Into The Long Dark

DISCLAIMER: Not mine, never will be. All HP characters belong to JK and Warner Brothers, etc, etc, etc. No money being made from this.

The events in this fic take place immediately after Book 6.

Thanks, as always, to my Evil Auntie Snape !

And many thanks also to all those who have read, and those who have left such great reviews!

A/N: The tune \"Song 2\" is by BLUR, and can be found on their 1997 self-titled album.

Sunday, 10 August 1997

~~~~~~TWELVE ~~~~~~~~\"A BALANCED BREAKFAST\"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Draco\'s head was pounding as if a herd of hippogriffs were rampaging through it. Repeatedly. In circles. He hadn\'t slept very well at all. Not that this was out of the ordinary. Between the dreams and the stress, a good night\'s sleep was something that Draco hadn\'t experienced in weeks. On top of that, there was the annoying dilemma of how he had gotten back to Spinner\'s End. He couldn\'t remember anything after he had turned down the alley off of Shipton. One thing he was certain of: he had apparently gotten right pissed. He hadn\'t felt this hung over since the pub crawl after he had received his Dark Mark. After Voldemort had branded him in the ceremony the night after the events on the Astronomy Tower. Where Snape had \'assisted\' him in completing his task.

He snorted at the memory. Snape had gone out of his way to paint him as a hero, rather than the coward that he knew he was. He had stood there, his wand aimed at Dumbledore for what seemed like an eternity, unable to utter the incantation, impotent, failing to fulfill his destiny. Failing his father. And then he had hidden himself away in Snape\'s shabby little house, waiting. For what, he didn\'t know. He just knew that time was running out. Rubbing his temple savagely, willing the dull ache in his brain away, Draco reached for the teapot and filled his cup with the boiling water. Adding a dollop of sugar and a generous amount of firewhiskey, he sipped the tea slowly, feeling it warm him from the inside out.

It was bloody chilly in the dingy kitchen at Spinner\'s End this morning, and Draco was clad only in his boxers. He shivered slightly as he looked out the window, the sun just beginning to peek out from behind the dull grey clouds. The tea was finally beginning to do its work, and the hippogriffs had slowed down to a trot. He was about take another sip when the old wooden door unlocked and flew open, letting the cool morning breeze sweep into the small room. A hunched form bustled over the threshold, and froze at the sight of Draco standing there.

\"Master Draco! How very nice to see you up and about! Oh, we were all very worried about you!\" Pettigrew grinned, his yellowed teeth on full display. Setting a small parcel on the table, he clasped his hands together, sweeping over to Draco, who had stopped in mid-sip, the teacup barely to his lips. The young Malfoy stared at Pettigrew for a few moments before plinking the teacup in the saucer and slamming the saucer on the table.

\"Even though this hovel may look like a barn, I can assure you it is not! Shut the bloody door before I chuck you out of it, you imbecile!\" Draco gave Pettigrew a wicked smile. \"NOW!\"

Pettigrew grimaced, and whirled to close and lock the door. His smile faded, he turned once again and rushed over to Draco, placing his hand on Draco\'s shoulder and rubbing it up and down his arm. \"Oh, your mother will be most happy to hear that you are well. Yes, Draco, she was quite worried about you!\" His stained smile returned. \"Oh, yes, such a fine looking young man, so very lovely! It would be a such a shame for something to happen to you, Master Draco, very much the shame!\"

Draco tried to move away from Pettigrew, but the older man gripped his arm even more tightly, now with both hands. Draco sneered down at him. \"Get your grubby paws off of me, you delusional moron! What the hell are you jabbering about? Nothing\'s going to happen to me!\" Pettigrew maintained his grasp, and smiled even more adroitly at the agitated young Malfoy.

\"Oh, it is so very nice when one basks in the Dark Lord\'s good graces, yes? It is like a nourishing light, and when our Lord shines his light on you, all is wonderful. But our Lord is quite fickle, yes? He bathes you in His light when He has need of you, uses for you, but once your service has ended, or if you fail Him, He withdraws the light. I\'m sure you know of what I speak, Master Draco, yes?\" Pettigrew pulled himself closer, and looked down, absently rubbing one of his fingers over the Mark on Draco\'s arm. His voice was now soft, smooth, seductive.

\"Oh, yes, you know what I speak of, don\'t you? As one who knows of being in the light, and who now finds himself fallen from favour, in the darkness, no longer needed, discarded, cast away? Oh, yes, Master Draco, I think we understand each other very well.\" Pettigrew quickly leaned in and pressed his sticky lips to the Mark on Draco\'s arm.

