Thoughts: 'Blah. Blah. Blah.'
Flashback: Blah. Blah. Blah. ( [END]FLASHBACK before/after them)
Hedwig: "Blah. Blah. Blah."
Parseltongue: {Blah. Blah. Blah.}
Letters/Articles/Writing: Blah. Blah. Blah.
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Chapter 13
"Harry, where are we going?" Draco Malfoy is being dragged through the corridors of Hogwarts by his best friend. It is a weekend, so most students are out on the grounds or holed up somewhere doing homework or studying.
"You'll see." Harry states cryptically, failing to sate Draco's curiosity.
"You're one helpful bloke, you know that?" Draco rolls his eyes, still being pulled along by Harry.
"It's a skill." Harry says airily, ignoring Draco's jibe.
The two boys finally reach their destination and Harry comes to a stop, Draco running into him from behind and nearly knocking them over. "Where are we?" Draco asks, taking a few steps back to survey the area.
"The kitchens." Harry states simply, beginning to walk forward.
"The kitchens? You dragged me out of bed to go to the kitchens!?" Draco raises his voice. "We're not even allowed in here, Harry!"
"I am. The elves like me." Harry takes Draco's hand once more and pulls him forward. He looks right and then left, checking to make sure nobody will see them enter, and then pushes the door open. The second Harry steps foot in the room he is bombarded with exclamations of "Master Harry" and "Has you been eating right?". Draco is still standing in the doorway, gaping at the scene unfolding before him. A few of the elves run up to Harry and hug his legs, looking up at him with admiration shining in their eyes. "Hey guys." Harry gestures to the shocked blond standing behind him. "This is my friend, Draco Malfoy."
"Hello Master Draco. Any friend of Master Harry is a friend of ours." One of the older elves addresses Draco.
"Harry, may I speak to you for a moment." Draco takes Harry's hand before he can respond and drags him back through the doors, leaving a room full of disappointed and shocked house elves.
"What is your problem?" Harry questions, the beginnings of annoyance bubbling up at his friend's antics.
"Why are you associating with them." Draco says the word "them" acidicly and Harry is instantly reminded that Draco has been raised in a pureblood family. Therefore, his views on house elves is probably nothing like Harry's.
"They have names, Draco. And they aren't inferior to us, if that's what you're thinking." Harry crosses his arms and assumes a defensive position.
"But they're house elves, Harry."
"And?" Harry raises an eyebrow at his friend, unamused and angry.
"And I- They..." Draco trails off as Harry glares at him.
"They are some of the only creatures in existence that seem to actually care for me so you will either respect them, or leave. I won't stop you." Harry points down the corridor, his expression icy.
"Fine!" Draco shouts, the sound echoing in the deserted hallway. He turns on his heels and storms off, leaving Harry standing alone with unshed tears in his eyes.
"Fine." Harry whispers and walks back into the kitchen sniffling. The house elves look up as Harry enters.
"Master Harry? Are you okay?" One of the elves walks up to Harry and pulls on his sleeve.
Harry takes a deep breath and answers. "Yeah, I'm fine." The house elf that has hold of his sleeve pulls him farther into the kitchen and sits him down on one of the chairs that is pulled up to the kitchen counter. Another elf comes to his other side and offers him a chocolate frog. Harry takes it with a watery smile and sniffles, nodding in thanks.
For the next hour, Harry sits in the kitchens and watches the elves work, ruminating on his fight with Draco. 'Things just escalated so quickly.' Harry sighs and puts his head in his hands.
"You're right." Harry whips around to find Draco standing behind him, his head is down and he is fidgeting with his hands nervously. Harry just stares, prompting Draco to continue. "I'm an idiot. In the time I've known you, you've called me to question my beliefs time and time again; It's frustrating. But you're right." Draco looks up at Harry. "I'm sorry."
"It... It's fine. I shouldn't have been so harsh about it." An awkward silence falls between the two friends, the only sounds are the crashing of pots and pans and the quiet murmuring of the house elve's conversations around them.
A house elf walks up to Draco, offering him a chocolate frog. Harry looks expectantly at Draco, and after a moment Draco kneels down and takes the treat, offering a quiet "Thank you" to the creature.
"Of course, Master Draco." As if a switch has been flipped, the rest of the house elves run up to Draco, surrounding him. They begin fussing over him, just as they had with Harry the first time he made his way to the kitchens. Draco just laughs and allows himself to be led to the chair next to Harry's.
