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Light of Heaven	By : Draeconin Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 28741 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Light of Heaven

by Draeconin

See chapter one for ratings, summary and other details.

Disclaimer: If you don't recognize it, it's mine. Everything else belongs to the copyright holders.

Chapter Fourteen

When Harry woke the next morning it was cold, so he backed up, snuggling closer to his mate. It wasn't long before Draco, too, awoke. Finding his husband snuggled up so closely, he gently tightened his arms around him, to let him know that he was awake. As was usual, both had awakened with morning erections. Without saying a word, Harry reached back between them, and guided his mate into himself. Draco gently sheathed himself in his lover, and slowly, lazily, pumped into him, slowly building up the tension. He dropped one hand to wrap gently around Harry's member, and pumped it in the same tempo as he was using to make love to the raven-haired young man. He kept it slow, but as the crescendo neared he couldn't help but increase the intensity of his thrusts, making them just that much harder, and deeper. At such a slow tempo, it had taken them a long time to reach that level, so when they finally came, it was with such intensity that every muscle in their bodies strained to their utmost, and both came close to losing consciousness. As it was, it took them quite some time to recover.
"Gods! That was - the best!" Harry finally gasped out.
"It was certainly something else, love," Draco weakly replied, "but...I think I still prefer you in me."
"Really?" Harry asked, turning to face his lover.
"Do you truly think I'd say something like that if it weren't true? My father would have had my bollocks if he'd even an inkling that I'd prefer being receptive, rather than active - let alone preferring men over women. So yes, Harry; while I quite enjoy topping you, I do prefer having you in me. Happy, now?"
"Mm... I love you so much, Draco," Harry replied, idly stroking the blond's cheek and jaw-line. "I like it either way, but I love how protective I feel of you when I'm making love to you, so as long as I can have you in me at least once in a while, I'm quite happy with that arrangement. Okay?" Harry asked, kissing the blond on the tip of his nose.
"Very okay," Draco whispered. "Now; kiss me properly?" he asked coyly. Harry did: And then Harry gave Draco what he really wanted.

They had a late start that morning. They broke their fast, again made use of the bushes, and though Harry started to help pack the camp, the elves had become so horrified that 'the Master' was doing manual labour, that he had to leave off and go sit with Draco until they were done. It didn't take long. In fact, it was only minutes before it looked as though no one had ever been there before. "Okay, is everyone ready to go?" Harry asked. With everyone's assurances that they were, he had another question "Where are we going, Dobby?" he asked as they started off.
The elf's head and shoulders drooped, and walking shame-faced beside him, said "Dobby not allowed to tell the Master." With such large eyes, the tears gathering there were quite obvious. "Dobby can only take the Master there." If Harry hadn't prevented it, the elf would have started bashing his head against one of the low boulders that lay around.
"And just why, elf, are you not allowed to tell Harry where you're taking us?" Draco asked, coldly.
Dobby cringed, memories of beatings from Draco's father brought to mind by the tone of voice. "Dobby die if he tells. Thraia will kill Dobby," he wailed.
Draco's ire subsided. He could well understand the need for self-preservation. He didn't like heading blindly off into the wilderness, nor his mate being denied, but this... He sighed, frustrated. It didn't help that he was feeling Harry's annoyance with him; and yes, he knew why, but that didn't change anything. He would do what he had to in order help his mate, and he let Harry know it with the stubborn look he sent him.
Harry got the message, and smiled wryly. He might be annoyed with Draco's methods, but he couldn't fault his mate's loyalty or intentions. Turning to his young husband, Harry gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and said "Sorry, love; I know you mean well."
Draco nodded, accepting the apology. But he also 'heard' Harry's hope that he'd find gentler ways of expressing himself. It wasn't going to happen, as far as he was concerned. He might let down all of his defences, at least most of the time, when dealing directly with his raven-haired mate, but the rest of the world had provided too much hurt, betrayed him too many times, for him to give up the methods that had proved to work so well in dealing with it.
