A/N: Hey guys, welcome back once again! I hope you have been enjoying the story thus far! This chapter doesn't have too much action but don't worry—after this; things will start to speed up! Please review so that I can know if my writing is rubbish or not! :)
Harry was standing in the middle of a large room, Order members surrounding him on every side. Dumbledore stood in the middle. His face was terrible.
"Harry Potter!" He boomed, his voice filling the room. "Draco Malfoy! How could you ever think that you would be welcomed? How could you think we would allow you to stay here? You will go back, back where insects like you belong!"
Harry felt something move behind him, and he turned just in time to see a red curse collide with his body. His scream was terrible, echoing around the room. His nerves were on fire again. Pain like this was too much for him to take. And then it stopped.
"Please, no!" Harry yelled, "Please, not Draco, just take me! Please let Draco stay!"
"THIS," Dumbledore yelled over his pleas, "THIS IS YOUR PUNISHMENT!"
Harry watched as a Death Eater pointed their wand at Draco. Harry knew what was coming a moment before it did. He jumped to his feet and took the curse for Draco, his body seemingly on fire once more.
As soon as the spell collided with his skin, Harry sat straight up in bed, breathing hard.
There was a cold sweat on his back, and his hands were shaking. He quickly took a couple of deep breaths, glancing over at the bed opposite his own. Draco was still fast asleep, luckily. Harry tossed off the covers and got silently to his feet.
Harry knew that he would not be going back to sleep anytime soon. He silently exited the room and made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, wanting to get something to drink.
With as little noise as possible, he started to open up the cabinets to try and find a cup. Eventually, he stumbled across a mug and decided it was good enough. He turned on the sink and began to fill it. Just then, he heard a noise behind him.
He whipped around, reaching into his holster for his wand, but then he realized he did not have it with him. To Harry's surprise, he saw Sirius framed in the doorway, fully dressed and looking wide awake. His wand was out, and he pointed it at Harry.
"What are you doing?" Sirius hissed in a low whisper.
"I woke up and was getting some water," Harry said, holding up his mug, which was now half full.
"Oh," Sirius said, and he watched as Harry turned back to the sink and finished filling it.
The silence was awkward and tense. Harry sat down at the table, and he saw Sirius hesitate for a moment. Then, he sat down across from him.
"What woke you?" Sirius asked, "It's still pretty early."
"Just a dream. It was nothing." Harry said it as if it was not a big deal, but he thought Sirius could sense something was wrong.
"If it was just a dream, why did it bother you so much?" Harry was taken aback at this question.
"Because," He sighed, looking up at the man before him. "My dreams are often based on reality or on things which have the likelihood of becoming reality." Sirius didn't seem to know what to say to that, and Harry didn't offer any more information.
They sat in silence for a while, Harry sipping his water every once in a while.
"I heard what happened with Ron," Sirius said eventually.
"What did you hear?" Harry asked with a sigh.
"I heard that you saved him again by taking all of his pain, tripling it, and keeping it yourself instead."
"They make it out much better than it was." Harry said, "They seem to forget that I was the one who cursed him in the first place."
"But you chose to save him from a life of pain, Harry. Surely, you can see how we respect you for that? Especially since you took his pain yourself." Harry shook his head.
"It was nothing."
"On the contrary," Sirius said, "It was something very big." Harry took a drink but didn't say anything. There was no point in arguing with Sirius about this.
"Why did you take it all?" Sirius asked after a moment.
"What are you talking about?"
"All of Ron's pain tripled; why did you take all of it? Lupin told me that you had the choice to share it with others. Why wouldn't you have done that?" Harry looked up at Sirius and was quiet for a moment before answering.
"In the past, I was always forced to do the paralyzing spell and then take the pain of undoing it. Normally, a wizard would use the first way to get the spell out and only use the second way if they really had no other choice. You can only use the first way one time, though. He used to make me take it all out the second way, which takes much more concentration, even though the amount of pain derived is the same. It was supposed to help with my concentration, which I suppose it did.
