Embracing the Real Us

Author Note: Many thanks to all who have reviewed, there are just too many for personal answers today. Sorry that there is no Draco/Harry action, that bit of story is saved for later use. Hope you like this chapter.

Thanks to all who participated in my little poll. I've got a lot of great ideas from it, now all I have to do is keep writing and get a little ahead of you guys so there's more for you to read...hehe. Next chapter will be up later today I imagine.

~Morrigan

Disclaimer: See chapter one.



Foursome

The following morning Hermione and Layla tiptoed over to the boy’s room and put their ears up to the door. When they didn’t hear any noise Hermione assumed that they were sleeping or there were silencing wards up. The two girls set to disabling any wards up and when they still heard nothing, they slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

“Look at those two.” Layla whispered.

“I know. But we’re still going to wake them up.” Hermione smiled before launching herself up on the bed. Layla followed quickly and laughed madly when Harry and Draco shot awake.

“What in the bloody hell is going on?” Draco screamed.

“Hell ‘Mione! What the hell could you possibly want?” Harry laughed.

“We just wanted to say good morning to the little love birds.”

“After all, it is about damn time!” Harry scowled at his best friend and got up to use the toilet. He regretted it almost instantly as he remembered he was completely nude. He blushed and made a grab for his boxer shorts, as he walked to the bathroom he tried unsuccessfully to hide the limp from his sore bum. Draco laughed and retrieved his own before getting up himself.

“You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood, otherwise the two of you would have been hexed into next year.”

“So, you finally de-virginized my darling Harry. Was he all we knew he’d be?” Hermione teased.

“That is none of your business.”

“I’ll take that as a firm yes.” Draco couldn’t stop the blush creeping into his cheeks. Suddenly they heard a scream from the bathroom and all three rushed in to find Harry on the floor writhing in pain. Draco fell to the floor and wrapped his arms around his lover. Draco held tight for ten minutes before Harry passed out, tears staining both their cheeks. Hermione and Layla scared out of their wits for their friend. A moment later Harry awoke and looked at them.

“Dumbledore is working with Voldemort.” Harry whispered angrily. “I saw them talking about how Dumbledore was there the night my family was attacked. Dumbledore doesn’t want me to kill Voldemort, he never did. The old bastard wants me to…to…become Voldemort.” Hermione gasped and Draco held Harry tighter.

“What does that mean?” Layla queried.

“It means that Dumbledore hoped to let Voldemort, essentially, take over my body, and in essence all of my powers, and I guess fame, and thus take over the wizarding world, as ME.”

“But, we’re not going to let that happen.” Draco said.

“Can we go to breakfast, I’m starving.” Harry muttered.

“Sure Harry, and then this afternoon the four of us can get back to work.”

That afternoon they got together in the empty Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. They cleared a space in the middle of the room and got themselves set up at their respective corners. Harry stood to the North as the Earth element, Layla to the West as the Water element, Draco to the South as the Fire element, and Hermione to the East as the Air element. It was not unnoticed by the teens that they stood facing their partners.

“Alright, on the count of three, start calling your element and we’ll see what we can do together.” Harry suggested.

“One. Two. Three.” The four teens began whispering to themselves, calling forth the power of their elements.

“Terra.” Harry said over and over again.

“Aer.” Hermione whispered breathlessly.

“Incendia.” Draco growled repeatedly with his eyes closed.

“Aqua.” Layla clenched her fists and cried quietly.

Just as they were about to give up the dark room suddenly became brighter as the teens began to glow with power. Harry was soon surrounded by a pure green light and the smell of the forest invaded his nostrils. Across from him was Draco, glowing a vibrant red and smelled of smoke. Hermione was nearly lifted off the ground in a bright yellow light. Layla started shivering as the ice blue light took her over. They looked at each other and laughed.

“Alright, now, imagine that Voldemort is standing in between all of us. Focus all of this power on him, on destroying him.” Each of their faces turned dark with focus and anger. The lights started to centralize themselves at the teens’ hearts and without warning they shot forward and exploded as they impacted each other into a brilliant rainbow, throwing the teens backwards. They watched as the lights swirled around for a moment before dissolving.

“Holy shit.” Layla panted.

“I’d say we’re getting better.” Draco smirked while rubbing the back of his head.

“Who wants to do it again?” Harry smiled.

“Why don’t we get something solid in there to focus on Harry, just to see what our power could do to something physical?”

“Yeah, but nothing too big, we don’t want to get hurt if it blows up.” Harry replied and the four got back into position. They continued practicing until it was time for supper. Before they left the room they cleaned up the remains of at least a dozen odds and ends they chose to destroy.

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“Hello, I’m looking for Rita Skeeter.” A sixth year Gryffindor said as he floo called the Daily Profit from Hogsmeade that afternoon. A moment later the image of the prying little bitch appeared before him.

“What can I do for you?” She asked.

“I know something that you might find interesting.” She took a closer look at the young man and smiled when she recognized him.

“And what would that be?”

“Have you heard what Harry Potter has been up to lately?”

“I’m coming through.” She said before practically jumping into the Three Broomsticks. “What has our beloved hero been up to?”

“Well…”

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Late that evening James and Severus stole Harry away for a dinner out as a family. The three went into Hogsmeade to the Three Broomsticks.

“What’s the occasion?” Harry asked after they’d ordered their meals.

“Well, with you spending all your time with Draco, training, or on your schoolwork, we haven’t been able to spend time together much anymore.”

“So, we decided a night out was the only way we’d get you all to ourselves.” Harry smiled at his fathers.

“So, father, when are you going to make an honest man out of dad and marry him?” Harry asked after a moment of silence. Severus nearly choked on an ice cube and James started laughing.

“That is for me to know Harry.” He replied once he could speak again.

“So Harry, why don’t you tell us how you’re training is going?” James asked changing the subject.

“It’s going famously; we’re making so much progress. As long the four of us can be around when the time comes there’s no reason we can’t beat him. Then all we have to worry about is the other one.”

“Other one Harry?” Severus eyed him suspiciously.

“The. Meddling. Old. Fool.” Harry replied carefully. His fathers looked at him wide eyed.

“Keep talking.” James instructed.

“I had a vision on Sunday. The two of them are working together. We’ll talk more later in private.” Harry said as their food came. The three tucked into their meals and had pleasant conversation.

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“Now is as good a time as any to take control of him Albus.” Dumbledore looked up at the man speaking to him. “I like it better that he’s a Slytherin, it will make it easier for me to blend.”

“I realize that. However, it is curious that he chose now to do it. Besides, Tom, you know you just can’t take control of him. He can be very stupid at times, he’ll give you the perfect opportunity to cast the spells, just wait until he’s alone.” The darker, half man smiled menacingly as the old man apperated away. He sat alone reading over the numerous spells needed to prepare Harry’s body and got to work at memorizing them as he knew he wouldn’t have the time or patience to try and take them out when the moment arose that he could finally cast them and become that much closer to his goal.

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When they got back to the castle, before they could continue any further with their talk of Dumbledore, Draco cornered the three men in the hall. He looked impatient and rushed over when he saw them coming down into the dungeons.

“Harry!” He cried.

“What’s wrong Draco?” Harry smiled.

“We’ve been worried sick. You could have said you were going out with your parents!” Harry laughed and kissed Draco.

“That better?”

“Come on, Hermione’s been dying to try something with us.” Draco said before pulling Harry away. The brunette turned to his parents and shrugged.

“We’ll talk later Harry, no worries.” James looked up at Severus.

“They do make a nice couple don’t they?”

“That they do.” Severus replied before the two disappeared into their quarters.