Time Is Irrelevant – Chapter twenty-six

Main Pairings: Harry/Draco, James/Sirius, Remus/Snape, and other relationships past and present

Notes and warnings: This fic contains slash (male/male relationships), and is a bit AU (Another Universe), and a time traveling fic. This is a post-OOTP fic as well, but there might be some references to books six and seven in later chapters.

This is not a Ron-bashing fic, and some events are a little the same and some are very different.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. They all belong to J. K. Rowling.

.-.

The next morning, when Harry and Draco walked down to the common room, they noticed a huddle of girls around someone by the fire, and a series of loud sobs were coming from the middle of the huddle.

“What happened?” Harry asked when he got up to the crowd of girls. A couple girls looked up at him, somber looks on their faces.

“Seamus Finnigan broke up with Lavender,” said one girl.

From within the circle, the crying got louder at the mention of Seamus’s name.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Lavender,” said Harry as sincerely as he could. Now that some of the girls had moved aside, he could see her. Lavender’s face was all blotchy, eyes red, and smears of black kohl was running down her cheeks.

“I… w-will never forgive him e-ever again!” she wailed. Parvati, Demelza Robins, Katie Bell, and a few other girls all patted or rubbed Lavender’s back in a soothing gesture.

“Everything will be all right, you’ll see,” said Katie.

“Finnigan is a git anyway,” said Parvati. “You’re better off without him.”

“But I loved him!” Lavender sobbed. She put her head between her legs, the sounds of her wailing echoing throughout the room. Parvati rolled her eyes and Demelza sighed.

“You’ll find someone better,” she said. “Pull yourself together.”

“You could always come watch the match this weekend,” said Katie. “Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. It’ll be fun.”

“No…” Lavender hiccupped. “It’ll just remind me of him!”

“Seamus loves Quidditch,” Demelza reminded Katie.

“Oh, yeah.”

Harry gulped, remembering there was a Quidditch match this weekend. Was he ready? Could he do it?

Draco took his hand and pulled him way from the girls and over to the other side of the room in a secluded corner. Harry stared at him questioningly.

“Just in case you’re wondering, I am on the Slytherin Quidditch team.”

“I figured you would be,” said Harry, smiling. “Seeker?”

“Of course,” grinned Draco.

“Captain?”

“Ah, no. That job belongs to Urquhart. Which is fine by me, I don’t want that responsibility.”

Harry lowered his voice. “I was wondering… do you know who is on my team?”

Draco was still grinning. “Ah, you were a shrewd Captain during tryouts, Potter. You picked nothing but the best, from what I heard. Which makes me wonder why Weasley is still on your team.”

“Draco,” warned Harry.

“All right, sorry… I guess he has improved. But yeah, he’s your Keeper. Katie Bell, Demelza Robins, and Ginny Weasley are your Chasers, Ritchie Coote and Jimmy Peakes are your Beaters, and you, of course, are the Seeker. However, Dean Thomas is your reserve Chaser and Finnigan is a reserve Beater, and in extreme emergencies, Ginny Weasley is the reserve Seeker.”

“I see. Well, at least it’s Hufflepuff we’re playing first.”

“Actually, before the holiday break, you played against us first.”

“Really?” said Harry, unable to keep the smile off his face. “And did we win?”

“Yeah, you won, you prat,” said Draco with no malice. “But it was close.”

“How close?” said Harry, smiling.

“Gryffindor won by five points. Now wipe that silly smile off your face before I wipe it off for you.”

“Git.”

“Toerag.”

“Prat.”

“Daddy’s boy.”

“And what’s wrong with that? Momma’s boy.”

“Because,” Draco lowered his voice even more. “You fancy your daddy.”

“Why you-!” Harry gasped, and before he could think of another thing to say back, Draco ran for the portrait hole. Harry ran after him. “Come back here!”

“Gotta catch me!” Draco shouted behind his back. Everyone stopped talking to watch their antics. Draco ran out of the common room as if he were being chased by a herd of Hippogriffs. Harry was determined to catch him, but found that if he gave it his all, he’d have Draco pinned to the door before he could get out, and he didn’t want an audience, so he let Draco get out and far enough away before putting on a bit more speed. As they rounded a corner, Harry grabbed Draco by the shoulders to stop him, spun him around, and then pinned him against the wall.

