Chapiter 10
After dinner, Harry and Draco directed everyone to a small living room that was further from Gabriel's room. - Although Harry had put a Silencing spell around the group, and theoretically it should prevent any noise from waking the little one, they could never be too careful. - Once everyone was settled, a silence took place in the room.
The Weasleys had so many questions for Harry. How had he got to where he was today? What had been the trigger that had gotten him to forgive Draco? What had really happened in those five years he'd been away from Britain? And where had he been? Now that they were more or less " made up ", maybe they could afford to ask a few questions. Anyway, they knew that if the questions weren't welcome, Harry wouldn't be afraid to tell them.
Hermione decided to speak up, as she couldn't stand the silence anymore. And Harry didn't seem inclined to start a new conversation of his own. And that was another thing that had changed in five years... Before, he wouldn't have been able to stand the silence... Whether it was because of the stress and fear the war was causing, or because of his childhood when he was forced into silence, Hermione didn't know. But now silence didn't seem to bother him anymore. -
« Harry, » she began, graining the attention of all present, « now that Gabriel is asleep and we are - more or less - all together, do you think you can tell us what's been going on for the last five years? »
« ... It all depends, » answered the brunette.
« Depends on what? »
« On what you want to know, » said Harry, shrugging his shoulders, « ask me questions and I'll see if I want to answer them or not. »
Indeed, thought Hermione. If he didn't want to answer, he would tell them honestly. And without taking any nonsense. He was the new Harry, after all. They should all keep that in mind...
« I have so many questions that I don't know where to start, » Hermione murmured.
« Start with the simplest? » Harry suggested.
« Um... I remember you said you first met Malfoy in a desert, where you thought he was a hallucination... » The young woman began.
« Indeed, » Harry replied, « it must have been.... Two months after I left? I think it was? I more or less lost track of time when I was in the desert. »
« I see, » Hermione nodded, « but what I gathered from all this was that you hadn't kept in touch then? Since it was only your first meeting, there must have been others, right? »
« Yes, » says Draco instead of Harry, « the first time we saw each other after the war was a coincidence, the reason we spent the evening together was simply because neither of us wanted to look for another place to sleep. The desert is huge, but also full of danger, for Muggles and Wizards alike. It was more reassuring to swallow our "pride" and share the place, than to go off on an adventure at that time. »
« As Draco said, » nodded Harry, « we went our separate ways the next day. And I didn't think we'd ever see each other again. »
« But the opposite happened, » Draco laughed softly, shaking his head, « it's as if we couldn't go anywhere without seeing each other at least once. »
« Thank you, but speak for yourself, » Harry replied, « I've managed to get to places without running into you. Well, it's true that it never lasted long. And I'm pretty sure it was the same for you. But we weren't always in the same place at the same time. »
« ... Which makes sense, Love. »
« ... Indeed. »
Hermione looked at Harry, then at Draco. It didn't explain what had happened in the last five years, but she had at least learned one thing: Draco would be in many of his stories. If what they had just said was true, it was as if fate wanted to bring them together. - Which was absurd. She believed only in proven, approved facts and what was in the science books. Fate was none of those things! -
« So, » she continued after a few moments, « you are together in many of Harry's 'adventures'? »
« I don't know all their adventures, » Blaise interrupted, « but in all the ones I know Draco is, indeed, with Harry at some point. »
« Well, Harry attracts trouble as naturally as one breathes, » admitted Draco, « I was basically on my way to... To escape the wizard world - English or not - and be at peace. Away from it all. But no matter what I did or where I went, Harry was there. And where Harry is, trouble is never far away, » sighed the blond boy.
« ... Yeah, but you don't have to say it like that. » Sulked Harry crossing his arms against his chest, « at least it got us where we are today, which is a good thing. »
« I want to remind you, though, that I didn't follow you entirely willingly. At least not at first,"» pointed Draco, « you just dragged me into it without asking my opinion! »
« That's true, but it was fun and interesting. And three-quarters of the "trouble" you're talking about wasn't even lethal at first. »
-« Just because it wasn't deadly doesn't mean it wasn't dangerous, Potter, » Draco grumbled.
