So you can keep me
Inside the pocket
Of your ripped jeans
Holdin' me closer
'Til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone
And if you hurt me
That's OK, baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won't ever let you go
-Ed Sheeran Photograph
Chapter Twenty: Of Suspicions And Kisses
The rest of the night was uneventful. The Ministry Ball ended shortly after Harry took off, with no one in the mood to continue the evening.
Ron, Daphne, and Ginny tried their hardest to try to get through to Harry, but Harry had made a small shelter around his bed so no one could get in to speak to him. He didn't feel like talking to anyone for the rest of the night.
He curled up in his bed, mind flooding with questions that he couldn't answer. What was happening to him? Why was it happening to him? What did it all mean?
He wanted to talk to his friends, but he felt himself embarrassed by his actions. They probably thought him mad. Was he going mad? He felt sane enough. But these flashbacks, that curse. He thought he could feel it.
He didn't sleep all night, and the next morning, everybody ate breakfast and took the short walk to Kings Cross, as the Ministry thought it best for them to take Hogwarts Express back to the castle.
Harry was actually content with taking the train back. He walked all the way back to the last car which was usually reserved for the Slytherins so that he could be alone. He sat in a lonely compartment and stared out the window.
For about two hours, he sat to himself and watched the world past by him. He should have just said fuck it, and ran back to Grimmauld Place. He could have hid out there with Kreacher. He wouldn't have had to worry about food, or comfort, or anything. Just hide away from the world.
His compartment door opened to reveal Daphne looking calm and collected at him. "So there you are. I was wondering if you had jumped off or not." she said sitting beside him.
Harry turned back to the window. He didn't know how Daphne could sit here with him as if last night didn't happen. He didn't know what to say to her. And frankly, he didn't know if he wanted her around him or not.
Daphne could tell that Harry really feel like having company. However, she decided that she needed to stay. She needed to let Harry know that this brooding and feeling sorry for himself wasn't the way to go about things. And that his friends still cared about him.
Especially her.
"So you're ignoring me I see." she said somewhat playfully. "You know I hate to be ignored."
Harry felt the corners of his mouth twitch. He was trying hard not to grin at Daphne's attempt to get him to speak.
"Well, I simply won't take this any longer." said Daphne and with that she bounced hard onto Harry's lap, causing him to gasp and then to let out a laugh that he wanted to keep in. He then roped his arms around her, hugging her tightly against his body, finding himself not wanting to let go of her.
Daphne ran her fingers through Harry's wild hair, as she allowed him to hold her as tight as he could without hurting her. Harry felt a sense of peace wash over him. Maybe he should have let her in last night. He probably would have gotten more sleep if she would have simply touched him.
He couldn't figure out what it was about this girl that made him want to tell her everything there was about him. Maybe it was because he knew she would listen and not judge. Maybe it was because she seemed to always be there to catch him when he fell. Whatever it was, he was more than ready to figure it out.
"I don't know what's wrong with me." whispered Harry in Daphne's ear. "I feel like I'm going round the bend. I'm scared."
"Some of the best people are mad, Harry. At least, that's what your friend Luna said last night." said Daphne as her hands drifted to Harry's back, rubbing up and down it slowly.
"I felt like I was right there Daph." said Harry as he started to relax a bit. "Voldemort had just killed me, but I came back. He had demanded someone to see if I was dead. It was Malfoy's mother. She came up and I moved just enough for her to know that I was alive. She asked if Malfoy was alive and I told her yes. So she told Voldemort that I was dead. He hit me with the cruciatus curse and flung me around in the air. I had to act as if I couldn't feel a thing. But I felt everything. It hurt like hell."
"You won't ever have to feel that again Harry. It's all in your head." said Daphne reassuringly.
"That's the thing Daph, I felt the pain. I felt it all. That's why I screamed. It hurt so bad and I couldn't help but scream. My mind, I felt myself slipping. And then I heard you."
"Me?"
"I remember when Hermione told me about when she was hit over and over again by Bellatrix. She said that after a few hits, she felt her sanity leaving her. But Ron, he kept screaming and screaming her name. She said that it kept her conscious. It kept her right. And hearing your voice telling me to come back to you, you have no clue how close you came to losing me Daph."
Daphne looked into Harry's glistening eyes, the vibrant emerald color shown brightly as she could see the dampness form in them. She found her own icy blue eyes beginning to moisten, as she could see his pain, his anguish, his tortured soul peeking through his irises.
"I'm not going anywhere, Harry. And I won't lose you. I won't allow it." she whispered as she wiped a tear that had escaped Harry's eye off his cheek.
Harry found himself pressing his lips against hers, the force knocking Daphne back a bit. However, she quickly gained her composure and kissed him back with equal the force that he had given her.
When his tongue had gained entrance into her mouth, the passion that the two of transferred to each other was almost too powerful. Still they kissed on, enjoying the fact that they could feel each other's emotions through their lips.
They broke the kiss, both of them looking at each other panting, hearts racing as they tried to catch the breath that they each had stolen from each other. Without saying a word, they bonded to each other with nods of their heads, and went back to waltzing with their lips.
Draco sat and looked out the window at the vast snow covered fields pass by. His fingers were gently getting lost in Romilda's night sky colored curls as she rested her head on his lap, sleeping.