Harry was thinking along the same lines about Draco, but knew that his mate's 'hurt before they can hurt you' philosophy would have to change. It would take time, though - perhaps a long time - but they had a lifetime, and it would be a gentle labour of love to guide his young, blond husband to a less aggressive mode of interaction.
Shortly after noon, they stopped for lunch. The elves had prepared it in advance while they were preparing breakfast that morning, so there was no need for a fire, and Twinkie heated those things that needed heating with magic. As she handed Draco and Harry steaming mugs of tea, Harry noticed that she seemed much happier today. "You look like you're in a very good mood, Twinkie!" Harry noted jovially.
Twinkie blushed, but she wasn't the only one; Dobby had some colour in his cheeks, as well. 'Huh! I wonder if that means what I think it does? Never occurred to me to think about the mating habits of house elves,' Harry thought to Draco.
'Nor to anyone else, I'd wager,' Draco replied.
'I suppose we should probably not pry?' Harry said regretfully. 'I don't know elf protocol about such things, and I don't want to offend them; especially since we're more or less dependent on them for our survival at present.'
'You have a point - but you're one of their 'royalty', according to them, so... But for one of their own to threaten to kill them for so little a thing!' Draco was still chewing over the threats made to the house elf.
'Remember, Draco, that the one called Thraia was going to kill Dobby merely for being wrong about our blood inheritance.'
'They're no better than humans in that way, then, are they?' Draco replied.
'Perhaps not,, but we can't judge a whole race by one or two individuals. Hopefully, she was an exception.'
'The other two didn't seem to make a fuss about Dobby's impending death.'
'But the male - Folmar? - did argue for him, love.'
Draco had to agree, albeit reluctantly. 'But I can't help but wonder if he would have done anything, should Thraia have decided to ignore his argument.'
Harry shrugged. 'We'll probably never know.' If they were anything like humans, though, he rather thought that Folmar would have stood back and let it happen. Self preservation is a strong instinct.
From an outsider's perspective, this silent conversation would have looked most strange, indeed; two young men sitting silently, slightly facing each other, various expressions and emotions crossing their faces at odd intervals, body language constantly changing... And unbeknownst to them, there was an observer.
It had been quite difficult to track the small party; only being made possible by a pretty button that had been be-spelled as a tracking charm, and given to Dobby as a going-away present. The watcher had no idea how they were traveling so quickly, even to crossing seas, but assumed it was elven magic. She slipped away a short while later, only to disapparate as soon as she was far enough away for it not to be detected; or, if detected, ignored.
Looking up from their conversation, Harry looked out towards the north-east horizon; their direction of travel. It was most strange, indeed, that there should be mountains in this direction, and mentioned it to Draco, who agreed. "...unless, of course, we aren't traveling solely by foot, but passing through subtle travel-warps."
Harry looked bemused. "Travel warps?" he asked.
"I've heard of them," Draco said, "but only in passing, during the telling of a myth about elves." He looked at Dobby and Twinkie suspiciously. "Since we do seem to be somewhere we shouldn't have reached by walking alone, it's the only theory I can come up with." Turning to their guide, he asked "Are we traveling with the use of travel warps, Dobby?"
Dobby couldn't look him full in the face as he answered. "What does Mister Draco mean, please?"
Before his mate could reply, Harry spoke. "No evasions, Dobby. Tell the truth."
Dobby couldn't bring himself to prevaricate with royalty. His shoulders slumped in defeat, as Twinkie looked on in alarm. "Yes, Master Harry. Dobby take you on the 'Elvish Way'. It is being enchanted to make travel shorter." What he didn't say, was that they were no longer on the same body of land that they'd started out on.
"Thank you, Dobby. We won't tell anyone that you've told us," Harry replied, gently.
'We won't?' Draco asked.
'We won't!'
'But the money!' Draco protested.
'Do you know how to travel it? To activate it? And even if you did, would it be worth a life?'
'It's only a house elf...' Draco 'muttered'.
Harry punched his upper arm. "All lives are precious, Draco!" Harry said, aloud.
