Chasing rain towards ancient glass and the surface of the lake, the heavy wind made it impossible for anyone to stay anywhere near outside and so the outer corridors were deserted and people hid safely on the dry side of firm walls and closed windows. When the bell rang for lunchtime, only one class was almost entirely disappointed the period was over. It would take their tutor another thirty minutes until he could finally leave the classroom though, still surrounded by a cluster of students who kept bombarding him with questions he still answered cheerfully. They were however interrupted by a soaking wet man who came walking straight towards them, in a brown, dirty coat.
“I swear, being a teacher is horrible.”, he panted, killing the students’ chatting immediately and stopping the group from walking. “You’re not even allowed to shield yourself from rain on your way from the greenhouses. No magic outside class and training rooms. Bad example for the students. I’ll strangle Minerva next time she tells me off for something like that. I bet it’s been no coincidence she looked down from that window. She spied on me.”, not only Harry had to laugh at that. “Yeah, yeah, laugh as much as you want to. If it hadn’t been for the first-years, I’d have sodded it.”, especially the girls giggled now.
“Great that I’m surrounded by fifth-years. Otherwise I’d have reported you for your language.”, smirked Harry.
“Sure. You, reporting me. You’re not even paid yet for standing there.”
“You haven’t gotten your first salary either, if I’m rightly informed.”, he noticed.
“That doesn’t matter,”
“Oh it does,”, Neville startled so terribly and spun in mid-jump that some of the students had to grab him so he didn’t topple over.
“Goodness sake, Luna! How often – ”
“Only in our general society of course.”, she smiled. “Harry, would you mind following me? I’d like to show you something.”
“Okay. Er, you excuse me,”
“Right.”, said Neville. “See you at lunch?”
“I don’t see any reason not to go there.”
“Great.”
They waved one another a temporary goodbye when the students were finally forced to release Harry and he walked alongside Luna, downstairs. There she led him into an empty corridor that only hosted a number of suits of armour to their right and probably some spiders and mice that had made themselves a cosy home inside those. The other side of the corridor consisted of windows that provided a remarkable view on the lands around the castle. However, at its end, she turned right and addressed the last one of the metal inhabitants.
“A drawn square is never as two-dimensional as men mean it to be and heaven is not solely in the sky.”, she said swiftly and after having made a quick rattling courtesy, it jumped aside noisily and revealed –
“A brick?”
Harry sceptically eyed the piece that slightly projected from the plain stone wall, but Luna already pressed it. A drastic change of light drew his attention to the windows. Suddenly the grey was gone and bright sunlight painted the clouds and hills golden. A rainy haze still lay in the sky, but it was glistening breathtakingly. He expected rainbows to appear everywhere, but was too struck by the sight he could even think of anything else than the beauty that laid before his eyes.
“What the – ”
“The world can be anything, Harry. What matters is how you take your look at it. The world is what of it you allow to reach your senses.”
“And a brick can do that?”
“What do you see, Harry? I see only blue endlessness and cosy white clouds and the sun, somewhere above. The castle has been lifted into the sky.”
“Er – I see the hills as they are – but everything’s golden and glistening with sunlight – wait – a crow just flew by – ”
“A crow? I thought that was an angel – ”
“Luna – what is this? And why are you showing me that? Why does Hogwarts – ”
“The Department of Mysteries, Harry. It deals with things a human being cannot comprehend. Ironic, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I doubted the sanity of the people working in there ever since – I mean, why trying to analyse something that is too complex for them? And why in there, locked in, while they could rather do it outside, where they got living examples?”, he was so marvelled by what was going on now outside those windows he couldn’t take his eyes off it.
“You see? Our opinion doesn’t differ much. We’re very alike. And still you see something completely different from what I see. What do you see, Harry? Don’t think I do this for myself. I know what you see. But do you?”
“What – ”
“I’ll say some names now and you tell me what you associate with them. Say the first word that comes into your mind. Not what you would say to someone else. What you would only tell yourself.”
“Okay?”, he said to the hills.
“Ron.”
“Brother.”
“And now the truth?”
“Prejudice.”, Harry huffed.
“Hermione?”
“Stubborn.”
“Ginevra.”
“Happiness.”
“James.”
“Which?”
“Neville.”
“So that’s it? No thing more?”
“Neville.”, she repeated.
“Misjudged.”
“Hannah.”, he paused without wanting it.
“Torn.”
“Francis?”
“Understanding.”
“Ju.”
“Jeanne.”
“Jeanne?”
“Yes, Jeanne.”
“Harry,”
“Feels odd now.”
“That is not what I meant.”, she grinned.
“Okay. Angel.”
“Severus.”
“Guardian – no – ”
“No?”