“Now I have you,” said Harry, panting hard.

“Yes,” Draco grinned, panting also, but seemingly not as hard as Harry. It was almost like he wanted Harry to catch him. “What are you going to do with me, now that you have me?”

Harry got closer; he could smell Draco’s aftershave and soap. “I can think of a few things…”

Their noses brushed against each other’s as their heads inched closer.

“I hope one of those things doesn’t involve shagging.”

Harry leaped away from Draco at the sound of his father’s voice, and Draco sagged against the wall, nearly sliding down it. Both were sporting red cheeks.

“No, of course not,” said Harry quickly. James stepped up to them, and then laid a hand onto Harry’s shoulder.

“I heard you had Draco spend the night in your dormitory.”

“We didn’t do anything, honest!” said Harry.

“I hope so,” said James. “Because then you would have broken our promise.”

“Honestly, we didn’t do anything,” said Draco, straightening himself out. “Lord knows I’ve tried.”

“Oh?” James stared at Draco. Draco blushed, but kept his gaze steady with the elder Potter.

“There you are, James,” said a different voice. The person rounded the corner, smile wide.

“Oh, Candace!” James said, slightly surprised and putting a hand on his chest. “You startled me.”

“Sorry,” she said. “Anyway, I’m here to relieve you of your duties tonight.”

“What about Tonks?” James asked.

“She’s not feeling well, from what I heard,” said Candace. “Oh, hello there, Harry. Do you remember me?”

Harry stepped up to her. “Yeah, you’re that Auror that I met at my father’s work. How are you?”

“Not bad,” she sighed. “It’s better than the field work I’ve been doing lately. Frankly, I feel sorry for Harley.”

Draco leaned over to whisper into Harry’s ear, “Who is this, and who is Harley?”

“Oh, sorry – Draco, this is Candace… um, I forgot your last name…”

“Candace McKellar,” said Candace. “My partner is Harley Heffernan.”

“Why are you feeling sorry for Harley?” James asked.

“Because he got stuck with the new replacement, Andy McLaggen.”

“What?” gasped Harry. He stared wide-eyed at Candace. “Are you sure it’s him?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Do you know him?”

“I know his son,” said Harry. “If that is the one I’m thinking of.”

“McLaggen is a great chap,” said Candace. “But breaking in new partners can be rather trying.”

“Well, his son’s a git.”

“Harry!” James gasped.

“Well, he is!” said Harry, not wanting to back down. “He called me and Draco faggots.”

James’s eyebrows rose in shock, and Candace sighed and shook her head. “I had no idea that McLaggen’s son was like that. I’d have to let him know next time I see him.”

“So, Candace, how long are you planning to be here?”

“Until Tonks feels better,” she said. “But I’m hoping that I could stay on as another Auror guard. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, and I miss the old place.”

“I know how you feel,” said James. “Well, I’ll let you take over while I escort these two to their respective common rooms.”

“All right, see you later, James.”

“See you, Candace,” said James, waving as she walked off. He turned back to his son and Draco. “Come on, you two, let’s go.”

“We weren’t going to do anything, dad,” said Harry as they followed him back to the Gryffindor common room. “Honestly we weren’t.”

“I believe you, Harry,” said James. “But right now it’s not a good idea to walk around by yourselves.”

“We haven’t even had breakfast yet,” said Draco.

“You will, when it’s time. The teachers are taking extra precautions this year. You have to wait for an escort.”

“What?” said Harry and Draco together. “What do you mean, escort?” said Harry.

“No students are allowed to wander around the school unescorted, no matter the time of day. The Heads of House will be escorting everyone to breakfast this morning.”

“That’s just perfect,” said Draco sarcastically. “It’s second year all over again.”

“Sorry about this, guys, but it’s Dumbledore’s request.”

James made sure that Harry got to Gryffindor Tower, and that he was inside, before escorting Draco down to the dungeons.

“Can’t I stay with Harry in the lion’s den?” Draco asked. “It would be much safer around a bunch of Gryffindors, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m sorry, Draco,” sighed James. “But that’s the order Dumbledore gave us Aurors. Come on.”