"Even my father's?" Draco asked, defiantly.
Harry hesitated. "I'm tempted to say that there are exceptions to every rule, but yes; even your father's. Now that he's dead, he can't change. Still, he's no longer a danger to others, either." Slipping an arm around his mate, he drew him close. "It's so much easier to talk in generalities than in specifics, love. I hate the thought of having to kill, and yet I know that there are times that one must kill, in order to live; to stay safe. I don't like saying this about anyone, especially since he was your father, but I think the world is probably a safer place without Lucius in it. Forgive me?"
Draco nodded, eyes brimming with unshed tears. "It hurts - but I know you're right." His head was suddenly too heavy to hold up, and he laid it on his raven-haired mate's shoulder, the change of angle allowing his tears, finally, to overflow. Still, his voice was remarkably steady as he said "I just wish it could have been different."
Harry nodded, eyes staring into the distance as he thought of his own parental situation. "So do I, belov�d. So do I."

"They're moving into the foothills of the mountains of Carpathia. I scouted around, and if we move quickly, there is a perfect spot for an ambush about two hours' walk from where they are now; provided the house elves do not move them by magic yet again before they reach that point." The watcher's voice was filled with such hatred and loathing that even such hardened characters as made up this cell of the Death Eaters, were made uneasy; not at the prospect of violence, but the chance that the speaker may be less than sane. Still, another such chance at vengeance as this, with little to no chance of witnesses or discovery, would be hard to find.
Another figure, male, stood up to address the gathering. "What say you all? Shall we, then, avenge the Great Malfoy?" At the question, all those gathered there raised a mighty shout of "AYE!" That person then turned to the watcher."There is your answer, Miss Parkinson. We leave immediately you provide us with apparating coordinates."
Pansy Parkinson smiled, causing many who saw it to shudder.

Yes, he had been a Seeker, but no Quidditch player worth his salt stayed ignorant of how to play all the positions on the team, even if he or she wasn't any good at any of the others - a rarity. Most players were good in at least two positions, and Harry had practiced enough to be fairly skilled at all of them. He had still been best as a Seeker, but now his Chaser skills came into play; that is to say, his throwing arm.
Harry and Draco both had caught the slight movement of black up ahead (a sharp eye for detail being a side-effect of being a good Quidditch Seeker), and Dobby and Twinkie had quickly raised shields for the four of them. But those shields were constantly having to be renewed as curse after curse hit them, some few getting through, causing Harry, Draco and the two elves to duck, dodge, and roll as necessary, to avoid them. Dobby and Twinkie were so busy with protecting them from flying spells and hexes that they had no time for counter-measures, which left it up to two young men, who didn't have the knowledge to be able to use their new magic, to try to find a way to take the battle to the attackers. Harry had thought of it first, when a reasonably-sized rock fell into his hand during a duck-and-roll manoeuvre, and snapped it towards one of the white-masked, black-robed figures opposing them, and, incidentally, killing the Death Eater. He had all but forgotten about his preternatural strength.
"Draco!" Harry yelled. "Throw rocks at them!"
The instruction had been unnecessary, as the blond had seen Harry's move, and quickly made to emulate it. He wasn't about to go down without a fight.
"Take that you bastards!" Draco yelled, his throw coinciding with the stressed word. He grinned when he saw his rock his its' mark, but he didn't wait to see what its effect might be, immediately searching out and grabbing another good-sized rock. Fortunately, there was a plethora of them. Unfortunately, there were just too many Death Eaters. Draco saw a vicious curse graze his belov�d, and saw him go down. With a growl, he redoubled his efforts, but then he saw Dobby go down, and then his own luck ran out, as a Cruciatus curse hit him, then some other spell; one that caused him to black out; so Twinkie was the only one to see what happened next.
A large, dark shape plunged out of the sky - out of the sun - a rain of fire preceding it; touching here, there - anywhere a dark-robed figure stood. And since their intended victims, minus one small house elf, were down, all who were capable were standing or in the process of doing so. A few managed to send off a curse or two, but they seemed to bounce off the menacing figure. Seeing that, the remaining Death Eaters tried to escape, but only a few retained enough sense to disapparate. The rest perished.
