--The name of Martin in PFA.
--The personification of Kingsley may be off, but it's what I needed…
-- This is not a Dumbledore bashing story, not really. Perhaps this could be considered bashing light for Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, others. None of these people are evil here. I think I explain well enough, but just in case anyone might get antsy about it… Those stories will come later…
Chapter 6 – Monday, 14 October 1996
Draco was bored. None of the books Harry had ordered for him had arrived yet and Harry wouldn't let him read anything else, claiming that it would distract his mind from exploring his healing gift. Just because Harry was likely right didn't mean that Draco wasn't bored.
Harry was once again writing at the small desk on the opposite wall but Draco figured it would be easy enough to get the other's attention. Over the last day and a half Harry had been quite willing to talk to him about anything and everything whenever Draco felt up for a conversation. They both had very much enjoyed their talks so Draco felt confident in starting another one.
"Who's your transition partner?" Draco asked curiously, lounging in bed against his stack of pillows. Nobody at Hogwarts had claimed that honor and the information hadn't been bandied about in the papers. Surprising, really, given how un-private Harry's private life actually was.
Harry stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and answered tightly, "No one."
"What!" Draco stared at Harry in shock and disbelief, unable to comprehend that Harry would, or could, have gone through transition without anyone to help him. Harry was as powerful a wizard as Draco – only in his most private thoughts did Draco admit that Harry was actually more powerful than himself – and it would have been impossible to survive transition alone.
"No one," Harry repeated flatly.
"But…but…," Draco stuttered. Impossible! A low-powered witch or wizard could go through transition alone with little or no problems; Pansy certainly hadn't needed any help. Someone of average power…well, sometimes they could and sometimes they couldn't. It depended on the magnitude of their magical fitness, i.e. power and focus, and the strength of their determination to not injure themselves. It was possible, but it was dangerous and was not recommended; many who had tried had ended up seriously injuring themselves and some had actually died. But a powerful witch or wizard? They would kill themselves. Oh, not intentionally. But they would tear themselves apart.
Draco shuddered at the vague snatches of memory he had of the height of his own transition. He'd be ashamed of his whining and begging and sobbing if he felt he had had any control over his actions. But he hadn't and he knew it And that was really the point. If Harry hadn't been there then Draco would have scratched gouges into every bit of his body he could reach. He wouldn't have felt pain or alarm as he ripped himself apart, just the desperate need to stop the sensations, and he eventually would have bled to death. It was a grisly fate, met by everyone who was too powerful to transition alone and had tried anyway.
Swallowing bile at the very thought of Harry ending up like that, Draco said, "But you can't have gone through transition alone, Harry. It's not possible. I mean, you would have… You had to have had a partner."
Not turning around, Harry said, "I didn't. Who would I have chosen? Ron? His jealousy, not to mention ignorance, would have kept him from truly helping me express my gift. In addition, he doesn't have the willpower necessary to resist someone begging to be fucked and I, like you, had no interest in sharing my transition magics."
Draco could see the top of the fancy quill Harry had been using spin in a broken dance as Harry twirled it in agitation. The bitterness in Harry's voice when speaking of Ron turned to scorn as he continued to talk. "Hermione, maybe? She might have the willpower to deny sex but she, too, would have been extremely jealous as it became clear that my transition was exponentially more powerful than hers. She would have spent her time lecturing about my gift and how to use it responsibly, according to her, instead of helping me express it creatively. Not to mention she would never have been able to keep her mouth shut about what my gift was."
"Let's see. Who else?" Draco heard the quill drop and watched silently as Harry finally turned around, crossing his arms over his bare chest and straightening his legs out in front of him. Draco ruthlessly suppressed the flare of lust at the unimpeded view of Harry's defined stomach.
Tilting his head back against the chair to stare at the tiled ceiling, Harry continued, his voice a parody of thoughtful deliberation, "Neville? But, no. A nice guy, really, quite sweet, and smart in his own specialty. He'll be a master herbologist in no time after school. Still, he's too timid to have been able to effectively deal with the strength of my transition. Dean? Seamus? Lavender? Parvati? No. None of them would have been decent, much less good, choices."
Glancing quickly at Draco, Harry asked, "Don't you agree?"
Draco nodded silently, understanding completely. After all, was he not in a similar position with all of his housemates?