« I didn't want to go headlong alone. You were there, and you were the only person I could take with me. It's not like I had a choice. »
« ...Let's say you didn't just say something that ridiculous, Love. We're gonna pretend this conversation never happened. »
« Why do you say that every time we talk about it, » moan Harry, « it's like you're ashamed! »
« It's not that I'm ashamed, Harry, » said Draco, « it's that in not even ten minutes you're going to realize what you said and you're going to realize how absurd this conversation is. I'll spare you the humiliation! »
And that was new too, Hermione thought. Harry speaking his mind. Harry allowing himself to be selfish. Harry who sulked so openly, that he got so angry without feeling guilty about it. This was all new to Hermione and the Weasleys... And she was sure it was a good thing. But it was going to take her a long time to come to terms with the fact that it wasn't because of them...
« Harry, I don't want to take Malfoy's side, » she began cautiously, « but he's right. Just because you were "alone" and Draco was the only person present who could come with you knowingly, doesn't mean that you have to take him with you on these adventures.... You could have just not gone. Or thought before you acted. »
« I knew there was a reason he was friends with you, Granger, » mumbled the blonde.
« Weasley. »
« Granger-Weasley, » Draco replied, « but there are too many Weasleys present. It would confuse everyone. »
« Call them by their first names? » Suggested Harry with a smirk on his face.
« Don't ask too much of me, Harry James Potter, even I have my limits. »
« I know, I know. »
The dynamics of this couple were intriguing. It's true that they had known each other - in theory - since they were eleven years old. And that even through their rivalry, they had to get to know each other, but a complicity like that took years for normal people... At the same time, Harry and Draco had never really been normal... ...so maybe it made sense after all.
« I understand so far, » Ron says slowly, still only half believing it, « but it doesn't tell us much about what you've been doing for five years Harry. Just that Malfoy was almost always there. »
« That's true, » Harry admitted, « but it was important that you were aware of that so I could tell the rest. Everything I did, or almost everything, I did with Draco. I changed with him, I matured with him. My life changed and formed with Draco at its center. And it was for the best, honestly. He was there. Always there. Even when he sulked in his corner, even when he pretended to pout at me when we all know that's not true, in the slightly more painful moments, when I laughed and learned to be happy. Even when we fought as if we'd gone back to Hogwarts. He was always there. And it's important that you understand that. »
« All right, » replied Arthur softly, « and now that you have got the message across, and we have all more or less understood - at least in the broadest sense - will you at least be able to tell us some of your adventures, Harry? »
Harry looked Draco in the eye for a few moments, and Hermione had the distinct impression that they were simply choosing what they could or could not tell them. Choosing which stories they wanted to make "public" and which one they wanted to keep in their secret garden. The less intimate ones. Probably the less important ones. Less big. Less personal. And in a way, everyone could understand why they were doing it. Oh, that didn't make it any less frustrating. But Harry was his own man and he made it clear to them. And if Hermione - and the others - had to be completely honest, they wouldn't have wanted to say too much either, if they'd been in Harry's place. And now they understood better than anyone else the consequences of trying to force Harry to say - or do - anything he didn't want. So they would take what the dark-haired man was willing to give them, and they would be happy about it. Frustrated, yes, but happy all the same. Because it meant that he was willing to take a step towards them. He was ready to tell them things that he wouldn't tell anybody else. They were no longer close. They weren't the family that Harry had chosen for himself. But Harry was giving them a second chance. And they were going to take it, and try, for once, to be worthy of it.
« I can tell you some of our adventures, » Harry smiles at them, « I think you already know that it will be nothing too big. »
« We know, » replied Molly a little sadly, « and I'll tell you how frustrating it is, but we can't say we don't understand. Especially since we know that we would have done the same thing in your place, Harry. »
« Thank you, Molly, » said the brunette softly.