On the way down, they met up with Sirius, who was patrolling the dungeons. He didn’t look too happy about it either.

“I’m trying not to run into Snivelly while I’m down here,” he said.

“Severus will be escorting the Slytherins to breakfast soon, so you might not be so lucky.”

“Damn. Could you trade with me? You get on with Snape way better than I do, and I’d much rather be patrolling the Gryffindor Tower anyway.”

“Candace already took over for me,” explained James. “Sorry. It’s break time for me.”

“Lucky,” groaned Sirius. “I want some breakfast.”

“You’ll get your break soon, I’m sure,” said James, grinning. “Chin up.”

Sirius sighed, frowning. James took some pity on him and leaned forward to kiss him. Draco’s entire face felt hot and he turned around to stare at the wall.

“Um, I’ll just be going now,” he said quickly. “See you later.”

He said the password and slipped inside the Slytherin common room hastily. James and Sirius stared at the stone entryway for a moment, and then broke into laughter.

.-.

Breakfast was more eventful than Harry thought. No one had guessed about him yet, even though he’d been acting a bit more like himself than the other Harry, but others have been staring at him with more wonderment and curiosity than before. He wondered if they had thought that something had made him change his attitude. If anyone asked, he could always tell them that his journey into the old Riddle House had made him realize how much of a git he’d been. Draco’s near death experience would change anyone’s demeanor, wouldn’t it?

The thing that made the morning more eventful was the news in the Daily Prophet. Hermione snapped the paper in her hands and leaned over to show Harry and Ron.

“Look at this!” she said. “Cornelius Fudge, Finally Replaced!”

“Blimey!” exclaimed Ron. “This year just keeps getting better and better.”

“Who’s the new Minister?” Harry asked.

Hermione scanned the article. “It says that someone called Rufus Scrimgeour took over.”

“Let’s hope this Scrimgeour is better than Fudge,” said Harry.

“Anyone at the moment would be an improvement,” said Ron, swallowing an entire hard-boiled egg whole. “Even if he does turn out to be a git.”

.-.

After breakfast, they had double Herbology, which wasn’t so bad. Neville was an ace at the plant they were tackling, as was Hermione, but Harry and Ron were struggling a bit. Some people were staring at Harry, wondering why he was having such a hard time with his lesson today, but Harry tried to make it seem as if he was just having an off day. Everyone was allowed one of those once in a while, weren’t they?

Afterwards, exhausted and dirty, Harry and Ron trudged back to the castle. Hermione was looking tired as well, but she was grinning, and Neville didn’t seem too fazed, and he was whistling a tune under his breath.

“I need a bath,” moaned Ron. “And bad.”

“Me too,” said Harry. Teasingly, he leered at Ron and added, “Wanna join me?”

“Not if you gave me all the money in the world.” Then Ron paused in thought for a second. “Well, actually…”

Harry laughed.

On the way there, they bumped into Draco and a few of his Slytherin friends. Draco grinned. The two friends (Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott) with Draco rolled their eyes and left without him, telling him they’d see him later. Harry wondered if that had anything to do with him being there.

“Hey, sexy,” said Draco, winking.

“Shush,” he said, blushing.

Draco got closer. “I mean it, Potter. You look damn sexy with smudges of dirt on you and shiny gleams of sweat on your skin. I just want to throw you to the ground and…”

“OK,” said Ron loudly, “let’s go take our bath now.”

“What, together?” said Draco, wide-eyed.

Harry laughed. “Well, it all depends on if there’s enough free ones… if there’s only one, then yeah, we might take one together.” He was teasing, but the look on Draco’s face made him wish he hadn’t said anything.

“If you touch Weasley I swear to God I’ll…”

“Relax, Draco, I was only kidding.”

“You better be,” warned Draco, a certain gleam in his eyes. After they parted, Ron gave Harry a peculiar look. Finally, getting inside the Gryffindor common room, Harry was getting annoyed by the look Ron kept flinging him.

“What?” Harry asked.

“You were kidding, right?”

“Of course I was! Did you honestly think that I’d want to share a bath with you?”

“I don’t know,” said Ron, frustrated. “I’ve never had a gay friend before!”

