Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Survival of the fittest	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 18502 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor profit from it. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling

Chapter List
- 21
- 22
- 23
Author's note: I'm aware that this chapter is rather short compared to some previous ones (although this length was actually the intended one for this particular story), but I have two reasons for that. The main reason: I decided to end it at that particular ending, because it fit more than if I had continued the chapter. The entire atmosphere and all that. Second reason: at least this way, you didn't have to wait longer than two weeks :)
Fair warning: university started again two weeks ago, so less writing time for me. However, I'll try to keep the updates as regular as possible. If it takes longer than two weeks for a new chapter, then you know the reason: university kicking my arse.
Thanks to the following reviewers: Kat; Meechypoo and staar
Warnings: drama, angst, Helpful Luna, short talk about previous violence; I think those are the most important warnings.
Additional note: I urge you to read the ending carefully as it will explain more in depth what happens overall in this chapter (and that didn't sound mysterious at all ...)
Without further ado, please enjoy this second part!

Chapter 22: Mending the pieces Part 2
31st of January
Harry realised he was acting as a coward. All the bravery that had made him suitable for Gryffindor seemed to have left him in the face of having to speak with Draco about the attack. For the past week he had done everything to avoid being alone with Draco. He still attended his classes and spoke to Draco during them and talked with him during dinner, but as soon as an opportunity arose in which Draco could pull him aside to have a private conversation, he bailed on him with a flimsy excuse.
Shame burned in him as a bright fire, but he couldn't bring himself to invite Draco in his quarters. He knew he should; they really needed to talk about what had happened if they ever wanted to get past this. But every time he looked at the blond wizard, his mind flashed back to the spiteful words Draco had hurled at him and the knife being impaled in him.
There were no visible scars left; Remus had been right when he told him to let the potion do its job. Three days after applying the potion, the redness had receded and the rough ridges of the scares had smoothed over until only the memory of the pain was left.
Harry knew that Draco had been under the influence of a curse and therefore hadn't meant anything he had done; despite that knowledge, he still woke up during the night, heart beating madly in his chest, from nightmares in which the scene in the bedrooms was repeated over and over again. Sometimes the scene slightly changed and instead of stabbing his shoulder, Draco ended up driving the knife in his stomach, killing their unborn child; all the while smiling madly.
These nightmares only served to make him avoid Draco even more and he wanted to rage out of frustration. Why couldn't he let go of his irrational fear? Why couldn't he put that event behind him and take up his relationship with the Malfoy heir? It wasn't as if this was the first traumatic event he had experienced.
It is the first time that you experienced your own lover betraying you, a voice piped up in the back of his head every time he tried to convince himself to speak with Draco.
But it wasn't really betrayal, was it? Draco was as much as a victim as he was. He was suffering as well, yet he was still trying to make everything right again.
What did that make of Harry?
Evidently a coward who couldn't even talk to his own lover.

When Friday evening arrived, Harry decided he had enough. He had enough of suffering through nightmares; was done with feeling this irrational fear.
If he wasn't able to put the past behind him, he would seek out the one person who would be able to help him with the memory.
Convincing his pets to stay behind in his quarters had been difficult. They were apprehensive; earlier in the week, a student from Ravenclaw had tried to hex Harry. Harry had managed to deflect the hex back to the caster, but it had cemented his pets' belief that he wasn't safe without them around.
For this particular conversation, however, he'd rather he was on his own. It would already be difficult enough to explain to him why he wanted this particular solution and he could do without his pets' input.
After promising Garin and Ruby that he would only visit him and then return, he was able to leave on his own.

Snape gazed at him with unreadable eyes when he opened the door.
"Potter. To what do I own this surprise visit?" he asked curtly.
Harry glanced around; there was nobody wandering around in the dungeons. He had made certain of that on his way here, but he still didn't want to risk it.
"I … need to ask you something," he replied in a low voice.
A black eyebrow rose up, but the man stepped aside to let him enter; muttering something underneath his breath. He motioned for Harry to sit down, but the latter remained standing, feeling rather nervous.
