Life Renovations
Chapter Five
Good Dreams
As soon as Ginny Weasley Apparated alongside her mum and landed at the Burrow, she made her way through the tall house in search of her mini-minded brother's girlfriend. She wasn't convinced Hermione was completely against Harry, if at all, and Ginny wanted to get the older girl alone to talk without Ron's annoying presence affecting everything Hermione did or said. First place she checked was the kitchen, but only her mum and Charlie were there.
"Charlie! When did you arrive?"
"'Lo, sis. Just got in actually." Charlie stood from the kitchen table to give Ginny a hug, which she returned with great pleasure and exuberance.
"Are you staying long? What about your dragons?"
Charlie laughed and slung his arm around her shoulders. "They're hardly my dragons and they'll be fine. I'm not the only one who does work with them. Someone will pick up where I left off until Dumbledore has no use for me and I can return to Romania."
Ginny frowned and stared at the scarred kitchen table. Professor Dumbledore had been doing that a lot lately. Calling her family in for missions. She hardly saw her dad anymore due to work and the constant stream of missions he'd been put on, and she hated waiting desperately each night for her father to return unharmed. Even now, Bill was on a mission with Professor Lupin and no one had heard from them in two days! And for what? In the end, the missions carried out seemed to have no impact whatsoever on the war. It seemed that Dumbledore was only ordering things done just to look busy, using people however he wanted, and Ginny couldn't think kindly on that when it was her family being used.
"Did you hear about Harry?" she asked suddenly. Charlie shook his head.
"I heard he and Ron had a row, but that's all I've heard. Have they resolved their little issue yet?"
"It's not like that. Ron is being a git…"
"Ginny!" Molly swung around from the oven to give her daughter a stern look.
"Well he is! He's turned his back on Harry. Says he doesn't want anything to do with him. When Ron found out about Harry getting hurt, Ron said it served Harry right. He's gone completely mental!"
"I'm sure your brother just needs some time to himself, Ginny. Everything will be fine between them once Harry is awake, I'm sure," Molly said, but Ginny had her doubts. She didn't think Ron and Harry's friendship would ever be the same again. And it wasn't like Ron deserved another chance anyway.
"Harry's hurt?" Charlie interjected. Ginny nodded. "Mum will explain. I need to talk to Hermione. Have you seen her?"
Molly shook her head and Charlie looked towards the stairs. "She may be up there. Ron said something about her not feeling well. Check your room."
Ginny smiled brightly at her brother and threw her arms around him again for another hug. "Thanks, Charlie. I'm happy to see you."
"I love you too, Gin."
Ginny smiled and kissed her brother's cheek, gave a lazy wave and bolted up the stairs, ignoring the creaks and groans of the old wooden stairs. She hurried to her room and was relieved to find Hermione alone and reading cross-legged on the second bed in the room. Ginny quietly shut the door and placed the strongest locking charm she knew on the door and a strong silencing spell on the room.
"Hermione, we need to talk." Ginny strode over to her friend's bed and sat down, noticing Hermione's red and puffy eyes and pale, drawn features. Clearly Hermione was upset about something.
"Of course, Ginny." Hermione smiled and shut her book. "What would you like to talk about?" Ginny heaved a great sigh and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'm sure you can guess…."
"Oh. Ronald."
"Yes, him. Hermione, he's being an absolute pig!"
"I know, but he's just under a lot of stress right now…"
"Don't do that. Please don't make excuses for him. I'm his sister, Hermione. I know him, I love him, but frankly at this point I don't care whether he wants anything to do with Harry or not. Harry's too good for him, anyway. But I can't stand by and watch you do this to Harry. I see no reason why you would willingly turn your back on him, after everything you three have been through."
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, then thought better and shut it again, her gaze fixed upon her hands resting in her lap. There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute before Ginny caught sight of Hermione's trembling lips, and the shine of water in the older girl's eyes.
"Hermione, you of all people should understand that you're allowed to speak your thoughts. Don't be afraid of what Ron thinks. He shouldn't have put you in the position you're in, expecting you to choose between Harry and himself."
"I know, Gin. I don't understand this change in him, and it just gets so hard sometimes to see the old Ron, and I get so sad and feel so useless when I recognize that our relationship doesn't feel right, anymore. Do you know what I mean?"
Ginny nodded. "No one knows what's gotten into him. But he needs to quit it before we quit him."
"Ginny! You can't mean that."
Ginny's sigh was sad and dramatic. Then she flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave Hermione a cheeky grin. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. We'll see. But seriously, this is about Harry more than anything. Do you even know what happened to him? Malfoy told us the story-"
"Wait, what? Malfoy?"
"Yeah, it gets better, but first let me tell you about Harry." Hermione nodded and leaned forward, all her attention on what Ginny was saying. "Well…" Ginny didn't know where to start actually. She was about to tell her friend something that would more than likely send the older girl into hysterics, because Ginny was sure Hermione never knew about the abuse he had received from his relatives. "Ginny?"
Ginny nodded and sort of just blurted it all out in one go, hoping she didn't forget anything Malfoy had told her so that she wouldn't have to repeat herself. Also hoping Hermione would have no questions, but by the time Ginny finished, Hermione was barely restraining herself from raising her hand.
