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sua_layAuthor: Rimau Sua Lay
Rating: overall NC-17, Angst, Drama, Action/Adventure, First Time
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: Harry/Snape, Ron/Draco, (Sirius/Remus)
Date: December 2002 - ?
Disclaimers: Not mine, borrowed without permission, am not making any money. Please don't sue. Sherbet Lemon?
Summary for Book Four: -Before you can go forward, you must face your past. Sins of the father may bury the son. Harry will find out if a dog really is the man's best friend.
Warning: This part contains deaths, gore, mention of het rape, explicit sex between men, disturbing themes, angst and a partridge in a pear tree.
The earlier parts of the fic can be found here.
"I can't believe the things the papers have been writing! Two days! We've been working here for two days and they already know all about the whole thing." Hermione looked like she was swallowing lots of angry expletives while muttering quietly enough that others walking down the hallway didn't hear her gripe. "There has to be someone in here who's handing out information."
Trying to keep up with her, Terry Boot huffed out, "You mean a rat?" He sounded a bit strained.
That made both Ron and Hermione flinch. The words hit a bit too close to be comfortable.
"You might say that." It still made Ron's skin crawl, the mere memory of the deranged Animagus was enough to make him want to hit someone.
Hermione chose not to say anything about that. "Anyway, I really liked today's training. Remus really knows his Dark Creatures. It will be a pleasure to assist him in the class." The annoyance in her voice turned into smug pleasure. "I think it's a good idea to have classes during the morning and practical training during the afternoon. There's a lot to do and we..."
Ignoring whatever Hermione was saying, Ron simply trudged behind her and Terry, barely noticing Blaise when he joined their little group.
He for one wasn't that enthusastic about classes. Sure, he knew they had a lot to do and that the Death Eaters were definitely not going to just disappear, but the idea of sitting in a room awfuly similar to the classrooms back at Hogwarts and listening to someone that looked an awful lot like a teacher was quite frankly... awful.
Fighting was quite different. He was definitely not going to skip one of the training sessions.
Other than the classes, things were looking good. Ron couldn't think of anything that was going wrong; Charlie was getting better, slowly but still, and any annoying people he might mention were keeping out of his way. Then there was Harry's birthday coming up. Yeah, things were definitely looking good.
He wasn't stupid enough to jinx it by saying it, but he was thinking about it anyway.
It was a nice, even though a bit too warm, day. Ron stepped out first, inhaling deep.
He liked the new place. Walking here was less of a bother than the road to Hogwarts. Everything in here felt different too, the smells, the new furniture. Even people looked better here, more alert somehow.
Except for Terry. He'd been looking weird ever since yesterday, like he was't feeling all that well.
"Ron? Hello?"
Startled, Ron turned to stare at Hermione. "Huh?" He realized he'd been so deep in thought he hadn't heard her ask him something. "Sorry. You were saying?"
"We're going to get something to eat." Hermione made a gesture to add both Terry and Blaise to her comment, not even bothering to say anything about Ron daydreaming. "Are you coming?"
Ron looked a bit puzzled. "I thought we agreed to wait for the others and go eat at the mess hall." They'd probably spend yet another lunch break talking business. It made him long for the more relaxed meals back at Hogwarts.
Even though he certainly didn't miss the Cannons bashing.
"Well, Terry's hungry, and quite frankly so am I and we're both tired of the crowd. We'll go ahead, tell Harry we'll be at the Three Broomsticks." It was probable the others would follow in no time. Hermione had never known any of her former classmates to be too late for lunch.
Already regretting his decision to actually wait for Harry, Ron nodded. He was starving. The morning had been full of work and if Harry didn't appear in a couple of minutes, he'd just go after Hermione and the others.
He leaned against the wall, muttering to himself. Of course Harry would be late. There were dozens of people waiting for him so they could harass him with stupid questions. Or maybe Dumbledore had wanted to talk to him about something important.
He just hoped Harry wouldn't go back to Hogwarts for lunch like he had yesterday. Thinking about the hours he'd been away and the happy smile on his face made Ron shudder and drop the thought immediately.
