1st July 2003
Draco was feeling guilty. He had fallen in love with Harry's kids over the past week. Harry hadn't gotten back yet, he was still tracking Bellatrix, they had had a few letters, which Draco would read to the boys.
The way Harry spoke to them, he would tell them stories and say what he did and what he ate and how it tasted, he was an amazing story teller, his letters were pages and pages long, he wrote a page for each of them - Draco included.
He was like a worried mother in his letters to Draco, asking if there was any trouble, and tell him all about the little quirks each child had. Like Teddy would always walk around with green eyes and black hair if he felt left out or was ever upset about his parents.
Luna and Blaise at first stayed with him at Grimmauld, but eventually Narcissa convinced them to go sleep in their own bed during the night, now they only come over for a few hours a day or if Draco ever needed help with the kids. Llaria Zabini drops by occasionally, and even Andromeda Tonks has come by to see her grandson, not surprised to find Draco and Narcissa there. She actually told them that Harry had asked her permission to invite them to stay and she readily agreed.
Narcissa and Aunt Andy now were very close, both glad to have some of their original family back. Draco was also a bit irked at Harry and Narcissa for not warning him properly about Sirius' nightmares.
Teddy hadn't been joking when he said Sirius got them. Sirius got his fathers nightmares, from the war, from Harry living at his Aunt and Uncle's house-all of them.
Eventually, Narcissa had to tell him What was causing the three year old boy to have nightmares so violent and vivid he screamed in his sleep.
"When Harry was kept in the manor at the beginning of the war, Bellatrix noticed he had rather vivid night mares, she thought it was hilarious to be there when he woke up, he was so disorientated after them he would accept any comfort from anyone, he hugged her once, nearly strangled her to death when he realized. Anyway, she thought it was brilliant, and invented a spell to cause trauma nightmares to never dull. He will have them for the rest of his life. Sirius's nightmares are genetic, Harry's nightmares are apart of himself, they're like genes because of the curse, and they can be passed on like genes."
Draco had no way to reply, except to try to help Sirius, and beginning with a Dreamless sleep potion as a base he went about finding a cure, for both of them.
Draco had not a lot of time for anything really, while Potter was gone he was still required to do his work at the ministry, and with the new potion in development for Sirius and actually looking after the children he was infinitely grateful for Luna and Blaise's help, and the help of his mother and aunt.
But that kiss still bugged him. It was obviously intended to annoy him while Potter was gone and it worked, Draco wanted nothing more than to see him, and grab him and demand to know what the hell he was playing at.
The thought of Potters cheeky response made him smile and he always finished this little daydream entertaining the idea that when Harry came back, he would want to date Draco. It was ridiculous of course, utterly ridiculous.
2nd September 1997
The lesson finished with Neville shaking with rage, Hermione in tears and Harry more motivated than ever. He turn to Hermione and Neville.
"I'm going to find Luna," he said, "I'm going to end this now."
"Don't do anything stupid, Harry," Hermione said. He nodded.
"You have Muggle studies after lunch right?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded. He offered her a reassuring smile.
"I'll be there, Hermione, don't worry."
Harry turned and ran up the corridor, heading straight for Gryffindor tower. He opened his trunk and pulled out the Marauder's Map and invisibility cloak.
"I should have them with me all the time," he said to himself, putting the invisibility cloak on under his robes and leaving it undone so he was still visible.
He checked the map and found Luna in potions class, and with a half deranged smile he headed for the dungeons.
"Potter, what are you doing here?" Snape snapped when Harry rapped on the door. Harry glared at him.
"I was sent to get Miss Lovegood," he shot back, "if you could spare her?"
Snape's gaze didn't falter, he also didn't question why Harry was asking for Luna, he just spun on his heel and snapped at Luna to pack away her things and get out.
"He's so much worse this year," Luna said to Harry as they left the classroom. Harry nodded.
"It's to be expected."
"There's much more wrackspurts around him than normal."
Harry nodded to her absentmindedly, missing something else she mumbled.
"What can I do for you Harry?" Luna asked as he pulled her through a passageway behind Barclay the Brave.
