Transition

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~ Chapter Sixteen: Out of the Bag ~

Nearly eight weeks had passed peacefully. Students who were in their seventh year had already dealt with their major exams and were all waiting anxiously for their results. The question of whether they would or would not graduate hung over their heads like great clouds of doom. Professor Snape, the best Potions Master Hogwarts had ever taken as a teacher, seemed to enjoy the students’ despair somewhat excessively.

Hermione Granger was in her typical fit of hysterics and her two loyal friends had found it necessary to restrain her before she could pester any of the professors. Ronald Weasley, her red-haired boyfriend, kept mumbling to himself that he was going to do worse than his twin brothers. His sister, Ginny, remarked rather scathingly that comparing himself to Fred and George would not be valid, since the twins quitted school before taking the NEWTs. Harry Potter, who was sitting in between Ron and Hermione, had his own worries.

The charming young wizard with brilliant emerald eyes felt restless, constantly thinking about where he was going to live once he graduated from Hogwarts, and what he was going to do for a career after that. And of course, he thought of the Slytherin he was secretly dating. Only the youngest member of the Weasley family seemed unconcerned about exam results.

“This is hopeless!” Ron yelled suddenly, raking his fingers through his thick red hair.

“What is?” Harry asked, playing idly with his fork.

“All this planning!” his friend declared. “I don’t even know if I would meet the requirements!”

Harry sighed. I think I grew up too soon. Then he laughed inwardly. So fine. I’m a coward. I don’t want to go into the working world. His eyes glazed over as he concentrated on his thoughts. What do I really – I mean really – want to do? He stopped playing with his dinner and pushed his plate aside. He lifted his bag and thrust one hand in, rummaging around for a spare scroll of parchment and writing equipment. Then he started listing possible job ideas for himself.

“I thought you wanted to be an Auror,” Hermione piped up, peering at his writing.

Harry looked up at her and smiled. “What if I don’t meet the requirements?” he asked mildly.

Hermione rolled her eyes in aggravation. “Harry, your OWL results were good enough. Of course they would enroll you for training.”

“And what if I don’t want to be an Auror?”

“Well – that’s really up to you then. Just bear it in mind that whatever you choose must be able to keep you satisfied. You’ve got a knack for being knee-deep in trouble.”

“All right. So I’ll keep an eye out for work that requires me to put my life in danger,” Harry suggested.

“Mum’s not going to like it though,” Ron commented, looking over Harry’s shoulder.

Harry and Hermione chuckled. Something from the corner of Harry’s vision made the wizard turn, and he saw Draco Malfoy leaning casually against the one of doors. The Slytherin was staring right at him. Draco jerked his head and arched his eyebrow. Harry gulped as he felt Ron tense up beside him.

“I’ll be right back,” Harry informed his friends softly. He was about to get up when Ron placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. Surprised, Harry turned to look at his best friend. Green eyes clashed with light brown ones, and Harry found that he didn’t like what he saw. Ron’s eyes were full of questions, loathing and even hatred.

“Ron – let him go,” Hermione said quietly and after a quick glance at the witch, Ron withdrew his fingers and glared at the wall opposite him.

Harry studied the wizard sitting next to him. Then he shook his head and rose to his feet. He gave an inquiring look at Draco and the Slytherin immediately took a black envelope out of his pocket and started waving it in the air. Harry’s eyes narrowed in recognition and he quickened his steps.

“Is that from who I think it’s from?” he said incredulously to Draco.

Malfoy smirked, his silver eyes glittering with mischief. “You tell me.”

Harry studied the other wizard for another second before gesturing Draco to go to a spot where Ron would not be able to see them. As he inspected the envelope, he noted that it was addressed to Draco. He frowned.

“Just read it,” Draco said impatiently, grinning quite widely now.

Harry felt baffled by the letter and he was even more bewildered upon seeing Draco’s cheerful behavior. He fished out the black card and read the written message quickly. He seemed to forget how to breathe when he came to end of the message.

“Is he serious?” Harry demanded.

“I don’t know,” Draco replied, shrugging slightly. “But it’s a good offer.”

Harry read the message again. Starkmind had just offered them positions as teacher-apprentices. The half-Veela had also invited the young wizards to his home for the summer holidays.

And he says that he can help me – us – find our own place. Harry took a deep breath and blinked his eyes rapidly. But to be a teacher?

“I wonder if I can be good enough to steal Snape’s position,” Draco mused, his vibrant voice penetrating Harry’s dazzled mind.

“But your mother–”

“– has already given her blessings,” Draco interrupted. “She’ll be painfully relieved once I learn how to stand on my own two feet. I still need her for the trial though.”

