A Dark Time For The Light

26

The next morning, Harry scrambled into clothes quickly by the light of a candle. He rushed into the canteen to find Hermione and Ginny poring over a note taped to their table,

Dear all,

I hate long goodbyes. I feel like I said them all already. Look after each other, keep the cadre strong, and I’ll see you all sometime soon. I love you all, (yes, you too, Draco). Goodbye.

Love, Ron xxx

“He fibbed about his flight times, didn’t he?”, Harry asked. Hermione nodded, “He must have done, unless he just plans to lose himself in London for a bit, but knowing Ron, he probably fibbed. He wouldn’t let anyone look at his tickets. I think he planned to make an escape like this. Bless him”. They looked at each other, then at the canteen clock. Too early for breakfast yet, they parted and went back to bed.

Draco felt Harry curl up around him and turned, “Hey, I thought you were supposed to be seeing Ron off”. Harry threaded an arm around the warm body beside him, “Nah, he buggered off early, left a note on our table, he said he loves us all and I quote, ‘yes, you too, Draco’ and he’ll see us soon. Merlin, Dragon, I miss him already”.

Draco could feel the shaking then hear the sniffles as he gathered Harry into his arms and let his lover cry it out on his shoulder. “Hush my Harry. I love you very much. If it’s any small consolation, then I’ve become very fond of Ron since I’ve been here and I, too, will miss him”. He held Harry closer, his own eyes misting. They drifted back off to sleep.

Draco’s final week actually ended on the Tuesday. The work was done. On budget and slightly under the time. The team was exultant. They hit the bars to celebrate. During the evening, Marcus’ girlfriend joined them as did Jacinta’s boyfriend. Draco phoned Harry. Who turned up half an hour later, then was properly introduced to his lover’s workmates. He was secretly glad to see Marcus was straight as Draco had made quite a friend of him and Harry knew that Draco was sharing accommodation with him whilst away.

As they split up for the night, Marcus snagged Harry’s arm, “You must come up and visit us on-site. It’d be good to see you, but don’t worry, I’ll keep Draco out of any muggle trouble he may encounter”. Harry’s eyes went wide, “What do you mean, muggle?” Marcus grinned, “I’m a muggle, Harry, but my great-aunt Hortense is a witch. I’m very close to her. She’s counted as the mad one in the family, but she’s just a bit eccentric. She’s in her sixties now. Her best friend at school was a girl called Minerva something-or-other, but they lost touch”, he hesitated as he saw Harry’s shocked expression.

“What’s your Aunt’s full maiden name?”. Marcus told him. Harry nodded and stashed the information away, then grinned. “Thanks, Marcus, and thanks for looking out for Draco for me”. They shook hands and parted.

“What was that all about, Harry?”, Draco enquired as they made their way to the Tube. “Marcus knows what we are, Draco. I don’t think he knows who we are. He’s got a great aunt who’s a witch, who went to Hogwart’s”. They made their way home on a quieter Tube. They entered the Bunker. Minerva was on door duty. Harry regarded his ex-House-head and smiled, “Minerva, If you don’t mind me asking, who was your best friend at school?”. Minerva smiled back, “A girl called Hortense Williams, but we drifted apart after School. We both married and our lives diverged. I haven’t heard from her in years. Why do you ask?”

Harry grinned wider, “I think I’ve found her again. She’s the great aunt of a colleague of Draco’s”. Minerva’s mouth was a perfect ‘O’, her eyes round behind her glasses, she sank down into the doorwarden’s chair, then her head tipped forward into her hands. Harry crouched down beside her, all concern, a tentative hand reached out and stroked his ex-teacher’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Minerva. I just thought....”. She looked up into his eyes, her own wet and hushed him.

“Harry, I doubt that you know this. I suspect that you think that I am some dried out, sad old spinster lady who devoted her life to teaching?. The opposite is true. I married, had two beautiful daughters, and in time, seven lovely grandchildren. I am now a great grandma twice with another on the way. It was when I was widowed that I returned to Hogwart’s to teach. My Arnold was taken from me suddenly. I was a relatively young widow. I loved him in my way and he was an exemplary husband and father. You have to understand, Harry. Relationships with one of your own gender was very much frowned upon in those days, in the Magical world as well as the Mundane”, her voice faltered around tears, but she held her ground. “Harry, Hortense was once to me what Draco is to you now”.

It was Harry’s turn to register shock. First, at Minerva’s divining his ideas of her. He blushed. The realisation she had had a full family life, then the final point. He had to find this woman, see if some late repair couldn’t be affected to their friendship. After the debacle of the Final Battle, everyone deserved to have their friends around them. Although Ron was gone, he still had his other favourite people around him. Minerva seemed lonely. He resolved to bring them back together if he could.

He told an abbreviated version to Draco as they ate, then the two conspirators made their way to a level they could phone from and Draco called Marcus. “You’ve found her? Oh fuck. Aunty will be so pleased”. Harry took the phone, “Hi, it’s Harry, give your aunt a call, then if she wants to do this, get her to call back on this number in exactly one hour”. He closed the phone.

An hour later saw an agitated Minerva pacing about, Harry trying and failing to calm her. The phone rang. They all jumped. A woman’s voice as Harry answered, “Minerva?. Is it really you?”. Harry replied, “Just a moment”, and handed the phone to a stunned Minerva McGonagall. Who took it in shaking fingers pressing it to her ear. “Hortense?”, her voice shook, then her smile began. Harry pushed her gently into the storeroom, waving goodbye and grinning fit to burst as he and Draco went back to the canteen and their table to excited questions from the others.

Back in their room, lying before the fire, Draco ruffled Harry’s hair as their climaxes died away, “You know something, Harry?. You’re a bloody romantic, aren’t you?”. Harry leaned up a little and kissed Draco, “ ‘Course I am. Get used to it”, then consumed the lush mouth above his. Once again, Draco found the energy to enjoy the afterglow with his lover and loved it, every touch and sweet kiss until they slept in a heap.

Lying on her bunk, Minerva clutched the phone to her chest closing her eyes and replaying the conversation with her old friend, her ex-lover. NO!!, her soul-mate. They had made an arrangement to meet. She cried herself to sleep, smiling at the same time.