Visions of an Empath

Chapter 16

Supper was a strained affair, the easy atmosphere from earlier replaced by a tense silence broken only by the occasional murmur from Hermione and Ron. Severus ignored everyone, preferring to scowl down at his plate while Lucius continually annoyed everyone by smirking knowingly. Draco just kept looking at them all curiously, no doubt wondering what the bloody hell was going on, and Ron and Hermione tried to break the uncomfortable silence with pointless chatter.

Harry sighed softly and listlessly picked at his food, uneasy with tense silence at the table. He should have known better than to think his meagre explanations would solve everything. Severus was deliberately needling at him by lowering his Occlumency shields so that he knew exactly what the vampire was feeling. The mixture of impatience, simmering anger, possessiveness, lingering worry, and dread were giving him a massive headache. Lucius’ emotions weren’t helping much, either. Harry scowled at the feelings of smugness and anticipation rolling off the blonde.

He finally couldn’t stand it anymore. “Stop it! Both of you!” snapped Harry, slamming his fork down onto the table. The loud noise just made his headache worse, and he rubbed his aching temples with a pained grimace.

Lucius looked at him innocently, knowing exactly what Harry meant. “Stop what, Harry?” His eyes narrowed, though, when he saw the obvious pain on Harry’s face.

Harry glared at the blonde, ignoring the sharp burst of worry coming from Lucius. “You know exactly what you’re doing, you smug bastard.” He turned his glare toward Severus. “And you! I did what I had to do, so stop trying to make me feel guilty. All you’re doing is giving me a headache.”

Severus scowled at Harry, but almost immediately the influx of emotions from Severus stopped as the vampire used his Occlumency to shield his emotions. “You should have told me, and you know it.”

“You wouldn’t have let me go,” snapped Harry, his headache getting worse by the minute.

“Well, of course not!” snarled Severus. “Hogwarts is under the control of the very people who want to kill you.”

Harry crossed his arms and glared at the vampire. “This is pointless. I had to get that diadem. Otherwise the battle against Voldem-” His tirade was cut short when Lucius slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Don’t say his name,” hissed Lucius. “It’s taboo. Do you want him to find us?”

Harry knocked Lucius’ hand away with a frustrated growl. “Fine! Without that diadem, Tom has already won. So I’m sorry you’re still upset, but this is something you just can’t protect me from. I’m the only who can defeat him.”

“I know that!” snapped Severus. “You still should have told me! Do you have any idea how I felt when I realised where you had gone? And that little brat wouldn’t tell me anything!” That last statement was punctuated with a sharp jab in Ron’s direction.

Ron looked up and shrugged unrepentedly. “I’m not stupid. I said I would stall for time, not lay down my life. Giving an angry vampire bad news is sheer suicide.”

Draco looked around the table in confusion. He hated not knowing what was going on, and unfortunately where Harry was concerned, it happened quite a lot. “Wait! You three went to Hogwarts today?”

Ron stared at Draco as though the blonde had grown another head. “Where the bloody hell have you been all day? Under a rock?”

Draco scowled at Ron and crossed his arms petulantly. “Stuck in the lab and making potions all day. No wonder Severus was so angry when he came back from the library.” He turned his gaze toward Harry. He wanted to ask, but he was apprehensive about what Harry might say. “What was it like?” Draco was shocked by the look of despair that crossed Harry’s face. “Was it that bad?”

“Yes, Draco, it was,” said Harry softly, shuddering slightly as he remembered his trip to Hogwarts. It was a far cry from the home he’d grown to love, and he hated Voldemort and his Death Eaters for taking that from him. “The Carrows are in charge of discipline, and I believe you know what their idea of discipline is, right?”

Draco stared at Harry in horror. The Carrows? Who in their right mind would allow them around children? “Are you serious? Are they trying to kill off the students?”

Hermione laughed bitterly. “Only the ones who don’t mindlessly obey. The Death Eater wanna be’s are absolutely loving it. You should see what they’ve done to poor Neville.”

“He’s well on his way to looking like Mad-eye Moody,” said Harry, recalling the numerous scars marring the other teen’s face. “He’s quite unpopular with the Carrows.”

Hermione smiled proudly. “Yeah, he’s showing them what a true Gryffindor he is.”

“I always knew Longbottom was a little slow, but this is ridiculous. Has he lost his mind? Is he trying to get himself killed?” asked Draco incredulously.

“He’s standing up for what he believes in,” said Hermione fiercely, jumping to Neville’s defence.

“What good will that do when they kill him for it?” asked Draco bluntly. “He needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut and his head down.”

“You mean take the coward’s way out,” snapped Hermione angrily. “Neville’s not a bloody Slytherin. He’s not a cowardly snake.”

Harry stared at Hermione in shock. He couldn’t believe she had just said that. That was the kind of prejudicial statement Ron would make, not Hermione. “Hermione, that’s enough.” He didn’t need to look around the table to see the anger on the three Slytherin’s faces to know they were furious at Hermione’s statement. He could feel it battering at his senses.