When Harry awoke, his whole body felt like one large bruise, but the worst pain was the one in his head. He had been hit by a Cruciatus curse, and had hit his head on a large rock when he collapsed from the pain, knocking him out. His first thought, of course, was for his mate. He 'knew' that his mate was alive, but there was no other input coming from him. But when he moved to look around him for his bonded, the first thing to hit his eyes had him freeze motionless in shock. A dragon. A wild dragon; black, with midnight green overtones, and not one of a type that he'd been taught of at Hogwarts. As he stared, caught between wonder and fear that this might be another life-threatening menace, he became aware of a sense of amusement - and it wasn't his, nor was it his mate's.
"THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR, YOUNGLING."
Startled, Harry replied. "So you say. Where is my mate?"
"AH, YES; THE LITTLE FIERCE ONE. HE IS JUST BEHIND YOU. STILL
UNCONSCIOUS, BUT I BELIEVE HE WILL BE ALL RIGHT."
Harry turned as far as he was able without losing sight of the... Beast? Being? He shook his head to clear it of the confusion; a mistake, as pain exploded in it, threatening to send him unconscious once again. But his vision cleared, and there was his belov�d Draco; pale, unconscious, looking pained, but with no visible wounds. Still, he was breathing, and where there was life, there was hope - if not of health, then at least of healing.
"QUITE RIGHT, YOUNGLING. "
Harry looked back to the dragon; not that he'd ever looked completely away. "Are you reading my mind?"
"IT IS HOW WE COMMUNICATE." The dragon's 'tone' wasn't quite apologetic, but it was explanatory.
"Look, I can't just keep thinking of you as 'the dragon', and I'm sure I shouldn't think of you as a beast, so what do I call you?" Harry asked, exasperatedly. He was quite frustrated with the whole situation. 'Speaking of situations, weren't there some Death Eaters around here earlier?' he thought to himself.
"AND WHY SHOULDN'T YOU THINK OF ME AS A BEAST? IT IS WHAT I AM; IT'S WHAT YOU ARE, AND ALL OTHER LIVING, MOVING THINGS THAT AREN'T PLANTS OR MAGICAL CONSTRUCTS. BUT YOU MAY CALL ME ASTROFEL," the dragon said. "AS FOR THOSE THINGS YOU CALL 'DEATH EATERS'? MOST ARE DEAD. UNFORTUNATELY, A FEW OF THEM GOT AWAY."
"You killed them?"
"MOST OF THEM, ALTHOUGH YOU AND YOUR MATE DIDN'T DO
BADLY. BUT WHY DIDN'T YOU USE YOUR MAGIC? EITHER OF YOU COULD HAVE WIPED THEM FROM EXISTENCE."
Harry had managed to move to a position to put his lover's head in his lap, and had done so during this conversation. Now, smoothing the blond's brow, he said "You truly believe we're that powerful, do you? Well, that's why we're traveling; to get to the Veela homeland to get some training. We need to learn how to use whatever power we now have. We were wizards, until our genetics caught up to us. Then our magic changed. No more wizarding for us." Harry's voice showed the bitterness he felt. He'd never show it in front of his mate, since his instincts forced him to try to make life as pleasant for his bonded as possible, but he wasn't nearly as sanguine as he made himself appear.
"YOU ARE A VEELA ROYAL, ARE YOU NOT?"
Harry nodded, but evidently this dragon was familiar with human conventions. "So I'm told," he added, anyway.
"DO THEY KNOW OF YOUR EXISTENCE?"
Harry nodded again. "They forced this journey on us to prove ourselves worthy," Harry spat out.
"THEN THEY WILL NOT WELCOME YOU, SHOULD YOU MAKE IT
TO THEIR DEMESNE," Astrofel said, soberly.
