Fic: Earthed (PG)
Author: khateh
Title: Earthed
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco preslash
Rating: PG
Summary: The 7th year students were meant to become friends and learn more about a foreign culture, but unexpected circumstances force them to face more than they were prepared for.
Warnings (if any): character death
Total word count: 2,500
Original prompt request number: 178
Disclaimer: This story/artwork is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's notes: Many thanks to my wonderful friends for their support and the mods for their patience.
Beta(s): aki_hoshi and mon_ami_runa
Earthed
The plane crashed and the pilot died. There was nothing we could do for him. We walked for a couple of hours that evening and set camp.
Harry trails the page with his wand and murmurs Exibeo, and a blue mist rises from the page, enveloping him.
~*~
The journal is elegant and out of place on the dirty blanket, but no one seems to notice it. They're all sitting by the fire, holding cups filled with tea - or as close as they can get to it - and listening to Harry.
"The distance on the map is smaller if we go in the other direction," he says, looking at a tall, skinny boy, "but it is more difficult and we could have accidents."
"Yes, but some of us who are more fit could go ahead and -"
"Winning a running race in Scotland doesn't mean you'll be able to do this, Maelstrom, so I suggest you quit playing hero." Draco takes a branch and throws it into the fire with a little more force than is strictly necessary. The ashes underneath rise and flutter through the air, catching fire for a few moments before they fall back. "We need to stick to the rivers, obviously, and we need to find things we can eat from the forest."
His voice is strong and commanding and none of the students dare to reply. After all, it's obvious that whatever plants are left are covered in ashes from the volcano, and that finding any fruits, let alone knowing which ones are edible, is nearly impossible.
"We won't split," Harry says after a short pause, as if he and Malfoy talking alternatively is meant to be. "Draco and I will go ahead in case something happens, but if you notice anything, or someone falls behind, tell us."
"We can't stop for every -" another boy speaks, looking at the girls scornfully. "We might never get there."
"We won't leave anyone behind," Harry says hotly, and everyone looks down, worried, scared and tired. Everyone except Draco.
~*~
The air is heavy with dust, dust which rises with every step and settles only to go up again a few moments later.
"Do you think the volcano will explode?" a girl asks, and everyone else sighs, knowing how easily panicked she is and how she would worry if anyone suggested something could go wrong.
"No, Miss Pebble, it won't explode. Volcanoes bloody erupt and -" Draco stops as Harry touches his left arm.
"If an eruption was imminent, we wouldn't have come," Potter explains patiently, and she nods. "We have enough food and there are plenty of rivers here, so you shouldn't worry."
Draco mumbles something, and the students who are walking a step behind him laugh, causing Harry to frown.
"Draco, please," he whispers as soon as they're next to each other again. "You can't… They're scared and they can't cope if you don't show some support."
"They are going to be full wizards in six months, wanting to join the Aurors or become Healers and they need hand holding and hourly reassuring?" He's not trying to keep his voice low and the students hear. Some of them snort, others grumble, but no one says a word. "You coddle them too much. Think about what you were doing when you were their age."
"Think that I was doing that to make sure no one else would have to." Harry glares at Draco, his eyes piercing and angry. "Think about what you were doing when you were their age," he says, only a bit quieter.
~*~
Neither of us coped well with not having our wands, but at least the students didn't complain. Inter-house rivalry and all that rot. Unfortunately, it led them to hide the most important thing of all.
~*~
"Something's wrong," Draco says quietly, guiding Harry towards one of the tents. "Some of the girls are acting shifty and the boys are… closed off."
"We're all upset by this, and I can't ask them to be chipper and jolly."
"You… you didn't notice anything odd when you washed yourself this morning?"
Harry frowns. "Other than the water being bloody cold and you telling me to hurry before the children wake up?"
Draco nods impatiently. "I have a… rash on my lower back and I don't know what it could be."
"Do you think they have it? Maybe it's something you brushed, or… a bug." Harry shrugs. "Rashes aren't that uncommon."
"Yes, but we're in a different country, and we don't know what…" Draco sighs. "I'm looking too much into this."
"I agree that we should get them to talk, but I'm worried they'll start bickering or get to insults and -"
"It certainly didn't hurt us. Get their mind off things while viciously trying to prove they're smarter than the others. We could even award points, and we could -"
"Trying to win the House Cup by any means, are you?"
