Chapter Forty-Two - Horcruxes
The next morning, Harry gradually woke to find Sirius sitting right by his bedside, keeping an eye on him, guarding him. Sirius, who seemed exhausted and sleep-deprived from his night, lifted his gaze from his books and broke into a smile upon seeing Harry awake.
Snape arrived shortly after that, reminding Harry that he was actually occupying Snape's bed, or at least, his spare bed. Harry had almost forgotten. Snape proceeded to perform his customary diagnostics on Harry, a routine that was becoming increasingly regular, much to Harry's chagrin. Unfortunately for him, his irritation was short-lasting, as both adults' faces reluctantly prepared to deliver the unsettling news from the previous night.
Apparently Horcruxes were a thing.
To be completely honest, Harry's mind struggled to process the whirlwind of information that unfolded during the conversation. The mere mention of Horcruxes left him dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that there was a Horcrux he had apparently already destroyed. The only parts he seemed to register were mentions of the Order rallying last night, starting their mission of finding the Horcruxes while destroying them with Gryffindor's sword that HE had pulled out of the hat second year.
Not to forget, the revelation that he himself was considered a Horcrux. Honestly, way to much information in such a short amount of time. Fortunately for him, Bill Weasley was scheduled to arrive in the following week to undertake the task of removing the Horcrux from Harry's being. The enthusiasm both Bill Weasley and the goblins showed regarding this "little project," as they referred to it, left Harry incredibly apprehensive and somewhat scared.
All in all, he thought he handled it quite well really.
Okay sure his water glass hadn't survived the talk. Alright, and Sirius's hand was squashed due to Harry's squeezing. Perhaps some words were mentioned that left Harry's eardrums ringing. The weight and significance of the information were so intense that they seemed to echo within him, leaving him with a sense of astonishment and disbelief.
But all in all, he handled it quite well indeed. Considering the situation.
At least he can remember thanking Padfoot and Severus for taking care of him. It was an eternal gratefulness that at that moment really sank in.
Harry's brain had shut down trying to process the information quite soon in the conversation. Dried up tears and feeling completely numb, Harry found himself on the floor of Snape's bedchambers. The consolation of Sirius' arms around him. Numb.
At that moment, Draco apparently made an impromptu visit to his godfather, pounding on the doors with urgency. "Sev, open up! Why in Merlins are these doors locked for me?" he exclaimed, his frustration evident in his voice.
When the doors swung open, Draco took one quick glance at the scene before him and quickly made his way towards Harry, which Sirius and Severus took as their cue to leave.
"I cannot belief this Harry. What happened here, I thought you trusted me, I thought you would talk to me... you should have come to me!" Draco's words poured out rapidly, his tone filled with a mix of frustration and concern, but he quickly realised he was only scaring Harry.
He took a deep breath, after he softly continued, "I care for you too much okay? We were doing this together. We were getting better together. We can do it again. As we have before. Making goals for the day, a planning for the week. We go flying to be active. I thought it went well, you were doing better." Harry didn't know what to react, but he felt calmer now he knew Draco would be there for him.
Draco took a sip of his tea trying to calm his breathing again. Voice less steady than before, "Now please start telling me what in Merlin's name happened here. You take your tea, you collect your thoughts and clear your head, and you better start telling me. Because I do not care for not knowing, and I most certainly do not care for feeling this damned helpless when I find you like that."
And so it was that Harry sipped his tea (why always strawberry Draco?), and took a breath, slowly retelling what Sirius had told him that morning.