Revelations of Love - Moment by Moment Book #3 (Harry Potter, Drarry)

Love?

The shock of Draco's collapse had distracted Harry from his own emotions, but as he found himself flanked by several silent friends, his thoughts began to revolve back around himself. He was beginning to feel the cold under his bare feet, but physical discomfort was the least of his worries. The storm on Amelia's face had said to him he had burnt his bridges with her, and the stiff Coventry, into which his companions had placed him, suggested that he was equally impoverished for support from every direction. He didn't bother to follow the route which was begin taken, it wouldn't have meant much anyway, instead, he stared at the ground, relying on the bottom of Minerva's robe ahead to make sure he didn't walk into anything, and just contemplated his fate: this wasn't fair, he was being treated like a leper and the disapproval in the air around him riled the young man.

[How dare they judge!] he simmered.

Harry was feeling good and defiant by the time the uncomfortable group entered what turned out to be an empty classroom, and he was glaring at the world in general as he was left standing by the teaching desk while the others took various seats around the room. He tried to use his anger to mask the feelings of exposure which were welling up behind it, and he met Amelia head-on as she turned at a front row table, but remained standing. Madame Bones was not a woman to challenge, and her features set hard as she began, "Auror Potter, your behaviour over the last twenty-four hours was unprofessional and needlessly dangerous. What is more, you have been wilfully concealing the true nature of your attachment to Draco Malfoy."

"Professionalism wasn't high on my priority list when it came to saving Draco's life," Harry spat back. "And I may have been vague about my relationship to Draco, but I made the consequences of my feelings very clear."

"Precisely why did you feel it necessary to lie to us?"

"I didn't lie!" the young man defended hotly, his temper almost out. "I didn't tell you because I wanted to avoid conversations like these!"

"If you did not wish to share this information with us, then you should not have allowed it to interfere with your duties," Amelia was also very close to shouting.

"You think I planned this?!" Harry snarled incredulously. "The only plan I had when I went in to remove those bloody runes was to keep Draco alive."

Superior and subordinate were glaring at each other from either side of a chasm, and there appeared to be no way to the middle. Yet a calm voice entered the fray.

"My friends, I believe it would be pertinent to start from the beginning," Albus stood smoothly and drew everyone's attention with his quiet, but sensible authority.

The old man's stare seemed to remind Amelia of her station in life, and she visibly settled. Harry just watched as she took a deep breath and sat down, less willing than the well-controlled woman to let go of his ire. His mentor waited, and under his undemanding gaze, slowly the young man felt the defensiveness drop away.

"Harry, we have no wish to cause you further distress, these last few weeks have been difficult enough for you as it is," Dumbledore began when Harry sat awkwardly back against the desk, "but you must understand that we have our own responsibilities. We have to try and assess Draco, especially now in view of his considerable capabilities. That may require you to answer some questions you may find intrusive, but I would ask you to be open with us. I believe I speak for us all when I say that this conversation will go no further than those of us present."

"As always, I don't seem to have much choice," the young wizard muttered back, still unimpressed with the proceedings.

Albus blinked at him over his spectacles and fixed his younger comrade as he said very firmly, "Quite."