No, he didn't want to know anything about that.
The door next to him opened, and Malfoy stepped out, raising an eyebrow at seeing him standing there alone.
"Where did everyone go?" Draco had thought Blaise and the others would wait for him. Or at least Blaise.
No matter how relaxed Weasley seemed around him these days -- ever since shagging him through the table -- he didn't feel comfortable with him. The very predictable freaked out Weasley had been a lot easier to deal with.
At least then he could have tried to control the situation with a haughty expression instead of just standing here and acting like they were nothing but two people with a similar goal in life.
Ron shrugged, still feeling a bit annoyed and for once deciding not to take it on Malfoy. "They were hungry. I thought we should wait for Harry. We'll go to the Three Broomsticks!" That at least came out with a happy sigh.
"All right." Nodding, Draco agreed with that, even though his stomach cramped with the thought of sitting there and letting Potter pay for his meal. There was no real alternative, but it was humiliating nevertheless.
He wondered if he should just say that he wasn't really hungry yet since he'd eaten a huge breakfast. Then again that would be idiotic; staying alone at their headquarters and dodging people who seemed to sort of hate him. At least now he could talk to Blaise, who had fortunately regained his appetite now that he wasn't under Pansy's thumb. Or any other body part. "We'll wait for Potter and then go find Blaise and Granger."
"And Terry." It came out instinctively now. Ron knew it was petty, but he enjoyed reminding Malfoy of the Ravenclaw's existence. The clear dislike between those two had always been rather enjoyable
Too bad Terry was actually making an effort these days. Soon he'd probably be all nice and friendly with all the Slytherins and Ron would have to find his enjoyment somewhere else.
Not in actively taunting Malfoy. No, he wasn't going to be the kind of person who lost his mind, shagged someone and then went on being a total prick. He was not taunting Malfoy. Not shagging him again either, but that was beside the point.
Looking up with a frown on his brow, Draco asked, "Boot?" He saw a nod. "Strange. I didn't think he was in any condition to eat." He'd noticed the way he'd been all pale and sweaty all morning. "Looked like he was coming down with something." If Draco didn't know better, he'd think Boot was about to take an exam and was angsting over it.
"Terry? Nah. I think it's just nerves." Ron knew he would never be as brave as Terry, even if he had such a nice singing voice. "You heard what he said yesterday. He's just nervous because he's going to sing at the party when... Hey Harry!" Glad that he had faced the door, he switched the topic mid explanation.
He'd almost babbled about their big secret. Hermione would have strangled him!
"Hi, Ron." Casting a puzzled look at his friend, Harry blinked in the bright sunlight. He'd been cooped up inside all morning, going through some documents and his eyes were getting tired from all the reading. Grabbing his glasses, he rubbed the heel of his hand against his right eye.
He hoped that there would be something more interesting to do after lunch. Otherwise he'd have to give in and ask Snape for something for his headache.
"Are you ready to go and have some lunch now?" There was some hesitation in Ron's voice. Lately, that tired look on his friend meant that Harry went to spend time with Snape. He wished he wouldn't do that now. "Terry and Hermione decided we should go to the Three Broomsticks."
Harry nodded, pushing his glasses back in place. He was definitely ready to have lunch, preferably something sweet for dessert as well. He really needed a sugar rush right now. "Sure."
Smiling, Ron pushed himself away from the wall and started walking down the street with Harry in tow. After taking a few steps, he stopped, realizing that Malfoy hadn't made a move.
"Are you coming or not?"
Draco was staring at the ground, looking confused. "I..." There was a very unpleasant crawling sensation moving down his spine. "Boot said he's hungry? It was his decision to go ahead?"
"Yes. So what?" Since Ron's stomach was now growling, he could well understand why Terry and the others hadn't waited.
There was a short silence as Draco stood there, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. He had no idea why the notion was making him feel so tense; it could be because of the bad blood between him and Boot. Maybe he was just imagining things, but he couldn't stop thinking about how the Ravenclaw had been behaving all the time. There was something wrong about him, like he was too good to be true.