Harry nudges Draco in the ribs and says, "Thank you for giving this a shot. I get that you've been raised a specific way and I'm sure this must be hard for you, but I really appreciate it."
"You've given me a chance, It's only fair that I give you one." Draco nudges Harry back. "Besides, I've been so busy teaching you about how to be a pureblood that I've forgotten you were raised by muggles. You have a very different mindset." Harry frowns before Draco continues quickly. "No, no, no, it's a good thing. Sometimes I get so caught up in tradition that I forget to think for myself. You help me do that."
Harry doesn't reply. Instead he smiles and nods, blushing at Draco's words. The two sit in silence for a while longer before leaving the kitchens, making sure to say goodbye to the elves before they go. By the time they make their way out of the kitchens, they are loaded up with a variety of sweets and have been told multiple times to let them know if they need anything.
"See, they're not so bad, are they?" Harry looks at Draco expectantly.
Draco sighs before replying, "No, they're not. I'm glad you introduced me."
They walk back to their common room in silence, just enjoying each other's presence. When they reach the door to their common room Draco stops, turning to Harry. "I know I already said this, but I'm sorry."
"It's alright, seriously. Don't worry about it."
"I actually do have something I need to tell you." The two continue into the common room. It's almost completely empty, the only other occupants being a couple sixth years who are in the process of revising some of their work.
"Yeah? What's that?"
"I'll tell you when we get to our room." They descend the stairs to their dormitory. Once they get there, Draco walks over and flops onto his bed. Harry follows and takes a seat beside him, taking off his shoes and pulling his legs onto the bed, crossing them. Draco does the same and turns to face Harry. "I got a reply from my father about the three headed dog incident."
"Really? When?" Harry looks shocked.
"It was a while ago; He told me not to tell you until the issue is resolved."
Harry crosses his arms in annoyance. "So, is the issue resolved?" Harry says acidicly.
"No, it isn't. My mother and father held a meeting with Dumbledore last week, but Dumbledore denied everything. They couldn't very well say how they got their information for fear you would be punished, so they have no evidence." Draco shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. "The Malfoy name carries power, but against Dumbledore our word is nothing but rumor."
"This is ridiculous." Harry growls, eyes hardening and mouth twisting into a menacing sneer.
"I have another thing to tell you."
"Of course you do." Harry's sneer slips but his voice still holds a growling tone that betrays his anger.
"Look, would you just calm down for a minute? This is important." Draco hissing at the boy sitting next to him. Harry glares at the blond and then takes a calming breath.
"Fine." Harry gives Draco an expectant look, prompting him to continue.
"Did you happen to notice Snape's leg back at Halloween?"
"No; What about it?" Harry's brows scrunch up in confusion.
"It was injured, which doesn't make sense. We were with the troll while the teachers were searching the dungeons so he wouldn't have been in a situation where he could be injured like that. Unless-"
"He went to the third floor." Harry finishes.
"Exactly."
"But what would he be doing there?" Harry questions, deep in thought. He hears Draco say something resembling "I don't know" but he doesn't respond, still thinking. Suddenly it comes to him, "What if someone was trying to steal whatever the three headed dog is guarding."
"That... makes a lot of sense, actually." Draco pauses and runs his hand through his gelled hair. "You don't think that he was trying to steal it, do you?"
"No, of course not. If Snape wanted to steal something he wouldn't make such a rookie mistake. It's more likely that he followed the culprit and stopped him. The only thing I don't understand is why he hasn't reported it."
"How do you know that he hasn't? They could just be trying to keep it quiet." Draco counters Harry's statement.
"We would have at least noticed some change in the teacher's behavior, don't you think. Body language is a huge tell; I would have noticed." Harry nods definitively, confident in his skill to read people. It's something that he had to be good at when he was living with the Dursleys.
"Alright, say someone did try to steal whatever this thing is. Who could it be? And how did Snape know it was going to be stolen?"
"I don't know... yet. We'll figure it out." Harry falls back on Draco's bed dramatically. When he turns his head to Draco he finds his friend is sporting a thoughtful expression.
"I think I may know the answer to at least one of our questions." Draco says after a minute or two.
Harry sits up again, dangling his legs off the edge of the bed. "What's that?"
"Vault 713, the vault that held whatever is being hidden on the third floor, was broken into at the beginning of the year. What if it's the same person?"
