The Human Stain Chapter 11: All That You Can't Leave Behind, a harry potter fanfic

The Human Stain

By Anna Kate

Chapter Eleven- All That You Can't Leave Behind

Claudia spent almost two weeks in the Hospital Wing, recovering. She was being shielded from the outside world, which included masses of reporters, all wanting to get an exclusive interview with Harry Potter and his daughter, Claire (Which was driving Harry mad). John visited Claudia every day, and explained about Hogwarts. She had yet to confront her father about anything, and refused to see him.

"So, I'd be in 4th Year?" she asked, and John nodded, shifting where he sat on her bed.

"I was in 7th year, but Dad pulled me out." The redhead said, and he flicked his hair away from his eyes. Claudia raised an eyebrow. "I'm severely dyslexic. I was struggling so much with work, and in the end it was realised I would just fail all my NEWTs. Dad pulled me out, and now I work around the school, just helping out where I can. I want to be a Healer though." Claudia gave a small smile.

"That's cool." She said softly, turning her head to look out the window. "How long until I'm no longer bed bound?" John smiled at her.

"When we're sure that the nightshade-aloe vera infusion didn't poison or paralyse you." He replied, and Claudia moved her hand to touch the mark on her forehead. It looked like some musical symbol, a curling line, another slightly curved line that were joined at the end. Three diamond-shaped marks rested along the edge of the outer line. The mark itself was just above her right eyebrow, and her hair normally covered it. It was only visible when she pinned her hair back or brushed it back away from her eyes.

"Why did Dad choose this symbol?" she asked, and John shook his head.

"He said it was a book and meant 'Awaken'. He said you'd understand…" John paused. "Why won't you talk to your father?" Claudia snorted, and her green eyes lit up with life once again.

"Would you talk to yours after what happened to me?" she had explained to John what happened in the afterlife, and he had taken it with a pinch of salt, giving her logical and realistic reasons for why it had happened. She never mentioned Tom Riddle, but had rather omitted him. John shrugged to her current question.

"My Dad's a bastard. He has a new girlfriend every week, and drives Mum insane with making odd times to see Rebecca and I. He drives me insane too. But your dad… Your dad is a great guy, really nice. He wouldn't hide anything without reason."

"How'd you know?"

"My parents and he were best mates when they came here. Dad used to tell me all about him before he left. I heard about the famous Harry Potter in bedtime stories. It was cool, but nothing compared to knowing the real man." John smiled at Claudia's face. Her eyebrows were raised, as if she could hardly believe that her father was the famous Harry Potter.

"I can't see my Dad as anything but Harry J Evans, the author. They're talking about making a film of Seeker! That's who he is, an author, not a wizard or whatever." John looked at Claudia steadily. The young girl looked around nervously.

"I don't suppose any of us are Wizards or Witches until we join Hogwarts. But the truth is, your father is who he is, as are you. You are a squib daughter, and your father is a Wizarding Hero. There is nothing anyone can do to change that." John stood. "I'll come and see you later." He turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Claudia alone in the silence.

Harry was sitting on the window seat in his bedroom, looking out the window. He watched the 1st years play 'tag' on the snow-covered fields, and the old Quidditch Pitch, burnt down during the war, but rebuilt with a glass dome over it. It was more a memorial, and all the students murdered and the teachers killed during the final battle were buried there. In the centre stood a monument; a phoenix perching on a Lion's body, it's wings expanded as if about to take flight. On Memorial Day, June the 21st, the flame that was always lit throughout the year was extinguished and a haunting Phoenix song was heard throughout the Wizarding World, and the flame relit itself.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." Harry called, and he turned where he sat, stretching out his long legs on the window seat. Draco pushed the door open and came in, carrying two mugs of steaming tea. Harry smiled at him, and raised his knees up to his chest so Draco could sit down, which the blond did. He handed Harry the mug with a smile, and both men lapsed into comfortable silence.