"Sword of Gryffindor," Harry said, without stopping, "Cup of Hufflepuff, Locket of Slytherin and?"
"Ohh, I love riddles!" Luna said, "Diadem of Ravenclaw."
"What?"
"Diadem, its like a crown, a tiara." Luna said happily.
"For the record," Harry added, "I hate riddles. Where is it?"
"Wish I knew." Luna said.
"You mean-"
"It's lost. The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw."
Harry sighed. "Do they have pictures?" He asked, "Something?"
"Ohhh yes," Luna said she grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him upstairs. "You can't find something if you cant see it. Or if its hidden really well, I guess."
"And right now this is both."
"Oh yes," Luna said as she stopped in front of a door with a bronze eagle knocker. The nocker blinked at them, then asked;
"What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?" Luna smiled, and then leaned over to Harry.
"You tell terrible riddles." She said, "I love riddles. They keep the wrackspurts away. Try, Harry."
Harry looked between Luna and the door with a confused expression.
"I don't know," Harry said, "er, what dries things? Oh a towel?"
"Correct!" The knocker shouted and the door swung open, Luna giggled at him.
"Oh Harry, you'd make a terrible Ravenclaw."
Harry followed Luna into the very light Ravenclaw tower, a tall arched bookcase dominated the far wall, and a beautiful marbled fireplace dominated the other and in between stood a white statue of a lovely woman.
"And that's Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem."
Harry took a good look at the carving on the statue's head, then turned back to Luna.
"Where would you start looking, if you needed to find it, Luna?"
"Oh another riddle," Luna smiled, "I would ask Helena Ravenclaw."
"The grey lady?" Harry asked, Luna nodded. "She usually hangs around the clock tower," Luna said.
Harry followed the blonde girl through the castle, she paused at an archway. "She's not fond of visitors," she said quietly.
Harry nodded and stepped into the tower, looking up into the rafters for the ghost. She was there. Floating around the roof.
"Miss?" Harry called to her, he got her attention and in the blink of an eye she was looking into his. She was the the most striking ghost he had ever seen.
"Miss," he said again, waiting for her to introduce herself.
"Ravenclaw," she said, "Helena Ravenclaw."
"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said, "I'm sorry we haven't had the pleasure, before now."
"What do you want."
"Helena, about fifty years ago a man came asking about your mother's diadem." The ghost woman gave him a look. "You told him where it was."
The ghost stayed silent. So Harry continued. "I just need to know, because I'll gaurentee you that boy defiled your mother's diadem and hid the evil thing - so he could live forever."
Harry stopped, as Helena was nodding. "I stole the damned thing." She spat. "And mother sent the baron to find me, that turned out well!"
"You told Tom riddle where you hid it?"
"It was in Albania, in a hollowed out tree," Helena said, "he was so charming, Mr. Riddle was, not unlike you, Mr. Potter."
"We're very different."
She nodded. "Yes I told him where it was and he destroyed it, do with that information what you will."
"So we're looking for Ravenclaw's lost diadem?" Luna said. Harry turned to her.
"Where would you hide something like that?" He asked, Luna smiled.
"I would put it in a pile of things just like it, in a place that's hard to find. If there's a room full of random junk, no one would look twice at an old tiara."
Harry immediately thought of the room of hidden things - where he had hidden Snape's old potions book-"
"Merlin Luna, I know where it is!"
"I'm not good at riddles," he says," Luna muttered as she followed him back up to the seventh floor.
Harry paced out the front of the room of requirement with hurried steps.
I need a place to find my book
I need a place to find my book
I need place to find my book.
"Oh son of a bitch!" Harry turned to Luna, who had yanked the door open and was commenting on the endless piles of hidden things. "That vase smells like sherry,' she said idly, "where do we start?"
"Accio diadem!" Harry cried, whipping out his wand. Luna rolled her eyes.
"A black cabinet, with an ugly bust wearing a wig and a tiara."
"Distinctive," Luna said, "shall we?" She asked with a bright smile and the two delved into the room of hidden things.