Crossing his ankles, Harry continued, "What about the adults, then? McGonagall? No. That woman is just as responsible, or perhaps irresponsible is the better word, as Dumbledore in leaving me with the Dursley's. I don't want to be tied to her."
Bringing his head and gaze down fully, Harry smirked at Draco's disgusted look at the thought of McGonagall as a transition partner. Continuing his analysis and now watching Draco's face for his reaction, Harry said, "Hagrid?"
Chuckling at the horrified expression, Harry suggested, "Remus Lupin."
"That's illegal. He's a werewolf and a transition bond would be tainted by the wolf," Draco stated. He was starting to see where Harry's questions were leading … But how had Harry managed alone?
"I know. So. How about the great Dumbledore himself?" Harry asked with false awe.
Draco actually winced at that suggestion, his face expressing nausea at the mere thought. Containing his revulsion, Draco asked, "What about Sirius Black? He's your godfather and you mentioned that he was only supposedly after you. I'd imagine that means that you're in contact with him and know he's innocent."
Harry stared at Draco in utter shock, then his face blanked and he asked in a terse, cold voice, "You know he's innocent?"
Draco flinched from Harry's tone, berating himself for stepping on what he should have recognized would be an obviously raw nerve. Draco nodded jerkily and hesitantly said, "Probably all of the Slytherins know, or at the very least have great suspicion that he's innocent."
At Harry's continued blank expression, Draco expanded, "You already know that a lot of Slytherin parents were Death Eaters. Well, about half of them anyway. Peter Pettigrew was known to the inner circle Death Eaters and some of the others, so they all figure that it was him who betrayed your parents. The ministry couldn't find that many Death Eaters after the Dark Lord was defeated and the public was screaming for blood. Sirius Black's name was raked through the mud by TheDaily Prophet even though there was never a trial. That just screams innocent to any and all Slytherins."
"I see."
After several minutes of silence, Draco ventured back to the original topic. "So why not have Sirius Black as your partner? Other than Dumbledore might have vetoed it, I suppose." Now that he really thought about it a bit Draco couldn't imagine Harry having a partner other than one allowed by Dumbledore. The question was who would the Headmaster approve of?
Harry gave a heavy sigh, hissing slightly through his teeth. Despite his still obvious distress, Harry answered calmly, "Yeah, he would have. But even if he hadn't, I still wouldn't have chosen Siri. Yes, he's my godfather. Yes, he loves me unconditionally. Yes, even, that he would have been strong enough."
Another deep sigh and Harry ran his hand through his hair in a move that Draco was beginning to realize was a nervous habit. "But," Harry stated firmly, "he would have been a poor choice. Innocent he may be, but Azkaban did not leave him untouched. He's sane enough to get by, but he's not completely sane and I didn't want to be tied to that."
Draco again nodded silently. Still. "I can't believe, though, that Dumbledore would have let you be alone. I would have thought that if you didn't pick someone, he would have. Or he would pick for you anyway," Draco stated quietly.
Harry smiled bleakly. "Oh, he did. Have no doubt about that. Would you like to know who he picked "in my best interests"? I bet you would never guess."
Draco eyed his companion warily. The quirk of Harry's lips expressed a bitterness equal to Draco's own feelings toward his father about controlling his transition. Doubtless Harry had just as much anger, too, and Draco didn't feel like setting him off. Nevertheless, he answered the question, "One of his precious Order members I would guess. One that was blindly obedient. An auror, if he had one, since that is supposedly what you want to do after graduation."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Very impressive, Draco. You're correct on all counts. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Auror First Class. Fanatically loyal. An excellent auror by all accounts, but still a jerk: pompous, self-centered, arrogant, self-righteous, not to mention a pathetic conversationalist."
Harry grinned suddenly in great amusement, "Extremely Gryffindor."
Draco couldn't hold back the laugh at Harry's statement. "And you can say that with a straight face since you're really a Slytherin," Draco said through his wide smile.
"Truly," Harry said, smiling right back.
"So how did you get out of it?" Draco said curiously.
Harry smirked and said, "I didn't."
Staring at Harry blankly, Draco didn't comment for several moments. "But, you said you didn't have a partner. And I want to know just how you managed that, by the way. How can you have no partner and Shacklebolt for a partner at the same time?"