"That would make sense. That would mean-" Harry is cut off by Blaise barreling into the room, barely keeping himself upright after tripping on his own feet. The grave expression on his face sends both boys into a panic and they immediately stand up. "What's happened?" Harry asks, panic radiating through his tone.
"Ron Weasley happened." Blaise takes a moment to catch his breath before continuing. "He messed with Theo, Harry. He was looking for you and asked Theo where you were. He said he didn't know and Ron pushed him back and yelled at him. Theo freaked out and ran off before anything else happened, but now I can't find him. And there's still the fact that Weasley's looking for you for some unknown reason." Blaise is rambling, only stopping to breath once during his tirade. Harry walks up to Blaise and puts his hands on his shoulders, gaining the boy's attention and stopping him in his tracks.
"We'll find him." Harry states seriously. "But first we have to deal with Ron."
~~~Time Skip~~~
"Oi, Potter! We've been looking for you!" Weasley yells from down the hallway. He is backed by two other boys, twins who are also sporting blazing red hair. However, unlike Ron, they don't look particularly interested in Harry, seemingly just along for the ride.
"We heard." Draco speaks up and takes his place on Harry's right while Blaise takes his left. The three of them walk forward to meet the red heads, stopping a few feet in front of them.
The confrontation is already drawing a crowd and the group of students surrounding them is growing larger by the second. The attention makes Harry nervous. Draco seems to catch onto this fact and he puts his hand on Harry's shoulder for a moment to reassure him. Harry nods in thanks and turns back to the crowd, surveying their audience and looking for any teachers that may be around to break up whatever is about to go down. He finds none. Harry picks Hermione out of the crowd. Her eyes are wide and she's shaking her head back and forth in fast little motions that make Harry dizzy.
"Let's make this quick." Harry rolls his eyes. "What do you want, Weasley." He says this as a statement, not a question, hoping to convey his impatience.
"I heard about your little adventure with the troll, Potter. I'm impressed. Two first years taking on a full grown troll all by themselves, and winning I might add, is unheard of. You must be really lucky." Ron takes a pause and puts his hand to his chin in a mock position of thought. "Or maybe you aren't."
"What are you getting at, Weasley?" Harry growls, looking Ron in the eye. Ron removes his hand from his chin and takes three purposeful steps toward Harry, stopping mere inches from his face.
"Oh, nothing. Other than the fact that there is no way the troll could have gotten in the castle on its own. And the fact that you and Malfoy just happened to be the ones who found and defeated it. Definitely a coincidence, am I right?" Ron smirks and narrows his eyes, maintaining eye contact with Harry.
"Why you-" Draco growls out and begins to walk forward before being interrupted by Harry's arm against his chest.
"No, Draco, he's right. It is quite the coincidence." Harry's tone is mocking and he smirks as he pauses. "So let's entertain this theory of yours, Weasley. Let's say that Draco and I did let the troll in. If you recall, I wasn't at the feast, so I have no alibi. And when you think about it, it is completely plausible that, as you so eloquently put it, two first year students could have travelled to the mountainous countryside, subdued a full grown mountain troll for an extended period of time, and transported the troll from its home to the Forbidden Forest, all without the aid of an adult. And, of course, that's assuming that we were able to find a way out of the castle at all. If you remember correctly, students aren't allowed to leave the castle grounds without explicit permission from a teacher, which we obviously obtained before we went on our little unchaperoned adventure across the countryside. Oh, and need I repeat that we ARE FIRST YEAR STUDENTS." Harry's abrupt shout echoes through the hall, startling his listeners and causing Ron's eyes to grow wide with shock. Ron backs away a step, finally leaving Harry's private bubble and restoring balance to the universe through this crazy little thing called "personal space". Harry can see the twins, who have been standing behind Ron throughout Harry's tangent. They are doubled over laughing, not even attempting to hide their mirth. Harry lets his sarcasm sink in for a moment longer, taking into account the amount of time it will take this particular Gryffindor to register everything that has been said. When Ron's expression turns from shock to outrage, Harry knows it's time to give his closing remark. "So in conclusion, I believe your theory that Draco and I sabotaged the Halloween Feast is completely plausible and that your rock-solid argument would undoubtedly hold up in a court of law. I thank you for your unending contributions to this student body and bid you adieu." Harry bows, not breaking eye contact with the infuriated red-head for even a moment. Harry's earlier smirk is still adorning his features, which seems to further enrage the fuming boy in front of him.