"What happened to the Dursleys?"
"His aunt and cousin are at Number Twelve." Ginny's eyes glittered darkly with ideas of vengeance against Harry's relatives. "But I think they left his uncle at the house. Harry was in a bad way when they found him and they had to hurry and get him to Madam Pomfrey."
"And they…hit….Harry? All the time?" Ginny nodded, and Hermione fisted her hands against her eyes, biting her lip in the attempt to keep the anguish for her friend at bay. "Why did no one know? How could I have not seen it? What kind of friend am I?" Hermione trailed off with a loud wail and buried her face within the fabric of her skirt.
"Please, Hermione…There's no use having those kinds of thoughts. No one really knew. Except for maybe Dumbledore…wouldn't put it past him…" she mumbled. "Harry never said anything to us, never indicated what went on except that his family didn't like him. He was very good at hiding the abuse. But now we know. And now we can help him and keep him safe, yeah? But I need to know whose side you're on, Hermione. Are you going to continue to listen to Ron, or are you going to see Harry and remind him you still love him? Because we all know he could use all the support he can get."
"Of course I'll stand by Harry!" Hermione looked outraged.
"And what about Ron?"
"He'll just have to deal with it." She raised her chin with a little sniff and Ginny grinned.
"Good. We should go visit Number Twelve first thing in the morning…"
"Oh, but Ron said…"
"No, Hermione! Seeing Harry should be our top priority. What's wrong with you?"
"All right, Gin. Calm down." Hermione scooped up Ginny's hand and gave it a friendly pat. "We'll go to Harry first thing in the morning." The amusement shown clearly in Hermione's eyes. She was used to Ginny's dramatics.
Ginny nodded, and then threw her hands behind her so that she was reclining slightly on the bed. "Are you going to tell Ron?"
"Unless he asks me, I'll not say anything to him about it. Not until after we've seen Harry."
"Good." Ginny nodded and they were comfortably silent for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Oh! You never told me about Malfoy. What happened?"
"Right. Thanks, I'd completely forgotten. Well it was Malfoy and Snape who rescued Harry."
"Of all the people who could have helped Harry, those two are the most unlikely!"
"Mmm hmm. Well, they must have just gotten in not long before we all arrived at Grimmauld, and then of course Ron and Malfoy had their spat before he ran off, dragging you with him. And that's when things started to get interesting."
"Well, go on!" Hermione was leaning forward, completely engrossed in her friend's story.
"It's not like what happened is such a big deal or anything, it's just that it was surprising."
"Ginny, you need to tell me what happened first."
"Oh, right. Fred, George, and I sat down in the kitchen with him and we talked. Weird doesn't even cover the feeling I got when we were all chatting civilly. Well for the most part. I suppose…" Ginny sighed and continued on in a singsong voice, "it wasn't very civil of me when I hexed his hair."
Hermione groaned. "You didn't."
"I did." Ginny started laughing. "He didn't discover it until right before we left, and when he did, Malfoy came running back into the kitchen in nothing but his boxers and socks!"
Now there are those, quite a number actually, who continue to think Hermione is nothing but a prude and wouldn't know a sexual innuendo if it hit her in the face. But they would be wrong. And so, as the picture of a Draco Malfoy clad only in boxers and socks sprung into her mind, so did the blush on her face appear. She may not like Malfoy, but she could identify a very nice body when she saw one. Clothed or not clothed.
"Oh, Merlin…"
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly." Ginny did have more to discuss with Hermione, about Dumbledore's past and present actions, and his subsequent treatment of Harry, as well as the lack of Death Eater sightings, but she thought that could wait until after they'd been to see Harry.
It seemed Hermione was thinking the same thing for a moment later she stood up and stretched. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow, Gin. It would probably be best to get some sleep now." Ginny nodded and stood as well to take the silencing spell and locking charm off the room. The moment she did so, the door burst opened to a raging red-faced Ron.
"What are you two doing? I've been banging on the door for ages!"
"No you haven't. Mum would have made you stop. What do you want? We were about to go to bed." Ginny turned away from him to rummage around in her dresser for her nightclothes, half listening to Hermione and Ron's bickering.
Despite the dreamless sleep draught, Harry was indeed dreaming. At least that's what he thought at the time, though later in the day, when he was decidedly awake, Harry would realize that the experience was much, much more than a dream. As it was, Harry slipped without effort into sleep, staring in confused wonderment at Malfoy even as his eyes closed. Panic washed through him when he started to fall, his fear of being sucked back into his own nightmares came crashing to the front of his mind. But his decent wasn't really of a dangerous speed and he forced himself to calm down when he realized this.
He felt like he was floating instead of just free falling and now that he could focus, he did in fact feel as light as a feather. He relaxed more when he realized this probably wasn't supposed to be a nightmare and twisted himself around so he could see where he was falling to. But all that presently surrounded him was a blurry light blue color of nothing, and he supposed he'd have to be patient and just ride this out.
Draco? It wasn't unreasonable to think that their connection was still intact, he told himself after feeling slightly embarrassed that he immediately wanted to search the other wizard out. But there was no answer, which left Harry feeling slightly disappointed until he felt something warm, soft, and reassuring brush his mind, and he was startled to realized he instinctively knew that he was feeling Draco as the blond slept on in his dreamless sleep.
