The Calm Before The Halloween!
“Do you think it matters in the long run?” Vince asked suddenly, looking up from his parchment.
They were sitting near the Black Lake. Draco was tired—tired of homework and, more importantly, tired of the chaos his classmates were creating in the name of a talent show. After lunch, he had sought out the lake’s calm as a desperate escape, and it had paid off. Vince had joined him about an hour later, and they had been sitting there since, trying to tackle their assignments.
Draco glanced away from the lake, where he had been attempting to skip rocks, but every throw had failed miserably. “What do you mean?” he asked, confused by Vince’s sudden shift in topic.
“I mean…” Vince turned fully toward him, abandoning his parchments. “Do you think I’ll ever really escape from those…Monsters?”
“Oh…” Draco finally understood. Vince always referred to his parents as monsters, not out of hatred, but with enough disdain to make others cower. “I don’t know, Vince… what do you want me to say?”
“Nothing… it’s just that…” Vince sighed, his shoulders slumping. “We know he’s coming back. If we trust your judgment, then this is our last year of freedom, right?” He picked up a rock and threw it, but it sank without skipping, causing him to snort in self-derision.
“I know you’ve been trying to find a place for us, and I know all your efforts have failed so far.” Vince leaned back on his arms, staring at the late afternoon shadows stretching across the grass. “My mother knows something is going on. She’s already moved to Paris. Her exact words were, ‘We need to look out for our survival.’ You know, I had this hope.” He turned to Draco, insistent. “Even when she was taking the international portkey, I hoped she would ask me to join her. Of course, I would never leave without Greg, but still—I’m her son. I deserve that much thought, right?”
“Vince…” Draco grasped his shoulder, struggling to find the right words, wanting to offer comfort.
“She just… left.” Vince looked up at the sky, trying to hold back tears that streaked down his cheeks. “My father is busy with… his friends, colleagues, whatever they are. I can’t shake this feeling that time is running out. I don’t care about myself as much as I care about Greg, you know? We need to find a place for him to escape as soon as possible, Draco.”
“We will,” Draco assured him. “I promise we’ll find a place for him. He won’t be going back this summer.”
The next few minutes passed in silence, both of them still struggling to skip rocks, struggling to come to terms with their life. Draco’s frustration mounted.
“Can I contact your solicitor? I’d like to start the process quietly. I don’t want my father creating any hurdles,” Vince said, his voice heavy with the burden he was about to bear.
“I’m sure she would love to help,” Draco replied, as he threw a rock again and which finally managed to skip through water, sending ripples across the calm surface of the Black Lake.
….…
The next Hogsmeade visit coincided with Halloween. Harry had been more than a little depressed, denied the chance to go despite having his slip signed by none other than the omniscient Archie. McGonagall had vetoed it, saying it wasn’t safe for Harry. He had petulantly retorted, “But Draco said I’d be fine.” Draco had preened under Professor McGonagall's glare—what a point of honor it was that Harry trusted him so much.
“You know Snape will be in his quarters,” Draco told Harry conspiratorially.
“Do you think he would tell me about my mother if I asked?” Harry asked, a flicker of hope in his eyes.
“No harm in asking, is there? He did say you could talk to him about your mother anytime.” Draco shrugged. He was certain Severus had plans to visit Sirius, but he needed Sirius to discuss refuge. It was all for the greater good; Severus would persevere.
“Or you could talk to Professor Lupin,” Hermione piped up. “You wanted to ask him something, didn’t you?” She made some strange gestures with her eyes, clearly trying to prompt Harry.
“Huh…” Harry blinked at Hermione’s antics. Then his eyes widened as if struck by a revelation. “Yeah… I think I’ll go to Professor Lupin. I need to ask him… about the assignment.”
(Yeah, that’s not weird at all,) Draco thought as Harry dashed back toward the castle.
.....
They divided into groups upon reaching Hogsmeade. Pansy, Hermione, and Blaise were hunting for decorations for the event. The twins, Ginny, and Luna were off to find “some good stuff” for the show. Neville and Theo went to the owl post for their packages while Ron, Vince, and Greg headed to Honeydukes—no surprises there. They all promised to meet back at the Three Broomsticks for a late lunch or early dinner.
Draco found it pathetically easy to slip through the groups and make his way to Sirius’s new place.
It was a small flat situation above the Three Broomsticks. Draco still had no idea how he had convinced the witch to let him rent it.
“Finally!” Sirius exclaimed excitedly as he opened the door. “It took you forever, didn’t it?”
“Try sneaking through a group of fifteen teenagers,” Draco said, whistling as he entered the flat and looked around. “Nice digs.” The flat was nothing like it appeared from the outside. It was luxurious and spacious; the lounge vast enough to host a dinner party for twenty easily. The kitchen looked like a baker’s dream, and from the smells wafting through the air, Draco could guess that Sirius was indulging in his househusband fantasies. Cookies, muffins, and a roasted chicken lay on the kitchen island.
Draco noticed three doors leading to other rooms; he guessed two were bedrooms, while the third sported a muggle “Warning: Do Not Enter” sign—clearly the potions lab.
“So, what’s the plan?” Sirius asked as soon as Draco finished his appraisal.