"Ask," Snape said abruptly.
"I – I have a question," Harry started and licked his lips, wondering how he would word his question as to receive a positive answer. "I was wondering … Can you use Legilimency to remove memories?"
Dark eyes narrowed and pale lips pursed together in a tight line. "Removing memories? Why do you want to know?"
"I was just wondering about it, you know," Harry replied weakly. "Considering I've used both Occlumency and Legilimency now, it made me think about the possibilities."
"Potter, you are not talking to the Headmistress. I would appreciate it if you stopped lying and told me the truth behind this peculiar question," Snape barked and crossed his legs.
Even though he was seated and Harry was the one with the height advantage, Harry felt like he was smaller underneath the sharp gaze.
"It's …" He looked away and took a deep breath. "Something happened in Dumbledore's house and I would like to get rid of the memory as it only causes me trouble."
There. That was enough information without giving away what really had happened.
Snape intertwined his fingers and looked at him calmly. "Does this have to do with the fact that Draco attacked you?"
Harry turned his head so sharply his muscles sang in protest. "What do you know about that?" he asked shocked.
Had Snape managed to use Legilimency on him? No, that was impossible. While Harry would never be a master in Occlumency, he would have felt it if his Occlumency shields had been breached.
"Draco was here earlier," Snape answered, breaking through Harry's muddled thoughts. "He wanted to know what exactly had occurred in that house and as a certain someone," Harry felt his cheeks flush with shame as dark eyes looked at him knowingly, "wouldn't talk to him, he asked me to help him. I used Legilimency and discovered what had happened."
Harry opened his mouth and closed it again once he realised that he didn't know what to say. If he had arrived earlier, he would have bumped into Draco. Draco had been here, desperate enough to know what really had happened to ask an outsider for help.
"Draco was under the influence of a curse. To be precise: the Incubus Victimae curse," Snape continued calmly as if he was just talking about a potion's recipe. "Have you heard of this curse?"
Numbly Harry shook his head.
"The name itself is quite deceiving as you do not use an incantation or even a wand," Snape answered idly. "It is dust, originating from the dead skin of an Incubus. You can compare the dust to a Boggart. The Boggart transforms into what you fear the most; this particular curse works in a similar manner. Draco was hit by the dust when he was searching through the closet and it made him act according to your worst fear."
"So the curse discovered my worst fear and used Draco to act it out?" Harry murmured confused.
"Yes; in this case, you could say that Draco assumed the role of the Boggart under the curse's influence," Snape replied. "He was not aware of his actions and I assume you were not aware of the nature of your deepest fear."
So those insults, those sneers about their baby and him lashing out with the knife – that had happened because Harry had been afraid of that? His first reaction was to deny that particular fear; while he had been uncertain of Draco's motives for dating him in the beginning, he was now completely certain that Draco wouldn't hurt him intentionally. Draco wouldn't throw him away and he definitely wanted this baby, despite the problems that could arise.
But …
When the first defensive reaction sunk back, he was forced to acknowledge that deep inside, maybe he had feared being used by Draco. He knew that with his ability to attract danger, he wasn't exactly perfect boyfriend material. That Draco still was willing to stay with him, despite the danger he was now in, spoke volumes about his feelings and had made Harry realise on multiple occasions how lucky he was to have found someone who wouldn't bail on him at the first sign of trouble.
Yet, he couldn't deny that Draco's life would be a lot easier if Harry wasn't in it.
So now he knew exactly what had made Draco act like that. He was relieved to hear that it had indeed been a curse – but unfortunately that didn't mean he was suddenly ready to confront Draco.
Why could it never be easy for him? Why was there still this lingering fear; why was he still remembering the mad look in Draco's eyes? Why couldn't he just shrug it off and seek out the blond?
After all, he had trusted Luna and he had trusted his heart; he had chosen to believe that there was a reason for Draco's sudden change in personality.
So why …
His hands clenched tightly; his nails biting softly in the palm of his hands. He wanted to be with Draco, wanted to look at him again without remembering the sharp sting of a knife piercing through his skin, without seeing the furious glare in those grey eyes he loved so much.
