Funerals and Weddings
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
63
Views:
24,918
Reviews:
272
Recommended:
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Currently Reading:
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Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
63
Views:
24,918
Reviews:
272
Recommended:
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.
Ch. 19: In Defence of Draco
For disclaimer, summary, story codes and other information, please see the prologue.
Chapter the Nineteenth: In Defence of Draco
The next day
11 October
Draco met Professor Snape at half seven the next morning as promised. They composed a short, vague reply to Lucius:
Dear Father,
Thank you for the letter. I am relieved to hear that you are not angry with me. I am very glad that our misunderstanding has been sorted.
I’m sure my Hallowe’en won’t be nearly as interesting as yours. The only thing I have planned is a trip to the village with the other students. I shall anxiously be awaiting the news about your holiday.
I hope Mother is well. I look forward to seeing you both for the winter holidays. I am sure it will be a time worth celebrating.
With regards,
Your son
Hopefully, it was enough to keep Lucius happy and to convince him that Draco still intended to join him as a Death Eater. Snape had cleverly suggested the mention of Draco’s plans for Hallowe’en; if Hogsmeade was indeed a target, this would help the Dark Lord feel assured that nothing was suspected by Dumbledore or the Order. A part of Draco hoped the attack did happen in Hogsmeade over the Hallowe’en weekend; not that he wanted an attack to happen per se, but he wanted this war to end. Bringing his dream of Harry and Lucius into his mind, Draco tried to figure out if the duel looked like it could be located in Hogsmeade, but he couldn’t tell. Draco was frustrated. He wanted the duel to happen soon, because he was impatient to act on his desire for Harry—and he wanted Lucius dead.
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In DADA class that afternoon, Draco saw Harry for the first time since their encounter in the bathroom the day before. A bit nervous, he approached his partner and performed the Bubble Charm. Harry gave him a measuring look.
“Still feeling murderous, Malfoy?” he asked.
“Not so much anymore,” Draco started, only to be cut off.
“In that case, I’d just like say that I’d appreciate not having the brunt of your anger foisted onto me in the future. I haven’t done anything to you—in fact, I thought we were getting on better this year—but then yesterday—“
Draco raised his hands. “You’re right. And I’m sorry. You caught me at a very bad moment and I didn’t handle it well. I shouldn’t have…threatened you. I hope you know I didn’t mean it—I was speaking out of anger,” He paused. “I’ve rather…what I mean to say is, this truce between the two of us—I hope I haven’t spoilt it.”
Harry lifted an eyebrow, hoping that the utter shock he was feeling didn’t show on his face. “An apology. That’s a new one coming from you, Malfoy. Do you mean it?”
Draco looked him in the eye. “Yes.”
Harry met his gaze for a moment, then inclined his head. “Apology accepted. Thank you. Shall we get on with practise then?”
Sending a silent prayer of thanks to whatever gods might exist and be listening, Draco lifted his wand and smirked. “By all means.”
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Professor Marchbanks called a halt to practising earlier than usual and motioned for everyone to gather up near his platform.
“First off—good work, all of you! I’m quite pleased with the progress I am seeing you make. Pleased enough that I feel you are ready to choose some of your own spells to practise. Your assignment is this: each partner will research three spells, giving each pair a total of six to use. The partner whose surname begins with the letter nearest the start of the alphabet will research three defence spells and the other, three attack spells. Next time, we shall reverse it so that everyone is able to research both types. I need a thoroughly researched summary of the three spells you choose—including history, incantation, intended results, any possible secondary results, recommended means of defending against or counter-attacking and level of danger, if any, the spell presents for the caster. At least three feet of parchment, please, on my desk by next Monday. Any questions?”
“Professor,” Dean Thomas raised his hand. “What do you mean by the level of danger the spell might cause the caster? Do you mean a side-effect?”
“That is one possibility, Mr. Thomas. Can anyone suggest other possibilities? Mr. Malfoy?”
