A/N Oh my gosh this is the longest chapter I've ever written! Sorry if it's a bit too long, but I liked it! Thanks to reviewers:
LunaParvulus: Aww bless you!! I think if I looked at one, I would see a broken Clarinet… how sad is that haha!
Murgy31: Tehe thank you, I hope you like this one as much!
StarDreamer1269: Hmm yes I know, I hate Ginny… and I'm the author haha! I thought it may be obvious that Harry's boggart would turn into that, but some people didn't get it, which is good!
SlashFan69: Haha I totally love that new phrase 'boy love' haha!! And I have to say, I don't think anything could be better than Harry/Draco boy love tehe!!
.J.e.n.n.a.7.: Hehe, I'm getting more excited with every chapter too hehe!! And I'm glad that you didn't realise what the boggart would be, makes me think I did a good job of suspense/surprise!!
LoveNOThate: Freak in a good, or bad way?!
It Just Did (Part One)
The next day, however, Harry's predictions did not come true. Draco did not turn up the day after storming out of Harry's house saying that he'd never come back, nor did he send a letter by owl as way of an apology for being so angry. And after only one day, Harry was loosing hope of ever learning magic, or having a friend again.
The morning was the same as any other morning in the house: Ginny eating her breakfast grumpily because Harry had gone downstairs again last night; Ron not looking anyone in the eye at all; and Hermione either reading the morning edition of the Daily Prophet or staring at Harry.
After about fifteen minutes at the table of Hermione staring at him, Harry cracked. He scraped his chair back along the floor quickly, making the other three jump, and shouted, "Go on then, say it! You told me so! Well so what?! He'll come back!"
"Harry, be quiet," Hermione said sternly, shocking him enough that his mouth closed automatically. "I wasn't going to say anything of the sort. I was reading if you must know!"
"You weren't, you were staring at me!" Harry said defensively, sitting back down.
Hermione took a deep breath, signalling that something Harry wasn't going to like was coming up. "That's because what I was reading made me think of you…"
"What?" Harry said, joined by Ron and Ginny.
Hermione put the paper down on the table, looked at it once more and said, "There have been attacks while you've been off work… And I was wondering… Whether you should go back…."
"What?" Ron exclaimed. "Harry go back to work? He's ill!"
Although Harry resented the fact that Ron called him 'ill' when he felt perfectly fine, Harry couldn't help but agree. "I'm an auror," He said, "What's the point in me going back when I can't even remember magic?"
"You wouldn't have to do that straight away," Hermione explained, "You could do paperwork…"
"When I don't even know anything about the wizarding world?" Harry challenged.
"Harry, it could help you remember…"
"I'm tried of people telling me things will help me remember!" He yelled, standing up again. "I've barely been awake for a month and you all think everything will just come back to me! Have you ever lost your memory? Any of you? Do you know what it's like to lose a part of your life? I woke up and I didn't know who any of you were; people who I was supposed to love more than magic itself. So you expect me to be able to remember spells and jinxes just like that? I still can't remember you. I talk to you because you're there to talk to, and I live with you…"
"Whereas you remember Draco Malfoy? Is that it?!" Hermione shouted.
"Yes! Actually, I do!" Harry shouted back. "I see him in my dreams every night and he was the only thing I could see when I was in the coma!"
For a few minutes, no one said anything. Ron, Hermione and Ginny just stared at him, Ginny looking insanely terrified and Ron looking insanely angry. Harry then saw Ginny swallow and she spoke in a quiet, cracking voice.
"Why did you see him?" She asked.
Harry shrugged, "I don't know. Some magical thing, I guess. Showing me that when I woke up I was supposed to find him, so he could teach me again. I bet it happens to loads of people."
"No, it doesn't…" Hermione started.
"And how would you know?" Harry backfired quickly. "You're not a Healer!" He paused. "Draco will come back. He's meant to."
Hermione shut her mouth slowly. Harry watched them all for a few more seconds and then turned to leave the room. As he reached the bedroom upstairs, he began to hear Ginny's tearful voice shouting and, surprisingly, Hermione trying to reason with her that Harry may be correct. Draco would return to apologise today.
