Chapter Text
“You’re so bloody stupid.”
Harry was used to hearing that. He didn’t even bother moving from his position in front of the fire. It was an unused classroom on the third floor that no one ever used and had been abandoned years ago. No one would look for him here, no one would find him.
“You’ll have to be more specific as to why,” Harry mumbled, staring into the fire, hoping that the answers to life would be hidden in the logs kindling in the fire.
“Rumor mill says you are going stag for the Yule Ball.”
Oh. That.
“It’s not worth the effort.”
A scoff, but he was also used to that. Could pin point it in a crowd of people, always drawn to him, no matter if it was at his own expense or not.
“What do you mean?” Footsteps drew closer but he still didn’t look away from the fire. “The entire school will be looking at you, they’ll want to see who you brought.”
“Exactly.” Harry glared at the fire, hating the swirl of anxiety that rose every time he thought of the stupid ball. “I didn’t ask to be in this tournament, I didn’t ask for my name to be put in there, I didn’t ask to be part of this fucking ball. I didn’t ask for any of this, and yet I’m being told that I have to participate, that I have to follow their rules. Well fuck their rules.”
“A rebel, I always like that about you.”
Harry hated that his glare was lessening and that his lips were twitching. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right. He wanted to wallow in self pity and here he was trying not to smile. How was it that he always managed to make Harry feel better, even when being insulted during the process?
“The only reason I’m not standing there and forfeiting every task is because I don’t think it would help. I still would’ve had to avoid the dragon as I left the arena, I still would’ve had to get back out of the water. I don’t care if I win, I don’t care if I come in last place. I don’t care about the TriWizard Tournament. But a dance? That’s nothing. I don’t have to do a damn thing when it comes to a dance, and I’m not going to.”
A pause as Harry lifted his head higher as what he said replayed in his head. Why go stag when he didn’t have to attend at all?
“I’m not going.”
A splutter. “What?”
Harry turned to peer at Draco who was staring at him incredulously. “I’m not going. No point in standing there for no reason twiddling my thumbs while everyone else dances around me. No. I’m not doing it, I’m not going. I’ll stick to the dorms or do something else.”
“What about the opening ceremony? You’re supposed to dance.”
“Fuck them.”
Draco laughed, sitting next to him, placing his head on Harry’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure what exactly was happening between them, but he liked it. When Ron stopped being his friend for those few months and Hermione refused to pick a side despite the fact that Harry hadn’t done a damn thing, Draco had been there for him.
Well sort of.
It hadn’t been a pretty start. They argued and it escalated to wands drawn and hexes firing, but at the end when they were on the ground panting, it was like they finally understood each other. It took one fight, a true fight where they put everything they had into it before all tension had drained and they talked.
About everything.
About Draco’s childhood, the embarrassment he felt when Harry turned down his handshake, his jealousy over Ron getting to be his best friend and even his resentment of Hermione. Harry talked about his own childhood, the feeling of inadequacy compared to those that knew Magic and how it wasn’t right that he went eleven years not knowing his heritage and that he was a wizard at all let alone a single fact about his parents—he hadn’t even known their names. He talked about his own jealousy when it came to those like Ron, Draco and even Hermione who had families. He didn’t envy Draco after hearing about his family, but he wondered what it would be like to have one at all. He also talked about Dudley and how at times Draco reminded him of his cousin and that it sucked that no matter where he went there was always someone who hated him for things out of his control.
‘I don’t hate you,’ had been the reply and that changed everything.
They became tentative friends, ones that only existed inside an abandoned classroom. There was too much at stake to brave the rest of the world. Draco told him that something was going on. How he had overheard his father talk about his Dark Mark and how it had grown darker and more prominent as time went on.
‘Voldemort will come back’, Harry had told him. And that was when they decided that no one could know, no one could find out about their friendship. If Voldemort truly was going to return then Draco knew what his father would do and knew that he would be expected to join.
‘I won’t do it,’ Draco had promised. ‘I won’t become one of them.’
Harry believed him. The tiny doubt in the back of his mind told him that the world wasn’t as simple as a fourteen-year old’s wish of not getting involved, but still, he hoped.
“Then I won’t go either,” Draco said, jarring Harry out of the trance he had put himself in by staring endlessly at the fire. “We can do nothing together.”
“Are you asking me to be your non-dance date for the evening?”
He had been joking, but when Draco lifted his head and stared at Harry before dropping his eyes to his lips, maybe it wasn’t a joke after all.
“Yeah, I think I am.”
Heart in his throat and nerves in his stomach, Harry leaned forward and pressed their lips together, melting as the kiss was returned and even prolonged—lips moving easily as hands held onto each other.
“Yes,” Harry mumbled before diving into several more kisses. “Yes, I’ll be your date where we do nothing.”
A smile was pressed to his lips and that was Harry’s favorite kiss.
“I can’t promise much food outside whatever I can nick from the kitchens, and there won’t be any music unless you sing because I sound like a toad when I try. It’ll just be us, the dust and the fire.”
Harry grinned, eyes closing when Draco kissed his cheek. “It sounds perfect.”
And it was.
Because it was them.