« So, » speak Pansy, « what extraordinary story are you going to start with? »
« Um... I'd like to tell one that nobody knows, not even the twins, Blaise and Pansy, » Harry thoughtfully said, « but I don't know which one... »
« There's the one from when we were in Romania, where one of the Dragons - Semi-wild if I remember correctly? - decided that Harry was going to be his child and kidnapped him? »
« Hm... WHAT? » Hermione cried out, just as shocked as the rest of the room.
« Oh, yes! That one, » replied Harry, ignoring Hermione, « and I think that's when we saw Charlie again for the first time since the war? »
« Indeed, » said Draco, « it wasn't as if I could have come and saved you like a knight. He was a Dragon. Charlie works with Dragons. I don't work with the Dragons. So I did the most logical thing and saved us both from dying, I called the one who works with the Dragons. »
« So... You saw Charlie again during the five years that you disappeared ? » Asked Ron.
« Yes, » Harry answered, « but it was an obligation. I didn't want to become a Dragon's child. No matter how adorable she was. »
« Beautiful, Potter. Not adorable. Only baby dragons are adorable, » sighed Draco as if it wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation.
« So... as Draco said, we'd just arrived in Romania and we'd just formed a kind of friendship... » Harry began, ignoring Draco's last sentence...
✿ ✿ ✿
Harry and Draco had been in Romania for barely five hours. Only five hours, and all had begun well for the two new friends... Romania was a beautiful country, full of beautiful scenery... But Draco had a bad feeling about it. - As he often did... No, like always when he and Harry were in a new place... - Every time, in every country where they'd both been at the same time - and now they were traveling together, it was much simpler. - Harry always ended up causing trouble, and if he didn't cause it then he really attracted trouble like a magnet. It stuck to his skin almost as much as Draco's gel when he was still at Hogwarts. - He'd given up the gel when he left Britain. -
So, Draco was uncomfortable practically from the moment they arrived... Harry pretended not to notice at all, because he was optimistic and always thought that nothing worse could happen... ...until it was too late. But the brunette was used to it now, and he'd learned to deal with it and just live in the moment.
« Are you sure nothing's gonna happen? » Asked Draco dubiously.
« I'm sure. » Harry replied happily, « just look where we are! It's a beautiful country. Enjoy it instead of being paranoid! »
« ... I don't know. I care a great deal about my life, and I honestly feel that if I let my guard down for even a minute, I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life. »
« Maybe not your whole life, Draco. Everyone knows you're a Drama Queen, but don't push it, » teased Harry.
« I'm a realist, Potter, » replied the blonde.
« Potter? » Giggled the brunette, « I thought we were finally on a first-name basis? »
« You go back to being Potter when I start getting annoyed with you. Potter. »
« But I promise nothing's going to happen to us. We're just gonna enjoy the country for a while, before we leave for a new destination. And I think since we're here, maybe I can convince Charlie to show us around the reservation... » Spoke Harry thoughtfully.
« Charlie? » Asked Draco.
« Charlie Weasley, one of Ron's older brothers, » said Harry, « you know, the one who takes care of Dragons? »
« Ooooh! I see. » Answered the blond man, trying to hide his excitement, « and you think he'll agree? »
« Totally, » Harry assured.
✿ ✿ ✿
« If I understand correctly, » interrupted Hermione, « you were planning to see Charlie at the base? »
« Normally, yes, » replied Draco, « but we didn't have time to contact him before we left because Harry NEVER says what he wants to do in advance. And we always find ourselves having to plan everything at the last minute. »
« It's fun, and it spices up our lives, Love! » Harry defended himself.
« I was saying, » said Draco again after glaring at Harry , « even if we had wanted to send him an owl to ask him if we could come and see him, we wouldn't have had the time.... »
« Mama Dragon? » Hermione asked.
« Mama Dragon. » Nodded Draco.
« Anyway, it's always my fault, » Harry grumbled to no one in particular.
✿ ✿ ✿
The two friends were looking for a relatively safe place to put their things for a while. So that the dark-haired man could send the message to Charlie Weasley - because they had come to the conclusion that they couldn't send Owl. Since he didn't have an Owl. -
« I think it's a good place, » says Harry.