Shining too brightly like a false Galleon.
"Wasn't he all worried about July being almost over?" Draco mused out loud. It wasn't really a question. He could still remember how Granger had mentioned it a few days ago, with Weasley laughing at the strange feelings people had got used to after years at school.
Ron had sworn that he wouldn't resort to violence again, but if this went on for long, he would definitely go back to the good old ways. "So what?"
All the short hair at the nape of Draco's neck were standing up. "He didn't seem happy about the fighting. Something's been troubling me..." he muttered under his breath. Then he looked up. "And it was his decision to go to the Three Broomsticks? Just as it was his decision to throw Potter that party?" Urgency in his voice now.
"Malfoy!" Outraged, Ron stared at him. "Shut up!" He was ruining everything.
Harry ignored Ron's wail. He was staring at Malfoy, meeting the worried gaze. "And?" He felt like there was still more.
"And it's three days until the full moon. The last full moon before your birthday." Draco didn't like thinking about the instructions his father had given him when he'd still been the Slytherin golden boy, but there had been dates.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Snape's paranoia was definitely rubbing off on Harry, for he didn't even pause to wonder if his thoughts were wrong.
"If you're thinking that I'm saying that Boot is quite possibly a Death Eater and is about to kill or kidnap someone, then yes." And he was out there with Blaise. Yet another one of the Dark Lord's follower-to-be who had strayed from that path.
Not bothering to say anything more, Draco reached out for his wand. Then he was running through the narrow streets of Hogsmeade as fast as he could, shoes slipping on the cobblestones.
Harry was right behind him.
"What the fuck?" So stunned that he couldn't even move for a moment, Ron gawked. Then he spun into action, following Harry and Malfoy. He couldn't believe what Malfoy had just said, accusing a friend like that! He would make him apologize if he was wrong.
He was praying this was one of the occasions Malfoy wasn't right.
They ran in silence, the only sound was their footsteps and heavy breathing. Ron tried to grab his wand, cursing as he couldn't reach it. Stupid robes anyway! He needed to mend the hole in the inner pocket. Squirming, almost falling down, he finally reached his wand a moment before they came to the end of the road.
The sound of people screaming greeted them as they came around the corner. Ron's stomach clenched as he smelled the awful stench of burning flesh in the air.
Oh, Merlin! Malfoy had been absolutely right about Terry, and Ron couldn't comprehend what that really meant, except that everything was turning out so wrong and they were too late.
"Petrificus Totalis!" The charm made a cracking sound as it hit the wall. Small pebbles showered on the street.
Harry ducked instinctively. He'd recognize Hermione's voice anywhere, but he didn't know just where she was aiming at. A swift glance around the street located both her and her adversary.
So many things were happening at once. People running around in panic. The huge glass window at Honeydukes' had broken, and one of the clerks was standing next to the empty panes, staring at the street with blank look on his face. The air was tingling with magic.
Harry catalogued all those details within seconds, dismissing them as insignificant. All that mattered was Hermione standing there, hair wild and standing on end, tiny electrical sparks flying all around her as she stood between the slumped form of Blaise Zabini and Terry Boot who was aiming his wand at her.
"Terry!" Yelling the name out, Harry pointed his wand straight at the Ravenclaw. "You can't win. Drop your wand."
He could sense both Ron and Malfoy step next to him, both aiming with their wands.
Terry Boot froze at the sound of his own name, his aim still focused on Hermione. He seemed to almost collapse onto himself, turning from a strong young man into a wraith in front of their eyes. Taking a deep breath, he spun around, his gaze full of hatred. "Ava..."
Four other voices rang out, all barking out the Unforgivable, "Avada Kedavra!" The force of the green sparks threw Boot backwards, sending him sprawling on the ground like a ragdoll.
It was over.
There was a moment of utter silence. Everything had happened too fast and the fear and adrenaline were still running through their veins. None of them could really move, Harry and Draco pointing their wands at Terry's dead body, Ron staring into distance and Hermione trembling now that the fight was over.