Harry didn’t have to check the map to know where his boyfriend would be. He left Dumbledore’s office after saying goodbye to Sirius and rushed to the third floor. He had told them both that he would visit the hospital wing, and he would—probably. But he had another stop before that.
“Harry!”
He hadn’t even fully stepped into the room before he was pulled into a strong but tentative embrace.
“Are you okay? I feared the worst the entire time, and then Diggory! I’m so awful Harry, I saw him and the first thing I thought was, ‘Thank Merlin it wasn’t you’ and I hate it, but I can’t take it back. Diggory deserved better.”
He did. Harry’s eyes filled with tears as he clung to Draco tightly, refusing to let go. The entire time during the maze he had used Draco as the light at the end of the tunnel. ‘Just one more turn and it’ll be the end and then you can see him’. He had pushed and fought and nearly died in that damn maze just to end up in a graveyard with—
“Voldemort,” Harry gasped out, ignoring the way Draco tensed and even flinched. “Voldemort is back. That’s what happened. A portkey. He was there and so was his followers. Draco your father.”
Draco took a step back but made sure to keep his hands on Harry as he looked over every inch of him that he could.
“Are you okay?”
Harry wanted to lie like he did to Dumbledore and Sirius and say that he was fine or that he would be fine, but he wasn’t.
“No,” he said, tears falling down his cheeks as he shook his head. “I saw Cedric die. I’m never going to get that out of my head and it’s my fault!”
“No, it’s no—”
“Yes, it is,” Harry hissed, wiping his eyes, hating that his glasses were all blurry. “We reached the cup at the same time, and I told him we should take it together! It’s my fault he’s dead.”
“It isn’t,” Draco argued, gently wiping the tears that he had missed. “Neither of you knew what was waiting at the other end of the portkey. To take the blame is to let the Dark Lord off easy.”
Harry frowned, wiping his eyes again hoping that he could see Draco better, but they were hurting. “What do you mean?”
“You’re sitting here blaming yourself and taking on something that should only lie at his feet. The Dark Lord murdered Diggory, and it was him alone at fault. Don’t shoulder the blame for others. Don’t let him win. Because I promise you, he’s not crying over Diggory’s fate. He’s not even going to think of him again. Diggory meant nothing to the Dark Lord, don’t let him win.”
Harry wiped his nose discreetly on his sleeve as he considered it. Draco was right. Voldemort didn’t give a damn about those he hurt and wasn’t losing a wink of sleep over them. He didn’t even give a damn about his own followers, for if he did he wouldn’t treat them the way that he did.
“It’s not my fault,” Harry breathed, tension leaving his shoulders. “None of it is on me. Voldemort is to blame.”
Draco didn’t reply, but he did hold him to his chest and that was even better. He let himself be comforted by his boyfriend’s embrace and wished that he could have this outside of a dusty classroom, wished that he could lean on Draco in public and hold his hand. Wanted to kiss him every chance he could and let the whole world know about them.
“Everything is going to change,” Harry whispered as Draco guided them to the fireplace that was already lit. “He’s never going to stop hunting me.”
Fingers ran through his hair as he was pulled onto Draco’s lap. His eyes slipped closed as adrenaline left him and was replaced with bone deep exhaustion.
“I don’t have any words of comfort to give you,” Draco whispered, tone filled with regret. “Except for that you’ll always have me in your corner. No matter what. I’ll be here for you even if no one knows.”
Harry knew, and that was enough.
It had to be.
My heart,
You were right. Everything is changing. The Dark Lord has been entering the Manor frequently and at an alarming rate. I ’ve heard my father tell my mother that with time our home might be his main residence, and that scares me. I don’t want him here.
I don ’t want to be here.
I want to be where you are. I want to be by your side. I want things that I can ’t get, things that are nothing but a dream that I can only have at night but fade away come morning.
I want you Harry.
And I ’m worried that you’re going to regret this, that you’re going to regret us. That you’re going to get tired of hiding away your feelings from everyone. That you’re going to find someone else, someone whose family isn’t made up of Death Eaters, someone that isn’t me.
It seems silly to be worrying about that when there ’s other things going on, but I can’t help it. That’s what our lives should be. The drama over who is dating who, the adolescent fear of the first heartbreak, but instead it’s full of death and a brewing war. Because that’s what it’ll come down to.
A war.
I hear them, you know. I can hear their plans when they think I ’m not there. They want a war; they want it to end in bloodshed. They are looking for something. They think it will get them a head start in what will eventually become the war. It’s strange. It’s not a weapon, not really. It’s a prophecy.
A strange one.
Do you know what prophecies are? They are meaningless. That ’s what confuses me the most about all of this. Anything can be a prophecy as long as someone believes it. The Ministry doesn’t look into the validity of them at all, they are sent to them and put inside glass containers with spells ensuring only those they are about can access them. But that’s the thing, prophecies in general are so vague that several people can fit the criteria, leaving the spells useless.
The Dark Lord has an interesting way of saying a whole lot without giving away any information. I can read between the lines though and from what I have gathered, he is aware of a prophecy that was made about him, it involves you in some way, but I have my doubts. It ’s not even because of divination, there are legitimate practices of divination outside of Professor Trelawney. If he is right and there is a prophecy about the two of you, then you can access the prophecy too.