Frozen for a few moments, Draco stared down, wide-eyed as Pettigrew sucked and kissed at the Dark Mark. A disgusted frown covering his face, the younger man savagely yanked his arm out of Pettigrew\'s grip. Shoving him back roughly with his other hand, Draco struggled to catch his breath.

\"You\'re insane, old man. I have nothing in common with trash like you. I am one of the Dark Lord\'s most trusted agents. I\'ve served him well, and He\'ll reward me for that service. You\'ll see!\" He drew himself up haughtily, but his tirade had the opposite effect on Pettigrew, who smirked at him knowingly, breaking out into a raspy laugh.

\"Yes, of course, of course. Most trusted agent, yes, wasting away for weeks at a time in this, what is it? Hovel? And when have you last been called to see our Lord? Weeks is it? No doubt our Lord is at a loss as to what constitutes a proper reward for your, uh, service? Is that the reason for his delay in presenting it? Of course.\" Pettigrew moved closer, wagging a grimy finger in Draco\'s direction. His eyes blazed.

\"Heed my words, boy! Wipe the cobwebs from those eyes so that you may truly see! You failed in your duty to our Lord, and He will NEVER forget that. Recall how many years your father loyally served him, and how he now rots in Azkaban? Fickle, fickle, fickle He is! Save yourself before it is too late! Easier to run and hide when you\'re in the dark!\" Pettigrew cackled madly, turning his hands over each other as if washing them. \"So lovely!\" He whirled around in a flurry of dusty robes and yanked the back door open.

\"It\'s still not too late, no, not too late for you, dear Draco! You are not a killer, no! Hide in the dark! Hide in the dark!\" Still giggling loudly, he swept out the door, slamming it shut.

Draco jumped in spite of himself, and at once realized that he was trembling. Sweat had broken out all over his naked chest and stomach, and he could feel an icy drop trickling down the middle of his back. Blinking his eyes in an effort to clear his suddenly misty vision, he steadied himself, both hands grasping the rickety old table. Draco then grabbed his cup with a shaky hand. He swallowed the now luke-warm tea in a gulp, quickly refilling it with straight whiskey. Taking a deep breath, he downed it as well, gasping as it burned its way down his throat. All but one of the hippogriffs had taken leave of his skull. Rubbing his eyes, Draco sighed heavily as someone chuckled behind him.

\"Well, well, if it isn\'t our favourite agent, up and about after yet another uplifting evening wallowing in alcohol and harlots.\" Snape was leaning comfortably in the doorway, his arms crossed over his bare chest, wearing only his unbuttoned slacks and a condescending smile. \"Your mother will be ever so proud.\"

Draco turned to face his mentor, and likewise crossed his arms petulantly. \"What the hell are you talking about Snape? I can\'t quite recall the events of last evening clearly. I suppose I had a bit too much to drink. Big deal. And I don\'t see that it\'s any of your concern with whom I wallow.\" He took another sip of tea, struggling to steady his hand.

\"Oh, Snape, is it? NotSeverus?\" He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. \"No, I shouldn\'t think you would recall what happened for the last two nights. This is Sunday morning, Draco! You were missing for an entire day, you pompous little prick!\" Draco winced at the statement, raising his head to stare at Snape.

\"Sunday? But I was on my way to the meeting on Friday, and...\"

Snape cut him off. \"Yes, you failed to make the meeting, instead patronizing the Muggle dance club, where you apparently proceeded to become hopelessly inebriated, subsequently attaining the dubious honour of \'stall queen\' for the remainder of the evening. As a grand finale, you landed your rapidly sagging little arse in a crack den, where your new friends proceeded to exploit your fading charms for a few Muggle pounds a pop. The video will be available next week. Shall I order a copy for your mother?\"

Draco was stunned into silence, his mouth agape, his brain locked. Snape\'s expression was triumphant; he was clearly enjoying Draco\'s discomfort. The young Slytherin finally managed to find his voice. \"But I don\'t remember any of that, I.....\"

Snape interrupted him again, this time with a boom of laughter. \"No, of course you don\'t, you addle-brained little piss head! You were drugged in the danceclub and kept barely conscious by some second rate hustlers! It took me an entire day to track them down and drag your sweet little cheeks back here. Fortunately, you left an easy trail to follow. Really, Draco, I had no idea you possessed such talents.\" His smile was vicious.

