Chapter 31
Was Harry too embarrassed to go to history?
Yes he was.
Did he skip classes to lay face down on his bed and wail in self pity instead?
Yes he did.
When classes were finished and Harry heard his friends coming up the stairs, did he put on his invisibility cloak and sneak past them to clutch to Hedwig in the freezing cold Owlery instead of face his doom?
Yes he did.
He thought about talking to Remus about this massive problem but he had been bothering his godfather so much lately he fears it could start getting annoying. Harry hated being annoying. So he stroked Hedwig’s soft feathers alternatively and wiped his tears as she nuzzled affectionately into his neck, pecking lightly at the tears tracking down his cheeks.
What did he do to deserve such a kind hearted owl?
This made Harry sob all over again.
“Oh Hedwig,” he cried, “what would you do if you were me?”
She didn’t reply… because she’s an owl.
“You’re so smart.” Harry groaned. “D’you think I could squeeze into your nest for tonight? I don’t think I can face going back to my dorm.”
Hedwig blinked at him and turned her head on an 180° turn.
“You’re right, that’s a stupid idea.” sniffled Harry. “I should just man up and face my doom.”
Hedwig nuzzled his neck one last time before flying back to her nest.
“Blimey, way to tell me to leave nicely.” Harry scowled, he pushed himself off the floor and wiped the hay and seeds off his arse.
“You know, maybe I’ll get a cat instead.” Harry threatened. “I bet they’d help me out more than you are.”
If Hedwig could lift an eyebrow, she did just then.
“You’re right again, they’re useless and piss on everything and Padfoot would hate me.” Harry groaned again. “Merlin, you make good arguments, Hedwig.”
She hooted proudly.
“Actually, do you think you could talk to Draco for me?” Harry asked. “And, you know, be my hype man?”
“Are you talking to a bird?” A familiar voice accused behind him.
Harry turned to see Ronald Weasley. He was holding a letter probably addressed to his parents and had an unimpressed expression on his long face.
“What’s it to you?” Harry snapped.
Weasley shrugged. “S’just a bit odd since birds can’t talk back.”
“Well Hedwig looked to be conversing nicely enough.” defended Harry. Hedwig hooted approvingly in the background.
“Right.” Weasley frowned. “But I don’t think Malfoy will understand if your bird talks to him for you.”
“Were you listening into my conversation, Weasley?” said Harry as he walked threateningly forward.
“As if I’d be interested in what you have to say, Potter.” Weasley snapped back.
“Then mind your fucking business then.”
“Oh you’re bloody swearing now?” Weasley chuckled. “Well let’s fucking go then.”
“You wanna fight me, Weasel head? You think you can beat me in a wrestle match after years of never beating me before?”
“I’ve beaten you before.” scowled Weasley.
Harry laughed. “I think I’d remember, idiot.”
“All I remember is you not being that good.” Weasley prodded, pushing Harry back by the chest.
“I was excellent, you dodo brain.” Harry said, pushing Weasley back as well. “Ask your sister.”
“Ginny has nothing to do with you, bludger!”
“I never said she did, prat!”
“Then stay away from her!”
“I’ve been nowhere near your Weasley scum.” Harry said slowly with a dark grin.
“Good, we don’t want you near us, teachers slut.”
“Excuse you!” Harry outraged, pushing Weasley so hard he fell to the ground.
He was about to apologise for some reason when Weasley grabbed his leg and pulled Harry on top of him. Harry cried out when he was met with a bony elbow to the cheek, his cheek burned but his desire to beat Ron won over so he punched the boy in the neck. Weasley made a choking sound and punched Harry in the nose, Harry reciprocated, the owls were woken by the fight and they all started hooting and flapping their wings in distress. This only raged the teenage boys more and Harry rolled them over so he was on top and he punched Weasley continuously in the face, blood was pouring from his nose and his eyes were getting swollen but Harry couldn’t stop. Then, Weasley somehow got his wand out and he Expelliarmus-ed Harry off of him. Harry slammed against the opposite wall with a grunt, making his glasses fall off, and remembered in dismay that he didn’t have his wand on him. Weasley wiped his nose on his knitted sweater and held is wand in front of Harry’s face with shaky hands.