But I must express caution, Harry. I recommend you read a few books on prophecies before you think this is a viable solution to the Dark Lord. Try, ‘If a Prophecy is Recorded but No One is Around to Hear it Does it Still Come True?’ by Asher Cygnet. Or, ‘Are Prophecies a Legitimate Form of Divination?’ by Flint Claywood. And lastly, ‘Is the Prophecy True or is it a Conclusion Deduced from Commonsense?’ by Celina Salamander.
What I can ’t fathom is why the Dark Lord would put any stock into prophecies. Surely, there is a better use of his time than tracking down a prophecy. And on that note, he could go get it himself, but I fear that he’s not going to. It’s in the Ministry, just sitting there, no Magic or wards preventing anyone from getting it. He’s the Dark Lord for crying out loud, what’s to stop him from getting it after hours?
Unless there ’s another reason.
Which is why I am begging you to do your own research before you make up your mind. If he ’s right and it’s truly about the two of you and he’s not going to get himself, then he’s going to want you to get it. Don’t.
There is nothing in there that is worth it. There can ’t be. Prophecies are what you make them. They are only true if you believe in it. So don’t. Don’t believe in it. Don’t give it any worth. But I know you, and you’re going to be curious. Fine, be curious, but don’t be reckless.
Please.
I have a bad feeling about all of this and I ’m no expert in divination, but I think you should err on the side of caution. If not for your own safety, will you do it for me?
I say use this to your advantage. When I tell you that he ’s focused on this prophecy, I am not exaggerating. If anything, he’s obsessed. That’s what the majority of their meetings are about, that and that the Order of the Phoenix is on to them as well. So use it to your advantage. If the Dark Lord is going to spend months on a silly prophecy then use that time to prepare. Let him have it. Let him take the damn prophecy and use your time wisely. Prepare for a war and ensure that you are steps ahead of him while he wastes his energy on a made-up prophecy that doesn’t even fucking matter.
If Dumbledore won ’t listen then let him waste his time too. Maybe I’m being naïve but why do we have to go by their rules? War doesn’t care about who is right or wrong or which side is going to win, because there is no true victor in war. Just dead bodies on both sides. I’ve been reading up on Wizarding and Magical Creature wars. They are all the same. The ones named the winner are those with less dead bodies racking up. The meaning behind each side gets lost behind manpower and the ability to decimate.
Fuck them all.
If no one will listen then create your own Order. Why is it just two sides? Why are our choices the Dark Lord or Dumbledore? Why can ’t we choose for ourselves? Why can’t we find our own voice, our own resistance?
I ’d follow you, Harry. I’d follow you to the ends of the Earth, and I hope you know that. There’s so much that I want to tell you, things that make my heart race and my veins fill with a warmth that is unique to you, but you deserve to hear it in person.
Just know that you are in my thoughts.
Always.
Yours forever,
Draco
P.S. The House Elf of your godfathers has been seen at my house, do something about that, will you?
P.P.S. Pick up a subscription of the Daily Prophet. They are trash, but at least you ’ll be informed.
Draco was right. Harry was reckless, but that didn’t mean he was going to stop doing what he thought was right. Unlike the version of himself that would have reacted differently before they began dating, Harry waited.
Waited and observed.
He sent in a mail order request for books from Flourish and Blotts and had them take the money out of his vault. He read dozens upon dozens of books on both war and divination while he waited. He waited for word from Dumbledore, his friends, Sirius or anyone really.
Oh, he got vague letters from them all except for Dumbledore. He got strange hints about not doing anything rash and staying indoors. Ones that would have confused him before he received his first copy of the Daily Prophet.
Now all he felt was anger.
He was angry with those at the paper, angry at the Ministry for allowing shit like that to be written, but he was angrier with his friends and even Sirius. How could they leave him in the dark? Tell him to keep his nose clean but leave him ignorant on purpose. It was insulting and did him a disservice. It was all bullshit, and he couldn’t wait to tell them that to their faces.
Which led him to his reckless plan that he didn’t really think was all that reckless to begin with.
Harry waited for the opportune moment before putting it into motion. He had pre-packed all of his belongings, every last thing he owned, and waited until the Dursleys were invited to a work gathering of Uncle Vernon’s. The moment they were gone he grabbed all of his stuff and from underneath his invisibility cloak he left. Walked to the nearest park, enough of a distance away that no one could possibly link it to him, he whispered,
“Dobby.”
A pop before Dobby appeared before him, head turning as he tried to see who had called him. Harry popped his head out a bit under the cloak.
“Harry Potter sir!” Dobby squeaked, hands clapping as his ears wiggled.
“Hello, Dobby,” Harry grinned, hand coming out of the cloak to give Dobby’s hand a little shake only to laugh when Dobby looked down at his own hand in awe. “How are you?”
Dobby’s eyes filled with tears as he sniffled. “Young sir is so kind to be asking after Dobby. Dobby is doing well! There is much to be done over the holidays, us elves are busy working.”
“That’s good,” Harry said, meaning it. He crouched a bit until their faces were on the same level. “I’ve been worried about you.”
Dobby sobbed a bit before throwing his arms around Harry. “Sir is so kind! Dobby doesn’t know what Dobby did to deserve Harry Potter.”