« ... I'm not really sure, but anyway, there's nothing else around, » replied Draco, « so whether it's here or further away... »
« Exactly! »
As they went to sit on the rocks they had managed to find, they heard a noise coming from the sky. Yet when Draco looked, nothing was there. He shrugged, thinking it was just his imagination. But not even two minutes later, as he was dictating exactly what to write to Harry - because the dark-haired man didn't know how to write a message at all. Even though they didn't yet know how they were going to get it to Charlie - Probably by finding the nearest town or village. - a huge shadow appeared above them. They froze, and didn't dare move for fear of what they would find...
« I honestly don't have the courage to look, » Harry mumbled as quietly as he could.
« I have a good mind to say, "I warned you Potter," but I'm going to keep this little joy if we get out of this alive. »
« Why do you always assume that we won't make it out alive? » Sulked Harry.
« Not the time, Potter! In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty sure that shadow didn't get here on its own. And I'm equally certain that whatever caused it can only be huge. And to answer your question, because I'm nice like that, you're getting yourself into so much trouble that there's bound to be one time when nobody will get out of it. »
« You don't know that! I'm almost as lucky as I am unlucky! » Returned the brunette one.
« Harry James Potter, stop trying to justify yourself, and look what's above us! » Ordered Draco, « I'm getting a cramp in my thigh, and I want to move! »
« There's nothing stopping you, » Harry muttered before doing what Draco told him to do.
The brunette gently raised his head to the sky. And jumped when he saw what was above their heads.
« ... Draco? » Choked Harry.
« What? »
« Promise me you won't start freaking out? »
« I'm already half panicking, Potter. » Retorqued the blonde.
« Then promise me you won't scream like the hidden girl I know you are? »
« I never promise anything! »
« ... True, » Harry sighed without moving his eyes from above his head.
« What's going on, Harry? »
« I don't really want to tell you that there's a huge Dragon that doesn't belong on the reserve - I'm sure of it - right above us, » Harry started, « but there's a huge DRAGON right above your pretty little head. »
« Are you kidding? »
« Me? Never! »
✿ ✿ ✿
Blaise and Pansy were listening carefully to the story Harry was telling - with Draco. - holding back from laughing, because even though they didn't know the ending, they knew it would be hilarious.
Molly was somewhat horrified. She knew, in theory, that Harry was getting into trouble. But a Dragon, though. It didn't happen to just anyone, and she knew. that. She used to go quite regularly - well, whenever she could - to Romania with Arthur to see Charlie. And they'd never come across a Dragon in semi-liberty...
The twins were having the time of their lives. They had always loved hearing Harry's stories. It was even better than reading novels, or living them yourself - because they cared about their lives. -
« Please, please, » Hermione began, « tell me nobody screamed. »
« No problem, » Harry answered, shrugging his shoulders, « Draco didn't scream at all. »
« Thank you, Potter, » mumbled Draco, hitting Harry lightly.
« Oh but you're welcome! »
« ... You didn't try to run away, did you? » Ron asked in a small voice (he remembered perfectly the "lessons" Charlie had given them in case one of the Weasleys was unlucky enough to run into a Dragon).
« Harry didn't try to run away at all, because it wasn't his first adventure, and he's a lot less impulsive than that, » replied Draco.
« So, to sum up, both of you did what you absolutely had not to do? » Fred asked.
« You screamed, Draco. And ran with all your might, Harry? » Continued George.
« In short... That's exactly it, » sighed Draco.
« Actually, Harry isn't the only one looking for trouble... He's rubbed off on you, Dray, » Pansy laughed.
« Oh shut up, » mumbled the blonde, « do you want the rest of the story or not?! »
« Yes, I do! Please, go on then, » Blaise quickly answered.
« Thank you, » said Harry, « I was saying? Ah yes, the immense Dragon was above us, and we didn't know what to do... »
The flashback of Harry and Draco's adventures in Romania had begun... What happened once our two friends had actually registered the presence of the Dragon? What did the next part of their adventures over there hold for them?