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sesheta66Title: Reset – Part 2
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sesheta_66
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating: R overall
Word Count: ~20K overall
Summary: Forgetting the past isn't always possible or practical. Dwelling on it isn't constructive. Moving beyond it, into what lies ahead, can be just the thing to help us heal. And friends? Well, they make it all – past, present and future – worth living.
Author's Notes: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
dracoharry100's Christmas Challenge, prompt #15: Someone lost a bet and has to do something outrageous and slythindor100's 25 Days of Draco and Harry, prompt #2: London.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Part 1
Reset – Part 2
"What do you think you're doing?" Harry asks. His voice is steady and calm but inside he is seething.
It's been a couple of months now since they returned to school and he's noticed a disturbing trend. Malfoy has isolated himself – or has been isolated, Harry can't be sure. He eats alone, studies alone, wanders the grounds alone. He speaks when called upon by a teacher, but otherwise keeps his head down and talks to no one.
He's also lost weight, which can't be good. His skin – something Harry wouldn't have thought possible before – is paler, his eyes are shadowed and his hair has dulled. He also walks facing the ground, shoulders hunched, making him appear to be Harry's height now, rather than a couple of inches taller. Put together, he's very nearly a ghost of his former self. Very disturbing.
As he noticed the changes, Harry began to follow Malfoy around. Old habits, he supposed. A few times he thought he'd interrupted something when, according to the map, people appeared to be converging on him, but when Harry approached they disbursed. Today, however, that did not happen. Four boys, wands drawn and expressions angry, surrounded Malfoy.
"I said, what do you think you're doing?" Harry repeated.
One of the boys jumped and dropped his rucksack, books spilling out onto the floor. He gathered his texts and a Guide to Muggle London into his bag and quickly pocketed his wand. Two of the others lowered theirs, and one remained steady. His back to Harry, he said, "What's it matter to you?"
"Looks to me like you're itching for a fight," Harry said, drawing his own wand.
The first boy, the one who'd pocketed his wand, took off like a shot. One of the others whispered to Mr Bravado, "It's Potter."
He turned around. "So it is." Then he shrugged and turned back to Malfoy, taking aim at his chest. "You'd think he'd want to jump in on this. Maybe get rid of the scum for good."
"No, I don't think I will," Harry said. "Alright there, Malfoy?"
Malfoy, for the first time since Harry had shown up, turned away from the wand aimed at him and looked at Harry. "What are you doing, Potter?"
Harry scowled. "Thought that was obvious. It looked like four against one and I thought I'd shorten those odds."
"You don't have to –" Malfoy stopped mid-sentence.
"Well aware," Harry said much more casually than the situation warranted. "But while I'm here … you know."
Apparently Malfoy didn't know, because his jaw dropped and he gaped at Harry. Harry noted with displeasure that he hadn't drawn his own wand.
"Right." He turned back to the matter of the wand aimed at Malfoy. "I suggest you put down your wand, whatever your name is, and we'll call this a day."
He didn't seem to like Harry's offer and threw his own words back at him. "No, I don't think I will, thanks."
"I didn't sign up for this," one of Bravado's cohorts said. "I'll see you later." And he took off.
"Don't be an idiot," his other sidekick said. "It's Harry fucking Potter." And he left too.
Harry closed the gap between them a bit, approaching where Malfoy stood, wand aimed true. He noticed that Malfoy had still not drawn his own. What was he thinking? "Well, this looks a little fairer to me, yet I still find myself at a disadvantage. You seem to know who I am but I don't know you."
Ignoring Harry's question, he asked, "Why are you doing this? He's a fucking Death Eater."
"No, he's not," Harry said. "He was a Death Eater, but not by choice, not really. And now he's just here, another student, trying to finish his schooling before facing the world." He stole a glance at Malfoy who continued to say nothing and looked utterly perplexed. "Last I checked he hadn't spoken to a soul here. Surely you aren't saying he did something to you."
"He's a fucking Death Eater!" the boy said, now winding himself into quite the tizzy. His wand arm shook and his face flushed with rage.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry was tired of negotiating with this prat. He caught the wand. "Your name?"
"You're defending a Death Eater?"
Harry waved his wand and the idiot shut up. "Shall we take him to the Headmistress?" he asked Malfoy.
Instead of agreeing, Malfoy glared at Harry and said, "I don't need your help, Potter," and stormed off.
Well then.
Two days later at breakfast, an unfamiliar owl dropped a scroll in front of Harry. Before he had a chance to reach for it, Hermione waved her wand over it and the bird, then declared it safe to open.
Rolling his eyes at her antics, Harry unrolled the parchment and stared, unbelieving, at the page.
"What the hell?" Ron practically screeched. "Surely you're not going back there?"
Neville's eyes widened, Seamus and Dean mumbled under their breaths and Hermione looked pained. The owl stared expectantly at Harry. He looked to the Slytherin table where Malfoy glared daggers at him.
He shrugged. "Do you have a quill, Hermione?"
She pulled quill and ink from her rucksack and passed them to Harry. The incident in the corridor the other day still fresh in his mind, he looked back at Malfoy and made up his mind. Aware of everyone's eyes on him, he scribbled a response.
He rolled the parchment up and attached it to the owl's leg and sent it on its way before he changed his mind.
Ron, seeming at a loss for words, groaned.
"No!" Seamus cried.
Dean laughed. "Ha! Told you he'd go. Oh, I cannot wait for this."
"For what?" Neville asked.
Chuckling, Dean said, "We bet whether or not Harry would accept the invitation. Seamus lost and now he has to …"
Harry didn't hear what Seamus had to do. He was too busy watching Malfoy. And if Harry wasn't mistaken, he didn't have a clue what his mother had just done.
