lux in teberius

 The raven haired boy had never felt so much relief. Professor Lupin had told him the truth.

The end of term had finally arrived and Harry, while sad to see the majority of his friends go was also ecstatic at the thought of being able to relax for a few weeks.

Though his happiness didn’t last very long. Hagrid received the letter that Buckbeak’s trial would be in a few weeks and while he would love to help, the Malfoy’s lawyer was the best money could buy, and if there is one thing the Malfoys have plenty of- its money.

Speaking of the Malfoys-

Draco’s pov

“Severus, please! You have to speak to my father, we both know he is over reacti-!”

“Draco.” I stops myself. My godfather had cut me off. “While I agree, you also know that there is nothing I can do about it.” He was look down slightly to show he really was listening to me. Though the rapidly approaching footsteps stopped all conversation.

“Go into the supply closet. Don’t come out until I say so.” And so I hid myself among the potion ingredients.

“Severus.” Draco knew that voice, he couldn’t quite place it through the thick wooden door but the voice was very familiar.

“Lupin.” Oh! Oh? “How can I be of service.” His usually drawn out voice sounds softer than usual, but that’s probably because of the wall between myself and them.

“Severus. Did you know?!” Lupin was yelling from the moment he’d been acknowledged.

“Well I know a lot of things, that is my job. If you would like to have a conversation then please come in and shut the door.”

Draco doesn’t think he should be hearing this, in fact he knows he shouldn’t be. He was a curious child, he’s seen the photos of them tucked away in the depths of his godfathers attic, But he can’t leave now; not until Severus tells him it’s okay.

There’s a small click, the door must have been shut and or locked.

“Is this about Harry?” He hadn’t forgotten, in fact he was reaching for his wand as he spoke those words to add a silencing charm should the answer be yes. Remus was faster, or maybe his god father had changed his mind but no charm was cast.

“Of course it is.” No one in that room was surprised, it’s rarely not about that boy at the moment. “He just came to me bawling his eyes out because the… older professors, were gossiping about James and Lily’s death in the middle of the leaky cauldron and yet NO ONE had said a word about what has happened to HARRY HIMSELF.”

Severus was shocked into silence, and the face that Draco could see through the doors key hole was one Draco had never seen on his godfather before.

“No one had told him?” And oh the tone broke his heart, both of their hearts. Draco knows about his godfathers time in Hogwarts, they had spoken about it in Draco’s first year to avoid the young boy getting the same fate. And despite this, Draco noticed that Severus treats Harry just the same as he did all those years ago when he was first teaching Draco potions basics.

“You.. You didn’t know?” His shoulders had relaxed, no longer looking tense and ready to start a fight. The Professors underlying feelings on full display – He was pensive.

“Why, I don’t understand why?” His professor slacked into the chair next to Severus and there was a lingering silence, neither of them knew what to say.

So, Draco came out of hiding.

“I told him Professor.” He says monotone as he opens the door carefully. The teachers look over to him, Shocked at his presence.

“Told him what?” Severus spoke first. Professor Lupin still stunned at the younger man’s presence said nothing.

“What I know, about Sirius Black.” Draco looked down at his feet, trying not to fiddle with his hands as he spoke.

“I know it was out of place but over summer, I ran into Potter alone in Diagon ally. I don’t know why he was alone so please don’t ask but he himself was confused about why I was confused that he was alone?” Draco was rambling, he stops, takes a breath and looks up at the professors.

“Look, Professors. Potter did know. But only because I told him over summer.” He looked at Professor Lupin, “I got him to talk to you because he was losing his trust in all of the professors and I had a feeling that you probably weren’t aware of the situation. Though I also mentioned Professor snape, He is less likely to ask him as they don’t have a great history together.”

The two professors looked at each other at the confession.

Then Harry burst into the room, stopping in his track as he quickly realises his mistake.

Professor Snape, Professor Lupin and Draco Malfoy… What a group of people to disturb during a conversation!

“Ah, Harry, perfect timing!” Remus says at the boy while he claps his hands together. “Please close the door, would you like to join us?” he has a choice. Remus will always give him a choice. Harry almost ran for it.

But as Harry looks at Draco, he closes the door behind him with a wordless flick of his wand and decides to stay.

“Potter.” Draco nods, and Harry acknowledges everything that must have just went down while he was absent. “Professors, If everything is settled I will be taking my leave.” Because, you know, their truce is a secret.