"Draco never had to do it, just me. He knows what it feels like in principle, but he has no clue what it is actually like. The pain is indescribable. I knew that I was able to take it all without it killing me because I have before, which is a feat, not many others can achieve, and I didn't want anybody else to have to feel even close to that level of pain, so I took it." Sirius looked at Harry for a moment.
"That is… very brave," Sirius said slowly.
"It was my mess; I had to clean it up." Harry shrugged. "I didn't want anyone else to have to suffer for my mistakes."
"Like I said, very brave of you." Harry took another drink to avoid speaking.
"I also heard that you were going to kill Lupin," Sirius said with a small laugh.
"Yes, I was," Harry said seriously.
"How?" Sirius asked, "He is much stronger than he looks, you know."
"I don't doubt that with him being a werewolf, but—"
"What?" Sirius asked sharply.
"Did you not know?" Harry asked, looking up.
"No, of course I knew. How did you know?"
"He has a look about him, plus his hands are scarred, and he walks with a slight limp. He also is unconventionally strong for such a weak-looking man."
"How would you know that?" Sirius asked.
"When you two were fighting when I first got captured. I could see that he was holding back some. Even then, though, he was much stronger than I would have thought."
"Well, you're right, of course. Lupin is a werewolf. Is that a problem?" Sirius added a threatening note to his voice.
"No," Harry said, "I've been around Greyback."
Sirius nodded. "So, how were you planning on killing him?"
Harry smirked. "You must think very little of me if you believe I would allow myself to be overpowered by a werewolf, or anybody for that matter."
"But how—?"
"That is something you never want to find out," Harry said, draining the last of his cup.
"But—"
"Don't worry, I am sure I'll tell you someday, but for now, you can leave it to your imagination. Good night, Sirius."
"Good night, Harry." Harry could hear the question in his tone, but he could wonder about how Harry would have killed Lupin.
Harry made his way quietly up the steps and into his and Draco's bedroom. He did not go back to bed, though. Instead, he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as he thought about everything that had happened in only a few days. Eventually, the sky brightened, and Draco awoke.
"Hey," Draco said, sitting up.
"Hi," Harry smiled, "How did it go last night? Is it safe for me to go downstairs?"
"It is, but you have to apologize to them."
"I was planning on it anyway."
"We also have to eat on their schedule."
"What?" Harry asked sharply, sitting up.
"Lupin is making us eat at least one thing per meal," Draco explained, fixing his hair with his hands.
"Why?"
"He seems to think that we were being starved."
"But we weren't. Not eating regularly builds character. It makes us stronger."
"I told him that, but…" Draco shrugged. Harry sat up on the edge of his bed.
"So everything is really fine if I apologize to them?" He asked quietly.
"Yes," Draco said, "I told them that the shadows made your emotions more intense and blew everything out of proportion."
"Genius," Harry said with a smile.
"It was nothing, just a good excuse." Draco said, "But Harry, you have to be careful not to lose control again. You can't kill anyone by mistake."
"I know," Harry sighed, "I'm sorry Draco."
"It's fine." Draco said firmly, "Just don't let it happen again."
Harry nodded and stood, following Draco out of the room. They walked down the steps and pushed open the door into the kitchen.
Though it was still relatively early, most of the house was up.Ron, Hermione, Sirius, and Lupin were all sitting around the large table. Mrs. Weasley was cooking something on the stove.
"Good morning, boys," She said, a bright smile on her face.
"Good morning, madame." Draco nodded.
"Oh, call me Mrs. Weasley, dear." She said.
"Okay," Draco agreed. Everyone was looking at them now.
"If you want us to leave, then we can." Harry offered, still lingering in the door.
"No, stay," Hermione said quickly. Everyone started to talk again as though nothing had happened.
Harry walked over to Lupin and cleared his throat. When the man looked up, he said, "Lupin, I would like to apologize for last night. I overreacted and acted in a way that was inappropriate. I am sorry."
"It's okay, Harry," Lupin said, "Draco explained the spell to us."
"Still," Harry said, "That is no excuse. I should have had better control than that, so I'm sorry."