“All right. What do you think about the last paragraph?” Harry asked carefully.

Draco scratched his knee absently. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. But that depends if we can tolerate each other while living together in Starkmind’s house.” The Slytherin gave a penetrating stare at him. “I want to be with you,” Draco said softly. Mercurially, the silver-eyed wizard brightened up. “Well, I’m going to bed now. Think about it carefully.”

The Slytherin moved closer to Harry and after scrutinizing their surroundings for onlookers and finding that there were none, Draco managed to steal a kiss. It was soft and tender, but it was beautiful enough to make the shorter teenager ache with longing. Draco gave a wave and limped towards the staircase leading down to the lower levels. Harry stared after the boy and looked down at the card in his hand. With a thoughtful expression on his face he returned to the table, where Ron still looked angry.

~*~

The next morning.

Harry hurriedly dried his hair as he walked out of the bathroom and back into his dormitory. He thought he was the only one who had woken late that Saturday morning, so he was quite shocked to see Ron sitting on the bed.

“Morning, Ron,” Harry greeted.

“More like a good afternoon, mate,” the redhead corrected. “Got an owl from Mum at breakfast.”

“Oh?” Harry pulled on his shirt and looked encouragingly at his friend. “What did she say?”

“She says that you are more than welcome to live with us,” Ron said promptly. “You’re not going back to your uncle’s place, are you?” he asked thoughtfully.

Harry shuddered. “No way. I’m of age, and I can be without guardians breathing down my neck now,” the raven-haired wizard replied. “But Ron,” Harry gulped, not knowing how to tell his friend of his decision, “I’ve made other arrangements.”

Just by his best friend’s reaction, Harry knew he was going to have a very bad day. A very bad day. Ron gaped at him, his eyes growing huge with shock, and his face alternately turning red, and then white. Then the tall wizard shut his mouth and Harry winced at the sound of it.

“All right, Harry. We are going to have a talk now,” Ron said, his voice tight with barely suppressed anger.

Harry groaned inwardly but maintained his bland expression. “What about?” he asked calmly. As if I don’t know what this is about! Potter, you are one bloody idiot.

“You and Malfoy.” Ron took a deep breath. “What’s going on with you and him?”

“I–”

“Bloody well made some arrangements with him, did you?”

“Ron, we–”

“I may be thick but I am not completely blind! I don’t give a damn if you’re gay – but why in the nine hells did it have to be that disgusting, bloody ferret?” the red-haired wizard exploded. “For Merlin’s sake! Can’t you see what the git is capable of? He bloody well killed his father – his own father – in cold blood!” Ron was shouting at the top of his lungs now. “Are you going to wait until he gets his hands on your inheritance and poison you before you really know what the git is up to?”

“That is rubbish and you know it, Ron!” Harry snapped, green eyes flashing in anger. “Draco’s far richer than your family and mine combined! Why in Gryffindor’s name would he want my wealth?” He took several steps forward and forced his taller friend to look down at him.

“Why the git, Harry? Why of all people, him? A Slytherin?” Ron insisted in a harsh voice.

The two were so busy glaring at each other that they did not notice a head peeking in cautiously. Neville Longbottom studied them for several seconds, then gulped and shut the door quietly.

“How would I know? Why are you and Hermione together then?” Harry retorted.

“I like her because of her courage and her smile. What can you possibly see in that pointy-faced ferret?”

“His good sense, and I love his smile. And how his hair hides his eyes,” Harry replied, then smiled coldly when Ron’s face turned squeamish. “I love the way I feel when I’m with him. He makes me feel needed and wanted. Furthermore, he needs me too.”

“I’m disappointed in you, Harry.”

“Fine. There are so many others who are as well,” the shorter wizard replied in a tight voice. “By the way, tell your mum that I’m going to live with Professor Starkmind and begin my apprenticeship in autumn.” Harry turned around and stormed out of the dormitory. He took a calming breath as he descended the spiral staircase. His face assumed a cool expression when he reached the common room.

There were a couple of Gryffindors using the room, and Harry felt their eyes follow him as he crossed the room and climbed out of the portrait hole. Harry groaned inwardly and wondered if Ron’s bellowing had reached their ears. Great. What a splendid Saturday I’m going to have, he thought sarcastically.

As Harry walked in the corridors of the Gryffindor Tower, he pondered on whether he should seek Draco out and inform him that their relationship was out into the open, or if he should just hide in some remote corner of the castle.

~*~

Hermione stared after Harry’s retreating back with consternation. She let out a loud sigh and gently closed the book she had been reading. Why did Ron have to shout? She shook her head reprovingly and stood up, brushing her skirt absently.