The common room, which had been somewhat noisy with gossip and mutterings when they entered, died down after Ron made that statement, accidentally too loudly. Harry’s face went bright red, and Ron wasn’t looking any better.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that so loud…”

“Don’t worry about it… let’s just… go wash up.”

“Right.”

Fortunately, there were plenty of empty bathrooms open for them to use. Harry sighed blissfully, sitting back in the tub filled with hot, relaxing water and bubbles. He wasn’t sure about taking a bubble bath at first, but the aroma that came from the taps enticed him, and he couldn’t help testing them. They were almost like the Prefect bathroom taps, but they didn’t have as many perfumed scents. It finally dawned on Harry that he could have used the Prefect’s bathroom since he was the Captain of his Quidditch team, and he face-palmed.

Oh well, he thought, as long as he was clean. He was too tired to get out and make his way to the Prefect’s bathroom on the fifth floor anyway. It was nice enough, and quiet enough, where he could think.

He did really like Draco, but sometimes Draco could still be a prat. Of course, the other Harry could be a prat too, but maybe that was only after what Cedric did to him, and the whole ordeal with Ron, and becoming better friends with Draco. That had to be it. Back in his own time, he had a hard enough time dealing with not being Ron’s friend even for a couple months. What would he have turned out to be like if they had never made up? Although, from what Ron said, he’d already given up being Draco’s rival before the whole thing with Cedric started.

Also, he had become friends with Draco even before his father died. What happened then, to Draco, to make him want to become friends with Harry? Or what did the other Harry do? Maybe something happened to the both of them that decided that they should no longer be rivals. Harry wasn’t sure if he wanted to ask Draco about that just yet. What if it was something Draco didn’t want to talk about? Then again, he could be thinking too hard on this. Maybe they just ended up talking things out.

Deciding on not worrying about it anymore, Harry finished up his bath, dried himself off, put on his robe, and slowly made his way back to the common room. The crowd wasn’t as big as before, when they were huddled together, waiting to be escorted, but Harry was still wary of being around a large group. What if he slipped up and gave himself away?

“Hey, Harry,” said Katie Bell. “Ready for Quidditch practice tomorrow morning?”

Harry stopped in his tracks. “Quidditch practice? Since when did I say we’d have Quidditch practice?”

“Since before the hols,” said Katie. “Don’t your remember?”

Uh oh. “Oh, yeah, that!” Harry grinned, trying to pretend best he could that there was still a part of the old Harry left in him. “Of course I remember that!”

Katie gave him an odd look, but didn’t comment.

“We’ll wipe the floor with them,” said Jimmy Peakes, cheeks pink. “Won’t we, Harry?”

“Yeah, sure we will,” said Harry. “Um, how’s Lavender doing?” he asked no one in particular. He sat in the armchair that he usually sat in, and he had a sneaky suspicion that no one sat in it just because of the fact that he did, like it was his and his alone.

“Better, but she’s still a bit depressed,” said Demelza. “I wish there was something I could do to make her feel better, but…” she shrugged.

“Maybe if she went out with someone else,” commented Ritchie Coote. “Then she wouldn’t be so sad.”

“What about you then, Coote?” asked Demelza.

Ritchie looked surprised. “What about me?”

“You could go out with her. That is, unless you don’t think she’s pretty enough.”

Ritchie shook his head, but he was blushing. “Nah, I couldn’t… besides, I don’t think she really likes me enough to go out with me.”

“How about you, Peakes?” she asked, smiling.

Jimmy shook his head. “No thanks, she’s not my type.”

“Who is your type, then?” Katie asked.

Jimmy’s face turned crimson, and now even Harry was curious.

“Well, spit it out!” demanded some other Gryffindor girl. It was then that Harry realized that most of the people in the common room right now were girls.

Although Harry was curious as to who was Jimmy’s type, he wasn’t expecting Jimmy to physically tell everyone—instead of saying it out loud—as he slowly lifted his hand up to point.

Harry gawked at Jimmy’s finger, which was pointing straight at him. Everyone else was just as shocked, but it only lasted for a moment as all hell broke loose.

“You like boys?” one girl shrieked.

“You fancy HARRY?” another screamed.

“OH MY GOD, I had no idea—“

“You seem so straight, though!” said Ritchie.