"Forget it," Lupin said. Harry nodded and went to sit down next to Draco.
"How are you feeling?" Harry asked Ron, who was now on his left side.
"Much better," Ron smiled, "I heard what you did. Thank—"
"Don't." Harry said, "It was nothing."
"But you saved me," Ron said, looking confused.
"I also put you in danger. I did what I had to in order to make sure you would be okay."
"But you took all of my pain, apparently," Ron said with raised eyebrows.
"And scared everyone in the process." Harry shook his head as he said it.
"Harry," Hermione said, "What you did was very noble. Not everyone would have chosen to take all of the curse, but you did." Harry just shrugged and didn't say anything.
He hated that they all were making him out to be some sort of hero. Couldn't they see that it was his fault that Ron had been cursed in the first place? Couldn't they see that he hadn't wanted Ron to die, just because if he had, they would have blamed Harry, and they wouldn't have been allowed to stay? All of his actions were motivated by self-interest and interest in keeping Draco safe.
"What would you guys like for breakfast?" Sirius asked. Draco and Harry exchanged uneasy glances.
"Generally, we don't—" Draco started.
"Remember the deal, Draco." Lupin reminded him. Harry looked from Draco to Lupin and decided to play dumb.
"What deal?" he asked, fanning curiosity. Lupin looked at him with a slight frown.
"Part of your requirements for staying here is that you have to eat something at every meal. I don't care how much you eat, but you have to eat. You can't starve yourselves."
"The thing is," Harry said calmly, "we aren't starving ourselves. That is how we have always done it. Our bodies are used to it by now."
"Regardless," Lupin said, "You are no longer with Vold— You-Know-Who. Now you are staying with us, and we expect you to follow our rules, just like he expected you to follow his." Harry looked at Lupin for a moment.
"I fear I have something to do with why you no longer say his name," Lupin said nothing, still looking intently at Harry.
"You can call him Voldemort or even Tom Riddle for all we care. Draco and I no longer have any sort of respect for the man." Harry said, and Draco nodded in agreement.
"Well, that's a step." Lupin admitted, "But you still have to eat."
Harry and Draco exchanged a glance. They both knew that if they wanted to stay here, then they would have to follow their rules.
"Fine," Harry said, and he stood up.
He went over to a bowl and grabbed two apples. He tossed one to Draco and, turning to Lupin, took a bit out of his. Draco rose from his seat and followed Harry as he exited the room.
"It should be fine." Harry said, "We could probably get away with only eating a few bites out of each meal and just keep our schedule the rest of the time."
Draco nodded, "Yeah, I guess. We have to if we want to stay here. Do you really think that will last for long?"
"No, but for now, it will."
The boys were about to enter their room when they heard their names. They turned, and Ron, Fred, and George were standing a flight below them.
"Yes?" Harry asked, looking down the stairs.
"Can you fly?" Ron asked. Harry turned and smirked at Draco.
Draco had dominated the Durmstrang Quidditch team when he was at school. Harry had been privately trained as a seeker all of his life, even playing with a couple of professional teams. Sure, they just played because they were under threat, but the games were still very much real.
"Sure, we can," Draco said.
"Are you up for a game of Quidditch?" Fred asked.
"Of course," they said enthusiastically, and the boys followed the Weasleys downstairs and out into the yard. Hermione and the other girl were waiting for them.
"Are you playing Ginny?" George asked.
"No, I am staying here with Hermione," The girl, Ginny, replied, looking at Draco and then at Harry.
Their eyes met for a moment, and Harry could have sworn he saw a slight twinkle in them, but then he blinked, and it was gone.
Harry and Draco took spare brooms from the Weasley's broom shed. They had their brooms with them, but they were still shrunken inside their trunks. They had forgotten to make them large again before their wands were taken.
"Have you played before?" Ron asked.
"Yes, I play seeker, and Draco plays keeper," Harry said.
"Okay, great, Fred, you can be a beater, and George can play chaser with me. It is just to fly, after all." Ron handed Fred a bat and Draco a thick pair of gloves.
