Deny Thy Father

Chapter 5: Together We Stand

Narcissa watched her son hit the floor screaming and, for a moment, was too shocked to do anything about it. She stared as her son clutched wildly at his chest, tears pouring from his eyes in torrents, all the while yelling wordlessly at the top of his lungs.

It wasn't long before Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall burst into the room.

"Narcissa!" Minerva yelled, clutching hands over her ears, "What's going on?"

Narcissa couldn't answer; she was too busy frantically rocking her son back and forth on her lap, singing for all she was worth.

"... we cannot cling
to the old dreams anymore,
does the body rule the mind?
Or does the mind rule the body?"

It had long since ceased to matter what she sang to her son, when he'd reached the age of four she'd started to sing whatever she happened to be thinking of at the time and it had still worked. Even singing to her whimpering son from her dance card (Lucius Malfoy, Patrick Parkinson...) had soothed him.

She was vaguely aware of Lupin shaking her and Minerva trying to pry her son from her arms.

"... ask me why and I'll die,
and if you must go to work tomorrow
well, if I were you I wouldn't bother.
For there are brighter sides to life,
and I should know because I've seen them,
but not very often..."

Narcissa looked down beseechingly at her son's quivering, wailing form as she finished her song. She was sad, so sad that his mate was putting him through this and that her singing hadn't worked for the first time in Draco's short life. And also strangely happy somehow, because she knew that Draco's despair showed how deeply he was in love with this boy, whomever and where ever he was.

The two other adults shaking her shoulders, trying to get her attention didn't matter. Narcissa started to sing again, with renewed energy and confidence, this time believing that it would work.

"Every day you must say
oh how do I feel about my life
anything is hard to find..."

XoX

Dumbledore watched Harry withering in pain for ten minutes before bringing Ron and Hermione into the room - after making them swear not to touch him, of course - and running back to Grimmauld Place as fast as he could.

He burst into the room Draco and Narcissa had been eating lunch in to find all four of the house's current residents in the small space.

Dumbledore had expected to find Draco angry, enraged, destroying paintings - no great loss in this house - and furniture left and right. Instead, he found him crying and cradled in his mother's arms, screaming.

Narcissa's songs floated gently through the screaming and Dumbledore recalled the half-forgotten Hogwarts Choir Narcissa had been a proud member of. When Voldemort had reached the height of his power all of Hogwarts' extracurricular activities - save Quidditch, of course - had been cancelled. Listening to Narcissa sing he began to think that the time to revive the old club and activities might have come.

Minerva spotted him and ran to his side.

"Albus!" she exclaimed, "Thank Merlin you're here! Mr. Malfoy needs your help!"

Dumbledore smiled sadly, knowing anything he did could only comfort Draco for a moment.

He had to get Harry into the house as soon as possible.

XoX

Ron, Ginny and Hermione watched their good friend and almost brother's pain in horror.

"What did you do, Ginny?" Ron asked, staring at the convulsing figure on the bed.

"I... I don't know," Ginny lied, blushing.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Ron dear," she said, patting her fiancé affectionately on the shoulder, "watch Harry while Ginny and I have a little chat in the hallway."

Ron, knowing better then to argue with the intelligent witch, just nodded.

Hermione left and Ginny trudged after her, not relishing the 'chat' she was about to be put through at all.

"Right. The truth if you please, Miss Weasely."

Ginny's blush deepened. "I... Harry came up the stairs and it just seemed like the perfect time to tell him, you know? I... I kissed him."

Hermione gaped at the younger girl. "We told you, no one can touch him! He nearly fainted when your parents clapped him on the shoulder! Merlin! A kiss!"

Ginny stared down at the well-worn floor in front of her room. "I... I know but..."

Hermione just shook her head wearily. "Ginny... Oh God! Ginny, I hate to be the one to tell you this but Harry... Well, Harry's not going to think of you like that, you know? Even if... Well, he thinks of you like you were his little sister!"

"Maybe... Maybe if we just give it time he'll see..."

"See what Ginny? That you still have a crush on The-Boy-Who-Lived?"

"No!"

"But that's what it is, isn't it Ginny? You've had a crush on him since before your even knew who Harry was. Don't deny it," Hermione said firmly, hands on her hips. "Harry doesn't need that; he needs someone who loves him for who he is. What he is doesn't matter."

"I can do that, Hermione! I really can!" Ginny cried, looking up at Hermione with desperate eyes. "I can love him!"

"No. You can't."

Ginny sobbed and fell to the floor crying into her hands.

Hermione watched the other girl coldly for a moment before crouching down and taking Ginny into her arms. "I know how you feel, honey," she whispered into the other girl's hair, "I couldn't love him like that either."