He was, however, incorrect. Harry spent the rest of the day alone, while Ron, Hermione and Ginny went back to work for the first time since Harry's accident. Although it reminded him a lot of being back at the Dursley's, Harry was glad to have some peace and quiet. He went downstairs after the other three had left and watched whatever he wanted on the TV. And, despite being (or at least, thinking he was) only eleven years old, he cooked his own lunch, having learnt how to fend for himself at the Dursley's.
Although this peace was ignorantly blissful, however, Harry could not stop thinking about Draco throughout the day. Every now and then, he had gone upstairs where the window was waiting open for an owl to swoop in, and check if there was a letter in sight. There was never anything. By the time Ron, Hermione and Ginny returned from work that evening, Harry had been to look for a letter more times than he could count, and was giving up hope.
At dinner, the other three mainly just spoke about what had been happening at work while they were away. There were odd moments when the table went silent, and Harry could feel their eyes looking at him nervously as he kept his head bent down. He felt quite like a fish out of water; suffocating with people staring at him, not knowing what to do…
The next morning, Harry woke up not feeling much better. His neck ached painfully from his positioning on the sofa, but as he sat up, he looked at the clock on the wall and saw that he had had a longer sleep than usual. Ron, Hermione and Ginny had probably already left for work. But then, he heard voices in the hall: angry voices.
Slowly, Harry stood up and crept over to the closed door, silently pressing his ear against it to listen.
"Ron, I think you should reconsider…" He heard Hermione's voice say quite quietly.
"I will not!" Ron shouted back, "Why would you even suggest that?"
"I'm with Ron, Hermione," Ginny cut in angrily, "You heard what Harry said about him! He shouldn't be here!"
Harry had lost the plot. What Harry said about who? Did Ginny just suggest that Harry shouldn't be there?
"Excuse me, you seem to have forgotten I'm right here."
Harry's heart hurtled down to the floor and bounced straight back up into his throat. Draco was in the hall. He knew that voice as well as he knew the back of his hand.
"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron snapped, "I've told you to leave, now get out!"
"I won't leave until I've seen Potter," Draco said calmly.
Harry swallowed hard and looked down at his body. He was wearing dirty trousers from sleeping in them and a creased t-shirt. But he didn't much care right now. He opened the door and walked into the hall.
"Potter," Draco said, neither smiling nor frowning. The other three stared at him.
"When were you going to wake me to tell me he was here?" Harry asked Ron, Hermione and Ginny angrily. "After he'd gone?" He spat.
The three looked at each other and shuffled their feet.
"He..." Ron started. "He hurt you the other day, mate, we could see that… We didn't want you to get hurt again."
"We can sort things out on our own, thank you," Harry said sarcastically, "So I'll see you all after work."
All three of them opened their mouths to say something, but nothing came out. They then all looked at each other and walked out of the front door, squeezing past Draco. Harry was sure he saw Ginny try to kick him in the shin.
Once the door had closed, Draco turned back to look at Harry, who watched him blankly. He really didn't know what to say or do. Across Draco's face spread a clumsy smile, and he said, "Well, it seems you're getting on fine here then!" Harry said nothing, but kept looking at him, and Draco's face fell. "Look, Potter, I'm sorry I left! I was just shocked, weren't you?"
"If it was just shock then why didn't you come back yesterday?" Harry asked.
"I was busy…" Draco muttered, but continued quickly, "Look, I'm sorry! I can't say it enough. I realise now that it was only natural for your boggart to take that form, as it's obvious that I'm your only real friend right now… What would you do if…"
"I'm not sure about the 'friend' part," Harry muttered, walking away into the living room.
"Oh come on, Potter, don't be like that!" Draco moaned, following him in. Then suddenly, a small smile brushed over Harry's face as his back was turned to Draco: he was enjoying this.
"Listen," Harry said, turning to face Draco now, "I didn't know that was going to happen either, did I? I didn't ask for it to happen! It just did!"
Draco lowered his head, "I know, and I'm sorry for taking it out on you. So… are we friends again now?"
Harry tried not to, but he couldn't help it; he smiled and nodded.
A wide smile spread across Draco's face, making Harry want to laugh. "Good, I've…" He stopped talking abruptly.
"What?" Harry asked.
"I've…" Draco stuttered, "It was strange not seeing you, that's all."
Harry smiled, "You missed me, didn't you?"