Harry shook his head with mock sorrow, "It just wasn't the right time to form a bond with an over-zealous auror."
"A time-turner! You used a time-turner! Wait. No, you couldn't have. You would have needed to go back at least two days to have no partner, preferably seven to hide everything, and a time-turner has a maximum of one day. How did you do it?" Draco asked, confusion floating charmingly over his face.
After taking a moment to admire Draco's cute expression, Harry went back to smirking and explained, smugly, "Actually, there are time-turners that go back seven days. I didn't use one, though. I did something else much grander, extremely difficult, and probably quite illegal, although I didn't check."
Raising a challenging eyebrow, Draco questioned, "What, then?"
"A time ritual."
Blinking his lack of understanding, Draco asked curiously, "What is that? What does it do? And where did you learn it?" Harry noted that curiosity was an even cuter expression on Draco's face than confusion.
A small chime sounded and Harry stood and went to Draco's side, reaching out to cradle the other boy's face with his hands. Titling Draco's head up, Harry examined his eyes. The pupils were still dilated, though that could be from the low lighting. A short phrase upped the lights to half brightness and Harry watched Draco's pupils contract. Slowly. Harry returned the lights to their previous level.
"Well?" Draco asked impatiently.
"Patience, dear," Harry replied dryly. Harry then ran his hands firmly over Draco's skull, forehead to neck, massaging lightly to ease residual tension and check for any spots that where the transition magics might still be pooling. Finding nothing, Harry continued his inspection with each of Draco's arms in turn. Finding only a few minor spots easily rubbed out, Harry then moved the pillow stack out of the way and gently pushed the other boy flat to his back and started on his legs.
Draco didn't complain – he'd learned quickly that it was futile – but he did flush and grab the sheet, keeping it strategically over certain private areas. Harry snorted in amusement as he began work on rubbing out a rather large magic pool on Draco's left thigh. Draco scowled back in annoyance but still didn't protest.
"Turn over," Harry said quietly, having finished checking the front of Draco's legs after several minutes of work on that large spot.
Huffing with impatience, Draco nevertheless did as he was bid, knowing he wouldn't get another word about the time ritual until Harry had finished his examination. Draco refused to admit that he actually reveled in the attention, although he rather suspected that Harry knew anyway. He also refused to admit that these short massages were actually quite helpful; he'd probably be up and about a whole day earlier than he would have been otherwise. Breaking up the magic pools manually, instead of letting them dissipate naturally over time, seemed to encourage the new magic channels to strengthen more quickly, letting his new magics flow properly instead of leaking and pooling in random spots, causing discomfort.
Harry ran his thumbs firmly up either side of Draco's spine, smirking in self-satisfaction when Draco moaned in relief. Not that the other boy would ever admit to doing such a thing. Draco really was amusing sometimes, the things he got embarrassed over. Nearly five minutes later, Harry patted Draco's hip, an indication that he wanted Draco to turn back over, and watched as Draco obeyed his silent command and rolled to his back with a soft sigh.
Harry smirked again when he glanced at Draco's face while working for several more minutes on the other boy's belly and chest. Draco had a contented expression and was blinking somewhat sleepily. Harry had been performing these massages every two waking hours for the past two days and Draco never failed to relax, sometimes to the point of napping. Harry was gratified at this reaction, taking it as an indication of Draco's trust in him.
Giving one last sweep of his hands over Draco's chest, Harry finished and pulled the abandoned duvet up over his charge, tucking it in slightly around the shoulders. Harry then walked around to his side of the bed and climbed on, settled himself about a foot away from Draco, scrunched his bare toes into a fold of the duvet, and waited for the other boy to come out of his slight trance and ask his questions again. It only took a few minutes before Draco's head turned in Harry's direction.
"So, how did you manage alone? And this ritual. Will you tell me about it? Why you did it? How you got away with it?" Draco asked, wiggling slightly under the covers to get more comfortable. He didn't bother to throw off the duvet; Harry was insistent about wanting him covered and warm for at least half an hour after the combination examination and massage.
"Sure, I'll tell you. Just the basics, though. I don't want to go into all the details. It would take forever."
"All right."
"You'll keep this to yourself, right?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Draco assured him. Harry's tone had made the question more of a statement, so Draco took no offense to his sense of confidentiality and ability to keep a secret.
