On the Precipice

Harry took to researching two-way mirrors as obsessively as he had tried to figure out what Draco was doing all year in the Room of Requirement. He really hoped he’d have more luck with the mirrors than he’d had with Draco. It helped that he had someone assisting him this time.

Nott lent Harry his book on blood magic, and a second one he’d borrowed from a housemate. Harry expressed concern about someone else knowing they – or at least Nott – were suddenly interested in blood magic. Nott reassured Harry that he didn’t tell them why he wanted to borrow their book, and he certainly never mentioned Harry’s name when he asked.

Harry found both books interesting, though they were a little above Harry’s very beginner knowledge on the subject. He needed Nott to explain a good portion of what he read, but they couldn’t speak about it while surrounded by other students. Harry’s progress was also hindered by his regular classes.

Monday had been a grueling day. He’d had to put aside his eagerness about the mirrors and pretend he had the same amount of interest in every single one of his classes. As much as he was able, he tried to portray myself as a well-adjusted and dedicated student. This meant he couldn’t be caught studying content unrelated to the class, even once he completed the classwork. It wasn’t worth risking his professor’s attention and then being saddled with a mind healer.

Harry thought he did a good job of alleviating any concerns Snape might have put in their heads. He made sure to arrive on time, he handed in all of his assignments, and he answered at least one question in each class. Only McGonagall and Snape seemed to spend an excessive amount of time observing him. At least McGonagall wasn’t sneering at him while she watched him successfully demonstrate each spell. Snape hovered around him and appeared disappointed that Harry managed to complete all his missed assignments on time, but thankfully he didn’t try to touch Harry. Harry had made sure his stance was near perfect to avoid it. The only time Snape’s attention wasn’t on him was when another student asked for his help. Harry was exceedingly grateful when Nott called over the dour professor, and even the other Slytherin boys kept the man occupied for the majority of the class time.

If Snape and McGonagall weren’t bad enough, the other students regained interest in him after Lance’s first article was published in Monday’s paper. That first article was a short piece that let the public know Harry had become a young activist who was hoping to improve Azkaban and the overall policies surrounding wizard incarceration. Harry had expected this, as Lance informed him he would conduct some research and interview others before he started publishing more in-depth articles. Unfortunately, it seemed that once Harry was willing to open up to a reporter, the other students felt intitled to ask their own questions. Neither Ron nor Hermione were surprised when Harry announced his intention to spend another night in the library, despite having managed to catch up with coursework.

Ron still wasn’t eager to have Nott join them. Sensing this, Nott asked Ron if he wanted to go play a game of chess once they’d both finished their homework. Harry didn’t know if it was the opportunity to get away, or the fact that Nott suggested his favourite game, but Ron agreed without making a fuss and implying Nott was up to something nefarious.

Even though it left Harry almost alone, he still couldn’t focus completely on the mirror because Hermione was there. He studied transfiguration and charm theory, which he though he could apply to the mirrors. He even looked into some potions, but he wouldn’t be able to tie them together in any meaningful way until he understood blood magic better.

That did not mean he didn’t try other spells when he was awake and alone while all his housemate slept. Unfortunately, no matter what he tried, he only saw his own reflection in the handheld mirror. It had initially been surprising how healthy he looked. There were no bags under his eyes even though he hadn’t slept for the longest time. There were no teenage acne littering his skin. In fact, his skin almost seemed to glow. He knew he should be pleased. If he looked healthy then his professors were more likely to believe it too. However, Harry was all too aware that this health was due to slowly consuming Burke’s soul. He hated being reminded of it every time he looked at his reflection.

Tuesday was a better day for him. Another one of Lance’s articles was published, but Harry was merely quoted in it along with various others. That one was focused on the need for a medi-witch or wizard to be assigned to Azkaban on a permanent, daily basis. Lance provided statistics on the deaths that had occurred in Azkaban over the past decade. One of the people he’d interviewed implied that some of those deaths could have been avoided with proper medical care. There were no statistics on the injuries that occurred in Azkaban, but Lance used Harry’s quote about prisoner’s injuries being left untreated. Lance stressed the need for the guards to get some basic medical training (though Harry knew that wasn’t the full reason as to why they didn’t tend to prisoners’ wounds). The article ended with a comparison to three other wizarding prisons that had an on-site medi-witch. While their injury and death rates were still too high, they were better than Azkaban’s.

There had also been a smaller article that mentioned Harry had been called to testify in Albert’s trial. Naturally Hermione had seen it and brought it to Ron and Neville’s attention. Having no choice but to address it, Harry confirmed it as he got a letter from Hale that morning telling him he would be needed at the ministry tomorrow.

“Why only you?” asked Hermione. Harry shrugged and pretended he didn’t know.

McGonagall informed him that she would be the one to take him to the ministry. It left him worried about what she would think about his testimony, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

All in all, he made little progress with the mirror that day. In Charms, they learnt a spell that could link several brooms so that a wizard could send them out to clean his house and call them all back with a single tap to the location where they’d be stored. It wasn’t exactly the spell Harry needed, but it gave him an opportunity to ask Flitwick some questions about connecting objects. Flitwick emphasized there was a maximum distance before the spell broke down, but also hinted there were ways to increase that distance with what he called complex magic. He did not mention blood magic outright, but Harry suspected that was what his professor was referring to, and he was hopeful knowing it was possible.

He made no progress researching in the library that night, though he found it encouraging that Ron seemed less tense around Nott. Whatever happened during their chess game was enough for Ron to not only tolerate having the Slytherin at their table, but actually greet him when he sat down. Harry wouldn’t go so far as to call them friends, though they were at least friendly.

Harry had hoped to use the time Ron and Hermione were busy with prefect duties to work with Nott on the mirrors. That plan was disrupted when Ginny and Luna slid into Ron and Hermione’s vacated seats. He was somewhat mollified by their interruption when he caught Nott’s expression when Luna pulled out a quill that had one of her radish earrings attached to it.

“I can’t wear my earrings during this time of the year because the legonian purioes are attracted to them and they always get stuck in ear wax. They tend to bite as they pull themselves back out,” Luna explained. She rather liked that pair of earrings and thought it safe enough to keep on a quill. To Theo’s credit, he merely nodded along though his face held a stupefied expression for a rather long time afterwards.

Nott managed to win over Ginny a lot easier than Ron. It probably helped that Ginny didn’t have the same history with the sixth year Slytherins boys. As he made both girls laugh several times, Harry found himself re-evaluating his impression of Nott. The other boy had always seemed quiet and a bit of a loner. He was reserved in the same way his father was, but Harry used to think Theo wasn’t as confident as Albert. It was surprising to see how charming he could be if he wanted. Theo was likely only alone most of the time because he wanted to be.

“Look over my Defense work?” Theo asked and passed over a scroll. Harry dutifully read it and was amused when half-way through he found a note addressed to him.

Harry,
Meet me in the second to last classroom on the third floor tonight. We can go over those books I lent you.

Can I ask Draco about it? I won’t go into specifics if you don’t want me to, but he knows this subject better than I do.