Draco's eyes narrowed, "We're spending too much time together," He said. At Harry's confused expression, he added, "You've picked up my 'smirk' as you like to call it."
"No I haven't…" Harry mumbled.
"You have," Draco replied, "You did it just a minute ago."
Harry smiled in what he thought was a none-smirkish way. "Haven't you got work?" He asked, wanting to change the subject, as he was getting slightly embarrassed.
"No, it's a rare occasion that happens sometimes; my day off," Draco answered, sitting down on the sofa which Harry had slept on last night. "You're still not sleeping with her, are you?"
"What?" Harry asked, his voice rather high pitched from shock of the sudden question.
"The Weaselette," Draco said, "You're still sleeping down here, aren't you?"
Harry swallowed, "How did you know?"
"This sofa has been slept on," Draco stated.
"You've slept on sofas enough times to know what it feels like the morning after?" Harry laughed.
"I've done more than sleep on sofas…" Draco's lips snapped shut and he looked intently at the sofa, rather than Harry. And for some strange reason, Harry suddenly felt young and exposed, more so than he felt with Ginny.
Harry shuffled where he stood and walked over to the window, trying to put awkward thoughts of Draco from his mind.
"I'd come with the idea that if you forgave me we could have a lesson…" Draco said suddenly.
But Harry hardly heard him. An odd feeling was now rushing through him – he couldn't tell what it was. Whether it was worry or curiosity, he didn't know. All he knew was that right now, he didn't feel like learning any magic. Only learning about something else.
"I hardly know you," Harry muttered, more to the window than to Draco.
"I'm sorry?" Draco said from the sofa.
Harry turned to look at him. "Tell me about yourself for a change. You call us friends but I don't know anything about you. Where did you grow up? Where do you live now? Who're your family? What are they like?"
"Potter, slow down," Draco said hurriedly, "There's plenty of time for you to get to know about me, but at the moment we're concentrating on getting your memory back, aren't we?"
Harry looked at him. "Do you not want to talk about your family?"
Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm an only child, my mother and father were rich, they're both dead…"
Harry gasped. "I'm sorry…"
Draco shrugged, "Its ok. I inherited the manor after my father… died…"
Harry could tell that it hurt Draco to talk of his father's death – they must have been close – so he chose the topic of Draco's house.
"The manor?" He asked.
"Yes, Malfoy manor," Draco said, "It's passed down through the Malfoy line. It's where I live, when I'm not at work…"
Harry chuckled and said, "Will I be able to see it?"
Draco looked at him through narrowed eyes, "Yes. I don't have many friends these days; it's such a big place and no one is ever there to use it. Only the house elf, and on rare occasions, me." A pause followed this as Harry digested some information. Draco's parents were dead, he was an only child, and he had hardly any friends. They were both so alike, it almost scared Harry. It was getting more and more clear just why Harry saw Draco in his coma and every night in his dreams. "You know, if it does ever get too much for you here, my elf wouldn't mind the company at the manor. I really do work so much these days…"
For some reason, Harry's heart started to beat faster. "Are you saying I could live with you?" He asked.
"Well, it wouldn't really be living with me, as I'm hardly ever there… But yes… But only if it gets too horrible over here…"
"It's horrible enough already!" Harry said, trying not to sound too eager.
"Yes, but you haven't given them a chance yet," Draco said quickly, "Despite how much you don't like it, that Weaselette is your fiancée, and you haven't given your mind chance to get older yet. Imagine if you just came to live at the manor before remembering how amazing sex is, and then you never got the chance to remember! Because I assure you, there aren't any… What?"
Harry had tried to stop it, but he couldn't hold back. He exploded in a fit of girlish giggles at the word 'sex'. Although he hated the thought of even sleeping in the same bed as Ginny, the thought of him having sex was outrageously funny.
"Potter," Draco said, obviously holding back a laugh, "I know I always stick up for you, but grow up! I'm being serious now. Weasley strikes me as a very sexual girl, and if you leave her to live with me, she won't be waiting for you when you actually do grow up and go crawling back to her."
Harry had stopped laughing now, and had listened to every word Draco said, but it just didn't sink in. In Harry's opinion, he would never do anything like that. It disgusted him greatly.