Harry watched the movements of the enchanted snakes on the bedposts and answered Draco's question of why he had decided to do the time ritual. "Well, it's like this…At the beginning of fifth year I got a rather rude awakening about the whole transition partner thing. Once I got over my anger about the situation, I sat down with Salazar and did some serious planning."
"At the first breakfast after the feast, Martin, a really shy sixth year, was being teased about having taken an older man as his transition partner. His birthday had been just a few weeks prior. He admitted, rather unwisely, really, that they had indeed become lovers and planned to pursue the relationship to see where it would go. The guys were taunting him about submitting to the kinky whims of an older man and the girls were sighing about how romantic it was to have an older and more experienced lover. Several people were questioning the motives of an older man acquiescing to being a transition partner for a cute teenage boy. Personally, I thought he had made a great choice and said so. I could see that Martin really cared for this man and was happy with the way things had turned out. This, of course, transferred all the comments to me and started raging speculation about who I would take as a transition partner. I told everyone to bugger off but the damage was done and the rumors started."
Harry sighed in annoyance and tugged at his hair. "People started making comments and/or suggestions. Girls and boys started being extra nice to me and trying to engage me in conversation. It was annoying but not too bad, really. No one had been exceptionally crude."
Harry stopped and looked at Draco curiously, "I had noticed that you never said one nasty word to me about it at all. I was surprised at the time but now I think maybe it was because it was a touchy subject for you as well and you knew it wasn't something to tease about. Plus, I'd imaging I was using grape jelly a lot," Harry added with a grin.
Draco grinned back and nodded. "Yes, for a week or so, the second week of school, I think." Draco had quite assiduously stayed away from Harry that week. Never before and never since had Harry had grape jelly more than two days in a row.
"Yeah, that makes sense considering what happened," Harry said.
Harry continued his story, "On the next Friday I got back from classes and sat down by the fire in the common room with a magazine and proceeded to mind my own business. Ron and Hermione had been avoiding me all week but evidently decided that that night was a good time to kiss and make up and came over to sit with me. A few minutes of idle chatter, as if we were automatically back to being best friends, and Ron pops up with "You know, Harry, I'll be your transition partner if you want. It'd be fine with me." As if it would be some great burden that he would take on and he was being gracious!"
"He didn't!" Draco responded, his expression one of appalled shock.
"Oh, yes he did," Harry affirmed strongly. His indignation and anger over the offensive offer, even after a year, was still quite apparent.
"That's abhorrent! What did you say? I hope you told him to sod off," Draco said with a sneer of disgust. If someone had made such an offer to him he would have hexed them to the infirmary! The nerve! It was an honor to be a transition partner, not an onus!
Harry snorted with his own sense of disgust. "Well, after I stopped gaping, I basically said thanks, I'll think about it. He got this great big grin on his face as if I'd just said yes and gave me a slap on the back."
"Merlin! How gauche. I imagine he was quite disappointed when Dumbledore decided on Shacklebolt. Serves him right, peasant," Draco stated with venomous satisfaction. Oh, he could just see jealous devastation on the Weasel's face…
Harry snickered at Draco's offense on his behalf. "Truly. Then Hermione started in on me, and by this time everyone was now avidly listening. She warned me that I needed to be careful who I choose, as if I didn't know that, and started listing things I should think about. I tried to interrupt her but she just kept on and on. I finally had to yell to get her to shut up. She had the nerve to look disapproving and scold me for being rude when she was just trying to give me advice on something so important. I told her it was none of her bloody business and she got even more bent out of shape and started in about how this was an important decision and I couldn't just pick anyone without careful consideration. Then…then she really pissed me off."
"What did she say?" Draco asked with some trepidation. He couldn't imagine what would be so awful. "Is it what started the grape jelly?"
"Oh, yes, definitely," Harry answered, nodding. Mimicking the girl's speech and mannerisms, Harry added, "You should talk to Headmaster Dumbledore, he could help you pick someone appropriate."
Draco looked stunned for a moment, then shook his head in amazement. "I knew Gryffindors had little tact, but that's got to be the most idiotic thing she could have said. If she had done as much reading as she probably said she did, she would have known that the choice of partner is highly personal and shouldn't be dictated by anybody and certainly not somebody who was responsible for placing you with awful muggles."
