He blurted out. Hermione waited with bated breath for Harry's reaction.
"Yes Ron." Harry said calmly, putting his book down and looking into the wild eyes of his best friend.
"But it's... They were... They..." He spluttered.
"They were together." Harry confirmed.
"Gay...?" Ron spluttered, seemingly incapable of stringing a sentence together.
"It's not that big a deal." Harry stated calmly. Hermione and Ginny watched and waited, knowing that the way Ron was going, he was headed for a verbal fight. Harry was living proof of the calm before the storm.
"Remus... and Sirius...? Together?"
"Yes, and before you say anything you'll regret," Harry wasn't prepared to fight with Ron and so he gave him a warning before he said something incredibly stupid, "Let me tell you all something." He looked around to each of his friends in turn and motioning for them to sit down. Ron and Hermione took the vacant armchairs and Harry cave up his chair for Ginny, perching himself on the edge of the desk facing them. He absent-mindedly picked up the glass orb from the desk and smiled upon seeing Draco's sleeping form. Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked confused as Harry put down what looked like a mist filled paperweight.
"Remus and Sirius were together." Harry began. "They were in love and anyone who can't see that they were right for each other must be mad. They made each other happy and I for one am glad that they had each other when times were less than cheerful. Ad before you say it Ron, no it doesn't bother me that they were both guys." He finished and Ron was looking at him incredulously.
"But it's.... so wrong they can't have been in love! It's disgusting!"
"Why not? You don't choose who you fall in love with..."
"Harry is right, true love between two people should be uncontrollable and utterly spellbinding." Hermione spoke up, touched by the way Harry spoke of his godfather's relationship. Harry smiled at Hermione, most of the time she would sound like a textbook but he knew that her sentiment came from her heart and he did not miss the furtive look she cast to an oblivious Ron as she said this.
"Hermione! Don't tell me you don't find this... disgusting... wrong..."
"Don't be so narrow-minded Ron." Hermione warned him as she sensed Harry beginning to tense although he was controlling himself very well.
"Ron, I cant change what you feel about this but I wish you wouldn't be so quick to condemn." Harry sighed. "Remus knows that I know and he knows that you will too. I don't want anything to change with him, if you acted differently towards him it would break his heart... What's left of it to break - Sirius' death was hard on him..."
"Sirius' death was hard on everyone, Harry but what's that got to do with them being together. You were as close to Sirius as anyone." Ron looked for an explanation but Hermione answered before Harry could, realisation dawning.
"Werewolves mate for life." She stated. Harry nodded. Ron looked far from understanding.
"Everyone concentrated on my grieving when Sirius and because next to nobody knew about them, Remus had to deal with the loss of his soul mate on his own. He'll never have anyone else and he had to go through it alone." Harry tried to keep the emotion from his voice with little success.
"Don't Harry." Hermione could read him like a book, "it's not your fault. Don't you dare start feeling guilty."
"It's okay... I just... he doesn't want anything to change. He doesn't need that right now. He's doing great and I don't want him to think we'll think any different of him now that we know." Harry looked pointedly at Ron whom he knew would have the most trouble accepting the situation. In some small way Harry was glad to have this chance to test the water before he jumped in the deep end with the news of him and Draco.
"Sorry Harry but this is a lot to deal with in two days... and I just can't imagine... Sirius and Remus..." Ron visibly shuddered and Harry's next question caught everybody off guard.
"Ron, do you have a problem with gay people?" He asked abruptly, getting straight to the point.
"No... I... of course not!" Ron looked shocked. "Well... it's just... a bit icky." Harry was relieved to say the least, he had expected Ron to pose a much bigger problem but then again, he reminded himself, it was not his relationship with Draco he was reacting to. He was glad that Ron did not have a much bigger problem, other than not liking the thought of two males in an act of sexual involvement.
"Ron! Not everything is about sex!" Hermione chided him. "People can express love in other ways you know!" Harry smiled.
"I know but it doesn't make the thought of two guys... any less icky." Ron wrinkled his nose and Ginny blushed.
"I think it's hot." She stated her opinion boldly, causing three shocked faces to turn in her direction. "Well I do..." She blushed beetroot.
"Actually... me too." Hermione admitted guiltily, also blushing bright red. 'Since this morning at least' she added silently.
"Euch!" Ron looked torn between horror and disgust and he covered his eyes as is to block out unwanted mental images. "Don't be disgusting!"
"Hot guys." Ginny tried to make the situation better but only succeeding in making it worse. "I don't think about Remus or Sirius." She clarified in case her brother had misunderstood, which he had a habit of doing.