Harry patted his back a few times, unused to offering comfort. He could hear Dobby blowing his nose and he just hoped that it wasn’t on his cloak or Dobby’s uniform.
“What can Dobby be doing for young sir?” Dobby asked when he pulled away from the embrace, eyes still wet but emotions under control.
“I need you to take me to Sirius Black.”
Dobby’s head tilted as silence passed between them. It lasted long enough that it grew a bit awkward.
“Will that be a problem?” Harry wasn’t even sure where Sirius was at the moment.
Dobby’s head tilted the other way, lips thinning a bit as his eyes moved unseeingly. “Sirius Black is heavily protected.”
Harry blinked a few times. Protected? What did that even mean?
“Fidelius Charm,” Dobby mumbled to himself, which had Harry’s brows rising. Draco had also recommended a slew of books on both Defense Against the Dark Arts and books on the Dark Arts. If they really were heading for a war, then they needed to be prepared.
But Fidelius Charm? Why? Where could he be that would need to be that protected?
“Can you get behind it?”
Dobby stood up straighter to his full height as he narrowed his eyes a bit at Harry.
“Of course Dobby can.” It came out a little put out and that had Harry ruffling Dobby’s ears in response. “Dobby will just have to try a little harder.”
“How does that work?” Harry asked curiously, sitting on the ground when Dobby’s fingers began to move, little lights of Magic escaping. It looked like he was weaving Magic, and he wondered just what kind of Magic House Elves had. “Only the secret keeper can let others in, right?”
Dobby made a little sound that could only be described as a polite scoff.
“For Wizards perhaps,” Dobby said, fingers working so quickly that he couldn’t keep track of them. “House Elves are forgotten, sir. Our Magic is over looked and rarely defended against.”
Brows rising, Harry asked, “The Fidelius Charm can be broken by anyone with a House Elf wanting in?”
“Not broken, sir, bypassed.”
Bypassed. Harry sat in silence, letting Dobby work as his mind whirled. If a charm like that could be bypassed then why didn’t Voldemort do it? For that matter, a House Elf could get by the blood wards on Privet Drive too. Why wouldn’t Voldemort capitalize on that? Unless what Dobby said was true and they really were overlooked.
Why?
Ego? Did Wizards truly think themselves above House Elves that they never realized how defenseless their defenses really were?
A snap and a grunt drew his attention to Dobby who had sweat on his forehead and his lips were now moving too, no words coming out. When Dobby shivered once, eyes blinking rapidly before focusing on Harry, he stood up.
“Dobby will be needing Harry Potter’s hand.”
Harry thrusted it forward, heart beating too fast. Had Dobby done it? Had he really managed to bypass a Fidelius Charm?
“Dobby has waited for Sirius Black to be alone, but he has been in the company of Remus Lupin for a while.”
“That’s okay,” Harry reassured. “You can take me to them.”
There wasn’t a warning, or a word uttered, just a crack and they were gone.
“Fuck!”
“Ah!”
Harry was amused to see both Remus and Sirius clutching their chests as they stared around the room trying to find the disturbance. He took off his cloak at the same time they noticed Dobby and his trunk.
“Harry! What are you doing here? Do you realize—”
Harry held up a hand, shutting up Sirius. He knelt on the ground before Dobby.
“Thank you,” Harry whispered, straightening Dobby’s uniform before he reached into his pocket. “I wasn’t sure what would be a decent thank you for helping me.”
“Dobby is needing nothing,” Dobby shook his head, ears flopping with the movement. “Helping Harry Potter is enough.”
“Friends do that for each other,” Harry said, grinning when Dobby’s eyes filled with tears.
“F-friends? Harry Potter is Dobby’s friend?”
Harry opened his arms, letting Dobby rush forward into a surprisingly strong embrace. “One of my best friends.”
Open sobbing clenched Harry’s heart. Dobby had been mistreated beyond belief and he hoped to help him in any way that he could.
“I tried to think of something to make up for pulling you away from your work, and I’m sorry that this isn’t the best, but I saw these and thought of you.”
Harry gently pushed a pair of socks with glittering Magic etched into them into Dobby’s hands. He had seen the socks in the mail order form and knew that he had to get them for Dobby. It was supposed to have been a Christmas gift, but he could find something better for that.
More tears, more sobbing and several sniffles before Dobby clutched the socks to his chest. “Harry Potter is too kind.”
“It’s what friends do.”
“Friends,” Dobby repeated, voice and face filled with awe. “Dobby has a friend.”
“A best friend,” Harry corrected, wiping any tears that fell.
“Best friend,” Dobby parroted, hand covering his eyes as he sobbed one last time before he snapped his fingers, and another loud crack filled the air, and he was gone.
Harry sighed at the spot that Dobby had just been. Dobby was a friend, and he definitely needed to treat him better and not take him for granted. The next time he called for Dobby, he would make sure it wasn’t for anything other than to spend time with him. Maybe for tea?
“Harry?”
Harry startled a bit before he stood up, face closing off as he turned to face Sirius and Remus.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
Sirius looked at him, head tilted. “How did you get passed the wards?”
