CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

[Atlantis]

HARRY

He probably isn't coming to come, Harry thinks to himself sitting alone in the dusty storage closet. It wasn't as if he shouldn't have expected that though. He'd looked like shit that afternoon and Harry couldn't ignore that it was all his fault. He'd been a conceited little shit he now realized. It only took half an hour of Hermione's yelling when he finally told her about it did it click. She'd threatened to levitate him to the hospital wing herself, but he promised her if he didn't find the cure in the next couple weeks he'll go willingly. She wasn't happy about it though. She immediately ran off to the library to research it while at Quidditch practice (something his interests were rapidly being replaced with a blonde-haired Slytherin).

Harry looked down at the book on his lap again. It was the one Draco gave him from the hallway. At first, he was only interested in the curses needed for his stomach, but as he flicked through the pages he would see tiny notes and illustrations scribbled in the margins in between the lines in Draco's posh handwriting. Harry found himself smiling reading the sarcastic comments like, 'don't move your wand counter-clockwise unless you fancy donkey ears'. Some of the doodles were charmed to move as well. There was a very elaborate one of Harry himself getting hit in the head with a quaffle that made him wheeze. It was oddly sort of endearing actually.

He noticed lots of the lines about healing charms were circled or underlined multiple times. He wanted to ask him about it when he sees him. He thinks back to when Malfoy had healed him at the inn and how he had somehow known way more about the subject than they ever covered in defense. Was he planning on being a healer? It definitely wasn't he ever imagined the Malfoy heir doing, but then again…

The door opens just then making him jump. He almost mistakes the slumped posture with the hood as Filch.

"Draco?"

The figure looks up and shakes the head covering off. Harry leaps up, shocked.

"Who the fuck-"

Draco sighs, "Vincent and Gregory." His nose was broken, covered in a mix of dry and fresh blood. A couple of drops had seeped into his white uniform shirt making it look like one of those cheaply made horror movies Dudley used to watch. There was a darkening bruise on his temple as well that led up into his hairline. The sight of it made Harry's blood boil similar in the way at the inn.

"Tweedledum and Tweedledee?"

"What?"

"Nevermind, It's a muggle thing."

"I know who they are, dipshit. I've just never thought of it that way. Crowley- they are, aren't they?" He tilts his head slightly and smirks mischievously as he holds a bloody tissue to his nose. The lighting catches it and seems to illuminate the entire room because Harry doesn't seem to be able to look away.

"I didn't know you'll be here," Draco says, eyeing Harry carefully.

"I didn't think you'll come as well, " Harry admits. "I shouldn't have asked that of you, especially now that I've read what the spells do to the spellcaster and...yeah. I told Hermione about it and she's helping me now, so you don't have to worry anymore."

Harry scratches the back of his neck as he waits for Draco's reaction. He seems stumped for a minute before letting out a small 'oh'.

"Not that I don't want to hang out with you anymore!" He quickly interjects. "I still do, I just don't want you to deteriorate yourself! That's not really fair on you with everything else you must be worrying about and-"

"No no no. Shut up. That's not what I'm mad about, idiot."

"Then what are you worried about?"

Draco throws his hands in the air exasperated. "What else?! You! I thought I made that abundantly clear! Why are you so dense?"

Harry's mouth shapes a small 'o'. Was that really it? Draco certainly made it hard to tell with his whining about Harry's blood on his hands. Then it clicks. His blood on Draco's hands. The sneaky bastard double-edged all his words! That was unfair!

"Is it really that hard to believe?" Draco asks, a bit shaken. He's staring at Harry as if he can read him like a book. A shiver runs up his spine and he holds his arms around himself to protect himself.

"Maybe," Harry responds without thinking. Not that it was Draco's fault though. It was something so deeply engraved into him from years with the Dursleys plus nearly all his parent figures dropping like flies. Logically he knew he had his friends and the Weasleys who had more than proved to him they cared but it wasn't something that could be rubbed over in a couple of years.

"Well, I do. I don't want you to die." Draco huffs. He kicks over a nearby bin before sitting on it to face Harry. "And you were right as well. You had your reasons and I ignored them. I shouldn't have called you a coward over something you couldn't help. Salazar, you're making me a Gryffindor, talking about this crap. Disgusting."

Harry sticks out his tongue then puts on a horrible draw of an aristocratic accent. "Oh no, I have to face my feelings and be a decent person? Whatever shall I do." He fakingly faints onto the wall behind him with an arm over his brow.

Draco snorts. "You sound like my mum."

"Take a few tricks out of her books then?"