Draco averted his eyes and stared at the wall over the sink. \"Well, I\'m, uh, sorry, Severus. I don\'t know what to say. I\'ll be more careful next time.\" He remained still for a few seconds, then uncrossed his arms and shuffled over to Snape, hesitantly running a finger across the older man\'s bare shoulder. \"Thanks for finding me. I-I appreciate it, Severus.\" Draco moved past him, trailing his hand across the folded arms and down over Snape\'s stomach. He let the hand move further down over the front of Snape\'s trousers, lingering there for a few seconds. The young Slytherin then crossed the study and into the bedroom, leaving the door ajar.

Forcing his face into an impassive mask, Snape followed Draco into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

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

It was the best breakfast Harry had experienced in weeks. Nothing like a snog and a shag before brekky, he thought as he finished up the last of his eggs and tomatoes. Looking next to him, Neville still had the I-just-ate-the-canary expression on his face. Harry had no doubt that the very same expression was reflected on his own as well. He smiled goofily as he finished chewing, and Neville reached over and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

\"Love you,\" Neville purred, his warm breath tickling Harry\'s ear. He then proceeded to get up and clear the table. Harry marveled at how Neville fairly glided across the kitchen floor as he cleaned up the stove and started the dishes washing themselves. He kept glancing at Harry, who was still seated at the table, and shooting him satisfied smiles. Harry chuckled.

\"Don\'t worry, Nev, I\'m still here.\"

\"I know, I\'m just lookining.\" Neville smiled wider.

\"Looking at what?\' Harry asked coyly.

\"You. You\'re gorgeous, Harry.\" His cheeks flushed deep red, and Neville giggled nervously. \"Do you know how long I\'ve wanted to say that?\"

\"Oy, Nev, let\'s not get too mushy, yeah? I mean, I just ate, you know.\" Harry exaggerated a frowny face, and held his stomach, moaning slightly.

Neville huffed and launched a wet dish towel at Harry\'s bare torso.

\"Git!\"

Harry barely caught the missile in time, immediately launching it back at his attacker. \"Prat!\"

Neville whirled around quickly. The towel landed squarely in the middle of Neville\'s lower back with a soggy clap, and stuck there for a moment, before sliding down and catching on the waistband of his jeans.

\"Thanks a lot, mate! After I made breakfast, too!\" Neville\'s attempt at mock indignation lasted precisely .519 seconds, collapsing into another loopy smile. He turned his attention back to the dishes, which were nearly done with themselves.

\"Listen, Harry, there\'s something I need to say.\" His back was towards Harry, his head down. \"I-I\'ve been wanting to tell you for a long time.\" He turned around, shyly bringing his eyes up to meet his friend\'s. Harry braced himself.

\"Neville, it\'s fine, you don\'t have to say anything.\" His stomach was twisting again.

\"No, I need to say this. It\'s important! I just need you to understand how, uh, how I, aww, Merlin! I had it all sorted this morning!\" Neville snorted loudly, shaking his head and pacing back and forth across the kitchen. Harry just sat there, stock still, watching. Neville stopped pacing and leaned against the counter. When he looked back at Harry again, his face was set, serious.

\"I know that you probably don\'t want to hear this, but I have to say it. I love you, Harry. I have for a long time. I really knew during The Tri-Wizard Tournament. That\'s when I realized how much you meant to me. And it\'s not just that you\'re, well, you\'re beautiful on the outside. You\'re beautiful on the inside, too, Harry. I know it sounds daft. But I want you to know it\'s everything about you. The whole package, you know? And I want to be there for you. Always. I want you to know that. You can count on me, Harry,\" Neville finished, slightly winded. He fixed his sad, brown eyes on his friend. A long eternity passed between them before Neville took a deep breath and studied the floorboards once again.

Harry found that he was holding his own breath for some unknown reason. He swallowed with difficulty. \"Neville, I don\'t know what to say. I know you care. You were there at The Ministry. Hell, when I think about it, you\'ve always been in there somewhere. I can\'t believe I never saw it before. But it\'s not that simple, though. I mean....\" Neville interrupted, nodding, his hands on his hips.

\"Yeah, I know. Weasley. You love Ron. Hermione told me how bad you had it for him. She said your heart was set on him. I should have known it was pointless. Fuck!\" He slammed his fist down on the counter, sending some of the clean dishes back into the soapy water. They began washing themselves again.