Harry crossed his arms, glaring at them both. “I don’t think that’s the main issue here, is it?”
“Harry—”
“No,” Harry told Remus. “I’m going to talk and you’re going to listen to me.”
Both Sirius and Remus bristled but they said nothing.
“Do I mean anything to you? No, don’t answer. Because if I do, if I actually mean something to you then why would you treat me like a child that can’t handle the truth?”
“You’re fifteen—”
“Voldemort doesn’t care about my age, does he? Since the moment he came for me I was a target. He didn’t care that I was one year old, I was attacked. He didn’t care when I was eleven, I was attacked. I was attacked again by a piece of him trapped in a diary when I was twelve. I was attacked again last year. I nearly died, Cedric did! You can think of me as a child all you want to, but he won’t. He’s going to attack me until I’m dead and keeping me in the dark does nothing but help him.”
That was the crux of it all, wasn’t it? Voldemort was never going to stop coming for him. Prophecy or no prophecy, none of it mattered because it was out of Harry’s hands. Voldemort was never going to let him go, never going to stop hunting him.
Sirius traded a telling look with Remus who looked a bit flabbergasted at Harry.
“I told you we—”
“But Dumbledore said—”
“Forget what Dumbledore said,” Harry snarled. He was so sick and tired of that being an excuse. Hermione and Ron hinted that Dumbledore said caution was needed and that he’d get all the answers in due time. Well forget that. Fuck that.
“Dumbledore isn’t the one being attacked, is he? He’s not the one that has to fear his life every time he goes to Hogwarts, is he? No. I’m the one targeted, I’m the one attacked and if we’re being honest, I’m bloody sick of it.”
“Dumbledore is the head of the Order of the Phoenix,” Remus explained, hands raised. “The Order is the only one willing to go against him.”
“Mm, and how’s that working out?” Harry asked, gesturing around them, taking notice that he was in a small library. “Both Voldemort and the Order are wasting their time on a useless prophecy, and for what? Sounds like a waste of time to me.”
Sirius and Remus gasped, eyes going wide as they traded a panicked look.
“Where did you hear about that, Harry?” Sirius whispered. “It can’t have been from your friends.”
“No, not they would have told me even if they had known,” Harry said bitterly. They would be talked to as well. He was sick and tired of people making decisions about him without consulting him. It was his life that was in danger, and he was tired of being treated like a chess piece in his own damn life.
“Then where?” Remus asked. “If there’s a security breach then we must tell Dumbledore.”
Harry clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to grind his teeth. “Even now you are worried about telling Dumbledore.”
“Harry, what you have to understand is that during the first war, Dumbledore and the Order were the only thing standing in Voldemort’s way. The Ministry gave up. The Aurors could only do much.”
“It’s not the first war though, is it?” Harry asked. “Voldemort made this about me. It’s no longer him against the Order. It’s now him against me. It doesn’t matter what the Order does, it doesn’t matter if I’m well protected or thrown to the wolves. None of it matters because Voldemort is always going to come after me. And it’s about damn time that I’m included in the decisions that will only ever affect me.”
Maybe it was a little unrealistic to think that whatever Voldemort comes up with would only affect him, maybe even childish, but he wasn’t entirely wrong. The bulk of it would affect him, but the backlash would affect others. Which is all the more reason to include him in the decisions so that he wasn’t ignorant or making things worse. It made no sense to keep him in the dark instead of giving him all the knowledge to help.
Sirius matched Remus and held up his hands too. “I’m not disagreeing with you. I’ve said from the beginning that you should be in the loop.”
That made him feel a little better, but he was still angry, so angry.
“Do you have a House Elf?”
Sirius blinked rapidly, forehead wrinkling. “Yes?”
“You should watch him more, he’s been leaving wherever we are—,” Harry paused to look around the room again in an attempt to figure out where exactly they even were. “—and visiting those that he shouldn’t be.”
A pause before, “KREACHER!”
Harry cupped his ears that were still ringing as a very old House Elf appeared before them.
“Master had called,” Kreacher said, bowing low as he mumbled, “Yelled is more like it. No manners at all. If poor Mistress could hear him now.”
Harry tried to cover his snicker with a laugh, but Sirius shot him a dirty look.
“Have you been leaving the house?”
Kreacher’s eyes widened, and he tried to say nothing but it was obvious that he was compelled to never ignore something Sirius said.
“Kreacher has been visiting other Black relatives.”
“Other Black relat—” Sirius’ eyes widened. “Can’t be Andromeda or her children. Bellatrix is in Azkaban, so that leaves Narcissa.”
That made sense. Harry had wondered why Sirius’ House Elf would visit the Malfoy Manor in the first place.
“You are forbidden to ever go back there or have any contact with any other Black relative.”
“Now hold on,” Harry said as Kreacher wailed and mumbled insulting things about Sirius. “I need you to change that order a little bit.”
Remus’ eyes narrowed. “How exactly did you know about Kreacher?”
Kreacher turned to Harry curiously as Harry sat in front of him, legs crossed.
“Hi, Kreacher. My name is Harry Potter.”
Kreacher’s eyes widened, and his mouth moved but no words came out.
“Is there a reason you wanted to visit Narcissa?”