“You’re shitting us,” said Dean. “You’ve got to be shitting us!”

“You can’t like Harry!” cried Parvati. “He’s got Draco Malfoy!”

“That’s right,” said Ritchie. “Malfoy’ll hex your balls off if he found out.”

“I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, Jimmy.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone, right guys?” said Demelza. All of the girls were nodding their heads, but some of the boys seem to be thinking it over.

“Are you sure you don’t fancy someone else other than Harry?” asked Colin Creevey. When did he show up?

Jimmy didn’t seem like he could handle it anymore and he got up to leave the common room.

“Wait, you can’t leave!” said Harry, going after him. “We’re not allowed without escorts—Peakes!”

Jimmy didn’t listen, and ran out the portrait hole. Harry stared; the room had gone quiet.

“What’re you going to do, Harry?” asked Katie.

“Maybe you should go tell a teacher,” suggested Parvati.

But Jimmy might get into trouble, thought Harry. There didn’t seem to be any more need to think it through, in Harry’s mind; there was only one thing to do, and that was to go after him.

“Potter, wait! You’ll get into—oh, never mind.”

Harry ignored the person’s plea to not go. What did they expect him to do? It was better if Jimmy was with someone right now, and not alone. Something might happen to him.

When he finally caught up to Peakes, two teachers and an Auror were right around the corner. Harry grabbed Jimmy’s wrist to pull him back, but it was too late, they saw them.

“Potter! Mr. Peakes!”

“Oh, crap,” panted Jimmy. They came out of hiding. Jimmy’s face was very red, and Harry had a feeling it wasn’t because the teachers caught them, but more because Harry’s hand was still firmly gripping his wrist. When Harry realized this, he let go.

It was Snape, Remus, and Kingsley Shacklebolt that had caught them. Harry tried to put on a defensive face, but seeing the look on Remus’s made his resolve crack. Jimmy’s face was still red as a radish.

“I figured we’d find you wandering around the corridors without an escort, Potter,” said Snape.

“Is there something wrong, Harry?” Remus asked, looking genuinely concerned.

“Er, no,” said Harry. “Just… er, well…”

“I’m sorry, professors,” Jimmy spoke up. “It was my fault… I wasn’t thinking, and I ran out of the common room, so… I guess Harry was just stopping me from running off too far.”

Snape aimed his gaze at Harry, and Harry was sure he was trying to find out if this was true or not.

“Is this true, Harry?” Kingsley asked.

“Yes,” said Harry immediately. “I didn’t want Peakes to go running off alone, so I figured it was best if I was with him… or I would bring him back to the common room, one or the other.”

“It isn’t your place to be going after wayward students, Potter,” said Snape. “If Peakes is stupid enough to wander around the corridors without an escort, then he should be the one to face the consequences.”

“Severus is right,” said Remus. “We don’t want something happening to you.”

“I understand,” sighed Harry. “We’ll just go back to our common rooms, then.”

“You do that,” said Snape. “And five points from Gryffindor—each—for being out without an escort, and five more for running after him, Potter.”

They escorted Harry and Jimmy back to the common room. Right before they said the password to the Fat Lady, Harry just caught a glimpse of Remus brushing his hand on the back of Snape’s.

In the common room, Jimmy immediately went up to his dormitory, and Harry stayed with the others by the fire, telling them what happened. It felt weird, being surrounded by so many people and having them listen to every word he said (he didn’t like doing it so much in his old time), but he didn’t want to give them the impression that something was off about him.

“Is Jimmy all right?” asked Coote.

“Yeah, he’s fine, I guess,” said Harry.

“Did you kiss him?” teased Demelza. They all giggled or snickered.

“NO!”

.-.

The day of the match finally came, and Harry was so pleased with how well their practices had gone beforehand. Although there were times when Jimmy wasn’t paying attention every time Harry zoomed by, they did pretty well, he thought. Ron had saved a lot more goals than Harry could remember Ron doing, and that was probably because they were friends again. Harry wondered how he played when they weren’t friends.

“I wasn’t as good,” Ron told him right after their first practice session when Harry asked. “But I was good enough that we beat the pants off Slytherin.”