“No.”, his mood had plummeted so rapidly the sunlight outside was gone and everything was grey again. “Home.”, he breathed, not understanding how the word could have possibly managed to slip past his suddenly knotted tongue.
“Shrieking Shack.”
“Horror.”, he gargled.
“Lily.”
“Waiting.”, waiting?
“Petunia.”
“Guilt.”
“Lucius.”
“The same.”
“Draco.”
“No idea.”, Harry coughed a deflated chuckle and lightly shook his head, the grey sadness having flooded his veins like the rain had conquered the streets of Broadford not even three months ago.
“You know, Harry,”, Luna whispered hollow, “If the world was through and through a place of fidelity, I should have never rescued you from that group of students.”
“But?”
“And it is really not on me to make you curious, but the damage is done, you know it.”
“Luna, what’s wrong.”
“Astoria isn’t feeling all too well lately.”
“What do you mean?”, he at last managed to turn his face towards her, though she still looked outside, empty like a puppet.
“I don’t know how to describe it so you understand – well, if I think about it, very much like Ginevra had felt not so long ago. But as I said, it’s not right that I tell you that. The hills wouldn’t want it.”
“The hills?”, he looked back at them, but when he turned his head once more to ask Luna what she meant, she was gone.
Hills. The cheapest excuse to simply disappear, he thought. How many times had she done that – and still people fell for it. She enlightened them with some confusing wisdom, whether it be about the world or themselves, and then she distracted them so she could get herself out of the affair. Guilt. Why playing this name-game, then saying something she felt guilty for mentioning and – like Ginevra had felt not so long ago. Did he actually want to catch that hint? He had caught it. But was it wise to follow it? Was that why she felt guilt? Because she knew what he would do with that hint? How angry it would make him? How it would make his hand pull his wand from his sleeve, cast a Tracking Spell and stomp after the light bulb? How it would make him pass well familiar corridors without paying attention? Rush up the Grand Tower, past a person that was once more not in their respective portrait, but whose call was in vain for the first time?
And there he was, by the corridor to the Ravenclaw tower, talking to Astoria who walked by his side, but both stopping as the light halted at his face and flashed up, bright red and pulsating. Only seconds from being aware what it was until it was gone and a hand seized his wrist fiercely.
“What the hell – ”, Draco gasped and followed unintentionally as he was dragged into the corridor.
Past stone statues in their alcoves and tapestry, through one, upstairs in half-darkness, out into another corridor, through the door behind a suit of armour that jumped aside with a noisy shriek, around an S-bend and more stairs up, another piece of tapestry and against a wall.
“Harry – what – ”, he panted, pressed to the cold stone, but Harry let go anyway, too irate to touch him any longer.
“Would you mind telling me what this is going to be?”, Harry snarled.
“I could ask you the same!”, murmured Draco.
“Well, that thing you’re having there.”
“What thing? What do I have there?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“No,”, Draco became upset as well.
“Think.”, hissed Harry, giving him pause.
For some seconds, they only looked into one another’s eyes, their chests heaving heavily and the more time passed, the more panic drifted onto Draco’s face.
“Yes, I know.”, Harry champed with rage.
“You – you know? You know what?”
“What she is.”
“What who is?”
“Don’t take me for a fool, Draco.”
“Harry – ”
“And don’t try to make up any excuses. There are none that’d work.”
“Harry,”
“I said, no.”, Draco voluntarily stepped back from his furious friend, only to remember he was standing against a wall. “I really like you, Draco. But I’m tired of explaining myself for it. I’m so tired. I risked my neck to save your life multiple times and I’ve been there for you when no one else had been. Ginevra and Luna and Hermione and I and even Ron and Neville have rearranged our lives to take care of you, to make you able to cope with what you have taken on, and what do you do? I don’t know whether it’s been Astoria to abuse you or you to abuse her, but it doesn’t actually matter. Such always takes two and you’re one of them. Especially, since you’re the man in this, it’s even more irresponsible. And besides, you have pr– no, you have asked Hannah to give you a promise. And she said yes, if you remember. She carries proof of it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and all you can do is – forgive me, literally be one of the grandest dickheads I have ever come across.”
“Harry what – ”
“And the most cowardly thing is, that you go on like it was something normal. I won’t tell you what to do, but I told Ginevra everything. I told her every tiny bit that had happened between us and she forgave me. No, I won’t tell you what to do, but sooner or later Hannah will notice it and I think when that moment comes, it is far too late to make excuses.”
“Harry – ”, Draco was already crying, though his tears were ignored.