When Kreacher went to look at Sirius, Harry held up a hand. “Don’t look at him. Whatever you say won’t be held against you. I’ll make sure he doesn’t punish you.”
“Harry—”
“Not now,” Harry said, still so angry with them. He knew that some of the anger didn’t make sense. He was angry but the sheer volume of it had him a little worried.
Kreacher mumbled something and he had to lean in to hear what he was even saying.
“—hey are nice to Kreacher.”
Harry’s eyes closed as his heart sunk.
“Sirius, are you mean to him?”
Spluttering as Remus coughed and took a step away, and that was all he needed to know.
“He’s like them,” Sirius spat out. “My family. Just as dark. He still grieves my mother and talks to her painting daily.”
Harry had to think that one over before he said something insensitive. He tried to put himself in Sirius’ shoes. If there was a living reminder of the Dursleys that followed him and obeyed his orders, how would he feel?
It wasn’t pretty.
“Kreacher is not your mother,” Harry said, head turning to watch Sirius’ face crumple. “I won’t pretend to understand because I don’t, but House Elves don’t deserve to be mistreated.”
“I’d never hit him!”
“Abuse isn’t only limited to physical violence,” Harry whispered, eyes closing tightly. “I would know.”
It was Remus’ face that crumpled now.
“No one deserves that. No one deserves to be treated horribly for things out of their control. Kreacher didn’t ask for any of this. Didn’t ask to be enslaved, didn’t ask to have you as a Master. If he’s still grieving your mother, I have to ask why. Obviously it was because she treated him with a shred of decency that you clearly aren’t.”
Sirius’ fists clenched. “You don’t know what you are talking about, and I don’t appreciate the lecture.”
“Maybe not,” Harry shrugged. “But my point still stands. Treat Kreacher with the respect that he deserves. It’s the least you could do.”
Kreacher peered at Harry with wide eyes and shaky hands. “Master Harry defends Kreacher.”
Harry blinked a few times as Sirius said, “Master? Master? I’m your Master.”
Kreacher straightened up before glaring at Sirius. “Kreacher feels the familial bond between Master Sirius and Master Potter. Kreacher can address Master Harry as Kreacher pleases.”
Harry smiled softly, a drop of unease filling him at the thought of Dobby and Kreacher meeting. That didn’t sound like a good idea.
“Family?” Harry repeated once his mind fully comprehended that. “I’m your family?”
Sirius shoulders drooped as he took a few hesitant steps toward them. “Of course you are. You and Remus are all I have left. You’re not mine but you’re as good as. I’m your godfather, Harry and I will do everything in my power to protect you.”
Eyes stinging, Harry stood up, anger leaving him in a whoosh. “I need more than that, Sirius. I need to be treated as an equal too. You want to protect me, and while I appreciate that, I also need you to look at me as my own person. I can make decisions for myself; I don’t need you or the Order to make them for me.”
Sirius pulled him in a strong embrace that had Harry’s tears falling and he reached out blindly to pull in Remus too.
“I just wanted to be treated like my own person and not as a symbol for the Order or a child that can’t make my own choices. I’ve had enough of my choices stolen from me, don’t let it continue. Please.”
“Okay, okay,” Sirius promised. “I’m sorry. You’re right, you are your own person. For what it’s worth, I did try. I was outnumbered.”
Harry believed him.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t try harder,” Remus told him, eyes soft but filled with regret. “I wanted to keep you as a child just a bit longer, but you’re right. Child or not, Voldemort doesn’t care.”
Harry relaxed completely as they continued to hold on to them. When he backed away and wiped his eyes, he was a little embarrassed at how angry he had been.
“Thank you.”
A pressure on his knee had him looking down to see Kreacher pat him awkwardly in a show of comfort and it had Harry grinning fondly. When he looked up it was to see two identical suspicious gazes that he knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid anymore.
“You have a lot to answer for,” Remus said, pulling out his wand to summon three chairs.
“Can you transfigure something into another chair but smaller? I’d do it myself, but I’m not allowed to use Magic outside of school.”
If Remus thought the request was odd he didn’t show it, just did as asked and only then did Harry sit in his chair as he gestured for Kreacher to sit on the small chair. He ignored the spluttering from Sirius. Harry didn’t care if it wasn’t something that was done or if it wasn’t proper—he didn’t care about Purebloods and their stupid traditions or rules.
Kreacher climbed into the chair with an awed expression but said nothing, was content in watching them.
Harry could feel the burning looks of Sirius and Remus as he looked down at his hands. He wasn’t sure where to start.
“I have a boyfriend.”
A wheeze had him looking up to see Sirius coughing repeatedly. “Sorry, that just wasn’t what I expected.”
Harry chuckled before his head snapped up, fear churning in his gut. “That’s—it’s not a problem, is it?”
Remus snorted, waving away Harry’s glare. “Sorry, it’s just funny. Sirius is gay, Harry.”
“Hey!” Sirius rounded on him as Harry’s mind blanked. “You can’t just out me like that. How would you feel if I told Harry you were bisexual?”
Remus was bisexual?
“Does it matter? We’re in a relationship, Sirius.”
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
“What?” Harry whispered, mind a jumbled mess. “Have you always been together?”