“The amount of magic needed to cast the spell. If the spell requires a large amount of the caster’s innate magic to be used, the caster could be left significantly weakened afterwards. This might be a reason to avoid using the spell, if a wizard isn’t strong enough; regardless, it is something an opponent could capitalise on if he or she knows the spell could cause weakness immediately after use,” replied Draco.
“Excellent answer, Mr. Malfoy. Ten points to Slytherin. Can anyone tell me any spells that are known to require a large amount of magic for casting?” As hands shot into the air, Marchbanks called on three in succession:
“Imperio,” answered Blaise Zabini.
“Avada Kedavra,” volunteered Hermione.
“Crucio,” offered Harry, unfortunately knowing from experience.
Marchbanks smiled. “Yes, the Unforgivables. Five points to each of you.” A thoughtful expression crossed his face and he flipped his long plait over his shoulder. “I wonder…anyone interested in an extra credit opportunity?”
Hermione’s hand was first into the air, of course, but many others accompanied it quickly.
“Very well. I am aware that your 4th year…er, “instructor,” placed all of you under the Imperius Curse, correct?” Seeing all of their nods in the affirmative, he continued. “For extra credit, describe for me the way you felt, what you experienced while under an Unforgivable Curse. At least six inches of parchment and due next lesson, please. Have a good evening,” he concluded, dismissing the class.
Draco was packing his bag, and couldn’t help but overhear Hermione as she and Ron approached Harry.
“I wonder if he meant someone could write about Crucio as well as Imperio,” Hermione commented. At the two boys’ questioning looks, she added, “He said to write about our experience under ‘an Unforgivable,’ not under ‘Imperio’ specifically.”
“Hey, no fair, Harry!” Ron exclaimed, as usual opening his mouth without thinking. “You could earn extra credit for two experiences!”
Before Hermione could berate her boyfriend for his tactless statement or Harry could snap out his scathing opinion, Draco beat them to it.
“Yes, Weasel,” he spat. “How lucky could someone be to have experienced more than one Unforgivable! Seeing as how not even Potter here could describe what the Killing Curse feels like, I imagine the Professor was alluding to the Cruciatus. Yes, truly a blessing to be able to earn extra credit for describing the joys of Crucio, wouldn’t you say, Potter?” Pointing his wand at Ron and glaring, he added, “If you need the extra credit that badly, Weasel, I’d be happy to issue you an invitation to our little club…shall I?”
Having turned a bit pale during Draco’s tirade, Ron’s face flushed in anger at the Slytherin’s final words and he whipped out his own wand. “Go ahead and try it, Malfoy!” he shouted. “You haven’t got the—“
Whatever Ron thought Draco had or didn’t have was never known as Harry stepped forward and pointed his wand: “Expelliarmus!”
Ron stood gaping as his wand flew to Harry’s outstretched hand. “Harry, what are you--”
Shooting a glance at Draco, who still had his wand raised but was looking almost as gobsmacked as Ron, Harry faced his best mate. “You were out of line, Ron. Well out of it,” Harry’s voice was dead calm and his eyes never left Ron’s face. “You might not have meant anything by it, but try experiencing the Cruciatus Curse for yourself and you’ll never joke about it again. I can’t say I blame Malfoy for what he said—he shouldn’t have threatened you, no—but he had every right to say what he did before that. In fact, you could say he took the words right out of my mouth.”
With that, Harry abruptly spun away, snatched up his satchel and stalked out of the Training Hall, dropping Ron’s wand in the doorway. Only Draco caught the quick flick of Harry’s eyes in his direction as he left.
For a long moment, the three remaining teenagers stood in shocked silence. Hermione was the first to break the spell. Re-shouldering her own bulging bag, she looked at Draco, then nodded. “Malfoy,” was all she said, before grabbing Ron’s arm and dragging him out of the room.