“Draco told me it was close,” said Harry, smiling and feeling more lighthearted than he ever did before. He was so happy to have his friend back.

“Yeah, well… we still won.”

“I’ll have to ask him for the play by play next time I see him.”

They got their Quidditch gear on while Harry thought about the talk he and Ron had. Hopefully, things will go better during the actual match. Actually, Harry knew they’d do better. He heard that Summerby, the new Hufflepuff Seeker, hadn’t been doing well during practice sessions. Harry hoped that was true.

When they walked out onto the pitch, the crowd cheered or booed, depending on which side of the stands they were. A lot of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were jeering and booing, and the Gryffindors were cheering loudly while the Ravenclaws were clapping politely or whooping. Harry could even hear Luna Lovegood’s roaring lion hat in the crowd. He’d almost forgotten about it and wasn’t the least surprised that she had the hat even in this time.

“Captains, shake hands,” said Hooch. Harry reached out and clasped hands with Zacharias Smith, who tried to crush his hand, but Harry succeeded in doing most of the crushing. He saw Smith wince.

“Mount your brooms,” ordered Hooch. “On my whistle… three… two… one…” She blew her whistle, and then they were in the sky, the Bludgers released and the Snitch zooming off every which way. Summerby tried to get a bead on it, but even Harry lost it. They began to circle the pitch.

As he made his fourth lap around the pitch, Harry spotted Draco in the crowd of Slytherins, and he wasn’t booing or yelling anything, just mostly sitting there and watching, a somewhat smile/smirk on his face. It lifted Harry’s spirits up to know that Draco was watching the game, even though his team lost to Gryffindor.

The score became almost even, fifty to forty. Ron was able to save a few tricky shots, but so was the Hufflepuff Keeper. Once when Harry flew past Jimmy, he swung his bat wrong and it only nicked the side of the Bludger, making it spin. That particular Bludger was suddenly feared even more than before now, and Harry just barely dodged it when it came after him.

“Sorry, Harry!” Jimmy called after him, knowing that it was his fault the Bludger had a spin on it now.

Harry didn’t have time to tell Jimmy that it was fine, because he saw Summerby suddenly dive toward the ground. Harry went after him, thinking he saw the Snitch, and he was right, but the Snitch fooled them both again and disappeared. Although Harry couldn’t find it again, Summerby continued to dive, and Harry wondered if he really thought he was still on the Snitch’s tail, or if he was faking.

Harry didn’t care either way right now, because the ground was getting closer by the minute. Harry pulled out from the dive, and the moment Summerby saw that he did, he did as well.

“And Harry Potter figures out that the Hufflepuff Seeker, Summerby, was faking his dive the whole time and pulls up before he collides with the ground!” said the commentator, Seamus Finnigan, whom was taking over for Lee Jordan. Harry scoffed at Seamus’s remark; they’d seen the Snitch, but for some reason Summerby kept diving. Harry wondered if he did it on purpose.

He saw that Summerby had flown to the other side of the pitch, but that didn’t bother him as he searched on his own. If he was too concerned for the other Seeker, he might miss seeing it for himself.

“And Gryffindor scores again!” Seamus was shouting. “Now it’s ninety to fifty!”

Harry smiled to himself. Wow, he really did pick a great team this year, didn’t he? Although, thinking on it, he was sure that he’d pick these people in his old time anyway.

After a few minutes of circling the pitch, Harry finally spotted the Snitch. While Summerby had his back turned, Harry dove for it. However, he wished Seamus could keep his big mouth shut.

“Harry’s seen the Snitch! Look at him go!”

Summerby turned and dived after him. Harry cursed under his breath, wishing right now that they didn’t have to comment on every move they made. He stretched out his arm, and he was barely touching it with his fingertips when it suddenly changed course again. Harry swore, put the brakes on, and moved out of the way just in time before Summerby could collide with him.

“Oooo, that was close!” Seamus said. “And Ginny Weasley scores again! One hundred to fifty now!”

Harry searched for the Snitch eagerly, desperate to get it now. They would win by a large margin if he got the Snitch now. As time passed, Harry was beginning to realize that all the talk about Summerby doing poorly at practice was a ruse; Summerby was actually doing really well.