“Off and on since we were in Hogwarts,” Sirius shrugged, still glaring at Remus. “We are serious though; I think Remus is stuck with me for life.”
Remus blushed, actually blushed and Harry was pretty sure he melted right along with Sirius.
“So,” Remus coughed. “You have a boyfriend?”
It was Harry’s turn to blush as Sirius turned to him with a wicked smirk, mischievous eyes and waggling brows.
“Yes, I do, and I think I might love him?” Harry had to think about it because love was serious, and he didn’t want to say it if he didn’t mean it. He’d have to talk to Draco about it, which they would. Due to their past, they talked out everything to ensure they were always on the same page.
Sirius smacked Remus repeatedly in the arm. “My baby is in love!”
“I’m not a baby!”
“He said think, Sirius.”
Sirius deflated a bit, but it was the suspicious look in Remus’ eyes that had Harry grimacing.
“And who is the lucky guy?” Remus asked, tone causing Sirius to look between them curiously.
“I won’t tell you until you swear to me that it never leaves this room. No one can know.”
Sirius narrowed his eyes. “It’s not an adult, is it?”
Harry let out a rough exhale, shaking his head. “No, of course not. Another student.”
“Oh.” Sirius relaxed. “Then I have no problem with it.”
“Who is it?” Remus asked, eyes still narrowed.
Harry shook his head again. “Not until you promise me, on your Magic.”
They both sucked in a sharp breath as they looked at him incredulously. “I’m not going to force you. We can shelve this conversation for another day and pretend that I said nothing.”
He was giving them an out and he didn’t care either way. It would be nice to have someone else know about their relationship, but it was also a complication.
“Kreacher would never betray Master Harry.”
Harry laughed, albeit a bit wetly as his emotions got the better of him. He patted Kreacher’s hand a few times.
“Thank you, Kreacher, I appreciate it.”
“I’m not about to be shown up by Kreacher,” Sirius said, lips curled a bit. “I’ll swear on my Magic too. Not a word gets out.”
Remus looked him calculatingly and it reminded Harry of Hermione a bit. She never would have agreed to such a request, which is why he wasn’t going to tell her. His friends were a bit volatile at times and it was better this way.
“Me too,” Remus said after Sirius elbowed him in the rib. “I’ll swear on my Magic too.”
He waited until they actually did that, before he took a deep breath and took out his letter. Draco wasn’t going to like that his emotions were about to be on display for anyone but Harry, but it was easier to explain this way and it was a way for them to see a different side of his boyfriend. Harry would tell Draco, because they didn’t keep things from each other, especially the bad stuff.
“This is my latest letter from him, it should explain all of your questions. Just keep an open mind for me, will you?”
Sirius snatched it so quickly from his hands that it had Harry laughing. God he loved his godfather.
At some point Sirius choked, Remus sucked in a sharp breath and they both looked to him with wide eyes.
“Harry.”
“I know,” Harry laughed. “Believe me, I know.”
“I think he loves you too,” Sirius said, eyes soft but faraway.
Harry smiled down at his hands. He had thought the same thing when he had read it too. When the letter was handed back to him, he let Kreacher read it too—ignoring the eye roll from Sirius.
“Draco Malfoy,” Remus breathed, eyes so wide that Harry almost wanted to laugh. “Is that where you’re getting your information from?”
“Yes and no. I read the books he recommended but I also did my own research on a lot of things. I’ve come to the conclusion that unless the Order is willing to treat me the way I deserve then I won’t be joining.”
Sirius choked again and Remus took in several short intakes of breath that might be a panic attack, but he wasn’t entirely sure. Sirius absentmindedly entwined his fingers with Remus and Harry watched in amazement as it seemed to calm Remus down.
“Harry, are you sure about this? I know that in the letter Draco said—”
“It’s not about him,” Harry said, shaking his head. And it wasn’t, not really. “He made several points that made me think twice and I looked into it myself. The secrets, the silence and the way I have been treated since I was eleven leaves a bad taste in my mouth. When it comes to my life, I am the only one who can decide what is best for me, and that includes mistakes. I am going to make many mistakes, just as Dumbledore has, just as both of you have. Knowing that, I still am the only one who gets to decide what happens when it comes to me. If the Order can’t respect that, then they won’t get my support.”
He wasn’t going to budge either. It didn’t matter if Sirius and Remus chose to stay with the Order. It didn’t matter if Ron and Hermione joined the Order either. That was their choice to make, and they had the right to do so, just as he had the right to make his own decisions too.
“I’m also not going back to the Dursleys ever again.”
Sirius huffed out a laugh that sounded disbelieving. “The blood wards though.”
“I don’t care.” And he didn’t. “I am no safer there than anywhere else. If Voldemort can get to me at Hogwarts, then he can find a way around blood wards. The Dursleys are horrible to me. I’m done putting up with it. I refuse to allow anyone to treat me with anything less than I deserve.”
“Dumbledore won’t like this.”
Again, “I don’t care. None of this is up to him. Sirius, you are my godfather and unless you’re going to try and force me back there, there’s nothing he can do.”
Sirius scoffed. “You’ll do no such thing. You will stay here with me and Remus, right Remus?”
