alisanne

Title: Homecoming - Part 12
Author:

alisanne
Word count: 980
Rating: PG
Characters/pairings: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy (eventually), Hermione Granger.
Challenge: Written for

slythindor100/

slythindor100's Christmas Challenge prompt #12: Formal Christmas Table.
Summary: Even in the magical world, Harry knows who's there for him.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
Beta(s):

sevfan and

emynn.
Authors Notes: This is part 12 of my H/D Homecoming Series (LJ/IJ/DW).

Back to Part 11 (LJ/IJ/DW)

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Homecoming - Part 12

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Before Harry could press for more answers, Malfoy gestured. “Come on, we need to be ready when she opens her Floo.”

“And what is a Floo exactly?” asked Harry, even as he moved closer to Malfoy.

“You’re looking at it.” Malfoy inclined his head towards the fireplace. “This is connected to a network of fireplaces, which allow us to travel quickly from place to place.”

“What about that thing you did before?” Harry asked. “Like how we got here from the bookstore?”

“That’s Apparating.” Malfoy grasped Harry’s elbow, drawing him closer. “That’s how we travel when there’s no Floo available.”

“Okay,” Harry said, trying to sort it all out in his mind.

“This will all make sense once you’ve got your memories back,” Malfoy said.

Flame flared in the fireplace. “Come on through, Draco,” said Hermione’s voice.

“Right, here we go,” said Malfoy.

Harry experienced a brief flare of panic. “Wait, won’t we get burned?”

Malfoy smiled at him. “Like I’d ever let anything hurt you?” he murmured.

Harry swallowed hard at the look in his eyes. They were standing so close that all he had to do was lean in just so and their lips would be touching…

Malfoy threw something into the fireplace, and green flame shot up. Before Harry had time to worry, Malfoy pulled him into the flame. “Hermione’s office!”

Harry clung to Malfoy’s arms, afraid to let go, and when, in mere moments, they stepped out of the fireplace, he was still holding on, staring into Malfoy’s eyes.

“Welcome to my office,” said Hermione.

Tearing his gaze from Malfoy’s, Harry looked around. They were in a bright room: two walls were lined with crammed bookshelves, one was lined with windows. One area was clearly for examinations, with a table and what looked like medical instruments. A desk sat in another corner and was covered with large books.

“Come this way, Harry,” said Hermione. “I want to examine you again.”

Harry obeyed, following her over to the examination table. He hopped up, sitting still as she again waved her wand over him and frowned.

Malfoy, in the meantime, was pacing, occasionally picking up a book or magazine to flip through it.

“Damn,” said Hermione, and Malfoy was immediately there, magazine crushed in his hand.

“What?” he snapped.

“It’s not going to be as easy as I thought.” Hermione flicked her wand again. “Look.”

Malfoy exhaled. “Is that—? Salazar, has that thing attached itself to his aura?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Which means?”

“I can’t just remove the mark, it will rip a hole in your aura, and that could kill you.” Hermione pursed her lips.

“Right, let’s not do that, then,” Harry muttered.

“If you can’t remove the mark, how about you cover it?” Malfoy suggested. “Dampen the dampening field.”

“I was thinking I could remove it in increments,” said Hermione. “But your method would be faster.”

“Why not do both?” said Harry. “Can you cover it and slowly remove bits of it as well?”

Hermione nodded. “Possibly. You should know, however, that may affect your memory recovery. You’ll recover certain memories more quickly than others, and there’s no way to know which memories will come to the fore first.”

“And if I do nothing?”

“Then you’ll continue as you have been.” Hermione shook her head. “Although there is the danger that your magic will start to bleed through. The mark is a very effective memory dampener, but it didn’t remove your magic.”

Harry exhaled. “Okay. Do it.”

Hermione nodded. “Give me a moment.” She turned away, walking over to a cabinet.

“I hope I’m making the right decision, Harry said. “What do you think?”

Malfoy hummed. “I think you should follow your instincts. They’ve always been excellent.”

“Thanks.” Harry smiled, pointing at the crushed magazine in Malfoy’s hand. “So what did that mag ever do to you?”

“Oops.” Malfoy flushed, smoothing out the pages he’d crushed. On it was a photo of a table, decked out for the holidays, complete with festive Christmas crackers, candles, and even miniature Christmas trees as centerpieces.

“Oh, you found it,” said Hermione, returning carrying several bottles. “I was looking for that. I’m hoping to recreate that setting for Christmas dinner.” She placed the bottles on the counter beside the examination table.

Silently, Malfoy handed her the mag.

“Think you’ll make it to dinner this year?” Hermione asked him, tucking the magazine into her pocket.

Malfoy shot a speculative look at Harry. “We’ll see.”

“Ah.” Hermione smiled faintly. “Right,” she said, expression going serious. “Harry, I need you to lie on the table, please.”

Harry lay back, staring up at the white ceiling. “Is this going to hurt?”

“Not much.” Hermione patted his shoulder. “I’m going to apply this tincture first, which will numb the area. That way, when I overlay the suppression charm, you shouldn’t feel anything. You may feel a slight pinch when I start to peel up bits of the mark, though.”

“How much as you going to remove today?” Harry asked.

“My goal is to remove about one eighth now,” said Hermione, her face a mask of concentration. She dripped viscous liquid onto the mark. “If that goes well, we can try and speed up the process, but we shouldn’t go too fast too soon. Aural rips are difficult to repair.”

Harry nodded. “Okay.”

“Right, the numbing should be kicking in. Do you feel a tingle?”

“I did for a minute,” said Harry. “Now I don’t feel anything.”

“Good.” Hermione nodded. “Are you ready to begin?”

Harry swallowed hard. “Yes,” he whispered.

A hand clasped his. “I’m here,” said Malfoy. “If you need to, you can squeeze my hand. I can take it.”

Turning his head, Harry smiled up at Malfoy, tightening his hold on his hand. “Thanks.”

“All right. Here we go,” said Hermione, raising her wand.

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Part 13 (LJ/IJ/DW)