Harry wondered how they were connected like this, and why the connection seemed to be so very strong. He'd heard of magic that could allow two people to be able to speak and feel telepathically, and if that pleasant touch caressing his mind was real, then it seemed that's exactly what he and Draco could do. He didn't know much else about the magic though, but he was sure he could find out something in Sirius' library. If Hermione were here, she could tell him more about the bonds. Harry's heart constricted painfully with that thought. He didn't think he'd ever be able to ask Hermione for help again. She'd probably just laugh in his face.
Harry looked down and found he was nearing the ground. It was a large open field, vivid green grass stretched for miles in all directions and he couldn't see where it ended. Directly below him was a single wooden bench. He was sure he'd seen ones like it in the park down the block from the Dursleys house. It was odd for it to just be sitting here in a large green field, but then again, this was a dream, and dreams were almost always cryptic.
He made a soft landing on the bench and sat down to wait for whatever was going to happen, not really worried that it would be something bad, but anxious for the point of all this to come about. A bright light overhead caused him to jerk his hand up to shield his eyes. He suspected the sun had just come out by the brightness and heat hitting him, and after a quick peak, confirmed his suspicions. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the bright spot temporarily burned into his retinas to disappear.
The blood in his veins suddenly ran cold when he heard a soft voice call out to him.
"Harry!"
He pushed to his feet, but before he could think to do anything or know what he should be feeling at hearing his mother's voice again so soon after his nightmares where she had wished him never born, Lily Potter was once again standing in front of him, looking very real, along with his father. They were standing in front of him, holding hands. Their smiles were sad, but the look in their eyes made him want to cry. Real emotions were swimming behind James and Lily Potter's eyes, and he hadn't prepared for the onslaught of emotion he could see coming from his dead parents. Instead of loathing and disgust, he was looking into two pairs of eyes expressing a love and joy at seeing him. Lily came forward with a soft, almost hysterical laugh and threw her arms around Harry before he could even think to utter a word.
"I can't believe it! We're here! You're here. It worked!" Lily cried, clutching her son to her chest. "And I can touch you. James, I'm holding our son again…" She broke off into more sobs.
Harry stood there, mouth slightly open in shock. He managed to bring an arm up to wrap around the crying woman and looked at his father. Harry wasn't sure if this James and Lily were only figments of the dream because his mum felt real enough. He could feel her tears dripping onto his shirt and smell the scent of her shampoo from the soft strands of hair floating by the wind across his face. Lily Potter smelt like lavender and lilacs. Tears stung his eyes and he asked the man standing before him, "are you real?"
After he said this, Lily pulled back to look at him, "oh, Harry. Yes! We are real." Lily clasped her hands together and jumped on the balls of her feet, not unlike a child. Harry's smile was so wide; it felt like his face was cracking in some places for not being used in such a long time. "We've been trying for a while to visit you this way." Lily smiled at her son, and wrapped her arm around his, clear to both men that she wanted to have as much contact with her son for as long as she could.
"Harry," the taller man who looked almost exactly like Harry, put his hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed, then he grinned. "Yeah, this is a dream, but we are real, in a way." He continued to smile, but the lines that appeared on his forehead told Harry that his father was unsure how to continue his line of thought.
"Er… Right, Dad. I understand. You're real here, but you're also still dead."
James grinned at his son and nodded. He took up the opposite side of his son from Lily, and threw an arm around his son's shoulders, and led them all back to the bench. Harry sat down once his mother did, and his father sat on the other side.
"How much time do you have here?" He asked quietly, while looking down at his hands, each one clasped in the hand of one of his parents. It was something he didn't want to know, but at the same time, he needed to know. Lily squeezed his hand and smiled softly at him.
"Not long but enough to say what we've come to say."
Harry tensed. An odd feeling crept over him. He was certain he was about to have one of those 'talks' parents generally have with their children when they've done something to disappoint said parents. It all felt so unreal.
"And what have you come to say?" Harry's voice turned hard, turning ice cold at the edges. He had been expecting this the moment he'd seen his parents. They were going to tell him how disappointed they were in him, and how much of a freak they thought he was. And because he didn't think he could stand to hear it, Harry attempted to stand up, but his father grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Son, don't be afraid of us." Harry closed his eyes, but he did sit down again. "We're not your nightmares, Harry. We've never been anything but proud of you." Harry looked up. James was smiling at him. When he turned to Lily, she was nodding her head.
"You've had a hard life, love, and you've had to make very hard decisions. Many of them unfair for a boy your age to have had to make."
"We can thank Dumbledore for that," James hissed.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked sharply, and grew more suspicious after catching his mum trying to shush his father.
"Oh, it's nothing. Slip of the tongue."
Staring hard at the ground, Harry clenched his fists so tight his nails were digging into his palms. "You're doing what they do. Information is always being kept from me. I didn't think you would ever do that."
"Harry, you listen to me." Lily threw an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. "We're here because you need to know things. We would never keep anything from you. You will find out when you wake what your father was saying. But if we speak to you about it now, you may think we've been sent by Voldemort to sway your side."
