Twist of Fate

Chapter 16

The first night back on Privet Drive Harry unpacked and got Hedwig settled in her cage. He was keenly aware of the coin in his pocket, waiting for the signal that Draco had sent a message. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia pointedly ignored him at supper, other than his aunt handing him a list of everything he was expected him to do while home. Dudley was out somewhere with his mates. As soon as he had finished washing up the dishes he went back to his bedroom. Draco had said he would send a message as soon as he could, it had been hours. As he heard the clock chime midnight, Harry finally curled up on the bed and fell asleep, the coin gripped tightly in his hand. He woke up in the morning and checked the surface, no message. Harry went into the bathroom and splashed water on his face. There was no reason to get worried, he reassured himself. He went downstairs and started his chores. Aunt Petunia always canceled the cleaning service in the summer. No reason to spend money when Harry could provide free labor.

Periodically, throughout the day he pulled out the coin. Still no message. Each time, he slowly let the coin fall back into his pocket of the cast-off jeans from Dudley. He had left all of the clothes that Draco had given to him for Christmas in the locker room. Looking down at the over-sized jeans that were held up by a belt he knew that Draco would hate seeing him looking like he did. Only eight weeks he told himself. He could endure eight weeks without Draco. He felt the heavy weight of the chain around his neck and felt reassured.

On the third morning when he woke up and there was no message from Draco, he flung the coin in frustration across the room. Almost immediately he scrambled out of the bed to find where it had fallen behind the desk. It was worse; he realized suddenly having a way to communicate and getting no message. Last summer he hadn't been this anxious, he'd known that he wouldn't hear from Draco at all. It is no big deal he told himself. Draco is probably having a nice time with his mother without having to worry about his father being home.

Four days later in the garden shed Harry swore when the rake he had reached for knocked over the stack of newspapers. He still had to finish the weeding of the flowerbeds before Uncle Vernon came home. Throwing down the rake he started restacking the papers when the word Wiltshire caught his eye. He quickly slid the paper out and sank slowly down to sit on the floor of the shed when he saw the headline "3rd Wiltshire Youth Missing"

Scanning the article quickly he heaved a sigh of relief when he came to the description of the missing boys. All were dark-haired, not a blond among them. Harry knew he was being foolish, even if Draco was missing, it wouldn't be written up in a Muggle newspaper. It was comforting to know that at least whoever had snatched the missing boys wouldn't go for a blond like Draco. Harry shoved the paper back into the stack and went out to the garden. For the first time he was grateful for all of the work that the Dursleys made him do. It helped keep his mind off of wondering why Draco hadn't contacted him.

By day ten he forced himself to keep the coin in his pocket. He didn't pull it out to check. He still slept with it clutched in his hand, just because he didn't want to sleep through any message.

By day fifteen he contemplated flying to Malfoy Manor. The fact that he didn't know where it was located in Wiltshire did not seem that big of an obstacle.

The next day Harry held Dumbledore's letter announcing that he was coming for a visit in his hand. For one brief dreadful moment he wondered if Dumbledore was coming to tell him that something had happened to Draco. He quickly came to his senses and remembered that Snape was the only person who knew about Draco and him. And Snape was the least likely one to tell.

Harry left his trunk half packed, waiting for the hour that Dumbledore had said that he would arrive. He still didn't dare hope that the Headmaster would, so he didn't pack. He pulled the coin out of his pocket. Two and a half weeks with no word. For the thousandth time Harry reminded himself that they had gone the whole summer without a single word. But he had thought that this summer would be different. Draco didn't have to worry about his father. The only reason he wouldn't send a message was because he had had a change of heart or because something else was stopping him. Harry sat on the edge of the bed staring down at the coin; he didn't know which one he feared more.