"We usually use those trees as the goal," George told Draco, pointing to a pair of trees nearby.
Ron released the Snitch and only one Bludger. Then Draco sped off toward the trees. Hermione counted them down, and they pushed off the ground as she tossed the Quaffle high into the air.
It was the best feeling in the world to be back on a broomstick. Harry missed playing all of the time. Now, he had more responsibilities; he could not waste time flying.He watched Draco for a few minutes. He saved everything.
Not a single ball passed him, no matter what the others threw at him. Harry had been expecting nothing less. Draco was a superb flier.
Harry then flew high into the sky and dove toward the ground at full speed. He pulled up at the last second and then noticed a glint of gold at the other side of the field. He sped off as fast as he could, pushing the broom to go faster, faster. Until he was seconds away from grabbing it. He plucked it out of the air easily and slowed to a stop before he landed like nothing had happened.
Ginny and Hermione were both looking at him amazed, as were the rest of the Weasleys. Only Draco was not looking surprised. Rather, he flew up to Harry quickly and stopped just short of hitting him.
"You've still got it!" he said, high-fiving Harry. Harry was grinning broadly now.
"You're not too bad yourself!"
"Not too bad? You guys are amazing!" Fred and George had reached them.
"I am assuming you played for a team before?" Ron asked. "Yes," Draco said, "I got onto the Durmstrang house team in my first year and played up until I left."
"And I had a private coach." Harry shrugged.
"You should have played professionally!" Ron said, "You both are excellent, and these are lousy brooms."
"They're not bad," Draco said untruthfully.
Ron looked about to say something else, but Draco said, "Let's keep playing!"
They played for a few hours. It turned out the Weasleys were all pretty good at Quidditch, and Harry had a very enjoyable time. Eventually, Mrs. Weasley called them in for lunch, and they all landed.
Harry was tired, but it was the best he had felt in a while. There was absolutely no feeling better than flying.
Draco reached into the fruit bowl and grabbed two oranges. He handed one to Harry and started to peel his own. Harry noticed Lupin was no longer there, but he believed it would be out of place to ask about it. Then Sirius spoke.
"We will start your lessons right after lunch. Harry, you will be with me, and Draco will be with Tonks."
"Great," Harry said, fighting to keep sarcasm from his tone.
After finishing their oranges, both boys returned upstairs to clean up a bit before their lessons. They entered the bathroom and washed their hands and faces in the sink. Harry followed Draco back to their bedroom to wait for someone to come and get them.
"I wonder what these lessons are going to be about," Draco said as he sat on his bed.
"Probably just their version of everything," Harry said, looking out the window.
"Listen," Harry said, turning to him. "After the lessons, we should meet back here. Then we can exchange information."
"Sounds good to me." Draco agreed. He thought for a minute. "Do you think they will try and torture us?"
"No," Harry said firmly. "They won't. Even if they try, you can withstand it."
"Only for so long," Draco said. "Then I crack. You have always been much better at it than me."
"Nonsense," Harry said, "You are excellent at it. You mustn't think poorly of yourself. Don't show that sort of weakness."
"You're right, of course," Draco said with a sigh. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Sirius entered.
"You guys ready?" he asked.
"Sure," Draco said, glancing at Harry, who nodded.
The boys followed him downstairs and saw Tonks waiting for them at the bottom.
"Draco," she said, "I was thinking we could just go to a bedroom and talk, but what do you think?"
"Fine by me." Draco agreed, and, giving Harry a slight nod, he followed her back upstairs.
"Harry," Sirius said, looking at him, "I thought our lesson might be better outside, but it's up to you."
"Okay," Harry said, and he followed Sirius into the kitchen and out the back door.
Sirius led him a little ways past the yard, and they settled in a forest not too far away. It was a nice spot, shaded from the sun, a bit private, and a good place to talk. As soon as they had sat down, Harry looked at Sirius expectantly.
There was no way he would be the first to talk, yet more and more time passed, and still, Sirius did not say a word. He was looking into the woods as though deep in thought. Harry, though he was getting impatient, would not talk first. It had to be Sirius.