Nightmares (HP) (Drarry)

twenty one: you serve the truth

It's a quiet day. A waiting day. Harry's hand and head hurts but he's being treated for it, so it's not as bad it was weeks ago. And he receives only the occasional detention from Umbridge instead of the conjoined staff. It is bearable. He is in his own mind. He does not fidget and cannot wander. Not like before.

These quiet days are rare. They are the days without plotting. Without a punishment waiting at the end of it. He knows he will go to bed nightmare free.

It is a good day.

It is a waiting day because Draco is sending a letter to his father. "I have been tortured by Umbridge for an unbearable two weeks on the simply outrageous accusation of having homosexual feelings toward Harry Potter. I cannot believe you are allowing this woman to rampage for as long as she has." The Hogwarts Hooligans wish to push Lucius Malfoy into going against Umbridge. But that will come only when Lucius's response will, so it is a waiting day.

On days like this, Harry lies on the grass beside the Great Lake with Draco and Hermione on either side. Draco bristles at the thought of soiling his clothes on the dirty grass. He bristles... and then he sits beside him anyway.

Harry might love him for it.

Hermione sits and works through school nonsense through the afternoon and Draco sometimes does the same. Mostly he just talks, and mostly Harry just lies on his back and responds.

It's not every day. But there are slow, quiet days every so often. They are worth it, so it doesn't have to be everyday.

"I've been wondering," Draco says at one point, "if your nightmares thing was actually a ploy to hold my hand or not." He would not have minded either way.

Harry raised an eyebrow. Draco snorts. "It's not made up, so it's gotta be a curse of sorts. Who cast it?"

"I haven't a clue."

"Have you looked?"

Harry shrugs. "I haven't had the chance to look into it much. I've been sort of preoccupied, you know."

"I'm sure," jests Draco. "But you're not preoccupied now, so let's theorize."

Harry sits up, a smile tugging at his lips. "Okay. Well, obvious first guess is obvious: Voldemort." Draco does not flinch at the name. Harry loves him for it.

"No," replies Hermione, not even looking up from her page.

Draco and Harry turn toward her, but she says nothing. "Elaborate," prompts Draco.

Hermione huffs and closes her book. "If Voldemort wanted to plague you forever with nightmares, he'd have your counterpart be someone you have no chance of ever brushing hands with. It wouldn't be Ma-- Draco. He wouldn't choose Draco. And if Voldemort wanted you to brush hands with your counterpart to cut off your connection to him, he'd choose someone you'd be likely to brush hands with daily. Again, not Draco. So, I say, Voldemort didn't curse you this time."

A pause. "Huh. I suppose that makes sense," says Harry.

"I've got a guess," jumps in Draco. "Dumbledore." Draco's been on the anti-Albus train far longer than he has. Looking back on it now, Harry is sure he understands why.

It is Harry this time who cuts in. "No. Not him. He wanted to utilize my connection to Voldy, somehow... or, he wanted me to utilize it myself. He wouldn't risk cutting it off like this."

"I agree," says Hermione. "Which means we can also assume we can eliminate those who serve either with any degree of loyalty. No members of the Order, and no Death Eaters. A double sided spy is a plausibility. Someone else, operating for completely separate purposes, is a more likely opponent."

"I mean..." says Harry, "this is a good thing, right? That our curser is entirely grey? Because they won't have Voldemort backing them up, at least."

"True," says Hermione. "But it comes with its own drawbacks. For instance, we don't know the motivation, so it's impossible to work with or around. We don't know if they're English, so the spell might be an entire other language.

"Ignorance isn't bliss, it's a disadvantage my."

Silence.

A moment more of such. "I," says Harry slowly, "have a friend who doesn't know ignorance. I think she can help."

a/n thanks 2 Bot10987654321 & tbh so many others for the support
ALSO I made my own cryptic personality test please reply if your would like to be tagged in the comments of it TY <3