“We’re meeting Mabel today. She has some properties in mind, and if that doesn’t work out, she might branch into the muggle world,” Draco explained.
“We can still use Grimmauld, you know,” Sirius reminded him.
“Let’s keep that as a backup, in case all other options fail. I don’t want the others exposed to Dumbledore,” Draco said firmly.
“You still think he’s the big bad?” Sirius asked.
“Oh yes. One hundred percent.”
…..
Harry wasn’t waiting for them when they returned to the castle. It should have been a sign, but Draco was too despondent to notice. Their efforts to find a refuge had been in vain. Mabel had informed them of the complications arising from Draco being a minor and Sirius being a fugitive.
Additionally, the Ministry had thwarted Mabel’s attempts to assist Sirius’s case. She believed she might convince Amelia Bones, but Amelia had proven difficult to catch.
Nonetheless, Mabel had arranged an appointment with Amelia, but they had to wait until December for that. Sirius had assured him he would put additional protections and wards on Grimmauld and make sure it was stocked and ready before summer, just in case.
Draco trudged through the main hall, searching for Harry, and finally realized he was genuinely missing. He looked at the twins, who handed him the Marauder’s Map without a word.
Draco found Harry in an abandoned classroom in the dungeons. (Honestly, this place had too many abandoned classrooms. Just a little less lighting would turn it into a Haunting at the Manor or castle.)
“Anything worrying you, darling?” Draco asked jovially, startling Harry out of his thoughts.
“Hey.” Harry gave him a smile that resembled a grimace. “Surprisingly, that’s what Lupin said.”
“I assure you, Harry, if Lupin called you ‘darling’ the way I just did, we should worry—because I’m pretty sure his partners would kill him for calling anyone else ‘darling,’” Draco said, waving his wand to transfigure the chair Harry was sitting in into a couch and sat next to Harry.
“You’re awfully good at that,” Harry mused, shifting closer to Draco.
Draco wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders as Harry nestled against him. His head on Draco’s shoulder, then pulled back, frowning and glaring at Draco’s lap as if something were amiss. Then he moved in again nestling closer to Draco, bent his knees as he leaned against Draco’s thighs, as if surrounded by an intimate cocoon. His head once again resting on Draco’s shoulder as he sighed and relaxed completely. As if he had finally shed the worries of the world behind.
“Good at what?” Draco asked, running his fingers through Harry’s hair.
“The couch thing,” Harry replied, still content.
“Oh! Nah, I’m just a one-trick pony,” Draco snorted as they settled down.
“Why did Lupin ask if you were alright?” he asked after a moment.
“I wanted to talk to him about the Boggart,” Harry said. “He never let me face it, remember? I wanted to know why.”
“So, what’d he say?” Draco prompted.
“Some rubbish about thinking it would be Voldemort,” Harry huffed. “Honestly, people give him too much credit.”
“That’s because people don’t know you,” Draco said, squeezing Harry’s shoulder playfully. “They don’t know that you look fear in the face and laugh at it, or all that rot.”
“I did think of him at first,” Harry admitted. “But then I thought about you. How you just… you know.”
“Oh, Harry. I’m okay. I promise I’m fine,” Draco assured him.
“Hey, did you know Snape and Lupin were a thing?” Harry suddenly asked, sitting up to look at Draco.
“What? How?” Draco tried to feign surprise.
“Yeah, I don’t buy that,” Harry snorted at Draco’s obvious lack of acting skills. “We were in the middle of a conversation when Snape showed up. I guess he didn’t see me at first, and honestly, I’m traumatized by the way he acted with Lupin.” Harry shuddered as if still terrified.
“Imagine living around them all summer,” Draco murmured, amused by the thought.
“Aha! I knew you knew!” Harry exclaimed triumphantly. “I never knew Snape could smile or be so… so sappy.”
“Yeah, they do that. Made me question things as well,” Draco said, lost in thought about their lazy days at Spinner’s End.
“It was crazy, Draco,” Harry emphasized. They fell into a comfortable silence again, enjoying the warmth and intimacy of the moment.
“What were you talking to Lupin about?” Draco asked, realizing Harry had yet to finish his story.
“I asked him to teach me the Patronus charm,” Harry replied with a yawn.
“That’s our cue, I guess. Time for dinner and then bed for you. Come on, Harry.” Draco nudged him up. “When do the lessons start?”
“How do you know Lupin agreed?” Harry raised an eyebrow.
“Lupin is like a surrogate uncle to me. I know him, Harry,” Draco replied with a smile.
“After Christmas. He said something about the Patronus being very advanced magic. He gave me some books to read up on it.”
“That’s good. I can join you for practice if you’d like,” Draco offered as they made their way through the dungeons toward the Great Hall. “Lupin taught me during the summer, but I guess that lesson didn’t prepare me for a real Dementor encounter.”
“Oh, that would be awesome!” Harry grinned, excited about their lessons. “We could ask the others if they want to join us.”
“Sure, let’s do that.”
“Hey, what did you mean when you said Lupin’s ‘partners’?” Harry asked just as they entered the Great Hall. Draco burst out laughing uncontrollably. Snape and Lupin looked at them from the front of the hall, as if they’d heard Harry’s question.
“I’ll tell you later,” Draco promised as they sat down, sharing the news about Lupin’s offer with the group.