"Oh sod off." He smiles before looking down at Harry's abdomen. "So do you need me to spell it or…?"

"Oh, no. Hermione did it. She wanted to make sure she was doing it right."

"Of course. What about what you tell her about what you've been doing until now?"

"Potions. The one you gave me on the train."

"And she bought it?"

"I think so. She looked at me weird but didn't say anything."

Draco nodded. Harry knew Draco already had a fourth the school on him, having Ron and Hermione on his tail might as well be the end of him.

"Do you need me to help you fix that?" Harry gestures towards his nose. "My healing spells are kind of shotty though."

Draco waves him off. "It's fine. I can do it myself easily. Can I borrow your mirror?"

Harry freezes. "My what?"

"Your mirror. The broken one you're always fiddling with? I'm pretty sure there are charms to help keep your hair down if you're always that worried about it." Draco laughs.

"No." Harry forces a little harsher than he intended. Draco had cut a little too close to Harry's weak spot.

Draco is taken back for a second at the sudden change of mood. He looks like he's about to say something about it for a second before quickly changing his mind. Harry wished for the thousandth time to know what the other was thinking.

The blonde shrugs carelessly trying to diffuse the tension. "You think Filch will miss this bucket?"

He kicks it lightly and a cloud of dust fills the air, making the two break out in coughing fits.

"I think you'll be good," Harry wheezes.

Draco transfigures the mirror and winces when he finally sees the damage done.

"My hair is a mess." He runs his finger through it in a desperate attempt to tame it. "Thank Merlin I wore a hood. I don't think I would have survived someone seeing me like this."

"That's what you're worried about?"

"Of course you don't understand. Your hair is always a mess. I have to keep some of my sanity and pride."

Harry scoffs. "I think a broken nose is more harmful to your 'pride'. And your hair is fine. It looks better this way anyways. When you gel it back it makes you look like an old man."

"It does not!"

"Yeah. Sure."

Draco rolls his eyes but adjusts the mirror so he can get a better view of his temple and nose. "Episkey!" The sound of the bones snapping back makes both of them wince. He does a few cleaning spells all well to make sure all the blood was gone.

"I'm gonna kill them," Harry warns and Draco pulls up his shirt revealing a larger mark to heal it.

"Please, they already got exactly what the deserved." He looks back with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You're too Gryffindor for that anyways. You wouldn't even be able to leave the castle before they found the bodies."

Harry hums. "That's not what the sorting hat said."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco frowns.

Oh, this was too good. Harry had to stop himself from laughing.

"The hat wanted to place me in Slytherin at first."

"Shove off."

"I'm serious! I saw your obnoxious posh face and accent and begged it not to group me with you." Harry grins at Draco's shell shocked face.

"So, let me get this right. You formed your opinion of an entire house based on the actions of one person who was mean to you?"

"I mean...Kind of. You aren't the most inviting."

"Unbelievable." Dracos scoffs, crossing his arms. "There's no way Hogwarts' Golden Boy was going to be a Slytherin."

"Fine then, don't believe me then. In second year when everyone thought I was the heir of Slytherin it certainly didn't seem that hard to believe."

Draco huffs then notices a grey book sitting on the floor near where Harry was sitting when he came in. Harry follows his gaze and deflates.

"Oh. You can have it back if you want. Hermione already practically copied the entire chapter."

"No, you can keep it. I have an extra one. It's an old copy anyways." Draco waves it off. Harry lets out an internal sigh of relief. He definitely didn't want to part with it just yet. Not when he still had an entire chapter of Draco criticizing the author's use of semicolons and stupid doodles.

Harry suddenly catches a glimpse of the time on his watch. "Shit," he curses. "I'm late. I promised Dumbledore I'll meet with him at seven."

Draco is about to open his mouth when Harry cuts him off. "Yeah yeah, I know. You hate him. That doesn't replace the fact I need him."

He mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like 'Dumbledick' and Harry sighs.

Harry hated leaving so soon after they had just made up. The whole thing made him realize how little they actually knew of each other. He hadn't even told him yet about finally being free of the Durselys.

He shoves the book in his bag about the head out the door when he glances back at him.

"Tonight- meet me at the lake? Secretly obviously."

Draco cocks his head. "Is that a date?"

Harry sputters. "No. It is not. Nevermind, forget it."

"I was a joke, Harry. Ever heard of one?" Draco rolls his eyes sighing...

"Yeah, I have. Does...eleven seem okay?"

"Eleven? That's past curfew. How do you expect me to get out of the castle?"

