Chapter 14: Draco, Harry, and the Tapestry
Chapter Text
More than a month later, Ron and Hermione executed their well-kept plan. Ginny and Remus were curious at one point as to what made Ron and Hermione shushing each other and locking themselves in the attic or in certain rooms. But after seeing flushes on Hermione and Ron's cheeks, they assumed it was personal and Ron and Hermione were doing what couples do, so they backed off with a slight teasing from Ginny.
There was an attack that day—the thing Hermione and Ron were waiting for.
With a nod at each other, after each member of the Light disapparated to fight with the Dark members, they disapparated as well. Only they didn't apparate at the place the attack was coming from. They apparated near the Grimmauld place.
Just as Hermione had noted, those same two unknown Death Eaters they saw a month ago were guarding Grimmauld Place with bored expressions.
Hermione sighed, her bottomless bag resting on her shoulder.
With a carefully placed hex thrown on the two, Ron and Hermione hid the death eaters, and Hermione quickly plucked hair strands from both and sprinkled them in her vials of freshly brewed Polyjuice Potion.
Ron grimaced when Hermione passed him the potion. "I hate this. Merlin, I hope this is going to be the last time I'm ever going to be doing this."
"You will be an auror, Ron. I don't think this will be the last time you're going to see or use this. At least you didn't drink Bellatrix's polyjuice, it's still embedded in my tongue."
Ron shook his head. With just one look at the potion as it changed color from thick, muddy brown to a rotten green, he knew it was not going to taste pleasant. He expected this, they were death eaters. The only pleasant polyjuice he saw was Harry's, and still, Harry's golden potion tasted like a pint of lager.
Hermione raised the vial. "Bottoms up."
Ron nodded and drank the potion, grimacing when the rotten taste touched his tongue. He wanted to heave everything he ate that morning, but he forced himself to swallow it all.
"Fuck!" Ron screamed, wiping the taste from his lips. "That tasted awful. I will never get used to that."
Hermione shrugged. "Bellatrix's still tasted worse."
Ron closed his eyes when he felt the familiar feeling of snakes in his gut. As his insides started writhing, he felt a fiery sensation burning from his stomach to the tips of his toes and fingers. Ron then gasped and was forced to lean back against the wall as his physical appearance started changing. Hermione was forced onto all fours as she too transformed into a man.
Ron felt his hands and feet getting shorter, his shoulders getting broader, and his height shortening by two inches. And as he looked down, he saw the ugly mark on his forearm.
"Let's go," Hermione's trembling voice was odd as it came from the man's lips.
Ron nodded and followed her inside the Grimmauld Place, the ward shifting to accommodate them but fortunately, it didn't cause any alarm.
The Grimmauld place stayed the same as they left it. It still looked rundown and dark. With a lumos, they tiptoed away from Sirius' mother's sleeping portrait and went to the room where they remembered seeing the Black family tree.
Hermione touched the doorknob and looked at Ron. She looked very nervous, and it showed on the man's face. "Well, this is it. We're going to know the truth."
Ron laid his hand on hers. "What if it's not Malfoy?"
Hermione shook her head. "Then we'll look for Harry's relatives."
She sounded confident to move onto another plan for someone whose whole effort of a month would crumble once they saw the truth in this room, but that's Hermione, plan after plan after plan.
"Ready?"
Ron nodded and pleaded to Merlin, Morgana, and Gryffindor to let it be Malfoy.
After more than a month of brewing the potion, as Hermione talked some sense onto him, Ron realized why it's possible that Harry could have fallen in love with Malfoy in the short time they knew each other—as in, Harry knowing Malfoy's true personalities behind his bigotry and tough exterior.
Hermione was right. Malfoy didn't stand a chance with Lucius as his father, and with his Slytherin friends who were brainwashed as well, it's expected for him to echo what he heard in his environment.
Malfoy was only a stupid kid like him and Harry. The only difference were the people around him. No one had told him, them, otherwise. No one had made him see the other side. Until Harry came into his life. Hermione explained to him in great length how mutually beneficial they were for each other. She said, Harry humbled Malfoy while Malfoy made Harry happy.
And she told him Malfoy was jealous of them because they got to be friends with Harry while Malfoy was benched to the side. She said, though it shouldn't be justified, that Malfoy was only jealous and wanted Harry's attention on him.