Suddenly, the two jumped from their seats as there was a banging in the hallway. Harry went to walk towards the door but Draco held out his wand and said, "You stay here…"
Five seconds later however, Draco had opened the door quickly, pointed his wand into the hall, lowered it and said, "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" Harry heard Ginny's voice said defensively.
Harry left the room and stood next to Draco. "Why are you home?" He asked.
"I'm ill," Ginny answered, standing still.
"Yes, you look it…" Draco sneered. "I'll go now, then," He added, turning back to Harry.
"What? You don't have to…" Harry said as Draco walked towards the front door.
"It's fine," Draco replied, "Would you like to come to mine tonight, for a lesson?"
"Go to yours?" Harry repeated blankly.
"Yes, they all know where I live," He said, waving his arm in the general direction of Ginny.
"Malfoy!"
Draco glared at Ginny and she shut her mouth.
"Half past seven then, Potter?" Draco said, as if he couldn't even see Ginny anymore.
"Yes… That's fine…" Harry said, and next second, Draco was gone.
Harry turned to walk up the stairs with a bemused smile on his face, but saw his way blocked by Ginny, staring at him.
"I can't believe you!" She said loudly.
"What?" Harry asked, although he knew perfectly well 'what'.
"Harry, he doesn't even call you by your first name, he ran out on you less than two nights ago, and yet, you can't get enough of him!" She shouted.
Harry tutted, feeling rather like Hermione and regretting it afterwards. He didn't wish to discuss Draco right now.
"You don't look ill," He said, wandering off up the stairs.
"I am," Ginny said, following him up, "I have a temperature."
"Oh dear, well you'd better get to bed then," Harry said sarcastically as they walked into the bedroom, Harry heading for the bathroom.
It seemed however, that Ginny had taken his comment in completely the wrong way.
"I will if you will," She said, suddenly quieter, using a different voice, one that seemed huskier. And then she grabbed Harry's arm and pushed him against a wall.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked quickly, but before he knew it, her hand was under his t-shirt and touching his bar skin. And suddenly he was frozen. He wanted to shout at her and pull the hand from under his top, but he couldn't. His eyes were stuck open and staring at her face, which looked back up at him, full of what looked like longing.
"Harry, I know its there inside of you…" Ginny whispered in his ear. "I know you want it as much as I do…"
"I – I don't know…" Harry stammered.
Suddenly, Ginny pushed him again, so that his head hit the wall behind him. "Yes you do, Harry! You do know!" She yelled.
Harry didn't know what to say, but words spilt out of his mouth in a loud flow of anger. "I'm sorry! It's hard for me!"
"It's not though is it! That's just the problem!" Ginny shouted, suddenly pointing just below his stomach.
Harry stared at her. His eyes slowly narrowed so that he was looking at her, considering, beginning to understand.
"Please," She said weakly, "Can I just give you a kiss?"
Harry swallowed but did not move, which Ginny automatically meant to mean yes. She moved back towards him, placed her left hand on his arm and stood up higher slowly. Harry breathed heavily and he started to shake. But it wasn't a good shake. A horrible feeling began to bubble up in the bottom of his stomach… But then her lips were touching his. Lightly at first, but then Ginny pushed harder, and her hand travelled down his arm quickly. Harry shivered some more and suddenly jerked out from between Ginny and the wall, crying "Don't!" loudly.
Ginny glared at him, a disgusted look on her face.
"I'm sorry…" Harry said, barely above a whisper.
"Get out," Ginny said stonily, her voice unwavering. Harry stood still. "I'm ill, I want to sleep! Get out!" Ginny yelled.
With that, Harry left the room, the feeling in his stomach easing off. But for the rest of the day, he still felt slightly sick. He just couldn't tell whether it was because of a girl kissing him, or because of the fact that he was so utterly scared…
Dinner that evening was not a pleasant time. Ginny refused to eat with them, continuing with the excuse that she was ill, and when Harry told Ron and Hermione what had happened, all they kept saying was, "You didn't give her much of a chance though, did you?"
Harry had never been so pleased when twenty past seven came around and Hermione stood up.
"Well, I'd best take you to Malfoy's then, hadn't I?" She said, somewhat bitterly.
"Yes please," Harry said, grabbing his cloak from the hall.
Hermione shouted goodbye to Ron and took hold of Harry's arm. "We're apparating, are you ready?"