"How's Claudia?" Draco asked, after a few moments of calm. Harry shrugged and went back to staring out the window. "You can't ignore her forever, Harry…" Harry sighed.

"I know. But… but it's hard, Draco, to approach her. Claudia's a mean girl when she wants to be, stubborn as well." Draco smirked.

"Who does that remind me of?" he said, before lightly blowing on his tea to cool it. Harry smiled and swatted him playfully. Draco gave a small laugh and grinned, placing a hand on Harry's knee, touching him lightly. He meant it as a comfort, not an advance. Harry turned to look out the window.

"I miss this place," he said quietly. "I used to love it here. The fields… the Quidditch Pitch. It was all so magical, but familiar. It was beautiful. It still is…" Harry trailed off quietly, his eyes resting on the rolling valleys of Hogwarts and Hogsmede outside. Draco's thumb rubbed against Harry's knee in a comforting gesture. Harry smiled at him, and he leaned forward. Draco moved to meet him, and pressed a chaste kiss against his lips.

"You really should stop doing that." Draco said and Harry laughed and hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Hey, come on, I want to show you something." Draco put his tea on the window sill and stood. He took Harry's hands and dragged him off the seat, so he stood.

"What?" Harry asked, and the other man shook his head, pressing a finger to his lips.

"No, come and see." Draco began to walk out the door. He stopped by the large oak archway, and pulled on his trainers. He was dressed down today, his hair tied back loosely with a scarlet ribbon, and he wore a plain white T-shirt, and ripped blue jeans. His trainers were suggestive of his usual black boots, large and heavy-looking. He had no hoops through any of his piercings, and he wore only a silver cross on a length of black leather around his wrist.

Harry was too busy admiring the view than to notice his own appearance. He was wearing a old grey t-shirt that looked far too tight, dark blue jeans and white trainers. Though it was late January, Harry didn't feel the cold, and apparently neither did Draco. Harry ran a hand through his wet hair from his shower, and felt some curls tickle the back of his neck. He had on the silver bracelet that reflected grey eyes.

Draco stood and smiled at him, then headed out the door. Harry followed.

Draco led Harry through the castle with a confidence that he still possessed after years of leaving the school. Draco was taller, and stood taller than most of the students that went through the halls of Hogwarts, but it was his very presence that made them part. He was still the Malfoy Prince, after all, even if he was 42-years-old and looking very very tired.

Harry followed in his wake, creating a path of his own. Even though he was taller than Draco, it was the mere fact that he was Harry Potter of all people that created the pathway.

When they reached the twelfth floor, Draco stood in front of a statue of a… tree.

"… A tree?" Harry said incredulously. Draco shook his head, and Harry began to laugh.

"Not just any tree." The blond said over Harry's now hysterical laughter. He looked over his shoulder and saw the other man doubled over with laughter his hair covering his face as he held his stomach. Draco shook his head and tapped the tree.

"It is our decisions and our choices." Draco said, and Harry looked up, confused. The tree completed the quote.

"That defines our person." A door opened in the tree, just large enough for a man of Harry's size to get through, crawling. Draco dropped to his knees and scuttled in, his hips swinging seductively. Harry followed. The minute he stood up, the door slid shut, and both men stood in total darkness.

"Your name?" a voice echoed through the room.

"The Healer." Draco said confidently, and a few pinpoints of light sprung to life in the room, glittering like stars. Harry looked down at his feet, and felt sick; there looked to be no floor beneath him, as if they were just hovering in mid-air.

"Password?" the voice spoke again.

"Apollo." Draco gave Harry a small smile.

"Accepted. Visitor, state your name and password." The voice spoke to Harry, and Harry looked confused for a moment, but his mouth opened.

"The Saviour." He spoke, without thinking. "Aries."