"Ron- it's-"
Ron was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Hermione's trembling voice, and when he looked up, he realized they were already facing the tapestry where Malfoy's face was. Ron gasped when he saw Harry James Potter written in fancy letters added to the tapestry the same way Lucius was added. Harry wasn't there the last time. He had been prepared for the possibility of it since last month, but seeing that it was the truth had him gasping for breath.
And he didn't have to see that Malfoy and Harry were connected the same way Malfoy's parents and Sirius' parents were connected, but his eyes still shifted on the flower bud stretching out from both Harry and Malfoy's branch.
"Harry," he mumbled, tears suddenly stinging his eyes, when he saw the caption 'Unborn' fancily written just below the illustration of the infant.
Hermione began sobbing as she softly touched Harry's name, tracing it all the way to his' and Malfoy's baby. "Oh, Harry."
And though it was odd to comfort Hermione while she was still in someone else's body, Ron slung his arm around her and pulled her into his arms. Hermione threw her arms around him, buried her stubbled face in his neck, and sobbed on his shoulder.
And despite how her transformed body felt wrong, Ron placed a soft kiss on her head and was glad that it calmed her down, if only a little.
-
It took some time before their tears and sobs subsided. Ron was not sure what particular fact made him sob his heart out. Was it because they were relieved that they finally found the person they've been looking for for months, and it meant they didn't have to scour the Muggle world for Harry's relatives and the muggle woman he'd possibly be shagging? Or was it because he's very happy for his best mate that he now has a family, something Harry really wanted and deserved? Or was it because it meant Harry was going to wake up, finally? Or was it because it's Malfoy? And fuck it, it is Malfoy.
"I wonder what Malfoy's doing now," Hermione sobbed. "How's he feeling? Is he okay? Ron, Malfoy's all alone with Harry's baby, that must have been very taxing, living with the same monster that wanted him and his baby dead," Hermione sniffed, and when she looked at Ron's, she looked determined. "We should do something. Let's get him out of that wretched place. Let's save him, Ron. It's what Harry would've done if he were awake."
Ron grabbed her by the shoulders. "Let's tell everyone first. We can't just do this on our own. We can't, Hermione, you know we can't. We need Snape, Moody, Sirius, and Remus. We need them. We already saw and confirmed your theory, now let's involve everyone."
Ron didn't tell her that he's very scared to screw saving Malfoy up, he couldn't, and she couldn't. One wrong move, and it would kill Malfoy, his baby, and the possibility of waking Harry up. He didn't know what he'd do if he indirectly caused the demise of his best friend. He wouldn't move on.
Hermione must have noticed his fear because she nodded. "You're right. Let's go."
They felt the telltale signs of their physical appearance shifting, and by the time they were outside, they were transformed into their own bodies. Before leaving, Hermione altered the death eaters' minds and enervated them.
And they went away as if nothing happened, but they both knew what they saw changed everything.
-
"I got the Malfoy brat. I got him good-" Sirius was proudly saying to his husband and an irate-looking Moody, with a smirk on his face, when she and Ron entered their new headquarters.
Hermione was frozen on her spot, terror filling her body, as her heart beat rapidly inside her chest. She couldn't breathe, and she felt like heaving everything she had eaten that morning. Beside her, Ron was not faring well either. He looked horrified and sick to his stomach.
It couldn't be. Sirius couldn't be saying what she's thinking.
"What did you say?!"
Sirius stopped and turned back to Hermione. "Where were you and Ron? We were looking for you two, we thought-"
"What did you do to Malfoy?!" Hermione couldn't stop screaming at him because there was no way Sirius was able to hurt Malfoy before they saved him. They were not too late. They couldn't be late.
Sirius looked stumped at being shouted, but Hermione couldn't care less as she brought her wand to Sirius' face, which made the man frown, but he still stood wandless. She's out of her mind, she knew, but she's scared for Malfoy. For Harry.
Sirius wounding Malfoy meant dire consequences for their baby, and Harry. Malfoy has Harry's only chance of waking up again.
Before Sirius could raise his wand back and start a duel with Hermione, Remus pulled Hermione back with heavy hands clasped on her shoulders.
"Hermione, what's happening with you? You and Ron were away, and now you're-"
She lowered her wand and stared at Remus. "It's Malfoy!"
Remus' eyes widened. Moody's special eye was wild in its socket. Madame Pomfrey, who left Chang in her room after hearing Hermione's loud voice, gasped. Sirius looked confused.
"Malfoy's what?"