“But you know what, it’s not the mere fact what you did that disgusts me, it’s the mere fact that you and Hannah are still using condoms but that you didn’t when you cheated on her. Your fiancée, if I have to remind you. You cheated on your fiancée, the woman you asked whether she is ready to spend a lifetime with you, to chose a bond of mutual trust, of honesty. You betrayed her. And if there is only little of a man left in you, you don’t hesitate any second and tell her what you have done. She has the right to know that you want to have a life with her but with the child of another – or whatever that is that you are heading for there.”
“I’m not – ”, he whimpered, but Harry carried on.
“I have kept your secrets for ages. I have kept your fears to myself, your desires. But that is too much now. I like Hannah and it is your relationship, not mine, but if you don’t tell her before she counts one and one together and does something bad to herself in the belief that she had been the most stupid person on earth to trust you, then I will.”
“Harry please – ”
“So do it yourself. You haven’t had help shagging Astoria either. I will not stand in your way. But I won’t talk you out of it either. I’m done with you.”
“What?”
“Yes, you heard me right.”, Harry huffed and stepped backwards, away from him.
“You – you can’t mean – ”
“I mean that.”, he confirmed scornful.
“Harry – you’re – you’re – but we’re friends – ”, Draco moaned and took a step after him, reaching out in vain as Harry walked on, already meaning to turn his back on him.
“You should’ve known sooner. And I should have listened to Ron. You’ll always be a Malfoy,”
“Harry!”
“What.”, he huffed, now blank.
“You’re the – ”, Draco breathed, his face washed with tears. “You’re the only friend I have – ”
“Had.”
“You’re the – ”, his lips curled as his arm sunk and Harry took more steps back, “You’re the only brother I have – ”
“Then decide.”
“What?”, Draco gasped. “You – you can’t – can’t m-mean that – d-decide? How am I to – to decide b-between my b-brother a-and my child?”
“I’d have decided for my brother before there had been any child in question.”, Harry said as cold as ice. “Because it’s an absolutely unfair thing to do, such an irresponsible thing to do to load so much guilt upon a child. It will take your child years to acknowledge the circumstances of its existence, but when it does, and when it is only slightly like you, pray, Draco. Pray. Pray that it’ll survive the conscience.”
“And you?”
“And me? I listen to your mother.”
“What’s she got to do with it?”
“She is your mother, Draco.”, Harry moaned, the anger fading into sadness. “Everything. And she said that she doesn’t know why the only way you can learn is by taking a plunge, but it seems to be it. I don’t really like the idea, though I know you well enough now, I can unfortunately claim that she’s right.”, he smirked woefully.
“But we’re – we’re still friends – ”
“I know it’s not right to judge others by one’s own standards, but I could never betray Ginevra like that and I never would. If I was a cruel liar, I would say that’s enough reason for me to say we’re not friends anymore.”
“So we are still – ”, he hated to crush that little flame that sparked alive behind Draco’s eyes, but he knew he had to, as unfair as it might be.
“Don’t expect me to show you the same understanding ever again. We’ve gone from senseless hate to almost love. I’ve saved your life several times and you defended me often enough to pay back for it. I have been your shoulder when your father died, you have been mine when my daughter died. We laughed together, cried together. I’ll never forget anything that’s been, nor regret. But for now, it’s been. I hope for you that you can sort your life.”
“You can’t mean that – ”, Draco shook his head, but Harry re-approached him and laid his hands on Draco’s shoulders as gentle as he could.
“I honestly hope for you that you can.”, Harry leaned closer and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, then he took his wet face in hands. “Good luck.”
“Please – ”
“If you really need something, I’ll be there for you as I’ll be for any. But as I said, don’t expect it to be the same.”
Unable to look at those tears any longer, he let go, turned for the tapestry he had brought him through. He didn’t even realise that he almost pushed someone down the stairs. He heard the shriek, but he didn’t care who the stalker he had been. That was Draco’s problem. It was the other’s life, not his. He rushed back downstairs, where he pushed the door so heavily that he knocked the suit of armour over with a lot of noise he didn’t care about either.
Like having blinkers on, he marched all the way back to the Grand Tower. All he wanted to do was go back to that corridor, press the brick and look at the golden sky, while he tried to stop his mind from quoting a line that hadn’t even been meant for him. As a good friend once said to your dear, `It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.´ It hadn’t been meant for him. It had been meant for Ginevra. But originally it had been meant for him. Though the least thing he wanted to listen to now was Albus Dumbledore’s voice in his head. I cared about you too much. He cared too much and now he didn’t know for whom it was more horrible: for Draco to lose a once hated person that had become a brother, or for himself, that he dumped him in cold water. But it was the only way. A cruel way, yet the only. If their friendship meant so much to Draco, he had to abandon him to make him learn from the lesson he had decided to attend.