"You- I- You don't-" Ron sputters in a weak attempt at coherency. The Gryffindor seems to finally come to a decision on what to do as Harry is turning his back and walking away from the scene. There is a collective gasp from the gathered crowd as Ron quickly removes his wand from within his robes and points it at Harry's retreating form. The gasp causes Harry to turn, but a spell is already coming from the red-head's lips. "Flipendo!"
Harry, only half way turned toward Ron, closes his eyes and braces for impact. Only the impact never comes. Harry slowly opens his eyes to find Hermione Granger sitting on the ground with her back to him. Ron is spewing apologies to the bushy-haired girl while the gathered students watch the scene unfold, murmuring and whispering. Harry quickly connects the dots, realizing what has happened. Hermione had taken the knockback jinx for him. She must have jumped between Ron and him at the last possible moment.
After a brief silence, in which Harry is staring at the back of Hermione's head quizzically, Draco explodes. "YOU WERE GOING TO JINX HIM WHEN HIS BACK WAS TURNED?!" Draco lowers his voice menacingly and continues, "I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave. Nothing about that was brave. If you ever try something like that again I will ensure that you will be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your Hogwarts career."
While this is happening, Harry goes to kneel in front of Hermione and asks if she's alright. "I'm fine. It'll probably bruise, but I'm fine." Hermione rubs her back and grimaces.
"You shouldn't have done that, you know. I don't know why you did." Harry raises an eyebrow at the girl sitting before him.
"You saved my life, Harry. This is the least I could do."
"Alright then. Thank you, Hermione." Harry stands and holds his hand out to her. She takes it and Harry pulls her to her feet, steadying her when she stumbles for a moment.
"And what, exactly, is going on here?" Snape's voice comes out of nowhere and everyone turns to look at the Potions Master. "Nothing unsavory, I hope." Snape looks at Harry expectantly.
"Of course not, sir. Just a little argument, nothing more."
Snape nods at Harry and turns to Ron, who seems to be locked in an intense staring match with his shoes. Snapes gives an almost imperceptible eye roll and says, "Disperse. You're blocking the hallway." The Professor walks away without another word, leaving the students to go about their business.
Harry thanks Hermione again and sends Ron one more intense glare before stalking down the corridor. When he brushes past his friends he whispers, "Let's go find Theo." They follow silently, trailing slightly behind Harry.
They continue walking for a few minutes, wanting to be as far away from the red-headed Gryffindor as possible. Harry stops in a deserted hallway and leans heavily on the wall, letting his head bang against the stone.
"Don't do that." Draco says offhandedly, obviously used to these types of occurrences.
Harry glares at Draco for a moment before addressing Blaise. "Do you have any idea where he would be?"
"I... there's this place in the library. It's one of the secluded corners in the back. No one ever goes there so Theo and I hang out there sometimes."
"That's probably where he is then. I'll go; You two head back to our room. I don't want Ron to try anything while I'm not there." Harry pushes himself off of the wall to stand on his own.
"Why are you going? He's my best friend." Blaise states angrily.
"And furthermore, we can take care of ourselves just fine, Harry." Draco adds, tone also conveying frustration.
"For one, I think I understand why Theo freaked out so I know what I'm walking into. Second, I know you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves, but this is my fight and I don't want either of you to get hurt or in trouble for my sake."
"You know we promised to stand by you no matter what, mate. Always." Blaise's tone changes from angry to reassuring in seconds, his eyes softening at Harry's declaration. He knows of the abuse Theo has been through and he has noticed the same behaviors in Harry. He had suspected that something was off, but this only confirmed his suspicions.
"I know... I'm just not used to it, that's all." Harry rubs his neck awkwardly.
Sensing his friend's distress, Draco walks up to Harry and wraps his arms around him gently. He pulls away and puts a reassuring hand on Harry's arm. "We'll be fine, Harry. You just worry about Theo."
Harry nods and smiles softly at his best friend, somehow feeling his reassurance on a level past mere understanding. 'Interesting.' Harry files this information away for later, adding it to the ever growing pile of unknowns that he's collected over the past year.
Harry enters the library with a determined stride, keeping an eye out for his friend. He makes his way toward the back of the library and slows his pace as he searches the rows and alcoves for Theo. Finally, in the very back corner of the library, Harry spots him. Just where Blaise had said he would be.