"We want you to do that by yourself, without our interference. But whatever decision you make, just know that you will never disappoint us, alright?"
"Yeah, Dad. All right." Though in truth, Harry had no idea what his father was talking about. He'd need to think about it later.
"Now, Harry. You've been under a lot of stress lately, what with Petunia and her horrible nasty beastly husband's treatment of you," she growled, fury filling her eyes. "Not to mention your row with Ronald Weasley…" Lily trailed off and stared at him knowingly. Harry's mouth went dry, his eyes shot back and forth between his mother and father in terror of what they knew.
"You know about the row?" his parents nodded. They both wore amused expressions, but Harry didn't seem to notice this. "You know the reason for it?"
"Yes, love. We know Ron has always been jealous of you and afraid of your powers and he turned against you once more when you told him of your sexual preference for wizards." Harry paled. He really didn't know what to expect his parents to say now.
"Harry, we have no problem with your liking blokes. That's just another aspect that makes you who you are."
"Yes, and besides," Lily started to giggle. "Your father would be a hypocrite if he did have a problem with you being gay."
"Lils!"
"What?" Harry rounded on his father. "You can't be gay! You're married to Mum!"
"No, Harry. I'm not gay," James said, and then he glared at Lily, who simply stuck her tongue out at him.
"Your father's bisexual. He experimented a lot at Hogwarts before we got together. I believe it was James, Sirius, and Lucius at the beginning of our Sixth year that took up the majority of attention from the students."
"Though don't get the wrong idea, Harry. Even at that time I still fancied your mother over anyone else."
"You've got to be kidding me? Lucius Malfoy? And Padfoot? Oh ewww! I'm getting mental pictures! Turn it off! That is definitely something I could have happily gone my whole life without knowing, Mum."
"I'm sorry, dear. But I thought it might help you gain some understanding. To let you see that nothing you can do would turn us against you, and we're not the only ones. You still have Sirius and Remus…" Harry shuddered when visions of Sirius, his father, and Lucius Malfoy doing things that would make even a dead man blush swam through his mind. "And despite being a Malfoy, you and that Draco boy seem to be getting on better and better now. Especially with the connection you two share. It grows stronger as your birthday draws near."
Harry would have asked exactly what connection was it that had him feeling Draco in his mind, but his father spoke first with a pained expression.
"Harry, did it have to be a Malfoy?"
"You're one to talk…" Lily mumbled under her breath. "Besides, he'll take great care of our son. You know he will."
"What? What about it being a Malfoy? What are you talking about?" before his father could answer, Lily reached over and cuffed her husband up side his head.
"They make the best…enemies, don't they?"
"That's not what you were going to say!"
"We're… we're really not supposed to say, Harry. It's supposed to be—Lily?" James looked at his wife. His eyes begging for her to take over explaining things before the foot lodged firmly in his mouth could slide down his throat.
Harry continued to stare back and forth, trying to absorb the innuendoes that had just been thrown at him. And the possibilities were…disgusting? Disturbing? Ridiculous? Well, whatever it was, he was going to shove all that away to the back of his mind and worry about it later. Right now he was going to enjoy the time he had with his parents. Harry was going to get to know as much about his parents as possible before this dream had to end. And at least now he knew his parents loved him, and that he was not a disappointment to them. And if he truly believed what they said, then he could do anything at all and they would always be proud of him. It was an insane intense feeling of belonging and freedom and he intended to savor it.
Hermione was dancing in a very nice dream with a man she could not see. She couldn't see what he looked like except for his long black hair and long graceful fingers that seemed to have been made with a purpose in mind. Just a moment…Ron doesn't have black hair. And his hands have never been that graceful…Oh well… She dreamily sighed and tried to get back the Mr. Talented Fingers, when she was interrupted by a penetrating voice. "Ginny! Hermione!"
Hermione opened her eyes, then immediately shut them due to the sunlight shining in through the window. "Ginny, you really need to invest in some nice curtains or shades like the rest of the world."
Ginny's answer was a groan and she burrowed deeper under her blankets until her bright red hair disappeared out of sight.
"Girls, up this minute!" Molly Weasley pounded on the door. "Bill and Remus have returned to headquarters! I want to see them and go check on Harry! Hurry, we're leaving in a few minutes!" Molly's footsteps could be heard moving away, and it only took a second for her words to sink into the girls' sleep fogged brains before they jumped out of bed and struggled to put on their clothes as quickly as possible.
"I hope Bill and Professor Lupin are alright. What do you think happened to keep them away for so long?"
"I'm sure they're fine, Ginny. There are loads of perfectly good reasons why they were held back. And I'm sure it wasn't something life threatening."
"But you don't know that for sure, Herm."
Ginny and Hermione ran from the room and down the stairs to the living room where Molly stood by the fireplace, wringing her hands, and leaning against Charlie for support. Ron came down the stairs then, and Charlie choked back a laugh when Ron walked right into a wall. Obviously he hadn't had enough time to completely wake up. He stopped beside Hermione and tried to grab her hand, but she pulled away and pretended to straighten her robes out.
"We're all here who's going? Good. We'll Floo there, while Charlie Apparates." There was the crack of Apparition as Charlie went, then one by one the Weasley's and Hermione Flooed to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.
