Smells Like Teen Spirit
A/N: Oh my God, seriously, stop with the praise! I am not as good as you keep making me out to be, there are better one's out there. Most of the HP stories in my favourites are better than mine, I swear. Thank you all the same for it though, it really does mean a lot. Anyway, onwards and upwards (or downwards as the page goes. :D)
The next day, at 3.30pm, the whole school, and many visitors, were seated in the main grassland around the black lake, Forbidden Forest to their left, lake to the right, castle behind. They had all turned out to pay their respects to the fallen of the War, and currently, they were taking part in a two minute silence.
Once over, Professor McGonagall stepped up to the podium. "Thank you everyone. Now will follow some speeches, starting with the Minister. Kingsley." She stepped aside as he rose.
"Thank you Minerva. Good afternoon everybody. As you are well aware, this time last year, the dust was settling over an almost fallen Hogwarts, as the realisation over what had just happened started to set in. Our very own Harry Potter had just defeated the ultimate Dark lord, and everyone was congratulating him. However, many people, I myself for one, were grieving for those they had lost. I'm sure all of you here today either lost someone close to you, or know of somebody who did. The Wizarding World lost many lives not just on that day, but in the years previous. But what I admire the most, is the strength and determination everybody showed, especially the students of this school. No child should have to go through the trials and tribulations of war, none at all. For all of you to stand together, united, and to withstand many attempts by Voldemort to get into the school, I commend you. There have always been rivals between the houses, especially Gryffindor and Slytherin, I know because they were still happening when I was a mere first year Ravenclaw. However, I am extremely proud of you all for putting those differences aside and uniting together when it was needed. All of you did the Wizarding World proud last year, so from all of us, I would like to say a big massive thank you.
"As I mentioned briefly earlier, all of you either lost somebody, or knows of somebody who did, last year. I would like to take this opportunity to mention one of the fallen, and that is a young woman called Nymphadora Tonks. Nymphadora, or as she preferred to be known Tonks, was an active, bubbly, quirky young woman, who I first met in 1993, when, at the age of 18, she was assigned to me as a trainee auror. My first impressions of her were not good, as she was shy and very, very clumsy." This earned a giggle from the people in the audience who had known her. "However, it seemed that my first impressions of her had been very out of proportion. When the time came for Tonks to showcase her abilities in a duel against a particularly nasty criminal, she showed that, despite her clumsiness, she was a very skilled fighter. It was her spell that allowed us the chance to detain the suspect. Of course, she refused to accept her natural ability and put all her work to the credit of Albus Dumbledore and all the teachers here, especially her Head of House, Pomona Sprout, who had given her the courage to go for what she wanted and to be herself, be damned the reputation she was given for being a very loyal Hufflepuff." He paused and gave a small nod and smile to the woman in question. "But even then, I did not know the true extent of her abilities, and it wasn't until an undercover operation she insisted to be included in that I knew of her abilities as a Metamorphmagus. This shy, small woman was proving to be one heck of an asset, and an extremely good Auror. Not only was she skilled and focussed when needed, but she also knew how to relax, and always provided either a multitude of jokes, or a miniature show of guises she could adopt, sometimes very funny. It's safe to say that she passed her exams first time, and became a fully-fledged Auror in the summer of 1994.
"The following Christmas, Albus called together as many original members of the Order of the Phoenix as he could, and incorporated new members into it. Tonks was one of those members. Again, she proved herself more than worthy, and it was here that she met her future husband, Remus Lupin. Together, they had a beautiful son called Teddy, who knows his name and is currently waving at me. Hello Teddy." He waved back at the little boy, which, again, earned a chuckle from the audience. "But yes, they had a beautiful little boy. However, this boy will never get to know his mum and dad, because they died trying to win him a better future. Nymphadora Tonks was a brilliant woman, a real role model, and if anything, she proved that it doesn't matter how clumsy or quirky you are, or how people label you, as long as you are happy, than you can become whatever you want to be. Don't forget her, or any of the people who, without them, many of us would not be here today. Thank you." He stepped down to a small applause as Professor McGonagall stepped back up.