~*~
All the Slytherins are sitting in one place, with Draco pacing in front of them, talking quietly enough so that the Gryffindors can't hear.
"If there's anything wrong, you are to talk to me," Draco says looking at the ground, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Maybe the girls would prefer -" There is sniggering from the boys and Draco glares at them, ending the disruption.
"We are in an unknown place, and while I will not accept unfounded complaints and paranoia, I expect you to tell me if anything suspicious happens, no matter how small. Understood?"
The seven students nod as one.
"Very well. Any problems, then?"
"I think some silly bug bit me, because I have this strange rash on my arm but -"
Draco is next to the girl in a moment and extends his right hand. The girl rolls her sleeve and bares her right forearm, revealing a small, round rash.
"Did you feel when the insect bit you?" He's touching her hand, his fingers slowly covering each part of the rash.
"No, and I didn't have my sleeve up, trying to avoid this, but… it doesn't itch or anything."
Draco nods. "Do any of you have such rashes?"
The others shake their heads, looking relieved.
"I want you to check each other during the next bath and let me know if you discover anything."
~*~
It's been a day, and all but one Slytherin, two Gryffindors and Potter had the rashes, which were expanding and turning grey.
~*~
"Does this hurt?" Harry touches the greyed flesh on Draco's back, fingers moving slowly and carefully. He's looking at Draco, but all he sees is the back of his head, so he cranes his head a bit. "Draco?"
"It doesn't hurt." His voice is slow, cautious. "I can't feel it at all, as if it were… dead."
Harry moves away hurriedly and goes in front of Draco, kneeling on the ground. "We're going to figure this out."
"It's growing. Doubled its size since yesterday. What happens when it reaches something vital? Sellington has it on her face and it could reach her eyes in a day. We don't even know what it is."
"You're making that potion and…"
"It's a skin softening potion, Potter. It… it might cause more harm than good, but they need to see us doing something and-" He stops, his lips pursed. "What could it possibly be?"
"A curse, a poison… magic gone wonky? I don't know what I would have done if I had my wand, but I wish I had it." He mumbles something, but it's too low to be heard. "Why did they want them there? Why did we agree to have them -"
"Because the Headmaster suggested it and we trust him. There's no point in dwelling on it."
Draco takes his shirt and puts it back on. 'We'd better go outside before they think we're doing something interesting here."
Harry snorts and follows him out of the tent.
~*~
"We can make a stretcher, and two of us can carry it," the Slytherin prefect suggests and everyone nods. Everyone except Martin and Draco.
"It would just slow you down and tire the ones who carry it," Martin says.
Harry opens his mouth to say something, but Draco raises a hand. "The outcome would be the same," he says in a low voice, "and he's right. We'll leave food and water and -"
"No." Harry's voice is strong and determined. "We started together and we'll end this together. I won't accept leaving anyone behind."
They all look at Martin's legs, where the grey skin had become thick, like a scab formed over a wound. He couldn't bend them, couldn't move them, couldn't feel them.
If it weren't for the blanket under him, they would realise his legs looked like the grey, dead earth.
~*~
Never leaving someone behind was hard to do when there was hardly anyone left to go on. We all cried.
~*~
"It can't be much further. We've gone round the bloody mountain and-"
"We'll get there," Draco says, without looking at Harry or the three students. His steps are slow, calculated, and he's biting his lower lip. "Or rather, you will."
Harry looks at him sharply. "You can't give up."
Draco huffs and the students remain a few steps behind. "I'm sure I'd be more comfortable lying on the ground, watching the trees and sky instead of dragging my corpse -"
"Don't say that." Harry's hand covers Draco's mouth, his fingers touching on the greyed skin. "Not a…"
"Wonder what they'll say when you get back and-" He laughs, a dry and rusty sound and Harry's eyes widen. "Wonder if anyone will come here and look for this thing that kills pure-bloods quite so effectively."
"Shut up," Harry whispers and continues walking, looking straight ahead.
~*~
"You don't think that's it, do you?" Emily is a Slytherin, the only half-blood Slytherin from her group, and she's walking next to Harry, her eyes pleadingly looking at him.
"What?"
"It's not that they were pure-bloods. It must have been something else."