The moment they arrived, Molly sat her children and Hermione down at the kitchen table. "You lot wait here while I go and see how Bill and Remus are. You haven't had breakfast yet, so I'll be sure to cook you breakfast when I return."
"Okay, Mum," Ginny said, while looking pointedly at Hermione. All Ron did was snore with his head planted firmly on the tabletop, drooling from a wide-open mouth. Once Charlie and Molly made their way upstairs Ginny inched closer to Hermione.
"Now's the perfect time to go see Harry while everyone else is occupied with Bill and Professor Lupin."
Hermione quickly looked at Ron, but he was still sleeping, and she nodded. "Come on. Let's do it now before his stomach wakes him."
The girls made their way out of the kitchen, careful not to wake Ron, and headed up stairs. On the landing they saw Snape hovering in the space between Harry's room and the room they assumed was Lupin and Bill's. Sirius and Charlie stood just outside of that door talking quietly to each other.
"Let's go before we're noticed," Hermione whispered, and began to tiptoe towards the door.
The girls managed to duck into the room and quietly shut the door just moments before Severus turned. A gasp escaped Hermione when she caught sight of Harry. Instantly she was by his side, clutching his hands, whispering his name while tears fell down her cheeks.
"Oh, Harry. Harry…Harry…Harry, how could they do this to you? I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed help the most, but I can promise I will always be here for you from now on." Hermione kissed him on the forehead, and then turned to Ginny, who was over by Draco's bed. "Ginny! Just what do you think you're doing?"
Ginny blushed, then straightened and dropped the sheets that were covering Draco's bottom half. "What? Don't act like you've never wanted to take a peek. I was just curious."
"No, I've never wanted to take a peek at Malfoy! Besides, he's gay. Even if there is something spectacular down there, we'll never know, and there is no use torturing yourself with the thought." Hermione finished and turned back to Harry. Ginny gave Draco a sad look before walking over to Harry's bed.
"Hermione? You've given that a lot of thought…" Ginny sniggered when Hermione's face turned red.
"Honestly, Ginny. That's not it at all."
"Whatever." Ginny raised her hand to swat at the air, dismissing Hermione's defensive mood. "Besides, Harry is more likely to be the recipient of such a gift than any witch in the world." Ginny smiled fondly at Harry, brushing his dark bangs away from his closed eyes. Hermione looked up in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
Ginny looked up and her eyes darkened. "Oh, that's right. You and Ron hadn't been talking with him much near the end of last term. Harry realized he was gay because of his attraction to the blond ferret over there. It was bad, Hermione. He was constantly pining after Malfoy. That depression? Most of that had to do with Draco."
Hermione's mouth dropped open to form an 'o'. Looking back and forth between the two young wizards, Ginny could see the wheels turning within the brunette's head and knew the moment all the clues and instances clicked together, and her mouth formed an even bigger 'o'.
"Yes," Ginny said with a nod. "And yesterday when we were talking I got the distinct impression that Malfoy may even return Harry's feelings. But we're not sure."
"Who's we?"
"Fred, George, and myself."
"How exactly did you get that impression?"
"Malfoy was acting strange. Like he was someone under the guise of the Polyjuice potion. He was almost being pleasant. Or as pleasant as a Malfoy can get at any rate. It doesn't seem like he hates Harry anymore, and he even used Harry's first name without so much as missing a beat."
"That is strange. But it could mean anything, Ginny. It doesn't mean that Malfoy has any feelings besides animosity towards Harry."
"I think you're wrong, but I suppose it would be prudent to wait and see."
"Why, Ginny! I think that's the most responsible and intelligent thing I've ever heard you say." Hermione said, and then laughed when Ginny shot a hex her way.
"Shut it, you!"
"Hermione? Ginny?" The girls gasped and spun towards the door as it was pushed open to reveal Ron Weasley. His face darkened the moment he saw Harry and Draco, and the girls prepared themselves for a very unpleasant row they knew was inevitable.
"What are you doing in here with them? Hermione?" Ron made his way over to Hermione and ignored Harry's presence.
"I'm here to visit Harry. He's been badly hurt."
"So? He doesn't need us to look out for him. He doesn't need anyone. He said so himself. You heard him, Hermione."
"Yes, well…"
"Harry only said that because you promised no one would support him. You told him our entire family hated him! He was angry and retaliated with his own words! You're just lucky it was only words he used to spar with you!" Ginny yelled to her brother's face.
"What are you on about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"
"Harry has more power in his little pinky then you do in your whole body, Ronald," Hermione solemnly told him. "You must have noticed after all these years of being around him. After second year, I could always feel it pulsing away around him like a heartbeat. He will most likely be one of the most powerful wizards alive when his birthday passes."
"Mione…" Ron's eyes narrowed on his girlfriend and she began to chew her bottom lip.
"And that's why you've turned your back on him, isn't it?" Ginny said, moving to stand in front of Ron's view of Malfoy's bed, as she had just seen silver eyes groggily opening.