Remus nodded absentmindedly, eyes on the floor. “This is going to be a headache.”
“But you’re the smart one!” Sirius argued, pressing a kiss to Remus’ hand. “Between the three of us, you’ll get it sorted.”
“Four,” Kreacher argued much to Harry’s amusement and Sirius’ dismay.
“Five if we count Draco,” Harry said, tone letting them know that Draco counted. He knew at some point he’d probably include Dobby in that too.
“What about your friends?”
Harry blew out a large and dramatic breath. “That depends on them. I won’t be telling them about Draco, not yet. They wouldn’t understand nor would they be willing to swear on their Magic.”
“Shouldn’t you give them the option to?”
Maybe. Harry hadn’t really given it much thought outside of gut instinct telling him it wasn’t a good idea yet.
“I’ll think on it.”
That seemed to appease Sirius and Remus. There would be time for planning, time for the what-ifs and the many arguments that would no doubt arise, but he didn’t want to think about that, not yet at least.
Instead, Harry said, “So how long do you think it will take for the Order to realize I’m gone? I know they’ve been tailing me, I heard someone Apparate the other day.”
Sirius growled. “That would be Mundungus.”
Mundungus? Harry wasn’t so sure that he wanted to know.
“Depends on who is on duty,” Remus said with a slight shrug. “The Order was told to watch you but to not intervene. We should let Dumbledore know you are here before he sends out a search party.”
“Oh no,” Sirius disagreed, mischievous look back in his eyes. “I think we should do nothing and let them panic. They wouldn’t tell either of us right away because they know I’d look for you regardless of Dumbledore’s orders, and Remus would more than likely tell me so they wouldn’t tell him either for at least a couple days.”
It was stupid and reckless and definitely not a good idea, but he was feeling petty. He leaned forward, smirk matching the one on Sirius’ face.
“I’m in.”
Remus groaned. “Great. There’s two of you.”
Sirius pressed a lip-smacking kiss to Remus’ cheek. “Don’t be such a party pooper. This will be fun.”
At least until they were caught, but that was a problem for the future.
“Fine, fine,” Remus relented, waiting until Sirius and Harry cheered before he went in for the kill. “But only if Harry tells us how he and Draco got together.”
Sirius cheered again only this time at the misery and embarrassment on Harry’s face, but he didn’t argue. He talked and talked, about everything. They in turn talked to him about their relationship, how it started and how it fell apart just for them to find love again after Sirius’ breakout.
They talked as Harry felt years lighter. They talked as they cried and hugged. They talked as they thought of the future.
They talked.
“Well, that could have gone better.”
Harry whimpered a pitiful laugh as he sunk to the floor, back resting against the couch between Sirius’ legs as his godfather ruffled his hair.
“Doubt it could have gone worse,” Remus sighed, hand going to Harry’s hair too.
“I can’t believe you said that to Dumbledore,” Harry said, twisting a bit to peer over his shoulder at Sirius.
“What do you mean?! You’re the one that started all of this.”
“Yeah, but you kicked out the Order!”
Harry bit his lip as his stomach soured. He had known all along that Dumbledore wasn’t going to let him join the Order at fifteen, but he had at least expected some kind agreement on information sharing. The fact that he refused to budge let Harry know that it wasn’t ever going to work out. Dumbledore was never going to let him make his own decisions. So Harry told him in a very polite way to get bent.
He wasn’t going to let anyone—Dumbledore included—treat him like an object to do their bidding. He was a pawn in whatever sick tug of war Voldemort and Dumbledore had going on and he refused to play anymore.
“I did, didn’t I?” Sirius laughed, the sound a touch hysterical. “I don’t regret it. Did you see the look on Snape’s face? I think I impressed him.”
Remus laughed, rubbing his face. “Don’t let it get to your head, it’ll never happen again.”
“Why are you always ruining my fun?”
“It’s called reality, you should give it a try sometime.”
Harry smiled, eyes closing as they continued to bicker. He hadn’t known what to think when he found out they were together, but he thought they were a good fit for each other.
“It might have gone better if they hadn’t arrived to look for me,” Harry said a bit sheepishly. The murderous look on Snape’s face when Harry opened the door had been worth it.
“That’s their own fault,” Sirius sneered. “It’s been three days and they never contacted us once. Molly and Arthur were made aware immediately, you can’t tell me that wasn’t a calculated choice.”
No, it definitely was calculated, only Harry couldn’t figure out why.
“I don’t think he wants the two of you to grow close,” Remus whispered, wincing when he was faced with two furious expressions. “Think about it. He could have done a lot between the end of your third year and now to help Sirius, and he didn’t. At least until he needed something from him.”
A pause before Sirius clenched his fists. “The Noble House of Black.”
Blinking, Harry sat up straighter. “You need to dissolve the Fidelius Charm and re-put it up. Only this time, use House Elf blocking spells as well.”
Remus and Sirius shared a look before they sprang to action, spells shooting all around them as they added all kinds of protections that Harry had never heard of but started to write down to investigate further.
There was a lot to think about, a lot to consider and a lot of it hurt his head. Part of him had hoped that Dumbledore would understand where he was coming from and at least try but it was for nothing.
That burned.
Just like the bridge Dumbledore just burned.