“Here, Parvati. Thanks for letting me read it,” she said as she handed the thick book to her friend.

“Are you going up, Hermione?” the sharp-nosed witch asked with a certain amount of trepidation.

“Of course,” she replied with a sad smile. “I’m going to use Silencing Charms and lock the door, so don’t try to sneak in.” She frowned suddenly. “Someone had better tell Ginny and the others about this. I don’t want them to rub salt into Ron’s wound.”

“I will,” a new voice piped up, and Hermione turned to find Neville standing half-hidden near the fireplace. “They’re really mad at each other, Hermione,” the boy said seriously.

“You know, Harry can’t be totally gay,” Lavender mused. “If he was, he wouldn’t have gone out with Luna last year.”

“That’s true,” Hermione agreed.

“Good luck,” Neville said quietly as he headed for the portrait hole.

“Good luck, girl,” Lavender and Parvati chorused.

“Thanks,” Hermione muttered and climbed the helical staircase warily. Something brushed against her leg, and she looked down. “Crookshanks!” Then she shook her head at her pet. “No, no, no. You can’t accompany me. Stay down in the common room.” It took her a long time to persuade the half-Kneazle not to follow her.

Her heart thundered loudly in her chest when she finally stood before the door. She opened it quietly and found Ron standing beside the window, swearing furiously and trying to take off the friendship band Harry had given him for Christmas.

“Ronald Weasley! Don’t you dare take that off!” Hermione yelled, subterfuge forgotten.

“So … you knew about it?” Ron said, a little too casually for her liking.

“Of course! What do you expect?” she scoffed. “After all, I’m the one who figured out what had Petrified me, that Professor Lupin was a werewolf, and that Professor Starkmind was a half-Veela! Of course I knew that Harry was attracted to Draco Malfoy!”

“I’m your boyfriend, Hermione. Why didn’t you tell me?” Ron said angrily.

She stomped in, slammed the door, and muttered the charms quickly while she waved her wand furiously. Then she turned and glared up at his face. “Because you didn’t need to know! It’s not as if I didn’t know how you would react once you found out! And if you stopped to think for just one moment, you’d know that I couldn’t have told you unless Harry permitted it. It’s his life,” she hissed and started pacing in front of him. “And stop trying to take that off, Ron! Harry gave that to you out of love, and I’ll be damned pissed if you try to charm it off!”

“But Malfoy?”

“Why can’t it be Malfoy? It’s better than Snape, right?” Hermione demanded shrilly.

“Hermione, you know what that – that – Slytherin is like! He’ll stab Harry in the back when he gets the chance!”

“I know what Lucius Malfoy was like. I don’t know who Draco Malfoy really is.” Hermione took a deep breath and stood before the window instead. She saw Hedwig flapping her wings some distance away from the castle before plummeting down. She’s probably hunting. “Don’t you realize that how Draco acted for the past few years was nothing more than a façade?” She stared at her own reflection and at Ron behind her, whose frame was trembling with rage. “Except for his serious dislike for Mudbloods,” she conceded. She faced her boyfriend again. “But then, it goes to show just how well his elders had raised him.”

“He murdered his own father.”

“I saw Draco’s eyes that day, Ron. No matter how much you try to deny it, he loved his father just like you do yours.”

“My family can’t accept it, Hermione,” Ron said helplessly.

“Really?” Hermione gave him an arched look. “Have you written to them? Have you told Ginny?” Her boyfriend opened his mouth to answer but closed it again at her withering stare. “I don’t really care, Ron. Harry’s life is his own. If he wants to share it with Draco, who are we to forbid him? I gave him my blessings a long time ago because I sensed that he was – is – happy with that ferret.”

She sighed and wrapped her arms about Ron’s waist. She settled her cheek on his chest and closed her eyes, simply feeling the way the wizard breathed. After a while, she felt his hands rubbing up and down her back gently.

“I still can’t accept it, Hermione,” Ron whispered.

He’s so stubborn, Hermione wailed silently. “All right. So you can’t accept their relationship now. Maybe you’ll change your mind in a few years’ time.” She drew away from him slightly so that she was able to gaze up at his face. “But don’t try to cast him out of your life, Ron. Don’t try to get rid of him from here.” She placed one hand directly on his heart. Ron stared at her in incomprehension.

Hermione sighed. “Ron, do you think you can pretend life is normal without him filling your heart?” She felt immensely satisfied when his face changed from bafflement into a stricken look. He’s probably remembering all those times when Harry was nearly dying. “You know you still love him.”

“’Mione, I don’t love him.”

She snorted. “Yes, you do. Stubborn weasel. It’s a different kind of love, but it’s still called love.”