It was easy to agree to the first part, but he debated about whether to involve Draco. It was tempting as it would give Harry an excuse to spend time with Draco. It would also get him away from whatever he was doing in the Room of Requirement. But Harry also wanted it to be a surprise; a gift he could use to impress Draco. He didn’t know which option was more selfish.

You can ask him general questions, but I don’t want to get his hopes up if we can’t get it to work. Maybe wait and see where we are at the end of the week. We can bring him in if we’re stuck...?

Theo nodded when he read Harry’s response. Both got back to work, pretending Harry had just been helping Theo with his Defense homework. It amused him when Ginny got Theo to read over two of her assignments, the second one the boy practically ended up writing for her.

“You went to Slughorn’s party with Luna, right?” asked Theo once the girls left.

“Yeah,” Harry answered.

“Is there something between you two?” he wondered.

“Me and Luna? No, she’s just a friend... I knew she’d make Slughorn’s party more interesting,” Harry said.

“Did she talk about legonian purioes then too?” asked Theo with a bemused smile.

“And nargles, and blibbering humbingers, and dabberblimps,” Harry confirmed.

“What are those?” asked Theo.

“No idea,” responded Harry.

“What about you and Weasley then? I mean girl Weasley – though if there’s something between you and boy Weasley, I’d want to know that bit of gossip,” Theo teased.

“There’s nothing between me and any Weasleys,” Harry said with a laugh. It surprised him, but he was actually OK with just being Ginny’s friend.

“Good,” Theo responded. Harry blinked in surprise. He wasn’t sure why that would be good, unless Theo was interested in Ginny. If that was the case, then Harry worried it would set back all progress Theo had made with Ron if the redhead figured out Theo was interested in Ginny.

Later that night, Harry snuck out to meet Theo so the other boy could give him a quick tutorial on the basics of blood magic. He didn’t know if it was sitting in a dark square room, learning one-on-one, or just Theo himself, but it reminded Harry of the nights he spent learning magic from the other prisoners. They agreed to meet again the next day, meeting in the classroom right after classes ended so they wouldn’t lose sleep two nights in a row. The latter wasn’t a concern for Harry, but he didn’t want Theo to go without.

On Wednesday, Harry went to the ministry with McGonagall while everyone else attended classes. It was a new experience to attend a trial rather than being the one on trial. Considering his friend was the one strapped to a chair, Harry found he didn’t like attending it any more than he had his own. Albert seemed unbothered, but Harry knew how uncomfortable and demeaning that chair felt.

Harry’s testimony was set to take place after two ministry workers were questioned. The two of them had been present the night of Albert’s arrest, and were asked a series of questions that had them confirming Albert had been arrested while in a Death Eater’s uniform, and they later saw his Dark Mark. Despite the damning evidence, Hale did not seem worried. When he was allowed to question them, he asked them about the other Death Eaters’ behaviour that night, especially Bellatrix’s, and contrasted it to Albert’s less enthusiastic demeanor.

Next to him, McGonagall scoffed. Harry was certain she had already figured out what angle Hale was setting up. Harry thought the man was mostly successful. He didn’t get much out of the first ministry worker, but the second one became flustered at Hale’s questions. Hawkworth had tried to dismiss him early, but Hale pressed on until the man covered everything Hale wanted him to.

Harry was sweating by the time his name was called. He hated being back in the courtroom and was terrified he’d screw it up for Hale and Albert. McGonagall tried to be supportive as Harry rose from his seat, but Harry was unable to look at her knowing she wouldn’t like whatever he ended up saying while on the stand.

Hale started the questioning by walking Harry through the events of the night Albert was arrested. Hale glossed over a few things Harry had mentioned during their private meetings, so Harry tried to follow his lead as best as he could and kept details to minimum. If McGonagall made a big deal about it later, Harry could claim he'd been worried about getting himself or his friends in trouble. What would be harder to explain were Harry’s memories of that night previously submitted into the trial.

Those memories were a big point of contention among Runecraft and his cohorts. They kept asking him if he truly provided a memory of some event from that night but were vague describing it. Harry figured they probably were trying to catch him in a lie. Harry eventually just kept answering those questions by stating that if Hale submitted it and said it Harry’s memory then it was. A wizard Harry vaguely remembered at his own trial had asked about a ‘suspicious’ spell Hermione had cast in a memory. Before Hale could jump in, another wizengamot member insisted that the children weren’t on trial and they ought to focus on Albert. While Harry was certain Hermione hadn’t been silently casting dark arts that night, he suddenly feared Runecraft or one of the others would try to use it against his friends.

When their attempt to discredit Harry’s memories failed, they focused their attention on asking Harry questions. Harry felt like they picked apart anything he said as much as they could. Runecraft in particular tried to twist Harry's words. Several times he quoted some statements Harry had made from the transcript Hale submitted to the court, purposely cut to be damning. Each time, Harry glared at the man and elaborated so it wasn't as negative for Albert. Ito tried to censor Harry once, but Hale stepped in, read the whole statement Harry had previously given, and simply asked Harry to confirm that he’d said it.

“Enough, Mr. Runecraft. Considering your history with Mr. Potter, he’d likely say he was a Death Eater just to spite you,” Madame Bones said as she took over the questioning. Despite Harry preference for Madame Bones, he was nervous by this turn of events. He would not be able to pretend she was twisting his words around should McGonagall ask later. Harry was willing to expressly state Albert had his full support; he just dreaded having to explain it to his professors who were already keeping too close of an eye on him.

“Mr. Potter, have you seen the Dark Mark on Mr. Nott?” asked Bones in a calm manner that strongly contrasted Runecraft’s harsh approach.

“Yes,” Harry answered truthfully. There was no point in lying about that since it was already known the man was marked, and Harry would have seen it in Azkaban’s showers.

“Did he ever mention why he became a Death Eater?” asked Bones.

“No,” Harry once again answered truthfully. This time, Bones frowned. She’d probably hoped for some cellblock confessions, but Harry and the other prisoners had been careful about mentioning the whole Death Eater business. They hadn’t ignore it – they couldn’t – but they saw no reason to dwell on it either.

“Has he ever expressed negative thoughts about muggles, or said he’d like to hurt them?” asked Bones. Harry frowned because the answer was yes, but he didn’t want to say so. However, if he said no, it would probably be obvious that Harry was lying for Albert. Harry got the impression Albert hadn’t censored himself prior to arrest. Harry knew he’d have to give Bones a delicate balance of truth, lies, and misdirection so that Harry’s statements came across as honest, believable, and left a good impression of Albert.

“The... his cousin was killed by a muggle. He wasn’t... too fond of him,” Harry decided to state. It was something Albert had told him about near the beginning of his imprisonment, when Harry defended muggles as a whole group. All of the Death Eaters had similar stories, and Harry found it hard to defend those muggles. He knew there was a long history of muggles hunting and killing witches and wizard, and that carried pain and anger from one generation to the next. But he’d seen the other side of it too and wizards hurting muggles or portraying muggleborns as less valued or deserving of their magical gifts was not a good response to that. Harry still didn’t believe all muggles were bad; they shouldn’t suffer if wizards sought their revenge for deeds done by someone else. But he’d be lying if he tried to claim that their arguments hadn’t worked on some level. He hoped the wizengamot felt the same.

