Undefined

Chapter 33

Of Prophecies and Horcruxes

"Are you going to tell me about your meeting with Dumbledore, or leave me in suspense?" Draco was sprawled lazily on the bed in the Room of Requirement with a tin of biscuits resting on his chest.

"Suspense," Harry said, his head resting on Draco's stomach.

"Don't be a prat," Draco said. "Have you ever had these?"

Harry looked up, examining the biscuit in Draco's hand. "Yeah."

"They're amazing."

"My aunt used to buy them all the time for my cousin; he'd eat them by the tinful."

"I love the sugar sprinkles on top," Draco said, taking another bite.

"They do add texture," Harry said.

"Yes!" Draco said, realizing that was their appeal. "Anyway, what did Dumbledore say?"

"Loads of things."

"Such as?"

"It seems," Harry said, grabbing a biscuit, "that Voldemort fancies splitting his soul into tiny bits and storing them in valuable objects that Dumbledore's been amassing and destroying. Seems there's only two left, and I went with him to try and find one today."

"Horcruxes?" Draco said, intrigued.

"You've heard of them?"

"Yeah. I snuck into my father's study once and found a book about it. It's very, very dark magic and very dangerous. I had no idea the Dark Lord was involved with it; although I can't say I'm surprised."

"I'd forgotten how good these biscuits are. Anyway, as soon as Dumbledore finds his last bit of soul and destroys it--" Harry said, taking a bite.

"Voldemort can be killed," Draco said logically. "Yeah, that makes sense."

And with that, he realized, Voldemort the myth would become Voldemort the man: vulnerable, weak, and most importantly, mortal.

"Where does the prophecy fit in with all this?" Draco asked.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "As long as we collect all the Horcruxes that won't matter, seeing as Voldemort can finally be finished off."

"You have to kill him, don't you?" Draco asked, without thinking.

Harry looked very cross as he folded his arms.

"Don't be sore at me."

"I'm not," Harry said, sounding quite the contrary.

"I'm just trying to understand all this."

Harry said nothing, his face rigid as he stared at the opposite wall.

"What about the prophecy?" Draco probed. He sighed impatiently when Harry refused to say anything. "Harry."

"What?" Harry snapped, clearly very agitated.

"Answer my question."

"It's nothing."

"You've heard it, then?"

"Yes."

"What did it say?" Draco said impatiently. "What did it say?"

"I have to do it!" Harry yelled. "Not Dumbledore, not Snape, not anyone who's suited to do it, but me!"

"Calm down," Draco said.

"No! I'm so tired of always having to pick up the loose ends and set things right. I don't know what the fuck I'm doing half of the time! I see the way people look at me; they think I'm so gifted and powerful when I'm really just blindly running around trying not to go and get myself killed!"

"It's easy to think that way about those who do great deeds," Draco said gently, trying to calm Harry.

Harry huffed. "'Great deeds' is it?"

"Yes," Draco said. "Great is a point of view; either good or bad, it's still powerful. And you are powerful."

"Not like them," Harry said, clearly still very agitated. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

But in Harry-speak, Draco knew quite well that meant just the opposite. "What else did it say?"

"I told you," Harry said, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Just tell me what it said, Harry," Draco said, rubbing his temples. "I'm not against you."

"He marked me as his equal," Harry said very lowly. "And one of us has to die."

"That doesn't mean it's you," Draco said, trying more to calm himself than Harry.

"I know."

"If you're his equal, then you're just as powerful."

"I don't know about that."

"You are!" Draco said fiercely. "You should've heard the way they talked about the Dark Lord in O.S. meetings. They said he was a miscreant with an abundance of power and luck. And it's true!"

"If you say so," Harry said miserably.

"I do," Draco said. "And you'd best believe it."

He let the matter drop, in no mood to ponder the gravity of the matter with Harry so near. Somehow, Draco knew these moments, while seemingly eternal, would prove fleeting and sparse as the days rolled on towards the inevitable. He pulled Harry closer, resting his head on Harry's shoulder.

"You won't be alone," Draco muttered.

"I'm not worried about being alone," Harry admitted. "Death is pretty much the main concern at this point."

"You won't die," Draco said fiercely. "I won't let you."

Draco was quite pleased to spend the night in the Room of Requirement, as far removed from his housemates as possible. However, when the sun shone arrogantly through the window rousing him the following morning, he knew he had no choice but to return to the lions' den, as it were. He and Harry walked the length of the corridor to the stairs together before parting, and as Draco walked through the common room, everyone who was there stared at him as he passed. He meandered to his dormitory, ignoring his surroundings and went to the showers, turning the water as hot as he could stand it before stepping under it.