"Thank you Minister for that informative speech. Now we will have two of our own students up here with their own words of encouragement, and remembrance, representing both sides of the War. First of all, we have Mr Potter. Harry, the stage is yours." Again, she stepped away, as the boy stepped up.
"Erm, hello everybody. Hello Teddy, hello." The little boy was once again waving, this time with more vigour at his godfather, who laughed and waved back. "Hello. Erm, I do have a speech prepared, but how much of it I actually remember is a different matter. You all think of me as this Saviour, but I can assure you, that none of it would have been possible without the help of my two friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. During my past seven years in this world, and during everything that has been thrown upon me, I have learnt the most valuable lesson. Without them, I would never have done all that I managed to do. Hermione with her obvious brains, strictness and determination to get me through, and Ron, with his ridiculous sense of humour to make bad things seem better, and his strange, yet brilliant ideas, such as replacing three chess pieces and playing a game that could potentially kill us so that we could cross a room. Yeah, the joys of childhood." He earned a laugh from the people around him. "But yeah. When I first entered this world, I had never had a friend. I had always been thought of in my old schools as the freak that nobody should go near. The first friend I ever had was Hagrid. He came to rescue me from my relatives and told me who I truly was, so for that I thank him." The half-giant had tears in his eyes and nodded at him with a small smile on his face, whilst Grawp patted him, gently as he could, on the shoulder. "I then met a boy my age on the way to the platform, a boy by the name of Ron Weasley. From then on, he became my best friend, and apart from a few minor mishaps, has stayed my best friend and been on my side since then. Hermione…well, start of first year wasn't the best for my friendship with Hermione. But she mellowed, as soon as she took her nose out of a book." Another laugh sounded, the girl in question included. "She became my best friend also.
"As I mentioned, there were a few times when my friendship with Ron was a little…strained. Last year, when the three of us were on the search for Horcruxes, one of them started to possess Ron, making him very volatile and aggressive. He stormed out and disappeared." The red-headed boy hung his head in shame. "He went for at least a month, it may have been more, I don't know. It wasn't until just after Christmas that he came back. But during that time, and I'm sure Hermione can agree with me on this, during that time the reality of what we were doing sunk in, and things changed without him. Everything became more depressing, as if all the fun had left with him. We missed him deeply. But I remembered something my godfather has said to me at one point, and I knew he wouldn't be gone for long. Because 'the ones that love us never really leave us'. So this is my message to you. Sure, you can have friends, and sometimes, people may turn their back on you, or things may get too hard. But remember that true friends will always be there for you, and you will never be alone. That's what I've learnt. You can even find friends," he locked eyes with Draco at this point, "and possibly love, in the least obvious of places. So don't reject somebody just because you don't like their first appearances. You never know, they may become somebody very important to you. Thank you." He stepped down and took his seat at Hermione's left as Draco got up onto the podium.
"Thank you everybody. Hello. Hello Teddy." The boy was once again waving, this time at his cousin. "I am sure a lot of you probably do not want to hear my point of view, but my speech is going to take the similar sort of form as Harry's. I am going to stress the importance of family.