“He also mentioned that his friend had been attacked by muggles when they caught him kissing another bloke. It was years ago, and muggles are better now – well, some of them are – about that sort of thing. I mean, it could still happen, but it might not... Anyway, I’d, er, be mad about that too,” Harry said. He’d been grateful to have the more accepting magical world when he’d realized he was bi. He wasn’t sure what would have happened if he’d only had the Dursleys’ opinions to guide him through that realization. While some muggles were more accepting, the Dursleys were not among them. Dudley and his friends had thrown several slurs at him while Harry hunting. Dudley had even made jokes about Cedric, even though he must have realized Harry was screaming his name due to nightmares and not wet dreams. He suspected the Dursleys didn’t actually believe there was any truth to the homophobic name-calling they sent his way. If they had, his summers with them would have been a whole lot worse.

“And...” Harry paused before the next example could spill out. Perhaps because he’d thought about the Dursleys, he almost mentioned Albert’s hatred for them too, but he caught himself in time. His reluctance to mention them wasn’t for Albert’s sake though. He knew he could find a way to justify any hatred the man had said about them, but it would cost Harry to do so. He thought it best to spare both of them the potential trouble. Unfortunately, some members of the wizengamot caught on that he’d almost said something of importance.

“And?” prompted Runecraft.

Harry tensed, because of course it was Runecraft, and Bones hadn’t been wrong about Harry saying things just to spite him. Harry glanced at Albert and made a quick decision even though he knew he’d regret it on a personal level later.

“Once, I'd had a nightmare. The dementors had just been by, so I was... unsettled. I must have talked in my sleep,” Harry started with a lie because he couldn't explain the memories Albert had seen with the occlumency/legimency lessons. “I didn’t mean to tell him, but he s- heard some of it. He asked ...”

“What did you tell him?” ask Hale. Harry glanced at him nervously. He knew he was off script and that Hale wasn't prepared for whatever Harry was about to say. Harry debated if he should move forward or back out. He hadn’t come to the trial expecting to mention the Dursleys. Harry knew he could use it as an example of ‘acceptable’ anger and hatred spoken about muggles, but he didn't know how much that would actually help Albert. It didn’t directly relate to the Death Eater charges.

“Harry?” prompted Bones. The court was quiet. Too quiet.  

“He – I...” Harry glanced down as he did not want to look at anyone while he shared the story. “When I was younger, my cousin... got his friends to chase me. I knew I couldn't let them catch me. They’d – I couldn’t let them catch me, so I accidentally apparated to the roof of my school. I didn't know how to get down. Someone living near the school called the police – er, they’re muggle aurors – and a fireman came to get me down. The teachers were upset, kept asking me how I got to the roof, and I didn't know what to say. When my aunt and uncle came to get me, they... were... upset.” 

“What did they do?” asked Hale when Harry stalled for too long. Harry glanced nervously at Hale, but the man did not seem upset that Harry was saying something they hadn’t previously discussed. He hoped Hale saw where Harry was going, and knew Harry had the best intentions for Albert. But that didn't make it any easier for Harry to actually say it.

“My uncle... he didn't want me to know magic was real, so he kept saying I was lying about just suddenly appearing on the roof. He said if I couldn't stop lying on my own, he'd make sure I wouldn't be able to. He...”

“How did he try to stop you?” asked Hale.

“He... hit me. Just a few times; it’s not like it was something he did all the time or anything. But he was really angry so he hit me that time, and locked me in my – in the cupboard,” Harry admitted. He was flooded with shame as a few of the witches and wizards broke their silence to whisper to each other. “It wasn’t too bad. I mean, it didn’t hurt for too long. I think, I think I might have unknowingly healed myself with magic.”

There were a couple of minutes where no one said anything, just watched Harry or exchanged glances with their neighbors. Harry knew that if the courtroom didn't have anti-apparating wards all over it, he would have accidentally apparated himself back to his old school’s roof just to get away from everyone. He looked at Hale somewhat desperately.

“What did Mr. Nott say when you revealed this to him?” asked Hale.

“I said I’d kill them,” Albert declared before Harry could respond. Harry looked at him in shock. Albert was watching him with concern.

“He doesn't mean it. Not really,” Harry said quickly. He knew Albert was capable of killing them, but that wasn't the message he should be sending. Harry didn't reveal one of his most shameful secrets for Albert to prove Runecraft and the others right. It was meant to provide an understandable reason to why Albert might have spoken poorly about muggles to Harry, but ultimately wouldn't help Runecraft build a case. It wouldn't work if Albert started giving them a reason to accuse him of planning to murder some muggles.

“Why do you think that?” asked Hale before the wizengamot could react.

“Because... I’m not his son. He shouldn’t risk Azkaban just for that. Besides,” Harry glanced at McGonagall but looked away before he could interpret her expression, “people don’t always do what they say they will.”

“Harry,” a witch Harry didn’t recognize spoke in a gentle tone, “you don’t have to be family for someone to care. If you would have come to the ministry, we would have made sure you weren’t kept in that unsafe environment.”

Harry couldn't help the derisive snort he gave at that statement. The woman went from sympathetic to insulted quickly, so Harry cut in before she could say anything else. “The ministry hasn't bothered to do anything but blame me for underage magic, whether or not it was actually me that did it, and even when it was me, no one cared about why I needed to use magic.”

“Has there been more... incidents with your uncle like the one you described?” ask the witch sitting next to Bones.

“How... is that relevant to Albert's case?” ask Harry, not wanting to say anything more on the subject. He succeeded in distracting them as they debated whether to address what Harry had revealed immediately.

“As the ladies and gentlemen of the wizengamot are proving, you cannot fault my client for expressing anger against these particular muggles,” stated Hale.

“While this... situation is terrible, the ministry cannot condone violence against muggles,” a wizard stated.

“My client has not harmed any muggles. He merely expressed anger when he heard about a case of child abuse,” Hale counter. Harry cringed as it was stated so bluntly.

“He might not have hurt these muggles, but he’s a Death Eater. He must have hurt some muggles at some point,” stated Hawkworth.

“You have no evidence to support that claim,” Hale countered.

“He just said he’d kill them five minutes ago,” Ito pointed out.

“An understandable reaction. An exaggerated one that many of us might use when hearing such a story. If anyone here says they don’t want retribution, they are either lying or heartless,” Hale boldly stated. Despite how uncomfortable Harry felt, he relaxed as Hale brought the topic back in the direction Harry was aiming for when he decided to share.

“It was only after hearing stories like... after hearing how a muggle hurt someone magical that Albert would speak poorly of muggles. At least to me,” Harry said to further encourage them away from Harry’s mortification.

There was some resistance from the wizengamot who wanted to keep asking Harry about his home life. He didn’t know if it was genuine concern or just a morbid fascination and a desire to gossip. Harry was grateful when Bones forcibly steered the questioning back to Harry’s experiences with Albert.