At the corridor to the Ravenclaw Tower however, his feet went on, further down. He had no idea why they did that, but maybe it was to not satisfy Dumbledore’s wrath. On and on his feet stomped, until one of the stairs switched directions. Huffing out his frustration and tapping impatiently, he listened to the bell ringing for the first period after lunch while he waited for the stairs to connect to the other landing and took that corridor instead. Windowless, it bent right into an exterior that was half wet from the rain. Harry marched straight on, at the border between shimmering and dusty stone tiles. At its end he took the roofed viaduct that led to another wing of the castle.
The fresh air felt good, but not really soothing. Even worse, Peeves blocked his way. Unwilling to give the Poltergeist the faintest reason to do whatever, he spun on his heels and went all the way back to the Grand Tower, the high cackling laugh fading away with the distance. More noises reached his ears, of masses of students still swarming the stairs for their lessons. Why were so many students consequently unpunctual? Having decided to give a damn on where the stairs meant him to go, he went for a little detour to the Ravenclaw Tower. However, this way was blocked by students. That at last managed to fully tear him from his private refuge. Was there somebody crying? Stretching, he tried to see what was going on, but his question was answered by Madam Pomfrey’s voice that yelled at the students.
“For Heave’s sake, get out of the way there and let them through!”
Whom she meant, Harry just realised when he jumped aside himself as two men came hurrying upstairs, one in green, the other in white clothes. Only a short glimpse on the one in white, made his heart nearly stop. Tawny hair and amber eyes, the strands of beard fluttering – he bent after the two to see who the Healers were running for and found their target lying on red stairs. At the other front of the crowd, one landing up, he could spot Neville who held someone to his chest. The slender blonde’s face was hidden from his view, but he didn’t need to think long. When his eyes followed the blood that trailed back up to the lifeless body, past Francis Carlisle’s knees, he saw the slackly open pale hand on the stairs. In it laid a shimmering ring that was missing on a hand which clutched Neville’s slipover.
Powerless, he watched the Healers trying to fix the broken body. Above, behind Madam Pomfrey, another familiar woman covered her mouth with her hand. Minerva’s dismay was the last thing he saw before the entire scene strangely dissolved into darkness.
~~#~~
Black. Blackness, filled with voices. Something he knew so well from the past. Soon his lids would be ready to open and get to see the blurred image of a fragile looking old ceiling and some heads around the bed he laid in. Not listening to their conversation, he did his best to delay that moment as much as he could. But he wanted to know. He wanted to jump up and – his eyes opened on their own and he was momentarily so blinded by the white light that he was forced to squint and blink heavily. A numb hand reached up for them and his fingers robbed away the clenched feeling. The conversation died and only one voice remained, a voice he hadn’t even thought of yet that it would be the first voice he could be longing for to hear.
“Harry?”, she said softly and he turned his head to the right, the white becoming more grey and he knew she wore a green T-shirt above jeans and she held something towards him, which he clumsily took – his glasses.
“Thanks.”, Harry mumbled and put them on, finding the room to not be what he had expected. “Where are we?”, he meant to sit up, but some warm weight held his left arm down.
“Munog’s.”, said that weight that actually felt good, though the arm around it was even more numb than his right.
“Mungo’s, darling.”, corrected Ginevra, binding her long dreadlocks into a high ponytail which revealed the undercut to her mother for the first time, but the frown bothered him just as much as it bothered her daughter.
“It’s alright.”, Harry whispered, with a smile on his lips he just noticed when he brushed his son’s reddish black tousle-head. “Mind giving me back my arm, dearie?”
The boy sat up so quick that Harry got dizzy from the mere idea of doing so himself, nevertheless he did, if only slower. Though indeed, as he had suspected, his bed was encircled by people. Hermione, Ron, Arthur, Molly, George, even Fleur and Bill and to his grandest surprise, between him and Ginevra, on whose lap Crookshanks had rolled in, stood Mr Robards, whom he hadn’t really noticed in the first place – or had he even been there?
“I am sorry to interrupt your privacy, Mr Potter, but you are not the only of my Aurors that has been attacked today.”, he threw a brief glance over his shoulder and Harry got to see one of his colleagues in the bed to his right, waving back at him, her left temple being nothing but a bump and for once in the time he had known her, he got to see her hair.
“Inama?”
“Miss Massad had fallen victim to a Freezing Charm that had missed its target. A pack of flying gramophones had escaped to the Atrium the moment she had returned from her lunch break. Unfortunately not only the charm hit her, but a gramophone did as well. Stunningly however, it also immobilised at the contact. Eventually, both met with the floor when she passed out.”