Now, realistically, Harry knows he shouldn’t do what he is about to do, but this is a terrifying and emotional time for him and he needs a friend. Even If that friend is Malfoy – He is still the only one who actively kept him up to date about everything. So he grabbed Malfoys wrist and looked him dead in the eyes. Come up with a reason Harry, quickly.

“I’ll probably just tell you everything later so you may as well stay..” He looked down and panicked when he noticed how he had gripped the other wrist. When I tell you he was very emotional, I mean that. His ‘small’ panic had a window cracking right down the centre and a shock of electricity shoot up Draco’s arm.

The professors were quick to react, Snape grabbing his wand and pointing it toward the window, fixing it before it could burst. Lupin grabbing Harry and sitting him down with a firm and friendly hand on his shoulder. Draco wordlessly sitting on the one directly next to it, rubbing the artery running along his forearm.

Both professors go across from them, Snape casting a privacy charm and Lupin pulling out some chairs for them to sit on. “Harry,” Remus starts once they’ve all calmed down a bit, “is there anything specific you would like to learn from us or tell us.”

Severus looks at the youngest boy, he asks before Harry could answer the other, “Would you feel more comfortable talking about this if I left the room.” It was a statement, hidden in what Severus seem to deem an obvious answered question.

Though, Harry came down to the basement to do exactly what he had done with Remus.

“Sir. I was awake when you were talking with Dumbledore the night Sirius Black broke in.” now that may mean nothing to the other two in the room, but Severus understood. Harry had heard him try and convince the Headmaster into telling Harry about Sirius. That Harry had heard an attempt to defend him.

“Then, I’ll stay.”

“Thank you.”

Meanwhile, the other two had no idea what they were talking about, Harry was glad. He wasn’t about to go into full detail right now but he was glad he had a small group of people, who he hoped with his whole heart, he could trust.

“Malfoy had told me everything a while ago,” He took a pensive look at Remus, “sorry Professor.” Who just nodded, he understood Harry’s motives and would’ve done the same in his place.

“I think, I need some help, if you are willing..” Harry was never very good at asking for help. Growing up how he did limits his social skills while the curses and compulsions limited them even more, Plus despite Dumbledores motto, help was never available to Harry when he had asked for it in the past.

The professors nod and take a seat of their own across from the two boys who were sat closely together.

“Over the holidays, after blowing up my aunt.” Harry started with a pale face, “I got to stay in Diagon alley for a few weeks.” He looked up at them, “That where I had met Malfoy the first time, when he told me about Sirius Black being after me. But professors, before I saw him I had gone into Gringotts.”

He started to shake lightly, these were not the first people Harry would’ve thought to tell this story too, so he didn’t spill everything.

“They had to scan my magic to make sure it was me, I don’t have my key you see, when they noticed something was… wrong.”

“Wrong?” Remus prompted gently.

“Someone had placed a block on my family magics, along with a compulsion charm.”

The look of horror resonated differently on everyone in the room, but horror – outrage - is exactly what they were feeling. Professor snape waved his wand in a large circular towards the ceiling, a privacy spell.

“I can’t tell you who did it,” Harry carried on, looking down at his hands, “but according to the goblin who took the charms off, they had been placed there when I was a baby.” He paused for a moment.

“Professors.” He glanced at the boy next to him, “Draco.”

A light buzz filled the room. All eyes on Harry with their full attention.

“I think… I have someone else, someone who isn’t Sirius Black or Voldemort to worry about. Someone placed these charms on me from such an early age is sure to want to keep an eye on me, right?” He looked back up again, finally, his young green eyes filled with tears as he shook. “And I have to make sure they don’t find out I got rid of them. Because if they find out and put me under the compulsion charm, I might end up putting myself and my friends in danger like I have in the past.” A tear slid down his cheek as a glass jar across the room burst. “If they put that block back on my magic, and I don’t get rid of it before I come of age-“

He cut himself off as a second jar explodes and Harry curls his arms around himself, trying to steady his breathing. Draco puts his hand on Harry’s lower back, a grounding support as the Professors put the pieces together. Those blocks would get Harry killed.

Harry doesn’t tell them about Dumbledore, he needs to know how much he can trust them first. He doesn’t tell them about the Heir seats.

Remus and Severus, while neither would say it out loud, had secretly vowed themselves about keeping that boy safe.

~}{~

Harry and Draco walk back half way together, bickering about a lot of nothing never knowing who might be listening.

“Potter. Why were you withholding the whole truth?” Harry looks up at him dumbfounded, how did he know?

“Don’t look at me like that. We will be talking about it eventually. I’ll see you soon Potter.”