Unmasked

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Pansy, and Draco huddled at the Gryffindor table, talking quietly due to the volume of the hall. Hardly anyone was even awake yet, only a few students at each of the tables. Most of the Professors seemed to still be asleep as well, as only McGonagall, Dumbledore, Flitwick, and Trelawny were at their table.

Harry glanced next to him at Draco, who had his head down. He held his arms close to his body, the sleeves of the shirt Harry had given him over his hands. He hadn’t even put any food on his plate. Harry frowned, lifted the bowl of eggs towards him and scooped some onto Draco’s plate, conversing with Ron across from him the entire time. When he looked back to his left, Draco was looking up at him out of the corner of his eye with a scowl. Harry looked between him and the plate. “Just try to eat a little of it.”

Draco huffed, picking up his fork and stabbing a piece of egg a little too forcefully. Harry chuckled slightly, then leaned closer to him, placing a hand on his lower back. “Just eat what you can, okay? I know that it’s hard for you sometimes.” Draco’s features softened at that and he nodded.

Harry was startled away from Draco at the screech of an owl. He watched as Hedwig swooped low over their table and dropped a letter in Hermione’s oatmeal before landing on the table in front of him. He smiled at her, using the back of two of his fingers to stroke her feathers. She crooned and he fed her a piece of bacon, to her delight. Pansy was staring at her the way girls often stare at puppies, and Draco held a similar expression. Harry grinned. “Draco, Pansy, this is Hedwig.”

“Can I pet her?” Pansy asked. When Harry nodded she beamed, reaching out to stroke Hedwig in the same way he had. The snowy owl brushed up against her hand, then searched her plate for food. “Sorry, Hedwig. I don’t have anything for you.”

Harry chuckled, then turned to Draco with a piece of bacon. He scowled and Harry scrunched his brows together, before he realized Draco thought he meant for him to eat it. “It’s not for you! Do you want to give bits of it to Hedwig?”

“Oh,” he laughed breathily. “Yeah.” He took the bacon, broke off a piece of it, then held it out in front of him. “Hedwig… come get the bacon.” The owl turned to him, quirking her head, then hopped forward and took it from his hand. He gave her another piece, and she rubbed against his hand, too. He smiled. “Good girl, Hedwig.”

She turned back to Harry and hopped over to him. He gave her a look. “No more bacon. That’s enough for now,” he scolded, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Fine. One more piece… now go to sleep.” She finished her bacon then promptly flew off. Harry turned to Hermione, who was still reading the letter Hedwig brought her. “What’s it say?”

She looked up at him, glared at Ron for reading over her shoulder, then spoke. “It’s from my parents. They must’ve been up late last night if they’ve already talked to my aunt and uncle… anyways. They say that they’d be willing to help us, but they want to talk about it in more detail to Dumbledore.”

Harry sat up straight, opening his hands so that his palms faced up. “Well that’s great.” He looked at Draco. “Isn’t that great?”

He twisted the ring on his finger. “Yeah.”

Hermione leant towards him. “I know the thought of leaving scares you, but at least now we have a plan. I hope it doesn’t come to it, but if your Father threatens you again, we will have to go.”

“I know,” he sighed, lifting his gaze to hers. “It’s just… a lot.”

She nodded. “I know. But we’re all together in this, yeah?”

He dropped his gaze, shaking his head at his lap. “I’m sorry for bringing you all into this.”

Pansy reached across to him and took his sleeve-covered hands. “Dray, don’t you ever be sorry. I’m sorry for not noticing you were suffering.” She rubbed her thumbs over his knuckles. “It’s not a bother. We are all here by choice.”

“Only because I couldn’t hold it together any longer… if I’d just been a little stronger I…”

“You what?” Ron asked. “Would’ve continued to suffer in silence? How is that better?”

“I…” He glanced to Harry, who stared at him, something he couldn’t identify gleaming in his eyes.

Harry took a breath. “If I could go back in time, I still would have sat with you that night. I still would have done everything the same way, because that means I can support you. You’re not a burden, Draco. I care about you.” He wrapped an arm around Draco’s back and a firm side-hug.

Draco nodded at him. “I’m sorry. It’s just hard to think that way. I’ve grown up thinking that I was… you know?”

Harry nodded. “I know.”

“Professor?” Everyone’s gazes turned to Hermione, who had flagged down Professor McGonagall. “I received a letter this morning from my aunt and uncle.”

McGonagall reached out for the letter, holding onto her glasses as she scanned over the parchment. Nodding, she glanced up at Hermione. “Can I take this to the headmaster?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. I shall return with any information.”

Hermione turned back to her food, scooping more oatmeal towards her. “I wonder how he’s going to get in touch with them… he can’t exactly send an owl across the ocean…”

“No. And there’s no phone in his office,” Harry added.