“Interesting.”, Harry smirked. “But I wasn’t attacked. I merely passed out.”
“However, I hope to see either of you back at work very soon. I must hurry, so I wish you all – ”, he put on his hat with a grimace, not noticing that his hands had quite messed with it, “A pleasant day.”
“Flying gramophones?”, Harry chuckled when his boss was gone, closing the door behind.
“Flying gramophones.”, sighed Arthur. “Tragic enough, they had escaped me and I had also hit her with the spell. Otherwise neither of us would have known you are here. Weren’t you supposed to be at Hogwarts?”
“I was.”
“So that’s why Minerva was here too. But she didn’t say – ”
“Where’s Draco?”, he sat up straighter, but he and Inama were the only patients in their light room.
“Draco?”, nearly all of them gasped.
“On the other side of the floor.”, said Ginevra. “They didn’t want to risk – ”
“Draco is here?”, Molly aspirated. “Why?”
“Long story.”, Harry mumbled, turned and slipped out of the bed, but fortunately Bill was quick enough to jump up and grab him by the shoulder.
“Thanks. Didn’t reckon it’d be that bad,”, he robbed his head on the pain, but as far as he could detect, there was no bump on his.
“Harry?”, he could hear Hermione moan and slowly turned for her. “Don’t – don’t say your scar – ”
“Er – no.”, surprised himself that he hadn’t even considered it to be the same area where his scar was, he dropped his arm. “It’s only my head. Seems, my forehead kissed some stair. Does anyone know what exactly happened?”, upon flicking on an obviously uninformed Molly, his eyes moved immediately onto her daughter.
“Not really.”, she sighed concerned. “And I think I’m about the only one who knows at least something. I was just feeding James when – I got a Patronus message. When I arrived, there was only Dad at your bed and I met Neville and Hannah at the reception. He just told me the room numbers before he supported her out. All I know is that I’ve never seen her so much in tears. I’ve called the lot with a Patronus as well. What d’you know?”
“I – don’t really know either – ”, he gazed at Crookshanks who had lifted his head and looked up to him. “God – she must have been – ”
“What must she have been, Harry?”, asked Ron.
“The – the eavesdropper – I nearly knocked – over – that’s why he had – the ring – ”
“Ring?”, Ginevra frowned and hesitantly held one towards him.
“Er – why’ve you got – ”, he studied it, then his left hand and noticed that she also wore his Mokeskin Pouch and the chains with –
“Hospital policy. Patients aren’t allowed to carry anything on their body until they are fully conscious and out of danger.”
“Alright,”, Harry accepted that fact he momentarily didn’t really bother and took his wedding ring from her.
“What happened, Harry. You can tell us.”, he though only blinked several quick times when he received the other three pieces as well as his clothes and wand from her, put last into the pouch, hung that and the chains around his own neck and slipped them under his hospital clothing, he only then realised to be wearing.
“I can’t.”
“You don’t remember?”, guessed Hermione.
“No.”, Harry shook his head. “Because I can’t tell you. Ginevra?”
“Yes?”
“You think you can – ”
“Sure.”, she said quickly and as if having understood what Harry wanted from her, Crookshanks jumped off her lap and let her stand up. “Follow me. Or do you need – ”
“No. I think, I can walk on my own.”, sure he had said the truth, he lifted James on his arms and went after her.
“But ’Arry – are you going to – you shouldn’t – ”
“I don’t give a damn what you think I should.”, he snapped at Fleur when he followed his wife to the door. “I can think, see, hear and walk. I don’t need more to go looking for him.”
“But you ’ave no shoes on – ”
“Luna hardly ever has shoes on.”, Ginevra swiftly opened the door for him, but he nodded her through. “Thanks. Have you ever seen her sick?”
“None of us has, Harry dear.”, he heard Molly following as well. “But this is St Mungo’s! Do you have the slightest idea how many germs – ”
“Ask your children. They know well how many germs ever managed to attack me successfully.”
“None, Mum.”, noted George unnecessarily.
Even though it was considered a normal day, the whole white corridor seemed to have emptied for them completely, apart from a Healer who crossed their way in the middle, deeply in thoughts, her eyes glued to a flipchart.
“Mr Potter,”, she greeted, “Mr – Mr Potter! Oh my goodness!”, and spun on the heels to hurry after them, muttering. “Mr Potter! You’re awake! But you shouldn’t be wandering here!”
“I fainted.”, snorted Harry. “T’s not the first time that happened.”
“That’s true! He does that once a week!”, Ron sang, making the woman halt and only stare as the group marched on.
“Charming, Ron. Really charming. That’s exactly the defence I needed.”