"Can you remove the memory?" Harry asked and raised his head.
Snape sighed. "I can, yes."
"So how do you do it? Obviously with Legilimency, but I mean …"
Harry's rambling was cut off short by Snape's next remark. "But I'm not going to remove it."
"What? Why not?" Harry snapped and took a step forwards.
"Because, Potter, you need to talk with Draco. Removing the memory will do nothing but give you the momentary relief of safety. As I mentioned to Draco: this is not something that can be solved through magical means." The older wizard stood up and walked to the door. "You two can only get past this if you talk about it. Now, return to your quarters before I give you detention for breaking curfew."
Harry wanted to continue arguing; try to find some way of convincing Snape to just pull out the memory, but one look at his face made him realise that their discussion was closed. Snape was not willing to comply with his request and would most likely start handing out detentions if he did not leave now.
"Good night, sir," he said stiffly and walked past Snape who simply nodded back.

The following day Harry found himself in the private quarters of his godfather and Remus. At the moment, Sirius was not present; he had been asked by McGonagall to oversee the detention of a couple of fourth year Ravenclaws.
Which was a good thing, because for the conversation Harry planned to have with Remus, it would be best if his godfather was not there to hear it.
"How are you feeling, Harry?" Remus asked softly, once they were seated with a cup of warm chocolate milk.
Ruby fussed a bit before he curled up as much as he could in front of the fireplace; his eyes were closed, but Harry knew he was listening to everything they were saying.
"I … Well, I suppose," Harry replied and grimaced lightly.
Remus studied him and cleared his throat. "I have noticed that you and Draco have not spent much time together this past week."
Unwillingly, a flinch went through Harry's body and he clenched his teeth. He hadn't thought that his avoidance had been that obvious.
"We've been busy with homework," he replied vaguely.
Remus hummed lowly and took a sip from his chocolate milk.
After a short bout of hesitation, Harry leant forwards to put his mug on the table. When he leant back against the couch, his hand came to rest on the swell of his stomach; it wasn't visible yet, but that had more to do with the fact that he was wearing a rather thick sweater. He could still feel the slight bump through the material and reminding himself that he couldn't keep putting this off, he took a deep breath and said, "Draco mentioned a couple of months ago that if parents stayed away from each other, it could affect the unborn baby."
"Yes, that's true," Remus replied slowly and raised an eyebrow.
"It made me wonder …" Harry trailed off, but forced himself to continue, "How long can parents stay apart before it starts affecting the baby?"
"Depending on the magical strength of the person carrying the baby, it can take as long as five months being apart before it starts having a negative effect to even one month," Remus answered and gazed at him contemplatively. "The stronger the carrier, the longer the parents can stay apart."
"Oh," Harry muttered and glanced away.
"Harry, why did you ask that?" the older man asked in a low voice.
"No real reason; I was just wondering about that," Harry retorted, hoping that the hitch in his voice went unnoticed. "I mean, I never heard of distance affecting an unborn baby, so I was curious."
"Have you forgotten that I have sharp senses?"
Green eyes shot back and looked at the man in front of him warily. "What? No, of course I haven't forgotten!"
"Would you mind telling me what is really going on then?" Remus asked calmly and shifted around, placing one leg over the other.
"I … nothing is going on," Harry muttered; the familiar feeling of shame and discomfort spreading throughout his entire body.
"Harry, you know you can tell me everything," Remus murmured gently. He hesitated. "Do you want to talk with Sirius?"
"No!" His answer came out sharper than he intended, but he knew he couldn't talk about this to Sirius. Sirius would hex first and then ask questions later, and Draco didn't deserve to be cursed, just because Harry was incapable of putting the past behind him.
Remus didn't say anything else; merely looked at him calmly.
Harry could easily leave now; even though Remus had expressed his wish to know more, he wouldn't press further if Harry refused to talk about it. He would let him leave without holding it against him.