"Now, I am not the kind of person, not anymore anyway, who will exaggerate things to make them seem so bad that sympathy will inevitably be given to me. I know I used to be like that, but I will not do it now. But I will be truthful. My time last year, living in the Manor with Voldemort under our roof, was the worst experience of my life. Two things kept me going. The first was the knowledge that, ultimately, he would be dead before long because there would be no other way for him to live. I knew of Harry's task, and why he was not in the school due to my godfather telling me. Being safe in the knowledge that he would succeed, especially with the help of Hermione and Ron, was one reason that kept me going. The other was my parents. They say one cannot choose one's family, and that is unbelievably true. My father, I know, was not the best of role models, but he was still my father. During the first ten years of my life, he was like any other father, caring, and always having time for me. One I reached the age of ten he started to make me more into a miniature version of himself. He started to teach me politics, but he was still the same father I knew. It was not until Voldemort's infiltration into the school during my first year that he became the person everybody now thinks of him: snobbish, nasty, and proud. I will admit myself that my father made some terrible decisions, decisions which infuriate me, such as allowing Voldemort into our home, but I could see that he was simply afraid. Frightened of what may happen to him, especially after the events at the Ministry three years ago. He was still my father, and I was determined to do anything to make life better for him. That is why I took this." He removed his suit jacket and showed his Mark to the congregation. "I am not ashamed of my actions. I regret now taking that side, I regret not accepting help, and I regret every single bit of hurt I caused people, especially to Katie Bell and the Weasleys. But I am not ashamed, nor will I resent my father for it. Somebody close to me once told me that the Mark is a part of me, but it does not dictate who I am. I took it for my family, as a way of protecting them. And I know, as I was told my Voldemort himself, that if I had refused it and sought help from the Order, we still would have been found and killed. I protected my family by taking it. No, I am not proud of it, but I am not ashamed of it. I did it for my father, and for my mother.
"My mother was a wonderful woman. She was sweet, kind, and loved me, my father, and her sisters dearly. She saw the good in everyone, even my Aunt Bellatrix. She saw the sister she used to have in her. My mother was always there for me when I needed her. She put on a brave face, but I could see the fear beneath her 'Malfoy mask' as we call it. I saw it and I felt sorry for her. That is the other reason I took this. To protect her. For there is no love like that of a mother's, as the muggles say. I loved her dearly, and seeing her that scared, seeing her hurt killed me. But it kept me going, kept me strong. The thought that eventually all her fear and pain will go away gave me the strength to go through with it all. My message to you follows on from Harry's. Yes, true friends will always be there, but even they can come and go." He looked Harry in the eyes for encouragement. "A family is there for life, so no matter what they do, never stop loving them, because," he had to pause and swallow as he was starting to get upset, "because they will never stop loving you. Thank you." He stepped down before the tears became too much, taking his seat next to Pansy, who immediately rubbed his arm.
"Thank you Draco for that moving speech. And thank you Harry for yours. All three there stressing the importance of uniting together and staying strong with the people you love around you when times become hard. Now, finally, we move on to a new addition. As a way of remembering the fallen, not just of this war, but of the war previous, the Ministry, the school and some anonymous benefactors have clubbed together to create a memorial statue to be positioned here, in the grounds. If you would like to follow me to the main gate, we shall go and see it." People stood and slowly made their way down to the main gate, where a giant statue had been covered with blood red cloth. Professor Elliott was already there, standing at its side waiting to unveil it. Once they had arrived, and at the nod of the Headmistress, she waved her hand and the cloth fell. The statue stood at least eight foot high on its own. Pentagon in shape, the main body, made of solid white marble, had been engraved with all 120 names of the fallen from the two Wars. On top stood a magnificent, intricate phoenix made of solid gold, that when Professor Elliot waved her hand over it again, it sung its lament. Just below it, on the top hilt of the main body, a quote from had been written. "Hope rises like a phoenix from the ashes of shattered dreams. Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops…at all. Hope can always been found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." The words themselves shimmered in the sunlight, and when the phoenix sang her tribute, they glowed, as did each individual name. It was beautiful. The audience admired it, some even coming up close to it and touching it, stroking the head of the bird. When touched, the bird had been bewitched to turn its head towards the person and look them in the eyes. With its size and beauty, it was impossible for any visitor coming through the main gate to miss it.
"A big than you to Draco Black for his design of it, even down to the spells and incantations used on it." The boy in question bowed his head in gratitude, offering a very small thank you.
People continued to admire it for a while longer, before the Headmistress called them all back into the castle, where a feast had been put on for them.
xxxDHDHxxx
Later that night, Harry was making his was out into the grounds, towards the statue. Upon approaching it, he saw a figure on their knees, their head bent low and their right hand touching the statue. He walked slowly and quietly up behind them so as not to frighten them, but they must have heard him coming as they turned their head slightly in his direction for a few seconds in acknowledgment of his presence. He spoke to them as he reached them. "I thought I'd find you here Draco."