"I… I don't know." His hand touches the leather bound journal in his pocket. "But if it is, we can't let anyone know. Not…"
"It would be like Professor Malfoy said," Edwin says, and there's a moment of silence, as there is when someone mentions the ones who passed away. "Some madman would come and try to use it against others."
They all nod and walk on.
~*~
Draco said I should write here, so here I am. We're in the village and the only thing keeping me from killing these people are the kids watching. They shouldn't see something like that.
~*~
There are two men in the village, both of them older than Harry, and both of them are wearing simple clothes that don't show in any way how important they are to this community - they're the ones who care for the volcano and make sure it doesn't erupt.
"We thought your magic was in the wand," the younger of the men whispers, twisting his hands. "Had we known -"
"You should have told us!" Harry explodes, causing the man to take a step back. "We could have protected ourselves, we could have done something instead of letting them die."
"Die?" The man looks at the elder sitting behind him and waits for him to nod. "We never got this far with our people, but they shouldn't be dead. Just… resting."
"Resting?" Harry asks, hands clenching into fists. "They were covered in that… thing, they weren't breathing, their hearts stopped working and you call that rest?" He takes a step, bringing himself closer to the man than he had been before. "I saw them get to that and I saw when they stopped living."
"It was the magic," the man explains, clearly shaken. "It takes their strength and magic to hold the volcano. When the earth is weak, it takes its power from us… from them."
Harry shakes his head. "How can they be alive?"
"What you saw was a protection. When the volcano is asleep again, they'll return to how they were," the volcano's caretaker says, his wrinkled face showing signs of all the things he'd had to go through.
"And when will that be?"
The caretaker studies Harry carefully. "If you help us with the incantation, it could very well be soon."
"I'm going back for them, and we'll do the incantation when I get back."
"We're coming, sir," Edwin says, studying Harry's face. "We can help."
Harry shakes his head. "I'll Apparate there and bring them back here. If you try to Apparate and don't get there safely… stay here and help them if they need it, or rest."
~*~
Harry tiredly rubs his eyes. "Why did you allow us to come here if you knew the volcano could erupt anytime?"
The two men look at each other before the oldest explains, "we thought you would help. We were growing weak and -"
"You wanted to use us to stop it?"
"Only with your consent! That was why we requested the wands. We thought you would agree when you understood the importance of it," the younger man explained. "We also thought you would be one of those of pure-blood."
"This is madness. Doesn't anyone refuse to do this?"
"We are the volcano keepers, and no one speaks or acts against us. Now let us continue."
~*~
The transformation was slow, but not as slow as it had been the other way around. It took about two days.
~*~
Draco groans and tries to twist his hand so he can touch his back.
"It's gone," Harry says and hands him the discarded shirt. "I checked with the others and they're fine."
Draco nods. "What did the keepers say?"
"They'll take us to the nearest village where we can take the bus and then… we'll make it to an airport." He runs his fingers through his hair and takes a deep breath. "I was hoping we could talk about what happened before we leave."
"Oh?"
"I… I thought you were dead and I didn't want to leave, and I wished I had…" He sighs and shakes his head. "I…"
"Did you write in the journal?"
Harry nods.
"We'll talk later, then."
~*~
The students are sleeping, their sleeping bags wrapped around them so the only thing visible was the tops of their heads.
"I can't believe we made it in one piece," Harry whispers and looks at Draco.
"After you left, I thought -"
"After we left? You pretended to be dead?"
Draco huffs and gestures for Harry to be silent. "I didn't want to make you waste your time waiting for me to stop breathing." He places his right hand on Harry's left. "I thought I was lucky, then. I always imagined my death would be painful, and it wasn't."
"Not for you."
Draco studies Harry's face for a few moments and squeezes his hand. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that. But it's alright now."
Harry nods. "I think you won't talk to me for a week after reading the journal, but…" He shrugs and turns to Draco. "I was really…"
"The journal is a special one," Draco says, looking at their hands. "It records memories and feelings. That's why I asked you to write, so when you got back home, you'd have it and be able to… find peace, I suppose."
Harry smiles. "Thank you."
"We'll watch the journal recordings when we get back to Hogwarts."
~*~
Harry closes his eyes and watches the blue mist disappear slowly into the journal pages.
I've never been happier to come home in my life.
