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Beauty in Perfection; Stand By Me	By : PaulaS Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 2360 -:- 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
- 2
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" " indicates speech

'    ' indicates thoughts

indicates a flashback

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Beauty in Perfection; Stand by Me

by imLittleLily

Chapter Two

Harry's POV & Castle Gifts

12:30 am

I am still stunned by the events earlier
this evening. Now I must make the decision of whether I should share this
information with my closest allies. Ron and Hermione will both be just as thrown
by this illumination as I was. I realize that the castle wanted me to have this
information because this is not the first time she has shown me something of
such importance ever since I found out that I am in fact the heir of both
Gryffindor and Slytherin.

As Harry walked to his dorm, he thought back to that special night that he
learned his true identity . . .

Ron and I were walking under the expanded
invisibility cloak carrying a midnight snack up to the common room to share with
the other Phoenix Angels when the Marauders' Map suddenly began to make strange
changes that we had never seen before on its pages. At this time we had been
using our favorite tool for mischief making for slightly more than three years.

The lines on the map showed a whole new
area of Hogwarts just off of the infamous 3rd floor corridor. Driven by
curiosity, or so we thought, we became distracted from our errand to gather and
deliver food. Yes, even Ron, wanted to go investigate these strange new
changes. Imagine our surprise when we encountered a life size portrait of Godric
Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin in the space previously occupied by the door to
Fluffy's room.

In his surprise, Ron dropped one of the �clairs on the
floor making an incredible mess. Splat sounds combined with his own arrgh
of frustration at being covered with his favorite cream filling filled the
corridor.

"Who goes there?" Godric Gryffindor asked
the �clair.

I was so surprised that I removed the hood
of our cloak with an ear wide grin and arched brow and said in response, "Oh
come on, how clich� can you get, sir?"

Salazar�s grin in response was alarmingly
familiar to me but I became distracted by him turning to his companion and
hissing with amusement, "He is ssssooo correct, Griff."

I turned to Ron to see if he noticed the
same thing that I did only to see by his expression that indeed he did.

How do you suppose that after almost 1000
years, I would find myself face to face with two faces
so close in their appearance to my own? Salazar�s emerald green eyes and grin
were so uncanny that I found myself questioning my maternal family tree again.
That was not the full picture however, because the messy black locks upon
Godric's head in combination with his strong jaw line framed the green eyes and
Salazar grin upon my own face.

Who goes there, indeed.

"I am Harry James Potter," I
answered, "and my companion
is Ronald Bilius Weasley. May I ask why your portrait has been previously unseen
by either of us, sirs? Perhaps you are just another secret of our venerated
Headmaster Dumbledore? We have both been in this corridor before and your
portrait was not here at that time."

"We can only be seen by our own heirs and
anyone accompanying them," answered Godric Gryffindor. "We have only just been moved back to this location
after a 100 year hiatus.

How is it that you can
be our heir? Where do our sangraal lines merge?" Asked Godric as he drew his
sword.

"I'm sorry sir," I told him
apologetically, "I cannot give you an
answer to that question." Just as I finished speaking, the magic of
the castle gave me a gift. In midair Godric's sword and Salazar�s dagger
appeared in the air right before my very own eyes.

My next question was directed to Ron. "I
thought we have always been told that Voldemort is the heir of Slytherin, was
everyone right in second year?"

Ron shrugged.

As the memory of Ron's reactive shrug
wafted through Harry's memory, he came back to the present to find himself in
front of the Fat Lady.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sangraal Line . . . Castle's Son . .
.

Harry arrived at the portrait of the Fat
Lady and gave the password of 'sangraal line.' As he stepped through the portal
he encountered the voice of 'Mione, "Of course he is late again, Neville, Harry
has become even more obsessive about his work lately and you all know we accept
it as a consequence of these dark times."

"Hey, guys, sorry for being so late," I
interrupted, "the
castle has given me another surprise tonight. I know you all want to hear about
it but I am exhausted and want to sleep on it before we talk. Can we reschedule
our meeting for tomorrow after classes? Say, in the Lion's Den at 3:00?"

Neville looked at the dark circles and
pale complexion of Harry and said, "Sure, Harry, we'll see you tomorrow." After
Harry had left he turned to the other Phoenix Angels with an arched inquiring
brow very close to his hairline.