Harry made doubly sure he was breathing totally normally and nodded. Then, next second, he couldn't breathe at all. His lungs were being squeezed to breaking point and they soared through what was like an air tight tube… But then, just as quickly as it had started, the pain stopped, and Harry breathed in huge gulps of fresh evening air.
Then he opened his eyes.
He felt like he had fallen into a dream – a scary dream at that. Before him, in the light of the setting sun, was, not a house, but a mansion. The sheer size of it made Harry's jaw drop. He was surprised to see that it was almost completely black on the outside, were it not for the occasional door and dark windows. There were three floors; the ground and two others. Harry had never seen such a place. The light of the sun setting on the front of the black house made it look a different colour; a dirty, blood red. And suddenly, Harry was reconsidering whether or not to actually let himself into this house.
"Have you been here before?" He whispered to Hermione as they walked towards the mansion.
"Yes, and you have too," She answered calmly, "Although, when we were brought here, it was dark, so you couldn't see as well."
"Why did we come here?" Harry asked.
Hermione looked at him. "Now's not the time," She said quietly.
They had reached the door by this time, and even when Harry – a person quite tall – stood by it, he felt tiny. Insignificant.
Hermione knocked on the door.
The door opened only one second after being knocked on, but it took Harry a while to see the person who'd opened it.
So that tiny little creature was a house elf? It bowed it's head so low to the floor that its long nose almost touched Harry's feet.
"Master Malfoy welcomes you, Harry Potter," It squeaked. It seemed to be a female. "He shall be with you in one moment."
The elf trotted off towards the staircase, but seemed to carry on underneath it and go through a door. Harry looked around a bit more then. If the outside didn't look big enough, the enormity of the inside of his 'house' was enough to take Harry's breath away. This hallway which he and Hermione stood in was barely a hallway at all; it could have been a room completely on its own. The living room and the kitchen from Harry's house would both fit perfectly in here.
"No wonder he wanted you to come over here," Hermione said, slightly in awe, "I bet he just wanted to gloat."
"No, actually," Harry jumped as a smooth voice hit their ears. He looked up and saw Draco standing at the top of the first flight of stairs. "I just wanted to teach Potter how to fly. And we can't do that at your house now, can we?"
Harry beamed and looked across at Hermione, but her face was not smiling at all. When Draco reached them at the foot of the stairs, she said, "I swear, Malfoy, if you even think about pushing him off his broom…"
"Why would I do a thing like that?" Draco snapped, evidently hurt by the comment, "You stupid girl!"
Hermione looked almost convinced. "I'll go now then. But I won't be long. I'll be back in an hour!"
And she walked out of the house without even saying goodbye.
"Sorry about her…" Harry apologised.
"Oh, I don't care," Draco waved it aside, "It's you I'm worried about. But anyway, we don't have long if she's going to be back in an hour. Grab a broom," He pointed over to an opposite wall there two brooms were standing as he began to walk towards the door the house elf had exited from. He chose the shinier of the two brooms, and quickly followed Draco.
The next thing he knew, Harry was standing outside next to Draco, on a large field with markings on the ground, and three tall hoops at either end.
"This is a Quidditch pitch," Draco said, taking his own broom from the grass, "But I won't teach you how to play that today, we won't have time. I just thought you might like to have some fun tonight, learning how to fly again." Harry nodded vigorously. "It won't take you long to get the hang of it at all. In our first ever flying lesson at Hogwarts, (bare in mind I'd been flying since I was about five) you just hopped on your broom and made it quite clear that you were better than me without even trying. I was bitter for a while…" Draco finished slightly dreamily, making Harry laugh.
"So," Draco continued, "Just mount your broom, and… Well, I can't explain it really… You'll be able to do it, I know you will."
Harry waited for a moment, but when Draco said nothing else, he climbed onto his broom, feeling terrified that such a piece of stick would ever hold his weight. But then, as he pointed the end upwards, it started to rise off the ground easily. He tried not to go too high, since he didn't want to fall (and loose any more of his memory). Every now and then he pushed the end to one side, and found himself facing a completely different direction. Just when he was wondering how to move forwards, the broom started to move slowly towards the other end of the field. And then, the more he thought about going faster, the faster he went…
And then, he was off. Flying round and found the field, going faster every lap. And then he dared himself to go higher, and the broom took him up, up, up…
It was the most exhilarating feeling Harry had ever come across. To be able to fly in the sky like a bird, with what seemed like no worries in the world.