But it had been just enough of a defence to keep the Healer at bay and he was glad that no more word fell. Ginevra turned right into another corridor. Until then oblivious, his memory momentarily pushed his thoughts to where they were actually heading: he had been to that corridor before, and knowing from the intense feeling in his stomach, Ginevra remembered as well where they were going to. Yet fortunately, she turned left before its end, into one of the shorter corridors that led to another number of doors. The furthest was straight at the ending wall, by which a number of people squeezed themselves into the small area between it and two more closed white doors.
Each of them ashen, they leant against the walls, not deigning any of the others a look. Andromeda held Teddy; who was studying his shoes with boredom; by the hand, closer to the door stood Narcissa. Opposite to them, Minerva and Astoria. They all raised their heads however, towards the group that was approaching them.
“Why’re you all waiting out here?”, Harry asked right away, though looking only at Minerva.
“That bitch won’t let us in!”, snarled Astoria, however, loud enough for the door to open and a pale head to peek out.
“That is not a nice word to say, you know?”, Luna breathed with her usual airy tone and absent smile. “Especially when there is a child present. You still have a couple of months, but you should learn to prevent such words from escaping you. I can see, you’re well again, Harry? That’s wonderful.”, she threw a look over her shoulder and opened the door a little more to step outside with a man that appeared behind her. “Now why don’t you all go to the cafeteria? They have a really delicious flummery. I think, I’ll have one.”
“Francis?”, Harry asked the Healer that approached him past Luna with a similar smile to hers, whereby Harry’s tongue appeared to not be fine with speaking right then and therefore had decided to swell considerably.
“I think, he is ready to receive visitors now. But not more than one at a time. If you wish, I can look after your son in the meantime.”
“Er – yes – that’d be great, thanks.”, not even surprising Harry, the man took James from him without any arguing of the boy, though normally he only accepted to be touched by people he had spent a very long time with.
“Hello, young man.”, he whispered, looking straight into his eyes, and after gently blinking once at Harry, he carried him away through the parting group, to where Harry saw another Healer stand, in normal lime-green clothes, but he recognised him for the one who had helped to fix Draco. “When have you taken your own medicine last?”, he asked his colleague with little concern.
“Only three minutes ago.”, the latter replied very quiet, but clearly with a foreign accent before he turned just when Harry would have gotten a closer look at his face, so he decided to let them go and, throwing Luna a sad smirk, meant to enter.
“Who plaited your hair?”, she shortly stopped him. “It looks gorgeous.”
“What?”, Harry reached up and searched along the long, slightly bushy plait until he reached its tip, which he eyed confused, above his shoulder then. “Who – ”, his focus drifted past the hair, towards Ginevra’s embarrassed smile from between Luna and Narcissa.
“Sorry.”, she mumbled. “Your head had been turned to the side and your hair lying irresistibly sorted.”
“You – you did that?”, Harry frowned.
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“You managed to?”, his hand wandered back up, to find not many ends standing off the woven structure he had thought being impossible to be made. “Interesting.”
“Seems, my hair’s horrible enough. Was good practice, I guess. But I’m glad you found me a solution without having to shave it all off.”, chuckled Ginevra and he finally stepped in, Luna closing the door behind him, shutting everyone and herself out.
It was barely possible to not get depressed in those rooms, Harry thought, when his look travelled around. White walls, white curtains before locked windows, their glass not clear enough to grant a view on what was outside, if there was anything at all. Like a slightly greyer version of the Limbo, like being stuck between life and whatever came after. Differing from the room he had woken up in, this one had the windows at its end, a small hall as though in a castle, the walls flanked by rows of empty white beds. One of them stood at the end, between the only two windows, forlorn, and as pale as the room itself, the man half sat, half lied against his big white pillow, the long fair hair combed evenly, as if he would lie in an open coffin. Harry’s insides wrenched.
Otherwise silent, a sound similar to the breathing of a sleeping creature filled Harry’s ears: it emitted from some machine by Draco’s bed that was connected to his face with a white tube. Harry could only see his eyes and forehead from where he stood. The rest of Draco’s face was covered with a mask that kept the tube in place. Emotions swamping him, he strode through the room, slow and his eyes fixated on Draco’s ghostly ones that stared back while his chest hovered and the closer he got, the more he got to hear the rattling breathing.
Greyish blue eyes followed him as well as he went around the bed and sat down on a chair to Draco’s left, which had been placed there. Guilt. It crawled through every of his veins, gnawing at his body from the inside as the awareness slowly imprinted itself on his mind, that it was partly, if not mostly, his fault that Draco laid there, broken, dependent on a respirator.
“Can – can you hear me?”, he said quietly and Draco gave him a faint nod. “Can you speak?”