Part 3
Author:
sesheta_66Pairing(s): Harry/Draco
Rating: R overall
Word Count: ~20K overall
Summary: Forgetting the past isn't always possible or practical. Dwelling on it isn't constructive. Moving beyond it, into what lies ahead, can be just the thing to help us heal. And friends? Well, they make it all – past, present and future – worth living.
Author's Notes: Written for
dracoharry100's Christmas Challenge, prompt #15: Someone lost a bet and has to do something outrageous and slythindor100's 25 Days of Draco and Harry, prompt #2: London.Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Part 1
"What do you think you're doing?" Harry asks. His voice is steady and calm but inside he is seething.
It's been a couple of months now since they returned to school and he's noticed a disturbing trend. Malfoy has isolated himself – or has been isolated, Harry can't be sure. He eats alone, studies alone, wanders the grounds alone. He speaks when called upon by a teacher, but otherwise keeps his head down and talks to no one.
He's also lost weight, which can't be good. His skin – something Harry wouldn't have thought possible before – is paler, his eyes are shadowed and his hair has dulled. He also walks facing the ground, shoulders hunched, making him appear to be Harry's height now, rather than a couple of inches taller. Put together, he's very nearly a ghost of his former self. Very disturbing.
As he noticed the changes, Harry began to follow Malfoy around. Old habits, he supposed. A few times he thought he'd interrupted something when, according to the map, people appeared to be converging on him, but when Harry approached they disbursed. Today, however, that did not happen. Four boys, wands drawn and expressions angry, surrounded Malfoy.
"I said, what do you think you're doing?" Harry repeated.
One of the boys jumped and dropped his rucksack, books spilling out onto the floor. He gathered his texts and a Guide to Muggle London into his bag and quickly pocketed his wand. Two of the others lowered theirs, and one remained steady. His back to Harry, he said, "What's it matter to you?"
"Looks to me like you're itching for a fight," Harry said, drawing his own wand.
The first boy, the one who'd pocketed his wand, took off like a shot. One of the others whispered to Mr Bravado, "It's Potter."
He turned around. "So it is." Then he shrugged and turned back to Malfoy, taking aim at his chest. "You'd think he'd want to jump in on this. Maybe get rid of the scum for good."
"No, I don't think I will," Harry said. "Alright there, Malfoy?"
Malfoy, for the first time since Harry had shown up, turned away from the wand aimed at him and looked at Harry. "What are you doing, Potter?"
Harry scowled. "Thought that was obvious. It looked like four against one and I thought I'd shorten those odds."
"You don't have to –" Malfoy stopped mid-sentence.
"Well aware," Harry said much more casually than the situation warranted. "But while I'm here … you know."
Apparently Malfoy didn't know, because his jaw dropped and he gaped at Harry. Harry noted with displeasure that he hadn't drawn his own wand.
"Right." He turned back to the matter of the wand aimed at Malfoy. "I suggest you put down your wand, whatever your name is, and we'll call this a day."
He didn't seem to like Harry's offer and threw his own words back at him. "No, I don't think I will, thanks."
"I didn't sign up for this," one of Bravado's cohorts said. "I'll see you later." And he took off.
"Don't be an idiot," his other sidekick said. "It's Harry fucking Potter." And he left too.
Harry closed the gap between them a bit, approaching where Malfoy stood, wand aimed true. He noticed that Malfoy had still not drawn his own. What was he thinking? "Well, this looks a little fairer to me, yet I still find myself at a disadvantage. You seem to know who I am but I don't know you."
Ignoring Harry's question, he asked, "Why are you doing this? He's a fucking Death Eater."
"No, he's not," Harry said. "He was a Death Eater, but not by choice, not really. And now he's just here, another student, trying to finish his schooling before facing the world." He stole a glance at Malfoy who continued to say nothing and looked utterly perplexed. "Last I checked he hadn't spoken to a soul here. Surely you aren't saying he did something to you."
"He's a fucking Death Eater!" the boy said, now winding himself into quite the tizzy. His wand arm shook and his face flushed with rage.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry was tired of negotiating with this prat. He caught the wand. "Your name?"
"You're defending a Death Eater?"
Harry waved his wand and the idiot shut up. "Shall we take him to the Headmistress?" he asked Malfoy.
Instead of agreeing, Malfoy glared at Harry and said, "I don't need your help, Potter," and stormed off.
Well then.
Two days later at breakfast, an unfamiliar owl dropped a scroll in front of Harry. Before he had a chance to reach for it, Hermione waved her wand over it and the bird, then declared it safe to open.
Rolling his eyes at her antics, Harry unrolled the parchment and stared, unbelieving, at the page.
"What the hell?" Ron practically screeched. "Surely you're not going back there?"
Neville's eyes widened, Seamus and Dean mumbled under their breaths and Hermione looked pained. The owl stared expectantly at Harry. He looked to the Slytherin table where Malfoy glared daggers at him.
He shrugged. "Do you have a quill, Hermione?"
She pulled quill and ink from her rucksack and passed them to Harry. The incident in the corridor the other day still fresh in his mind, he looked back at Malfoy and made up his mind. Aware of everyone's eyes on him, he scribbled a response.
He rolled the parchment up and attached it to the owl's leg and sent it on its way before he changed his mind.
Ron, seeming at a loss for words, groaned.
"No!" Seamus cried.
Dean laughed. "Ha! Told you he'd go. Oh, I cannot wait for this."
"For what?" Neville asked.
Chuckling, Dean said, "We bet whether or not Harry would accept the invitation. Seamus lost and now he has to …"
Harry didn't hear what Seamus had to do. He was too busy watching Malfoy. And if Harry wasn't mistaken, he didn't have a clue what his mother had just done.
Part 3