~fin
Title: Earthed
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco preslash
Rating: PG
Summary: The 7th year students were meant to become friends and learn more about a foreign culture, but unexpected circumstances force them to face more than they were prepared for.
Warnings (if any): character death
Total word count: 2,500
Original prompt request number: 178
Disclaimer: This story/artwork is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's notes: Many thanks to my wonderful friends for their support and the mods for their patience.
Beta(s): aki_hoshi and mon_ami_runa
Earthed
The plane crashed and the pilot died. There was nothing we could do for him. We walked for a couple of hours that evening and set camp.
Harry trails the page with his wand and murmurs Exibeo, and a blue mist rises from the page, enveloping him.
~*~
The journal is elegant and out of place on the dirty blanket, but no one seems to notice it. They're all sitting by the fire, holding cups filled with tea - or as close as they can get to it - and listening to Harry.
"The distance on the map is smaller if we go in the other direction," he says, looking at a tall, skinny boy, "but it is more difficult and we could have accidents."
"Yes, but some of us who are more fit could go ahead and -"
"Winning a running race in Scotland doesn't mean you'll be able to do this, Maelstrom, so I suggest you quit playing hero." Draco takes a branch and throws it into the fire with a little more force than is strictly necessary. The ashes underneath rise and flutter through the air, catching fire for a few moments before they fall back. "We need to stick to the rivers, obviously, and we need to find things we can eat from the forest."
His voice is strong and commanding and none of the students dare to reply. After all, it's obvious that whatever plants are left are covered in ashes from the volcano, and that finding any fruits, let alone knowing which ones are edible, is nearly impossible.
"We won't split," Harry says after a short pause, as if he and Malfoy talking alternatively is meant to be. "Draco and I will go ahead in case something happens, but if you notice anything, or someone falls behind, tell us."
"We can't stop for every -" another boy speaks, looking at the girls scornfully. "We might never get there."
"We won't leave anyone behind," Harry says hotly, and everyone looks down, worried, scared and tired. Everyone except Draco.
~*~
The air is heavy with dust, dust which rises with every step and settles only to go up again a few moments later.
"Do you think the volcano will explode?" a girl asks, and everyone else sighs, knowing how easily panicked she is and how she would worry if anyone suggested something could go wrong.
"No, Miss Pebble, it won't explode. Volcanoes bloody erupt and -" Draco stops as Harry touches his left arm.
"If an eruption was imminent, we wouldn't have come," Potter explains patiently, and she nods. "We have enough food and there are plenty of rivers here, so you shouldn't worry."
Draco mumbles something, and the students who are walking a step behind him laugh, causing Harry to frown.
"Draco, please," he whispers as soon as they're next to each other again. "You can't… They're scared and they can't cope if you don't show some support."
"They are going to be full wizards in six months, wanting to join the Aurors or become Healers and they need hand holding and hourly reassuring?" He's not trying to keep his voice low and the students hear. Some of them snort, others grumble, but no one says a word. "You coddle them too much. Think about what you were doing when you were their age."
"Think that I was doing that to make sure no one else would have to." Harry glares at Draco, his eyes piercing and angry. "Think about what you were doing when you were their age," he says, only a bit quieter.
~*~
Neither of us coped well with not having our wands, but at least the students didn't complain. Inter-house rivalry and all that rot. Unfortunately, it led them to hide the most important thing of all.
~*~
"Something's wrong," Draco says quietly, guiding Harry towards one of the tents. "Some of the girls are acting shifty and the boys are… closed off."
"We're all upset by this, and I can't ask them to be chipper and jolly."
"You… you didn't notice anything odd when you washed yourself this morning?"
Harry frowns. "Other than the water being bloody cold and you telling me to hurry before the children wake up?"
Draco nods impatiently. "I have a… rash on my lower back and I don't know what it could be."
"Do you think they have it? Maybe it's something you brushed, or… a bug." Harry shrugs. "Rashes aren't that uncommon."
"Yes, but we're in a different country, and we don't know what…" Draco sighs. "I'm looking too much into this."
"I agree that we should get them to talk, but I'm worried they'll start bickering or get to insults and -"
"It certainly didn't hurt us. Get their mind off things while viciously trying to prove they're smarter than the others. We could even award points, and we could -"
"Trying to win the House Cup by any means, are you?"