She narrowed her eyes at her bowl. “And it’s not like he can apparate there…”

“I dunno, ‘Mione. But it’s Dumbledore. I’m sure he’ll figure something out.”

“I—yes, Professor?”

McGonagall was back at her side. “Miss Granger, do you happen to have a cellular phone?” She said it as if the words were foreign in her mouth, which they probably were.

“Yes, in my dorm. But, Professor. Muggle technology doesn’t work at Hogwarts.”

She smiled. “Dumbledore has his ways. Off you go.”

Equally confused and intrigued, Hermione left the bench and hurried out of the Great Hall. She pushed her way past the influx of students coming in for breakfast and disappeared around the corner. Harry turned his attention back to the group to find that they were all staring at him. “What?”

Pansy raised her eyebrows. “What’s a cellular phone?”

“Oh,” Harry hummed. “A cell phone is muggle tech. It’s… an electronic device. They usually have a touch screen instead of a lot of buttons, like they used to. They’re mainly used for communicating with other people instantly. And there’s a bunch of different types. Some are iPhones, made by Apple, which is what Hermione and I have. And many are androids, made by companies like Samsung, Telus, Blackberry…”

Ron was leaning towards him. “Do you have one?”

“Yeah! It’s upstairs in my trunk actually, same as ‘Mione.”

“What else can you do with it?” Draco asked, wonder in his eyes.

Harry grinned. “It depends on the phone. But I can text, call, listen to music, play games, go on social media, take photos, check the weather, video chat, watch videos, use the calendar, write notes, order food, collect contacts, use the maps… lots of things.”

“Social media?”

“Like Instagram, snapchat, facebook, twitter… they’re platforms where you an interact with other people. Snapchat lets you send photos and videos quickly. Instagram you share photos and captions for people to like and comment on… stuff like that.”

“Wicked,” said Ron. “Can we see?”

“It doesn’t work in the castle, Ron. Just like electric lights and TVs.”

“Oh.”

“Eventually, though. Promise.”

Just then Hermione strode back into the hall and waved her phone at them as she approached. She handed it to Harry, frowning. “I don’t know how it’s dead! It’s been off since we’ve been back at school.”

“Maybe it’s not dead,” Harry mused, holding down the power button. The dead battery sign didn’t show up. “Have you ever tried turning it on here before? It might just be some kind of block because of the magic.”

“That’s true. I’ll just take it up to Dumbledore and I’ll be right back.” She was barely gone a minute before she returned, sliding back in next to Ron. “He says he’ll have it back to me by lunch. He has to confer with my family, as well as the high school we’re to attend.”

“But Hermione, what about your long-distance and minutes?”

“Don’t worry, Harry. Dumbledore’s sorting it out.”

Pansy looked between them, utterly lost. “Her what now?”

Hermione and Harry both laughed. “Nevermind. It’s not important right now.”

*

The group decided to head outside after breakfast. They boys insisted on going flying and Hermione and Pansy agreed to come watch. They ran out to the quidditch pitch, Harry swinging the door open, laughing because he beat Ron to it. Draco grinned as he stepped inside, quickly emerging with his Nimbus 2001. Harry emerged behind him with his Firebolt, nudged him with his elbow, then shot into the air over the pitch. Draco shook his head with a smirk, then followed Harry, Ron right behind him.

Harry pulled up next to Hermione and Pansy in the stands. “’Mione, can you do me a favour?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Can you get the quaffle and snitch from the Gryffindor Quidditch case?”

She nodded. “Be right back.”

Harry took to weaving in and out of the goalposts, while Draco flew laps of the pitch, lying low over his broom. Ron practiced rolling and hanging on his broom, going through the motions he’d grown so accustomed to. Draco flew past both Ron and Harry, whooping at the speed, the brisk air on his face. It was mild for the end of January, hovering around 0 degrees, and he could not have been happier to have the cold air shocking his body. His hair blew back off of his forehead and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He’d missed flying. Missed quidditch.

“Harry!” To everyone’s surprise, Hermione and Pansy emerged not in the stands, but in the air on school brooms. Pansy held the quaffle under one arm, while Hermione held the snitch closed in one fist. “We thought we’d join you!”

The boys grinned at the two girls. Ron came to a stop in front of them. “I bet you can’t score on me, ‘Mione.”

“Maybe I can’t, but Harry can! Let’s scrimmage. Just for fun.”

“Yes!” Harry beamed. “Me and Hermione against Draco and Pansy.”

“Jokes on you,” Draco chortled. “Pansy could’ve played Quidditch if she wanted to!”

“I’ve been flying since I could walk,” she said sweetly, smiling at the pair.

“Then why didn’t you play?” Harry asked.

“Meh,” she shrugged. “Not really my thing. Doesn’t mean I’m not good at it.” With that, she took off with the quaffle, Harry taking after her.

