𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐏𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐒

XX

Act XX.

Ruat Coelum

Let heaven fall.

Harry paced with all the aggressiveness and impatience of a caged lion. His face lined with both worry and fatigue, he continued his steps, grumbling to himself all the while.

Ron sighed as a strong sense of déjà vu hit him. Hadn’t they just been here a few months ago? Although he had to hand it to Malfoy; he sure had the worst luck in the world as he seemed to have once again been cursed by a mysterious assailant. Sighing wearily, Ron did his part. “Harry, would you settle down? You’re wearing a hole in the floor.”

“Oh.” Harry looked up from his pacing. “I can’t help it! You know I’m not good at waiting.”

“Don’t we all,” Hermione grumbled from where she was seated beside Ron. “Now sit down. It won’t help matters if you keep pacing like that.”

Sighing heavily, Harry gave in and sat down tiredly in the armchair across from his two best friends. Instantly, he began tapping his fingers on the arm rest, the tense situation making it impossible for him to relax.

Grumbling in irritation, Ron was about to complain loudly so that Harry would desist his annoying tapping when he suddenly noticed Harry’s attire. In his defense, Ron had been half asleep during most of the fracas that had ensued after Harry had woken up the entire bloody house, so it only caught his attention now. “Um, Harry, mate. Would you mind telling me why you only have a pair of shorts on and one sock? I mean, I knew you were worried about the git, but did you get dressed in the dark?”

Reddening as he helplessly looked down at his ensemble of Dudley’s baggy hand-me-down shorts and a Dobby knitted sock, Harry bristled in indignation, “Well, it’s kind of hard to color coordinate, Ron, when someone is deathly ill in your bed!”

His face equally reddening at that, Ron spluttered, “Your bed? Malfoy was in your bed at the time of his attack? Merlin, Harry, I knew you liked the guy, but I didn’t know it was because of that!”

“What?” Harry gasped. “No! You idiot! He was coming home from his Mum’s when the portkey went all wonky and he landed in a dead faint on my bed! It is not what you think!”

“Oh. That’s alright, then.” Ron said faintly. “I didn’t really think so.”

“What tipped you off, Ron?” Harry said sarcastically. “The fact that I’m not gay?”

“Er yeah, there is that,” Ron replied sheepishly. “Besides, even if you were, you’d never go for the Ferret.”

Harry mumbled something unintelligible and he looked away, ending the conversation. As he did so, he couldn’t help but lock eyes with a strangely quiet Hermione who had thankfully kept her silence all throughout the conversation. Unsettled by her piercing gaze, Harry did the only thing he could do, he got back up again and resumed his pacing.

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“That’s-why, that’s simply preposterous!” Lucius exclaimed, stumbling over the words and struggling to hide his shock at the accusation. He was prepared to defend his own innocence in the whole affair, but never in his wildest dreams, had he thought his wife’s loyalty would be called into question. After all, Death Eaters’ wives were hardly important enough to be mentioned or included in their dealings. The Dark Lord himself saw them as nothing more than breeding stock, so for Severus to throw around such speculations was almost unheard of.

“My wife has no place in our affairs. She is a good wife and acts accordingly. She would never meddle in something she has no business in, especially if it went strictly against my will!” Lucius snarled through gritted teeth.