Their next major focus was trying to determine if Albert had spoken against the ministry. Harry used to opportunity to remind them of their own failings by mentioning Albert hadn’t been happy to hear about Umbridge at Hogwarts. Scrimegeour, who’d been surprisingly quiet up until then, insisted that that was a failing of the previous minister. Given the direction Harry was willing to take this line of questioning, the wizengamot decided to drop it quickly.

They asked if Albert ever told Harry what he’d do if he was released. Harry said he didn’t know Albert’s plans, but he obviously missed his son just as much as Theo missed his dad, so he’d likely try to contact him. Hale gave him a miniscule nod at his response.

The last significant question they asked was whether or not Harry believed Albert could be rehabilitated. Harry was quick to say yes, and reinforced how kind Albert had been to him.

He left the stand after that. He felt everyone’s eyes on him as he returned to McGonagall’s side. He was uncomfortable with the attention. Harry regretted revealing so much, but he also knew he'd do it again for Albert.

McGonagall didn't say anything when Harry sat down but slowly reached for his hand. When Harry didn't object, she gripped him tight. Harry watched her from the corner of his eye and felt guilty for the sad expression he knew he put there.

Harry and McGonagall stayed a little longer at the trial as they initially planned to leave when the court adjourned just in case Harry was called back. Harry assumed they would once they got their bearings back, but they never did. The rest of the testimonies went quickly and were more subdued than those that occurred before Harry’s. Consequently, Hale was able to lead the questioning to best support his case. Harry was surprised to learn Hale was not only trying to say Albert had been an unwilling participant the night he was arrested, but that he was also an unwilling Death Eater. Hale claimed Albert was forced into it initially and been trapped ever since. He was rather convincing. Enough that Harry might have believed it himself if he didn't know Albert supported most of the Death Eaters’ goals. By the time he and McGonagall left the ministry, Harry started to believe Albert had a chance. He just hoped Voldemort wouldn't be feeling murderous at anyone publicly denying the glory of being his bootlicker. 

“Harry,” McGonagall said once they were back at Hogwarts and away from potential eavesdroppers. Harry tensed as he waited for her to berate him for supporting a known Death Eater. However, when McGonagall finally found her voice, it wasn’t Harry she berated.

“I owe you an apology. I have failed you. I suspect it has been multiple times over the years,” McGonagall said.

“What?” asked Harry.

“I’d known your relatives weren’t... the good sort, but I had not imagined they would resort to... well, I should have made more of an effort to check in no matter how busy life got,” she said.

“Er, that’s alright,” Harry said. He didn’t know what to say to that, nor did he want to talk about it anymore.

“Kind of you to say, but it’s not,” McGonagall insisted. They watched each other awkwardly for a moment as neither were the overly emotional sort. Harry very much wanted to leave, but didn’t want to be rude.

“You have always been a remarkable young man. I’ve admired the strength you’ve shown in your latest troubles, but I suppose that is nothing new for you,” McGonagall said.

“Er,” Harry would have taken it as a compliment if McGonagall didn’t sound so sad.

“I understand if you don’t feel comfortable coming to me as I’ve obviously failed you in my duties as your Head of House. I’ll always be willing to listen should you want to talk. I hope...” McGonagall paused briefly before she pressed on. “I ask that you consider the possibility of a mind healer-”

“I don’t need-”

“Perhaps not. It’s not for everyone. It wasn’t suitable for me either,” she admitted.

“You?” asked Harry.

“When my husband died, well, I found it to be a difficult adjustment. I tried a few sessions with a mind healer. However, talking openly about myself is not something that comes naturally for me. You may find the same to be true for you,” McGonagall realized that while she had always considered herself to be a private person, Harry was used to keeping his secrets for a different reason. Still, it may end with the same result when it came to mind healers. “After a few sessions, I decided it wasn’t for me and found another way to deal with my grief. There isn’t one straightforward way to heal. I just hope you don’t discount it simply because Severus was the one to suggest it,” McGonagall said.

Harry eventually nodded in agreement. He wasn’t convinced he needed a mind healer, but he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to read some of the material Hermione had given him. McGonagall looked at him so intently as she tried to gauge his sincerity that Harry would have worried about legimency if it had been Dumbledore or Snape.

“Very well,” McGonagall said. After another awkward offer to talk, which Harry declined, the two parted ways. Harry could feel her concerned gaze track his departure. He didn’t dare stay. Once her guilt and concern faded, she would remember that Harry had gone to the trial to support a known Death Eater. He didn’t want to see her concern turn to anger.

Harry wanted to be alone. He knew his friends would have questions, and he wasn’t ready to relive the embarrassment of revealing too much. He was tempted to ignore Theo as well, but he knew Theo would be concerned about his father’s trial. So, Harry headed to the unused classroom the two had planned to meet in to work on the mirror. Theo joined him almost immediately after classes ended.

“Overall, I think his trial is going well. At least, better than I expected,” Harry said as Theo sat down next to him.

“Then why do you look so miserable?” asked Theo. Harry sighed.

“I accidentally revealed something personal that I had no intention of sharing,” Harry said. Theo raised an eyebrow at Harry’s vague answer so Harry quickly moved on with his recap.

“Do you know Hale’s strategy?” he asked. When Theo shook his head negatively, Harry began explaining what happened with the testimonies and how Harry thought it fit into Hale’s overall reframing of that night’s events. When he got to the part where he spoke about the Dursleys, he tried to gloss over it.

“I was more or less asked if your dad ever expressed murderous urges towards muggles. I couldn’t exactly say he was all for it, so I tried to think of acceptable examples,” Harry explained.

“Acceptable?” asked Theo with surprise.

“Well not acceptable acceptable, but, er, understandable, I guess,” Harry amended uncertainly. “Like the muggles who’ve hurt someone.”

Harry didn’t specify his relatives. He figured Theo would find out soon enough anyway, and he didn’t want to be present when he did. If Theo had already made the link to Harry’s earlier statement about personal information, he didn’t try to confirm it.

Of course, Harry had to be more upfront about the Dursleys when he eventually rejoined his friends. Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny all trailed him to the dorm room for some privacy.

“How the hell did the Dursleys come up at Nott’s trial?” asked Ron.

“I don’t know,” Harry sighed. He was the one that broached the subject, but it certainly hadn’t been something he planned. “They asked if Albert ever mentioned wanting to hurt muggles... I told them, er, only certain kinds.”

“And what kinds are those?” asked Hermione defensively.

“The kind that hurts others,” Harry said. Hermione deflated at that, and suddenly everyone understood how the Dursleys might have been mentioned. They were still confused about how Albert knew about them in the first place, but weren’t sure if the should ask Harry about it.

“Recon that’ll make the papers,” Ron said. Harry groaned in response. After a moment, Ron joined in with his own. “Guess this means we’re pretty much living in the library for the rest of the year. It’s Hermione’s dream come true.”

“Not under these circumstances,” Hermione defended, “... though, I suppose that is a silver lining of sorts.”

“Maybe it won’t be that bad,” Neville said, but he didn’t look convinced. Harry didn’t believe it for a second. Rightfully so, as it was bad. Front page news bad.