Harry shifted in his chair. \"No, that\'s not what I meant, Neville. Yeah, I had it for Ron. For as long as I can remember. But that\'ll never happen. We had a talk earlier this summer when I spent a few days at The Burrow, remember that?\" Neville stopped his pacing, and stared at him. Harry cracked a nervous smile. \"He\'s not gay, Neville. There will never be anything like that between us. \" He paused a moment, takiing a deep breath that threatened to hitch in his chest.

\"What I meant was that, well, it\'s dangerous for anyone to be around me. To be close to me. Riddle would use that, use them against me. I wouldn\'t, couldn\'t, let anyone put themselves in danger like that. I couldn\'t stand it if anyone else....\" He broke off, averting his gaze, his eyes suddenly hot and scratchy. Neville moved towards him, leaning on the table, his expression intense.

\"Dammit, Harry, you\'re not the only person who\'s ever lost someone. I know a lot about what that\'s like. My Gran? You\'ve seen my parents at St. Mungo\'s! And don\'t presume that you can make up my mind for me. I know what\'s going on. I know the stakes. Don\'t shut me out, Harry. We\'re stronger together. We\'ll kick Riddle\'s arse!\"

Harry was staring at his plate, his head swirling. Deep down he knew it made sense to not be alone. But what if something happened? How much more death, pain, and suffering would he be the cause of? He looked up at Neville, who was actually smiling. Wouldn\'t it be easier to have someone to share the load? Someone to rely on? Someone to hold onto? Someone to help keep the pervasive darkness at bay?

\"Nev, I know it makes sense. I just don\'t want anything to happen to you, because of me, that\'s all.\" The Mark on his neck was now itching slightly. He subconsciously put his hand up to the bandage and rubbed it gingerly. What the blazes am I gonna do about Rael? He managed a weak grin, which made his friend nod enthusiastically.

\"Just don\'t shut me out, Harry, OK? I\'ll never let you down. I promise!\" Neville looked intently into Harry\'s emerald eyes for many long moments. When the oxygen finally returned to the room, Neville moved back over to the sink, charming the twice-cleaned dishes onto the drainer.

\"So, how is our guest? Shouldn\'t you check on him?\"

Harry slowly let his fork drop to his plate. \"No, I don\'t have to check on him. He\'s gone. I stunned him and dropped him back in the alley last night after you left.\" He swirled the fork about on his plate, pretending to skewer a few bits of tomato.

\"You let him go? You mean after the doxie bite? Did you get anything more out of him?\" Neville had turned around, and was now leaning on the sink, his arms crossed.

\"Uh, yeah, I mean I let him go, and yeah, it was after the doxie bit me. Busy night, yeah?\" Harry pasted on a fake smile, which was no more believable than the nervous chuckle that escaped him. Neville merely stared at him, remaining silent. Harry grabbed at his glass of pumpkin juice, eagerly downing several gulps.

\"Ah, no, I didn\'t get a whole lot out of him. I was able to see him meeting with Snape, and a few other Death Eaters that I don\'t know, in some Wizarding pub. And I saw Wormtail and Snape in some sort of ratty old study. His memories were all fuzzy, like they had been purposely occluded or something.\"

Neville\'s face remained blank for a few moments. \"Not exactly worth all the trouble, was it? Well, I suppose you had to try. I still think we should have turned Draco over to The Order and let them deal with him.\"

Harry\'s gut was still knotted up, but he forced a cheerful smile onto his lips, and turned his gaze back on Neville. \"Yeah, you\'re right, Nev. I botched it up. I should have listened to you from the beginning. Sorry, mate.\"

Neville moved over to his friend, and ran his hand through Harry\'s mane of black hair. \"No need to apologize, luv. It\'s cool. You do so much. I don\'t know how you keep it together.\" He leaned in and pressed his lips to Harry\'s, who breathlessly returned the gesture. Neville withdrew, giving Harry\'s hair a final mussing.