~*~
All the Slytherins are sitting in one place, with Draco pacing in front of them, talking quietly enough so that the Gryffindors can't hear.
"If there's anything wrong, you are to talk to me," Draco says looking at the ground, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Maybe the girls would prefer -" There is sniggering from the boys and Draco glares at them, ending the disruption.
"We are in an unknown place, and while I will not accept unfounded complaints and paranoia, I expect you to tell me if anything suspicious happens, no matter how small. Understood?"
The seven students nod as one.
"Very well. Any problems, then?"
"I think some silly bug bit me, because I have this strange rash on my arm but -"
Draco is next to the girl in a moment and extends his right hand. The girl rolls her sleeve and bares her right forearm, revealing a small, round rash.
"Did you feel when the insect bit you?" He's touching her hand, his fingers slowly covering each part of the rash.
"No, and I didn't have my sleeve up, trying to avoid this, but… it doesn't itch or anything."
Draco nods. "Do any of you have such rashes?"
The others shake their heads, looking relieved.
"I want you to check each other during the next bath and let me know if you discover anything."
~*~
It's been a day, and all but one Slytherin, two Gryffindors and Potter had the rashes, which were expanding and turning grey.
~*~
"Does this hurt?" Harry touches the greyed flesh on Draco's back, fingers moving slowly and carefully. He's looking at Draco, but all he sees is the back of his head, so he cranes his head a bit. "Draco?"
"It doesn't hurt." His voice is slow, cautious. "I can't feel it at all, as if it were… dead."
Harry moves away hurriedly and goes in front of Draco, kneeling on the ground. "We're going to figure this out."
"It's growing. Doubled its size since yesterday. What happens when it reaches something vital? Sellington has it on her face and it could reach her eyes in a day. We don't even know what it is."
"You're making that potion and…"
"It's a skin softening potion, Potter. It… it might cause more harm than good, but they need to see us doing something and-" He stops, his lips pursed. "What could it possibly be?"
"A curse, a poison… magic gone wonky? I don't know what I would have done if I had my wand, but I wish I had it." He mumbles something, but it's too low to be heard. "Why did they want them there? Why did we agree to have them -"
"Because the Headmaster suggested it and we trust him. There's no point in dwelling on it."
Draco takes his shirt and puts it back on. 'We'd better go outside before they think we're doing something interesting here."
Harry snorts and follows him out of the tent.
~*~
"We can make a stretcher, and two of us can carry it," the Slytherin prefect suggests and everyone nods. Everyone except Martin and Draco.
"It would just slow you down and tire the ones who carry it," Martin says.
Harry opens his mouth to say something, but Draco raises a hand. "The outcome would be the same," he says in a low voice, "and he's right. We'll leave food and water and -"
"No." Harry's voice is strong and determined. "We started together and we'll end this together. I won't accept leaving anyone behind."
They all look at Martin's legs, where the grey skin had become thick, like a scab formed over a wound. He couldn't bend them, couldn't move them, couldn't feel them.
If it weren't for the blanket under him, they would realise his legs looked like the grey, dead earth.
~*~
Never leaving someone behind was hard to do when there was hardly anyone left to go on. We all cried.
~*~
"It can't be much further. We've gone round the bloody mountain and-"
"We'll get there," Draco says, without looking at Harry or the three students. His steps are slow, calculated, and he's biting his lower lip. "Or rather, you will."
Harry looks at him sharply. "You can't give up."
Draco huffs and the students remain a few steps behind. "I'm sure I'd be more comfortable lying on the ground, watching the trees and sky instead of dragging my corpse -"
"Don't say that." Harry's hand covers Draco's mouth, his fingers touching on the greyed skin. "Not a…"
"Wonder what they'll say when you get back and-" He laughs, a dry and rusty sound and Harry's eyes widen. "Wonder if anyone will come here and look for this thing that kills pure-bloods quite so effectively."
"Shut up," Harry whispers and continues walking, looking straight ahead.
~*~
"You don't think that's it, do you?" Emily is a Slytherin, the only half-blood Slytherin from her group, and she's walking next to Harry, her eyes pleadingly looking at him.
"What?"
"It's not that they were pure-bloods. It must have been something else."