HARRY POTTER ABUSED BY MUGGLE RELATIVES! was the headline that greeted him the next morning. Harry couldn’t bring himself to read it, so Hermione summarized it for him. The Dursleys were presented as magic-hating muggles that had tormented him for years. While true, Harry thought it wasn’t as bad as the papers were making it seem. The reporter made sure to highlight that neither the headmaster or the minister commented on the issue, but another ministry underling was quoted saying they were looking into it and would “rectify Dumbledore and Fudge’s past mistakes.” Harry thought it unlikely and dreaded what his summer would be like.

Tired of the scrutiny, Harry decided to skip his afternoon classes. The pitying looks from his classmates were hard deal with, but he knew it would be nothing compared to whatever Snape had in store for him. Harry didn’t have the energy to deal with it even if it gave Snape more time to think up ways to humiliate Harry when he inevitable had to go back to class.

Instead, Harry spent his afternoon working on the mirror. He read through the books Theo had lent him with ease after he’d had a crash course on the subject. As he added to the notes Theo had started. Harry took care to print clearly as he’d already caught Theo squinting at Harry’s usual messy scrawl.

After cross referencing a theory in several books, Harry thought of another approach he could try. He wasn’t overly confident, but didn’t want to wait a couple of hours so he could run it by Theo. Harry checked the time to ensure the guards weren’t likely to be patrolling their block, crossed his fingers, and tried yet another spell.

“Lucius?... Lucius?” Harry called.

“Harry?” was the confused response.

“Holy shit!” Harry exclaimed when his own reflection gave way to show Lucius’ face. They blinked at each other in surprise. Harry recovered first and gave Lucius what was possibly the biggest smile Harry had ever given anyone.

“What? How?” Lucius muttered in a confused manner. Harry’s view suddenly went wonky as Lucius started moving around. “Are you seeing this?” came Lucius’ voice, but it was Albert’s face in the mirror this time.

“Harry?” asked Albert.

“Hello,” Harry said cheekily.

There was more shaky movement in the mirror. By the time the view settled again, Harry was able to see part of Lucius and part of Albert in the mirror. It was obvious they were both awkwardly squished against the wall separating their cells so that both men could see the mirror at once.

“How are you doing this?” asked Lucius. Harry launched into an explanation of how he managed to create a new mirror and connect the two. He worried that Albert would be upset about the risk Theo took to help, but Harry wanted to give credit where it was due. Fortunately, Albert was far too impressed to be upset.

“Remarkable,” he praised.

“I’ll get Theo and Draco,” Harry said excitedly.

“Wait a moment,” Albert cut in before Harry could so much as shift. “How are you?”

“Er, fine,” Harry said. Even though Albert’s face was squished against the wall, and only half of it was visible to Harry, he still caught the man’s unimpressed look. “I mean... it’s in the paper, so I’m kind of... hiding in a random classroom.”

“There is nothing you have to be embarrassed about,” Lucius said, which confirmed Harry’s belief that Albert would have given them updates on the trial.

“I just want to avoid all the questions... and stares... it’s been non-stop since I got back,” Harry admitted.

“Don’t worry, Potts. I’ll take care of those muggles for you,” Mulciber offered. Harry couldn’t see him, but he could picture the bloodthirsty look on his face. Despite the genuine offer of bodily harm, possibly even murder, Harry couldn’t help but smile in response. He’d missed the man. He missed all of them.

“Please don’t. The ministry would just assume it was me and send me right back to my cell,” Harry said.

“So Albert, how did your trial go today?” asked Harry, purposely changing the subject.

“Mixed,” Albert said. “The ministry made some last-minute changes to their witnesses and experts. Probably hoped to throw Reginald off. Bastards clearly coached them all on what to say,” Albert recounted.

“But Hale did his thing, right?” asked Harry worriedly. “You know, trip them up, turn things around on them, that sort of thing?”

“Mostly. A few didn’t crack,” Albert said and then quickly recounted what happened in his trial.

As much as Harry wanted to keep talking to them, he saw Lucius and Albert shift uncomfortably. By the way the mirror kept sliding downwards, Harry assumed Lucius’ arm was getting tired of holding the mirror up as well.

“I should try to find your sons before supper,” Harry offered. Lucius and Albert were conflicted as they wanted to keep talking to Harry, but the thought of seeing their children after so long was too tempting to pass up.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” Harry said once he’d pulled out his map from his bag.

“Clearly,” Lucius remarked with amusement.

“No, well yes, but that wasn’t – I’m trying to find Draco,” Harry explained, even if it did little to actually explain anything to the prisoners.

Having spent the year perfecting his ability to spot Draco’s name on the map, it did not take long for Harry to find him. He, Parkinson, and Zabini were currently outside, but making their way back towards the school. If Harry moved quickly he would be able to catch them before they reached their common room or the library. He hoped they weren’t headed towards the Great Hall as there would be no way to speak to Draco privately there.

“Found him, just, er, hold on,” Harry said. He magically packed his books and notes in the bag, but left the map and mirror out. It was probably safer to cancel the spell on the mirror until he and Draco were in a safe space, but Harry feared that he wouldn’t be able to reconnect. So instead, Harry hid the mirror up his sleeve. He also kept the map activated as he would need to confirm which direction Draco moved in once he was back inside. He would have to rely on his wandless magic to cancel both spells if he was caught.

Harry moved quickly through the halls, trying to pass the other students before they realized he was there. Harry alternated keeping his map in his pocked and pulling it out for quick glances until he was able to confirm that Draco was headed towards his common room. Harry shoved the map back in his pocket and picked up his pace so he would catch them in time.

“Draco!” Harry called. It came out louder than expected, so Harry was glad that only the three Slytherins were nearby. A couple of second years had seen him head in this direction, but Harry hoped they didn’t care enough to follow him.

“Potter?” asked Draco in confusion.

“Er, Malfoy, hi,” Harry said as he closed the distance between them. He tried to stop his out-of-breath panting so that it wasn’t so obvious he had run after them. “Can I talk to you for a moment? In private?”

“Certainly not,” Parkinson said and protectively stepped in front of Draco. Harry blinked at her in surprise.

“Er, please?” he tried. “It’s not for anything bad.”

“And we’re just supposed to take your word on that?” asked Parkinson.

“Yes?” Harry said, though he could understand why she was concerned. He and Draco did not have a great history, so he wasn’t surprised when she just scoffed in response.

“It’s really not a trick or anything,” Harry said and directed it towards Draco. Despite Parkinson’s protective stance, Harry was easily able to make eye contact with Draco.

“Alright,” Draco said slowly.

“Then we’re coming with you,” Parkinson insisted.

“No,” Harry said firmly.

“If you’re not planning anything bad, why can’t we join you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Because, I don’t know if I can trust you,” Harry said honestly. The insulted look on Parkinson’s face would have been comical if Harry didn’t think she was about to curse him. Zabini started laughing, which fortunately redirected Parkinson’s glare towards him.

“Draco’s a big boy. He can make his own decisions about whether or not he wants to go somewhere private with Potter,” Zabini said. Harry didn’t know if Zabini was trying to be suggestive, or if Harry’s mind naturally turned in that direction when it came to Draco, but he pictured a few other reasons for why he and Draco would go somewhere private.