~*~

“Harry is going out with who?” someone exclaimed loudly in the Great Hall, and Draco identified Ginny’s voice immediately. He stopped in his tracks and cocked his head to one side, listening to the murmurs of conversations in the Hall intently. What is going on now? Draco wondered as he stared at the cluster of Gryffindors.

“Malfoy?!” several voices thundered at once. Several Slytherins – his gang members actually – uttered several exclamations of horror when they heard it. Goyle saw him standing at the entrance and nudged at Parkinson urgently.

Draco turned as white as a sheet and slowly backed off. Before he could go back to his common room, someone snatched his elbow and dragged him toward the front doors of the castle. It was Harry Potter with a determined expression on his face, carrying a picnic basket in one hand.

“Harry, what in Merlin’s name happened?” Draco demanded, his face baffled. He struggled to keep up with Harry’s big strides.

“Ron lost his head and so did I. Some Gryffindors in the common room must have heard us arguing,” the raven-haired Gryffindor replied shortly.

“About?” Draco’s voice was tinged with alarm.

“He didn’t like it too much that I’ve fallen head over heels for you. Right now, I’m hungry, and I don’t think I care to fend off questions and arguments from anyone. So we’re going to have a picnic by the lake and spend some time together,” Harry continued. “And I don’t really care what anyone thinks about our date!” he shouted in a voice loud enough to penetrate the castle walls.

Draco blinked slowly and smiled. Harry finally slowed and Draco could finally walk beside him without limping too much. “Aren’t you being just a little bit childish, Harry?” he asked the bronze-skinned wizard mildly.

“So what?” Harry said crossly.

They walked down the slope and passed Hagrid’s hut. There were a couple of students out enjoying the sun and Draco heard someone playing a guitar somewhere. They stopped and tried to find a good spot.

“There,” Draco suggested, pointing at an area that was shaded by a huge oak tree. Harry grunted in response and wordlessly pulled out the checked cloth. Draco saw the Gryffindor’s eyes narrowing in concentration as Harry charmed the fabric without the use of his wand. He shuddered. There were only a few people Draco had known in his life who could do magic without the use of their wands. One, of course, was Albus Dumbledore. Snape could, but the wizard himself had confessed that doing wandless magic took too much effort and was time-consuming.

Now with the ground covered by the huge blue-and-white checked cloth, Harry systematically began laying out the food he had filched from the kitchen. Then he patted on a spot for Draco to sit.

The Slytherin smiled and removed his shoes before sitting cross-legged opposite the other wizard. “Are you sure you want the whole wizarding world to know you’re queer?”

“Why? Are you afraid of being called a faggot?” Harry asked sardonically.

“Not really. I’m relieved actually. Play-acting is very tiring.” Draco shrugged. “But I am quite worried what our would-be mentors might think if they ever know. Not a lot of people are that tolerant about our kind of pairing.”

He watched Harry ponder on his words. “I guess I hadn’t thought of that,” the wizard admitted grudgingly.

Draco chuckled. “Oh well. What’s done is done. Let’s not worry about it.”

Harry nodded and began eating.

They ate in silence and watched a group of water birds skim the lake. Draco brushed his hair away from his face rather absently as the wind blew all around them. Then he heard Harry give a mournful sigh and Draco turned to watch the wizard across him.

“Why the sigh?” Draco asked curiously.

“I wish that Ron had touched on the topic next week. It’s going to feel rather unbearable for me in the next few days,” Harry told him.

“Just keep to yourself then,” Draco replied.

“That will only make me look guilty,” Harry said sourly. “Oh hell. This isn’t the first time that I’ve been shunned.”

Draco threw his head back and chuckled. Harry looked hurt by his spontaneous reaction and he laughed even harder. “Stop looking so miserable,” he said once he managed to get his mirth in control. Harry still looked offended, and Draco laughed. Without giving the dark-haired wizard a warning, he flung himself at the wizard and kissed the Gryffindor affectionately.

Harry moaned softly under him and their kiss grew more ferocious. Only when Draco remembered that they were in public did he lessened the intensity. Harry’s glasses were slightly askew after the interaction and his usually bright green eyes were dark and glazed.

“Feeling better?” Draco asked impishly.

“Yeah…” Harry replied weakly.

“Here’s one solution, love. Any time they start getting on your nerves, you can just come to me and let me kiss you. I’m sure it will take your mind off things.”

“Okay,” the Gryffindor said dreamily and Draco suspected that Harry wasn’t really paying attention to what he was saying. Harry tugged at his shoulders and obligingly, Draco leaned forward to kiss his boyfriend again.

~*~