"Harry, you knew I was here. You have a Map that shows you everyone, remember?" Draco chuckled, standing up and making his way towards the lake, knowing that the other boy was walking by his side.
For a long while, nothing was said, but after many glances at Draco's downcast face, Harry knew he had to say something. "Are you OK?"
Draco didn't answer immediately, instead taking the time to formulate the words in his head and steady his voice. "My parents are on there, not that far away from yours. I've kind of been living in a fantasy world, pretending that they aren't actually dead, and that they've just gone on a very long holiday like they said they would once the War was over. But seeing their names on that memorial, it cements the knowledge that they're not coming back into my mind. Makes it seem real. I still don't understand why you insisted their names be added."
"Because they were innocent this time around Draco. They had you. They had been cleared of charges for the First War, so that could not be held against them, and during the Second War, they hadn't actually taken part in anything as they had got you. They wouldn't have wanted to endanger your future, so they stayed out of what they could; only doing what they had no choice to do. They were innocent Draco."
"My father was killed by the aurors when they tried to arrest him and he resisted. My mother, although cleared of all charges, couldn't take anymore so killed herself. If my father had been entirely innocent, he would have not resisted as he would have had nothing to hide. He took the coward's way out. He wasn't innocent Harry."
"Yes he was. Tell me, did he ever do anything in your home last year? Torture anybody? Kill anybody? No he didn't. And I have reports from many of the aurors that your father was never present at any of the cases reported, which was quite a lot. He was innocent Draco." He stopped in front of the other boy, taking his hands. He looked him in the eyes. "He was innocent."
Draco looked back for a minute, before pulling his hands back and side-stepping Harry, continuing on his walk. Harry followed.
"Why did you do it?" Draco asked.
"Do what?"
"Look at me when you told said that people can find love in places they don't expect?"
"Why did you basically do the same?"
"I asked first Harry. Why did you do it? After all I've done, I don't deserve your love anymore?"
"What do you mean, after all you've done?"
"I accused you of something you didn't do, without proper evidence. That's unforgiveable."
"That, Draco, is called being human. We all say and do things that we regret. I can't stop loving you just because of that. Besides, you said it yourself…" However, before Harry could continue, they were interrupted by Professor Elliott.
"Boys. I appreciate that you are still talking things through, but it's after curfew. I'll have to escort you to your dorm. With me please." She started to make her way back up to the castle and they followed in silence, she took them all the way to their common room. "Continue talking if you wish to do so, you have no need to be up early in the morning. However, please do it in your dormitory. Well done on your speeches today. Now go and get some rest. Goodnight. Oxalis." She said the password and the portrait swung open, albeit begrudgingly, and they made their way inside, muttering goodnights to her as they passed.
It wasn't until they were in their own room that they spoke again. "What were you saying Harry?"
"I was saying that it's like what you said in your speech." He sat on the little sofa in the room. "It doesn't matter what the people we love say and do, we should never stop loving them, because they will never stop loving us. I know you still do Draco. I know it because you practically said it in front of everybody."
Draco sighed and sat down next to him, turning to face him. "I did yes. I told everybody that I love you, because I still do."
"I know you do. I can see it in your eyes. But it still doesn't change the fact that we both said and did some pretty horrible things last time around. Or that you broke my heart."
"I know. I'm sorry. But we know what we did wrong last time, so we can make sure we don't do it this time. How about this? I promise to not jump to conclusions, to gather evidence first, and to listen to what you have to say. I promise also to tell you that I love you in front of people, rather than being afraid to admit it. Because loving does not make me weak, I've learnt that now."
Harry sighed. He placed his hands over Draco's, who immediately linked them. "But what if that's not enough? What if you can't stick to it?"
Draco moved closer and placed one of his hands on Harry's cheek softly, pulling his face gently up to look him in the eyes. "I won't. I love you. I know now what I did was wrong and I am determined to make this work this time. I don't want to lose you. Please Harry. I know I hurt you last time, and I know that I can't change it, but at least let me make it up to you. Give me one more chance. Then, if it doesn't work, or I hurt you again, we can at least say that we tried. Please."