"Euch!" Ron cried out and Harry laughed. He didn't think he had ever had such a strange conversation. It became impossible for Ron to wrinkle his nose any further and so Harry decided to end their conversation and regain some vestige of normality.
"This goes no further than the walls of Grimmauld." Harry swore them to secrecy once again and gained three successive nods. "Dinner then?" Having had no lunch, they agreed enthusiastically, partially glad for the change of subject.
Dinner passed uneventfully and once again, they settled in the lounge to watch a movie.
Once the movie was running Harry made his excuses and took the plate of food he had put aside earlier up to Draco's room.
Sitting on the edge of the bed with the food tray balanced on his lap, he ran a finger delicately along the length of Draco's nose, then his cheekbones and jaw-line. The light touch of his mate was enough to rouse Draco from his slumber and he smiled up at Harry.
"Brought you some food." Harry said, handing over the tray as Draco sat up. He ate hungrily as Harry recounted his full conversations with Remus and then with Ron, Ginny and Hermione.
"Have you talked to Hermione yet?" Draco asked as he finished eating.
"Not yet. I will though. Tonight." Harry said trying, somewhat unsuccessfully to conceal his nerves.
"Don't worry it'll be fine." Draco reassured him with a kiss.
"I hope so. Are you coming downstairs?" Harry gave a small smile.
"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute." Harry gave him another quick kiss and took the tray of empty dishes back downstairs.
Two movies and a midnight snack later, Ron announced that he was going to bed, followed shortly by Ginny. Hermione was about to follow suit but Harry stopped her.
"'Mione wait, I need to talk to you." Draco left quickly and quietly as Harry stood somewhat nervously.
"What about?" Hermione asked and Harry looked nervously at her.
"You know don't you?" Hermione looked intently at her lap. He didn't need to explain further, she knew exactly what he was talking about and she nodded.
"I didn't mean for you to find out so soon, I wanted to make sure you were ready to accept it when I told you..." Harry tried to explain himself quickly. "I wanted you all to get on a little better with Draco before I told you." Hermione looked up as Harry flustered; he fell silent and looked pleadingly at her.
"It's okay." She said quietly, for lack of anything better to say, and Harry collapsed onto the couch next to her, looking immensely relieved.
"You're really okay with it?"
"Yes Harry. You should know by now that all I want is for you to be happy." Harry smiled and hugged her.
"Can I ask something?" Hermione broke the silence that had descended on them after a few moments. Harry nodded and she continued. "How... serious is it?"
Harry blushed but she looked into his eyes and he told her the truth.
"I love him." Harry felt like a schoolgirl kissing and telling, he felt like giggling he was so happy to finally be telling somebody how he felt about his Dragon.
"I'm so happy for you." Hermione smiled, her eyes shining with unshed tears for her best friend and the best brother she could have ever wished for. She felt guilty for not telling him about her relationship with Ron but she wanted Harry to have his moment.
"He's 'the one' 'Mione, I know it." Harry was deliriously happy and his eyes shone brightly. "The strangest thing happened the other night..." He trailed off. He had desperately wanted to tell someone about the symbol he and Draco had seen but he realised that telling Hermione would mean telling her about his and Draco's sexual involvement.
"It's okay. You can tell me." Hermione prompted. " I can talk about sex you know." She added with a small smile.
"Well when we..." Harry blushed cherry coloured, searching for the most polite way to say it. "Climaxed." Hermione also blushed and suppressed a giggle. "Well this thing sort of... erupted around us. It was like it was made of light or something. It's so hard to describe..." Hermione was no longer smiling but looking thoughtful.
"Could you draw it?" She asked, summoning a piece of parchment and a muggle biro.
"Sure." Harry replied, sketching a rough picture of the symbol as he described the way it moved, then spun around and exploded over them. "It was beautiful." He finished telling her but she just pulled the parchment towards her and began scribbling her own little notes and frowning to herself.
"That serious?" She mumbled quietly, looking up at Harry who was now distinctly worried at her sudden change of mood.
Slowly she reached forward and lifted Harry's shirt, her eyes coming to rest on the coiled image of the snake on Harry's chest.
"Oh Merlin." She breathed, her fear confirmed.
A/N: I know another cliffie I'm sorry but i will try to get updated as soon as humanly possible. Also, I would appreciate reviews to this chapter as I'm not sure the scene between Harry and Ron about Remus and Sirius came off right. I wasn't sure if it was realistic enough? I was hoping you guys could let me know and I might change it if I get any good suggestions.
Just to tease you... coming up in the next chapter... An explanation of the floating symbol and of how the orb works...
McGonagalls-Biscuits