After climbing the stairs Harry fell onto
his four poster bed into that exhausted slumber which he had thought about hours
ago as he was guided through the familiar halls. He didn't even know when a
blanket appeared in midair and rested upon his tired body. Further response of
the beloved Hogwarts was to close the hangings around his bed. The action was
accompanied by the bright white light of protection she had recently acquired to
assist him in dreamless slumber. He was after all, her heir; her son, the very
essence of her continued future.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Everyday Pace . . .

Harry went through the paces of his
classes the next day seemingly in another world. He did notice Draco watching
him during lunch and Charms but simply came the conclusion that this should no
longer be a surprise or negative concern to him. If he really thought about
their history, it had always seemed as though they had always noticed the
presence of each other even as far back as Madam Malkin's before first year.

During lunch, 'Mione hinted that she had
an idea for some nicknames for Ron but didn't want to talk about that until they
were in the Den. Ron grumbled something to her but was distracted by the treacle
tarts which appeared before him at that instant.

Neville stopped by to tell them that Luna
would not be able to make their meeting because she had had a 'seer' episode
outside the Charms classroom earlier in the day and had to be sedated in the
hospital wing. "Wonder what she saw this time?" He asked them. Hermione frowned and
shook her head. She had come to realize that divinationional visions did in fact
occur; Harry and Luna were prime examples, but she still thought Trelawney was a
fraud.

Harry had never told them about the
prophecy in its entirety. He believed that it had been a necessary precaution to
protect his friends. He did have some secrets even from his best friends.
Unfortunate consequences of being a 'weapon' of war.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Lion's Den . . .

Harry arrived at the Lion's Den at ten
minutes before 3:00 and greeted his ancestors with a smile and the password of
'unity.' He had wanted to arrive before the others because he really needed to
gather his thoughts here in Gryffindor's rooms. He had a lot to tell everyone
and still was unsure as to how he would proceed. 'Unity' hopefully would have a
stronger meaning after this meeting.

Precisely at 3:00 the portal swung open to
admit Ron, 'Mione, Ginny and Neville. Prognosis for Luna was that she would be
fine and released tomorrow morning from the hospital wing. Dobby popped in at
this time to bring tea, snacks and butterbeer to the group. Harry had asked him
to come by at 3:00 because he was unsure as to how long this meeting would take.
Refreshments would hopefully smooth over the news Harry had to give everyone.
'Well, I hope I am not becoming like Dumbledore. Politeness is all well and good
but sometimes I think he uses cheering charms on the goodies he conjures at a
moment's notice, if not at least on his lemon drops.'

"Hi everyone, take a seat and we will get
started. Thanks Dobby for the refreshments, I'll call if we need anything else,�
Harry said as he took a seat at the round table in the center of the common
room.

"You is very welcome, Mister Harry Potter,
Sir. Dobby is doing anything the great wizard Harry Potter wants." He bowed low
and popped out before Harry could tell him that he was only 'just Harry.' Harry
sighed, resigned to his place in Dobby's perceptions.

Harry looked at those gathered around
Gryffindor's round table, took a deep breath and began to tell them about the
revelation he had received the night before. "I seem to vaguely recall telling
you last night that the castle gave me another surprise last night. I wasn't
dreaming, was I?" Everyone shook their heads no. Harry took another deep breath;
he was definitely going to need it.

"Last night after my workout I went for
another of my 'guided' walks." As he spoke, he gave Ron significant look indicating that it
was similar to the one which had led them to this very room. "I found myself in
a courtyard which I had never seen before. Yes, 'Mione, I had never seen this
courtyard and no it was not on the map. That wasn't the biggest surprise of the
night though." Harry looked around at everyone's inquisitive looks and decided
he just couldn't sit during this announcement. He got up and began to pace in
front of the fireplace. Godric appeared in the portrait over the mantel so that
he would be able to give his progeny some moral support. Harry sent him a
pensive look which only served to increase his friend's curiosity.

Ron gave a low growl and asked them both,
"OK you two, what are you trying to tell us and why does it require two of you
to give us this message?"