Slowly gathering his own things and walking to his dorm, the only thing that Draco could think was: He defended me. Harry defended me.
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A/N: Tell me what you think! Reviews and the people who write them rule!
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Chapter the Nineteenth: In Defence of Draco
The next day
11 October
Draco met Professor Snape at half seven the next morning as promised. They composed a short, vague reply to Lucius:
Dear Father,
Thank you for the letter. I am relieved to hear that you are not angry with me. I am very glad that our misunderstanding has been sorted.
I’m sure my Hallowe’en won’t be nearly as interesting as yours. The only thing I have planned is a trip to the village with the other students. I shall anxiously be awaiting the news about your holiday.
I hope Mother is well. I look forward to seeing you both for the winter holidays. I am sure it will be a time worth celebrating.
With regards,
Your son
Hopefully, it was enough to keep Lucius happy and to convince him that Draco still intended to join him as a Death Eater. Snape had cleverly suggested the mention of Draco’s plans for Hallowe’en; if Hogsmeade was indeed a target, this would help the Dark Lord feel assured that nothing was suspected by Dumbledore or the Order. A part of Draco hoped the attack did happen in Hogsmeade over the Hallowe’en weekend; not that he wanted an attack to happen per se, but he wanted this war to end. Bringing his dream of Harry and Lucius into his mind, Draco tried to figure out if the duel looked like it could be located in Hogsmeade, but he couldn’t tell. Draco was frustrated. He wanted the duel to happen soon, because he was impatient to act on his desire for Harry—and he wanted Lucius dead.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In DADA class that afternoon, Draco saw Harry for the first time since their encounter in the bathroom the day before. A bit nervous, he approached his partner and performed the Bubble Charm. Harry gave him a measuring look.
“Still feeling murderous, Malfoy?” he asked.
“Not so much anymore,” Draco started, only to be cut off.
“In that case, I’d just like say that I’d appreciate not having the brunt of your anger foisted onto me in the future. I haven’t done anything to you—in fact, I thought we were getting on better this year—but then yesterday—“
Draco raised his hands. “You’re right. And I’m sorry. You caught me at a very bad moment and I didn’t handle it well. I shouldn’t have…threatened you. I hope you know I didn’t mean it—I was speaking out of anger,” He paused. “I’ve rather…what I mean to say is, this truce between the two of us—I hope I haven’t spoilt it.”
Harry lifted an eyebrow, hoping that the utter shock he was feeling didn’t show on his face. “An apology. That’s a new one coming from you, Malfoy. Do you mean it?”
Draco looked him in the eye. “Yes.”
Harry met his gaze for a moment, then inclined his head. “Apology accepted. Thank you. Shall we get on with practise then?”
Sending a silent prayer of thanks to whatever gods might exist and be listening, Draco lifted his wand and smirked. “By all means.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Professor Marchbanks called a halt to practising earlier than usual and motioned for everyone to gather up near his platform.
“First off—good work, all of you! I’m quite pleased with the progress I am seeing you make. Pleased enough that I feel you are ready to choose some of your own spells to practise. Your assignment is this: each partner will research three spells, giving each pair a total of six to use. The partner whose surname begins with the letter nearest the start of the alphabet will research three defence spells and the other, three attack spells. Next time, we shall reverse it so that everyone is able to research both types. I need a thoroughly researched summary of the three spells you choose—including history, incantation, intended results, any possible secondary results, recommended means of defending against or counter-attacking and level of danger, if any, the spell presents for the caster. At least three feet of parchment, please, on my desk by next Monday. Any questions?”
“Professor,” Dean Thomas raised his hand. “What do you mean by the level of danger the spell might cause the caster? Do you mean a side-effect?”
“That is one possibility, Mr. Thomas. Can anyone suggest other possibilities? Mr. Malfoy?”