Oddly, it was that realisation that made him start talking. Before he could think about whether it was prudent to talk about this to Remus – Snape knowing about it was one thing -, before he could stop himself, words started pouring out of his mouth and together they formed the explanation of his wounds and what exactly had taken place in Dumbledore's house; he didn't neglect to mention the information he had received from Snape.
When he was finished talking, he felt strangely empty and exhausted and he couldn't look at Remus; afraid he would see disappointment in how he had handled the whole situation.
When Remus opened his mouth, it was not to scold him for his immature behaviour or even mutter something as nonsensical as that it would all be okay. No, he told Harry something completely different.
"You remember two years ago after the tournament here? You were in the Infirmary when Dumbledore ordered Sirius to call up the members of the Order," Remus murmured and his eyes gained a distant look.
Harry blinked confused, but nodded. How could he forget that awful evening?
"I was the first one he found," Remus continued and his fingers tightened around his mug. "While we were searching for the rest of the members, we had to stay low and naturally, he couldn't visit you or send you many letters. He missed you every day and there was one day where he had attempted to form a plan to visit you. Dumbledore had warned me about visiting you; said it would likely attract the attention of Death Eaters if they sensed multiple wizards near you. Anyway," he met Harry's gaze, "once I found out that he was planning on disobeying Dumbledore and that he was intent on visiting you before the month was over, I made the mistake of mentioning that you were safer at your relatives' house."
"What happened?" Harry asked softly.
A small grimace tainted his mouth. "He became angry at me and lashed out with his magic."
Harry stared at him shocked. "He hurt you?"
Sirius had always been rather impulsive and Harry knew the Dursleys had been a sensitive topic for him – but to hear he had gone as far as attacking his remaining best friend, because he was forbidden to visit his godson?
Harry just couldn't imagine Sirius lashing out like that towards his best friend.
"A bit, yes." Remus touched his arm almost absentmindedly and Harry wondered whether he had been wounded there. "He was horrified, of course, once he realised what he had done. I don't think I've ever seen him apologizing so much," he laughed weakly.
"What … what did you do?"
A faint smile lingered on his lips. "I forgave him. Mind, it took me a bit before I didn't jump anymore every time he raised his wand, but I don't hold it against him. I know he missed you; I just made the mistake of reminding him of the dangers." He looked thoughtfully at his arm. "It took a long time before Sirius forgave himself, though, no matter what I said."
Harry looked away and bit his lip. He wasn't oblivious; he understood the parallels between Remus' story and his own. Forgiving Draco wasn't exactly the problem; there wasn't really anything to be forgiven. Forgive him for attacking him? That was stupid, because Draco hadn't meant to attack him. Forgive him for insulting him? Again, Draco hadn't been himself.
The main problem remained that Harry had trouble with putting the memory behind him. It wasn't as if he enjoyed holding on to it; he would like nothing more than to be able to look at Draco again without experiencing a flashback.
"Listen, Harry, nobody can force you to move on," Remus spoke softly. "I understand why you would want to ignore the memory. But ignoring it and avoiding Draco won't help either one of you. You need to talk with him."
"I know," Harry muttered.
He knew he needed to talk to Draco; he knew he couldn't keep dragging this out. It was all easier said than done, though.

On Sunday, the Astronomy tower had one lonely visitor. Harry was sitting on the large windowsill, absentmindedly looking down at the Forbidden Forest. Around him, the air was filled with the soft hooting of owls and the occasional chatter of other birds. February had started and while the snow had melted, it was still rather cold and even with his thick winter coat, Harry had to recast a Warming charm every thirty minutes.
Exceptionally he was completely alone today. None of his pets had followed him once he made it very clear to them that he wanted to be on his own for a few hours. He appreciated their concern, but their constant presence could be overbearing at times.
Even if someone was stupid enough to track him down to the Astronomy tower to pick a fight, he had his wand with him and the knowledge of a lot of defensive spells he hadn't had the chance to try out yet.
Being alone in the tower gave him a chance to put his thoughts in order. He had heard from Garin that Draco had tried to visit him several times this weekend; lately Harry returned to his quarters late at night, pushing it close to curfew, so he always missed meeting the blond.