"Malfoy is the one we're looking for," Hermione's calmed down now. She needed to be, to make way for Sirius' incoming intense reactions. "He's pregnant with Harry's baby."
Remus sighed. "Hermione, that's-"
Whatever he wanted to say was cut off when Sirius began laughing, loud enough for Ginny and the other Weasleys to come out of the kitchen, with Molly still wearing her apron.
"Fuck!" Sirius was still laughing a minute later, tears spilling from his eyes. "That's funny, Hermione."
Nothing happened for a minute as Sirius' laugh subsided, but then Hermione gasped as she felt herself forced against the wall with Sirius' wand on her neck. "Who the fuck are you, and what did you do to Hermione?!"
"Hey! Let go of my girlfriend!" Ron was quick to push Sirius away from Hermione, and Remus held Sirius back, but the man looked like he was ready to hex Hermione.
Hermione panted, as Ron wrapped her trembling body in his arms. She sneaked a look at Sirius and had to stop the fear in her when she saw he was looking at her with an insane look in his eyes. And Hermione felt like she was transported back to 3rd year, in the Shrieking Shack, with a rugged-looking freshly escaped convict named Sirius Black ready to kill his former friend.
The only difference was that Sirius' anger was not directed at Pettigrew but at Hermione, and she didn't like it one bit. It made her bristle and want to hide behind Ron, but she stayed on her spot.
"Girlfriend?! That's not your fucking girlfriend. That's not Hermione! Hermione's supposed to be smart. What's smart about telling us that Harry's got a wizard up the duff?! And a death eater? A Malfoy!" Sirius mocked him with a laugh. "That's stupid! Harry will never stoop that low."
Hermione brought out the picture she took and was glad that she did because she knew they wouldn't believe her or Ron's words. She gave it to Remus. "We saw it on the tapestry. On Black's family tree. Harry and Malfoy have an unborn child."
Sirius scoffed. Remus threw her a questioning look.
"Ron and I were gone because we went to Grimmauld Place." Hermione ignored the other members' indignant huffs and Molly's worried look. "We're fine. We looked at the tapestry, which confirmed my theory. We didn't tell you earlier because I know you're going to react like this, we wanted to look for solid evidence before we told you."
She pointed at the picture Moody was inspecting. Moody, who was still speechless. "And now it's there. That's the proof that it's Malfoy we're all looking for. Not Cho, not Ginny, certainly not me, not some muggle woman, but it was Malfoy."
Remus looked convinced as he took another look at the picture. The picture that Sirius pulled from his hand.
He looked at it for a minute, his frown not leaving his face, his eyebrows scrunched, and just when Hermione thought he would nod, leave them alone to brood at the news because the proof was right there, Sirius' eyes burned and he ripped the photograph to pieces.
Hermione frowned.
"No. No, that is wrong." Sirius pointed at the torn pieces. He shook his head. "You two are wrong. This tapestry is wrong. It's a fluke," Sirius nodded his head to convince himself. Sirius looked around and frowned when he realized he was the only one reacting like this. "What?! Don't tell me you believe this shit? There's no way Harry would ever touch that boy. A Slytherin! A Malfoy. A deatheater. What?! Moody, you don't think that it's stupid?!"
Moody remained silent.
Sirius growled and shook his head, looking desperate with each second that passed, realizing that he was the only one in disbelief. "Poppy! Don't you think this is bull?! Wizards can't be pregnant, right?"
Madame Pomfrey's eyes widened a bit at being called out all of a sudden before she nodded. "Yes, but Mr. Potter also did the impossible when he survived the Killing Curse, so I wouldn't put this past behind him and the tapestry-"
"No. No. That's a trap set by You-Know-Who. Our house is full of dark arts and all the darkness in the world, what with my parents living there for years, I wouldn't put it past my mother if she found a way to help You-Know-Who by putting my godson on that blasted family tree."
"Sirius," Remus laid a shoulder on Sirius. "You're projecting. If this was a trap, why would You-Know-Who and his deatheaters waste their time looking for Harry's baby?"
"No!" Sirius snarled like a wild dog, and everyone around him was out to attack him. "I know my godson and Harry will never do this. Never."
He threw a glare at the offending picture and at Hermione one last time before he stomped away.
Remus threw Hermione and Ron an apologetic smile. "I'll talk to him. I apologize on Sirius' behalf, he's just shocked by... this, but I'll put some sense into him."
"Thank you, Remus."
Remus then left as well to follow his partner. Moody walked towards Madame Pomfrey, pulled her into Cho's room, and probably began accosting her with questions.