"I… I don't know." His hand touches the leather bound journal in his pocket. "But if it is, we can't let anyone know. Not…"
"It would be like Professor Malfoy said," Edwin says, and there's a moment of silence, as there is when someone mentions the ones who passed away. "Some madman would come and try to use it against others."
They all nod and walk on.
~*~
Draco said I should write here, so here I am. We're in the village and the only thing keeping me from killing these people are the kids watching. They shouldn't see something like that.
~*~
There are two men in the village, both of them older than Harry, and both of them are wearing simple clothes that don't show in any way how important they are to this community - they're the ones who care for the volcano and make sure it doesn't erupt.
"We thought your magic was in the wand," the younger of the men whispers, twisting his hands. "Had we known -"
"You should have told us!" Harry explodes, causing the man to take a step back. "We could have protected ourselves, we could have done something instead of letting them die."
"Die?" The man looks at the elder sitting behind him and waits for him to nod. "We never got this far with our people, but they shouldn't be dead. Just… resting."
"Resting?" Harry asks, hands clenching into fists. "They were covered in that… thing, they weren't breathing, their hearts stopped working and you call that rest?" He takes a step, bringing himself closer to the man than he had been before. "I saw them get to that and I saw when they stopped living."
"It was the magic," the man explains, clearly shaken. "It takes their strength and magic to hold the volcano. When the earth is weak, it takes its power from us… from them."
Harry shakes his head. "How can they be alive?"
"What you saw was a protection. When the volcano is asleep again, they'll return to how they were," the volcano's caretaker says, his wrinkled face showing signs of all the things he'd had to go through.
"And when will that be?"
The caretaker studies Harry carefully. "If you help us with the incantation, it could very well be soon."
"I'm going back for them, and we'll do the incantation when I get back."
"We're coming, sir," Edwin says, studying Harry's face. "We can help."
Harry shakes his head. "I'll Apparate there and bring them back here. If you try to Apparate and don't get there safely… stay here and help them if they need it, or rest."
~*~
Harry tiredly rubs his eyes. "Why did you allow us to come here if you knew the volcano could erupt anytime?"
The two men look at each other before the oldest explains, "we thought you would help. We were growing weak and -"
"You wanted to use us to stop it?"
"Only with your consent! That was why we requested the wands. We thought you would agree when you understood the importance of it," the younger man explained. "We also thought you would be one of those of pure-blood."
"This is madness. Doesn't anyone refuse to do this?"
"We are the volcano keepers, and no one speaks or acts against us. Now let us continue."
~*~
The transformation was slow, but not as slow as it had been the other way around. It took about two days.
~*~
Draco groans and tries to twist his hand so he can touch his back.
"It's gone," Harry says and hands him the discarded shirt. "I checked with the others and they're fine."
Draco nods. "What did the keepers say?"
"They'll take us to the nearest village where we can take the bus and then… we'll make it to an airport." He runs his fingers through his hair and takes a deep breath. "I was hoping we could talk about what happened before we leave."
"Oh?"
"I… I thought you were dead and I didn't want to leave, and I wished I had…" He sighs and shakes his head. "I…"
"Did you write in the journal?"
Harry nods.
"We'll talk later, then."
~*~
The students are sleeping, their sleeping bags wrapped around them so the only thing visible was the tops of their heads.
"I can't believe we made it in one piece," Harry whispers and looks at Draco.
"After you left, I thought -"
"After we left? You pretended to be dead?"
Draco huffs and gestures for Harry to be silent. "I didn't want to make you waste your time waiting for me to stop breathing." He places his right hand on Harry's left. "I thought I was lucky, then. I always imagined my death would be painful, and it wasn't."
"Not for you."
Draco studies Harry's face for a few moments and squeezes his hand. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that. But it's alright now."
Harry nods. "I think you won't talk to me for a week after reading the journal, but…" He shrugs and turns to Draco. "I was really…"
"The journal is a special one," Draco says, looking at their hands. "It records memories and feelings. That's why I asked you to write, so when you got back home, you'd have it and be able to… find peace, I suppose."
Harry smiles. "Thank you."
"We'll watch the journal recordings when we get back to Hogwarts."
~*~
Harry closes his eyes and watches the blue mist disappear slowly into the journal pages.
I've never been happier to come home in my life.
~fin