A soft keening sound broke the silence, bringing everyone out of their reverie. It was Blaise Zabini, letting out a wail that was almost inhuman, sounding like a wounded animal instead of a human being.
Walking stiffly towards the young man lying on the ground, Draco didn't even know what was causing his housemate to make such a pained sound. He wished he would stop. At the same time he was glad for the wail, for it was a proof Blaise was still alive.
Ron didn't look at Terry's dead body as he rushed to Hermione who was swaying on her feet, obviously drained. He managed to grab her before she fell.
He still couldn't understand what had just happened. Couldn't believe that Terry was dead. Death Eater! Squeezing Hermione tighter, he stared at Harry who was standing there with his wand still drawn, hoping someone would explain to him what was going on because he had no idea.
This just couldn't happen! People didn't turn on their friends like that!
"Oh no, I killed him! I killed him! Oh god..." Hermione was whispering the words in a low toneless voice.
Funny. The exact words were going through Ron's head. They should be eating lunch now at the Three Broomsticks, laughing at something insignificant and enjoying their meal. Instead, he had just killed Terry Boot. It didn't matter that Harry and Hermione and Malfoy had killed him too. He had killed.
"Where's Blaise?" Suddenly sounding more alert, more panicked, Hermione twisted in his grip.
Looking over his shoulder, Ron didn't let go. He could see Malfoy there next to the other Slytherin, his posture rigid. It was a clear sign that something was wrong. Cradling Hermione against him, he muttered, "He'll be all right." The lie didn't sound at all convincing even to his own ears. "It will be all right."
Draco reached Blaise, his feet slipping on the wet cobblestones. Gazing down at his feet, he froze as he realized that the slippery substance on the ground was blood. He looked up in panic, needing to see how badly Blaise was hurt. A moment later he gagged when he saw Blaise's face, the bloodied mess where two brightly shining eyes had once been.
"I can't see! I can't see!" Whimpering the words over and over again, Blaise flailed with his arms. "Please... I can't see..."
Realizing he couldn't do anything right now, Draco fell to his knees next to his housemate. His wand almost slipped to the ground as he reached out and stilled Blaise's hands. "It's all right. It's going to be all right..." Without even knowing it, he was echoing Weasley's words.
He heard someone call for a mediwitch and prayed they would come as quickly as humanly possible.
"Draco!" Blaise sobbed with relief. He clutched onto his housemate as if he was his only lifeline. "Terry! He's a Death Eater! He tried to kill Hermione. And I can't see. What happened to my eyes, Draco? What happened to my eyes?"
No words came out as Draco gagged again, swallowing down the bile rising in his throat. He was determined not to lose it now; he could always throw up later. "Shh..." Holding Blaise tighter, he let out a sound he hoped would be soothing, trying to ignore the moist warmth spreading all over his cheek, where his friend's face touched his.
He didn't know what to do or say. He simply hugged Blaise, trying not to think about anything. Keeping his own hysteria in check with every ounce of his willpower, knowing he was fighting a losing battle.
Rooted next to Terry's still body, Harry tried to take in the whole situation. Had Terry been alone, or were there others to attack them as well?
He shut out his friends, knowing he couldn't let the panic grab him as well right now.
There were other people here, but they were all huddled behind a few barrels in the farthest corner of the small square and none of them seemed to pose any threat. The glass shards on the ground in front of Honeydukes' prevented anyone from sneaking up on them from that direction.
They had made a lot of noise, passing many people coming here in a frantic run. Sooner or later the news would get to the Order house and then people would come. Before that, it was his job to make certain no one else died.
Straightening his back, he concentrated on listening beyond the ragged sobs. Was there someone approaching? He wasn't sure.
"Potter!" There was a very distincive sound of dozens of people running through the alleys.
Harry was turning around even before he could think. Wand ready, he watched as Order members rushed towards them. For a brief shocking moment, he was hit by a wave of suspicion, wondering if these people really were what they seemed to be. Then he saw Dumbledore and Snape among them, and relaxed.