The moment of truth arrived when they both spotted the Snitch and dived for it at the same time. Harry knew he had a lot of advantages against Summerby, but he also knew that he shouldn’t underestimate his opponent. As the ground drew nearer, and the Snitch was inches away from their fingers, a Bludger—that had a spin on it—came hurdling toward them.

“And Jimmy Peakes of Gryffindor hits a Bludger at the two Seekers, putting another spin on it! It looks like Jimmy just might take out his own Seeker in the process!”

That suddenly worried Summerby, and he veered off just as Harry pushed himself forward and grabbed the Snitch. The crowd cheered as Seamus shouted that Gryffindor won, and then there was a sickening crack as the Bludger hit Harry dead on the head. The world went black.

.-.

When Harry finally came to, he was in the hospital wing with a bandage around his head. It felt like it was splitting from one end of his skull to the other, and he tried to sit up but a pair of hands made him lie back down.

“Don’t get up, Harry, you need your rest.”

“Dad?” Harry said in a weak voice, and then coughed, feeling as though he had a horrible sore throat. James helped him to sit up carefully so that he could have some water.

“I’m here, and so are your friends.”

Harry could just barely open his eyes, but he saw blurry forms of people around his bed.

“How are you, Harry?” the voice of Jimmy asked by his left ear. “I’m really sorry about the Bludger…”

“It’s fine…” said Harry softly, his head pounding. He closed his eyes again. That helped his head feel better, but his throat was still burning.

“Malfoy already chewed Jimmy a new one for doing that,” said Ron somewhere on his right. “But Jimmy was already in tears when…”

“Shh!!” said Jimmy. Harry had a distinct feeling that Jimmy was blushing right now.

“Well, you were,” said Ron unapologetically. “You just had to put a spin on it.”

“It was an accident,” grumbled Jimmy.

“Look, it’s all right,” said Demelza. “At least Harry’s not dead.”

Jimmy moaned, and it sounded muffled, like his face was in his hands.

“It’s fine,” said Harry carefully. “I knew it was coming… I didn’t care…”

“You just wanted to win, didn’t you?” said James. Harry felt a cool hand on his forehead, and he could tell right away that it was his father’s. “That’s my boy.” James said.

“And you call me competitive,” said Sirius from behind James.

“Hey, I thought you were on patrol,” said James.

“I was given a break. I had to see Harry, didn’t I?”

“S-Sirius…” Harry croaked, and then coughed. Damn, that hurt!

“Shh, don’t try talking so much,” cooed James, giving Harry more water. “It wasn’t just your head the Bludger hit, it also hit your throat.”

“How?”

“Well, it did have a spin on it,” said Ron.

“What?” said Harry.

“It hit you on the head and then twirled back almost immediately and smacked you in the throat while you were falling,” James explained.

“Because of the spin,” said Ron, and Harry had an idea that he was glaring at Jimmy.

“I said I was sorry!” Jimmy suddenly wailed, and then Harry felt a weight on the bed beside him and guessed that Jimmy had put his head into his folded arms, muffling his sobs. Harry wasn’t sure what to do in a situation like this, so he tried to placate Jimmy by placing a hand on his head, patting it awkwardly.

“Really, it’s fine… don’t worry about it,” he said. James gave him more water.

His hand was suddenly in Jimmy’s hands, and he felt something wet on his knuckles. “I’ll make it up to you, Harry, I promise!”

“Er, it’s fine… really,” said Harry scratchily, trying to take his hand back. “I would have yelled at you for not taking that chance anyway… you did a good job.”

Jimmy blubbered something into Harry’s hand, but he couldn’t make out the words.

“Oh stop it,” said Hermione, probably somewhere next to Ron. “Harry already told you he’s not mad at you.”

“Yes, really, Jimmy, I’m not mad…”

“But I will be if you don’t take your grubby mitts off my boyfriend!” growled Draco, the Infirmary doors banging open. Instantly, Jimmy released Harry’s hand and Harry felt the weight lift from the bed.

“Sorry, Malfoy, I just…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you felt bad for what you did,” said Draco. “Now go away.”

“Draco…” Harry said, but his voice gave out again, and again he started to cough. James helped him take another sip of water.