"I thought that might be the case," Harry admitted, disappointed anyway, "but we have little choice. Without training, we are either dead, or must live as Muggles. My mate would not be happy living as a Muggle." It was clear from his tone that to Harry, that last choice, then, was no choice at all.
Astrofel seemed to be deep in thought - then, "ARE YOU AND YOUR MATE THE TWO OF WHOM I'VE HEARD TELL? YOU HAVE THE TRIPLE BOND?"
Harry nodded yet again.
"THEN YOU ARE THE ONES CALLED 'THE DRAGON MASTER' AND 'THE HEALING HAND'?"
Harry shrugged. "I think it's a lot of nonsense, but that's what was said through Dobby." At that, Harry finally remembered the house elves, and began looking worriedly around for them.
"I WONDERED WHEN YOU WOULD REMEMBER THEM. THEY'RE FINE. I SENT THEM HOME; THOUGH TO YOUR CREDIT, THEY DIDN'T WISH TO LEAVE."
Harry stared at the dragon for minute, assimilating this, and it's implications. "You knew who we were all along. You knew our magic didn't work. You let us be attacked. Why?" He was barely holding his anger in control.
"YOU ONLY HAVE ONE THING CORRECT. I KNEW WHO YOU WERE. I DID HOPE TO TALK WITH YOU LONGER BEFORE YOU FOUND THAT OUT, HOWEVER. I WANTED TO GET TO KNOW YOU A LITTLE BETTER. AS FOR YOUR MAGIC, YOU DO HAVE A PROBLEM, THERE. SINCE THE VEELA NOW IN POWER AREN'T GOING TO WELCOME YOU, IT IS ALMOST A CERTAINTY THAT ANY TRAINING YOU RECEIVE FROM THEM WOULD BE...LESS THAN EXEMPLARY. WITH THAT FACT, YOUR POWER LEVEL, THE PRONOUNCEMENT AT YOUR BONDING, AND YOUR AURA, I THINK IT MIGHT BE BEST TO TAKE YOU TO OUR DEMESNE, INSTEAD. - AH! YOUR MATE WAKENS. HAS HE ALWAYS HAD SUCH GOOD TIMING?" Astrofel's humour was evident, and Harry had to smile.
"Good or bad, he always seems to show up just when you least expect him," he said, affectionately.
"Not so loud, Harry. My head hurts!" Draco complained.
"I'm just glad that you're alive to have it hurt you!" Harry whispered.
At that, Draco's memories of the battle came back, and he paled. "Are you okay? Did we win? We must have; or we'd be dead. How did we win? Are you all right?" Draco realised he was babbling, and shut his mouth, embarrassed.
Harry grinned. "The worst of it is a headache, I think. Otherwise, yes; I'm fine, love."

Looking up at his mate, and sensing the truth of this through their link, Draco brought his hand up to the base of Harry's head, and pulled it down where he could reach his love's lips, giving him a very gentle, but very possessive kiss. Then he moaned. His head really was killing him. "Where's Dobby? I need a pain potion from the pack."

"The potions! My head was throbbing so badly, I forgot all about them!" Harry exclaimed. "Shite! Dobby's gone!"
Draco's eyes widened. "Those black-robed gits killed him? What about the other one?"
"No, no, no, love. According to Astrofel, Dobby and Twinkie are both fine - he just sent them home," Harry explained.
Draco frowned. "And just who, mind you, is this 'Astrofel', and how in the nine hells did he convince house elves to abandon their duty to their masters?" he asked, petulantly. "Who's going to get me my pain potion?"
Harry laughed gently. "If you'll let me stop being your pillow for a minute or two, I'll get us both a pain potion; okay?" Harry said, indulgently.
"I wondered why my pillow was so soft and lumpy," Draco said, as he painfully struggled to sit up.
"Just my lap, love," Harry explained, as he slowly moved over to their supplies and started looking for the potions box.
"You never did say who convinced those blasted house elves to leave us out here in the middle of nowhere," Draco complained.