Hermione turned and glared at him. She started to say something else, but Harry quickly cut her off. “That was uncalled for and extremely unfair. Slytherin is not synonymous with coward, and you damn well know it. Risking his life as a spy on an almost daily basis is not the actions of a coward, Hermione. Going into the Ministry, knowing full well that you’ll be killed if you’re caught, is not the actions of a coward. So don’t call someone a coward just because they’re Slytherin.”

Hermione looked away in shame. She could feel the three Slytherins’ glares boring into her, and she knew she deserved it. Draco was just stating his honest opinion, and she had no right to call him a coward for it. After all, there had been several instances over the years when she’d kept her mouth shut and her head down. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I just want this to be over, Harry. I’m tired of living in fear.”

“We all are, Hermione,” said Harry softly. Hermione’s anger was completely gone, but Harry could feel a steady thrum of worry and sadness coming from the girl. “I’m doing the best I can, though.”

Hermione nodded and smiled wanly. “I know, Harry.” She looked at Draco, Lucius, and Severus. “I apologise for my atrocious behaviour.” She pushed back from the table and stood. “I think I’m going to go lie down for a while. Goodnight, Harry.”

“Goodnight, Hermione,” said Harry with a weary smile. He watched her leave with a heavy heart. He wanted this war to be over, too. He wanted to be able to enjoy his life with Lucius and Severus without the threat of Voldemort constantly looming over him. That is if he somehow managed to survive that long.

“Don’t let it get to you, Harry. She’s not blaming you,” said Ron quietly. “She’s jut got a lot on her mind, and I think it’s finally caught up to her, you know. She Obliviated her parents and sent them to Australia to keep them safe. They aren’t even aware that they have a daughter now.”

Harry immediately pushed away from the table and jumped to his feet, running out of the room to find Hermione. As he stopped in front of her bedroom door, he heard her crying inside. Harry hesitantly opened the door and peered inside. Hermione was curled up in the centre of the bed with a pillow clutched to her chest, sobbing her heart out.

Harry stepped into the room unnoticed and gently shut the door behind him. “Why didn’t you tell me, Hermione?”

Hermione gasped and hurriedly scrubbed the tears from her face. She couldn’t believe Harry had found her in this state. “Tell you what?”

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed. “About your parents, Hermione. I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling right now.” Hermione snorted at his choice of words, and Harry blushed slightly. “Okay, I know what you’re feeling. What I meant to say, was I can’t imagine what I would do if I were in the same position. This must be killing you inside.”

Hermione broke down into tears once more, burying her face in Harry’s side and wrapping her arms around his waist. She’d come to terms with her decision months ago, and she didn’t know why she was so affected by it now. But it wasn’t just her parents that bothered her. It was the reality of what Hogwarts had become that upset her so much. Why did it have to come to that?

“Did you know that Dumbledore planned for me to die in the final battle?” asked Harry idly.

Hermione jerked away from Harry and sat up, staring at him shock. “What?”

Harry nodded calmly. “Yeah. It turns out that the scar Tom gave me when I was a year old was actually a horcrux.”

Hermione automatically looked at his scarred forehead only to blink in surprise. The scar was completely gone. How had she missed that? “Your scar’s gone. How?”

Harry smiled brilliantly at the witch. It was nice to know someone actually saw him instead of that damn scar. “Drakes are immune to such dark magic. Like Lucius’ Dark Mark, the horcrux was destroyed when I completed my first transformation.”

Hermione grinned exuberantly and threw her arms around Harry’s neck, hugging the brunette tightly. “That’s great!”

“Yes, it is. No more visions from old snake-face,” said Harry happily.

“How did you find out, though?” asked Hermione curiously.

Harry’s smile disappeared as he remembered that fateful night. “I saw it when I touched Severus when he returned from a Death Eater meeting. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, I’ll tell you that much. I was devastated to learn that I was nothing more than an expendable tool to Dumbledore.”

Hermione sighed and rested her head on Harry’s shoulder. “He was a fool, Harry. In his opinion, the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, and unfortunately, you were one of the few.”

Harry snorted derisively. “You don’t have to tell me that. He forced me to go back to the hell that was the Dursley’s every summer because Merlin forbid should the little horcrux die before it was time. It would have served him right if I had died from starvation or something instead.”

Hermione raised her head up to look at Harry. “Don’t talk like that. You’re not a horcrux anymore, Harry. This is your chance to live life to the fullest. Forget Dumbledore.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.” He hugged her briefly and climbed to his feet. “Thanks, Hermione. You’ve always been there for me, and I appreciate that more than you can possibly know.” With that said, Harry walked out of the room.

Hermione smiled softly. “You’re more than welcome, Harry,” she whispered into the empty room.

***

“Granger Obliviated her parents?” asked Draco incredulously. “Why in Merlin’s name would she do that?”

“For one, Hermione is one of Harry’s best friends,” said Ron scathingly. “As such, she is a prime target. Her parents are muggles and have no defence against any Death Eaters who may try to attack. And for another, Hermione is muggleborn, and with the Ministry’s current policies, her parents would once again be caught in the middle. So to keep them safe, she modified their memories and shipped them off to Australia.”