“Don’t move or I’ll make sure you can never use your bloody legs again.” He intimidated.
Harry glared but didn’t say anything. Weasley probably didn’t know a spell that could paralyse or destroy Harry’s legs to no return but he didn’t want to risk it, the Weasleys could be surprising at times.
With his wand still pointing at Harry, Weasley gave his letter to his elderly family owl Errol, not turning back to Harry till he was far away.
“Well I can’t just let you go and terrorise the school.” pondered Weasley with an amusing grin. “But I can’t do something awful either since you’ll go to Riddle and probably have me expelled.”
Harry hadn’t thought of that outcome.
“Yeah, I’ll have you expelled.” Harry smirked. “Molly would be so thrilled if that happened, wouldn’t she?”
Weasley scoffed. “Don’t act like you know my family.”
“And if you hurt me, Harry Potter,” he emphasised his name for the importance, “it could tarnish your entire family name and your dad could loose his job all because his son couldn’t control his anger. I always knew you had an anger management problem, Ronny boy.”
Weasley lowered his wand and spat. “If the whole fucking world didn’t think you were some bloody hero, even though you and I both know you didn’t even do anything that night, I’d have killed you.”
Harry stood up with staggering confidence, fake it till you make it, he told himself. “Get in line, Ronald. I’ve got a list of at least 500 people who want me dead, you’re not special.”
Weasley spat at his feet and walked out, swearing under his breathe. Harry sighed and leaned his head against the stone wall. Checking his nose, Harry noticed it was bleeding.
“Excellent.” He told Hedwig. “This’ll make a good conversation starter.”
As Harry suspected, his friends didn’t even ask why he missed the rest of the day and focussed on his nose and black eye and the cut on his cheek.
The girls were in his dorm as well and Tracey screamed when she saw him enter, her hands covering her mouth and eyes wide. Everything followed from that.
Blaise took him to their bathroom and made him sit on the bench top. Draco got out the first aid kit and Pansy patted Harry’s face down with a wet cloth. None of them asked any questions till he stopped bleeding and had an ice pack on his swollen face.
“Okay,” Blaise started, “what the hell, man?”
“Yeah, you can’t just leave out of thin air then appear looking like you were attacked by a bear.” Pansy scowled with crossed arms.
“You had us really worried, Harry.” said Draco.
“Oh…sorry guys.” Harry stammered.
“Don’t ‘sorry guys’ us! School isn’t optional, you know.” Blaise huffed.
“We expected you to be in the dorms but then you weren’t and all we’ve been imagining is the worse that could’ve happened to you.” Tracey told him softly.
“Remember at the beginning of first year?” Draco asked, but Harry shook his head. “Slytherins travel in packs. We are a target on our own and you coming in with blood dripping from your nose doesn’t make us feel any safer.”
“Do you know who did this?” asked Pansy.
Harry shrugged. Even though he obviously knew who did it, once his friends knew, they’d avenge him by doing 100 times worse than what Weasley did to him. Weasley may be a prick but he didn’t deserve what Harry’s friends would do to him.
“Leave the ice pack on until it becomes room temperature.” Tracey told him. “If it gets worse then we can take you to the infirmary.”
Harry laughed. “That won’t be necessary-“
“Yes it’s necessary.” Tracey ensured very seriously.
They all left the bathroom except for Draco and Harry. Draco coughed awkwardly into his fist like he did in the corridor all those hours ago and Harry felt like jumping off the Astronomy Tower. It was reassuring knowing that Draco was worried about him all afternoon and Harry tried not to smile at the thought.
“Well… you missed Professor Binns assigning us an essay about why the witch hunts in the fourteenth century was pointless.” Draco caught him up.
“I would’ve just copied off you anyway.” Harry joked.