Harry looked blankly at his blond mate, who was sitting with his back to the dragon. "Just look over your shoulder, love - but don't worry, I don't think he plans on harming us." He was looking forward to Draco's reaction. "Ah! Here they are!" He said, retrieving the potions box.
Giving Harry a quizzical scowl, Draco turned half around, craning his neck the rest of the way to see behind him. At sight of the dragon, he gave a very high-pitched scream, and scrambled quickly to put Harry between himself and the large creature just 30 feet away.
"'The little fierce one.' Yeah, right," Harry muttered to himself, and chuckled, handing Draco one of the pain potions, and downing another himself.
"I heard that, Harry!" Draco sputtered indignantly. "I'd bet you reacted the same way! What's it doing here, anyway?" He drank his pain potion, not taking his eyes off the dragon for even a second.
"'IT' HAS A NAME: ASTROFEL, AND I'M A MALE. YOU CAN
ALSO TALK TO ME DIRECTLY: I'M NOT DEAF. I'M HERE BECAUSE I SAVED YOU FROM THOSE BLACK-ROBES."
Draco's eyes went wide. "Did you hear that?" he asked Harry.
"Yes. Astrofel communicates by telepathy," Harry replied.
"Oh, well, that's just fine, then. That says it all, doesn't it? Tells the whole story. I now know..."
"Draco? Shut it."
The blond stared at his mate, mouth gaping. No one he cared about had ever talked to him like that. It shocked him so badly, he forgot all about the dragon. The dragon in question was enjoying himself hugely. He'd never seen such antics in any race, as these two acted out.
"Shut it. Shut it? Shut it?"
"Or I'll spank you," Harry said. "If you're going to act like a brat, rather than ask for clarification, you deserve it. And you are acting like a brat."
Draco stared at him, as he said "You wouldn't dare." Checking their link, he changed his mind. "Yes, you would!" He backed away from his mate a few steps, hands moving to protect his arse. "Harry, if you so much as..." He didn't get any further, as Harry leaped at him. Draco only managed to turn and scramble a foot or two before he was caught, and in no time, he found himself face-down over his mate's lap.
"Harry!" Draco yelled, in a panic. "This is no way to behave in front of strangers!"
Harry paused. "So it's the way to behave in front of friends?" he asked.
"No!" Draco yelled, wanting no part of this.
"Oh. Well, then." Addressing the dragon, he asked "Do you mind?"
"IS THIS SOME SORT OF MATING RITUAL?" Astrofel
asked, mental laughter evident.
Harry cocked his head to one side. "It's been known be a part of them, yes," Harry replied. "But in this case, I'm using it as a behavioural correction technique." After a second of reflection, he added "And I'm finding it a bit of a turn-on, as well."
Draco had been making a show of struggling, but at this, he redoubled his efforts. "Harry, you perverted..."
Smack!
"Ow! Harry, you..."
Smack! "Are you sure you want to keep defying me, love?"
What came out of Draco's mouth would have made a whore blush.
"OH, VERY GOOD! I HAVEN'T HEARD SOME OF THOSE, BEFORE."
"Excuse me, Astrofel. I believe I have my work cut out for me," Harry said.
For the next couple of minutes, all you could hear was Harry's flat hand smacking Draco's upturned arse, and Draco's cursing, interspersed with the occasional reminder from the raven-haired lad that this behaviour was exactly what was keeping his hand moving as it was. Finally, Draco became silent, and Harry's hand stopped one 'smack' later. "Are you going to behave yourself, my love?" Harry asked, soothing his mate's arse with the same hand that had been spanking him.
Draco craned his head around, and glared at his mate, tears streaking his cheeks. "Well?" Harry urged.
"You're dead, Harry," Draco said, trying to put on a show of defiance.
"Are you going to behave yourself?"
Draco gave up, and nodded his head. Harry let him up, but wrapped his arms around his mate, kissing him and stroking his back and buttocks. Draco petulantly tried to push away, but Harry wouldn't let him. After a very brief, half-hearted struggle, Draco relaxed into his lover's arms.
"I love you, Draco," Harry whispered in the blond's ear.