Harry nodded and said sarcastically, "But I can't make any decisions without her considered advice, now can I?"
Draco snorted in derision but said nothing.
"I just got up and left at that point, furious. I could hear her demanding that I come back and stop being so unreasonable. Unreasonable!" Harry exclaimed incredulously. "I couldn't believe the nerve of her. It was none of her bloody business who I chose and it sure wasn't Dumbledore's!" Harry said, his indignation obvious. He fell silent, an angry expression on his face.
"Then…?" Draco said leadingly, once again suppressing a flash of lust as he watched Harry during his impassioned speech. Draco wondered what that would passion be like when it was focused on him.
"Well, then I walked the halls for a while and started to get worried. It was obvious that the whole situation was going to be a huge circus and would only stop if I made my choice known. So, I thought about it. Who did I want? And when I came to the conclusion that there wasn't anybody, I was scared out of my mind."
"I understand," Draco said softly. And he did. Had he not been scared out of his mind when he realized that there wasn't anyone he wanted besides Severus and Harry?
Harry glanced at Draco and gave him a small smile. "I imagine you do. There wasn't anybody you wanted either, was there?"
"My godfather, but that would have gotten him killed." Draco bit his lip and flushed slightly. Quietly, he added, "And you. I had always wanted to be friends with you."
Harry gave Draco another smile but then asked curiously, "Why would it have gotten your godfather killed if you chose him?"
"Severus is my godfather," Draco stated, a slight challenge in his tone and eyebrows. He was aware of the intense dislike between Severus and Harry. Who wasn't?
Harry was taken aback for a moment, but then gave a short laugh. "Well, all right. I still don't understand why it would have gotten him killed."
"I'll tell you later. So what did you do when you realized there wasn't anyone you wanted to transition with?"
Harry ruffled his hair. "I came to talk to Salazar and we came to the conclusion that we needed a plan. Not only on how to get through my transition with no partner, but also how to avoid being made to take an unwanted partner. After talking a while, we both agreed that Dumbledore, as much as he'd been controlling my life up to that point, would likely try to control my transition as well. So, for the next two months we made plans."
Harry looked over to Draco and quirked an eyebrow teasingly. "One aspect of those plans was the time ritual that you're so desperate to know about."
Draco sniffed in mock affront. "So tell me, already!"
Harry laughed then answered, "The time ritual would allow me to live in the same time twice without magical repercussions. I could, effectively, go through the day of my sixteenth birthday twice but only transition once. It was perfect. The downside was that it was seriously complicated and required extensive preparation. It took me six and a half months of working nearly every night to prepare and set up everything properly." Harry stopped in confusion at Draco's sigh of relief and looked over at him. "What?"
Draco opened his mouth, then closed it without saying anything. Sighing in consternation, he replied, "When you first mentioned the time ritual I thought that maybe if I had approached you sooner that we could have done the same for me and I wouldn't have to have been absent, making it obvious what I was doing. I'm just selfishly relieved that it wouldn't have made a difference."
"Even if I had done everything right the first time, it still would have taken three months to set up. You would have had to approach me mid-July at the absolute latest."
"Well, good. That makes me feel better. Continue your story," Draco demanded imperiously.
Harry grinned and did as he was bid. "I had to draw perfect runes, pentagrams, and circles on a specially prepared ritual floor. I had to make several complex potions for the floor, the markings, the incense, the offering bowls, for me. I had to do several sets of arithmancy equations – none really difficult but all very tedious – and double and triple check them for accuracy. I had to memorize this really long incantation, although chant would be a much better word. And that was just to get the time jump correct. There was more stuff to protect me magically from paradox."
"But you don't take arithmancy or runes," Draco objected.
"Not at Hogwarts, I don't," Harry agreed, "but Salazar demands I learn them from him, along with several other subjects no longer taught here."
"Really? Like what?" Draco asked curiously.
Harry waved off the question. "Later. When we talk to Salazar again, we can ask him if you may join me in my lessons."
"All right," Draco responded, mollified for the moment. He would be certain to ask again another time, however. His father had once told him about some classes that Hogwarts used to offer but were canceled by Dumbledore (although he'd never checked that information to see if his father was actually telling the truth) and he knew there were classes taught at Durmstrang and Beauxbaton that also weren't taught at Hogwarts.
