Beautiful World ~ 𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑹𝑹𝒀

Chapter 14

Harry was grinning proudly as he came down the stairs for his shower the next day. Humming to himself as he washed the lake slime out of his hair and off his body, he cheerfully decided that it was time for a shave and did so quickly before running a hand through his wet hair and studying his face.

He didn't look older. Still a little boy. In fact, he looked strangely younger. It was his eyes, he decided. They were glittering in a way that disguised the fact that underneath all of that, they were older than they should have been.

Doing her homework in the common room, Hermione glanced up at him a few moments later. She dropped her quill and stared.

"Harry?" she asked hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

He faltered a bit. "Why? Do I look sick or something?"

"No, it's just... you look... different." She frowned thoughtfully, tilting her head and studying him critically. Then she smiled a bit. "Oh. You're smiling. I haven't seen you smile like that in days. Was detention that good?"

"Umm." His smiled turned sheepish. "Well. I suppose. I nearly killed Malfoy."

She laughed. "Did you? I would have liked to see that!" Studying his face again, she grinned. "It's so good to see you smile again, Harry. I was beginning to think you'd never smile again. You never laugh anymore; I was worried."

"I laugh," he said defensively, an image of spending his last month and a half in an angry depression hitting him so suddenly that he was nearly sick. Of course he laughed. After all, what was the point in being alive at all if he never laughed?

"When?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

When I'm with Malfoy. Oh. "Umm."

"See? But still. It's a start, this smile of yours." She laughed when her words brought that goofy grin to his face again.

The portrait swung open suddenly and Heather, the Head Girl, stood there, looking grim. "Harry," she chided. "Dumbledore wants to see you."

"Again?" Hermione asked, frowning.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it. I know what it's about." He started towards the door and she grabbed his arm.

"What? Is it the same thing as last time? You never did tell us what that was about, Harry."

"No, something different. I suspect he's rather annoyed that Malfoy and I skipped detention last night... we're gonna be serving detention for the rest of our lives." He sounded quite chipper about it, refusing to remember that it wouldn't be that long, really, for him.

"Harry!" she cried. "You skipped?"

He just grinned at her and followed Heather out of the common room.

Draco was already there, waiting for them outside Dumbledore's office, and he smirked when he saw Harry, ducking his head in an attempt to hide it from Heather. Looking more and more suspicious, she frowned before whispering the password to the headmaster's office. "He's waiting," she said brusquely, before walking away.

Dumbledore looked very grim, and Harry fought the urge to laugh. He didn't know what had come over him, really, but he rather liked it. It was better than trying to punch through stone walls and hating everything that was going to last longer than he was.

"Words cannot express how disappointed I am in both of you," Dumbledore began.

Harry cleared his throat in a desperate attempt to restrain a giggle and Draco shot him an exasperated look, though he was grinning reluctantly. Both had ducked their heads in an attempt to look contrite.

"Do you find something amusing?" Dumbledore asked mildly, his white eyebrows arching.

"No, sir," Draco said quickly.

Dumbledore glanced from one to the other and sat back in his chair, looking rather perplexed and, Harry saw, after darting a swift glance at the headmaster, almost amused. "Harry," he said, focusing his eyes on him through the half moon spectacles "I'm glad, at least, that this recent transgression of yours has put you in a better frame of mind than when I saw you last. However, I cannot allow this to go unpunished; Mr. Filch would undoubtedly resign were I not to ensure that a harsh punishment were put in place for sneaking off while serving a detention for him."

"Resign?" Draco asked, perking up at that. "You think so?"

A smile twitched at Dumbledore's lips. "And that would, of course, be a terrible loss to this school. I was going to give you both more detention, however, with end of year exams next week, that would interfere with your studies. So instead, you will serve your two remaining detentions this Saturday and the next, and spend an hour studying in the library together every day after class. If there are any more transgressions, I shall have to consider suspending you both from playing Quidditch next year. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, sir," Draco said quickly. Harry didn't speak at all.

"You are dismissed. Harry, if you'll mind staying for a moment," Dumbledore said graciously. Glancing at him suspiciously, Draco left the office. "I just wished to inquire as to how you were doing," Dumbledore said, a great deal more gently now. "Sirius said that this week's session went very well."

A lie, that, but Harry didn't correct it. "I'm fine," he said stiffly.

"I do hope this recent bit of bad behavior has nothing to do with what I told you last week."

"What do you mean?" His tone was defiant now. He did not wish to discuss this.

Dumbledore saw it on his face and sighed. "We're still working on it, Harry. Nothing's set in stone."

"Mmm. Well," Harry mumbled.

Dumbledore sighed. "We are doing our best, Mr. Potter. But you'd best be getting to class. I shall inform Madam Pince to expect you and Mr. Malfoy in the library directly after class to begin studying together. Good day."

Harry was in a significantly worse mood as he left the office than when he'd entered.