"Hey." Harry whispers, choosing to approach the situation delicately. Theo sniffles but doesn't respond. Harry decides to kneel in front of the boy, who has his legs pulled up to his chest with his head buried firmly in his knees. Harry doesn't touch Theo; He knows from personal experience that unwanted touch is the worst thing to do in this situation and he doesn't want to assume that he could be an exception to this rule. "Theo, please look at me."
"Go away." Theo murmurs without lifting his head. He takes a shaky breath and there is a pause. Harry doesn't move away. When Theo realizes this, he lifts his head and admits defeat. Harry immediately takes in the tear tracts running down his face, his flushed skin, and his red-rimmed eyes. "What do you want, Harry." Theo's voice comes out a bit stronger than before, but not by much.
"I heard about what happened." Theo begins to open his mouth to protest Harry's presumed questioning, but Harry cuts him off. "Before you say anything, no, I won't ask you about it. It isn't my place to force something out of you that you aren't ready to tell me." Theo stares at Harry in confusion. Harry sucks in a deep breath and continues, "Look, I understand what it's like, okay? And it sucks; You're constantly afraid, looking over your shoulder, waiting for the next hit or insult. Once you get out of that environment it's hard to adjust. Suddenly, you don't have to sleep with one eye open. Suddenly, you have an actual family who legitimately cares for you." Harry pauses to ruffle his hair and lets out a breathless chuckle. "It's disconcerting and unbelievably difficult to wrap your head around. And what's worse, you're still afraid. And you don't want to explain that to your friends because you're afraid of doing that too. You're afraid that once they hear about everything you've been through, they'll see you as broken. You're afraid that once they know everything, they'll realize just how worthless you are and everything will go back to the way it was. You're afraid of losing the thing that has become most important to you. So, yeah, I understand." Theo is staring at Harry in shock, fresh tears brewing in his eyes. "Look, I know it's hard, but Blaise cares for you, and opening up about this will not only bring you closer, but help you grow and heal as well."
Theo is silent, breaking his stare after a few moments to look down and wipe his eyes. "Have you told Draco?" Theo whispers so quietly that Harry has to strain to hear it, even in the silence of the library.
"I... No, no I haven't." Harry admits with a defeated sigh. "But I'm working on it. I was thinking that, maybe, we could work on it together?"
Theo looks at Harry once more and meets his gaze. Suddenly, Harry has an armful of human. Theo has launched himself at Harry, knocking the ravenette off balance and sending him sprawling to the floor. Nevertheless, Harry returns to hug, laughing loudly. Theo clambers up from on top of Harry and smiles apologetically. Harry heaves himself into a sitting position and shakes his head, assuring Theo that he doesn't care.
"Thank you, Harry." Theo says simply, elbowing Harry in the arm softly. Harry returns the gesture.
"Of course mate."
Seemingly out of nowhere, Madam Pince rounds the corner, a furious glint in her eye. "And what do you boys think you're doing?" The librarian is referring to Harry and Theo's previous laughter.
"Absolutely nothing, Madam Pince." Harry speaks innocently.
"Then who was laughing and disturbing the peace." Madam Pince counters irritably.
"I don't know. But, whoever they are, they must have a lot of nerve, disturbing the peace like that." Theo is looking down, attempting to hide his laughter while Harry is still feigning innocence, his tone displaying a hint of sarcasm.
"Yes, they must." Madam Pince spins on her heels and walks away, grumbling something under her breath that sounds eerily similar to "bloody first years".
Theo is still attempting to hold in his giggles, failing quite miserably, in Harry's opinion. "Well, what do you say we get out of here?" Harry stands and offers a hand to Theo. Theo takes it gratefully and allows Harry to pull him to his feet. Then the two boys make their way from the library together, both feeling a weight slowly lift from their chest. It's not fixed, not permanently, but the world seems to be a little bit brighter as Harry and Theo make their way back to their common room. Harry looks at Theo once more and makes his decision. He's going to be brave and take his own advice. He's going to tell Draco everything, because he's done keeping secrets from the person he cares about the most. Ever since Harry and Draco met, the ravenette has felt an undeniable connection to the blond, a connection that he does not yet understand. But in time, as that connection grows and changes, Harry will come to realize that connection's significance. This is the first step toward a better future, and though the road will be long and treacherous, Harry is ready to travel down that road with Draco at his side.