Hermione gripped her broom with both hands, leaning forwards to set herself in motion. She headed after Harry and Pansy, watching out of the corner of her eye as Draco diverted and lowered himself underneath where Pansy would loop around. Sure enough, Pansy dropped the quaffle to him and he headed towards Ron. Hermione, shaking with laughter, tried to get in his way.

“Move, Granger! You’re in my way!”

“No!”

“You’re gunna get a face full of broom—”

She slid to the side at the last moment, beside herself. Pansy came down next to her and stuck her tongue out, laughing as well. Together they watched the rocket that was Harry shoot after Draco and elbow him. He fumbled the quaffle but kept possession. He dove, and Harry followed suit, digging his arm up under Draco’s to pop the ball out and speed away. He tossed the ball towards the left-most hoop, but Ron kicked it away. It soared across the stadium, then started falling, and Hermione left Pansy behind, heading for the quaffle. Pansy, who hadn’t expected Hermione’s eagerness for the ball, headed after her, but not before she could catch it. She weaved around Pansy and headed for the goal. Draco flew up beside her, poking her side to get her to drop it. It worked, but when she dropped it Harry sped by underneath and caught it, pivoting and heading back for Ron. Draco and Pansy sandwiched him and Draco took the quaffle, sending it through the centre hoop. The two of them cheered while Ron guffawed, and Harry and Hermione laughed along with them.

As they were laughing, Hermione spotted a spec of gold hovering behind Ron. She nodded in that direction and Harry’s gaze followed hers, immediately sending him after the snitch. A blur of blond passed Hermione, and she could barely see Draco for the speed at which he followed Harry. The girls began taking shots on Ron as the seekers dove after the gold orb.

Harry and Draco were side by side, zooming through the supports of the stadium after the snitch. It fluttered up and don and between the beams, teasing them with its proximity before speeding up. Draco leaned against Harry, driving him to the side of their path, but Harry pushed back. They wrestled for the lead, but the snitch rose higher, and soon they were shooting straight up into the air after it. They passed through the opposite goal posts and straight back towards the girls before making a sharp dive, gliding s close to the grass as they could. Finally they both reached, reached, reached—too far, tumbling off of their brooms, both believing they had the snitch as they hit the grass.

Harry and Draco looked up at the same time, hearing the other three coming down to them. In both of their fingertips was the snitch, and they had landed in a heap, their brooms side by side a few feet away. Both boys burst out laughing.

“How did we both manage to catch it?” Draco howled, almost crying from laughing so hard.

Harry choked out his answer, holding his stomach with his other hand. “I-I don’t know! I… how?”

Draco shook his head, studying the snitch that was now in his palm. “Well, Harry. I guess we both won.”

*

They were all starving by the time they sat down in the Great Hall for lunch. The platters full of sandwiches and fruit dwindled quickly as they filled their plates, the juice even faster into their goblets. The group barely spoke as they mowed down on their food, the chatter of all the other students drowning out what little they actually mumbled through their food.

McGonagall came over to them halfway through their lunch, holding Hermione’s phone and a scroll.  Hermione nodded her thanks to her and unravelled the scroll.

“What is it?” Pansy asked.

She glanced up at her. “It’s the plan for if Lucius threatens Draco again.”

The smile fell from the blonds’ face. “And? What’s it say?”

She looked up at him before reading through the scroll for a second time. “We will be staying with my Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Christian, and their three daughters, Alana, Nova, and Leah. They live in Ontario, which is one of the Canadian provinces. Uh… it’s a pretty small town but it’s not too far from one of the big cities. Toronto. We are to go to a muggle high school in their town, Fairmount Heights Secondary School. And we’ll be allowed to practice magic on the side to keep up with our studies.”

“Why can’t we go to the American Wizarding School?” Draco asked.

She pursed her lips, contemplating how to phrase it. “We’d be too easy to track if we went to Ilvermorny, plus, their Ministry would know we were there, and they’re in contact with our ministry. And before any of you ask, we have to go to muggle school. If we don’t and people see a bunch of teenagers not in school, it will just raise suspicion and cause more trouble that we don’t need.”

Draco nodded. “Okay. Makes sense. What magic can we practice while we’re there?”

Hermione scanned the parchment again. “Everything we are currently taking, it looks like. But we will have to be very careful with potions, obviously. I’ll put a charm on our luggage to make it bigger, and so no one can see what we are really carrying in our bags.”

“Alright.”

“But, we will have to take some classes while we are there, so we will have to choose some courses. Dumbledore gave my phone access, how I don’t know, to the internet so we can choose our courses tomorrow should we have to leave at shot notice. Can we meet in the library after lunch?”

Harry nodded with Pansy and Draco. Ron only looked at her, bewildered. “What’s the internet?”

She shook her head with a laugh. “I know this is kinda daunting, but if we end up going, I think it will be a good experience. For all of us.”

“Yeah,” said Harry. “Imagine how much more we can confuse them!”