Harry sticks his tongue out. "Gross, I always knew you were one of those prefects. Have you never snuck out before?"

"I have," Draco says, crossing his arms and raising his chin slightly.

"You haven't! You know what- You just get out of your common room and I'll do the rest since you're so much of a chicken."

"I am not- Wait a fat second, how do you know where the Slytherin common is?"

Harry winks and steps out the door.

Dumbledore's office was an array of magical objects Harry doubted that most pureblood wizards even knew what they did. He had to refrain from touching a few as he waited for Dumbledore to finish whatever meeting he was in. A rainbow scarf wrapped around the sorting hat gave him a wink as he walked past and Harry sneered back at it.

The door finally opens and Dumbledore steps out. Harry lights up.

"Ah, Harry. It seems you have a visitor."

Harry stares at him bewildered. Was he hearing the old man correctly?

"Professor?" He asks.

"They're right in the office. Oh, and it seems I'm running late for tea with Minnie again. She's rather feisty when I've let the biscuits go cold."

"Hello to you too I guess..." Harry frowns and mutters to himself watching him walk out the door. He hadn't even offered him a lemon drop this time. Harry had hoped after their meeting at the end of last term the man would stop shying away from him. Apparently not.

Harry pushes open the door to face whoever was waiting for him on the other side. His wand was in his hand just in case. Turns out he didn't need it.

"Remus?"

The man looked up from where he was admiring the titles on the bookshelf. He looked tired and while that wasn't very unusual on the werewolf, it looked worse than normal. Almost as if he hadn't slept a week in weeks. Harry suddenly feels guilty for not writing.

"Harry," he smiles warmly. "How have you been?"

"I'm… fine. What are you doing here? Dumbledore said you were on a mission for the order."

"I was. It went south quicker than I would have hoped." He rubs his jaw where he was growing some faint stubble. It made him look a lot older than he really was.

"Did something happen? Was there another attack- ?"

"It's fine Harry," he sighs. "You shouldn't have to worry about it. That's not why I came here. I wanted to see how you were doing."

Harry falters. Out of everything that seemed to be the last thing he was expecting. Why was Remus just now taking so much interest in him? He barely wrote last year and especially not the one before. The only time he ever even saw him was at Grimmauld Place.

"I'm okay but…. you don't have to do this, you know that, right?"

"Do what?"

"Check in on me- and don't try to deny it."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing, Harry."

"I'm sixteen. I can handle it, okay? Tell me what happened about your mission."

"Harry," Remus says, laying his hand on his shoulder causing Harry to look up and to meet his eyes. "Just because you have a high pain tolerance doesn't mean you should have to be in pain. Sirius-"

Harry pulls his shoulders back. "-Is the only reason you're doing this, right?. You feel guilty. Well, you don't have to. I relinquish you of whatever duty that makes you feel like you have to watch out for me now."

Remus's hand falls back to his side slowly. His hands move as though they were trying to grasp something that wasn't there. His face turns crestfallen and takes a back from Harry.

"You're right, I do. But not because of Sirius. It only made me wake up to how much I missed out on with you. I know I'm kind of late but… I want to at least try."

"You're not Padfoot, so stop acting like it." Harry spits before he can stop it. He immediately regrets it seeing the reaction on the older man's face.

"I just meant that you don't have to protect me anymore. I already learned my lesson. It's too late for that one. "

"That doesn't mean I don't want to. I should have talked to you more before and I regret it. I was scared you wouldn't want me and I realized at the train station how selfish I was being. Especially now with Sirius gone. I don't expect you to forgive me at first but at least let me make it up to you."

Harry bit his lip. They had been close when he was thirteen and he had hoped and failed to keep that connection. But Remus was hurting just as much, if not worse, because of Sirius. Remus was one of the only people Harry had left of his parents and vise versa. Wouldn't it be selfish to deny them both of that?

But Remus had many chances to reconnect with him. He didn't want to be someone's last choice or baggage.

"You don't have to," Remus says sadly. "But I'm here for you if you ever want to talk about your parents or Sirius. I know I could never replace them."

Harry nods solemnly. He would at least give it a try. He owed it to Sirius.

"If you want, how about you take a break from Hogwarts next weekend and come to visit? I found a flat not far from headquarters."

"Really? I can do that?"

"Well, no." Remus grins. "I had to nag Dumbledore for permission for a half-hour before he even thought about it. But if we're careful Dumbledore apparates us both we'll be fine."

"I'll think about it."

"Thank you, that's all I ask for. I'll be here next Friday and if you don't come I'll understand." He opens his arms and bends down to engulf Harry in a large hug.