Draco looked at his father and shivered. Would he have the strength to do what Hermione did if his father was in such danger? Probably not.

“My situation, though, is slightly different,” continued Ron, oblivious to Draco’s inner struggles. “My family is Pureblood, so we have a bit more protection. Besides, the Ministry is under the impression that I have a bad case of spattergroit.”

Severus and Lucius stared at Ron with a new sense of respect. They were amazed at the lengths Harry’s two friends had gone to just so they could stand by him until the end. That kind of loyalty was rare these days. The loyalty wasn’t just on their side, though. They knew that Harry was just as loyal them.

“Harry’s more than just my best friend, though,” said Ron seriously. “He’s part of my family. Any one of us would do anything for him.” He suddenly glared at Lucius and Severus. “And if either of you do anything to hurt him, we’ll utterly destroy you. The twins are especially fond of Harry, you know.”

Lucius and Severus shuddered at the threat. They didn’t want the twins ire focussed on them. Their pranks had only gotten more creative as the years passed.

Ron saw their reaction and nodded in satisfaction. It wasn’t just an idle threat, and they knew it. “With that said, welcome to the family.”

Draco looked utterly scandalised. A part of the Weasley family? Surely not. However, a glance in his father’s direction confirmed it. Lucius had a look of amused resignation on his face. How had they sunk so low?

“They grow on you, Draco.”

Draco jumped in surprise at Harry’s voice and turned to face the brunette. He was surprised to see a smile on Harry’s face after the way he’d run from the room earlier. “What are you so happy about?”

Harry just shrugged and sat back down at the table. “It’s just nice to have a family that actually cares about me.” He looked at Ron and smirked. “Threatening them with the twins, Ron? I’m surprised at you. Bill’s the one they need to worry about. He probably knows more curses than both of them combined.”

Ron snickered. “No, mate. He may know more curses, but he’s more inclined to attack physically. Mum’s the one that could do the most damage. After all, she’s had practise with all of us.”

“Okay, we get the point,” said Lucius ruefully. “We hurt Harry, and the entire Weasley clan will take a shot at killing us.”

“Not to mention an angry werewolf,” said Ron brightly. “Harry’s his cub, too.” He suddenly bounced in his seat and turned toward Harry. “Remus and Tonks got married. Oh, and Tonks is pregnant. Moony wanted us to tell you that he’s naming you the baby’s godfather.”

Harry grinned widely. “Seriously? When did all this happen?”

“They were married this summer,” said Ron. “He probably forgot to tell you with all the excitement that happened on your birthday, what with the Dursley’s house exploding and Lucius kidnapping you. He told us about the baby a couple of weeks before we left to find you.”

“I’m gonna be a godfather, Ron,” said Harry happily. He was honoured that Remus had chosen him to entrust his child to if anything happened to him and Tonks. And one day, maybe he could have a family of his own.

It was then and there that Lucius and Severus vowed to give Harry children of his own to love and cherish once the war was over. They would do anything to keep that look on their mate’s face.

“Yeah, Mum’s jealous now. She keeps asking Bill when he’s gonna give her a few grandkids,” said Ron.

Harry snickered. He could see Mrs. Weasley doing just that. She thrived the most when she had someone to love and nurture.

“Of course, now that you’re practically married, she’ll be hounding you next,” Ron continued.

Harry stared at Ron blankly. “Why would she hound me? It’s not like I can get pregnant or anything.” Everyone turned and looked at him in shock. “What? You mean wizards can get pregnant?”

Ron groaned at Harry’s ignorance. “I forget sometimes that you were raised by muggles. Yes, Harry, wizards can get pregnant. It’s kinda rare, though. There only about five male pregnancies recorded a year.”

“It’s rare because there are several conditions that need to be met before a pregnancy can occur,” explained Lucius.

“What kind of conditions?” asked Harry curiously.

“A wizard’s power level, for one. It requires a large amount of power just for conception,” said Lucius. “A magical creature bonding or soul mate bonding is also required because there has to be absolute compatibility for conception to occur. The last condition is perhaps the easiest to meet. The wizard in question has to want the pregnancy wholeheartedly for it to even be possible.”

Harry looked down at the table thoughtfully. Could he truly have a family of his own. He met at least two of those requirements, but was he really powerful enough to become pregnant?

Severus saw the indecision on Harry’s face. He tilted Harry’s face up and said, “Never fear, Harry. We’ll have a family soon. If nothing else, there are many orphaned children we could adopt.”

“Really?” asked Harry hopefully. He looked at Lucius. “You would adopt a child into the Malfoy family?”

Lucius smirked slightly. “Yes, I would. A blood adoption ritual would make any child we adopt ours in blood and magic.”

Harry beamed at Lucius and Severus. With that promise in mind, Harry was more determined than ever to finish this war.

Draco groaned softly. “Oh, great. Judging by the look on Harry’s face, you three will end up with enough kids to rival the Weasley’s.”

Harry grinned unabashed. “That just means more siblings for you to spoil, Draco.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “I am overwhelmed with joy.”