“The amount of magic needed to cast the spell. If the spell requires a large amount of the caster’s innate magic to be used, the caster could be left significantly weakened afterwards. This might be a reason to avoid using the spell, if a wizard isn’t strong enough; regardless, it is something an opponent could capitalise on if he or she knows the spell could cause weakness immediately after use,” replied Draco.
“Excellent answer, Mr. Malfoy. Ten points to Slytherin. Can anyone tell me any spells that are known to require a large amount of magic for casting?” As hands shot into the air, Marchbanks called on three in succession:
“Imperio,” answered Blaise Zabini.
“Avada Kedavra,” volunteered Hermione.
“Crucio,” offered Harry, unfortunately knowing from experience.
Marchbanks smiled. “Yes, the Unforgivables. Five points to each of you.” A thoughtful expression crossed his face and he flipped his long plait over his shoulder. “I wonder…anyone interested in an extra credit opportunity?”
Hermione’s hand was first into the air, of course, but many others accompanied it quickly.
“Very well. I am aware that your 4th year…er, “instructor,” placed all of you under the Imperius Curse, correct?” Seeing all of their nods in the affirmative, he continued. “For extra credit, describe for me the way you felt, what you experienced while under an Unforgivable Curse. At least six inches of parchment and due next lesson, please. Have a good evening,” he concluded, dismissing the class.
Draco was packing his bag, and couldn’t help but overhear Hermione as she and Ron approached Harry.
“I wonder if he meant someone could write about Crucio as well as Imperio,” Hermione commented. At the two boys’ questioning looks, she added, “He said to write about our experience under ‘an Unforgivable,’ not under ‘Imperio’ specifically.”
“Hey, no fair, Harry!” Ron exclaimed, as usual opening his mouth without thinking. “You could earn extra credit for two experiences!”
Before Hermione could berate her boyfriend for his tactless statement or Harry could snap out his scathing opinion, Draco beat them to it.
“Yes, Weasel,” he spat. “How lucky could someone be to have experienced more than one Unforgivable! Seeing as how not even Potter here could describe what the Killing Curse feels like, I imagine the Professor was alluding to the Cruciatus. Yes, truly a blessing to be able to earn extra credit for describing the joys of Crucio, wouldn’t you say, Potter?” Pointing his wand at Ron and glaring, he added, “If you need the extra credit that badly, Weasel, I’d be happy to issue you an invitation to our little club…shall I?”
Having turned a bit pale during Draco’s tirade, Ron’s face flushed in anger at the Slytherin’s final words and he whipped out his own wand. “Go ahead and try it, Malfoy!” he shouted. “You haven’t got the—“
Whatever Ron thought Draco had or didn’t have was never known as Harry stepped forward and pointed his wand: “Expelliarmus!”
Ron stood gaping as his wand flew to Harry’s outstretched hand. “Harry, what are you--”
Shooting a glance at Draco, who still had his wand raised but was looking almost as gobsmacked as Ron, Harry faced his best mate. “You were out of line, Ron. Well out of it,” Harry’s voice was dead calm and his eyes never left Ron’s face. “You might not have meant anything by it, but try experiencing the Cruciatus Curse for yourself and you’ll never joke about it again. I can’t say I blame Malfoy for what he said—he shouldn’t have threatened you, no—but he had every right to say what he did before that. In fact, you could say he took the words right out of my mouth.”
With that, Harry abruptly spun away, snatched up his satchel and stalked out of the Training Hall, dropping Ron’s wand in the doorway. Only Draco caught the quick flick of Harry’s eyes in his direction as he left.
For a long moment, the three remaining teenagers stood in shocked silence. Hermione was the first to break the spell. Re-shouldering her own bulging bag, she looked at Draco, then nodded. “Malfoy,” was all she said, before grabbing Ron’s arm and dragging him out of the room.
Slowly gathering his own things and walking to his dorm, the only thing that Draco could think was: He defended me. Harry defended me.
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A/N: Tell me what you think! Reviews and the people who write them rule!
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