“Pansy, it’s fine,” Draco said and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Draco,” Parkinson said with reproach. She leaned in and whispered to Draco, though both Harry and Zabini could still hear “you remember that comment he made to Goy-, I mean Wren. Do you really think you should be alone with him?”

“Who the hell is Wren?” asked a confused Harry.

“She’s a first-year,” Parking said. She looked at Harry expectantly, but it did little to clear up his confusion. “The one you perved on... or has there been so many you don’t remember her?”

“What the hell are you talking about? I haven’t perved on any first-years,” Harry said with anger. “I don’t know what- wait, do you mean Goyle? When he was polyjuiced?”

“You knew Goyle was polyjuiced as Wren?” asked Draco.

“Yes. Well, I didn’t know her name, but I knew it was Goyle. And I was just trying to scare him. Jesus, Parkinson, I’m not perving on eleven- and twelve-year-olds,” Harry said defensively.

“You say that now, but-”

“Look,” Harry cut her off. He was growing impatient, but more embarrassed. Despite being muffled by his sleeve, Harry was certain Lucius and Albert were hearing the whole conversation. “Go get Theo. He’ll vouch for me.”

“Theo?” asked Pansy.

“Theodore Nott,” Harry said.

“I know who Theo is!” Parkinson snapped.

“Oh. You seemed confused,” Harry responded smartly.

“What I’m confused about when you started calling him Theo,” Parkinson scowled at him.

“Er, probably sometime in the past three days,” Harry said honestly. “Look, we’re going to be here all night. Can you please just go get Theo?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know where Theo is, do I?” Parkinson pointed out.

“Er, right, hold on,” Harry said. He hesitated to pull out his map in front of them. With a wandless and voiceless notice-me-not spell placed on the map, Harry quickly pulled it out. Harry figured it worked since all three blinked in confusion at him. Harry quickly scanned the map. As soon as he found Theo, he folded it back up and placed it back in his pocket.

“He’s in your common room,” Harry said.

“How do you know that?” asked Draco.

“...I can’t say,” Harry said awkwardly as he gave Parkinson and Zabini warry looks. He hoped his answer didn’t cause Draco to storm off in anger.

“Right, and we’re supposed to trust you?” Parkinson asked. “You’re probably setting a trap.”

“In your common room? Where you were headed anyway?” asked Harry.

“Pans, go get Theo, or we really will be here all night,” Draco interrupted before Parkinson and Harry could continue to bicker.

“I’ll protect Draco’s virtue while you’re gone,” Zabini offered with a grin. Parkinson looked like she wanted to send Zabini to fetch Theo instead, but she eventually gave in.

“Could you get Crabbe too?” Harry asked as she marched away. She held up her middle finger in response and continued to walk away.

“Do we really have to wait for Parkinson and Theo?” Harry asked once he was certain Parkinson was far away enough not to hear him. He didn’t like the idea of waiting in the hallway. By now Lucius must be impatient hearing Draco but unable to speak to him.

“Yes,” said Zabini quickly.

“This really isn’t some elaborate trick,” Harry said tiredly.

“Perhaps. But you don’t have to live with Pansy. We won’t hear the end of it if you’re both gone when she gets back,” Zabini explained.

With a sigh Harry settled back against the wall. He hoped Parkinson would be back quickly given they were already close to the common room.

“So...” Zabini eventually broke the silence. He looked inexplicably exasperated when Harry turned his attention to him. He was looking between Harry and Draco as if he expected one of them to fill in the awkward silence. When neither did, he rolled his eyes and stated, “I noticed you weren’t in Defense today.”

“Uh no,” Harry admitted with a cringe. Albert wouldn’t be happy if he heard Harry was skipping classes. All of his previous tutors took his education seriously, but Albert was definitely a stickler for keeping to daily lessons. “I didn’t want to deal with Snape today.”

“Oh... he wouldn’t have said anything. Not about... that,” Draco said.

“Maybe not with any other student, but he hates me enough to make an exception,” Harry pointed out. He belatedly realized he was frowning. It was at the thought of what Snape might say about the Dursleys, but he was directing his frown towards Draco. When Draco looked away with his own frown, Harry had to hold back the impulse to call himself an idiot.

Another uneasy silence descended. Draco and Zabini looked at each other and made subtle gestures. Harry feared they were trying to decide which of them was going to ask him about the Dursleys. Fortunately, before either of them could, Theo came running around the corner. A second later, he was followed by Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle.

“Harry?” Theo asked.

With a self-satisfied smile, Harry told him, “I got it to work.”

“Seriously?” asked Theo.

“Yup,” Harry said and made sure to pop the p at the end.

“Well, shit in Merlin’s cauldron and call it a stew,” Theo said with amazement.

“What?” asked a bemused Harry. He’d never heard that particular expression, and he shared a dorm with Seamus Finnegan.

“Can I see it?” asked Theo.

“Maybe not in the hallway? I was trying to take Draco somewhere we wouldn’t get caught, but Parkinson insisted I get vetted first,” Harry said.

“Right, well, common,” Theo said impatiently and the others couldn’t miss his excitement. He started to walk away, and Harry was glad to see the others follow. Theo brought them to an empty classroom. After quickly scanning it to ensure no one was there, he announced, “this will do,” and looked at Harry expectantly.

“It should probably just be you, Draco, and Crabbe,” Harry pointed out. Parkinson and Zabini frowned, but Theo nodded.

“And maybe one at a time,” Theo added. “I mean, there are things I know I’d rather not say in front of everyone.”

“You know it won’t be completely private, right? I mean on the other end,” Harry stated. The prisoners could talk softly, but it was likely their neighbours would still hear parts of the conversation.

“What are you talking about?” Parkinson asked with frustration.

“Right, I suppose Draco should go first,” Theo said. Harry was surprised Theo was willing to wait since he was the only one who knew what was about to happen.

“Harry, you explain to Draco,” Theo said and practically shoved Harry into the classroom. A few seconds later, Draco joined him and the door closed behind him.

“What’s going on?” Draco asked.

“Right. It’s kind of a long story,” Harry said and he debated how to even start explaining. “And I’m sure he’s getting impatient by now...”

“Who?” Draco wondered.

“Your dad. You said you needed him, and well, talking to him helped me, so I thought it would be the next best thing. It took awhile, but I figured it out – well, Theo really helped, but, er, yeah,” Harry said and then pulled out the mirror. A quick glance down confirmed the mirrors were still connected. Harry gave an anxious-looking Lucius a reassuring smile before holding out the mirror to Draco. Draco automatically took it and then gasped as he saw Lucius in its surface.

“What? Dad?” Draco stared dumbfoundedly at the mirror.

“Draco,” Lucius said reverently.

“How?” Harry was happy to see the beginning of a smile as Draco brought the mirror closer. But then Draco froze and glanced back at Harry. “Potter, if this is a trick...”

“It’s not,” Harry quickly reassured. “Umm, Lucius maybe you could tell him something only you would know?” he suggested. “I’ll give you both some privacy,” Harry added in case Draco thought Harry was angling for them to reveal some Malfoy family secrets. “And I can explain more later, if you want.”

“Harry?” Harry heard Lucius’ voice call to him, but when he turned back around, Draco still had the mirror angled towards him with a look of wonder.