He turned back to the awful scene on the street. With a curious detachment he watched Ron hold Hermione who was now screaming wordlessly and holding out her hand as if trying to reach someone. He glanced at Malfoy, who was kneeling next to Zabini, glad that Ron was not letting her go.
The air was thick with dust. Harry could still see people rushing this way and that, all looking absolutely stunned. Some of the older Order members were standing next to Terry's body with wands drawn. He wondered why. There was nothing more they could do.
Everybody was talking at the same time, the sound of the babble filling the alley. Too many people, too many voices. And there was still rubble and shards of glass everywhere. The young clerk wasn't standing at the empty window of Honeydukes' anymore, he was slumped against the wall, retching.
It was completely surreal. Harry shook his head slightly. His ears were ringing, a headache approaching. The burning smell was making him nauseous, the familiar scent of blood only making it worse.
"Silence!"
It was Dumbledore's voice, sounding over the shocked babble. "Everybody, please calm down and let the mediwizards do their job."
That silenced most of the sounds, and strangely enough, Harry could breathe more easily. He could see a group of witches and wizards surround Malfoy and Zabini and he watched as one of them tried to move Malfoy away from the scene. It wasn't at all surprising that he refused to let go of the other Slytherin.
Harry blinked, wondering what he should do next. Probably go and see Dumbledore. He couldn't go to Hermione, not now. Couldn't risk losing all the control he had on his emotions.
A muttered charm was followed by a bright flash of light. For a moment, Harry was blinded by it, completely unprepared when his world tilted over a moment later. Strong hands grabbed him, pushing him against the nearest building. A moment later he was sheltered by a strong body.
He squirmed and took a deep breath, intending to yell at whomever was holding him. The distinctive smell of Bubotuber pus mixed with mint made the scream die in his throat.
Snape.
Instant relief, complete safety. He should have known Snape would be there to shield him if possible. In the middle of all the chaos and pain, that one thing was unchangeable.
"Stupid wankers..." Sirius' voice was a low growl, the first sign of his presence.
Harry flinched as Snape was yanked away from him and then relaxed in Sirius' hug. He wrapped his arms instinctively around his godfather while staring at the new glass window someone had charmed for Honeydukes'. That had to be the source of the flash. His gaze went to Snape, who was now surveying the destruction, not paying any attention to him.
He wanted to say something. Thank both men for being here and focusing on his safety. But it wasn't the right time for that either.
"You can let go now, Sirius." Not really recognizing his own voice, Harry let his arms go limp and stepped away from Sirius' hug. "There will be Ministry people here sooner or later. I want Snuffles to go and see that Ron and Hermione are all right. Now."
The look Sirius cast him was stunned, but the man didn't object. With a glance at Remus, he took in the ever growing crowd and blurred into his Animagus form before going to see if everything was all right.
Harry turned his back on his friends, the deliberate gesture surprisingly easy.
An emergency team from St. Mungo's came to deal with Blaise. Apparently his wounds allowed him to be transported magically because after a few minutes, the witches and wizards cleared the area around the wounded Slytherin and then they all disapparated.
Without bothering to talk about it, Snape took one look at Draco Malfoy and then the two followed the mediwizards.
Harry didn't like the idea of all the three of them staying without protection at St. Mungo's. Seeing a very familiar face in the crowd, he sent Loreena after them, knowing that she was used to guarding strange people at the hospital by now.
Seeing some of the crowd clear away from Harry, Remus cast a warning glance at Snuffles and then made his way to the young man.
He wasn't surprised to have a wand pointed at him for just a second before Harry recognized him, but it didn't mean he had to like it. His gaze went to Harry's torn robes. "You're bleeding."
"I am?" How strange he hadn't even noticed. Running his hand across his neck, he could feel something sticky on his fingers and also the first twinge of pain. It wasn't much, probably just a scratch. "It's nothing."
"Harry..." There was definitely a warning in Remus' voice.
