52Chapter 34
Chapter 34:
Draco's POV
Their deadline was fast approaching and Draco was feeling the stress of it. Add in his growing worry about Harry and he was about ready to snap. What had him worried was the ball of nerves and anxiety that was his mate. It had gotten so bad Harry couldn't sleep without him. Harry had dragged him into the Room of Requirements every night since the first they had slept there together. Two weeks of not sleeping in their own beds was starting to draw unwanted attention. Not that Draco really cared. They would be home soon. He hoped. There was also how much time Harry was spending with his young parents. Draco could feel disaster coming. He doubted it would happen until they were back in their time, but he could feel it in his bones. Harry was going to suffer a broken heart soon and there was nothing Draco could do to stop it.
With only two days left, their small group was planning to meet tonight. The meeting was to be held in the shrieking shack. Which he had just learned was only hunted by Lupin's wolf. He had been shocked when Harry gleefully told him that. The meeting was to make sure they had everything ready for the ritual.. Which Draco knew they didn't. There were two small ingredients missing. One he needed to get and one Harry did. Only he hadn't been able to pull his mate away from either of his parents long enough to tell him about it.
His father had scowled at him, the night before when he told him. Lucius told him to stop putting it off or he himself would drag Potter out into the greenhouses to find the right flower.
He was standing in the library at the end of a row of books watching Harry smiling as he talked to his mother. The firey red head had her hand on his arm and was laughing. It was a heartwarming moment until he thought about how she was dead. Not yet, but in two days she would be. At least from his perspective, he looked at Harry, dreading when that fact finally sunk in.
He cleared his throat getting both of their attention. "Sorry, " he said. "I need Evan for a little while." Lily just smiled happily at him. "No problem. I'll catch up with you before dinner?" she asked looking at Harry who nodded and pushed to his feet. "I'll see you then."
"What's up?" Harry asked as they walked away.
"We need to go to the greenhouses. You need to pick out a flower." Harry gave him a confused look.
"The ritual we are using is a mix of two I found. Most of it is simple, a chalk lined circle with well chosen runes and candles. All placed or drawn in just the right way to help direct the magic to doing what we want. There is also a leather strap tied by either Lupin or father, to bind us together. It ensures we travel and stay together. The last two ingredients are flowers that represent us to the magic. We have everything but those." He stopped for a second, cursing himself for forgetting. "We will also need to pick one out for the headmaster."
Harry stopped walking. "Why?"
"The ritual will take us back to Hogwarts, the headmaster is tapped into the castles wards. I have tried my best to set the circle to keep us hidden, linking it to just us, but if we add in a flower to represent him and cover it with a warded black cloth, it should help hide us."
Harry nodded. "So I have to pick a flower that represents me?" he asked.
Draco shook his head. "No, it works better if you pick one for me and I pick one for you."
"Oh," was all the Gryffindor said. Draco separated them into different greenhouses. He didn't want to pressure Harry about the flower he chose. There was a magic to nature that was delicate and he knew Harry understood this small act was significant.
Draco didn't have to go far, he had chosen his flower months ago when he designed the ritual. A blue rose. They grew wild outside the last greenhouse and while they weren't part of the curriculum taught at the school. There were one of the flowers Sev had taught him about.
Blue roses signified mystery and attaining the impossible. It could also mean love at first sight. The tiny blue flower was Harry in every way. He had wanted Harry from their first meeting even if he hadn't understood it at the time. They had somehow become friends despite years of rivalry. Not just friends, by mates, if that wasn't attaining the impossible, Draco didn't know what was. And well Harry would always be a mystery. It took him the better part of 10 minutes to find and cut off the perfect one. He smiled as he placed a stasis charm on the flower and pocketed it. With that done he walked back to see if Harry had finished.
He found the smaller teen standing outside the greenhouse he had been in. Two flowers in his hands. Draco's heart danced at the white snowdrop in Harry's left hand. Hope and Rebirth. He didn't know the exact reasons Harry chose that flower, but any flower that told him Harry had hope about him or them was good enough for him. He looked at his mate right hand and winced. A bright red Dahlia. Betrayal and dishonesty.