He couldn't keep hiding from his boyfriend; that would only worsen the problem. But what should he do? How could he prevent the memory from resurfacing every time he so much as looked at Draco? He loved Draco and trusted him – that hadn't changed – but the memory kept him captive.
This wasn't a physical barrier he could fight his way through; this was not a curse he could mentally fight or dispel with the counter curse.
No magical means would be able to help him now.
"Luna, what are you doing here?" he asked when he became aware of the gentle presence behind him.
A soft laughter was his answer. "They told me you were here," Luna replied easily.
He didn't bother asking who she meant by 'they'. More than likely, even if she told him who she meant, he wouldn't understand her. He heaved a sigh.
Slender arms, clad in a thin sleeved shirt, appeared next to him and she swung her legs over the edge, letting them dangle against the cold wall.
Her bright blue eyes met his own green ones when he looked at her.
"Your heart is suffering," she remarked idly.
He smiled bitterly. "I guess that's one way of putting it," he agreed and glanced away, catching sight of a brown owl flying over the forest. "I assume you know what happened between Draco and I?"
She hummed. "You followed your heart," she retorted, which for her was as good as admitting she knew what had happened.
He wasn't even disturbed anymore by her ability to seemingly predict the future.
"I guess you can't offer me some advice?" he mumbled and returned his eyes to the girl sitting comfortably next to him.
This time she was the one looking away, gazing softly at the setting sun. "Faith tests people," she murmured serenely. "You have to fight to get past her hurdles. But," she looked back at him and smiled sweetly, "your string is shining brightly. It has never been as bright as now. You just need to let go of the darkness and embrace the light again."
"I wish it was that easy," Harry muttered darkly and rubbed his forehead wearily.
When he opened his eyes, he noticed the look of hesitance on Luna's face and he furrowed his eyebrows. It was such an odd look for her to have; not once since he knew her had he seen her with that look. It just didn't fit; Luna wasn't meant to be hesitant. She was meant to have dreamy smiles, serene looks and a comforting presence. Even with her cryptic comments, she still managed to sound confident.
A hesitant look on her face was akin to a bright smile on Snape's face: it was out of character and didn't fit.
"Luna?" he asked concerned.
She remained silent, but leant forwards, putting her arms around him. The sudden extra weight against him made him lose his balance and his hand shot out to grab the windowsill, steadying himself. His heart started beating wildly in his chest from the sudden scare and he looked down at long, blonde hair.
"Luna, what are you doing?" he asked perplexed, but embraced her with one arm.
Wide, blue eyes caught his gaze and slender hands came up to touch his temples, pressing down softly. A soft sigh escaped her and smiled. "We are partly formed by our memories, but we shouldn't lead our lives in accordance to them."
Her hands seemed to become very warm and he let out a sound of surprise. As if ordered, his eyes closed and he could feel his tense muscles relax slowly as if he was emerging himself in warm water.
Long fingers swept across his forehead and eyelids, feeling as light as the wind caressing his face.
The difference wasn't clear at first. The warmth gradually decreased until cool skin was pressed against his own warm cheeks; when he slowly opened his eyes, he had to blink. Not because of the sudden difference in light – as the sun was nearly completely down and darkness was starting to fall – but because his head felt oddly light suddenly. It was as if his head had been weighing down with something heavy and now that had disappeared, the pressure completely absent.
"What did you …"
Luna interrupted him. "Imagine him. Bring his image up. What do you feel?"
There was only one 'him' she could be talking about and after casting her a wary look, he took a deep breath and visualized Draco, giving the mental image all the small details he had noticed so far: the way a certain glitter appeared in his eyes when he looked at Harry; the dimple that appeared in his left cheek whenever he smiled that soft smile; the excitement shining on his face whenever he touched Harry's stomach; the softness of his lips when he pressed them against Harry's …
Belatedly he realised that his nasty sneer didn't take over his smile; the warm, loving look in those grey eyes wasn't replaced anymore by cold silver.