“Barely.”, it was only a deep whisper, hard to catch above the sound of the machine and the tired voice was far from what he knew to be Draco’s.
“Does it hurt? Speaking?”
“Just – a bit.”
“I’m so sorry – ”, Harry aspirated, but Draco briefly closed his eyes, clearly emphasising his refusal of acceptance.
“No. You – didn’t – push me – did you,”, Draco said in between his heavy breathing.
“No, but – ”
“Shut – it.”
“What happened?”, moaned Harry, reaching out for Draco’s left hand that was wrapped in a bandage and laid his fingers around the other’s as careful as he could, the touch visibly easing Draco. “I only remember nearly having knocked somebody over. Was that Hannah?”
“Yes.”
“And she – she heard everything, didn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“And she – ”
“You – harvest – what you sow.”
“What do you mean?”
“I – killed – my father. He’s sent – Hannah – to kill – me.”
“Draco – ”
“The moment – I pulled off – Septimus’ ring – and slammed it – into his – hand – I – killed him – Harry. Hannah – took off – her ring – and – ”
“And that’s why you know nothing better than jumping down the Grand Tower? Honestly?”
“Didn’t – work – anyway.”, Draco chuckled, coughing with troubles and he could see the hint of a smirk through the transparent mask. “Stairs – changed. Caught – me.”
“Then you should be really grateful that Hogwarts saved your life,”, Harry raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe,”
“So that was it? The ring?”
“Think so. Don’t – worry. I didn’t – do that – because – of what – you said.”
“Well, that really cheers me up, you know.”, murmured Harry, having a hard time looking at those tired eyelashes flapping irregularly and weighing when a sentence was finished.
“Don’t blame – yourself. You did – nothing – wrong. And besides – Carlisle – botched me almost – completely. I had – no idea – I was – heavy enough – to crush – my own body. Concussion – chest – trauma. Ribs – shoulders – my spine – everything – landed on stairs – after all.”
“Your spine?”
“Nothing – to worry about. I’m better off – than Padma.”
“So you can still walk?”
“Yes. He said. But I – need help.”
“Sure. And your breathing?”
“Will get better – soon – he said.
“Why did you do that.”, Harry moaned softly.
“I thought that – now – that you don’t want to – see me again – there’d hardly be – the chance for – a coincidental – situation.”
“Coincidental situation?”
“You know – that I happen to be there – when you’re in danger – and so I could – repay you – for saving me – ”
“Are you – are you honestly trying to tell me you’ve done that for me?”, he murmured, but Draco just gave him a bleak smile. “You jumped, hoping that your suicide would one day save my life? How mental are you, that you can believe it would work that way! That’s completely – ”
“Harry – ”
“Yes?”
“Would you mind?”
“Mind what?”
“Take it off – ”
“You mean – no – no, Draco. I mean, why? And it’d– isn’t once enough or what?”
“Take it off – please – ”
Paralysed by the pleading stare Draco gave him, he needed several seconds to understand that it really was his wish. It could mean a decision between letting him live – or die. But if he was close to – despite what Francis might have said to – very slow, Harry lifted Draco’s arm, hoping he wouldn’t hurt him, and laid it onto his stomach. Then he got up, cautiously sat down on the edge of the bed and, never having hesitated more to do something, his hands moved towards the mask. One hand removed the hook that was attached to a strap which held the mask in place. The other the object, and Draco took a far deeper and blood chilling breath than he had done ever before. The movements of his eyes and lids became even more feeble, but he gathered all his strength to speak.
“Kiss – me – ”, Draco breathed, his look exhausted and not much alive, like an old, dying man, stuck in a body that was many decades younger and Harry once again took Draco’s bandaged hand, this time with his right.
“What?”, gasped Harry, equally quiet.
“I said – kiss me – you idiot.”
Knowing it might not be long then, he put down the mask, laid his left hand on Draco’s white cheek and bent down, closer to the eyes that looked like the mirror surface of Loch Etive, when it reflected the sky on a cloudy day, and he shut his own, when the distance was gone. Utterly soft and as if his world was whole, Draco kissed him back, once, twice, three times, another and Harry felt a rather firm hand on the back of his head, digging into his plaited hair.
Suddenly that hand became slack and Draco’s lips stopped moving. Curious what was wrong, Harry raised slightly, only to find the hand slide off and Draco’s eyes closed and behind him, the door burst open as though a hurricane had come to destroy even the last flicker of peace on earth.
“Harry – what – ”, he heard Ginevra’s panting moan, but could only stare at Draco’s motionless face, a happy smile on the fair lips, lightly apart. “She – she just started running – what – ”
Who had started running, he knew when the quick footsteps deadened at the other side of the bed and an equally light figure as Draco appeared there. He had never seen her frightened. Though only lasting a second, the fear made way for anger alike and Harry jumped off the bed in shock when her flat hand met hard with the cheek his own hand had still held a second before, missing it by an inch.