"You okay?" he asked Harry. His mate nodded and shoved both flowers at him. He gave Harry a smile as he took the snowdrop and smelled it. He held onto it while he put the dahlia in his pocket with the rose.
"Have you thought about saying goodbye?" he asked as they walked back to the school.
"To your dad and Remus, yeah. I don't think I can to the others." Draco understood that.
"I'm sorry" he said softly, reaching out to take Harry's hand. Harry stumbled a step and looked down at their hands. They hadn't done this before. Not really. Sure, they had grabbed ahold and dragged each other around by the hand, but never had one of them took the hand just to hold it. His palms started to sweat as he grew nervous, but Harry just tightened his fingers and looked back up at him with a huge smile on his face.
Relieved, Draco smiled back.
Luc's Pov
Luc felt guilty for what he was about to do, but he had thought about it for weeks, and he knew it was needed. He needed it. Taking a deep breath he knocked on the potions classroom door. He knew his mate was behind it. Sev was almost always in there working on something new and exciting.
"Come in," Severus called out.
Luc opened the door and sure enough Sev was standing over a boiling cauldron stirring it as the potion switched from green to teal. The black haired teen didn't look up at him once while he finished mixing and started adding a couple things to it.
"I need a favor." He had waited until Sev took a step back from the cauldron. His mate shot him a glare. Luc swallowed. Sev was still upset about him not telling him anything. Although they had found an easy peace of the last week or so, he knew Sev was still angry.
"What?" his mate drew out with a sigh.
He stepped forward and handed him a piece of parchment. It was for a potion. One he was sure he could brew himself but he couldn't take the chance he got something wrong. Severus was a master at potions, he had no doubt if the other teen brew it, it would be perfect.
"Luc?" His mate sounded worried as he looked up from the potion to study him. "Please tell me what's going on?" The parchment shook in his hand. "This-"
"I know what it does, Sev." He stepped forward and took his lover's chin in his hand. He rubbed his thumb in soothing circles on the other's cheek. After a second he brushed it over Sev's bottom lip. His mate closed his eyes and opened his mouth in a soundless plea. They hadn't touched much since that night. He knew they were both desperate to feel each other again. He pressed the finger into the warm mouth. Sev moaned as Luc pressed it over the top of the other's teeth and pushed it further back to rub over his tongue. Said tongue wrapped around his thumb and then Severus sucked. Luc bit back a moan of his own.
He leaned in to put his mouth just over his lover's ear and whispered, "Will you make it if I swear it has nothing to do with you?" He felt Sev shiver.
"Your word," the other teen demanded over the thumb in his mouth, the pressure of teeth over the top of his finger increased in warning.
"You have it," he said softly. Severus nipped at his thumb and Luc pulled it away.
"Luc, this is a dangerous potion. I wish you would tell me why you need it," his mate said stepping away from him.
"Sev, I cannot. Maybe someday this will all make sense."
The other teen just shook his head and turned back to his cauldron. "It will be ready in the morning."
"Sev," he pleaded stepping towards his mate.
"Please, just go," his mate said softly. He nodded even though Severus wasn't looking at him and backed out of the room.
He knew he was asking a lot. Especially with the potion he just begged the man to brew, but he had no other options. He just hoped that in the future when Draco and Harry were back in their own time, this would all make sense to his mate. After all Draco had said Severus was part of the group trying to bring them home. So future him had to understand all past him secrets, right?
Remus POV
It was a little strange heading into the shack without it being a full moon, but that was the only place all four of them could agree on to meet tonight. They had to perform the ritual the next night, and they wanted to go over everything one final time. Part of him didn't want to. He was worried something would go wrong. Like Harry and Draco being tossed into yet another time that was not their own. Not to mention Moony was already restless about their cub leaving them. He tried to reassure the wolf they would see him again, but it didn't seem to believe him. It caused this empty feeling in his chest that he was trying desperately to ignore.
Harry was already there when he walked into the room. He was sitting in the middle of the room reading over James's inheritances book.
"Hey," he said looking down at his best friend's son.
"How'd you know I found my mate?" Harry asked without looking up from his book.
"Huh?" he asked taken by surprise.
"When you told me you knew who I was. You knew how? Because I have read this damn thing front to back and it doesn't say." Harry growled frustrated at the book.