"Everyone thinks it's Granger," Nott said, lathering his hair a few feet away.

"Do they?" Draco said, sounding quite disinterested.

"Except a few; namely Zabini and his lot."

Draco grunted slightly, not wishing to discuss the matter.

"Parkinson's been a right mess after yesterday," Nott said, rinsing his hair.

"I'm supposed to care?"

"She fancies you; she always has."

"Too bad."

"She's taken up with Cooper now," Nott said. "I think she's trying to make you jealous."

"It's working," Draco said sarcastically, causing Nott to laugh.

"Bad luck, mate," Nott said, turning the water off and grabbing a towel. "I don't envy you."

"I'd consider anyone a fool who does."

Nott patted Draco casually on the shoulder as he left, a motion that touched Draco much more than he expected; with that gesture, he realized Nott was one of the few who was not against him in the slightest.

The few Slytherins who entered the showers paid Draco no mind, treating him as though he were part of the tile. This failed to bother him as he lathered and rinsed, then washed his hair and bent his neck, letting the hot water message away the tension lurking in his muscles. He suddenly remembered something from one of his first meetings with Katrina: the power provided by his pure-blood status. If Harry were to do the seemingly impossible, Draco would not let him do it alone. As he toweled dry and dressed quickly, yet neatly, he wandered to the Headmaster's office, determined to find out as much as possible. He was mildly disappointed to find Snape in Dumbledore's stead.

"The Headmaster is not in at the moment," Snape said, reading a roll of parchment from behind Dumbledore's desk.

"I gathered as much," Draco said. "I need to talk to you, then."

"Pray tell me it does not pertain to what we discussed earlier."

"No," Draco said quickly. "Not that."

Snape seemed to thank the heavens above. "Well?"

"Sir, earlier this year, when I met with Katrina, she mentioned something about protection afforded to pure-bloods--"

"Another lesson you wish to take?"

"Yes, sir."

"May I remind you that only recently have you and" -Snape gritted his teeth yet again--"Potter finished serving detention with me."

"So?"

"I'm surprised you are so willing to give up your evenings given... the state of things," Snape said coolly.

"That's my business," Draco said.

Snape rolled his eyes before looking once again at the parchment in his hands. "Very well; I'll discuss it with the Headmaster."

"Good," Draco said, turning on his heel and heading towards the Great Hall.

He didn't bother sitting down to breakfast, in no mood to listen to the incessant buzzing that followed him wherever he went. Instead, he grabbed a bit of toast and smothered it in jam before heading out the door. He heard Pansy's shrill laugh as he walked past, and fought the urge to hex her.

"Honestly," Hermione said, running into him at the door, "you'd think they'd find something else to talk about."

"They think we're shagging," Draco said quietly.

"Oh that's rich!" Hermione said. "Seeing as everyone knows I'm with Ron."

"They don't care about that," Draco said.

"It's a load of bollocks," Hermione said, and seeing Ron and Harry approach, went to Ron and kissed him on the cheek.

"You aren't eating?" Harry said.

"On the go," Draco said, holding up his toast.

"Hang on," Harry said, moving to his table and grabbing a scone before rejoining Draco. "Shall we?"

They ate in the privacy of the Trophy Room, the dust and grime of awards from decades past their only company, which, thankfully, did not feel the need to hiss and whisper around them. After they finished eating, Draco pulled Harry into a kiss, wondering why they hadn't snuck off and done this before the entire school decided to gossip. They jumped when they heard the door burst open and quickly hid behind a large shelf filled with unpolished awards.

"Ron!" Hermione's voice filtered through the dust and grime, "Ron, honestly, we can't!"

"Why not?"

"Oh, no," Harry said, covering his ears. "I don't want to hear this."

"Shhhhh," Draco hissed, peering around the edge of the shelf to get a better look.

"Because--" Hermione squealed slightly when Ron pulled her into a kiss.

"That's it!" Draco said happily.

He watched as Ron gently pulled her to the floor and slowly continued to kiss her.

"What if we aren't alone?" Hermione said, glancing around nervously.

"We are," Ron said, pulling her into another kiss and running his hands through her hair.

Draco watched as Ron continued to kiss Hermione softly, running his hands slowly through her hair, over her breasts before finally resting on her legs.

"Not bad, Weasley," Draco muttered as Harry nudged him hard in the ribs.

"Hermione," Ron said lowly.

"Yes?" Hermione said, breathless.

"You're beautiful."

Draco nearly jumped for joy when he heard the words.

"No...no I'm..." Hermione protested.

"Yes," Ron said, nudging her legs apart with his hand. "You are."

Hermione moaned as Ron's hand continued to snake up her legs, finally resting between her thighs.