Hermione and Ron shared a look. They should have notified Sirius a month prior, maybe then he wouldn't react quite as intensely. They should've given him time to adjust.
But while they thought of Sirius, they forgot to consider Ginny's feelings.
Ginny, who walked tremblingly to the torn pieces, fixed the photo, and stared at it. Quickly, tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's Malfoy," she said as if she only realized it now, despite Hermione and Sirius' screams.
Hermione nodded and bit her lower lip when she saw Ginny sobbing at the picture. This woman, whom she knew as tough—tougher than her brothers—was now vulnerable in front of them.
"Fuck." She laughed, roughly wiping her tears away, but it sounded so painful, as if all her wounds had reopened. "I should've known."
"Ginny-" Ron tried comforting her, but she shook her head, gave the photo to Hermione, and left, with Molly following her.
After a minute of silence, with Hermione still staring at the photograph of the tapestry, George said, "Well, that was something."
"Yeah, and before I forget, pay up!" Fred then told George. "I told you something's going to happen between Harrykins and Malfoy, they're just too close sometimes."
George rolled his eyes and dropped 10 galleons on Fred's awaiting hand.
"Thank you," Fred smiled and pocketed his reward.
George shrugged at Ron's gaping mouth. "I bet it's going to happen after they graduate," he explained as if that made sense.
"What?!" Ron groaned. "How could you do that? How could you not be shocked? I'm Harry's best mate and I'm shocked. Still is."
Fred shrugged. "It's just obvious." George nodded at his twin.
Hermione smiled a little. At least, someone found the situation possible because until now, even when she had two months to think about it and even when it was supposed to be her theory, she still couldn't believe it all.
With a sigh, she realized Sirius had not answered her question. Is Malfoy okay? He should be.
-
Remus found Sirius sitting on the chair beside Harry's bed. Sirius was looking at his godson as if he were imploring him to wake up so he could tell everyone that they were wrong and he was right.
Remus knocked on the open door. When Sirius only looked up at him and returned to look at Harry, Remus came in and sat beside Sirius.
He slung his arm around Sirius to rub his thumb on the man's shoulder and was glad that Padfoot didn't swat his hand away. But Sirius also didn't lean his head on Remus' shoulder like he usually did when something made him feel bad. He must really be shocked.
They were both quiet for a while. Remus looked at Harry, who still hadn't changed since he was brought here. He wondered, not for the first time, what Harry's been doing at this time. Where was he? Was he aware of the fight earlier? Was he aware of his baby with Malfoy? Does he know his baby's the key to waking him up?
And they'll wake him up.
Soon. Once they got Malfoy in their care, everything would be okay.
"Moony, tell me," Remus looked at Sirius. "Do you believe what Hermione told us? Do you believe the tapestry? I know the tapestry never lies, but it could be manipulated." Sirius then looked up at him, his eyes begging him to side with him.
Remus sighed. He wanted to, but there's no way someone like Hermione would get this wrong. That witch is too wise for her age. "Sirius, I know this came out as a shock. Even I didn't believe it at first, but I trust Hermione and the tapestry-"
"It's a trap set by You-Know-Who. If we go there and save the Malfoy brat, they'd kill us all."
Remus placed a tender kiss on Sirius' temple. "I know, love. That's a possibility, yes, but there's a higher chance of it being possible. Look, if it's a trap, why would they hide this trap in the Grimmauld Place, where Hermione and Ron even had to brew a polyjuice potion for a month just to find it?" Remus just realized the reason behind Hermione and Ron's sudden secretive behavior. "If it's a trap, shouldn't they make it easy for us? And Malfoy, if he's involved in this trap, shouldn't he be dropping any hints to us? Shouldn't Malfoy be flaunting around, leaving himself vulnerable for us to save him?"
Remus would not admit it, but he didn't fully believe it either, even with the photograph of the tapestry, but the more he considered the facts, the more he believed it.
"Sirius, this is too shocking, unbelievable, and hidden to be a trap. There's no way You-Know-Who would find something like this amusing. I'm sure even he didn't know what was happening."
Sirius hunched onto himself, burying his face in his hands. "But Remus, it's Harry. Harry's," Sirius sighed. "He's good. He deserves everything but this, he doesn't deserve someone like Malfoy. You told me Malfoy was like his father, and there's just no way Harry would be with someone Lucius brought up. Lucius is a horrible man, I can just imagine how rotten the Malfoy brat is."