After what seemed like an age, Draco appeared next to him as he flew higher than the posts at each end of the field.
"You're enjoying it then?" He shouted, but Harry barely heard him from the wind gushing through his ears.
Harry slowed down to a halt and found himself then floating, completely still, high above Draco's house, high above the world.
"What?" Harry asked breathlessly.
Draco laughed, "I asked if you're enjoying it!"
"More than anything," Harry answered quickly.
"I'll race you to the other side," Draco said, suddenly reminding Harry of a playful child.
Harry nodded and sped off. He was flying faster than ever, and every time he looked back he saw that Draco was lagging behind.
But then, he looked back once more just before he reached the large hoops and suddenly felt a jolt, strong enough to knock him off his broom. He looked around quickly and saw that he had hit the hoop. He felt himself falling, as if in slow motion, losing his stomach and all air in his lungs. He screamed out but was overcome with the despair that no one would hear him. He blinked and saw Draco, the exact image from his unconsciousness, towering over him. He was going to fall to his death.
"Harry!"
A tight grip clung on to his wrist, constricting the blood flow to his hand, and yanked him back up.
"Harry… Come on, help me!" Draco shouted as he pulled Harry up onto his own broom.
And then he was safe. Harry was sat on the back of Draco's broom. He could tell that the broom was sagging a little, but before Draco flew off, he said, "Hold me."
"What?" Harry asked, finding it very difficult to breathe.
"Hold onto me…" Draco said, and Harry put his arms around his waist.
And then, as they flew down towards the grass, Harry only just started to shiver.
They landed, and Harry let go of Draco immediately as Draco went to walk away, discarding his broom on the ground. He could barely feel his legs beneath him, but they must have been working, since he didn't fall over.
He watched Draco intently as he strode off with his back to him. He seemed agitated, running his hand through his windswept blonde hair, walking quickly, breathing quickly.
"You called me Harry," Harry said, suddenly realising.
Draco stopped dead and moved his head to the side, but did not turn to look at him. "Yes…"
"You saved me…" Harry whispered.
A pause and Draco then turned suddenly on his heel and shouted at him, "You're so foolish Harry! You fool!"
"I didn't do anything…" Harry said slowly, but before Draco had chance to say anything, there was a squeak from the ground next to them. Harry jumped when he saw the house-elf.
"Master Malfoy, sir, a Miss Granger has come to collect Mr Potter, sir," The elf said in the same high-pitched voice.
"Yes, fine, thank you…" Draco said distractedly before turning back round to Harry. "Not a word about this, understand?"
"About what?" Harry asked dumbly.
"Granger will think I tried to kill you, but chickened out at the last minute…" Draco muttered as they made their way quickly back to the front hall.
"Why would she think that?" Harry asked.
Draco stopped just outside the door into the hall. "Because that's how her strange little mind works." He paused for a moment, and then finally, and air of calmness fell about him. "Are you ok?" He asked softly. Harry nodded, but Draco shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm so stupid…"
"What?" Harry said, "Come on, you're not the one who decided to fly at break-neck speed into a pole…"
Thankfully, Draco laughed, and a strange warm feeling erupted in Harry's chest.
"Go home, get some sleep, I'm sorry…" Draco repeated.
"It's ok, I'm fine," Harry said.
Draco smiled weakly. "I'll see you tomorrow…" He said.
And with that, Harry left to go home with Hermione, mentioning nothing of the events at Malfoy manor.
When he went to sleep that night, his thoughts were so jumbled in his head that he could hardly make sense of any of them. But one thing was for certain; he couldn't shake the warm feeling he had in his chest, and as he fell slowly into a deep sleep, all he could hear was Draco's terrified cry of his name. He had been absolutely terrified of losing him: perhaps as much as Harry was of losing Draco.
A/N Oh my GOSH!! I'm sorry this chapter was so long, but I'm sure you don't mind. And I'm sorry if there are loads of spelling mistakes, bad grammar errors and things like that, but I only just finished the chapter and I was so excited about it that I just HAD to post RIGHT NOW!! I hope you all like it. PLEASE REIVEW!!