"Accepted. Welcome to you, The Healer and The Saviour." The voice faded, and more pinpoints in the room shone. Harry looked confused, but then the pinpoints began to move around the room. Faint wisps of light joined them, connected them, until the made up a map of the galaxy. Draco stepped forward, and tapped one star specifically. Then, the floor below them fell away.

Claudia was bored in the Hospital Wing. John had left her with only her own company to keep, and truth be told, her company was very boring. Her eyes were fluttering shut every now and then, and eventually Claudia's eyes closed and she slept.

Harry and Draco didn't really fall. The floor fell away, but no sooner had it done so, that a carpet had appeared.

"A freakin' flying carpet! Jesus, Draco!" Harry had exclaimed and Draco shrugged, moving to sit comfortably. The carpet began to move slowly, winding through secret passage ways that must be through the walls and floors of the school, but Harry could swear that the walls and floors weren't this thick! "Draco, where are we?"

"Under the school." Draco replied vaguely.

"But, we were on the twelfth floor!"

"Yes, but as we spoke, we were moving downwards. You just didn't notice." Draco shrugged, and gripped onto the sides of the carpet beside him. "Hold on!" he said, and Harry gripped the carpet just in time to see the floor below them dropped away and the carpet plummeted downwards.

It was, Harry had to say, like going on a rollercoaster. Plummeting downwards through the school building, Harry laughed and threw his head back. Draco gave a yelp as the carpet swerved violently, and then the carpet levelled out, floating above a river.

"Is this part of the river that runs through the Slytherin Common Room?" Harry asked. Draco nodded, and relaxed his hands. The carpet began to slow, and eventually stopped against a pier. Draco clambered off and Harry followed. No sooner had Harry stepped off the carpet and onto the pier, the carpet whooshed off again.

"Come on." Draco nudged Harry to follow him, and led him into a small chamber. There, shelves upon shelves of objects lined the walls. As Harry got closer, he could see that all the shelves held masks, all in different colours, and designs.

"Masks?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Draco nodded, and picked one up. It was a silver, scarlet and black half-mask, covering only his eyes and nose, but not his mouth. As soon as it was tied at the back, Draco's clothes began to change. His white t-shirt expanded until it draped his body, not covered it. His trousers split in two, just below the knee. The lower part clung to his skin, turning white, and the upper became black breeches. His trainers turned into scarlet buckle shoes, and the ponytail of his hair was set loose, draping across his shoulders. A scarlet waistcoat with silver trimming materialised over Draco's shirt, and a brown leather belt appeared, with a large ruby encrusted sword hanging from it.

Harry was stunned, and searched Draco's face for a flicker of any emotion, since Draco seemed to be a living statue. Harry opened his mouth to speak.

"No. You do not call me by my Earthly Name, Saviour. You must call me my name."

"Healer?" Draco nodded and Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Take a mask, Saviour." Draco motioned over to the shelves on masks. Harry walked over and picked one up; it was green, gold and black. He reached up behind his head and tied the black bow in place.

The minute his hands dropped to his sides, Harry's clothes began to change. Like Draco, the trousers split into two parts, the lower part going white and clinging to his skin, and the upper becoming black breeches. Harry's shirt expanded and the sleeves became large and floaty, hanging loosely on his arms. A gold-trimmed green waistcoat materialised. His trainers turned into emerald-green buckled shoes. Harry felt his hair grow slightly until the curls lightly brushed his shoulders. A Black Belt and emerald encrusted sword appeared.

Draco looked at him, and bowed.

"Welcome to you, Saviour."

"And to you, Healer." Harry replied, bowing. He had not meant to sound so formal, but it was just the way it came out. Draco held out an arm to Harry, and Harry took it, placing his hand lightly on Draco's forearm as a woman would. Draco walked out onto the pier again and stood on the edge. Harry stood to his side. And then they jumped.

'Angel of Music, Guide and Guardian.
Grant me to, your glory…
Angel of Music, Hide no longer,
Secret and strange, Angel…'

Claudia recognised the music. It was from Phantom of the Opera, still running on the west end after years. But why was it playing here? Claudia groaned.