Draco felt like he was lying on the bottom of a riverbed, his body covered in rocks to keep him anchored down, but leaving his limbs free to float along with the water current. And as all the thoughts and events of the last two days crashed into him at once, he felt so overwhelmed that he was sure he was drowning. As the panic started to set in, the echo of loud voices drifted in to his half conscious mind and he grasped onto the voices like a lifeline. He lay still, letting the voices draw him out of sleep and to his right senses. It was odd, the way he was feeling. The physical part of him felt the effects of his healing ability, the aches and fatigue, but his mental state did not match his physical state. His thoughts were light, content; and excitement coursed through him in unbelieving waves.
Draco lay still and listened as the voices grew louder as he pushed the sleep completely out of his mind. It was then he noticed those exuberant feelings weren't coming from him at all. Which made sense because Draco really had nothing to be so happy about. Except for some strange reason, when he realized this feeling was coming from Harry, this did please him somehow. He could feel Harry's presence in a corner of his mind. Well, that was one mystery solved, and another brought to light, though at the moment, he felt no need to wonder why he and Harry could feel each other that way. He would figure it out later, but right now he was going to keep his eyes closed, ears open, and enjoy the show the Gryffindors were putting on.
"W-What?" the voice stuttered pathetically. Ah, that was the Weasel's voice. Typical. No matter what he said or did, Weasley always managed to make a bumbling idiot out of himself.
"You couldn't stand it, and when Harry was told that he would be acquiring his full magical abilities when he reached the age of seventeen, you decided you couldn't take it anymore. Isn't that right, Ron? You started spreading the rumor among the Gryffindors that Harry was losing his mind and would eventually end up the next Dark Lord!" Ginny ranted. "Of course people listened to you because everyone knows Ron Weasley is Harry Potter's best friend. And who better to know what Harry was doing and thinking than his best friend. And so everyone has started to believe you."
What? Draco thought furiously. Weasley was trying to turn everyone against Harry by saying the-boy-who-lived would eventually turn into a Dark Lord. If it had been anyone but Weasley, Draco would have been proud to say that that was a very Slytherin tactic. But this was Weasel and he was using it against Harry.
"I didn't know you were the one to start that rumor, Ron." Hermione's voice trembled again. "You told me you didn't know who started it. Only that it was possibly true."
"What does it matter, anyway? He's going to gain all that power and use it against all of us one day. I'm just glad I saw the error of my ways before I got caught up in his Dark Arts shit."
The error of his ways? Draco's teeth were clenched so tightly together that his jaw started to hurt. To think that Harry had actually wasted his time and loyalties on this red-haired piece of dragon dung.
"You know what? I'm finished talking about this. Come on, Hermione. I want to go see how Bill is."
"No, Ron. I'm visiting with Harry right now. I'll come see Bill in a little bit." To Draco it sounded like Granger had finally found her backbone when it came to her boyfriend. "I'm sorry, Ron, but Harry needs me. And I need to be here for him when he wakes up."
"W-What?"
Draco mentally rolled his eyes. Honestly, Weasel was brainless. Surely he had to have more words in his vocabulary then that.
"As of today, I will be moving to Grimmauld Place; that is, of course, if it's alright with Sirius. And since you want nothing to do with Harry, and because I will be spending most of my time with him when he wakes up…." Draco frowned at this, not sure why this bothered him. "We'll hardly have the time to see each other, will we?"
"Are you breaking up with me?" Ron's face had gone purple with embarrassment and anger.
"Yes, Ron. That's exactly what she's saying," Ginny interrupted, impatient for the conversation to be over with. She knew Malfoy was awake and listening, and she wanted to hold her own little discussion with the blond Slytherin.
"Ginny, please," Hermione begged, knowing the youngest Weasley would only anger Ron further then was needed.
"Sure, right. Sorry. I'll just go stand over there." She pointed off in a vague direction, but headed straight for Draco's bed. Ron didn't notice where his sister was headed, as he was too busy glaring at the unconscious Harry.
"Sspst! Malfoy?"
"Go away, Weaslette. I'm perfectly content to lay here silently in a false sleep, listening to the dramatics of you Gryffindors," Draco murmured lowly under his breath, but Ginny was able to hear because she stood directly beside his head. Ginny rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her cocked hip.
"You helped Harry? Out of his coma?" she whispered, keeping half her attention on her squabbling brother and friend, and the other on Malfoy. He'd not moved really one inch since she'd seen him open and close his eyes before, so she couldn't really tell what he was thinking. It would have been nice to get an expressive reaction from him, but she only managed to feel stupid for talking to a sleeping person.
"Perhaps I helped him a bit, but Potter found his own way out. Though I can't see how, as he is a first class idiot. He had to have wanted to leave, and he obviously did."
"Yes, but…if he hadn't planned on staying within his mind, he wouldn't have made himself go into that coma in the first place." She grinned at him then, and made sure her tone expressed that grin to its fullest. "Something made him want to leave, Malfoy. I wonder what that could have been, hmm? Have any ideas?"
"No I do not, and I could care less really." Draco promptly turned over until his back was to the Gryffindors, and he buried his face in the pillow. Granger and the Weasel's voices were getting louder, building up on the headache throbbing just behind his eyes.
SLAP!
Both he and Ginny twisted their heads around to stare at the couple. Hermione stood there, hand raised half way from Weasley's face, where there was a stark white handprint on his cheek surrounded by all that angry red. Draco glanced at Granger, whose chest was heaving and tears fell freely from her eyes, and was staring at Weasley with incomprehensible horror while Ron was gripping his wand tightly in his hand, but he didn't look like he was about to use it on Granger.