Draco snorted lightly. “Very true, that. I don’t even think he noticed you weren’t in the class.”
“I don’t think he’s even noticed he’s a ghost yet.”
Draco laughed louder. “Merlin, he probably died in the middle of teaching and kept going where he left off once he was a ghost.”
“Oh poor students, they probably thought they’d get a new teacher too.”
The friends laughed over it till an uncomfortable silence surrounded them.
Draco took a step forward so he was almost standing between Harry’s legs. He was only a little taller than Harry but while Harry sat on the bench top, they were the same height.
“I know you know who did this to you.” Draco said, eyes glancing around Harry’s injured face.
“It’s not that much of a big deal, Draco.” Harry told him. “It looks worse than it actually is”
“It looks like it hurts a lot.”
“I’m fine.” Harry sighed.
Draco mustn’t have believed him because he took another step forward so he was standing between Harry’s legs. They were standing very close together and Harry tried not to shutter or faint, whichever comes first.
The blond took Harry’s chin between his thumb and pointer finger so he could turn his chin from side to side before bringing it forward again. And in the deepest and most deadly voice Harry had ever had the pleasure of hearing, Draco said:
“Tell me who did this to you.”
“W-what?” Harry breathed out.
“Tell me who did this to you or else I’ll have to force it out of you.”
“I told you I’m fine, Malfoy.” Harry repeated. “I can handle myself just fine.”
“It doesn’t look like it from the damage on your face.”
“Please let go of my face then.”
“Not until you tell me who I have to get expelled-“
“You’re not expelling anyone, now get off me.”
“Tell me.”
“Get off.”
Draco sighed but didn’t get out of Harry’s space. “Who is it?”
“If it makes you feel any better, you should see the other guy, he looks much worse than I do.” Harry tried to lighten the aura around his friend.
“So it’s a boy.” Draco smirked.
“That is all I’m telling you so get off.” Harry demanded.
“Is he in Gryffindor?” asked Draco.
“Not saying a thing.”
“Hufflepuff?”
“Not saying nothing.”
“Ravenclaw?”
“You’re wasting your time and mine, get off me.”
Draco tutted. “Was he older or younger or our age?”
“All of the above.” Harry grinned.
“Was it Riddle?”
“No.” Harry rolled his eyes. “He was probably teaching a class since he’s a teacher and that’s his job.”
“I won’t help you get into the Department of Mysteries if you don’t tell me.” Draco threatened.
“Not my problem.” smiled Harry. “I have others who will gladly help me if you can’t.”
“Then I’ll kiss you if you tell me.”
Harrys smile slipped from his face.
Oh.
“You’re a bastard, Malfoy.” Harry spat. “Who do you think you are using…that? Just because I accidentally called you pretty doesn’t mean I want to kiss you, and what makes you think I’d want to kiss you? Especially when I know it’s to get out information I don’t even want you knowing.”
Draco looked shocked and even angry.
“Well I didn’t even want to kiss you.” Draco fought. “I’ve had my first kiss with a beautiful girl and it was a wonderful kiss and kissing you doesn’t look appealing to me at all.”
“Then leave me alone.” Harry tiredly pushed Draco away. So much pushing today.
“It was a test, actually.” Draco spoke confidently. “If you said yes then I know you’re a homo and I’ll have to be more careful about not wearing many clothes around you.”
“Lucky for you that I’m not a homo then.” Harry scorned.
“Then why’d you call me pretty?”
“You used to called me cute, I don’t see the difference!”
Draco raised an eyebrow.
“Anyway,” Harry sighed, “you can either help me get into the department of mysteries or not but either way, I’m doing it.”
“I’ll help you, that’s what best mates do, yeah?” Draco smiled tightly and lightly punched Harry’s shoulder.
Harry knew their friendship was still slightly strained as Draco left the bathroom but at least he was still going to help Harry with his plan. The only bad thing was that Draco was very homophobic so Harry couldn’t trust him as much as he did before.
In the words of Sirius Black, ‘All homophobes are gay, they just don’t want to be’.