"Tell me Ron, are you sure you are not
descended from Rowena?" Godric smirked as he asked Ron this question.

Ron had already been over this with the
founder before so he just glared, as he was becoming more irritated and told him
not to change the subject.

Harry took yet another deep breath and
plunged into his speech before they could get carried away as they had last time
Godric had gotten a rise out of Ron. "The thing is this; Dumbledore has kept yet
again another secret from me that could change the outcome of this war. We have
allies throughout the castle that we would not have ever thought about.
They are affiliated with the Order; this is why Dumbledore has kept us in the
dark about it. Since he would not allow you to become members, we all know that
I declined membership myself. I did this partially due to his refusal to admit
all of you but also because I have kept my own council as to what information I
decided to share with him. As a member I would have been required, from his
perspective at least, to 'tell all' and since I tend to trust with caution I
decided to decline his request. His 'control issues' where my privacy is
concerned was also an important issue for me."

Neville took a sip of his butterbeer and
watched Harry as he paced some more before finally stopping long enough to help
himself to a cookie and butterbeer. Neville tilted his head and ask Harry just
who these allies were and why would the knowledge of them possibly effect the
outcome of the war.

"They will change the outcome because,"
Harry stopped in mid pace and said, "most
of them are Slytherins."

"Bloody hell," Ron interjected, "Harry please don't tell us
what I think you are going to. Slytherins are not going to be willing to
help the Light. Besides, you said yourself you don't trust easily." Ron was
standing at this point himself and his red hair seemed to be electrified as it
stood out from his head in his anger. He looked up and noticed that Salazar was
conspicuous in his absence from the portrait.

Ginny blanched and put her head into her
hands while shaking her head. "It is true, Ron. Luna saw it this morning. She
kept saying 'Draco help Harry, please,' . . . over and over again. Madame
Pomfrey had to sedate her to calm her down. She scared everyone that was in the
Charms hall. Well . . . except Draco and I . . . he was there, too. He was the
one who took her to the hospital wing."

Ron growled. "Fucking bloody hell it will never
happen!"

"Ron, calm down." Neville injected with
his calm solidness while watching Harry because while Ron's hair was
electrified; Harry was a different matter altogether. Harry was surrounded by a
black flame with green highlights. They had seen him like this only once before
and it had taken all of them to calm him down. Right now, with Ron so angry,
Neville was concerned that they would be unable to get their leader to simmer
down. They would need Ron. "Transform now, Ron. DO. IT."

"Mione and Ginny please talk to him and
try to help him calm down. I'm going to transform also." Neville was hardly
finished before he transformed into his lion form and began talking to Harry in
the language of the cat which they spoke when they were cats together. This
seemed to help Harry to the point of only having fire around his head and
shoulders. That is when Ron was able to get close enough to lick Harry's hand,
his own way of calming and cooling their angry leader. Hermione and Ginny
continued to talk trying to get him to reduce the fire even more. Harry's cookie
now lay in ashes on the floor along with his melted bottle of butterbeer. The
room had a haze of smoke and the odor of burned chocolate chips and butterbeer.
UGH.

Hermione lead the calmer Harry to a seat
and Ginny cast a cleaning spell to clear away the mess and odor. Neville
transformed and Ron lay on the hearth rug with his ears back and a whine in the
back of his throat. He felt guilty for angering Harry to such an extreme because
they all knew that Harry was struggling to control this new gift.

"Ron," Harry stressed his
point forward, "it is true that I don't trust
easily. I even understand that you are even more stubborn in that area
than I am." He noticed at this comment there were several smirks present upon the faces of
Ron's friends, "However, what I witnessed cannot under any circumstances be
forged into some plot to bring me down. What I witnessed was real." Harry
decided that that was enough for now. Everyone would just have to let the
information sink in; after all he had slept on it himself. He decided to change
the subject and atmosphere so he turned to 'Mione and asked her, "Didn't you say
at lunch that you had some ideas for a nickname for Ron?"

"Yes I did. I've even added another one
after this incident." She said with a smirk to the dog lying on the hearth rug.