"How dare you try and cheapen my relationship with Harry! For you to even suggest such a thing… I don't know if I can forgive you for that."
What did he say? What did he say? Draco wished desperately to know what it was, so that he could use it to make the git angry later on. Damn you Weaslette for talking too much!
"This is all Potter's fault. I knew he was going to take you from me," Ron said darkly.
Draco rolled his eyes. Of course Weasel would blame Harry. Lately, he noticed a lot of people blamed Harry for many things. Ron suddenly moved, startling Draco from his thoughts.
Ron was raising his wand to point at Harry's face with a curse on the tip of his tongue. He was furious. How could Harry do this to him? Again and again, he was always taking what Ron wanted. Always. It wasn't right. Every time Harry was injured, even in the slightest bit, he was always getting the attention, having everyone standing behind him, pampering him. Even when he wasn't laid up in a bed somewhere, or was on some mad adventure his insane mind tended to create, Harry was always stealing Ron's glory. Everything he'd ever wanted, but would never have. The anger and bitterness coiled in the pit of his stomach like poison. He felt it rise up into his chest, to his arm, through his fingers and into his wand. Ron opened his mouth to curse Harry, but stopped to sift through his memory to find the curse that would prove to be the most painful.
Ron's hesitation saved his former best friend by giving Draco time to grab his wand from under the pillow, and before Draco knew what was happening he pointed at Ron,
"Expelliarmus!" Ron flew backwards with a grunt, his intent on cursing Harry forgotten. "Accio wand." Ron's wand flew into Draco's waiting hand, and the blond gracefully removed himself from bed and stalked towards the dazed Weasel.
"Tsk tsk." Stopping in front of Weasley, Draco shook his head. "To try and curse an injured and unconscious person is low, Weasley." He spoke with an amused tone like he was explaining something to an absentminded little boy. "It's worse than firing at somebody's back, and I should know as I'm quite fond of attacking people from behind."
The look on Weasley's face told him the freckled faced redhead would like to respond with a remark meant to scathe, but Draco was certain the words would have only caused him amusement. He stared at Ron, and his eyes had never been so cold, yet at the same time filled with a torrent of burning anger. And under such blackness, Ron was afraid to open his mouth. Then Draco crouched in front of Weasley until they were eye to eye and his grin was feral.
"If you ever try and lay a hand on Harry again, I will curse you with your own wand and then promptly shove it up your arse and break off the tip. I can't be accountable for my actions if you so much as look at him the wrong way. Harry is under my protection. I will allow no one but myself to hurt him. Is that understood, Weasley?"
"Push off, Malfoy!" Ron tried pushing Malfoy aside, but the blond grabbed Ron's robes and pulled him to his feet. It didn't matter to Draco if Weasley was a couple of inches taller than him. As far as he was concerned, Ronald Weasley was no bigger than a slug. With his rage contained behind a mask of gleeful vindictiveness, Draco pulled back his arm and smiled smugly when his fist contacted with Weasley's nose, cracking the cartilage. Ron fell back with a cry, his nose clutched in his hands while blood poured forth and past his fingers. He knelt again and whispered close to Weasley's ear.
"Cause any problems for Harry and I'll kill you. Dumbledore and the rest of these fools trust me, so I'll get away with it. You don't trust me. You know I'm a Dark wizard, therefore you know I will do as I promise. I know simple curses that will kill you in the most painful of ways. Do you understand?"
Ron stood and pushed past Draco. He wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve, but only managed to create a bigger mess since his nose was still bleeding. "Give me my wand, Malfoy."
"No, I don't think I will. I think I'll wait to give it to one of the professors when I see them. It's obvious you can't be trusted with it."
Ron fisted his hands and Draco raised an eyebrow. He knew Weasley was used to using his fists, but he wondered if he would do it now, and with Weaslette and Granger standing close by watching everything in silent apprehension.
"Malfoy, if you don't give it back, I swear I'm going to…"
"And what, pray tell, are you going to do? And why, Mr. Weasley?" Everyone's attention snapped to the door as Severus swooped into the room. He stopped just before Ron, towering over the boy's head, glaring daggers at him. "I'm very interested in hearing what's gone on here."
"He's stolen my wand, Professor Snape!"
Draco hid a grin when Severus' eyebrow shot up. "Perhaps you can explain, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Quite simple really. Weasley tried to attack Potter. I intervened just in time to stop his curse, and then I disarmed him."
The look on Severus' face suggested Yule had come early that year, though anyone who knew Severus knew very well that the man did not celebrate Yule unless forced; indeed, Severus rarely celebrated anything. Draco handed Ron's wand to him with a very self-satisfied smirk.
"Hmm, let me see." Severus tapped a finger against his chin as he turned thoughts over in his head. "Ten points from Gryffindor for disturbing the peace and another fifty points for attempting to attack a fellow student. A student who is severely injured and unconscious… Have you no shame, Mr. Weasley?"
"What? You're not serious! This isn't Hogwarts, Professor. You can't take points off here."