“Yeah?” Harry asked.

“Thank you,” Lucius said with feeling.

“You’re welcome,” Harry said with a smile even though Lucius couldn’t see it. Then he quietly let himself out so the two could have a private reunion.

“-fine,” Harry heard the tail-end of whatever Theo had just said.

“You know it’s his dream come- Potter!” Zabini cut himself off when he noticed Harry had rejoined them.

“Where’s Draco?” Parkinson asked.

“He needs a few minutes alone,” Harry said.

“Why? What did you do to him?” asked Parkinson.

“What did you tell them?” Harry asked Theo.

“Nothing yet. Just that you weren’t hurting Draco in there. I thought it best to wait for you,” Theo said.

When Harry hesitated at telling anyone other than Crabbe, Theo turned his impatient stare on Harry. “I trust them, too,” he said.

“All of them?” asked Harry.

“Yes. Pansy isn’t going to do anything that would hurt Draco, Greg won’t hurt Vince, and Blaise can be bought,” Theo explained.

“Hey!” Zabini said with offense, then he considered it and amended, “yeah, ok, that’s fair.”

“Potter, you can tell us or I can go in there and ask Draco myself,” Parkinson said firmly.

“He won’t thank you for it,” Harry grumbled. Parkinson ignored him and walked towards the classroom. “Fine. He’s... talking to his dad.”

“What?” asked every Slytherin except for Theo.

“He’s using a two-way mirror to talk to his dad,” Harry said.

“In Azkaban?” asked a confused Goyle.

“That’s where Lucius is,” Harry said smartly.

“How’d you get a two-way mirror in-”

“Don’t ask,” Theo interrupted. “The less we know the better. Now, Harry, let me see your notes?”

“What happened to the less we know the better?” asked Zabini.

“I meant on the Azkaban end. Won’t hurt to know how it’s theoretically possible,” Theo said.

“Theo was already helping me with this part anyway,” Harry said as he riffed through his bag to dig up his notes.

Harry and Theo sat on the floor, close to the classroom door. As Theo scanned Harry’s notes, the others crowded around to get a look as well.

“That looks like... is that blood magic?” Zabini said slowly.

“Among other things,” Harry said. He decided to trust Theo’s judgement of them. Theo began asking questions, so Harry explained what he’d discovered that afternoon and how it helped with their project. Eventually the others grew bored, and all but Crabbe retreated to sit and wait across from them.

“And it’ll really let me speak to my dad?” asked Crabbe once Theo and Harry grew quiet.

“Yeah,” confirmed Harry. It surprised him how happy it made him to see Crabbe smile. Harry hadn’t thought much about Crabbe jr. even though he’d early on realized that Crabbe sr. would love the opportunity to use the mirror as much as Lucius and Albert.

They had to wait a few more minutes before Draco exited the classroom. Everyone turned to watch him. Harry could immediately tell Draco had been crying. All tear tracks had been removed, but Draco’s eyes were a telltale red.

“Vince, could you come here?” Draco asked. Crabbe practically leapt to his feet; Harry didn’t think he’d ever seen him move that fast. Draco realized he wouldn’t have to explain the situation, so he gave Crabbe the mirror and let him pass him into the classroom.

“Dad?” they heard a second before the door shut.

A silence fell on those in the hallway until Theo held up Harry’s notes to Draco.

“Who knew Harry was secretly a genius?” Theo asked. He let Draco take Harry’s notes and calculations.

“I’m not,” Harry said with an eyeroll. “You did a good chunk of the work.”

“Alright, we’re both awesome then,” Theo bragged. Harry smiled and ignored the disbelieving snort Parkinson made in response.

“I don’t know how this is possible,” Draco said as he skimmed the page in front of him.

“Is the great Draco Malfoy actually admitting he doesn’t understand something?” Zabini teased.

“I understand the theory. It’s... it’s brilliant,” Draco said. Harry felt a surge of pride at his words. “I just don’t get how you pulled it off.”

“Yes, I still want to know how you got a mirror into Azkaban,” Parkinson said.

Harry watched as Draco tapped absently over a part of his notes. While Draco probably wondered about how the mirror got there in the first place, the bigger mystery was why Harry incorporated blood magic into his spell. In order for that to work, it would require blood magic on both objects. Performing blood magic in Azkaban was even more improbable than somehow getting their hands on the mirror in the first place.

“And like I said earlier, it’s best if we don’t know specifics,” Theo said. “What if we’re caught? If a guard finds the other mirror, or a professor catches us with this one, we’re screwed. The more we know, the worse it’ll be for us.”

The others argued with Theo, but Harry paid it no mind. He was too focused on Draco, who sat down next to Harry as he continued to look over his notes. Harry felt ridiculous at how happy it made him to have Draco sitting next to him.

When Draco frowned down at the notes, Harry wasn’t sure if he was confused by the magic or Harry’s handwriting. “I can explain... if you want,” Harry offered and tried not to grin like a fool when Draco accepted. As Harry explained how he used the blood permanence spell as the base for the connection without undoing the initial transfiguration spell, he felt Draco’s side press up against his. While Harry answered questions about how he solved the issue of the significant distance between the mirrors, he felt Draco’s breath glide down his neck. When he showed Draco the notes of his previous failed attempts, he felt his own body temperature rise but wasn’t sure if was due to Draco’s proximity or the flush that occurred whenever Draco complimented his work.

“Sounds like a lot of work,” Zabini said. Harry blinked at the reminder that they weren’t the only two in the hallway.

“Not really,” Harry tried to shrug it off. He felt his breath catch when Zabini just smirked in response and Harry belatedly realized how obvious he was being about his crush on Draco. If the prisoners were able to figure it out without seeing Harry and Draco interact, it wouldn’t take much for Draco’s friends to figure it out if Harry kept watching him with lovesick, honeymoon eyes. Still, Harry couldn’t help but feel disappointed when Draco straightened up and they were no longer pressed together.

“It was a good distraction,” Harry said. There was no need to say exactly how much time went into it.

“And it never hurts to learn a new branch of magic,” Theo told Zabini.

“Hmm, there’s that too,” Blaise agreed.

“Wait, you didn’t know blood magic before creating the spell with the mirrors?” asked Goyle in confusion.

“I knew a bit,” Harry said and felt his face flush. From the raised brows on Parkinson’s face, and the smirk on Zabini’s, Harry was certain they were on to him. He dreaded the taunts they’d inevitably throw his way.

“Be careful what you admit to,” Draco warned.

“Oh, common, we already know he created those mirrors,” Parkinson pointed out.

“And you’re not going to say anything about it for my, Vince and Theo’s sakes,” Draco reasoned. He turned towards Harry and warned, “that might not be the case if you tell them anything unrelated to the mirrors.”

“Relax, Draco. We’re not going to turn on your new b-” Zabini started to say but was interrupted when Crabbe came out of the classroom.

Theo stood up and everyone was quiet as Crabbe passed off the mirror and Theo went into the classroom.

“You ok?” asked Parkinson to Crabbe.