When he imagined Draco, the fear wasn't there to take over anymore.
Well, there was still apprehension and slight worry, Harry admitted, but the overwhelming dread and fear he had been experiencing the past week seemed to have evaporated, as if they never had been present.
"Luna, how …" he trailed off and stared at her with wide eyes.
The smile she gave him was tender and she patted his hand. "You helped yourself, Harry. You just needed a slight push." She jumped off the ledge and let out a tinkling laugh. "Go find him, Harry."
He didn't need to be told twice. As soon as his feet touched the solid ground, he took off, hurrying down the stairs. He needed to see Draco right now; he needed to apologize for being such a cowardly idiot and he needed to reassure himself that Draco was still there.
He didn't understand what Luna had done; whether she had used her magic on him, used his own magic against him or even used the bond … That didn't matter. What mattered was that for the first time in more than a week, the thought of seeing Draco and talking to him didn't fill him with a sinking fear. The tendrils of his fear weren't wrapped around him anymore; he could breathe again.
He could deal with the worry and the apprehension – those weren't as bad as the oppressing fear had been. He wouldn't let himself be stopped again by a stupid, irrational fear.
Harry had almost reached his quarters when he heard footsteps coming at a high speed towards him and he turned around.
Only to come face to face with Draco.
Draco, whose face was oddly flushed; whose eyes glittered with supressed panic; whose forehead was marred by worry lines.
"Harry!" he exclaimed shocked and looked surprised to have finally caught him.
Before Draco could say anything else, Harry shot forwards to embrace him; his arms slipped around Draco's waist and he buried his face in his neck, inhaling the scent he had been missing for more than a week.
"I'm sorry for being such an idiot," Harry said in a trembling voice; his hands grappled over Draco's thick sweater until they found purchase and grabbed the clothing tightly, pressing his own body closer. "I shouldn't have taken so long to talk to you and I shouldn't have avoided you. I'm so sorry!"
At first Draco's body had tensed up, uncertain, but now his own arms came around Harry, hugging him back. He buried his face in Harry's hair and a shiver danced over Harry's spine when Draco's breath caressed his skin.
"You really made me worried," Draco murmured; a slight rasp tainting his voice. "Mara told me you had asked Lupin how long parents could be apart and I …"
"I did; I was stupid." Harry shook his head and pulled back slightly. He took a deep breath and looked up, right in deep grey eyes. No flashback. No memory of pain and betrayal coming back. "I should have talked to you sooner; I shouldn't have avoided you. Can you forgive me?"
Draco smiled wryly. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you for forgiveness?" Pained regret flashed up in his eyes. "I didn't mean to attack you; if I could turn …"
"I know you didn't mean it," Harry spoke softly. "I already knew it back then and Snape just confirmed my assumption that it was a curse."
"Severus? You talked to him?" Draco cocked his head slightly.
Harry's cheeks flushed and he cleared his throat. "Yeah, I wanted to ask him something and he told me that he used Legilimency on you." He brought his hands up to caress Draco's cheeks, feeling relieved when the slightly taller boy didn't pull back. "So can you forgive me for acting so stupid?"
"Of course I forgive you," Draco breathed out. "Just swear to me that you won't ever shut me out again. I can't don't think I'll be able to handle that a second time."
"I swear," Harry murmured. He meant it. No matter how crippling a fear could become, he would never shut Draco out again, would never attempt to avoid him. This past week had been one of the worst he experienced so far – and he knew that was mostly his own fault.
Draco's hands suddenly slipped towards his hips and Harry couldn't supress the tiny flinch passing through him. He was aware of piercing grey eyes and he sighed softly. Yes, it probably would take some time before he wouldn't flinch back at any sudden movements that Draco made, but he wouldn't let that hold himself back.
He wouldn't let Dumbledore tear them apart. Not again.
Determination shining in his eyes, he looked up again. "Let's take this conversation to my quarters," he stated and linked his hand with Draco's, intertwining their fingers.
He received a squeeze back. "Yes, let's go."