Harry stared deep into the other boy's mercury eyes, looking for truth. He found it. "OK. Then I promise to not be afraid to show you affection in public. I promise to not make it look as though I'm flirting with Ginny. I'll even talk to her so that she understands. But most of all, I promise to always love you."
Draco smiled, before, pulling the other boy into a hug. They held each other tight, glad to have the other back in their arms once again. Slowly they pulled apart. They stared each other in the eyes as Draco reached out and brushed a stray hair from out of Harry's eyes, tucking it behind his ear. His hand once again rested on the other's cheek, and his eyes kept straying to Harry's lips. Harry placed his right hand on Draco's chest, feeling the quickening of his heartbeat. His own eyes kept moving back and forth between Draco's eyes and slightly parted lips. Slowly, Draco leaned in. Their foreheads touched, mimicking their first kiss. They kept their eyes open this time, admiring the sight in front of them. They rubbed noses a couple of times before finally, finally, pressing their lips together gently. It was a chaste kiss, but they soon went back in again, Harry's one hand moving up the boy's chest and joining the other around Draco's neck, Draco's hands going around Harry's waist. Slowly, Draco lent Harry back, so that he was hovering over the top of the Gryffindor, the air quickly changing. A sudden sound forced them to pull apart. Upon inspection, they found that both of their beds had magically turned themselves into one giant double bed, gold and silver in design. They laughed.
"Seems like this room has ideas." Draco commented.
"Seems so." Harry agreed. He stopped laughing once again at the sight of his boyfriend staring at him with lust. He stood up and Draco followed. Silently, he held out his hand, and when Draco took it, he started to back up towards the bed, stopping just short of it and pulling the other boy closer.
Draco hesitated. "Harry, have you ever done this before?"
"Once, with a boy from my old neighbourhood. Just before they came to fetch me the summer after sixth year. You?"
"Once or twice. A friend of mine, who doesn't come here, came over for the summer a couple of years ago. He was good looking, and he liked me. Are you sure you want to do this? I don't want to rush you into anything."
"I'm sure Draco. I didn't get much choice in the matter last time. But this time? This time I'm willing giving myself to you. There's nobody I'd rather do it with than you. I love you."
"OK. Then we'll do it." He pulled out his wand and put a silencing charm around their door, as well as extinguishing the lights so that the only light in the room was that of the moon, casting an unearthly, silver glow over them both. He then pulled Harry's own wand out of his back pocket and placed both wands on the bedside table. Coming close, he kissed the boy. They started gentle, before becoming more passionate, forceful and heated. Hands roamed, clothes were shed, and they fell upon the bed, never breaking the kiss except for breath. They worshipped the other, taking turns to create the other pleasure. For the whole night they continued, showing each other, proving to each other, just how much they were loved…
xxxDHDHxxx
The next morning, Garnet, Professor Elliott's owl, flew in the open window with a letter in her beak addressed to both boys. The owl placed the letter on the coffee table in front of the fire before pausing and surveying the scene around her. There were two piles of clothes at the end of the bed, two wands on the floor. In the bed itself were two boys, wrapped around each other, covered only with a thin sheet over their lower torsos. The owl smiled to herself. Her mistress had been right. They belonged together. The owl then left the room, leaving the two lovers in piece.
A/N2: Longest chapter yet! I know I've probably taken the coward's way out, but because I'm not a boy, I don't feel I could do a gay sex scene justice. I just hope I've done enough.
The memorial. Credit must go to the following people for the words used on it, as they are not mine:
S. A. Sachs: "Hope rises like a phoenix from the ashes of shattered dreams."
Emily Dickinson: "Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops…at all."
J.K. Rowling (through the mouth of Albus Dumbledore): "Hope can always been found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." (Slight paraphrasing. I changed the original 'happiness' to 'hope'.)
But yeah. Hope everything's OK. Review and let me know what you think, yeah?
xxxxx