The weight on the bed was back, but he could tell that it was Draco’s entire body next to him on it. “Don’t try to talk, love,” he said softly. Harry blushed.

“I’m glad you’ll be OK,” said Hermione. “Come on, Ron, we need to study for the Transfiguration test tomorrow.”

“But, Hermione…” said Ron, about to protest, but then stopped and sighed. “All right. I hope you get better soon, Harry. Take care of him, Malfoy, or I’ll come looking for you.”

Draco snorted, and then leaned in to kiss Harry softly on the lips. Harry felt a blush creep up into his cheeks because he knew that his parents were still there.

James’s hand was on his forehead again. “With plenty of rest, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Draco, you shouldn’t stay here long. Harry needs his sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” said Draco, but he didn’t move an inch.

“So, Sirius,” said James. “Who took over for you?”

“Mad-Eye,” Sirius replied. “I wasn’t about to argue on the subject.”

“All right, come on, you lot, let’s go and let Harry rest.”

“Can’t I stay here?” Draco said.

“No,” said Madam Pomfrey, coming around the curtain. “Harry needs peace and quiet for a while. I’m sure he’ll be fine in a couple days. Now go.”

Draco kissed Harry one more time before he got up from the bed to follow the others out. Once everyone was gone, sleep claimed him.

.-.

The night air was somewhat warm, but the wind was chilly. Harry ran out the front doors and out onto the grounds, making a beeline toward the Whomping Willow, seemingly subconsciously.

“Bloody Hermione,” Harry was grumbling, legs and arms swinging wildly as he strode quickly across the damp grass. “Why does she have to be so damn bossy? I’d like to smack her upside the head with that Hogwarts, A History…”

There was a sudden echoing scream filling the night air. Harry looked up from the ground and tried to determine where the scream came from. Then, in the distance, he saw the Whomping Willow flailing its limbs about, and when a particularly huge branch came down, there was another cry. Without thinking twice, Harry ran toward what he guessed was someone in trouble.

Sure enough, there was someone there, trying to dodge the Willow’s animated tree branches. Again, Harry didn’t think about it, he just acted. He took out his wand from his back pocket and aimed it at the Willow.

“Petrificous Totalus!” he shouted, and the limps stilled instantly, but he knew that it wouldn’t last too long. Quickly, Harry raced to the bottom of the tree to find the person lying facedown on the ground, twigs and leaves all around him. “Are you all right?” he asked as he got closer.

The person turned over, and it made Harry stop in his tracks.

“Malfoy?” he gasped.

“Potter,” said Malfoy, panting hard. “How lucky I am to have you as my savior.”

Despite the animosity they had between them, Harry held a hand out for Malfoy to take. Surprisingly, Malfoy took it. Harry helped him to stand.

“What are you doing out here?” Harry asked.

“If you must know, I was following someone,” said Malfoy, nose in the air, trying to look dignified but failed; his hair was a mess, there was blood coming out of a gash on the side of Malfoy’s head, and his clothes were torn, baring a few scratches on his body here and there.

“Who were you following?” Harry asked.

Malfoy seemed to be deciding whether he should tell Harry or not, but then he sighed, and said, “It was Remus Lupin.”

“What?” gasped Harry. “Why would Professor Lupin be here, so late?”

“Don’t ask me, Potter, he’s the loony one.”

“Well, no matter. We should get away from the Whomping Willow before it starts to move again.”

Malfoy agreed, and together they made their way back up to the castle. The moment they stepped over the threshold of the entrance, Malfoy turned toward Harry and held out his hand. Harry started at it disbelievibly.

“Thanks, Potter,” said Malfoy quietly, cheeks slowly turning pink. “For saving my life. If it wasn’t for you… I’d be dead.”

“Er, well…” Harry felt his own face heat up. He took Malfoy’s hand. “You’re welcome.”

Malfoy’s face took on a more mischievious look, and Harry raised an eyebrow, ready for the jibe that was about to come out of Malfoy’s mouth.

“You should blush more often,” said Malfoy, smirking. “It’s a good look on you.”

Harry felt so hot he wanted to take off all his clothes.

.-.

When Harry woke up, he buried his face into his hands and moaned, body warm and back sweaty.

When were these dreams going to end?

TBC