It didn't matter where the scrape had come from -- probably from all the flying debris -- because it wasn't really bad and Harry couldn't concentrate on something as insignificant as a scratch right now. "I'll see a mediwitch when we're done here."
He'd have to go to St. Mungo's anyway.
Remus was quiet for a moment. Then he asked, "What do you want us to do?"
The question hit Harry harder than a curse would. He looked back at the chaos just to buy himself some time to compose his voice, even though he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to hide his shock.
Not that anyone would really understand the cause for it, but he didn't want it to show anyway.
Refusing to really meet Remus' eyes, Harry made a gesture towards his friends. "Take Hermione and Ron back home and stay with them." He wanted to go with them, but he was needed here. "Make sure they're safe."
"I will." Remus simply nodded, knowing this wasn't the time for arguments.
Harry didn't even watch him go. Now that his friends were protected, he would be able to concentrate on the here and now.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Dumbledore withdraw from the crowd and walk slowly into the shadows almost as if he was reluctant to leave. Seeing how hard it was on the old wizard didn't really help and neither did the realization that he would have to deal with this all alone.
Pushing away the brief flash of anger, Harry went to lead his people.
It was past midnight when Harry finally got home.
He walked slowly across the hallway, feeling exhausted. It had been hell to deal with everything; the Ministry people and their questions, Aurors taking control of Terry's body and then disappearing, apparently content with actually leaving the authority of Hogsmeade to the Order. It had been even worse to watch fear spreading through the Order, followed by mistrust.
When things had calmed down a bit, he'd headed to St. Mungo's, unable to stay away, even though all he could really do there was to join the two men in the waiting room, watching Draco Malfoy pace back and forth, while Snape sat there like a statue.
There had been people coming and going. Nurses, security people, even reporters who had been firmly ushered out barely minutes after their appearance. Everyone talking at the same time, asking them questions they couldn't answer. Doctors rushing in and out of Blaise's room, all looking drained.
Harry sighed. He'd hated leaving Snape and Malfoy there, but there was nothing else he could do to help.
Tonight, Snape's place was with his Slytherins; guarding and taking care of them. He was probably the only one those two would allow close by, the only safe person in their world right now.
Climbing the stairs, Harry listened to the soft sounds coming from upstairs. He could recognize Remus' voice, the tone exactly the same he used to calm Sirius down whenever he was about to lose it. Following the sounds to Ron's bedroom, he stood at the doorway, staring at the sad sight.
Ron was sitting with his back against the headboard, holding Hermione tight. He looked utterly drained, but didn't seem to be dozing off; he simply stared down at where she was curled between him and Snuffles. His hand was petting her hair carefully.
"Harry." Remus was the first one to realize he was standing there at the doorway.
Not managing even a feeble attempt of a smile, Harry stepped into the room. He heard a soft whimper coming from Snuffles and walked to sit by the big dog.
There was a long silence, filled with the shock and horror all three teenagers shared. Hermione was still shaking, but there was no more sobbing. She looked like she was too tired to even cry anymore.
"How is he?" Almost choking on the words, Ron looked at Harry, his eyes haunted. "How's Zabini?"
Harry shook his head. "He's blind." His voice was completely calm as he said, "There's nothing they can do, the curse destroyed everything. The doctor said there might be some cosmetic charms applied to his face, so he..." He couldn't repeat the mediwitch's words after all.
The curses Terry Boot had flung at Blaise had scarred his face. It was nothing like the scar on Harry's forehead, those markings couldn't be hidden behind messy hair.
Sitting here in silence, Harry couldn't help remembering the look of perfect understanding Snape and Malfoy had shared at the news. The expression had been knowing, excluding things his Gryffindor values held dear and focusing on revenge. Even so, Harry knew that if Terry had somehow survived, he wouldn't have done anything to stop the two.
No matter what they would have done to the Ravenclaw.
The initial icy shock was followed by a pained wail. Hermione curled into a smaller ball, hiding between Ron and Snuffles and as her voice broke, she simply drew in another breath and sent the eerie sound of grief echo in the room again.
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