He thought back to yesterday and the conversation that he and Ginny had. It seemed that they had finally made some progress in at least her now knowing the truth. As glad as he was that they could now be better friends, it hurt that she hadn't read the letters that he had explained everything he had said to her in those. She would have know a hell of a lot sooner and maybe the thoughts that was running through his mind would me much different.
He liked Romilda. He liked her a lot more than he intended to, and his fancy for her was actually starting to get in the way of his feelings for Ginny. As much as when they hugged each other, he wanted to throw her against the seat and shag her senseless, he found that he actually considered Romilda's feelings.
Contrary to popular belief, while he was indeed a ladies man, he was by no means a player. If he was in an actual relationship with a girl, he would do the right thing and avoid temptation. Mostly because he demanded the same respect from the lady he was with. He did indeed have many notches under his belt, but for the three months he dated a Ravenclaw in his 4th year, and the four months he was with Ginny last year, he stayed faithful. Even when he and Ginny broke up the last time, he hadn't touched another girl until Romilda.
He contemplated if he should end things with the girl who's head resided his lap at the moment. It wouldn't be hard. He could easily tell her that it was over, and be with Ginny the next day. But the question was, did he actually want to?
He looks down as Romilda let out a satisfied moan in her sleep. He grinned. Seemed like she was having a nice dream. Probably about him and how she note than likely wanted to ravage him. Who wouldn't want to ravage Draco Malfoy?
He thought about the fact that Romilda and how she had said she would be returning to Gryffindor next term. Sure he would still see her everyday, but he would still miss seeing her in his common room.
And since Ginny was staying in Slytherin, the fact that his girlfriend was going back to her house was even more of a problem. Thank goodness that Ginny was the faithful type too.
Because if she wasn't faithful to Krum, he knew fully well that with one well place look, he and Ginny would be at it like rabbits.
Ginny woke up even more tired that she was. She lifted her head off of her brother's lap, as she had opted to sit with Ron on the way back.
She figured that Draco and Romilda would want some alone time, and ever since the Ministry Ball, she had felt funny about being around Luka. The grin he had was going through to motions unnerved her, making her suspicious.
"Are we close?" she asked as she sat up.
"Bout another hour I suppose." said Ron as he stretched his legs trying to wake them up from not moving for a good four hours.
"Seen Harry?"
"Not since this morning. But Daphne came by while you were sleeping and said that she had talked to him and he was feeling much better. But I guess a good snog will do that for ya." chuckled Ron.
"Snog? How do you know they snogged?" asked Ginny.
"She was blushing and her lips looked swollen. Both tell tale signs."
"Ah." said Ginny grinning. She was happy that her friend finally got some feel good action. Merlin knows he needed it.
"Speaking of snogging, why aren't you off to snog that boyfriend of yours?" asked Ron.
Ginny's grin disappeared. "Did you notice that Luka didn't seem too concerned with Harry last night?"
Ron thought back and shrugged. "Why would he really Gin? I mean he barely knows Harry. He probably didn't really care what was happening.
"You weren't next to him, Ron. He seemed to be amused by it. Even Draco looked like he felt bad."
Ron scoffed. "Malfoy feel bad? Now there's a stretch."
"I'm serious Ron. He looked concerned, and Luka looked like he thought it was funny. I don't get it." said Ginny.
"Maybe he has a sick sense of humor. I wouldn't put it past him, as he did go to a school who had a Death Eater as a headmaster."
"Does Viktor talk about his brother to you or Hermione?"
Ron rolled his eyes at his sister."Like I would speak to that bloody Bulgarian tosser. Mione did mention before that he never talked about him. Who doesn't speak about a family member? Even if it's just to say that he's a git."
"That's true." agreed Ginny.
"Why don't you talk to him about it eh? You won't learn anything sitting here speculating." said Ron.
"Maybe later." said Ginny, closing the subject. "Are you excited to see Hermione?"
Ron perked up quickly at the mention of his girlfriend's name. "Hell yes I am. I missed her, and that speech was brutal."
"Well the part you got today was brilliant Ron. I'm sure she will be proud."
"Thanks. She would have done a better job though. I wish she would have been able to come." said Ron.
"Well, you'll see her soon. Hopefully she will be well enough to go around." said Ginny as she brushed her fiery locks.
"Oh yeah. I'm long overdue for a snogging session."
"Eww Ron."
Luna walked down the corridor of the train. She had suspected a major case of pixie gruffs (very tiny animals that only show up when evil is around) was lurking about the train.
Armed with her unique glasses that gave her the power to see what couldn't be seen by the untrained eye, she walked as quietly as she could following the trail of their tiny footprints through the train.
They stopped in the first years car, a small group of them jumping up and down outside one of the cabin's doors. She peeked in a small crack that a closed curtain had left open.
She seen what looked like unruly gray and brown hair suddenly change to fully brown and cut neatly. She also seen what looked like a middle-aged man's face contort to a face that was no older than 17.
Luka Krum's face.
Luna moved quietly and quickly away from the door and into the next car. She tried to process everything that she had seen.
If her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, which in normal circumstances they never did, she could have sworn she seen a man transform into a teenaged boy. She didn't know what to say, what to do, who to go to with what she had seen.
She decided to keep an eye on this apparent Luka Krum. Or whoever the hell this person was.