"Everything had to be complete by the day I wanted to jump back to and I had to jump back no less than three months. I had everything set up by mid-May and I set the jump back anchor point as the first of June," Harry was saying into Draco's musings.
"How?" Draco asked, snapping his attention back to Harry's story.
"By doing the ritual for the first time. Doing it a second time is what brought me back," Harry stated matter-of-factly.
"Oh. So you had at least three extra months of study time before O.W.L.s. That hardly seems fair," Draco complained good-naturedly.
Harry pushed Draco's arm playfully. "Don't worry, I threw them just like I have every other test I've ever taken here."
"You what!" Draco exclaimed, appalled.
"I threw them," Harry replied patiently. "Can you just imagine how much attention I would get if I was a straight O student? No, thank you. I already get more than I've ever wanted with my very average grades."
"I suppose," Draco said doubtfully, "but these are your O.W.L.S. They are important for any future career you may want."
"Maybe. N.E.W.T.s are more important, though, and I can take any and all I want simply by showing up at the door. Even if I've not taken a single class here," Harry stated simply.
"That's true." Draco paused and then smiled wickedly. "May I come with you when you go to those tests for which you've not taken the classes? I'd love to see the look on the teachers' faces! Not to mention Granger's and Weasley's."
Harry laughed. "Sure. Far be it for me to deny anybody some well-deserved humor."
Draco grinned. "Thanks."
"No problem. Anyway, the first time through, well, time, I stayed down here. I had purchased enough food to last me and I already had clothes and toiletries here so there was no problem. On the first of September I did the ritual the second time and jumped back," Harry said, getting back into his tale.
"Why then? Why not stay down here longer than just three months?" Draco interrupted curiously. He would have stayed away longer than that.
"I thought about it. Believe me, it was quite tempting. The ritual has a maximum of one year and I had dreams of what I could do with an uninterrupted year. It takes progressively more and more power, though, the greater number of days you jump back past three months. Even though I was certain I would be getting a decent power boost during transition, I didn't know how much it would be and I wasn't sure what the power drain would be like on the return trip of the second ritual, which is significantly greater than the initial ritual. I didn't feel like having my atoms dispersed into the time-stream because I was overconfident."
Draco grimaced at the image and nodded solemnly. "I see your point."
Harry nodded back with a crooked grin. "So for June first the second time around I simply went back to the tower and continued on my merry way. School finished and my summer progressed. On the evening of July thirtieth I was taken to a safe place by Dumbledore's Order, introduced to my transition partner-to-be, and locked in a warded room without so much as a by-your-leave. But things just didn't work out the way Dumbledore thought they would. A shame, really," Harry clucked with mock sorrow.
"Of course," Draco agreed dryly. Draco was all for anything that disrupted the Headmaster's plans. "How did he react when nothing happened?"
"He questioned me most extensively. Had I felt anything on my birthday? Had I been tired in the last week? Had anything peculiar happened with my magic during the first part of the summer? What about at any other time? How did I feel now? Did I know what had happened? Did I know why nothing seemed to happen? On and on and on," Harry said in remembered exasperation.
"What did you tell him?" Draco asked, curious as to how Harry had handled the Headmaster.
Harry affected an innocent, confused look and, shaking his head, said in a perfect Golden Boy voice, "No, Headmaster. I don't know what happened. Everything's been normal. I haven't seen anybody or done anything! Do you think my transition will happen next year instead?" Harry worried his bottom lip with his teeth, his eyes wide and worried.
Draco stared blankly at Harry for a moment, shocked at the perfect act he had just staged and the difference between it and what Draco now knew as the real Harry. When Harry continued to stare at Draco with those wide, innocent eyes, Draco broke down into uncontrollable giggles.
Harry grinned at the reaction he had produced in his companion and when Draco started to calm down Harry darted a hand under the duvet and gave Draco an experimental tickle. The other boy squealed and immediately went on the offensive, startling Harry enough that he was quickly defending his own ribs. They laughed and mock tussled for several minutes, stopping when Draco was breathless and Harry's sides were sore from Draco's superior skills. Harry was still snickering when he wrapped his arms around Draco, pulling him against his own chest.
"Go to sleep, you vicious monster. You've tired me out," Harry said. It was getting late into the evening and he knew that if he could keep Draco quiet and still that the boy would fall asleep relatively quickly.
