Underneath the Mistletoe

ChapterFortyFour

Harry's POV
(StillDaySix)

Harry spent the day avoiding people. He ended up dozing off in the room Buckbeak stayed in. Harry's dream started off as all dreams do. Weird. And it only got weirder.

{Dream Starts}

He was in Gryffindor Common Room, with Luna. She was talking to him about something but he wasn't sure what. "Back in the day some people thought it was caused by the bite of a Doxy." Harry had no sodding clue what kind of creature that was but didn't question Luna. "But that's not true. I'm sure you feel a lot of pressure Harry. I can only imagine how hard it all is for you some days. This on top of everything else..."

"But I could ignore it right?"

Luna furrowed her eyebrows. They were very a very light blond, Harry thought. Almost not there. But it suited her. "Why would you want to do that?"

Harry shrugged. "To get over it until I have one on a girl instead."

Her tone was as light as ever but concern laced Luna's words. "Don't do that. Your emotions are nothing to be ashamed of Harry. They're normal."

Suddenly Neville was across from him, on the other side of the Common Room coming towards them. "Harry, have you seen my Potions homework?"

"No?"

"Snape's going to kill me!" Neville's hands clenched fistfuls of his own hair as he ran out of the Common room. A sense of unease settled in the pit of Harry's gut as he turned back to Luna. Only she wasn't there anymore. In her place was Parvati Patil.

"You know you could have just told me. We could have just gone to the ball as friends." Parvati gave him a gentle smile.

"I don't think I fully knew myself." Part of him had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. But dream-Harry apparently did. "I don't think I was ready to accept it."

"Are you now?"

"I'm not sure Parvati..."

"You liked him. It's okay. I mean he's passed on now but there are other boys."

Harry's head was buzzing. "Draco's dead?"

"Draco?" Parvati looked confused as well now. "I'm talking about Cedric."

"I don't like him." His heartbeat was accelerating. And then a voice in his head whispered 'Kill the spare!' The flash of green.

"Of course not anymore. He's gone Harry." The thud as Cedric's body hit the earth. But when Harry glanced over it wasn't Cedric's empty eyes looking up at the sky. They were Draco's.

Neville came crashing back in through the portrait. "Harry come quick! It's Malfoy. He's waiting outside the Common Room. Says he wants to talk to you."

"What the bloody hell is going on?!" Demanded a new voice. Ron had come from the boys dorm and was now staring at Harry. "Why does Malfoy want to talk to you?"

"As if I know!"

"Well isn't it obvious?" Luna was back, sitting beside Parvati who was giggling.

"Harry what's she talking about?" The room was doing weird things. Zooming in on Ron's face, as if Harry were only feet away, then zooming way out, until he was barely visible. It made him feel very disoriented.

Right now Harry just wanted everyone to go back to their own business. He wanted Luna to go back to Ravenclaw Tower and for the rest of them to leave him alone. But that didn't happen.