Remus held Harry back after class to make sure he was OK. He'd been so worried after he'd heard about what had happened at the quidditch game but McGonagall had ensured him that Harry was fine. It was only once Harry was standing in front of him that Remus realised he didn't know what to say.
'I heard about the game,' he said.
Harry nodded glumly and turned the conversation towards dementors. Poor Harry, Remus could tell that the way he was affected by the monsters, more so than his classmates, was getting to him. He tried to ensure Harry that there was nothing to be ashamed of, he wasn't weak.
'When they get near me …' Harry was avoiding eye contact by looking at Remus's desk. '-I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum.'
Remus's breath caught in his throat. His heart broke at the words, it broke for Lilly, for Harry, and for James. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull Harry in for a hug but he knew it wouldn't be appropriate.
'Azkaban must be terrible,' Harry said. He was giving Remus a strange look, it was as though he was trying to gage his reaction.
Remus nodded. 'Most of the inmates go mad within weeks,' he admitted.
'Sirius Black didn't,' Harry said. 'He escaped.'
Remus's fingers slipped and he dropped his briefcase. He was aware of Harry watching him carefully.
'Yes,' Remus said carefully. 'Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn't have believed it possible …'
'Maybe he had something to hold on to,' Harry said, 'something worth fighting for.'
Harry was still watching him carefully. Remus shuffled uncomfortably, not sure what to make of the way Harry was searching his face, looking for a reaction. Did Harry know about Remus's past with Sirius? Did he suspect Remus was involved in the break in?
'I … I wouldn't have thought so,' Remus said carefully.
Harry seemed disappointed in his answer and changed the topic back to Dementors. He left with the promise of extra lessons after the holidays.
'You're going home for the holidays?' Hermione repeated. Her and Harry were sitting together in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room.
'Yeah, I know I don't normally but …'
'But nothing! Your relatives are terrible! Why do you want to go back there?'
'I'm not!' Harry said. 'I'm staying with my muggle friends … you know, the ones I stayed with in the holidays.'
Hermione pulled a face. 'But why?'
'I just need to get out of Hogwarts for a bit,' Harry said. At least that wasn't a lie. 'With everything going on, the Dementors and Sirius Black …' Not to mention the stress of keeping everything hidden from his friends.
'If you're sure …'
'What's going on?' Ron appeared, sitting down next to Harry. Things had been tense between him and Hermione since Scabbers's disappearance.
'Harry's going home for the holidays.' Hermione said.
'What?' Ron looked at Harry miserably. 'Well if Harry's not staying here then neither am I!'
The last week of school passed quickly. On the last day of school Harry was cornered by Fred and George. He had just said goodbye to Ron and Hermione, who were visiting Hogsmeade, when the twins dragged him into an empty classroom to give him 'an early Christmas present.' The Marauder's Map was undoubtedly brilliant but Harry wasn't sure how he should use it. Fred and George obviously wanted Harry to use the map to go to Hogsmeade but that would mean sharing the map with Ron and Hermione and risking them seeing Sirius's name. He ended up taking the map to bed and using it to search the grounds for Peter Pettigrew.
The next day Harry was back at Grimmauld Place and struggling to keep his eyes open. He'd stayed up all night searching the map and hadn't gotten much sleep. The couch dipped as someone sat down beside him.
'This place is such a mess! What's that house elf been doing all term?' Malfoy asked. Harry wasn't even sure why Malfoy was here. He didn't want to ask.
'He's probably been locked in your room drawing pictures of you.'
'Don't even joke Potter.'
Harry snorted. 'Hey Malfoy?'
'Yeah?'
'I never got a chance to say thank you, for what happened at the Quidditch match. You saved my life.'
Malfoy shuffled uncomfortably. 'Yeah, well … I didn't exactly have a choice, did I? Dumbledore would have had me expelled if I'd let his golden boy die.'
Harry smiled, 'Sure Malfoy, but thanks anyway.'
'Master Malfoy!'
Harry and Malfoy both jumped as Kreacher come hurrying into the room. 'Master Malfoy is home! Would master like Kreacher to fetch him anything?'
'Sure,' Malfoy said. 'Bring us some food and then get this place clean, it's filthy in here.'
'Yes, Master Malfoy!' Kreacher said. He bowed so low that his nose almost touched the ground before he scurried away.
'You should be nicer to him,' Harry said.
'You're just jealous because he likes me and not you.'
'I don't care what he thinks of me,' Harry said.
'Sure you don't. When's Sirius coming back? If I'd know I'd have to spend the holidays alone with you I would've stayed at school.'
Harry bit back the urge to retort. He and Malfoy had been getting on lately and he didn't want to ruin it.
'Sirius is coming home in a few days,' he said. 'He wants to search the grounds while everyone's away.'
'Oh, I'm sure that will go well,' Malfoy said sarcastically.
Kreacher came back carrying two plates, jam packed with different types of snacks. He placed both of them down on the coffee table in front of Malfoy.
'Thank you Kreacher.'
Kreacher beamed at Malfoy's praise and walked backwards from the room still bowing.
'That elf is so weird,' Malfoy said.
Harry hummed in agreement as he helped himself to a sandwich.
The ate in an uncomfortable silence.
'We need a TV,' Harry said.
'A what?'
'It's a muggle thing,' Harry explained, 'it's like a radio but with pictures. The Dursleys always had theirs on while we were eating.'
'Right …'
'You know I have some muggle money in my trunk,' Harry said. 'We could go to the movies.'
'The what?'
'It's like a big TV. We can catch a bus.'
'A muggle bus? Potter …'
'Come on, Malfoy! How often do you have this much freedom?' Harry asked. He was suddenly desperate to get out and do something fun for once. 'You're stuck with me anyway, if we do this today, you can choose what we do tomorrow.'
Malfoy considered for a moment. 'Fine, but I'm going to spend the whole time thinking of something really horrible for you to do!'
'Fine!'
As Harry climbed the stairs he thought of what Ron and Hermione would say if they knew he was about to go to the movies with Draco Malfoy. He laughed, they would think he was losing his mind. Maybe they'd have a point but after the stress of the last few months Harry really needed to relax. An afternoon at the movies would do him good. Getting to laugh at Malfoy's reactions to the muggle world would just be a bonus.
Ron was lying on his bed reading a Quidditch magazine and trying to block out his mum's loud voice as she yelled at Fred and George about some prank they had played on Ginny when there was a knock at his door. He rolled over just in time to see Percy let himself in.
'Hey! I didn't say you could come in!'
Percy gave Ron a look that Fred and George had started calling 'the head boy stare'. He was holding his hands behind his back. 'I know, but I have something for you,' Percy said. 'Kind of an early Christmas present.'
Knowing Percy, it was probably some book. But still, Ron sat up interested. When Percy held out his hands to show Ron what he was hiding it wasn't a book. Ron's heart leapt.
'Scabbers!' He scrambled off the bed to look at his squirming rat. He looked even skinnier and sicker than he had before he went missing but he was alive.
'I found him trying to run out the front door.' Percy explained. 'He must of hid in your trunk just before you got on the train.'
'I never thought I'd see him again! Thank you, Perc!'
Percy smiled as he left.
Ron grinned at his rat. 'I was so worried about you! Don't run away ever again.'
Sorry about the long wait! I wasn't completely happy with this chapter but I wanted to get it finished because it's been so long.
You can come complain to me on tumblr. My username is embracingmagic