"Sleep! But I've still more questions!" Draco protested indignantly, pushing himself away from Harry's chest so he could grace Harry with a glare.
Harry threw out his right arm, grabbed a handful of the disheveled duvet and pulled it back towards himself sharply, flipping it over himself and Draco's now exposed body. Having taken care of their covers, Harry used his right hand to encourage Draco's head back down to his chest. Draco tensed and tried to pull away, finally noticing his state of undress, position, and the firm grip around his waist from Harry's left arm. Draco's breathing quickened and, even as he felt another surge of lust, let out a small sound of slightly panicked protest as he began to struggle.
Harry tightened his hold. "Hush, hush. I'm not going to hurt you. Relax. Relax." Harry continued to murmur soothingly until Draco calmed and was still except for a slight trembling.
"Good, good," Harry praised the other boy and started stroking the fine white hair rhythmically, hoping to calm Draco even further. Several minutes later Draco was mostly relaxed. His hands were still in restless fists between them and he had pressed his nose to Harry's chest, hiding his face, praying that Harry didn't mention the erection Draco hadn't been able to prevent at the skin to skin contact of their chests.
"Now," Harry said softly, "ask your questions."
Harry could feel Draco lick his lips and heard him swallow nervously. "Why…why were Granger and Weasley avoiding you at the beginning of the year? Fifth year. You said…you said earlier…"
"I did," Harry interrupted calmly. "The short answer is because, one, I was purportedly being lackadaisical about my safety considering what had happened at my house over the summer, and two, I, supposedly, gravely insulted Molly Weasley. Of course, both of those are a matter of opinion, ones of which I didn't, and still don't, happen to hold. But the two of them did and after I ignored their ranting about both subjects, they avoided me. Maybe they thought I would feel it was an awful punishment and would come crawling back begging to apologize and make up. I was disappointed that they couldn't hold their resolve to stay away from me for longer than a week."
Draco huffed a small laugh, unconsciously relaxing more into Harry body, his arousal slowly beginning to subside. "What did you do? To Molly Weasley?" He asked, his curiosity overriding his fear. He couldn't wait to hear what Golden Boy Potter had done to upset the matron.
"Because of Voldemort's," Harry stopped abruptly as Draco jerked in his arms. "Sorry. Because of the Dark Lord's return I wasn't allowed to go to Diagon Alley to shop for my school supplies. Supposedly it was too dangerous. Honestly, it's not as if the Alley was going to be attacked, in broad daylight, by a bunch of only recently re-banded Death Eaters and a Dark Lord that was likely still recovering from his resurrection. I was told to give my Gringott's key to Molly Weasley so she could withdraw money from my vault to get my supplies for me. You would have loved her face, and everyone else's for that matter, when I asked for a transaction slip and all receipts. It was hilarious!" Harry laughed at the memory.
Draco joined in the laughter. Turning his face to the side and settling it more comfortably on Harry's chest, he said, "I'm sure I would have."
Harry tugged on a few locks of Draco's hair and continued softly, "She was so flustered that she just agreed and left as quickly as she could. It was totally worth all the grief I got. Ron went ballistic and Hermione gave me a lecture, as usual. Even Dumbledore got in on the action, scolding me for hurting her feelings of all things. I just shrugged and said I was going to spend some time that year making a budget for the rest of my schooling and I wanted to know what was in my account and how much things cost so I could make the best plan possible. He left it alone after that."
"Did you get the slip and receipts?" Draco asked with amusement, relaxing further.
"I did. I did not, however, get back my key," Harry said, tugging again on Draco's hair. "I had to ask for it specifically. From a very red-faced Molly Weasley who wouldn't meet my eyes. I haven't completely decided if that was accidental or deliberate, although I'm leaning towards the latter due to some of the looks I got from Dumbledore."
"What looks? And did you actually do the budget?" Harry noticed that Draco's fists had opened and he seemed a bit more comfortable.
"I did," Harry answered amiably. "I had to throw off suspicion. I even asked him a few weeks later what the tuition cost was for Hogwarts. He seemed pleased with my newfound maturity, as he put it."
Draco snorted. "Of course he was. What do you mean you had to throw off suspicion?"