\"Hey, Harry, I had this idea about Professor Lupin. I mean how maybe we can help him out.\"

Harry sighed. \"You can call him Remus, Neville. He hasn\'t been our teacher for three years.\"

Neville shrugged. \"Yeah, I know that, but its still hard for me not to think of him as a teacher. Anyway, I had the thought that we could grow the necessary plants and herbs for the Wolfsbane Potion right here. I\'ve checked up on all of them, and I\'m pretty certain that I can get all of them to grow. There\'s plenty of room out back for everything, and I\'ve even drawn up plans for a small greenhouse, so we can cultivate in the winter months. Between you and Hermione, I\'m certain we can brew a good enough batch of potion for Prof, uh, Remus. What do you think?\"

Harry was dumfounded for a brief moment. \"That\'s a brilliant idea, Neville! I hadn\'t even thought of that. I bet we can get the other ingredients for the potion in Diagon Alley. I mean, they\'re expensive, but...\"

Neville interrupted him excitedly. \"But money isn\'t a problem! I\'ve got so many galleons from my Gran I couldn\'t begin to spend it all! So when do we start?\"

\"How about right now? After we get cleaned up, it sounds like a great day for a cycle ride over the The Leaky Cauldron.\" Harry tensed for the terrified expression to invade Neville\'s face.

\"Great! And Harry, do you think I can try and drive that thing? I\'d love to learn how.\" Harry couldn\'t believe his ears.

\"Sure, Nev, that\'d be brilliant!\" Just then, a new track began playing on the boombox. Harry jumped up and walked over to it, turning the volume up. \"Hey, this is that cool song I told you about, Nev.\"

Neville moved up behind Harry, and snaked his arms around the shorter man\'s torso, lazily tracing his hands over Harry\'s taut stomach. Harry leaned back into Neville\'s chest, tilting his head back slightly into the crook of Neville\'s neck. The taller wizard nuzzled Harry\'s hair, drinking in his scent. Harry placed his hands over Neville\'s, as a shiver coursed through his body. The feeling of Neville\'s smooth, silky skin against his own was maddeningly arousing.

\"Who is this again, Harry?\" Neville barely pressed his hips into Harry, and gave the shorter wizard\'s ear a teasing lick with the tip of his tongue. Harry trembled again, and turned his head up, just enough to brush his lips against Neville\'s. Breaking the kiss off rather abruptly, he turned his attention back to the boombox.

\"It\'s, uh, it\'s a band called Blur. This is their latest album. Erm, this is an awesome tune! It\'s called \'Song 2\'. Great, yeah? \'M.O.R.\' is really good, too.\" Damn, this feels so fucking good! Harry could feel Neville\'s arousal gently swelling against him. But the rhythm of the music drew him in another direction.

Harry began to bob and sway to the beat of the music. He whooped \"Woo Hoo\" along with the chorus. Turning around, Harry continued \"Woo Hoo\"-ing with the song, and eventually Neville caught on, and joined him. When the track ended, Harry hit the repeat button on the boombox, and they went through the song again, both bouncing up and down and yelling \"Woo Hoo\" in unison.

\"Hey, fellas, what\'s up?\" Tonks had bubbled into the kitchen, stopping dead in her tracks at the sight of Harry and Neville jumping up and down, both shirtless, yelling \"Woo Hoo\" at the top of their lungs to the blaring boombox. Not wasting another second, she lunged at the duo, bashing into Harry while shrieking \"Wooo Hooo!\" Regaining his balance, Harry smashed into Neville, who in turn managed to shoulder both of the others at once, sending them spinning. Harry twirled around on his heel, and leaped on Neville\'s back.

Tonks stopped hopping. \"Oy, bring it on, girls!\" She motioned to them with both of her hands. Neville scraped his bare foot on the floor a few times, lowered his head, and snorting like a rabid boarhound, bolted at Tonks. Harry was laughing so hard that he nearly fell off Neville\'s back. Just before impact, there was another \"Woo Hoo,\" and Tonks launched herself into the air, wailing \"Hooooo\" at the top of her lungs. She caught Harry\'s shoulder, and spun Neville around, both of the young wizards landing on the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. Bouncing back onto their feet, they made to circle around Tonks, succeeding in sandwiching her between them.

Laughing so hard he was gasping for air, Neville moved to hit the repeat button once more, and the three of them moshed around the kitchen, jumping, leaping, ramming and crashing into each other, warbling \"Woo Hoo!\" and laughing until they all had tears in their eyes. Tonks had just hit the repeat button yet again, when a gravelly voice boomed across the kitchen.

\"Jumpin\' Merlin\'s Tits, what the bloody hell\'s goin\' on here?!\" Alastor Moody stood in the kitchen doorway, his hands planted on his hips, his magic eye spinning madly. Tonks bounced over to him, smiling sweetly.

\"Wotcher, Mad Eye! Wanna mosh?\"