Shattered Castle

8

this is the last chapter I hope you've had fun reading ily

On the third day of hospitalization, their groups is released. Harry feels a little sick to his stomach at the prospect of returning to the Great Hall and facing everyone. His necklace warms up a bit, and Draco reaches out and takes his hand, squeezing it lightly before letting go and stepping away.

Harry pauses before stepping back over to Draco and taking his hand firmly. Surprised, Draco looks up at him. Wide, questioning grey eyes meet his own, and Harry raises one eyebrow.

Draco looks down at their hands and up at him, and although Harry's necklace has cooled and Draco looks nervous, Draco just tightens his hold on Harry's hand.

"How do you do that?" Hermione asks softly, breaking the silence.

"Do what?" Harry replies, turning away from Draco. He doesn't let go of the blonde's hand.

"Have those silent conversations."

Harry shrugs. "We had to. When you're hiding a relationship from everyone, you learn to have little cues to let the other one know what you're thinking."

"These help too," Draco says, pulling his necklace out of his shirt. A silver H catches the light. Harry pulls his own out of his shirt too, letting it rest in the center of his chest. "Harry's will get cold if I'm upset or worried or angry, and he can warm mine up to calm me down, and vice versa. It helps with subliminal communication."

Hermione studies it. "Wow. That's advanced magic."

Draco grins at her, and they have some sort of smart-kid-bonding-moment before Seamus pushes the doors to the Great Hall open. He grabs Dean's hand and they walk in.

Draco looks at Harry for confirmation before they follow, with Hermione and Blaise behind them.

The Great Hall goes silent. Harry turns to face Blaise so he can have a few seconds where he doesn't acknowledge the eyes on him and Draco. "Do you want to sit at the Gryffindor table with us?"

Blaise's eyes are grateful and he nods. Their little group sits at the Gryffindor table, doing their best to ignore the eyes on them and the whispers going through the Great Hall.

Harry takes a deep breath and lifts his head. The first person whose eyes he meets is Ginny. Her face is twisted into anger, but she returns to her food with a sort of spiteful ignorance.

Neville looks surprised, but after a long pause he gives Seamus, Dean, and Harry weak smiles. Harry figures it will take him a bit to get used to, especially since he grew up in an anti-gay, Pureblood family. He's grateful Neville is trying.

Goyle is staring at Blaise angrily, and his eyes catch Harry's. Harry tilts his chin up, giving him a challenging stare. Goyle glares, but looks back at his food.

McGonagall is... smiling. Brightly. She meets Harry's eye, beaming, and lifts her right hand, showing her interlaced fingers with Professor Sprout's. Harry's mouth falls open a little, but McGonagall just smiles warmly at him and lowers her hand back out of sight.

Professor Slughorn's face is flat. Harry wonders if he'll finally get off Harry's back now and stop worshipping him.

 Zacharias Smith is scowling. Terry Boot has no expression. Cho Chang looks like she's going to throw up. 

Luna stands on her chair and announces that she's genderfluid. Harry waves her over and she grabs her stuff and rushes over, sitting with them.

There's a long, frozen silence, and then Theodore Nott stands up quietly and grabs his things, walking across the silent Great Hall and sitting with them. Draco gives him a warm smile. 

Padma Patil is leaning forward like she wants to get up and join them, but she stays where she's sitting. 

Ginny stands up and moves to sit at the Hufflepuff table. Several things happen after that.

Half of the Gryffindor table stands up to sit at a different table. Parvati simply says she's not, but she supports them. Neville high-fives her. Padma finally gets up and sits with them, blushing hard. Three seventh-year Hufflepuffs join them. Harry has no idea if they're just supporters or if they're like him. He doesn't ask. Terry Boot looks longingly at their table, but looks at the angry, disgusted people around him, and instead stays where he's sitting. He sadly pokes at his food.

Zacharias Smith stands up. "You lot are disgusting," he bites out. Draco sinks down in his seat. Harry leans into him slightly.

"I support them," a second-year Hufflepuff argues, standing up. "Let people be with who they want."

"If you think they're so great, why don't you go sit with them instead of us?" Smith snaps.

Eighth Hufflepuffs stand up and join the Gryffindor table.

"No homophobic insults of any kind will be tolerated, Mr. Smith," McGonagall says coldly. "Detention."

Smith glares, but says nothing. Terry Boot continues to look at the Gryffindor table with wistful eyes.

Harry stares at the divided Great Hall. Three-quarters of the school hates them. Harry closes his eyes, unable to face the judging stares.

Draco rests his head on Harry's shoulder. His necklace warms. He sends warmth to Draco's necklace, letting him know he's okay too. 

And he is okay. With Draco by his side and one-quarter of Hogwarts supporting him, he can make it. Homophobia has nothing against the support of the people around him.

He's going to be okay. He can face this.

Harry opens his eyes.