Harry twirled a lock of white hair with his forefinger. Softly, he answered, "I know a lot more about my accounts at Gringott's than Dumbledore, or anyone, has ever told me. I am completely familiar with my entire estate, as a matter of fact. It was one of the things Salazar insisted on. Salazar helped me get all the information I needed and taught me what I needed to know to manage it with some semblance of competence. I'll never be a stellar estate manager, but I'll be fine overseeing any estate manager I might hire."
Draco nodded against Harry's chest and tentatively wrapped an arm around the other boy's torso. Not being rebuffed, he relaxed even more into Harry's warmth. "How did Salazar help you get your estate information?" Draco asked, quite curious as to what kind of real-world financial help could be provided by a thousand year old painting.
Harry ran his fingers through Draco's hair. "You'll have to ask Salazar. That's not my secret to tell," he answered.
Draco nodded again, easily accepting that answer. He had been raised with secrets within secrets, after all, and the knowledge that you kept your mouth shut if a particular secret wasn't yours to speak of.
"So, Weasley and Granger were upset about you asking for a slip and receipts?" Draco asked, returning to the original topic.
"Oh, yes. Immensely," Harry said with wry amusement. "You should have heard them on the train here. Ron took the opportunity to berate me even more soundly for insulting his mum. Hermione, once Ron was finished, went off on a lecture about trusting our elders, especially people who were only trying to help and who knew best, and scolding me for spreading dissension by not showing complete and utter trust in Dumbledore by blatantly and shockingly questioning the integrity one of his chosen Order members. I didn't respond to her, either, which just pissed her off even more and she proceeded to start yet another lecture about not listening to the advice of my friends and being purposely contrary and belligerent. I was happy when they stopped talking to me," Harry admitted.
"You know, they wouldn't have been insulted if they didn't have anything to be insulted for. I agree with you that Dumbledore must have been trying something," Draco said softly, tiredness beginning to tinge his voice.
"I wanted to say the same thing but kept my tongue," Harry said, the smile evident in his voice. Harry stopped for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "The funny thing, though, is that I noticed Fred and George and Remus giving me odd looks. None of them joined in the general free-for-all of let's chastise Harry. Plus, Fred and George were really open with me last year, telling me about their plans for their shop and what else they wanted for their future, things I know they've never told their own family. That could be because I gave them the starter money for their shop but I wonder if they have suspicions of their own about the real me. Plus, there's some other stuff between us that I'm sure have added to their suspicions."
"It is possible," Draco agreed thoughtfully, rubbing his thumb absently along Harry's side. "Twins and magical creatures are much less susceptible to deception or deceptive magics, similar to the more powerful wizards and witches, although that raises the question of how, or even if, you fooled Dumbledore. I don't recommend approaching them, however, unless you are absolutely certain of their allegiances. Or lack thereof, as the case may be. What do you think Dumbledore was trying to do? Steal?" Draco said slowly, the call of sleep becoming more and more evident in his voice as he spoke.
"I won't. Still, I wonder. And no, I don't think he was trying to steal. I think he just wanted to control my spending habits a bit more. I ordered a bunch of stuff by owl order when I was first fetched that summer; nearly a thousand galleons worth of different things. Despite the fact that nothing I ordered was extravagant or useless, I think he might have been worried that I was going to start buying my way through life, or something," Harry said agreeably. He could feel Draco slowly falling asleep against him.
"Hmm. Maybe. Why were you so blasé about your safety? That woman, what was her name, Um-something, sent Dementors after you with orders to kiss you. That's really serious," Draco said sleepily.
"I was never in any danger from the Dementors," Harry disagreed. "I can cast a patronus, remember. Plus, the wards around my house kept them out, which is where I was, thankfully. Who knows what would have happened if I had been outside and needed to cast a patronus. Ask me about it again tomorrow if you want."
"All right," Draco agreed, slipping into sleep quickly, still tired from his transition.
Quietly, Harry continued petting the other boy, wondering why Draco was so nervous about being intimate. Was the concept of lying with a man that frightening for him? Harry hoped not; he didn't think he'd be able to completely contain his desire, magic-induced and otherwise, for the other boy much longer. He'd ask before he advanced to any intimate caressing. Harry closed his eyes, letting the amusing picture of Draco stuttering through a conversation about sex lull him into sleep.
