I Think I Like Him

36. Time Heals All Wounds

A/N - yeah, okay, it's been like six decades since I updated. Sue me! (I'm sorry) but anyways - I'm on tumblr now! - Same user - so you can yell at me for my horrific update schedule there <3

Word count: 1135

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"How are you feeling, Harry?" Hermione said, eyes avoiding their flushed faces.

"Brilliant," Harry muttered, eyes still flicking between Draco's.

It was strange, he'd always known what the blonde's eyes looked like, but it was as though he'd never actually seen them before. The way they flashed when he was scared, iced over when he was angry, dulled when he was especially pissed. And then the way they brightened to a pretty shade of morning-blue when he looked at Harry.

"Ew," Ron groaned. "Get a room?"

Harry blinked away sheepishly, watching Draco hide a smile.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, and there was a brief moment of silence before Harry snapped his head up to look at her.

"He... He saved me!" Almost like he'd forgotten. But he hadn't. He could never forget something so important.

"Sirius?"

"My dad"

"What?"

Harry felt his cheeks stretch into a soft smile, "He cast a Patronus from the other side of the lake. I saw him"

"Yes, well..." Hermione grimaced and approached him carefully, as though any sudden movements would scare him off. She held his hand and sat, leaving him sandwiched between she and Draco. "It's important that you listen to me, okay Harry?"

"Erm. Alright?"

"They've captured Sirius and sent him to the dementors. For the kiss."

Harry flew up as though his bed had caught fire, whipping around to face her. "What? They're gonna kill him?"

He still felt sluggish; slow and useless but only on the outside. On the inside?  He was screaming. It was like falling. Terror - but it all happened so quickly he didn't even have time to feel it, really.

Draco stood up, gripping Harry's shoulders firmly. "The kiss, Harry. It'll suck out his soul." And then it was like someone had charmed the oxygen out the room, his chest working but leaving him still breathless.

With that, the doors opened to reveal Professor Dumbledore, standing tall in his cloud grey robes. Twinkling eyes peeked at him through those half-moon spectacles, and a rush of cool air made it into his lungs. Dumbledore was here. It would all be okay.

"Albus, I assure you that - Harry?!" Madam Pomfrey squawked, before rushing towards him and practically shoving him back on the bed. Roughly sixteen different kinds of diagnostics lit up above him, as Dumbledore watched on cheerily, "Harry, my boy! Good to see you are awake at last."

"Albus, would you stay for a minute? I need to go get some pepper up - the Medical Cupboard's in short supply."

"Of course, Poppy" he replied with a smile, before watching her scurry away.

Hermione didn't waste a second before rushing to the Headteacher's side, "Sirius Black is innocent, Professor!"

"Yeah, it was my rat, sir!" Ron yelled from his bed. Everyone turned to look at him and suddenly he seemed less sure. "Well, he isn't my rat. But he was! Well, no, he was never my rat. Or Percy's rat, because it was his rat first but it doesn't matter who's rat it's not because Scabbers isn't even a rat! Scabbers isn't even Scabbers!"

Hermione cut in, "Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew. He faked his death - Sirius never killed him. Never killed anyone. He was framed."

"And now the dementors have him..." Harry couldn't move, still sat slumped on the bed where Madam Promfrey had left him.

"It's the truth, Professor. You have to believe us?" Draco stared at Dumbledore, eyes flashing and pleading.

"Of course I believe you, but I'm afraid the word of four teenagers is enough to convince few others. A child's voice is undoubtedly far more honest than that of a grown wizard, but listening is a skill many tend to lose with age."

Draco seemed a bit frustrated, "So what do we do? We can't just let him take the kiss - not knowing what we know. We're running out of time!"

Harry agreed profusely, but he knew Dumbledore much better than Draco did. He recognised that thoughtful look that crossed over his eyes. The wise grit in his voice when he went on to speak.

"Funny thing, time. Powerful. Nothing could exist without it." He turned to the large clock at the end of the ward, "Kill a man, he is gone. Without time, was he ever alive to begin with?" He turned back to them, "But then the thing about powerful things is that they are always just a breath away from being dangerous. And the thing about dangerous things is that sometimes the alternative is worse." Harry didn't miss the way his sweeping glance lingered on Draco for just a moment.

His gaze flicked back to Harry, thundering but virtuous. "Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the dark tower. You know the laws, Miss Granger. Follow them, and you are safe. Once safe, all that's left to do is succeed. And then? More than one innocent life may be spared. Three turns will do the trick, I should think. Good luck." With that, and a flourish of his cloak, he was gone.

"Hermione? What the bloody hell is he talking about?" Ron said to the witch currently fidgeting with her collar.

"I'm sorry Ron," she pulled out a necklace, "But you can't walk."

"Granger!" Draco barked.

Harry was certain he'd never seen anything like that necklace before. Gold, with an hourglass attached to the bottom. Draco appeared at his side, so close he could feel the warmth from his shoulder brushing his own.

Hermione neared them, eyes determined and sure. "This is a time turner-"

"What?! What's a-"

"There's no time! You need to do everything I say, Harry, if we're seen -"

"Granger!" Draco said again, and she turned to him in surprise.

For a long moment, it was silent. Harry watched on as Hermione regarded Draco sternly, gaze flashing across his face. Untrustworthy, trustworthy. The words seemed to alternate in her eyes like the petals of a flower picked off in turn. Yes, no, yes, no.

She wrapped the gold necklace around all three of their necks, before spinning the hourglass thrice. The world dissolved into colour around them - just like it had all those times playing Quidditch. Nothing but distant cheering and wind in his ears. But amongst the noise, all Harry could hear then was his heartbeat. He sought Draco's gaze amongst the blur, but he was already watching him. The blonde, a meaningful look in his eyes, pressed forward into the inches between them and held his hand.

Harry could do nothing but squeeze the warm pads of Draco's fingers.