"Does it talk about submissives seeking out their mates when overwhelmed?" he asked sitting down next to his cub. Harry nodded, then stopped and looked at him.
"Is that what I did?"
Remus nodded. "I kind of blindsided you with the information and you panicked. So your instincts kicked in and told you to get to Draco. Your scent as also changed a bit. I'm sure when you're home and the glamours are taken away, you will find it more pronounced. Especially if you continue to share a bed."
Harry's cheeks turned bright red and Remus chuckled. He looked away giving his young cub a second to pull himself together. He noticed a different book on the floor. One he was very familiar with. He sighed and picked it up, waving it at Harry in question.
"I don't have an animal," Harry said with a shrug. "Draco has this beautiful leopard. And he says his dad is similar but all black. You're a werewolf and Dad and Siri are both animagus."
"So you want to be as well," he asked. Harry nodded.
"How long have you been studying?" he asked placing the book back on the ground.
"Just the last week or so. I know I won't get one until I'm back, but I wanted to at least start." Remus smiled. He could hear both Malfoy's walking down the tunnel.
"Cub, ask me about it when you get back okay. I helped those two, I'm sure I can help you." There was a weird flash of something across Harry's eyes but he didn't get a chance to ask because the other two walked in.
"Hello," Lucius said.
"Hey," Harry said quietly next to him. Remus nodded his hello to the Slytherins but his attention was on his cub, who suddenly smelled sad and guilty.
"Harry?" he asked, reaching over to take the other's shoulder by his hand. Harry wouldn't look at him. Instead he shrugged the hand off and stood up.
"We got the flowers," Harry told the room. Remus was so confused, he looked up to see the older Malfoy looking between him and Harry. Clearly the pureblood had noticed it, whatever it was as well.
"Harry?" he tried again, standing up. His stubborn cub inched closer to his mate and grabbed the surprised blonde's hand. He caught the confused look on Draco's face as the younger slytherin looked around the room.
"That's everything right?" Harry asked, clearly ignoring Remus. Moony growled inside his head.
"Cub." This time it wasn't a question it was an order and he saw Harry still. Slowly Harry raised his head to look at him.
"What's going on?" he asked gently now that he had his cub's attention.
He heard Harry swallow. "I didn't tell you," he mumbled looking away again.
"You didn't tell me what?" he asked mind racing as he tried to figure out what he didn't know.
He heard Draco sigh, as the blonde leaned in and whispered in Harry's ear. He was sure he wasn't meant to hear but he's ears were better than most.
"This is about the letter?" he saw Harry nod.
"You didn't send me a letter?" he asked, now understanding. Harry hadn't sent him a letter. Future him didn't know what was going on, and Harry felt guilty about it.
He didn't even wait for a response before asking, "Why not?"
Harry just shook his head. The stale smell of guilt got worse and Remus had to breath out of his mouth to avoid gagging on it.
"He had just-" Harry elbowed Draco in the stomach, cutting him off.
"He didn't want to find out for sure if you did or did not betray him." Lucius said. Causing Harry to look up surprised and angry at the other Malfoy. His cub turned to glare at his mate, who it seemed had told his father things Harry hadn't wanted to share.
"I don't understand," Remus said.
"The headmaster and two of his best friends had just betrayed him," Draco said. This time Harry didn't try and stop him. His cub just dropped his head and looked down at the floor. "Sirius had sent him a note, telling him to trust no one," the young Slytherin went on, "Harry," there was a pointed look at his mate, "knows you wouldn't have betrayed him. But…" Remus waved the blonde off as he finally understood.
Harry trusted him, but still held worry that he was wrong, and he hadn't had the heart to find out for sure.
He walked over and wrapped his cub in a bone crushing hug. "It's okay," he whispered, and it was. He couldn't hold fear of being betrayed by someone he loved against Harry.
"You will just have to go to me after you get back," he said. If he hadn't been looking over Harry's head he wouldn't have seen the grin Draco shot his father. Who in return rolled his eyes. He almost questioned it, but Draco saw him and shook his head. He let it go. For now.
Harry pulled away. "I'm sorry," he said.
"It's okay," he said again giving Harry a smile.
"Now, can we please go over the ritual?" Lucius asked