"Oh god!" she snapped. "Not again!"

Someone in the shadows laughed and Claudia turned around to see Tom stride into the light. He was smiling kindly at her.

"Hello." He said, and she regarded him coolly.

"What do you want?" she asked, and he raised an eyebrow.

"So much like me… Oh well. I have come here to tell you that Lily and James want you to speak to your father, and that you are being an idiot by not speaking to him."

"And what would you know?" Claudia snapped… Tom just blinked, then he smiled.

"You'll listen… Eventually." He turned on his heel. "Oh, by the way. Your father is swimming…"

"Swimming? What?" Claudia began to say, but then she was floating in dreams again and sleeping soundly in the real world.

The water sent a cold shudder through Harry's body as soon as he hit it. Then he was floundering through the icy waves, and bubbles that moved past him as he went down, down, down into the blue depths. He looked around and he spotted scarlet not to far away. Draco waved him over, and Harry pushed his way through the water to the other man. As he approached, Draco swung downwards and began swimming, swimming down into the frozen depths.

It was harder for Harry, who was not used to swimming. He followed the scarlet of Draco's waistcoat and swam with him. He noticed that he did not feel the need to breathe, so the water was magical, supposedly. Draco stopped for a moment in the water, to let Harry catch up, just moving slightly to keep himself there. Harry swam until he stopped in front of him.

Draco moved forward and placed a kiss on Harry's lips and to Harry it felt very surreal, as if his lips weren't his lips. As if, he was feeling it as an outsider. Then Draco opened his mouth and it was forgotten for a while.

When they parted, Draco turned again and swam down, his clothes billowing around him and the sword hit his side slightly. Harry followed him, until he saw a black hole with a silver edge at the bottom. Draco swam straight into it and disappeared. Harry swam down, closed his eyes, and threw himself into the hole.

When he opened them again, Harry was lying on the floor of a large oak room, another chamber. He got up, and realised that his clothes and hair was dry, and his mask was still firmly in place. Draco was standing by the door, and he was bone-dry as well.

"Come, Saviour." Draco said, and again he offered Harry his arm as a man would do to a woman. Harry placed his hand lightly on Draco's forearm, and together the two men walked slowly and gracefully through into the next room.

At once, Harry was disconcerted. He felt as if he were back in 18th century Venice rather than 21st century England. Dotted around the room were groups of men, and five women stood together in a group, wearing hoop-skirts and masks, the edges of their three-quarter-length sleeves lacy and matching their different coloured dresses. Harry recognised Luna at once, as her long hair was straight and free-flowing down her back, hiding the ribbon that held her mask in place. Her dress was a pale blue with silver and white trimmings, and her mask was an icy blue with silver swirls and a white ribbon. A pale blue feather was come from an azure that was on the mask.

"Dreamer." Draco and Harry bowed at the same time, and Harry had no idea where that name came from.

"Healer. Saviour." Luna addressed them, curtsying, far too formal for dreamy Luna Lovegood – ahem – Boot. She winked at Harry behind her mask as she stood up, and then the room went black.

"Children of the Guard. Take your places." A strong male voice boomed throughout the room, and Draco led Harry over to the centre of the room. A large circular table stood in the middle, made of iron and engraved with gold. Several seats sat at strategic points around this table, and Draco sat in one chair, motioning Harry to sit in the other. Harry did so, and noticed on the table that there were two handprint marks. Without thinking about it, Harry placed his hands in them, and waited for the show to begin.

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Author's Note: Well, it's only been a month since I promised it would come out! I hope I didn't disappoint in this chapter, a lot happened.

It's been a busy month for me. One of my close friends was hospitalised with anorexia last week, but the good news is that she's well on her way to recovering, though she doesn't look it. Ah, well…

Enjoy! Chapter 12 is in the works! – Anna Kate