"I did say that, but I was his teacher when he was 13. A lot could happen in years, he must have changed," Remus' eyes narrowed, he knew how he was going to get to Sirius' thickheadedness, although it was low, but he needed to say it. "When you and James were 13, you two were stupid, more stupid than Malfoy, because at least that kid is very intelligent," Remus ignored Sirius' growl. "You two were ganging up on Snape. But Prongs had a change of personality when he became head boy. If Prongs could change, then so could Malfoy."
Sirius gritted his teeth. "Don't compare James to Malfoy. James was good. He was a stupid kid, yes, but he would never bully someone because of their blood status."
"They were both bullies, Sirius, just in a different way. James bullied Snape for his appearance and because he was jealous that Snape was friends with Lily. Malfoy bullied Harry and his friends because Ron lacked Malfoy's vast wealth and because he was jealous they were friends with Harry. Don't tell me you didn't see how similar they are. Both were pure-blood arrogant boys, but like you said, James was good. There was something good in James just as there was something good in Malfoy, and Harry saw that, the way Lily saw the goodness in James."
Remus smiled when he saw his mask crack. See? He knows Sirius.
He continued pushing. "The only difference was that Malfoy didn't resort to hexing them every chance he got. Even Malfoy was more controlled than James. And James had Euphemia and Fleamont, whereas Malfoy got Lucius and Narcissa. Take it how you will."
"But James redeemed himself when he saved Snivellus when he came to the Shrieking Shack-" Sirius immediately stopped. That was the event in their lives they both loved to forget. They had both forgiven each other.
Sirius was quiet for a moment.
If James couldn't crack him up, Remus knew what would.
Remus grabbed Sirius' hand in his hands, leaned his head on Sirius' shoulder, and traced the lines on Sirius' palm.
"You know, Sirius, you of all people should be the one to have the most understanding of Malfoy. You know what it's like to hear your parents spewing prejudice and bigotry. You're lucky to have someone like James. Malfoy got Harry late, but he did," Remus looked up at Sirius and saw him thinking everything twice. Just another push. "Maybe I was wrong, maybe he's more like Regulus, eager to please their parents, even going as far as taking the mark-"
Sirius squeezed his hand. "That's low, love."
Remus smiled when he saw that Sirius somehow understood Malfoy now.
"I'm sorry, but you have to forget that Malfoy is anything like his father, anyone could change, Pads. You have to trust Harry why he picked someone like Malfoy. You're right, Harry is good, so I doubt he'd fall in love with Malfoy if he's like his father."
"Do you think they are? In love?"
"Harry was supposed to be hiding from the death eaters while hunting for horcruxes with his friends, but he's meeting Malfoy instead, so I doubt Harry doesn't. Anyone would know he loves Malfoy."
"No. I know. But what I meant was, do you think Malfoy is in love with Harry?"
That, Remus couldn't answer that. He doesn't know Malfoy on a deeper level. "Maybe. If he's willing to face You-Know-Who eye-to-eye while knowing the truth and sacrifice his life, maybe he does."
Sirius nodded but stayed quiet again. Remus leaned back in his seat.
"You have a few days to think this through and get it over your system, but once Malfoy is here, I want you to stop all these hate words for Malfoy. I doubt your godson would appreciate you attacking his boyfriend as well. You know how overprotective those Potter boys are to their partners."
Sirius laughed. "I wonder how James would react if he's here to know his son knocked up a Malfoy."
"The same way as you did, maybe worse, but Lily would put some sense into him."
"Well, that's why James and I married intelligent people, to shake us off of our stupidity."
Remus smiled. "And soon, Harry will marry another intelligent boy to the family."
Sirius sighed. "Why can't we escape smart people? It's almost like it's our kink, I swear to Merlin."
Remus laughed. "You need us. You wouldn't live without us."
Sirius smiled and leaned in for a kiss. Remus smiled against Sirius' soft lips. "No, I will not. And Harry can't as well, literally."
Sirius then pulled back, his eyes wide, and his body rigid. "Fuck, I hurt Malfoy! Moony, I- what if because of what I did, my godson is-"
"His friend saved him before you did more damage to him, he's okay and we'll save him, okay? Now apologize to Hermione, you were harsh on her."
Sirius nodded and left the room.
Remus sighed and wished to Merlin that Malfoy was okay. He's all they need right now. He couldn't not be okay because of Sirius, that would be too much.