"humph . . . grrr"

"First I came up with Blitz. It is a
moniker for red dog and can also mean 'a sudden overwhelming
bombardment,' for instance an advertising blitz. Of course we all know that Ron
can often be such a bombardment, this is probably why he is such a great
Keeper in Quidditch." Grinned 'Mione, "But then I came up with something that I
thought would be even better." Harry noticed at this point that her grin had
widened and a mischievous twinkle had appeared in her brown eyes.

"Clifford or Cliff for a shorter version."
Harry had been sipping from a new bottle of butterbeer but it all came back out
as he sputtered and started laughing. The more he looked at Ron on the rug the
harder he laughed. Hermione had joined in by now and even Neville laughed
because he knew the significance of the name to the two Muggle raised friends in
front of him.

An angry growl from Ron in his human form
brought Harry and Hermione back to the moment but they simply couldn't hide
their mirth from the now very irritated Gryffindor standing before them.

"What exactly is so funny about the
name Clifford or Cliff? I don't like either of them but I fail to see the humor
in any of this." Growled an irritated Ron.

"It is a Muggle thing." Answered Neville
once he realized that even suppressed mirth made it difficult for Harry and
'Mione to answer. "Clifford the Bid Red Dog is a series of Muggle
children's books. My gran found some in Flourish and Blotts once, they had been
delivered there by accident, and she bought the whole set for me when I was
about five years old. Cute little books if you're into that sort of thing." He
grinned as Ron's face contorted into a scowl. By this time, Ginny had joined in
the laughter as her brother fumed at all of them.

"Wait, I'm not . . . " giggled �Mione,
"finished. There's more." She was still trying to calm down so that she could
tell them all what she had thought of during the earlier situation with Harry
and even now. 'This is going to be good.' She thought as she took a deep breath
before speaking, "My freshest idea is Cayan, its an old folk term
for cayenne pepper. As in; red, hot, spicy and can even be a blitz of
heat from our perspective, that is."
A tiny smile graced he face as she
thought, 'I won't tell Ron, but I think everyone
needs a little spice in their life and that he is mine.' Hermione kept
that last bit to herself, of course.

"Cayan, it is then," said both
Harry and Neville at the same time. Their eyes met and grins grew. "So be it,"
Harry added. Ron from this day forward would be known as Cayan by his cronies;
nothing could or would change it.

"Here, here. Next we need to come up for
something for Neville." Ginny smirked at Neville's sudden look of discomfort. "I
think that either Griff," she noticed Godric arched his brow at this suggestion,
"or Rich;
short for Richard would be good for him. You know, King Richard the Lion
Hearted. He was always a part of my favorite childhood story of Robin Hood. You
know, the brave king returning to his homeland."

"What do you think, sir?" Harry asked his
ancestor over the mantle.

"Would Neville really accept my own nick
name as his own?" was Godric Gryffindor's response as he looked at Neville.

Neville swallowed, "I would truly be
honored sir, if you have no objections," he replied to his venerated founder of
house with a nod of deep respect.

Godric Gryffindor smiled and said, "So be it, then. From this day forward you
shall be known as Griff, with my blessings."

Neville swallowed again and whispered,
"Thank You, sir. I will do my best to never make you regret you decision."

Godric smiled and nodded at Neville. He
turned his gaze upon his young progeny and said, "Harry, I have given some
thought to a nickname for you and finally came up with something you might like
to think about. Salazar and I talked about this and he thinks that Ardour, burning passion, would suit you just fine."

"I, however, disagree." Godric Gryffindor
studied his progeny before him thoughtfully.

He took a deep breath and continued, "As you know
the English language has had many changes over the years since my own time. I
would like it if you considered using a name that I formulated based upon your
burning passion for the events which both have occurred and those which are yet
to happen. You and I have shared much since the night we first met out in my
corridor and I, and Salazar also, both have great regard and pride for all that
you have accomplished." By this time Harry was doing a fine imitation of the
Weasley red. "'Fyr' is the Old English term that was used in my day for
fire. 'Toehher' was the term we used for tears. We all know that you have
shed many tears in the past over tragic events in your life. We also know that
there will most likely be more in the future. These tears in the future;
however, will be tears of healing for all." With this last statement he
gave young Harry a significant look of appraisal hoping that he would understand
the underlying point he was trying to make.

Harry understood, indicating so with
the merest of nods.