She's quite pretty like this, Draco thought.

"Are they done yet?" Harry whispered, looking beyond appalled.

"No," Draco said, craning his neck. "They're just getting started actually."

He watched as Ron lowered Hermione fully onto the floor and kissed her neck, but when he unbuttoned her shirt and went to take it off, Draco found himself looking away, embarrassed.

"Not fun, is it?" Harry whispered. "Bit disturbing, isn't it?"

"A bit," Draco admitted, Hermione's moans growing louder.

The vast expanse of the room filled with crystal cases echoed Ron and Hermione's moans and gasps and Draco sat twiddling his thumbs as Harry covered his ears with his hands, his eyes closed, rocking back and forth. Draco smiled and nudged him.

"It's only sex, Harry," Draco whispered.

"Not when it's those two," Harry snapped.

They continued to sit in silence as Hermione and Ron shagged a few feet away, Hermione quite a bit more vocal than Draco would ever have imagined. Clearly, he thought, Weasley's doing something right. By the time they both climaxed, Harry was still rocking with his hands over his ears, by now shaking his head as though in extreme mental distress.

"Ron," Hermione panted, "that was amazing."

"Yeah," Ron replied.

"We should go," Hermione said. "Charms will start soon."

"Yeah," Ron said, clearly still lost in his orgasm.

Draco listened as they both dressed and wandered out; he emerged only when the door slammed safely shut behind them.

"They're gone."

Harry still had his hands covering his ears.

"Harry!" Draco said, shaking him. "They're gone."

Harry slowly lowered his hands, looking weary. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Draco said, laughing.

"It's not funny!" Harry said, standing.

"It's a little funny."

"No!" Harry said. "It's not! It's disturbing! I don't want to hear what they sound like when they shag!"

"Could you even hear anything?" Draco said.

"I could hear everything!" Harry said.

"I'm surprised you weren't a bit more curious," Draco said, standing and brushing off his trousers, "seeing as you've never done it with a girl."

"Not when the girl's Hermione!" Harry said, sounding highly affronted.

"She's really quite pretty."

"I know she's pretty," Harry said, "but it's Hermione."

"Well, who would you want to see, then?" Draco asked, but Harry merely shrugged. "That Ravenclaw you snogged?"

"No," Harry said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"You had to've fancied her, if you snogged her," Draco said matter-of-factly.

"I told you, I didn't snog her, she cornered me! Under mistletoe!"

Draco couldn't help it; he burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked.

"So romantic how you recall your first kiss: 'she forced me into it under mistletoe!'"

"Well, she did," Harry said indignantly, causing Draco to laugh harder. "She did!"

"All right," Draco said, "she forced you into it."

"What about your first kiss?" Harry said, clearly changing the subject to one he could control.

"What about it?"

"What was the weather like...you know bloody well know what I mean!" Harry snapped.

"She didn't force me into it, or corner me under mistletoe," Draco said, his mouth twitching.

"Funny," Harry said.

"I'm only joking!" Draco said, pulling him closer. "It wasn't anything great actually. I was a second-year and it was in my dormitory."

"Don't tell me you fucked her," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"For fuck's sake, of course I didn't! I was twelve!" Draco said, appalled. "I was showing her a pocket watch my father'd given me for Christmas and she was ogling it, and I liked her reaction, so I just leant in and kissed her."

"Do you still have the watch?"

"I think so," Draco said. "I dunno. I'd have to look."

"It landed you your first kiss and you don't know if you still have it?"

"She was one of many," Draco said. "It sort of loses its gleam after a bit."

"Listen to you going on about yourself!"

"I'm just stating a fact. You've never complained."

"Or am I one of the many who loses their gleam?"

"Very humorous," Draco said, as the bell rang.

"Class," Harry said, pulling away.

"What class?"

"Don't be thick; you know what class."

"Ron and Hermione can give us notes."

"We never take notes in Charms!" Harry protested.

"So?" Draco said, leaning in to kiss Harry.

"Ho-no!" Harry said. "Not now!"

"What?" Draco said, pulling Harry fully into a kiss.

"Stop," Harry said, pushing Draco away. "We can't."

"Can't or won't?" Draco said, smirking.

"Look, after, or even between lessons, just not here!" Harry said, sounding borderline hysterical.

"Just because Ron and Hermione shagged here doesn't make it taboo," Draco said, pushing Harry against a shimmering case.

Draco looked at Harry, as though daring him to say no, or yell, or protest, or stomp away. But, instead, Harry responded by kissing Draco and then pulling abruptly away.

"I refuse to shag where they did!" Harry said, grabbing Draco's hand.