“Yeah,” Crabbe said. He turned towards Draco and Harry with a huge smile. Harry’s breath caught when Draco sent Crabbe an answering smile. He hadn’t seen Draco smile like that in months.

“Potter... thanks,” Crabbe said and held his hand out towards Harry. Harry grasped it expecting Crabbe to offer a simple handshake, but Crabbe used his hold to drag Harry to his feet. Once he was standing, Crabbe enveloped him in a hug.

“What...” Harry stammered. He raised one hand to lightly pat Crabbe’s upper back. “Glad I could help... He really misses you,” Harry said, uncertain about what else to say.

“I miss him too,” Crabbe said as he stepped away from Harry.

“Draco, aren’t you going to hug Potter too?” teased Zabini. Harry was almost certain the other boy had caught on to Harry’s crush.

Harry expected Draco to tell Zabini to fuck off, but after a slight pause, Draco shrugged and said, “why not.” Harry had time to mentally scream ‘oh my god, oh my god, oh my god’ before he was enveloped by Draco. Harry’s hands rose automatically, but unlike his hug with Crabbe, his arms rested against Draco’s back rather than pat him. Harry was shorter than Draco, and it left his eyes aligned closer to Draco’s shoulder. Harry used to resent their difference in height, but now that he was so close to him, Harry understood there could be some pleasant benefits. Under different circumstances it would easy for Harry to tuck himself just under Draco’s chin and burrow into his warmth. Nevertheless, Harry found that even standing chest to chest he was able to take in Draco’s scent. Harry tried not to obviously breath in that delicious aroma that was a pleasant mix of – no doubt expensive – hygiene and beauty products. Harry was no expert in hugs, but this had to be high up on the ‘best hug ever’ list, surely.

Unfortunately, it was over far too soon. They both sported a faint blush when they separated.

“We’re not all hugging Potter, are we?” asked Goyle.

“Do you want to hug Potter?” asked Zabini with a laugh.

“He should be so lucky as to have us all hug him,” Parkinson added.

“Not you, Parkinson. I don’t trust you not to put a ‘kick me’ sign on my back,” Harry told her. She smirked in response.

“Potter, you might be – a teeny tiny bit – alright after all,” she said.

“Gee, thanks,” Harry said drily.

“Just don’t be surprised if people start kicking you,” she added.

Harry huffed and marveled at how surprisingly comfortable he was surrounded by Slytherins. Given their history, it was probably even more surprising than realizing he enjoyed the company of a bunch of Death Eaters. Harry was just about to sit back down next to Draco, when Theo came out of the classroom.

“That was fast,” Harry said in surprise.

“We said everything we needed to. Besides, I know I’ll get to speak to him again soon,” Theo said. “However, there’s someone who wants to speak to you.”

Harry accepted the mirror from Theo and glanced down. He expected to see Albert, or perhaps Crabbe since he didn’t get a chance to talk to him earlier, but it was Mulciber who smiled at him from the depths of the mirror.

“Hey, Mulciber,” Harry said with a smile as he walked into the room.

“Potts, ain’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Mulciber greeted.

“Sadly, you’re looking as atrocious as ever,” Harry teased fondly as the classroom door closed behind him.

“Admit it, you miss having me around,” Mulciber said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. The boy’s got more sense than that,” came Rodolphus’ voice from afar.

“Apparently not since I miss having all of you around,” Harry admitted. He spent the next few minutes catching up with everyone. Now that the desperate need for Lucius, Albert, and Crabbe to see their sons had passed, everyone else wanted a chance to speak to Harry. It was harder to speak to those whose cells were across the hallway from Lucius’. The prisoners didn’t want to risk tossing the mirror across the hall. If they didn’t push hard enough, the mirror might get stuck in the middle of the hallway. If they pushed too hard they risked breaking the glass. They also feared that the mirror might hit the bars instead of pass through the gaps between them. So instead, the prisoners on Lucius’ side of the hallway held up the mirror so Harry could see the prisoners on the other side. It wasn’t ideal, but Harry was still happy.

They had to end their reunion when the prisoners heard the guards entering their block to pass out meals. Harry could have spent the whole night talking with them, but still felt satisfied overall.

When he exited the room, only Theo and Draco were still waiting for him.

“Parkinson actually left without you?” Harry asked Draco.

“You know Weasley and Granger would give me a hard time if I mysteriously showed up and wanted to talk to you alone,” Draco pointed out.

“True,” Harry said and held out the mirror for Draco to take. “You’ll need to time it when the guards aren’t there, but you can pretty much talk to your dad at almost any time of day.”

“I, thank you. This really means a lot. To all of us,” Draco said and held the mirror close.

Draco hesitantly held out Harry notes, but Harry shook his head. “Keep them,” he offered.

“Are you sure?” Draco asked.

“Yeah. I mean... you seemed interested, so you can study them some more, or whatever,” Harry said awkwardly. It made Harry happy to see Draco hold his messy notes as close as he held the mirror.

“Thank you... again. These really are b-” Draco stopped mid-sentence and turned towards a retreating Theo. “Where are you going?”

With an exaggerated eyeroll, Theo called out “supper.”

Harry and Draco exchanged a glance, before they both moved to follow him. Harry purposely walked slow hoping they wouldn’t catch up to Theo so that he’d be able to speak to Draco for a bit longer.

They made small talk about Harry’s research. Harry hoped that after looking at Harry’s notes again, Draco would have more questions and he’d have an excuse to press up close to him as they reviewed it together. They reached the Great Hall before Harry worked up the courage to offer it.

Harry reluctantly parted ways with Draco, but not before Draco offered to help set up any meetings Harry might want with the prisoners. As Harry made his way to the Gryffindor table, he wondered what would happen if he asked Draco to use the mirror. Would Draco meet him in that classroom alone? Or perhaps he’d sneak Harry into his dorm room.

His friends temporarily distracted Harry from his fantasies, but they returned full force once everyone retired for the night. Harry found that he didn’t mind his insomnia so much when he had pleasant thoughts to occupy his mind. Harry’s thoughts especially lingered on that brief hug.

“Good dreams?” Ron asked when Harry ‘woke up’ in a good mood.

“Something like that,” Harry grinned.

“Ugh, spare me the details,” Ron snorted.

Harry’s good mood lasted the whole day. He ignored all whispers about the Dursleys as best he could. A task made easier each time he locked eyes with Draco and got a smile instead of a sneer. It was a tad unfortunate that Harry didn’t see Draco outside of class that day, but Theo informed him that Draco spent most of his free time talking to Lucius. Occasionally Crabbe joined them, but Albert was at his trial, so Theo wouldn’t get the opportunity to speak to his dad until later in the evening. Harry regretted that he wouldn’t be able to talk to him too, but he supposed he could just ask Theo for details the next day.

The next morning, Harry had just finished scooping some scrambled eggs on to his plate, when he heard Hermione gasp.

“Harry, what did you do?” she asked him with wide eyes. He glanced down at the paper she’d been reading expecting another article on the Dursleys, or perhaps something radical from Lance.

“Bloody hell,” Ron muttered.

In big bold letters, the Daily Prophet announced: ALBERT NOTT ACQUITTED OF ALL DEATH EATER CHARGES.