"Therefore," Godric continued, "I believe that FyrToehhers would be very
appropriate for you. You may consider and decline if you so desire, of course."
Godric finished his explanation with an expression of pride upon his countenance
for his descendant.

"Thank you, sir." Harry responded. "I acknowledge Salazar's
contribution and I accept your given name for me. I also consider it to be
appropriate." Harry nodded to his ancestor.

Harry then turned to Hermione, "Having
said that, I have considered a nick name for you because of something I
remembered from Surrey. Back there we have a park in our neighborhood which is
situated on a slight rise of land. The name of the back street next to that park
is Vista because you can stand at the edge of the park and see for miles all
around. I would like to name you Vista because in both your human and
Peregrine Falcon form you are the most clear sited person/being that I know.
Your extensive mental view of events of time can guide us all and I have learned;
yes, even the hard way, that your wisdom and logic are boundless. We all know
that you will defend us through all experiences we have to go through. I would
be honored if you would accept this name as a tribute of your loyalty,
friendship and clear sightedness, Vista."

Hermione's eyes were leaking. Ron
swallowed and looked at her waiting for an answer. Wow, Harry was right on the
mark for that one. Through her tears 'Mione nodded and gave Harry a rib crushing
hug, in all of her wisdom she was rendered speechless.

Harry looked at Neville over the top of
Hermione's head and gave him a small nod. He smiled and turned to Ginny.
"Last but not least we have our Ginny. We know that she often feels left out due
to her lack of animagus form; however, what she must realize is that she is
invaluable to our mission in life. Her innate healing abilities have already
assisted us through many scraps, cuts and broken bones. Add to the healing
effect of her hands the melodious sound of her voice I would like to bestow the
name of Luscinia. This name has significance due to its connection to
Florence Nightingale, a famous witch and nurse during the Muggle Crimean War.
Luscinia megashynchos is simply the other name for the nightingale bird,
which has a beautiful singing voice. Both these attributes of healing and song
suit you quite well, Ginny, therefore if you will accept we would like to bestow
the name of Luscinia upon you.

"I accept, thank you, Neville." Was Ginny's
quite reply.

TBC

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N (1) I think that due to experiences in
Harry's life he would probably question whether or not Petunia was really Lily's
sister during times when she had been cold and distant. Even if it was only when
he was very young, in his cupboard wishing that someone would come and rescue
him from the Dursley's. Later after he found out about the blood protection it
became necessary to look at the situation in a slightly more mature manner.
Seeing Salazar Slythern's eyes and grin mirroring his own brought this question
back to the forefront. The angle in this story is that Salazar had more than one
child to pass those genes onto. Petunia and Lily come from his family line even
if only after four generations of squibs. Lily was a magical culmination of
Salazar's family. James Potter was a culmination of Gryffindor's line. Harry
became the place where the founder�s sangraal line merged.

(an2) I love the idea of Hogwarts Castle
as being sentient. JKR's gift of genius when she made the staircases move or the
creation of the Room of Requirement breathes life into the very stones of the
castle. This leaves all of us here in fanfiction land endless possibilities of
creation. I realize that my new approach to her (the castle's) protectiveness of
Harry seems a bit late considering how many times he has suffered nightmares;
therefore, this new bond didn't occur until he was shown the 3rd floor corridor
where his ancestors were hanging. Incidentally, she was the one responsible for
their 'move' and Harry's subsequent discovery. She knew his identity and had
bonded with him through the regular use of the Room of Requirement. The bond
will only grow stronger throughout this fic.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~




~ ~ ~

Harry Potter and Related Indicia (c) 2001
Warner Bros. "Harry Potter", and all other proper names from the Harry Potter
book series are trademarks of Joanne Kathleen Rowling
and the TIME WARNER
ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY, L.P." IceKat & FyrToehhers is a non-profit, volunteer-run
Web site that is in no way affiliated with J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Books,
Carlsen Verlag, Bloomsbury Publishing or Warner Bros.

All images and material related to the J.K.
Rowling novels is copyright Scholastic Books (US), Carlsen Verlag , and
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK). All material related to the
"Harry Potter" films is
copyright Warner Bros.
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Beauty in Perfection; Stand By Me