"Another twenty-five points from Gryffindor for failing to keep your mouth shut! I can assure you, Mr. Weasley. I do have the right to take points away, and by the time the Welcoming Feast starts next term, Gryffindor will have negative eighty-five points. Now, I'll be keeping your wand with me until your mother is ready to take you home. You will return to the kitchen now and remain there until you leave. Is this understood, Mr. Weasley?"
Weasley didn't have time to answer because the professor was already herding Ron towards the door and gave the teen a hard push to get him past the doorway. Ginny and Hermione were still very shocked about what had just happened, but they were well enough to fear the Potions Master would make them leave as well. There was still some time with Harry they wanted. Surprisingly, Snape was smirking when he turned back to them.
"Who is responsible for the handprint upon Mr. Weasley's cheek?"
Hermione stiffened and turned the lovely shade of cherries. She slowly raised her hand. "It was me, sir."
Severus' eyes widened and the corners of his mouth twitched up. Draco watched the interaction while rubbing a hand over his cheek. The incident reminded Draco of his own experience with Granger's hand, and he knew how painful Weasley's face must be, and that cheered him up a little.
"I'd say it was a long time in coming. I suppose this merits… ten points to Gryffindor. And the broken nose?"
"Did you like my art work, Professor Snape? I took great pleasure in creating it," Draco drawled, looking very smug.
Severus continued to smirk. "Twenty points to Slytherin."
The only thing Professor Snape was known to be predictable about was the exchange of house points, which was why Ginny and Hermione remained silent, even though they found it quite unfair Slytherin had gotten more points than Gryffindor, and none taken away at all.
"How do you feel? You should still be in bed resting. Do you wish me to clear the room for you, Mr. Malfoy?" Severus inquired. Hermione and Ginny held their breaths, though they knew that wasn't going to help, as they were sure Malfoy would make them leave. But Malfoy was shaking his head.
"Weasley was the only problem. Thank You, Professor." A small gasp escaped Ginny and her gaze swiveled to Draco in astonishment.
Severus eyed the three remaining Gryffindors and then nodded. "Fine then. I shall return later in the afternoon. Pomfrey will be in to see you in a moment. Draco, return to bed."
"Please, sir?" Hermione came forward. "Can you tell us how Harry is? Will he wake soon?"
"Do I look like a mediwizard, Miss Granger?"
"No sir. I just thought…"
"Why are we not surprised by this?" Severus hissed at her, his black eyes boring into her brown ones. He would have left without a word after that, but her lips were trembling, and she stared forlornly at her toes. "Yes, Potter will live, and he'll most likely awaken by this evening, after which I give him an hour before he's jumping around trying to get us all into trouble again. Now, if that is all…" Severus slid Ronald Weasley's wand into a pocket within his robes and departed from the room. He was slightly confused with himself as to why he answered the Granger girl. But it seemed the thing to do in order to keep that sad look off her face, and to stop that lip from trembling, because to be frank, he'd been far too focused on those lips.
Once Severus was gone Draco huffed and turned towards Harry's bed. There was a sneer forming on his face for the sake of Weaslette and Granger, so that maybe they would push off as well, but today just wasn't his day. In moments, his arms were full of a fuzzy haired Gryffindor clutching at his robes and sobbing her thanks against his chest for saving her best friend.
"Professor Snape!" Draco whined, looking hopefully at the door, expecting to see his godfather appear to save him from over emotional witches. But Severus didn't emerge, so he was stuck trying to pry the muggle born off him.
"Merlin, Malfoy! Thank you. Thank you so much for saving Harry. I can't believe I'm saying thanks to you, but you deserve it."
"Weaslette! Do something about this!"
"What do you want me to do, Malfoy?" Ginny answered back happily, enjoying the obvious discomfort of the Slytherin. "You did save Harry. There's no use trying to deny it to us. We did see it, after all."
"Just get her off!"
"Sorry, Malfoy." Hermione sniffed and stepped back, but she still had a smile on her face for him, and though he didn't like her, he had to appreciate the situation and the civility of it, and allowed a slight grin in return for her. And again, the witches gasped at his behavior.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, well…" he sniffed, moving back to his bed. "At least you've finally shown some real intellect, Granger, and finally dumped that ingrate."
"Shut it, you git!" Hermione replied with none of the usual bite to her words when conversing with Malfoy. In fact, she sounded amused. It really should have bothered Draco that he didn't mind speaking with Granger or that he could no longer think of her as less of a witch because she was a muggleborn. He turned and glared at Harry. And why can't I even say the m word in my head anymore? I'm sure this entire situation is your fault, Potter! I know it is. Draco caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye and stared in frozen horror as both witches approached his bed. Draco thought their smiles were especially terrifying.
"Hermione, chairs?"
"Oh, yes. Just a moment." Hermione raised her wand and transfigured two chairs from a quill and a parchment she had stashed away within her robes. Both girls sat and fixed him with serious expressions.
"Now Draco…Can I call you Draco? I'm going to call you Draco." Ginny leaned forward. "Draco, we want to know what's going on around here and I know you have some answers. If you would kindly spill the Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, that would be grand."
"You've lost your minds, haven't you?" Draco asked seriously.
"Yes." Hermione nodded to him, grinning.
"And apparently," Ginny flashed him another evil grin. "So have you."