Ginny's tear-streaked face shot up.

Hermione gave her a sad smile. "I had a crush on The-Boy-Who-Lived too, but I love Ron - I always will. You'll find that person too, Ginny, that someone just for you."

Ginny smiled sadly and nodded.

XoX

Harry was back there again, in the corridor. A strange feeling of excitement filled him - the boy would be here too.

"Hello?" he called out excitedly, "Are you here?"

Footsteps that were not his own echoed through the corridor, running towards him.

"Hello?" he called again, turning to face the direction the footsteps were coming from.

The other boy barreled into him, nearly knocking him off his feet. Harry looked at the other boy's face and wasn't surprised to see it shrouded in darkness.

"Are you alright?" he asked, righting him.

The boy shook his head and sobbed, burying his head in Harry's chest. "I... I... I'll leave you alone, ok? You can be... I... It's okay."

"What?"

"You... You're girlfriend. I... I'll leave you alone with her."

"What girlfriend?"

"It... It's alright, I know - Hell, I FELT!"

Harry was confused. If there was one thing he knew he'd never have, it was a girlfriend - not that being the savior of the wizarding world left much time for one, even if he'd swung that way.

"What girlfriend?" he repeated gently.

"The on you fucking KISSED!" the boy screamed, pushing himself off Harry's chest, "I'll leave you two... a-alone!"

Harry's heart nearly broke when he heard the pain in the other boy's voice.

"It's alright, she's not my girlfriend - I didn't even willingly participate in that kiss."

The boy's only answer was a hopeful sniff.

"She... She came up to me and kissed me out of nowhere! It's not my fault. I'm... I'm sorry that I hurt you."

"I... R-really?"

"Of course, you're the only one for me," Harry said soothingly, rubbing the other boy on the back.

Arms enveloped him in a fierce hug and Harry leaned forward to meet the other boy's lips in a tentative kiss.

XoX

Harry's eyes snapped open and he smiled, sighing gently. He could still feel those rose petal lips pressed against his. The kiss had been so soft and full of wonder, so utterly perfect.

Just like the other boy.

Harry raised a hand to trace the outline of his lips gingerly.

Ron, only just noticing that Harry had awakened when he moved to touch his lips leaped forward and barely restrained himself from hugging Harry in his relief.

"Harry! Thank Merlin you're all right! What happened?"

Harry remember the other kiss, the wrong kiss - Ginny's kiss.

"I need to talk to Ginny right away." Harry said, grimacing slightly, "Can you please get her for me?"

Ron nodded happily and all but ran into the hallway, calling for his sister and fiancée all the way.

Ginny was the first to enter, eyes red and puffy, she looked sorrowfully at Harry before sighing and sitting next to her bed. Hermione followed behind her, eyes nearly as puffy. Both girls had obviously been crying, although over what Harry wasn't sure. He vaguely hoped it wasn't serious.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry!" Ginny cried before Harry could get a word out, "I didn't mean too! I promise it won't happen again!"

Harry glanced from Hermione to Ginny.

Did you tell her? his eyes asked her, worry hidden in their green/gray depths.

Hermione's head shook almost imperceptibly. No, she hadn't told her about his preference.

Harry smiled slightly with relief and turned to his almost sister. "Ginny, it's okay. I don't blame you."

Even though she'd tried to convince herself to give up on Harry earlier in the hall Ginny felt her heart clench at the hidden barb in Harry's gentle words. He didn't blame her, but he hadn't liked it, didn't want it, he didn't want her... that way.

Ginny just smiled up at Harry.

XoX

Narcissa cried out with relief as Draco stopped his thrashing and his eyes flickered open. He smiled at the four adults in the room, running a hand surreptitiously over his lips.

"Umm... Sorry," he said sheepishly, surprising McGonagall and Lupin who'd never seen him act that... human before. "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

Narcissa sobbed into her son's chest, clutching him close to her heart.

"Oh Merlin Draco," she gasped, "Oh Gods! Don't ever scare me like that again young man!"

Draco smiled fondly at his mother and smoothed her hair back from her face.

"I'm fine mom, really."

Narcissa just cried harder.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily as he watched mother and son interact, a strange mirror of the previous half-hour with mother comforting son. As Dumbledore ushered Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall out of the room he turned to Draco and whispered, "Try singing to her."

XoX

Kissing his mate, even in a vision, had been heaven for Draco. More then he'd ever hoped it would be. Even with his arms full of a weeping mother, humming a soft song to her, Draco felt elated. His mate wanted him, not some whore who walked around kissing people who were firmly claimed, to him - Draco Lucius Mercutio Adonis Malfoy.

Life was good and his mate was better.