Chapter Text
The first step into Grimmauld place made Harry's heart lurch. The walls were bare, the floors were dusty and it was dark. It was dark and cold and damp and Harry hated it. Yes he had been there just at Christmas but it seemed to have sagged with the now lack of company and magic. With some light from his wand Harry creeped up the stairs, he opened the rusty gold painted door handle and it opened with a creek, inside he found a wooden frame of a bed and a box. Intrigued he folded back the cardboard flaps to find some plates and an ornate tea cup set. He would come back for that later. It seemed as if the house had decided to pack itself up and remove any sense of homeliness that Molly had breathed into the place not long ago.
The next room he entered was stripped completely bare, even to the wallpaper and some of the dark oak floorboards. He only found one more room with a bed, all the others were empty as could be. Now he stood with his hand hovering at the door handle of Sirius Black's room, he pushed it open softly and then felt his heart drop. Everything here was gone. He had hoped he had something to remember him by, a jacket or hell anything but no it was all gone - as he had never existed at all. The floorboards groaned as he stepped further into the room. He took a deep breath and felt the dusty fog of the room enter his lungs, it smelt like a decaying corpse and Harry felt sick because that was the smell he had never wanted to associate with anyone. When the door clipped close behind him he finally let out a breath, he didn't turn back around or move for a few moments.
When he arrived back downstairs, with a box in hand, he saw Narcissa Swishing her wand and dust seeming to clear off the abandoned dirty surfaces. The kitchen was a mess, the memories of Sirius toasting to him sat like bile in his chest, he swallowed it away and put on his "I'm fine" face.
"I found some plates and cups" Harry said heaving the box onto a chair.
"Thank you, Draco dear do you want to help unload that?"
Harry almost sniggered but couldn't find the heart to. He would be killed if he called Draco dear. Draco came close, probably closer than necessary and spoke quietly.
"Are you okay?"
Harry blinked, busying himself with fancy plates before a hand touched his arm gently. He stilled for a second before saying "I'm okay" with the most conviction as he could right now. He was always surprised that Draco could see through his facades and lies, it was refreshing but left him feeling a touch vulnerable.
"We're going to get through this" He heard Draco say and then Harry found them both hugging. Hugging in front of his mother? What was she going to think?
There was a chuckle from across the room "You know I used to have to bribe Draco with sweets for a hug"
They broke apart and Draco rolled his eyes. But Narcissa had strolled across the room and enveloped her son in a hug.
"Mum!" A hotly and embarrassed Draco protested and Harry burst out laughing. A proper full belly laugh, it had been a while since he had laughed like that.
"Oh don't think you're getting away" She teased and then somehow Harry found himself squashed between Draco and his mother. If you had told Harry this would happen two years ago he would have stared at you in disbelief. When she had released then Harry's face was flushed and so was Draco's. Well this was new. It turned out - over tea and some cheap biscuits - that she really was a nice person. She was funny, witty and well...loving.
"So boys how long?" She asked out of the blue with a twinkle in her eye.
"How long what?" Draco asked carefully.
"Oh don't try that with me dear. Mother knows best and trust me I know when you hug someone willingly then they must mean a lot to you"
Draco gave a quick glance at Harry before answering "Actually I'm not entirely sure, one or two months perhaps"
"And here I was thinking he would never find love. Well I'm happy for you both" Harry flushed darkly and smiled into himself, who would have thought?
"But for now we should sort out the accommodation"
Just as Draco left the room Harry was beaconed over by Narcissa, he approached her carefully. She was a tall, beautiful but dangerous looking woman, but her smile was like Draco's - bright and full-bodied. Her hair was long, blonde and almost glowing in the sunset azure coming in from the smudged window.
"I haven't yet thanked you. I honestly wouldn't know where Draco and I would be if it weren't for you."
"Oh... Well it's my pleasure Mrs. Malfoy"
She smiled again "Call me Narcissa, Harry dear and I really do owe you"
"You don't owe me anything" Harry assured, "I'm happy I could help you and Draco"
Then Harry was pulled into another hug and it just seemed like that was where the fun was that night, though Harry couldn't complain, it was a nice hug - though anything apart from Hermione's occasional rib squeezer hugs were nice hugs.
The next few days consisted of cleaning, eating and sleeping. Harry and Draco shared a room as other rooms were... well, in renovation. But that meant cuddles and Harry didn't mind cuddles in the cold house. He didn't like being alone in a room by himself, a sense of unease seemed to hold the house hostage. But by the end of the week Harry didn't feel right, there was a sort of unease that had filled his bones and he could just sense something was stirring deep within him. This was a different feeling of unease, this was something deeper. It was as if his very core was on edge, magic building up slowly and pressing heavily on his chest, it made his hand fly up to his sternum and try and soothe it.
"Are you okay?" Draco had asked that afternoon, eyebrows furrowed.
Harry frowned "I don't know...I think I just need an early night" He wasn't feeling right at all and even turned away dinner that night. He felt entirely too amped to sleep but lay down anyway. It was probably anxiety.
When he woke up to sunlight streaming into the room his head felt fuzzy. It was almost like teetering on the edge of a fainting episode, he didn't dare open his eyes. It must just be tiredness. But When he moved his head, even a degree, shooting pains splintered his skull and it was all he could do not to cry out. But it was unlike a migraine or a quaffle to the head - this felt charged. Like he had just put his head into an outlet and someone turned on the switch. But his legs felt somehow charged as well, actually every cell in his body felt like electricity, like pins and needles but amped up by a thousand.
He must have cried out at some point because there was someone rushing to his side. Vague, far away voices were speaking but Harry couldn't hear them, all he could hear was the sound of his heart thumping. There was glass shattering and frantic voices and chaos unfolding as blue chaotic waves of magic rippled off Harry and into the room, shattering glasses on the bed side table. But in a few minutes the neon blue waves slowed down and seemed to calm before turning more and more opaque until it was like they were never there. Instead lay Harry Potter, his head tilted to one side and breathing deeply. It was over but what had just happened?