Leaving behind the two bickering men, she slowly made her way through the long hallway. She had felt a change in the magic hanging around in the castle. As if the castle had to take in a sudden surge of Dark magic and had to battle it, turning it safe again.
"What could have possibly happened?" she murmured thoughtfully and her gown trailed over the ground. She did not want to worry the Potions Master nor the Headmistress. If something or someone was attacking the castle, the ancient building would have reacted differently. It would have immediately raised all its wards and closed off all the windows and doors. That this hadn't happened, was proof that the small surge of Dark magic had happened in the castle itself and that it was not likely to happen again.
Still, it would be better if she found out what exactly had occurred, in case something serious was brewing.
She turned her head when she felt the familiar magical aura approaching her.
"My dear granddaughter," Rowena spoke gently and stood still in a portrait which depicted a forest in late evening.
The blond girl halted in front of her and smiled sweetly. "Grandmother Rowena," she greeted back, looking slightly winded.
Dark eyes studied the girl and Rowena reached out with her magic, asking the castle silently to inform her what had happened. When the stream of mental images stopped, she opened her eyes slowly and rose an eyebrow.
"Luna, you took a great risk just now," she murmured and her studying look turned critical. "What if Hogwarts had not helped you? What if the bond between those two boys turned against you?"
"I trust Harry," Luna smiled brightly and twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "I know he would never hurt me. Hogwarts wanted to help him too, grandmother."
"Still," Rowena hummed and pressed her hands against her gown. "How did you know that Mister Potter was suffering from the Fester Fear curse? Nobody else seemed to have noticed."
Her granddaughter smiled mysteriously. "The fire spirit pointed out to me that his magical aura had changed," she replied calmly. "And I know Harry – he would never shut out the people he loves." Her eyes gained a distant look. "I know I shouldn't have asked Hogwarts to help him, but he doesn't deserve to be captive like that."
"You could have made it worse for him," Rowena pointed out mildly. "He could have gone in shock from the sudden influx of strange magic messing around with his memories."
Luna regarded her oddly. "No, he wouldn't have. Harry is strong," she retorted mildly. "He has the spirit of a fighter. If Hogwarts hadn't helped him, he would have managed it on his own."
"You have a lot of trust in him," Rowena murmured contemplatively, her mind going back to the pale, dark haired young man bursting into the room as soon as his Bonded Creatures had killed the Nundu.
"He's my friend," her granddaughter answered with a bright, sunny smile.
"Are you going to tell him you helped him removing the Fester Fear curse?"
"I just gave him the necessary push. He did most of the work," Luna said calmly, for once not using cryptic comments.
"Won't he think it is strange that he is not afraid anymore?"
"He was already there; he just needed to accept the light."
Rowena shook her head, but a small smile graced her lips. "Go on, then. Dinner will start soon."
The Founder watched how Luna skipped away, her golden blonde hair swishing back and forth across her shoulders while she hummed a soft tune.
Rowena rubbed slow circles in her temples; she needed to return to her portrait. By now those two idiots, who dared to call themselves adults, should be done bickering.
It was high time she and the others spoke to the Potions Master about the object he had locked away in his desk. For now it remained quiet, but it would need an order soon – otherwise it could start trouble on its own.
A shudder went through her slim frame. The last thing Hogwarts needed was to deal with that.

AN2: Hands up, everyone who thought that I would let them break up. I won't do that to our dear boys - or will I? :D I have to admit that I was curious what kind of reactions this chapter would have received if I had written a break up scene. I can be mean like that .-.
Aaanyway, yeah, what do you think of this chapter? I hope Ravenclaw's conversation with Luna made sense and was clear about what happened to Harry. Please leave a review behind with your thoughts!
So next chapter: Harry has a small talk with the Headmistress and Draco receives a letter from his father regarding a matter that's finally been dealt with; two people notice Harry and Draco talking in the library. But do they both have good intentions towards the couple?

(Depending on the length, Valentine's day can be added to this chapter - otherwise it will be celebrated in chapter 24)
See you all in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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Survival of the fittest