Draco might have been defeated, but he was still embarrassed and a little angry, even as he reveled in the feel of his lover's arms around him. He stayed silent.
"IS IT OVER? DO YOU MATE, NOW?"
Harry blushed, and he could feel Draco's face get hotter, as well. "Um... I didn't say that it was a mating ritual for us, Astrofel," Harry corrected. Draco adjusted his head a little, and nipped Harry's neck with his teeth. "Ah! But it's a possibility when we're alone, next," he added.
"Don't count on it, Harry," Draco growled.
"ACTUALLY, I SENSE A VERY HIGH LIBIDO LEVEL FOR YOU
BOTH," Astrofel said, "BUT IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO ACT ON IT NOW, WE MAY AS WELL GET STARTED."
"Busted..." Harry half-sang.
"Git," Draco replied. He half-wondered why Harry was saying something was broken, but also knew it had something to do with being caught. He was confused, but he wasn't about to ask his neanderthal husband anything right then. Then, stepping away from his mate, and addressing the dragon, he said "Get started? Okay, I'm going to assume you're taking us somewhere, but where, and how? And what of our supplies?"

"GATHER EVERYTHING TOGETHER THAT YOU WISH TO TAKE WITH
YOU," Astrofel directed.
"Hold on," Harry replied. For some odd reason, he'd entirely forgotten about the Death Eaters until now, when he'd caught sight of one of them. He slowly approached the body.
"Harry, don't," Draco said, worriedly. "As long as they're faceless, it doesn't matter so much. What if people we know are among them? Harry? Please?"
Harry didn't heed the warning. "When you're responsible for something, you need to take responsibility for it," he said.
"What are we responsible for, Harry? Defending ourselves? Trying to stay alive? Would it be better if we were the ones laying there? They came after us."
Harry looked at his mate. "You have a point, Draco; a good one. But I still want to know who tried to kill us." And so saying, he removed the mask from the body, looked, and replaced it. Not saying a word, he did the same with the few others whose bodies weren't too burned to identify. Then, still silent, he began gathering and repacking those supplies that had been scattered during, and after, the battle. A few moments later, he addressed the dragon again. "Astrofel - is there anything that can be done to properly dispose of the bodies? No. Never mind. You said a few got away. They'll probably take care of their own."

Draco couldn't stand it any more; his curiosity got the best of him. "Well? Anyone we knew?" he asked quietly.
"I thought you didn't want to know."
"I didn't. But now that you know..."
"There were a few I recognised," Harry said, grimly.
"Who?"
Harry stopped, and looked the blond in the eyes. "I don't think you want to know, love," he warned.
"I know I don't - but I have to," Draco replied quietly.
Harry paused, considering, then "Crabbe and Goyle's fathers, Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson, a few Slytherins I didn't know - and Pansy Parkinson. I didn't recognise anyone else."
"Pansy? By the gods... I didn't like her, but that she could hate us that much..." Draco wasn't sure how to feel. Right now, he was rather numb. "I'd rather not know who the other Slytherins were, I think," he decided.
Harry looked sideways at his mate, giving him a somewhat inscrutable look. He had a hunch that Pansy was after revenge on Draco, rather than on himself, but he wasn't going to say so. The Muggle saying "Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned" came to his mind. But he was grateful to his mate; no-one else had ever explained to him just why he shouldn't feel guilty about an enemy's death, nor so well. It helped. It didn't stop the guilt entirely, but it helped.
"I think that's everything, Astrofel. What now?" Harry asked.
"STAND CLOSE TO IT, AND HOLD HANDS," the dragon
replied.
Harry and Draco held hands, and immediately felt better for the contact. A few seconds later, a white glow surrounded them, and their surroundings changed. Before them, now, was a huge cavern with, at various heights and intervals, holes of various sizes. Wide tiers led down to a floor, to one side of which were nine...chairs, for lack of a better word, designed for dragon physiology. Nor was the place empty. Dragons and humans of all ages were engaged in a myriad activities, from food preparation to play.
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Light of Heaven