Eyes bursting open and a rush of air filling Draco’s lungs, he returned to the room, startled like all others that had followed the two women. Though his fast breathing was still a little rattling and croaking, it was steady, and as he looked around to see what had happened, the smile was back to his lips and with every second more, he started laughing, in a way even only listening to it was painful. Almost unable to hold himself, he clumsily reached for the mask Luna offered him, pressed it to his mouth and inhaled thoroughly.
“Thanks.”, he coughed into it, squinting with the grin behind. “Damn it.”, not only he calmed down. “I think – I just saw Dad – he’s – he’s slapped me! Again!”
“No, that was – ”, Hermione started, having reached them too, but Harry silenced her with a distinctive gesture, back at his senses as well.
“Guess, I’m – really not meant to – die yet. Thank you – Harry.”
“Any time.”, Harry aspirated, now wondering whether it had even been necessary for him to jump off the bed for Luna to hit her target securely.
“Suddenly?
“What?”
“And you were – right. It’s – never – gonna be – the same again. I have – a child – to care for – now.”
His bandaged hand lifted, he meant someone to step closer, who did it with a timid smile. The moment Astoria walked over to sit down where Harry had sat on the bed before, Luna’s once more unreal sadness was gone from the room with her. Where she had gone, no one saw. She had simply vanished, leaving them all confused. All but Harry, who had seen her become a transparent light mass that slowly flew across the heads of the group which now stood in the middle of the room. Turning after her, he threw a brief glance at Ginevra, who held James on her arms again and took off similarly, following Luna outside. However, he strangely lost track of her in the atrium. Slightly angry, he landed in the middle of ignorant and busy people, still invisible.
“Let her go.”, a soft, familiar voice made him spin. “You wouldn’t want to be followed either.”, as transparent and ghostly as Luna had been before she had dematerialised, the man stood right in front of him then, with his hands behind his back, his tawny short hair and amber eyes having lost much of their colour due to his state.
“Who are you.”, breathed Harry, as exhausted as if he himself had jumped off some stairs and nearly into death.
“You know who I am.”, whispered Francis Carlisle.
“That’s not what I meant.”, Harry shook his head.
“I am like everyone else, like you. Nothing more than a living being with a task. And I have a hint for you, from the proud cousin of a once great Auror who died willingly for his own task: if you really want peace, go where only the one who loves you dearly, your parents, brothers or sisters will find you. First won’t go looking, second won’t tell, and you will see whether one of the latter does indeed find you there.”
“Okay – ”
“And take that way there.”, Francis pointed on a corridor to his left. “There is a small square at the end from which you can Disapparate. But beware. You are actually not allowed outside your infirmary yet.”
“I merely fainted – ”
“Still. There is a guard posted, who wears glasses, their function nothing short of a kind of eye you are quite familiar with, I think. He makes sure that no dangerous person enters and no one leaves without permission.”
“People might tend to die in my surrounding, though I’ve not given up the hope yet that I’m not the danger, but what I do is. I entered the Department of Mysteries at age fifteen without anyone’s notice until a bunch of Death Eaters decided to initiate a childish turmoil. I hardly think that a single guard will keep me from leaving a hospital. He will greet me with a courtesy before his eyes have focused on me.”
“That is the man everyone knows.”, smiled Francis, turning to go. “Yet be careful.”
“Francis?”
“Yes?”
“Er – thank you for – for everything – and – and sorry I didn’t answer either. I can understand that you can’t come by this Christmas.”
“Of course you do, and there is no need to apologise to me or thank me. I was born with the task to help others, I believe to know. So naturally, it is my pleasure and you are welcome. Though try to keep – ”
“Harry?”, Hermione had reached the atrium, panic on her face. “Luna?”
“Your need of my help at a minimum.”
“Harry? Excuse me,”, she hurtled over to the reception lady, “But has Harry Potter run past you?”
“I’d undoubtedly know if Harry Potter had crossed my way; unless he is in room number – ”
“I know which room he should be in.”, Hermione snorted.
“You should be quick now.”, winked Francis, regained all his colour and turned to approach Hermione. “Excuse me, Mrs Weasley, but is there a problem?”
“Yes!”, she yelped. “Draco nearly died, but Luna saved him with a clap around the ear and then she suddenly was gone into nowhere and Harry too and – ”, it poured out of her.
“Well, then I recommend you go looking for him. And as for Miss Lovegood, knowing of her nature, I hardly reckon you will get to trace her.”
~~#~~